The New York herald., 1874-07-27
THE MISSION TO AFRICA"

Scenes and Pictures OF Sunday Exercises
fn a. Thompson Street Slum.
Abutting on the west side Of Thompson street,
inst above Broone about twenty-five feet apart,
are thei gable ends OF two long, low, danE and
dingy rows of tenement houses. The yard that is
enclosed between Them extends backward about
$50 ieet, and another row OF houses at the rear
encloses it and forms an Irregular paraelogran
dirty brown painted fence separates the court
from the side walk and two doors IN this fence fur
nish egress and ingress to tho inmates OF the
place. 1t is the filthiest and most dsreputaole
yard In the city without any exception and it
is familarly known in the neighb0rhood and at
the police precincts as "Airlca" Squalid poverty,
reeking filth and disgusting crime characterize It,
Its three or 1our hundred inhabitants are com.
posed OF the worst specimens OF negroes and
Italians Every scrimp little box OF an apartment
is redOlent OF contamination and vcrmin. The
NANCY dogs that infest 1t are meaner specimens OF
the canine race than are elsewhere TO be seen and
their leisure time Is entirely occupied in vigor-
ousiy scratching themselves and in rolling un-
easily over and over in seemingly futile
the itch that Is irritating and eyasperating them.
The hens and rOosters Of ''Arricar are the most
lean and degraded deg fowls tnas ever dsgraced
two sentrybox looking privies and It's central and
pervadlng gutter, are sickening and horribly dis
lever, and however existence under such con-
ditions is possible is one oil those sanitary prob
lens 1t is Impossible to :. comprehend. That
New York city for single day is burning
disgrace to the sanitary. authorities. Into this
reeking yard, at nve o'clock yesterday afternoon,
hall dozen modest, plainly dressed ladies and
three pale faced. overworked men entered. Two
benches were placed close to the steaming gutter
ana fronting the rlckctty wooden stOOp Of the
southern row OF yellow tenement houses. The
gentlemen mounted n lhe stoop, the ladies' occupied
children OF every shade OF color from Whitley
brown to greasy eb0ny-barefooted and bare
gathered round. Half-dressed women and drunken
men leered from the open windows OF the court,
Every window had Its occupant. There were
white women beside negroes, aud white children
or nearly so, beside colored children; there were
women 10 SOLDERING inebriety, exposing them
selves indecenty; there were women dsgustingly
suggesting lasc!vlousness, and there was one ven.
erable white fraud, with snowy hair, who was
and who, evidently feeling ashamed of himself,
kept Tor the most part prudently out OF view. 70
THIS audience OF embodied crime and mscegena-
tOn the nine members OF the
NEW YORK CITY MISSION
addressed themselves. The ladies', with feeble
and dlstras'lul voices, first essayed the hymn be.
There is fountain filled with blood
Pcnr'd from Immanuels veins.
Then the leader Of the exercises made little
address. He said he was tho bearer OF good
news; tina. he was deputed to declare to them
glad tidings OF great JOY.
Rock OF ages cleft for mel
was then feehly piped, after which the sublime
chapter OF Isaiah. commencing, 'fIo every one
that thirstcth,' was read. Then Brother Hall-a
well-lookmg, emotional young man-made a
nervous impassoned appeal; then moro singing,
a!icrnated by addresses fired Tor the most
pars over the heads OF the hearers. There were
parties smoking and drinking and cursing in
every portion OF "Africa" during the exercises.
With three exceptions neither man. woman nor
child exhibited any interest beyond vulgar curios-
ity in the prayers and addresses. The singing was
dismally dnil; tic addresses seemed to fan short
OF the mark, possibly because in such q crime.
stepped den II was impossible Tor human elo.
gucncc or human pathOs to hit 1t. Surrounding the
TWO Thompson street doors OF the yard during
the proceedings was miscellaneous crowd OF
loalcrs OF botn sexes and OF every type. There
were lew timd, respectable old men, but they
did not enter further than the doorway. On the
hOusetOps opposite dozen coiored women were
perched nauntily dressed and immoral IN look
and action Altogether the scene was one OF extra
ordinary snggestivenes5 to which language can do
but feeble justice. There was not touch OF humor
IN it, 1T was ghastiy, gloomy and horrible beyond
description. Next sunday afternoon the exer-
cises will be repeated.