Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-12-24
MRS. MARY c. MIND.
TWenty-seven Years of Faithful Ser
vice,

The subject of this sketch, Mrs. Mary
G. Mind of Detroit, gave very able
address on Missions at the M. +. church
last Friday evening in which she pre-
sented synopsis of heathenism and its
results in degradation, disease and
death. Sunday morning she preached
gospel sermon.
Saturday the RECORD representative
was given "a hearing by Mrs. Mind at
the residence Of DR. and Mrs. +. S.
Pettyjohn where she spent the week,
and learned the following facts con-
corning her connection with the Wom-
ans Home and Foreign Missionary
society since 1871, two year after its
organization, and since that time has
been engsged in evangelistic work and
the organization of auxiliaries. She
has travelled over every state north of
Mason & Dixon's line and some south of
it. For several years previous to 1884,
Mrs. Mind was president of the Western
Branch which included all the western
states from Iowa to California Before
this she was assistant secretary of the
same branch for some time In 1884
this branch was separated into five
divisions, after which Mrs. Mind acted
as corresponding secretary for the
Minneapolis division and in that capacity
had charge of all the home and foreign
work.
Mrs. Mind returned about year ago
from tour Of the Methodist mission
fields of the world, having been gone
two and one-half years and travelled
81 900 miles. She started from San
Francisco and visited successively Japan,
China, Malaysia, Burmah and India,
spending some time in France and
England on her return journey She
saw the practical working of missions,
observing the missionaries at their work
and in their own homes, and visiting
the schools and hospitals. She also
made thorough study of the people in
| their homes, at the shrines and in their
places Of work and business. Mrs.
Mind was in China during the war with
japan and escaped harm, although the
danger was sometimes very great as the
Chinese government, she says, affords
no real protection in case of riots or
other uprisings. 1t was her privilege to
preach to and teach $4,000 different per-
sons through interpreters, while in
heather lands. AT last the effect of try
ing climates compelled this earnest
worker to return home.
Mrs Mind is prepared to say that all
the adverse criticisms and cruel remarks
concerning missionaries by tourists and
others, are entirely groundless. The
missionaries, she says, are the most hard
working and devoted people known,
enduring hardships of every kind and
only leaving their work for breath of
fresh mountain air, when they can no
longer endure sleeping where the ther-
mometer registers 100 at night.
The Woman's Home and Foreign
Missionary society of the M. E. church
in the L. s. includes eleven divisions in
all, and since its inception inr69 has
disbursed over four millions of dollars
and never had salaried officer. The
society has never incurred debt, and the
proceeds from their publishing house in
Boston have enabled them to distribute
a great deal of free missionary literature.
Surely women can manage business
successfully if given chance. The
contributions to the work of this society
have increased each year in spite of the
hard times, and this year they hope to
raise S313 900 for missions.
"In Journeyines Oft" sketch of the
life and travels of Mrs. Mind has been
prepared by Georgiana Baucus, a COM
panion of part of her travels, and the
first issue is now on sale. A very inter.
esting work.