Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-02
HAVENS OF REFUGE
For the FOrsaken Quietly Doing a
Noble Christian Work.
WHEREKINDNEsS WORKS WONDERS
And the Needle is Used as Sword to Fight
for Honor.
THE MAGDALEN HOMES NOT FAILURES
roonREsPoNDkNcK OF THE DISPATCH. l


PHILADELPHIA, August 1.-Until rich
and poor are forgotten words, or so long as
the present state Of financial inequality
exists, or, In short, until Prophet Bellamy's
dream of social and moral equality shall
have materialized, just SO long will there
exist the need of Magdalen homes and will
there be unfortunates to fill them. That
poverty causes more crime than any other
agency-strong drink not excepted-is an
undisputed fact. With woman the love
Of dress seems innate, since from the begin
ming we read of her bedecking herself with
jewels of all sorts-girdles, earrings, finger
rings, etc., and striving after the purple
and fine linen"-anything that she believed
would enhance her powers Of attraction.
Tolstoi is certainly right when be asserts
that woman studies best to increase the at
tracing force Of her magnetism and how
to dress in q manner most pleasing to the
eye, since through the senses we are attract
i've, etc." For these things woman loses
her moral life. It is not an easy matter to
persuade factory girl, for instance, with
woman's love OF the beautiful and firm
belief in the potency of things containing
in dingy room with q score of careless,
uncouth girls, who, like herself, earn with
fatiguing labor pittance in money hardly
sufficient to provide the coarsest food and
insure bare sufficiency OF clothing, than
to accept living where money and clothes
are assured.
1t Is easier to persuade than to reform her.
Yet this is the work undertaken By Mag
dalen societies. and in which they succeed
IN greater measure than is generally
known. A report from one of the oldest
institutions in our State, probably, fell into
my hands lately, and in looking over the
statistics I was amazed at the showing and
impressed with the lesson 1t brings to us of
the weakness of our faith in Gods promises.
or the SO that have left this institution
during the past year the authorities have
assured themselves more than two-thirds
are leading correct lives; OF nine they have
no knowledge-but to them we must at least
accord the benefit of the doubt-and three
are known to have returned to their evil
ways. Surely there is solid encouragement
to engage in this work, especially since this
only represents the good done by one of
many such institutions.
THE HOME VISITED.
With an interest awakened by the report
visited this Home for the purpose Of be-
coming acquainted with the methods that
effected such surprising results. found a
family OF girls, ages ranging from 16 to %,
not branded with the scarlet letter nor uni
formed in way to make them class of
criminals, but clothed to suit their different
vocations, as they would have been in doing
service at their own home, if they had been
so fortunate as to have home, which the
ioritv he Al pnt Tho oo,;atr1 bo, - - Io~x.1
control over these girls. The power over
them consists exclusively in kindly restraint
and loving guardianship, and very rarely is
there case to report that cannot be won by
such means, since as a class these women
have the kindest hearts and readi-
est sympathies. This new life is
in contrast the most striking to
the one abandoned. Each girl has a room
to herseli-prettilY carpeted, easy chair,
snowy bed. flowers il she pleases to culti-
vate them, and good books from the library
provided. Their life is made useful one,
all the work of the house being done by the
girls, and in addition to housekeeping in
all its details, they are taught to sew, and
instructed in the common school branches
certain number Of hours daily. I was told
that girls who at first resisted all induce
ments TO study, often learned the most
rapidly and attained the highest per
eentage when once they put their minds
to the work. The girl, unusually apt, had,
during the year gone entirely through the
arithmetic understandingly, giving correct
explanations of all her work, and learned
with the same rapidity in every study. For
her the authorities propose to find position
as teacher.
Each girl upon leaving the institution is !
provided home and the way to pay for it |
by putting into practice any work which |
she may have learned to do aeceptably dur |
ing her stay at the Home.
THE NEEDLE A SWORD OF HONOR.
The amount of sewing turned out by |
these girls is something incredible. The |
report shows for the last year $40 pieces for |
the Home; for Children's Hospital, 50 |
pieces; Tor the Pennsylvania Hospital, 586 |
pieces; for private individuals, 80 pieces,
and Tor John Wanamaker 1896 aprons |
One eau easily believe Satan is not furnish
ing mischief for such busy hands to do.
TIE girls are taken into the home for one
year, but remain longer if there remain a
doubt in regard to a thorough reform.
They are never turned loose in the
world to find their own employment.
but care is taken to provide these homes
with Christian people. They can then re-
sume their own name, or, if they wish to re-
main dead to Indifferent relations and old
associates, new name can be adopted.
While at the Home they are known by
fictitious name, and their real name is not
known one to another. The reason for this
will be understood, and needs no explana-
tion, and the wisdom of it is justice to the
Magdalen who is to be given lair start in
life, untrammeled by q name known in
iniquity, will commend itself. Nor do the
authorities consider they have done all their
duty after finding the new home, but ever
alter, so long as within reach, do they keep
a watchiul eye over them and promote their
interests whenever possible.
The girls are requested to visit and keep
up their interest in the Home. and the jour
nal kept by the matron, in order to keep the
managers Informed OF all the little Home
shows that the girls take ad-
vantage of this institution in the way re-
1uested. I was privileged to peep into this
/ aily record, which tells Of the tireless pa.
,iepce required to manage such a family;
and while the record of some discouraging
act of the inmates, such as scaling the wall
and breaking away into the old lie beyond
its limits, gave little promise of good fruit
from the seed sown, other entries tell another
story and are proof that all labor has not
been in vain. For instance:
Tuesday, May 2O-M. D. called to see
Is. She is teaching. Seems happy aud is
ioing WE'LL"
Monday, June 2o-C. H, who was an in
nate nine years ago, called with her babe.
She is ~ arried and doing well. etc., etc.
A PLEASANT CONTRAST.
was hlso permitted to see an extract from
! letter recently received, which the matron
assured me is only a sample of the many re-
,eiyed. This from 'Clara," married and