Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-23
FAITH MISSION.
ruE WORK ~ AN oxronD COUNT
nor AND OTHERS N rus Stock
YAaps DISTRICT az CHICAGO.

II NAnDs DISTRICT ~ CHICAGO.
In every large city there IL . section
where their are not many churches, and
where the moral aud religious life of the
community IL on q very low plane
where things that would be looked upon
with horror In other sections ut even The
same city. are here looked upon with .
calm Indifference by the people, and
passed by without comulent.
such placcs are readily found In Chi
ego. Chief among them u what !.
known a. the "stock yards" district. a.
every one IL aware, the .'unIon stock
yards OF Chicago" are the largest In the
world. aud nankcd on one aide by n
number of large packing establishments,
including Swift's, Armour's, Cudahy's
aud others, With their thousands Of
workmen.
These packing houses and the stock
yards together employ . small army
% workmen, and not so very small
either, because the number reaches
quite we'll up Into the thousands. These
workmen are of all nstionslities, aud all
religious beliefs, with their attendant
Ignorance and superstition. az course,
sprinkled In among this great number,
there are some Of good morals-some
good, purr, Christian llSes-but the
average Of the morals 1t the people is
very low.
10 give some Idea Of the density Of
the population of this section, aud the
scarcity of church privileges, LET me just
quote . few figures. Embraced within
= territory of square mile just north of
the 'stock yards" where q great many
of the workmen live, there are about
e. 800 people. The churches IN that
section, which are nearly all Catholic,
will seat only 400 people. what OF the
other ts,Oof
A little over q year ago young man
from the University felt q burden laid on
hlm from the lord, Ia 60 down Into that
community and open q Gospel Mission.
After praying over II with hls Wife. hs
went aud looked the field over. must
not 90 into detail, for this sketch Will be-
too long 10 ! do. shall only touch on
the chief facts, because ! want 10 show
what has been accomplished IN year,
aud it might weary YOU II dselt too long
on any one part 81 IL. lie found . store
bulldog suitable for the purpose design
81, namely. a sunday school at nr.t.
The room wss warmed aud opened
about M. first 20 November, is92, Tor
the sund,y school, aud the children
came, ffty ar sixty of them.
I wish I could bring that picture Ia
the mind 81 every reader ri this sketch,
but no pen IL niue can do 10. II il q
good deal like bling seaslck, no Que
realize. what u Il uutil be has been
th.rr-.o with organizing q sundsy
school out 81 street arabs, no one knows
Whist u IL like until he has been there
for himself. Imagine u. We who can.
4 room sDssO feet, twothlrds fillci
With boys aud girl., aged from six tn
fourteen. some of them ragged aud
dirty, face. ,harpened aud plDeb-'i With
hanger, want aud cold. aud all, or
nearly all of them, talking, whispering.
giggllng and moving around, chewing
tobscco or gum. Children that hs,e
been brought up In the street, . great
many of them, and have known no re-
.traInt. aud no fear excepting Oh. fear
10 the policeman. Boys that know no
deccncy In words or actions, and AZ Tar ne
can be discovered no reverence. whatever
for Tod or man. such was the material
out of which VA. organized the Sunday
school st the "fsith Mission"
soon after organizing other worker.
from the University aud el.ewber. rail-
lied Ia the assistance ~ Mr.. i. \. Oury.
The sunday school fouri.hed In spite 81
~ With the help of great opposition
from the Catholics. The boys broke
our windows, the priests came aud
threatened u., but We had . strong arm
To uphold u. an what cared We for
their thr-,teningf
To our sunday school we added an
evening gospel service, With gooi sing
Ing and speaking. with good results.
We had q good attendance and good In
crest. some were converted In spite of
40. fact that IL va. often necessary Ia
have one or two policemen around.
The work has been carried forsard
under some Acknowledgements, but, BY a
sI.e leading ~ God, believe, from that
day Ia this. Nov the sunday school
number. from 40 Ia iCO, With What Ne
call goot order aud attention. IL might
not be .o considered In New England
sunday school, but We feel Ia rrto'ce,
Tor II 4. such an advance over what
sa.. Also we have q chlldren's service
b-fore our regular evening service, Ia
shlch great number % children come,
aud bring their bibles, aud they seem
Co enjoy reading or repeating verse on
Q given subject which has been announc-
81 the sunday before, and then some
Que Rad. aud talk. "a them Tor a while.
such contrast Ia Que year.
About two months ago some of the
Young ladle. from the Baptist Mission
sry Trslning school ~ Chicago, came
down on the field and began Ia make q
house Ia hou.. visitation. with . view OF
organizing an Industrial school To De
held on saturday forenoon. The can.
vase Va. successful. The school was
organized With an attendance of nearly
90. since then u has Increased 20 -
nd 40. aud once there were rs pre.-
.nt, taxing the room 90 its utmost capa-
city, but .till there WAS gooi work done
IN sewing and such things.
Last Monday evening We observed
Christmas. We had q crowded house, q
good literary program, and some pres
cot for each one III our scholars, ground
cut ~ q Dutch windmill Instead 81 from
a Christmas tree. II Was an enjoyable
occasion. Good order aud attention
Nere preserved, only they became lit
tie bol.terous With laughter wh'n the
I'D "Dutch miller" appeared.
During the year We have moved once,
however, only across the street, Into a
little more convenient quarters. An
earnest Christian business man of CHI
cago pays the rent and the gas bill.
hope to add something else Ia TIL.
history. namely, Oh. account of the
opening of q free reading room every
night In the week, 10 try t0 do some
thing towards keeping the boys and
girls and men and women OF the streets
aud out Of the wore places, the saloons.
We have been planning. praying and
sorking for this for many months, aud
In q few DAYS We expect Ia open IL. We
have two tables built for u and the
promise of the donation of some papers,
also some money which Was raised by
he friends at home, and entrusted to
me for that work.
have Just touched on the work Of the
Mission" aud the results which are APP
parent To any one az fruit Of the years
work. There IL q great deal which
might be written. We have had great
many ludierous incidents la connection
With this work, many ANNOUNCEMENTS,
sud many wonderful answers To prayer,
for all II which we thank God.
I sm thankful for the interest which
~ Kind friends among my beloved tx
| ford lo,intv bills take I'm this work here.