Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-06-29
Build a Tabernacle.
PROVIDE A PLACE WHERE THE
BAREFOOT BOY CAN 60 TO
HEAR THE WORD.
Give More Attention to the Heathen
at H0me-Bring the Boys and Girls
Into the Sunday SchOOls-A
Suggestive Article.

To the Editor of the Ledger.
MEXICO, Mo-, June 2S.-Mexico is as
we'll supplied with commodious public
buildings of architectural beauty and
fashionable design as any city of its
class i'll the West, but there is de-
mand-a reasonable and strong de-
mand-for Town Hall or tabernacle,
or structure, call it what you maya
shed, a cheap structure-with only one
floor that would seat 800 to 1000 peo-
pie. We need it badly Tor the large
conventions which annually come to
our city; we need it for college COM
mencements, closing exercises of the
schools, large religious revivals, and
other large meetings which no other
hall or house in this city can seat,
and for many conventions and gather
ings which would come to Mexico if
we had place something like the one
at Pertle Springs, and for which many
such meetings feel unable to pay the
usual rent of an opera house.
But the greatest need, and the one
that set us to thinking on this subject,
is the need of place under no one
church's control where all the chill
dren in the city of Mexico could meet
in a Union Sunday School every Sun
day afternoon. We want place that
everybody will feel at home in and feel
fa Lot hn al, nd
teachers in Mexico's Sunday Schools
think for just a moment. When did
any of you see a bare-footed boy or
girl at your Sunday School or your
church? When did you see one there
dressed in his everyday clothes? We
build our magnificent temples of wor-
ship with stained and many-colored
glass in the windows that vie with the
plumage of the peafowl in gaudiness
Of color; We carpet the aisles and pad
the pews and paint and burnish till
ones image is reflected from floor to
ceiling. But where are the poor, the
honest and the worthy-the plain
dressed man, woman and chill
dren who form the majority-yes, the
majority-in Mexico and every other
city? They are at home, many of them
unable to buy suitable clothing which,
in their justifiable pride, they. feel they
ought to wear to our temples OF fashion
among our broad cloth and jewels.
Church vies with church, aided by
all the side attachments of societies,
leagues and endeavors, in raising mon
, ey to send to China and the islands OF
the sea to educate and convert the
heather. This is right; but what are
we doing for the bare-footed "one-gal-
lus" boys ofMexico or the sun bonnet
girls? Who ofus is seeing that they
our boys, our girls, Americans, not
Chinamen-are receiving religious in
struction2 Who sees that they are
taught of Him who lived with, loved
and taught and fed the poor, who had
not Himself home wherein to lay
His head or even a burial place
for His mortal body? We are edu-
| shCA thC L EScnOOls
all right, but we want some place
where we can call all these children
$50 many of whom go to no Sunday
SchooD and teach the great Bible
truths to them. If three or four of the
earnest tSundaySchool workers i'll each
of our city churches would come to-
gether in this work we could soon
have these little ones all inter ested in
the Sunday School. They will not at
tend our fashiona BILE churches.
Will not the end justify the means?
Will not some one suggest plan or
place? We certainly are not doing cur
whole duty. Remember, more bare
footed Toys have lived to fill our ma.
tion's highest seat of honor or shape
the destinies Of our nation by their
learning and eloquence upon the Sem
ate floor than ever came from the veal
thy and well-dressed class. Let us do
something for the worthy, bright, bare
footed boy on Sunday afternoons.
Yours to Help,
J. V. WILLIAMS.
Il