Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-08-13
hcauiiful quadranrle. ana N

beautiful quadranglc. arG ID Z
SET has advanced To to- 1t
place. ThrorEhCut his service ~ cite
ms sa'nry has hem alhwr. . d. ~. =
iaie. ard in time VIII be addci he.
endowment fund. Just how i,--a IS
various hcrefacticns have been ~. ,s..e
knows but himself, and n won't t5l.
ne DEANS Gtsidc bcneteetie ~ s ~
nrise churches. chape!s aud -
mentS III various gar,s OF the C,.,. =.
a theological seminary for GO, I'd
them.
FRIEND OF THE WoRkiNGAfAN
From the hesinn.ng of HIS :. ii 10
tne present TING Dean hoffman, r.ch
cultured, corrtad by society. mas b. aa n
friend OF the Wogknrmnn. ). rtE M
sympathy win lie gradual desertion by
the churches cf those ci;y icricns y.hi.n
are crowded wiki industrial y. pailt on.
re believes the entire Il iw.iso1n
cnurch proolem comparatively simple
ana easy OF solution along lines long
since found out in Philsdelrh.a. where
ne established the first wotl.,rgi.,an's
club ever organized in America.
That was jus; three decades ago. in
lSo'' the iirsi year Of his service as rec
Tor or st. Marks. one OF the most fash
ionahlc churches in the city of Brother
~ Love. Socially considered. the roll OF
4uo communicates was irrepronch ahle
The congregation included man,- Of the
most prominent personaSes III the town.
Few or no working persons were ever
10 he seen in the pews of ST. Marks. de-
spite the fact that the neighborhood
supported a large Industrial popula ton.
The founding OF The 81. Marks work
ingmens club was DIR. Hoffmanu's first
move toward interesting the toiers in
81. Marks church. Some members OF
Tie church disapproved the orraniza-
ton. but the labor went ahead just the
same.
HOW THEY DID IT.
How did we conduct the St. Marks
club? In ;hc simplest manner posi-
bic. To begin with we didn't talk TOO
much religion 10 the members. and we
didn't worry thcW much about going
to church. We asked them TO pay q
cents a month for their privileges. and,
having furnished them with verious
means Of comfort and amusement in
return for this charge. let them do
about as they leased. within certain
limitations.
I'VE -gave them coffee and tea 70
drink and furnished light lunches at
moderate cost. We got up lectures on
subjects we thought they would like
and profit by. We taught them hygiene
in talks on air and dirt Occasionally
we gave them concerts and other en-
tertainments in place OF the lectures.
We included insurance and sick benefits
In the clubs features
about that club was the number OF
drunkards II reformed. though that
feature doesn't surprise me now T be-
lieHe that the Wholesale establishment
OF proper places of resort in Tho nnorer
quarters OF our great cities would do
more than anything else that has ever
been devised to lift the moral and men,
tai level OF the working masses"
THE CLERGYMAN NEEDED.
DR.. Hoffman remained rector OF st.
Marks till 1879. In his ten years SER
vice he had become personally ac-
quainted with some member of each os
the nearly 1000 fanatics in the parish.
His theory seems to have been that
the clergyman is needed quite as much
as the doctor when death is near, and
he never hesitated TO visit sick par
ishioner even when the disease was
smallpox or yellow fever. During the
prevalence OF smallpox epidemic in
one OF his New Jersey parishes he WIS.,
tied the patients so regularly that the
mayor OF the city threatened to lock
him up unless he would promise to stop
the practice. for fear the disease would
be spread hv his comines and eo.nxA