The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-04-09

4
pleased, because so many had appear
ed at the house of God "to attend
these services" My American friend
hid smile in a song book as he
! said: "yes, to get something to eat"
We sang from page 16--"Jesus,
Jesus, sweetest name know = Fills
my every longing"
Everybody sang heartily and
with an apparent will. They seemed.
to realize they were expected to full
fill a certain obligation and proceeded
to render the tithes. But could not
but reflect that these grown men
were rendering homage they did
not feel They were paying price
for this bread. Then the boy prayed
for their souls salvation and intro
duced as 'the preacher for to-day"
Brother So-and-so.
The songs did seem to put life and
color into the audience and when the
minister told joke-about a bar
keeper, he won bit of a laugh. He
was fat, well fed and, like the
youngster before him, plainly dis
played the all-toQ apparent fact that
he felt he was doer of good deeds
to an audience that ought therefore
to show its appreciation.
1t is the peculiar and ineradicable
quality of charity mongering that it
breeds degradation of both the giver
and the receiver. There is that in the
psychology of human kind that it
can neither receive, nor give, with
out injury to self, And so it was that
the preacher stood before these home
less workers, by sufferance Of the
fact of the aims obtainable, and Of
fered them soul salvation, in that
thinly disguished and detestable tho
sincere enough spirit of consciously
doing good"
However, he was merciful in the
shortness Of his sermon. "We're going
to make it short this morning." he
said because there are others out
side waiting to come in, and because
,lof the cold, we don't want them to
have to wait" He closed with plea
to the men to lead upright, clean
lives" With peroration on the
beauties Of the Christian religion, he
asked, show many Of you want that
kind of religion?" Perhaps dozen
: hands went up. The purport Of the
sermon had missed fire, it seemed to
me. Perhaps these hungry men were
r thinking more Of shelter, food, and
the cold outside, than the beau
: ties of upright, Christian living
A prayer by the pasty faced organ.
ist closed the meeting. He too, seem.
ed to regard it as duty to helr
save the souls of his listeners fol
n his opportunities to God were al
I for THEIR salvation.
Il The business of serving had been
p by practice, reduced to a science
4 The organist directed the movement,
a Of the diners. The first served wa,
@ the front row which arose, marched t,
the rear past counter, where a til
cup of coffee, three weiner sand
), wich and bun were handed each
" After being served, they turned abou
. and retraced their steps to thei
. former seats. Thus there were tw
a files, one going to be served and tn
n other returning to their seats unit
'' that side Of the house had bee
g. served. Then the operation was re
% peated by the other side.
,e In my assumed role Of q hungr,
al unemployed worker, I was now ca
l. led upon to play a distasteful par
In the first place, / wore clea
ID white collar, new tie and wors
he of all, l thot, warm, new overcoa
IS which l felt as 1 rose to follow m
Of row, were altogether too conspiciou
in Besides had eaten all the breakfa,
er wanted. ] certainly was not era,
in ing weiner sandwiches, coffee and
IN sticky bun eaten out of my lap.
r. My conscience smote me, too. II
er grub I'm going to eat, thot I, SON
to poor devil is going to need. But,
ny concluded. III have to play thru
r. the end. I got my coffee, sandwit
ID, and bun and regained my seat Wi,
tn the aid Of the coffee and sustain,
W, effort I swallowed all but half Il
sr, sandwich. This is becoming tragics
NJ thot I, and / cast about as to how
dispose of the remainder. glanc,
a sideways at the Negro boy besi,
Dir me. He had hastily eaten and dral
lie, his portion. concluded there w
he yet a large vacancy inside his SKI
an. "Can you eat this" I asked.
nip nodded his wooly head and took I
,es offer. congratulated myself up
ly. my strategy and wiped the stickine
NO from my hands.
an, All had eaten, hungrily, greedi
mo- and now were finished.
!. vTnoe n c,o,..I f..... ..~..--l -