Year: 1874

The saddest and most unquestiOnablc claim
10 greatness which city can make lies In It's
miseries and in the charities which spring up
to combat them. The list of charitable inst'-
tutions which we print this morning is a suf-
fcent proof of the fact that this city stands
among the leading capitals of the world in
both these respects. The vast aggregation OF
humanity which has been drawn to this island
by its unexampled prosperity necessarily
brings with it every variety of wretchedness,
and it is greatly to the honor of the citizens
of New-York that they have organized with
such variety of method and minuteness oil
detail to meet and relieve this diversified and
complex suffering. There is, of course, no
city in the world which affords such endless
variety of nationality and conditions, and
a corresponding diversity will be found among
the associations of relief. Every tongue and
every faith find their representatives among
these organizations. No other city has so vast
Il foreign population, and consequently none
extends so liberal charity to foreigners. The
tendency of the time to subdivision of labor IS
strikingly exhibited in this directory. Each
time of life has its own careful guardians.
There are asyums for infants too young to
ask FOR help, and retreats for .be aged broken
by the battles of life. There are reformatOry
institutions for young men and women who
have fallen through the heedlessness OF youth,
and sheltering institutions to keep out of
temptation those who have not fallen. Diff
fercnt diseases are beginning to have their
separate hospitals set apart for them, and
special Affections to find their corresponding
treatment and care from special skill aud
learning.


In the midst of this multiplicity of charities
it is not to be expected that without mutual
consultation and a general understanding.
waste of effort and of resources can always
he avoided. The work of charitable indi-
viduals, as well as of institutions, is apt to
be divided into two almost equal PORTIONS
one devoted to finding and assisting the needy
and deserving, and the other to detecting and
foiling the attempts of dishonesty and fraud.
The lack of free communication between the
different organizations, OF course, greatly Ia
cilitates the schemes of sturdy impostOrs, and
increases the work and the annOyances OF the
charitable. It is to obvate these incOn-
yeniences that some Of our most public
spirited citizens organized several months ago
a Central Bureau of Charities, which was
to supply medium of communication
between all tho branches Of eleemosynary
work in the city. furnishing to each all
needful information. and establishing sort
of Clearing house Of Charities. They have
been at work during this exceptional Winter
with excellent results, though hampered by
unavoidable circumstances. They have now
arrived at point where it becomes necessary
for some final and prompt action to be taken
by those who sympathHe in their purposes.
meeting will be held this afternoon at the
rooms of the Geographical Society in the
Cooper Union building, at which Mr.. Theodore
Roosevelt and Prof JOY will present their
report Of the operations and the present con-
dition of the enterprise. 1t is to be hoped
that scheme of such evident advantage and
such promise of usefulness will not be per-
mitted to fail from any reason.


The Winter is ending and with the opening
of Spring it may fairly be expected that much
of the suffering incident to this season of
general arrangement will be alleviated, both
by the coming of warmer weather and by the
revival of business, which will give industrious
poverty chance for life. But much yet re-
mains to be done, and the highest organizing
ability and energy Of our best citizens can find
no better field of exercise than in 30 adapting
the widely extended machinery of our NUM-
cipal charities to the complex conditions of
our social structure that the next financial
crisis, OF the next cold Winter, may find us
ready for it. BY the favor of Providence, this
Winter has not added the horrors of cold and
famine to the priyatlons which came from the
stagnation of business. But We cannot always
expect these baaigD interfereaees Of tho ale.