The times., 1900-12-24
Practical PhiInnfhrOI,F

The chances are that none of the poor
/ folk in Washington will go hungry on
Christmas Day, but it is not too late TO
make suggestion TO those who are
philanthropically inclined. and do not dis
tribute their charity through the medium
| of an association. 1t is not enough to
give a poor family a fine Christmas din
ner. and leave them to live on mush and
| milk afterward. This is a good time to
supply people with groceries. and coal,
and clothes for the winter, and the we'll
to-do can attend to such matters much
more economically than the poor. With
| out investigation. no one can know how
much money is spent by the poor in buy
ing things on credit. II is all very well
to say that they ought not to do this, but
should wait till they have the cash. but
that is not always possible. When wo-
man is supporting herself and some one
dependent upon her. on very slender
wages, and has only her strength for
capital. it is unwise for her to risk her
health by going without warm cloak
pair of shoes. a stove, or a comfortable
bed. 1t is much better for her TO buy
she can pay only q dollar or two a month.
than to injure her health by doing with
out the ordinary comforts of life till she
has money to buy them. Much is said
about the improvidence and extravaganza
OF the poor but hey are probably as
proyident as any other class of society
when they have chance to be. If wo-
man has a drunken or brutal husband,
father. or son. who takes possession ef her
earnings now and then for his own use,
she cannot always control her expenses;
and if man has a large family. and one
or two members of it are seriously i'll
for long time, the expenses of that ILL
ness eat up his little savings, if he has
any. and drag him into debt through no
fault of his own. 1t is considerably
easier TO save up bank account large
enough for emergencies when one has a
salary of two or three thousand dollars
4 year, than to keep within ones income
on wages of five or six dollars a week. 1t
may seem incredible to more fortunate
people, but there are -omen in this city
who support themselves and two or three
children on the latter income. or even
them If they sometimes fail to make both
ends meet
One of the most effective forms of char
ity is TO save these people from the ad-
ditional expense of the credit system. In
some cases goods purchased on credit
cost from twenty-five TO fifty per cent
more than if they would if purchased for
cash. at a favorable time. 1t makes a
considerable difference to a poor woman
whether she is obliged to pay eight dollars
or twelve for suit of clothes which she
must buy ready-made because she has no
time to sew for herself; and il her en-
ployer. or some one who is interested in
her. is willing to lend her the money TO
pay cash she is saved four dollars. the
lender is not out of pocket. and the bene
fciary is not an object OF charity. The
stores which sell on credit are useful in
stitutions. and the poor would find 1t hard
to get along without them; but even at
these places cash is preferred. as a gen
eral thing. so that no harm is done TO
business interests by this form of philan-
thropy.
Moreover. the well-to-do members Of So
ciety generally buy groceries of better |
quality than the poor are able to pay for |
and by taking large quantities at a time
they save considerable percentage OF the
cost. II is not much for a rich woman to
give her washwoman half a barrel or a
barrel of flour bus it saves the latter Il
snug little sum OF money, if she is in the |
habit Of buying inferior -four. 4 few
pounds at a time, and SO with other |
things.