The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-28
WORKS FOR THE GDNV|CIS
MRS. MAUD DARLINGTON BOOTH
DESCANTS ON HER PRIs-
d.0N WORK
rs CALLED LITTLE MOTHER
Many Thousands of Hardened Grim
finals Have Been Reclaimed and
Are Now Leading Up
right Lives.


Not one of the large audience gathered
at the Central Presbyterian church yes
terday afternoono and heard Mrs. Maud
Ball1ngton Booth, but what realized the
magnetic and sweet personality that has
made this truly noted family easily the
leaders in rescue work and the reforma-
ton of the loW1y and sinful
Imagine If you. can woman, whose
youthful yet motherly, face beams with
smiles, voice toned to melody and
sweetness, and whose folded arms as
she languidly leans against the leetern
at times unfold and indulge in graceful
gestures as anecdote after anecdote, the
stock In trade of the successful lecturer,
issue from her lips. Add to it all a neat
hitting suit of almost Puritanical gray,
devoid OF all but that attractive face which
beams from above the lectern, and you
have Mrs. Maud Darlington Booth, whose
proudly earned title, 1.-THE Little. Moth
err" has made happy the pathway OF
more than one ceil-confned sinner
Mrs. Booth lectured yesterday after
noon at the Central Presbyterian church
under the auspices of the Young Mems
Christian association, and the audience
winch greeted her was most gratifying
in size. Filling the lower floor, the gal
leries had to be opened, and when the
services hogan it found the church filed
almost to OVERCOMING
The fair lecturer did not confne herself
to any set theme1or subject, her remarks
In general being along the line of rescue
work as it pertains to the Volunteer Pris-
on league and its auxiliary, Hope Hall"
a nome for reformed prisoners. locate
near New York city
My field is SO broad and it's capacity
so great" said Mrs. Booth, that I am
never without subject In nv five
years residence. I might say, in the
~ a..
have come in contact with poor suffering
humanity, whose very heart longings
were for that comfort that the outer
world In its selfishness, has denied them
Why should T. moi have subjects in plen-
ty? L love my work, and the more I de-
vote myself to- il The more am convinc-
ca Oh the revelation of the Christ of the
hearts healed iaiSI1is presence I have
mao no cause to doubt the word of God
but were [ tempted, what 1 have seen
pehlnd prison walls alone would burn in
my heart the conviction of the Christ
love. Would that this impression reach
other hearts and assist in the spread of
the Gospel. 1t WOULD be impossible for
me- IN my many lectures, to tell what I
nave seen and felt of the $1,000 prisoners
immured in yotfr slate prisons crying for
help: cannot!tell you all that we should
90 Tor these errifig brothers. No man
VINO IS happy and q Christian has a right
10 neglect his Responsibility for his fell
low man, evenlif he is a felon. That is
tIie Keynote too itdall, responsibility. IF
instead OF Sinking, we should extend
helping hand to those who have ercad
the world would be better for this kind.
ness SHOWN If they would only ren1eno
per Christ and the penitent thief
IVY WORK In the prisons is not TO Sc
cute Paroohs, nor the distribution of
noteS ,s OF sympathy or bouquets of flow
ers' we bring sunshine into their lives.
we oufy the past, and with kind words
try and lead their errins stems toward I'd
Ghrist AS my innocent little child in
us prattle described a picture that if
mad seen, in which the lame and stc1r
were following in the wake of Christ
mat IS heaven, mother We bring
1 them heaven, # is, sunshine in their
I nVes ana opens the door to future
that seldom finds a. defaulter.
My religion is no fable: II is q rea1i+,,
and as daily come in contact with NV
boys, as L call them, I the more reaIiza
IL and wish [ could work to the end that
the world would be organized in one
large. league, and it's work devoted TO the
uplifting OF one who has sinned. I be-
neVe that woman can do what man has
Ialled in, the retaining of prisoners
Our presence brings to their hardened
hearts the name of mother that ideal
Wnlcn perhaps a life of crime has blot
ted out, but yet whose praxers daily
arise that her son may be saved.
We are now doing work in twelve state
prisons, and have 10000 workers enrolled
IN our Prison Volunteer league. The
prisons have been opened to me. have
oeen given the freedom of those gloomy
buildings, and Tam proud of the titIe-5nv
boys have given me, i"LittIe Mother" 7
am their confidant, and they love me.
For the retaining of those who leave
the prisons, often to return because of
bounding by the detectives and police
we have established homes, free from
the concentrating influence of the outer
world and surrounded by influences that
bring out their better lives. The parent
home, Hope Hail. is near New York
city, and it is one of the happiest mo-
ments of my life when I can be there and
have my boys around me. They are all
criminals, eveng the help but, for all
that. they are tmeni and worthy of nv
labor Over 1.4O0sz men have passed
through these homes, and 1 am free to
say that over IS per cent of them are
today leading upright lives
To secure money for the continuance
of this work have been compelled to
take to the lecture platform, but willing
ly would l sacrifice my frail body rather
than see my cherished work suffer bank
ruptcy.
At the close of the lecture Mrs. Booth
outlined her plan for the furtherance
of the league which was the securing
Of 1000 persons who would agree to give
81 month as maintenance fund for
the league. Cards were distributed, and
a number of signatures secured.
She lectures this evening in the Peo-
pies church.