Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-08
In the Union Mission and How
They are Made.
THE OOWNEY HOME
And the Experiences OF Its Founder
Non.Catholics Subscribe Literally
to Mr.. Downey's Refuge for
Thieves and Outcasts-The Law Of
Kindness the Solution of the Grim.
inal Problem.

Home out on /. street opposite his stables,
he visited the Union Mission to obtain some
information on the BlOduS 0beYdWdi Of con-
Quoting such a place. He correctly sur
missed that theiUnion Mission which shelters
and provides temporary relief for the out
cast and the homeless would be in a position
to give him valuable information on the
proper management Of the DOwney Refuge
or home. THE big blizzard had not yet
spent its force when he entered the Mission
and listened for few moments to the gent
leman who was addressing an audience Of
wOrshippers (1) The exhorter was literally
making Rome howl" He referred to the
'idolatGrs of the Romish church" in scath-
ing terms. Finally, Mr. Downey secured
information to the effect that a man on the
next floor who had practical charge of the
Mission building would furnish him the in
formation he wanted. On ascending the
stairs Mr. Downey accosted the gruh in
dividual with the map of Ireland stamped
on his face Introducing himself Mr..
DOwney explained his business and Incl
deutally mentioned that he was a member
of the St. Vincent de Paul Society ITO
hell with yees, responded the Hibernian
convert, 'yees are no good all frills and
red tape"
1mmeasurably astonished Mr.. Downey
asked the cause of such an outburst when
the man grufily answered.
Il was Catholic like two-thirds of the
poor devils you will find down ingthe base.
ment ] struck this town and tried 10 get
charity from Catholics ard ! was kept
dodging the police who were after me for
vagTant. came here and they took me in.
] am Methodist or a Presbyterian now. /
don't know which and don't care a D."
/ This certainly was not encouraging to MI.
DOwney, and on visiting the basement or
cellar he found ten or twelve poor wTetches
standing on the foor in pools Of water the
melted snow from their shoes and garments
/ had made. The door to the furnace room was
closed, but the door to the cold drafts was
open. Calling an individual from the num-
Der whom he guessed to be an Irishman to
one side he asked him to what church he
belonged The Irishman in a decided
brogue replied;
IAN what is your religion, shure
81 am a Roman Catholic answered MI
Downey.
''Oh, begob so am j. but shure ] didn't
| know you wuz a Catholic"
Being asked why they were all huddled
together without heat or FIRE he stated that
they were waiting to saw wood for the
promised meal.
Handing the address Of the new Dowuey
Home to the Irishman Mr.. Downey departed
having ascertained that all charity, public
and local was based on this principal of
exacting from the recipient some service
! such as saving wood, and among such
places as the Union Mission proselytizing
went hand in hand with the wood saving.
] a. 4. 10,
different plan. The recipient Of the Dow
ney charity is not required to saw wood or
change his religion for a square meal.
Black and white, Protestant and Catholic,
are all favored alike.
! Visiting the Downey Home the past
week, the GLOBE discovered it was in error
in the statement that Mr.. Downey kept a
hotel or boarding house for his employees.
| These employees do not belong to the mis-
cellaneous poor devils who seek the shelter
of the Downey Home. Neither do they
board at the Downey Home. They are
generally men of families aud hoard and
live at their own homes. They number all
told ninety to one hundred married and
single men, aud there is not a saloon ia the
block, whereas there were eight when Mr.
Downey opened his home for outcasts.
Mr. DoWney, however helps aud finds en-
ployment for those Of his outcasts who can
do manual labor or who are tradesmen.
Others he sends to their former homes and
many of these have sent him money, as
they were members Of respectable and we'll
to-do families sowing their wild oats in
tramping and sampling the jails and work
houses of the country, until reformed by
the kindness and true Christian charity of
Mr.. Downey. And speaking Of kindness, f"
Mr.. Downey maintains that this is the key
TO the solution of this problem of the re.
formation of shiftless creatures and OF men
with criminal tendencies He has inuumer-
able anecdotes of his years of experience
illustrative of this fact that kindness will
redeem the. most hardened and depraved
men,"
In the Downey Home, as stated last week,
these poor outcastsland sinners are given a
shower bath and scrubbing. If their clothes
are worth the trouble they are fumigated,
washed, etc. If not they are burned up and
clothes supplied them. The large doTmi-
tory contains twenty-five beds, but Mr..
DoWney often lodges more than forty the
surplus being made comfortable with tenn
porary beds. The room is in charge of an |
ex. soldier, who is invaluable to Mr. Dow |
ney in the management Of the home The /
food is of the best and abundant in quantity. |
We tasted the contents of the pots in which /
the supper was being prepared and found /
the food appetizing, wholesome, and much \
better than the average low class restaurant.
When these outcasts are fully recovered .
either from their weary tramp or from con.
6nement in the jail, Mr. Downey interests
himself in securing either employment for
those able to work or transportation to their
homes for those who have any Owing to
the spiehdid treatment his ninety or one
hundred employees receive there is never
any vacancy in his own stables for any Of \
these reformed tramps or outcasts but Mr., /
DowneY manages, nevertheless, to find them ,
employment among his Friends I
and acquaintance until he gets them on
their feet During the period that he has |
been visiting the Jail and conducting the /
Downey Home he has administered the I
total abstinence pledge to over Eve thousand /
Of these rum.ruined tramps, thieves and !
outcasts. The very Irishman who received /
him so gruffly at the Union Mission became
a member Of his Home and a reformed I