The times., 1898-08-01
PRESIDENT GARFIELD'S COUSIN
He CoEducts the Mission of the
Lord in New York City.

new tfty.
The Rev. r. H. p. Miles, of New York
City tells the following interesting story:
In a humble mission, in the busiest part
of Bleecker Street. an old man is preach
ing to motley crowd; some are earnest
devotees of the little mission, while 9TH
ers come in out of the busy. noisy street
10 sit on the bench TO rest. Some are well
dressed while many OF them are ragged
and III fed. But rich and poor mingle in
the services of THE Mission of the
Lord at No. I9O Bieecker Street.
1t is not generally known that this gray
haired man. who is beloved by this mixed
congregation, is first cousin 10 the mar
tyred President. James a. Garfield.
Every alternate evening from Z 10
O'Clock Elder Ellis Ballou and his band
OF helpers may be seen preaching from
the steps of the mission The crowd
sometimes reaches half across the street.
and on the other evenings may go TO the
park at Washington Square, and there
they sing and exhort. The people at
follow the singers and speaker back to
the mission, where the indoor service is
held.
On Sundays the services are held four
times At the children have meeting,
at 3 the older folk study their Bible. at
| they hold communion. while at O'Clock
| somebody helps Rev. Ballou in his SER
! vice.
Ministers oftentimes preach for this
/ congregation. Hundreds OF people who
I have entered into these services 10 scoff
have stayed 20 pray.
/ Some time ago an Old lady tOttered into
! the mission. She had no home nor hope
/ Elder Ballou arranged that she might
| stay and share the lot Of the mission folk
/ They kept her. and when she died they
| decently put her away.
The woman was the wife of an ex-rnill-
| ,onaire. She was of noble Spanish family
| who had disowned her because she had
| married a Protestant. Her husband. who
| had been a planter in Cuba. had met mis-
| fortune and had died poor.
| The work of the mission is in -four
| fishing condition as far as numbers are
| concerned. though the only support II re-
| ceives is by free and willing gifts OF out
| siders.
! have preached three times in the mis-
sion and have never seen them take a
/ collection
| ..If we have had to ask for collection
| how much could we expect from con-
/ eregation so p0Or?r' said one of the offl-
| ce-s.
| And as 1 looked over the benches.
/ everyone lIlGu Will lpbltACSS SA-AA
women, l looked again at the patient
! leader, and then I thought OF hundreds
| of men and women who. II they knew
| of such an opportunity for phiian-
| throphy would be glad to assist
Ellis BalIou is the son of Henry Bal
| lou the brother of Mrs Eliza Garfield.
| the mother of the late President James
! A. Garfield, who was two years young
| er than the leader of the little mission
! engaged IN all
sorts of boyish ronps-
What sort of Lad was Garfield?
/ asked Mr. BaliOu.
| ..In the beginning he was somewhat in
! different at school. He did no. seem 70
| show any special ability. He seemed To
/ be afraid of the boys in the school, He
said to me one day: 4 don't know why
| the boys keep ahead of me. Say, | am
| going to try real hard and just show
/ them that l can learn, too After thai
! he did better That was the beginning
| of his ambition.
after awhile. when he got on bit, ht
had his first school in MuskinguH
County and ne boarded with us
President Garfield and Mr. Ballou were
Students together in Hiram Academy
| and both met their wives there. Gar
field afterward went to college and ther
come back to Hiram and became is
president
When the war of the rebellion broke
out Garfield became colonel of the Forty
second Ohio Volunteers Mr.. Ballou
was in charge of the mail of the Sixty
fifth Ohio Volunteer, the Sherman Bri-
gade.
"I remember" said Elder Ballou, lone
rainy night of our forced march to Shiloh
| under Gen. Buell..
Ellis said James to me, we are or
the eve of a terrible battle, and maybe
| one of US will be killed.
eff l should fall l want you to write
to Lucretia and tell her that my thought:
were of her. and if you should fall vii
write to Laura.
Gen Garfield became President of tht
United States. Mr.. Ballou was sent by
the Government as a teacher among the
Northern Arapahoes and Shoshone In
dians After Garfield's death Mr. BalloI
came East and settled in New York He
wandered about doing all the good tha
he could. At first the leader of a meet
ing al No. SO Bowery, and while Bieeckel
Street was at its lowest and worst repu
tation Mr.. Baliou took up the present
work.