Reared by pious parents of the Jewish faith, and following the teachings of Jehovah, as manifested to one who sought earnestly to know the Divine Will, he devoted much of his life and means to practical philanthropy. It has been said by a member of his own denomination that his crowning achievement was his splendid service to the cause of humanity in visiting the Jewish and other prisoners confined in the penal institutions located in this city. He brought to them the consolation of religion whenever they were amenable to its influence, the moral strength that emanated from a firm yet a kindly nature, the instruction that would give them a new start in the battle of life. Scarcely a week passed for many years without his visits to these prisoners, and at no time was he too busy to give his thought and attention to anything that would help the prisoners with whom he came in contact. Sometimes his kindness was abused, but that did not deter him from the work. He was possessed of the saving grace of a keen sense of humor that enabled him to take disappointments of that kind philosophically, as a part of the day’s work, and furthermore he was not hunting excuses to justify him in stopping. He was simply seeking to lend a helping hand in a field from which all but the stoutest of hearts are apt to be repelled.
He was a Hebrew of the patriarchal type, and to him Judaism was not merely a creed but a system of life, and with scrupulous fidelity he observed the lofty precepts of that religion which render it a sacred obligation on the part of its devotees to help struggling humanity by their presence, by their sympathy, by their means, in all the incidents of human life from the cradle to the grave.
In an eminent degree he possessed the courage of his convictions, and never for one moment shrunk from what might be supposed to be a disagreeable duty, or from lifting up his voice in high places in a protest against what he considered wrongs which should be remedied.
His counsels will be greatly missed, and his loss seems irreparable, but we have the assurance that he had fought a good fight, that his lifework was accomplished, and we are thankful that we have known him as a friend, and that we have had the example of his strong devotion to duty.
Mary S. Whelen.
The passing away, on February 15, of Miss Mary S. Whelen came as a distinct shock to her many friends and to the class of Philadelphians interested in the welfare of the Commonwealth and of the Municipality in one of its most vital issues.
Although the part Miss Whelen played so effectively, owing to her modesty, is known to but few, it deserves some mention in order that others, inspired by the same motives, may carry on the work to which she fearlessly and generously devoted many years. She was intensely interested in the welfare of prisoners convicted of crime, and as an active member of the Board of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, visited our prisons weekly, going into the cells, teaching many ignorant women to read and write. Her ear was ever open to explanations, and her kindly intuition made it possible for her to discern the motive which actuated a crime, and her advice and consolation often brought repentance and the possibility of better things. When the sentence expired, a woman having no home or place to which to go, was taken from prison, personally, by Miss Whelen to a destination where she might begin a new life; and letters from these once degraded creatures show in many instances reformation and warm expressions of gratitude. She was a member of the Committee on Police Matrons, and to this most beneficent service she gave practical and efficient aid. All her generous, charitable deeds have been accomplished so quietly and unostentatiously that it recalls the beautiful admonition, “Let not thy right had know what thy left hand doeth.”
Robert Parker Nicholson.
Robert P. Nicholson, whose death occurred in July, 1911, as the result of an accident, had been a member of the Society for a few years, but had served on the Acting Committee for only a few months. His deep interest in the work gave promise of much service on behalf of our cause. His genial disposition had endeared him to a host of friends by whom he is sadly missed.
