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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1912)
The Sunday .Bee PAST THREE " MAGAZINE PAGES ONE TO FOUR ' PAST THREE MAGAZINE PAGES ONE: TO 'FOUR'-' A v , VOL. XLH-NO. 4. Omaha City Mission Soon to Locate in Fine New Home ' : l?0m f r r r H m S& f rV 1 f-v - ' -itWwiv n Q H n ffl I! ' v - I - 7 h'w v " ten n ri n n M Qfe & x i m fi (SI v ; .;. 0 l llllfj "Vy 'V? i HE dream of the workers at the Omaha City Mission is to' be, realized at last. The mission activities which have been carried on for several dec ades in the little shack on North Tenth street are to be transferred t to a large, substantial building, with playgrounds attached. The Omaha Medical col lege on Twelfth and pacific streets is to be the new City Mission and the -adjoining lot is to be the playground.; 'f 1 'v ; :' The college, which has gone under state con trol, will move to its new building on Forty-second and Dewey avenue. The mission will probably get into" the new quarters next fall or yearly-', winter,, but the college will keep a few rooms until' its new place is ready for occupancy. . r , . . ; 1 . , The change was made possible by -the bequest of the late Anna Wilson, , who' left the mission about $26,400 $5,000 to go toward a new build ing" and . the rest to be a ' permanent, endowment fund. The purchase price of the college building was $20,600, and many thousands will be needed to fit it up. for; the big institutional mission v planned. Gould Dletz, who'. is one of the trustees, is, alone and unaided, hustling money to - complete the amount necessary to buy the building, and Is getting along well, owing to the interest and gen erosity of the . business men. Physicians of the college A. F. Jonas, W. O. Bridges, Harold Glf ford, B. B. Davis and others promptly gave $5,000 when the idea of the purchase was first de cided upon.. It Is expected that the sale of the present mission site will bring $10,000. . "I expect to get the amount all cleaned up by the middle of July,", said Mr. DieU. . VThe busi ness men favor the proposition and the location. The building, is immense and will be good, for twenty-five years' use. There will be no limit to what can be done there. Tte college occupies a lot 88x132 feet and is four stories high.' We can probably rent the lot adjoining for a playground." . "The location of the new quarters is ideal, right in the heart of our mission population," said Carl C. Wilson secretary of the executive staff. : k Plans ' for work .in , the new buildings are as yet in the rough. The workers hardly dare to, be sure of their good fortune at present. . " ; , "We don't want to say anything about, what we are going to do until we are sure we are going; to get the place," said Miss Magee.'who for the last t:""'" .!"" has superintended the mission.. work. ,;' ' ' v But during the' lest few years, as the inade quacy of the old mission house has been more and more keenly felt, plans for a new place have "been continually discussed and a few definite ideas have developed regarding further mission activi ties. ' h ' ' . . ' - "We expect to do more preventive work," said one of the -officers. "With this idea foremost we will have our activities almost wholly for the ben efit of children." ' It is honed to have the work divided more deflnltely lnto departments; to have a dormitory for girls girls who now are Bent to the city jail, not because they are offenders, but because there is no place else to send them; to have a gym nasium; -baths, with tubs and showers; manual training rooms play rooms, a .library, a well equipped clinic, and an auditorium. . . The present mission has only one large room and three or four small ones for all its activities. ' The crowded conditions became acute a few years ago and Mitchell chapel was brought np from the,. Union station neighborhood and put in the back yard. The yard is hardly big enough for nine husky boys to have a base ball game. Ofte when the place has been full to overflowing Miss Magee has looked around in despair and longed for the time' when a place big enough for all her children could be secured. , " v As , the city has grown in size, business and population, the need for the mission to care for the poor, sick, neglected, disheartened and down-and-outs of all sorts has Increased in amazing de gree. It ministers to thousands yearly men, women and children of all nationalities Scanda navians, Germans, Bohemians, Hungarians, Rus sians, Poles, Italians and Greeks. " Last-winter the place literally gave out as a haven for all who came seeking aid of various kinds, and '' the children's classes were held in Jacobs', hall, at the invitation of Dean Tancock of Trinity cathedral. With men, women and chil OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 14, dren on the verge of despair from cold, hunger and lack of employment, It was necessary during the bitterest weather to convert the little mission house into a quick-relief station. Miss Magee says that between 400 and 500 families were assisted last year and that during the coldest weather as many as fifty people were helped in a day with food, clothing or lodging. The mission even had to be kept open at night to house destitutes who could be' found no other place, and this in spite of the fact that there is no lodging accommodations . there whatever. - Mrs. Cora Ryan, who had charge of the labor agency, supplied 957 people with work last winter. Jobs were found for 448 men and 200 .were sent to the ice fields. Places for over 300 women were secured as housekeepers, laundry workers and Jan itors in office buildings.