The Portland daily press., 1891-12-28

the origin and development of this new
order of deaconnesses. Miss Reeves Isl
the possessor of the quality known as
magnetism. She has kindly, benevo-l
lent eyes, and a gentle manner. She
was dressed in black, the uniform of the
deaconesses. Her voice is low and SYM
pathetic. A passage from Luke gives
the keynote of the work of the deacon
esses: go out quickly into the streets
and lanes of the city and bring in hither.
the poor and MANNED, and blind and
lame. Go out into the highways and
hedges and constrain them to come in,
that my house may he filed"
Miss Reeves said that the first of the
deaconess homes was in Chicago, and
the movement for their establishment
throughout the country originated I'M
that city in June, 1887. In the spring
of 1888 at preachers meeting at Chi
cago a memorial was sent to the gen
eral conference asking for recognition
and authorization for the work. The
general conference of the church there
upon authorized the institution of the
order of deaconesses. Progress has,
since been continuous. There are now
deaconess homes in Boston, Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Denver
Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Omaha, Sagi-,
nav, st. Louis, st. Paul, Buffalo, De-
troit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Syra-i
cuse and Washington, as well as in!
New York and in Chicago. The Chi
cago home was practically founded byl
Mrs. Lucy Rider Meyer; the New York
home completed its second year of ex-ll
istence May IS, 1891. 1t was Rev. The-i
odore Flildner, a Lutheran minister in
Germany, who first suggested the idea
of the organization of deaconesses
for charitable work. In England
it has been very successfully carried
out and in the United States
there is every promise of its meeting
with equal favor. "For Jesus Sake" is
the motto of the deaconesses. No vows.
are exacted, and anyone of their num-
Der is at liberty to relinquish her office
as a deaconess at any time. The duties
are to minister to the poor, visit the
sick, pray with the dying, comfort the
sorrowing and, relinquishing wholly
all other pursuits, to devote themselves
to such form of Christian labor as may
be suited to their ability. When work
ing singly each deaconess is under the!
direction of the pastor of the church,
with which she is connected When
associated together in home they are!
subordinate to and directed by the
superintendent in charge. A deaconess
who was taking to a, poor woman some
provisions entered by mistake the
wrong door of a tenement house and
found herself in room where marks
of poverty were very apparent. On
bed lay woman whose appearance
was repulsive; by her side was whisky.
The deaconess spoke words of comfort
and began to read from the Bible. The
woman interrupted her, saying: 81
know how to read, so you needn't both
er." Closing the book the deaconess
said: twill pray for you," and proceed
ed to dose. On rising from her knees she
was surprised to see the woman crying,
who said amidst her tears: "Oh, it
seemed as though l were girl
again in England going to church
with my mother and sisters"
The object of the training
school is to increase the efficiency of
women preparing for deaconess or
other Christian work by practical and
theoretical instruction. The women
band themselves together of their own
free will. The training school furnishes
courses of free lectures on elementary
medicine and nursery. and affords an
opportunity of learning methods or
work, and to familiarize the student
with various forms of missionary work.
The school also gives practical training
in missionary work by house to house
visiting to aid churches and pastors in
city missionary work. Applicants for