The Portland daily press., 1900-12-26
HUNDREDS FED.
The Salvation Army
Christmas Feast.
The Tables We're Filled -Four Times
In Succession
With Hungry Children
and Many Adults.
Som ething of the Way In Which
This Work Was Done.


was one Of the events OF the day. In
all. Capt. Smith says that there were
served go dinners, while 140 baskets OF
provisions were distributed In families
where they would do the most good, i've
persons being fed from each basket
The Army officers this year distributed
the tickets for this dinner themselves
and took great care to see that they were
given only to the deserving. At noon
Federal street. near the barracks, was
crowded with children OF all ages and
with men and women, many OF them
ragged ana dirty and all of them very
hungry. All night the Salvation Army
corps had bean at work preparing this
meal. Cant. Smith ana his wife had 40
assistants and these put in great many
hours preparing the food which was to
be cooked on premises. In all there were
S2S pounds of turkey, $50 pounds OF roast
beef. side Of pork, three barrels Of pctl-
tees, two barrels OF turnips. barrel
and half OF squash, q crats or cranber-
ries, 90 apple pies, 10 mince Piles, 40
loaves of bread, Is pounds OF coffee and
TIRES pounds of tea used, besides all OF
the other things which are necessary In
serving and preparing a meal Of this
kind. Then there were four boxes-of
oranges and three barrels of apples which
were served for dessert
The tables which were spread in the
barracks, were large enough TO seat 1872
persons at once. The tables were pretti-
ly decorated with evergreen and holly.
There was no display of silver or out
glass, but the women OF the Salvation
Army did everything possible to make
the tables look attractive and they sue
oeeded admirably. There was an orches-
ira OF seven pieces provided by Mr.. Ham
iItoD, and this furnished music during
the feast. When all was ready the
signal was given to open the doors at the
head OF the stairs. Then there trooped
Into the room about 200 OF the hungry
crowd below. A large number of these
were ragged and ill-clad children with
pinched cheeks and that look of cunning
which is SO noticeable in children which
ara not well fed or well cared for. Then
there were men, the most of them ragged
aud dirty looking, but all of them had
made some attempt at improving their
personal appearance for this occasion.
There was also quits number OF wom-
en- in this first crowd to sit at the tables
and nearly all of these were with a
child or perhaps several children. 1t
was a we'll behaved and most orderly
crowd. The 192 were seated while the
orchestra played Its choicest selections
The hungry ones lost no time In get
ting to work when they were once seat
ed. Some OF them ate as though they
were half-famishsd and tine way in
which the food disappeared was sight
long to be remembered by those who
saw 1t. When the first crowd had finished
their dinner, which was finely cooked
and of which each person got all that
he could eat, everyone was given an APP
pie or two and an orange and the most
OF the children received two oranges
apiece. Some OF them awkardIy tried
to express their gratitude and thank the
Salvation Army for their meal, but the
most OF them hurried OF with happy
faces and well filled stomachs without
attempting to say word. ss
Then another crowd was admitted as
soon as the tables were cleared and pre-.
pared and in all this was done four
times. The last corners were mostly
men from the docks, and a pIetty hard
looking crowd they were. too. But no
matter what their condition SO long as
they were sober they were given good
square meal. From IL o'clock until
half mast 2, these hungry folks were
storing away food by the wholesale, and
though there was enough for all corners
there was very little left when the last
man had eaten his dinner.
In the meantime q crew OF men were
at work distributing dinners among
families who are sick or who are too
poor to have dinner OF their own and
too proud to go out for one In this way.
All of these were handsomely cared for
and every morsel OF food placed where 1t
would do the most good.
"We have fed people this year." said
Capt. Smith yesterday, who last year
furnished something for the dinner CIV
en- to others. We had one man here who
was our guest year ago. Then he
was dirty and as miserable a looking
specimen as have seen In long time.
Ne gave him dinner, cleaned him up,
gave him some warm and decent clothes
and got him place on cattle steamer.
This year he turned mp to our dinner
just as dirty and just as ragged as he
was when we first saw him. and he ate
as though he hadn't had "a dinner since
ne was here last year.
In all, Cant. Smith said that about
$50 had been collected for this dinner
and Ia didn't think this would quite pay
all the expenses. "Such a dinner given
by any other organization would have