EMERGENCY RELIEF IN GREAT DISASTERS 83 



In Chicago harmful consequences in the subsequent charitable 

 history of the city have been traced to a retention of a portion 

 of the money by those who were its custodians; and in Johns- 

 town there was unquestionable hardship from the delay in its 

 distribution and from the early indiscriminate grants made 

 without knowledge of the circumstances of claimants; but in 

 neither city were there well founded complaints of the results 

 of discriminating and judicious disbursements in large amounts 

 made with the avowed purpose of putting the recipients in a 

 position to carry on their former or equally appropriate voca- 

 tions. 



On several occasions the usefulness in great emergencies 

 01 detachments of the standing army which have happened to 

 be near at hand has been demonstrated. The perfect disci- 

 pline and the organization constantly maintained in the army 

 may save days at a time when even hours are of the greatest 

 importance. The national guard of the various states might 

 render, and in some instances — notably at East St. Louis, 

 Illinois, 1903 — has rendered, similar service. The sugges- 

 tion made by Dr. F. H. Wines in the Charities Review for 

 Jime, 1898, that soldiers are of great utility as an aid in emer- 

 ergency relief work, was based upon an experience in the relief 

 of sufferers from an overflow of the Ohio river at Shawneeto^\Ti, 

 Illinois. The detail which came to his assistance on that 

 occasion consisted of a sergeant and nine men, and their special 

 duty was that of patrol and other similar service. Dr. Wines 

 foimd that even then twenty men would have been better. 

 Dr. Whines recommends that where any portion of the popula- 

 tion of a given community requires the shelter of tents, a 

 temporary canvas city provided by the state or nation should 

 be organized and remam under control of the military author- 

 ities. By maintaining strict military discipline the inhabitants 

 of the emergency camp at Shawneetown, slightly exceeding 

 at one time two hundred in number, of whom two thirds were 

 negroes, were at all times under thorough control. By the aid 

 of the mihtary force it became possible to provide for these 

 refugees a care so sympathetic and paternal that it produced 

 no pauperizing impression. 



For the temporary camp in Kansas City, Kansas, tents 



