The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-03-03
RAGS COVER HUMAN "
From Real Life in Chicago For The Re
Hector.

iltUle TIE Ouly udue cNci
knew him to have was "Fingers;" his
world was bounded by the Loop" a
territory wherein more lives are bar
tered for gold and existence than per-
haps any other of equal area in Amer
lea.
After rush hours at night in the al
leyS at the real of the down town res
~taurants may be seen a picture far diff
ferent than that presented in the
glare of lights within where well
dressed crowds of theatre-goers and
merry-makers are being served with
all the land affords. Huddled to-
gether Ike a bunch OF cattle in a vain
effort t. ward off the merciless winter
wind, ragged and starving, they are
waiting patiently for the discarded
crumbs. Each carries a market bas-
ket which for 5 cents is filed with
discarded pieces of bread, meat and
pies, as long as the supply lasts. When
the alley door is closed toe O for
tunate hurry away in eager haste to
novels where starving babies are wait
ing for the first mouthful of the Gay.
On this occasion a tattered little girl,
really only a baby of six years, was
Que OF the unlucky turned away with
an empty basket, and her sobs for her
baby brother at home reached the
heart of Fingers" who knew well
the meaning Of the words hunger and
want. AS his dirty hand snatched the
basket, probably starving himself, and
be returned it to her half filed, i
wondered if such suffering and misery
must always exist, serving as a broom
to brush away that impenetrable cur
tain, poverty's social ban, in order TO
reveal from beneath a pile of rags and
dirt a ''human jewell" for such he
was.
Fronting on LaSaIle street. a stones
throw from one to the other, are two
mammoth structures. Over the beau
tifully carved arch entrance OF one are
the letters Y. NJ. G. A., the other
known to almost every christian moth
er in the land, the Temple" Both
in outline of structure apparently the
dream of an architects highest am
bitiuD. To the cauSual observer, the
purpose for which they were built,
the seeming power and resources of
those great organizations which they
represent mark these towering me
MORALS as huge sentinels guarding
the weak. lifting the fallen and saw
ing the unfortunate. To gaze at
these magnificent erections and Con-
template the power for good that
surely must be in the movements for
good for which they stand, it hardly
seems possible that suffering, misery
and want could exist in the midst of
their influence.
Drawn up in front of one, many fine
eauipages and CABS are now ready to
convey to their homes or possibly to
late dinner functions the stream of
gayly dressed members emerging from
LaSllle street entrance. Muffied from
the blizzard By seal skin and furs, bur-
rying to enter n fine turnout, are
three ladies, one carrying in her arms
a precious little burden closely wrap
ped in a shiny blanket. anxious that
not a breath of the cold night air
should reach it before thew we've COM
fortably seated and the door closed.
Then as a pair of blacks whisked the
carriage away the precious little bur-
den," a .'pug' was unwrapped and
held up to the window that it could
look out. but would be safe from the
cold or danger.
What particular part of the brain
it is which at times assumes control
OF a person and leads him, unthought-
eddy, to places he least expects to go,
l cannot tell; but one O'Clock, mid
night, found US skirmishing in News
Alley" In places the cobble stone.
swept clean as a floor by the cutting
whirlwinds which swished through
them, seemed to return and pile the
snow in great drifts. Every place
seemed deserted; it was too cold for
for beast-all humans were compelled
to seek shelter. Here and there a
ragged. budding, bunch Of ''newsies''
tried to warm by the ventilator from
basement engine rooms. but like
kyotes a lockout would yell ''jiggers"
and skurrying feet carried them
around the corner and outof sight.
Passing through another '.sleepout"
alley, my companion in avoiding a
huge drift. OF snow crossed to the OPP
posite side, and near a corner Of a
leading to a half shelter he
Turning, a little foot, one
dirty hand and the white face of "Fin-
gers'' was visible in the drift. The
little body was Of the same tempera-