The Washington times., 1903-08-23
EWIS AND NOTES OF RECENT PUBL/C4ZZONS
JACOB RIIS AND HIS WORK.

! have asked this question when listening
the slum problem. They might justly
say, I'VE are not New York people; we
cannot vote the tenements away. We
own no tenements: we cannot reform
our own property" II the listener be a
resident of Washington. he may add
that he has no vote with which to infiu-
ence the rulers of his own city. But
this is the tale Mr. Riis tells of one of
these earnest and well-intentioned peo-
pie. and ii carries it's own moral:
"A year or two ago | went TO a sub
urb of New York TO speak of these
things, even as / am now speaking to
you. And when that evening l sat at
the family board with my host, who
was a clergyman, a secretary in for
eign mission board. he said. looking
around upon his little ones, that. If
could find him poor widow in the city
with five children of their ages, whom
they could go along with and help as
they grew, l would be doing a good
thing for them and a better thing for
his children. And I promised, for that
was ideal charity, neighbor with neigh
Dor.
But it was not easy. Weeks passed
before l found a family in an East Side
tenement that just filled the require
ments. II was Christmas Eve, and while
stayed to look them over. l came to
love them, the good children and the
brave little woman fighting her fight all
unaided. She told me that she was a
scrubwoman in a public building, but
II was not until | had gone half way
over to the office, to tell my friend on
the telephone that had found what he
sought, that I thought of asking where
she scrubbed 1 went back to ask her
And where was it, do you think? In
the mission building on his floor Be-
tween them was just the thickness of the
oaken door, all the time she had been
needing him as he did her, and neither
knew where TO find the other
This is a fairly good example of the
indifference and carelessness which iu
great measure creates our charity prob
lens. People are so desperately afraid
OF being cheated. so afraid that they
will be bothered after by those they
helped, that they refuse to bestow char
ity unless the object is duly accredited
by an agent of an association. OF course
there is some reason in this. It is not
desirable that rogues and impostors shall
fatten on philanthropists. But in ninety
nine cases out OF a hundred, If people
look about them, they can find worthy
poor at their own doorsteps, and II they
would do this there would be less work
for the associations and less machinery
in our charity. 1t would have been an
easy thing for that missionary to have
established friendly relations with the
scrubwoman outside his own door in 4
week. so that If she needed help she
would have come TO him as a matter Of
course; and yet he had to wait for a
busy professional philanthropist, lee
turer, and newspaper reporter to hunt
her UP and show her to him.
Mr. Riis' book is one which it will be
good for the public 10 read and ponder
over He might have said more. how
ever, on this subject OF ways and means
There are millions OF good people in
city and country who would like we'll
enough to take hold of the slum problem
If they knew how. They can give their
money, but that is not all they want.
Two things are in their way: the fear
OF failure and the consciousness of
ignorance. AS 10 the former. it is well
to remember that a certain percentage
of failures must be expected in all en-
terprise. and the fact that one is trying
to do good does not insure one against
blunders. AS TO the other. Mr.. Riis and
other men who know the work can. and
should, point out ways in which the
ordinary citizen can help. (Philadelhpia:
George w Jacobs G. Coz