President, George W. Wheeler, of the Executive Board, is one of God's best gifts to the city of Washington. He is the very best City Rescue Mission worker I have ever seen, and I have seen most of the city missions of the United States and Europe. In the summer of 1910, in company with Mrs. M. P. Spindle, I visited all the great cities of Europe, especially Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, to obtain suggestions for improving our work, as we thought, at that time, to plan for erecting a great mission building unequaled in all the world. Most mission buildings are mere adaptations of old buildings. We hoped to do better, but God ordered otherwise. Among all these great mission workers I have seen none superior to George W. Wheeler in Rescue Mission work and in conducting an interdenominational organized work for God. First, his consecration is marvelous. He had been thirty or more years in government service, to lose time means not only loss of money, but even endangers a man's tenure of office.
But when Mr. Wheeler is called to see a soldier, a sailor, a sick man in the hospital, who must be seen in business hours, he never, as all other government members of the Board do, pleads loss of any kind, but goes at once on the errand of love and mercy. Then he gets on well with his Board of Directors; if debate runs high and a measure is carried without his favor, he holds no grudge, he is universally kind. That means much. Then his acquaintance is so large he can secure good talent for helpers in every line; he has the absolute confidence of the community (which he richly deserves), and by the blessing of God secures funds for our great work; and, best of all, he leads many souls to Christ. He has probably seen more souls born into the kingdom of God than any other living rescue worker.
(Mr. Wheeler died January 19, 1914. “He buries the workers, but the work goes on.”)
MRS. M. P. SPINDLE
is a Christian woman whom I found connected with the Mission when I went there. My attention was first attracted toward her by her liberality when I made the calls for bedding, so now I borrowed $85 from her and put in the bath. She was kind enough to let me pay it back in driblets, and from that day to this she has given more money than any other worker. She has loaned or given the money to go forward in each venture of mine, and, above all, I have had the benefit of her counsel and her favor in every form, and together we have prayed through many an obstruction which seemed an impassable barrier.
THE FUMIGATOR
No sooner did we get the bath in place than I saw the necessity for a fumigator, not only that men should have their clothing purified from disease and from vermin, but for the sake of the beds. I found that they could not be kept clean without the men bathed and had their clothing fumigated.
The Board again did not feel able to put in the fumigator, which cost $125. In this work I found a friend in Mr. Ernest Gichner, who invented a sheet-iron room with suitable fire-box and chimneys, which he anchored on the roof of the building.
It did good service and added to the comfort of the men and the cleanliness of the house, not only while there, but later he moved it over to our new building. Mr. Gichner permitted me to make payments in installments of $25, which I was able to collect mostly from my friends in the Luther Memorial Church and the Mission workers themselves, who are always liberal even beyond their means.