The New York herald., 1871-02-06
CALVARY PROTESTANT EPIscopAr CHURCH.

The Peri's os Great Cities-ssrmon by Rev.
ii. G. Potter, ID. d., In Behalf Of the House
Of the Good Shepherd.
About four years ago the House OF the (,sod
Shepherd, an institution for the care and Christian
culture OF the 0utcast and vagabond children or
this CITY, was established under the auspices OF the
Protestant Episcopal Church. 1t Is supported
chiefly by voluntary contributions and subscriptions
and church collections Last evening Rev. DR..
Potter rector OF Grace church. preached sermon Ia
Its behalfin Calvary Protestant Episcopal church. on
Fourth avenue and Twenty-fr street. His text
was Second Corinthians xl., 28-'In perlls In the
city"-lhe subject being the pers Of childhood in
large cities. Paul had been driven from cities by
mobs and roughs; but he always returned to them
again, and we have his own record that he spent
three years In Ephesus two in Corlnth and TWO or
more in Rome, and planted churches In them all.
He was himself city native, and lie recognized
their value The varied and diverse streams OF
moral lie centre In cities; the intense controversies
the sharp contentious which are found only In
cities have their uses. II is customary to underyalue
clties to hold them upas
PLACES or CRIME
and the home OF every foul thing. 1t was formerly
the practice OF papers, secular and religious to de.
cry places OF amusement as tending to ruin city
people, until some one after careful examination de-
monstrated that even the very lowest Of those places
are supported mainly by country people. Paul did
not undervalue cities; neither do we. What battles
for truth are fought In them: what discoveries or
science; what match csS SACRIFICES FOR everything
good and true and noble are made In cities! They
are conspicuous for robust manhood,
as et1sninate. They demanded vigorous action, and
the man who cannot jump IN and keep Up with The
rush Of thought ana of business is left behind while
his fellows move on. Out OF the complex pressure
or city life springs prompt acton, manly courage
% generous charity, deep sympathy. They are nour-
al M in ha
country, whore wealth abides AMID green fields.
the finest Illustrations Of true religion are to be met
GRIP OF THE MASTERS HAND
ana holds on to the blessed fact OF living Christa
real and mighty Is the help It thus implores. Til.
spiritual nDres Of men here acquire nexipIty and
frmncss by meeting with temptations and trials to
which the soul Will not succumb. There is Chris
tian her0fsm which cannot be found anywhere but
III large cities. But II all this is so, some one will
Of the Good Shepherd has assumeds WHY take per-
sons from the city to the country? This opens up
youth IN large cities. 1t does not follow that be.
cause cities are the best places for and women
Children Here We the younS bran lpr
we oveTwork the young body and injure the young
soul. The
are great enough even In good homes like ours.
But suppose that what hundreds OF chiiaIen call
that sacred word what 1henS Here are rooms, eight
byften feet. in which whole families are huddled to.
cency-homes where father and mother, sister and
brother, husband ana wife, stranger and friend lie
down together IN one common filth; where the
woman suffering III travail Is jostled about by men
drunken and besotted; where there Is no separation
between birth an1 death, but both meet a common
lot There are homes in Christian lands Where the
horror OF darkness atil ai1rghts us. Here is
woman with seven cGiidren-a boy OF teu years
naked, and an infant III The cradle IN rays, aud
there Is group OF dirty, impish beings who swear
and crack ribad jokes at you as you enter. ASK
them what they know of God and OF his dear Sen
and they VIII
STARE AT YOU WITH ABATEMENT
or mock your klndest words and intention. We are
sitting within Little more tnan stones throw OF
snch scenes where boy twelve OF years tries to exc
out iying by manufacturing iucifer matches during
the day and thieylpG at night where another OF thr-
teen or fourteen, confirmed drunkard, reels home
In the evening and beats his widowed deserted
mother, who enteebled with work and want Is nm
able to resist MIN, aud where the gir or seventeen
mas learned 10 lie aad steal until she can do bo.h
better than she can do any thing else. What shall
DO with them I Take them In our arms OF faith
and pr yer and patleDce and love- ana rear them up
Tor the Master. But this cannot De done by taking
them TWO or three hours week to the top Of Murray
Hill and etting them breathe the pure ar there and
then return them to their damp, dark and dismal
homes In somo tenement garrci OF IN some
where the rising tide of the sewer rousv- ~. ,a.,o
ones from their slumbcrs aud c0mpes them TO seek
safety in night. They must bc taken away wholly
iron such homes and placed in the country where
they shan have pure air, healthy employment
cleanly and comfortable bones and CHRISTIAN train.
ing, ana where tine dficulfy OF counteracting the
wicked Influences OF the week by the good lnlu-
ences OF the Saboath may be readily overcome. i
This problem has been eectuaily solved by EDlail-
ucl Dekaib In his home near Hamburg, that 1t s
no new experiment. Unless something OF the sort
is done We shall go increasing criminal clas,
until they VIII utterly cverwhelm us. Inyestig
greater IN the United States than anywhere else.
He therefore urged generous support OF the House
of The Good Shepherd for which collection was
altefwaru taken up.