"Broke," The Man Without the Dime

"Broke, The Man Without the Dime" by Edwin A. Brown is a social reform story from the early 1900s. It's about the struggles of people without homes or jobs, told through the author's own experiences researching their lives in different American cities. The main idea of the story is to push for cities to create "Municipal Emergency Homes," which would offer important help and respect to people in need. The story starts with the author explaining how his experiences in childhood and the loss of his father, shaped his caring heart for the less fortunate. He talks about how seeing homeless people in Denver made him want to check out similar situations in cities like Chicago and New York. Brown makes it clear that homelessness is caused by problems in society and ineffective support systems. He uses this to emphasize his plan for real, compassionate changes that would bring justice to those suffering.