Semi-weekly herald., 1908-05-21

enters his name need feel ary hu-
initiation. as he may be sure he is
earning his lodging and fool"
What is known as the bread line
at the "Bowery mission" at SIS the
Bowery. is usually abandoned at this
season of the year. but, owing to the
large number OF men out OF employ
ment, IT is still being maintained and
regularly at midnight half loaf of
bread and large tin cup full OF coffee
Is handed out to motley throns of
humanity, who form a procession reg
nlarly and walt for hours In line. The
Bowery mission Is a famous place. r
has been conducted by church people
FOR many years and has done q great
deal OF good. 1t is located In one OF
the worst centers OF vice In the en-
tire world. surrounded by rum shops,
dance houses. I0-cent lodging houses,
pawnshops and cheap restaurants
which are patronized by the lowest
classes of humanity In this great city.
The bread line has its regular as
well as casual patrons. They come
from all parts of New York. from over
Brooklyn bridge. from Harlem, from
the docks, from the Chinese quarter.
from the ghetto and from wherever
vice. poverty and vagrancy prevail
Many OF the patrons are professional
tramps. panhandlers. thieves. pick
pockets. yeggmen and ordinary va
grants. lodging house loafers. runaway
boys, broken down sports, dissolute
drunkards. diseased and dying croa-
lures and all classes OF criminals, with
mixture Of honest men who are out
of work and are compelled to take
advantage OF this opportunity to sat
isly tho pungs of hunger.
How many mon In the bread line
are honest workmen is question that
nobody can answer. but 1t IL fair 10
assume that the increase during the
past winter and this spring is owing
to the discharge OF thousands OF work
men from manufacturing establish
ments up and down both sides OF New
York. Perhaps an even larger number
are ordinary laborers who have drifte1
oack to this city from various pla.;ss
In the country where they have been
engaged in railway construction and
other lines of emplcyment and hive
been discharged because such enter
doned.
dond.
An inspe ,to- OF one OF the caaritahle
societies wlo has been investigating
appeals for relief for many years AID
is familiar with oil kinds OF frauds
and impostureB tells me that ha be-
lieyes that at least one-half OF ths
men in the bread line are honest WORK.
men out If employment. who have 30
other way 20 get food. But the other
half arc lI'e vicious tramps and ysgg.
men, who will not work unless com,
PEELED to, and drift to New York dur
ing the winter season because they
can find food and lodging here more
easily than out in the country. When
the warm spring months open, he says,
they leave the city and return to the
road.
1t would be cruel to withhold any
aid that may be afforded to the worthy
men In the bread line. and IL is equally
wrong to encourage worthless tramps
and yeggmen but the ingenuity OF the
hundreds of professional charity work.
ers In this city has not been able to
devise a method by which the good
may be distinguished from the bad
and the worthy from tho unworthy.
The Salvation army people. who take
care OF several thousand hungry
wret ched mortals every day. never give
even II crumb OF bread or a cup OF
coffee without some form OF compen-
SAXON. Every man who occupies
bunk in their lodging house has to pay
for it by labor and that rule has be-
come SO well understood that lazy
cramps do not go to their relief agen.
cies. But the people at the Bowery
mission ask no questions. They are
entirely impartial and they pass out
bread and coffee to every one who
applies.