The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless ManAnderson, Nels
General
The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man
Anderson, Nels
Chicago (Ill.) -- Social conditions; Tramps
Since his discharge from the army, Brigadier Atkins has been in
charge of the four Salvation Army hotels for men in Chicago which
cater to the superior class of homeless men. These hotels are
operated on the usual Salvation Army business-like basis. The
policy is to make them pay their way, if possible, but not to
charge prices greater than the commercial hotels. It is the Atkins
aim to give all the service that is consistent with the price: to
keep the price as low as possible, and to keep the places clean and
orderly. He is insistent on getting clean, sober guests in the Army
hotels, and no apparently clean, sober man without funds need go
away. The contrary is said to be true by many “bos,” but they are
generally men who have been “found out.”
DR. JOHNSTON MYERS AND THE IMMANUEL PLAN
We have knocked out the heavy stone barrier which stood
between us and the people and placed in its stead a glass,
business, inviting front, bearing such announcements
as, “We worship, we heal, we clothe, we feed, we find
employment for those in need”; “Your friends are inside,
come in.” Between five hundred and one thousand people
accept this invitation daily. We are prepared to meet and
help them.
This is what Dr. Myers has done with a typical, forbidding,
gray-stone church, the Immanuel Baptist Church, at 2320 Michigan
Avenue. For twenty-seven years he has been pastor of this church,
and all that time he has been adhering to the Immanuel plan
outlined above. For ten years previous to his coming to the
Immanuel Church, he was pastor of the Ninth Street Baptist Church
of Cincinnati, where he followed this scheme of serving humanity as
well as God.
Dr. Myers is a practical religionist. He is bringing religion out
of the clouds, and has made it an everyday, functioning affair.
In his mind it does not hurt a church to have a kitchen in the
basement nor to operate a restaurant in the building. His church
serves an excellent meal for thirty cents. Many of the workers in
the automobile salesrooms and the students from the medical college
near by are in the habit of taking lunch at the church.
Most of the churches in the business area have closed their
doors, but the Immanuel Baptist is more conspicuous today than
ever before. The business men on the street are proud of it. They
contributed recently to help rebuild it after the steeple had been
blown down by a gale. The church does not serve its members as it
used to, because most of the families have moved away and now most
of its congregation is composed of homeless men.
Dr. Myers does not try to preach to the men, nor does he try to
use the material aid he gives as a means of coaxing men to become
converted. He does not believe in such conversions. He and his
staff have learned that the average homeless man cannot hold money.
The men who apply know this too. “Johnston Myers will feed anyone
but it is pretty hard to get any ‘jack’ from him.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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