The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-07-01
MINISTER Looks UP
WORKING CONDITIONS
Dons Clothes of Workingmen
and Parades Through
New York Streets.
Goes Out to Work to- Learn
Actual Conditions of Strug
Cling Working Glasses.

Cling Working Glasses.
When Rev. DR.. John r.. Gray, pas
tor of Woods Memorial Church, New
YORK, found that the attendance Of
men at his church was. falling OF.
he tried to find out the reason ana
was told by some OF them that the
scarcity OF work was the cause, 10
tney could not afford to dress wen
enough to go to church-were not
ILL., TO De seen there. Then there
came desire to know more about
the condition of the unskilled laborer#
and Dr. Gray became one of them m
the cold Of winter, working as they
did, being out of work as 10000 OF
them were in New York, and living
with as few luxuries of life which
he told in his address. Out OF
Work. at the Y. M. c. A. mems meet
Ing at the Hartford, Opera house.
New York, which held the close at
tentlon OF one of the largest audiences
OF the season, and which is reported
as follows in the Hartford Courant:
Dr. Gray had decided when he
started out as laboring man that he
would not keep one job longer than
ten days and he kept his resolution,
although it often resulted in his be-
Ing out OF work. AS a starter he
went to Baxter street and bought
some old clothes betitting his new
life as a laboring man. Then he
took $500 with him as capital. His
nrst job gave him $1.25 a day and
his next $500 a week. This second
1oD was that of carriage painter
and 1t was busy life from Z a. m.
To p. m. When his self-elected term
nad expired and he was about to
leave, his employer wanted him to
stay, telling him that he was the best
man he had ever had and that he
would make the work easier for him
and advance his pay to $12 a week
For about a week after this he was
out OF place. His treasury was
way down and he went to an eating
place where he got a cup of coffee
for cents and ''sinker' for I cent.
He found bed for 10 cents in room
SO feet by II, with Sc beds. About
tnls time, when he was down on his
luck, policeman, whom he asked
where he could get work, gave him
70 cents and Dr.. Gray said that some
Oil pc. neb1estrs1 -esd6 HE
were on the police force. He resent
ed the wholesale denunciation OF the
police and his remarks on the sub-
)ect were vigorously applauded.
DIR. Gray tried his hand at unload
ing oranges one morning and reeeiv-s
ed quarter and all the oranges he
could eat. The speaker said that he
ate Zine, adding that he would hardly
believed that story himself if some
body had told it to him.. DR.. Gray.
or rather Unskilled Laborer Gray.
had a struggle to decide what kind
OF meal he would buy with rs cents
IN his pocket, 1O-cent~ one or s.
cent one. Motives of economy con-
quered and the scent meal was the
one eaten, pie, coffee and ..sfnker."
He had scare in the restaurant.
thinking he had lost his last Quarter
and that he was about to become the
prey OF the bouncer OF the place. He
was happy when he found that the
money was still In his pocket, having
slipped down through the lining. -
Then he saw some real hardshins
and was actually broke and slept in
the police station with many others.
There was much joy about 4 O'Clock
the next morning, when one OF the
lodgers discovered that the ground
was covered with snow. DR.. Gray
did not at first see any particular
cause for rejoicing, as his shoes were
thin, but he was told that 1t meant
800 a day for shoveling snow. but
some OF the men who had applied +
for work had pawned the shovelg
for 10 cents. DR.. Gray told how the
man for whom he worked asked him
his name and address, telling him
that he might have work for him at
another time. He gave him his real
name and address, but omitted the
REV." Some time after he had given
up his work as laborer he received
a card from the man asking him
to come to work and he went to see
him, not as laborer, but with his
silk hat. DR.. Gray gave a humorous
account of the meeting and he said
that the man afterwards attended his
and became converted, and
was now one of his staunch support
ers. -