Case 190 was a baffling one in some ways. It was that of a dyspeptic
society woman who spent her evenings at functions. She suffered greatly
from colds, yet felt obliged to wear large, chilly collars of diamonds,
and to sit in an open opera box unprotected from drafts. Although
fretful and unhappy, she nevertheless objected most strongly to trying a
life without money; so our district visitors had to devise other
methods.
They began by removing several disease-breeding pets from the home. They
then had the French chef deported, and taught the woman to live on a few
simple dishes. These alleviatory arrangements resulted in some slight
improvement. Like all half-way measures, however, they left her cure
incomplete.
Then, almost by accident, a dealer in investment securities lost most of
her fortune. The balance was taken by some cheery university presidents,
who made her build infirmaries for them in spite of rebuffs. Soon after
she thus had been thrown on her own resources at last, a place was found
for her to do ironing in a nice warm steam laundry, one of the
high-grade ones where all the corrosives are put in by hand. The light
exercise this work gives her has cured her dyspepsia. She now gets
through at nine-thirty evenings, instead of sitting up till past
midnight; and as she can wear a red-flannel undersuit, she has no more
colds.
* * * * *
Other cases must be summarized instead of presented in detail. Anaemic
young belles who used to be kept in ill-ventilated rooms every night,
are sent for and taken to those open piers on the river, where they can
dance with strong, manly grocers, or aldermen even, and where the river
breezes soon bring back a glow to their cheeks. Gentlemen suffering from
obesity have been carried to an old-fashioned woodyard to work, or, if
entirely unskilled, they are given jobs helping plumbers. Hundreds of
desperate children have been rescued from nurse girls, who were
punishing them for romping and shouting, and shackling them in starched
clothing. These children we try to turn loose on the lively East Side,
where they can join in the vigorous games of the slums. Most rewarding
of all, perhaps, are the young men of means who have been saved from
lives of indescribable folly, and who, through the simple abolition of
inherited wealth, have been made into self-supporting, responsible
citizens.
I cannot say more of the League's work in this brief report. But I must
end by admitting that though we have done all we could, the hidden
distress that still exists in rich homes is widespread. Families
continue to engage in poisonous quarrels, idleness and chronic
unemployment remain unabated, and discontent is gradually darkening the
minds of its victims, depriving them of true mental vigor and even of
sleep.
On the good side we have the fact that the nation appears to be roused.
It is not roused very much, but it takes more interest than it once did,
at least. To leave the rich to wrestle with their fortunes, alone and
unaided, as was done in our grandfathers' times, seems unnatural in
ours.
On the other hand, frankly, there is as yet no cure in sight. The
difficulty is to devise legislation which will absorb excess wealth. At
first sight this seems easy, and many new laws have been passed which
the rich themselves have predicted would immediately reduce them to
indigence. But somehow no law has yet done this. So we must just
struggle on.