The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-04-17
SOME GOOD FEATURES.


dence. Had the reader, however, gone
with US one night beneath the surface,
or in other words, over to the Rue st.
Jacques in tho Latin Quarter, guided
by directions from those who know
where to look for tho better things in
this big city, he would have seen and
heard something OF tho bright side OF
student life. Our destination was the
office OF that progressive and devout
FrenChman, Pasteur Jean Monnier, and
our object to learn something of his
new enterprise in behalf Of young men,
The Catholics are busy along the same
lines, and are really pioneers in this
field. But Pastor Monnier's work is a
fair sample OF all enterprises OF this
kind, and as it is q Protestant under
taking, We naturally select it for special
mention.
The design is to afford cozy, we'll
lighted rooms, in which, under Chris
tiAn auspices, the students OF Paris can
spend their evenings, where, with the
daily paper or wholesome selection
from the books provided, cup of coffee
can be enjoyed, without the temptation
to mingle brandy with 1t, or any OF the
other seductions Of the cafe, and where,
moreover, should inclination prompt, a
game Of billiards can be INDUCED, with
no chance for gambling and no tempta-
ton to patronize the bar. These are
tho main features, though, Of course,
there are others, some Of which have in
view not merely tho screening OF young
men from temptation, but the culture
OF their intellectual tastes and the de-
velopment in q Christian way OF the
feelings and character.
In his general opinion OF the life Of
students in Paris, Pastor Monnier could
only confirm what we had heard from
other sources and had verified abund-
antly by our own observations. The
seductiveness OF Paris, he said, was
enormous, and the great mass OF the
young men, he sadly feared, were led
astray. "But there are exceptions" he
observed, and we shall quite fail to do
Justice to this worthy man II we do not
lay special stress upon this fact-"there
are many noble exceptions. Most OF
the students who frequent our rooms
are leading good and pure lives, and
some OF them are fervent in good works."
This testimony he repeated, as though
he loved to dwell upon 1t and wished it
to DO we'll known, and when we asked
him, as point OF curious interest, what
class OF students had appeared to him to
furnish the largest quota OF these eX-
ceptional cases, he replied without
hesitation US o little and
gratifying US still more-that the most
devout young men he had met thus far
were in attendance upon the scientific
faculty.
Here, we found, was another institu-
ton which draws q part OF its support
from America, a discovery which at-
fected us differently from the ono just
mentioned; that is. it gratilied but did
not surprise US. How could it, with
tho knowledge we have that nearly all
good causes over here are favored in
precisely tho same way. And natural
ly, in this connection, our thoughts re-
vert to the NEAL mission. So popular
is this with the best classes in the
United States, that we are annually
helping it to the extent OF between
thirty TO forty thousand dollars, and so
much steadier is the American grip
upon this work than that OF the coun-
try which started it, that while the
annual contributions in England are de-
clining little, ours show from year to
year an unvarying increase.
THE MALL MISSION.
The McAll mission is another Of those
reformatory agencies which must be
looked for beneath the surface Of this
great city's life. 1t will not welcome
you at the railway station, nor parade
itself before you on the boulevards, nor
trumpet its doings in your ears as you
lounge about the corridors of Partisan
hotels. Which reminds us, by the way,
that one generous American, when he
came 10 Paris to SEQ this mission for
himself, and was unable to learn OF his
hotel the precise locality OF one OF its
halls, which had been named in mem
DRY Of his own daughter, became so dis
gusted that he withdrew his support.
He had thought, no doubt, that this
hall would be as well known in Paris as
the Grand Opera House or the Louvre.
Yet, how could it be when the McAll
mission is mission to the poor, quiet,
unobtrusive evangel Of gospel light and
purity In great city which, in all its
surface characteristics, seems utterly
given up to pleasure seeking and dis.
play.
But this work still thrives, and we do
not in the least reflect upon the native
agencies operating for the same end
when we declare that the doors OF its
modest conference halls, always OPEN
ing from the sidewalk and never higher
than the ground floor (Which Is wonder
full in Paris), furnish door Of hope to
the unchurched masses OF this city
such as local effort might not have been
able to present for years to come. Not
In Paris alone, but in other large towns
OF France, is this mission doing its
gracious work, and latterly. by means
OF mission boat, called Bon Ms@a0er,
It has begun cruise Of the beautiful
rivera OF France in the interest OF the
villages and hamletB, everywhere meet
ing with warm welcome and always,
in the results 1t produces, Qualifying tho
view Of that project Of one Of the de-
pArtments who Observation-Disclosures
the McAll missionaries 20 fewer police
arc needod."
Before us as we write Is a statistical
table Of the twenty years work OF this
mission, and wo note from year to year
u steady increase In every department,
the year Of 1891 being as follows: Mum.
bor OF stations 1886; sittings Is, 1872; meet.
ings for adults 1913; aggregate attend.
OneeS SOL ,lG9; chidren's meetings 6,5B7i
aggregate attendancos 207504; total Ut.
tondanCes at all meetings during tho
year 1,2Ss,77S; visits 28,8S5; bibles,
tracts, &C., circulated 580,6S5; expenses