| 98MRS, PETTIE IN BEBUITAL
-----------------
Just a Word or Two in Passing
Concering the Society
Question.
-----------------
The Poor and How to Help Them----The problem of Foverly
Fashionable Charity------Little and Big Things.
-----------------------
The few remarks I made about a part of Omaha soolety the other day have aroused must comment. This may have been because these remarks were just or because they were unjust. It does not much matter. I could have retored with person--alitles, but that would have been disagreeable. And life is so short it is surely not worth while to be disagreeable unless there is something to accomplish by being so. I know what the facts were that prompted me to make the crictcim I did. There ply of Mr. Chase in Exceisor was an expression of his views, to which he was entited, and as the editor of the journal of society in this town if was proper that he should do what he did. Life said he thought one way I said I thought another.
That's all there is to it. Concerning the critisim of myself in the Bee--anonoymous criticism----I can only say that it was very amusing. I've wirter accuses me of settting my information from two papers of [dr?] reputation, which I have never held in my hand, nor even seen, and which I would not wilngly see. He says my article was prompted by [dr?] because I cannot get in Omaha society, lie might as well say that my criticsms upon train robbers were inspired by my inhailty to join the ranke of the train robbing entry. I dare say I would not be invited to join any sort of society. I certainly never clamined to have had any such opportunity . I have a few friends, it is true, some of whom I know and some of whom I do not, but they are my friends all the same, and give comfort to me, as I hope I do to them. Some of these friends of mine live in houses with frescoing on the wals, and some of them in houses where the walls are covered with patches of old newspaper.
I move in human socitey, I beileve, But not by invitation. No one asked me to.
Futher than I can lay he claims to social distcation, But I have become so accustomed to this state of things, it having existed from my birth, that I really cannot plead guilty to plgue. And it must really be admitted that in this controversy society has had the best of me, because I had to arraign it generally, and as a body. whereas it could put me straight up in a public pullory and hurl arrows at me. But they were not poisned arrows, and I am none of the worse, thank you, and have been quite exhilarated at the commotion, and I feel almost proud of myself when I think of thing I might have said---and haven't. But enough of this. Let's "move on," as the consrrative gentlemen of the city want the men at [dr?] hall to do.
* * * * * * *
Those men at liesue that are, by the way, the graphic presentaion of a problem that [dr?] has presented itself in a detached and vague sort of way. There they are----storng, healthy, wiling to work. or to they any----and here we are, eager to
give them work, and with none to offer.
Meantime the men lay along the floor like soldiers in blvonac, wrapped in their old quilts. And comfortable folks who have beds and furnaces, and breakfasts, and other appuriancess of moder civilaztion come in look at them. Oddly enough the men on the floor don't like it. They smile shame-facedly, or cover their heads with their blankets, or dart angry and proud glances at these vistors. I suppose they feel like a job lot--lying there altogether in a rough classication, with no particular persons who come to stare at them.
Now in peniterataries, and in work houses, and in gamgs on railroads, or digging ditches, must all I suppose, feel like job lots. And I can imagine nothing more annoying. I do not wounder all that some men are starving here today and wearing a smilling face, and saying that they are maaging very well, when is reaity they are fainting with hunger.
Would not you do that, too, rather than be marshaled with a gang of other two-leagged animals to be filled up in a soup kitchen, or looked over like a car of cattle dumped at the stocj yard gates? I tell you, there are those who prefer death to being in job lot.
* * * * * * * *
Dr. Duryea says it is very difficult to ge at the real condition of many of the most needy in town. We have pauperlized a good many hundred, by our careless charity, and they come around cheerfuly when they need anything, and ask for it. But there are combaines of workingmen and women in this city who are resorting to every device rather than ask for charity.
The double up and crowd into the small houses, two or three familles of them together, to save coal. They are facing their necessity with the calm reason of heroes, and abortion rations to their families, and live on one meal a day. It's astoniding now little a person can live on,
| 98MRS, PETTIE IN BEBUITAL
-----------------
Just a Word or Two in Passing
Concering the Society
Question.
