The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-05
Parochial Philanthropic Activity

st. Georges Year Book for 1896 af-
fords a very striking exhibition of the phil
anthropic activity now prevailing in the
Episcopalian, as we'll as in other Protestant
parishes of this city.
The clerical staff of St. Georges par
ish consists of the Rev. DR.. RAINsFoRD,
with four clergymen as assistants, besides
four deaconesses and six lay readers. There
is q house for the deaconesses, supported at
a cost last year OF about four thou
sand dollars. a parish paper is published.
The Parish House Is the centre of multifa-
rious parochial activities. 1t is a commodi-
GUS building, in East Sixteenth street, and
in 1t are the rooms of the clergy and
Of various clubs and societies for
children and adults. 1t contains a
gymnasium, a library, and a relief depart
ment. In it meet the Sunday schools, Bible
classes, Kings Daughters, sewing school,
mothers meetings, the kindergarten, the
missionary associations, the medical de-
partment, the employment society, and
various other societies. Here, too, are held
frequent concerts and entertainments. On
every day Of the week some of these organ
i~zations meet there, and usually many of
them. A chapter Of the Brotherhood of St.
Andrew "for the spread of Christ's king
dom among young men," contains about
sixty members OF the parish. Mr.. SETH
Low, the President of Columbia College.
conducts the Bible class, with an average
attendance of ffty-eight; and makes time
amid his multifarious engagements to give
an hour each Sunday morning." to it.
There is a committee whose function 1t is to
show hospitality to strangers coming to the
church. Another committee takes charge of
the mission in Avenue A. A visiting COM
mittee, an invitation committee, an "out-
side -relations committee" and a finance
committee are assiduous in attending to
their respective duties.
The st. Georges Mems Club has as the
chief features in the years life " a series of
monthly smokers or smoking concerts"
We are surprised to see that PARKHURsT
was one of the speakers chosen to address
this club, for he is a person Of a reputation
so unsavory that even his presence among
young men must provoke for Ridden
thoughts. The attendance at the gym
nasium is so large that the accommodations
have proved insufficient. A new form of
| sport, basketball, has been introduced dur
ing the year, and of the eight competing
games played in the other clubs, five were
won, but the st. Georges men were badly
beaten by the team of the Young Mems
Christian Association. Girls and small
boys also use the gymnasium; and there is
an athletic club in which are bicycle and
cricket sections.
The women Of the parish are organized
as u missionary association. There is a
| club for the free circulation Of books and
periodicals. The Girls' Missionary Guild
sends boxes of necessaries to missionaries.
The Relief Department contains a grocery
! department, which sells groceries at whole
sale prices, or gives them away TO the in
digent, and a clothing department which
sells and gives away clothing, new and old.
There are forty-four women Of the parish,
ladies of wealth and social consequence, who
are organized rs district visitors" their
duties being to admonish the people to obey
the tenement house, street cleaning, and
public school laws and regulations. and to
report violations thereof, besides giving aid
to the distressed and procuring work
for the unemployed. A special Street
Cleaning Department renders volun-
tary assistance to Col. WAXING in the
way of popular instruction as to the
necessity for public and private cleanliness.
For instance, the parish visitors are told
in the regulations provided for them that
they can do much to prevent the l~ittering
of the streets by speaking kindly to children
or adults whom they see throwing fruit
skins, paper, and articles of any description
in the streets" An Evening Trade and In
] dustrial School. open to boys who are men,