Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-12-29
CHARITY WORK IN
NEW YORK CITY
NEW YORK CITY. Dec. 20 'o4

NEW YORK CITY. bee. 20. '04
In this great city OF unlimited
wealth and unlimited poverty II II in.
tcrestlng TO note the Christmas spirit
abroad
The sreets In the downtown districts
in the neighborhood of the large stores
are so thronged with Christmas shop.
pers at certain hours that they are al.
most impossible. and how gladly the
pedesterian looks TO the great. strong
men in blue coats and brass buttons
for assistance at the crossings for
these magnificent giants stand in the
attitude OF saviors 10 the masses of
men. women and children afoot. who
would be trampled and crushed to
death ruthlessly were not the mighty
arms of the policemen signalling
when and how to move and when to
halt When they say. Come" you feel
safe, though hundreds of truck wagons
carriages electric motors and street
cars press towards you. for you know
that they must obey the signal
Great preparations are being made
by the different charitable organlza-
tions for Christmas dinners, trees and
so forth. for the poor. Most notable
among these is that planned by the
Woman's Property Protective League"
for the Impoverished gentlewomen"
of the city. of whom II is said there
are thousands This is distinctive
class, composed OF women Of gentle
birth. education and moral worth. who
II. III a
destitute through various causes. and
are thrown upon their own resources
wholly unprepared to meet the struggle
for existence 1t is this class thar so
generously feeds the ranks Of the
fallen
Why?
Because the public charities are 80
rigorous In their examination of an ap-
plicant for help as to her worthiness
that she Is often compelled TO seek the
street or the river before help is
given.
The worthy poor!"
What q lean heart must have invent
ed that phrasei
II is so patroniz!ng. SO prescr!ptive.
so pusillanimous,
A large per cent of the sixty thous-
| and fallen women of New York have
taken the awful step of selling their
souls for bread while lie public char
| tiles we're trying to find out Just how
| closely they We're related to old John
Jones. the millionaire. or whether
| they had taken false step OF any kind
or not. and very large number have
| found graves in the Hudson river
| while having their worthiness examin-
ed into,
| Millions of dollars pass annually
| through the Public Charities, the offic-
ials of the organization receive prince
| ly salaries. for dispensing the sums
contributed. and this Is the lean-heart.
| ed manner in which they are disrtib
uted.
| The Salvation Army is the only or
ganization that does not allow a starv
ing man TO perish while they are in
yestigating his worthiness. and tho
highly organized sensitive woman re
coils from an appeal to the Army
either because of q false pride. or be
cause contact with the promiscuou.
class that seeks that channel OF char
ity is TO her obnoxious to an intoler
able degree The latter class go TO tbs
river. The women of false pride go I,
the brothel.
But there are some poor gentle
women who do neither. In some base
mcnt or sky-light room they hide them
selves away from their former friend
because loss Of money and friend
were simultaneous. They eke ont al
existence in one way and another
Most of them unframed for business
make things TO sell at the various In
dustrial exchanges for women, bu
even this avenue Of sustenance Is al
most cut off from them by the wealth
women. who excel in handmade lace
and fancy articles. and drive to thes
exchanges In their carriages dali
/ with their wares. which they can SCI
= a; much lower figure than can thei
poor competitors.
This spirit Of greed in woman Is on
OF the saddest things to be observe
Z IN this city II defeats every philaI
] thropic movement for woman. For IL
> stance. there are two hotels here ia
women OF moderate means, for wori
J Ing women. presumably. the Marth