New-York tribune., 1890-08-08
NEGER TOO LATE TO MEND.

Air Fund last wear was one in great destItuti0n
and distress. The father had gone wrong. and
was serving a term in the Ponitentary for
theft. first offence. for which he seemed truly
penjtent The mother with her children was
dependent in large measure upon the chnrltabie
organizations of q city church. OF which she
had been Il member for many years II was
most distressing case OF poverty ana SICK
ness and both mother and children received
timely relief by vacation i'll cool and healthy
village i'm The country arranged without ex-
nenec 70 them and extended to a month. The
family returned to their tenemcnt-home great
ly benefited in health. and prepared TO take
mn anew the hard struggle OF life. The father
after serving his term was released but natl-
raIIy he found II difficult to obtain work IN
view of his reputation as convict. still he
sbowed SO many signs of cOntrtion that SYM
natby was enlisted for him in the church where
his children had been baptized. His excuse
for his original fault was that his family were
in great want and he was tempted to steal for
their sake. lie was ready and glad to get any
worl, that was offered to him, and While ex-
citing suspicion in some instances was evident
" trying to live honestly.
In this season Of inclement heat one of the
children in this povcry-strcken home sud-
denly sckcued and died. The pcnitent con-
vict had a place where the little one could BIO
buried, but no money with which to buy q
coffin and to have the grave dug. lie appeaied
to the undertaken of the church where he had
been befriended for temporary aid, explaining
that while he could not meet the expenses at
once. he expected steady employment early in
the autumn and would then be able to pay
the bill. The undertaken at first acquieSced
and then abruptly withdrew from the trans
action. An appeal was then carried to the
rector of the church. but the brusque response
was made that the child must be buried at the
expense of the city Meanwhile, the little one
Law in the one living room cold in death, and
the distracted parents were overwhelmed with
grief and anxiety. Perhaps one who had been
a thief and was branded as convict ought not
TO have had shrinking against bnrying his
child as a pauper i'll Putters Field, but this
man did have that degree of sensl6yeness.
Was it strange that in his despair he was
heard 10 mutter: Il must do what did be-
fore even if / get caught at it,? visit from
the rector of the church where the child was
baptized would certainly have been timely, but
if was not made The penitent convict was
left with his weeping wife and dead child, his
heart aching to bury it in his own place, even
if he had to steal the money for the colin and
the brusque invitation to carry 1t to Potter
Field ringing in his dull ears
1t is a good world, even If the communion
aims Of parish church are not always avail
able sor the burial of convict's child and
if a rector sometimes foigets that his Master
went about doing good, ministerng to the
poor, and-dyiug with blessing on his liis for
penitent thief. A visitor from charitable
aid society, whose work lies among peniten-
tiaries and prisons opportuncly appeared upon
the scene Her sympathics were readily en-
listed for a work of mercy that would tend to
encourage greatly the unhappy convict in his
hard struggle to live honestly. Arrangements
were promptly made for the burial of the child,
and a great burden OF grief and despair was
lifted from that tenement-home. A default OF
Christian sympathy in the quarter where the
dead child had been signed with the sign Of
the cross wos made good in another. con-
vict who had been cruelty repulsed with cold
shoulder received a hclpng-han at last, and
was encouraged to believe that it is never too
late TO mend