St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-16
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
The Minneapolis Branch of the Ladies'
Foreign Missionary Society in
Session in st. Paul.
The Work Done at the Three Sessions
Yesterday-Rev. W. c. Davis
sons Address.

at 9 O'Clock, at the First NJ E. church of st.
Paul. Mrs. Emily Huntington Miller, OF
this city, presided, and the exercises were
opened in the presence of goodly number
of delegates and friends of the cause in a
devotional meeting conducted by Mrs. Mary
c. Mind. Mrs. Miller followed with thought
full address on the scope of the work of the
society, and closed with the hope that the
members would never flag in their enthusi-
asm. Reports from the different conference
branches were then made by Mrs. C. S.
Winchen, Mrs. l. N. Hartsough and Miss
Maggie Dreyer, their secretaries. Then,
after the appointment of committees on reso-
lutions, credentials, etc., and the singing
OF a hymn, the meeting adjourned for
dinner.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The society resumed its labors at O'Clock
with an increased attendance. Mrs. /. n
| Hartsough conducted the opening devotional
| exercises and spoke at some length on the
conversion of the heather. Mrs. Mary c.
Mind, corresponding secretary, read an ex-
haustive report of foreign missionary work
as set forth in letters to her from those sent
to other countries by the society. She read
| extracts of favorable nature fom letters re-
ceived from Japan, China, Bulgaria, Mexico
and several other places. While some of
the letters expressed feeling of fatigue in
the writers from the priYitations of the labor,
there was running through them all a senti-
ment OF cherfulness and hopefulness. Mrs.
Mind said in closing that the Minneapolis
branch was hardly doing its duty in a fnan-
cial way, and she hoped this years report
would make a better showing She said
the membership was constantly increasing
and that the contents of the treasury should
| increase in a corresponding ratio. She said
the Minneapolis branch had member
| ship OF ], 800, an increase in the
past year of SAL. There were now al life
members, an increase of thirteen; nineteen
honorary managers, an increase of four, and
| three life patrons, an increase of two. Mrs.
! VIM. NJ Harrison of Minneapolis, treasurer
followed with the yearly balance sheet, show
ing the places whence aid had como, and the
amounts from each. Following this report
the congregation sang the benediction Sew
eral ladies then read letters from missiona-
ries stationed in Bulgaria, Japan and else
where. Mrs. Harrison said the last INSTALL
ment of money for Foo Chow had not been
forwarded at the regular time on account of
the Franco-Chinese difficulties there, and
that she had since learned that the mission
aries had all been obliged to leave there for
Shanghai. The meeting adjourned with the
singing of 'Jesus, Lover of Ny Soul"
EVENING SESSION.
There was quite a goodly attendance at the
evening exercises which were opened with an
address of welcome to the society by Mrs. H.
s. Fairchild, of st. Paul, whose words were
most cordial aud who expressed the hope
that this gathering would awaken the Chris
tan ladies of this society in this city to more
earnest, active and wholesouled endeavOr in
its noble interests, and who closed her re-
marks with stirring appeal for them to give
more time from the busy life in which they
were part aud with which they were sur
rounded to the Women's Foreign mission
work.
The response to this welcome was given bv
Mrs. j. B. Starl1ey, of Minneapolis, who. af-
ter speaking of her personal experience of
the warm Christian hearts of the ladies of ST.
Paul paid glowing tribute to this CONNER
cial city of whose wealth and enterprise had
done so much to build up the state and the
northwest, and whose Christian ladies had
done so much to bring into successful session
this first annual meeting of the Minneapolis
branch of the Woman's Foreign Mission So
ciety. The speaker closed with warm thanks
for the welcome given and made
neat allusion to the CITY as
being the home of the society's first president
Emily Huntington Miller.
The president then introduced Rev. w. C.
DAWSON, for seven years missionary located
at Yokohama, Japan, who lately came home
with his wife who was in poor health, and
who has deceased since his arrival. and who
proposes to return to that promising field of
labor.
After some very interesting remarks to
the effect that the extension of religious
knowledge to these without it, was the duty
OF the earnest and faithful men and women
of the church. The speaker paid warm tribute
to the work of the Woman's Missionary
society, which in the past few years had
proved such q strong arm to forward the mis-
sion work in foreign lands as an adjunct to
the present foreign Missionary society of the
Methodist church, and which had proved a
success far beyond what had ever been
dreamed Of by the missionaries sent out I'M
der the auspices of that church.
After saying that a returned missionary
was not so much of a white elephant curios-
ity as years ago he gave a fine description of
the japanese. their beautiful country and
charming climate. aud from their appreciatiye
qualities and quicknesss of perception charac-
| terized them as the Yankees of the east. They
were not milk and water nation in auy
sense OF the word, but they resembled the
| Frenchman in the smiling and rapid manner
in which they seemed to take hold of I'm idea
but they were as slow to adopt it as the Ger
man who must have time TO work out an idea
in his mind, and which, when he decides it
| is right, not only makes il law for himself
but hands it down from generation to peuer-
alton of his kindred.
The speaker then went on to give a de-
scription of the three women's missionary
| schools as already established in
Japan for the education of
japanese girls in the higher
branches of japanese education, as also in
English branches, into which was incorpor-
ated religious training. These girls went
| out of the schools as cultured Japanese
women, many 10 become the wives of native
japanese ministers and to work with them
in the Christian field, and others to dissen-
mate their ideas among the unconverted.
The speaker described visit of japanese
commission to the United STATES to investi-
gate the school system of the several states.
They decided to adopt the Boston system and
getting all they could Of it in their heads and
| carpet bags carried it back to their govern
ment, who adopted it, and as the Yankee
schoolmarm led the civilization of the great
west so the Yankee school system
is the forerunner of a new order of things in
japan. In the schools all over the empire is
! the Yankee desk aud platform, blackboard.
! chalk, etc, and children attending these
! schools show a marked intelligence over
those who do not.
The speaker then went on to show that the
| Christian japanese was in all respects pro-
| totype of his American brother in his reli-
gious observances and habits, but in the en-