The Portland daily press., 1900-11-08
At Meeting Woman's
Board of Missions.
Address BY Miss Alice M. Kyle
of Boston.

Boston, November 7.-The 83d annual
meeting Of the woman's Board Of Mis-
lions is in session in New Old South
church here.
A memorial service was held in mem-
org Of Miss Mary s. Morrill, and Miss
Annie A. Gould. who have been massa-
cred in Paoting Flu, North China. The
memorial addr was delivered by Miss
Alice M. Kyle, or Boston. Field Secre-
tary. She said;
At this hour there is laid upon me the
voice Tor the Board the sorrow which has
fallen upon us all, and with almost
crushing weight upon one OF our branch
es, especially. in the destruction OF our
buildings In Paoting -fu, the scattering
and suffering of our schoolgirls and
native Christians, and the taxing from
our ranks Of faithful workers, by violent
and cruel hands, of two of our beloved
missionaries. 1t Is mine, also, to bring
at this time, the personal tribute OF
personal friend.
Nearly thirteen years ago, it was my
privilege to know Miss Morrill, In the
old Payton churchsin Portland, to follow
her as she offered herselff to the Ameri-
can Board for work in China, to share
her JOY when she was accepted, to help
her in little ways as she undertook, amid
many obstacles and some discourage
ments, her preparations fer entrance up
on the work in which she has been
"faithful unto death"
Her decision to go as missionary to
China. although the result of long
thought and prayer, was hastened by the
reply made by her Chinese pupil In the
Sunday school, when she asked him II
his mother knew about jesus, 'She only
q woman, she never know unless some
woman go to tell her." So, when she
started In March, 1889, upon her long
journey from Maine to San Francisco,
and on to her mission station In North
China, alone SO far as missionary oom-
panion was concerned, because ths friend
who would fain have gone with her was
held at home, she said as her farewell, 81
am going to try to make at least one
Chinese woman glad that was born"
Shrinking, quiet. not progressing at
the first glance, but with a flame OF love
for her work SO intense that it illumin-
ated her faoe as she began to talk about
1t, with q dogged persistence that enabled
her to conquer the Chinese language
against unusual odds, in less time than
many another, and with q seeming indif-
ference to personal comfort that shrank at
no self-denial, after sixteen months spent
in the family or MIR. Merritt, she went
to live in the house built by the woman's
Board of Missions for two single ladies,
ab SOIue uttlc utbtoDCc AIOlu lut OtncF
missionaries In the compound, alone save
for. her old Bible woman, Cnang-ma, ever
since the companion Of her missionary
tours, and 1t may be the sharer OF her
final triumph, because" as she said,
II can get to know the people better so."
Here she laid the foundations for the
boarding school, and here she entered
with her own peculiar devotion into the
lives of the Chinese women.
Meantime, at Mt. Holyoke College,
another ortland girl, through an appeal
made byssRev. Otis Gary for Japan, heard
the cali and wrote TO her mother for per-
mission to give herself to missionary
work. The reply of that mother, in the
light of the fiery ordeal of the past few
months, has become q part OF theiheavenly
reoords,-"I have not In all my life been
able to give all / wanted TO for foreign
missions; 1 Will try now to see what
can give up" And Annie Gould in 1892
offered herself to the Board for Japan.
When asked to go instead to Paoting-fu,
China, to be Miss Morrill's much needed
helper, she did .notshesitate to accept the
change, saying quietly, 81 want to go