Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-09-27

SiiJiirgiuia free grsss.
PRAYED TO Keep HIS Clothes.

No class of the population of New York
come nearer to the poor than the members
of the Stun Brigade, as it is called, OF the
Salvation Army. The Stun Sisters enter
the homes of the unforunates, and minis
ter, either spiritually or materially, TO sick
and poor alike.
1t is a wonderful work which they per.
form for the cause of Christianity. Imbued
with an enthusiasm compared to which Il
members of the other sects seem but half.
hearted, the Stun Sisters do not hesitate In
wash and dress the babies, cock the meal
for the mother or attend to the family wash
ing and ironing. The necessity of the work
only governs its performance.
In the barracks in which the noble Stun
Sisters live are beds and cots for homeless
women and children Many pathetic stories
could be written about the chance occupants
of these temporary resting places, but to
none, probably, attaches more human inter
est than the case of the little waif to whom
the attention of Mrs Balingion Booth was
recently called.
The child was boy scarcely more than
four or FIVE years old His parents had evil
IDENTIFY been sent to the island or had drift
ed away somewhere When found crouch
ed in corner OF a hallway one chilly night
in March he was but half clad aud was
numbcd with exposure to the cold.
Taken into the barracks, the waif was
wa b ID and dressed in clean clothes, warm
ed aud fed He was delighted with the at
tenliou that he received, and particularly
with his garmenls-so much SO that when
one of the sisters attempted to undress him
for bed he cried, under the belief that ! c
was about to be permanently deprived OF
his new apparel
This was very apparent when the sister
attempted to teach him the words of u {
simple prayer, ''Now | lay me down Il
sleep"
Kneeling beside him at the bedside the
sister said Say these words after me
Now ! lay me down to sleep"
Peeping between his fingers the little fel.
low lisl.ed, Now lay me down to sleep
81 pray the Lord my soul to keep" con-
tinued the sister.
81 pray the Lord my clothes to keep
whispered the boy.
"No, not clothes to keep soul tC
keep corrected the sister.
"Soul to keep" said the boy.
"Now say it from the beginning" urged
the worker In the sums. Nov ] lay mt
down to sleep, pray the Lord my soul tc
keep"
But the poor little fellow was too intent
upon his treasures. "Now lay me down
to sleep, l pray the Lord my clothes tc
keep" he said, making the same mistake as
before
"No, no; that is not right" spoke the
paiustaking sister. "Yoa should pray God
to care for your soul, not your clothes. III
take care of those"
"And won't you pawn them, replied the
lad, to the as.onshment of the sister, land
buy rum with them? That's what they al
ways did at home when had new clothes.
Tears filled the eyes of the Stun Sister,
but she brushed them aside as she kissed
the child His few words of precocious
knowledge had revealed to her the story of
his brief life. and she needed no more to
tell her OF the misery of his home. Although
he finally mastered his little prayer, it was
with the words, II pray the Lord my clothes
To keep" on his lips that he fell asleep
Neic York Herald