Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-14
SALVATION In THE SLUMS.
WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPATcH.l

omcia1, as an inspector, or philanthropic, as
reformer, hasten to add that he has been
logged eight times. He was thrust into
keeping by Her Majesty's magistrates, and
he stayed inside stone walls because he
could not get out.
Jail again, unless ne makes acquaintance
with It as the Salvation Army did week
ago in Pittshurg. That, however, is always
possible, for he is a member of that military
order, and a fighting member. In the mean
time he sees the outside of the prisons every
day. Upon his cap, in the photograph
which he was good enough to give me, are
the letters "P. G. B." and these letters stand
for "Prison Gate Brigade" This mans
Office is to wait beside the doors of the great
prisons, and to greet the mon who come out
discharged to face a suspicious world again,
and to try and set them in the ways of
decency.
My friend himself came out one day after
IA years of durance-such was the length of
his last sentence-and was met by some
good soldier OF this. Christian army, and
taken hold of, and really made into man,
into a well-conducted, Christian citizen.
And now he is doing what he can to return
that kindly service, and to save some other
man out of the pit.
Two Clever whitechapeI Guides.
Il AM sorry to say that 1 do not know
my friends name. During our acQuaint-
ance, which was but brief. was privileged
to call him "Dad." Everybody whom we
met called him "Dad." And "Dad" he is.
and with no other name, in my memory of
our friendship of a day. Dad" was my
guide about Whitech APPEL, when I made
tour through the back alleys to find out
what is being done there by the Salvation
Army.
But dad" was not my only guide. For a
portion of the time 1 had another, re-
cruited not from the ranks of crime but
from the ranks OF poverty. This was a
slender young man, in a coat which was
very shiny at the shoulders and very ragged
at the wrists, with pocket book which was
absolutely empty. 1t was one of the con-
dftions upon which he accompanied me,
that was to put something into it.
This young man belonged to the great
multitude which is just now menacing Lon
don from the eminence of Tower Hill. He
was one of the out of works. He had been
sick, and had lost his job. That made it i'm
possible for him to pay his rent. In conse-
Quence he was set out into the street with
his wife. his five children, and their scanty
furniture. Another landlord took them in
at smaller rent. but quite forgot to tell
them that the previous occupants had most
of them left in collins, dead of scarlet fever.
Into this unfumigated place they moved,
and when 1 saw him disease was written
underneath poverty in his list of woes. His
children were all sick with scarlet fever.
And work was no nearer than before.
just here came in the Salvation Army.
They had taken hold of the poor fellow
Their nurses were caring for his little child
rem. His name was on the employment list.
No job had as vet offered itself, and he was
waiting: the army. in the meantime, giving
him food. When l came to the headquarters,
asking for a guide, Colonel Barker sent for
this poor brother and put me in his charge.
Examples of Salvation Army Work.
THESE two instances will show, think,
what sort of good work the Salvation Army
Is doing in the East End of London. Multi
ply them by several thousand and you get
some sort of idea of what is going on. Every
lay these good people are lifting up our
poor, disheartened, enslaved and down
trodden brethren out of the mire.
Under the guidance of these two men
was able to see a good deal of the worst
parts of the Whftechapel district of East
London. 1t is in these worst parts that the
stations of the Salvation Army are es.
,ablished. The Army is not afraid of the
women in poke bonnets, are at work IN the
very blackest districts of darkest Eng
and"
Two Salvation Army institutions inter-
ssted me especially. One was the "Ark,"
the other was the Elevator" The Army
has always shown great aptness in the
important part of calling things by their
rfght names. The Elevator is workshop
where men, who are about as low down as
men ca n get, are taken in and given employ
nent and paid for it, and set upon their feet.
The Ark is an eating and sleeping place,
where the submerged can climb up out of
The mire and get into an abode of clean1t
hess and decency and dinners. There are
several of these workshops, and of these
'ood and shelter depots, and the Army hopes
or more.
The Elevator is full of the rage edest look
ng rascals that one could rake up out of any
gutter. They are all at work. Some can do
,his, some can do that; the man in charge
,ries to find out what. A good many can do
nothing better than split wood and bind it
into bundles for kindling. / talked with one |
man who had once been sign painter. He
had made himself into n walking sign for a
whisky shop. had lost his place, his charac-
Ter and his coat, and had one foot over the |
edge of the neither pit, when the Army
pulled him back. For the Army, whatever
may be said of its orthodoxy, has no taint
about it of Gains heresy. 1t is not willing to
et its brother go unhelped and unhindered
TO the devil.
No Idlers in the Army.
THE Elevator people had set the sign |
painter to work making wall-texts for the |
Army barracks. He was helped by another |
man, fallen drawing master, who drew |
lrew more corks than pictures, and now,
rescued by these life-saving Christians, |
paints lambs and doves and crosses for the |
,dornment of the mission rooms Every |
body is set to doing what he can.
These workmen are paid partly in money, |
partly in tickets which entitle them to the |
OF the Lighthouse or the Ark. |
The Ark is one of these good lodging houses |
ent into the kitchen 1t was as clean as
my kitchen lover saw. In the dining room,
hough it was not the busy time of day, |
lumber of men, plus hats and minus coats,
we're eating SCUM and bread. The surround
ngs were not luxurious. I did not apply
or accommodations. But everything was |
ean and good. The boarders were not the
ort of folk whom respectable pc pie invite
o dinner. But they were quiet and decently
ehaved. 1t is true that the front door had
een kicked in half dozen times that week,
nut this was done by drunken men who did
ot really intend any malicious mischief
One can get a dinner of soup, potatoes and
read at the Ark for wopence; and lodg-
ngs Tor two-pencs four-pence, or sixpence,
ccording to accommodations For six
ence you can have little box of room all
o yourself. For fourpence, you must share
our room with three. you have but two
ence, you sleep in coffin under black |
lanket That at least,is what it looks like |
he beds are laid in long lines upon the floor.