Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-01-16
Correspondence.
A Noble Work of Charity,

Christian Association OF Boston. on ac-
! count OF not holding the "Evangelicar' be- |
lief. Out OF this grew the Young Mems |
Christian Union. 1t led very qniet exis
tence for some time. until Mr.. w. II. Bald |
win became its President. Under his en-
thusisstic and able management it grew
fast and enlarged Its usefulness greatly.
Six or seven years ago 1t moved into one |
of the most elegant buildings in Boston, |
erected for its use by the gins OF its many
merchant friends at a cost of about two |
hundred and dry thousand dollars. Just |
as the Union was well settled IN Its new |
quarters. the hard times came on and |
caught !: with a mortgage of nearly one |
hundred thousand dollars. No great anx- |
ety was felt about this, however, and the |
interest was promptly paid. Still Il was not |
pleasant thing to have about the house. |
Great was the Joy Of many. therefore. when |
fortnight ago II was found TINT Mr.. |
Joseph B. Eaton. who had recently died |
and who had been a member Of the
Union, had bequeathed TO 1t eighty thous- |
and dollars on condition that the remand |
er Of the debt should be paid in six months
| This proves an easy matter. and the hearts |
OF the young men on Boylstou st. are en-
joying the New Year most vigorously.
The aim Of the Union Is not so much re- |
ligIous. (Which is lett to the churches a
their bu,iness) a. practical. II tries to |
draw ia homeless and frend,css young
b.r h., bai and
give them what Is better than they can get
on the street. the use Of 4 library, reading /
room. gymnasium. bathroom. aud amuse-
men,. OF quiet order. An employ meut |
bureau does good service Oncc a month |
a social meeting IA held In the Hall, with |
music aud readings. Every Sunday even
ing 4 religious service l. held there, and
from time tu Tine practical talks on mat
ters OF business are given by men who
know especially whereof they spesk. Ia
summer. walks aud other excursions To
noted places are orgauiz'd In short. al
most everything conceivable is employed
tn interest young men ia better things than
they are Iiab." Ia meet With elsewhere. and
to raise the tone OF their lives. The Union
has The entire confidence Of the practical
business men, who know from daily ob>rr-
vstion what good II does to the three or
four thousand clerks, saiesmen. &c, who
make up IT, membership.
Around the Onion have grown up some
/ charities which do no, concern young men
especially. One department furnishes rides
I To iuvalids who would otherwise never get
/ ioto the fresh air. Another operates an
/ employ ymrut bureau for women. But what
! "i-h especially To speak Of now, though
( hsv" been long time getting to il, j. the
< New Year tree for poor children.
F Il Ms ny privilege to 90 with the chief
. OF tie truint officer, 10 distribute the iuvi-
tati"n-. We went into the worst district
4 OF the cuy. the Norrh End" between
I North, Hanover, and Salem streets. Few
/ people know what wrefched novels and
I tenement houses are TO be found here, or
/ how human beings swarm In their filth and
( darkue-, 4 narrow alley Will lead "a out
I OF broad and busy street into a dark court
surrounded by houses. Here on each OF
q
sx. seven, or more living in two or three
+ rooms each. At one place we found moth
er aud four children getting what they
called breakfast in room sxlO and all
! five had slept in one small bed IN another
/ room a small. In another house was a
I family Of three, man sick with congestion
I OF the lungs, his wife. and fearful old
woman. whose age was past reckoning and
whose appearance past describing. In Yet
4 another. though it was then eleven O'Clock,
( the family were just getting up, having
/ Kept IN bed TO be warm. There wrre
| young mau half crazy from an accident TO
J hi, head, hard looking young woman. hi,
! sister aud an older woman. all soggcd
! with liquor, IA most miserable BABY, and
/ boy whom we were to invite to the Union.
/ There was but one window, half the sash
/ OF which had been broken out ia row,
evidently recent. The broken stove had no
/ fire, the floor no carpet, and broken dishes
/ and furniture, and general disorder and
! dirt aud stencil combined to make an ex-
! prrcncc not pleasant to the rare visitor.
/ The most iorlorn sight wa, that OF boy OF
/ perhaps eight who crawled out Of a bed OF
/ literal rags a. We entered, haggard, old Of
I face. thin. and hall clothed His mother
/ had gone out to work aud had left him
/ alone ia the dark and foul room To pass the
4 cold day aS best he could. Sights Ike
! these met u every where "a We threaded
barrow ALLEYS aud stumbled up dark stair
cases. Sometimes We could see attempts
at cleanliness. pitiful indeed, b-cau>c they
only showed OF the inevitable dirt more
plainly. But generally the hopele,sn, OF
| life takes the spirit out OF such people, and
they give themselves up To things as they
come.
The one pleasant thiAg was 10 see the
faces OF the children light up as they came
to know our erraud. 1t was to he bright
spot in the year TO them. IL meant some
thing good TO eat Tor once. something pret-
| " to get aud to bring iuio the dinginess OF
| home. We felt sure they would all be
thereon time, and with clothes darned and
faces and haiI we'll cared Tor.
On "Wednesday sfternoon by half past
two. Union Hall had nearly four hundred
boys aud girls in its seats, their aces all
agl,w with delight and expeetatio and
| turned eagerly towards the stage. Wide
awak. they were, and when a little negro
baby was carried up to the front they fairly
shouted in the iun. Through the overture
by violin and piano they stamped the time.
They held their breath as the little play
went on till Santa Claus came down the
chimney and was caught by the children
of the house who came running out in their
nght-gowns. Then the uproar was re-
markable. Then came violin music, a solo
BY lady. and a kinder symphony which
they insisted on having again, ard had,
| while they beat time With their feet Then
the curtain rose and the Tree appeared.
Such chorus of ''oh's!'' and "ah!'s, Ii
seemed like the misery OF the whole year