The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-03
A READING-ROOM FOR WORKERS
IN WHICH MEN TOILERS MAY SMOKE
AND THE WOMEN MAY SEW.
Railway Fares and Accommodations,
and Office Workers I'm London.
Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal

uOn wall, my attention was attracted 10 d
don Wall my attention was attracted TO a
tent. 1t stood in churchyard upon ground
which served once for burial purposes.
Feeling sure that this ephemeral struc-
ture, which contrasted SO oddly with the
massive buildings and busy traffic all about
II, would yield some new story of clerical
enterprise in behalf OF the masses, | APP
preached it and read the sign. From this 1
learned that this tent in graveyard was
devoted to a purpose altogether novel, yet
praiseworthy in the highest degree. pur-
pose. too. which connects itself with one Of
/ the greatest of London's many problems.
Constantly the working classes are being
| driven, to their great advantage, be it said.
out of the congested centers and Sums of
the city itself into more airy and roomy
quarters eight ten miles away. But this
change from urban to suburban residence,
involving. it does. many thousands
who earn but a small wage, renders ex-
tremely acute and not little perplexing
1 the question Of cheap and timely transpor-
tation between the place of employment
and the somewhat distant place of resi-
dence. With this question the sign at the
! entrance to that tent had a vital connec-
ton, for it announced that between the
hours of $50 and every morning, working
men who reached the city on special work
/ ing class trains too early to begin their
days work. would find within his canvas
shelter opportunity to rest and read and
smoke. 1t was also announced that books,
magazines and papers would be provided,
1 all, of course, without charge.
The gate to this graveyard reading-room
was barred the first day 1 saw it, for il
was after the privileged hours. But here
was surely, said to myself, a clew TO GER
! tain features of London life which would
| bear following up, and l was careful upon
| my next visit to reach the scene as early as
/ Z a. m. Not only at that hour was the tent
I yielding shelter and rest to workngmen,
but the church was being utilized in the
same way. as it has been every morning
I for two years, by working women. Men, it
! seems, came in as an after thought What
/ first moved this kindly rector's heart was
the fact that so many girls were landed in
London from hour two hours before
| they could be admitted TO their places of
/ employment. and had necessarily, in all
| weathers, either to loaf around a crowded
and cherries railway station or else at
that early hour tramp the still more cheer
less streets. why not open our church to
| these worthy but exposed toilers?" was
what the rector asked of himself and his
Vestry, and 1t was done. Since then in win
| ter and summer alike there has been in
! this coy old Church Of All Hallows-on-the-
Wall a cordial welcome for all who have
chosen to accept it. Seats to rest in and
books to read, with the further privilege.
which would naturally attract girls and
which must be a great convenience to girls
who leave home at o'clock in the morn
ing, and do not return till at night. of
bringing their needlework with them.
BAIT FOR THE WOMEN.
Inc announcement Sewing Allowed on
the door of the church is almost as good y
! bait for the women as the smoking permit
in front of the tent for the men. This
kindly-hearted clergyman is quite right i'm
concluding that his church is not too sacred
a place to do honest work in, whether that
work consist in the knitting a serviceable
pair of stockings or the embroidering of
some article of feminine hnery But wbv
the girls should be debarred from reading
the morning papers in the church. and
why, amongst the books provided for their
use. there should be a rigid exclusion of
novels, points which rather puzzle the
general public and are perhaps not so fully
appreciated they should be by the girls
themselves. Every morning. however.
there are fair patrons enough TO test the
seating capacity of All Hallows-on the
Wall, and the recent experiment in behalf
of men has been so successful that the
rector hopes before long to replace his
weather-beaten tent by PEI .nanent struc-
ture OF brick and stone.
The Church of All Hallows-on-the-wau
as the name might we'll suggest is one of
those quaint old London parishes which are
full of historical interest and which. stand
ing as they do in that part of London
where people do not live but only trade.
have also curious present-day interest.
The downtown church is a problem in
every big city. Generally. with its other
perplexities. it is a financial problem. but
that isn't the case with this Church of All
Hallows-on -the-Wal. From a rectoral
1.-THE on the business blocks around II and
form certain other sources of income il
formerly worth to the rector over 80
600 year. But by an order in council. /. e..
her Majesty's Privy Council. which seems
TO have authority in such matters, more
than half this income was diverted a few
years ago. and was then conferred as an
endowment upon three churches in the east
of London which had large parishes and
leaves the rector Of All Hallows with an
income OF $4,000. which is trihing 10 be
sure, to what some get. but in contrast
with the stipends of the great mass OF
the Church of England clergymen is almost
princely. One-half of the 1900 benefices
in the Established Church yield an income
OF less than $50 year. There are. besides.
1880 "livings" that yield less than $500
year. and 1 knew of one diocese alone in
which there are sixty churches whose
'livings." so called. 10 not reach the $3.50
mark. and might more appropriately. there
fore. be called "starvings."
MR.. FOWLER'S PROBLEM
But the Rev. Montague Fowler. who is
carrying on novel a work at All HaIlows-
on-the-Wall is far removed from conditions
like these. The problem he meets in his
regular church work is not lack OF funds
but a dearth OF people. His parish is right
in uhs heart of London. the old London