Waterbury Democrat., 1903-02-24
WORKSHOPS FOR CR1PPLEs.
How Paris Saves Many People from
Pauperism.

Il
How Paris Saves Many People from
Pauperism.
Among the worlds many strange
workshops there are few more extra
ordinary than those which a philan-
thropic city councillor Of Paris has re-
| Gently induced the general council of
the department of the Seine to insti-
tute for the benefit of the crippled and
destitute poor Of the French capital.
There are two Of these shops, one in
Paris and the other at Montreinisur
Bots, and numerous grades and occu-
pations are represented in them. But
their strangest feature is that except
the directeur or manager in each, every
| worker and inmate is deformed, Grip
pied or enfeebled in some way.
A visit to either of the workshops re-
veals one Of the most curious sights in
the world. Here are boys and girls
| suffering from almost every form of
congenital or accidental deformity;
young men and middle aged men and
women, deaf, blind, dumb, one-armed,
one-legged or otherwise crippled; and
aged persons whose weakness and in
| trinity has left them practically help
less to fight their way in the world.
Around the hall is grisly array Of
| canes, crutches and other supports used
| by the inmates.
The trades piled by these unfortun-
| ates vary from the weaving of coarse
| carpets and rugs on specially con-
| structed looms to the binding of books
| for the city libraries. A paper glazing
i and finishing machine is run by a one
1 -a,so nd Pod 1,rz
Hunchbacks and deaf mutes work to-
gether folding printed sheets into book
form. and various other kinds of labor
such as basket making, tailoring ito
the extent of making uniforms for hos
pital patients, and light )carpentering,
are all performed by suffering members
Of humanity.
| Only the superintendent Is whole
| and sound man; every foreman is
among the afflicted. and even the book
| keeper has lost his right arm and
makes his entries In fine script with
his left hand. The difference in the
ages of the workers Is shown by the
fact that thirteen are under 20 years
and seventeen between 20 and 50 years
old.
The wages paid to these laborers are
necessarily meager, running from one
and quarter to two and half francs,
or, In our money. from 25 to. 90 cents
a day; wages which seem ridiculously
small to American ideas, bat on which
the deformed and crippled Parisians
contrive to live with little difficulty.
To aid them, however, a canteen has
been attached to each shop, where the
4 inmates can obtain two good and sat
! 1sfying meals for an average sum Of 16
! cents a day.
The meals consist of good, appetizing
food in abundant quantities. Soup,
boiled, roast or stewed meat, a glass of
vim ordinafre and an unlimited allow
ance OF bread are main features Of the
daily menu. Many of thecrippled work
men Formerly occupied good places I'M
I'll accident or misfortune brought on
their 1nf1rmities, and in their palmy
days they were used to food of good
quality and careful preparation.
/ The ability to earn enough by fhei,.
labor TO pay for their necessary meals.
with something over for room rent and
pocket money, comes as a great boon
to such unfortunates, who are too
/ proud to beg, but not ashamed to work.
| In some cases the inmates recover from
their 1nf1rmities, which may be of d
temporary or intermittent character.
and when they desire to leave the work
shop their directors find suitable en-
ployment at fair wages for them out
side.
A few Of the inmates rejoice in the
possession of other assistance. either in
the shape of pensions or some small
private allowance, insufficient to sun
port them, but which, added to the
wages earned in the shop, places them
on firm financial basis, relieving them
entirely from the necessity of seeking
charity from private or public sources.
Others, whose infirmities reduce their
wage-earning capacity in the shop to
the lowest scale. exc out their small
earnings by selling papers or some
other outside occupation when their
days work in the shop is done.
pleasing feature of these shops IS
the mutual aid rendered to each other
by the inmates. Each contributes a
small sum weekly to sick fund. from
which the necessary expenses of medi.
cine and attendance are paid out to
those in need of such assistance.-New
1 vorI- C11n