New Britain herald., 1916-01-18
COMMUNICATED.
eve Are Not Living In Utopia" and "How Poor People Can Be-" So
 Whats The Use?
New Britain, Conn.


 Jan. IA, 1916 1 To the Editor of the Herald: My dear Sir.-First thanks for the favor of space for this letter; es- pecially as it is to say disagreeable l things. It's tardy, but even at this date, pertinent.
 All of us I'm sure, Cat last those who ever think) have long since realized that we are not living in Utopia; that the existing order of things, weighing so heavily on some while it brings superfluous prosperity 10 others, is all wrong-but inevitable, too!
 At the same time we who already are sufficiently troubled vainly trying 10 make ends meet with paltry sal aries, need not stand meekly by and acqulesce without at least a word of protest, when our sufficiently pros porous brothers with calm imposition, plan to make our financial difficult ties still more complex.
 The worthy editor, whose fluent pen drew such a delectable portrait Of the ideal, long suffering doctor, shows the charming credulity of youth. 'Twere pity to shatter such lovely illusions-so let's hope the grip
  for him any doctors bills.
 Methinks, with Sufferer that the proverbial kindly, un-mercenery family doctor, has long since departed this world Maybe, the honored father of "One who knows was the last of the noble line-hence his kindly word! I like his pleasant generous hearted letter.
 Just recently close friendship made me familiar with a case where mer- cenery motives, instead of charity and patience surely ruled the local phy- sician in attendance. But to be fair, l do not wish to decry the average doctor-I know too many who are kind and worth while.
 = But I'm naturally thinking of my own end of the problem-and the same problem belongs to a large mass of tL.~ people! The war may have filled the coffers of some but it leaves many of US as poor as ever (Thanks to heaven, when one thinks of the war effect in other terms, then those of gainD Some of the factory hands may have received the muni- ficent increase of a dime a day but probably on the same day, meat or sugar went up-and they were as poor as before. And how poor peo- pie can be! Because they come forth dressed decently, we have no idea of the planning and sacrifices that make their living a hardship. Somebody in the family is alm ost always sure to be sick sometime or times during the year Tho doctor is necessary A bill is inevitable, and the fathn- someone must do many days man. mol J-t> 10 r, tion is raised as to the Doctors hav- Ing earned and deserved it-but is he not sufficiently paid with $1.5O for the average call, varying from to Is minutes in length? Why should he now ask $2. for the same service: Medicine may be more costly, but do not most physicians merely leave us prescriptions for which we pay the increased rates to the local druggist?
 Our doctors may not be rich but are fairly comfortable and prosper porous enough. consider them and judge. Of course the biginners may not be gilded yet-but a few years of near-prOVarty are to be expected in most professions. But if the majority are fairly comfortable and prosper ous, why make many other people more uncomfortable than thev al- ready are?
 To be sure, the prices of nearly every necessity, have risen to the limit; q suppose the doctor is count cd in the category of animate neces- sities.) but we all know that in many cases, prices have gone up unneces- sarily, to satisfy the greed of those powerful enough to be unjust with impunity.
 But is the dignified doctor to join the sordid ranks of the money-grab- bers? If he sincerely, honestly feels that he earns $2 during his average call varying from 5 to 15 minutes in length let him ask for it! and if he is merely considering the deficit in his earnings caused by the dishonest, worthless, 'dead-beats," who pay no bills; if he finds his palm vulgarly itch ing for just more money-let him ask for the increase, too! Let him join the dissatisfied crew of liverymen and "hack' owners!
 F. D. l..