The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-08
A NOBLE WORK.
An Effort to he Made to Establish
Florence Chittendcn Mission.


Mr.. and Mrs. Thornberry, representing
the Florence Crittenden mission work in
Texas, will reach Austin next Thursday
to hold two weeks service.
Charles Crittenden is millionaire
druggist of New York City and is known
to dealers in drugs all over the world.
He and his family at one time were
prominent among New York's 400
Mr. Crittenden, himself "high roller
from Rolersville. He was a leader in
fashionable and club society, and on
balls, banquets and the pleasures of high
life he spent his money lavishly.
Mrs. Crittenden was noted for her
brilliant diamonds and the elegance and
beauty of her attire as well as for her
intelligence and high social qualities. She
upon the poor and lowly, and her charity
was merely such as was fashionable
They had daughter, Florence, whom
both devotedly loved and whom the
father idolized.
She died a Christian, and from that
time on Mr.. Crittenden was a changed
man. He gave up club life, he retired
from the fashionable circles in which he
had been popular and bright leader,
and so changed was he that his friends
declared he was insane.
He took to reading the Bible and pray
er, and even Mrs. Crittenden feared he
was hopelessly insane.
One night in his room, while he was
engaged in Deep earnest prayer, his wife
was profoundly moved, and she deter
mined then and there to change her whole
mode of life, and both Mr.. Crittenden
and his wife professed religion.
They had been brilliant leaders in So
city, and with contemptuous haughtiness
they had utterly ignored the lowly and
suffering in the great city where they
lived. Mrs. Crittenden would even draw
her rich and elaborate gowns about her
on the crowded thoroughfares, fearing
they would be contaminated by even
touching the wretched human vermin."
as Macauley termed the people who lived
in the slums of London.
After their conversion, both Mr.. Crit
tenden and his wife, with one accord, de-
termined to use their great wealth for re-
lieving the suffering and for uplifting the
very people whom they once despised and
stunned.
For the accomplishment of this great.
noble and holy purpose they decided to
establish Christian missions in the poor
districts and slums of New York, and to-
day Mrs. Crittenden, hand in hand with
the Salvation Army lassies, fearlessly in
vice, and among the very people whom
she once frOwned down upon she now
moves as an angel of light. and the hal
lowed influences that go out from her
fall with loving, tender mercy upon
bruised and bleeding hearts, as the dew
of heaven falls upon the dropping flower
to give new life, new hope.
She and her husband now realize that
this is not world of rich men and never
ending pleasures, but world of poor men
in which there is dire distress and suffer-
ing. Among the poor and fallen they see
a great sphere in which to labor for
human improvement and for the uplifting
of the lowly and oppressed.
Their missions have spread out from
New York and Mr.. Crittenden in person
and established missions, and he is now
creating chain of them in Texas.
His only object is to aid and assist
fallen humanity, and he and his noble
wife and needing the admonition, What
soever thy hand findeth to do do it quick
ly. for their is no work, nor device. nor
knowledge in the grave whittier thou
gOest."
His missions are known as the Flor
ence Crittenden Missions" in memory of
his daughter, and they are doing bless
ed work wherever established. He has
one in Dallas and one in Houston, and
Mr.. and Mrs. Thornberry will visit Aus
tin this week, as stated for the purpose
of establishing one here if they find con-
ditions are such as to need one and that
it will do good
They expect TO be here two weeks, and
will hold their meetings in the Mission
hall, corner of the Avenue and Second
street.