The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-22
ONE MINNEAPOLIS FAMILY

are not long enrolled at st. Charles
mission, however, until the little ones
bless themselves" with edifying rev.
erence, and the older ones have learn
ed their prayers" over again. Their
minds are soon filed with Catholic
truth, their hearts quickly respond to
Catholic ideals; their souls grow beau
tiful with the grace of God.
But to do all this the city mission
airy must first do something for their
poor, hungry bodies. He must satisfy
the parents that their girls are learn
ing something practical" and so he
has established sewing classes under
the direction of competent Catholic
teachers. He must win the boys off
the street; but there's the rub How
can he do that? Last year he could
offer them a gymnasium two evenings
in the week. This year heahas been
unable to do So. He could not renew
the old arrangement with the public
school authorities for the use of the
school gymnasium, and he has not had
funds enough to secure any other suit
able place. The result has been
falling off in the enrolment of the
boys at the mission. Twenty to thirty
of the boys who ought to be learning
their religion at st. Charles mission
are on the street corners, while classes
are going on; or have been lured into
comfortable quarters, where they may
enjoy a variety of amusements, includ-
ing the singing of nOn-C Catholic hymns
and hear the milk-and-water platitudes
that so commonly pass, outside the
Church, for religion; though expert
ence shows how sadly such stuff
smothers the true faith in the heart
and leaves certain feeling of con-
tempt for all religion.
Now, Catholic reader, and in par
ticular, Catholic reader of Minneap-
oils, do you know of more worthy
charity than that of helping the city
missionary care for these boys and
girls? He has a hundred and eighty
of them enrolled; but alas, the aver
age attendance is not more than
hundred and twenty. Still that means
much, and he must fight to hold even
that number. With more funds he
could get more of them into the mis-
sion
You no doubt have done your bit for
other organizations-exce works;
a grand charity. Yet they often deal
chiefly with the bodies of men; while
here at your door is a charity dealing
with both bodies and souls of little
children. You love your Catholic
faith. You would not give it up for
the wealth of kaiser or king. But
why is it so precious to you? Because
it teaches you and helps you to love
God and your neighbor.
Well, then, if it has taught you to
love your neighbor, what are you will
ing to give that your, neighbor be
blessed by a share in that glorious
faith? Without the work of the city
missionary those scores of boys and
girls are sure to have their faith
weakened, and many of them will lose
it altogether.
But his work requires funds. Funds
for the sewing classes; funds for
club of gymnasium, and, just now,
funds for number of Christmas din
ners to go into homes like the one
where oatmeal soup and thin coffee
constituted the entire bill of fare, for
three days.
What are you willing to give?
Rather, dear reader, what are you go
ing to give? Let your answer to that
question be sent to John M. Gleason,
Ill South Ninth Street, treasurer of
the st. Vincent de Paul Society; or to
Reverend M. A. McRaith, 1923 Laurel
Avenue, Minneapolis.
The chief danger is that you may
say: Il can't give enough to make
it worth while" Well, the writer
knows that Father McRaith would be
uorx fofI11 for arxy oif what hor