The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-25
The Salvation Army Christmas
Dinner a Success.
Feast Began at IL O'clock
This Morning.
A REGULAR BANQUET.
Tables Spread With Linen and
SilEerware.
No One Allowed to Go Away
Hungry.

Cheek by iowl with the transient hobo
who lab0rs not. sits the respectable but
unfortunate man who is willing to work
at anything.
The little bootblack devours turkey
beef fruit, pie and other good things
across the table from the man wearing
a suit of clothes that cost $40, but are
too threadbare now to pawn. There are
the care free children who talk ana
laugh, and the disciple of hard luck who
eats ravenously but keeps his face turn
ed away from the door.
All this and more is goin< on at the
salvation Array banquet This little clan
OF soul hunters have worked like beav
ers preparing the bounteous repast for
others. In fact they have worked so
steadily in their effort to get things
ready in time that they have not even
taken time to count the contributions
and see whether a benevolent public mas
paid for the re3ast. or whether it has
come out of their own little treasury,
which is not full to overlooking. Al
midnight last night they were still
working in the banquet hall. otherwise
the vacant store building room al 6l4
Kansas avenue. Until late al night they
were sending out baskets to those who
needed the dinner but could not attend
the banquet. The basket dinners were
the result of their Investigations all over
the city. In every instance Ensign
Howard knew exactly how many there
were III Fdtl ldInllgs ana the basket Was
loaded accordingly. the amount of food
being determined by the number. The
baskets contained rabbits, potatoes. cOf-
fee, apples. oatmeal, crackers, enough
for good dinner. Two hundred of these
baskets, containing food for about 1000
people, were sent out yesterday AMI
this morning. They were all carefully
tagged. and no one will be overlooked.
The baskets for aged people and inva-
lids were made up of delicacies, such as
preserves PEaE0F1Tpl fonda.
chickens. etc
At noon the big room with its two 70
foot tables was crowded. 1t was the sec
ond relay. Two hundred people were fed
at the first sitting. and the tables We're
rehHed as soon as the dishes cou11 be
reset. Huge turkeys turned rapidly into
framework Of bones. Immense plat
tiers of roast beef faded away A cadet
in the Kitchen could not cut the pics
rapidly enough to meet the demand. but
The food seemed in q fair way to hold
out until the last applicant was fed.
Still the feast goes on, and it will be
far into the afternoon before the last
tablefA IS fed and the faithful friends
of humanity get a chance to eat some
thing themselves
Ensign Howard predicted that 1880 neo-
pie would be fed at the banquet and at
noon his prediction seemed instt fair way
TO come true. Many people who could af-
- 20 ~ 70 q ieStdtIdhI s5Ot INTO tHe
game The food was of the very best that
money could buy and cooked to perfection
ana numerous transients Will no doubt eat
at the expense Of the Salvation Army and
save their money for booze The tables
before they were filed by the first COM
pany of feasterS, looked like they had been
prepared for a large political banquer.
Ihey bore no evidence that the spread
was prepared for poor people who were
unable to get dinner anywhere else The
silYerWare was the sa me grade used in the
best restaurants. The board was covered
with snowy linen and q glass and napkin
occupied a prominent place before each
plate At regular intervals along the ia
bic reposed large turkeys. garnished with
sage and celery. The feast was a more
EumFtuOus one than will be seen in many
homes never visited by the wolf It was
not prepared for the sole purpose of stav-
ing hunger, but to give 200 poor people
a glimpse of a better condition of things
Not thing In sight. from the cards tied
IN the baskets to che settings OF the ia BILE
n the hall. exhibited single s--nptO7a Of
the cheap which usually Joins hands
WIN charity Hughes orchestra occupied
q platform on one side of the EaU and
played first class music to which the
guests Kept time with knife ana fork No
one enjoyed tie feast more than the ueo-
PIE VINO planned it. Ensign Howard and
ms little band seemed to grow happier as
the food faded away
Different people have different Wavs a.
exposing their Christianity
Tan anyone think of a more spproDriate
~ay az TINS season Of the year than that
pursued by the Salvation Arnv2
New Years night the Salvation Army
VIII supplement their Christmas feast bS
giving gr a3t Christmas tree az tl,eir nail
IL Kansas avenue. a fitting SEQUEL To their
good work Where they viii s-ef The vnsI,at
70 pay Tor all this they are no- sure but
they VIII pay for it all right Ensign How
ara says he has hopes that the Christmas
contributions vii. pay thu expense OF the
Christmas feast about 5000 besides the do.
nations Of food.