Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, August 1899 Volume LV

In this compelling essay from the 1899 edition of a leading popular‑science journal, a Columbia sociology professor turns a critical eye toward the tangled world of public charity and private benevolence. He asks listeners to consider how millions of tax dollars flow to charitable institutions that operate with little public oversight, and why many educated citizens remain unaware of the scale of the problem.

Drawing on a recent indictment by New York’s comptroller, the author traces the historical roots of relief abuse from England’s notorious Poor Law to contemporary American towns such as Hartford, Connecticut, where per‑capita spending on poor relief far outstripped neighboring cities. By juxtaposing statistics, anecdotes, and moral arguments, he challenges readers to rethink the balance between state responsibility and private initiative, urging a more transparent and humane approach to aiding the needy.