Document text
FOLKLORE.
FORMA
STATE, Washington.
NAME OF WORKER, J. F. Arise.
ADDRESS, Federal Writers' projects Seattle, Wn.
ATE, December 22, 1958.
SUBJECT, "Jesus Will Save an Irishman."
1. Name and address of informant, Colonel John W. Foulkes, Volunteers of Americas
Seattle.
2. Date and time of interview, December 19, 1958, 2:50 P.M.
5. Place of interview, at his office, Volunteers of America Seattle headquarters.
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant,
5. Name and address of person if any, accompanying you, no one.
6. Description of room, houses surroundings, etc., dingy office of the Volunteers
salvaged clothing store.
Folklore
FORM B
Personal History of Informant
STATE, Washington.
NAME OF WORKER, J. F. Arise, Seattle, Wn.
ADDRESS, Federal Writers' Project, Seattle, Wn.
DATE, December 22, 1958.
SUBJECT, "Jesus Will Save an Irishman."
NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT, Colonel John W. Foulkes, Volunteers of America,
Seattle, Wn.
1. Ancestry, unknown
2. Place and date of birth, unknown; he is about 72.
5. Family, unknown
4. Places lived in, withdates, alluded to many places he had lived as mission worker.
5: Education, withdates, unknown
6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates, unknown
7. Special skilli and interests, unknown
8. Commu-ity and religious activities, is a Volunteers worker
9. Description of informant, man of small stature, with very poor eyesight; wears
dark glasses. Vainglorious, shallow and religion thin as a single coat of paint.
10. Other points gained in interview, Felt he 11413 doing Federal Writers' Project
a very great service by condescending to talk; made crack half a dozen times,
"Well, you got a white—collar job and you got to make good, so help you
out."
J. F. Arise,
Seattle, iii.
People are getting more Godless and cynical. Atheism is openly discissed and
has many adherents. Forty years ago when I first came to beattle our Wolanteers
of America hall was across the street from Billy the Waggle saloon, one of• the
toughest places in the entire country. It was tough, no mistakes But, despite the
supposedly rough element we had to deal with, there was more religion in people's
hearts than there is today. Twenty -dollar street collections we*, common.\, Our
meetings were always packed and we made many conversions. We were never diaturbed
except 1,3 the drunk. We expect that. But there were no sneering atheists aid,
their baleful eyes on us. Our landlord, the man who owned our hall, was a
Chinaman, Wah Chong Che-- a Chinaman with a pure white heart whom many so-called
Christians could well emulate. When rent day arrived and the money was not
forthcoming, Che never came around dunning us for it. Nevert "Pay bias -bye.
Ah-light." Are there any white landlords like him?
About 1903, occasionally we had an Indian couple, fiery Baptist missionaries
who had worked among tribesmen in the North, hold service for us. They were good
talkers. One evening when we were holding a street meeting the Indian woman was
preaching, telling the big gathering of Jesus' love for man. "Come to Jesuit*
she importuned. "Jesus will save yout Jesus mill save the blackest sinner-- the
drunkard, the thief, the home -wrecker, the profligate, the murderer. He will save
anyone —anyone— even an Xrishmant" she shouted in a final burst of fervor.
She was unable to resume for five minutes. The crowd howled, members among them
singling out big men with unmistakably Irish features, in an effort to taunt thee.
But it failed. They laughed as uproariously as their would-be tormentors.