The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-26
BY ARCH STEINEL
Times Staff Writer
VXTHITEWASH curtains the
w brick walls.

w brlcK walls.
Lives, and hopes to end jobless-
ness, are whitewashed, too, at 222-
224 East Wabash street.
Bunked on cots and eating 31a-
cent meals-harvest hand meals
800 men live just back Of the city
market waiting for the rainbow
a job.
Two hundred fifty of the men
would be homeless, living in area
ways and river hutS in Indianapo-
lis, if it we're not for the Central
lodge of the Central Registration
of Housing Foundation.
They are the city's men with
out homes. The other fifty are
the vagrant waywards hitting the
main stems" of the country for a
nights lodging.
DUT this isn't a yarn of the
- Central lodge. It's a bit of
how the city's homeless have made
a home and how they'll fight for
it,
A man can pray at Central
lodge and pray alone.
One bearded old fellow does it
daily at meal-time.
He says Grace. And while the
words roll, the fork of a cot-mate
at his elbow rolls macaroni
mouthWard.
It's his business if he prays and
the other fellows if he likes
macaroni," vouches a former
marine sergeant and one of the
staff of the hotel for the homeless.
"Flop-house" is a fighting word.
More than one black eye that was
said to have bumped against a
wall-post was colored by a fist Of
one of the homeless, who objected
to an epithet being applied to his
home.
And they're buddies together in
their joblessness.
WHATS ones belongs to an
w other. Fags, precious as
tailor mades" were in French
sectors during the war, are split
in half. They double up on
cigars.
Each man carries a cot number.
That number entities him to two
meals day, books to read, use
of the recreation room, free bar
bering, baths and nightly medical
inspection (army Style.
For example, a man can't get a
book to read without pawning his
bed ticket for the book. When ne
brings the book back to the lib
rary, he gets his bed back.
Clean dormitories, segregation
Of races. change of linen weekly
and nightgowns are provided for
sleeping.
A bath is required of every man
before he goes to bed.
And you'd be surprised, but
there's rush to go to bed long
before GAS taps" said Paul H.
Moore, director of the lodge.
r t q
ZACH man must work three
IL hours daily for his bed and
board. "Deck-swabbing," window
washing and peeling 'Spuds" con-
stitute few Of the duties.
After he's worked the three
hours, he is permitted to leave
the lodge to hunt work or spend
his time as he sees fit.
Organized last fall, the lodge
lost but one article through theft.
1t was an overcoat, and I'VE got
that back" explains an attache.
College graduates, former sales
men, clerks, and every trade in
the union is represented in the
home.
And do they stick together?
For instance, there was Sam
Well call him. He left his son
in college when the falling stock
market ruined him.
Here, take all I've got, son, and
go on through school. I'll get by"
and Sam moved to the lodge. The
son thought he'd left town.
= =
THE son went to an Indiana
Il college. He'll be graduated
this year.
Every month or so he sees his
dad. Sam dresses up for him.
He'll be dressed up for him on
graduation day, too.
Sam hasn't job. He's hoping
for lucky break. How does he
get the clothes to see his son?
Well, you see they're all buddies
at the lodge and when Sam makes
his monthly visits they doll him
up. The marine sergeant donates
shoes or something. the dish
washer something else, somebody
chips in a Sunday toll meeting