The Labor enquirer., 1888-03-10
A Thousand Men in Line
Waiting for a Charity
Meal
STARVELINGS OF new YORK.
Two Pictures Of Real Life Which
show Clearly the Dangersous Ten.
dency Of Our Times.


free eating room on Fourth street,
a few doors west of Washington
square. 1t required no advertise
ment to fill its tables from the
start. It was run to its full capac-
ity until Saturday, January 28,
when Mr.. Keyser was obliged to
diminish the quantity OF food
given out daily, and in another
week he was compelled to close it
entirely.
On Monday a reporter of the
Standard saw Mr.. Keyser, who is a
stove and tinware merchant, at his
place of business down town. The
hale old gentleman was seated at
his desk, wearing an overcoat, in
the lapel of which was a little
bunch of white flowers, while
we'll fed gray cat had made her
self comfortable on his knees.
Mr.. Keyser spoke in strain of
sadness Of the closing of his eating
room.
eyes" he said, 81 shut its doors
for the last time on Saturday
evening. | feel very sorry. |
know that there are men, good
men, going hungry to-day, and
others are begging from door to
door because they we're not able
to get little something to eat at
our room this morning. What
many of them received there was
a godsend. Itkept away the pangs
of hunger, and to obtain it they
were not obliged to confess them
selves paupers. More than three
fourths of all who came we're first
class men, every bit as good as
you or l. Some were men that |
knew to be good citizens of my
own neighborhood. Of course
many, perhaps third, were stran-
gers in the city. On December
IS, at the morning meal, l ascer-
tanned some facts about 244 of the
men. Of that number 1874 were
men who had been working at
trades and had lost their jobs
through dull times; twelve were
walters, twenty-four 'longshore-
men, forty laborers, twenty-eight
we're of miscellaneous occupations,
sixteen we're semi-paupers and
forty were what l would call full
lowered paupers. There were
four women that morning for
breakfast.
"A good many of the men came
to the room only under cover of
darkness, either before dawn or
after dusk, fact VII hich is very
significant of the Struggle they
we're undergoing between starva-
ton and their feeling of self-re-
spect. When some of them be-
gan coming they had overcoats,
which, after awhile, we're pawned.
There was great suffering among
them during the cold spell.
MANY of the men told me their
stories. 1t was as rule the one
story that there was no work to be
had. Business is demoralized,
machinery is throwing many men
out out of work, the dull seasons
which were formerly to be looked
for but once or twice a year and
which lasted only short time
now come more frequently and
last for months.
ut cost $50 a day to run the
free eating room. About $500
meals were furnished day, 1880
morning and evening. In the
morning bread, butter and coffee
were served; in the evening, soup
and bread. An ample quantity
was given to every man. At first
the place was opened at 6 o'clock
but the line was often formed
as early as Ago. and as the la
borers used to rush off to wherever
there might be a chance to get a
days job, ! opened at $50 fol
their accommodation.
Yes, stopped the work or
Saturday evening. We couldn''