I became Chairman of the House Committee in September, 1908, and the following December Mr. H. W. Kline was made Superintendent. As soon as we had nice beds to offer for ten cents a night, we had a steadily increased patronage, so that by the fall of 1909 we were obliged to rent a large room back of us. That winter we had eighty-four beds filled nearly every night.
A friend in California sent me $25 as a Christmas present, and I put white spreads on the twenty-five best beds. Some members of the Board laughed at me so much that I was obliged to remind them that the money of the Mission was not used. Long ago they have come to see that a white bed is a necessity if we are to keep a clean house.
By October, 1909, our expenses for rent, fuel and necessities had increased from $100 to $150 each month.
Our statistics for 1908, as shown by our circular, were as follows:
Statistics of the year and of the last quarter—From January, 1908, to January, 1909
Statistics of three months of 1908, as follows:
| Attendance | Req. for Prayer | Seekers | Conversions | Services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 1908 | 1961 | 165 | 86 | 14 | 41 |
| Jan. 1909 | 2487 | 217 | 73 | 37 | 46 |
| Feb. 1909 | 1245 | 51 | 34 | 13 | 28 |
| Total | 5693 | 433 | 193 | 64 | 115 |
(Now we care for over 50,000 persons a year.)
During the year employment was found for probably 300 men.
We accept it as a great privilege to have presented the gospel of Jesus Christ to this number of people.