The New York herald., 1879-02-24
CHURCH OF THE COVENANT.

CHUKCd Ot The COVENANT.
While discoursing the Homes Of the New
York Poor" at the Church OF the Covenant, corner
OF Park avenue and Thirty fifth street, Rev. Dr.
Vincent aid-Because men discover that pestilence
is the result of ignorance. it not necessary that
they should jump to atheism. Religion must reit-
crate and emphasize the truth that natures laws
are Gods laws or she will fail in her work. The
church has done much in this city toward laying
the truths Of tho Gospel before the tene-
ment house population by the establish
ment of city missions and the dissemina-
ton of tracts. and we must say that the
result is pitiable compared with the outlay. The
ignorant and degraded classes Of which speak
ing not amenable to the influence of the Bible
Their nature perverted by the filth and squalor
in which they live that they not susceptible of
moral or religious influences. Among the forces
which assist in making manhood and womannood
the home Is the most important. who feels
happy, but q man who finds his home den of in
fanny and dirt becomes vndictive and bitterly
assails society for tho condition in which he lives
SUNLIGHT AND VENTILATION.
The only agencies through which the New York
poor can be saved arc pure air and sunlight. Nearly
half the population OF the city live in tenement
first built, there 2l,000 of these houses
in the metropolis to-day, Although the Board of
sanitary construction of these houses they are,
rule. erected with total disregard to the al
mission OF Ught ana ventilation. ply
scian visited OF the six story tenement
houses and found therein thirty-two rooms
which received their air from other rooms. Tho
halls of most OF these Ave and six story tenements
dark, nauseating and unventilated. Aud what
shall be said of such to be found in the
Ragpickers' row or Battle alley. the abode OF the
organ grinder ragpicker and sneak thief, where
men aud women herd together like animals: dens
which, TO use tho language OF another, only tornado
could ventilatc and second deluge sco,ir out. In
the most denscy populated portion OF London there
are not than 1i5,000 people to the uare mile
while In parts of the Fourth ward OF this city here
are 2y0, 900 to the square mile.
In this terrible STATE of affairs the little ones suffer
most it having been estimated that ninety per cent
of the children born in tenement houses die before
reaching youth. Herod, even in his rage would. L
believe, have shrunk from slaughter like this
oNE CAUSE ron COMMUNISM.
The communists mutterings which reach us now
and then up from this tenement house popula-
ton, aud IL wo not bestir ourselves to find n REM
edy tor the existing evils fear that We will find out
some day, in q way neither agreeable safe what
those tenement house people are. The remedy is
Christianity, but IL must found building associa-
tons as well churches; it must find better
homes for the poor 1t is work Tor COM
mon sense and women to undertake here,
as in other cities. Capital must be content with
smaller for its outlay, aud sacrifice the
souls and bodies OF the poor while reaping large
turns. In Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the condi-
ton of the poor hns been in this respect
crime has decreased twenty yhve per cent The qucs-
ton remains with the Christian piss of
this city. Is this horrible state Of things to exist in
our midst?