bed or sick-bed, where even the priest had
forgotten to come, have I longed and tried to say some comforting word
of religion to the dull ear, closing to all earthly sounds; but even if
heard and the sympathy gratefully felt, it made scarcely more religious
impression than would the chants of the Buddhists have done. One
sprinkle of holy water were worth a volume of such words.

A Protestant has great difficulty in coming into connection with the
Romanist poor. I was often curious to know the exact influence of the
priests over these people. The lowest poor in New York are not, I think,
much cared for by the Romanist priesthood. One reason, without doubt, is
that their attention has thus far been mainly (and wisely) directed to
building handsome churches, and that they have not means to do much for
these persons. Another and more powerful reason is, probably, that the
old "enthusiasm of humanity" which animated a Guy, a Vincent de Paul, or
Xavier, has died out among them.

I have known, however; individual cases in our city, where a priest has
exercised a marked influence in keeping his charge from intoxication.
There were also occasionally, in this very region, something like
"Revivals of Religion" among the people, stimulated by the priests, in
which many young girls joined religious societies, and did lead, to my
knowledge, for a time more pure and devout lives.

When one thinks what a noble-minded and humane Priest might accomplish
among the lowest classes of New York, how many vices he could check, and
what virtues he might cherish, and what public blessings on the whole
community he might confer, by elevating this degraded population; and
then as one looks at the moral condition of the Roman Catholic poor, one
can only sigh, that that once powerful body has lost so much of the
inspiration of Christ which once filled it.

The plan which I laid out in working in this quarter was in harmony with
all our previous efforts; it was especially to influence and improve the
children.

It so happened that near "Dutch Hill" was another hill covered with
handsome houses and inhabited by wealthy people, "Murray Hill." The
ladies in this prosperous quarter were visited, and finally assembled in
a public meeting; and, with the same preliminaries as in the other
Schools, we at length organized in 1854.

THE EAST RIVER INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.

Early in the history of this School, we secured the services of a lad