The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-19
SISTERS OF THE SLUMS
VICE AND CRIME DISCOVERED BIZ
THE SALVATION ARMY WOMEN.
What 1t Means to Enter the Low
paign Against Crime Is Carried On.
Philadelphia Times.

'slum sister of the Salvation Army
has more varied experience in a week than
the average man or woman does in a year,
and IL the seamy side of life Is presented
to anyone of respectable sensiblities it is
TO the sweet-faced women who sell the
War Cry papers upon the streets by day
and enter saloons and houses Of i'll fame at
night. 1t has generally been supposed that
the Sisters of Charity of the Roman Cath
Ollie Church came into contact with more
vice and poverty than any other class OF
women, but the 'slum sisters of the Sal
walton Army can so them one better 1t
is not only their duty TO enter saloons to
ask for money, but to pray and exhort
TO plead personally with the rum-soaked
sinners. and to answer rough rebukes by
kindly smiles and pleasant words. They
touch vice, poverty, crime and degrade
ton at every point. and their life often
means companionship day and night with
misery and suffering.
The "slum sisters are often young girls
women, with sweet. pensive faces, and
if attired in any less ugly garb they would
often be handsome and commanding. Slum
work is a part of their education, and they
must have several years of this rough ex-
perience before they can advance in the
in regular meetings congenial enough to
their tastes, but when it comes to ''slum-
ming" nine-tenths of them waver and be-
come nearly discouraged.
The work of the sisters of any corps is di-
vided up into ''slum duty social reform
and prison gates" The officers take turns
in doing duty in these various lines, and
they direct the private soldiers in their
work, showing them by example what is eX-
npctQ6 of them A girl who has
passed through the first experiences OF
praying. singing and eXhorting in the pub
lie assemblies has become somewhat har-
dened to the work, but her cheek must
blanch little when she is then informed
that she is detailed for slum duty"
sister officer who knows the rounds takes
the uninitiated with her and introduces
her to haunts of vice and crime so terrible
that 1t is a wonder the experience does not
drive her from the army.
The first stunning is to go through the
worst part of the streets at night. where
crime and drunkenness Turk on every cor
ner, and with no protection but their uni
form help to reform the social outcasts On
some dark corner they will collect crowd
of roughs around them and endeavor to
touch their hearts with prayer and song.
Rough and insulting words will be ad-
dressed to them, but personal violence is
rarely offered. Another night the two sis
ters will make tour of the saloons. enter
ing one after another to sell War Cries, and
to ask permission to sing or pray. The
slum sisters always ask permission before
room, and if denied they retreat gracefully.
leaving behind tracts and words of bless
ing. In some saloons they are treated
roughly by the proprietors, who claim that
they njure their business. but in others
they are good-naturedly tolerated and
treated as a joke. while in a few they are
looked upon with fear. On the average
ten to fifteen short services are held in
one evening in many saloons, the two
helpless women being surrounded all the
time by drunkards, criminals and fast
women.
DEPRAvITY OF WOMEN.
Dives ard opium joints are entered just
as fearlessly by the "slum sisters the
saloons and here it is they receive the
worst treatment. The keeper of a disor-
derby house is generally a woman of the
world, who has much less respect for re-
ligion or womanhood than the most hard
ened saloon keeper She looks upon every
thing from mercenary point OF view, and
anything that interferes with her business
she is ready to put down by sheer force.
1t is consequently difficult for a stun
sister TO obtain admission to the dives.
AS their army dress always informs the
the door in their face. Then they can
merely hold meeting upon the steps. at
tracing a crowd. until the proprietress adj
mts them in self-protection. She knows
that If the crowd gathers in front OF her
house there is danger of some police inter
ference, and so she admits the sister with
il-grace preferring to have the disturbance
inside rather than out.
The inmates of a dive made up of
hardened sinners and young things just
starting upon their downward journey. 1t
is to the latter that the sisters address
most 2. tner etMesn Roman aq MOI Jew or
Protestant. All are the same to them.
| They preach to them solely upon the
| ground of common love and sin. They may
| plead by the hour with one half-rcpentant
| sinner and receive only rebuffs. But they
| will return TO the work again and again:
/ and If any impression is made they Will
! detect it.
| All OF this experience is new and start
ling to the young n9vice Her sI pari ti ana
| close contact with sin and shame. and
there is little wonder that she bushes and
INV first experience I'm stunning nearly
| drove me from the Salvation Army" said
| a pretty young woman. who had risen from
s'and / know it is the best test of girls
| sincerity to do SUM duty. had never seen
the inside of a saloon until was conduct
ed around by my guide. a woman only a
| few years older than myself. i confess that
| was trembling all over when We showed
! open the swinging door Of the first saloon.
| IT was a dark night. and we were in one of
| the worst quarters OF the city. My expecta-
ton was that 1 would see dark dimly
around IL scowlng at us. but instead OF
that the bar room was so brilliant end
! dazzling that / could not take my eyes off
the pretty things for some time: The bot
| ties decanters. and mirrors. and pictures
were so different from anything ! ever saw
/ before that | was aStopished. and q little
! pleased. / thought the place could not be
| so bad as my companion made it out.
But the sight of the men was not so re-
| assuring. They were mostly evil-lOokine
| faces besotted with rum and unpleasant
| to look at They stared at me until
| turned red and dropped my eyes. If it had
not been for my companion / should have
! tainted | was not used to my work then
| The steady gaze of a man disconnected me.
/ did not dare TO open my mouth. but
! stood in the middle of the room until my
| sister worker had finished. She went from
! one 10 another and spoke few words to
| them but what they were / could not tell
| 7 was so confused that 1 did not regain
| my senses until were out on the side
| walk | cutched the arm OF my companion
| and begged her not to take me into an
| other such place But she was wiser than
| / was If she had yielded to my entreaties
| then / should never have taken another
| Summing tour. AS Ii was, she dragged me
! trembling and frightened. into dozen diff
! ferent saloons that night. and made me
| Each time the work became easier and by
| could brace up courage enough to follow
her voice in some simple song or prayer.
A BEGINNING.
''Then / took more courage. and even at
| tempted to speak to some of the people
| They were rot so bad TO us; in fact, some
| of them were very kind. They saw that