MOTHER DIVINE in the Auditorium
of the Circle Mission Church, Philadelphis, Pennsylvania
Peace, FATHER and Peace, MOTHER: I would like to thank FATHER for something that I've never really thanked HIM for. I'll take off from where the last speaker left. I would like to thank FATHER, tonight, for the things that HE has done for the children in the public schools of New York City! The thought just came to mind that I've never brought that out, even to FATHER Personally. It was through them that I found FATHER DIVINE! (Loud applause resounds.)
Some years ago money was quite scarce. It was not as free as it is today. And I've seen some of my children so hungry that they would pick up a crumb of bread from another's sandwich on the floor! That was in the rich city of New York City! And I have seen them come almost naked.
I have been raised as many people in orthodoxy were raised, to think that the professions were well cared for; preachers, lawyers, and doctors children they always had the advantage of things because their folks always were well taken care of and had good jobs and good incomes. But in my class there were several children and they all belonged to the same minister. I suppose at that time they did not have a change, and his children came there practically naked. He had many children in this school but I had several in this particular class.
One day they came well clothed and I asked them where did they obtain the good fortune, and they said, "Oh, we went out to Sayville and FATHER DIVINE gave us these clothes. (Loud applause resounds.) That was many years ago, and I had not heard of the Name of FATHER DIVINE. If I had, I hadn't paid attention to the Name. And when they said that to me, I said, "Well, perhaps HE is a very nice squire and HE cares for the poor", and I didn't think anything more about it.
Later on I was taking morning inspection and I asked several of the children whether they had had any breakfast, because at that time people were going without food; and this little girl said "No" and I discussed the matter with the class. And one child told me, "Well, I take two fifteen cents and go to FATHER DIVINE'S Restaurants and I get enough for those two fifteen cents to feed my whole family!" (Again loud applause rings out.)
There were other times I would reprimand the little boys for coming untidy. Their hair perhaps was not cut. And one little boy said to me, "Well, the prices for haircuts have gone up and I can't afford fifty cents for a haircut"; and then another little boy joined in and said, "Well, I get it done at the Peace Mission for ten cents and sometimes the barber will do it for a nickel or nothing!" (Loud applause resounds.)
I let this go on for a period of time and then I made up my mind to investigate the Peace Mission Movement! I went to one of the Banquets and I was surprised to see FATHER DIVINE feeding many of the children that belonged to the school in which I was teaching.
After I investigated, I joined the Peace Mission Movement because it was meeting one of my needs. Those children were my charges; I wanted to do something for them but my salary would not cover that big job. I knew it. And other teachers that I spoke with, they were not in harmony of pooling any money and doing anything for them. They said it was too big a job for any one person! So I appreciated what the Peace Mission was doing.
And then after I joined the Peace Mission I noticed— in the building in which I lived I noticed some of the mothers of my children coming there for employment in the Courtesy Employment Office. Another thing I noticed, that some of them, came to take advantage of our commercial courses in the Peace Mission Free Schools, and naturally I asked them why did they come? And some of them told me, "Well, if I have a job as a clerk or office worker I wont have to do house work and be away from my children, because being away from them makes them delinquents." So that was another charitable Work of FATHER DIVINE and HIS Peace Mission! (Loud applause rings out in sanction of this.)
I have been in the school over three decades, so I know whereof I speak— in this one building! Someone may say, "Well, if you have been in that one place so long, how can you speak for the whole system?" Well, FATHER DIVINES Peace Missions are all over New York— so what would happen in one locale, I know it has happened in other cities and in other places. And when I came here on my vacation I would see the same thing happening here!
Over in what's called the Annex of the Banquet Hall, FATHER would feed children, many school children during their lunch hour, and I know right here in this building HE was doing the same thing; and I know for a fact, that all of those children did not and could not pay. ("So true!" came the sanction from the assembly, midst loud applause.)
I have never brought any of these things to FATHER'S attention but I thought it was worthy of being mentioned— because, just that one little factor— now you know how many schools we have in New York City. Hundreds! And that's the work in just one school!
And so I thank FATHER for HIS Work among the youth, because many times these things are done but they are not talked about. The things that are undesirable will be discussed. But there isn't any avenue or any field that FATHER hasn't touched; that HIS Work hasn't benefited! (Thunderous applause rings out.)
And in my school there have come visitors from Israel and from the different nations of the world, observing the different school systems, and quite often they are sent to my room. And when I bring up FATHER DIVINE'S Name, they all say, "Yes, we know FATHER DIVINE!" I mean, FATHER is known, and HE is known for what HE does! ("So true!" sanctions the vast assembly.)
One of the greatest scientists Germany has ever produced, I had the good fortune to be quite often with his son-in-law in a German class, and I asked him one day— I had just begun the course and I did not know how to spell the word "Divine" in German; so I said, "Just how would you spell this word? He said, "Oh, FATHER DIVINE is known all over Germany, all you have to do is just say 'Divine'!" (Loud applause resounds.)
I don't care where you go and I don't care who you talk to; I don't care how low they are, I don't care how high they are; they know about FATHER DIVINE! ("So true!" came the response.) I haven't heard one of these people say anything derogatory about FATHER. They just know that HE'S Wonderful and HIS Work is wonderful and it's all worthy to be praised. And the beautiful thing about FATHER and HIS Work is that it's so impersonal, because the things HE did for those children, HE was not doing it for Followers because they were not Followers. HE was just doing it to alleviate mankind! In other words, GOD was just simply sorry for man.
And this was called to my attention because I had to write a business letter and this thought came up; but it's quite tangible; and as I said in the letter, these are not "Pollyanna" stories because right in front of me now, facing me now, are some of the children I have had in my classes!(Thunderous applause resounds.) And those who have turned toward FATHER have turned out to be fine, upstanding citizens. And I also noticed that in one family there could be some who would be following FATHER and some who were not following FATHER. Those who did not follow FATHER, they were definitely delinquents, and those who did follow FATHER, the school had absolutely no trouble with them whatsoever!
I don't say this in order to praise the Peace Mission, I'm just stating a fact; because if a Peace Mission child in my school did anything, they usually, in the last few years, come to me because they know I'm "Peace", and they come to me and say something about it; and the only thing I remember them saying anything about a Peace child was when one of our little Peace brothers would not dance in the dancing class with one of the little girls! (Merriment and applause ensue.) Otherwise , our children are in no wise delinquent; they are something really to be proud of! They go to school clean; they try to do their lessons; and I'm not ashamed of the Peace Mission children in my school at all. And I thank FATHER just to bring out that one point, because sometimes people think FATHER'S Work is very limited, or limited to a certain class of people or to a certain set of people; but FATHER is known all over the world! HE is respected all over the world! And even though people don't consider themselves a Follower, deep down in their hearts they are as much concerned with FATHER as anyone in this room.
I thank YOU, FATHER. I thank YOU, MOTHER!
***************