Evening star., 1898-08-06

F. Hickey. W. ]. Hickey. J. F. Reilly, Cecil
Gallant and Paul Mcfarland.
or all the various church agencies. none
occupies closer place in the heart of
many Christian people than deHconess
work. One Of the most prosperous branches
of the order is in Washington. and is un-
der the superintendent Of Rev. Or. A. H.
Ames.
OF the objects Of the organization. Mrs.
l. h. Meyer said few days ago:
u mike other children of the church II
has been self-supporting from its birth.
and II has never called upon any treasury
OF the church for dollars support. our
wants are met by the numerous generous
donations o. our friends.
The growth of the order has been rapid
SIX months after the action OF the general
conference the first national dcaconess
confert nee WAS held in the rooms OF the
training school in Chicago. At this con-
Vehuon plan Tor securing uniformity in
lhe Deaconess Home OF the Methodist
Episcopal Church was elaborated. ernbrac-
ing the subjects OF organizations. admis-
sion, training. costume and support. This
plan was readopted in all its essential fea-
lures at succeeding conferences. and at
present all the homes in the United states
are working in line with its principles un-
/ less 1t be In the matter Of organization.
our order is quite different in it's admin
istratlon from that OF the sisters and kim
dred orders in the Roman Church. There
are no vows TO be taken nor ecclesiastical
functions to be discharged. 1t is simply r.
band of faithful women performing self
distressed.
"Deaconesses are OF many kinds They
are visitors, nurses, both in and out OF hos
pitals; teachers of the Bible in our training
schools, singers, editors and writers; stem
ographers and clerks. kindergartners and
kitchehgartners' speakers, hospital super
lntendents, physicians housekeepers cooks
etc. etc. Anything that any Christian wo-
man car do may be done by a deaconess.
Nothing is too high for her-nothing is too
humble.
There is a special course OF training for
all classes of workers. The nurses receive
instruction, both theoretical and practical
quite like that given in the best training
SCHOOLS Tor nurses connected with our city
hospitals, supplemented by a careful drill
in the Bible, book by book, and in the
church discipline and catechism. The same
thoroughness and adaptation is followed in
the training of each class the course last
ing two years in each case. Unless the
rrobationer is able and willing TO bear her
own expenses, they are borne by the home.
At the close OF two years the deaconess is
formally consecrated by a simple but beau
tlul public service, and is licensed for fur
ther work. There are three conditions
which must invariably be complied with
before any applicant can become a dea-
coness: She must take the training to hit
her for the special work she may feel call
ed to do, agree TO work without salary and
TO refuse all presents, and wear the simple
costume of the deaconess."
Since the founding of the work there
have been fifty-one deaconess institutions
erected. located in Germany, India China
and Africa, besides in the United States.
Including the non-licensed deaconesses,
there are about 100 employed in the various
fields Property has been accumulated to
the value of s1J695o Statistics of work
done each year are so incomplete that no
adequate report on that line can be given.
Since the Inauguration of deaconess work
by Mrs. Meyer 1t has been taken up by the
Woman's Home Missionary Society or the
Methodist Church. and this society is Wig
orously pushing the work on every hand
and meeting with most gratifying success.
-Four years ago the society reported seven
deaconess homes Now II has twenty a
training school for deaconesses a hospital
for nurse-training, and a rest-home for
deaconesses, dedicated at Ocean Grove on
the 10th of July.