The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-10-10
ILLNESS AND POVERTY,
Conditions Existing Together on New
York's East Side.

IL New York. For every family
brought to actual want by drunken
ness there are nine households in
need because their wage earners have
not the bodily strength to keep up
the fight for life, says the New York
Times. Next to ill-hcalth, the lack Of
work is blamed for most of the press
Ing need. In forty-six families the
proportion is eighteen cases of need
caused by Illness, sixteen by failure
of find work, four by wages so small
hold and only two caused by intem-
perance.
A few years ago charity meant Civ
ing to the poor right and left, to the
just and unjust alike Then the giving
became matter Of organized charity,
with agents to investigate and ex-
perts to weigh the stories of suffering
50 that the money spent would go as
far as possible, and the unworthy
could not impose on the kind-heartCd.
This plan anticipated that the needy
would come to those offering relief
Then organized charity advanced 10
its most recent phase.
At first the Organized Charities,
working with the Association for Inn
proving the Condition OF the Poor,
sought to reach the needy by distri-
buting cards on the east side address
ed "To Men i'm New York without
Homes" They advised the needy to
60 to the Joint Application Bureau
for medical aid, employment, or rail-
road fares back to their homes. In
the Winters of 1905 and 1906, 27,0O0 Of
these cards were distributed on the
east side. There were replies to about
Q per cent. of them.
Then slips were prepared as being
more thorough and far reaching. They
were addressed ITO All Who Need
Help" and offered aid in cases of i'd
leness, illness, or suffering from the
lack of shelter, clothing, or fuel. Three
slips, or about 10000 in all, were dis
trbuted among the policement. Last
winter there were more than 500 re-
plies. Some of the applicants merely
wanted advice. Others were aided in
their search for work or supplied with
employment for the time. Seventy
,four of the applicants told of poverty
and suffering that seemed to call for
aid. Their stories were investigated
and relief was offered to forty-six of
them No aid was required in twenty
four instances and four OF Tie families
were not found.
Besides clothing, shoes, coal, food,
and medicine, money was distributed
to nineteen of the applicants. Yet
the amount Of cash paid out was COM
paratively small. OF the eighteen
families brough to poverty by illness,
twelve of them included children. In
one, there were three adults and four
little ones; in another, four men and
women and three children. The care
of the needy families frequently COW
cred a period OF weeks. the average
length of treatment being nearly two
months. The largest payment Of cash
was $34 to two people who were out
of work. The money given to nineteen
families aggregated $23944, or an av-
erage of $3.50 for each household.
That hard luck rather than vicious
ness causes most of the poverty in the
ebb and flow Of city life is also shown
by the stories of the homeless men
who come to the Joint Application
Bureau. Most of them are single men
under 40 years Of age and have been
living in lodging houses. OF COS appli-
cations in 1905 and last year only 3S
traced their troubles to drink. More
than 100 were looking for work. The
straits of as many more were so des-
perate that food and shelter were OFF,
cred them at once. Illness had put.
twenty five out of the race. With all
their misfortunes however the attrac-
tions Of the metropolis were such that
only twelve of the 300 asked for rail-
read tickets to take them to their
homes in other cities.