The morning times., 1896-11-16
Mission Workers Attack WI
low Tree Alleys Sin.
TO THE BOTTOM STRATA
Devoted Band of Women Instill
the Work in the Minds
of its Youth,

There is a bit OF sunshine in Willow Tree
aliey. IL Is the Frances willard Mission,
h"uiei aiter tne ic..ues 81! l.lr t.l.Ii inrsluee
workers of the world and conducted largely
under The auspices or Jnc W. q. A. L. and
the Central Union Mission, of this city.
:. Inc Iocation OF the mission has already
been described in The Times, 1t is at
the corner III tile Two c.ntr.l courts ot tile.
mystifring network OF small byways that
iheinder through the block The exterior
Oh inc building is az unpretentious as all
the other buAdings In tEe alley. A email
sign, In crudely painted letters, over the
douf .innooiiccs Lue PURPOSES of the piace.
A Hines reporter attended Sunday school
there Yesterday afternoon. There Are two
rooms in the place. They are almost as
unassumlng, but more cheerful. than The
exterior. The first Is a large room, prob
ably l4x2O feet in dimensions. There is
no carpet on the noOr, out neither ia rneie
carpet on the floor of single room in
Willow Tree alley.
An organette stands at one side Of the
room. IL was not played because there
was no one there who Was master ni the
accomplishment On another side stands
Stove. The weather was warm and there
was no fire in 1t. One of the attendants
whispered to the reporter tnat this was
lucky because there was no Coal. At ether
size OF The chimney are two small shelves
on which there were Bibles and tracts
All about the walls there are pictures.
They were taken from the highly coInred
biblical scenes that adorn the charts of
Sunday schools. or course there was not
complete and current chart there None
OF the charts were bought originally for
the children. They had all come from
other Sunday schools where children of
more Favored fortune had studied them
"heh they illustrated the lessons-for
quarters in session.
INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING.
Some OF them Were two or three years
OLD They represented THE Eoy Jesus,
"Childhood Of AOses,".'birlh of Christ, :"
Jesus Before The High Priest" and a
score or more of other topics.
In one corner there was Il BOUQUET. mob
ably gathered last autumn or the autumn
hefore, but surely not carried in this fan
Ihere was wreath of the same stuff over
the door that led hack into the Other and
smaller room
Inc flrst room was used by three diff
1erent classes. The second was .,ccnpied
by the waits OF the infant class. There
were pictures all around the walls of this
room, tco. III mad two dozen or SO small
cha:rs that had come from some I'D town
church which had purchased finer ones
aIter these had worn out. but the chairs
are really IN good condition yet. There
was no carpet on the floor.
herosenc lamps Were used in both rooms
out they were not lighted when the reporter
was there, for the exercises We're over
before dusk
The average attendance on the Sunday
school is between thirty-five and FORTY
Exclusive OF the teachers. the writer
counted thirtyfonr persons present who
We're being taught
Mrs. Rose F. Brown was in charge Of
the school. She has charge of the mission
l. is her work 1t is her pride She is
not egotistical. When one studies the
elements OF the alley and then enters
the sunday school they wonder why she
Is not She might be with modesty. She
Is coiored woman. Most of her life has
been spent in missionary work 1t has
been "A noble life
Il was working in New York in 1890"
SAID she, when l heard OF the awfnI
condltlon OF the alleys of Washington
and came here and went to work"
ASSISTANT TEACHERS.
The mission has been in progress nearly
six years.
There were three regular assistants
helping Mrs. Brown yesterday afternoon
MT j u. Tyssowski was teaching a class
or boys. There were four of them and
they were at times niischieyous. Mr.
Connor was teaching a small class of colored
EHIs. MessrS' Iyssowskl and Connor both
gofrom the New York Avenue Presbyterian
church each Sunday TO help in the conver-
sion and up-building of these people down
IN Willow Tree alley.
Miss Louisa Peobles, a bright vounp
colored woman teaching In the public
schools OF Washington, had charge OF
the lnfant class in the other room There
was another teacher there. He WIS a
stranger who had dropped in and was
IN fla r.
or eight of them.
As already said, there was no one there
to play the organette. But there was music
ana ~ was good music, at that Song is q
birthr1ghto OF coloredpeople. The youngsters,
leo Dy their teachers, sang with will
They like music and they are allowed to
have plenty Of it. They sang song after
Song and then Mr.. Tyssowski offered pra YER
This was hardly so pleasing to the little
ones. A boy leaned over and pincbed n
smaller one, but the same thing is often
donein bigger and more n aristocratic Sunday.
schools. The two boys readily ioined in
the songs that followed.
They all proceeded to lessons Only a few
of them could read, but every one was
gwen tracts that had pictures on them
The classes were grouped and the teachers
began TO work. Many Bible verses Were
taught. The Lords prayer was repeated in
each class, but in the infant group time and
again. Many of the scholars learned it then
and there. Others never will be able TO
repeat it. The commandments We're gone
over, TOO.
SCHOLARS WERE ORDERLY.
The older and steady students'ar taught
other passages from the Bible There are
eight OF them who can repeat the twenty
third psalm. A number of them can say
the first psalm.
The scholars and their teachers sang
"God Be With YOU, and the school Joined
in repeating two or three short texts that
had been learned. The members of the
infant class knew them and said them as
readily as their teachers or their seniors.
The exercises Were over and the tots
told that they might go. Some of them
We're In hurry, and scampered out of the
back door, because it was handler The
ajority of them waited and filed out
of the front door, and Mrs. Brown placed
in the hands of each a tract as they left
the place.
They were warned not to shout and make
noise when they got ontSidc. No one
said whether this was their custom UT
not, but all went away peaceably On the
whole the services We're very orderly and
the leave-taking quite so.
1t must not be supposed that some of the
youngsters did not whimper under the re-
straint. They are unused to it at hcme.
Some OF them live in the alley. Others
do not THERE'S no one towatcli them when
thcy are -hOmc and that is why restraint
comes so hard to them.
hiiss Peoblt-S. in The infant class, had to
pause every short while and tell this little
one or that little one to keep still. Those
In the larger room would not always fix
their minds ON the subject in hand. They