Now listen to how God answered that prayer. On the next evening
(Sunday), whilst I was addressing a large audience in the
Congregational church, I related this girl's experience and then
requested honest work for her, emphasizing thus: "She claims to be
capable; she looks it; therefore she can earn good wages. Whoever is in
need of such a girl, please privately inform me at the close of this
service." In less than an hour, that girl could have had her choice of
five situations in responsible families. I chose one for her, and for
aught I know to the contrary, she may be there still. (Reader, it is
impossible to keep track of different ones, there are so many.) She
gave such excellent satisfaction that erelong her little brother and
sister were provided a good home in her immediate neighborhood, and
scarcely any one is the wiser for her unfortunate error.
Thus the rescue worker occasionally sees happy results of the travail
of soul for the lost ones; but would to God there were many more
Christian employers like the one Sarah found, who treat her so kindly,
as well as give her what she is capable of earning, that she makes
extra effort to prove her appreciation and gratitude. "But," you say,
"there are not many like Sarah." True; also there are not many
Christians like Sarah's employers. In fact, they are very, very rare.
Many a time have I wearied myself in vain in an endeavor to procure
honest employment for some young girl who has been convicted and
imprisoned a short time for her first offense and who has told me of
her capabilities and begged me to procure employment pending her
release, so that she would not have to return to her undesirable home
and surroundings, with their accompanying temptations.
"We dare say she means well enough now, but we could not think of
hiring her until some one has first tested and proved her trustworthy.
Besides, there are other members of our family; they must be taken into
consideration," is the frequent excuse. Thus the responsibility is
shifted, and, sick and sad at heart, we go away to inform the poor girl
who wants honest work that our efforts have proved futile. We then
implore her to make her home in one of the refuges until she can once
more become established, only to hear her say: "That would hoodoo me
for sure. You know as well as I do that scarcely any wages are offered
to a girl who is hired out of a rescue home, even if she is quite
capable." Reader, it is shamefully true. Oh! why will professed
Christians take so mean an advantage of the situation and expect girls
who have made some mistake, but _have the courage to live it down_, to
go to work at menial employment for little or nothing? Under such
circumstances, what inducement have they who, if encouraged, would do
better?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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