Woman's enterprise., 1922-02-10
NEW ORLEANS-MISSISS1PPI
VALLEY SEAMEN'S
FRIEND SOCIETY
Bethel to Enlarge Home and
Work Among
Seamen.

In St. Thomas street, near Jacgson
avenue, New Orleans, stands the Sea-
mems Bethel 1t has cared for thous-
ands of sailors without ostentation,
effectively and with economy. 1t has
done a noble work for 60 or more
years, but the increase in the sea-
going commerce Of New Orleans,
bringing an increasing number of sea-
men to this port, with the promise
of still greater numbers makes the
enlargement of the Bethel work most
imperative. The Board of Directors
of the old seamen's Friend Society
realized that plans should be made
for an extension of the work, and
they decided that this could best be
accomplished by larger organization
which has now been completed and
is known as the New Orleans and
Mississippi Valley Seamen's Friend
Society, the management of the Sea-
mems Bethel being now under the
direction of tn following Board of
Directors:
Officers of the Bethel Auxiliary
are: Mrs. William Lamb, president;
Mr.. James R. Meyers, 1st vice-presi-
dent; Mrs. A. V. Richards, End vice
president; Mrs. Fred c. Holman,
secretary (recording); Mrs. George
Turner, cor. secretary; Miss Mary
Noyes, treasurer.
But in January new superinten-
dent, Mr.. G. Macdonald James was
elected to succeed Mr.. Steward. The
New Orleans Seamen's Friendly So
ciety has added the Mississippi valley
to it's name and scope, and dreams
of larger institution to keep pace
with the large feet of the fast ex-
panding port. The new structure is
to be built by the entire valley is
to supply more space and many more
conveniences and facilities, and will
furnish meals as we'll as beds, so
that the sailor will not have to 60
elsewhere for any of the requisites Of
a real home.
Meantime, the Bethel. still exclu-
sively New Orleans enterprise, has
broadened out in every department
and multiplied the benefits it has
been bestowing for sixty years. The
= society and it's women's auxiliary
have combined for more thorough
4 teamwork, and the board of directors
now is composed of fifteen men and
ten women. Also the board has been
evangelical, so that all the protes-
tant denominations are represented
and the representation perpetuated.
The Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Meth
odist, Baptist, Evangelical and Chris
tian denominations are represented by
some Of their ablest workers.
The Women's Auxiliary, which has
about sixty members, is the general
house committee. It's subc6mmittees
plan the entertainments which fea-
ture every Tuesday night, they visit
the seamen sick on ships and in hos
pitals, and they try to be the de-
voted mothers and the helpful big sis
ters of the mariners far from home
harbors. They are the real house.
keepers of the institution, and have
worked wonders with the money, ma
terial and space at their disposal.
The dormitories have been expanded
to lodge sixty men. This was ac-
complished by converting large
room upstairs, where religious SER
vices were formerly conducted, into
a sleeping apartment with as many
beds as it could hold. There the half
a dozen smaller rooms, furnished in
memory Of departed friends.
All the rooms are screened and
clean, but are graded according to
the accommodations offered. Even
the best room, with its single bed and
several luxuries, costs its occupant
but 50 week. The general rate is
rs cents a night, or SIPS a week.
If the sailor applicant has no money
at all, free shelter is found for him,
the rule being not to turn anybody
away as long as it is possible to rig
up cot somewhere. When the new
Bethel is built it is hoped to make
it big hotel, with food as easy to
obtain as bed. 50 that the sailor
will be the city's favored guest. That
will help as much as anything to
make New Orleans the country's first
port instead Of the second.
Then entertainments at the Bethel
always have been of exceptional class.