The age-herald., 1901-05-14
The Work Accomplished by Baptist Women of South as Shown in the Re-
 cent Report
BY ANNIE kENpaIcK WALKER.

BY ANNIE kEND2lCk WALKER.
 The interests of the Baptist women of the South have been centered the last few days in the meeting of the Woman's Mis- sionary Union which held its annual gath ering in New Orleans in connection with the Southern Baptist convention, which last night adjourned it's forty-sixth an- nual session.
 The Womans Missionary Union Is an auxiliary to the Southern Batist conven- tion, and its object is to carry out in It's work the recommendations of the home and foreign boards.
 Particularly have the Baptist women realized the mission of woman to wom- an and in their work they have reached hundreds of heathern women who have blessed the coming of missionaries sent by the women of this Christian land
 New Orleans has been the Mecca for hundreds of Baptist women who were either delegates or visitors to the Mis- sionary Union, and the meetings have been conducted by some of the ablest women in the South.
 The rendezvous for the visiting women has been the St. Charles Hotel, and as usual there were many social functions arranged in their honor.
 The most important report of the con- vention was that of the corresponding secretary, Miss Annie W. Armstrong of Baltimore, Md, who Is one of the fore most and most consecrated workers in the mission cause in America.
 The following extracts from Miss Arm strongs report will show the extent of the work for the year accomplished by the Baptist women of the South:
 Total amount raised by W. M. U. dur ing the year 19O0-19O1, $SS,262.31.
 Cash contributions. including gifts to the church building loan fund of the Home Mission Board: To the Home Board, $20, ,549.54; to the Foreign Board, $31 ,s01. .SS to the Sunday School Board, $622. .42.
 Box Conrtibutions-365 boxes valued at $20, ,887 SS were sent to home missionaries. contributions of pasted work, etc. amounting to $155 80 for German Indus trial School included; Al boxes valued at sS4O1.16 to Sunday school missionaries.
 Offering at the annual meetings, 19O0- A13 was the amount raised in cash and pledges for the purpose of a gospel boat, to be used by female missionaries of the Canton province, and for payment of running expenses for one year. Miss Claudia White of China explained the need for such a boat; $16.S0 was given to- wards the mountain work of the Home Board.
 The Church Building Home Fund $35OO. the gift of Southern Baptist women through w. M. U., laid the foundation of this much needed found. Dr. F. H. Kerfoot presented the subject at the last annual meeting. Corresponding secretary w. M. U. suggested that central com mittees endeavor to secure in large amounts, gifts of 5000 each from their respective states. As stimulus to en- deavor, a check for 5000, from Mary land worker, was handed the secretary of the Home Mission Board. Later, $500 was given from Kentucky, and 5000 from one who wishes name and state withheld, the last two being on the annuity plan.
 Dr. R. J. Nottingham, corresponding secretary of the Foreign Mission Board, with headquarters at Richmond, Va, in his annual address to the union, spoke on the subject of woman, with special ref erence to her work for missions, and in the course of his address, to which the New Orleans papers gave great promin- once, he is quoted as follows
 Dr. Willngham said that he believed one of the saddest sights in the history of the world must have, been the expul- sion of woman from the Garden of Eden. Could one picture the misery and the agony of that night? Yet 1t had been go- ing on for more than three-fourths of the women of enlightened nations, the un- crowned queens of Christian homes, 1t should be an awful thought that millions and millions of the other women on the face of the earth were thrust out in the darkness, without God, without church. without a Bible without the influences of a Christian home, without purity, pro- lection or hope. With the coming of Christ was a second garden scene, and the dawning of day for women. Wom- an received the first message from the open tomb, and again she was driven forth by angels, this time to tell the world of the resurrection of Jesus. Dr. Willingham believed emphatically that Jesus called women to testify for Him. and when He had received the gifts which Mary had lavished upon Him He said that this would be a memorial Of her wherever the Gospel was preached. Here He had connected the gifts Of women with foreign missions. and He had united women and missions even into closer bonds when He had given 1t to women to welcome Paul into Europe. To woman Dr. Willingham said was given the foun- dation work of missions, and he was glad that it was so. He believed that the greatest number of the conversions of the world were due to the women. One of the missionaries just going out to China was the cousin of the consecrated secretary of the Woman's Union, and he believed that the influence of her life had had its effect upon him.
 It will be of interest to konw that whereas the Baptists numbered no less than 1864, ,407 communicants in the United States In 1S90 the Baptist population to- day is estimated at fifteen million per sons. They have 32,145 clergymen and | 50 969 churches.