The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-21
TO HELP THE POOR.

Tenement Districts - st.
Johns Episeopalian, How
ever, Has a Fresh Air Fund
---Eyeryone Is Willing to
Help the Good Work---N Now,
Who Will Make the Begin
ming?
Where are all the poor people of Jersey
Citys
The enquiry is suggested by the results
of visit made yesterday afternoon to
those interested in the charities Of the
churches.
They had no poor; none, rather, who
would admit they are poor. A few
needy there are, who accept occasional
aid, but, so far as the interviews show,
the number of those who will accept free
tickets for an excursion, or weeks
amusement in the country, at the expense
Of the parish, meets the most sanguine
hope one would dare to indulge of the
general prosperity of our citizens.
st Johns Episcopal Church-the most
aristocratic place of worship in the city
is the only church from which confessions
of poverty come.
The other alternative of the proposition
is that the poor are not members of the
churches.
Why?
Are they SO proud that they keep aloof
from throngs they cannot consort withs
Or, does the Church turn the cold
shoulder on poverty?
The expressions of all those who were
seen betrayed their belief, however, that
there are some poor in Jersey City who
need help, and general readiness to
assist in every way they can, any co-opera-
tive movement for their recreation and
relief.
knew, of course, that there is no or
ganized movement for the general enter
tainment of the poor in the city, and the
point to which my inquiries were adj
dressed was as to the diversions gotten up
by the various charitable societies of the
| churches for those of their respective
parishes in the way of free excursions and
free picnics.
l asked the Rev. Mr.. Mortimer, Of St.
Marks Episcopal church, what his church
proposed to do for the poor of the parish
during the summer. ass aaf
well, y he said, "there is nothing to do.
There are only very few families In the
parish who need help, and those only ut
times. We never do anything specially
for them in the summer. 1t might do well
in New York, where each church has so
many poor. Here it would be hard to find
enough to acknowledge that they are
poor"
Said Father Hanley, of st. Bridget's.-
"We never do such things. 1t would not
pay. We keep the poor in food as far as
we can and that is all we can do"
NO ONE WOULD GO ON SUCH TERMS.
In St Pauls Methodist Church there
are not more than half dozen families in
the church who need help. Mr., Halleron,
the pastor, said;-"We never do anything
of the kind, there is no need of such
move. We could not get any one to go on
sion, all who cannot afford to pay, and
they are few, are welcome to free tickets"
Said one of the principal members of
the Park Reformed Church-"There Is
no necessity for anything of the kind. for
the poor in our church are SO few. We al
ways care for them in the winter, and
during the summer they do not ask for
much. When we have our annual excur-
sion not over dozen persons ever avail
themselves of the chance to go free"
"Will anything of the kind be got upsn
81 think not, and it would be useless.
People in this city will not acknowledge
that they are poor This city is different
from New York; those who are poor in
this city are not the same class that one
will find in New York"
THE EXCURSION ABANDONED.
The Rev. Cornelius Brett, of the Bergen
Reformed Church, said none of the socie-
| ties connected with his congregation had,
as yet, made any definite move IN the
| matter For various reasons it had been
deemed advisable TO do away with even
| the annual church picnic and excursion.
He thought something should be done,
however, to afford the needy poor of the
tenement districts an occasional opp0r-
Iun1Gy OIL breathing IIcSlAt COu11tAJ o4A
during the hottest portion of the sum-
mer months, and he had no doubt that
such movement started among the citi-
zens of Jersey City would receive the
hearty cooperation of all the churches.
ST. JOHNS CHARITIES.
I next called upon the Rev. DIR, Stod-
dard, of St. Johns Episcopal Church, on
Summit avenue.
1--WE are accused of being aristocratic,"
said the reverend gentleman, "and of be-
| ing stuck up But think you will find
we do as much for the poor as any church
congregation in the city. Last year we
distributed nearly $1,000 among the
needy.
means for summer outlng, the
4 Young ladies Of the Holy Cross
! Chapter, Guild of st. John, have
what is called Fresh Air Fund, but it
| is not SO large this year as usual They
! recently published a book, known as the
| Fresh Air Fund Cook Book, every re-
| ceioe in which has been tested by the in
! diyidual members of the chapter. The
| hook is ON the market; price. nfty cents;
but the realization of the proiits Is not
what was anticipated
saTwo wears ago we sent thirty-two
needy persons to the sea shore. Our an
nual excursion will be given on the third
SATURDAY, of June, and number OF free
tickets will be distributed among the
poor. ,,,,,-, ~