The Irish standard., 1899-04-08

New York for forty-eight hours without
food in the struggle to be honest" he
said. Il have eaten garbage that would
have sickened dog. l have slept upon
park bench when the snow was on the
ground I had my choice OF possible
pneumonia, or the vermin of police
lodging house, with an order next morn
ing to leave town. I have pleaded for
odd jobs and been refused, with
curses. l have lied like coward to OBJ
tain work for these hands which are so
strong and so useless in anything save
crime. The rich man, on his way to his
club, has damned me from his pathway
The policeman on the corner has or
dered NE to move on. The plain clothed
detective has leered into my face in the
dusk, turned and led me to the station
to undergo the old round OF questions,
tell the old falsehoods and receive the
old command to make myself scarce.
| have had no encouragement, except
from ae:-'"e' who disposes OF stolen
%Sd yspa sss;:ts, Ht''e'ie.i he he ,dwe d'ys:
would believe lv . reforma-
ton OF man who had worrf>nle striped
clothes OF the convict? You wouldn't
hire me to polish your silver, would
ycu?"
mo" said the archbishop, promptly,
though it irked him, 81 wouldn't"
There you are.". and the man be-
came apathetic again. 'Yet you are a
churcfman. 1t is your mission to con-
sole. You teach the doctrine OF the man
who raised up the harlot and died be-
tween the thieves. In you, if in any
man. l am to look for charity and con-
donation; where else shall I turn?'
There are charitable organizations, -
said the archbishop gently, ''wlnicl,
would have fed you."
Not one," was the sturdy reply.
They are investigators, those people.
They do not believe in indiscriminate
charity. They look over and beyond the
fact that man has tiger in his belly
that is gnawing his vitals. They must
be assured that he belongs to the 'wor-
thy poor haev tried them, bishop.
l was Investigated and I got nothing to
eat. i have been saved from starvation
more than once by standing for three
hours in the line of outcasts which
stretches for two blocks from Fleisch-
rnann's bakery in lower Broadway and
when got my loaf of stale bread l tore
it like wolf"
The bishop shifted uneasily. That
seems hard" he said.
Hard? 1t was SO hard that l turned
to the jimmy and the skeleton key as
my only friends. What was the threat
of the penitentiary to man like me? l
never went hungry in Sing Sing. l
turned to the jimmy and the key. When
the door swung wide to rich mans
house l was happy. Why should l per.
ish while lie slept in linen and silk?"
"Your sufferings have been severe.
said the archbishop, "and no doubt you
have persuaded yourself that you have
been unjust1y treated The fact remains
| however. that you were iritially tc
blame. You began the war on society
Society has endeavored to protect it,
self You have some education. One
can see that. Since boy you have beer
able to read the Bible. You have reac
it. You have turned from the most hui.
man story, the most beautiful story il
the worlds history. 1t is the story OF {
man and a God in one, who suffered
more in one day of his life than yor
have the capacity to suffer in century
You would have found in his divine
endurance and resignation the healing
fol your own hurts. You have choser
to be an Ishmael and the hand of every
man against you has proved too strong
for your hand. | would not say to yor
even now that you have been fttingly
punished. l would not deny that yor
have been overpunished. But say tina
you have made your punishment ne
cessity. am sorry for you and l would
that could lift you up. Every man has
the seed OF good in him if we can onl,
frd it and water it and watch it spring
into sprouting and blossoming. 1t is ir
you"
| The burglar had not blanched His
urderhung jaw was hard set and his
light gray eyes cleaned, but he had list,
ened with perfect attention and cour.
tesy.
Il deny all that" he said simply. 81
deny it utterly l was boy OF FL whel
| was sent to prison for crime that
did not commit. My worse offense wa:
association with older men than l.
came out of Jail marked being. The
hands of my kind were raised agains
me and they stoned me in the public
places, not for thing I had done, bu
for the place whence had come The
law imprisoned me without reason. The
law branded me. The law said to me
Thou shalt not earn living! Self
preservation is our first statute woulc
not starve and l STOLE"
Christ said the prelate softly
would have fed you. He would have
clothed you and made you strong. Yor
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