The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-12
Recognition Of Heroism of
Merchant Seamen of the War

Some work is being done In Boston
and. as a result of his visit, work has
oeen started on small scale in Phila-
deiphiA. The waterfront boarding
house situation In New Orleans is re-
ported to be anything but what it
should be and the opportunity for SER
vice in every port from San Diego to
Seattle. Lastly in Havana, which
Bishop Hulse says is the third largest
port on this side of the Atlantic. moth
ing Is being done for seafaring men
The work that the Seamens church
institute proposes to do through the
nation-Wlde campaign, Is not rescue
work. Seamen from strange lands
come to strange ports. To give them
community life, to provide them with
a place where they may get clean
lodging and good meals. where they
may leave their baggage and receive
their mail. where they may read or.
play billiards or smoke or write home
and receive their letteres. where they
may get employment and attendance
If they are sick, that is the aim of the
Seamen's Church institute. In New
York that is what it does and through
the nationwide campaign of the Eps-
copal church that is what it proposes
to do in every port.
1T Is not rescue WORK" tho Rev
Mr.. Davenport is careful to explain,
but it is community work with a re-
religion is not forced We do not seek
to convert them. We strive to serve
them In Christian spirit
But the figures of church attendance
are striking. At 2s1 services held last
year in English the attendance was
1888 at seventy Scandinavian SER
vice the attendance was s77; at TWEEN
ty-eight Lettish service the attendance
was Sill; to two services in the Rus
sian language there came eighty eight
men and TO three services in Dutch
came seventy-five men
While six chaplains are In constant
attendance at the institute their duties
are mostly in the nature of social ser
vice. To their office, for their help.
men come in all their perplexities and
each is assisted to the utmost Nor
is that all for there is a house matron,
too whose duties 1t is to make the
men feel at home and to give to the
! institute that intimate and spiritual
touch that only a motherly woman
can give.
The educational activities of the
institute are no mean effort. either
To twenty eight public school lectures
there came 3.l62 men last year and
there was enrolled in the institutes
school for navigation and marine en-
cheering no less than ] 679 students
| Perhaps long before he can make
cut signal ZBH flying from the flag
staff of the Seamen's Church institute
the sailorman is greeted in New York
harbor by representative of the in
stitute itself for each day there goes
out 10 meet incoming steamers the
/ u. Hooker Hammersley." the insti-
| tute's tender. On board may be a
chaplain with newspapers and maya
zines and a cordial invitation to the
sailor to make the tall sxteen-story
/ building his home until he sail again.
! Nor is this all the work among sea-
men. for If it should so happen that
the sailormcn whilst in port should
spread his last sheet Of canvas and
: heave his last log and die stranger
: in strange land he Is assured OF de-
cent Christian burial in the plot that
, the institute has in one of the ceme-
teries