Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-18
AS ONE WOMAN SEES II
Tho Shifting Of Hard Times From
One Class In the Community to
Another Has It's Lessons
BY SARAH n JOWRIE

alas wasted food.
The green grocer round the corner, who
has been on the verge of bankruptcy for ten
years because his well to do patrons went
out OF town so early and returned so late
that ne never could catch up with his debts,
Is now-as he expresses it-on Easy Street
because of his new set of patrons, who slap
down ready cash and want only the best cuts
and enjoy themselves at meals instead of at
the opera.
Meanwhile there have been many poor.
All persons living on salaries have been
poor, all persons living on inherited in
comes have been poor, and all persons liv-
ing on allowances have been poor.
Which means that most persons Of the
professional class, brain workers, most
elderly retired persons, most enfeebled, set
aside persons, a.d most women supporting
families have been poor, faggingly, alarm
ingly poor, with nowhere to turn to better
the situation. From shoes to room rent they
have had to run a gamut of real distress.
The conditions Of their lives are such that
to meet the greater liabilities they cannot
earn more money, and to live at all they
cannot save more than they have saved.
They are Mt once better off than the old
sort of poor in that they have certain great
spiritual joys that money cannot give or
take away, and they are also worse off than
the old sort Of poor in that they cannot be
shiftless or careless in the face Of disaster.
A RCHDEACON PHILLIPS wrote let
ter the other day protesting against the
edict of the city that involved the razing of
n whole city block of poor houses which have
been condemned in order that a playground
should be added to the city map. His pro-
test was that winter was no time for play
ground or for scores Of workingmen to hunt
homes.
do not know the rights or wrongs Of the
case one supposcs that the tenants must
have known what was contemplated months
ago, however, but it is not the habit of ten
ants who would rent such properties as
those to think very far ahead. One is glad
that II is a playground that is to result
something that will do more good than the
harm and temporary incopvenience Of the
change.
In great town no one can stretch him
self even little in the sun without incon-
venicncing his neighbor. Nothing good hap
pens without entailing something sorrowfrl.
THE Y. w. C. A. sold their property near
l. Twelfth and SAMSON streets at a good
price and then turned around to find better
site for their new business woman's hotel
and clubhouse. The 500, 900 collected in
the campaign of eight years ago for this
purpose has been accumulating interest and
last springs campaign added to the capital
enough to warrant going ahead. They
decided after careful survey that the Lin
tOlu IlONtl On lIOCuSl StTtpJ WIS tHp DpSC
available site for their purpose and they
bought it. The deal was announced last
week. 1t is n very good and promising
proposition and likely to bring great good
to many women who are salary earners and
who need convenient and reasonable quar-
ters.
But their future good has caused real
trouble to number who were tenants at
the Lincoln and who at this late date have
actually nowhere to turn and in some cases
are hard put to it to finance a moving even
il they could find other rooms.
know more than one family who, when
the rent was raised last spNng on their little
cramped apartments at the dusty end OF no.
where, gave up the idea of home even under
those limited conditions and faced a bed
room life. What has happened with weeks
notice at The Lincoln may any day happen
to them, probably has happened to others in
other little hotels that have changed owners.
One wonders how long the gallant spirit of
independence can last under this slow. re-
lcntless drive of hard times.
A CITY like this would lose its chief hold
"A on civilization If the spark Of life and
zest for life grew dim in the men and women
who think cearcst and feel most senstively.
The rich poor at present can only buy more
things, they cannot add to the sum of the
city's happiness except in the negative way
of lessening the old misery Of want. As yet
skilled workmpn, so that they have brought
no gift to lay upon the Altar Of Life. Even
tually they will, no doubt. This taste, or
orgy rather, of material comfort may in the
end have more than temporary service.
Perhaps they have already begun to save for
more prolonged joys than the tendcron of
beef
Certainly they are spending less. So the
prices of automobile tires and sugar and even
linen napkins are falling, II they continue
to save-or spend less-and the prices CON
tinue to fall, the people on salaries will be-
gin to draw their breaths less sharply but
there will be new sort Of poor to take their
places-the merchants who have stocked up
too heavily with high priced goods at falling
prices and they in their turn will affect the
factories. Indeed that process has already
begun, as most casual survey of Richmond
and Kensington would prove to any seeker
after truth.
II some merchants have gamblcd on the
high prices reaping them big profit while
the public paid through its nose up to the
limit of gullibiity, they will deserve all
they get but ii in most cases it has been
wild scramble in the dark, the chaos of the
aftermath of war, mad guess with no data
that can be relied upon, then we, the poor Of
the war, stretch out sympathetic hands to
the new poor Of the near future.
One thing we do not want, even If it would
restore us to something of our old comfort
we do not want the old poor back into their
age long poverty
T FOR one, hope high wages-even the
l., ones have to suffer from--have come to
stay. Even the waste in the garbage cans on
the little streets is easier to contemplate than
hunger at the little street tables would be
in fact, there is no comparison.
If prosperity has as yet taught the one
time poor no very papable truth, it has
taught the new poor a very valuable one, and
that is that no one in this day or genera
tion can make n material gain without re-
adjustment Of values all along the line.
Some one pays for what you buy, II you
do not. If the purchase is playground for
city children or hotel for business girls,
il Is worth the price but IL it's for n whim,
take care! We know now that no one can
live to himself or spend to himself.
II ever we that are now poor get back to
something like our old security, we can never
again allow philanthropy to take the place
OF Justice Nor can we ever again take
fatuorsly for granted the law of economics