"RESCUE THE PERISHING."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 125, 24 June 1909, Page 3

"RESCUE THE PERISHING."

REV. COLE'S STORY OF SLUMDOM. DEALING WITH A GREAT PROBLEM They who go out into the highways .mil uyeways—and particularly: byewa'ys —in search of falling and fallen human iiy, be u young or old, see the darn aim seamy side of life. When it is iheir mission to "rescue the perishing,' and to remove them and save tlieni .rum awful environment;! of sin and socalled home, their experiences are vivid, -uiu when one of those earnest workers .or God and humanity, after long years of wrestling with this great soeia. problem, uses his undoubtedly exceptional talents in pourtraying from tlie platform the various phases of the >vork, his audience can safely depend on spending a profitable and' interesting evening. The Rev. G. 11. Cole, for years a prominent figure in slum work in Melbourne, as attached to the Wesleyan Central Mission, gave such a lecture in the Theatre Royal last night, when he was greeted by a large audience. The story he told was full al interest, capitally illustrated by lantern slides, and brightened by hashes of humor. One could have listened to Mr. Core for hours on end -without feelbg a dull moment. Mr. H. Okey, Ml'., presided. It is hard to say whether the pictures illustrated the lecture, or vice versa, so well, was the address arranged aad given, but we will follow it by means of some of the pictures. The "Old Folks at Home" tea saw a couple of thousand old people, UO years old and upwards, of all weeds and all grades of society, sitting down to their annual tea meeting. That idea he recommended to New Plymouth people for adoption Talking of the old folks, along with a series of pictures illustrating life in the old men's home, the lecturer said he had noticed by the papers that New Zealand was passing through a sort of depression. Let the people look out that they did not suffer the same depression that followed an overdose of ill-considered social legislation in Australia. If they were going to classify labor, classify the laborers, too. It was wrong to pass legislation the effect of which was to make an elderly man, or a slow man, feel that he had no right to work unless he first went can-in-hand to the authorities and confessed his inability or incompetence. That was depriving a man of his God-given prerogative to work. He would classify the men in first), second and, third grades, to obviate the system which now drove old men to the relief department. Then the lecturer showed how these old chaps were fed, fumigated and bedded; fed again, given an hour's work i n the woodyard, and allowed to ' go about their business for the day i But it was astonishing to see how many I arms and hands became rheumatic at < sight of the wood heap, although they had been fit to work like steam engines with plate and spoon just .before. That \°? ™$ the Vsuals." There were other old men who improved their time by mat-making, and were thus able to lve without the indignity of going to a benevolent asylum. Then came an interesting series showjag the success of the -South Yarn Home, whose object was the picking up of young girls and women fro m the streets. Many instances were given, and pictures shown, of the rcformin" .influence of this "home," which was furnished and conducted on home-like principles, the directors rightly judging that nothing could have a greater reforming effect. It was a home, not a barracks. One instance was given of a girl .who was on her way to throw herself into the Yarra, explaining to the sisters that hell couldn't be worse than the hell she was passing through. That woman was now a Christian mother, and a pillar of the House of God. The next scene of the mission operations was a beautiful suburban home, with its lawns and shrubberies, the Bichloride of Gold Institute, where men and women could lose their craving for

At this stage the Eev. Cole sang lhe Last Milestone" very effectively, anil though it was evident that the sustained concluding notes were straimn* his voice lie immediately resumed hiS discourse as fresh as ever. Now he came down to the work of saving the boys of Victoria's capital, lictures were shown of the typical' street urchin, many -with faces showiii" a degeneracy that made it a pity that they would grow to adult age. Two out of a group of five were too severely handicapped at .birth to survive, but the mission was endeavoring to make their brief lives comfortable. But others though pinched and neglected, were clearly not intended for slum aud criminal life. Tales of over-erowdinjr of houses in the slums, of the percarious lives of lads who fed oftimes on the soft portion of a banana-skin; indications of the vicious habits of the dwel- ' lers in the slums and the flourishing of immorality, were touched upon " \ little half-starved lad sleeping out in a shed to prevent his drunken mother From stealing hi 6 miserable earnings, ivhk-h the boy intended to expend "in ■read for his baby sister, was a picture .hat was infinitely touching, and the itnry was not overdrawn. It was in uses of this sort that the police so iftcn helped, and they often gave the nisguided lads a chance of going to he mission homes instead of bringing hem before the court. After his long xperience of social work, the lecturer ■■as constrained to say that there was o kinder set of men in the world, in lealiag with children, than the Ausraliau policeman. "Let me introduce you to the best rofnan in the world," said the lecturer, nd the photograph of his wife appeared n the scone amidst tremendous apJause. But for the fact .that she was is wife he could tell them of how the Jcntral Mission farm owed its origin *.o ier, and of six years of long days', ard slccves-rollcd-up work done by her. 'he farm scheme was adopted when the ,'orkers found that they could not reain their influence over 'the boys whom hey fed and clothed, for when they .'ore sent back to their former suroundings the work was undone. The arm was' bought, and the Government ave the mission people powers which nabled them to take up the boys and ecp them. The lads were taken to the arm, educated, taught how to work nd how and when to play. They learnd the blessings of home life; they were rusted; were made industrious; were ompelled to save, and were eventually rafted out to good positions; and even hen they were not allowed to pass eyond the care of the mission authoriies. Work on the farm included iloughing, sowing, mowing and reap--ng; milking, vegetable and fruit growng, pig-rearing, and fruit preserving. I little lad, drunk before he was seven ears of age, and practically sold by ii« father for two or three plugs of obacco, developed on the farm into _ stalwart youth, and other cases were itcd and shown. The rev. lecturer, renewing the lecture, said that surely lachinery which enabled hoys to leave he haunts' of vice and sin, ibudding riminals to develop into honest and seful men, was the right kind of char:y, and worth supporting. In moving a hearty vote of thanks o the lecturer, the chairman said the •eakmvs of the state system of caring or the neglected youth lay in the fact hat the home tics were not encourrod.

In acknowledging tilt; vote. Mr. Colo said it was clearly thv duly of the Church of Cod to lead in the care of Hie children, and to prevent them httiii" hiiililk-d toother in law numbers' in industrial >cliools and reformatories. The .singing of Hi,. Uoxology eoncludI'd tlic cvi'iiing. The lantern was lout anil the slides cnpitiilly manipulated, by J[r. ,)as. llnrcy, who was accorded a very hearty tribute of thanks.