The Democratic advocate., 1909-07-23
ILLNESS AND POVERTY.
Conditions Existing Together on New
Y0rk's East Side.

Illness causes most Ok the poverty L
In New York. For every family |
brought to actual want by drunken /
ness there are nine households in /
need because their wage earners have |
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 families the !
proportion Is eighteen cases of need |
caused by Illness, sixteen by failure !
TO find work, four by wages so small |
that they will not support the house, |
hold, and only two caused by intem-
perance.
A few years ago charity meant giv-
ing to the poor right and left, to the
Just and unjust alike Then the CIV
ing became matter of organized
charity, with agents TO investigate
and experts to weigh the stories of
suffering so that the money spent
would 20 as far as possible, and the
unworthy could not impose on the
kind-hearted. This plan anticipated
that tho needy would come to those
offreing relief. Then organized char
ity advanced to its most recent phase.
AT first the Organized Charities,
working with the Association for I'm
proving the Condition OF the Poor,
sought to reach the needy by distrt-
buting cards on the east side address,
es ITO Men In New York Without
Homes" They advised the needy to
so TO the Joint Application Bureau
Tor medical aid. employment, or rail-
road fares back TO their homes In
tho Winters Of 1906 and 1906. $4,000
OF these cards were distributed OF the
east side. There we're replies 10 about
per cent OF them.
Then slips we're prepared AS being
more thorough and far reaching They
| we're addressed To All Who Need
! Help" and offered aid in cases OF Id
/ leneaH. Illness, eg suffering from the
( lack OF shelter, clothing, or fuel.
Three thousand pads. each containing
/ ten alipa. or about 10000 In all, we're
+ distributed am0ug the policemen.
T nst winter there we're more than 500
/ replies Some Of the applicants
/ merely wanted advice Others we're
aided In their seagch for work or sup.
Z piled With employment for the time.
F Seventy four Of the applicants told
% poverty ana saiferlug that seemed
90 cell for aid Their stories we're In
yestigated and relief was offered TO
forty-Eix Of them No aid was re-
gulrcd in tweaty.f0ar Instances and
four " the families we're not found.
+ Besides clothing, shoes. coal. food.
and medicine. money was distributed
TO nineteen OF tl4g applicants Yet
tho amount Of cash paid out was com
parailHeiy small Of the eighteen
+ families brought 70 poverty by Illness.
twelve of them included children. In
one there we're three adults and four
( tItiie ones. IN another. four mon and
T women and three children, The care
Z uf the needy families frequently coV-
cred a period OF weeks. the average
( length Of treatment being nearly two
mgntha Tho largsat payment of caah
I wha 93t 20 two people who were out
I of work The money given 10 nine
+ teen families aggregated s25a.4i. or an
Z average Of Si2Ga for each household
\ That hard luck rather than vicious
ness causes most of the poverty IN the
+ ebb and Gov OF city life Il also shown
b. tho stories OF the homeicas men
( who come 10 the Joint Application
/ Bureau Most OF them are single men
under 80 years OF age and have been
living ~ lodging houses or COS ap-
+ plicationa in 1906 and last year only
IN trneed thsir troubles 10 drink More
than 100 were looking for work. The
straits of as many more were so des-
perH;s that food and shelter were
efiered them at once Illness had
put t~eHt3 I've out of the race. With
all their miAfortunes however the at
] fractions Of the metropolis were auch
that only twelve oi the 800 asked for
/ railroad tickets TO take them TO their
homes In other cities