The morning times., 1895-12-29
The Nother
OF missions
NEN YORK LEADS THE UNITED
STATES IN CITY CHARITIES.
Beautiful and Accomplished Col
lege Graduates Who Labor
Among the Very Poor.

In bright and CHEEKY rooms thoroughly
dainty and refined in Their every appoint
ment, and overlooking one OF the o!desi
and most historic churches and church
yards in New York, is located the train
ing school for workers under the wo
mans branch of the New York city missions
This school was founded in answer
to the call for experienced workmen, and
to meet the need OF many young women
from universities and colleges, who, de
sirioas of concentrating their lives to bet
tcring the condition OF the people of the
slums, are seeking special training. Here
uu:y hayespeciai co Irses in sewing, cooking,
vocal culture in choral classes, etc, and
under the direction of experienced mis-
sionaries ana nurses 10 tenement house
visii lg, liagineverysortofoharit
work And as the field extends from Four
teeDIh street, to the battery OF this
great metropolis, it affords exceptional
opportunities. for practical training. The
tuition is free in this training school, and
only the nominal sum of 500 year is
charged for board.
HIGH BRED INTELLECTUAL WOMEN.
found amongst these young women work
ers graduates from colleges and univer-
taken special courses in England and Ger
many, and one highly. educated Italian,
who has learned English, and is Ia king
this training course in order to prepare her
to carry on the same work among The poor
in her own bcloved1taly.
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.
The work of these young women differs
from the regular college Settlement
methods, in tr' hey build wholly upon
the Christian bass. They do any amount
of practical labor in the homes, but rely
upon the spiritual work for their greatest
results.
OF course, their best results are with the
children, but even with the Older people
they succeed to an extent that is beyond the
most sanguine hope of the humanitarian
of fifty years ago. They can enumeratc
many cases where men have reformed. inn
proved in their conditions and prospects,
moved up into better parts OF the city;
but, of course, their old haunts are immc-
diately filled by those poor whom ye have
always with yOu.'
Nv card OF introduction was to a Wei
lcsly young woman, who has been en-
gagged in the work long enough TO have
1t well in hand. As there was little
time before the Mothers meeting
which she was TO conduct, and TO which
she was to take me. she turned me over
to a young woman, whose remarlIl BILE
beauty made me pause and wonder. But
seemingly quite unconscious of her per-
sonai lOvclincss aud all aglow with youth
ful enthusiasm in her work, she conducted
me TO the baby fold.
a NEW WORK.
This baby fold was brought into being
by case of simple necessity. 1t seems
one of these little ones lost its mother,
and the father was Ill and out of work,
Init n piX his child Alto
gether. and there was no institution in
New York, where child under two
could be placed temporarily, unless ILL.,
Many parents utterly unable to take
care of their children for a time cannot
bring themselves to give them up alto
gether, so the baby fold is to tide them
over these times, and when the child
is two years old, if the parents are stil
unable to care for it, it is placed in some
one of the institutions. Here, in a bright
sunny room We're eight little snow white
cribs, and several nurses tending the
helpless little beings. One old nurse sat
with a baby in each arm, nursing them
and singing to them Justify.
But it was soon tome 20 say good-by
to the babies and be off TO the mothers
meeting at one OF the misson churches.
These churches are never close and
every day i'll the week and nearly every
hour in the day they are in use for some
special purpose. Kindcrgnrtens, sewing
schools. mothers meetings, children's
hour, etc, fill up the days and the weeks.
THE CROCHET MAN.
After the meeting / was allowed to
Join one OF the young women on her vis-
iting tour. She first took me to one of
her "shut in cases. II was one of the
thrirtier of the tenement houses, in which
the very best was made OF very meagre
means. The one living room was scrupu-
lously clean and made bright with picture
cards and here and there touch OF
color. Here we found a man who, until
last summer had not been out of his home for
nine years, but literally lived in his wheeled
chair. Rheumat atism had rendered him COM
pletely helpless, and the only thing that
he can do at all now is to crochet. Pre-
vious to his Illness he was a wood carver,
but his hands will no longer hold the tools
for such work. He was bright, animated,
CHEEKY, very glad to see US and showed
me samples of his work with the greatest
interest
He has pleasant corner by the window,
In which is a pretty plant, and here year
in and year out he sits crocheting for the
support of his family. Afgans, shawls,
edging, etc, are his leading articles.
Thcn occasionally lie gets an. order for
lettering which he does quite prettily.
But as the demand for crochet work is very
sHsut, he PIopdpiN Souiu hOt i'tina te d' ar
were it not for these noble women who
charge themselves with securing orders
and disposing of work for him. They also
help the Industrious wife. who is sort of
housekeeper for the whole tenement to
meet the dreaded rent day.
The mission sent him into the country
last summer for two weeks, and it was
the first time that he had seen his own |
street except from his window for nine
years, and he cannot yet cease from talking |
of the wonderful changes New York had |
undoSSone in that time. Like an prisoners |
the first day OF liberty made him long for |
his cage again. but he soon came to enjoy |
the unlimited space, fresh airand wide SIX yof
the country. and has been much better since |
for his outing.