The New York herald., 1870-05-01
ASSOCIATION FOR BEFRIENDING CHILDREN.
lErnm lhe Catholic world.l

cal workers among the poor, That there exists In
York pauper class nearly II not quite as destitute
ana degraded as that which IS found in the great
capitals oil Europe The are pc so us he who are
born IN this lowest s0cia stra um, and will never
rise + ON 1t without hep. Their lives Degin, are
passel aud nd in what seems 10 he hope ess degra-
iaion Tie porti rs OF the city where this class OF
Is population W II he found are those bordering on
.as rivers, On eter side extending as far north as
Fifty ninth street. Children bora in this class
nht rlI ne vices and diseases of their parents as well
d tLelr overly. TIE exAiLlt prec0ciy in debal-
;nery which no one can app eclae who has not been
)rJngli INTO contact with them. They inhaie with
heir flrst respiration fGtd atmosphere. Tnev
lave an instinct for vice and crime. Many Of them
IS ape the penatt es or the cinlina simply be-
cause tney are SO yong tnat the law overooks
lem. The, com into tie world with The cAld's IN
net 10 10 t. its parent as me source OF authority
and model for Imitation. THIS author ~ ls for rne
most part .erted to compel tue commission OF Of
len es. and tile model is dnished example Tor the
Coop ny with natural and ted tenuencles to
vice. it Is easy 70 sec with what fearful dity The
child viii DO driven ong IN evl courses. II edu a.
fioJ begins, as IS clane, with the IL st 0utcry OF the
infant what q aiming Is n iugufated mere
inere Is another ciass OF our popli itton, not
strict pauper class, but which Is raised Dt little
above 1t. The pei sons who COM ose Il earn scanty
living by hlu labor, and are exposed 10 ali the
temp atoms which beset extreme poverty. They
and their chiur are lett without care to suosisL as
best they may. These ildren, ualy with those OF
the class stun ow are need OF eysrytning Mhica
cily where more OF these litte 0aTcasls and their
wretched IA ents may be ound tnan IN any other OF
lual mems ons, Ii that bounded by Bank street on
the south, Slx,een d or Seven eenti street on the
north, the Ninth avenae alI he river Out OF TINS
section ST. Bernari paiisl has D. en- carvei and 1t
vas here tina u few mon hs ago. the small begin
mn was ma Q rom which the new orga lzatlon mas
sprung. On the IN day OF Sc gteaDer last a lew
Ladies met at ST. Bernarl's church 10 open an In lus
tr al school for girls Notice hat the school would
be commenced on tnat day ma besn gls en- In the
caureh on The SUNDAY prece ing. No children m,
at the hour ined, AM lie ladies', with one OF the
pllestS OF the PARISH, went out into the
lanes and alleys to compel them TO
cred cred in ~ the large Upper room in the chur
edlflce dullng Inc loreuoon. They rres nted pitt
1ul spectacle OF eXueine pover.y and degradation.
were, the lac s OF many o. ihem bore traces OF a
curse OF vice and crime IN VII ch sad progress mad
air ady been made. IL W cl ar rom this nrst days
experiment that tn re was an lns ant and urg mt
duy 10 be performed, IN aching md retaining
ch. dren OF tins class. The ladies' there ore res)yel
to hold the school on Tuesday and iay mornings
In each week, rom IN CO twelve O'Clock The large
room in the church was placed at their disposal On
the second school Say ,n my girls attended and the
nitude of lhs work which tn sse ladies' had, almost
u. consciously, undertaken bgan % dawn on them.
effort On thei part. Tie children were Ia need or
eve ything. Tney must be cl0tnel and fel. They
must be lenry lei away from eyI p actI es an
taught Tie ve.y alphabet Of new anu bet ef nv g.
few do.lals were coleCel at OaIe and ma erais for
c c.othlng purchase Garnels wyre cut O.t and
the children sooi taugnt 10 ass 8 In making them
needed. Tuis mas Ell conlinuei uniil every child
who has tended tie scloOl Las received q CON-
pee outh, Including new PAR Of lies. But tie
4 gris eane hungry as wei aud must b. led. At ne
close u lie school on ,acl day substantial meal
Was served; aud on Thanksgiving and Cnristmas
days &c erous dinners were gvea to 200 children,
for which tu Keys IN abundance were provided.
The first step N any efficient chari able work
among the destitute Is, OF course to provide
Tor iyslcal vans 8. We must begin with the bo iy.
