The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-10
DorOthy,s IissiOp--Is 1t Yours?
BY ARBIE G. BAKER.

BN AEBlE ii. BhhEh.
Dorothy aame home from church one
Sunday morning and went directly TO
her mothers room. "Mamma," she
said, as she laid aside her wraps, 81
wish that you could have been at
church this morning. Doctor Atwood
preached the lovelest sermon [ ever
heard his text was about forgetting
those things which are behind, and
pressing forward. 1t was just soen-
did all about what grand lives we
must live for Cod" She seated her
self in u low rocker rs she finished
speaking, and placed her feet on the
fender with the air which always an
nounced that she was settled for "cosy
talk with mamma"
"And what do you think Of the ser
mon. nv daughter ?n said her mother,
smiling into the bright young face
turned toward her.
"Oh, it was beautiful, and made me
long to do something that really would
amount to something for Christ-some-
thing like going on foreign mission:
or writing q wonderful book would
inspire everyone who read it to lovely,
unselfsh lives, or if I had voice like
Florence Nightingale's and could sing
and make sufferers forget their pain,
or-or in some way 'uplift humanity
as Doctor Atwood said"
"Well, DEAR" answered her mother,
"you know that no heights, in either
goodness or greatness, are reached by
sudden flights. TO write the wonder
full book will require years of patient
toll and striving after the highest in
Yourself, for we cannot lift anyone
higher than we stand ourselves. To
be Florence Nightingale also means
unwearing voice culture and prepara-
ton, and if you really mean to 60 as
one of Gods front rank soldiers to
foreign mission field, you cannot begin
too soon to get ready for that"
"Why, mamma, do you mean that,
now, right here at home, l can get
ready to 60 as foreign missionary?
How could l do that? There are no
healhen here"
"There is much work for the Master
which lies within reach of us; and do
ing faithfully the duty that lies next to
us is always preparation for the duty
tha. lies beyond. But have
been thinking for some time of
vast mission that is almost
within our door you would not have
to leave your home to find your place
in it,"
Dorothy's eyes had been growing
large with wonder. "Why, mamma,
what do you mean ?" she cried.
Il mean the colored people," her
mother replied quietly.
Dorothy's face fell Instantly. "Oh,
mamma, they are not mission !
There are plenty of colored churches
for them, and there are just as good
schools for the colored children sa
there are for the white children; be-
side they are so-well, so-But what
could l do for them ?" she broke of
abruptly. =,
dorothy, dear, in this bright South
land of ours there are over seven mil
lion colored people, and very, very
MANY of them need the salvation of
the Lord Jesus. Perhaps here in Al
lanta, and some other cities the schools
for them are excellent, but in many
places this is not so, and beside that,
YOU know the older people did not have
these advantages, and their homes are
where sin and ignorance do their worst
work. 1t is in the homes of the COL
ored people that our Women's Mission
ary Union is trying to DO its most ef-
fective work. And it is work of all
Others we Southerners should be inter-
ested in, for they live among US, and
are numbered with the other lost sheep
that Christ came to save"
"But what can [ do for them? L am
only young girl!
Eyes, but you are one of Christs
followers, and he required of each do
US whether young or old, that we do
all that we can for him. Have you
ever thought what you might DO for
Sallie, the cooks daughter"
"Salie that disagreeable, imperti-
nent child? Why, mamma"
$50 she is, but do you not remember
that it is said, Even Christ pleased not
himself?n You might win Sallie to
become one of Gods children. You
are little older than she is, and your
influence over her could be a strong
one. Stop her when you meet her and
have an opportunity and talk to her
about going to school and keeping her
self clean, then watch for your chances
and you will find way to help Sallle
to become better girl. In that way
YOU would commence your work of
uplifting humanity at once"
but, mamma, I had such different
idea of that. 1 though that uplifting
humanity meant something great, like
it would be to do something for the
whole seven million of the colored peo-
pie at once"
"That is the trouble with most peo-
ple's thoughts on that subject. They
think that they will wait until they
can do something great for God, and,
as most of us never have an opportunity
to do great things, we spend our lives
without doing anything. You are
thinking of the grand work that you
may do some day in the future, which
will bring many stars to your crown,
| but God has placed beside you here
little, dark, unpublished stone, which
you may help him to polish into an i'm"
mortal star, to shine forever and for
ever. He says, Whatsoever your
hand finds to do, do with your might
That means what you find nearest your
hand and, for you now, is it not Sallie?
Just think for moment if every boy
and every girl in all the Southland
should help to made some colored boy
or girl better, would't that 60 long
ways toward uplifting all of the seven
million of the black race"
Just then the dinner bell rang, and
as Dorothy rose to go she said, "I'll
try mamma, to cultivate my mis-
sion."