CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 204, 4 August 1862, Page 5

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.

(Jo the Editor of the Daji.y Times.) . - RV heading m toe Z>,7</>/ Times ofthe SOth, in whicli the. wister' after entering imo the qualities ofthe maxim referred to (m woicaarow me xo assure iiim I am the Mlest behcver) wishes, if iie i s r,-ron<r, that rtth^ your^lf or 1 as the Writer of the letter*" Charity" referred to, should set him right. nr^laV Sef }i 7 tbis, day's issue that you have not noticed his letter, and as 1 think that the gentlem.Bi ma} consider that silence gives consent, and that I Z^u r tL bißvie^. I *all endeavor in this, if Scf; t°,. Pro7 c- tO hhu ttatalthou^ihemay b-, Pfrfectly correct in a portion of hb sentiment, vei he wfllT?V * * 7 roDg- J f l succeed ' X ani <*rt™ lie will gU-Jiy dtatoss, as I c^i see tliat his he->rt is ,u7. ngUt ,place' aad that he Wl>ul<l not wi'lingly damage a good cairse. -^bY la the first p!aee, I cordially agree with o that the case of the Taranaki settlers demands, mme- ?,££.?? entlOU-, tliat f> if tbe Governm <£™ promp ly respond to the petition referre w'.idi I should not think possible, after the na r -> <VS JJ? heroic conduct of those truW -^ if Si? hl^alL nel'rl "^ •ni a are made ot the right stuff that we might be the means of assisting, no^onlv thS? bit would be one of the greatest soureas of gratification we could enjoy. Why. Mr. Editor, do we not <£ subscriptions raised at the shortest notice for mcn7n • rich and ahkent circumstances, which I should be sorry m any manner to attempt to condemn, bein- -i be-iever in the maxim of " Honor to whom it is dv? " but it is possible to believe that numbers ofthe \v'v peoplewho subscribe to this class of collections are actually backward in doing so in cases wh^re t'-ev see thousands of their fellow creatures starviV • 'for such I fear is the case, if we take the inea:rre\lomtions tliat have appeared in your columns," as a fair sample of what is to come. Perhaps, Sir, I am impatient, but I rould noi have believed it possible after the able and or.thet'c leader which appeared in your Saturday's ivm e th-t among the thousands who can so well afford it that there has not bean a better display of benevolent feeling. But I fear I have been traveling from the question at issue. \ our correspondent quotes from the J?ome the opini-ns c/ Earl -Granville. Mr. Villi^s and Mr Bright, who all appear to a^ree that efficient relier could be rendered by tiie different agents ot the Poor Law Board. Are we sot all awtr," -\lr Lditor, that this daw of relief fc, of the most mk~r^ and systematic description, and that the rarties Employed are invariably hard-hearted -in the extreme and perfectly callous" to the s U Serine ofthe unhappy creatures who have to seek public relief In support of my assertions. I beg to enclose yon i the following extract from the Times ofthe ISth M'av i winch treats on the subject herein alluded to, and which is as foKows :— '• We liave recently reported some heart-r- ndm»- ---: cases ot death from destitution in Wlateehanet , parish. We have not had exclusive sources of mi >-- ; nation, for other papers have published similar re- ! ports, xounde-1 on evidence given at inquests, and the verdicts of juries. Yet,- the Board of Guardians * through their cleric, huve recently given a public con' ; trahction to a statement put forth by the secretary of tne George } ard Ragged School and Church that great and terrible distress has been nreva'ent MBrushtield^ a member ofthe Whitechapel District Board of^orks, says, in a letter siened by him. ?ml pnb ls.ied as an advertisement in the Times, that— .\ Inle there are ample means provided by law not, ; ouly ro support all poor persons in the time of Ci-ir need, with wnatever their necessities may ret- ire | out with a staff ofmedical and other offi-oi-s^.ad- ; minister such relief, private charities and individuals , ought not to be taxed for such a purpose, nor should j the officers of any charitable institutions be competed ;to make appeals lo the public for aid under su -heir- , cumstances.* But private charities and iudividu Us will continue to tax themselves—and cheerfully too— a the ample i>.ds provided by law' are not ! fr™«»a_ms and if the ' staff of medical and olh-r officers iad to perform their duty. We are ; not all so case-hardened as beadles, reMevim* officers, and boards of guardians, and feel a strange qualm at the thought of any man, woman, or clrld - dying m the public streets. Not very lon-v s i nce % a man was iound dyiug- of starvation iii Cmmiercial-strc-et. A woman was found starved to death on a door step, m Osborne-strest, and another in Lo-a-*r George anu Wentworth-street. Ouly la<t w-ek vve reported the proceedings at aa inquest on the body 01 a poor man named Russel, formerly an equestrian performer, who had died from utter starvation H» had applied for relief; the parish surgeon 2nd rel ported him unfit for any kind of work, a* he was dying ot consumption, vet he ire-* ordered euiht pounds of dry bread for two iceeks. and sub^e- ; unently eight pounds more; nice sustaining food this tor a wretched creature, in the last sta<je oi oulmo- ; nary disease. His wife too, wjs starving with him. , Ihe assistant relieving officer once cot as far as to "o ; to tiie miserable place where they were allowed shelj ter, and made a rei>ort. We must entreat our readers' ! patience—even endeavour to command our own The , officer found her at work at two shirts, for winch «he I was paid three half-peace, and reported that she had ! luff employment, aud needed no relief." Yet ac : cording to the relieving officer's own showing poor Husse had applied thirty or forty times for relief for lus wife So the poor fellow died—miserably died out ot the reach of human sympathy—when, as Mr' Brusnfield tells the world in the advertising columns ■i i , \" lc% there were " amjlle funils Provided oy law," and a staff of medical and other officers to administer relief." The very same davanother enquiry was held. An old man 'fell utterly exhausted in the pas age of a common lodein»- hou*j in Mower and Dcan-streeK and died half an hour aiterwarus. The parochial surgeon said "he musthave been in a state of starvation for a long time past bo there is starvation in Whitechapel in spite ot the active officers, ample funds, and offidal denials.'

1 think a .New Zealand colonist, after reading- these sickening cases of destitution and death, ia the very laceofa direct contradiction of the Board of Guardians, will at once fall into my views and asrree with me, that this so called relief is* a mere cognomen ami not calculated to relieve distress,- which is invariably only camel out by private benevolence and discimination, such as I havj not the least doubt wiU be used m distributing the fund, which 1 trust will be raised in tl c colonies. What a gratificatioa will it be to ns to know that we have been instrumental in alleviating the distress oi unfortunate families, hundreds of whom would rather starve in a garret than seek public relict , or hear of the money Ik-luc devoted to an emigration fund, (which has "already been mooted) to send them to the colonies, where they may become good and useful citizens.

„»Your correspondent quite overlooked the inputs and demerits ofthe Hughes' Fund. I sincerely trust that because that isl'6,<X"'o milesawavfromtheseshores' as he observes with reference to the other ca«e, that he does not think it less worthy of our notice.' Let me answer him that, it matters not to the truly b.>nevolent, what the country or creed may be—he* sthi feels the same pleasure in* relieving his brotiier in distress.

Allow me, therefore, to use mv persuasive powers to this worthy gentleman, to join us hand-in-liand, in the strongest of causes, no matter whether it be to she Lancashire or Taranaki Relief Fund, (the 'after of whicli I shall be most happy to subscribe mv mite toV* And remember, that " a great ;aan\-. can'help one where one cannot help a great many." ' Apologizing for occupying so milch of your space. *n' !"•' o, t Yours &c -> Charity." Dunedm, 31st July, 18G2.