Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1899-04-14

m6D anu u Keep lubtu Wlbllu
Reduced by their poverty to the direst
want, they become OF necessity desper-
ate. Those who are not already Grim
inal, are in immioens danger of fall
ing into that class Many of them
are daring as we'll as desperate. There
are bold spirits who have braved the
terrors OF the frigiG zones and endured
the heat of the tropics in their quest
for gold and adventures. There is
more than one baffled prospector from,
the KloDdike VINO seeks shelter at
night 10 Ben Hogan's mission and the
sailors can be counted by tns score.
! The safety of Chicago's streets at
night and the security Of her homes
and property by day is dependent in
large degree upon this element 1t is
this feature of the case that makes the
work oil. providing for them a down
right necessity and the question, aside
from its Christian and humanitarian
aspects, is one that is enlisting the
sympathy and co operation Of the best
classes IF people III this and every
city. And this leads up to the meth
DDS ana personality of the man who
has this work in charge.
The Man Himself.
Ben Hogan is an interesting figure
He is now about 60 years old, His
early career as sporting man and
prize fighter was full of adventures
and danger During the war he was
blocBade runner in Charleston har.
Dor. He was sentenced in Washing.
ton to be shot, but Abraham Lincoln
pardoned him. Later he went to the
oil fields of Pennsylvania, where he
made fortunes in running sporting re-
sorts, gambling houses, concert halls
and saloons. Having made all the
money he wanted, Mr.. Hogan started
for Paris, but was converted in New
York city. He Immediately devoted
his life to mission work, in which he
has been engaged ever aimee He was
sport OF the old school and was the
associate Of Morrissey and John G.
Heenan. His last battle in the prize
ring was fought with Tom Allen in
1873 at Council Bluffs and was for the
championship of America. Mr.. Hogan
came to Chicago with Major Whittle
to open the old Farwell hall and they
held meetings there three weeks. he
has done mission work in Berlin, Par
is, London and all the way from New
York to the Sandwich islands and
back again. He has spoken in many
of the leading churches in this coun-
try and Europe and for to first two
years in which he was engaged in
mission work he hired his own opera
house and paid all his own expenses.
His aim, how5Ver, was to get among
the po"r people and he abandoned
speaking to wealthy congregations.
Through the aid of I W. Harvey he
opened mission on Madison street in
Chicago.
Having experienced all the ups and
downs incident to a wayward career,
Mr.. Hogan is eminently qualified for
the work to which he is devoting his
life
Sometimes Uses His Fists.
Ben Hogan breaches T lain and forci
BILE sermons. An intoxicated man
came into his mission one day last
week ana attempted to create a dis.
turbance. The fellow was abusive,
and spelling fora fight. Seeing that
kind words we're of no avail in this
case Ben promptly knocked the man
town and kicked him out the door.
Is that the way you preach the Cos
petYD asked the ast0nished intruder.l
/" Yes. " replied Hogan, with my
mouth, my fist end my boots" On
another occasion quarrelsome sailor
drew a long dirk on Hogan and made
a vicious lunge at him. Dodging the
thrust Mr.. Hogan dealt the man a
knock out blow on the iugular and
disarmed him as he lay on the floor.
When the sailor had regaiueu his feet
Ben handed him the knife and asked
him to try it again The fel1w b ad
enough, however, and showed no in
clination to repeat the experience. He
is a regular attendant at the mission
now, and warm friend of Hogan's,
In the evenings Mr.. Hogan frequent
ly gives the boys an informal talk.
He doesn't touch on religion much,
but he deals with such homely virtues
as trnthfulness, honesty, industry, So
briefly and purity. They are not ready
for tho meat of the gospel, out he
gives them little Of the milk. His
practiced eye can look man through
in an instant and he never fails to de-
tect beneath thu coarse exterior a pos.
sibly dying spark of self-respecting
manhood. And when he has found it
he knows how to kindle it into a
fame. There is many a sober and in
dustrious man in Chicago to-day who
owes his self-respect to Ben Hogan
encouraging word and helping hand.
Regarding his methods, Mr.. Hogan !
has the following to say:
Principles on Which He Works.
If you find a man for nothing and
sleep man for nothing you make him
a DUN and worse than a nothing.
When ! established this work every
thing was free and | soon discovered
that was doing more harm than
good. The lodging house was rot in.
cluded in my original plan, but it |
soon became evident that it was a nee. |
essity. One of three things confront
ed the class of men who came to my |
mission. Either they must sleep in a |
barrel-house, lay in the lockup or
walk the streets all night Under |
these circumstances a man becomes
dissipated, lazy, sick and a bum.
And SO to my plan of feeling the men
| added the plan of lodging them. At |
first hoped to feed 100 men a day. |
but the work has grown and row | am
feeding and lodging from coo to SEQ |
men every day. Out of this number
less than per cent. are tramps, and | |
like this class of men as 1 do a rattla |