St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-11-09
now Cuban Children In America are
Being Cared For.
BY JttiA M. TRIBUNE.

'6hthSoS that mas Deen prominent
is that all this grief and loss and sor.
row may be blessed to the mental.
moral, and spiritual uplift of the PEG.
pie who have come under the govern.
ment OF the United States; that to
them all may come not only freedom.
but, through the gospel, "the liberty
wherewith Christ makes Free" To
this end a great wave OF duplication
has gone up to the God of nations
from christians everywhere. But
faith without works is dead"
We need not pray for the fuller
evangelization of Cuba unless we
help to the limit of our ability. A
special opportunity of great value
now stands open before us. This is
through work which may be done
among the little Cuban children now
in this country. Those who read the
Sunday School Times need no re.
minder of the Importance OF early
Christian training, and will immedi.
ately recognize the value OF such an
opportunity as this. There are many
refugees among US. I speak espec-
tally OF those in Brooklyn.
Here for several years has been
maintained a home school, where
Spanish-speaking girls have been
trained to be missionaries to their
own people, if God so leads. Until
recently these have been of va
rious nationalities, Spanish, Next
cali, South American, and Cuban
but the late additions have all been
from Cuba. There are twenty-five
now in this home, Of ages from four
to eighteen, most tenderly cared for
and taught by two christian women
who are giving their lives to this
work. The children bring with them
all the faults and failings peculiar to
neglected childhood; but the relig-
ious atmosphere, the gentle frmne SIS,
and the faithful teaching OF Gods
Word, soon result in changed lives
and habits. All the older girls are
earnest Christians and jealous mis-
sionaries among their own people.
The children have most implicit con-
fdence in Gods readiness to answer
prayer. Last winter, when the refu-
gees were coming by each steamer,
many Of them in abject poverty,
without food, warm clothes, or
money, the girls would pray most
earnestly for the sufferers, and then
hurry round to seek help from those
who were in better circumstances.
Many were thus saved from starva-
ton. At another time one of the
girls was very i'll. Her father, a ply
sician, with her mother and other
riends, came to take care of her.
The father brought other doctors,
and everything possible was done
for the child, seemingly without sue
cess, as she continued to grow worse,
until all agreed that it was impossi-
BILE for her to live. But daily, almost
hourly, the rest of the girls gathered
together and prayed earnestly for
their little friend, and God honored
their faith by her sudden recovery.
The father said: "We could do moth
ing more for my child. God alone
saved her life in answer to the pray
ers of these girls. l never heard be-
fore of such religion, and l want it.
Oh! teach me-" He speedily gave
himself to Christ, united with the
and is living a consistent life,
working earnestly for the salvation
of his friends.
This work has given to many
young Christians an opportunity for
active effort. One young girl had
long been anxious to teach music
gratuitously to some one who had
not the advantages which had been
given her. She offered to give music
lessons to one of these Cuban girls,
and speedily became so much inter
ested in them all that she took an
other pupil, and another, until she had
i've. Other young ladies have one or
more pupils also; another teaches
physical culture. A mission band
made an entire outfit for one girl.
Recently young Cuban sat in an
room, and quietly watched
all that was done. Afterwards he
questioned as to who these girls were,
why they came, etc. Then he said:
Il will never take my family back to
Cuba until my children are educated.
want to see my girls grow up such
useful, earnest women as these are.