Religion: Cross Bones

Near St. Mark’s is Luchow’s restaurant. Last week it was the scene of a great dinner—mock turtle soup, roast chicken, ice cream. Among the diners, besides Bishop Manning and several judges, were “The Millionaire Kid,” “Sam the Scratcher,” “Hotel Bill,” “Little Gyp” and their friends. They are members of the Marshall Stillman Movement—all of them bad men and bad women who, in spite of having gone to prison, have decided to go straight. They presented the Bishop with $100, every dime of which had been collected from people whose Vater-land had once been the Underworld.

In an after-dinner speech, the Millionaire Kid, dressed to his name, was reported as having said: “When a guy gets out of de jug, society don’t give him a tumble.* Dey rubs de welcome off de mat. Dey tink he ought to be punished all his life. Why, dere was a guy come out of de jug only four days ago wit’ ten dollars in his pocket. Nobody gives him a tumble, but he’d been tru’ college and been to medical school. I asks him what he wants to do an’ he says he wants to study bugs—dat’s nuts—and I’ve just got him a job at Central Islip. Dat’s because I’m in de Marshall Stillman Movement.”

Said the Bishop: “

I wish I could tell you how greatly touched and moved I am by this gift. I can say this—that of all the many gifts that have been made to help the building of that Cathedral, this, to my mind, is the most important and the most significant, and it will be a very sacred part of what goes into that Cathedral.”

* Chance