The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-05-11
By Maud Ballington Booth
n The "Little Mother" Of the Prisons n
a.
Jumbo: A Heart Story
The "LittLe Mother''

not make light of his sins; he simply
stated all the facts as a patient might
speak of symptoms in consulting a
physician, and then he turned and
asked for my verdict. "Say, Little
Mother, will you have me in Hope
hall. Is 1t worth having a try at me?
I don't know that I'll like a straight
life, don't know that I'll want to stay.
l don't know as I can be honest, but
am willing to let you try IL you think
it's any use." assured him that
did think it we'll worth while. l des.
cribed the Home we had opened for
just such men. told how well many
of them were doing, and then wrote
a letter of Introduction to the super.
intendent in charge of Hope hall
which would insure him a welcome.
Before he left, as he stretched out his
hand to bid me good-by, I said, "Now.
before you go, I want you to kneel
down with me; we will pray for Gods
blessing in the step you are taking"
A look of bewildered terror swept
across his face. Evidently this was
not In his line, for he gasped out, "Oh
no! I couldn't. l never prayed In my
whole life." But seeing the look of
resolution in my face, he added polite
~, well. I'll kneel down, but you will
have to do the praying" So we knelt
together In the presence of the One
who can gather in his tender and Low.
ing hands the broken and contrite
hearts of men, changing them and
Citing them with the wondrous new
things of life. My friend knelt hold.
ing tight to his hat for moral support,
while his eyes. wide open, were fixed
upon my face, ready to take alarm at
any unexpected religious manifesto.
ton, and I tried to talk as simply and
naturally as could to the God whom
l knew to be very near at hand.
When he left me, knew that Jumbo
would turn up at Hope hall, and that
he would give the new life at least a
fair trial. What wonderful change
was wrought in the next few months.
Jumbo became very earnest, indus
trious member of our Hope hall fam
lily. He came forth truly converted
man, and his heart was filled with a
simple, earnest faith which made him
realize that after all, religion was very
much in his line, when that line was
to lead him to straight path and
honest work for living.
The day came at last when Jumbo
tn ia %o1x
in the world, and / might say that
now he was known by his own name,
and his prison nickname dropped from
him to be used only by few of those
whom he had known In the old life
| Again he was announced at my office
| Again I wrote him a letter of intro
| duction, this time to the employer
who was to give him his first chance
! and then as he arose to leave me, he
held me tightly in his clasp, and tears
gathered in his eyes as he said, Little
Mother, I can't tell you all the dear
Home has meant to me, or how CRATE
full I am, but am going out to my
new life to prove it. l tell you the
Hope Hall boys shan't be ashamed OF
, me. l will be worthy of the trust
placed in me; I will be credit to the
Home, and make it easier for those
that come after me-" Again l SAID
as l had said before, "Shall we knee
together and ask Gods blessing or
this new step you are taking?" His
face lit up with JOY. Indeed we will
Little Mother he responded, and as
we knelt to pray he opened his hear
to his God with the simple, unstudiet
fervOr Of a child. He went to his new
place full of hope and ambition. an(
letters full of his new experience came
to me through the mails. Very orig
inal and very earnest reports they
proved to be.
was starting for a visit to Sins
Sing one day about six months later
and for lack of time at the office.
brought quite batch of mail to reat
on the train. 1t SO happened that il
the mail there were two letters abou
Jumbo, one from his employer, on,
from himself, both of them such .
revelation of his new life that 1 de
termined to share them with my Vol
unteer League Boys" who would b.
gathered in the prison chapel to NEE
me. When the time came, told tn,
story as have told it here, of the man
ner of the mans coming, avoidin,
only the name. Then I read the lette
from his employers in which the,
thanked me for sending them such ,
man, so earnest, so Woodworking. 8,
Christian in his life. that, they added
he had been blessing to them all
Then came the letter from the ma,
himself. It was written as a Bower,
boy would write, with plenty Of quain
humor between the lines. But Their,
was one sentence especially Calculated
to strike that audience. He was speak
Of what it meant to be trusted ate
all his years of haunting distrust. an,
then said. "Just think, Little Mother
what happened to me to-day! wa,
working with my employer at a far
awav part of the farm and ha hod =.