The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-01
The Bread Line Man
BY KARIN sTANGELAND.


homeless person tasty loaf OF white
bread is worth more than all the
words OF ministers about eternal life
beyond the grave lie was baker.
He made money. lie was a rich
man.
And 80 he decided that he would
give ntte Joy TO ali the poor home
less ones. who might after night. In
fpost or rain. summer or winter
drift about in the streets OF New
York because they have no money
TO buy the right To sleep. Each or
them waH 20 be given . good, nour-
ishlns loaf OF white bread.
lie made 10 known everywhere tnat
at night. upon the stroke OF twelve.
any person might come 10 his door
to receive a LOAF. Nobody was 10 be
turned Gnway.
That man Is dead long ago, but
imagine that the Lord mas made
der. And / fancy that every night
when the clocks strike twelve this
GOod man goes 80 the gate where -.
Peter stands TO let people IN and
says: please let me out foT mo-
ment.' And goes outside the gate
and holding his hands before his
eyes IKE . telescope, he spies and
searches through the myriads OF
stars, through clouds and storm down
10 the earth until he finds the spot
sees the street where the bakery lies,
where the homeless arc lined up
waiting FOR their turn 20 come. Pa
tiently he stands at the gate OF par
adlse 30 see that every person gets
his loaf as he ordered il in his last
wlll-for he Was q rich man and
knew 10 better way Of spending his
money-and only when the last man
has got his loaf he mods his head
and says TO ST. Peter. Now please
let me in again
And perhaps st. Peter. who Is also
interested in things down on earth,
asks Were there many people to-
night" And the good man replies
sadly: Yes, there were many
Do you know, you who read these
still not have four walls around IL?
Only recently ! discovered that such
might be the case. There was lit
tie girl attending a sunday school IN
New York. Her teacher made her 2
present Of a picture and explained To
her how to hang It on the wall IT
home that she might always be able
10 look at it, The little girl stood
holding the picture and looked very
helpless. Her little lips began to
twitch az cen-c9nnot do 1t.
"Why notp" asked the teacher.
And the child replied
1--WE have no wall; We live in the
MIDDLE"
In every city large or small, there
are young women, without relatives,
forced 10 make their living by the
work of their hands. They go out
In the morning and return In the
evening. They are living in boarding.
houses or small hotels. In the large
cities their number is legion. When
they LETT their parents TO go out
and take up the struggle for exist
ence, or when their parents died
and their childhood homes were dis
solved, they had only ono thing to
do-board with strangers.
AT first they missed their home
dreadfully, like a snawing pain which
became transformed into feeling of
emptiness and then it became at last
q habit.
IT became habit to be home
less
4 mother lived with her seven un-
married children, six girls and boy.
Each must do some work to make n
living. The daughters worked in
offices and stores. while two had
work that might be done at home.
The son was employed In a whole
sale house The mother kept house,
a spacious old-fashioned home with
furniture made generations ago. The
children came home in the middle OF
the day for their dinner. which they
lluQ TO eat III AUlIN, pul Aht'i
evenings were their own,
The sisters, OF course. had their
little faults and habits. They quar-
relied quito often about trifles, but
the gentle influence of the mother
smoothed things over and there
was never any really bad feeling.
Other people came TO see them,
sometimes they had card parties or
went TO the tlleater and when they
came home they found the mother
waiting for them with supper and
they chatted saily about things they
had seen and heard. on Sundays in
the summer the mother packed
lunch basket and they all went
picitnicking together.
The income of the children varied
consid@aoIy. Inc mother oecioeu
how much each must contribute to-
ward the common household expenses,
SO that the ono who ulado less felt
Just as we'll off as the one with
larger income.
One OF the daughters bought
piano and they all took lessons,
Then the mother died.
For six months the children stayed
together. The six months were spent
in endless uusrrels, One sister crtti-
cised everything the other did, Who
was TO rule They quaTreled about
tho meals they ate, about the gas
they were burning, about the walks
they took.
There was only one thing to do
dissolve the home. The last quarrel
was about the furniture. They part
ed as enemies, with their hearts full
OF bitterness. They fed TO boarding
houses.
For two years they lived a life not
only empty and cheerleSs. but one
which broke them all down and made
them all feel hateful and tired with
life. They met at their mothers s
grave 10 cry-and quarrel.
] had often reproached them that
they did not stay together and that
they did not try TO keep peace, but
they all declared that this was i'm
possible, None Of them would give
IN, to the other. There were seven
willis. Seven poor, helpless creatures
words: "Oh, if only mother were
alive' She knew how 70 arrange
everything so beautifully"
One day | had a lucky idea. !
gathered them all and said: Now ]
know what you are 10 do. You must
set another mother"
Al first they thought I was mad.
and refused 10 listen to me, but at
last they agreed 10 try.
They had no relatives at ALL so
we applied TO Il friend OF their late
widow. She was willing TO act 80
mother 10 these growu-up children
She was to be permitted To try TO
run Il home for them for six months.
once a week. every Saturday night,
they were to hold a board meeting.
where anyone might make sugges-
tions OF improvements, which were
then voted on
Within a year. tho seven were once