440 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



leries, zoological gardens, -wholesome games, exhilarants for hon- 

 est industry and useful thrift, stretching at little intervals from 

 Governor's to Hart's Island, full eighteen miles, the Nemesis of 

 penalty and retribution has planted her growing colonies of so- 

 cial waste, of broken, degraded, repulsive, dangerous human de- 

 tritus: and this baleful colonization has pushed its way along 

 those beautiful eastern waters, keeping step with the advancing 

 city, until its entire line of eastern frontage, far up into West- 

 chester County, is sentineled by these menacing excrescences of a 

 moribund civilization." Dr. Seaman truly says: "This waste 

 shows a deadly apathy, a dying out of purpose, a fatal estrange- 

 ment from home, family, and society, for which there has, as yet, 

 been found neither remedy nor cure. This tramp class grows 

 and grows dangerous and desperate too, and is chargeable with 

 an increasing number of outrages, assaults, and crimes against 

 both property and person. The island, the almshouses, and work- 

 houses do not reach or touch their cases, for they gather physical 

 endurance and resources from fresh campaignings across country, 

 until rounded up again by winter weather in the great cities." 



Indeed, the daily accounts of innocent women murdered, rail- 

 road trains invaded, pitched battles between hordes of these vaga- 

 bonds and law-abiding citizens, attest to the insidious and rapid 

 spread of this class, and not until some town is burned, and plun- 

 der and rape follow the burning, will the people realize what they 

 have for so many years deliberately encouraged by free lunches 

 at their kitchen doors. Indiscriminate charity has been encour- 

 aged by religious teaching. Powerful as the Church has been and 

 still is in support of this practice, it is astonishing how rapidly 

 the evils of this pernicious custom are being recognized by 

 charity boards. Mr. McCulloch says the "so-called charitable 

 people who give to begging children and women with baskets, 

 have a vast sin to answer for. It is from them that this pauper ele- 

 ment gets its consent to exist. Charity falsely so'called covers a 

 multitude of sins, and sends the pauper out with the benediction, 

 ' Be fruitful and multiply.' Such charity has made this element, 

 has brought children to the birth, and insured them a life of mis- 

 ery, cold, hunger, and sickness." And he asserts that so-called 

 charity joins public relief in raising prostitutes and educating 

 criminals. Though these are strong words, they but repeat the 

 testimony of others who have made the subject an attentive 

 study. In an article on London Charities, by Elizabeth Bisland 

 (Cosmopolitan, July, 1891), is quoted the words of an eminent 

 London citizen, who says that London is the scandal of the age 

 by reason of its pauperized and demoralized condition, and yet 

 825,000,000 is given each year in alms to the unfortunate. " It is 

 a gigantic laboratory of corruption and crime, and while it as- 