First the nat lran aad "ailerward hat winch Is
spr taaL" is tie Divine GRE. The soul is to be
roa uad nlrn n Nv or ocIoc ~
unite ale Ine tw, that they are Dotn u tet upon
by the care bestowed upon e her The normal
diseised ami Tie iruitfu source OF 0us ndul-
genes. Tie hunger winch demands but cannot get
pro e. loOd VIII demand AMI get sus enance hu +
fu TO body and SOU. The lit @ Chi VINO eai eS
niseraD e shelter IN The m0rninr, o and hun y,
Wi spend the first penny essowe In a ana lty by
erran is for iquor at the command OF q trunk
parent where even enny Will buy what, flr the
moment, answers or both ood and clothing. Little
RS u twe.ve and even youn. er, have tOme to this
school IN the morn M whose 0iy breakfast has
been the liquor whien they ia BUY for cent and
With Children OF this class lhen, Tie first st TO-
ward moral Improvement Is the Sc 'f-respect which
the satisfaction whie h 10 lows meal OF wholesome
IoOd. This Il 81 step, however leads 10 the next,
iiiect fe ous ms rueiion; the 81 ne upon line and
pr cepl upon pee PIT by whicn the chlds soul Is
% be instructed and purified
1t Is hardly ne ,ssary 10 say that these children
lre vi tualy nea h ia the midst OF Christian CIV
They arr the offspring OF parens who,
for the most part are Ca ho.c 10 lame but who ma
So SAL ramen ems Of the Church M And iINy yet they
readily lake religious impressions, and are
which expand rapidly with patent teach NJ. 1t mas
been the practice At the school to spend little time
each mo. nng IN instFucting the girls IN tile cate
chiSm; In repeating appropriate verses II ScrlDtu e.
In committng simple hymns to memory ana singing
them In unison. The a les who opened and have
conducted this school for the past SIX months nave
achieved macnilcent results They knew when
they began that the savat0n OF these children tor
tn moral mprO cement comes by '.ittle and litJe;"
that sincere carl abe effort Is ever lost: that
nothing can be ost blt opportunities and that even
Will not fai. either Of its reward Or OF It's effect OF
good. So lar from being discouraged, WHAT has
already been &C 1Ompllsael wtL fmlled means and
III casual way has far ex eeded their expectations.
The work has been growing nn1er tneir hands from
The start. The Little company OF ragged girls, who
into SCI hoOi numbering one hundred and fifty, who
are eager Tor the instruction offered to ihem Tney
They show signs Of impro ement in every way.
Many Of them give unmstakable evidence OF having
new and use al ca eer. one girl who
" as found wandering In the street on the first day
was asked by one OF The ladies' II she ever went TO
mas; she said "No, "why notY'. said the iads.
ON being told by the la that she did not believe
she was so bad, the girl replied, her eyes filling
with tears, 'weI. would 60 II ! ma
we've been awfully knocked about since fatner died,
and mother says we're all going to hell. soul and
body" THIS Maggie ls now one OF the best and
brightest in the school, and efficient ass slant Of
the teachers. Others are emuiatiag her example. In
fact so much has already been done that the ladies
who commenced are iriesisib IDLY committed TO more
efficient prosecution OF the work. They see in 1t
poss bllities for good which DO not allow them 10
stop snort OF the more thorough organization which
they have attempted in forming 1.-The Association
for Befrending Cnilren." Thy feel that necessity
is lad upon them 10 make secure the good already
attained ana that they would 10 recreant 10 their
duty as Christians If they ana not 20
on to the more perfect results plainly
within their reach. Tie necessity OF such
an Organized charity has been SHOWN In the rough
outline which has Deen given above OF the desllu-
ton OF these children. NO outstanding al the
charitable associations for children, under the
names Of "Indusrial Schools" "Proteotorles,"
20 phan Asylums,n &c., thee are at least 10000
children IN he city outside Of any such Institution,
WI ose ne esstes are even greater than those within
them. In its circular the association says tnat tt
"Does not intend te relieve pa ents from ther Just
respons btty for their children slmpy because they
ale poor. Inc p ssesslOn OF children and the duty
Of rnatn tainlnG them are conducive among many
parents contending with extreme poverty to habits
Of industry and soDr But any one who knows
even q title OF the very degraded portion OF our
Ia aware that there are multltudes Of