The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-21

day or two he would either have died
like rat in the gutter or have been
arrested for vagraney.
Simply Wants to Get Home
All the boy wants is railroad fare to
Jacksonville Fla. but righteous Bir-
mingham in all her cold reserve and
yaunted wisdom has refused 1t TO him
In Jacksonville he has relatives who
viii take care of him if he can ever
get there alive. but as far as this city
is concerned, it seems he will never
get there unless private citizens of the
town make up a purse to send him.
The honesty the frankness, The mis-
cry. the pitiful helplessness, the ignor-
ance of the boy which shines from his
black face as plainly as If they We're
written on his forehead have stood
him nothing In his need. 1t seems that
the time has come for the people of
Birmingham who think they are giving
to charity, who think they have made
provisions for such as Henderson, the
boys name, should wake up.
Case Not Alone
If it did there would be an injustice
in Offering criticism of the charitable
Institutions of Birmingham on his itc-
count because every man anu every
institution, which is merely an organ
ization of men, makes mistakes. But
Henderson's case is not mistake. il
is a crime. Not an institution in Bir-
mingham could be found yesterday art
ernoon which would offer to aid the
negro except the Associated Charities,
which through Miss Payne offered TO
send him to a house on Aveuae and
pay his board and room rent until Sec
retary McGrath returned from Okla
homa.
This was the only offer of aid which
could be secured from the institutions
OF Birmingham toward whose support
the people of Birmingham give thou
sands of dollars annually and ehis-the
boy was afraid to accept. When he
was urged to accept this as he only
thing for him to do, he broke down
and crying like a Syear- old child said
that he would die in the cutters oil
Birmingham before he would nave any
thing more to do with the Associated
Charities
What's the matter? Henderson-this
is a negro's story. remember, but ne
gro who without doubt is honest and
who is just as ignorant as Ire Is hon
est-states that he has been to the
Associated Charities many times and
has never secured any aid and that
what is more, he is always treated as
If he Were a brute.
Henderson must be of the oid stock
of negro slaves which in years gone
by made the south famous, for ne is as
sensitive and submissive TO the treat
ment of white people as an intelligent
dog. He can neither read nor write,
although he is but 10 or 20 years old
and he has a good face and good ap-
.pearaiice. His treatment at the Asso-
ciated Charities has instilled so much
fear into his unsophisticated neart that
he trembled when urged to go back
and accept the offer of room and board
Criticism Long Rumbling
Criticism of the Birmingham Asso-
ciated Charities has been rumbling
among private citizens for many
months. Some of 1t is from jealousy,
some from ignorance, but the larger
part of it comes from wisdom. 1t
seems that the burden of solving Hen
derson's trouble falls almost totally
on this institution as there is no other
into which his case will fit: but the
Associated Charities has utterly failed
to give him the relief needed and the
relief for which the people of Btrming-
ham are maintaining that institution.
1t is perhaps unfortunate that this crlti-
cism of the Associated Charities is based
on a negros case; for many people no
doubt will ignore 1t for that reason. But,
If there are no results from his story,
there are other cases and other people
who are ready to sacrifice something to
help show that reform is needed and
must be had or the Associated Charities
is not worthy of the support of the peo-
pie of Birmingham.
Worked as Miner at Pal0s
Hendersons story is a long one, but
it will be related in as few words as
possible. He has been a coal miner at
Palos. Some several months ago he was
taken ill with tuberculosis and found his
way into the hands of DR.. Eaves of the
County Anti-Tuberculosis association. Dr.
Eaves gave him trea tment until he was
sufficiently recovered to go home and dis
missed him. The negro had no money.
He appealed to the Associated Charities.
As usual they began their long, cold in
human scientific investigation which last
ed good while and during which Hen
derson was without home and money.
Here the truth of the story is confused.
The Associated Charities claim that they
got in touch with Henderson father,
who sent him So: Henderson says his
father never sent him anything, but that
Secretary II. S. Ryall of the city COM
mission finally gave him s. after he saw
that the Associated Charities wasn't doing
anything. Mr.. Ryall remembers helping
the negro, but does not remember wheth-
er or not he gave him the 50. the AS
sociated Charities, Miss Payne states. has
no record Of that feature of The case.
Anyhow. s. was not enough to buy Hen
derson's ticket He found negro who
had come to Birmingham on an excur-
sion, gave him the So for the return stub,
went to the depot and found 1t was no
good 4ko.iz Was
Again Became Desperately Iii
His money gone and with no hopes of
getting anything mere, Henderson re-
turned to the mines to work. He soon
failed and became so ill that he nearly
died Again DIR. Eaves treated him in the
dispensary on South Twentieth street un-
til Henderson was well enough to go
home. Friday he cape to Secretary Ryall
and asked for rebate coupon to Jack
sonvlle He begged for money, stating he
would pay. it back as soon as he could
earn it. Mr. Ryall gave him the rebate
coupon and sent him to the Associated
Charities and the Associated Charities
wired Jacksonville "to investigate" Hen
derson had so cents which he spent Fri
day night for a room and meals Satur-
day. Yesterday he was penniless Yes
terday the Associated Charities received
reply from Jacksonville stating that
Henderson's relatives could not be found.
Henderson told the Associated Charities
beforehand that his relatives could not
be found as they lived IL miles in the
country and sometimes did not get to
town in three or four months