The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-20

wtde-awake, keen.fellow, not 10 be imposed
on by them.
The mothers were more easily reached
and less easily held. They cried grateful
tears when they met the good minister who
had made Sam a respectable boy, or kept
Joe out Of Moyamensing; they came to the
Wednesday evening service, and sang the
hymnswith loud fervor. Sometimes James
suspected that they were Just as drunken,
as slatternly and as vicious IN their homes
as before. But he had hardened himself
against disappointment. In some fashion
those people gradually took him and his
teaching into their homes and lives. They
sent for him tomarry them, to get them out
Of Jail, to bury their dead; when the diph.
iberia ragged in Pin Court, s'Parson Leidy''
was called in before the doctor, he being
Just at hand, ''and such q famous nurse"
Tom Farrell, when he was sentenced to
death, and urged To call in minister,
''reckoned that Leidy was the best Of the
lot;" and the grim Scotch weaver, Samp-
son, came TO him in the dead Of the night to
tell him, with stern eyes and quivering Jaw,
his suspicion that his little Aggy was going
TO the bad .f .E
Dear, dearl James; this is dishearten-
Ing" said Mr.. Coboett, when he came
down to visit his old chum. "You have
been living here like pauper for year,
and what have you accomplished But
three communicates No hope yet of build
ing chapelr'
~ am coming nearer to them every day.
said Leidy. ~ make myself one with them.
try TO drag them up, step by step"
"These little individual efforts Of course
suffer by comparison with great organized
work." said Mr.. Cobbett, with slight tone
Of patronage. snow, when our church be-
gins her assault upon outside vice, you will
find themoral atmosphere in this part Of the
city clear up very rapidly"
What are your plansl"
"ln the first place, organization. have
drilled my people ready to work. We are
going to have sewing-school, mission
Sunday an Industrial school for the
boys, working-mans club, a mothers as
sociation, a young girls guild for mutual
Improvement, societies for the promotion Of
temperance and personal purity. These are
all 10 be superintended by the members Of
the church. 1t would crafty you, James,
10 see how zealously the most fashionable
matrons and gayest girls take hold Of The
Idea. They are eager TO begin"
"And who are the people on whom they
are TO workl"
"Whoi" Mr.. Cobbett waved his hands
widely. "All the thiekes, Magdalens, dis
charged convicts, paupersl None wiA be
turned away. Our machinery is complete.
[ can not but believe, James, th..t the re
form which we shall accomplish under God
will be very great"
"When do you begin, Walterin
GAS soon as our church building Is COM
pleted. 1t is TO cost eighty thousand dol.
larsn
"That is largo sum-"
"The lot cost us thirty thousand. But It
was great bargain. II is in the rear OF tho
church, in the most desirable part Of the
town. We could sell it now for double that
sum. 1t will be the most complete building
for parish work in the country. There will
be apartments for all the schools, q library,
gymnasium, reuding-rooms, all perfectly
equipped. We have fifty thousand sub
scribed. The remainder comes in slowly.
You do not look satisfied, James. thought
you would rejoice in this great movement
Show are you going TO bring the thieves
and paupers up into your great buildingl"
said Leidy, abruptly. at stands in the
most fashionable quarter. They live miles
away from 1t. The mountain will not go to
Mahometn
I'VE shall see, my dear SIR" said Mr..
Cobbett with a complacent laugh. 81
am surprised at Leidy," he told his wife,
afterwards. "He suggested trifing, diff
Guilty as block TO our whole work"
When Mrs. Cobhett heard what IL was
she said, with an uneasy look; 81 had
thought Of that"
A year later Mr.. Leidy dined with the
Cobbetts, and went TO church meeting
afterwards. 1t appeared TO him that the re-
lations between pastor and people were
strained. Mr.. Cobbett urged vehemently
the payment Of forty thousand dollars still
due on the school building. The women OF
the church had been working energeticallJ
TO that end. They had held fairs, straw
berry festivals and bazarS Of all nations.
They had given concerts and organ recitals.
They had gone from house TO house solicit
ing subscriptions
"Now," said Judge Lowe, "the fact H.
that they are tired. The building was
much more costly than was expected; the
whole energy Of the church has been di-
rected into paying for this huge structure
and for the appliances for teaching the dan
gerous classes; while, as we all know, the
dangerous classes do not come 10 be taught
My opinion is that we had bettor sell out the
whole concern, pay OF the mechanics who
have liens on 1t, and give the remainder Of
the money TO foreign missions.
Mr.. Cobbett quickly brought up some 9th
err subject for discussion. Judge Lowe met
him when the conference was over, and
laughed as he saw his pinched, anxious face
"pm sorry worried you," he said "But
tell you, Mr.. Cobbett, this fad OF yours Is q
dead weight. The church can not carry II.
We have made q mistake somehow" he
said, turning TO Mr.. Leidy. "rhe wretch
edly poor will not come 10 US. They like the
privacy and darkness Of their holes, like
rats. The classes are filed with the chill
dren OF well-to-do mechanics, who can af-
ford TO have them taught at ordinary
schools. The ladies' collected number Of
mill girls, who came two or three times In
fine clothes, and spent their time In staring
at the gowns and hats OF their teachers. AS
soon as they had displayed their own fin
cry and learned the latest spring fashions
they dropped of. l found six young ladies'
assembled TO teach the sexton's daughter
yesterday. The whole thing. Is a failure"
When the two clergymen were back In
the study Walter turned 70 his friend.
"Why should il be failurein he said,
passionately. 'These people need help, and
we have 1t to give. Look, for instance, at
the thousands Of deceived girls In this city.
We are told that there is no way open for
them but utter ruin or death. We open
ways for them. We are ready TO teach them
bookkeeping, china-painting, cooldng--to
give them dozen honest means Of support.
Our ladies drive through the slums, find