The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-26

and l an pretty sure that saw nearly every
one OF them at one time or another during
my stay-I found not full score of bald
headed men, and though ] do not belong to
that tribe myself nor have any hopes Of
ever being one OF them truth compels the
statement that the very few bald-headed
men al the AmshOuse are invariably tile
more intelligent ones, those who have seen
far better days and environments of culture
and refinement.
There is a pauper barber at the Aims
house. He has been there many years and
does tonsorial duty to most of the other
inmates.
He had never thought OF 1t before, bx
when / preached the subject lie remembered
at once that there were not twenty bald
headed old men in the entire 500.
Surely, here is chance for some bald
headed men TO make odious comparisons.
Another very noticeable fact s that every
panper in the AlmhOuse, who is physically
able 10 smoke or chew tobacco, is more or
less slave Of that soothing weed.
The men who serve out the tobacco "a
tions are the vouchers for this statement
and my own observations, so far as they
could so on sucn a subject in four days,
corTOborate II.
1 saw no man-except the idiots and
freaks-able TO be out Of bed, who did not
either smoke or chew. and this fact alone
furnishes very obvious reason why the
inmates should not be permitted to spend
the day in their sleeping rooms.
Another point that may be utilized by
the sanitary moralizer; is that very few Of
the paupers take TO water kindly.
1t Is a rule OF the institution that every
inmate must battle at least once a week,
which is as often as the underclothng is
changed.
Unfortunately, bathing did not occur
during my stay, but heard many queer
stories Of how the inmates cOntriye to shirk
this disagreeabe duty.
A fayorite method is to procure porous
plaster from the doctor the day before bath
ing-day. Then, when the assistants come
for them to battle, they plead the spelling
of plaster.
Sometimes this ruse works and sometimes
1t doesn't, but from what l could hear the
doctor is on to this little game and porous
plasters are dealt out more sparingly now
than heretofore.
There is one negro pauper and one Chinese
pauper.
The negro is quite young man, very
quiet and orderly, very weak aud very
meek. He is not a kicker, nor even a dis
senter. He takes things as they go. works
when he can, and when he don't work he
is not shamming.
Hong Bon is the Chinaman's name. He
reads English quite we'll and talks pigeon
English as we'll as a Dupont-street store
keeper.
13bR ago Ho uiSptDoeu Will tU6 queue.
His hair is full aud long. Otherwise he Ia
attired in the regulation costume-blue
Overalls and gray coat.
Every morning he reads the papers. A
popularity of his particular mental disorder
Is that he writes marginal comments to
every article he reads in the newspapers
and then submits them to the doctor or the
chief clerk for their perusal.
These officials would probably read the
comments II they could. but they are writ
ten In Chinese characters.
White shirts are under the ban at the
Almshouse, aud it is just as well, for the
inmates do not possess such luxuries. n
you see man with white shirt on al the
po0rhouse you know he is paid employee
or visitor, for the inmates are not permitted
to wear them. never heard this rule COM
planned of rs hardship.
Pauper Sullivan is an inmate of the New
House.
/ became acquainted with him in a pecu-
liar way. As | was strolling through the
grounds he accosted me-
"Do you smell anytbng?" he said.
Tobacco smoke"
mo; it's a poisonous gas. Don't Won
smell something terrible?"
l began to tumble by this time, and to
pacify him | said l thought / did smell
something bad.
He grew interested at once and began to
tell me how man named Green from Sac
and inhaled poisonous gas over him which
was slowly killing him.
And when he had told this story to the
end he talked lucidy enough, In fact quite
sensibly of other things.
1t is all very wonderful thing, life at the
Almshouse.
A trip to Africa would hardly seem so
strange, would not present q daily routine
of life so markedly different from our own
busy. workaday world.
The sociol0gist will find an immense field
for study here. for here is the very altruistic
community that reformers nave tried and
failed TO establish among sane and sound
men.
No one Is prisoner here. All may come
and go as they please-or at least 20 as they
pease-in spite of little legendary rule to
the contrary which is never enforced.
The gates are always open. That you are
needy is the open sesame. And though you
work not nor spin your wants are supplied
And on the whole it is not an uusuccess-
full venture toward the altrustic commu-
nity
There are grumblers, but they have the
alternative of leaving which they seldom
accept for very long at time.
Thursday afternoon | embraced this op-
portnnity. 1 walked out with never let
or hindranee and am glad did.
LII was most novel experience, but
shall never crave another Of the same kind.
LUKE NORTH.
1t will cost $4,000 to illuminate and
y