The Washington bee., 1909-03-27
A Thousand Men Are Fed
EVery Night.
THE BOWERY MISSION
At this Place and at FIeischmann' :
May BE Found the Men in Actual
Need-It is the Aim OF ThLse
Places to Scud Away No Hunsry
Person.

r - = ~ q
standing at the corner cf Canal
street ana the Bo"ery as 1 a9proacn-
eu them loOEed ae over W IN Icy
saw . was about to interrupt their
ctnyersa ton. 1t va anything but =
pleasant nIEb:; tie coat | had bor-
rowei for the evening was none too
tllck. and the old shoes wore were
Let waterproof. If my abject pow
eTty was assumed. | felt a sembIaace
or the real thing, Tor | was cold and
tired after trampi1g up and down the
muddy streets for an hour.
Where kin a teller git cup O
coffee r a handoUt?" I asked.
One of the officers smiled afrably.
Two doors up, he said, indicating
one OF the numerous five and ten
cent feeding places, Of which the.o
are one or two in every block IN uhis
neighborhnod.
II didn't mean that kind" l re-
piled I've got to find a place
where there amt a price on the
grub"
Il guess the b cad line at Fleisen-
mann's or the Bowery Missions
the only place. then. Jack" said tho
officer as he turned mis- back on me
So 1 slouched along to 81 Bowery,
where sign in the window, reading,
'Bowery Mission-Services Every
Evening, indicated that / had fodnj
the right place. locked in the dooT.
The big room, filed with chairs, was
dimly- lighted, and on the platform
at the far end. 2 man was moving
some chairs around.
'Nothin' doin' yet. bo," said a
rough-looking fellow. They don't
give ye no grub until l o'clock"
This was disheartehing, or would
have been, had l really needed the
food, for 1t vas only a little after
eleven. I'm gOin' up ter the Oak-
cry" the tramp ontinued. "Ye sit
your, at IL sharp Ip there"
8 We ambled up the Bowery TO
Eighth street. and from there TO
Tenth street and Fourth ayenue 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 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
along and the waiting men on either
side OF me cheeTed up a bit There
was very little conversation. however.
Now and then some OF them muttersd
curses. and once when a sightseeing
automobile stopped al the corner the
curses Jecame quite judibIe.
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 | went back 10
the Bowery Mission.
A Thousand men are fed every
night at the Bowery MissiOn-some-
times more. 1t is the aim at both
this place and at Fleisehmann'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 beggars are
in nine cases out of ten unworthy Of
notice. But tie 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 l 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.
DnnTDVC ~ DIN ESJEHI n