The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-13

mission circle must be formed of the
older children on her list, and a mission
circle leader who finds a dozen new APP
plications for membership in her circle
from those whose names have been for
two or three years on the Cradle Roll
list. These are the fruits into which the
Cradle Roll blossom is likely to expand.
The expansion of this same life principle
has led some Sunday school teachers to
an effort outside the brief Sunday hour
with its precious Bible teaching. to prac-
tical enforcement of the freely we have
received, freely give in little monthly
meeting to work and study for missions
1t Is the same sort OF expansion that
makes wise leaders of Junior Endeavor-
societies carry a missionary wing. 1t
makes little difference whether the OPP
portunity is called Sunday school class,
Junior Endeavor or Mission Circle, if
only the ideal Christian service is ex-
banded so children will know that upon
each Christian lies the responsibility Of
taking some share in bringing Christ to
the whole world. 1t is the same eXpan-
sion that leads some of the young ladies'
societies to pray regularly and work
| heartily, and leads some missionary COM
mittees to Establish missionary libraries
in the Y. p. s. c. E. and advocate the
enlargement of the Tenth Legion.
1t would seem that 20 new organiza-
tons this year would considerably in
crease our aggregate number. 1t does,
| but not so largely as the number would
seem to warrant, because here and there
some have fallen through lack of lead
er, just as here and there some societies
diminish or stop their contributions be-
cause there is no one who realizes the
loss entailed through many small defic-
its. This lack of leaders has been the
great barrier to expansion all these
| twenty-eight years. 1t is not that there
are not enough gifted, intelligent wo-
men in our churches, but that there are
so few willing to expand their sphere of
influence that it may become world
wide in its out-reach, or that those who
| try are so often unwilling to undertake
the labor and sacrifice involved in doing
it well. Our fourishing mission circles
have not come by chance. Their sue
cess, like that Of most valuable achieve
merlts, has come by hard work. Some
one has counted it better worth while to
give an impulse toward the highest con-
ception of Christian service in the young
life which she touches than to decorate
china or embroider doylies; better worth
while, perhaps, than even to cultivate
herself indefinitely, or keep her house
immaculate. May | illustrate from cur
rent items in our Branch history?
Here Is Mrs. A., to whom the expansion
we long for means opening her beautiful
home once a month to a company of
twenty to forty children. There is a set
of boys in her dining-room working at
bent iron and leather articles for sale.
They are real boys who do not remember
to wipe their feet, and there are some
scratches coming on the polished furni-
ture, but Mrs A. believes that even the
nice things that she possesses are to be
kept for the Masters use" In the sun
ny sitting room, set of girls Is dressing
dolls for the next box to go to the Smyr-
ma Kindergarten. There will be threads
and shreds on the carpet, and possibly
a good many hours work in finishing up
the dolls, but she knows that in putting
in those stitches the girls have come to |
realize that the children in Turkey, who |
do not have dolls, are real children, and |
counts the price not too large to pay for |
the chance to impress on them their |
privilege In helping bring joy into dark !
lives In the library some younger
children are making candy bags
for missionary Christmas trees, or
cutting out scrapbook pictures There |
is danger that the musilage will get |
spilled, and 1t takes close Watching to
help the unskilful fingers to accomplish
any results really worth sending
abroad, but Mrs A. has no difficulty
in securing the help of those older girls
whose interest so often lags, because
they think it FUN" to work with her.
and always have good time at her
house. There is an odor of chocolate
that tells us that the kitchen comes
into service here also. Before they
break up there will be a devotional
meeting in the large hall, led by the
little president in which each one has
some part, and the service of the hand
is linked with the conservation Of the
heart in their minds. There has been
an outlay Of money In keeping up this
circle, for we happen to know that the
tools and materials for the iron and
leather work cost about $40. and Mrs.
A. had to take time to learn how to use
them herself, but we doubt if the ex-
penditure of time or money has seem
ed to Mrs. A. any more difficult than
the cost of entertaining the whist club
has been to Mrs. b., and it has been
much less than the series of afternoon
teas that Mrs. G.. gave. We do not
know whether she can afford to be so
hospitable or not, but we think she
would rather give up some other luxu-
ries than this one, and we have some
times wondered if the fact that she had
worn the same hat for three years had
anything to do with her readiness to
give so freely to this and other lines of
Christian work.
There is Miss d. who so ceverly
1ecorates the pretty programmes that ,
The children are so eager to get, and
who contrives so many new games to
leach missionary items At one time
We found her house decorated viii pa
per arrows all pointing upwards, and
discovered that they We're supposed to
nave been shot up through from China {
IN the other side of the. world, and
hat each carried on its point some fact
II question about China. 1T all takes .
ime, but Miss d. has given her time
md talent to the Lord, and does all this 5