The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-04-09
TIE CARE OF OUR PAUPERS

DR.. Chas. A. ElIwoud, professor
Of sociology at the Missouri State
University, lccturcd at the PrrsbA
terrain church last SUNDAY evening
on Social Science in Relation to
Church Work " He took for his
text Matthew XNNl:4j: Inas-
much as ye did it not to one of the
least of these, ye did il not TO Me. y
His lecture was devoted to thu
treatment and care of the unfOrtu
nate in our cleemOsynary insttu
tons and the duty of the Church
as an influential factor in the bet
tcrmcnt of their condition. lie
said the State asyums were usual.
~ in good condition and conducted
along the line Of humane methods;
but he rcprchcndcd the manner in
which the juiIs, the county aims
houses and poor farms were con
Quoted, aud particularly the policy
of letting ont to the lowest bidder
the care of pauprrs. The influence
Of the Church should be cxcrtcd to
change the present system and
make life more tolcrablc for those
whom misfortune has east upon
the charity of the public.
One cannot help concurriug with
DR. ElIwood in his views, nor can
il he denied that the paupers are
not ns well cared for rs the prompt
iugs of humanity dictate. There
is II cause for this, ms there is for
everything, and ii lies at the door
Of public opinion either its
thoughtlcssnrss or it pcuurIuus-
ness. The conditions are about
the same in all the counties of the
State, and IN alt or nearly all the
States. over the hills to the
poor house" is Il saddcnlng refrain
that arOuscS Il momCntcry pity
which soou subsidies as the busy
cares o! life crowd upon us.
Sometimes our county courts are
crnsurrd or blamed for the system
OF caring for our paupcrs that pre-
walls 50 universally throughout the
State; but is ii just to place the
blame on thrm' Public opinion
demands of them that their admin.
lstration of county affairs shall be
economically administered - and
public opinion is so apt to cOmstruc
that word economy to mean pars-
mony, where II broad, judiciouS
llbcrality Shonld prevail. In sum.
ming NJ the county's expenditures
for n year, if they exceed public
opinion $ expectations and public
opinion has Il crude, we might say
II niggardly, idea of the cost of
county government hue and cry
OF extravaganza, if nothing worse,
is made against the courts. If the
criminal costs are Il little larger
than usual, Notwithstanding the
population is increasing, there is
something wrong with the public
officers having this matter in
charge If the cost 70 maintain
ing the poor farm and caring for
the paupers exceeds the eXpendi-
lures of some former court, public
opinion is ready to cry out against
tits taxes are being squandercd
The county courts in this mat.
ter, which rs individuals have ms
much charity and pity for the poor
us the average sociologist, only
bow in Difference to all -pervading
public opinion, and rs public ser.
wants hesitate to do what their in
dividual feelings prompt and what
they would like to do. DR.. Ell.
wood is right; the Church should
exert its influence for the better
ment of prevailing conditions, and
so should the press, and that in
fluence should be exertcd upon
public opinion first, and its public
servants will gladly do its bidding.
1t might be well for our county
courts to take II step in advance of
public opinion.