The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-26
|CHRISTM MAS DINNER
At HOPE HALLO
How the Volunteers of
America Provide for
Ex-Prisoners.
A CHEEKY Place Painted White
That They May Call Their
Own Home.
Helping Hand Extended to Goodly
Number Already Since the
Opening.

The headquarters officers of the Volun-
teers of America took their Christmas
dinner yesterday in Hope Hall. With the
officers were five of the tenants or bene-
ficiaries of Hope Hall. Two OF these latter
were regular tenants = new men from
prison who have not yet been provided
with occupations in the world whereby
they NAV begin life again. The other
three were visitors-men who had come to
the hall from prison, remained long
enough to feel the full strength OF its
beneficent influence and had left it to take
a place in the work of the world again.
"These men who have been to Hope
Hall seem to look upon it afterward as
their home they love it, and come even
from distances to visit it and u.s., said
Captain +. M. Brundage, in charge of the
help and reformation department of the
Volunteers. Hope Hail." he continued,
has become an institution, although 1t
has only been in existence since the latter
part of October. 1t has been the tenn
porary home of and given the first help
ing hand TO eighteen State prisoners as
they came from San Quentin or Folsom.
"Of those eighteen out one has returned
to the bad entirely. Two others are not
be having as well as we might wish, but
the other fifteen out OF eighteen have to
lar given every Sl0A Vi duQ
some of them / would not hesitate so
recommend for places of trust for they
have been tried and proven the good stuff
that is in them.
Hope Hall Is an idea of Ballington
Booth s. and has long been an institution
of great good in New York. 1t was in
augurated here upon The occasion of Mrs.
Booth visit last fall"
The nall covers the top floor of the
Volunteers headquarters building on
Suffer street. 1t is clean and bright and
provides accommodations for ten men.
There is a bedroom, a dining-room, a
reading or sitting-room and kitchen.
All OF them are painted white from end
to end and all over, giving the appearance
of great cheerfulness. The men are ex-
pected to keep the place clean and per-
form the other necessary work incident
thereto. Men are there at liberty 10 come
and go as they please. They are not re-
quired to attend the religious meetings
held mig htly in the hall below, unless they
desire. They are required to be within
doors at O'Clock and lights go out at 10.
1.-THE place is not open TO the inspection
of the curious" said Captain Brundage.
''Were it so, there would be a constant
run of the. merely simpering senti-
mentalists offering sympathy and doing
harm generally. The men are allowed to
remain here free of charge so long as they
obey the simple rules. until they secure
work, or we secure it for them. They are
not required to take any kind of work of.
fered, either. There are some people in
this world who are capable of taking adj
vantage of place like this to get very
ugly and hard work done for little or moth
ing. Some such have been here and some
of the men have gone out and done the
work steadily and uncom plainingly in
their effort to get start again. We stand
between them and such imposition, how
ever.
"There is ample encouragement for
prosecuting this work." continued the
captain.
in the first place, man would not
come here who did not wish to be helped.
The others have their So when released
ana make line for Barbary Coast or
Chinatown. Those who come here are
different and we wish to help them.'
A benefit concert will be given for the
benefit of Hope Hall on Tuesday evening
next, at the Volunteers Hall on Suffer
street. by the Herman Brandt Amateur
Orchestra.