The broad ax., 1903-05-23
LIFE'S DARKER SIDE.
Washington Has Ita Poor just LiEs'
Every Other City.
Proaigasy's Ns1t DooE Member
sonstines - Hest Dsrraasa
POVsFty = ghrevEd 1lanipa-
hstors - sy1pathy.



TT Is not prophecy nor oracuIar ipss
dixit, but simple statement of
fact that 'the poor ye have with
IOu always"
There win be no poor people in the
world when all men become commun-
lists after the manner Of the 70 apostles
and the disciples who ''had all thinRs In
common. Uuti the coming Of that
millennium Of communism the poor va
will have with US always.
But when that condition shall have
been developed, in the moral evolution
of which we are part, what will be-
come Of our talents for beneVolence?
Where no poverty exists there can be
no benevolence. and ultimely no need
of the benevolent faculty. To Danish
poverty will be to cause brain upheav-
al; the benevolent faculty dying and
some other faculty, may be a nobler
one, taking its place.
Men, women and children who learn
to live by their Wits impose upon the
benevolent; 30 that on this account
in all towns and cities charities arr
organized and intelligently managed
Not long ago q poor boy with only one
arm rang q door bell in this city and
appealed for charity. He wanted
money to help him get back to his
home in Boston. In reply to an In
quiry he said that his left hand had
been caught in some machinery and
his entire arm destroyed.
Before giving him aid the citizen un-
dertook to examine the stump of his
arm. The poor boy shraRk from the
examination. BE stepped backward
and soon began running away. He
was caught by the citizen who dis
played the badge Of a precinct detee-
tive. The poor one-armed boy was
taken TO the station and his left arm.
which was strapped 20 his side, was
released. he had been making more
than a good living by imposing upon
the sympathies of the benevolent.
This is only one sample out Of hun
dreds Of thousands Of devices in real
life to profit by the eredulity and sym
pathy Of the charitable. And here is
another, fresh from the memory Of
the narrator, who has had more tus
pulse than reason or common sense
from adolescence to maturity.
Out of the darkness of an alley in
fashionable Washington two stalwart
young men, emerged, one Of them say
ing in an audible undertone: cit is
humiliation or starvation; and I pre-
fer the humiliation" Then he came
to the narrator and said: 81 beg your
pardon, sir, but my brother and are
hungry; and James is on the verge Of
suicide. We are scions Of an old
Maryland family; but our good clothes
and II pennies are all we have left. y
He showed the pennies; also two
beautiful rows Of teeth; also two hon
est dark brown eyes. His story was so
interesting and so modestly told that
he and his silent, moody brother were
taken to a restaurant where they ate
two big suppers; just as very hungry
men would eat-rayenously. Then
they were given as much ready money
as their benefaetor could spare, and
they departed with their stomaehs full
of good food, and their eyes filed with
grateful tears.
Thirty-five dollars were in the peck
etbook Of their friend when be met the
poor fellows; but there was noPOcket-
book at all when he reached in his
pocket for il an hour later. The poor