Not long since a man came to us who was a gentleman by education and
training, a very bright and able fellow, whose fall had come by getting
embroiled in corrupt politics and by extravagant, intemperate living.
He thoroughly learned his lesson in prison, and showed the most earnest
desire to start right in the new life. As no suitable position opened,
his stay at the home had to be a long one, but each week saw a marked
improvement in his character. Finding that the officer was in need of
a man to take charge of the laundry, he volunteered and from early to
late was as faithful over the wash tub and ironing-board as if they had
been double entry or the balancing of office books. He graduated to a
humble position in a big New York house where we confidently expect
him to rise by his hard work and ability. Though his salary is as yet
small, he writes to us letters full of contentment and gratitude,
showing in every way that the new spirit has entered into him, proving
clearly that he realizes that life is a thing that must be made, not
merely spent.
To many the Home brings back sweet memories of a past long lost to
them, but perhaps those to whom it means the most, are those who have
never had much of a home to remember. It is to them a revelation, and
it is wonderful to watch the development in disposition and character
that takes place under the new experience. My secretary was driving
away from Hope Hall after one of the evening gatherings, and as the
carriage turned out of the driveway into the road, there was a pause
that she might look back at the brightly lighted windows gleaming
hospitably through the shade-trees which so prettily surround it. After
a long look the man who was driving turned and said, "Ah! you don't
know what this means to us 'boys'; the Little Mother does not, well as
she understands us. No one can know but an old-timer. I tell you when
you have never had a place in all your life to call home, it means
something to pass through these gates and say, 'This is _my_ home,' to
go into a room at night and feel, 'This is _my_ room,' to lie down on
a bed of which you can say, 'This is _my_ bed.'" Then, as they drove
on, he spoke of his past, and coming to the last imprisonment, which in
his case was, I believe, five or six years, he added: "When the Little
Mother came, I used to go into the chapel and listen with the other
'boys.' I liked to hear her talk, and I respected the men who joined
the League, but I did not think of joining or becoming a Christian. I
felt religion wasn't in my line. One day, however, she said, 'Boys,
I've got a home for you.' That is what first made me think. I said to
myself, 'Here is a woman who thinks enough of me to offer me a home,
something I never had before, and if she cares that much, it is time I
began to care a little myself.' So I began from that day to try and get
ready for my home. When the day of liberty came, the officer on my gang
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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