The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-29

withal in many excellent quarters.
Answers to correspondents: ]. Z.
H.-When a man fixes up his side
walk. or his backyard, you can never
/ tell what more may happen for the
benefit of the public and the neigh
borhood as well as personal benefits
which must accrue. Glad to hear
your book is selling SO we'll; must be
the pictures.-F. p NJ.
Here's something pathetic and
makes one wonder if the unfortunate
poor suffer such ignominy in this rich
county, if a relative dies in distress.
For it is learned today, upon inquiry
of the county clerk that the county
let's its pauper burials by contract to
the lowest bidder and does not fur
nish the box referred to in the sub
joined article, which is taken from
the Emporia Gazette, using the cap
ton: How Lyon County Insults the
Poor" Lyon and Shawnee are among
the wealthiest counties in Kansas and
Kansas has per capita of $1,000. Will
some one look into something which
may be similar to this distressing
story:
"A couple of weeks ago a young
woman in this town died. She had
lived with her father and mother
both probably on the other side of
seventy-and a sister. The two sisters
worked in a laundry and supported
the family in modest comfort. The
family had lived in EmpOria but two
months when the young woman dled,
and had made few acquaintanccs.
When sickness came whatever they
may have had saved was eaten up
as sickness has a fashion of eating up
savings-and when arrangems nts for
the burial of the body of this entirely
worthy young woman were discussed,
it was found the family must call OH
the county-big, rich. proud, naughty
Lyon county-for assistance. This
hurt the pride of the father and moth
er and sister, of course, but mere
seemed nothing else to do. brother
in-law of the dead girl did all he could
in seeing the county officials and the
undertaken, but he had little money
He works every day, but has his fam
lily to support, and ready cash was
scarce
'sTha family had identified itself
with the Grace Methodist church, and
its pastor, the Rev ]. B. Mackenzie,
called at the house several times, anu ana
he conducted the funeral services II
knew the family was in unfortunate
circumstances, and helped all he could
At the Gem etery-in the Potter
Field at Maplewood, mind you-aa ne
stood by the grave, he says he remark
ed to the undertaken or the sexton |
that there was no box in the grave to
receive the coffin. The reply was TO /
the burial OF the unfortunate poor |
1.-THE Lyon county board OF commits |
sioners let's the contract of the burial /
of the poor to the lowest bidder; 80 |
cents per foot for a casket, at which |
price the cost of a six-foot casket |
would be $50, this price does not pro- |
vide for lining the casket, for handles, |
for any service whatever on the part I
of the undertaken. The sexton at the /
cemetery receives IS, it is said, for dig |
ging graves for private individuals but |
for Lyon county he gets $3.50, making |
the entire burial expenses. as provided |
by Lyon county for its unfortunate |
cftizens-who may be and usually are
exactly as good citizens as you or your |
neighbor the magnificent sum Of 1920 /
I'm this particular case. the brother
in-laW of the dead girl used the last |
cent he had in the world, it is said, to |
buy handles for the poor cheap casket.
and a kind hearted Emporia business /
woman, hearing something of the cir /
cumstances. provided a lining for it.
Here is the human part of this story: |
After the people of Grace church heard /
of the misfortunes of this family. they |
church should lie in the Potters Field. /
But they didn't sit down and wall. /
The Philathea Sunday school class of /
young women, of which the dead girl +
laQ Deen d MEMBER ana OF WHICH T.
L. H. Smith is teacher, led the move
ment, and raised the money with which I
to buy a lot and to renter the body
This was done. and it was found that
the impact of the hard frozen earth |
on the cOffin-lfd had not crushed but
only cracked it, for the reason that the
grave was shallow $3.50 grave, re-
member. Young men of the Grace Sun
day school dug the grave for the sec
ond interment
stMr MaPxpuzif saws 10 has Cffipi-
lted at the funeral of many poor peo-
pie IN different pastorates. and never
has he seen anything that would com
pare with the meanness of the provi
sion made by the Lyon county board
Of commissioners. In Chase county, t
he says. the price of county burial out
fits is fixed at $25, insuring decent
burial to every person whose funeral
the county pays. In Bourbon
county similar arrangement prevails.
1t is n disgrace, when misfortune hits
a family, to call on the county for aid.
The ordinary hard working family has
earned it, by good citizenship and by
bringing UP children who are a credit
to the community.
''Any of US may spend our declin-
ing days at the county farm. and re-
,eive a county burial. If We have lived
useful lives and have done our best,
such conditions would not be to our
liscredit. The discredit, the disgrace.
he ignominy lie with the county COM
VINO, TO get credit lOI
keeping down taxes humiliate and
'corn the worthy, honest, unfortunate
poor"
1t is said that MANS inhumanity
o man makes countless thousands
mourn" It certainly doesl
It was true when Burns said it out of
lis great sympathetic heart and brain I
and it appears to be true today years ]
after his demise.
IChapter Xxi Saturday. t
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