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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmis en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols -"»> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s A des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est fiim^ A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 uo^ vtHt Cc^ii a J j( ^ ^/ i "OH I FOR A BIGGER BOATI" A SEQUEL TO "THE BITTER CRY." By J. H. R. CHAPTER I. THE BOLLINO BIVEB. >N the mellow glow of a beaatifnl September evening a pleasore stoamer, heavily freighted with human lives, merrily returned to town. The Thames was never more attractive, and husbands and wives, lovers and little children, revelled in the fading sunshine. Lights began to flicker in the heavens, and in the rolling tide beneath. Lamps — white, red, and green — betoken the presence of passing vessels, for the pall of night suddenly fell, and the river was presently enveloped in murk and gloom. Never a thought of danger — " all went well ! " Songs on dc were taken up by merry-makers in the cabins. The padd^epr' musically beat the wavelets, and each revolution of the engineia ' brought the " Princess Alice " nearer home. ^ But False Point was reached — ^the spot where some years before two steamers came into dire collision. History was repeated ;^. for there in the darkness the quick eye of the skipper detected the "BjTwell Castle" advancing upon his own frail bark. Frantically gesticulating, he cried, " Look out ! Where are you coming to ? " Lnmediately the affrighted passengers saw their peril. The black hulk crushed upon them, the bows of the Princess Alice leaped high in the air, and in a few seconds there was nothing discernable but a host of dark specks on the surface of the water. Who can recall unmoved those stru^^es with death ? Men, women, and children fighting against the common foe, and raising one fearful cry of despair! *' Lord Jesus save us ! " broke from the whitened lips of terrified girls. That cry, perhaps, was heard by the solitary oarsman, who, among others, rested in the shadow of the river banks. Strong arms seized the sculls, and the boat flew through the spray to succour the dying. What a scene I Six hundred souls struggling vainly with the .-^ ;}0- X i '• OH I FOE A BIGGER BOAT 1 Ba£foGatiDg tide, which poisoned them as it swept them seawards. One boat, aye a dozen boats — what were they amongst so many ? Striokeo with pity the volunteer longed to Mve all ; bat his skiff held few. Away they floated, with wild dMpairiog eyei, one by One, to be lost in the darkness. They rose and sank, and rose and sank again, and then with arms raised piteously for help— fathers, mothers, children— were for ever gone I Preoioas moments were fleeting : there was no time to pull to shore and back again. The little craft was crowded with the saved to sinking point, and then over the dreary waste of waters, the boatman, surrounded with the perishing, and hearing their piteous appeals to be saved, cried *' OH ! FOR A BIOOEB BOAT ! " The same cry has been re-echoed in London to-day. Its causes have stirred the national heart to the depths. Writers have described, and artists pourtrayed, the surging tide of sin whiob floods our great arterial thoroughfares. Among the principal of these is the Mile End Boad, one of the finest and broadest of metropolitan highways. Time was when the present London Hospital stood in open fields, with a large mound or axofAl hill beside it, whilst hedges and ditches and common land where cattle grazed stretched in its front. All that has changed ; and changed too are the Tower Hamlets, once a cluster of smiling villager, starting from the Tower of London and extending along the Biver Thames for some miles into Essex. How London h&s grown until it covers about 70 square miles, is one of the wonders of the present century. It is now almost too vast for the West to realize the East, or for the North to feel any kindred |with the South. Much has, however, been printed with a vf.ew to give some idea of the real character of East London, for it is this quarter which special commissioners and descriptive writers find most fruitful in suggestive themes. Let any stranger take tram or 'bus through Aldgate, Wbite- ohapel, and thence to Mile End and Bow, and he will meet some peculiar phases of our national life. Say the visit be made on a Saturday night. It will be noticed that the wide spaces bordering the broad roadway, and the ample pavements are tenanted by stalls of every description. This land is called the " Waste," and