The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-12
THE HOTEL CHAPLAIN.
A Brand-New Business Undertaken
by New York Clergyman.

New York Commercial
Now, there's enterprisel That's bust
ness, Just look at that signr'-and Evan
ID. Hazlehurst, the buyer for big depart
ment store out in Indiana. pointed a long,
bony fore finger at a little framed and
glassed placard about four by five inches in
size hanging on the front of the registering
desk in the foyer of the Hotel Vendome last
night. 1t announces that the Rev. NJ II.
Warren, ID. D., will attend to any and all
calls from guests requiring the services or
ministrations of a clergyman. he being the
regular chaplain of the hotel.
Now, that" continued Hazlehurst, light
ing fresh cigar and addressing a group of
acquaintance. that Is what call furnish
ing the goods direct from the factory to the
buyer. That's taking religion to the con-
sumner. straight from the producer. That's
a new thing. 1t looks to me like a good
thing, too. I'll bet that dominic knows his
business I'll bet he's good one,' too, and
I'd like to know him..
Somebody suggested that the chaplain be
called UP. and. after some hesitation and
bantering, the big Westerner got DR.. War
rem on the telephone. Hell be down here
directly" said Mr.. Hazehurst, as he
emerged from the booth. land all you fell
lers must stay here and help me out"
1t Is fully forty-five blocks from DR.. War
ren's home to the Vendome. but he was
there inside twenty minutes. Quite natu-
rally he expected to find some guest of this
house in need OF a clergymans services,
but he wasn't offended a bit when 1.-The
boys told him that they simply wanted to
look him over a bit and talk with him. He
is youngish man-in the early thirties,
say-tall, erect, with thick, dark hair, a
small dark mustache and not in his en-
arf,h n ~
torate is the Central Park Baptist Church
in East Eighty-third street, and before he
went there about eight years ago he had
held a pastorate in Yonkers. He has been
acting as hotel chaplain" 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 profession. To CONNER
| cial man in the group he told how it all
came about.
"a year or more ago." he said, "I was
| calling at one of our New York hotels and
| was told by the proprietor that he wished
| | had called the day before, because | was
| badly needed. guest from out West. taken
| suddenly ILL., was told by the hotel physi-
| clan 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 re-
verted 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 could be brought to
| his bedside the siok nan died
II can hardly descrlDe the deep impress
| sion made on me by that incident. Here
| was a stranger In a strange land, dying.
with a 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
pen again IL / can help It,. And | worked
| out plan of campaign the very next day"
DR.. Warren acts accredited chaplain
| for seventy-five hotels In the borough OF
| Manhattan. What may without impro-
priety be called his advertising card"
| hangs in the offices OF them all. On call
! he will go anywhere. day or night, TO SOL
| emnize marriage, to comfort the sick, to
| advise or pray for the distressed. 10 con-
| duct funeral. to minister TO religious need
the lonely and troubled The work is
| strictly nonsectarian. When the chaplain
| finds that the stranger prefers some clergy
| man other than a Baptist. he has one called,
| bi Silverman and other ministers of the
| Catholic. Methodist. Swedenborgian. Luz
theran. Episcopalian and. Universalist
faiths-in fact. he can get any sort of re-
| ligion 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 commentator of his
work.
At first this work was light, infrequent
and the calls scattering. Now the latter
number three four and sometimes five and
/ six day. right along. They are not con-
| fined to any particular hotels or TO any
special classes 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
Splicing jobs We call 'em out on the
| Wabash" put In the sympathetic but COM
| mercialized Hazlehurst. Il hope they pay
well, parson-hey?
DR.. Warren says that he has never yet
asked money from any OF the persons
served in any way. Fees have not infre-
| quently been rendered him. and he has ac-
cepted them always IL he thought the Civ
| ing involved so sacrifice on the part OF the
giver But the revenues are not large by
| any means. II he should make this his
| regular exclusive work, the fees. he says.
| would no doubt amount to a handsome in
| come for him I'm lime.
'Are these caIls.T he was asked. mostly
from persons accustomed to religious as