Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-01-15
LIES MIDNIGHT.


tered straw all over the room in his
great rage.
LIES MIDNIGHT.
"And good luck to him!" muttered
the old woman as we went down the
hail. "If We have another apple roll it
into this room here, for it's little enough
the children get to eat.' 4 rt.
A family of nine packed into a room
twelve feet square along with an old
stove, bench to serve as table, heaps
of rags to lie on, and two old chairs +!
Two of the children lying sick and
grooming, two hiding under the bench,
and the others on the roof in the rain to
eat the apple! The garments on the
whole of them would not weigh five
pounds. On second heap of rags lies
drunken husband-the form of man,
but the face and feelings of brute.
Not a handful of food in the house-not
mouthful of food on the shelf, and
night drawing down with its gloom and
despair. If there was ever woe and mis-
cry and wretchedness in a human face
/ saw it as that wife and mother looked
up. If there ever was abject poverty
and starvation worse in one form than
another it was there. The husband a
brute, the children wolfish skeletons
fuel gone-food gone-hope gone-the
future darker than the winters night
falling down upon the great city, why
didn't the woman walk to the open win
dow and fling herself down upon the
flags and end all? -1.t
Is sWhy don't you do it'll asked as l
looked around the room again and saw
more of its horrors, and after a long
time she answered.:
60 There's the baby over there, and
he's only year old!' .f -.
-. Down in a heart scared and SCARED
"a heart which never has bright
hope or CLEAN of sunshine-a heart
wearied with poverty's battle, there was
the love of another! That stood be-
tween her and leap to the stones 40
feet below; that love kept life in her
body. yNs f.t-fs5 80, Ft1.f...-.
The sun never enters this room to
drive out the shadows and light up the
dark corners. The pale-faced mother
and these wolves of children may now
and then catch a glimpse of the blue
sky of Heaven from these old windows,
but it is only to strengthen their con-
viction that Heaven is for the rich alone.
No bird of song ever rests on these roofs
to utter glad note-to sing thrill of
pleasure into these despairing hearts.
Did these children ever see green grass
and pansies and violets? Never! Talk
to them of hills and meadows and brooks
and groves and they could not compre-
bend. This dark room--this wicked
and poverty-stricken street is their
world Beyond it they never go.
Over the house-roofs-over three or
four narrow streets, wherein dwells such
wretchedness as pen seldom writes Of
/ see tall building, and across its face
is the sign: ....,.
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY,""
This hungering, starving woman has
had that sign before her for months and
years, but when / ask her if she has
Bible in the room she, shakes her head
wearily and answers: Il4e f.ri.
"They never come here!"
Was this drunken husband ever
child? Was this starving wife ever
girl with song on her lip and hope in
her hearth Do one of these skeleton
children ever repeat the Lords Prayer.
or hear of Heaven? Was the word of
God ever preached in this old houseP
Was hymn ever sung under this roof
L turn from the great Bible house to ask
the white-faced wife these questions,
but it seems like mockery--like taunt-
ing one whose grave has already been
dug. She has her face in her hands,
and tears are running down her long
bony fingers. The child wolves, six
pinched and starved human beings,
stand in frontof me and wait for bread! |
Four blocks away is the American Bible |
House. just around the corner there is |
bread!
dark up there, :. and IN conduct you |
down to the grand front doour Them |
big loaves of bread will be the first the |