The evening world., 1908-01-22

cue lHdl Ait iruoltts VI the society,
70 have already raised 5000 among
tmselves, have been compelled to ask
e public For aid. Five thousand dol
RS, they estimate, is needed. and need
d quick. for the purchase OF the bare
iusks Of life for the wretched beings
heir Investigations have turned Up.
Finds Condition Appalling.
C. Loring Brace. secretary OF the Chill
dren's Aid Society, told an Evening
World reporter to-day that never since
the foundation OF the organization in
1853 had such appalling conditions con-
fronted the trustees.
THE suffering among the extremely
poor class that we reach with an in
dustrial school system is staggering"
said MIR. Brace. Not since 1898 have
the poverty stricken seemed to face sucA
a blank wall as they do to-day. The in
designations OF the principals OF some
Of our schools. when some OF their pu-
pills have JAILED to appear, have re-
vealed almost incredible t%enacity of life
IN truly desperate straits.
"For instance, . gentleman called on
Miss Katherine S%tackpole at the Rhine
lander School for Crippled Children to
SEQ what pressing want among the par
ents of her pupils he could alleviate. He
was directed by her to a family named
Schlegel at No. As East Etghty-sixth
street.
Mother and Six Children Helpless.
THE Good Samaritan found the Schle-
gels living literally like animals on
the bare floor OF two wretched rooms.
Srlara u,ar vy~ olgtl.a, 49,, tha
The mother. a wan being wrecked by
consumption. lay coughing her life out
on a pile CT old sacking In a corner.
while her harefooted children. blue
with cod, crawled and played about
her. Every stick of furniture in the
S,ace had been sold or pawned. The
husband had long before deserted his
family and started drinking when he
lost his job as a carpenter-laid off on
account of hard times.
The charitable man left so for press
ing necessities n told Miss StaclSpole
to call on him :or more If necessary.
He also purchased a mattress and some
furniture for the wrctched family.
The Children's Aid Society has fifteen
Industrial schools in New York. and To-
900 children attend tnem annually. only
the children Of the very poor are eligi-
BILE for admission, and thus the most
destitute OF the city are reached.
Every teacher connected with the AID
Society has missed from ten TO twenty
scholars since the winter set In. An
investigation showed n variety Of
causes for absence, Lack of food and
the necessity for finding it kept many
away. Some had no shoes and were
ashamed to come. Others stayed AVA
to tend sick mothers or MANNED fathers.
All were kept from school by dire
necessity.
A Crippled Brakeman's Burden.
Miss .Stackpole showed an Evening
World reporter some pathetic letters
from mother of her unfortunate
charges. Here is one:
"I,eer Miss Stakpol: Please be 500
Kind and xkuse Louis for not telling
you I was thankful. God bless you for
alive long for Intel erippels;
n sample FANNY. They are daniel
Wills's folks. andplive In a tenement ut
No. 675 West Sixty-fourth street, in the
San Juan Hill district.
earned good money, but he lost his
foot in an accident, and since then, as
he says has mot been good for much"
, He has Ave children, the eldest ten
years old. Mrs. Wills Is an invalid.
Her husband has stumped around for
weeks ,valiantly looking for work, but
being turned down everywhere he went
on account of his injury. He is bitter
now when he looks about the bare
place be calls home ard hears the chill
dren crying,
These people were found by Mss X
Crommelin. principal of the Fiftv-third
street school. The children have no
shoes. The parents have no hope. ami.
as Miss Cronmelin says. how are you
going TO reach people like that except
by first feeding them and then leading
them to the more complex needs OF the
mind?