It serves the double purpose of providing ground for a regalAr pleasure fair and for an open-air market. Shops are numeroTls enough, but they are none too many. But it is a question whether these shopkeepers, who have to pay rent and taxes, would be able to get a living out of the odds and ends which form tbo stock and trade of the hucksters. Yet bear in mind the customers who frequent the Waste are to be reckoned by their hundreds of thousands, very many of them the poorest of the ^poor. How tboy .t. Oiil FQ3 A BIOGEK BOAT!" ■j;-Wi, live, 80 far as food goes, may, on the oue baud, be learued from ft CMual study of tbe " blook ornaments," tbe pig's " trotters," tb« fried fish and stewed eels, tbe " baked 'taters," and tbe contents of tbe fruit sbops ; bow tbey olothe may be seen by an inspeotioii of tbe wardrobes flattering in tbe open-air; bow tbey furnish, from a glauoe or two at tbe oheap tables and obairs, and rolls of oilolotb put up for sfJip ; bow tbey seek cure for aobes and pains, by watobing tbe gaping crowds buying pills and lotions from quack doctors. Again, if one wisbes to know wbitber tbe greater portion of tbe earnings of tbe matcb-makers, and needlewomen, and dock labourers drifts, lev careful scrutiny be kept upon tbe doors of the establishment over which hangs the three golden balls, and upoa the adja(}ent portals of the public-house. Later at night it may be convenient to station oneself outside the " penny shows " ao4 musio halls, for it is in the bar, the show, and the hall, that light, warmth, and society^however bad — ^is to be had for ready money. Xt is a more di£^Qalt task peusonally to discover the homes of these teeming ms>8ses. T}xey.a,ce within a stone's throw; but not many people have the rsftl courage to explore tbe fever lairs which house the qutoast poor. " Few," says tbe author of the " Bitter Cry of Outcast London," « ** have'any conception qf what these pestilential hnman rookeries are, where tens of thousands we crowded together amidst horrors which call to mind what we have heard of the middle passage of the slave ship. To get into them you have to penetrate courts reeking with poisonons and malodorous gases, arising from accumn lations of sewage and refuse, scattered in all directions, and often flowing beneath your feet ; courts, many of which the sun never penetrates, and whiqh are never visited by a breath of fresh air and wbiph rarely know the virtues of a diop of oleanpiing water. You have to ascend rottsn staircasest which threaten to give way at every step, and which, in some cases, >.».ve already broken down, leaving gaps that imperil tbe lives and irubs of the unwary. ^ You have iK> grope yonr wa^y along dark and flltny passages swarm- ing with vermin. Then, if yon fvre not driven back by the in- tolerable stench, you may gain admittance to the dens in which these thQusan^s al beings who belong, as much S0 yQ% to the race for whom Christ di0d. hsrd tcg^thar. Have you pitie4 the poor cr^tures whp sleep nn^ rM}way arphes, in carts or casks, or nftder my sbeltw which th^y flnd m tbe open a|r ? You wilj see that Uiey are IbP ho mm^ ^9 9<>PCtwis99 with those whose lot ii is to seek refuge here- ^ght fe#t s^uair^—^hat is about th^ avera^^ sim ©f mmjf 9i these roows. Wa>)s ahd ceilings ar» bla^k witih the aepr«tj9os cf. fllth> whioh have gathered apon them through late years 9I negliec^ Xt is.e;m4iiig through cracks in Ow h(Bftrd9 oy^head ; it m vmm^ ^ym ^If^ 7(^ 1% 19 e?9rv- ,+ ♦;:■ 4 •• OH FOR A BIGGER BOAT I " where. Wlmt goes by the name of a window is half of it stuffed with ragi or boards to keep ont wind and rain ; the rest is so begrimed and obscnred that scarcely any light can enter or anything be seen outside. Should you have ascended to the attic, where at least some approach to fresh air might be expected to enter from broken or open window, you look ont upon the roofs and ledges of lower tenements, and discover that the sickly air which finds its way into the room, passes over the putnfying carcases of dead cats or birds, or 7iler abominations still." The horrors of overcrowding, in these rotten and reeking tene- ment houses have been liberally exposed, and clouds of witnesses have testified to the fact that in every room a family, and often two, are huddled together. Sanitary inspectors and medical officers acknowledge that in the poorer districts it is difficult to keep the death-rate down. Fresh air in the minds of the ignorant is considered draught, which they dread ; hence no attempt is made to ventilate the rooms, but rather to prevent the