Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-31
IL WAS THEIR DAY
Yesterday Was the Anniversary
of the Woman's
HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY
Addresses Were Made BY Mrs. John
DAVIS AMI Mrs. Jane Bancroft ROBIN
son-Other Sermons.

tue Methodist churCn, winch Was held
IA the Division Street NJ. r. church las
evening was one OF the most earnest
meetings ever held IN Grand Rapids
Mrs. Jane Bancroft Robinson, as sht
dseIt upon the subject or CatholIcy
ana the rights OF the Catholics IN theii
| religion as religion. and not as fac.
TOT an politics, was greeted WITH q
round OF hearty applause.
The service opened with the usual
devotional exercises, conducted by the
Rev. A. VI. Gould. The address by the
| president, Mrs. John DAVIS. WAS the
! lrst on the program. She read her re-
marks. which dwelt upon the work OF
the deaconesses chiefly, and men
toned the work IN the different states
she spoke OF the deaconesses as per.
sons who had no dread of death. be.
cause they held that Christ died fol
them" She also mentioned the work
IN Detroit, Philadelphia. Plttsburg and
other cities. The deaconesses homes
are, she said, places where women are
educated into the art of missionary
work.
Result of the work.
The result OF the work of these so.
work. The motive of the society is
comprehensive. and the methods in
clude almost every feature of mission.
airy Work. III, rs has been 50 III
the work of the organization is but TO
pick up stray straws, IL is q divine
agency and the hearts of the women
should swell with pride. LET US &C
cept the territory that belongs to us as
wives and mothers. We are to protect
the hearthstones, TO provide loving
mothers and christian fathers If we
desire to have the nation long occupy
Its present position"
Mrs. Jane Bancroft Robinson of De-
troIt, said: al am unspeakably joyful
tnat this anniversary comes AT the time
OF the anniversary of our country.
After 400t years of existence We fiud
ourselves one or the most prosperous
and advanced nations on the globe.
Retrospect, nation after nation has
risen and fallen during that time. yet
we continue to prosper. During that
time mans thoughts have changed,
have turned to the right of man to
govern himself and to worship God ac-
cordlng to his own mind. In it comes
the time of Martin Luther who taught
that there IS no barrier be-
tween the mind of God and the
mind of man; the period of the refor-
nation; the Puritan movement IN
England, and finally the pilgrims. At
that time began the freedom Of rell-
gious thought and and action, and to-
day in our broad land we have no
slaves or serfs, or persons who cannot
worship God according to the dicta-
tons Of their own consciences. How
do we connect the affairs of the nation
with the affairs of society? The society
represents the American christian NO.
men, and there can be no one more in
tsrested than the wives and daughters.
Bes~t by Dangers.
We have a great land, vet it is beset
by dangers that no other land ever had
10 contend with. There is the south
opened to development since the civil
war. There are 100000 colored per-
sons TO be christlanized. and protected
by education or some more effective
way. There is the west with 250, 600
Indians pushed westward until it seems
that the bayonet can drive them no
farther. They will soon be given the
power to vote, and what can BE- more
important than that they be taught to
vote properly? This is not only chris
tlanity but patriotism.
Then there is Salt Lake City, where
the reign of superstition is not ended
The Mormons are clamoring for their
"rights." 1t will be sad dav for us
US when they get these "rights."
In San Francisco | have heard Chi.
nese and Japanese girls tell the
nj Af
ton. In the eastern seaport
towns, you can hear the advancing
tread OF great INVASION. A peaceful
invasion to be sure, but an invasion
that 10 bringing foreign IDEAS and prin-
ciples. Ave must make the immigrants
good Americans, and the best wav to
90 it IS by giving them the gospel of
Christ; we are all one in Christ Jesus.
New Mexico IS soon to be admitted to
the Union, and two-thlrds of its popu-
lanon are romanists. am not saving
anything against the Catholics in anv
way. They have a right; it is their
privilege TO believe in their religion
and to worship under its formulas.
They have right TO control them
selves, but when they attempt to con-
troll our public institutions, such as
our public schools, they must stop.
Saving the Girls
There are also many pathetic in
stances coming under our notice al
most daily. One wss in the case of
colored man 80 wears old who came 10
one OF thedeaconesses and begged to
be taught his alphabet. Those of US
who have crossed the water have been
touched by the palmetto face. of girls
on board the inc ming ships. Girls
who believe that gold is plenty
in America and that they
can obtain work At nigh wages
the moment they land whether they
know anything or not. Think Of them
drifting out on the streets, lost Tn
honor and purity, having fallen into
the clutches # immoral men and
women. Surely il is womsn's work to
meet them. To greet them kindly. and
II necessary to offer them the shelter
of homes.
cit Is the spirit We have in va that
makes "a valuable IN TINS work. What
re want more Of "a love Of God and
him love e his children. The
time e coming when man will Re to
man even "a Christ wss-brother to
brother"
The services ended with q duet bv
the Rev A. VI. Gould sud his daughter
,srrie, "A song to our country. the