NEW YEAR’S DAY AT THE ALMSHOUSE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
By B. F. Richards
What a lovely day it was; the sun shone bright and clear, and the people of San Francisco seemed to take delight in saying, “What a beautiful day for the new year to begin its work!” and so it was! On this day a company of about eight persons resolved to visit the almshouse over the hill to see if we could not cheer some lonely heart housed within. The start was made, but before we reached the top of the long, winding hill, we came to a group of children who had gathered to witness a strange12sight. One of the inmates of the almshouse, quite an aged man, had been out walking, and for some reason did not notice a deep ditch along the side of the road, so when he came to it, he fell headlong within, and met his death instantly by breaking his neck. We did not expect to be called on to witness such a sad sight as this when we left the city. So as we met at the almshouse chapel with a company of the inmates to worship the Lord, our songs, prayers, and remarks were laden with strains of sadness, for we were forcibly reminded that death is abroad in the land, and there are so many poor souls unprepared to answer the call when He comes. At the close of the service we asked those present if they were not tired of the old boss they had been serving, and if they were willing to make an exchange for the Lord Jesus to make it known by raising their hand, and to our delight three men raised their hands. From here we went to the Old Women’s ward—a room perhaps fifty feet long by twenty wide, in which were about thirty women, some of whom were over ninety years of age; and as we looked into some of their dear old motherly faces, we thought of the sons and daughters who were perhaps somewhere on the earth enjoying selfish gains, while mother had been sent over the hill to the poorhouse. After a few words of encouragement about Jesus, the Friend to the poor, had been spoken, and a few songs sung, we went to other wards with equally as interesting features. At the close of the day we made our final call at the reading-room of the men. Here we found about 250 men, ranging in ages from 35 to 80 years, and we believe there were fully 200 men smoking pipes. As we opened the door, the vile tobacco smoke rolled out in clouds, seemingly anxious for a chance to escape. As we looked within, we thought first it would not be safe to enter, but we were there for Jesus’ sake, so in we went. As we took our stand at the farther window, the eyes of the crowd were on us, and after one hymn had been sung, we talked to them of the signs of the times, the condition of the poor, and the change that would take place soon when the LORD JESUS CHRIST would come. Good attention was given, and men under the influence of whisky asked us to forgive them for their actions when we first began, and urged us to come again. We came away thankful to GOD that another way had been opened in which we could work for Him.