admission of the outer atmosphere, for chimneys are found stuffed up, and windows are kept closed. Again, it has been officially stated that some of the lower classes have a complete disregard for property belonging to others. Provide them with what sanitary conveniences the landlord may, he will discover that drains have been allowed to become stopped, the ball-cocks have been removed from the oistems and sold for old iron, and the paper has been torn off the walls. Well may he despair I The problem does not find its solution in bricks and mortar; and sanitary committees, and vigilant inspection, and repressive measures, are only so many safeguards to prevent contagion sp:"eading from the hovels of the poor to the mansions of the rich. None of these things strike at the root of the disease. " Improvement," cried Professor Huxley at the Maubiou House, and Mr. Goschen echoed the affirmation, *' Improvement must come from within ! " It is no new truth. It is one which has been known to man for ages, but we hav3 neglected its full application. The author of the " Bitter Cry," who has done so much to re-awaken iaterest in the question, writes : ** Whilst we have been building our churches and solacing our- selves with our religion and dreaming that the millennium was coming, the poor have been growing poorer, the wretched more miserable, and the immoral more corrupt ; the gulf has been daily widening which separates the lowest classes of the community from our churches and chapels, and from all decency and civiliza- tion." Lord Shaftesbury is constantly insisting upon the BSktae facts, and he views the yawning gulf between rich and poor with apprehension yet, no man knows better than he the number of charitable agencies ^or improving the position of the masses, and " OH I FO A BIGGER BOAT ! " i the real amount of support these agencies receive from those who have the means to give to tliem, and who have the most to fear from the breaking of the " surface crust of civiliii^tion," thin as itisl From time to time schemes have been promoted on different lines and with diverse motives, to raise the moral condition of the dangerous and neglected classes, to give some relief to that deadly torpor in which they are involved by their dull, depressing, deaden- ing surroundings. But here, in the Nineteenth Century, we are confronted with this fact. In East London, with its million of inhabitants, no social plan is in operation on any largd scale, and with machinery commensurate with the admitted needs. And this, notwithstanding all the discussion of former years, for it is a mistake to suppose that the present movement is a novel one, nor that all that has been urged was not urged long years since. What little good there has been done — what little redeeming '* remnant," as Matthew Arnold would say, has been created-- has been owing to very different means than those prepared by men who leave out of their calculations the power of the Gk)spel. Missions, rei'ormatories, refuges, temperance societies, midnight meetings, and special services have met with encom'agjlng success. The more reason, we say, that a proven method of regeneration should be developed. "But what does it all amount to?" cries one writer ; " We are simply living in a fool's paradise if we sup- pose that all these agencies combined are doing a thousandth part of what needs to be done, a hundredth part of what could be done by the Church of Christ. We must face the facts ; and these compel the conviction that — " THIS TERRIBIiE FLOOD OF SIN AND MISERY IS GAININQ UffON US." CHAPTER XL BESCCINQ THE PERISHING. •^Ipo^IFTEEN years ago a gentleman, whose business brought Q|r^ him into the heart of the district described, had some ^^^ of these hard truths brought home to him. He was well-known in the locality. The extensive brewery firm, in which his father was a partner, own prominent premises in the Mile End Road, their remarkable ladder and tall chimneys being recognised landmarks. Mr. Frederick N. Char* • •' OH I FOR A BtGOEH BOAT ! " rington naw about hitn on all sides the teeming flood ot ■in and misery, clad for the tionoe in gandy rags and revelling in betotten pleasure. He at onoe started a mission, in assoOia* tion with Mr. E. H. Kerwin, who has ever since been his most valnable friend and helper, watching the Work with him at ev«ry step. Comtuenoing in a very iimlill way in a bight school for boys, he afterwards joined Other yoting meta lb ft bay-loft. Affeet A tifiie Mr. Cbarrington beoatne so strongly itttpresfied with the oon* vibtion that the