The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-07

A discussion of foreign missions brought up the question of home missions and 10! how ignorant we are of what is being done in our own land for those who are not so fortunate as to have moral and literary training in their own homes or who. for some reason. must look to oth- CTS for such training.
 Among others, the Methodist Episcopal church, south. Is doing extensive home mission work and supports entirely or in part 3o5 missionaries. In Key West it has a large mission plant for cubans, with mission houses or churches. md also a large school with attendance of 400. In New orleans it has two settlements for work among the Italians. In Thur Der. Tex, the Methodists work among the Italians, and have a settlement that
 looks after all foreigners in that mining town. They have g preachers among the Germans in Texas and four among the Bohemians, about 20 among the Mex jeans. four of whom are Americans and the others Mexicans. They have three missionaries among the French in Louis jana, and three American and "A native Indian preachers among the Indians in Oklahoma. They do work among the
  ginia and Arkansas, and have missions in Ala and in Los Angeles.
 At Ybor City are their missions for Italian, Cuban and Spanish children. Ybor City Is just out of Tampa, Is a part of Tampa, connected by street railway. 1 It is the foreign district of Tampa and the home of 20e00 Cubans, of whom most | of the men and women are employed ill ! the cigar factories.
 These Cuban cigarmakers insist that they must have something to occupy their | minds while they are at work. They | can't amuse themselves with conversa 1 ton. for they can't talk without festicu- | lating, and they can't gesticulate and make cigars at the same time; and so-- the employers hire some one to read to | them. The reader sits raised plat | form and he reads, reads, reads all day. | He reads in Spanish of course and the American visitor can judge by his tone | and by the workers attitude what he is | reading
 Usually it is some exciting story either l comedy or romance. The workers fingers are constantly in motion, their lips are | closed, there is no sound except the read | CTS voice. Then the workers eyes | sparkle and they burst into laughter. then l they are silent eagerly listening while | the reader continues
 But what are their children doing while | the mothers and fathers work? They are | playing in the streets, on the sidewalks, | anywhere, everywhere. Why aren't they | in school? Because they feel above at l tending a free school No matter how poor they may be, the parents look with | disapproval upon the public school-the | free school that reminds them of their | poverty-so they take little thought for | their children's education
 Religious training? What has their re- ligion been but burden? Worn out with | religion, as it has been to them, they | were glad to be free of that burden; so | tho children had no religious training
 With no literary training, no religious training, and with eminent danger to life | and limb, the children boys and girls of | 10 and 12 and little tots just able to run | about, played in the streets.
 Then came the woman of the Meth | odist Episcopal home mission board and | established IS years ago, a church school | for the Cuban and Spanish children. They | made a nominal tuition charge, partly to | help defray expenses and partly in defer | ence to the parents expressed dislike for | free school Where they were unable | to pay this tuition the children were not | excluded but the charge removed the | stigma of a free school. Some of the | children who cannot pay in money do the sweeping and house cleaning and dining room work to pay for their expenses. No servants are kept.
 1T you ueSlreu 10 see tnls scnool you would take a street car from Tampa to Thirteenth avenue and Sixteenth street, l Ybor City, (pronounced Ee-bor) and there you would find the Wolff mission.
 It is a three-story building with office. 1 library and three large class rooms on the first floor, and with the teachers home on the second floor
 You know how often and how variously the words enthusiasm" and 'enthusas- tic'' are applied to teachers, They may well be applied to the teachers at Wolff mission. Miss Lottie Adams is in charge. She has had broad experience in teaching at 1905 D. m, Nashville. Chattanooga , and St. Louis; R A. Parsons will meet you general meeting; 80 D. m., Fay lorsville, R. A. Parsons. chairman; leave Hobbs Island, Saturday, Febru- ary 6. at 3:10 D. m., Nashville, Chat tanooga and St. Louis for Huntsville; penara1 S.