The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1854-08-24
aflisteuanp.
New York and the Five Points,
Now and then.
tFrOm the Correspondence ef the Detroit Free Press
New YORK Aug 9th,

. New YORK Aug. 9th,
-'' Piety first laid
strong foundation, but she wanted aid;
To wealth unwledly was her prayer addressed
Who largely gave-Crabbe. ... y
In our last, we gave you picture of the
Brewery as it was when first explored by the
agents of the F" New York Ladies' Mission"
a place where cunning crime crawled away
to hide, where loathesome disease and re-
lentless poverty stored miserable victims
in short, where Satan held his unsightly pro-
tracted meetings the livelong year-such a
place ii pas. But be ours the easier, pleas
anter task, to tell you of the change that has
come over the place, and how the evil gen.
ius of the spot has been bereft ofpower, and
brighter spirit become its divinity Here,
in this place, where, three years ago, MUIR
derers and thieves, were alone at home,
where Dot even the bravest man dare 60 un-
armed, we now see we'll dressed, respectable
ladies going about on their errands of mercy,
unprotected and without danger of molesta-
ton. . ... 1851. ...- ..
At one house, we saw one whom we were
informed was the widow of distinguished
divine and former President of an Eastern
College, woman unused to sights and
sounds like these, administering comfort and
consolation to an unfortunate one of her own
sex, who, fallen from her estate, is now dy-
in this wicked place, where even her pray
ers are lost in the ever-ascending murmur Of
groans and curses.
Again, we saw "Sister Of charity with
her ostentacious hood and cloak, gliding so
gently from door to door, looking in SO
kindly with her pale face, that though un-
protected, except by her trust in that Pow
er which is ever strong to save the holy and
the pure, the most abandoned would not dare
even to speak disrespectfully to her, should
they have desire to do SO, which we are
sure is not the case.
Here is sight, then, which we would have
sectarian bigots look upon-cne which an
gels may look down upon and rejoice-two
gentle, benevolent women, belonging to
the two great church divisions of Chrsten-
dom. Professionalism and Catholicism going
almost hand in hand without discussing the
tcnets of their respective beliefs, and with
out exasperating and perplexing themselves
about heterodoxy and orthodoxy, doing kind
ness in true Christian Spirit-tendering
mercy and comfort alike to the sick and dis
tressed of every sect and every belief. They
are examples which many of our political
clergymen may initiate with great honor and
credit to themselves; for it does seem that
true philanthropy can render itself much
more practical and effective here; that gen.
uine charity" which vaunteth not itself and
is not puffed up,"-can exercise its tender
offices here to much better advantage than
it can in composing treasonous resolutions
against law and order, or even in construct
ing dctative appeals to Congress on Ne
braska bills. Truly; if, by some enchant-
er's power, the miserable denizens of our
great cities could be transformed from suf-
feriag white men, and women, and children
into fat and staggering negro fugitives,
Greeley, and Seward, and Garrison, and
that ilk, cold almost wear themselves away
in good deeds, and abolitionism and fanati-
cism might almost have a surfeit of the great
work which would spread out before them.
But the misfortune, O.. having been born
white excludes the pauper and the lener
who infest the purleus OF New York, from
the magnificent charities of such excellent
and christian men, and it was not through
their influence or assistance that we are en-
abled to contrast the old Brewery as it soas
with .r ... ..rl ,..tt
t. THE OLD BREWERY AS IT IS. s.. .-s
Where it was there now is Mission
building, in which there is a chapel, twenty
rooms for reformed families, two school
rooms, and the residence of the Missionary.
The school averages hundred and fifty pa
rentless pupils, the year round, who are fur
nished clothes and tuition gratutously. Thir.
ty-fve per month are sent to good homes
found for them by agents of the mission, in
the country. Beside the day school, they
have Sunday school, and at this, and the
preaching in the chapel, they average, adults
and all, a weekly attendance of three hun
dred and fifty. The parents Of the children
at least who call themselves such, are also
furnished with clothing upon their signing
the temperance pledge andpromising amend.
ment. In this way during the last year, one
thousand were induced to leave off strong
drink, and the majority, we were informed
by Mr.. Lakin the Missionary, remained true
to their promise, and the results are highly
beneficial. A. new building is about going
up, which will cost from eight totem thou
sand dollars, making, with what has beenal.
ready expended for the site and the present
building, very nearly forty thousand dollars
And all this has been brought about, not by
an unwieldly benevolent association, but by
the quick, electric thrill Of individual exer.
tion. Single-handed bepevolence, personal
efforts, have produced this, SO magnificent
aud benign result. rs 3aT H9s-a:
All honor then to the noble women who
conceived the idea of reforming the Five
Points of New York-who have undertaker
and accomplished Mission which sternsrner
T canId povar bava suceeedediin svb;ch recn;r