The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-04-18
BREAD LINES FEED
HUNGRY THOUSANDS
THIS PROCESS OF CHARITY is
NO LONGER A NOVELTY
IN NEW YORK CITY.
ALL KINDS OF MEN FED DAILY
Foreigners and Americans, Malcon-
tents and College Men Seek Susten-
ance. Department of Public Wei
fare Exposes Graft.

AoAC 41ApOo<S SAAoAN
NEW YORK, N. Y.-Bread lines
have not been an unusual sight in
New York for the past FIVE months,
and the coming of spring seems to
make no difference in the length of
the lines at the various charitable
headquarters serving meals to the I'M
employed. Out in the middle west the
sight of hundreds of men lined up
from in the afternoon until waiting
for cup of soup or coffee would be
a strange sight, but in this city no
one pays the least attention to the
double lines Of weary and Disguised
men surrounding coffee boilers and
sandwich wagons, where free feeds"
are provided.
Recently less sympathy than usual
has been shown for these men in the
bread lines because of exposures made
by the department of welfare. 1t has
been found that many apparently
worthy charitable organizations have
hired some unemployed men, giving
the name of "pan-handlers," to take
places in the lines. This gives the ap-
pearance of rushing business to So
cieties not ordinarily engaged in dis
tributing free meals, and so enables
the organization leaders to ask the
public for more donations. This inves-
tigation has resulted in falling off
OF numbers in the lines, so that now
the men standing for hours waiting
for their supper are really in need of
food.
ST. Marks in the Bowery and the
Little Sisters of Mercy give meals abb
soluteIy free to 200 men each day. St.
Marks serves supper, and the Little
Sisters society gives lunch at noon.
ST. Andrews coffee stand gives coffee
and doughnuts any time of day for
l cent at each serving, while the Bow
cry Y. NJ. C. A. furnishes a good meal
to men with just a nickel
St. Marks edihce occupies the old
est church site in Manhattan, the
ground having been part of the farm
owned by the last Dutch governor,
Peter Stuyvesant. This historic asso-
citation accounts for much interest in
St. Marks, but the famous bread line
of the Bowery connected with St.
Marks provides much attraction for
every visitor in New York
Coat Sleeves Are Napkins.
EVERY dIlcIuOOH dpOul y ClOCk l1CA
of all types and nationalities make
their way to St. Marks. They stand
in line until 6, when church settlement
officers begin distributing food. Every
supper is practically the same, but
there is plenty OF it. The men get COT
fee, piping hot, in big, thick, white
mugs. Sometimes sandwiches are sub
stituted for rolls, but usually the men
are served hot soup, rolls, coffee and
cakes or cookies. AS soon as they eat
their share they start over again, and
go back to the coffee boilers and trays
of rolls until not a drop or crumb is
left Usually coat sleeves are napkins.
One night, when the wind was blow
ing over all Manhattan so that fur
coats and warm stockings were seen
everywhere, | visited the bread line.
At 5 o'clock, when most New York
ers were crowding subways to reach
home without getting too cold, about
800 men stood in line waiting for their
night meal The wind whizzed around
the corner of the church, and the men,
unprotected in the church
square, walked back and forth slapping
their hands together to keep warm.
One man, with snow white hair
and white beard, just the kind of
man seen as a grandfather" in pict-
ures, wearing rubbers but no shoes.
Another breadliner had on big
of holes. He explained
the holes: 81 found this coat down
near the battery an it KEEP me warm
till one night / spent at the municipal
lodging house. They fumigated my
duds of course, an the stuff ate holes
in my coat. So when you get your
Easter outfit don't spend your nights
in that jail"
There were sullen, dark Italians,
Slavs, Russians and mixtures" in line,
some showing by their talk that they
were well read and probably had fair
Other men muttered to
as they waited to be fed.
Most of them were dirty, unshaven, in
need of haircuts and clean clothes, but
all without job or pEice to pay for
such ''luxuries."
College Men in Line.
Two men seemed different" from
others in line. They tipped their hats
whenever their places on the side
walks interfered with the passing of
and girls, and when little
boy fell down as he passed one of the
men at once ran to pick him up. Both
men were graduates of a college,
and had been drawing good pay
until the slump came in their particu-
ar business. They had shoveled snow,
put that job didn't last forever. "Oh,
WE'LL" one of them said, spring is
coming, then we can get jobs hustling
dirt in the parks-at least enough cash
in that to buy shaves and baths"
By 6 o'clock 567 men waited to get
their plates of soup and rolls. Then
the church doors opened three men
wheeled out wagon" stacked high
with dishes and food, and dinner was
on. Round and round that wagon the
lines went, and with warm food the
men became more cheerful and friend
Iy. Between gulps of soup and chunks
Of bread there was whistling and talk.
Finally the last roll was eaten and the
coffee boilers emptied.
Then the men started off, probably
the most of them to linger around that
section until the 40 o'clock free feed
Of coffee and rolls" at the Chinatown
mission. They did not all go without