Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-14
FREE LUNCH And DEAR BEER.
A MINISTER'S CONCEPTION OF THE
POVERTY DRINK ENTAILS.
Rev. DIR. Xxi Says Ii Is Not to Be
at That Socialism
Makes Many Converts-Edu-
Gated in P~aternaIism.

Rev. DR.. II. d. jenkins. pastor of the
Second Presbyterian church, discoursed
upon Free Lunches and Dear Beer last
evening. In introducing his talk about the
tendencies of modern charities he said he
did not wish anyone 10 accuse him of
plagiarizing from the religious press. be-
cause a number of his hearers were read
ers of the Chicago Interior. in which he
had already said a small part of what he
would say from the pulpit. although his
name was not given by the paper. the mat
ter appearing editorially. He said in part:
THE fact is. the Free Lunch sign which
once appeared only in the lower resorts
as a bid for patronage. has now invaded
more aristocratic avenues. and it would
almost seem as If life were to be TO the
many a matter of free lunch and dear
beer.
The barkeepers in certain resorts long
ago found out that their patrons had not
enough cash to pay for both food and
strong drink. SO they adopted the plan of
giving the food, such as it was. and aking
pay Tor the drink. The free lunch which
went with the glasses OF beer was original
ly a cracker and a pickle; but now, ac-
cording TO the boards which line Third
street and its neighborhood. il includes GER
tain cold meats and hot vegetables and
slices of palaeozoic, pie; As drink grows
dearer, or is more INDUCED in, more food
has to be furnished free. II is quite evil
dent that the retailer of liquor has gotten
all the cash the patron has; and 1t is only
a question of keeping soul and body to-
gether until he can earn enough for an
other schooner of beer; SO il is better to
brace him up with a bowl of soup than
have him fall down altogether, and so
cease TO patronize the tap.
1t gives one a new conception of that
poverty and shamelessness which drink en-
tails that IL has become almost universal.
This custom OF making the man pay for
his liquor and become a pauper for his
meals. 1t shows to what straits it reduces
Its patron, and how thoroughly IL steals
his manhood away from him. When we
remember that during the year 1897 the
government collected s1H. JG0,61J in duties
upon drink and its allied indulgences, lit
shows that the expense to the consumer
must have run up TO $1.000.0 900. 900, as esti-
mated by conservative experts.
Now, side by side with this expanding
volume of wasted funds we may place the
growing tendency to rely upon free pro-
vision by the state for all the most i'm |
portant elements of daily living. 1t is not
10 be wondered at that socialism makes
Galway when We remember that there
poyerished TO pay for the most needfuI
adjuncts of civilization. We have, for eX- |
ample, in every city of the size of this. $50
free churches-churches where any citizen
may have the advantage of worship, music, |
religious instruction of children and re-
lgious reading from Sunday school libra
RIGS, without the expenditure of l cent. all
being provided by the generous founders
and supporters Of churches.
w have also free schools. supported at |
q, cost of many millions of dollars. where
children may be carried through their
studies from the alphabet to the entrance |
upon professional work, without a dollar
of cost TO those who plead inability to pay
for it. We have a free library, with its