OUR HELPING HAND MISSION.
By S. N. Curtiss
Considerable interest is already being manifested by the people of San Francisco in the work which it is proposed to do there for the Lord’s poor. The Mission has been located on the very camping-ground of the enemy of all righteousness, a place where within a stone’s throw more than eighty saloons are doing their worst to ruin men, body and soul. Think you that there will be lack of opportunity for work in such a place? Nay, verily. The appeals for help began to come in, even before the Mission doors were opened to the public, and already the beneficent work has begun. Food and lodging are being furnished to some of the homeless men who were only too glad to work hard every day for their food and a place to sleep. In the great cities of San Francisco and Oakland will be found a sufficiently large field for all the workers which the Mission can command, and its accommodations are sure to be taxed to the utmost in caring for the poor, the destitute, and the fallen of these cities alone. By the time this paper reaches most of its subscribers, actual work will have been begun in earnest for the Lord in the Helping Hand Mission. Every evening of the year, Gospel meetings will be held, and is it too much to ask that those who have an interest in this work, and those who have helped so nobly with their means, remember in their daily prayers the work and workers here? The question has been raised as to whether the Mission would support the indolent poor. This is not intended, nor is it intended that any one person shall long be retained and assisted; but men will be helped onto their feet, and a temporary home furnished them until they can get out and secure employment, or get a new start in life, and then they must make room for others. Thus our sphere of usefulness can be made as wide as possible, and the largest number benefited. There is the best of evidence that the Lord has put His hand to this work, and we are sure that if it is carried on as He would have it, as He directs, a rich harvest of souls will be the result. This article is headed “Our Helping Hand Mission.” You can make this a truth so far as you individually are concerned, dear reader, by taking some interest in it. Do you want it to be our Mission? If so, there is still need of liberal contributions of money, clothing, and provisions. A good start has been made, but only a start, and let us all put our shoulders to the wheel now and give a lift all together. We can assure all that every dollar donated and every contribution of clothing or food will be conscientiously and wisely used for the Master. Hundreds of dollars might have been spent already in the work which has been done, but so far it has been almost entirely volunteer service. And12thus in every way we shall plan to make the means intrusted to us go as far as possible. What a transformation has taken place within the walls of those two buildings! The dingy old rooms have been scraped, calcimined, painted, scrubbed, and cleansed until no one would know them. How inviting they will appear to the tired, homeless, friendless man who, after his delightful bath, views them for the first time! Perhaps it may be the first time he has had the privilege of sleeping in a good, clean bed, free from vermin, for weeks or months. Can such a man fail to feel that there must be some reality in the Gospel which such a people preach, and in the religion which leads them to search out the destitute in the highways and byways? Texts of Scripture have been put on the walls of every room, so that, go where you will, some helpful portion of that Word which is “spirit and life,” greets the eye. The board of management has set February 27 as the day for the dedication, and the services will take place at 3 P.M. It is hoped and expected that the officials and many of the prominent citizens of both San Francisco and Oakland will be present at that time. The Mission having been in operation for some time previous to this, visitors will at this time see everything in running order, and can judge for themselves what must be the results of such work. Some very liberal contributions have been received since the report in last week’s paper. Among these was a donation of $50 from a brother in this State, and one of $120 from “a friend” in Washington, D. C. The large expenses incident to the furnishing of the rooms must soon be met, and we hope many others will esteem it a privilege to assist in this work. The following is the report of cash received up to February 9:— Reported last week . . . . . . $474 90
Cash received this week . . . . . . 279 95
Total . . . . . . $745 85 S. N. CURTISS,
Secretary and Treasurer.