The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-08
MISS SEYMOUR'S TALK.
Was Listened 10 with Great Interest ID
the First Presbyterian Church
Yesterday Afternoon.

Miss Seymour addressed the Foreign
Missionary Society of the FIRST Presby-
terian church yesterday afternoon. She
has a charming manner in extern
paranous speech and her pure diction
and graphic descriptive powers made
her remarks all too brief. She said
that owing to the limited time she
had been unable to prepare anything
for the occasion, and could only give
q sketch of her impressions during her
residence in Vienna. She spoke of the
effect of European life in exaggerating
ones likes and dislikes and mentioned
her own extravagant love for archi-
lecture especially as eXemplified in
cathedrals.
The famous st. Stephens was q fav-
orite resort toward which her feet Of
ten tended and the intense absorption
of the devotees always impressed her
strongly, as often aged and decrepit,
they knelt for hours on the cold stone
floors. The prayer Incline thine ear
had new meaning since so frequent
ly she had seen the bent head of the
priest listening to the penitent in the
confessional box. She had stood and
gaZed at the windows, in their marve-
lous beauty, where the PROSTATE Christ
was being nailed to the cross and again
at the one whore a risen Savior in
His glorious resurrection looked out.
Constrained to come OH equal ground,
knelt the fish wife and the countess.
| exactly the same in their humility.
In looking often on such scenes she has
thought God bless the Catholic church
that by pictures, and precept thus
constrains the people and makes them
learn by every impression that there
! is a Savior of Souls"
There have been other scenes that
| have caused her to breathe a. sigh of
| pity that not yet in that church is
| realized that only the blood of Christ
cleanseth from all sin.
She was Mortified by the goddess Sun
| days of Vienna, and almost grew to
| say with the Prophet Il, only /, am
| left" for she really believed it to be
the wickedest city in the world. But
| she found her mistake for in the heart
of Vienna were 1000 people living
| godly lives amid all the evil.
She then described the sale in the
house purchased by the Baroness
I.angenhan and given by her to a
| Wesleyan Methodist society, where
every Sunday services thronged with
followers were held under the direc-
| tiors of q minister who preached with
all the simplicity, earnestness and
directness that We hear at home and
when always q quiet little woman
sat in a distant corner who yet bore
in her dignity and grace, the mark of
q long line of noble ancestry. This
was the Baroness and many times in
it's seventy-five years history, the little
church has been disturbed by legal
processes as the city government is
Roman Catholic.
| However, these processes have not
been instituted against it by the Cath
olics at any time. Finally last spring
when another attempt to close the
church had been made and it SEEM
ed, would prove successful the Baro-
ness was discouraged almost to the
point of Withdrawing to Buda Pesth
where she might worship undisturbed
The little society gained a victory with
no restrictions save that 1t is forbid.
den to ask O. child under fourteen OF
parents not members, to come to the
church. The Baroness has also estab.
lished two mission churches in th'
slums of Vienna.
Miss Seymour, in closing, spoke OF
the America Board of Mission ani
| urged the need of more prayer and
| more effort to raise the burden, Mrs
Mcleod, after prayer by Miss Seymour
announced that Mrs. Hunt would give
an appeal for the child widows and
girls who are suffering under the
famine in India and collection was
| taken.