Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-06-16
CHURCHES AND THE pooR.

CHURCHES AND THE POOR.
John the Baptist sent two of his disci-
pies, from his prison in Herod's castle on
the west side of the Jordan, to Christ to
ask him If he were the one who should
come (the Messiahl or whether John and
the waiting ones Of Israel should ''look for
another" Jesus's answer was: "Go and
show John again those things which ye do
hear and see: The blind receive thir sight,
and the lame walk. The lepers are
and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up. aud the poor have the Gospel
preached to them" This last phrase shows
the elimination of Christs personal work.
OF ali the great things he did for men,
while among them, on the earth, the great
est and best of all-was not the curing Of
diseases OF the raising of the dead, but the
of the good news of the for
giveness of sin-so that men might be at
peace with their own conscienees and with
God. But, let US bear in mind that the
healing of diseases and the feeding of the
the people and the comforting Of those in
trouble, accompanied the preaching of the
Gospel. and were part of Christs work.
and, therefore. undoubtedly, part of the
work which he committed to his disciples
when he commanded them to go and teach
and disciple all nations, and to all of his
followers to the end of time.
What, therefore, is the duty of the church
.rl th.a ha N oil lizadp
For the unevangeiized, as class, in civil.
lied countries, are usually poor, or so to
large extent. What is Christian church
for? We have, in Springfield. organized a
half-dozen new churches during the past
year, and we have done well. But these have
been located in communities in which 1t is
hoped to build up local support. What
has been done in the neighborhoOd of east
Columbia and Harrison and Rogers streets?
Are we to plant no churches in these vicin-
ities where they are so much needed for
the help of the people, simply because we
cannot hope that they will prove self-sus-
tanning?
The responsibility of eultivating this
moral field-and the whole of it, and doing
the work thoroughly-rests upon the Chris
tian churches of Springfield representing
several millions OF capital and an aggregate
income, to their individual members, of
several hundreds of thousands of dollars
per year. 1t is quite true that much has
already been done. Two Christian men
Mr.. Ross Mitchell and Mr.. John II. Thomas
have given us a fine hospital, and Others
have established and are maintaining, with
aid from the city council, the Associated
Charities system. Others-among them.
Mr.. P. P. Mast, Mr.. Ross Mitchell,
Mr.. William Foos-and others,
have given largely to build churches
and chapels. But with all this,
and much more the details for which we
have not the requisite space, there is much,
still to be done. before Christ's plan for
men is fully applied in Springfield.
We have seen nothing more suggestive
in this line than sketch of the history and
work of the pastor and people of Union
Chapel" in Islington, London. The work
of organizing an independent union church
was begun in Islington. then suburban
village, early in the present century. In
1s4s the Rev. DR.. Henry Allon. who was
for twenty years editor of the British
Quarterly Reuie,c, and was for two years
chairn:..lI of the British Congregational
Union, commenced work with Union
chapel, end it has now so fine and CON-
modious a church edifce that it is known
as the Congregational Cathedral. But the
significant thing about the enterprise is
that il is not what it is in itself or what its
pastor and people do for it that makes it
most popular and honorably famous. 1t is
not what Union chapel is but what 1t does
that makes it known abroad. Let us see
how ii breaches the gospel to the poor of
London. 1t has three great missions. host
described in the Qtaper, for
July, published by Messrs. Cassell & Co..
1o4 and 10e Fourth avenue, New York.
.'The oldest of these missions" I'VE quote
from the Q,tiUeTl sis at New Nicol street,
Spitalfields. 1t commenced about the year
1895, in an effort to relieve the needs of
the silk-weavers of the neigborhood. The
condition of the district was wretehed in
the extreme. A dense population of seven
was crowded in New Nicol street,
Old Nicol street and Half-Nicol street.
I'm this district the mission was estab-
lished. and quickly it grew. Room after
room was added to the two rooms in a
weaver's house first taken, until at length,
in 1866, large school chapel and new
school rooms were built, at cost of f5, 900.
Further additions were made In 1881, at
cost of 81, ,S7S. Two thousand children are
now in attendance, instructed BY 120 vol
untary teachers. Almost every agency OF
a benefcent character is carried on here
Christmas treats and summer excursions,
clothing and burial clubs. boat and barrow
club, industrial exhibitions and flower
shows, sewing-classes and music-classes,
mothers meetings, coffee-rooms,
band of hope, infant nursery, gymnasium
and penny bank.
.The effect of the mission is truly won-
derful. At one time well dressed man
weuld not have cared TO have entered the
street unprotected; now dozens of young
ladies go to their teaching in perfect safety.
During the terrible times of the cholera
epidemic the mission buildings were used
both as hospital and dispensary. In periods
of great distress they have been the center
of relief. Thousands of quarts of soup. and
of loaves of bread, have been
also coalsand blankets. Large
fires have been kept burning for poor,
creatures to come in and warm
themselves and cook their bit o. food and
dying infants have been brought in to be
nursed by the genial glow. Such things
are in the half-century's record of this
noble mission; yet, with all its work, it
-. oko,,t r4nn raor