The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-15
PRAYED TO KEEP HIS CLOTHES.
A New York Street Wait Had Their
Preservation Of Mind.
ZION DC New ~ Herald.

No class of the population Of New York
come nearer to the poor than the men,
bers of the Stun Brigade, as it is called,
Of the Salvation Army. The Stun Sisters
enter the homes Of the unfortunates, and
minister, either spiritually or materially,
to sick and p DOR alike
1t is a wonderful work which they per-
form for the cause of Christianity. I'M
| bued with an enthusiasm compared to
which, the members of the other sects
seem but half-hearted, the Stun Sisters
do not hesitate TO wash and dress the
babies, cook the meal for the mother or
attend to the family washing 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 at
| tacheS more human interest than the case
of a little waif to whom the attention of
Mrs. Ballington Booth was recently
called
The child was boy scarcely more than
| or years old. His parents had evi-
IDENTIFY been sent TO the island or had
drIfted away somewhere. When found
crOuched in a corner Of hallway one
chilly night in March he was but half
clad and was numbed with exposure to
the cold
Taken into the barracks, the waif was
washed and dressed in clean Clothes
na9armed and fed. He was delighted with
the attention that he received, and par
ticularly with his garments-sO much so
that when one of the sisters attempted to
undress him for bed he cried, under the
belief that he was about to be perma-
| nently deprived of his new apparel.
This was very apparent when the sister
attempted to teach him the words of the
simple prayer, "Now l lay me down to
sleep"
Kneeling beside him at the bedside the
sister sand Say these words after me-
Now lay me down to sleep
Peeping between his fingers the little
fellow lisped, "Now 1 lay me down to
sleep"
II pray the Lord my soul to keep" con-
tinued the sister.
Il pray the Lord my clothes to keep"
whispered the boy.
'No, not clothes to keep soul to
keep, " corrected the sister.
Soul to keep" said the boy.
Now say it from the beginning"
urged the worker in the slums. &" Now
lay me down to sleep, pray the Lord
my soul to keep
But the poor little fellow was too intent
upon his treasures. Now l lay me down
to sleep, pray the Lord my clothes to
keep" he said, making the same mistake
as before
'No, no; that is not right" spoke the
painstaking sister. "You should pray
God to care for your soul, not your
clothes. I'll take care of those"
"And won't you pawn them" replied
| the lad 10 the establishment of the sister.
land buy rum with them? That's what
they always did at home when l had new
| clothes"
Tears filed 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 AL
though he finally mastered his little
prayer, it was with these words, II pray
the Lord my clothes TO keep" on his lips
that he fell asleep.