The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-12-23
CONTRIBUTIONS DESIRED
CITIZENS OF NEIy HAVEN ASKED TO
 HELP THE POOR.

Urgent Letter Written by City Missionary, Rev. Mossman-Warin Winter Clothing and Underclothing Needed-Money Win be of Unusal Assistance-Thanks Re- turned for Donations at Thanksgiving. To the Editor of the Journal and Courier;
 My dear sir: l desire through you to express appreciation of the generous response at Thanksgiving time to my request through the Courier for special help to some of my parishioners. And, as my parish includes families in all parts of the city, it seems fitting that this private aid for some of the worthy poor who may be unknown, except to our lady missionary and myself, should come from all in the city who are fav- orable to the undenominational work that we are doing.
 Besides the gifts of Thanksgiving supplies usually sent to our mission headquarters and distributed from there so that this year we could be helpful in various ways to more than 100 families Gncluding at least 300 persons), there NClC oSll u lIlC ny lllctll Ol olllSl NlSS, over fifty special subscriptions, each of which was duly acknowledged.
 We'll, isn't that enough? What more is needed? Just whatever more at this Christmas time any of your many read CTS wish to have us use for them either now or during the holiday week, or along through the winter. It is colder than it was at Thanksgiving time, and will be colder still before the winter is over. The coal fund of the organized charities is of great service to the poor at this time in the year and generous help should be given them for this and other parts of their important work. But there are needs among some of our mission people that call for special men tion. I know people that are still wear ing thin underclothing. Others have perhaps no underwear at all. Oyer coats, even for boys, cost more than some fathers can pay when they are out of work, and some of the boys haven't any father. 1 expect, then, some of the many children who come to our mission hall wear summer stock ings in winter, for wool costs more than cotton. In our new mission building we shall have a wardrobe for just such supplies, but our lady missionary, who knows all these children and their special needs, will find room for all the warm clothing that can be sent now or at any other time, as we'll as blankets to help some of the mothers keep their children warm through the cold winter nights. Such things are not kept on hand by Miss Hume very long after they reach our mission hall, corner of Court and State streets.
 So whether 1t be money or good, warm, serviceable clothing, shoes, rub bers, etc, or even household supplies from the well-filled pantries that would seem never to have lost anything by a transfer of some of these good things to the empty shelves in some other homes, we shall be glad to do now, and at any other time, an extra work of distribu- tion in your behalf. Our Christmas trees are always beautiful. Five or six hundred children, with their fathers and mothers and friends, will be made happy thereby on Friday afternoon this week and next Monday afternoon. But the Christmas trees cannot stand all through the winter. The children come to the Saturday Sewing school, and also on other days every week. Some of them are not very strong and so we now have doctor on duty at the mis- sion hall every afternoon. But he will tell you that what the children need is not medicine to make them we'll so much as good, nourishing food to keep them from getting sick. For ten years or more l have held meetings at the mission hall, with few exceptions every night in the year, but I could never dc it without the help of both God and man to preach a gospel that included for the sick and the hungry and the poor the food and fuel and clothing that they need.
 Almost all of our people are doing their very best to help themselves. But I could not except for the help the Cou- Tier and the other New Haven papers have asked their readers to give us One mother has lately buried her baby Another has seen her bright little girl three years old, sicken and die. Both of these mothers are very poor We cannot give them back their children but we can bring some added comfort into what would otherwise be dreary lives.
 I think I am right in believing that the people of this city wish this work well done. They want to have share with us in bringing smiles into the faces of fathers and mothers and children in our New Haven homes on Christmas day and on many another day through out the New Year. They are glad to be included among those whom God al lows to help Him as He answers the prayers of the poor.
 Sincerely yours,
 w D. MOSSMAN
 Missionary Pastor.
 New Haven, Dec. 20, 1897.