Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-05-17

Tor the water supply Ia gone. The
flames are creeping nearer and nearer
to your house. You rush forth fran.
tically to hunt up All expressman
How much7" you ask. will you
carry my trunks out of the reach OF
danger" give me fifty or hundred
dollars" II the answer. Cant you
do It for lessY" NO" he says; there
are only few wagons, ana we can get
any price we nsk." Or the flames have
burned themselves out and there are
only few bakery stores left. You
enter one and ask for bread. How
much is a loaf?" "One dollar" says
the baker. Cant you sell the bread
for less1" mo. can raise my price.
and instead Of getting 8 cents a loaf
I am going to get a dollar" This was
the condition confronting the people Of
San Francisco during and Immediately
after the conhagration. Now what
happened? Why. General Funston sent
forth orders something like this: "If
any man who has a horse and wagon
Is found overcharsing connscate his
wagon and horse. II any man who
owns bakery store Is found over
charging take away his store and drive
him out from behind the counter"
Thus we find that in the darkest days
of the San Francisco horror the baker
was not allowed to charge more than
an honest, fair price FOR his bread nor
the expressman TO overcharge for his
vehicles. The extortionlst was not then
permitted to fatten upon the lifeblood
OF his neighbors.
But there was still another fact
which wonderfully Impressed me amid
those ruins. Though there were some
mean and contemplate people living
In San Francisco, ms there are mean
and contemplate people living in oil
cities, yet the vast majority We're no.
BILE in heart and deed and were ready
to 60 forth and help those who could
not help themselves. No man could
appreciate this self sacrifice 80 much
ns the outsiders who came to San
after the city had been burned out
went from feeding station to feeding
station. There I found men and wom-
en- standing in line awaiting their turn.
They were there by the scores, by the
hundreds and the thousands. Some Of
these men and women were dressed in
the garments Of wealth. Some had on
Persian lamb coats. Some wore seal
skin sacks. Behind them were those
who were dressed In the clothes Of the
humble laborer. They all were equals
now. Their money was gone in many
cases. They had lost their all and
could lose no more. But who are
food and the clothing?" | asked again
and again. "Who are these men who
are running the automobiles and car
rying the sick to the hospitals and
looking after the city, They are the
men who, like ourselves, have lost ALL"
would come back the answer. Like us.
when they want food. they take their
places In line TO get it, but as soon as
they are fed they go on the relief COM
mittces. If they have houses still
standing they open them 10 take in the
homeless. 1t was the grandest sight
ever saw. Having lost their ALL there
were thousands upon thousands who
not only suffered in silence. but at the
same time gave their substance and
energy to care for others This help
was not given by people Of only one
social station, but Of all stations The
aristocrat was there working side by
side with the phebeIan, the college grad
uate with the illltefhte man. There
they were all working side by side to
help each other.
But cannot close without one other
word of congra tulation ns we'll rs of
warning. No sooner did the cry of help
come from the burning city than Mt
once clothing and breadstuffs came
pouring in. Within few hours Sacra-
mento sent her donations. Then came
Los Angeles with her carloads. Then
the Portland and the Denver trains
filed with food supplies came rolling
in, while off in the distance we could
hear the revolving wheels OF trains
coming from cities Of the far east.
San Francisco would have starved to
death had not this help come. And so
plentifully did il come that I believe
there was not hungry man. woman
or child In all the city when I was
there BY the beneficent contributions
Of her sister cities San Francisco was
not only fed, but we'll fed SO impress
ed was I with this fact that, though
had in my pocket some money given to
me TO distribute to the sufferers, I
found no one hungry and no one ma
ked
Now, what did DO? said to my
self: "San Francisco Ia having n hard
time now. but the hardest time will be
those days that are ahead. In a few
weeks this free distribution OF food
and clothing will stop. Then the labor
ers will go to work. and there will he
plenty OF work for every ablebodied
man who can work in the streets or At
other manual labor. Then the hard
pinch is to come. 1t will come to the
widow and the old folks who cannot
work with their hands. 1t will come to
the boarding house keeper and to the
young girls and the invalids." Then
took some OF that money and gave it to
the San Francisco pastors and said:
"You distribute this money to the suf-
fering poor OF the household of faith.
Do not distribute It now. but within a
few weeks Then II will be sorely
needed. Within Ave weeks there will
be a hundred sufferers in San Fran