Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-11

Many men became hard drinkers just sim
ply because they have no pleasant PLACES,
excepting gin mins, to go and talk with
other men of an evening, and l believe that
the wholesale establishment OF proper places
of resort in the poorer quarters OF our great
cities would do more than anything else
that has ever been devised to lift the moral
and mental level of the working masses
DR.. Hoffman, soon become personally ac-
auainted with virtually every member OF the
club. and after it had been running a little
while he surprised the good people OF st.
Marks with a novel pulpit announcement;
Beginning with next week. he said SUB
stantdally. "a special Sunday evening service
will be held in this church. l do not wish
to see the regular members Of the church
and congregation in st. Marks pews at those
services. If any Of you come l shall request
Won to 90 away. You have the privilege of
coming to church twice on every Sunday
Won don't need a third service, and l want
this beautiful ediice thrown open once a
week for the free use OF those living nearby
who have no church home
II made no end of talk among the people,
both in and gu. Of the church. or course
there was opposition from some OF the
church members; a few were even pltter'
However, the first of the special sunday
evening services was held on schedule time
and an audience of more than 1,2OO, not used
to worshiping God In St Marks churcn'
filled the pews. Some went from curiosity,
no doubt. as shown by the presence of
| ouakers, who. according TO the traditions OF
their faith. kept their hats on throughout
| the service, In a little time the plan was
seen by everyone to be a thorough success
and before the first year OF the Hermann
| rectorate was over the communicates OF ST.
Marks had more than doubled in number.
visiting Smallpox Cases.
DR.. Hoffman, remained rector OF st. Marks
till 1879. In his ten years service he had
become personally acquainted with some
| member of each of the nearly 1000 families
in his parish. His acquaintance with his
parishiCners was by no means perfunctory-
he knew them as a friend who always visited
them when they needed him, even when they
were suffering from contagious diseases.
This was true, also, in every one of his
| earlier locations. From Brooklyn, from Eliz-
abeth and Burlington, N. j., and from Phila-
delphia come stories that were little less
than heroic made by him in times Of pes
thence. His theory seems to have been that
the clergyman Is needed quite as much as
the doctor when death is near and he never
besitated to visit a sick parishioner even
when the disease was smallpox or yellow
fever. During the prevalence of a smallpox
epidemic in one OF his New Jersey parishes
he visited the patients so regularly that
the mayor of the city threatened to lock him
up unless he would promie~sto stop the
practice, for fear the disease would be
spread by his comings and goings.
He was not stopped either there or in
Brooklyn, where he went freely among patti
ents afflicted with yellow fever. DR.. Hoff-
mann's house to house visitations were such
a noteworthy feature of his work as long
as he served the churches that his parish
toner's felt free to call upon him in every
sort Of emergency. Thus at Elizabeth a
little girl rushed into his study one day
crying:
Mother hopes you'll come to the house
right away, sir. Father says he's going to
kill her"
The doctor left the sermon he was pre-,
pairing and followed the child. At the house
he found the father crazy drunk. AS the
young Clergyman e~ntered-this was all OF
forty years ago-the fellow raised a chair
! high in air as If to brain the intruder.
I'm not afraid of you nor no other man.
yelled the drunken man, and you'd better
clear out"
II don't want you to be afraid of me-
replied the clergyman, "but there's one chal
you'd better be afraid of. His name il
James Anderson. He lives here, and wher
drunk he's dangerous"
The chair dropped to the floor at this I'm
+, expected speech, and James Anderson, al
3 ready half sobered, begged pardon for hi
l brutality and promised to keep the peace
, Then the rector went placidly back to hi
o sermon writing.
Dean Hoffmann's business ability is con
sidered Of a high order by New York me
Of affairs, and his capacity for doing thing
is recognized by his associates in seminar
= management, who sometimes make a pla
= upon his initials &c. Al, and call hir
Executive Ability Hoffman, He is popula
, alike with students and faculty.
|. D.. MARSHALL.