Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-10-23
OPEN HANDED CHARITY
Chicago Man Takes Day Oft to
Aid the Unemployed.
THURSDAY HIS GIVING DAY.
]. w. Gossard, Q Manufacture, De-
votes That Part Of Week to Charity.
the Rest to 6usiness-Gave Men In
New York Cash to Start Anew.

the Rest to eusiness-Gave Men In
New York Cash to Start Anew.
Lending money upon promissory
notes which would not he regarded ss
good collateral by any bank and CIV
! ing away money without asking the
recipient Of his bounty To tell either
why he needs IL or what he Intends TO
do with II are two elements In plan
OF relief recently put Into eject In
New York city by J. W. Gossard Of
Chicago.
corsets In Chicago, Being In New
York TO attend 10 business, he incl
dentaliy put into practice his plan Of
giving each OF his Thursdays and
large part Of his Income to the poor
Mr.. Gossard never works on Thurs
day. He says that he looks upon his
activities OF that day as play.
IN tell YOU what ! did today" he
said a few days ago 10 Il reporter OF
the New York Herald. land you can
see for yourself whether | didn't have
a good time. rode from West Eight
ieth street TO the Battery on Il street
car There wasn't anybody Oh the
car that looked as II he needed help
IL there had been ! would have butted
right In and asked whether couldn't
do anything.
There's many good chap who Is
pretty close to the ropes. but who will
never whimper. Yet he needs help TO
tide him over for little while. and
It's part OF my plan when | see man
| think is In this class TO jump right
In and announce myself.
Sitting on the benches at the Bat.
terry looking out into the harbor were
more men than ! could count. I'll bet
that almost every one OF them was
broke. can tell that broke, down
and out look a long way OF. | didn't
have my sand witches with me. hand
ed out money instead. In Chicago
60 out into Grant park. on the lake
front, with sandwiches. and | always
ind hungry men 10 give them TO. |
let the men al the Battery buy their
own food. One OF them told the he
meant TO I'LL up on pie. / hope he got
all he wanted It's no cinch 10 be
broke and have your whole being
longing for pie and no way 10 get Il
man can get lot hungrier FOR pie
than he eau for bread
II went down the line In Battery
park picking out the chaps that looked
more down ON their luck than the 9th
ers. It's funny, but ! didn't find any
boozers. Every tnan that drops be-
hind the procession doesn't lose out
through booze. You'll find plenty Of
reformers that will tell you that drink
drives almost everybody OF the track
A lot OF the men | talked 10 were
straight clean. honest fellows that
. either hadn't had the right opportuni-
~ or that didn't have the ability 10
take advantage Of the opportunities
they had.
Il went right up to them and asked
} them how things were going and II !
I couldn't do something for them. |
asked them AZ II | meant what said
too. A kind word and q smile do a lot
, more good than half dollar-but
don't forget to give the half. One man
told me he had the promise Of a Job
In week. He told where he was
going TO work. but he couldn't tell. be.
cause he didn't know, where he was
going to eat till he and that Job got
|, together. So | staked him to enough
+ to last him til bis next pay day.
"Wili get II back? wish | was
as sure OF everything In this world
a. that ! am that that fellow will
e make good. had him sign a prom!s.
| sorry note-good ninety days after
date, set the time myself He want
ed TO promise to pay me out Of his
first wages. He needed clothes more
e than needed the money. SO told him
y I'd try to wait ninety days for my
n money. have loaned thousands OF
dollars just this way, and most of 1t
y has come back to me. Some Of 1t that
: | haven't got yet is on Its way.
:. Il cleaned up Battery park as well
as ! could, aud then ! went over to
the Bowery. know the Bowery bet.
ter than a lot of New Workers know
, 1t. know that plenty Of their patrons
would have addresses on more fashion.
l able streets II they only had slap on
the back and little money handed to
them at the right time. spent four
a hours on the Bowery, and | quit be-
' cause my money ran out found one
man who said he hadn't seen a whole
dollar In months. He had been living
along on Dlckels and dimes. What
;. kind OF real start In life do you
!, think man can get on nickel and
( dime? | gave him enough to help
q him get on his feet. didn't patronize
. him or any Of the other unlucky chaps
| met. Condescension takes an the
q sweetness out Of what you do for
|. them.
o Il didn't preach either. l just talked
3 b the men | met In a common sense
e fashion, and found almost every one
!. OF them had still some ambition left
n There's no sense In letting n man geI
e to be bum. My way is to stop him
,. before he gives up hope.
n I'm Chicago ! have little office
n especially for this Thursday work OF
+ mine. Some Of my friends call 1t my
= Thursday church. When you look at Il
Il the right way charity is the greates
way In which man can help not only
II others, but himself. The right kind OF
charity means helping man to hell
himself. There'll come Il time when h,
Will help somebody else"