The Democratic advocate., 1909-07-23
ILLNESS AND POVERTY.
Conditions Existing Together on New
YOrk's East Side.


Illness causes most of the poverty
in New York. For every FAMILY
brought to actual want by drunken
ness there are nine households In
need because their wage earners nave
not the bodily strength TO Keep up
the fight for life, says the New YORK
Times. Next to ill-health, the lack OF
work is blamed for most OF the press
ing need In forty-six fam1lles the
proportion is eighteen cases OF neeo
caused by illness, sixteen by fallure
to find works four by wages so small
that they will not support the mousse
hold, and only two caused by lntem-
perance. ,,,
ine to the moor right and left, to the
inst and unjust alike. Then the CIV
ing became a matter Of organized
charity. with agents to investigate
and experts to weigh the stories OF
suffering so that the money spent
would go as far as possible, and the
unworthy could not impose on the
kind-hearted. This plan anticipated
that the needy would come to those
offreing relief. Then organized char
ity advanced to its most recent pnase.
At first the Organized Charities
working with the Association for I'M
proving the Condition Of the Poor,
sought to reach the needy by d1strl-
buting cards on the east side address,
es "To Men in New York Without
Homes" They advised the needy to
70 to the Joint Application Bureau
for medical aid, employment, or rail-
road fares back to their homes. In
the Winters of 1905 and 1906, $1,000
of these cards were distributed on the
east side. There were replies to about
2 per cent. Of them.
Then slips were prepared as being
more thorough and far reaching. Tney
were addressed 'To All Who Need
Help" and offered aid in cases of Id
leness. illness, or suffering from the
lack of shelter, clothing, or fuel.
Three thousand pads, each containing
ten SLIPS. or about 10000 In all, were
distributed among the policemen.
Last winter there were more than BOO
replies. Some of the applicants
merely wanted advice. Others were
aided in their search fer work or sup
piled with employment for the time,
Seventy-four of the applicants told
of poverty and suffering that seemed
to call for aid. Their stories were In
vestigated and relief was offered TO
forty-six of them. No aid was re-
ouired in twenty-four instances and
four of the families were not found.
Besides clothing, shoes, coal, 1000,
and medicine, money was distributed
to nineteen of the applicants. Yet
the amount of cash paid out was COM
Daratively small Of the eighteen
families brought 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 coV-
cred 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 nine
teen families aggregated $239.44, or an
average 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 sos ap-
plications in 1905 and last year only
38 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
offered them at once. Illness had
put twenty-five out Of the race. With
all their misfortunes however the at
fractions of the metropolis were such
that only twelve of the 300 asked for
railroad tickets to take them to their
homes in other cities.