The New York herald., 1921-10-02
The Drifter.

drawn to this city the man to whom
the authorities and the charitable
agencies have given the name OF the
drifter. This citizen of nowhere In
particular has come to New YORK
this autumn in greater numbers than
is usual because industrial condi-
tions have laid upon nearby towns so
heavy burden in caring for their
own that they have made short shrift
Of the individual who has no proper
claim on the community's resources
They have put him on the road, and
to him all roads lead to New York.
Here he serves to swell the ranks
Of the unemployed. 1t is a place to
which he has no right. He is not
one of the unemployed. He is congen-
italy and chronically jobless.
Under normal conditions the drifter
does not attract a great deal OF
public attention. He is the ever
present problem and more or less
the despair Of those welfare societies
which struggle to help without pau
perizing him, and he is rather more
than less the delight of emotional
agitators. But for the most part he
is pretty well lost In the multitude
of cheap lodging and eating places
which cater to him and his kind.
Unusual conditions have this year,
however, brought to him degree Of
public attention such as he has rarely
enjoyed before. He finds himself in
the bright light of publicity as a
member of the unemployed, probably
the most responsible and respectable
company to which he has ever at.
tached himself.
The drifter must be dissociated in
the public mind from the real job
hunter. The steady workingman tenn
porarily out of a job has no use for
him or for his readiness to yield
himself to exploitation by the emo
tional and by the publicity seeker.
Picture the scorn of a reliable, level
headed skilled mechanic thrown out
of work by the closing of factory
for the man who reported to the
Boston authorities that he was 9
heavyweight litter in vaudeville out
of work because his clothes were toe
worn. or for the burly youth who de
scribed himself as Christmas tree
: trimmer waiting for the season t.
: open. Picture the mechanics confu
sion when he realizes that the mai
who in previous years had been thu
entirely uninteresting denizen OF thu
street or the cheap lodging house ha'
/ become now largely through his pic
; turesque occupation of Brilliant.
lighted city park the object of ten
der public solicitude.
Bryant Park" 1t is said, lis OF
ganizing." This is quite true. Lead
ership has developed. Committee
have been formed. I'VE represen
Bryant Park" said the leader of
delegation of four who called Of
:, Archbishop HAYES to demand tha
: the Catholic churches of the city b
> opened to lodge the homeless. TIL
beds offered by the Catholic missio
on the Bowery did not suit thes
unemployed" The mission was no
= prominent enough. They preferre
= st. Patrick's Cathedral. Bryan
= Park won't stand for it." announce
!. a soap box orator from the middl
:. of a grass plot. "They can't herd u
. into their Municipal Lodging Hous
: we want and will have the churche
and the armories."
Major DAVID UNDERWOOD OF II
= Salvation Army in recent midnigf
/. tour of the park persuaded some %
of its tenants to accept tickets whic
entitled them to a bed, bath an
= medical attendance at the Municip
= Lodging House. Eight Of these tic
- cts were turned In at the lodgir
!. house. The remainder Uttered Il
= park or Library steps, where the me
es preferred to sleep.
10 The best efforts Of the communi'
are being given to the formulation
Ia a common sense plan for the aid
as the unemployed, a plan which aha
II help and shall not weaken or pa
IN perize. All the resources OF publ
q and private welfare are being mob
ar ized to that end. The drifter
ut fuses to accept that plan or any pls
IN but his own. He scorns to regist
be for a Job at the Industrial Aid b
"a reau, he refuses to sleep In be-
a. already provided and demands q
oil doubtful comfort of church pew
nd o flop down in an armory. He
nd fuses to do anything but suffer und
the electric lights.
IN. In Bryant Park the drifter b
"A found undreamed possibilities OF
70 veloping the fine art of living wit
N. out effort. The Library steps or {
+h park benches are no great hardsh
M to one who knows the discomforts
ta freight cars and brake beams. Kind
an women with baskets of sandwich
and men with pockets full OF me
,ir tickets make life easy for one
o,,.to,,,ad +n tho more uncertain ba