liqnor traf^&o wKb the oansto bf a large {proportion of the wiol(edness prevalent that he left the brbwery, and so gav6 np the prospect of a large inbotno! As years Went on, however, his father died, and ota his death bed assured his eldest sOn, not Only of his Warm affection, bnt hearty approval. In the will hb offbted him his shiurb in the business, or else a Huffioient fortune for his needs, tt is that fortune which Mr. Ghattington is now devoting to the poor, but it is our purpose to show that it is not sufficient to support so large an undertaking as that whith his efforts have raised around him. Ko doubt Mr. Gharrington*s secession from the bnewery firm and his spirit of self-sacrifice, coupled with his relentless war against music hall immorality, have sbrved him as his strongest weapons. Always at the helm he is ueoossarily popular^^-^nd popular to a high degree. It is not the intention here to detail the numerous successive steps which have placed him in the position he now occupies, and which many an ordained iMiaistetr tegarSb With admiration. How difficult it is to induoe the people to attend l^nblic worship may be gathered from the ftiot that only two pet 6ent. of the working-classeb form part of regular congregations. Quoting from the " Bitter Cry," we learn that the rasult of investi- gations, calried on in the neighbourhood of Old Ford, inhabited tor the most part by the respectable working class, showed that in 147 consecutive houses there were 212 families, 118 of which never, under any circumstances, went to a place of worship. Out of 2,290 persons living in consecutive houses at Bow Common, only 86 adults and 47 children ever attended, and 64 of th^se frequented a single mission hall. In one district, in St. George's-in-the-East, 89 persons were worshippers out of a population of 4,235. Now, just imagine, if the large majority Who now never darken the doors of churches or chapels were of one accord suddenly to demand admittance. Have we the seats or even the stan^ng room to accommodate them ? Statistics sufficiently prohibit an affirmative leply. In truth THE BOAT IS MOT BIO EMOUOfi. And it was just this thought which gxiided and directed Mt. dlianington in all his plans, "the idea Was founded on !i6t tti, » I' :i^?'- OH I FOR A BIGGER BOAT!" ' '"-.< M Lord BhaftMbary aatertB, there are at leaat 400.000 pemona at the present time in the metropolis who woald never have heard of ihe Word of Ood bnt for the agenoy of missions. And, indeed, Ihe number might be maoh larger if the boats, i.e., the mission halls, were only big enoagh. In proof of this last statement, note the experience of saooees which Mr. Oharrington, year by year, has gained. As a result of his working amongst the juvenile thieves and rough lads, a self****t-.?- ;i^^ rr\<>-i:} f, I t-, ;■ . '■ . .. ^f *'--:W ■.•<^V'rii^i^. 6 ! "r" "u; ,''X?¥;|-' /■< "'f;^i5(^ "^ !¥>-. %;• ■^^'f " OH 1 FOR A BIGGER BOAT I " f invested. Towards the £20,000 required for the new baildings, some £6,000 has been received or promised, so the special appeal now made is for less than £14,000. In the immediate past so large a sam as £14,000 has been actually contributed to the work, and surely the hon. supt. of the Tower Hamlets Mission may count upon the support of those who have the means to spare. One thing is certain : That every penny so given will, without deduC' tion for " management expenses," " festival dinners," or " com- mission," find its way direct and intact to the object for which it is intended. Further, the regular attendants at the Hall — ^poor as they are — during last year contributed in small sums upwards of £800 to the Building Fund. o; HOW IS THK MONEY TO BE EXPENDED? In the first place, the £6,000 has been laid out in the erection of frontage buildings, covering a site 90 feet in width, and 40 feet in depth. In &n illustration we give a view of these buildings, e,B seen from the Mile End Road. They comprise a spacious Coffee Palace, which will be self-supporting, and supply all the attractions of the public-house without the intoxicating drink ; a Book Saloon, where pure literature is sold, counteracting the per- nicious influences of the weN-named "penny horribles;" and, on the three upper floors, various club-rooms and offices. Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Asso- ciation Rooms. Three fine entrances, one on either side and the third in the centre, will lead into a vestibule of octagonal shape, and of what is considered perfect design for the purpose, the number of exits being great. '. Behind the vestibule will stand the New Hall, which is to hold nearly 5,000 persons. It is reasonably expected that on 'iunday nights its accommodation will be none too ample. The Hall will have a height of nearly 50 feet in the clear ; and a depth of 134 feet, the width being 70 feet. There are to be two galleries, with double platforms, and space for organ and choir. The ceiling is to be nearly flat for sound, with coved sides. The New Hall, apart from the frontage, may be put up for £13,650, provided that a tender, which has been sent in, can be accepted forthwith. ^ The foundation stones of the frontage were laid in November 1883, the Right Hon. the Earl of Shaftesbury, K.G., the President of the Mission, taking the chair. Over five hundred ladies and gentlemen, including many of the local clergy and ministers, witnessed the ceremony, in'which the venerable earl himself. Lady Blanche Keith-Falconer, Miss Cory (of Cardiff), Mr. John Cory, Mr. George Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bevan, and Lady Hobart, and others took part. It may here be mentioned that all these ladies and gentlemen are liberal supporters of the work. # 10 OH I FOR A BIGGER BOATl" The fnndB are vested in eight trustees, who are as follows :-^ Mb. F. a. Bevan. Mh. FRIBDK. N. CftARftll^ftTOK. Mr. RtCHARD GORT. Hon. Iok Kisith-FalComer. Mr. James Mathiesok. Mr. Sahuel Morley, M.P. Hon. HamiltoM ToLLEiiAOSiS. Mr. JOSEPB WEAtHERLEt. The trtist deed specifies the objects for which the Hall is to he used. Mr. R. C. L. Bevan, who has promised £2,000, has consented U) act as hon. treasnrer. Lord Shaftesbury ha6 frequently pM» sided at the Anniversary Meetings ai the Mission, which on Eattet Monday forms in the East End a popular attraction. MANNERS AND METHODS. If a chance visit be paid to the Great Assembly Hall it will no doubt astonish many to find that the work therein carried on is quiet and sober. An impression seems to have got abroad that only noise and excitement, banners and processions, badgeft and titles, can create an impression upon the unoultured. The fiimf 1« Gospel is the only agency which is relied upon by Mr. OtiarringtQA and his assodiateB; and the visible saooessof his Mission s A clear proof that the Word of God needis no adventitious aidSk Gk>spol preaching, prayer meetings, lectures, and services of song, oomprise the whole aggressive programme, which is essentially evangelistic and unseotarian. Such a method is all sufficient and sensationalism is given no place. An earnest e£fort is also made to reach the children, and thA Sunday Schools forma an important branch of the Mission. Commenting upon the orderly demeanour of those whom he addressed in the Great Assembly Hall, Lord Shaftesbury said : *' When I look upon your behaviour, and the mode Of action of those at the head of the Mission, 1 like it because it is sobet and nedate ; and not less on that account, profound and lasting^ YOU Will never satisfy them with singing, moral stories, little bits of ritualism, and a few texts, but go among the people with the true Gospel of Christ, and those who will receive it will receive fuUy-^scmo will reject it, but those who do receive it will have received the fertiiiartng power of the Lord Jesud Ohtiat and Him crucified. I look upon you all as so many appointed by God t carry on this great work, and I regat^ thia Tower Haullelli Mission as worthy of all support. Its great suooess appears to me most asdttredly, and to many otherti I am certain, like the voice ol one Crying in the wildeme66, * Prepare ye the way of the Lord.* " In brief, the Towet Hamlets Mission carries on a quiet wmk for God— . '• Not marked by noise, but by success alone -"^'' ' "^ « • ''■ *i Not known by bustle, but by useful deeds." "' i^i.">J OH t ton A BIGGER BOAT 1 " 11 1' f ,,; ' ' ' ! .i »,.;y CHAPTER IV. 80^ OF THE BAVSD. HEN a great national disaster is ohronioled in the daily press, and when the dread words " Loss of Life " pre- cede the reports, the reader's eye immediately seeks the " List of the Saved." The names of the dead in oolliery explosions, railway accidents, or collisions at sea, have a moTimfiil interest, bnt they cannot always be recorded, for some remains are never recovered, and some are never identified. And men, too, in the race of life, drop out of the contest and sink into the oblivion of death " unwept and ansnng," and unnoticed withal ! except by some second Mirza who sadly views the vacanoies in the ranks as they occur. But on the other hand. When by some brave and heroic deed the lives of men are saved, the world weeps in