- Dr. E. A. Van Fleet holds a. clinic in one of the little rooms of the Mission every Thursday , afternoon between 2 and 3 o'clock. It is mostly 'for mothers and children, but aids some men. He has treated every kind of ill from cold to appendi citis free of charge. Some .cases are sent to spe- '; ciallsts and some to hospitals. One hundred and sixty-eight, cases were cared for at the . Mission, eighty-five at Dr. Van Fleet's office,' fifty referred to other doctors and fifty-eight cared for in their own homes. The doctor feels the need of a large and ; well equipped clinic and emphasizes its Im portance in social and religious work. , This is a line of work that. is being adopted in all the large, cities of all nations," he says. "It is one of the leading factors in the mission fields of Africa, India, China and other places where Christians are doing missionary work." The Sunday school, of which D. E. Cook Is superintendent, averaged' 104 children during the past year and required the serivces of ten teachers. The attendance at the gospel meetings has gone as high as 150 men. The winter sessions are held every, night except Saturday in the mission; sum 1912. mer meetings are held outdoors Wednesday and ' ' Sunday evenings. . ? ; ' ,' ' The mothers of the neighborhood, numbering . nearly 200, assemble at the Mission every Thurs day afternoon in alL but the hot weather. They bring their children under school age, sew on quilts or dresses and trousers for their girls "and boys, have some refreshments and hear perhaps a talk from the doctor on how to care for their babies. The cooking school, composed of girls from 8 ' to 14 years of age and under the direction of Miss Clara Barnes, has grown mightily during the last' few years. The little women learn to cook plain . food, tov build fires, wash dishes, set the - table, clean, wash and Irou, make beds , and plant a kitchen garden. They call their class the , "Little Mothers' club." . , ' : The sewing Classen, of which Miss Emily M. Chase is secretary, averaged seventy-four pupils during the last year, had sixteen teachers and made . 132 useful garments. The primary department is made up of girls from 2 to 6 years of age; they . are taught to hold their tiny thimbles on the right finger, to thread needles and finally to use them, in stringing beads and hemming handkerchiefs. The older girls are taught to make dresses. , The social work Is in charge of Mrs. Hobbs. The two social events of the year for the Mission kiddies are the annual picnic and the Christmas celebration. The picnic will be held this year some time during July. Last year Miss. Magee and an army, of volunteer assistants escorted over 1,000 ' small boys and girls to Courtland Beach, where they planned games, stuffed on ice cream and had the time of their lives. 'Last Christmas over 1,200 children, who would otherwise have been forgot ten, were remembered with gifts . through the" Santa Claus association. One hundred and sixty five dinners were given poor families and special services were held in the city jail andeach prls- oner given a box of candy ; and r a handkerchief . The Sunday school and sewing classes had an extra , celebration at Jacobs' . hall, with tree, j presents, Santa Claus and Tuletide stories by Dean Tancock. -The City Mission is affiliated with the Asso ciated Charities of Omaha and its workers, all ex cept Miss Magee, are volunteers. This year's offi cers are: Alfred C. Kennedy, presidents Rev. T.' J." Mackay, first vice president; C. H. WIthey, second : vice president;. Ezra Millard, treasurer, and Carl C. Wilson, clerk. The trustees i are , H. J. Sterling, chairman: Arthur C. ' Chase, H. T. Curtis, Gould Dletz, G. W. Garloch, Dr. A. F.! Jonas," A." C. Ken nedy, Luther Kountze, Rev. T.. 3. Mackay, Joseph Polcar, C. E. Reynolds and Dean J. A. Tancock. tt . Before elected president ' Mr, Kennedy was treasurer of the City Mission for thirty-five years. C. E. Reynolds of the Rees Printing company has been a director almost since its beginning, and many pioneers, some now gone, have helped those , less fortunate than themselves .through its mis sionary ministrations. The mission was started in October of 1875 by SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. 94 the Christian Workers' association, which was or ganized the preceding summer in the library of the' ; First" Methodi8t' church. The' officers of .'the mo c'latlon 'were C. F, Brewster, president; 'Colonel' Watson B. Smith,' vice president; Frank Lehmer,' secretary; John Roberts, treasurer. , The Christian Workers' mission was 'first es tablished for the benefit of newsboys, and boot-! blacks. There was some question among the good people of the association how to begin' active, work. One of . the women finally hit upon a, plan which: was followed out with great success, 'All, the new sies and shines and a crowd of other 'neglected . children, numbering between 300 and 400, were given a monster Thanksgiving dinner' in the store of Mr, Visscher on Douglas street.. The Sunday ' school -was started the following Sunday and four boys made their appearance. ' It was held In the Second Baptist church on. Harney; street. The Sunday school soon outgrew the. church and whs transferred to the Young Men's Christian association, - where rooms were donated. These rooms became too small and the old Academy ot Music was engaged for,, the -meetings,': and when , this proved inadequate Gise's hall was leased. : C. F. : Brewster was the' first superintendent' of the Sunday school ' " ' . " ' " At the first Christian - entertainment of the Mission school 114 children were present. v - , - In addition to the mission school the Christian Workers had an "iridustrfal school for girls.' Mrs. M A; Jardine was head of this 'part of the work. The idea of the Christian Workers seems to have been that the boy's of Omaha needed- religion -and the girls practical' training in housework. r Con nected with the industrial school was. a relief de partment to supply wants of the needy poor. . Noon prayer meetings were' held in the Chris tian Workers' haH at' the' Durant Engine house 'ia the Union Pacific yards and in the railroad shops. ' ' One of the first benefit affairs given 'to raise . f nnrta fnr thn una of the association was a concert arranged by Mr Leh pier and given 'at the Academy of-Music. The t money taken, in enabled the asso ciation to pay another quarter's rent, and to buy seats andother necessaries for the hall school, In-Jiily of 187 6 the lease on Gise's hall expired. ''The' asMclatldn' was, without 'funds i and had' ..no prospects, of getting any. The Board of Education ' came to the rescue and offered the association the ; use of an oldr school house standing on Eleventh , street. ' Dr. Q. C.' Monell donated the,' ; use ,. of, a nearby lot 'and mercnants paid for -moving ; the ,i school to it. The little old school house and the ' narrow: lot are the home of the. City Mission today. ''- The association took ( encouragement, with he new quarters for' its activities and gave a dinner to the business men-of the city, from which $250 'was raised. One hundred and fifty dollars of this u was , used .In fixing ; up the 'school for a mission . house.! At' the 'annual: meeting jn' October, 1876, if was decided to change-the name, of the assocla , tioh to the Omaha City Mission.'
