West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-05-11
AIMS OF THE WOMAN'S MIS-
SIONARY ASSOCIATION.
address before the Romans Missionary
Society Of the Parkcrsbury Confer
eace ofhe u B. Church, by Mrs. DR..
Hemsetey, Of Ne,O Haven, w Va.

Hemseley, of Nep Haven, w Va.
In the economy of God and of
man it is fixed rule that every
thing that is right has an aim and
an object. And everything in
which we engage, either individu-
ally or collectively, should be gov
erncd by the same rule, viz: There
should be some specific aim Or OBJ
ject in view 1t becomes us, there
fore, to enquire, at this time, into
the the subject constituting the
caption of this paper, and consider
some of the aims of the Woman's
Missionary Society.
The grand aim is to glorify God,
and to save souls, to the end that
we ourselves may be saved.
In considering the subject we
shall keep this grand, central truth
in view, and ask ourselves the ques-
ton, How are we to accomplish this
great object?
l. The Glory of God. He has
placed us here for that purpose and
has not Disseminated between the
sexes; but has so arranged the
scheme of Redemption and plan of
Salvation, as well as the Church
Polity, under the Christien dispen-
sation, as to make it equally ben
eficial to male and female, and as it
is beneficial to each, it becomes
equally obligatory on each, to rem
der due services to God and His
cause, and to obey the high COM
mands of Heaven in working for
the Master. This divinely-appoin-
ted rule was observed in the prim-
tive and Apostolic Church, but
more modern custom took from the
hands of the fairer sex this great
work, and substituted more of the
heather forms, that of enslaving
the women and laying the heavier
burdens of home work upon them,
and excluding them from the grand
work designed for them, as set forth
in the beginning of this paper,
the clarifying of God in the saw
ing of souls. But through the in
fuence of the Holy Ghost this res
tive spirit in woman could not and
would not lie dormant, but culmi-
mated in the providence Of God. in
the organization Of Womens' Mis-
sionary Societies in the various
churches in the land, among which
are found the Church of the United
Brethren in Christ. Not quite
four years since, this Church organ
lied a Woman's Missionary Society,
that the women thereof might in
obedience to the command of the
Master be able to do something of
a tangible character, to the glory of
God, in obedience to the great COM
mand, "tio teach all nations, &C."
II. To save souls. God in His
Word has said that 1.-The whole
world lieth in wickedness" and
darkness hath covered the earth,
and gross darkness the minds of
men" Which fact is corroborated
by profane as well as sacred histo-
ry; and the second command of
God is to love our neighbors as our
selves And the Golden Rule, "Do
unto others as we would have them
do unto us" makes it obligatory
upon us as Christian women to do
something to aid in saving our sis
ters who are in darkness and sin,
and unsaved by grace. When we
look at the fallen and ruined condi-
ton, especially of our sex in heath
endom, and see them made to bear
the burdens and endure the tolls of
slavery, to serve their uncultured
masters, called by the modest name
of husband, and contrast their con-
dition with that of our highly ia
vored and honored condition in
Christendom; it justly awakens in
the heart of every true Christian
woman, who is not blinded by some
petty prejudice, an earnest desire to
initiate the example of Christ in
raising the fallen and saving the
lost. Hence the calm" of this So
.ciety to strive to save souls. The
chosen field for this purpose is a
foreign land. Why? From the
simple fact that the labors of women
are more successful there than
those of men, because of the su-