The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-03-09
A DESPERATE CRY
JERSEY CITY.

"0f all the woe begone, God forsaken
places in America, Jersey City takes the
lead1's Such was the remark recently
made to the writer by gentleman in
New York, and such is the pessimistic
and openly expressed opinion of multi
tudes Of our own inhabitants Jersey
City is good place TO come from, they
facetiOusly remark. and as soon as pros
perity smiles upon them they make good
their assertion BY moving TO New York
or Brooklyn. Here is city with very
little pubic spirit We have been rum
ridden for so many years that municipal
pride has long since departed, and IN the
lover portion of the city the amount of
vice and drunkenness is simply appal-
ling. In one neglected district. contain
ing population OF 20, O00 people, THERE'S
no Protestant church beside our own
with the exception of one small Metho-
dist church and an Episcopal church now
in moribund condition Two churches,
once strong and influential, have lately
given up the ghost, and recent attempt
TO resuscitate one OF them has proved
failure. Times have sadly changed.
The rich have moved away, and the
houses occupied by them are converted
into cheap tenements, where the poor are
packed together like sardines in a box
While the churches have degenerated or
died. the population has wonderfully in
creased.
NUN tnt question: WHICH the 1AOer-
naele. or Peoples Church, is called to
answer is thls:-Shall this decaying
process be allowed to continue in this
vast. deserted district or shall some
practical work be done TO stay the march
of vice and crime and poverty which here
and elsewhere are becoming a terrible
menace to social orders Republican in
situations cannot stand with any degree
of safety on Dogs Of corruption. The
swamps must be drained and dried or the
foundations will sag and sink. Both
patriotism and religion compel US TO
face these vital questions.
It gives me pleasure to state that the
Tabernacle Church is attacking these
problems in dead earnest and has already
achieved remarkable success. While
other churches were dying off or quitting
the field this Peoples Church has stead
lily advanced in numerical strength and
spiritual power. To-day we have MEM
bership of over 500 and Sabbath evening
audience of 1900. This church has be-
come great purifying centre amid these
iniquitous surroundings, and yet SO
manifold are its opportunities for doing
good that its usefulness seems TO have
only commenced Recently it built q
Young Mems Reading Room. 100 feet in
length, which is thronged every night
and serves as q refuge from the ubiqnit-
Gus and well nigh omnipotent saloon.
Had We the means we should fmmedi-
ately erect another building and gather
in the ragged children. providing sew
ing school and kitchen garden for girls
and a commodious hall or place
of resort for the newsbOys and bootblacks.
who now spend their evenings upon the
streets connecting mischief, and are
swiftly developing into dangerous gangs
of hoQdlums. Our church is ready TO en-
large this practical and effective sort OF
work if il can secure the necessary build
further PROCESS, and until we get it our
hands are absolutely tied. Our spacious
reading room is already overcrowded.
Upon entering II one is confronted with
the unehristian sign:-s'No one admitted
under sixteen years of age Had we
this additional building we could ell it
with boys in less than week Now they
stand outside and throw stones at the
door because we viii not, or rather be-
cause we cannot, let them in. The SIM
pie fact is, we have no room.
Never was a more glorious opportun
ity for usefulness given TO any church IN
America. and yet we cannot embrace il,
for our people are already straining
every nerve and giving beyond their
ability In 0ur dilemma We nave re-
solved to make plain statement OF our
position to the Congregationalists IN this
part of the country, with the confident
expectation that they will give US the
building we 50 much need. Ii we are to
proceed upon this ever widening work
before us, we must have aid outside our
selves. The Congregational churches
IN New Jersey are few aud weak The
only one in the State that can help US is
Or Bradfora's church in Montclair, and
that one has already pledged generous
support.
Brethren of our denomination, let not
the Hudson river be a barrier to your
bcneficence We pray you. do not con-
line your gifts to your own city limits
when there is such crying need this
side of the water We are working here
courageously. With the exception OF a
little struggling church near Hobokep,
tion ~ the city. We have no one 70 call