New-York tribune., 1900-02-26
WOMEN IN PARISH WORK.
THEIR INFLUENCE AND GIFTS FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF RELIGION.
sEX-ROYAI ABBEss OF A PIoUs ORDER


It has been said of woman's work in the ministry
that she cannot endure the strain OF long pastor
ate or the drudgery of parish work. Many women
however, have dspToved this assertion from the
fact that they being more and more generally
welcomed into the work of the churches.
When any reforms needed in church work, 1t
Is who carry them If a certain sum
of money has to be raised It is frequently
an who heads the list. There many examples
TO prove the truth of this. s in the of Miss
Mary King, daughter of former United States
Senator John A. King who finally in long
and persistent struggle against the establishment
Of roadhOuse close to All Saints Episcopal
Church, at Great Neck. Long Island. Miss King
who is active member in the church, resolved to
suppress the project. and after overcoming stupen
dous difficulties. finally succeeded in buying up the
land.
Miss Smyth. daughter of Justice Smyth. of the
Supreme Court. recently gave a gilt cross TO the
Church of the Heavenly Rest in this city. The
cross is two feet high and the letters I. H. S.
engraved at the intersection of the It
placed in the mortuary chapel
When the First Methodist Church Of Orange n.
j., required $4,000 pay off the mortgage debt of
the church, Mrs. Thomas A. Edison the first
to respond, and headed the list with $1,000. 1t
goes without saying that subscriptions followed
thick and fast, and the necessary was raised
in day.
The First Baptist Church of Columbus Ohio is
known as the ''Woman's Church." because the
women designed it and responsible for It's
erection. 1t was for many years a stock complaint
with the men of that parish that the church
were uncomfortable, the air was bad and the space
cramped, and for these reasons they did not care
to attend Sunday services. But the matter
taken in hand by the women, and a church was
soon completed which is UNIQUE in its arrange
ments for comfort.
Looking in the vestry one would be re-
minded little of theatre. for there lobby and
there are boxes fire escapes and check room for
wraps. There also those which no theatre has
| lit, ,l,1
bicycle parlor Its large kitchen cook for the
refreshment tables of fair of any size and its
parlors WIFI accommodate all the sewing societies
that TO gather there. All the rooms are
completely furnished The halls Corridors also
are finished in colored marbles and valuable hard
Miss Eleanor c. Donney. OF Philadelphia re-
Society of that city with most interesting relic.
made in the fifteenth century and exquisitely en-
Isabella Of spain The fragment is Of white satin,
and evidently formed the upper half of the front
Of chasuble. Time and service have the
terial almost as thin as paper, and on side
nGe aTge wo has bap 5s1 on torn torn @ y
the chasuble. and the remaining surface of the
and coorng. exquisite as to workmanship
fen aos @ Wh ~ b an "a e1d per
The genuineness OF this relic has been fully verified
City of Mexico O'0 o'''''' VI '"e
FAMOUS FOR CHARITIES.
Miss Mary Crane. member of the First Congre-
gational Church of Dalton, Mass. is famous for
her charities She is much interested In church
work, and has spent thousands of dollars in trying
to help the working people of Dalton and the coun-
try round about. Last year she purchased a farm,
and on it built a cottage for. fresh air children,
known as Holiday Cottage" The Institution
supported entirely by Miss Crane. and II a work
in which she is deeply interested
n United Brethren church recently organized
In Kansas by the women, who undertook to erect
house OF worship In the centre OF the village Mar
maton of the city of Fort Scott Their resources
were just enough to buy the material build
ing, and so, after debating for several
women resolved to do the work themselves and
about a dozen of them put old dresses and went
to the site with picks and shoVes and worked In
cold north wind, throwing the dirt of the
foundation. only stopping to get dinner for their
families. After two days Of labor. and when they
arrived for work on the morning of the third dav
they found a large company OF the men of the
town already there 10 take the labor off their
hands. The men worked all day having suspended
business, and the women prepared generous din
for them.
The building material has been ordered and the
women announce that they will complete the church
without further aid from the men. if necessary.
A religious order which is the exclusive in
the world is the "Stifts Damen." Noble Women
of Prague. 1t was founded by Maria Theresa. and
has had ever since for its abbeSs a daughter NJ
the imperial house. While II affords a retreat for
many girls OF high birth but limited means all the
members not impecunious They are free TO