The Washington bee., 1909-04-03
A Thousand Men Are Fed
Every Night.
THE BOWERY MISSION
At this Place AMI at FleischElann's
May Be Found the Men I'm Actual
Need-It is the Aim OF TIL, Sc
Places to Send Away No Hungry
Person.

hS Two pOtis e!'eI FnO " 5TC
standing at the corner OF Canal
street and the Eovcry as approach
Gu them looked he over when rdey
saw was about 10 Interrupt their
Ct nyersa ton. 1t va anything but 4
pleasant night: the coat [ had bor-
rowei for the evening was none too
tuck. and the old shoes / wore were
Lot waterproof. II my abject pow
eTty was assumed, | felt a semblaace
OF the real thing. for [ was cold and
tired after trampi1g up and down the
muddy streets for an hour.
Where kin a teller git a cup o
ecftee r handout?" / asked.
One OF the officers smiled affabIy.
Two doors up, he said, indicating
one of the numerous five and ten
cent fe,,ding places. OF which thers
are one or two in every block in bhis
neigh borhOod.
Il didn't mean that kind" re-
piled I've got to hnJ a place
where there amt a price on the
grub.
Il guess the bread line at Fleisch-
mann's or the Bowery Missions
the only place, then. Jack" said tds
oficer as he turned his Back on me.
So l slouched along to 55 Rowery.
whore a sign in the window, reading,
'BoweTy MissiOn-SerYlces Every
Evening" indicated that had found
the right place. | locked in the do0r.
The big room, flied with chairs, was
dimly lighted, and on the platform
At the far end. e man was moving
some chairs around.
"Nothin doin' yes, bo," said q
rOugh-loOking fellow They don't
give ye no grub until 1 o'clock"
This was disheartening, or would
have been, had l really needed the
food, for 1t was only a little after
eleven. I'm gOin' up ter the Dak-
cry the tramp Ontinued. "Ys sit
your, at IL sharp Ip there"
s We ambled up the BOwery 10
Eighth street. and from there TO
Tenth street and Fourth avenue. Al
ready the waiting line extended FROM
IN rear door OF the bakery around
the corner to the entrance OF Grace
church. l dropped into the process
sion which in a few moments reached
up Broadway to Twelfth street. I
had been In the line but short time
when a clock nearby sounded for
midnight. The line began to move
Al nA L1 a
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 | asceTtained
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 "estauraHt
for work. But there was no chance
for any one, though the refusal was
not made unpleasantly.
From the bakery | went back TO
the Bowery Mission.
thousand men are fed every
night at the BOwery MissiOn-some-
timss more. 1t is the aim at both
this place and at Fleischmann's 10
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 who are in actual need of food
and drink. The street beggaTs are
in nine cases out of ten unworthy Of
notice. But tie man or woman who
doubts the distress ss-the real need OF
food among the unemployed-shOuld
spend a couple % hours at the two
places l have described, and he OF
she will be convinced that there is
no lack OF opportunity for the offices
Of the Good Samaritan. and no ex-
cessive crowding !n the ranks Of
helpers OF unfortunate humanity.
RODERIC C. PENFIELD.