Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-08


 be temporary, as particular evils may call for the united action of citizens These organi cations may be semi-political, calling for the services of good citizens irrespective of party, and as such they have claims peculiarly upon Christian men who realize that intelligent and careful municipal government is one of the first necessities of our approach to the idea of the Christian city. Occasion may arise for co operative work under. the laws for the sake of the weak
 or in behalf of public morality. It was not
 an unbecoming act. for instance, when a cer-
 tain church. contributed to defend poor
 vonnan of its membership against an unjust
 and iniquitous prosecution. It is well to have in city which we would make Christian
 some organization which can be used when needed to prevent crime. Such 6 society has been active in times past in this commu-
 nity, and it still keeps up it's organization,
 watching through an agent the results already
 gained, and holding itself in reserve for any future calls upon it's services in behalf of | temperance and public morality.
 My classification compriseb, thirdly, all so- cieties which are devoted to special classes or particular wants, excluding organizations for general missionary and exclusively religious work. Of these societies there are eleven or twelve worthy of mention. Among them include the present form of temperance or ganization, the Good Samaritans; and, also. as concerned with the welfare of & particular class, the Young Mems Christian association. There are nine general benevolent Societies which have secured a perrnahent place in the confidence of the community. Of these five stand out unmistaksbly as distinct works which the Christian city may well cherish, viz, the orphan asylum, hospital and training school for nurses, the dispensary and, in com
 mercial port, the Seamans Friend society with it's Bethel The others should be scan- ned with friendly eyes to see if further con soIidation and simplifcation is possible.
 With regard to the society for the support of kindergarten, aud of the day nursery. and of the additional day nursery proposed for colored children, would simply drop the question whether these lesser, but not unim- portant charities might not be provided for in connection with some other organiz 4tion, as also the needed diet-kitchen, and some effort for the instruction of young mothers among the working-classes. I psss now to the four societies which are established in the devotion of the Christian women of the oity. The United Workers, as it's name indt- cates, has already comprehended under one organization several branches of Christian work, It provides for a boys club, an en- ployuent bureau for women, coffee house, and a work of relief among the sick poor, and also friendly visitation to the almshouse. l am confident that no one who cherishes in his heart the ideal of the Christian city could have been present at their last annual meet ing and listened to the business-liks reports of the several departments of this society, without being thankful that here is a society which has found way to bring the Chris tian minds and hearts of Christian women into helpful contact with some of the real wants of human life. This society has proved it's right to enter in and possess large field of Christian usefulness, and 1t should be made an organizing center for other benevolenoe
 Three other societies under the manage naent of Christian women are in the field; viz the Ladies' Protestant Industrial society, a society which has been convenience to many as well as help to some needing the finer needle-work it has distributed; and also the Home for the FriendIess, and the Young Women's Christian association. Theoretically these are all branches of what might be generally comprehended under the title of women's work for women. Practi- cally, as these organizations have grown into separate societies. it might not be possible to simplify the confusion of our charities by further consolidation among them. The kinds of work undertaken by the latter two could not properly be conducted by the same methods and under the same roof. The Home for tha FriendIess has undertaken to provide for 8 too rare Christian charity under the sum- and though it's special work tasks the faith and love of Christian women, It has justified their devotion to it by the fruits of some purified and saved lives which 1t has already borne The Young Womens Chris tian association has before it work not ex- ceeded in importance by that of any other society in our midst. Possibly in the purchase of it's Home 1t began with too large a draft upon the faith of the community; those, however, most de- voted to it would be slow to admit that any needless step was then taken; and certainly the most generous and manly criticism upon this mistake, if mistake it was, would be to holp 1ali r-ol SoA from any further embarrassment attending that purchase, and to aid them in entering wholly upon an aggressive service in @ direc- tion in which womans devotion and woman's Watchf.lress are impeTatively needed in a city which employs, as New Haven does, an army of girls in it's factories and shops. This society, may add, offers some valuable op- portunities of usefulness to educated Chris tian young ladies who may wish to gain in their lives the happiness of ministering unto others. and not be condemned by wealth and fashion to the restless unhsppiness of being always miuistered unto in society.
 Among the forces helpful in building up the Christian city should be recognized all industrial appliances and educational enter prises, like our Young Mems Institute; but as that is not properly a benevolent organization, with this word of recognition of it's place in the Christian city, pass now to the review of another class of benevolent work. I include under this separate head any organizations for city missionary work. When vas permitted to go one Sunday evening with one of the most prominent pas tors in the city of New York, in company with two of the merchant princes of his con gregation, to partske of the Lords Supper in one of the poorest quarters of the city and when ny eyes were permitted to behold those men off ring he cup of Christ to persons who had been saved, some of them from the 1okE oF faIk k6ak &6nk of theirs was given the key to social problems which are ominous, and for which the politi- cal economist finds no solution in his science. Christianity is the truth of democracy robbed of it's poison of error; real Christianity goes down to meet those w3nts of modern society which, if not reached by the healing virtue of Chris ian love- shall surely prove fever spots, even upon our sound American political constitution. Those tired Christian merchants acted from no motives of self interest in that sacrifice of Sabbath evenings quiet rest in obedience to Christs com mand that we should seek his guests ID the hedges and the b5ways; but more than they thought, they may thereby have been securing for themselves and their feI- low citizshs the blessings or quiet lives, and protecting the wealth of a whole community from the danger of some sudden kindling of that popular discontent which lies shoulder ing beneath the order of the modern city. Such Christian deeds are the best police ser vics which can possibly be rendered and vigorous, missionary Christianity is the best security of the property and the peace of the modern city.
 What have we among us then to nae ct this demand upon the makers end builders of the Christian city? I am not speaking now of the particular mission supported by indi Eiduel churches. One of the best works, for instance, which this church has ever done, is the moral improvement of that portion of the city surrounding our Lebanon mission.
 have in mind now, however, the genera organization of our Christianity for home evaugeIization. We have as 8 matter of fact two ndenominational missionary organiza- tions in this city; each doing it's own work in its own way, each having it's own friends and supporters, and between the two the churches as rule feel themselves particu- larly responsible for neither of them. have been asked heretofore to urge the claims of both the City Missionary society and the Gospel Union upon your favor and support and being persuaded that no money given to either organization would be wasted I have done so nor has the amount which has actually been contributed by us to either of these societies been sufficiently large to occasion any anxiety about it's expenditure It seems to me, however, that it need not be so impossible task as some who have be- come discouraged in this work think, to in- -,ak,,. .a1I,