Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-10
Old, Young and Middle-Aged Find
Work and Sympathy and
Chance to Better Their
Condition

To give every man an opportunity to
help himself is the work that is being
carried on at the Bethlehem Institu-
tional church at Vignes and Ducommon
streets. There good works of all de-
scriptlons are carried on daily among
the different nationalities, and many
man who is now on the upward road
can point back to the time when he
was given a helping hand at this in
stitution, which is presided over by
Rev. Dana w. Bartlett.
r. H. White, superintendent of the
Industrial department, said yesterday
1.-THE fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man is the ruling doc
trine Of this mems hotel and kindred
departments of the Bethlehem work,
which is in reality Congregational In
stitution, but is without creed to those
who enter it's walls.
"a sad feature of the work among
| the men Is the large number of middle
aged men-men who have worked hard
all their lives and are now refused the
opportunity to labor and live. No man
need go away empty handed from Beth
lehem church. for if there is not labor
| to be found for him, it is made.
Department seIf-Supporting
ITO burn your good works is the
opportunity given through the indus
trial department of the institution-in
other words, people help the good work
along by buying the kindling wood
which is cut by the men out of work
and being kept temporarily at the hotel
until a situation can be found. This
wood, purchased from the planning mills
and any source where 1t may, is put In
sacks and delivered, in wholesale or
retail lots, to residences or furnished
to dealers, making the industrial de-
partment at least self-supporting. Here
any man applying for assistance is put
to work at chopping kindling at 8
cents per sack, and make from 30 cents
to so a day, according as they work.
"This work is carried on from Octo-
ber to May in the bath house building.
The plunge baths are floored over dur
ing the winter, and again opened In
the spring These baths are barely
self-sustaining, but are great delight
to the people of the neighborhood.
"From a business standpoint the
kindling wood proposition to employ
the men is not a financial success, but
1t is self-sustaining and that Is all
that is asked for by those in charge.
so long as 1t is able to help men over
the hard places in life.
Hotel Is Attractive
each day has it's interesting and
pathetic cases at this hotel from those
who come hungry and sick, who are
cared for, and in the majority of cases
appreciate It, and again those who are
in 1t for all they can get out of 1t and
even try to bum their way along and
thus make it harder to help the de-
serving. But there are compensations
even In this work, and from time to
time letters are received from those
who have been helped, saying that
their first start upward was taken at
Bethlehem church.
"Rev. Mr.. Bartlett is a temperance
man and believes that so long as there
is no other place Offering a pleasant
evening the men Ill go to the saloons.
so he has infuA cd a homelike air in
the hotel, where there are large recep-
tion rooms where during the evening
games are played and where there are
magazines and papers
"Then there is the coffee club, where
good food is served at a nominal cost,
and the night schools for the Japanese,
Russians and Mexicans.
viii Establish Branches
"a side that touches the domestic life
of the neighborhood is the clothing
bureau. where clothes are sold at a
Aominal cost Bethlehem church CO.
operates with the Associated Charities
In the clothing bureau, as we'll as In the
kindling wood. and those deserving are