admiration at the spectacle. Imprisoned minors released from a living tomb, the devotion of a Grace Darling, the rescue of a suffering shipwrecked crew, of these things the nation lives to be told. But it is not given to those who preach the Gbspel always to know the power God bas put into tbeir words ; yet there are instances where He permits the harvest to be rea{)ed where the seed was sown, and the list of the spiritually saved brings much rejoicing to the heart of the Chris- tian. Among the records of the Tower Hamlets Mission are the following cases :— At an Experience Meeting B. £. testified: — ^I used to worship the publican, and thought there was no happiness outside his establishment. My poor wife and children had to suffer, and were often starving. I was a brickmaker then ; I was employed in the gas works, and now I am a coal porter, and am all day long carrying two owt. of ooal i^on my back, and this I do without a dro^ of drink. At one time I became so miserable, on account of my sins, that I determined to commit suicide. I used to go about in my dirty working clothes on Sunday, and then spend the ^day at Temple Mills.* I used to swear i d get out of temper, but sinee I have been converted I do neither. Once, when 1 was in drink, I nearly strangled my wife, and she was saved only by the • ttemple Mills is a Sunday resort of Sabbath breakers in the East End. IS OH ! FOR A BIGGER BOAT I " neighbours coming in. From that time I swore I woald not drink again, but I made the vow in my own strength, and when I got with my mates they said, " Oh, have one glass," and then I found I oould not stop at one, and I took two, then three, and soon became as bad as ever again. But, bless God, since I was converted in the Assembly Hall my life has been a marvel. If you don't believe it ask my wife and children. Another declared : W. S. I have been a wicked sinner. I was brought up in sin. When only seven years old I used to play pitch aLd toss on Sundays. Up to the age of fifteen I won ^boat the country stealing plough shares, which I woulc'l se for old iron. I next joined the army, and after four years'I left through ill health. I have been a great drunkard. When I gave up the army I took out a hawker's licence and went round to raoes and fairs. Then in the evenings I used to clog dance at the public houses. I have travelled with a boxing booth. I have also been a great burglar ; anything I oould lay my hand on I would take. I managed now and again to get a good situation, but left because I could not let things alone, and my conscience told me I was doing wrong. I have signed the pledge again and again, but never oould keep it. I first got drunk at six years of age. I am well known as a big blackguard in the Whitechapel Road. A few weeks ago I might have been seen loafing about the streets drinking. Last July I was strolling down the Mile End Road, and I thought I would just go in and see what sort of place the Great Assembly Hall was. I had never been into the Hall. I went in, and stayed to the service. The preaching had little effect upon me. I was about leaving, when Mr. Eerwin placed his hand upon me and asked me kindly whether I was a Christian. I felt somehow I could not tell him a lie, and said, I was not. He then entered into conversation, and I wondered why he took so much notice of a dirty man with a ragged coat on. But, bless Crod, I understand it now. He asked me to go and have prayer with him, and I felt I could not refuse him. We went into the vestry, and I knelt down and soon I found myself crying to God for mercy, and, bless His name, that night he pardoned my sins, and since, oh, I cannot tell you, how happy I have felt, and how good the Lord has been. I was going into further sin that night if Mr. Eerwin had not have prevented me. I am thankful to s^y my wife, who has also been a dreadful character, soon after found peace. Having a lot of things that had been stolen, and pawn tickets of stolen goods, we took them out into the yard where we live and burned them all, and although I have had a hard struggle to get bread to eat, thank God, what we have had has been honestly earned. I shall bless God for this place as long . ' » , OH I FOR A BIGOEB BOAT I " It M 7 ' e, and so wili my wife. (Thi8 man is now employed as a paid evangdlist, and is doing a most snooeMfnl work for God.) A third (a Toung Jew) said : " I first went to the JewB College at Norwood. I was there six years. I was tanght Hebrew and English. I went to Germany to finish my education. I was afraid to go to choroh beoause I thought