Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-04-19
Woman's Social Work in the Church,

i, ability to do, at her own sweet will.
T. And, besides the woman claimants for
y the right to be heard, there are many earn
u est christian men who press this need OF
: woman's voice in the prayer meeting. Wo-
. men, they say, from the very nature of her
u life, has peculiar facilities for the nurture
of grace in her heart; and from the char
acter of her temptations learns special les
d sons of faith and patience and love. They
urge, too, not by way of fattery, that relig
ious interests are more native to woman
than to man-that God made her with in
stincts more sensitive to divine truth and
to divine appeals And so the church can
not afford to lose the expression of her
trust and hope, her teachings of patience
and love, and her warnings for a better
christian life
Without taking ground on these posi-
TONS there is still another phase and sphere
OF woman's activity which, it seems to me,
none can question-and that is her social
work in the church.
II II ldhlGuldDlN lIut IlldJ III every large
church those who sit together from Sab
bath to Sabbath and gather a. ound the ia
BILE of the Lord are in great part strangers
to each other. Here and there are little
groups of friends who have known each
other for years, whose tastes and sympa-
thies are kindred, whose position is unques-
toned, and who satisfy for each other all
the demands of social or intellectual life.
But in the pews around are strangers who
have come into the city alone, and, being
timid or proud and reserved have waited
for advances to be made by those longer in
town or church. They have feeling that
it is not modest or becoming for them to
begin acquaintance with old residents,
and dread being met with an astonished
stare if they venture to speak first. Some
Of them go in and out of the sanctuary year
after year without recognition from those
who sit near and jOstle them in the aisles
Sickness and death come into their fami-
lies, perhaps; but still they bear their bur
dens alone. Poverty pinches some of them =,
and at last, discouraged by their own fail
ures and want Of christian sympathy, they
drop out of sight, and their places are filed
by others. Or, if the force of habit and
religious education,an strength of chris
tian character keep them in their connec
ton with the church family, their position
in it ii cherries and humiiatng.
OF course, this is all wrong. The divine
teaching is; Love one another; Bear ye
one anothers burdens; Be We kind one to
another; Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers To do good and to communicate
forget not. We, then, that are strong ought
to bear the infrmities of the weak, and not
! TO please ourselves. Let every one of Us
please his neighbor for his good to edifca-
ton. For even Christ pleased not himself
Now, as a woman makes in large de-
gree the atmosphere in the smaller circle
Of the home, has she not the same peculiar
influence TO exert in the larger family OF
Christs church God calls his church the
household of faith In it there must be
work for the wives and sisters and daugh-
ters who share its privileges and have COW
enanted to seek its welfare.
Now what shall be done in view of this
household relation into which we are
thrown?
do not think any one would regard it
as presumptuous or unwomanly if We
should recognize the stranger who has been
long enough within our gates to be distin-
E guished from mere casual visitor. Moth
ers who have sons and daughters away
from home and needing friends will espec-
tally know how to give the kind smile or
word which wall be the sunbeam in the
church going experience. Any of us who
have ever passed down the aisle of church
A and felt how 'forlorn it is to have no one t,
whom we can even say good morning
T. ought to know how to greet those to whom
e we have had no formal introduction, but
: who have right to ask recognition a,
, brothers and sisters.
D New families ought to be looked after
If the church is live one, these are addeo
: to it from time to time. Almost Away,
: they are from other places, and have new
II acquaintance to make. Who that has beer
e uprooted from a beloved home does not re-
a member the heart ache and home sicknes,
1t where all is unfamiliar and no tie of Low,
= or friendship has been formed? Goto thesv
i strangers while their hearts are yearnn.
for the old friends and old scenes, and givt
= them the hand of christian fellowship anC
n love, assure them of your sympathy anC
e pleasure in their coming. Gods command
e to his people were explicit and positive t,
n show tender care to the stranger, as well a
, the fatheress and the widow. Thou shal
of not Cypress the heart of a stranger; for Y
If know the heart of stranger, seeing Y
Of we're a stranger in Egypt. But the stran
er that dwelleth with you shall be unit
Of you as one born among you, and tho
S shalt love him as myself; for We were stran
es gers in the land of Egypt. am the Lor
rs your God"
n This Is so clearly simple christian cour
to tesy that it seems needless to write it; an
i yet in this very respect we are guilty. Th
III older residents of place have often a lal
ger visiting acquaintance than they kno'
how to keep up; and even the young ladit
groan over their long lists and their ''frigh
~ full" arrears. Are not many of these az
ce quaintances merely formal ones, with pier
& ty of other friends, people who would in n
az way suffer if they were dropped from yor
20 list? The idea may be startling if the
We "belong to the first families" and "mo,
u in the best society ;" but is not the chri
gs tian plan rather to seek those who need l
lie than those who minister to our social priC
all and standing? do not mean that we a
r. to ignore valuable friendship and abolis
IL social distinctions but do mean to S;
TAT that our Lord calls US to deny ourselves
u to take up our cross, and to follow Hi
YES who pleased not himself.
CT Many of these families we shall fiji
ng worthy TO be cultivated for our own plea
e ure and the help they will bring to Il
OF church but others we shall need to cor
no fort and aid as Christ's little ones, to who
ks it is blessed duty to administer.
The social gathering of the church nee
ost woman's special care Each christian W
Ith man, young or old, is hostess for the ey
airs ming, and in the exercise of christian he
he pitality and courtesy is under obligatio
to to seek out those who hide in corners al
ION sit alone, and by conversation and intI
Ia auctions to give them cheerful, gratel
sense of acquaintance.