Daily Kennebec journal., 1912-04-22

the menu of one of Washington's res
taurants, opened Just this past week.
Perhaps the hungry one may have
more than cents to spend on his
meal; possibly he may possess as
much as 10. II SO. he can purchase at
this particular restaurant, i'm spite of
the high cost of living, a beef stew,
bread, butter and coffee.
The average housekeeper who has
read these few sentences regarding
this newly opened eating house here in
the city has perhaps by this time muir
INJURED Charity" And so it is; Charity
has made possible this distribution of
food at such remarkably low prices to
the men whose fortunes run in pennies
instead of dollars
The past Thursday witnessed the
opening of this restaurant and penny
lunch counter at the Gospel Mission on
John Marshall place. over hundred
men ANA women found their way there
Oh its opening day. Tiny neWsboys,
seated on high stools side by side with
gray haired men. swung their feet in
time with their consumption of big
plates of well cooked hominy or of
griddle cakes with sirup or other de-
lectables chosen from a large array of
food ranging in prices from l 10 10
cents.
"The realization of this restaurant
aud penny lunch counter has been our
desire ALI this past winter" said Her
bert w. Kline, superintendent of the
mission. Its need has been greatly
tett b@ men and women and by num-
erous families who live in one or two
fot
cooking Hominy and beans, though
generally classed among the cheaper
articles of food are luxuries to those
poor people, who have no fire on which
TO cook them the necessary lenrth of
time. This sort of a place to es.t is.
indeed q great blessing to the man
who finds that 3 cents each Tor his
breakfast and lunch and perhaps 10
for his dinner is all that he can afford
TO spend per day for food.
Many OF the poor people in the
neighbcrhoed send in for or 10 cents
worth of hot coffee or a stew. and for
this latter we provide small boxes sim
liar to those used to carry oysters. Just
recently ! had occasion TO visit several
homes in the immediate vicinity of the
mission. and | found that in six of
them there We're no stoves for either
heating or cooking. To these people q
pot of hot coffee or bowl of bean
soup is a Godsend.
"The mission restaurant may be said
| TO have two divisions" continued Mr..
| Kline. The restaurant proper and the
penny lunch counter. There are some
| ten or twelve tables provided, at which
those men are served who are able 10
pay from to 10 cents for meal. They
are generally wage earners and. no
l matter how Small the amount they
make. they have certain Independence
end pride that makes them dislike t.
accept anything from charity. When
| they sit at the tables and pay prices
that are nearly equal to the cost of the
food. this independence is in no way
| injured
1T is my cndeavor to sort out those
men who are able TO pay these larger
prices from those who are not. SO
many varieties of men come in that
| frequently a man is found taking ad-
vantage of Il two-cent lunch when he
| is able to pay or 10 cents thus per-
| maps depriving some more worthy and
needy man of a chance to buy. The
men at the counter have usually only
| Il few cents in their pockets, and the
tauestion of pride means little to them
| if they can satisfy their hunger with
what they are able to buy Often a
man will come to me with just a little
money, or perhaps none at all. and ask
| for work / put him in the place where
| the penny bundles of wood are made
up, and there he earns enough for
several meals at the penny counter or
even enough 10 pay small board un-
til he finds permanent work.
How remarkable the purchasing
power of a penny at the mission lunch
room seelusi One cent will buy cup
| of black coffee and another will furn-
ish the sugar and cream with which to
| flavor it. A large nicely baked potato
| is also served for one copper For one
penny a big bowl of bean soup can be
purchased, and it takes no magnifying
glass TO find the beans. heaping
plate of nicely cooked hominy comes at
one cent, and for the same price may
| be had some bread or hot roll. Per-
haps the baked beans are the most
popular of all the penny dishes, for
they are well seasoned with bacon or
ham and each order is a generous one.
NOW ~ a man iS wealthy 10 the eA-
tent Of or cents for meal he will
find at the mission restaurant such a
choice selection of food at that price
! that to show partiality To any particu-
lar dish will become difficult. For in
| stance, he may have a beef stew or a
lamb stew for Just 3 cents. Add 10
that a cup of coffee and d roll, each at
a cent piece. and he has for certs
rather an appetizing meal for a hungry
man. If sandwiches arc, his speciality
he may choose between a ham and q
frankfUrter, paying 3 cents for either
one
Pie Gall klnds) &c. so reads the
menu under penny counter orders
The next item on the list jumps to b
cents III price, hut what a nice "homyp
dish it is, IN addition To it's delicious
taste. Gfddle cakes with slrup is the
order given by any one wishing TO par
take Of this dish. Hamburger steak
comes also At this price and likewise
liver and onions. Five cents Will pur-
chase sausage and a potato. IT one
should, have. perchance. "A whole dime