Show i t f M Y Problem e The Sad Case cf a Professional Man With a Prison Record Who ho Was Out of Work at Fifty Years of Age in New NewYork York City 1 r I r i J 4 r r J If 1 f W it lf j r. r f c 1 1 w Frn V F I A N r S V w J Rase Jut Just out of prison nearly sixty tars irs old and looking for tor a job In la work York City What did the Oie find It t man inan who writes th this remarkably S g study for this magazine found tt t New York was willing to forgive i crime but coUld could not forgive iris bis ITS The e writers writer's identity must be kept kep t secret cret If It his name were printed would be bo recognized by thousands fore ore his hie conviction ten years ago be Ore 1 been for twenty-five twenty years a pro- pro man of ot high standing sanding in New rt rk City CUy Ho He was author of many ernes and an authority in certain f inches antes of his profession proCession or six years In Sing Sing Prison he heIs hea Is a 5 editor of the Star of Hope His fe previous to his conviction was ono one unusual struggle and achievement much the type of of- life late which is s sofen sol so solea l lea fen n held beld up as an inspiration toung to WIg nag Americans At thirteen he was office boy At nineteen he hc had tad pre pre- red himself for lor college and paid his hisa a a 1 way through earning every dollar spent Ho He taught bookkeeping in business college tutored boys bOj's in ebra and geometry sold books was Vas reporter on a daily newspaper and ander er a short story writer of at some Such a man you might rik would have no difficulty makin making d 1 anywhere Read his story stone and andrA rA A HAIRED GRAY APPLICANT OW shall a man more moio than fifty I Low years old who ho has been In pris- pris r obtain employment hat lat is the question to which I had find an answer late in in iu oember t And what follows Is s tho the story how bow I sought work t I took an account of at stock I 0 in cash The rent of the room I occupied was paid e week e r. r week in advance I was in good I slit aIth as active as most men of I r i ib ir r L f r r b l L I T 1 Twenty nine y-nine nine breakfasts from a i cent package of corn meal mel e anty c and full of or energy I was L' L graduate who had been l LIf toed ed for a profession mentally alert Viable able to adapt myself self to conditions lid ad some ome knowledge and experience talde of ot m my y profession ProCession as wIll apar ap ap- ar r later Iota that should I thought though open 3 door OOt of ot opportunity to me That Rial al was the credit sido of the ac- ac unk nt On the debit side the big items re e age an and d p prison ten prison rison- rison ten tea years of or It t- t td 4 4 d to J my ay Q am amazement I found that was was vas the greater bandl handicap lp l I r earlier carlier years I 1 had compiled complIed and i IT r d more marc than a score core of 1 mal books for several years I was 1 e ir r of ot a Periodical and before belore that Cud d 1 r saved a suet brier apprenticeship on a daily paper And so I decided to seek seck a job on a a. newspaper My decision was made on a a. Monday y and during the next five days I 1 in interviewed in in-I thirteen editors Five of I them I 1 believe were in no position to add to their forces One I think too took k an Instant dislike to me Tho The other r seven I 1 am sure could have hayo given me employment but did not do so because of ot my age Nine of ot the thirteen told mo me candidly that they preferred young men and one said eald ra rather er brusquely with an attempt to smile that took none of or the sting o out t of his words You know a man over forty ds junk and ought to be chloroformed We Wo cant can't use you Good-day Good My prison on record apparently had nothing to do with my rejection Because Because Be Be- cause it seemed right to me to do so I told every one of or it and the information information information tion called forth foith such remarks as Its s real decent of or you to tell me ne n Youre the kind of fellow Id I'd like liko to help and A term in prison is an in insurance insurance in- in against wrong wrong- wrong doing for aman a aman aman man of at your Jour intelligence I had realized the need of or work at atthe atthe the beginning of or the tho first week I felt It even oven more keenly when another week opened with a record of or fruitless fruitless fruitless fruit fruit- I less effort and a lighter a purse urse for a background I Now said 1 to myself I will seek work of a kind which surely any ono can get get get-as as a canvasser Books Dooks insurance and real estate 1 I passed by because being practically without selling experience I had ad little I prospect of making an immediate success success success suc suc- cess as I 1 must In t two to o days I 1 visited at least three dozen establishments which sought salesmen or canvassers I was offered a job selling show cards so BO besmeared that I could have dIsposed disposed disposed dis dIs- posed of them only after dark with dark with the lights out or I might havo tried to sell perfumery that was little else than colored water in fancy bottles aluminum ware that shouted tin Un whenever er one piece hit against an- an other neckties that were cre cheap and looked cheaper at least a dozen other othor kinds of shoddy or defective merchandise merchandise merchandise dise masquerading as something bet bet- ter Finally near tho the end of the second day I obtained work ork as a canvasser caU to obtain members for an in association I was as to get gel a guaranteed salary dependent on my success from day to today today today day and I 1 was assured my earnings would amount to four or five dollars a day before a 3 week yeek passed With seven se others I worked for six days under a crew manager In that time timo I talked or tried tiled to talk to more than 1500 persons I climbed so SQ many stairs that at night I dreamed tho the world was one grand staircase Only two members of ot the crew were more successful