The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-05-18

 forts to approach it must seem more or less like ojeious intrusion. Also there would appear to be other avenues which would give better returns for evangelistic effort. That, however, I think, is a mistake. In fact, had not been convinced of 1t would not have chosen to give up a settled New York pastorate at the beginning of my ca reer for pecuniary unremunerative field of work"
 What prompted your decision?" the doctor was asked.
 Chiefly the fact that coIud not at- tend to my own church, to the mem bers of my flock, and at the same time give heed to the many calls which came to me from persons living in hotels.
 ''One morning I remember, just as I was about to enter the pulpit, a couple presented themselves to be married. They wers not willing to go elsewhere and could not wait till the end of the service because they had to catch a certain train. I got out of the difficult ty in this way. I asked all the prelim- mary questions and got the required data as to names, &c., before going into the pulpit, For the opening hymn I gave How Firm a Foundation, which is one of the longest in the book While it was being sung slipped back to the waiting pair, married them and returned to my place just as the con gregation was closing its books.
 ',The explanation for the many calls got at that time from hotels is this: While pursuing my studies at Union seminary I acted as an assistant at the Fifth avenue Baptist church, where, by the way, was instrumental in starting the Bible class now taught by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Among my duties was that of greating and visiting strangers who appeared at any of the services. These strangers often included hotel guests from the old Windsor and other nearby hotels, and an outcome of my calls was that these persons passed my
 name along to others who expected to
 visit New York. and they in turn to their friends, with the result that when help which a minister can give was needed. was the one they turned to. Meanwhile had accepted the call to Ia city church-a charge kept for eight years, and my hours for making calls were few and far between.
 Tt came to a pass where either my | church or my hotel work must be given up; and I chose to give up my church and become 8 hotel chaplain. I have
 not regretted the step. It is astonish- ing how few of the one hundred thou- sand strangers that come every day to i the city's hotels seem to know of a clergyman to whom they can trun for l help, and how many situations arise where minister can do incalculable good, not only to transient, but to resi- 1 dent guests and to the serving force of the big hotels. '5 T average about five sick calls day,
 and as many more which mean assis.E tance other than spiritual It seems to me there Is no person on earth so much ! in need of help as a stranger in distress alone in a hotel. My work takes me to l the insane asylum, the business office, l the court room and the prisons, as Of I ten as to the sick room, It was with misgivings that first started the Sunday hotel services. l Would I be greeted with empty bench
 had one, take an interest in the ser- vice? Or would they assume merely I the attitude of spectatorsa These were tithe questions I asked myself. After the first night, however, I had no doubts.
 There were seventy-five persons
 present at the meeting and I have nev-
 CT seemed to have a more interested
 audience. Since then seldom fewer
 than seventy-fiNe have attended any
 gathering, and, strange to say, it has
 been the gayer hotels patronized more particularly by transients which have l given me most encouragement.
 I For instance, one night at the
 Grand Hotel I noticed several young men who stayed till the end of the ser- I vice. After the audience had melted
 away they strolled up to shake hands l with the remark that they had never attended meeting like#it and that not
 in a long time had they spent So pleas ant an evening.
 l :" You know, doctor said one young
 fellow from San Francisco, with q
 laugh, when drunmers get together Sunday evenings they generlly go somewhere for good time.'
 I "As passed the writing room on my way out I saw several men putting the
 programme of the service into an en- velope to mail, and one hurried after
 me to say: T want my wife to see
 that for once I was in good place Sun day evening", 5ar* 4
 I The same night a woman asked me 1 if I would call the next day to see her
 sister, who was stopping at the hotel. I Tt is the first time in nearly three
 years that my sister has attended re- lligious service she told me. She has
 refused to enter a church since her hus- bands death, a bereavement which
 seemed to leave her hopeless
 1 Well, as a result of that service the
 bereaved woman told me that she had
 determined to pick up the dropped $threads of duty and try to go on again. | 'At the Imperial Hotel a woman and l two young men were waiting to speak
 to me at the end of the meeting.
 1 "'Would it be asking too much be- gan the woman timidly, for you to give us a few minutes alone with you?
 | I1rbn,, cI,o axpIas,,o.5 9rrl,,1 ,f