The Irish standard., 1903-01-31
PRIESTS SLUM CRUSADE.
The Work done in London BY tho
Cardinals Brother.

CAIuluafS 6rOtnef.
From his beautiful church in Farm
street, one of the best residential Sec
tons of London, Father Bernard
Vaughan, S. j., brother of Cardinal
Vaughan, has gone to the "slums" OF
that great city and is there engaged
in a grand and noble work amongst
their inhabitants. He has rented n
room III the Commercial Road district,
in which he lives, IL poor man amongst
the poor. For years, it is said, the rev.
crcnd Father has thought over such a
method of reaching the submerged
masses, and now he has achieved his
desire and is laboring with excellent
results.
His unique methods are described in
the following excerpt from report in
the London Monitor and New Era:
Father BERNARD Vaughan, S. j., in
continuation of his Stun crusade, spoke
ut O'Clock ON Sunday in Il dark, grimy
court Off Periwinklc street and
within hailing distance of the Stepney
Railway Station. AS OH previous Sun
days, the Sisters of the Little Company
of Mary acted as bcll-ringers and COL
lcctorS, and before the meeting Father
Vaughan himself made Il tour of the
neiShboring courts and alleys, ringing
his huge bell and coaNing and cNhort-
ing all and every one to come TO hear
the Word of God. And in the drzzling
rain what Il grimy, worful aspect every
thing in this dcsolatc ncighborhood
seemed to Wear. Many Of the mothers
aud children looked miserable and hun
%ry and dirty; the houses are small
and mean; the streets and courts are
ill-kcpt and narrow, and the only sign
of prosperity is in the palatial public
houses here and there looking down
contcmptuously OH the tiny abodes,
from which they derive their susten-
ancc and wealth. The East End pow
crty and want are ut present very
acute, but ut the bottom it is in many
eases but another phase of the drink
question.
"Day by day hundreds OF men, wo-
men and little children are going with
out 'anyfink for dinner and the last of
the pots and pans, furniture and spare
clothcs-trivial treasures in which they
took such pridc-havc gone the usual
way of such thiugS-tO the sign of the
three balls The men are out of work,
the women are hcHrt-hrokcn and i'll
and the children Starvc. All this is
perfectly, bitterly true of the thousands
who by force of circumstances dwell
in those drcary, crime laden dcns
known as 'Lonlon's Sums The pco-
pie are totally unable to provide the
things necessary to keep alive the
body. Then what cam be said of
their spiritual welfare? Is it ut all
likely that the generality of these
Starving, miserable mortaIs will feel
inclined ON the Sunday, for instance,
to so to church, be it Catholic or
Protestant? is it likely that their
spiritual life is being properly attend
cd to, considering the horrible neglect
of their poor, half frozen, cmaciated
bodies? These are the questions which
presumably, the learned Jesuit, Father
Bernard Naughan-al always the friend
of the poor and nccdy-has been asking
himself
'Thc court in which he preached is
about fifty yards long, four yards wide,
and the SinSlc-story little houses were
all barred and shattered externally
and in friendly communication by
series of clothes lines extending across
the street and not more than six feet
high. The sermon was simple,
eloquent plea calling on all to so to
confession and holy communion for
Christmas. The court was packed
and all listened with reverence to the
beautiful moving words which again
told the story of mans redemption and
the love of our Lord for the poor. Scy-
erll hymns were sung and the Litany
of Our Lady rccitcd before the meet
ing broke up"