Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-12

s-,--g ne bele Of the so-caled, and certainly
niecsTieo @tc!e rich" has made not
A only effective. buc po.yible the work OF
~octal service in Bellevue and Its elo"d noSpi
tails. .,.,. .,a,
.ho citv NAV not give material aid to the
natients its discharges The charter OF Greater
Nov York forbids it, In consequence OF inns re-
striotfon man may be discharged as cured ana
suffer serious, perhaps fatal, relapse because
he has not the nickel necessary to pay MS car
fare to bis home in Harlem
Or he may 90 back TO a poorly kept home
where the children are ailIng or crying for food
and where depression grips him with iron
fingers. in these conditions he Is either too
weak to try to go back to work or so weak that
he is unable TO keep his JOB
Or while he IS recovering from his Illness In
the hospital his recovery IS retarded by his In
tense anxiety about his wife and children at
home. They may De starving, they may be dis
possessed Nearly any I'll might befall his house
hold while he has been unable to safeguard II
bv his presence and labor That Is where the
rich and prominent women Of New York, to use
a common but very expressive phrase, come In
The volunteers in social service stretch forth
their white hands. heavy with jewels, and
grasping the nearly transparent one OF the IN
digent invalid lead him across the bridge be-
tween sickness and health, between pauperlsm
and selfsupport
Not only are they willing, but extremely eH
cient No sign of the amateur phianthropist
seeking the way of usefulness TO her or MS TEL
low man appears i'm their manner OF work. Mrs
John Astor pays her weekly visit TO the lhStltu,
ton that has been known as the dump heap OIL
humanity" with such easy adjustment TO condl
lions that she might have been paying such
visits an her life There is no trace OF a patro-
nlzng air in the manner with which she meets
and talks with the incoming and outgoing pa
TENTS She talks with them on plane of equal
ity. as friends Her work is with the psyche
pathic committee That committee studies the
problem of the psyChOpathlc ward. she minis
tiers as ii We're, to sick souls. Depression, utter
discouragement, showing themselves IN sui
cidal mania are characteristics OF this ward
The questions asked by Hamlet are addressed
10 the psyChopathic committee: Can st thou
minister to minds diseased2 Pluck from the
memory a rooted SORROW
The question of Hamlet has often been
answered in the affirmative by the psychopathlc
committee of the social service. Often by
promises performed of work to be found, OF tide
over help to the family about whom the victim
is frautically worried
in the case Of "a man who became hopelessly
demented and had TO be sent 10 an institution
for life. Mrs. Aston did personal work for his
family She visited the family of seven in
their home in the Bowery and learned their
needs. She found that the eldest son, the chief
support. worked I'm factory where he was
contracting tuberculosis through breathing dust.
She found him other work I'm hygienic condl-
ti0ns. She gave The family material aid, money,
food and clothing. She visited the family again
and again until assured by the testimony of her
own ewes that M was we'll with them. Other
families have been lifted out OF hopelessness and
placed upon the heights of self-respeCtiug self
support 10y Mrs Astors gentle, tactful minis