316 DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN
I ought to add, for the most part the men in the East End are hard-working fellows. Of course, there are some ne er-do-wells and there are some known as Hooligans. My brother (the Rev. Richard Wilson) devotes special attention to the latter. What he does is to capture the whole gang and then turn it into a club. The first gang he captured thus was jeeringly called the Saints, the next lot got called the Angels, and the third lot the Archangels. Now they are divided up into football teams and win moral victories ! "
" Do you find the East End folk resent the visits of the clergy to their homes ? "
" No ; there is hardly ever the slightest difficulty. Generally, the people, are only too pleased to see us."
" You have already hinted at the discourage ments which had to be overcome in your early days, and how reluctant the people were to attend church. How did you manage to attract them ? "
" Well, when I first came there was a regular nest of slums about St Augustine s parish, a good many of which have now been cleared away. I was puzzled somewhat how to get to know the people. One day an idea struck me that I might utilise a German band which turned up every Tues day evening. So I took the band into the slums, and by the payment of a shilling got it to discourse music for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour.
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