St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-09-28
MISSION NARY RALLY.
Rousine Meetings In the Interest of
Home Missions.

Friday was home missionary field
day for the Congregationaists of
this town and vicinity and meetings
were held at the South church dur
ing the whole day.
The morning service was opened
by devotional exercises led by Rev.
Edward T. Fairbanks. The first
Speaker was Rev. c. H. Merrill of
this place, secretary of the Vermont
Domestic Missionary Society. He
said the elatter was only an adjunct of
the national society; regretted the
fact that the larger churches were
continually drawing away the lead
ing members of the smaller churches,
and said that the society's greatest
work was to keep up religious
interest in the rural districts. He
then read some letters from country
clergymen, asking for workers from
the prosperous churches in larger
places. Workers were wanted who
would 60 from house to house doing
evangelistic work.
Rev. c. w. Shelton of Connecticut,
field secretary Of the Home Mission
airy Society was the next speaker.
He read letter just received from
a missionary in the Cherokee
strip, which has just been opened to
100000 boomers" Only 10 mis-
sionaries are in this number and
they need more funds to continue
their work. They need 100000 at
once to forward the cause Of Christ.
Rev. George A. Hood of Boston,
secretary of the Church Building
Society, was the last speaker of the
morning He told the audience how
churches were built and scored the
Congregational society for not keep
, ing pace with the other denomina-
tions in this church extension work.
1t was a tremendous mistake, he
said, that this church was making
in trying to organize two hundred
churches in year and building but
one hundred meeting hosues. The
!. speakers last point was that the
y attempt to carry on a church with
e out place Of worship was killing
S the missionaries, and he stated that
the money sent to these workers was
wasted unless it was in sufficient
quantities for them to start in thi.
e important branch of the work.
S The afternoon session opened with
4 a presentation of home missions from
:, woman's standpoint. Miss Pres
ton gave an account of the home
l. missionary work in Westmore. Ther'
r was no church there, but now {
r, church has been started with II
members. Miss Lydia Hartig, an
other lady worker of the Vernon
le Domestic Missionary Society, spok
I. of her work in northern Vermont ant
ir of the difficulties of working in {
N community where the people are too
4 poor to support church.
~ Mrs. {. w. Shelton spoke from tn
is theme, Home Missions in the Ma
ton from a Woman's Standpoint.
10 Her address was one of the most in
G. teresting of the entire session ant
was a vivid description of the hom
ol life of home missionary. Mr.. am
ID Mrs. Shelton began their labors il
h Dakota in 1881 and endured grea
n hardships in their work. Mr.. She
he ton followed with graphic descrlE
d, ton of life in the Cherokee STRIP
st where the day the land was opene
l to settlers 100000 people of all ne
d. tionalities poured in.
so Rev. w. G. Puddefoot was the las
IN speaker of the afternoon and mad
10 one of his inmitable addresses.
ly The church was we'll filled in tn
IN evening and a novel feature of til
ed entertainment was the introductio
of the stereopticon and nearly 20
views. The views were taken mostl
by Mrs. Shelton, who operated til
II. instrument.
=. Secretary Merrill was the frs
:. speaker and explained the Vernon
IL views that were thrown on tf
at screen. Several churches were show
er, that had recently become self-sul
,,r porting and also the oldest church
- the state.
ne Secretary Hood followed and SON
c. of the little churches on the frontl'
as were shown.
he Secretary Shelton showed views
49, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorad
as aud elsewhere. He showed how ne
pl- essary it was to plant churches
he these growing towns in order
he save the young men.
no Rev. MIR. Puddefoot was the la
of speaker and he explained to the a
me dence the views from foreign cite
where our emigrants live, the Bo'
cry and other New York city view
the Crackers" of Georgia and t
B. emigrant train to the West. T
.o,, meeting closed with America"
I'M ..,l,:oL Ill Lo,.l:i., ;1:,aJ