The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-20
CITY MISSIONARY WORK
Report Made by Miss s. c. krigbaum
in Penn Avenue Church.
GOOD WORK DONE DURING YEAR
Attention Paid TO tho Temporal as Well
as tho Spiritual Wants-Work OBJ.
tanned for Unemployed and
Food Given to tho Needy.

Food Given to the Needy.
Special services were held at the
Penn Avenue Baptist church yesterday
morning. when Miss $. c. krigbaum
presented the eleventh annual report of
her work as church and Sunday school
missionary. The report read as fol-
lows:
To enable us to better understand the
work IT may be well for US to look for
few moments upon the field which Is
right here in this city, with its in
creasing and very mixed population
Like other cities. 1t has vast possibli-
ties for good and for evil The object
Is TO seek the Chrstianizatlon
and subsequent publication and eleva-
tion of the home. The methods are
house ITO house visitation, heart to
heart interchange OF thought and ex-
perience, and to bring this about we
have the mothers meetings Not 80
much has been done In this line. this
year, because of sickness. There are
also womens classes, which help wo-
men who have not had advantages to
helpful reading.
These never meet in class, but are
directed in their homes. Industrial
school work; children's meetings; Bible
classes; home Bible reading classes;
gathering children into the Sunday
school; visiting the sick; caring for the
poor Child culture and child training
Is occupying large place in the minds
of the thinking people of today. We
have given Il good deal of thought and
time to the children and to the home
of the less favored children, within our
reach and. and find 1t labor not spent
in vain.
One Case in Point.
In one Of the worst quarters OF the
city lived a mother and two daughters,
because of cheap rent. By help of a
little clothing we kept the girls in the
Sunday school. During the very hot
weather Of last summer, the young girl
died, and her last moments were full
of Testimony OF her love for her Saw
iour. Her little life had been well
lived and her death gave proof that
even children may come to a saving
knowledge OF Christ. We could spend
all the time allotted us with incidents,
for there have been so many during
the year to encourage the heart of the
worker.
Our Industrial school held every Sat-
urday afternoon in the lecture room
has been quite we'll attended, while it
has not accomplished what we hoped
from lack Of helpers 1t has. through its
influence, reached and benefited many
homes, that could not otherwise have
been reached. 1t is also school for
the Christian worker. We hope in the
coming year, the Lord willing, to make
much advance in this line of work;
through it quite number come into
the Sunday school. Here is indeed a
wide field for the faithful who are
willing to do the little things for Jesus
sake.
1t the artist could see an angel in the
block Of marble the redeemed of the
Lord ought, through faith, to see
His image in the soul of every child.
While speaking of children, I may
mention that on Wednesday afternoon
at o'clock our Junior Christian En-
deavor is held, and we feel it indeed q
great help in developing young Chris
tians and bringing others, who attend,
to a better understanding. In our
house to house visiting we find the mis-
erable homes, disobedient children,
drunkenness, tippling among women,
all manner of vileness. The unem-
ployed, the discouraged, each of these
make some claim upon our time and
sympathy. But it is not all sad pic
ures. The improved life, the clean, tidy
children, and souls won to Christ, all
cheer the missionary. Visiting the sick
and aged has taken a good deal Of time.
Some of the visits have been among
our own people who were suffering,
and we feel that some real help was
given frequently.
Care Of the Poor.
The care of the poor Is indeed a diff
cult problem. Ones sympathy is apt
to be in the way of good Judgment and
we give instead of helping. 1t is much
easier to give the money than to give
the time and effort in finding work
that they may earn a living. We be-
lieve that self-help Is necessary to self
respect and are sure that much aims
giving fosters pauperism; so, when
ever 1t Is possible, we find employment.
To find employment is at once difficult
and delicate Vices, bad habits and ig-
norance of what work really means are
to be taken into account. We found
employment for twenty-four during the
year Bright pictures of a busy, big
city attracts n great many easy-going
persons to Scranton to find an easy
place to grow rich. Some of these we'll
meaning people fall into our hands.
and claim to belong to some Baptist
church, and because they are of the
household of faith, have some claims
on us.
From necessity a good deal of time
was spent with the fallen and vicious.
One girl was taken from one of these
dens and placed in the Florence mis-
sion. In the summer a girl, Ia years of
age, who had become incorrigable, was
sent to the house of correction in Phil
adelphia. Her letters to me are full
of gratitude for the care taken to keep
her from a. worse fate. She was one of
the homeless. friendless girls. of whom
much Is expected and little given, and
the feeling that she did not belong to
any one who really loved her, caused
her to fail to appreciate the kindness
she did receive.
Your bounties to the poor have car
ried blessings with them into many
homes during the year. The Dorcas So
ciety have not held their meetings so
regularly this year, but n great deal of
clothing was sent in by individuals and
societies. so that we have been pretty
well supplied.
We gave Out over 1900 garments, by
this not only making many persons,
old and young. comfortable, but ena-
bling them to come to church and Sun
day school. 1T has been your custom