Show CHILDREN OF HOW indiscriminate AL almsgiving MISGIVING encourages IDLENESS AND VICE A 0 the children of ishmael are still wito WA us they are not the roving in diana or reckless cowboys of the western plains nor the desperate moon shiners of the tennessee mountains they live near us in new york or wherever our homes may be their garments touch ours in the public places strangest of all we may be responsible in one sense for the maeli tish madness in their blood and yet it we recognize that responsibility we would complacently count it to ourselves for righteousness for we COD consider sider almo almsgiving giving a cardinal virtue while we are too short sighted to cat estimate I 1 the effect of much indiscriminate almsgiving in encouraging moral flabbiness and mental and physical inertia in increasing pauperism and crime in multi multiplying lying the number of the children of of ishmael throughout our land this is one of the most suggestive topics treated at the national conference of charities and correction recently held in buffalo and elsewhere considered at some length the speaker rev oscar oacar C mccullough of indianapolis di illustrated his study in social degradation by a chart showing the social condition of thirty Ja jamilleh milles through five generations this meant some illustrations of the life history of 1692 individuals their history had did been followed f tor fifty years there had bad been several levei 15 murderers in the group aud and thieves without number the rhe in priority arity lived by begging or petty thie th levitr the children bied led young licentiousness characterized all the men and women from this came mental and physical weakness general incapacity to work and in certain cases hopeless idiocy hereditary tendencies this study of hereditary morbid tendencies is most interesting but it presents nothing absolutely new dew maudsley at daley of england and charcot of paria aarl have naturally included the subject in their study of mental pathology intact in fact in the present century and aad especial especially IK since galton gallob developed the study of heredity into a science hereditary influences of all kinds have received the most careful consideration not only by medical students of patao logical states of the mind and body but also by novelists we need recall but one instance the mac quart series of zola in which that un com compromis promis pg realist has essayed to do precisely what mr mcculloch McCullo cb did upon the chart that is trace the development and effects of morbid tendencies from generation to generation but mr mcculloch himself has used this study of herdith merely 11 illustration of his bis striking ing dea t tion that the tendencies to mei mental weakness we asness ness and general incapacity which be describes are met and encouraged by th the e benevolent public with unlimited p public ab and private aid which is practically practice tica I 1 ay an incentive to an idle and add vicious it life f e ile he charged that our elaborate systems ay stems of public charities are in a large degree responsible for the perpetuation of this idle and vicious stock and what public relief failed to accomplish private benevolence supplemented the rhe so called charitable people who give to begging men and women and children have a large sia to answer for the remedy indicated by the speaker was to close up official outdoor relief check private indiscriminate charity cn cu arity and get bold of the children the last is an admirable suggestion there is no practical way ol of restricting private almsgiving save by educating people to the idea that unwise alms foster pauperism and the Drin bringing glog of more pau pe pers rs into the world it would be im go possible to do away with the great public charities of now new york even it it were desirable but the to teo prency dency of charitable work can be codified nodi fied and turned toward prevention rather than cure children who are early taught spirit ot of independence and self reliance will not become paupers haupers pau pers it II public charities enzo entourage urage this spirit and rigidly insist that nothing can be had without working for it if work Is IE possible their evils will be reduced to tc a minimum frank Les lesliea Le liels |