Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-11-26
CHEER
Pass Some of It Along 10 Inc
 Needy Poor.

People who have trife to spare
 over and above their own needs for
 Thanksgiving couldn't do better
 thing than purchase one of these big
 turkeys you see strutting about in
 the markets and surprise some family
 who does not expect to have one for the occasion. Unfortunately for
 themselves and their children, many are too sensitive about making their
 wants known to their neighbors and on this account much suffering that would gladly be relieved at the out set continues almost indefinitely.
 Very few if anybody at all likes the idea of making poor mouths, but 1t seems to be the way of the world that some will always need assistance and so long as this is so there is nothing to be ashamed of in it so long as the fault is not ones own. It shows bet ter breeding by far to make known your wants and have them attended to than close the door and stew and worry about what might have been. family never will be thought any the less of because they happened to be in strengthened circumstances for a season and had to seek aid, provid- ed they go about it in a proper way, It is the man and woman who prefers to rob and cheat and teach their off, spring to follow in their footsteps, not the honest poor, that communities dread, so that nobody no matter how it hurts his feelings should suffer in silence, especially when he knows that he can tide himself over crisis without any sacrifice to his own good name or the reputation of his family. It hurts considerably more to see a child stealing something that prob- ably it not worth carrying away than it does to find the head of the house making a plain statement of his cir cumstances and receiving from others such things as he really needs and cannot supply himself. They say this is an unsympathetic age, and perhaps it is, but just the same the average American citizen has a tend- CT spot in his heart for his less fortu- ante fellowman and once you con- vince him that you are in need and unable to help yourself, he immedi- ately opens his purse and does the right thing. If this was not so, then, indeed, the statement so often heard that the country is going to the dogs, would pass unchallenged, and rich and poor would want to dig out for some other part of the world.
 The department of charities is go- ing to do the square thing with the poor this Thanksgiving. Instead of putting them off with small piece of shoulder steak or soup bone they will be given nice cuts of roast pork that cannot be duplicated in the mar ket for less than twenty cents pound, but of course the department buys in large quantities and does not pay over fifteen or sixteen cents. In any case it is the proper thing to do. If you give man something for sweet charity's sake, to be more ex- plicit, for Gods sake, let it be worth taking home. The idea of the soup bone or couple of ribs is all we'll enough in time of famine, but while business has often been more brisk in Waterbury than at present, there is no use making things worse than they really are. so that no matter what the pessimist may say, there is a lot to be thankful for and the town can we'll afford to make up bounti- full spread for every needy family within its gates and the nomad who is here temporarily can be given a good square, too, without the least fear of protest from the taxpayers. so that in giving the poor something fit to put on the table for Thanksgiv- ing the department of charities is simply acting up to the wishes of the public whose faithful servants they are.