Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/145

 125 RELIQION TME WE,^T ILOHDOBJ MHSSSOH "The Sisters of the People ''—Their Organisation and Work— Care of Children— Clubs and othet Institutions for Boys and Girls — The Guild of the Brave Poor Things — Rescue Work- Services in a Theatre pEw of the efforts of the Wesleyan Church have been more successful than that of the West London Mission, which was founded by the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes in 1887. The " Sisters of the People," that self- sacrificing band of workers called together by Mr. Hughes in his efforts to help the poor, are in very deed the sisters of the people amongst whom they live. They understand their lives, and realise that men and women are composed of body, soul, and spirit, and that it is impossible to minister to the one without knowledge of, and care for, the other two. CARE OF CHILDREN For children whose mothers are forced to go out to work a creche is provided, where a mother can leave one child for 4d. a day (or two for yd.) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mr. P. W. Wilson, M.P., has declared that : " Here we have a piece of work which has added to the social experience of the State. It is probable that in future years the nursery school will have to be undertaken on broad national lines, but this possibility only emphasises the need for maintaining a creche like that at Lincoln House, which has to serve as well as it can so large a population. " It goes without saying that the creche reaches the parents as well as the children. At Lincoln House there are classes and mothers' meetings, and a vast network of sympathetic agencies which would never have developed if it had not been for the central work. " The creche only costs I'l'jo a year, and for this small sum about 200 young lives are yearly rescued physically, morally, and spiritually from the gutter. The life of a tiny child when its mother has to earn her living is one of the tragedies of modern civilisation. It feeds upon some dirty crust flung at it from a window, or is given a penny to buy what unsuitable food appeals to an unguided palate." For older children there are Guilds 0} Play and Handicrafts. Here the children A corner of the creche which saves 200 children from the streets every year learn both to play and to work, and study basket-making, carpentry, painting, etc., with enthusiasm. CLUBS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS Again, there are the clubs for boys and girls when they reach the most difficult age of all — the age when most care is needed, and, amongst the children of the people, least is given. At fourteen the children leave school and begin life as wage-earners. In thou- sands of cases, in return for the money they pay for their keep they receive their freedom from any kind of home discipline. The Sisters of the People, however, do much to draw these unruly units together, and infuse into them a wonderful esprit de corps. It is said that " to conduct a mothers' meeting or a Bible-class is to enter on a vocation hallowed by centuries of approval, but to meet five or six nights of the week with ,^irls or boys on the common footing and comradeship of a club IS to venture forth on the new and untried. The club is a revolu- tionary institution, because it is formed to meet the needs of a revolution which has taken place in the lives of its members. " To the uninitiated the club programme consists of drilling one night, games another, a lecture or instructive reading on some evenings, wood-carv- ing, sewing, and painting or Bible- class at other times, and so on, according to the circumstances of the case and the wishes of the leader and her members. But that is merely a superficial view of it. It really consists — in early stages, at any rate — of an immense wrestle between the club leader and the members. During this process it is not unusual for the two combatants to stand apart awhile, and comment on mutual progress. Boys, in particular, who have a keen sense of humour, have been known to remark to their leader as follows : ' I am not saying that your method is not good, but we are not accustomed to it. If you will only stick to the work you may make something out of it in the end. There