The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-15
NEW IDEA IN PHILANTHROPY WILL
REACH ROOT OF SOCIAL ILLNESS

between the men at table and the same
men on the line The writer thought he
would play the part better by assuming
q serious and downcast expression. A
man standing near by interpreted the
seriousness for lonesomeness and be-
gan, when other lips and other
hearts" and ended with. Laugh and the
world laughs with you weep and you
weep alone"
BY that time oil those in the vicinity
were In good humor. Each spoke to his
neighbor In low tones and phrases heard
In many Of the conversations were
hard times" "a good job" didn't
know when was well of" and "hope
get something to do tomorrow"
Near the writer was a Swiss waiter,
about 20 years old. with fair hair and
blue eyes. He was telling his com.
panion Of his travels.
IT was in Bordeaux" he said IN Ger
man. when the wanderlust seized me
and had to come to America. landed
In Boston and worked there four months
when the wanderlust came again and
wanted to come to New York. came
here three weeks ago and could not
find work. All my money went" He
/ was quiet u tneU H6 Sdl0
smilingly. But I must follow the
! wanderlust."
His companion was a stolid German.
middle aged. with gray hair and mus
| tache. a cabinet maker he had fallen
on hard times after an illness which
wiped out his savings. Not finding work
he went to the lodging house.
| A scufie attracted all eyes 70 the
end of the line. A crosseyed man was
having an alteration with heavy
jowled, sullen eyed applicant. They
were the only men on the line who
seemed to have been drinking. The
heavy jawed man had his hair cropped
| In the manner OF a convict. Tho quarrel
ended as suddenly as It began. when, IN
the manner Of the small boy and the
bully. the crosseyed man drew out OF
his pocket an orange. half Of which he
rendered to the sullen looking individual.
. The latter grabbed It and sucked the
juice. In q minute the two were laugh
ing boisterously.
| Three abreast there, three abreast! !"
shouted an attendent. and the line
squrmed like a snake until II had ad-
justed itself to the command.
| Six men at a time were allowed to 20
forward and register. Every time the
line moved up the attendant shouted
Three abreast there, three abreast"
| Although the window where the
registering was taking place was but
twenty feet from the place where the
writer and his friend Joined the line II
was an hour before they reached II.
After registering and depositing their
envelopes with . clerk tho men passed
down into the basement where the
shower baths are located. They I'M
dress in a large room and handed their
clothes TO an attendant. He looked al
the numbers OF our brass checks fur
nished upstairs and marked the clothes
for identification by the same number
In the next room. between the disrobine
room and the wsshroom.. was the fur
mace room. where there were eight larg,
fumieating kilns. each seven by ten
feet. The clothes were hung MP on a
car made Of wire netting. which was
wheeled down on tracks distance o,
about ten feet TO one ~ the k.lns. The
wire car was wheeled into the kiln, tn,
heavy iron door was barred and her.
metically sealed and lN pounds OF
steam was turned on. This process.
thoroughly fumigated the clothing
which was then taken out and put
away for morning
I The entrance into the bathroom wa
made In courtly fashion. As the write
and his friends approached the en-
trance they saw some Of the regulars
bow their heads to an aged. white
haired man seated on chair at tn,
entrance. Tho old man raised what
might have been regal wand. such
was the dignity with which the motion
was invested. and touched each man
on the bowed head with a light tap