The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-29
WORK WITH POOR
ETC TASK FOR ALL THE CHARITIES
 or LONDON.
Metropolis of World Furnished Thou- sands of Poor, Sick and Afflicted of All Degrees as Problem for
 Philanthropic.

Lon0on, Sepk. Si.-lSpec1al COrre- spondence )--Poverty turks in more homes of this city now than ever be- fore. which means that the churches and their charitable societies will have a greater work than ever to do the coming winter. 1t has been an unfor- tunate summer. The temperature has been far below normal every day. The genial warmth that keeps nature alive with wondrous hue and color has been sadly lacking. The bright atmospheric conditions that are such a factor in the sum of human happiness have been : replaced with dull skies and chilling winds.
 Those to whom life seemed hopeless before are far more hopless now They have been unable to accumulate the little fund that would help through the winter when the fields are bare and work even harder to find that it has been this summer. Already there have been more calls on church char ity than usual, and the beginning of the inevitable is only just in sight
 The church has risen nobly to the demand. Equipped with such organi- zations as few great cities know, Lon don is ready to extend aid as far as it's means will allow and do 1t in the most practical manner.
 Chief among these associations for charity is the London City Mission, which is largely supported by the Church of England, though it cannot be called a purely denominational so- ciety. It has AT mission workers on it's regular staff, but their greatest work Is not the spread of the gospel That is only an incident The main idea is to better the persons condition first; the rest will take care of itself House toulouse visitations are the basis for the society's work and thus the worst cases are reached.
 It has its mission halls, to be sure, but most of the expenditures go di- rectly into the homes, and the mis- sionaries vie with each other in getting the most good from the least money.
 One tells how last winter he utilized the fragments from four frst-class eating houses to feed hungry men and children. and this coming winter has planned to extend this portion of his daily task.
 A different line of work Is carried on by the Congregational Union. It works among the poor and needy, the outcast and the wanderer, the worthless and the frtendless. It's most impor- tant centre Is Mediands Hall in the very midst of East London's chronic destitution. This is the only free shell ter open to homeless men all the year round, irrespective of creed or nation ality.
 Last year 1t, cared for 12s,41s men, besides giving over 146,0O0 food only, some s0.00o of the latter having walked from one to Aye miles to get a single meal. During its sixteen years it has extended aid to over B. 775,e00 waifs of humanity at e cost of less than five cents per night. A quarter century ago Golfers Rents was the centre from which came the tBitter Cry of outcast London, and there profligacy, poverty. and crime were rampant. so much so that Christian workers lost heart. Today the Congregational Union has achieved such success in that section that the existing premises are to be enlarged. In the Hoxton centre is mission where 649 meetings have been held in year with an aggregate attendance of 30,631. At this centre one of the most important branches is the creche where s.101 mites were cared for dur ing the year.
 These two great church organiza- tions have been spurred on to most earnest effort by thei tremendous en- ergy thrown into chakitable work by l the late Thomas John4 Barnado, who made a more exhaustice study Of sfum- dom conditions than any other one per- son mas ever nad the courage To do. Difflculties confronted him that would have deterred most persons from fur ther prosecution of the work, but he kept on and on
 It was two years ago this month that he passed to his reward, but his work goes steadily forward, his un- wearied faith and goodness being in- centives for the magnificent charity ex- emplified in the homes he established
 A A a.. n-. ing at Stepney, the greatest of his or ganizations. Destitute all. many of them almost hopelessly crippled. they are in high spirits over the industrial teaching given them. Over 63,000 des- titutes have been rescued thus far, and ss per cent of them are now doing we'll. a careful record being kept af all who pass through the Barnadoe charitys hands.
 But the present poverty has we'll nigh exhausted even the devoted men