menced to serve meals in true army style. How the
boys did enjoy it! Formerly they used to know the regular bill
of fare by memory, but now they never knew what was coming. The
instruction from the warden was to feed good; have everything thoroughly
prepared, have it clean and waste as little as possible. I have
seen many a meal served in the prison that would far surpass the
meals served for a quarter in the restaurants; and I thought of
the "bread line," in the large cities, and the poor in
our own city, and wished that all the poor folks could fare as
well as the boys at Lancaster. The Sunday dinner usually consisted
of roast pork, brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetables galore
in season. Coffee and ice water goes with the dinner. Let us hope
that the present warden will look alter the cows and install a
silo and have some milk for the boys. The following is a list of
dishes served in as much variety for dinner as possible: Roast
fresh pork, roast beef, meat pie, beef with
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brown gravy, New England boiled dinner, stews, boiled
and baked pork and beans, hamburger steak, beef roll, bean soup
and vegetable soup, boiled, mashed and fried potatoes, parsnips,
tomatoes, onions, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower and melons in season.
These vegetables are raised in the prison garden, are served in
abundance, and the men like them. However, there is no table cloth,
no cut glass, no china or napkins, and no finger bowl. It may seem
a little queer for the new corner at first but he soon gets used
to it. The dishes are passed around by inmate waiters, who will
not take a tip, for the reason that there is no money behind the
wails. If you wish for another piece of bread, hold up your right
hand, if water, hold up your cup, for there is no talking at the
table.
Dinner over with, the boys go to their
cells for half an hour's rest. At one o'clock the big whistle again
calls them to their work which lasts until five o'clock, then they
again
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