Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-30


1t was special delight to witness
the cordial support of the Juvenile
Improvement League" at it's late
meeting, at which Bishop Johnson. as
president of the league, was in the
chair and most graciously and
naturally called Bishop Conaty to the
place when obliged to leave.
Pleasant to hear Mr.. Georges instant
reply to the question of Bishop Conaty
How do you treat the religious prob
lem? Just. as you do in the larger
republic. Each member goes to the
church of his choice; we compel none"
His republic teaches most vital lessons
to our adult one, in its recognition
of woman as an equal citizen and in
the recognition of its own laws and
enforcing theml An actual govern
ment Of by and for the people. We
might well endow it and give 1t hearty
moral support as a most helpful Los
Angeles institution
Another most creditable agency for
good in our midst is the social work
carried on by Rev. T. C. Marshall and
his true, helpmate. Mrs. Marshall, at
Ninth and Wilson streets. 1t is a
pleasure to recall its beginnings in the
SOS and its happy outcome-its pres
ent contrast. REV. George Hughes, a
novitiate of the Episcopal church in
Boston. had found himself in the
quarter of the city between Alameda
street and the river which had then
but a one-story schoolhouse of two
rooms and no church. With his intense
interest for the welfare of his fellows,
he had secured a room in the cottage
of a widow, who later had given him
the use of her one other room and
even the kitchen for his Sunday SER
vices, to which he had gathered
Protestant, Catholic. black and white,
and all nationalities of the working
people of that district. Necessarily,
his work must be on non-sectarian
basis. When it had grown and pros
pered under his brotherly spirit, he
sought the aid of the various churches
of the city and received the offer of
help to put up a building, If it could
be made a mission of their church.
This would destroy its character and
scope as a non-sectarian church.
He was then advised TO come to me.
as president of the kindergarten as
ISOLATION" We succeeded in getting
material for a simple oblong building,
more in the style of a factory than an
ecclesiastic structure, from our gem
erous merchants, and we soothed the
feelings of those bound by church ira
ditions, giving 1t the outward and
visible sign of being on conventional
lines, by putting in place the Gothic
windows, kindly offered US by the Pres
byterian trustees, then taking down
their church at the corner of Third or
Fourth and Hill, TO build greater on
Figueroa.
Mr.. Hughes had planned to have the
carpenters of his people finish the lath
ing and plastering, but the work
fingered until Bishop Johnson took 1t
up by bringing the building into more
accessible quarters on Ninth street,
and large-hearted navy chaplain, at
tending service there, noticed the lack of
lath and plaster and the small stove
for its heating on Sunday and for the
kindergarten which we had installed,
and gave orders to have the building
property finished and painted outside,
and so our hopes have been thus full
filled.
But now behold it's broader fulfill
ment of them! The little settlement is
now a delight to the eye and model
to the neighborhood and to all others.
The side street is now shaded and
beautified by a well-grown row of trees.
In the building, now abandoned for
Sunday services for the more service
able one of st. Marks, is a counter the
length of its sides, covered with
secondhand garments, not given, but
sold at the smallest cost to the needy
residents, who, it was said, in reply to
come of any merchants, because ut
terly unable to pay their prices.
Behind the counter is a line of lock-
ers In which the garments are stored
for the night and the room then given
over to the boys and mems clubs.
Besides this helpful arrangement
some sympathetic women of the Epis-
copal churches Of the city, with
Bishop Johnson as president and Mrs.
S. P. Hunt, vice president, have or
ganized the Church of the Neigh
borhood Settlement society and given
generously of their time and means
in bearing the cost and daily expenses
of many features: A commodious
bath room, with porcelain tub and
shower bath, to which mothers viii
bring their babies for the morning
bath; other women have use or 1t on
afternoons; men and boys of evenings.
sewing class meets weekly, instituted
and carried on personally by another
of these fine women, and there is
sloyd training for the boys.
But the final charm in this work is
the joy devotion and faith of the
couple at it's lead. They have installed
the kindergarten. which is fiourishing
under teachers furnished it in turn
for practice by the Normal school
students, in a pretty battened building
in the rear of the large building. The
mother and sister of Mrs. Marshall
have put up next to that most at
tractive, tiny bungalow of two rooms,
but sufficient for their uses, as their
meals are taken comparatively at the
larger bungalow.
This is larger, but equally attrac-
tive in style and thoroughly com
Portable. And word more must be
said of the study, which adds to the
lovely feature Of the garden on all
sides, its hedges and vines, and crowned
by it's own abundant climbers. With
i'm it is equally attractive in Its
charmingly simple and effective way.
One special feature commends 1t to
imitation: The open space below the
overhanging caves, which is, no doubt,
a factor in Mr.. Marshall's good health
and ability for constant labor of mind
and body. Would that all workers
for human welfare had such needed aid
as his, in this line, and above all, a
wife so thoroughly at one in the SER
vice; whose face would glow as does
her, in the sincere Joy of the work.
One feels in seeing all this what
al &c 20, e