The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-17
THE SOUP KITCHEN.
Free Board and Lodging for the
Lower Five"
GOOD MEALS, WARM BLANKETS.
What the City Mission Does and Ex-
poets to Do for Honest but I'm
fortunate Humanity.


but the hosiery does not often turn man
away. The secret of its growing popular
ity lies in the fact that the landlord never
presents billiard who wouldn't patron
ize such an institution
Yesterday evening a reporter, disguised
(by very little effort) as hobo, descended
the stairway. About half way down there
is landing, with turns in two directions.
The stairs at the left of the landing lead
into a chapel room. Toward the right
there is an assembly room for the boarders.
The appetizing odor of cooking vegetables
escapes through the crevices in the spring
doors and mingles with the smoke from
half hundred pipes of corncob and clay
filled with tobacco of the brand called
room at the right that the newspaper man
descended
Four o'clock in the afternoon nearly al
ways finds a crowd of almost 100 men, in
various stages of dilapidation and pow
erty, all awaiting the welcome call of the
dinner bell. The majority of the fire.
quenters of the place are hard set.
Some show traces of refinement in face
and dress. There are a good many who
clearly belong to the happy-go-lucky class
nearly always find in dire distress. but
who honestly regret their past improvi-
dence. Struggling among the rest are
men who have never been "broke" before
and 'never will be again." if they once
get out of the slough. The ''hobo" and
''dead tough mug" are easily recognizable,
but they are forced into good behavior by
the prospect that is clearly set before
them of losing what to them is fiat
thing by single overt act.
The rush for supper follows the an
nouncement by the chef, good-natured
little man, with a great protuberance
where phrenologists locate the virtue of
benevolence. All classes jostled in the
melee, and cries of 'shore down." make
room fer yer betters," and the like drown
the cooks yell for tickets"
where's your ticket, young fellow?"
he shcgted at the visitor.
'Lost it, guess" was the answer.
swell, after this you want to come
around to the evening meeting, and get
ticket if you're going to feed here"
And the meal went merrily on.
Pannikins of bread are placed at inter-
walls along the board. The cooks assist
ants, with big dippers. help the hungry
ones. Tin pans, built to hold quart, are
filled with vegetable soup that is nearly
all vegetable, but does not lack certain
meaty flavor that is claimed to be a
virtue in such fluid. Chunks of brisket
beef are plunked into the soup. Spoons
are passed around, and a great clatter
begins that is only stilled when the
hungriest has had his fill.
In this way an average of no men have
been given two meals day ever since JAN
uary 1, and the average was nearly as high
during December.
few of these pay for their own meals,
the price being 5 cents. Others are sup
piled with tickets by subscribers to the
enterprise. A great many attend the even
ing meetings, and at the close are fur
nished with pasteboard slips good for their
next days board.
In the same way the men are lodged.
There are thirty partitioned apartments,
each containing a bed, that are rented
for 81 per week. Eighteen of these are
paying their own room-rent. and the
others are being lodged by virtue of their
promises to pay as soon as they find en-
ployment. The free dodgers occupy the
assembly room after the chairs have been
piled in one corner. Those who have
blankets spread them on the floor, and the
rest are supplied with plain coverings.
Lodgers were as thick as bats in cave
last night. Ninety-one sleeping figures
made the place look like the biYouac of a
small army. Sixty-eight free dodgers were
the least this month.
G. Z. Ryther, the secretary of the mis-
sion. is perfecting new plan. He intends
TO ask the board of public works to give
employment to twenty-five men at street
improvement, at reasonable wages, payable
to the mission. If his proposal is accepted
he will divide the boarders into six squads
and marshal them out for work alternately.
One days work week by each man, he
says, will pay the cost of his board and
lodging, and put the mission on its feet
financially.
another great advantage of my pIan,"
says Mr.. Ryther, sis that it will enable us
to lind out the deserving ones without any
difficulty. Men who are not willing to
work will speedily be told to Walk
Occasionally man Is refused a meal,
even when he presents ticket 1t is be-
cause he has been spotted by the police as
professional vagabond and unworthy of
assistance. He is gotten rid of as quietly
as possible. He might contaminate the
rest, and besides, the moral atmosphere is
kept as purse as possible, and it is con-
coded by the best authorities that a
vagrant of long standing is not the best of
company.
If the place were run haphazard the
mission would have 500 permanent board
ers on its hands in less than no time. 1t
is struggling nObly to keep those that are
on hand now. So severe system of es-
poinage is of necessity adopted. Regular
free boarders are required 10 register.
This keeps good many hard characters
away. They are expected to attend the
evening services that Chaplain Rees con-
duets in the chapel. This keeps
them out of mischief evenings.
At the end of the religious exercises tick
cts are issued Men are not allowed to
straggle in at all times and disturb the
meeting. They appreciate the necessity
or coming IN early, and DO So
Quiet is enforced afterward. Midnight
providers are required TO cease proving.
As the secretary aptly observed, IF
man can't find WORK during the day. it
won't come TO him in the middle of the
night, and he has no business on the street
at unusual hours"
The price charged for meals approx
mately covers the cost of the raw material,
but great many do not pay. The mis-
sion pays $50 month rent, and EMPLOYS
cook, who is assisted by volunteers. They
are repaid by having a few extra privi-
leges. They eat az separate table and
enjoy more freedom. Two men are en-
ployed 10 take care of the dodgers depart
ment,