The Washington bee., 1909-06-26
A Thousand Men Are-Fed
Every Night.
THE BOWERY MISSION
At this Place and at Fleischmann's
May Be Found the Men in Actual
Need-lt is the Aim of These
Places to Send Away No Hungry
Person.

LIE Two pOllC eH-e0 NlO were
standing at the corner of Canal
street and the Bowery as / approach
eu them looked ne over when Uaey
saw was about to interrupt their
ctnVersatIon. 1t wa anything but
pleasant night; the coat ! had bor-
rowei for the evening was none too
tnck, and the old shoes / wore were
Lot waterproof. If my abject pow
eIty was assumed, felt a semblAace
OF the real thing. for l was cold and
tired after trampi1g up and down the
muddy streets for an hour.
Where kin a teller git a cup .
coffee r a handout?'' l asked.
One of the officers smiled affably.
Two doors up, he said, indicating
one Of the numerous five and ten
cent feeding places, of which thefo
1rs one or two in every block In Unis
neighborhOod.
II didn't mean that kind" I re-
piled. i've got to find a place
where there amt a price on the
grub"
''I guess the bread line at Fleisch-
mann's or the Bowery Missions
the only place, then, Jack" said tle
officer as he turned his back on me.
So / slouched along to SO Bowery,
where a sign in the window, reading,
"Bowery Mission-Services Every
Evening" indicated that had found
the right place. / looked in the do0T.
The big room, filled with chairs, was
dimly lighted. and on the platform
at the far end, e man was moving
some chairs around.
''Nothin' doin' yet, bo," said
rough-looking fellow. They don't
give ye no grub until 1 o'clock"
This was disheartening, or wedld
have been, had I really needed the
food, for It was only a little after
eleven. I'm goin' up ter the Dak-
cry" the tramp ontinued. "Ye sit
your at II sharp Up there
s we ambled up the Bowery 20
Eighth street, and from there to
Tenth street and Fourth avenue Al
ready the waiting line extended from
tn, rear door of the bakery around
the corner to the entrance of Grace
church. I dropped into the process
sion which In a few moments reached
up Broadway to Twelfth street. l
had been in the line but a short time
when a clock nearby sounded for
midnight The line began to move
along and the waiting men on either
side OF me cheered up a bit. There
was very little conversation, however.
Now and then some of them muttered
curses, and once when a sightseeing
automobile stopped at the corner the
curses Jecame quite audible
After the line of waiting men
over 600 in number, as l ascertained
had had their bread and coffee,
most of them dispersed, though few
repeated" in order to get a second
helping. A number of them hung
around until they could get a chance
to ask the manager of the restaurant
for work. But there was no chance
for any one, though the refusal was
not made unpleasantly.
From the bakery I went back TO
the Bowery Mission.
A thousand men are fed every
night at the BOweTy Mission-some-
times more. 1t is the aim at both
this place and at Fleischmann' to
send no one away hungry, but Just
now the demand is much in excess Of
that usual at this time of year.
One sees at these two places the
men VINO are in actual need of food
and drink. The street beggars are
in nine cases out of ten unworthy Of
notice But tLe man or woman who
doubts the distress-the real need of
food among the unemployed-should
spend a couple OF hours at the two
places I have described, and he or
she will be convinced that there is
no lack OF opportunity for the offices
Of the Good Samaritan, and no ex-
cessive crowding IN the ranks Of
] helpers of unfortunate humanity.
RODERIC G. PENFIELD.