Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-26
Christian Endeavor Hour
Conducted by Grace Livingston Hill-Lutz.
For Sunday. September 81 1903.

For Sunday, September p, 1903.
Topic: Home Missions: The Cry OF the City
Genesis, xviii 1888.
Many of us who live in large cities are
familiar in a general way with the pow
erty and degradation to be found in the
more crowded portions. but unless we are
working among these people in special
way 1t is difficult to realize 1.-THE cry of
the city" as it comes up before the Lord
in all its wretchednesS and suffering and
sin. For Instance. as we go to our pleas
ant rooms, lighted by electricity, heated
by hot water carpeted and adorned in
rich and glowing colors, and lie down
upon our couches of luxury, warm and
weary and filled with that delicious sense
Of restfulness. how many of us think
that in the same city with our comfort
able home. or not many miles away at
least, there are scores of lodging houses
interSpersed with saloons, gambling denS
and low resorts. where men and boys by
the hundred come to find a nights rest :;
where the rooms are described as eight
ed by a single dimly Pickering gas jet
filled with 'double-decker' beds, the at
mosphere poisoned beyond description
the beds alive with vermin and the one
room holding at least IL hundred men
many of them in various stages of in
toxication'? It is estimated that at least
20,CD men and boys sleep every night
in such lodging houses just in the city of
New York. Along the Bowery, in New
York, there is at least a mile of such
lodging places, ranging in price from
% cents to 8 cents per bed for a nights
lodging.
Think Of those homeless men and boys!
Often they come from respectable even
luxurious, homes. and have fallen into this
desperate state little by little. Sometimes
they come to tie vicinity of these lodging
houses without even > cents to pay for a
bed. and must sleep in a hallway or a
truck the steps. Frequently a
young man from the country. where he
has been working hard at home or earn
ing small wages on some farm. will he
drawn to the city by the tales of city life
As told by some jaunty. drummer at the
village store. and when he reaches the
city with 500 or $50 In his pocket and his
best suit of c'othes on 1t does not take
him long to find how hard it is TO get
work in great unknown city. Very soon
his money is gone. his good clothes pawn
ed and he is reduced 10 a tive-cent bed.
where he is thrown in with crooks ard
thieves and all sorts of characters. Many
are the temptations that crowd his path
and ii is not strange if he falls into sin.
Nightly and daily goes up the cry of sin
and shame from such haunts as these.
unto the Lord of mercy.
Eddie BergStrom, young man of sew
BoWery dive looking very tired and
wretched. The bartender. taking pity on
him, said: Say. youngster. you'd better
go over to the Bowery M!ssion-they'Il
take care of you there He went. and
after listening to testimonies of men who
had been saved from lives of debauchery
and crime. decided that. with Gods help.
he would strive to do what was right: he
kept steadily on. turning to neither right
hand nor left and after time married
and established a happy home In the
country, where he is today with his loved
ones gathered about him. From "A