The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-08

The decision Of the Mormon church
authorities a few years ago to send
women missionaries into foreign lands
attracted general attention. and the re-
suits of this new departure were re-
garded with deep interest One Of the
first young women called for labor in
the foreign field was Miss Inez
Knight daughter of Jesse Knight
of Provo Miss knight spent
two years in Great Britain and return
ed to her home last month. She has
written for The Sunday Herald an
interesting account of her experience,
which shows that there is a broad field
Tor the woman missionary.
My missionary labOrs date from April
81. 1898, when I arrived in Liverpool
and received my appointment TO labor
in the Bristol conference. Before set
sling down in that district. my COM
ramon, Sister Jennie Brimhall Knight
and !. accompanied by my brother VIII,
visited several conferences. which were
then being held each consecutive sun
day At each conference we were called
upon to bear our testimony and to
speak concerning the life of Latter
day Saints in Utah.
We spent one month visiting the
principal cities Of France. Switzerland
Germany Belgium and Holland. In
Holland and Germany Though it is
not az all generGD some women work
i'm the fields. and some even help to
draw hay carts, being hitched with
dog or a COW. Some women are also
employed to carry mortar and brick to
the top Of very high buildings. Yet
many such slaves would say. when
Latter-dav Saints were mentioned:
"Oh. they are MOTmOnS from Utah. L
don't want anything to do with them.
because in their church and country
the women are such dOWntrOdden
slaves"
Returning to Bristol. we took up the
work Of visiting the homes with tracts,
attending, and sometimes speaking in
open-air meetings and attending TO the
regular Sunday and Thursday meetings
IN the hall.
In tracing we were usually treated
respectfully, but with indifference. We
were seldom invited inside, though
sometimes we had lengthy converse
tions at the door. The people as Z. rule
would talk about family affairs. and
nearly every one had some trouble to
tell. but conversations on the gospel
were not So frequent
Al Unpleasant Experience.
My first day at tracing made a last
ing impression on my mind. both on ac-
count of novelty and discomfort. TIE
first three ladies visited greeted me
kindly and accepted the tract offered
hut just before the fourth lady opened
the door the third came out and re-
turned the tract. saying. Il don't want
such trash. / know who you are, and,
my good girl, If you knew the Nor
mons as ! do, You could not be induced
10 do such work"
At this point the fourth lady opened
the door and was soon informed BY her
neighbOr that / was a Mormon. where
upon she joined in severe abuse of our
people 1 told them that ] had lived
among the Latter-day Saints in Utah
all my life. ana ought to know some
thing about them.
was then asked if / knew Mary -,
and after answering in the negative
the lady before me said: Then you
are liar. for -0u either did not come
from there. or else you know her. for
she went out there with Mormons six
years aga and has not been heard Of
since. She followed me TO each gate
through the row to introduce me. Alto
Eether | was not very sorry When my
tracts were disposed of.
Public speaking generally. ard es-
f''idl4E III lut 'pell-4lI meetings ulu
not al first agree with my idea of wOm-
ans mission. because my ideal woman
for the most part devotes thu besl Of
her ability and accomplishments 10 her
own home and family. In the work of
open-air speaking. however, | waO en-
outraged by the increased audience and
attention lady speaker attracted. The
meetings were seldom broken up by op-
position. though occasionally there
were Interruptions.