The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-30

clergyman His pastorate Is the Central
Park Baptist church in East Eighty-thtrd
street, and before he went there about
eight years ago he had held pastorate
in Yonkers. He has been acting as
'shotel haplain' for less than a year,
finds the field broadening and the work
increasing every day, and is thinking
seriously Of abandoning the pulpit alto
gether and making hotel missionary work
his business or profession. To Com
mercial man In the group he told how 1t
all came about.
IA year or more ago." he said, Il was
calling at one of our New York hotels and
was told by the proprietor that he wished
I had called the day before. because 1 was
badly needed. A guest from out west,
taken suddenly Ill, was told by the hotel
physician that he couldn't possibly live
that he hadn't but an hour or two more
on earth A perfect stranger In New York.
far from his family. friends. acquaintances
and all Of his affairs, and conscious that
they were all beyond reach. his thoughts
naturally reverted to his church, and he
had the hotel people send for minister.
Messengers were dispatched to five or six
clergymen, but they were all away or
busy or sick, and long before one could be
brought to his bedside the sick man
died.
II can hardly describe the deep tnpres-
sion made on me by that accident. Here
was stranger in a strange land, dying.
with whole city full Of ministers around
him; anxious, pleading to see one, and yet
passing away without having his dying
wish granted. And said to myself, right
then and there: Such thing shan't hap
pen again II can help It. And worked
out q plan Of campaign the very next
day"
DR.. Warren acts as accredited chaplain
for seventy-hve hotels In the borough Of
Manhattan. What may without imprc
hangs in the office Of them all. On call
he will 90 anywhere, day or night, to SOL
emnize marriage, to comfort the sick, to
advise or pray for the distressed, to con-
duct a funeral to minister to religious
need In any FORM or to convey consolation
to the lonely and troubled. The work is
strictly nonsectarian. When the chaplain
finds that the stranger prefers some
clergyman other than Baptist, he has
one called, regular arrangement being
had with Rabbi Silverman and other min
listers of the Catholic, Methodist, Sweden
bOrg1an, Lutheran, Episcopalian and Uni
versalist fa.fths-in fact, he can get any
sort Of religion that the applicant wants.
Chaplain Warren has distributed many
thousands of cards soliciting calls Of this
sort, and numerous letters from prominent
hotel men speak in highest comm endation
of his work.
At first, this work was light. infreuuent
and the calls scattering. Now the latter
number three, four and sometimes Ave
and six q. day. right along. They are not
confined to any particular hotels or to any
special class OF guests, and are made for
the greatest variety Of reasons Calls to
perform the marriage ceremony are per-
haps more numerous than any other one
sort. .[15.7-. :
"'splicing jobs we call 'em out on the
Wabash" put In the sympathetic but
commercialized Hazelhurst II hone thew
pay we'll, parson-hey?'
DR.. Warren says that he has never va+
asked money from amy Of the persons
served In this way. Fees have not infre
ouently been rendered him, and he has
accepted them always II he thought the
giving involved no sacrifice on the mart
OF the giver. But the revenues are NOT
large by any means. II he should make
tnls MS regular. exclusive work, the fees
he says, would no doubt announ+ - .
handsome income for him in time Il.
Are these calls he was asked. .most-
" from persons accustomed to religious
associations, those living in a religious at
city?" . II .
NO, rather from the non religious class
Sloulu say, IN the main. great MANY
OF them originate by chance. A hotel
guest In trouble happens to see the framed
card and, on the impulse Of the moment
calls me up. The work is extremely in,
terestlng, and like it better every dav
Just think Of It! The church here in Nav
York goes out into the highways and Nv.
WAYS to do good, searches for.tha noSs,-.
the sick the miserable, the distressed n
all the hooks and corners OF the great n,tv
and lends Its helping hand But here IL :
class; thousands upon thousands Of hotel
guests, that the church wholly nexlects
It is a most intelligent class, too. one
sadly In need Of religious mintstratfons
and very appreciative Of help. What a
big field for good work, too, i seldom
talk religion to my applicants for helm
Just attend to their temporal needs fIrat
and then minister to their spiritual needs
If they desire IT. = -
Not long ago, it is said, DR.. warren,s
card in an uptown hotel actually saved =
guests life. AS he afterward explained I'll
himself, he was among strangers here
wrestling with business troubles and on
top OF 1t all came depressing domes+ic
trouble Il was nervous excited. couldn't
sleep or eat he said. cor get away for
minute from my troubles. I got worse
and worse. My head was bursting witl
pain. got desperate, and was Just On