Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-11-28
CORRESPONDENCE.
ANOTHER CHICAGO LETTER,
Our Staff Member Heard From Once
More.

She Describes the Features of the Sum.
mer's Work Among the Lowly in Mod
ern Babylon, and Tells how Some Man
OF Means Might do Good Work with
Little Money.
CHICAGO, Nov. 49, 1890
The CHEEKY face of The Phoenix has look
ed in upon me with unceasing regularity
every Monday morning since left Brattle.
boro, and ! read over the familiar names
of places and people with an interest
that time and distance serve only to in
crease. There is an undercurrent Of sad
ness though, as every issue tells of some
one who has passed on TO the other world,
and the number of vacant places grows
larger and larger with each recurring week
1t is but little over year since | left the
dear old Green Mountain state, yet if were
to visit the old scenes today. how many
well-known faces | should look for in vain .
l confess to an occasional feeling of home
sickness, but when | look about upon the
misery and wickedness that is so apparent
and SO widespread here, and feel that can
do ever so little to lessen or prevent it, am
more than willing to stay
There is little that is new to write Of our
work here in the institute We have Just
had a two-weeks course of lectures from
Rev. Alexander Patterson who took the
place Of our principal, Mr. Torrey, while
the latter attended the convention of Chris
tian Workers at Hartford, Conn, of which
he was chairman Mr. Moody is expected
next Saturday, TO hold "Ten day mission"
in the Chicago avenue church. Both de
partments Of the school are now quite full.
and we learn that the school at The North
field, under the charge of orr former pre-
ceptress, Miss Gertrude Hubert. also has
good attendance. Through the summer
months street and mission work was largely
given up in order that the students might
labor in the three large tents located re
spectively on the North, West and South
sides Of the city, in densely populated dis
tricts where there are no live churches In
the afternoon the young men went out upon
the streets, and into factories and saloons.
while the young women went from house to
house, giving either verbal or printed nvi-
tations to the evening services The tents
were well filled every evening, and it is felt
that good work was done IN each locality.
Besides this, the evangelization society hired
large barge fitted it up with an awning
and benches, and anchored it on the lake
near the foot of Van Buren, street books
and papers were supplied. aud during the
day it furnished a cool and pleasant resort
for men and boys who might otherwise have
been in saloons or similar dens. while in the
evening gospel services were held. which
attracted large audiences, chiefly of men
Regular work has now been resumed.
each lady student having one or more streets
where she visits from house 10 house, and
the young men holding meetings, called
cottage meetings" in private houses in
various neighborhoods, while both work in
some one of the numerous missions in the
city. Often three or four of the Young men
will go into a saloon and ask May we sing
a song :" If they we're 10 ask the proprie-
tor privately he would say mo" in a hurry:
but the question is heard by his custom
ers, who always shout Yes 20 ahead ~ he
is forced to make a virtue Of necessity and
give his consent. though he has been known
TO add, But if YOU don't sing up to the
mark you'll get thrown out After sing
ing several Moody and Sankey" hymns,
the young men give a cordial invitation to
the cottage or mission meetings which they
are about to hold, and often the invitation
is accepted by more than one Of the saloon
keepers best customers. heard of one
meeting where eight OF the audience came
from nearby beer hall And the best
of it is, that some Of these men never return
to the saloon again, but are led back to their
families and into Christian life. When
we realize the misery strong drink causes
in so many families, we are thankful if
even one in a hundred is saved from its
power Why, have in mind now a poor
hard wookng woman who has for weeks
suffered from running sore upon one limb,
caused by kick from drunken husband.
and only last week he came home intoxicat-
ed and poured scaldng water over her right
shoulder, SO that she is unable to do the
laundry work, which, with the small earn
VI "a l'hHe SUI uIluEH III tue sole IN
come Of the family. And this is only one
instaI ce among thousands, some being far
worse, if that is possible But we are truly
thankful that today We can point out many
happy, though humble, homes, which year
ago, when first visited by students from
''the Moody school, were so full of misery
that one wondered how the inmates could
endure to live.
lst now | am unhappy because | have
not an income of few hundred year.
know just how ! would use it, | would hire
house furnish it, and set up boarding
house for boys Here is an incident which
will show why it is needed. One evening,
just before the close of the meeting at the
mission which attend, happened to step
to the door, and found just outside a hoy
about 10 years old. 1t was raining and
asked him if he would not come in. He
said no he was not clean enough. How
ever, told him that made no difference,
and after some urging he came in After
the meeting was over some questions were
in order, which brought out the fact that
his father hal died four years ago and his
mother a year later. He had not been able
to find anything but chores to do in the
little country town in Ohio where he lived,