The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-30
Mrs. Frances Sutphen Will
Lecture on Rescue Work
MEMBER OF PURITY FEDERATION
ESTABLISHES HEADQUARTERS IN
BIRMINGHAM SOMETHING or'
THE FEDERATION IDEALS AND
MRS. sUTPHEN'S METHOD OF
ACHIEVING THEM


Mrs. Frances Sutphen of Memphis is In
Birmingham for the purpose OF conouc,-
ing a systematic campaign along the line
of rescue work She will conduct Sc
ries of meetings for the ladies at the
First Baptist church, beginning this after
noon at 3 o'clock and continuing through
out the week each day except Saturday.
The salvation army rescue workers will
assist at the meetings. Her addresses
will include Eugenics and the rescue
work of the American Purity FEEDER
alton. and the topics are to be women,
or the Eternal Question" the White
Slave Traffic Intelligent Marriage and
Parenthood, Telling the Story of
Life" "Rescue Work in the Slums of
Great Cities" etc.
Mrs. sutphen, who has been in the city
about two weeks, may be seen daily as
she goes on her errands of service and
mercy. Her uniform, similar to that OF
the deaconess. proclaims her chosen
work, A pretty little brown-eyed woman,
with ge0Ile lace lIdHSQ III ociet Ne%A -
hair. neat, blue waist and skirt. small
blue bonnet tied under the chin with
white muslin bow-and you have the
picture of the brave little woman who
goes unafraid at any hour Of day or
night to any place. however low or
wicked, If she feels that by SO doing she
may save an erring sister or brother AS
she talks of her work in the slums, her
pleas for reformation among those whom
ignorance or moral weakness has drawn
into life of shame, her eyes flash with
the fire of eoquence that spring from the
heart. Her work is largely preventive,
and she goes, not only among the miser-
structures which make up the "half
world" for in her moments of specula-
ton she has realized that in the act
which brings condemnation for one, there
is another person for whom society has
no condemnation but whose wrong is no
less great because unrebuked. She dis
tributes her tracts to both men and
women and to those who need her
strength and advice, she gives it, regard
less of age or sex.
1T costs something" she said, ito go
into the Darkest Mines of America and
wear the lamp of the Light of the World
on your forehead and risk your reputa-
ton, health and life; but the diamonds
will sparkle in the crown you will wear
in the by and bye. One morning in
Cairo, H.. while praying and waiting be-
fore the Lord, 1 felt a great burden to
go to Thirteenth street, a street of sin.
So l asked the Lord to remove the bur-
den and l would go. First I tried to get
some ladies to go with me, asked two and
one said she could not and offered no
regrets The other said she would lose
her reputation. I told her I had lost
mine than and expected to gain in char
acter'
When asked to tell something OF the
American Purity Federation, Mrs SUIT
phen said: TT is mostly a federation of
organizations, but individuals may join.
Anyone believing in personal purity is
eligible. There is congress every two
years, and four conferences are held be-
tween. The federation is mainly for the
purpose of holding large gatherings and
putting the best papers and addresses
possible before the public and to help es-
tablish single standard of morals.
I'm slum work" she continued, Il have
found many mothers boys as ignorant Of
danger as the poor, neglected girl. Our
federation aims to teach intelligent mar
riage and parenthood, the laws of hered-
ity. the science of life and health, the
right the child has to be well born and
its right to knowledge of sex. The cry
of the quarters is IF had only known
In a few years 1 have warned thousands
on this line. l have led both boys and
mother or started them out on respectable
streets at least. Letters have come thank
ing me for arresting them on the very
edge of the going down place. I went up
to nicely dressed young woman one
day in city and asked her to buy my
paper. She looked at me ciriously and
said: Don't you know me? You saw me
in saloon down there Yes I said, and
how are you getting on?' All right now,
she returned. L have thought of you SO
many times and wanted to tell you that
l would not go back to the old life for
worlds She is married and living nice
ly now Just one call will do SO much,
and our women must learn that contact
is not contamination. Sometimes they tell
me, oh, my husband would not hear
to my going Pastors and their wives
don't always go when I ask them. But
the great awakening in Chicago was
greatly due to the best of the ministers,
church members, lawyers. doctors, moth
ers and fathers going out into the streets,
and 50 at time holding services in diff
ferent bands on a block, and those who
would not listen to all of the Bible les
sons would listen with all ears to the new
laws that had just been passed for ILL.,
nois. Sometimes the meetings would last
from 10 o'clock to 3 in the morning. One
can understand the fear the divekeepers
have of a religious meeting in their midst
when 1t is learned that one manager In
Chicago calculated that each hour Rev.
Earnest Bell and his assistants worked
near his place he lost $3.50.
1T is not enough for us to read of the
horrors Of the white slave traffic and say.
Awful If we are not sin-sick our
selves we must reach down and draw out
the ones in the dungeons and mire!
II want the support of the men and wom-
en- Of Birmingham In my work. / will be
glad to explain 1t to any one at O'Clock
each afternoon at 223O Third avenue, and
l hope that the afternoon meetings at the
First Baptist church will be attended by
all the women of.the city"
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