St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-17

to such illustrious women as Susanna
Wesley, Barbara Heck and others who
had contributed to make Methodism
what it is today. Woman had done a
great deal for civilization, and We're
it not for her, man would quickly
lapse into barbarism again.
81 would be pleased" continued Mr..
Wyman, "to see woman have the big
gest part in the work of the Method
list church. The first deaconess society
was organized in 1888. when the gen.
eral conference took action. AT pres
emit there are more than 500 deacon
esses, and the work has had the
a like kind ever inaugurated in the
Methodist church to care for the sick
and needy and pray for the dying.
Theirs is such a splendid object In
life. Is there anything grander Tor
woman than such noble sacriflc1ng
work? She will receive a good reward
when the work is done and tie Master
calls"
A DIVINE SERVICE.
Rev. B. F. Longley, Winona, believed
that the deaconess service was the
divinest service Of all earthly minis
trations. He spoke Of it's voluntary
character The best and noblest OF
men had been ministers, and so had
some of the meanest men. So long as
large salaries were paid ministers the
congregations could never be sure
whether they were for God or for
money. They could never be sure
whether they had paid services from
ministers or voluntary services. The
work Of the deaconess was done freely
and without reference to worldly rec
ognition or recompense. In this con-
nection he said:
when a worker foregoes all imam
cial remuneration, then there is an ele-
ment about her work which commands
the profoundest admiration; which
challenges our highest praise. the
deaconess service, more than anything
else, precludes all possibility of being
influenced by selfishness, and no
temptations of the flesh or the devil
can interfere with their work. 1t Is
not service of restraint or glory, but
for the love Of the Lord and the service
in His work. They are volunteers in
higher and holier sense than are
soldiers They are volunteers over
whose work no worldly praise is sung.
Rev. J. S. Meyer, Chicago, said that
it was a mistake to think that men
were more fitted to carry out great
missions than were women. 1t was
woman who first made Christ known
to the world, and men nailed Him to
the cross They ought to recognize
that when God put SO much faith in
a woman, there was no reason why
man should not. The deaconesses We're
to be commended for the way in Whlch
they conducted themselves in trying
circumstances, far more so than men.
Mrs. Lucy Rider Meyer, Chicago,
founder of the deaconess movement
said that the feature of the work was
it's providential origin. A tree planted
by God was full of sap and of bounding
activity. The deaconess work was
right in the church. 1t was not ike a
missionary society, to be patronized by
the church, but was part OF the
church; an arm of it. 1t had proyi-
dentially been the means OF turning the
face of the church toward the poor
The deaconesses realized that it was
only self-abnegation and an endeavor
to lift others up that made life worm
the living.
DR.. William Mast Brodbeck, Boston
occupied the pulpit at Wesley churcn
last evening.