The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-31
GRAPHIC WORD PICTURE
MRS. LYDIA HAYS DESCRIBES MIS-
SION WORK IN NEW MENICO.
Sessions of the WOman's ~SynodicaI
Society at Tabernacle Church.
HOyt-Avenue Church.

Six years ago Mrs. Lydia Hays went to
Albuquerque, n. NJ. at the call of the Pres
byterian Mission Board, and since that time
she has been one of the foremost workers
among the missionaries who are striving
for the moral, mental and physical regen-
Grafton of the races, Indian and Mexican.
which form a large proportion of the popu-
lation of that State. Last night. at the
fourth session of the Woman's Synodical
Society of Home and Foreign Missions of
Indiana. i'm the Tabernacle Church, Mrs.
Hays told the church full of people. half
of whom were prominent missionary work
ers from all parts of Indiana, what an up
hill struggle it is TO try TO educate and
upbuild a race of men who are more child
ish than children and retain a good share
of the savagery which characterized their
immediate ancestors. Her experiences i'm
Albuquerque and Santa Fe. where she was
in charge of mission schools and worked
among the homes, were interesting, unique,
often startling.
Mrs. Hays, i'm explaining the nature OF her
work i'm New Mexico, explained that the
chief desire of mission workers there is TO
get hold of the children; to get them into
the mission school; to educate them to a
desire for personal cleanliness; to guide the
development of the naturally quick minds
which the Mexican children have. and to
teach them the simple. pure ideals of
Christ. When the children nave been
gained, she said, il is easier to reach the
native homes. TO get a hearing before the
distrustful parents. Although her labors
were i'm practical opposition U the Catholic
Church. Mrs. Hays INDUCED in no severe
condemnation of Catholicism or it's work
ings in New Mexico. She left the impress
sion with her hearers, however, that while
the Catholic Church undoubtedly did q
great work in New Spain originally. its
truly spiritual influence had diminished as
the vigor of the old native races had de-
creased. Catholicism with the Mexican OF
to-day, she thinks, seems 10 be more a
superstitious clinging to the misty beliefs
OF ancestors handed down from father To
son and kept alive by the succeeding gen.
e~rations of priests than pure religion. An
interesting feature of her talk was her de-
scriptiOn of the "Penitentes.' the natives
who, in imitation of the ancient monks
order of F1agellants, take their religion 50
cruelty that they torture themselves with
whips. and, following one another, fay
quivering backs with leather thongs till
the flesh often hangs in strips and the
blood runs in streams.
She spoke of the brightness of the chill
dren in the schools and related an incident
describing how. before a class. one of the
teachers was repeating in turn with the
children the books of the New Testament.
she happened herself to come to the end OF
the list and said. Revelation" when one
of the youngsters, not to be outdone.
chimed in with, Amen"
At the session yesterday morning the sec
retaries of the presbyteries reported. re-
ports of the young peoples work We're
made, Mrs. r. V. Hunter reviewed the work
of the year and Mrs. ID. b. Wells. field
secretary, gave a talk explaining the meth
DDS of work.
Officers for the ensuing year were elected
as follows for the Foreign Mission Society:
President. Mrs. A. Il. Mitchell. IndianapO-
lis: corresponding secretary, Mrs. Charles
Z. Luce. Anderson; secretary of young peo-
pies work, Mrs. j. r. Brown, indianapolis.
Officers for the Home Mission Society will
be elected to-day.
At this mornings session Mrs. W. w.
Adler of Lafayette. Mrs. y. b. Hughes OF
Fort Wayne. Mrs. w. III. Hubbard OF In
dianapolis. Mrs. w. b. Slower Of South
Bend. Mrs. A.. l.. Rohbuck OF Wabash, Mrs.
j. NJ. Oldfather of Hanover. Mrs. Katherine
Leeke OF Terre Haute and Mrs. III. ".
Wagner OF KnightstOwn viii tell 1.-THE
Story of the Year. The sessions VIII con-
clude this evening.