The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-08-07
A REMARKABLE WOMAN.
How She Founded the Scandinavian Ter
perance Sailors Home in London.

How She Founded the Scandinavian Ter
perance Sailors Home in London.
One of the best known among English
philanthropic institutions is the Sean
dinavian Temperance Sailors Home in
London, and one of the most interest
esting biographies of the century would
be that of its famous foundress, Agne.
Hedenstrom.
Left an orphan when quite younl
child, she was brought up in the house
of wealthy relatives in Upsala, Here
she was petted and INDUCED to the last
degree.
Let the child have her own way!"
said her friends. s'She has no parents,
poor thingr'
All her pranks were overlooked, and
she grew up animated largely by the
desire to enjoy herself and have her
own way. Still sense of dissat;sfac-
ton would make itself felt in her life.
She was not quite happy, though she
could have given no reason for her de-
spondency. One day, however, she
listened to an eminent Swedish preach
er, and then for the first time became
conscious of the religious element lack
ing in her own life, and of the fact that
she only needed to fill her idle hours
with thought and labor for others. She
began preaching TO her countrymen in
the North, where no woman had been
allowed to speak in public, first address
ing small meetings and then vast as
semblages.
For fome years she continued this
work, becoming at last persuaded that
it was her duty to 60 as a missionary to
India. But while in London, awaiting
an opportunity to engage in work
abroad, she was impressed with the
great need of laborers among the poor
in East London. She began preaching
to them in the streets, and it was there
that the sound of her own language
broke on her ear, half-smothered or
inarticulate. There homeless, drunken
Scandinavian sailors were ensnared by
the hundreds, in horrible pitfalls of evil
For two years she worked among the
sailors, preaching and persuading.
She still shudders at the recollection
of her first address to some of her coun-
trymen, at place called the Strangers
Rest. Twenty drunken sailors had been
collected in this room, and, alone and
trembling, their countrywoman adj
dressed them, while they shrieked and
blasphemed. One after another, they
became quiet, until the whole company
was finally subdued. Next evening
they came, bringing some comrades
with them, and it was not long before
Scandinavian lecture-room was per-
manently established.
1t was some years before Miss Heden-
strom could raise sufficient funds for a
larger establishment, but in 1880 the
Home was founded. Of this Miss He
denstrom is sole manager She CORE
spends with the members of her COM
pany, when they are abroad on yoy-
ages, receives and invests their money,
and aids many Captain in picking out
his crew. Beyond all this, she super
intends the "boys' who are Temperate
ly on shore. For their benefit bed
rooms are kept in order, meals are
served in large dining-room, and
plenty of space is provided for them to
pass their leisure hours amid books and
newspapers. In short, the Home is an
immense boarding-house, though of
course it can not be entirely self-sup-
porting, some of it's patrons being quite
destitute.
Miss Hedenstrom says of her charges:
81 have never yet had a sailor among
the five thousand that have been in this
home who has returned from it to his
former haunts; and, thank God! there
are at present good many deccntly-
dressed men among the Scandinavian
sailors in London, whereas, when | be-
gan my work, there was not single
one of all that came under my notice
who did not look ragged OF slipshod.
II can do little to raise funds; but
never yet have [ asked anything i'll vain
from my Heavenly Father"
1t requires strong character for y
work like this. But this woman seems
to possess it, and to owe to it the fit
ness for her calling. - Youths Compaa-
| ION