One very cold night, a few years ago, we had present among our visitors
a wealthy lady and gentleman from Pittsburgh. We were most anxious that
the Mission should make a good impression on them, hoping a donation of
at least $25. It was a very cold night. Soon after the services opened a
person, whom I shall call Charles Winters, son of an old Virginia
family, came in. He was much under the influence of liquor, and began at
once to make a disturbance.
I remembered his dear old gray-haired mother and his accomplished
sister, and knew in a moment that if he were put out he would freeze to
death or be placed in prison. Two of the helpers started to put him out;
that was the easy way, and there were my guests and that prospective
donation.
The men already had hold of him, when I said, “Stop, men; please let me
speak to him.” Laying my hand kindly on his shoulder, I said, “Charles,
sit down and behave yourself.” With a drunken laugh, he said, “I'll sit
down for you, Aunt Mary, but not for these toughs.” All evening I had to
go back every few minutes to quiet him, much to the amusement of my
friends, who frequently to this day call me Aunt Mary. But I saved a
family from shame and my donation came all right.
In most businesses old age is a handicap, but every gray hair of my
white head is an asset. Nearly every evening some poor, vanquished
soldier of fortune, ragged, unshaven and unshorn, comes to me and says
with quivering lips, “You look just like my mother, to-night, will you
care a little for me?” And I lay my arm across the soiled coat and say,
“Son, the trail of every sin is on your poor soiled body; you have tried
some by yourself to be good, now let us ask Jesus to help. But I shall
send you up stairs under guard and to the bath-room, where you must take
a very warm bath while I go to the workroom and get you clean clothes
from the skin out; your clothing will go into the fumigator over night;
you shall have enough to eat and be physically comforted, then we will
try again with Jesus as yoke-fellow. You and I will talk to Him about it
and we will try again, shall we?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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