Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-12

of delegates and visitors mounted high
up in the thousands

Ni'C"AiS, 'ht HiOAt dCllNe interest
| taken now by women in missionary
work 1t was said that while in 1855.
wnen the conference met last in Lon
don. only three hundred women attend
Cd the woman's meetings; three thou
sand were present three times day
at the meetings in New York.
! y very clever delegate from Norfolk
to the council gave 4 few days ago an
Instructive talk concerning her visit
there. relating many points of remark
able interest that she culled from the
speakers.
It may be we'll in speaking of her talk
| to begin with the anecdote that she re-
lated as plea for the missionary. Two
men were discussing the missionary
subject. One declared that savages
could not be Christiani.ed. the Other
held the opposite opinion Both. later.
! happening to be shipwrecked on
foreign island. the man who did not be-
iieve in foreign missions walked up to
the top of 4 hill to rsconnoiter. trying
all the time to avoid the natives.
Reaching the top. the first thing he es-
pied was church: and then this in
consistent man. in great delight came
rushing down the hill crying: You
need not be afraid; they have a church
! here"
Speaking on the subject of India. one
of the missionaries said. Hindoo may
break every law OF his religion and be
exempt but if he takes food from n
person Of lower caste he will be ex-
communicated.
| There are twenty-scven millions of
widows in India and fourteen thousand
| fourteen years of age Their hair
IS always shorn and they must live on
| one meal day. In 1884 the custom of
| burning The widow on the husbands
! funeral pyre was abolished. The Eng
! iIsh governments attention was called.
in 1877, To the fact that on an average
/ two widows Il day were being burned.
The superstition was that il they would
! consent to be burned they might after
| wards be born again into q. better state,
! ana If they refused in the other world
| they might be reborn some horrible
beast. The reason they are widows, il
| is believed. is because in some former
state they have committed a great
| crime.
one Of the visitors to the conference
was the daughter of Puudi;a Ramabai,
| the lIiudoo widow. who is doing so
| much good in India having $40 widows
in her school: aud also 4 Hindoo widow
who is being educated in Rochester.
| New York. 1T speaks we'll for the Hin
| doc woman that one of her sex grad
uated first in 4 class Of Goo mon and
Is now Professor Of literature in one
! of the colleges in India.
Regarding leprosy. a missionary
| stated that as far as nc knew Father
! Damien was the only worker among
| lepers who had contracted leprosy.
only small percentage Of the chill
Gren Of lercrs developing the disease
1t IS not infectious ana. while contas-
ious. is not highly so There are leper
settlements on the Himalaya, tho Ha-
Waiian Islands. Canada. and 1t is well
known that there IS one in Louisiana.
The leDers are treated with great
cruelty by the heathen natives. a
story was told of a Chinese mandarin
who determined to rout ieprosy on, OF
his provinces. ana he invited them all
10 a feast and then had the house fired
and burned them TO death. IN some
parts % China it is n death penalty to
have leprOsy. and they often run away
from their own province and escape 10
India to be under English rule.
Some OF the exhibits were % an inter-
estinS character. From japan there
We're two edict boards Prohibiting
Christianity. which had existed from
the sixteenth century; and an African
exhibit showed Livingstons drinking
CUP ana toast rock: also necklace
made Of human teeth
The Mohammedan. said one OF the
missionaries, prays five times day for
The Christian TO. become Mohom-
lnedan. and how many Christians ne
asked. pray once a day for a AIohom-
ENTERTAINMENT For THE GIRLS
HOME
There was a good attendance yester-
day afternoon and evening at the en-
| tertainment given for the benefit of the
Girls Home. at The residence Of Mrs.
l.. =. White. on York street In the
afternoon the children enjoyed Il Japa-
nesa game.and those who succeeded in
p.nninS the queue onthe old Japanese
gentleman. and winning the prizes,
were Misses Mary ana Elizabeth
Thompson, and Eddie Thompson and
Willie Freeman. There was also n
! iTrctCV Jap1ne5e dancc 10y the Misses
Townsend and Michigan.
Tempting refreshments We're served
both afternoon and evening
In the evening the program in part
was as follows: Skirt Dance, by Miss
| Maggie Lowell; Selections, by Mrs
S;arkc Sutton; Recitation, by Miss Mel
| lie Mason; Recitation. by Miss Pettitt:
Fancy Dances. by Miss Madge Lowell
PERSONAL MENTION.
Mrs. Shackelford Green. with Mrs
LEVEL who has been visiting her this
winter, lcti yesterday Tor Washington.
Miss Shepherd VINO has been visiting
Mrs. Pickett. on Butte street. left yes
terday FOR her home in Fredericksburg
Mrs. Henry Little lett yesterday for
Richmond.
Miss Reba Mitchell is the guest of
Miss Mamie Kensett.