The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-15
SAYS COUMCILMEN ARE
OPEN TO IMPEACHMENT.
Rev. Or. James I. Vance Says Aldermen
Try to Abolish Laws of God
and of State.

The Rev. DR.. James l. Vance. paste
of the North Reformed Church, score
Common Council for ~favoring the opeT
ing of saloons on Sunday. in the cours
of a sermon last night. The adoptio
of the Sunday opening resolution Fri
day night he branded as a step towar
anarchy. DIR. Vance declared that tn
Council majority in voting in favor c
Sunday opening had proceeded I
abolish the laws of God and the Stat
of New Jersey" and were open to i'm
parchment for the action.
DIR. Vance also denounced the recen
Aldermanic dinner at the Almshouse an
urged hat these Almshouse reforms b
effected.
The recent Aldermanic dinner at tn
almshouse. which was criticised by tn
Grand Jury, showed, said DR.. Vance
"a phenomenal absence of the sense o
propriety and an utter lack of sym
pathy for the poor unfortunates."
The North Reformed Church wa
crowded. as the minister had an
nounced hat public matters would b.
discussed. The subject of the discourse
was THE Almshouse and Its Victims,
and closed with an appeal for a mor'
beneicent and less humiliating system
of caring for the unfortunate poor.
In the audience was Overseer of thu
Poor William A. Baldwin, who followed
the discourse closely.
The text was He began to cry GU
and say. Jesus, thou Son of David
have mercy on me- And many charged
him that he should hold his peace
Mark. K, 47-46.
In part DR.. Vance said:
just now the almshouse is in the
llmelight of publicity because OF tne
paragraph In the report of the recent
Grand Jury calling attention to an
elaborate dinner at that institutlon pE
certain members of the City. Councli
to themselves and their friends, wnleh
was paid for out of the almhouse ap.
propriations. The incident In itsen
was not large compared with certain
other misuses and abuses OF oIhclal
privilege and power which stalk IN TINS
municipality. to some of which atten.
tion was called in this same report OF
the Grand Jury.
nil of which has been told, mas
shocked the public sense of decency and
aroused widespread indignation because
1t showed, on the part of those 10
whom the management OF the aims
house has been committed, a phenom-
email absence of the sense of propflety
and an utter lack of sympathy for the
poor u~nfortunates committed to their
care, an absence which cannot be al
together atoned for by the proposition
to give the almshouse victims occas-
sional trolley rides TO be paid Tor py
private subscription. That kind OF
sympathy is too much like thar OF II
man who eats a hearty meal before a
starving man and then says, Come,
/ will show you where they grow
spinach"
We are not told which Of these gentle.
men franked the permits that admitted
the beer on this occasion. but the bibu-
lous features of the dinner must have
been a striking object lesson to the
almshouse inmates on the heXibility OF
their rules.
connection with Friday nights legisla-
tive fiasco in which these same gentle
men. under the inspiration of an amaz-
ing message. from the Mayor, proceeded
to abolish the laws of God and of the
State of New Jersey, with the enact
ment of q statute permitting open sa-
looms Sunday afternoons and evenings.
What has Newark come 10 when sucn
men as these pretend to rule 1t? To the
lay mind Ii looks as II these men by
encouraging the violation of law, have
seriously laid themselves open to I'M
parchment. Friday nights perform
ance was a step toward anarchy. After
this one cannot be astonished at any
thing from this quarter.
lnere are, however, IN cnnneCllOn
with the almshouse administration
evils for which the City Council Is not
TO blame, but which lodge in the apathy
Of the community at large, and while
the almshouse is somewhat in the pub
lie eye. it may not be amiss to consider
them
DR.. Vance spoke of Christ's treat
ment of the pauper poor and the atti-
tude which Christianity consequently
must take in the efforts to cure the
disease of pauperism. Continuing, he
said:
Th almshouse is society's chief present,
a solution of the problem. The Newark
almshouse is one of the hest of its kind
To the visitor 1t seems to be well-kept. I
Is plentiful. But the type IL a back num-
Der. and there are certain changes whicf
the. best administration of charity woult
make.
The name of the institution should bt
changed. To be the inmate of an aims
house is n stigma. The place is one o.
last resort. The stigma should be removed
1t should be made as respectable an abode
as any of the homes for dependent classe:
supported by private charity. Instead p
the almshouse let us call 1t the CITY
Inf1rmary." There should be some bette
classification OF the inmates. The onl,
classification at present is by sex In TIL,
average almshouse there are paupers, cpl
leptics, buns. chronic FOUNDERS Of various
spectacle aged poor 1t Is not right to here
WIN this moral refuse people whose onl.
offense is their misfortune. and a trained
nurse should be detailed from the Cit.
Hospital to look after the sick.
While the sex problem is n difficult on
in an almshouse. there should be some ar
rangement made by which an aged coupl
could live together. AT present the age
husband and wife are separated and N
lowed to visit each other only occasionally
This Is a great hardship to those who's
caiamities in old age make them NOR
needful of each others eo~mpanionship.
| In order to meet these various demand
fer a better classification, the cottage plai
should succeed the one at present in vogue
The city should dispose of its present plan
and move to n more spacious site. where
number of two-story cottages, %connectei
by cnlonades. would make possible tn
classification that Is needed.
Some sort of work. In addition to carini
for their rooms. should be provided TO
those who were able TO work. Work !
always a blessing, and to the eplleptic
outdoor work for a few hours a day
remedial.
One other reform is greatly needed. I
hns to do wf'h the burial # tho nnunp
dead. amounting to about 300 funerals an
nually. Instead Of the potters' field. whic
We cal ''tl'~ citv cen'ete-'T npd wier
at present all u pauper dead are buried
]. for one. should Ike to see the city sub
stitute sections in the various Protestan
and Catholic cemeteries, so rnat in tn
final sleep the dust of the poor might res
In the same enclosure with their more for
tunate brothers and sisters.
But. whatever we do about this. W
should certainly stop the present disgrace
full method OF farming out to the loves
bidder the burial Of our pauper dead. TIL
present contractor gets Ii at IS for adult
and $3.50 for children.
Newark Is not so Door as to need to aug
ton off the burial of her unfortunates
| I Of a oorfofp ann, thaf fe Of 1oau "a do0ap