Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-22
MISSION WORK IN SLUMS
Address by Evangelist 0'Brien at Twelfth
Street NJ E. Church.
Scenes Met With During Season of
Labor in New YOrk-Work
in Chinatown.

Evangelist c. Harold O'Brien of the Mis-
sion, Az and K streets southwest, spoke to
the members of the Twelfth Street M h.
Church southeast, Thursday evening on
Mission Work In the Sums Mr.. O'Brien
is in every sense of the word a slum worker
having been engaged in the service for over
eighteen years, the greater part of which
time he spent in the city of New York
He was introduced to his audience by Rev.
c. Y. House, preacher In charge
Mr.. OBrien spoke for about fifteen min
utes and said in part:
Let me take you, my hearers, on one
nights journey through the Sums of a
large city. On the night of which 1 am
about to speak the first place visited was
in a rear building which could only be
reached by passing through narrow,
dark incIosed alIeyway. In this place,
after climbing a shaky flight of stairs. we
succeed in finding door. As there is no
response to the knock, enter. A woman
is stretched upon the floor in condition
known in the Sums as dead drunk. On
some rags in one corner two little ones
are sound asleep, and in a shoe box, which
is also partly filed with rags, reposeS
little one which has possibly cried itself
to sleep many times as the mother is deaf
to its cries. Notes are made of the condi-
ton and some food is obtained for the
children.
After leaving this place we engage in
other work of q somewhat different charaC-
ter. which we start in on after midnight, or
what is called noon day in Chinatown.
The next stage is at a notwithstanding
dwelling, but on entering We are made
aware of the fact that there are occupants
on the second floor back by the light we
could see through the many cracks in the
door. AT this place found Il family of
three a widowed mother and two children,
the oldest a daughter. aged nine years, and
Il baby in arms. This mother, who had in
former times lived in better circumstances,
had come 10 the giving-up point. Her little
earnings. and also the few pennies obtained
by the selling of daily papers by the nine
year-od daughter, must go to pay rent,
and nothing was left with which to pur-
chase bread. After getting the informa-
ton needed to have this case attended to,
We are once more on our way.
Widow and ChfIdIess.
ION stepping out into the street we are
met by a man VINO has the appearance of a
lougshoreman. If you please sir he said,
L noticed you were church people, and l
wanted to tell you of a poor lady who has
sick baby. She lives just three streets
down and you'll do good thing if you can
help her
1t was now almost midnight, but We
could not resist me appeal.
. - Mrs. Dunn yes, indeed, 1 know her
well, poor thing. She's up at the top in
the attic, and has a very sick baby, so she
has
ton from the good-natured old Irish wo-
man we found standing at the door, we
made our way up three flights of stairs. On
the second landing, in darkness, you could
almost cut with q knife, stumbled over
either a drunken man or woman; or pos
sibly dog. With some difficulty We finally
reached the attic stairs. The sound Of
weeping caused US to go UP softly. Here
we found a woman kneeling beside a cot.
BY the light Of a candle it is observed that
the little room is very poorly furnished: |
placing my hand upon the woman's head, |
and at the same time speaking in kindly
tone of voice, l asked if there is anything
We can do. She turns and stares at the pill |
low. Our eyes follow hers, and for the
first time noticed the face of a little
child. We then ask how baby is, and are
made aware of the fact that the little one
is dead Touching the little forehead, we
found it to be quite cold, and questioned
the mother as to how long baby has been
dead. Just now, just now she said. Are
you sure? | said it is quite cold and what |
followed, l shall never forget. Stretching |
her hands above her head she looked up |
and said, oh. God my baby has never been |
warm. After doing all that lay in our |
power to comfort her and with a promise |
to call the next day we hurried away, to a |
part of the city known Chinatown
Work in Chinatown.
This branch of the work requires exjeri- |
ence and tact and cannot be performed by
an inexperienced person. On reaching |
Chinatown we go from saloon to saloon, |
and in many other places even worse. In |
some We hold meetings, after getting the
consent of the bartender to hold church.
it is called, we arrange all the chairs in
one corner, then go from one to the other
doth men and women and invite them to
church. Here we labor until sometimes
and 3: 80 o'clock am.
II have been in your city but a few
months, and so far six conversions have
crowned labGrS.''
Mr.. House, in speaking of Mr.. O'Brien's
mission work, referred to his need of some
articles of furniture to fit up his home at
he mission. He also said he needed funds
to bring his family on, the members, like
himself, being experienced in mission work