than I. I My Iy pay for six days' days work was out of ot which was deducted for carfare That experience convinced me mo that if I 1 were physically able to Wield a pick and shovel I 1 would prefer work in a sewer trench to canvassing I understand bookkeeping and am familiar with modern methods of ac ac- counting So I 1 decided ed to look for tor such a vacancy I T answered in person person per per- son Bon two thirty advertisements for bookkeepers In no case did I reach the point where mere It was necessary to tell of my iny im imprisonment or furnish references In perhaps a third of the tho cases I was told that the position was filled At least twenty of those to whom I applied said they wanted young men I r can set type set type though not as rapidly as tho the average compositor I 1 am fairly fairly fairly fair fair- ly skilful at stonework the stonework the putting of type into chases locking up the forms and getting them tiem ready for lor the press I answered an advertisement for a 0 aman aman man to do general work around round a wages 9 9 I told the Uthe boss what I could doNo doNo doNo do No he said shaking his head we uwe want young men Three other applications for similar jobs met with practically the same an an- I ha have e read and corrected a a. great amount of or proof Ten times limes I asked y I L tr i I 1 I want a young man the chef said for for employment as proofreader Twice I 1 was barred because not a member of or ofa ofa ora a union Three times I 1 was too late Five times I learned an elderly man was not wanted men I got half a days day's work addressing addressing addressing ad ad- dressing envelopes In five hours addressed envelopes earning sixty cents I 1 walked tho the length of an avenue ave ave- nue nue nue-a. a di distance of five miles and miles and entered entered entered en en- every store and b business place on one ono side asking for work and found none Time and again I was told with varying verbal changes Wo We have no work for an nn old man or We Wo employ only young men men ment Then camo came the tho big bis snow storm Early the following morning I spent nineteen cents for tor a snow shovel and descended upon a residential neighborhood neighborhood neighbor neighbor- hood going from house to house and offering to clean the stoop and side side- wak walk waK I got got four jobs during the forenoon fore fore- noon two noon two at al thirty five cents and two at twenty The physical effort I must admit exhausted me So I gave my shovel to an old man who appeared to be poorer than I. I The next day long before 7 A. A M. M r. r I 1 Iwas Iwas was going from restaurant to restaurant ant where advertisements stated they wanted dishwashers In the tho next three or four days das I visited more than a a. score of ot restaurants A few had secured se se- secured se- se cured washers Generally I was told I was too old Too old even to wash dishes I said to myself Once I was referred to the tho chef chor I went Into the kitchen Three large washtubs were piled high with soiled dishes Without looking up the tho chef cher said I want a quick young man But I 1 protested I I can work as rapidly and do as much as any young oung man Let mo me clean up those dishes and it if I dont don't make good you wont won't owe me a cent No n no was the tho reply cant swear at gray hairs Get out outI And I got out And so It went everywhere Ago Age was wasa a hurdle I 1 could not jump My 1 prison experience may have o been a barrier but In all my m- search I t found only two men who would admit that It was For six weeks I looked for work work- work of or any kind that a a. man not ac accustomed accustomed accustomed ac- ac to hard manual labor could do and still I 1 was unplaced I had bad walked during that six weeks more than miles In my search I 1 had done dono everything I 1 could to get work except seek the aid of at my friends and relatives That I will win not do My Mp search was never perfunctory Hunger is js an urge to work that will speed on the tho most lethargic I knew what hunger was During those six weeks I spent just for tor food rood On I Ionly only three occasions toad had I taken dinner dinner dinner din din- ner with friends How did I live Jive on such a sum Gum A package thirty six thirty six ounces of ot yol yol- low corn meal at twelve cents and a n pound of sugar costing eight cen cents provided mo me with twenty-nine twenty break break- fasts Standing on a chair and holding holdIng holding hold- hold Ing a tin kettle of or meal and water over the ga gas jet in my room I mado made a hasty pudding or mush A can of or pink salmon cost eleven cents and wa was sufficient sufficient ut dent for three meals A ten cent can I of beans mado made two dinners ers A nickels nickel's worth of herring berring or Of bologna served for two meals A ten-cent ten loaf of ot bread one ono da day old was obtained from Crom a bakery a n. mile mUe from my room for Cor seven cents cents and and often otten for several days Jays in succession bread was my only food What t is most remarkable to me mc ia is that I have haTe not suffered in health At I. I times I 1 have been almost strick panic en but never have I lost courage and andI I am confident that I shall shaH yet climb perhaps not very far but still sun some some distance up tho the ladder or of success In Iu Inthe Inthe the darkest hours I have havo enjoyed living liv Uv- living ing and there h has been pleasure in the fight oven cven when defeat seems seems almost I. I crushing My problem is my own I will solve It But what about tho the American business business business busi busi- ness man who so 80 often otten treats with disdain disdain dis- dis dain the experience larger knowl knowledge and riper rIver judgment of the tho man advanced advanced ad Ild- In years Is it not time that he realized that lIr fifty years of living Jiving and learning have havo a va vl lue ue that J la is not noto notto to o be bo despised |