The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-17
DIAGNOSES HOME.
Newark Conference Head
quarters at No. 201 Mont
gomery Street Now
One Year Old.

Ii Is row Just one year since the Dea-
eonesses' Home, at No. POI Montgomery
street, was started, and in those twelve
months Jersey city. especially lower Jer-
sey City, has been greatly benefited by
the work of these consecrated women Of
the Protestant faith, who call themselves
They have adopted as their
costume a plain, black dress, not at all
out of the ordinary as to style, small
black bonnet with white cambria strings,
and white rolling collar and cuffs Aside
from the bonnet strings, collars and cuffs
there is nothing about this makeup to
attract special attention, as in the case
of the Sisters of Charity. But like the
Sisters" these -deaconesses go about do
ing good. Their work lies among the
and while the work necessarily is to a
great extent, UNCONVENTIONAL many new
members have been gained for he vari-
Gus churches of the city, aside from he
Methodist.
Whenever a destitute family is heard
of one of the d-eaconesses is sent out to
investigate. She visits the home and talks
with various members of the family, that
is providing, of course. she is admitted.
In many cases the family are inidels and
will not be interviewed by amy one from
a religious institution. The first thing
for the ~deaconess to discover, if h IS
fortunate enough to be. admitted. Is
whether or net the family attend church,
and if not, as is too often the case, why
not. The usual excuse is poverty, and it
then becomes theduty of the D-eaconesses
Home to clothe the family. especially the
children, that they may attend the house
of God. Often parents will state that they
have % seen the inside of a church for
years, and do not care to renew their re-
ligious relations. In these cases, of
course, a great deal of judicious persua-
sion must be used. n the family led
back to church Influences.
The religious SID of life, however. is
not the only phase considered by these
ministers of mercy. Connected with their
home are several k~indergartens. sewing
schools, etc, besides a kindergarten
which has Just been started in their own
building. This kindergarten class con-
sists of about twenty pupils, and is held
in the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday OF each and every
week. There is also a sewing school in
the Home, on Saturday afternoon. Then,
too, children are prepared for public as
well as Sabbath school in the matter Of
clothes, and there are trained nurses who
have consecrated themselves to the cause.
that the sick may be properly cared for.
These D~eaconesses' Homes, of
witch there are two. one for the
New Jersey conference, which COM
prises the southern part of the
State, and the one on Montgomery
street for the Newark conference. which
comprises the northern part of the State,
arc supported by the Woman's Home Mis-
sforbary Society of the Methodist Church.
of New Jersey. While the Home is not
exactly dependent upon charity, still it is
largely supported by donations from out
side the conference When the Home first
started, last November, there was not
sufficient furniture to EQUIP the house,
there were not even proper beds for the
~Geaeonesses. and while dining they had to
sit on boxes in lieu of chairs. At present.
even the parlor, which is as poorly fur
nished as any room in the house, has a
positively cosy appearance, though by
no means handsomely furnished, and
there are low twelve dining chars. Last
winter there were always six. and some
times nearly double that number of dea-
.conesses. in the Home. Now there are
but three. Misses Ida Lewis, Mary Glenn
son and Mrs. Minnie Cole. but as it is
very early in the season, the ~probabIii-
ties are thai the number of deaconesses
this year in the Home will exceed that of
last.