The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-22
The Most. Active Protestant Church in
America.

Inc MOST ACTIVE ffolesldht Snu4Sh ~
America
After discussing the type Of religious
institutions, AZ exemplihed BY the Me-
Auley Mission, who attempt to ''lift
mon from the gutter Ray stannari
Baker writing III the July American
Magazine, speaks 81 the other kind of
organizations which attempts to remove
the gutter" A church of this type IS
Christ Church, of which bir. Baker
says;
Christ Church Il affiliated with and
supported largely By the Brick presbyS
terrain Church, one Of the most notable
Of the rich churches OF the Fifth Ave
nue. district II is on the West Side
street near Eighth Avenue, ii 4 neigh
borhood occupied exclusively by wage-
earners, clerks and small shop keepers,
largely German By extraction, with re-
Gently a rapid iuerowding Of q poorer
population 81 Italians and Negroes.
y think no one could visit either the
church house on a week day, OF see the
Sunday School on Sunday with eight
hundred children Ia attendance, with
ont being greatly impressed. There Is
life herel The church is open all day
long open longer than the public,
and more days in the week but not
open as long as the saloons and nickel
theatres, cigar stores and candy par
Tors. which are 20 be found iii numbers
everywhere A schedule of activities
I'm the entrance-hall gives one The ip-v
pressiye idea Of how the days are filled,
and Of the variety and extent 81 the
work attempted. Two large kiltdergar
tens are held Ia the morning FOR some
ninety little children. Other children
and young people are organized ia clubs
aud classes which meet at various
hours during the week. instruction is
given ID carpentry sewing, cooking,
typewritiag and basketry a hovs' ca.
Diet corps IS drilled regularly. To pro-
vide for the amusement which human
nature will have GIN the saloon, if not
IN The church, there are billiard tables,
a bowling alley, 4 shooting gallery, 4
gymnasium and bath. and a room for
games. In the summer, excursions TO
the country are constantly being organ
lied. a considerable library il proyid-
Ell and the hood THE MeAlphin liter
airy society and the Glee Club give
plays and other entertainments, inclnd-
ing social dances,
IA catalogue Of activities such MS
This seems dry enough and it cannot, 1T
course convey the cheerful spirit Of as-
ISOLATION and helpfulness that persades
the work. The church provides an out
let into the finer and pleasanter things
Ell life far an over worked people whose
low wages and poor homes give them
few opportunities It gets them to-
gether, ii lets them see something of the
people from uptown. and better than
that, il lets the people from uptown see
something 81 them; Il tends to awaken
that sylnpathy between man and man
which is the fundamental note OF de-
moeraey.
~Dr. Farr says that one Of the chief
purposes ct The work Is simply 10 make
people happy; to give them a greater
interest iii life.
Happiness makes for religion he
says, quite as much as religion makes
for happiness
Youthful activities, which once spent
themselves in destructive and lawless
amusements now have, IN such institute
TONS an organized outlet organized
clubs, organized classes, organized sports
organized gymnastics. Since the set.
Elements and institutional churches have
appeared IN the large cities the Old
gangs Of hoodlums which formerly me-
naced the poorer parts of the city, have
almost wholly disappeared Such work
prevents at ieast some Of the conditions
which produced Jerry McAuley.e