The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-08-14
Saloons Do Good, Says Rev. L
MCNutt.

81 do not wonder that 80 many of our
w%orkingmen are drunkards; I do Won
der that 80 many of them stay sober,
The saloon is the poor mans club; no,
Ill leave out that word. poor-the sa.
loon is the mans %get-together club"
Rev. George l.. McNutt, the dinner
pail man, gave Des Moines Chautau.
quans hot shot recently. Possibly he
shocked many of them with his open
praise, but he opened their eyes, says a
Des Moines dispatch Of recent date.
Mr., McNutt has seen things; his own
eyes have been opened to the problem Of
the workingman and he proposes that
others shall see what he has. 1t is not
always a pleasant sight, but always a
necessary one. For three years Mr..
McNutt, abandoning his Indiana pulpit
and Presbyterian flock, went down into
the cities and lived with the poor work.
ing men. He wore jumpers and blouse
and started out at $1.379 a day. 1t was
of those experiences that he spoke to
Chautauquans, taking as his theme "The
Dinner. Pail Man"
.'The saloon is the workingman's
friend; his home, almost, at times.
Where else in a great city can he find
comforts and conveniences? Talk
about preaching temperance and con-
Quoting temperance work! When will
we ever learn to make our temperance
practical?
ga very worthy clergyman, in fact a
bishop OF the church, once said to me,
'Why if l was in a strange city and
wanted to clean up I'd just go into a
hotel and do it, Yes, that is all right
for a bishop; but how about the work.
ingman in jumpers and blouse? If he
went into a hotel just to clean up he'd
mighty soon find that there we're bounc-
ers in that hotel.
81 once tramped over most of a city,
with my son, hunting for a place to
wash and clean up. l was sinfully
dirty; | longed for a wash. l couldn't
find it. There wasn't a place that l
could go. Finally | took my own boy
into a saloon with me and throwing
down a dime got two glasses of milk
and then asked the man if l could wash
up. He replied, Certainly, make your
self at home.' l had a dollars worth of
washing up.
"Were any of you ever hungry? l
don't mean this hunger that comes
after a big breakfast of beetsteak and
} potatoes and bread and butter and cof-
fee, and about 10 O'Clock you say, 'I'm
SO hungry Pm just starving to death.
T, That isn't hunger; that's appetite. BY
r hunger l mean when all your nourish
ment is gone; when you dream about
;. nice juicy steak and wake up to find it,
only a dream and the steak has van
8 ished. Well, n day l was g%enuinel.
r hungry. l took a hatcbet into a baker
shop and wanted to know if I.could ge
e something to eat on it. The nan ques
e toned me, doubted my honesty, fairl,
!. insulted me and then gave me seventeen
4 cents worth of food for that Ratchet.
e got hungry another day but l didn't g
e back to that bakers. l took the hatch
ct into a saloon and asked if l could ge
y some food on it; the man replied, well
l should say, what'll you have l go
n a glass of milk and then asked if 1 coult
have a piece of cheese. l expected
little wafer like you get in good societ.
but he cut mt off a hunk as big as N,
; hand and l ate it; then l got another
glass Of milk and another piece q
= cheese, and asked if | could have som
y bread with it, and he pointed over t
. the counter and SAID: eco help your
SELF Now, YOU couldn't expect
preacher to get on to everything tn
first time, so | reached over and took
: couple of slices when the s~aloonkeepe
: said, 'Quit your fooliDg; fill your pock
, ets.' hesitated and looked at him an,
= saw he was in earnest and | filled m
> pockets and vent out of that saloon
/. my hunger satisfied and my pocket
y filled with food. A saloonkeeper treat
= his customers as a hotel treats its guests
The saloon is the ~workingman's friend
> l go into a saloon almost every day; j.
its hospitality it is a good thing, If j
were only without the whiskey an
beer"
> All We're Saved.
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