New-York tribune., 1907-01-27
VAGRANCY In PARIS.
The Night Refugees for Homeless.
Pcnniless and WOrkleSS.
Paris, January s.


For the homeless, the penness. the workless
on the streets OF Paris. a certain provision is
made by the municipality. Accommodation is'
in fact. provided for hve or six hundred desti-
tute poor in some half dozen municipal night
refugees. and as long as there is a vacant bed
those who present themselves at the office win
dow are admitted.
These refugees 0he Aslles Municlpaux) keep
their forlorn guests for three consecutive nights
After the third night the door of the refuge is
closed upon them until two months have elapsed
Some regular visitants. Punctualy. when
the sixty days have passed, they again present
themselves at the office window, where they are
identified and readmtted. Out in the east OF
the city, not far from the Notifications is the
large women's refuge. called by the name OF the
first great feminist, George Sand. Making ones
way carefully over the slippery ice and frozen
snow on the sidewalk OF the Rue stendhal' one
will notice that the flag OF the republic marks
the great door OF an unpretentious ouiidlhg'
which looks rather like warehouse under the
moonlight OF the early winter evening. The door
IS opened at o'clock at this season OF the year.
and all who wish 10 claim bed for that night
must present themselves before o'clock. which
IS the supper hour of the refuge. The vigilant
eye OF the manageress at the little Office WIN
dow passed. the ragged battalion is mar
shalled TO the dressing and bath rooms. Grum-
bling and scclding the women are driven into
the hot water 20 be we'll scrubbed and their rags
are carried at once into the disinfecting room.
For their stay in the refuge they get a clean and
comfortable outfit, including warm. natural
wool stockings and heavy linsey-woolsey
gown The bath IS only obligatory the first
night But the most disagreeabe part OF tho
programme is the visit OF the doctor. who. just
Of he
then vaccinates them II the condition Of their
previous marks warrants such proceeding. Any
svmptomr OF infectious disease are noted. and
the patient is at once carried 10 the nearest hos
pitaI
The food in these refugees is OF the simplest
Supper consists Of hot soup and dry bread. both
In unlimited quantities. and breakfast is a
repetition of supper. No one complains. how
ever OF the monOtony Of the menu
BY day, Of course. the refuge is empty All
the inmates go out when the doors are opened.
at $50 a. m, ostensiby to look for work but In
reality to beg-a profitable employment in this
city, especially in winter. II is against the reg
ulatIons for any to be kept IN the refuge by
day. but on a bleak. cold morning. when snow
and sleet are falling. the manageress sometimes
offers 10 allow few Of the older women to
main in the warm room until later in the day;
but one and ALL however. invariably refuse
with thanks. The streets in such weather are
so much the more remunerative that they can
not afford TO stay indoors!
And on the fete days OF Christmas and New
Years however severe the cold may be, the
refugees of Paris practically deserted. Beg
gars and vagrants have special privileges for
these days. and they make the most OF them,
for II must be said the persons who fill the
s'asiles" are not what can be called deserving
class They have no longings for Independence.
and still less have they any appetite for honest
work. In the first five months OF last year.
from January l 10 May 81, $3.50 women slept
in the George Sand Asile. OF these. the man
ageress succeeded in placing four hundred in
regular work. To-day four only in their
places All the rest have drifted again out into
the streets.
There are 100 beds in the long dormitory of
.be George Sand Asile. They are occupied by
women OF all nationalitIes. There yester-
day a young girl sitting near the stove in the
'parloir" who spoke and understood only Eng
lish: two knew only German; the rest were
French chiefly country girls. with two or three
old women, branded with the marks OF acO-
holism Some Of them sleep all the year round
in similar institutions in Paris There are SUM-
cient public and private establishments to en-
able them 10 pass from one TO another in two
| months,
each, and reappearing at each in turn at the ex-
piration Of the sixty days ban.
The manageress of the George Sand Asile can
hand any deserving on TO some other
charity But, unfortunately. there is little
cohesion among the different institutions that
a good deal OF money is squandered. 1t was
recently discovered that able bodied young
woman was receiving from different charities
an income Of 800 francs a month.
II the refuge has more applicants for beds
than Il can accommodate. it gives billet de
logemsnt' or lodging ticket, which entities the
holder to three nights lodging in some little
hotel near at hand. The hotelkeeper presents
| these tickets 10 the refuge. and is paid franc
no centimes on each. Some idea OF the opinion
entertained by these hotelkeepers OF their
| vagrant dodgers may be obtained from the fact
that in one at least of these hotels every piece
| of furniture and every utensil in the wretched
roons Is fastened 10 floor or wall by an iron
| chain. A lively trade is frequently done in
| ,bese tickets as the recipients are apt to sell
them 70 the highest bidder. and so turn them
into cash.
Frequently the managers OF the night refugees
Sand their characterization guests upon their
No., with al least one meal in their pockets for
,be new day In the shape OF coupons. Such
counons are available at any one OF the twenty
! eve Warehouses of the Philanthropic Society.
| This society. which was founded long ago
| = 1880 has established kitchens all over Paris.
ga gssues coupons OF two cents apiece. Each
oounon IS equivalent 10 the price OF one helping
:, conn meat bread sausage. chocolate. cheese.
| o.ohles or coal at the choice OF the holder.
| ah,ained AZ any one of the depots, and