The San Francisco call., 1910-02-13
CAPITALIST SEEKS
FOOD AND SHELTER
Wealthy Man Assumes Disguise
TO Investigate Conditions
Among Poor and Hungry
His Purpose Is to Emphasize the
Need of a Municipal LOdg=
ing House

-
Brown, president Of the New York Cen
tral lines, concluded weeks investi-
cation Of the poor of this city yester-
day and in doing so was thrown
forcibly out OF the Whosoever VIII mis-
sion. turned away from the Salvation
Army doors and finally received shelter
and food in the city prison. He is now
al the Palace hotel
His purpose was Ia gain first hand
Information regarding the viewpoint
and condition Of the honest homeless.
and, having received it. viii place his
data before Mayor p. II. Mccarthy and
start the thought for the construction
or a municipal lodging house He has
repeated this performance in several
citles m the east. For the year past
ne has been travelling from CITY TO
CITY, registering at the most expensive
MOTEL In the place and then. with the
coming of the night hours. Joining the
stream Of humanity begging for shell
ter.
SERIOUS STUDY, NOT FAD
At The outset let me explain" he
said that this is not a fad OF a man
with an independent income. 1t is .
serious study of the man who is pIavTns-
IN haro luck-the man out Of a ioa
the boy away from home. the kind of
american citizen who does not want 10
neg who won't steal but who must eat
and sleep.
Il arrived in san Francisco Monday
nlSht and hired room in a clean hotel
IN ihlrd street. a place into and from
which i could go in my overaIls with
OUT exciting suspicion. When left
the place Tuesday I was TO all inren+s
without cent and looking for work
rms IS my usual plan. Then started
10 hunt for work. I asked the FIRST
poilceman / met 10 direct me 10 a free
employment bureau. He said there Wa
none. so 1 turned to the others. He~e
leafned that by paying Sl.5O couId
ger Job at SIS a month and for 81 %
another al $50 month. OF course NOT
flght away. There would have to h..
wait or TWO or three davs before
affairs were settled. But was wftbout
cent and ] needed immediate helm.
IN SEARCH OF LODGING
AT nightfall. after Investigating :
went 10 the mission house OF the Who
SoeNer VIII mission. but found myself
Too late TO get a ticket which vvo1,ld
riiapie me TO nights lodging I mn
1efstood that q ticket was given as =
reward for attending the religious sey,--
ices Garner IN the evening This to a
man whose only thought of religion at
lne time can be summed m in +ba
words, For what we are about 10 re-
eelNe may the Lord make us truly
thankful is not satisfying. However
went 10 the mission lodging house
beheNe I'm Sansome street. I found 81
10 ne place underneath saloon. ex-
ciuslNelN patrOuized by colored n,e,
and part Of il was under the sideUaIl.
looked down some narrow. steep
.a91--o mo dark. noisome place, to-
tally unht for human habitation.
ah i get a bed here, sir?' 1 asked:
J am hungry and tired
Have YOU a ticket%
No, but
Well get out Of this. Clear o1Itr
IN NOIsOME QUARTERS
The burly representative Of tho
Whosoever VIII mission then caught
me by the back Of the neck and threw
me out Finding such a rough and nm
Klno person in charge Of this work OF
charity made me all the more anxious
10 Nlslt the place. Finally. through the
help or two boys, who, like me. had
been turned away, / slipped down
manhole and succeeded in minglino
with the crowd below without heinz
observed by the attendant I was CON
Quoted To filthy bunk, given a com
IorJer and told to rest. The place was
like tOmb-eXcept for the stamina
enough 10 kill 4 healthy man and. after
short time. I crept out of the hunk
and stole away"
The next night Brown, again don
ming his makeup, paid visit To the
salvation Army headquarters in AIinna
street but there, he said, he vast turned
sway as he did not have the price of
q bed
FINDS BED IN JAIL
fe,,
nee again One policeman courteousIv
told me 10 go to the city prison and
when [ presented myself there | was
told 10 lie down in a cell and given a
couple Of blankets. 1t was the best
Tree bed I had found in San Francisco.
The Jailer. George Mclaughlin
learned was his name was = kind
hearted albeit gruff man, but the gruff
ness was only on the exterior. There
were ) men and boys in the cell thar
night and when we left in the morn
ing after getting cup Of coffee and
"A piece Of bread, Mclaughlin spoke a
Few cheering words TO us.
Now, good luck, boys he said and.
nope you find work today. And, re-
member, be honest
II was the first personal interest
shown to me and i can not forget the
man who spoke them Such a man
would be excellent as a superintendent
Of a municipal lodging house"
After visiting almost every imnort
ant city in the United States in this
fashion Brown has come TO the concIu-
sion that the municipal lodging house
Is the only remedy for the protection of
the honest homeless. Religious insti-
tutions, he said, he found rank fail
ures
They start out we'll" he said. "but
IN short time become TOO eager to
make d profit One such religious in
sututiOn / found in Boston was max
ing an income Of $4,000 a year off the
labor and wasted energy OF the unfor-
tvnates.
MUNICIPAL LODGING HOUSE
The best municipal lodging house l
found al the foot of Twenty fifth street
near the East river in New York Here
the system is perfect the attendants
kind and the accommodations pleasant.
The municipal lodging house is not a
place of shelter for the professional
Vagrent. but an emergency home for
those In distress. There are hundreds
Of honest men who find themselves on
the streets at some time or another
and these we must protect
These men form an important fac
tor in the community. Ny experience
has shown me that 80 per cent are