The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-06
vIENNA,s souP KITCHENS
During Winter Months the Poor MAJ
Daily Receive Food and Shelter

From the Chicago News.
Vienna, Austria. Thanks to the great
munificence of q Jewish philanthropist,
the late Baron Moris Konigswarter the
destitute poor of Vienna can enjoy n
cup of hot pea soup, large slice of
bread and shelter for the day and night
| in well-warmed rooms throughout the
long, cold winter months. Neither pay
ment nor formality of any kind Is re-
quired and no questions are asked /;
every poor man, woman and child is
welcome to the daily dole. Last winter
more than one and one-half million free
meals were distributed and nearly 2 100000
have been given out since the Konigs-
warter shelters were founded. 27 years
ago. All this work is carried on at a
cost of less than $4,000 a year.
Baron Konigswarter's original inten-
ton was to build "warmestuben," or
warm rooms In the poorer districts
of Vienna, where destitute persons
could find refuge at any hour of the day
or night from the winter cold. Ac-
cordingly, he provided six suitable build
ings in different parts of the city and
added an endowment of about $4,000 for
carrying out his scheme. Later on it
was thought desirable that some kind
of sustenance should be given and the
pea soup and bread were accordingly pro-
vided This again has been supplemented
quite recently by the distribution OF
tickets for soup and bread among the
schools.
The .'warmestuben buildings are OF
the simplest design without the least
attempt at decoration. They are one
| OF two stores substantially built of
brick and rooted with states, with sepa-
rate entrances for men, women and chill
dren. TIE furniture consists only OF
wooden benches with backs No beds
are provided and no lying down on the
bench Is allowed the object being SIM
ply to furnish warmth and sheiter 10
the needy and not to offer comfortable
quarters to the shiftless idle TO lounge
in during the cold weather The rooms
are open from 10 o'clock in the morn
ing until O clock In the evening, when
the occupants are turned out for two
hours while the place Is thoroughly
washed out and disinfected. At o'clock
the rooms are opened again for the
night and the occupants can remain
until O clock the next morning. Then
they are given hot pea soup and big
slice of bread. after which they must go
out while the place Is cleaned again.
No soup is given In the evening ana the
morning distribution is confined to per-
sons who have spent the night In the
place.
| The big distribution of soup takes place
at midday, between II and 2:30 O'Clock
| The children with tickets from the schools
| are served first, then come the women
and children from the outside who have
| no tickets, and lastly the men. The soup
Is served quite hot and is really nourish-
| ing and excellent. 1t Is prepared In large
| copper vessels on stove at one end OF
| the room, separated by q counter on
which the cups of soup are placed fol
| ca ph person to help himself. The bread
Ia handed out by one of the overseers
1t is a rye bread well baked and OF
first-class quality. Behind the kitchen end
| OF the room is q store room with racks
| for tile bread and another room for the
boxes Of conserved peameal. Two OF
three rooms for the superintendent and
| overscers make up the rest of the ac-
commodations
THE people coming For free soup seem
| for the most part comfortably clothed
and bear nc visible sign of great poverty
| Nevertheless. many are almost starving
| Bit the Viennese poor seem never to
reach thu abject stage of rags and misery
| sometimes found In the big American
| cities, ane. always to be seen in London
| Owing partly to the wholesale emigra-
| tlon there are fewer unemployed In Aus
| tria while the poor are also officially
| well cnre; for
| Resides the income from the Konigs-
warter endowment subventions are grant
| ed Dy the government of lower Austria
and tho city OF Vienna and there ast
numerous private subscribers In an ex-
| ref,diturc lest winter of $4,000 the largest
| item, was for bread-sl4. 400. Conserved
peameal cost $500; l!gls and heat, 81
| ON; wages. 5000; furniture and repairs
| $1,000. The rooms are kept open each
| winter from November 10 to March 15