Show Among the Poverty Stricken Millionaires How Is I It I Possible to Make Drake Both Ends Meet on Only a Year BY TO THOMAS S L L. L MASON IASON 1 WM 10 tir liy Tho Th SAU Salt I lAke ake i iA I A A SOCIETY for tho Limo relief of oC New Newt ew t Yorkers who arc are getting incomes of or a a. t year ca will wi soon have havo to bo be formed or the nation must take tako tho the consequences This is no joke joke It I Is IB IBan Isan isan an intensely serious matter made more so b by tho general public ignorance with regard to lo the tho distressing conditions In which so 80 many man year a a ear families aro living in Now New York Our people as a must be e educated edu edu- up to this problem Thoy They must Sec it in Its Is truo true light Recent Investigations gatons amon among stricken poverty millionaires have shown that it Is no longer possible for a family of oC six six six- husband and wife and four our children children- to subsist comfortably on a year car Tho fl figures speak for them them- selves At present tho poverty strick en cn rich aro are not confined to an army any ono district They are aro more moro or less scat scat- Many of or them have havo o ha reached their present condition from tho comparative com corn I ease caso and comfort of or 1500 a I year That thc they noe need l help holp Is without question They are aro of or courso course intensely proud proud Ono One has ha's to approach them with tact tact Fortunately It happens that many of or them do not realize their state as a they thoy have havo have never known an an- other I have recently visited a number of oC these unfortunates in the hope of or discovering discovering dis dis- covering covering- co somo method of ot ameliorating their unhappy condition Up to the present time no solution of or tho the problem problem lem leni IB is In sh ht But we one must not despair ond and p patience arc are with us A typical case is that of Sir Mr lIr and Mrs frs E E- E E v who live on tho upper cast side Just off ot Fifth avenue I visited Isled this family one afternoon last week Tho The women were ero huddled over a bridge table In the tho to second BYln living room talking fitfully to themselves ono one of ot them trying to keep with witha wih a pencil penel that had bad not been sharpened in several weeks The place was wa-s w fairly well wel heated but pinched faces told the tale talo of or undernourishment undernourishment Ono One of or the ladles had had nothing to cat ct but buL lobster lobster lob lob- ster stem Newburg chicken en patties a and marron marron marron mar mar- mar mar- ron for Cor or forty eight forty hours She Sho showed it it This winter aa as everyone knows has been quito severe and I particularly noticed tho the absence of ot warm clothing Tho The eldest daughter who might might have bavo been been 25 an and who had bad been In her prime primo undoubtedly a handBOre handsome hand hand- some Bomo BOre and ad well favored favored wel-favored girl W was thinly clad d cl in openwork stockings and somo some ort fort of or filmy timy material that barely baly covered cov coy ered her hor neck an and amid shoulders These unfortunates aro are naturally sensitive to their hapless condition so BO I t had bad to be bo careful in approaching herAty herMy her Aty My y child I said when yon you go so out Into tho the cold air what you yon Is 1 a union suit Bult of ot some somo warm woolen material ma ma- tonal or at lc least t a flannel shawl l eha to throw over ovel your head hed What at I fear Is ia that tat you OU aro heedless about yourself What at do you expect me to do do she said sald petulantly spend my time In stopping topping up the tho cracks In tho the sine It I la 13 truo true that I am still running running run run- ning along along- on last years year's years furs fur and ostrich ostrich ostrich os os- os- os plumes and aigrettes with wih the tho exception of ot a n couple of ot toques toque aro are tho the only hoad headgear ear I have have O OTho Tho mother molher of 01 the the family was WM oven ove-n moro more obdurate If I you ou have havo hao come here hero to taunt s ns with soma Bomo of ot tho the privations wo are arc accustomed to endure you OU might better bet bet- ter bo be bc engaged aged elsewhere I 1 have havo not como conic to taunt you but butto butto butto jt to help you ou I said gently genty I 01 am i amnot amnot not going goinS to offer you money but bu sympathy sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy and and friendship hotter better talk to my husband sho si-ia said and dont don't interrupt Incorrupt us le lies lie's been looking for sympathy ever since sinco wo we were married marlC You will wi find him himIn himIn In tho the library working over his Income InI In- In I como come ta tax I On my way ay to see what help I could render this unfortunate gentleman genteman I Irn Iran rn ran rami across the butler buter who told me metho metho tho worst worst He stated that ho hadn't hant boon bon paid for tor three months I 1 avont arent tho the cart to leave cm em sir bearin this tills cost costor of or living hiving so brave like It I does seem seema a pity to bo be b b by disloyal elp Th The Tho husband who evidently thought I had como to collect a bill bi made mad a n dive for the elevator as M I entered tho the room and would woul undoubtedly have havo escaped had I not grabbed him In the tho nick of or time Ho lie was evidently much h T i. i tI 1 wa f L 0 j U S u Lj JL I l Lna ho had sat in his downtown brokers broker's