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Show j COLORADO I f t -fr tttttt PUEBLO. Pueblo, Colo., March 23. Never has such a large and intelligent audience gathered in the Grand opera house as that which assembled there tonight for the opening session of the fifth state conference of charities and corrections. Not a vacant seat was to be found in any part of the house, the stage was filled with occupied chairs and scores of people unable to gain standing room were turned away. The feature that especially attracted was an address by Mrs. Maud Balling-ton Balling-ton Booth of New York, whose life has been consecrated to prisoners' aid work. All the churches of the city abandoned their services for tonight, and most of the pastors were present. After the singing of "Blessed Be the Tie That Binds." Rev. J. L. Weaver, pasttor of the First Presbyterian church, delivered the invocation. Rev. E. P. Newton, president of the Associated Asso-ciated Charities of Pueblo, welcomed the conference to Pueblo. Judge O. E. Le Fevre of Denver, president of the conference, delivered ! an address, dwelling upon the care of the insane and dependent children. He spoke at considerable length on prisoners' prison-ers' aid work, founding h:s views in no email degree upon the experience of one whose official duties have made him the passer of sentence upon a large number of convicted persons." Mrs. S. R. Ritchie sang Mascagni's "Prayer." Mrs. Ballington Booth spoke for more than an hour on her personal experiences, exper-iences, commanding' the clcsest attention atten-tion of her auditort? throughout. She made forcible statements on the degradation degra-dation of human beliefe, which, no matter how great, may be remedied by human sympathy and divine power. The address was especially given over to Mrs. Booth's life work, prisoners' relief. re-lief. She cited the results of experience as made plain by etatistice, and drew from her own years of contact with those convicted of crime many illustrations illustra-tions showing the limitless opportunity . for up-lift by such philanthropy. j Father Malone of Denver followed with an address-, which was largely a personal tribute to Mrs. Booth's mag- , nificent work. At his instance a col lection was taken to assist the work in which she is engaged. Father Malone, in the conrse of hl9 tribute, said that I on occasions like" that Protestant, Catholic Cath-olic and Hebrew found common ground whereon to stand. He paid a feeling tribute to the general benevolent work : of women, and eulogized Mrs. Booth in strongest terms. This was the first day of his" acquaintance with her, but he had seen the practical effects of her earnestness when he heard her address to the prisoners at Canon City, who for the first time were not filled with sentences about the prodigal's return. As a Catholic, he was glad to profess his profound sympathy with her -work and his admiration for an instrument of so much good. After a violin solo by Signer Ande-onegui Ande-onegui of New York, and the singing of "Nearer My God to Thee," the benediction bene-diction was pronounced and the meeting meet-ing dispersed after greetings among the various persons interested in the conference. con-ference. The sessions of the conference, which will continue throughout Monday and Tuesday, will be held at the First Presbyterian church. |