The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-10-01
EVOLUTION or THE
NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE
Work Conducted For Fifteen
Years in FIagler Street.

The following items about the
Neighborhood house on Flagler street
are furnished by a gentleman who
has been connected with the work
since its inauguration
about fifteen years ago mis-
sion work was started on Flagler
street, known as the Italian mission.
For some years this work continued
with varying success, but it was
found, after a time, that the grown
people did not wish to come to relig-
ious services conducted on the plan
.of an Evangelical Protestant mission.
The children were gathered into a
Sunday school, but it was found inn
possible to secure a sufficient num-
ber of teachers to maintain the school
in an orderly manner for even a part
of the year. 1t was also foundthat
when the children reached the age
of confirmation they were at once
taken away from school and forbid
den to return to it, This, of course,
made it impossible to carry on prot
estant Sunday school work with any
real success, and the result of the
well-meant efforts in this direction
was in part, at least, to create dis
sentions among the families on Flag
Ter street. The work, however, was
not abandoned. Educational and in
dustrial features were added. A
woman missionary was secured, and
with occasional religious services the
work went forward for some years,
doing much good in many individual
cases, but leading a most uncertain
existence and at times being practi-
cally discontinued.
'Then came the new departure of
the neighborhood house, which makes
no attempt to interfere with the
religious preferences OF people in the
neighborhood, but ministers to them
In Christian spirit in great vari-
ETY. of ways, carrying on crusade
which Is moral, social and educational
and in the truest sense broadly relig-
ious.
For the past three years Miss
Frances Orpen has been head workcr
at the Neighborhood house, which
has been carried on under the au-
spices of the Morristown association
for work among the Italians. Miss
Orpen, whose ministry of loving SER
vice will long be remembered, has
recently accepted an invitation to UNI
dertake somewhat similar work in
Elmira, N. Y; but the work which
she left will be carried on with re-
newed activity. An efficient head
worker will be resident in the house.
"The directors of the Italian as
sociation intend to recommend that
the name of that society by changed
to the Neighborhood House associa-
tion of Morristown, thus broadening
the scope of work and enabling the
workers to appeal to that large con-
stituency in and about MorristoWn
who feel that it is a mistake to at
tempt to proselyte those of other
faiths than that which is represented
by the workers themselves, but who
feel very strongly that there is cry
ing need for moral, social and educa-
tional work in some of the poorer
sections of our community
mo such work can be successful,
which does not seek Divine guidance
and which does not acknowledge the
good hand of Cod in whatever it
may accomplish for the good of the
community. 1t should aim to make
better citizens by making better men
and women and better children. This
is what the Neighborhood house un-
der the lead of it's new workers GER
tainly hopes to do"