Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-25
.CR|TTENTON MISSION
Annual Conference at Wesley
M. E. Church.
THE WORK DESCRIBED
ADDRESS BY SECRETARY WILSON
OF BOARD OF CHARITIES.
Mass Meeting Held Yesterday After
noon-Address on "The Dig
nifty of Labor"
THE WORK DESCRIBED

annusl conference Of the National
Florence Crittentoa Mission. which be-
gan in this city yesterday with a meeting
in the First Congregational Church. was
held this morning IN Wesley Methodist
Episcopal Church. corner of 9th and F
streets northwest. beginning at 10 o'clock.
The time was given UP chiefly to addresses
on the ork Of the inission-what it Is and
what II may become-.hy delegates and 9TH
ers. George S. Wilson. secretary of the
board OF charities of the District of Column
bia, made short address, and Miss Claudia
Tharin of Charleston s. c., read a paper
setting forth the reasons why the Florence
Crittenton homes should receive public
money. Letters of encouragement and greet
ing We're received from number Of United
States senator's tho Japanese legation. Rus
sian embassy and othcr sources. The dele
gates went to the White House at noon and
were received by the President With the
addition of the California delegation, which
arrived this morning, the members of the
conference now number about one hundred.
A half hour of Bible reading and devotion
al service preceded the regular work of the
conference this morning. This part OF the
program was conducted by Charles N. Crit
tenton, president of the organization. Dur
ing the remainder of the session Mrs. Kate
Waller Barrett occupied the chair and gave
direction to the proceedings.
| Secretary Emma L. Robertson of the mis-
sion and Rev. DIR. Ferguson pastor of WeS-
| ley Church, delivered brief addresses Of well
! come to the delegates. in behalf of whom
Mrs. s. A. Jones responded.
Mr. Wilson's Address.
| Mr.. Wilson of the District board of chart
| ties was then introduced. He expressed his
sympathy with the kind of work being car
| ried on In the District and all over the coun-
| try in the Florence Crittenton Homes, and
| emphasized the Importance of trained effort
! in this sort of charity and correction work.
| The heart and the mind, he held. should
| work together. He contended that IL the
| work of the mission homes is to be success
full 1t must be continued in every case to
the end. Speaking Of the endeavor to lead
fallen girls into proper paths he said
home often took girl in off the street and
failed to keep her after she had desire to
go back to her Maynard habits.
1--WE need discipline and the executing OF
restraining rules in the homes, even If this
does conflict with the personal liberty of
those whom we are helping, but whose In
clinations will lead them astray again., he
declared.
Mr.. Wilson went on to say that mother
and child should not be separated when
they are taken in by the homes. If there Is
any human agency that would save the
mother, thought he, 1t was her child. II she
Is Immediately relieved of the responsibility
of caring for her offspring her chances of
remaining In the straight and narrow way
are slim-this assertion he emphasized.
Those present, especially the women dele
gates signified their approval of this princi-
pie by repeated applause during Mr.. Will
sons address.
Compliments Mission Officers.
Mr.. Wilson also paid high tribute to
the work of Mrs. Barrett and Mr.. Critten-
ton in directing the mission In various parts
of the country and lending their inspira-
ba ho of
ing fallen women would soon be taken into
serious consideration by national and
state governments, but thought it could be
carried on with better results by officials
not paid by the government.
Among those from whom letters were re-
ceived expressing interest in the work and
the conference were Senators Platt, Perk-
ins HawIey and Bard, the heads of the
Russian embassy and japanese legation
and officers of the national council of Jew
ish women. 1t is expected that representa-
tives of the embassy and legation mentioned
will be present at meeting or the
conference this week and Will speak
of the interest In and efforts along the
lines of moral regeneracy in their respec-
tive empires. 1t is stated that both coun-
tries strongly in favor OF the sort
of work being carried by the Florence
Crittenton mission homes Mrs. Barrett,
in announcing the possibility of the Rus
sian representa- tive being present, said the
laws Of this country were the finest In the
world, in so far as they related to the
morality of women. cordial letter OF
sympathy was received also from the Ger
man embassy.
Reasons for Public Aid.
Before the conference took a recess to
call on the President, Miss Thartn read her
paper on the receiving of public money by
the homes Her answer to the question
of why they should receive aid from this
source was that the homes conducted their
work in a field entirely separate from that
of government fields of charitable work
After calling at the White House the dele
gates went to the Florence Crittenton
Home in this city. at 21S Sd street north
west, and had luncheon. after which they
watched a practical demonstration OF work
in the home by a number of girls. The ses-
sions of the conference were resumed at
Wesley NJ e. Church at 2:30 pm.
Dr. and Mrs. La Fetra will give recep-
ton to the delegates from ! pm. TO !
o. m today. A meeting will be held In the
church at o'clock this evening.
Edwin Markham will give reading of
his poem THE Man With the Hoe at the
meeting tonight in Wesley Church.
The conference, 1t Is expected Will re-
ceiye reports as to rumorS of proposed
traffic in girls at the st. Louis exposition.
and is arranging to have workers at the
station and on the train to safeguard wo-
men going to the fair. Mr.. Crittenton will
conduct a big evangelistic campaign in st.
Louis, beginning May 10.
The Opening Session.
The conference was opened in an auspi-
cious manner with a mass meeting in the
First Congregational Church yesterday aft
ernoon, when the chief speaker was Edwin
Markham Other addresses were made by
Charles N Crittenton, president. and Mrs.
Kate Waller Barrett, vice president and
| general superintendent of the organization.
The audience was large and in accord with
the ideas of those who addressed 1t.
Mr.. Markham spoke on ''rhe Dignity of
Labor saying in part: '-s
THE old monk said labor was worship.
| 1t Is as sacred to sweep room in the
masters name as 1t is to make a prayer.
Labor and love, I believe. will be the two
great pillars OF the heaven to which we
aspire. / conceive heaven will not be a
! place of rest There will be rest there,
| but 1t will come through action. We will
have spiritual bodies more real than the
material bodies we now have. I can't
| tell you how that Is, any more than you
can tell me what electricity Is, yet cleo
tricity is more real than the works of
man. 1t may be, indeed. that the discov-
cry of what electricity actually Is will an
swer the question of what our spiritual
bodies win be In the heaven conceive.
I'm that heaven we will have things to
do Thera will ta RI nd HfaratIrr opd