Evening journal., 1907-03-01
SALVATION ARMY
DOES GREAT WORK
Its Industrial Home has Aided
Thousands Of the City'S
Worthy Poor

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the land and the severe storms Of this
winter have driven scores OF poor to
apply Cor shelter at the Industrial
Home
Many have gone there poorly clad,
With pinched faces without overcoats.
without underclothing or even stock
lngs, and suffering severely from the
bitter cod. And as the winter is pass
ing by the army feels that It owes a
debt Of gratitude to the citizens OF
| Wilmington for the fact that through
their generosity II has not been COM
PEELED to turn one worthy applicant
away. Adjutant Dinwoodie, in charge
OF the Salvation Army Industrial Home.
NO. lO9 West Third street, says: "rhe
very existence OF the home is made
possible through the constant Reneros-
ity and good will OF our citizens in
giving their waste paper that emplov-
! ment might be furnished for idle men
and their cast-off clothing ana furnl-
ture that the citys permanent and
most worthy poor might be assisted
Never before in the history of the
home in this city has the demand for
clothing and furniture been so ereat
as during the past two months. Dur
ing the coldest weather men have come
TO us without stitch of undero othinp
without stockings, and literally walk
ing with bare feet on the snow Uith
their shoes worn clear through. I will
( not say that such cases are common
compared TO the number Of less needy
applicants but they are almost a daily
occurrence in a headquarters Of this
In r.sT. .fa
and others OF larger size I often wish
tnat the kind friends VINO assist us
could have the satisfaction Of seeing
Tor themselves the comfort that Is
brought through their gifts to these
peope, and the extent Of suffering re-
llieved. We are not working for the
poor drunkard alone, although we are
happy to help the many who are will
ing to work in return, but a large per-
centage Of our work is in dealing di-
rectly with the homes Of the city's un-
fortunate poor. We may live in a city
under certain conditions and see so
little real destitution that we hardly
realize that IL is in constant existence,
but in a headquarters Of this kind we
come to see hardly anything else.
am sure that our friends VIII apprecf-
ate the fact that they are helping not
a few worried and worn mothers with
babies to look out for. with husbands
who are crippled or otherwise sick anu
for the present with no source Of in
come"
The adjutant reports that he has
had many applications from married
men Of this kind who are physically
unable to do ordinary work. He says:
zone man on Tuesday came into my
ONCE pleading with tears in his eyes
FOR employment to support a sick wife
land pay the rent for the one room they
OCCUPY. 7 haven't got cents for gro
lceries' said the man; my room is cold,
the rent is past due and the landlord
tiScatens TO turn us in the street. I
could get work II had the strength to
perform the kind OF labor but you
know my condition.
The adjutant invited the man to re-
turn in the afternoon, but In the mean
time visited the mans home. which
was in a garnet IN a house on Eightn
street to make sure fnat MS man was
speaking tie truth. He dropped in on
them unawares and wftnessed- a siglfss
(which was heart-rending. The man
land his wife were at home in a batS
room on the third floor. AS he opened
the door, the woman, who had Just got
out of bed after SIX weeks OF severe
ILLNESS, sprang to her feet, and with
arms extended upwards. showing fin
\ gers and bones disiointed from the
pains Of infammatory rheumatism, ex-
claiming: MY God. help has come;
it's the Salvation Army officer; God
has answered our prayers"
The sight was all that had been re-
ported. one room, with a small cook
stove. but not a pound OF coal nor q
stick Of wood. The place was cold and
damp. Everything In the room could
be seen. the bed. two chairs and the
little cook stove. with neither a fire MOI
fuel TO make one. and a handful oil
dishes with neither food nor materia,
70 make up a lunch. The sdjutant gave
the man a dollar for temporary relief
took him back to the home and gave
him employment at once.
The adjutant continued; "A WORD
concerning the store or supply depart.
ment OF an industrial home: Thous-
ands upon thousands Of garments arr
yearly discarded in Wilmington by tbs
people. Hundreds OF suits are finished
with every month. Where goes all thii
more or less worn-out wardrobe? Few
of these hundreds OF discarded gar.
ments reach the rag bag directly aftei
having been discarded by their formei
wearers. Almost every garment con.
tains more or less wear until it Is sur
rendered for rags, and this wear Il
taken out OF them by those not for.
tunate enough to he able 10 purehas'
new garments. Thus the old clothinl
which has been discarded and become
a part OF the great mountain OF tn
city's waste, passes through anothe
. stage before it is surrendered as rags
Between its two separate existence
as a serviceable garment. being worI
by its first and second owners In ~
possession by the salvation Army !
gets. as Il were, a new lease OF lhe. A
this institution men and women ar
frequently clothed from head TO foo
for a sum varying from 25 cents Il
Isl. n the clothing enables the pur
chasers 70 present a respectable ap
pearance, where hitherto they wor
rags they may, in many cases. obtail
work OF which there would have bee
no chance IN their former condition
In spealyinr of the benefits Of thi
aaoartlnorf Allutant Dinwcodie says
"Rv plating "a very SraM price upol
each Of these articles Of apparel man.
persons OF a proud and sensitive ma
ture come 10 us who otherwise woul
never consent to receive our Dement'S
They will not accept charity, and the
are too poor to go TO clothing stor
..fs a "A flF lshnH