The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-23

OF some amount | have never in my
HE been refused support when | pre-
scented the work. There are two in
stances which / call to mind They
We're men who said that they did not
feel as though they were in sympathy
with the movement. A week later l
received check for $25 from one of
them and a little later L received one
for $50 from the other. | will present
the needs of the Church Army and
leave the rest with you.
The Church Army is society organ
lied to succor the weak and lowly, We
feel that our mission is for the benefit
OF all those who are in need, prospect
I've of what they are or profess to be.
The work of the Church Army is dis
tinctively a church work, but if you
went to the Gregson street meeting, for
instance, you would not think it was
like church. You might think it UNI
seemly and undignified when you heard
someone say amen or Praise God"
during the service, but you would not
think so if you would come to know
these unfortunates as we know them
Thursday evening we have prayer
meeting for men only and the average
attendance is between forty-tiVe and
fifty. Every afternoon our workers go
out looking for those in need of help.
In the streets, in the ships, everywhere
they can find them. We have to adopt
ourselves to the capacity of these men.
We are not confined to the prayer book,
but we simply use every means in our
power, as long as it is reasonable and
nj 10 univ, 10 rf,l no
forces here to-day which I have often
seen in Gregson street in our mission
helping the needy. Then we have q
lodging house, where we charge fifteen
cents for clean bed.
We try to reach the good will and
sympathy Of men by caring for their
bodies self-respecting man with tif-
teen cents does not like to accept char
ity. 1t would surprise you to know
some of the men who come here. One
of those who came to us one night was
the son of a former mayor of this city
Another was the son of a prominent
jeweler Another was the son of large
factory owner. One was a graduate of
Yale university and had practiced his
profession in this city. There are many
who are not "bums" as they call them,
not vicious in any way, but whose I'M
fortunate condition is rather their mis-
fortune than their fault. Be they what
they may we try to help them to be-
come self-supporting and men of use
fulness.
We have a Coffee Bar and lunch
service and we feed from 200 to $50
men every day who would otherwise go
l. o.
food If men ask you for food send
them to the Church Army. The indis-
criminate giving often does more harm
than good. Men coming to us will be
given work. We try to reach his self
respect by giving him opportunity to
work and earn bread.
We dispose of eighteen or nineteen
gallons of beans every day. One man
asked fox second helping one night-a
thing quite rare. | gave 1T to him. and
after he had eaten it he asked for an
other l said as I handed it to him,
MY friend, you must have been very
hungry" He said, "Well, / ought to
be, for this is the first square meal |
have had in sixteen days He was,
as he expressed it, ION the tramp" He
used to live in this city. l asked him
to come to the meeting that night. He
did so and kept coming for week till
one night, when we asked if any want
ed us to pray with them and to try to
help them, he stood up. He had begun
to dress neater, | noticed He had be-
gun to get back his self-respect until
finally he came up and asked that night
for help. He is working to-day in our
honest, God-fearing man, a
big, finely built fellow of six feet, and l
hope to see big John" as we call him, |
confirmed next month.
One night seedy looking fellow came |
in, his clothes torn, hat which one |
would not give to tramp, his face |
bloated and looking altogether broken |
down. He said as he entered, This is |
4 good place to be We gave him |
to eat and l asked him to |
come the next night. He did so and |
asked to sign the pledge. We led him
forward and he signed. He had been |
coming three weeks before l asked him
about his past. He had been sleeping
n Fair Haven all winter in a barn. He
lad been out of work. His child had
1een taken away because he could not
Well, we gave him chance. To-day
1e is our janitor, and very good jani
or he is He is working to save others
very day, | have given you two in
stances of men who have been helped
~ us. We also help those who come
nut of prison. There was one young
nan accused of theft. We got him work
n Bridgeport and the other day he came
n to see distressed well and how
thankful for the help he received!
If there is ever time when man
reeds help it is when he comes out of
,rison. A man who loses hope and self
aspect is bound to become a menace to
himself and to society, and he is bound
o go to the bad. We try to catch just
uch men, to cheer and help them to
cad straight lives and to become men
Useful to themselves and to the COM
We have meetings every night We
ing bright songs and we use every
means to make the services attractive.
)ur workers spend three hours a day
.oing from house to house, asking the
,eople to come to our ST. Andrews
hapel, and the result is very encour-
ring for the attendance is increa sing |