The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-08
WORK OF THE CHURCHES
UNITED EFFORTS IN THE UN
SECTARIAN MISSION.

A Glimpse at the Children of the Poor
Who Assemble in the Sunday Schools
Rev. Mr.. McKelvey Discusses "The
Law of Liberty"
Quite large number of people climbed
up the Humboldt Hall stairway from the
heated sidewalks of Newark avenue yes
terday afternoon to take part in and look
on at the services held under the auspices
of the Unsectarian Mission of Jersey
City.
The Salvation Army singers and two
gifted ministers who had promised to be
present disappointed the Mission-the
former owing to an accident and the lat
ter because of funerals in their congrega-
tions.
Mr.. M. Senderling, of the Wayne
Street Reformed Church, however, opened
the meeting. Mr.. Henry Thompson, of
the Trinity NJ. e. Church, followed in a
stirring exhortation. which, together with
the singing, made the services decidedly
interesting
But it was the school which attracted
my attention. The attendance was not
large yesterday There were, perhaps,
twenty or thirty shabbily dressed children
below the age of twelve, whose mothers
had made efforts to scrub the court and
alley accumulationS from the little ones
necks and hands. Some of the frocks of
the little girls were worn and faded, and
had been made long ago for others older
than they, but they helped to hide shoes
such only as are CLEANED from the public
garbage dumps.
One little fellow, with almost white
hair and manly face, with intelligent
gray eyes, was especially noticeable. His
attire, though long outworn, in almost
every stitch revealed the efforts of some
loving mothers hand to do her best for
her boy. The knee-breeches were patched
and the legs of the long black stockings
were darned in many places. They were
fastened with cotton strings above the
knee, and the garters, though displayed
only when the boy was sitting,
had been tied with hands more
careful and deft than his own. Under the
rumpled collar of his calico jacket an old,
white cravat of the butterfly pattern, in
vogue some years ago, was carefully
pinned and further adorned by little
campaign rooster of metal. The boys
hair was brushed; and one could not but
read in his appearance the story of some
body's determination to make her boy
| feel not ashamed of his dress in u Sunday
school audience.
Nor were the parents of some of these
children less noticeable, one or two of
whom had brought the old black silk
bodice, old-fashioned and hanging loosely
about the scant shoulders relic in all
| probability that had been pawned in more
than one despairing moment and subse-
quently redeemed and treasured fonder
than ever as a memento of happier days,
and which, with a cheap straw bonnet,
enabled it's possessor occas ionallY to
creep from the alleys and courts and
spend an hour in society" other than
that of the hovel.
Other characters were there who did not
belong to the ranks of the poor. The eyes
of the fat man, with white flowing beard
| and alpaca coat, beamed kindly on the
scene He was philanthropist. And
sweet-faced matrons and maidens talked
with the ragged urchins and tried to
teach them to be good boys and girls. A
| praiseworthy work well done!
The Mission is unsectarian. Mr.. H. G..
Newman. of the Trinity NJ. E. Church, is
superintendent; his assistant is Mr.. Sam
uel Vance, of the Tabernacle Congrega-
tional. Mrs. A. Kamptner, the organist,
is Presbyterian, and Miss E. Lockwood,
treasurer, is Baptist. Secretary A.
Kamptner is Presbyterian. The great
need is of clothes for the children. Any
one having any castoff clothing to give
away may leave word with Mrs. Samuel
Vance, No. As Mercer street.