The morning times., 1896-12-04
I BRANCH caoIR
DECLINED 70 slIG
Now There Is Discord Between 1t
and the Hope and Help.
Pretty Little Tempest That Has
Grown Ont OF the CrittentOn
Evangelical Meetings.

making special effort to spread her wings
over the members Of the ~ choir" and
the lady managers of the Hope and Help
Mission at one and the same time.
The choir is composed OF sixteen gifted
young ladies', good singers and members
ofthe Young Women s Christian Temperance
Union. 1t is considered quite the proper
thing always in temperance and exclusive
church circles to have them come and sing.
This is for two or more reasons; because
the young ladies are all pretty ana are
sweet singers, and because they are quite
an attraction when they appear IN their
white gowns. As a drawing card they
have no equal in any entertainment
The lady managers Of the Hope and Help
Mission are all prominent, public spirited
ladies', who are heart and soul in the sal
walton and protection OF fricndlcss young
women who have no homes of their own
and who are continually cast amid 1an-
gerous surroundings.
The meetings thai Mr.. Charles n Critten-
ton. the originator of the mission idea, is
ROW holding at the Metropolitan NJ. 4.
Church are more or less under the auspices
of these ladies.
HOW 1T ALL HAPPENED.
1t was because OF these very meetings, In
fact, tina: the friendly relations between
the choir singers MI the mission board were
stEdlHcu uIttl W 81
sunder, and flood everything with dis
comfort and discomfort.
1t all happened just so: The president of
the mission board Mrs $ ID. LaFetra, one
ofthe best known Christian woman workers
in the city, thought 1t would be nice for the
~ choir" to sing at Mr.. Crittenton 5 meet
ing last Monday night, when he began
the week OF evangelical services The
other members of the board were consult
ell, and they thought it the very thing, too
Then the ''Y Choir the most important
party, OF course, was consulted, and II de-
Cileu that better idea never escaped from
a brain Mr.. Crittenton was great and
good man, they reasoned, and he was
doing an excellent work in giving up his
business and go!bg about the country to
save sinners, and II was no more than
right that he should be given ruusing
first night when he came to Washington.
one night was all that the choir was
requested to sing. Mr.. Cri.tenton really
could lot have had more cause for self-con
graduation il the President had ordered
out the-whoic Marine Band in his honor.
REQUEST FOR PRACTICE.
All these arrangements were made
week or more before the meeting, and the
choir began To practice. The members met
at the home OF one OF their number andtele-
phoned down town for singing books. They
received them, and the musical program
was mapped out. The choir practiced that
evening, IL is said.
When Ine next day reached Wasfin- -,ton
one of the W girls recalled an agree
n-nt uhas had been made am ong themselves
some time before. The agreement ran
that she choir would sing freely and glad
ly for all temperance meetings but when
il came TO any other occasion they would
accepts a small remuneration to help iefr1y
the expenses Of the coy little quarters
they call all their own down in street
No sooner was the thought uttered .han
it was communicated to the board Of di-
rectors or the mission. The latter We're
perfectly willing to pay something I'D
the president decided To promise So
All Went merrily until some more hours
had rolled around. it is said, when some
real kindly hearted W said:
oh, Mrs. LaFetra, it is not right for
you to pay us So to sing and we will
sing free of charge"
The rest of the "Y's'' grew kind hearted
too, not because their music would not he
worth several times more than they had
contracted to give it for but because it
would be hardly right, they are said 10
have thought for them to charge Il body
that was composed Of 50 many members
of the parent organization of the ""
FAILED TO SHOW UP.
When the next time arrived 1T was
Saturday night and the musical director
of the choir, Miss Sadie Drown, sat down
and wrote the president of the mission
boar that the choir would not take Da II
in the singing of the following Monda Y
night And she did all this the mission
people say. in the very face OF the fact
that they had been advertised in the
papers to sing and the people who had lead
the advertisements Were very eNpectant
The choir has not yet made its initial
appearance for this winters season, and
one OF the reasons they gave for deciding
not to sing is that they should first appear
for temperance organization, which work
they, as "Y's," are so closely identified
with. Miss Slack will speak on TEMPER
ance in this city on the 18th instant. and
the choir is going to appear then. 1t is said
that this will positively be the first ap-
pcarance for this season.
Many things that would not look well in
print were told the reporter ON both sides
last night The mission people think ii was
not quite the proper thing for the young
ladies to go back on their promise to sing,
especially after the people had read the adj
Vertisemcnts, and those who are not meni-
bers of the W. c. T. T.. the parent body IF
the ", think that they were more or less
influenced in their new determination.
The pretty singers of the choir, or some
OF them, stick to their reconsideration that
they should make their winters bow before
temperance meeting. and that they had
hot the time to sing on both occasions.
All this for the first time explains whv
those who had read the advertisements and
had gone to Mr. Crtttcnt on's meeting last
Monday night expecting to hear the white
robed young ladies' sing were disappointed.