l they must be used again, and
soiled clothing was allowed to stand in soak a week at a time in hot
weather, until a heavy scum gathered on the top and the air was poisoned
by the stench. The remaining children were unkempt and untrained, and
the woman quite indifferent about their condition. The imbecile had
improved at Owing's Mills, but, owing to a half-expressed wish of the
mother's to see the boy, Gamma brought him home and refused to take him
back again. The man's good intentions always seemed to evaporate in fine
phrases. He was reported by the neighbors to be drinking, though not
heavily, and one morning the visitor received a letter from him saying
that she must take care of his family--he could stand it no longer and
had left them.

One thing greatly handicapped the visitor at this time and later: the
squalor of this family strongly appealed to chance charitable visitors,
who helped them liberally because they looked miserable--helped them
without knowledge and without plan. It used to be said that every
American thinks he can make an after-dinner speech, and it might have
been added that every American, or nearly every American, thinks {205} he
can administer his own charities judiciously. When we are mistaken in
our speech-making ability, we ourselves are the sufferers, but the
saddest thing about our charitable blunders is that not we but the poor
people are the sufferers. The friendly visitor to the Gammas was a woman
of unusual intelligence and devotion. Her failure may be traced to two
causes: to the fact that she was not called in earlier, and to the
willingness of many good church people to help quite indiscriminately for
the asking. They went and looked at the home, saw that it was wretched
indeed, and called this "an investigation." "Yes, I've helped the
Gammas," they used to say. "I've investigated their condition myself."
The way in which Gamma was in the habit of talking about the Bible as his
best friend made a great impression on them.

The man's desertion of his family was a mere ruse. He was soon back
again, and ready to profit by the help they had obtained. Moving from
place to place to avoid rent, they were at last ejected, and the man,
wife, and children, including the imbecile, found refuge in the stable of
a kind-hearted man who took pity on them. The owner was alarmed,
however, when he found the family making no effort to find other
quarters, and fearing the imbecile might