New-York tribune., 1910-01-10
BERTHS FOR $4,000
SHIPPING RED TAPE.
Herbert Vandyke as a Firer of
Army and NaUy Jobs.


twenty-five years in helping men and boys
out of job to places where they could
earn good livelhood-and without getting
a cent of compensation for it-some people
might think a highly practicable and there
fore eommendabIe sort of philanthropy.
To have furnished twenty-five thousand
soldiers and sailors to ones country during
quarter of a century-an average of a
thousand a year-other people would say
was the very finest kind of patriotism.
Yet Herbert Vandyke doesn't think it
philanthropy or patriotism at all. He
says there is no reason why he should be
the recipient of bcuquets--lteral or meta
phorical-and doesn't see where he comes in
TO have a hero medal pinned TO his breast.
He just says
There's nothing to gloat about for doing
it: you'd do it yourself to help poor fellow
out and if you once got started at it you'd
keep it up
Mr.. Nandyke got started at it back in
the spring of 1884, when he happened to be
in the Surrogates office one day on busi-
ness. A young fellow, about sixteen, clean
and earnest looking. but showing that
ragged clothes and an insufficient supply
of poor food were no new experience with
him. was talking in appealing way to
Charlie" Adams, then the clerk of the
court. Adams listened to his story, but
shook his head. The young fellow turned
away with a look of dependency and dis
appointment He hung around hesitating-
ly. looking the embodiment of perplexity
It's too bad about that young fellow.
said Adams, his friend Vandyke ap-
preached He wants to get into the navy.
but his folks are all dead. and he was
born in the old country he can't get past
Ice o,,d to
have a guardian, but he can't get any
body
We'll, have you got any objection to my
acting the guardian for hirn?" asked Van
dyke. IF he wants to get into the navy
I'll stand for it if you will. He looks
like a decent young fellow. and he also
looks as if he needed something to eat
and somewhere to sleep
Adams had no objection. In fact he
gladly asented to Mr.. Vandykes sugges-
ton, The young fellow was called back,
and in short order Herbert Vandyke was
made his legal guardian. A solid meal
preceded the trip of guardian and ward to
the United States steamship Minnesota,
then the recruiting vessel for the navy at
this port That night the navy had new
APPRENTICE. who slept happily in a warm
bed for the first time in many months.
meath him making a pleasant lullaby.
Having once got started at it." he has
kept at it ever since. Boys of American
and foreign birth who had to have the
consent of their parents to enter the army
or navy or marine corps, boys who were
specially eager to wear an American uni
form or boys who were driven to it be
cause they found nothing else to do, but
all boys who were too young to enter the
service without the legal consent of par
ent or guardian soon came to know MI
Vandyke and to regard him as q sort of
good angel. So did men over twenty-one
who were not citizens of this country, but
who We're too hard up or too ignorant of
the customs Of the country to know how
they could get into the army or navy
Pretty soon charitable organizations
heard of the work he was doing, and in
the cases of worthy men and boys, to whom
they had given temporary relief began to
send them along to Mr.. Vandyke The
number has never fallen below two hundred
III any year In 1908, after the big panic
of October, 1907. when times were hard,
indeed, he helped at least seventeen hun
dred men and boys to become soldiers or
sailors of the United States. There have
been years when he paid $500 out of his
own income to aid men to get into the
navy. the army or the marine corps.
If there isn't enough satisfaction in do
ing the work just for the pleasure one gets
out of it-and Mr.. Tandyke thinks there
ls-there's some pleasure in knowing tha9
OF the twenty-five thousand odd bows and
men he has sent to the army and navy in
the last twenty-five years only about a
score have disappointed his expectations by
turning out to be bad specimens of sailors
2 a
tering the navy gets $24 A month and all
found, but out of about the last seventeen
hundred he has been instrumental in send
ing into this branch of the service only one
has had the thoughtfulnesS TO return the 81
naturalization fee which was the sine qua
uon of sailing under the Stars and Stripes.
Formerly Mr.. Vandyke had an office in
one of the best known buildings in lover
Nassau street. But other tenants OBJ
jected TO the Wretched and i'll look
ing specimens of humanity that visited
the building to get Mr.. Vandyke to give
them a helping hand Complaints were
made and the owners of the building po-
litely intimated to Mr.. Vandyke that thew
would prefer not to renew his lease Now
he has a little Office in Park Row. where
he is close to the naturalization bureaus of
:he federal and state courts.
The clerks have come TO know hin, inti
mately, and men who have had their trou-
bles in getting their papers owing to the
great number of applicants have come TO
bespeak his assistance. There is much red
tape to be cut, but Mr.. Vandyke has the
advantage of possessing the scissors of
long years of experience and acquaintance
with the formaities to be pursued in the
courts.
There's no money in it, says Mr.. Van.
dyke, but l can afford to spend what r
do just to do it. And don't brand me as a
philanthropist a patriot. I've got the.
thing down to a system now, and>I take it
a matter of course
The recruiting officers for the army and
navy are not so backward in telling of what
Mr.. Vandyke has done for the last twenty
five years in making citizens and building
up the army and navy Neither are the
court clerks, who know of the expenditure
OF money and time his singular form OF
helping the other fellow along is costing
him.