New-York tribune., 1922-11-19

Une character is an adept at three trades,
all OF them paying high wages. today, but by
skilful manipulation he has succeeded in being
out on strike for The last four years straight
running. Another was an expert accountant
until left legacy Of few thousand dollars. :
When he sobered up few months later he
round tnst mis- eyesignt mad been impaired oy
alcohol He lives ON the Bowery and gets by
on lunch jobs from day TO day, but for the last
twelve years he has insisted that the first time
he gets the price OF pair of glasses and a
front he will get good position in his former
profession. One Christmas Eve while on his
way through City Hall Park he found little
wad Of bills amounting to more than $50, more
than enough for his glasses and clothes and
to tide him until his first pay day. His
quest Of years was ended and he took drink
to celebrate. He recovered consciousness next
morning in the rear OF an Elizabeth Street
muscatel joint, his pockets rolled to the last
cent, but his optimism still intact.
81 almost made the grade" he boasted,
"snd it's just matter Of time until / get
there yet"
Strange as it may seem, optimism is not un-
common, nor is discomfort 20 widespread rs
might be supposed Most of them criticize
the govewnner. and thngs in general, but
whenever an I. W. w or Boishevist begins to
express himself too radically there are always
a number ready to call his hand.
For the most part they live in lodging
houses, the cheaper hotels and flop houses.
Some Of these places, by the way, have names
somewhat out of tie ordinary. On the Bow
t1y thee is the Puritan, in the East Twe1ties
the Olive Tree Inn ana the West Side tho
Leap for Life. When broke they sleep in the
parks or on trucks in warm weather, or IL
raining or cold they may use some doorway
or even ride the subway or "L' all night for q
nickel, their sleep broken by the necessity of
changing trains now and then. There are the
Sally and the and also the Dump, the
Municipal Lodging House is called--always
pronounced municipal, with the accent on the
third syllable. The latter is free, but rot
highly favored, for frequent guest may draw
a stone yard ticket which entails a little
work on the Island. There are places even
cheaper than the dormitories, in which men
may sleep on the floor for few cents, and
there formerly were eating houses in which q
10-cent order after midnight entitled the Gus
toner to the privilege Of sleeping with his
head on the table until beakfast. Being with
out lodging Tor the night is still called carry
ing the banner or carrying the stick.
Such clothes they buy they usually get
"down on the Bay" in the neighborhood Of
Bayard and Baxter streets. There also is an
open air mart in which there is trading on the
curb, as it were, in almost everything. For
few dollars a man is able to get surprising
values in suits and overcoats and no matter
how poor his clothes may be it seems that he
is always able 80 find some secondhand shop
which will accept them and in return give him
little money and suit still worse, the lat
ter being universally known as "reievers."
The matter of food seems to be of little
consequence. Moat Of them think nothing at
all Of missing meals frequently, or postponing
them as they prefer to speak OF it. Except
in the hardest OF times they can fall back on
lunch jobs and banquets without much diff
Guilty. Most of them have acquaintances
among the countermen of lunchroonls where
short-checking is common practice. A Gus
toner slips the counterman few cents and
in return he punches the check for 10 or 15
cents in place of 80 or 40 cents worth of food.
1t was thought that the end of the free
lunch four or FIVE years ago would deal
death blow to the blown-in-the-bo hoater,
but he possesses a faculty of adjusting HIM
self to conditions, and does it apparently
without taking overmuch thought about the
matter During the hardest season, immedi~
ately after the war boom, one oldtimer was
asked what he thought of readiustment, and
he returned in all seriousness;
What race is he in?''
It is not roseate existence that he leads
and he speaks disparagingly of it himself. AZ
times he admits frankly that he detests it.
But with equal frankness be may admit thas
he detests work even more.