-----------------
The Poor and How to Help Them----The problem of Foverly
Fashionable Charity------Little and Big Things.
-----------------------
The few remarks I made about a part of Omaha soolety the other day have aroused must comment. This may have been because these remarks were just or because they were unjust. It does not much matter. I could have retored with person--alitles, but that would have been disagreeable. And life is so short it is surely not worth while to be disagreeable unless there is something to accomplish by being so. I know what the facts were that prompted me to make the crictcim I did. There ply of Mr. Chase in Exceisor was an expression of his views, to which he was entited, and as the editor of the journal of society in this town if was proper that he should do what he did. Life said he thought one way I said I thought another.
That's all there is to it. Concerning the critisim of myself in the Bee--anonoymous criticism----I can only say that it was very amusing. I've wirter accuses me of settting my information from two papers of [dr?] reputation, which I have never held in my hand, nor even seen, and which I would not wilngly see. He says my article was prompted by [dr?] because I cannot get in Omaha society, lie might as well say that my criticsms upon train robbers were inspired by my inhailty to join the ranke of the train robbing entry. I dare say I would not be invited to join any sort of society. I certainly never clamined to have had any such opportunity . I have a few friends, it is true, some of whom I know and some of whom I do not, but they are my friends all the same, and give comfort to me, as I hope I do to them. Some of these friends of mine live in houses with frescoing on the wals, and some of them in houses where the walls are covered with patches of old newspaper.
I move in human socitey, I beileve, But not by invitation. No one asked me to.
Futher than I can lay he claims to social distcation, But I have become so accustomed to this state of things, it having existed from my birth, that I really cannot plead guilty to plgue. And it must really be admitted that in this controversy society has had the best of me, because I had to arraign it generally, and as a body. whereas it could put me straight up in a public pullory and hurl arrows at me. But they were not poisned arrows, and I am none of the worse, thank you, and have been quite exhilarated at the commotion, and I feel almost proud of myself when I think of thing I might have said---and haven't. But enough of this. Let's "move on," as the consrrative gentlemen of the city want the men at [dr?] hall to do.
* * * * * * *
Those men at liesue that are, by the way, the graphic presentaion of a problem that [dr?] has presented itself in a detached and vague sort of way. There they are----storng, healthy, wiling to work. or to they any----and here we are, eager to
give them work, and with none to offer.
Meantime the men lay along the floor like soldiers in blvonac, wrapped in their old quilts. And comfortable folks who have beds and furnaces, and breakfasts, and other appuriancess of moder civilaztion come in look at them. Oddly enough the men on the floor don't like it. They smile shame-facedly, or cover their heads with their blankets, or dart angry and proud glances at these vistors. I suppose they feel like a job lot--lying there altogether in a rough classication, with no particular persons who come to stare at them.
Now in peniterataries, and in work houses, and in gamgs on railroads, or digging ditches, must all I suppose, feel like job lots. And I can imagine nothing more annoying. I do not wounder all that some men are starving here today and wearing a smilling face, and saying that they are maaging very well, when is reaity they are fainting with hunger.
Would not you do that, too, rather than be marshaled with a gang of other two-leagged animals to be filled up in a soup kitchen, or looked over like a car of cattle dumped at the stocj yard gates? I tell you, there are those who prefer death to being in job lot.
* * * * * * * *
Dr. Duryea says it is very difficult to ge at the real condition of many of the most needy in town. We have pauperlized a good many hundred, by our careless charity, and they come around cheerfuly when they need anything, and ask for it. But there are combaines of workingmen and women in this city who are resorting to every device rather than ask for charity.
The double up and crowd into the small houses, two or three familles of them together, to save coal. They are facing their necessity with the calm reason of heroes, and abortion rations to their families, and live on one meal a day. It's astoniding now little a person can live on,
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