The Delta independent., 1906-06-15
COMPETITIONS GRIND.
Many College Men Drift &c
New York's Bowery.
DIFFICULT TO GET EMPLOYMENT.

DIFFICULT TO GET EMPLOYMENT.
0.s-third Of Applicants At r. y. c. 4.
Branch Are Graduates whe Fit
Thenselves For Special Work. bst
Find supply Bigger Than Denase.
DiAeulty In obtaiai.s work 81 .
Me.lal Mature.
One-third of the applicants at the
Bowery branch Of the Y. NJ. c. A. In
New York city are college graduates.
says the New York Evening World.
This Is the statement given In the
report Of the superintendent Of the
branch at 153 Bowery. and Assistant
Secretary J. G. Camp says that the col
lege man Is a frequent visitor at the
headquarters. Three-fourths OF the
men who go to the Bowery branch are
Americans.
"The reason l should give for 20
many college men drifting In here,
snid Mr.. Camp. "is the fact that the
colleges are constantly turning cut
graduates many Of whom have the
same goal In sight. The supply II big
ger than the demand. The college man
ats himself for a certain career which
Is, Of course, much higher than that
followed by men Of little learning.
When he cannot find this opening he
has reached a difficult situation.
AT last. reduced to desperate cir
cumstances. he starts out to fnd any
kind Of work. Now. from my expert
ence here Of ave years ago ! know the
college and university men have q dif-
acult time finding positions in the hum
bier lines of work.
THE nrst thing an employer does II
to look a man over. When he sees he
is fellow Of culture and education he
begins to he suspicious. He Is afraid
he is too much Of gentleman to do 20
called menial labor. l have had col
lege men tell me that they had tried
In vain to get nny kind Of rough en-
pIoyment before they applied here, but
were refused.
"Of course that IL only one reason
college graduates drift here. There
are among them. as In other classes.
men who are too weak to resist dissi-
patton and drink. The fact that they
are educated men makes their cases
more striking, to be sure. when you
find them here. but they are really un-
der the same influences that affect any
man.
This place 10 not q mission: It b
really MI employment agency. We md
positions for men and take care Of
them until they get work. When q
man comes here we look him over. and
II he Is a derelict We cannot take him.
We only try to help those who can
make something OF themselves. For
those who merely want q nights lodg
ing there are other places.
"You would be surprised to see the
refined and cultured men who come
here. Right now we have q man who
was at one time connected with one OF
the largest hospitals. He had bad luck
and drifted here. We are going to get
him in touch with hospital again and
set him on his feet.
Another man who has been shel
tered In the Bowery branch had once
been a clergyman at $1,000 year. On
the other hand. former applicant for
admission who was saved through the
institution il now acting consul Of the
United States in q foreign country, and
only few nights ago one Of the speak
ers ut the branch was 4 man now high
up in big manufacturing concern who
twenty years ago was drinking In ev
cry saloon on the Bowery.
II have never taken any statistics on
the subject. but from an offhand Oh
servation would say that don't be
lieve We ever had a college man who
worked his way through college among
those who apply here for help
There are all kinds Of stories back
Of the college men who drift here An
Irish medical student. son Of an Irish
clergyman. took a turn at drink md
wound up here one night with bottle
Of poison In his pocket. We helped and
encouraged him. and now he Is back in
ireland at the head Of his class in
Queens College Medical school,"
OF the men who have been helped Mt
tho Bowery branch IS per cent were
between the ages Of eighteen and thIr-
ty-hve. They como from all over the
United States and from twenty mine
foreign countries. As to citizenship. 70
per cent wcrc American and - foreign.
The causes OF distress given were con
ditions In the Industrial world. sick
ness, accidents. discomfort. drink and
other forms Of dissipation.
Tho Bowery branch is now raising
$500. 900 to enlarge its field Of work.