office for tor four fur days In succession without without with with- wih- wih out anyone offering him a club sand sand- As man mn to man I said forcing him Into a chair and an facing him let us meet this thing timing together Remember rou r. r you ou aro not the tho only Now New Y Yorker rl cr who vho huts Ima to keep his growing family alive alve on a year There are aro others others V Y o must think of ot them You Yu aro are all allin allin al in tho same samo boat bOt If I your problem can bo be solved it will wi also apply to them them Til U bet het youre you're a Kansas or Missouri farmer famer ho said said and havo have como come hero to to cleat cloat cloa over my poverty Or maybe maybo mayo your our ono one of ot those statisticians I am only a simple mined journalist journal journal- 1st I replied and th therefore not able to supply you ou with wih any amount of ot real rea but your our secret Is safe safo with me Let Lct us first get et at the tho exact facts nets and discover if It possible what lod hod you OU to to this unfortunate state lit It I was wa duo due to my ability and my ambition ambition am am- those twin deities of destruction Uon tion ho he replied If u I hadn't trained myself to earn carn fifty thousand a n year yer nil all ul would have been well How HoW happy happ wo we were ho added when wo we were getting only five You ou could live livo vo on five lIve thousand a year I ventured Dear me ho lie replied any an family tamly can live livo lve on on five thom thousand and a year ear or less But not fifty As you oU begin besin to toSo togo So go 0 up in the tho scale scalo and your our earing earning capacity increases you ou roach the poverty pov pov- crt erty line lne which which for for a a family of six six six- I should say kay lay Is between cen fifteen Iteen and twenty thousand Beyond that In miser misery misery mis mis- ery er want actual privation Look Lole at atmo Wo We haven't mo had a new car now in eight months and m my butler he buter he al almost almost almost al- al most broke down down Dont Dont DonL I Interrupted soothingly soothinglY I r understand Tho The poor wretch confided ed CI In me a as I came in You let him got on your our nerves ner Come no now nos old oM telo fellow brace up and tell tol mo me all al It will win do I you rou good to unburden your Your- self self This was aR almost too much Apparently Apparently enU no ono had hind spoken a hind word to him In so Ion long that it almost unmanned unmanned unmanned un un- un- un manned him However his voice grow grew stronger stron cr and amid he lie went on I I r ont haven't alwa always s 's been a Nc New York York- or tr ho began besa I 1 was onas happy happy once When hon I was getting only five thousand a year car we wore were all aU comfortable bo- bo cause causo I r didn't have havo to upend spend anything ot extra ostra ra for what I was waR getting I or 1 dont don't follow you ou ho he said Its t perfectly simple I havo to pa pay for COr getting fifty thousand a J year car Thoy They expect It It For one ono thing we have to know o n lot of or people people- That's what costs mono money If I I didn't know a a lot of people I couldn't make malta fifty thousand a year car and because I know them I cant can't live hive on It n. Im I'm Im below tho the poverty line lino Look Lok at this house If I it isn't redecorated soon soon soon-It it has b been oen en done dono once since last summer summer all summer summer-al all tho the people who know mo mc will begin to think that I am short of or money and this will wi queer mo mc with tho the people who pa pay me inc fifty thousand a year car But nut dont don't they know you are short You aro arc all al In the tho same boat boat arent aren't you OU Ho Ito 10 lowered his voice olee Sh he ho said Of or course we l know now it But Dut wo never admit admit It All 1 the they do Is to whisper because if Ie they made mado mao too much of or a fuss thoy know It would Impair my efficiency arid and might stop them from Crom getting anything at ut all al You see Iee how hOr It works works its it's a 3 great system The Tho poor man groaned I 1 Joined himI himI himI him I dont don't suppose fifty thousand a 1 year ear gets eta anywhere with you I eald said I thinking that by telling him I knew how bad off otC ho he was was It would make him feel teel better botter How can ca it I o ho chattered Why Yh Thy summer furs alone for three women will wil cat up quarter one of or m my Income Income The government takes takei taM about about a third of or ofiL it iL It What's a thousand a week among aon si six when first a a third thir and then a quarter ter is sliced off oft To say nay BY nothing of o help holp Wo gave gayo a dinner dance last week weel that cost Live five thousand and the missus said sho she wan wM ashamed to look our guests In i tho the taco face It was ws so simple At this moment his wl wife e and two daughters entered the room their faces faes wreathed In smiles Oh papa the they chorused what do you ou think Wo Yo won eighty eIght dollars IlI Ko 14 turned to me and wrung m my hand silently You see seC ho said Providence does watch over tho the poor after all al This will wl tide us over oer till ti tomorrow morning morning morinS morn morn- mor- mor ing inS and nd perhaps pa pay tho the butler buter something something some some- thing on account account accountAnt And Ant then secretly pressing a a V Y Into his hand although 1 I knew new It was fate wrong I left him and his flock to his s f |