The Newtown bee., 1898-06-03


Seldom, il ever, has Newtown con-
gregatiOn had such treat in the way of
listening to q lady speaker as was enjoy
ed by the good-sized audience that gaLn-
cred at the Congregational church last
Sunday evening TO hear Miss MotfAtL's
plea for home missions. MISS Moffatt is
q brilliant speaker. She knows how to
paint vivid word-picrures. She carries
ner auditors with ner ana makes them
see the things which she has seen. The
congregational Home Missionary Society
is indeed fortunate in having 50 talented
a woman to plead the cause. 1t is safe
to say that when she returns to New
town, which it is hoped may be soon, she
will have many to hear her who did not
hear her on this present visit, for the
news of her ability will spread.
Miss MOffatt began her services in mis-
sionary lines some 10 years ago, entering
upon slum work in New York City. Al
that day slum work was anew thing, and
certainly few women were engaged in it.
Miss Moffatt was first employed as mis-
sionary by st Georges church (Rev DR.
Rainsford's) to work on the East Side of
New York. She knew what New York
was when the first Florence Night Mis-.
sion was established in Blocker street,
and when, outside of the mission, on that
street between Broadway and the Bowery
every house was saloon, brothel or
gambling-den. Miss Moffatt was pro-
badly the first woman in the world to en-
gage In this all-night mission work. Her
address Sunday evening took her audi.
ence to Oklahoma. Only few things
are reproduced that she said. A Masea-
chuseJts man was asked how large he
thought Oklahoma to be. Being Mas
sachusetts man, he tried to be very gen.
erous, and so he said it might be twice as
| large as Massachusetts,; but, in fact, it is
as large as all New England, and then
has 1900 square miles to spare. Most OF
those who went into Oklahoma with the
great rush that settled the territory went
there to get something for nothing. Miss
MofFatt viYidly described her entrance
upon her field of labor. She went as faI
as she could by railroad, and then was
landed with her trunk, not at any regu
lar station, but at a shed where cattle
were corraled for loading on the cars
Here she was met by man with s
wagon having immense wheels. Th'
man clambered in, but made no offer tt
help Miss Motfatt, who had to mount tt
the board seat as best she might. Ii
such conveyance she had travelled 4 ,00C
miles over the plains. The road wa
rough over which her first ride wa
taken, making the board seat grow no
very comfortable before the ride wa
finished; and yet over this same road
church on it3 way, in sections, from
Kansas had been transported to its sit
] in Oklahoma, in which church Mis-
Motfatt preached. 1t Is rough life on
there. Once she spoke to an audienc
, of men, in which there were only tw
who had heard the Scriptures publicl
read and only one had ever heard
prayer. The cowboy
ala very interesting specie
of the genus homo and yet he belong
to a class that has been sadly neglected
Miss, Moffatt described an interview wit
!. one of them. She had heard that b
=. wanted to see her. He came into he
Il presence and, after an awkward pause
,, espied a hat-hook, and throwing hi
\ broad-brimmed hat of the cOw-bo
there,f al reckon it Does" replied Miss Mo
tat. This exchange OF words broke the ice
but a further awkward pause came when tn
cow boy was given chair, which he 80
down on as If 1t was a wholly novel exper
ence. Look at my legs" he at length brok
in. There was nothing for Miss Moftatt to d
but to look at them and she saw how bowe
- and crooked they were. This was the Gov
10 boys way OF introducing the strange story {
d his life. His companions, rude fellow
!, though they were. wanted lady mtssionar
!" among them, whose gentle, sweet way
would soften them and do them good. Mis-
MofFatt remembered how her society ha
cautioned her against making any promise
tor expanding more money; hard time
| would not allow that. She delicately SUI
gested that funds were lacking. "Oh, "
boys will put up the cash" was the instant II
ljoinder. And now lady missionary
working among this rude class and doing NJ
BILE work. One of the sad things Miss MOfta
had TO tell was how 20 Congregations
h churches that had been gathered In 0klah
ma had been cut of because of Ia diminishe
treasury. She closed by relating the story
- the little girl who was carrying q large bat
in her arms, and was asked, ais he nottheav
!, for your" EYES," was the reply, but he's ~
y brother" So those who are being lifted U
by the missionary Esociety lare our brother
and it should not be counted a burden
D, bear part in carrying them to loftier idea
and a better lite.