The Washington herald., 1913-03-30
Not a Great Risk to Gipe
The Hungry a Bit to Eat

waiting for his wife and daughter. noticed
a stranger going from door to door. Ii
was a snappy. winter morning and the
air was charged with frost The man.
snusly wrapped in fur-lined coat. paid
no attention to the stranger until he
started toward his door. And then mole
than half-suspecting-fo the stranger was
pretty poorly dressed-he asked him wha;
was wanted The answer vas quite
simple. just-something to eat.
The man reasoned with himself.
II was growing late. too late TO give
that tramp a breakfast and get to
church on time. His wife was in too
much Of a hurry to attend to 1t. prob
ably the maid would not want to bother:
very likely the man was an imposter and
was just too lazy to work. And. any
how, he did not believe in encouraging
such people. And the stranger went OIL
from door to door
Just Who Are Theyf
At last he found some one who saw
that he was hungry and knew that he
was poor. some one who gave him a
breakfast worthy of the name. Maybs
his story was true. possibly it was
false: but he told that he had been out
of work for two months; that he never
earned much at best, and that he had not
a dollar nor a penny to his name. And
he added that all along that avenue he
had asked for something to eat. but for
every time he asked he was consistently
turned away. And he was an old man
and 1t was bitterly cold.
Now, every body knows that il 10 not
at all creditable to beg. II il classed all
the way from a disgrace to a crime. and
some folks say il Is not at all necessary.
that II men would follow the work their
a o. dn
as readily could find. there would be no
occasion for asking for bread. They de-
clare that the more they ask and the more
they are given. the sooner they are
pauperized and their dignity and self-re-
spect quite taken away.
But. after all. practical philanthropy
notwithstanding. there are times, so It
seems to some of us. when 1t is sort Of
human and very Chritian to forget the
possible reason for refusal to help and
to remember only that there are many
causes for the financial and moral down
fall of men and women. And q bit Of
breakfast on a winter morning Is not a
very great risk for any one to assume
whether a man is all that he ought TO
be or not.
Found Some One.
If one were out OF work-and such
catastrophes often come to honest, worthy
Hleil-Quite out OF funos. perhaps not so
very capable anyhow, II one were very
hungry and il the church-bells were ring
ing their significant call
Well, just who are the folk in the
highways and the byways." and what is
the meaning of '1nasmuch?'
Once in a great while the newspapers
tell Of man or woman found on the
very verge of starvation and comfortable
folk raise their hands in righteous horror
that such a thing could happen in a
Christian community.
They say to themselves and to each
other that II the worst were reached and
rather than starve, they would put their
pride in their pockets and openly ask
for bread.
But perhaps they might learn to their
sorrow that to ask is not always to re-
ceive. They might even learn that be-
cause they asked some jealous upholder
OF the law had quietly telephoned to the
police.
When one tries to figure what il means
to put oneself In the place of another. 1,
is bit hard to guess the thoughts that
at times crowd upon hapless folk who
somehow have lost their footing, or who
perhaps never had any.
Yet the wonderful garb Of Christianity
can be very beautiful. very inspiring ard
true TO its name. IL the garb is only mad
Alright. and after the first and only per
feet pattern.