Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-10
PRACTICAL CHARITY
One Mans View Of Mr.. Downey's Eff
forts to Save Tramps.

The most interesting article which
have read in The Star for some time, and
which came as surprise to me, though l
am we'll acquainted with charitable opera
tons In the capital, was the description of
Mr.. DoWneys home for unfortunate men,"
said gentleman Of large worldly expert
ence who takes a practical view of the
question of assisting the poor and needy
My experience with practical almsgiylng
ana with the seamy side Of life has often
raised this question: What right has one
person to ask another for assistance? I
have often thought as I have been braced'
on the street by men for money that the
man who thus asks for money should be
forthwith arrested and compelled to work
for certain period Of time for the good of
the public, and not merely sent to the local
place OF confinement for such offenders for
a Few days, virtually to rest, as Is the
actual case.
L used to respond to such appeals, well
aware that in nine cases out of ten the
money was used for drink and that my act
was a travesty upon charity and the Bib
lical declaration to give to the poor now
feel that the citizen who responds to these
appeals, instead of tending to lift I'd the
individual who thus solicits money really
becomes party to transaction which
may almost be considered an offense against
society, and who does the recipient of the
aims a real injury instead of benefit In
stances are SO numerous of professional
DeSSaTS III large CllieS making good in
comes and who have died rich that It Is
unnecessary to advert to them, and NV re-
marks are more particularly directed to the
great class known as tramps Migrants and
street buns The professional beggar is
parasite upon the body polite but in the
other classes there is good material for de-
cent citizens. The great difficulty is that
we are disinclined to extend an actual help
Ing hand to these men. and in taking these
poor fellows up from the gutter placing
fbnv
supporting, Mr.. Downey has done and can
do in an unostentatious, benevolent way
more real good to suffering humanity in it's
lowest dregs than forty eleemosynary So
cieties.
Il do not believe that the world owes
every man a living, but that every man
owes 1t to the world to make a living ont of
1T. This is evidently the view taken by the
Washington philanthropist in question in
his splendid work Of making unfortuna tie
men self-sustaining. the very highest form
of modern charity. These unfortunates
would not be admitted into a church, and
they and the public well know it. Iney de-
rive no benefit from the collections of
money for home missions, and certainly
none from the money which goes abroad
in such large quantities to what are called
pists of todasysfares OPPOSED to this foreign
support of alien beneheiaries. when our own
poor, who arg Arrays .:ss with u.s. go uncared
am SidQ TQat 50 WlQely read medium
as The Star Has SO PROMINENTLY GATED pub
lie attention tS form of practical charity
on the part 81 one Of the nations capital.s
citizens in the good work Of rescuing the
human driftwo which is piled SO high
upon the rugged banks Of the ceaseless sea
OF life. His example. trust, will be emu
lated in othenI nitiess by; men of benevolent
turn Of nnind.wheses henevoience passes be-
yond the narrow limits of drawing checks
for institutions. 1t is an instance of marked
public and private 1dnterest of practical
charity as cozatradistingutshed from theo-
reticai and kid-glove almsgiving. Every
man. 1t matters not how far he may have
tumbled over the precipice of earthly de-
spatr, has within his inner nature a streak
Of good, which may be reached in the right
way. But these men are dirty. unkempt
and not pleasant companions. The world
turns toward them a cold shoulder and
they are roughly kicked to one side. MT.
Downey's method. however, awakens new
flre Of ambition in their hearts They are
made to feel that there is after all some
thing in life worth living for and. once
Their hands are placed by some kind heart
ed citizen upon the rungs of the, ladder
which leads out of the depths into the
light above. they. climb instinctively. If
slowly. cut Of their miserable environme mt.
wv Washington Is to be congratulated upon
possessing such a r.philanthropist, who
maintains such a splendid human rescains
haven. and that II is not an institution
with salaried ofiiciais.