The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-15
SEEK HELP FROM HEAVEN
AND A Policeman

New York. Sept l3s--"De ole man
has trun de fernerture outen de winder
an liz beatin Nom APP
This summons to pastoral call
came the other day to Rev. c. ~
Mooler. as he sat in his vicarage OF Sc
Chryostems Episcopal chapel at Sew
enth avenue and Fortieth street. The
stalwart preacher rushed over to Elev.
enth avenue. guided by the peaked
face, ragged girl who had carried the
summons. and in a wretched tenement
tore loose a bedraggled woman from
the grip of her angry husband. whom
he hurled into a corner. After the
hystarical woman had been cared for.
Mr.. Mo,Ier handed the husband over to
a policeman.
This is pastoral work over here in
hell's kitchen.',f~ expla1ned the vicar.
WITH Sigh, az he struitsd back TO
heaven and a policeman Jointly"
Does II happen often?" he was
asked
"All too frequently" was the reply:
and the ensuing talk revealed some of
the sordidiy picturesque facts Of life
in New Works jungle that the survey
of the Episcopal church's wants and
needs which its every name campaign
is making, is bringing to light.
Like bes.eged fortress. St Chryses-
TENS is holding out agatnst ovcrpower-
ing odds for the redemption of one OF
the few remaining moral pest holes In
Manhattan Hell's kitchen isn't as bad
ar it used to be- and some additional
Improvement lie noted since prohibition
fell with ,au the terrors OF a cleanup
raid over the district. But 1t is still
vile
Within the limits OF a few blocks
here" said Mr.. Molier. there are
greater number of nationalities, and
more complicated human problems than
are to be found 7 believe, In any other
city In the world To the east Of the
chapel are the white lights OF Broad
way--the great theatrical and enter
tainmcnt center OF the city To the
west are tenementf. houses OF Hire
pute. cheap boarding houses Tor stage
folk, and a heterogeneous population
which fairly battles classification.
Ono of the most depressing facts
about the situation is that the most
difficult people in the district are
those who speake English. They
are type. They' have liveNi' in New
York ss,sfrss FOR several generations
people without an idea or an ideal
A large proportion are defective or
delinquent or both. On the other
hand. perhaps the colored man in
the district is more intelligent and
more religious than any of its deni-
Gems
The work Of the chapel here Mr.
Moller explains. consists in striving
10 improve hygenic conditions. 10
rescue the young and the impression
able. TO enchance self recpect among
the grown folk. The latter task Is
perhaps the most difficult problem.
for there is rooted belief among the
large majority of the people in the
district that the sole purpose Of the
church Ia to get people out of trouble
from the contents OF the poor box"
So Mr.. Moller continues to claw
apart the fighting element, while he
looks after the tempted and wayward
girls, and the slipping youths and
strives to pound medium OF reason
into the numb brains Of the man and
women of the district. II is a fact.
he declares. that he spends more time
yearly in the courts OF the district
than he does in his own pulpit. And
one Of the most depressing features OF
his work Is that from one window
OF his study he looks out upon the
hotel theater and restaurant side of
New York, where the lights blaze and
millions are spent annually on
pleasure seeking--when the wind lie
right he can hear during the season
the thrushlike notes OF the song birds
in the Metropolitan opera house across
the way--while from the other win
dow he surveys the dark and SOM
bre outlines OF the novels of wretched-
ness and vice.
And while tho chapel Is on the
border line. the two sections are as
far apart as east and west. Never
a penny OF millions hung into the afr
for amusement falls over the line.
From the east side OF Seventh Avenue.
whence comes sthA echo OF light and
laughter and song, one looks over.
standing upon, the brink. into the
darkness and the gloom and the des-
pair OF helfs Kitchen and the jungle.
st. chrysestoms accordingly works
constantly under forced draft. There
are. for example, two district congre-
cations that worship in the chapel
the whites and the negroes. for the
latter. at their own request, have been
separated into religious body Of their
own Each CONGREGATION has Its sepe.
rate organization. with vested choirs.
finance committees, guide etc, Each
has It's s4peratc hours 81 worship, and
each is struggling along, spurred
ahead by the driving power OF tho
curatA.
pitiful force Of social workers and
aids. and hopes that out OF the Every
Name campaign which the church
10 conducting there will come, In the
budget system which IL to be intro
duced as result OF the survey, for the
Every Name and Nation wide cam
paigns. adequate provision to enable
him to battle on equal terms with the
forcAs In one OF thu last rematning
pest holes cf the city,