it was very wicked for a Jew. Some years ago I came back to England. I have often listened to street preaching, but only to mock, for which I am very eorry now. One night I came in here (the Great Assembly Hall) solely with the intention of making a disturbance, but I somehow got very interested in the service. Mr. Bennett (of the Evangelization Society) was preaching, and his subject was Hebrew Sacrifice, which was one I knew well from the Hebrew point, and as he went on I saw how much it tallied with the Christian. At the close of the service, I was asked to stay to the after meeting. Mr. Clifford and Mr. Bei^nett then explained to me some hard passages. We prayed together, and that night God saved me, and I am so happy now. I told my mother of it in German (she cannot speak English), and she thought I was joking, but at last saw I was in earnest, and she said I must leave her house. I huA to do so, and if she knew where I was at work she would get me discharged, but, bless God, he has screened me up till now. The devil has done his best to get me back, but in God's hands I am safe. I ask your prayers for me, and my parent brother, and sisters." As Mr. Charrington Uves amongst the people he has the benefit of considerable local knowledge, and the phrase '* The homes of the poor," of which so much has been heard of late, conveys to him something more than va^e remembrances of painful descriptions of wretchedness and filth. The Homes of the Poor, in all their squalor, are to him stern realities. Within a stone's throw of the Great Assembly Hall, a fajiily living in abject misery, were discovered. Ascending the rickety stairs and entering a squalid garret Mr. Charrington found a man who earned a pre- carious livelihood by selling farthing toys on the " Waste," where the street fair is held. He admitted that he lived in the corner of the wretched apartment with a woman to whom he had not been married ; huddled in another comer were three or four children — ^their unfortunate offspring. But the greatest surprise was contained in the fact that in the same room dwelt a young woman who was stated to be a consistent attendant at the Great Assembly Hall. The man, depraved as he was, with tears in his eyes, spoke of the young girl in this way : " She's an angel, sir. Every night she reads the Bible and prajm before going to sleep." It was quite true. The young woman had been changed in heart 14 OH I FOB A BIOaSB BOAT t by the power of tl;ie Ooiip«l. and her sole reaHon (or remaiqing in this abode of vioe wan, that her inflaeuee sbould prevent tb« woman who lived with the man, from sinking into still greater depths of degradation. That woman was her mother I One of the cases which determined the provision of the Boys' Home is thns related : At the close of one of the meetings a Uttlo fellow WPS found sobbing. With some difficulty he was induce4 to tell his tale. It was simple. His widowed mother, his sisters, and he all lived in one room. Everything had been sold to buy bread except two white mice ; but at last they, too, must go I With the proceeds he bought street songs, which, having retailed on the " Waste," he obtained the means of getting mor^ bread for his mother and sisters. Now they were completely destitute. The lad was accompanied home. Home I It was a wretched attic, in one of the most dilapidated backs. The day was wretchedly cold and dismal. In the broken-down grate the dead embers of yesterday's handful of firing remained. On the table a piece of newspaper, held a few crumbs. The atmosphere was close, and the stench insupportable. " My good woman," said Mr, Obarrington, " Why dont you open the window." *• Oh 1 " she replied, " You would not say that if you had had nothing tq eat, and had no fire to warm you." Many hundreds of lads have passed through the Home. Among them was a boy who had lighted upon a big hole beneath aflag* stone. Here he used to sleep concealed at night, getting his living during the day by selling matches, and holding horses. Another boy had no home, and at night-fall, worn out, he crept among the shrubs of suburban gardens, resting until dawn again bade him — a second Jo 1 — " move on." Of the immorality of the lowest classes, it is impossible to speak with any degree of freedom* A solicitor, practising at a X^cndon ]?olice Court, and getting most of his* clients ampng the poor, recently stated that he was accustomed to hear day ^ter day tales which would shock and startle those even who imagined that they had probed the depths of human depravity, Mr. Cbarrington ha not shut