The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-02-25
Y. w. G. A. CONVENTION.
National Gathering Of Young
Women Begun Yesterday.
MANY WORDS OF WELCOME
Addresses by the Delegates and by
President Andrews and Mrs. Joseph
Cook-PIans for the Year and for the
Worlds Fair Thoroughly Discussed.

The opening exercises of the national
convention of the Young Women's
Christian Associations was held yester-
day at Association Hall at 3 o'clock D.
m. Mrs. o. ii. Durrell chairman, pre-
sided. Opening exercises Of prayer and
song were held and the meeting then
came to order.
AT 8 o'clock the opening address was
made by Mrs. j. " Osterhout of Provi-
dence She spoke OF the need OF spir-
itual power in the convention.
Prayer was then offered by Mrs. Noyes,
followed by a hymn.
Mrs. Fuller, the former president of
the Providence association, addressed a
few words of welcome to the visitors.
The association has hitherto been obliged
to depend mainly upon its own re-
sources, but the aspect at present Is
hopeful for cooperation. The history of
the Y. w. C. A. SHOWS that their work is
blessed or God. She expressed the hope
that the annual convention would be a
perm anent custom. The work is great,
and demands answering fidelity.
Miss Effie X. Price made a short re,
sponse in behalf of the visitors.
The address of the afternoon was made
by George s. Avery of Boston, on "The
Weapon of Christian Warfare" lie
said:
"We are constantly in the camp OF the
enemy and it behooves US to know the
enemy's strength as well as our own.
There is danger in disregarding the Word
of God, which is our weapon in the
Christian warfare. Abraham who be-
lieved the Word of God, was forearmed.
We have before us the Words of God /:
If two or three are gathered together
there the Lord is.' The Word of God
is living aud sharper than a two
edged sword. The Bible is full of
beautiful characters who revered the Word
of the Lord. We need to be clothed with
power and that power ia the Word Of God
Joshua was another instance of one
who feared the Lord. The Young
Women's Christian Association as well
as the Young Mems CHRISTIAN Associa;;
this is the keynote OF their success. We
will never become weary in Gods work
is hidden in our hearts. There is
life in the spiritual body and that life is
given by Gods Word. We should be
Lord.
We cannot afford to run any risk with
our powers of reasoning. Satan and his
hosts are very shrswd. We have much
in the Bible to warn us lest we get away
from the Word that is the foundation Of
tne CHRISTIAN rellRlOu.
At the close of the address n nominat-
ing COMMITTEES was appointed by the chair
and retired to perform the duty of select
ing nominees. The following officers
were nominated and elected for the con-
vention: President, Mrs. o. Ii. Durrell,
Cambridge; vice presidents, Miss X. 4.
Morse, Orange, n. j., Mrs. A. p. Potter.
Lawrence, Miss Jean j. Bergland, Bos-
ton press secretaries, Mrs. Fuller, Prov
idence. Mrs. q. c. Cotton, Quincy.
Miss Ellie X. Price of Chicago spoke on
"The Association and the Worlds Falrn
"In the Woman's building we are
tion," said Miss Price. " 1t is remarka-
BILE To see how each association carries on
it's work. All tins will be shown in our
department in the Woman's building.
There is delight in knowing something
about the environments OF our friends.
L ask you all, when you visit the fair, to
call upon us in our ninety square feet of
space in the Woman's building.
A request has been sent to every state
where we have work to send in all infor-
nation to our department"
Miss Price outlined the plan of work
laid out for the association at the Worlds
fair, aud extended q hearty invitation to
all who may Wit the fair to call upon
the international convention at their
headquarters in the Woman's building.
Miss Mary Silverthorne OF Mortified
Seminary spoke upon samuel, a Char
acUer Study"
AT the conclusion Of the addresses a
business meeting was held and the fol-
lowing committees appointed by the
chair:
Nominating committee, Mrs. W. l..
Phillips. Miss Ruth Bailey, Miss Ellie X.
Price.
Credsntial committee, Mrs. NJ T..
Emery, Cambridge; Miss Emily 5. Bill
lings, Providence; Miss Lillian Hazle-
ton, Colby University.
Business committee, Miss Annie M.
Reynolds, New Haven; Mrs. ;. K. Shack
ford. Lowell; Miss Ella j. Russell,
Lowell.
Committee on state committees re-
port. Miss t. 4. Morse, Mrs. E Collins.
Waltham; Miss Ruth Bailey, Lowell.
Committee on resolu tions aud memor-
Miss Katherine Frear, Westerly; Miss
Anna Burr, New York.
Committee on publications. Miss Nellie
Brown, Mrs q. h Warren, Miss Eva
Faucher.
The evening session was held in the
Mathewson Street Methodist Church. A
service or prayer and song was held from
1880 until o'clock. At the conclusion OF
these exercises an address. was made by
President +. Benjamin Andrews on
What Christianity mas done for
Wanen."
TT is question OF great Importance
what Christianity has done for the
female sex. The women OF olden times
were looked upon with semi-contempt.
as n sort Of imperfect man. The Chris
tian religion began the emancipation of
woman. IL was Jesus's idea that women
were one of the great factors I'm the
trend of human progress. Christ did
not look down upon them. Although
some of the apostles may have wished to
subordinate womankind, Christ did not.
IL is now universally admitted that the
primal idea of Christianity was human
brotherhood. Tho progress has neces-
sarily been slow for Christianity had to
take the world as IL found it..
Christianity has triunphed numerically,
but this must not be all. The idea OF
geographical growth is often made too
prominent In our prayers. In no Chris
tian land today is there "A vestige OF
human slavery. The emancipation of
woman was also primordial conception
OF the Christian religion. There IL no
land where Christianity has eKerted a
greater influence than here, but there ID
much vet TO be done. Polygamy is one
of woman's greatest enemies In her pro
gress. IL dwarfs every phase OF her adj