Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

Of seamen Is proverbial The sufferings Of
many of their families on this side of the
! water, even with the mitigation of this
benefcent charity, is inexpressible. The
bare hint Of it all one gets from the glimpse
given on paying off" day is heart-break-
ing.
| DISTRIBUTING Yellow HaIf-sovereigns
Invent with Captain Stubs the other day
and sat with him while over $50 orphan
children, or those who represented them,
were paid their monthly allowances. We
took a pretty heavy bag of yellow half
sovereigns, and pushed our way through
the great throng which on the first Saturday
! of each month gathers at the entrance to tho
| Old Church School, Moorfelds, just off Dale
street. The outer room was packed. and the
| society's old inspector, who is Liverpool
/ ex-poliee inspector, and knows the ms and
| outs of every family receiving these pay
ments, was acting the part Of bulwark
against the surging of the crowd
We passed into the masters room, and
were in a few moments Joined by Chaplain
Gaussen, Captain Stubbs and myself paid
out the money and checked against each pay
ment The old inspector kept the children
and their mother in line, and got their
school certificates ready. Then as each
one came in, the chaplain re-eIamined the
certificates, and running fire of comment
resulted, showing that the exact status Of
each child, the condition Of its health, the
occupation of its mother, and the general
welfare of the entire family, were matters
Of actual personal knowledge ON the part Of
these officials.
Sample OF the Running Comment
well?"
"Ihankee. sir; yes, sir"
"Good. Tell mother to come Monday for
the clothes and boots. Next"
"Mrs. Tolmie?"
'Thankes. sir; yes, sir," with duck and
. salaam.
civilian il1?'
Eyes, sir; with the throat, sir."
"Doctor?"
"Oh, yes, sir, thankee, SIR"
All right, Williams good boy Take
"Bless God, so he is; thankee, sir"
And SO it goes from one to three hours
But the struggles; the battles for existence,
the blessed help this little help is to them
all; the eyes suffused with tears: the choked
words of gratitude; the pinched and pitiful
efforts to come their clean patched up and
these fatherless homes behind all this woe
full procession to the slms-giving are
enough to sicken and sadden strongest
hearts
have never In any country visited O
charitable institution so we'll adapted to its
uses. and where there was such splendid
and universal evidence of one having en-.
tered the atmosphere of Christian home.
The hrst orphanage was an old structure in
Duke street. The present one was com.
pleted and opened in 1874 1t is situated
on uninclosed ground, granted by the cor
poration OF Liverpool, surrounded by the
sylvan groves, limpid streams, mimic lakes,
and yelvety lawns of beautiful Newsham
park. The buildings comprise the orphan
age itself, a hve-story edifce of gray brick
with stone trimmings, as sweet as q new-
laid egg from cellar to garret, one Of the
handsomest chapels in England, commo-
dious and beautiful sanitarium, and an ivy
and rose covered parsonage.
The Provisions for Recreation.
Extraordinary provisions have been made
in this institution for recreation and amuse-
ment. The park is the great open-air play
ground for them all For unpleasant
weather there are spacious indoor rooms
and gymnasiums for both boys and girls,
and great arched porch extends along the
rear OF the Orpndn8ge open TO an immense
paved court, very similar to the covered
promenade you will find at the entrance to
the quadrangle of Eaton College, and much
on the same plan as that of the ancient En-
glish monastio cloisters, which always
opened into beautiful court or garth.
Here, also, perhaps to greater degree than
in any other similar institution, the COM
bined elements Of drill and music have been
utilized
The bearing of these children is exquis-
itely manful and womanly. The theory
and practice are that children can be inter-
ested in maneuvers and drills, and all man
ner of dispositions rendered facile and
quiescent under the influence of music. So
there is an almost ceaseless series of musical
ompan1ments-music on rising, music al
entering and leaving classes music at going
to and coming from meals, innumerabls
musical entertainments and soirees, even
m usic on going to bed Ihaye never known
of such marked and luminous proof Of the
and even Christianizing infu-
ence Of music, and the singing of these 800
or 400 children is alone almost worth COM
ing across the sea to hear.
But most pathetic of all things here is the
plaintive Litany sung Immediately afterth
prayer for those At sea. Your eyes cannot
but mist as you look and listen and you can
never cross the ocean again without know
ing the real and blessed significance of ship
board Entertainment Night"
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.