The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-06
CITY INTELLIG ENOE
[For Aldilional Cilv InteLtqence see Ei hM ia, el

Families:-In formally relinquishing my labors
and appeals on behalf oil Soldiers Families l
owe il to myself and TO those who have so
lberally aided me in the work, to make few
bIief statements of acts etc., in the form of a
report.
work ~ is most natural inquiry
"HowY PIT met him on the street in rags II
looked at him pleadtngly from pale, hungry
faces. He walked with 1t through the narrow
streets and alleys, and up the rickety stairs, and
sat down with 1t IN the lonely garrett
There he saw the soolers widow, wife,
orphan hungry, cold, naked, and he wrote what
he saw--bO, all he saw-and sent it to TIE
EVENING TELEGRAPH and the Press, and their
readers sent aid through him to those needy
cases. This was in 1864, snce which time we
have been quietly, my wife and self, doing all
the good we could to the bodies and souls Of the
poor wives, widows, orphans OF those brave
men who fought and bled and died for us, for our
country.
In the summer of 1865 when glorious victory
had crowned all our armies every field, and
our brave boys were marching home ward, re-
turning with bounding hearts to wives and
children, to motherssand sisters he wrote that
the winter of i65 and '66 would be more severe
on soldiers families than any winter during the
war (see EVENING TELEGRAPH, August %, 1865
and the Press and Presbyter5dn OF about the
same date) He urged prompt measures to be
taken to furnish immediate aid to meet this
emergency. He could not close his eyes to two
conditions of soldiers iamilies:-First, the wives
and widows of soldiers thrown out Of employ
ment by the suspension OF Government work at
our arsenal. Second, the withdrawal Of the
relief money furnished by the city while the war
lasted. And, he might add Third the soldier
returned yet unemployed.
He saw all this last summer, and declared to
our citizens what its effect would be on these
families during the present winter.
The winter approached and the destitution in
creased. In the meantime the Soldiers and Sail
ors' Home, and the Orphans Home, had been
projected, and our citizens had poured their
thousands into their treasures but there was
want still unmet, still unprovided for to any
great extent. That want was immediate aid for
the cod, the .haugry, the naked in their own
homes. He suggested several plans to our citl-
zens, by which this want could be met, but no
society was organized for that purpose. The
only one in existence for the relief of soldiers
families was the Ladies' Special Aid" in con-
nection with the Sanitary Commission. This
Society has been in existence almost since the
commencement OF the war, and from personal
knowledge he can speak well of its operations
and the amount of good it has accomplished.
Amid these surroundings the question pressed
itself hourly on his mind, demanding immediate
answer and action, shall he longer continue
Few OF the readers of the City Pastors" ap-
peals were aware that he was pastor of respec-
tab.y large congregation, witn very large and
useful field of labor around him. This caused
him to hesitate undertaking another work, the
magnitude of which, with its increasing de-
mands, he could clearly foresee. The wants of
hundreds lay before him. The appeals of hun
ger, etc, he can never resist. Two years expe-
rieDce hao digested system to his mind, which,
if only in operation, could accomplish all that
was needed So he yielded TO the appeals of
suffering humanity, and gave himself wholly to
the work.
Our method of supplying the wants of these
families, and appeals on their behalf appeared
in several of our daily papers about the close OF
last year. and the responses from our citizens, so
long as these appeals continued, were encour-
aging, liberal, and praisew worthy. The appli-
cants increased in few weeks from thirty to
one hundred and fifty per dav. Everybody sent
eue7ybOdy to "Clty Pastor' for aid. House at
first crowded. Rented store-that and pave
ment crowded. Rented next large hall-this
crowded also.
Three OF us, with two distributors, are doing
the whole work. Hundreds of recommenda-
tions are received weekly from our clergy and
laity. Hundreds of sad, heart-rending cases are
heard scores OF appeals are laid before the pub
lie, money, coal, clothing, food are literally
sent us; our little machine, managed by three,
with two attendants, works away, steams on dur,
ing the day, and to one, or two or three O'Clock
every night, preparing steam for tomorrow.
Every thing works we'll A letter is read from
some respectable, responsible citizen, declaring
that the bearer Is known personally to the writer
that she Is a soldiers widow, or wife, or mother
cts. is worthy and needy, etc. etc Immediately
her name and residence are registered and he1
wants supplied. An order is issued on a store
or she is supplied with provisions from our owp
depository across the way, or with coal and cloth
ing, or all OF these as the case requires.
We never hold ourselves responsible for the
character of the person or family aided The
responsibility rests with the individual recon-
mending.
Thus the work goes on. Thus the families OF
our brave men are kept from starvation; and
thus, not without an occasional admoniton,
runs down the physical, mental, and ministerial
machine. At last like one awaking from O
dream, we find we have been Serving tables, ;
exhausting to all but disaster our mental anC
ministerial life and strength in work not very
closely connected with the ministry our whole
time was spent in teeding and clothing the body
To save mind and body and ministerial useful
ness from total wreck only one course was left
tito relinquish at once the work. There
was no alternative, none. We had made The
effort not without tear; the work progressed fal
beyond our most sanguine expectations, but tht
machine had too much to do.
Here are the statistics OF two M Ouths work.
Families aided, 5000, or 10000 individuals. Re
ceipts 5000 pieces of clothing, Isl tons of coal
$46Os'64, and about $500 worth of food an(
groceries
Estimating the clothing at an average of 8
apiece, and the coal at $40 ton, the sum tota
in cash of receipts for two months, is $40, "a
Comparing his books, and including unpait
bills, the treasury is found to be overdrawl
about $400. 1t must be remembered that thes
statistics only commence about the close of tn
year 1865, and embrace only two months. Tn
work done before that time being, to grea
degree, private, is not included in the above. A
that time "City Pastor" came fully before tn
public and the above statistics therefore onl
done, moneys, etc., received and expended bC
fore December, 1865, are in the same book, an
VIII be reviewed and reported on by the Supel
visory Committee.
The expenses including rent OF store and hal
and shelving for clothing, etc., will not amour
TO more than 5000. While for labor expende
there is only one charge OF $50.
M, s1.a n1a .E ~ M