The Washington bee., 1909-07-24
A Thousand Men Are Fed
Every Night.
THE BOWr
MISSION
at this. PlaCr - Fleischmann's
May Be E~--s--- ne Men in Actual
Need-II - me Aim OF These
Places to Send Away No Hungry
Person.

The two policemen vhO were
standing at the corner OF Canal
street and the Eovery as approach
eu them looked Ia over wnen ley
saw was about 10 interrupt their
clnyersa ton. 1t va anything but 4
pleasant night; the coat / had bor-
rowed for the evening was none too
tlck, and the old shoes / wore were
Let waterproof. If my abject pow
eTty was assumed, felt semblance
Of the real thing, tor I was cold and
tired after trampi1g up and down the
muddy streets for an hour.
Where kin a teller git a cup .
co1Tee r a handout?" / 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 theno
lrs one or two in every block in this
neighborhOod.
II didn't mean that kind" l re-
piled. I've got to find place
where there amt a price on the
grub
Il guess the bread line at Fleisch-
mann's or the BOweTy Missions
the only place, then, Jack, said tle
officer as he turned mis- back on me-
So 1 slouched along to 50 Bowery,
where a sign in the window, reading,
'Bowery Mission-Services Every
Evening" indicated that I had fodnj
the right place. l looked in the door.
The big room. flied with chairs, was
dimly lighted, and on the platform
at the far end, man was moving
some chairs around.
'Nothin' doin yet, bo,' said a
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 bak-
cry" the tramp -Ontinued. "Ye sit
your. at II sharp Up there"
s we ambled up the Bowery to
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. l dropped into the process
sion which in a few moments reached
up Broadway to Twelfth street. |
had been in the line but a short time
when a clock nearby sounded for
midnight The line began to move
I II o4F
side OF me cheered UP 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 | ascertained
had had their bread and coffee
most Of them dispersed, though a 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 unpIeasantly.
From the bakery I went back tC
+ the Bowery Mission.
A thousand men are fed every
night at the Bowery Mission-sone.
times more. 1t is the aim at both
/ this place and at Fleischmann's tC
send no one away hungry, but just
now the demand is much In excess ot
: 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 beggars are
in nine cases out of ten unworthy u
! notice. But tie man or woman WhC
doubts the distress-the real need o.
/ food among the unemployed-shoulj
spend a couple of hours at the tive
I places l have described, and he Ol
she will be convinced that there /!
no lack Of opportunity for the offices
of the Good Samaritan, and no ex
cessive crowding IN the ranks o
! helpers of unfortunate humanity.
RODERIC c. PENFIELD.