The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-26
PASSED ITS HALF CENTURY.
PORT SOCIETY CELEBRATES ITS
FIFTY-FoURTH ANNIVERSARY.

Institution to Which Savannah
Owes Liberal SuppOrt-The Pro-
posed Sailors HOmc-FOur ThOus-
and Dollars Needed to Undertake
the Building of the HOme-Rev.
Arthur J. smiths Address and
Chaplain IversoR's RepOrt-Thc
Officers of the Society Reelected.
The anniversary meeting of the Savan-
nah Port Society at the Independent Pres
byterian church last night was largely
attended. The service was one OF the
best in many respects that the society has
ever held. There was a splendid choir
service. an excellent sermon and interest
ing reports by the officers of the society.
The service opened with the anthem,
Lord OF Heaven" by the choir. Rev J.
W. Flynn of Columbia, S. c., read the
10th Psalm. following with prayer.
Rev. H. Iverson, chaplain and superin-
tendent of the society, read his report on
the work OF the year just closed. MIR.
Iverson stated that there were 81 YES
sells entered at this port during the year.
one hundred and fifty-hve religious meet
ings were held in the chapel and six meet
ings were held aboard ships. The aver
age attendance at the weekly prayer meet
ings was IS. The chaplain also held four
meetings at the bethel in Brunswick.
Eight hundred and sixty visits were made
to ships for religious purposes and seven
ty-eRe to the hospitals.
Il have also done some work in the line
of temperance" stated the chaplain, land
IS seamen have taken the pledge, among
them three captains. I have distributed
about 300 Testaments have sent money
for seamen to their homes in different
countries to the amount of $99155. The
churches have responded well to our call
for help to carry on our Saturday night
meetings. The ladies gave an excellent
Christmas tree for the seamen on the
night of Dec IS and abundance of re-
freshments were served to about 200 men.
Rev. DR.. Ramsey of the Independent
church delivered the sermon, and we all
spent a very pleasant evening. Our read
ing room has been well supplied with pa
pers, magazines and writing materials,
and has been kept open all the year, with
a good attendance. We had a busy sea-
son in our dormitory, furnishing lodging
to 81 crews, of which AZ were Scandinavian,
IS American, 8 British and ! Russian. We
also gave 526 nights free lodging to sea-
men in distress and in needy circum-
stances. and a great deal of other charity
work was done for them
The report of the secretary and treas
urer, Mr.. T. S. Clay, showed that the So
ciety began the year with a balance of
$l700. The annual subscription of 500
from the American Seamen Friends So
ciety was received, and also the annual
subscription of $500 from the Norwegian
Seamens Society. The annual dues from
members of the society were 500, and the
receipts from the rent of rooms were 81, 900.
The sale of Augusta and Knoxville bonds
held by the society Melted 81 500. Receipts
from other sources brought the total re-
ceipts up to $500. The expenditures, less
small balance on hand, e'ched the same
figures.
A solo by Miss Georgia Howard, Throw
Out a Life Line" which followed the re-
ports, was beautifully rendered.
The sermon by Rev. Arthur ]. Smith of
the First Presbyterian church, was es-
pecially appropriate to the occasion, and
showed that Mr.. Smith had made a study
of the conditions and surroundings of the
sailor in preparing his sermon. The text
was from the first chapter and sixth verse
of the book of Jonah: What meanest
thou, Q sleeper? Arise and call upon thy
God, If so be that God will think of US
that We perish not"
Mr.. Smith recounted briefly the circum-
stances which led to Jonahs being in the
boat, having been ordered to the city of
Nineveh by God to proclaim the destruc-
ton of that city. He did not touch upon
the results to Jonah and his subsequent
deliverance, but proceeded to Apply the
text to present conditions. The words of
the text addressed to Jonah were used to
represent the appeal of 1900 600 seafarng
\
there throughout the world organizations
similar to the Savannah Port Society exist.
How little interest was taken in this work
in behalf Of the sailors, he said, was evil
denced by the fact that in a city of over
$4,000 inhabitants less than 100 men had
been found who were willing to give So
each yearly to the work of this society.
Yet Savannah, 1t was specifically stated
in the reports sent out by the Port So
ciety, is the second cotton port the first
naval stores port and one of the chief
lumber ports of the world The great
debt under which Savannah rests to the
sailors does not seem to be realized by the
people of Savannah. Without the sailors
we could not exist" he said Not only on
account of the great benefits which the
port derives from the sailors. but on ac-
count of the great perils, both temporal
and spiritual, to which he is exposed.
Christian people should be interested in
them, he said. The sailors are a friend
less, homeless class. They remain in our
ports as strangers. No one takes them to
his home, They seemed to be classed with
the low and vile Their garb and man.
ner differs from the people they meet and
helps to debar them from places where
they would meet with the best influences.
They would not feel at home i'm a line
church, amid a finely dressed congrega-
ton. Practically they have no homes.
Some Of them have places which they re-
gard as homes, but they do not see them
oftener than once in three months. or six
months, or a year, or longer The evil
influences which appeal to such a class
OF men in a strange city were dwelt upon.
To men situated as the sailors are the
work sought to be done by the port So
clety in offering them a place Of refuge.
which they may make their home tempo
rarily and where they are surrounded bv
good influences, where they are made 10
feel that they are welcome and are treat
ed as men and brothers, Is of incalculn-
BILE benefit. God would call upon the peo-
pie of Savannah to give an account of the
work done by them In behalf Of these
men"
Several interesting anecdotes bearing