St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-10-29
THE WOMAN'S AUXILIARY.
Annual Meeting at ST. Andrews Church
Missionary Methods Discussed.


meeting preliminary to the 10Th
annual gathering of the Vermont
Branch of the Woman's Auxiliary to
the Board of Missions connected
with the Episcopal church was held
at St. Andrews on Tuesday night.
Quite number of the delegates had
already arrived, and these, together
with fair sprinkling of St. Johns
bury ladies, were present at this in
formal meeting, which had been ar
ranged by Rector Buckley with a
view to enhancing the interest in the
more formal sessions of the Auxiliary.
After shortened evening service
conducted by Mr.. Buckley an address
was made by Rev. A. H. Wheeler of Is
land Pond. After a few facetious
remarks in regard to what was ex-
expected now of the visiting clergy"
Che happening to be the only
out-of-town clergyman who could
get here in season for this early meet
ing), MIR. Wheeler spoke concerning
missionary work in the section
where he is located, and told of the
gradual progress made there in
spite of many difficulties He said
that in most of the places visited by
him the women would take the lead
in religious activity. He believed that
missionary service could be best done
by beginning at the centers of popu-
| lation and working out therefrom,
instead of giving so much time to the
sparsely populated places, where
results were slow to show them
selves. The state missionary, he
said, had visited S5 towns the past
year; touching at so many different
localities, he thought, precluded the
doing of thorough work at each point,
and he was decidedly in favor of
letting a missionary remain in one
locality long enough to sow the
seed, nourish it and gather some of
the fruit. In closing he urged the
auxiliary to labor with this end in
view.
Rev F. D. Buckley also spoke for
short time and gave an interesting
address. He said he was not wis
iting clergy" and had hoped that
there would be a number of them
present, so that he would have moth
ing to do but listen to and enjoy
what they had to say; but he was
glad to be in the middle of such
work as this in which the auxiliary
was engaged. When Christ came to
earth he found here religion that
was local in its character, and it
needed his coming to teach not only
the truth which the Jews already
held (the oneness of the Father and
Cod, but that other truth that all
mankind are brothers; then men be-
gan to believe that there was not
only one God, but also Jesus Christ,
an Elder Brother ready to put out
his arm and lift up his fellow-men on
to plane that they had never been
able to reach before. The command,
go ye and teach" said the speaker,
has never been withdra ther,
it has been intensified. To quote
from Max Mueller, whenever a
church ceases to be a missionary
church it ceases to be His church"
Mr.. Buckley called attention to the
large amounts expended for mis-
sions, not forgetting to emphasize
that other lamentable fact-that a
great deal more is spent yearly for
rum and tobacco. Missionary
operations are not a failure, he said,
progress has been slow in most in
stances, but thanks to God if we can
see Improvement. Reference was
made to what had been done in
Patagonia, the Fiji Islands and else
where in bringing the veriest heather
out into the gospel light. Mr.. Buck
ley spoke earnestly of the wonderful
power of a consecrated wealth; said
this nineteenth century had been
remarkable one for man, abounding
in scientific development of which
our forefathers never dreamed; and
he predicted still greater things for
the next century, in which, he said,
much would be accomplished not
only for mans material welfare, but
as well for the glorifying of God and
the building up of his kingdom on
the earth. In closing he urged the
necessity of living closely in accord
ance with the motto, Holiness unto
| the ord ,, in order that all may be