Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-04-30

THE ONE OF WEALTH, THE OTHER
OF STARVATION.

~ 0reet New YORK Itakers mhgnincent
Charity-A Place Where Any Hungry
Man Can Get Bread-A Study OF tho
"Other Half"
There were two paradcs on Easter Sun
day In New York that contrasted strange
~.
Ono came In with the gray of the morn
ing; the other with the sunshine.
One was the parade Of fashion, Of wealth,
Of youth and beauty of this great city;
the other Of poverty, misery and starva-
fion.
Everybody saw the one, but only those
who took part viewed the other.
Ona certain corner Of Broadway there
IN great bakery. AS early as midnight
sometimes, and Easter eve IL was earlier,
a little knot of men began to gather at the
corner by that bakery. AS usual, they were
I'm black. Curiously enough, there is noth-
ing white about their appearance except
their faces.
As their numbers increased each arrival
took his place on the line that began to
stretch out to formidable proportions
There were tall men and lesser ones, and
on their faces was that look Of hopeless
ness, vacancy, If you like, which, born of
despair, seems always part Of those who
think Of hunger as an everyday occurrence.
One couldn't seem to see where they
come from. Up from the side door to
Broadway the line stretched and then on
for block up Broadway. Not word was
spoken, nor ever Is, for that matter. ST.
lent, piteous, with q gnawing at their
stomachs, this parade of the hungry began
to slowly move as the bakery door was
opened at Q a. m, and Max, the big fore
mans assistant, began to hand each man
as he passed a loaf Of bread. AS soon as
received no wolf could be quicker with
bit Of meat, and of into the darkness that
Easter possession scurried, some with
the loaf under the tattered coat so that
the owner might not be tempted to eat II
before he reached home and the hungry
ones.
but they didn't need his service The last
conner took the last place on the line. It
wouldn't be well for him to have tried to
get ahead OF any one. Starving men won't
stand any nonsense.
return to the line after getting loaf, and
the second was never refused. "If man
needs two, he can have them," said the
Have you ever seen real poverty3
Have you ever seen husbands and IA
theirs Of families who day after day are
facing starvation?.
Have you ever gazed upon a solemn COL
umn Of 800 men whU have not a penny in
the world with which to provide for their
little oness
You have read Of cases of destitution.
You have read Of the tidal wave Of hard
times which last year threw out of employ
ment many, many thousand men.
Well, times are not 30 hard now, and
there Is more work to be had. But there
are lots Of men facing starvation every
day. Go any night to the corner near that
bakery, and you will find how true this is.
/, II ever there was feal, practical, wos.
thy charity In this world, it is the charity
OF that baker. For long time 1t has been
his custom to distribute in the early hours
OF the morning each day all of the loaves
OF bread that his great bakery has left over
from the previous days baking. He does
not advertise this, and indeed he does not
have to, for the poor, the real suffering,
starving poor, have found 1t out. All dur
Ing the long winter nights this sape shiv-
Gig, tremo..,ss .o ii.o c. c. ce0r,5 cah Be seen.
and Mr.. Fleischmann knows that no man
will stand all night in front Of his bakery
door waiting to carry home loaf of bread
unless he needs it.
And SO this Easter parade shuffled along
while Miss McFlimsy was dreaming of her
new gown and bonnet, and with the day
light came the other parade Of fashion,
frivolity and wealth, the latest gowns and
millinery.
Creations of Worth and Felix futtered
by.
All the colors of the rainbow, all the
textures imaginable. Some with the
thought Of the days meaning, some with
the lightest of chatter on their lips, that
parade passed by. And the contrast!-