Mr. Gordon saw a little altercation between a waiter and a customer, the waiter demanding four cents while the man had but three cents. “But you should not have ordered food unless you could pay for it.” The poor man looked dreadfully embarrassed, at last he looked up and said, “Will you lend me a cent, sir?” which was gladly done.
Many who come only for the cheap meal are induced by the kindness shown and by the good music and bright lights in the chapel, to go in to the services. There some song, some word from the speaker, some devout prayer, touches the chord of memory of what a mother, a faithful teacher or almost forgotten preacher has taught years ago, and, backed by the Holy Spirit, a prodigal son or a prodigal daughter returns to the Father's house.
Mr. Kline reports the meals furnished in the Penny Lunch Room from May 12, 1912, to May, 1913, to be 87,856, at an average cost of four and one-third cents per meal.
was opened February 1, 1912, after the need was very apparent, and further neglect of this branch of work seemed impossible.
Never will I forget the day when I first called up Dr. C. H. Bowker, one of the leading physicians of the city, living on Massachusetts Avenue, near Thomas Circle, the very heart of the city, and told him of a man who had pneumonia, and of a woman in the shelter with a severe cold, and asked him to go to the Mission free of charge. I waited with bated breath for the reply. It was, “I am an exceedingly busy man, but I shall try to go within an hour.” Very much emboldened, I said, “Could you stop in once a day to see if anyone there has a contagious disease, or if anyone should be sent immediately to the hospital?”
The answer seemed very slow, and I fairly trembled, for our need was so great. At last he said, “Well, I have noticed if I put a duty on my daily program, I manage in some way to get it in.” From that day to this that blessed doctor has been at the beck and call of the Mission day and night; only God knows what a help and a comfort he has been to broken men and sorrowful women in that part of the city.
The February _Gospel Tidings_, of 1912, had the following:
“For several months we have had a house physician, and the use and need for him has steadily increased. The establishment of regular hours at which patients could see the doctor, and a proper place for consultation, naturally suggested the establishment of a dispensary. This appeared feasible to the Executive Committee, and Mrs. Monroe, Superintendent Kline and Dr. Bowker were appointed a committee to study the advisability of such an addition to our work. The report from this committee was favorable to the project, and active steps were at once taken to the establishment of a free general dispensary for the treatment of all classes of cases, or their reference, where necessary, to special institutions.