his eyes to the truth* and has rescued many f aUeo gir by placing them in homes, whence they enter domestic service, many of them afterwards leading honest lives. Several young women have sworn in Courts of ifu9tice that they hftve been drugged in the Music ^alls. Standing at the door of one ol these establishments, watching one of the most fe<^ul sights whipii X^ndon presents, » druiJten, cnr^ing crowd, ponriog into the highway and spending the last of their iT^ney in immonUity^a man was suddenly thrown into Mr. Charrin^toD's wpm* Qe wn^ noisy and drunk. He was the keeper of a brottu^, »n4 shajung OU I FOK A BIGQER BOAT I " bia fitt at the Muhio Hall toata, be aaid : " Tbis in bow tbey truat me— ME, one of their best oaatoiner^— tarued oat I " On l)eiug Mked (or an explanatioo, be added that every night be took a Qertain number of girlv to the plaoe, and theae poor uufortunatea were wont to waste muob money in bottles of champagne, to whioh tbey were '* treated " by the awella that oame, not from the Saet but the West Snd ! The man invited Mr. Gharrington to vifdt one of his " girls " who was dying. He went, and soon beoame aware that it was a poor unfortunate who had never refused the little books which had been offered her when paasing the Hall, and, in consequence, bore the name of " Eternity Sal." 8be was stretched on a bed of the most horrible description, and waa literally being starved to death. She could have as much drink as she pleasea, but no food. Of no further use, she had beet to die 1 Bespectful enough in the presence of a strauger, the •Mooiatea of the dying girl crowded round the pallet, but so soon as he was gone they commenced drinking ardent spirits and aiug> ing ribald songs, until at last Death came and put an end to her sufferings. But Mr. Gharrington's visit resulted in the reatsne of two girls from the house, and the man, with bis wife, was inu^.ad to abandon bis shameful calling. At exceptional periods of distress operations on a large scale have been undertaken to feed the famished. The sight of a man whilst waiting at the Dock Gates, stooping to pick up a pieoe of orange peel which he greedily at«, emphasised the duty of pro- viding for the starving. In a short season of six weeks £700 was expended in the purchase of bread and cocoa alone. There was no imposition. Fourteen hundred and fifty people sat down in the Assembly Hall at one time. Most distressing incidents occurred. One man eat a loaf and a half of bread ; another dropped down in a dead faint on the threshold ; a third — starving —was overcome with the sudden abundance of food, and was carried off insensible, and apparently lifeless, to the London Hospital. Latterly, in conjunction with the Local Glergy, an effort has been made to transfer many out of employment to Australia, Gauada, and other colonies, open to receive emigrants. It is found that the people are willing to go. Labourers, with their wives and families, are sent out. In most cases, the sole outlay is 308. to £2 per Lead, assisted passages. " It is only a matter of £2," said the Honorary Superintendent to one poor man, " be- tween wretchedness and misery, and plenty and happiness. " Yes, Sir," answered the man in tones of deep despair, *' That is all." It '• OH I FOR A BIGGER BOAT ! " NeedlesH to say, the neoesaary ooaple of aovereignfi were forth* ooming from the Emigration Fund. On both sides of the Atlantic a crisis of identical character it predicted, and a crisis which mast end in anarchy, revolntion, and blood is being precipitated. Whether these be alarmist fears or not, those who labour amongst the poor, and who attend their dub meetings and analyze the advice tendered them by profes- sional agitators, can affirm that the hour of difficnlty is not far ahead. But there is no better way of reaching the hearts of the masses, and bringing thorn under humanizing influences, than the preaching of the Gk>spel. Hence it is with confidence that Mr. Fredk. N. Gharrington, the Honorary Superintendent of the Tower Hamlets Mission (whose aim it is to go to the suffering masses in this poverty-stricken part of East London, and proclaim to them the hope of salvation in its widest extent— deliverance from moral evil here, and perfect salvation hereafter), appeals to the public for help. Donations (large or small) will be thankfully received by FBEDK. N. CHAERINGTON, Esq., 81, Mile End Road, London, E., Cheques to be crossed BARCLAY, BEVAN, & CO. Bankebs, 54, Lombard Street, London, E.G. k • • I. '.'-'^ >-r- Printed by G. Reynolds, 23, Stepney Green, London, E. ^ \