The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-12
OVERSEER EXPLAINS
About Property Owners and
$3.50 Dav Man
To the Editor of the Caledonian:

To the Editor Of the Caledonian:
So many are inqui1ing as to who is
the man owning property and yet has
been helped by the Town, will you
kindly allow me to answer this ques-
ton through your columns.
My dear Readers At your first
opportunity, go down on River street
until you come to a little house,
about 25 feet square, implanted,
standing upon an elevation beside the
highway, with stairs leading I'D to
the entrance. Because this man de-
pendent upon his daily pay, father of
nine living children, all under the
school age limit, ranging from one
year to most Is years, has had the
ambition to gather together material
enough and with his own hands out
side OF working hours provided a per-
manent home for his family, now
numbering II people, all of whom re-
quire food and fuel, and the children
proper clothing to attend school, for
the law requires this. Should your
overseer who represents you in the
poor department have ~efused or
neglected them when his attention was
called to the fact that the father and
mother and most Of the children were
down fiat and helpless with the infu-
enza, without food or fuel, or should
he have complied with - low and
the Golden Rule and assisted them as
in his own judgment he deemed best?
l confess | was surprised to find that
your truant officers and overseer had
both, all through the year, assisted
this family only $50.17 and kept the
children in school.
Again, shall we who claim 10 be
Christian people ostracize him from
all human sympathies and deprive his
children of what rightfully belongs
to them, an educational and moral
training, and the respect Of other
children, of your children, for the
simple reason that he may possibly
own this little roof over his head, thus
saving house rent, but yet cannot
earn cough each day to meet all de-
mands upon him with snch large
family through our cold Vermont
winters? Or shall we give him en-
enlargement?
AS to the man who you are told
sometimes earns $3.50 or $3.50 per
day, if you will look in your town
report, you will find it cost US $15.01
to relieve this family of seven child
rem during the year. But don't be
surprised if this family, and some
others, cost you more the coming
year, since your license vote at the
town meeting. Much of this deplor-
| able condition among our poor is
| caused by drink and dope.
If people who have clothing they
do not need, would pass it on to such
families as mentioned above and 9TH
ers in the town report, you will be
doing much good in your own home
town. In the past year, there have
been Is children with no other means
of support than from the overseer.
The clothing required for them, with
the many other children, is quite an
item of expense in these days of ex-
orbitant prices. You may not know
the law forbids children at the town
farm except in an emergency.
Hospitals. There have been Tor
many months, and likely to be as long
as they live, three patients in the hos
pitfalls; Mrs. Randall Mcdonald, a
woman most eighty years OF age IN
the st. Johnsbury Hospital; Carl
King, who was severely injured IN ."
accident, and Mary Mcdonald, a lady
about As, with the use Of only one
hand to feed herself, can neither
walk nor talk, both at the Brattle-
boro Retreat. All three together are
costing the town about one hundred
dollars a month, and little more for
necessities. Will you leave them in
these institutions, where from person
al observation know they are receiv-
| ing the best of care, or will some of
you good people who have room and
ample means take them into your
homes and relieve the tax payers of
a few cents on dollar? Please don't