Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-02-05
EV ENING STAR.
Report OF tho Aid Society Of the District Of
Columbia, for the quarter ending January
~. 1883

Columbia, for the quarter ending Jsnua,
| 81, 1853.
| The Financial Agent has the plsasur
OF stating to the public that the success
attending the efforts of the society, not
withstanding some obstacles thrown i,
the way, is, on the whole, very encour
aging. Our early efforts met very littl
opposition but in the progress of tn
work, our success has been sufficient {.
awaken the jealousy of such as set S,
high an estimate on their own systems
and so low An estimate on all others, q
to be unwilling that any good shall b,
done unless it is done under the contro
OF the denomination to which they be
long. Whilst the members, generally
of each denomination except one, favol
our work, there is here and there an in
dividual, in most of them. who is op.
posed to it; and whilst the members O
the denomination excepted are generally
unwilling to cooperate with us, we are
happy to find some exceptions in this
case also. In the allusion to sectarian.
ism in our last report, it was not in.
tended to be understood to charge all the
opposition to that denomination. ever
though some persons belonging to it
seem to be influenced by motives of pe.
cuniary interest, as well Is denomina.
tional hostility. Our application for the
house formerly occupied as . naval hos.
pital, is resisted because family vouId
gladly continue to use it rent free, though
all the children who are growing up in
ignorance and vice should be neglected
till they become heavy burden to So
ciety, and the poor continue to suffer
till they sink into their graves. We
wish to obtain it for educational Dur.
poses, and for temporary home for the
deserving poor till permanent places can
be obtained for them in families. where.
by care and various other services. re.
| muneration, in most cases will be made.
Some who are unable to pay their rent and
purchase sufficient fuel, foe d and clothing
for their health and comfort, will be able
to lay up something for future need. Our
object has been misrepresented and eff.
f)rts have been made to induce q belief
that we wish to obtain it for q different
purpose; we have sought to quiet any un.
easiness that may exist, by specifying the
purpose to which it is to be appropria.
ted. We have permission from the Nayy
Department to hold Sunday and evening
schools in one of the rooms, and large
boys, not belonging to the schools, have
been encouraged to make disturbance,
obviously for the purpose of preventing
their usefulness, for the double object Of
self.interest and sectarian hostility. All
these obstacles have been so far over
come that, in the opinion of the teachers,
as well as many others, great good has
been done. Some large boys who were
very disorderly at the commencement,
have become important helps in encour.
aging others to do well.
Another Sunday has been tenn.
porarily obstructed by . trustee of pub
lie schools. Much surprise has been ex-
pressed, and when he becomes ACQUAINTED
with the sentiments of the people on this
subject, that public school houses should
be used for no other purposes, it is be-
ieved that he will withdraw his opposi.
ton. Not being able, at the time, to OBJ
tain another room for that school, we
merged it, to some extent, in the school
at the old Naval Hospital. But the chill
dren whom we collect have generally a
strong attachment to their own locality.
and backwardness about going to the
schools in other places, and we have
since been fortunate in obtaining another
room.
Since the date of our last report, ar.
rangements have been made for a Sun.
day-school in the vicinity of the Center
Market but finding that the Methodist
brethren, who have one in the vicinity,
were willing to receive into their school
the children we might gather in, we
deemed it better to unite our efforts with
theirs, so long as the room is sufficient,
than to set up one that might carry the
appearance Of a spirit of interference or
collision. The children who have come
in are much pleased with the school.
Arrangements have also been made for
school south Of the Eastern Branc b,
and one in the northwest part of the
city. This will increase our number to
nine.
We have carefully avoided any inter-
ference with other schools, and have per.
suaded q good number of chilpren to Join
them, being desirous that they should
attend somewhere; but we regret the
necessity of stating that we have not met,
in all cases, with like treatment. Be-
sides the cases already referred to, two
young men who rendered us some assist
ance, one at the Point and the other st
the Park, soon became very anxious to
change the mode of teaching on the mis-.
sionary plan, and place them under the
control of the denomination to which
they belong, for the purpose, as they &C.
knowledge, of teaching their doctrines !;
and when reasoned with, that il would
turn away all who do not prefer their
system, they replied "such as prefer it team
come, and others can stay away" as
though making few sectarians is of suf.
ficient importance to justify throwing
obstacles in the way of all the rest. Our
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