Missionaries and Workers
Twenty different societies are represented at this port by missionaries or agents. Fourteen of these may be called strictly religious societies. The work is carried on here about the same as at Boston and Ellis Island. There is no definite plan for following up the work after the immigrants leave Philadelphia. Those who remain in Philadelphia are visited as far as possible and their addresses are given to the workers of the nearest church or mission. The Episcopal and Lutheran workers usually send the names and addresses of those immigrants who are connected with their churches to the pastors in the towns or cities to which these immigrants are going.
The Lutheran Church has three representatives. They work together in supplementing the work of each other.
Under the direction of Mr. Demberg, the Young Men's Christian Association Immigration Bureau conducts the work at this station in the same manner as at other ports. Similar conditions obtain here as at the other ports, namely, that the missionaries are doing a most excellent work and in a very real sense, the most practical and helpful work that is being done with the arriving immigrant. The same need also is apparent here as elsewhere that the work should be organized in such way as to bring it into vital touch with the immigrant work in various Ports of Entry, and in close relation with the missionary work in our towns and cities.
The Methodist Episcopal Church maintains a Deaconess Home at 611 Vine Street. Miss Ford of the Methodist Church, and Miss Staake of the Lutheran Church, and Mr. Levins of the Philadelphia Bible Society, have been engaged in the missionary service at the Philadelphia Port for many years.
The Philadelphia Bible Society distributed 50,479 books printed in fifty different languages.
The Women's Christian Temperance Union, through the work of Miss M. L. Grunninger, during the year met ninety vessels and distributed nearly 40,000 pages of literature.
The Philadelphia Baptist City Mission Society carried on their port missionary work through the services of their city missionaries.
Mr. Levins, missionary of the Philadelphia Bible Society, related the following incident: