The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-13

tention pen, for deportation; perhaps
he had failed to arrive: probably, /
judged 1t was that the great hour of
motherhood had come to her again, in
this time and place of tumult and I'M
certainty. Whatever the reason, terror
filled her eyes, and her gentle face
was drawn in agony, as she leaned
upon the little Baptist woman who
spoke her own tongue, and was TO her
Gods own angel. In that busy spot,
there was one with leisure and
skill to befriend the friendless.
Services such as these fill the days
of the Ellis island missionaries. They
speak most of the tongues in this
modern Babel Often they have op-
portunity for nothing but the giving of
greeting, a tract or a Bible. in the
speech Of the fatherland. Frequently
though they can introduce the stranger
TO the friendly offices of some min
lister or church worker at the des-
tinatiOn to which she is bound. The
aim is not only to show kindness to
the immigrant, and TO give him a
Christian welcome. but also. so far as
possible. TO keep the shaping, guiding
hand of religion, and if possible. of his
own church. upon him. in the new
home which he is entering.
Aside from the ministry to the un-
fOrtunates in the detention pen-the
place into which there is. crowded
doubtless, more tragedy than in any
other one spot in the world. for more
than ! per cent of all immigrants are
sent back-who await further examina-
ton or deportation, some of the mis-
sionaries are connected with Temporal
ry homes for immigrants on the Bat
terry. The Lutheran church has been
especially jealous in caring for its
immigrants. The Methodists and Ro-
man Catholics likewise have been
alert to meet these special conditions
Another body, whose activity is marked
al Ellis island is the Italian Society for
the Aid of Immigrants, which is sup
ported in part by the Italian govern
ment, as well as by Italians in this
country. This is not avowedly relig-
ious, but it is a powerful barrier be-
tween the untaught alien and the
powers that prey.
The smashing of immi grafton records
the year ending in June. 1907 brought
nearly a million and a half-is in good
part responsible for awakening of the
churches of North America to a Sc
rious consideration of their part in
the national assimilation of the immi-
grant The theme is now to the fore
in various religious gatherings, and in
all the church papers. 1t has been
made a special subject of study with
new text books. by tens of thousands
of members of young peoples societies
and Sunday schools and missionary
organizations. This fall all the rally
day. services held in at least one great
denomination, the Presbyterian, We're
directed to devote their collections to
the one object of home missionary
work among the immigrants. A num-
Der of important recent publications,
including Professor Edward A. Stein
er's "On the Trail of the Immigrant"
John r. Commons Races and Immi-
grants in America" and DIR. II. B.
Crosses 1.-The Incoming Millions" have
been designed chiefly for circulation
among church people.
Another tangible evidence of the
widespread incl ease of interest in the
immigrant is the growth of mission
churches for foreign speaking persons,
and the great increase of colporteurs
10 distribute literature among such. At
present this is the most accented fea-
ture of the home mission work now
being carried on by the great denomi-
nations The carefully organized agen-
cies of these UNCONVENTIONAL boards are
at work systematically stirring up in
terest in this theme. II the newcomer
is not given a neighborly welcome, and
assisted to become law-abiding
the fault will not be with
the officials of the churches.
Undoubtedly 1t is true that 10 some
extent the churches are being scared