The Dangerous Classes of New York, and Twenty Years' Work Among Them

A most important element of the success of this Charity have been, of course, the character and influence of its Board of Trustees.

It is difficult to speak of these gentlemen without seeming to use the language of compliment; but, in making known to other cities the peculiar organization which has been so successful in this, it must always be remembered what the character of trustees should be, who bear upon their shoulders so important a trust. These men are known through the city and indeed in distant parts of the country, as showing in their lives a profound and conscientious conviction of the responsibility which wealth and ability are under to the community. They are the best representatives of a class who are destined to give a new character to our city – men of broad and liberal views on matters of practical religion, full of humanity, sensible and judicious, educated to appreciate culture and art, as well as business, with the true gentleman's sense of self-respect and respect for others, a profound and earnest spirit of piety, and that old Puritan perseverance which causes them not "to turn their hand from the plow," however disagreeable the task before them may be. Such men, when once morally imbued with the needs of a cause, could make it succeed against any odds.

Two or three men of their position, wealth, and ability, who should take the moral interests of any class of our population on their hands, and be in earnest in the thing, could not fail to accomplish great results. When they began to appear in our Board, I felt that, under any sort of judicious management, it was morally certain we should perfect a wide and permanent organization, and secure most encouraging results.

A great service, which has been accomplished by these gentlemen, has been in tabulating our accounts, and putting them under a most thorough system of examination and checking, and in allotting our various branches to each trustee for inspection. Many of the trustees, also, have their religious meetings at the Lodging-houses, which they individually lead and take charge of during the winter. They are thus brought in direct contact with the necessities of the poor children.

To no one, however, is the public so much indebted as to our treasurer, Mr. J. E. Williams.

For nearly twenty years this charity has been the dearest object of his public efforts, the field of his humanity and religion. During all this time he has managed gratuitously the financial affairs of the Society; begged money when we were straitened, and borrowed it when temporarily embarrassed; never for a moment doubting that, if the work were faithfully done, the public would support it. At the end of this period (1872), having spent over a million of dollars, and requiring now some one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars per annum for our various branches, we find ourselves without a dollar of debt.

THE SECTARIAN DANGER

One rock, which the manager of such a movement must always steer clear of, is the sectarian difficulty. He must ignore sects, and rest his enterprise on the broadest and simplest principles of morality and religion. The animating force must be the religious, especially the "enthusiasm of humanity" shown in the love for Christ, and for all who bear His image. But dogmatic teachings, and disputations, and sectarian ambitions, are to be carefully eschewed and avoided in such efforts of humanity. The public must learn gradually to associate the movement, not with any particular sect or church, but with the feeling of humanity and religion – the very spirit of Christ Himself.

An essential thing, and often very disagreeable, to the earnest worker in it, is to give the utmost publicity to all its operations. The reason of this is, that such a charity depends for support and friends, not on an organized private association, but on the whole public. They need to know all its doings; this is often the only way of reminding them of their duty in this field. Moreover, the moneys spent are public trusts, and all that relates to their uses should be publicly known.

Gradually, by publicity, the general community come to have something of the same moral interest in the enterprise, that the special attendants of a church have in its welfare; and it becomes a truly public interest. To attain this, the press should be the great agency, as well as the pulpit, wherever practicable. Annual reports, designed for all classes, wherein there are figures for the statistical, facts for the doubting, incidents for the young, and principles stated for the thoughtful, should be scattered far and wide.

As the organization grows, State-aid should be secured for a portion of its expenses, that a more permanent character may be given it, and it may not be suddenly too much crippled by a business depression or disaster.

Of the modes in which money should be raised, I have already spoken. In all these matters, the general rule of wisdom is to avoid "sensation," and to trust to the settled and reasonable conviction of the public, rather than to temporary feeling or excitement.

Founded on such principles, and guided by men of this character and ability, and by those of similar purposes who shall come after them, there seems no good reason why this extended Charity should not scatter its blessings for generations to come throughout this ever-increasing metropolis.

To those now serving in it, no thought can be sweeter, when their "change of guard" comes, than that the humble organization of humanity and Christian kindness, which, amid many labors and sacrifices, they aided to found, will spread good-will and intelligence and relief and religious light to the children of the unfortunate and the needy, long years after even their names are forgotten; and for monument or record of their work, they cannot ask for more enduring than young lives redeemed from crime and misery, and young hearts purified and ennobled by CHRIST, and many orphans' tears wiped away, and wounds of the lonely and despairing "little ones" of the world healed through instrumentalities which they assisted to plant, and which shall continue when they are long gone.

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