Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-03
TALKING MISSION WORN.
Interesting Services at the New Houston
Street Methodist Church.

Interesting Services at the New Houston
Street Methodist Church.
Rev. Robert W. MaeDonell, formerly Of
Savannah, and at present a missionary of
the Methodist Church South in Mexico. de-
livered an address last night at the New
Houston Street Church on the subject of
missionary work in that country. The
services were begun by Rev.
II. p. Myers, pastor of the church,
officiating, introducing Mrs. r. D.
/ Walker, President of the South Georgia
| Conference Society, and a number of the
| pupils of the Sunday School. Mrs. Walker
| gave an interesting statement relative to
| the history and missionary work of the
/ society, Of which she is President, and
\ called upon the lady members of the
| church to unite with the society, and to
aid 1t in the good work which il is doing.
/ Miss Rosa Shaffer, Miss Nellie
/ BOatwrignt and hiss Rosa Thorpe
| favored the audience with appro-
/ pirate recitatiOns on the subject of mis-
sionary work, when Miss Mollie Smith
| read an article entitled "Giving Like a
/ Child.' which produced a marked i'm
/ preston on the auditors.
All the young ladies' are identified with
| the Sunday school and with the mission
airy work Of the church. The cOngrega-
ton then sang the two hundred AMI
seVenty-secOnd hymn, during wbicn
/ four Of the more youthful of the
/ pupils Of the Sunday school made a col
| lection, and obtained handsome sum as
a Thanksgiving Offering for the support
Of missionary work.
Rev. Mr.. MacDonell, upon being in
troduced, remarked that it was pleasure
to him TO return to Savannah after an ab-
sence Of over four years in Mexico and to
| talk to the people upon the subject Of nit s.
sionary work in Mexico. He promised, how
ever, by remerking that that was the way
he was devoting the time allowed him as
vacation, but that he would not pre-
tend to give anything more than brief
account of the progress Of mission work
in Mexico. He gave minute descrip-
ton of the condition of the people,
and showed how the masses had been
kept in ignorance by priestcratt and
taught to worship images and pictures.
He said one old man had spent a large
sum of money on idols, but on coming to
know how wrong 1t was to worship them,
the only obstacle in the way OF his
embracing the new form of wOr-
ship was to get rid of the
idols. He, however, succeeded in
selling them off one after another. In
/ that country. continued the speaker, they
have the memory of several hundred
saints, to whom they pray or appeal
in hours of diatress. In one town
when It was announced some three
years ago that Protestants were GO
ing TO hold worship there for the
first time, the artillery and infantry had
TO becalled 20 arms by the Governor OF the
city to keep the masses from assaulting
the few persons who were in attendance
at the mission church. The speaker con-
cluded by remarking that the people were
rapidly learning to read the Bible and tn
discard the worship Of idols. The adj
dress was exceedingly interesting
| throughout.
Tonight at S o'clock Mr.. MacDcnell
will deliver an address upon the same
/ subject at the Wesley Monumental
| Church.