St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1934-08-10
Howe About:
Poverty
A Sordid Tale
A Popular Rogue
By ED HOWE
@. Bell syndicate. -wNU Service.

II
~ the statement in American
print that 70 per cent of citizens die,
as paupers; if not in the poor house,
then as helpless burdens on grum-
bling relatives.
1t is disgraceful charge to make
in country as good as this. How
near true is it? And how much
of the blame attaches to the unhap-
by Is per cent?
The other day l attended the flu.
neral of man ] had known some
years. For six months he had
been charity patient at public
institution (and a very unpopular
one, as he had an ugly temper). For
80 years he had salary never be-
low $40 week. and light and pleas
ant work, yet was never week
ahead of the hounds. Within a year
of his death he took long trip on
borrowed money. in an automobile
the mortgage took after the flu
neral. Mortgages also emptied his
house of all the furniture worth
anything. have known him to
give parties" on money he should
and might have saved to pay his fu-
neral expenses.
He jazzed his, music, his job, his
life. He might have owned shop
of his own 80 years ago, but was
always expecting a raise" when a
reduction was steadily more prob
able.
1t is not an unusual case; the
disturbing figures quoted may not
be too high.
| know an old fellow who, dis.
posed to do his duty to the unem-
ployed the past winter, hired an
automobile driver he did not need
because the fellow had a wife and
two children.
In one night the man stole car,
held up filling station, and mar
ried street walker, and is now in
Jail at the expense of overburdened
taxpayers. Before the state is
through with him-trial, rehearing.
deputies to take him to prison, off,
GERS to guard and feed him, chap
lains to pray for him-his cost to
the public will be several thousand
dollars more.
1t is a sordid tale, but true. What
was in that mans brain cavity2 Did
his parents spoil him. or was 1t the
help bowling in publications and
conventions, and everybody saying
that civilization is a failure?
| know stout young man with
excellent natural intellectual equip
ment who for 20 years has been a
contemplate scoundrel in all his re-
lations with his mother.
He reduced her to poverty. and
she went to work. hut he refused to !:
he lives off her work, and Is mean
to her. He is disreputable loafer
yet the women say "there is moth
ing vicious about the boy" and
rather like him
They even severely criticize his
mother for spelling" him. although
she has done nothing except love
him. and coax him with tears 10
: her eyes to behave himself.
| have had in my possession some
months book called "Bystander.'
by Maxim Gorky. Although Gorky
is famous writer. and he says this
hook of more than seven hundred
pages is his final message to the
world. | have taken ii up and put
if down. without complete reading
"A hundred times. I do not know
what his final and most important
message TO the world is; do not
know what he is driving at" Oc-
casionally, when | pick the book
up, find a good thing--the best SO
far on page 4S3. One Of the male
characters devotes eleven lines to
a criticism of women. and. at the
conclusion of his condemnatory re-
marks woman present asks:
But more specifically. what Is it
you are trying TO say?'
In nearly everything I read
wonder what writer's are trying to
say The people are gambling con-
stantly. but half the time I won
der what they are trying to say;
regret they do not talk less. and
more intelligently. simply and ef
fectively. Half the stuff one sees
in the papers is ridiculous; the
percentage is larger in books and
conversation. as any intelligent
reader or listener can testify.
1t seems 10 me managers of the
professional charities should Issue
card of thanks to those Ameri.
Don't be a sucker, get your local
news in the paper which unsclfishly