Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-06-18

tag1OuS disease.
This fact was impressed upon the
bishop and the settlement workers in a
startling way one morning. Perhaps no
one incident that winter shows more
| plainly how much of a momentum had
already grown out of the movement of
| Nazareth Avenue church and the action
of DR.. Bruce and the bishop that fol-
lowed the pledge to do as Jesus would do.
The breakfast hour at the settlement
was the one hour in the day when the
whole resident family found a little
breathing space to fellowship together.
1t was an hour of relaxation. There
was a great deal of good natured re-
partee and much real wit and enjoyable
fun at this hour. The bishop told his
best stories DR.. Bruce was at his best
in anecdote. This company of disciples
was healthily humorous in spite of the
| atmosphere of sorrow that constantly
surrounded them. In fact, the bishop
often said that the faculty of humor
was as God given, as any other, and in
| his own case it was the only safety
valve he had for the tremendous press
Ire put upon him.
This particular morning the bishop
was reading extracts from a morning
| paper for the benefit of the others Sud
| denly he paused, and his face instantly
grew stern and sad. The rest looked
up, and a hush fell over the table
''Shot and killed while taking a lump
of coal from a car. His family was
freezing, and he had had no work for
six months His six children and wife
all packed into cabin with three
no CT On child
ped in rags in closet.
These were headlines that the bishop
read slowly. He then went on and read
the detailed account of the shooting and
the visit of the reporter to the tenement
where the family lived
He finished, and there was silence
around the table. The humor of the
hour was swept out of existence by this
bit of human tragedy. The great city
roared about the settlement. The awful
current of human life was flowing in
great stream past the settlement house,
and those who had work were hurrying
to it in vast throng, but thousands
were going down in the midst Of that
current, clutching at last hopes, dying,
literally in land of plenty, because
the boon of physical toll was denied
them.
There were various comments on the
part of the residents One of the new
corners, a young man preparing for the
ministry, said: ''Why didn't the man
apply to one of the charity organiza
tions for help or to the city? 1t certain
ly is not true that, even at its worst,
this city full of Christian people would
knowingly allow any one to go without
food or fuel
mo; don't believe that it would, -
replied DIR. Bruce. ''But we don t know
the history of that mans case. He may
have asked for help so often before that
finally, in a moment of desperation he
determined to help himself. I have
known such cases this winter"
''That is not the terrible fact in this
case" said the bishop. ''The awful
thing about it is the fact that the man
had not had any work for six months .
F'Why don't such people go out into
the country? ' asked the divinity stu
dent.
Some one at the table who had made
a special study of the opportunities for
work in the country answered the ques-
ton. According to the investigator, the
places that were possible for work in
the country were exceedingly few for
steady employment, and in almost ev-
cry case they were offered only to men
without families. Suppose a man S wife
and children were i'll. How could he
move or get into the country? How
could he pay even the meager sum pee
essary to move his few goods? There
were thousand reasons probably why
this particular man did not go else
where.
Meanwhile there are the wife and
children" said Mrs Bruce Glow aw-
full Where is the place, did you say?''
The bishop took up the paper.
"Why, it's only three blocks from
here. This is the Penrose district. I be-
ieve Penrose himself owns half of the
houses in that block. They are among
the worst houses in this part of the |
city, and Penrese is church member. -
Eyes; he belongs to the Nazareth Az !
enue church, - replied DR.. Bruce in a
low voice. +
The bishop rose from the table the |
very figure of divine wrath He had |
opened his lips to say what seldom
came from him in the way of denuncia |
GlOn Wnen the Dell rang ana one OF the |
residents went to the door.
''Tell DR.. Bruce and the bishop I
want to see them. Penrose is the name
Clarence Penrose Dr. Bruce knows |
me-
The family at the breakfast table |
heard every word The bishop exchanged |
a significant look with DIR. Bruce, and |
the two men instantly left the table |
and went out into the hall.
''Come in here, Penrose, said DR..