The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-04
MRS. SHELDON'S ADDRESS
'ATTHE 4 ANNIVERSARY OF THE LA-
 DIES' HOME MISSIONARY so CIE7Y

Delivered in Center Church Chapel
 What the Society Has Accomplished d h
 the Last Fifty Years-some Interesting Companions in the Work.
 At the f1ftieth anniversary of the La qfes Home Missionary society of Gen. ter church Friday evening a very in-
 teresting address was given by the < president, Mrs. Theodore H. Sheldon, on the work the society has accom-
 plshed during the last half century. The address was as follows:
 For half century the Ladies' Home
 Missionary Society of Center church
 has been carrying on it's work of min-
 istering to the needs of those faithful ones who have stood for Christ and the
 church in the mission fields of our own
 land. In looking back over the records
 of these years we find this memoran-
 dunn: At meeting of ladies and gen.
 tlemen belonging to Center church. New
 Haven, Conn.,, which was held at the
 house of Deacon Lewis Hotchkiss, No
 vember IF, 1851 it was decided to form < ~ k2SWl lAl6 SoSlcly, lOI Iue IWU-lOlu puE-
 pose of aiding home missions, and of
 promoting acquaintance among mem- Abers of the congregation. It was also
 decided to hire a room in Smiths build- Ing; the ladies to furnish it, the gentle men to pay for the rent and fuel,
 which room should be used as a place sof meeting for the society and for other
 general purposes" On January, 1853,
 the first report was published, from
 which we glean some interesting facts.
 During this first year two barrels of
 Soods were sent away and cash dona-
 ton of SIP One sentence in this report S1s worthy of special notice. "The at
 Tending members have not been able to make use of all the means placed at their disposal" The present manage
 ment would gladly be confronted by similar perplexity. We find here, too,
 a reiteration of the object of the forma- Stion of the society which is forcibly put. sMIts originators have been led to esteem 1t an anomaly that persons mutually
 Sustaining solemn covenant obligations should remain as personally unknown ito each other from year to year as if residing in different cities. and it was thought possible to promote a general Christian sympathy, by engaging in lcommon work of benevolence, in which all the ladies of the congregation should be invited to join" This thought Is so emphasized in all the early reports that there can be no doubt but what the importance to the church of Such an organization was large factor In it's Formation. In the third report we read these words as significant to- day as when they were penned more than forty years ago. We beg to sug- rest the desirableness of having more of the young ladies of the congregation become members of the society, other wise it's members will become less, through the removals and deaths which annually occur.' The next year the Aecretary writes: "Thus far each re- turning anniversary has exhibited an advance of disbursements, till we have now reached a point which we may probably find to be our ultimation" The disbursements for that year con- eisted of two barrels of clothing; two boxes of clothing and two packages. They had hardly reached the ultimatum then. During the eighth year of it's existence, the society changed its place Of meeting to pleasanter accommoda- tkars in Alfred Walkers building on Chufch> street, but before one meeting had been held there, a fire destroyed their furniture and goods For the three years following, by the courtesy of the College street church, the meet ings were held in the pleasant rooms of that society. Later, thfrd-story room on Chapel street was occupied for q time and again recourse was had to a room in Smiths building.
 At length on Thursday, the Sth of 1866, after fifteen years of 1 Wandering from place to place, the so- ciety found a permanent home in the l present chapel It is interesting to read with what satisfaction the ladies took of their new home. In the report of the first occupancy of the | building, the secretary writes: Surely, | lovers of the beautiful will be attracted hither. This is not indeed Solomon's i Temple. but as the hearts of the Jews | turned toward that grand structure, | and became through it, more strongly remented by common bonds, so, accord ng to our measure, shall this building ! strengthen the attachment TOT our : .hurch and for those who come here to work. to teach or to pray"
 Tn 1868, the society was incorporated 'our of the charter members are still ina ring in the work of the society. Its work had greatly increased and the ,ecords of those years show an amount accomplished which is nearly equal to hat which the society is doing now. Ve find references to many generous zifts of money for special purposes ,,Ich as library books for Sunday ,chools pulpit lamps, Bible and hymn ,ooks a much-needed horse for mis- ,ionary with far-reaching parish. Many communion, services were also entSout in these earlier years. The so- ietv seems to have reached it's great .st activity in the period from 1871 to 876 if we may judge from the records if work accomplished and numbers in attendance. In one of the annual re- ,orts during this time, that of 1872, we cad that boxes were sent to nineteen antilles: in another, that the largest ,ttendance on any afternoon that year uas 84. All the reports abound in ex- ,ressions in appreciation of the same support of the church and
 5 ,,ae,,opca to sDaria1 anpealS for