The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-08
HOW THE CITY BLOWS.

HUN THE tIi HlONss
 There is certain satisfaction in knowing that our city can blow hot and cold in the same breath The former. we take it, is eXempified at the almshouse, where the city is blowing hot" to keep the poor, help less unfortunates out there warm during these cold days, and the latter is shown at the Green, where Super lntendent Cronin and his men are "blowing cold" and doing their best to manufacture frozen sheets of ice to the nexpressible satisfaction of hun dreds of little. osy-eheeked, be-mit- tened youngsters that seem to flock there from everywhere in general The first is a necessary city activity; the second is a very commendahle one: and both are very seasonable demands upon the city funds. With them both ' dlllti liiif must ht idhflt pN tilt forelock Cthat is if that perennial gem tleman is of the centaur variety. half man and half horse. and can boast of a forelock) while the opportunity af- lords the chance. The possibilities of terrible suffering among the poor of the city and the possibilities of pleas ure among the children in times of zero weather such as is the present lot of New Haven are alike almost be- Iyond measure.
 Our news columns within day or two have told sorry story of the conditions the charity board has been compelled to face at Springside, where every nook and cranny that is avail able is being utilized and the home has reached its limit for accommoda- tions with 47S inmates. Of the latter the great majority, 322 to be exact, are mon, which fact seems to emphasize the hard times talk that has been minimized in certain quarters an6 tends to deduct considerably from re- cent statements of men in this city who have stated that they believe New Haven is picking up materially in a 1 business way Be that as it may, it is | bad to be poor; it is worse to he poor | during hard times; and it is the worst | Imaginable to be poor during hard | times and during cold weather If lt is true, as has been stated. that Libra rian Stetson of the public library counted S65 men in the library at one time the other day, conditions are un- deniably extreme, extraordinary, and demanding. It is not improbable that many of tho men in the library, per. haps goodly number of them. were there not so much to absorb knowl. edge as bookworms as to keep warn as louneers, no matter how repulsivt the idea of the latter might be tc them With conditions such as this il would seem as if it were suitable fo, the charity board to bestir itself tc the utmost, and to demand help iron the proper authorities if need he. If as is stated, the charity board says i cannot send any more needy people t, the home. no matter how numerou ur urgent tho applications are. unti some accommodation is made to pro vide for more, then that board shoul,
 make it it's first and conscientiou
 duty to see to it that this accommo
 datior is obtained. If it cannot h.
 had, it is the duty of the board f,
 make public it's dilemma, not to wal
 or delay while hundreds are suTerinj
 for the primary necessities of life
 food, clothing and shelter
 The ''blowing-cold part of the con
 temporary conditions is somewha
 more pleasant to think of. Better thai
 to think of it is to see it. Indeed i
 will repay any lover of children an, iyoung people many times over to 2 down to the Green one of these sum
 afternoons after the schools are ou
 and see the smiling faces that ar
 shunted swiftly hither and thither h
 sturdy little legs raised upon stce
 runners. Not for some years has skat
 ing on the Green been given sue
 thoughtful attention by the city au
 thorities as during the last week ar s,
 The only criticism that can be passe
 might be-'Let us have more of if.
 Ii is undeniably safe. sane and health
 ful for these little folks. who will h
 some day the fathers of the city an
 on whom much will depend. There absolutely no danger of fallin through, no need for talk of rope and ladders which should ne availabl to rescue the drowning as at Lak } Whitney; it is near most If the chi dren's homes; and there is not eve , any possibility of danger al the hand