The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-09-30
Continued from Fourth Prge.)

mont branch was then formed. Mrs.
Luther Daniels was chosen president;
Mrs. ]. II. Goulding, secretary; Mrs.
Geo. II. Fox, treasurer, all these were
from Rutland. 1t was voted to hold the
annual meeting the last Wednesday IN
October. Therefore five months consul
tuted the first financial year. The re-
ceipts during that time were S563.49.
Mrs. Daniels resigned her office IN 1910,
and Mrs. Horace Fairbanks OF St Johns
bury, was elected president. Mrs. Fair
banks resigned in 1885, and Mrs. A. w.
Wilde was elected president. Mrs. Wilde
resigned in 1890, and Mrs. G. G. Bene-
dict was chosen president.
The Branch has held twenty annual
and twenty June meetings. There has
been contributed to the Woman's Board
since the branch was formed, SIS, 641.92,
adding the S6,96772 given before the
board was formed, and the amount
given from Vermont to the Woman's
Board is S95,6O9.54. The Branch has
supported ten missionaries with an ag-
gregate of So years of labor in India,
Turkey and Japan. The Branch has
contributed for Bible, women, scholar
ships and schools in Turkey, China,
Micronesia, India and Japan.
The present number of auxiliaries is
1876; of mission circles 49, The present
officers are Mrs. G. G. Benedict, presi-
dent; Mrs. Henry Fairbanks, secretary;
Mrs. c. NJ. Stone, recording secretary;
Miss Mary C. Torrey, corresponding sec
tary: Mrs. T. NJ. Howard, treasurer.
The amount contributed the past year
has been $5,452. The largest legacy
ever received by the Branch was that of
the late Miss e. Maria Hubbard of
Bennington, of 81, l46.6S.
Mrs. Gutterson of the Madura Mission
was next introduced, and at once won
the hearts of her listeners by her mag
netic personality and earnest words.
Mrs. Gutterson said she had no story to
tell of the sacrifices of a missionary's
life. To her had been given the honor
of being the child of missionary parents,
who went from America to South
Africa, and labored there for forty
years. An honor which she priced
above anything the world could give.
Then she married the man she loved.
and went to India to share his life and
work, and certainly there was no hard
ships in that. Mr.. Gutterson, who has
the happy faculty of seeing the good as
well as the evil in all things, then spoke
in an interesting way of her impression
of India and its people. The Hindoos,
been won were most devoted friends.
They are reached and helped just as
people everywhere are helped, first by
loving them and then by expressing
that love, just as God helps us by loving
us and by expressing His love. AS
fathers and mothers are not content
with the ordinary daily supply of their
children's needs, but are always on the
watch to add to their happiness by doing
something extra, so the Heavenly
Father added to His constant beneficence
the extra gift of His dear Son, as the
highest expression of His love for us.
The speaker closed with tender appeal
to all Christian women, as the Christ
mas-tide approaches, bringing memories
of Gods extra gift'' to them, to make
some little return in the form of an
"extra gift'' to Him. ut may be that
this gift of yours, whether offered from
your abundance or at cost of some
personal sacrifice, whether it be of
money or influence or labor or better
still, your very self shall bring help to
some woman across the seas, who must
otherwise go unhelped and unsaved.''
An Offering for incidental expenses
was made, and the exercises of the after
noon closed with prayer and benedic-
In the evening a public meeting was
held in the church, the pastor Rev. G.
r. Seymour, presiding. The devotional
service was led by Rev. Charles II. Peck
of North Bennington. Mr.. Seymour
spoke briefly and then introduced Mrs.
Gutterson, who had, he said, already
spoken to the convention which was the
principal reason why they wished to
hear her again. Mrs. Gutterson in an
informal talk gave her audience glimpses
of Hindoo life and character, with bits
from her own experience. The religion
of the Hindoos, Mrs. Gutterson said, is
an exceedingly complicated one, a mix
ture of philosophers and superstitions.
Having forty thousand gods, they are
beset with fear on every hand lest of
fence may in some way be given to some
of the innumerable divinities. Relig-
iously India is far below what it was in
the olden times, yet it has ever been the
teacher OF the Orient in spiritual things
giving to the other countries of the East
the best that they have known, by prop
agating the religion of Buddha, which
teaches much that is pure and elevating,
India will continue to be the spiritual
leader of the Orient, as she herself be
comes Christianized. 1t is fact worth
knowing JldJ all OJHOuOA 1lHuOOS art
called upon to set aside the 18th day OF
October next, as a day of prayer tC
Almighty God that He will show to the
world that Hindooism is the true relig
ion.
Dwelling upon the utter lack of truth
fulness, which is characteristic of the
Hindoo character, the speaker said that
although England had brought much
evil upon India, especially in forcing
upon her the opium traffic, yet in many
ways the English domination had beer
of the greatest benefit. 1t is something
to be depended upon. In the English
court, justice can always be obtained by
the natives.
The last speaker of the evening was
Rev. Albert w. Clark of Prague, Austria
who, in a stirring address, gave vivid
picture of his work in the historic city
of Prague, which he said was old when
Columbus discovered America. If the
good people of Vermont were interested
in home missions, he might properly
come before them as home missionary
since from his far away church he had
sent ten preachers and three or foul
Bible women to America to labor among
the Bohemians in Cleveland, Chicago
and elsewhere America has to-day nc
more eloquent preacher than one Of
these men now working in Chicago. In
1872. the American Board sent three
- .N,;a Coho Ola