Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-04-09
Their Work Being Discussed by
Women in Convention.
MEMBER OF WOMAN'S BOARD TALKS
Mrs. Emiline Pierson, OF Elizabeth, NJ.
j., Speaks Interestingly About the
Work Done by Missionaries, Both
Home and Foreign.
TFrom FRIDAYS Daily.l

ttrom Fridays Daily.J
The convention of woman's mis-
sionary societies of the Presbyterian
churches in Southeastern Iowa is still
in session today and the closing meet
ing will be held tonight. At last
evenings meeting Rev. d. A. Murray,
pastor of the East Ottumwa Presbyte-
rian church, led the devotional serv-
ices before the address of Mrs. Emil
inc Pierson, on Home Missions"
Mrs. Pierson is a resident of Eliza
beth, N. j., but lives in New York at
present, being a member of the Won-
ans Board OF Missions of the Presby-
terrain church. Her work takes her to
all parts of the country and she be-
comes acquainted with the home mis-
sionary work being done in the differ
emit districts of the country, especial
ly that being done by the Presbyterian
mission schools. She is tireless
worker in the cause, which was evil
denced by her speech last evening,
in which she made strong appeal
for aid in the great work in which the
women Of the church are engaged.
The organization now in session en-
braces the southeastern part of the
state. The churches in this, the
Iowa presbytery, go together with
those of nine other presbyteries in the
state, to make up the Iowa synod.
Mrs. Pierson said in part: This is
the first meeting of the twentieth
century for this society, and think it
is a good idea, when beginning the
century, to take look around us,take
a measure of our work and of our re-
lation to the church, find out where we
stand with regard to the other demon
nations and the remainder of the
world
In some cases the women don't
know what they are doing, and if they
do not the church surely does not The
work of the missionary societies is
growing, and especially is this true
of the home missions. Just before
leaving home to come here l had 6
letter asking the women to support q
certain presbytery-pay the pastors
and attend to all the details Time
was when the women were expected
to do no more than support few mis-
sion schools, but now they are asked
to uphold whole presbyteries.
A man whose sympathies were MOI
for the home mission movement once
voluntary one. To this we do no
agree, for what could be more author
itatiye than movement called into
existence by the whole church, by the
necessity for such movement, as evi
denced by the ignorance of the peopl,
where the great work of the churcl
is being done? There is heathenisn
among the Indians and Alaskans
Sro icI AM r,fp Do,
Rico and in Cuba, where the wome,
will soon go; Mormonism in Turkish
America, or Utah; there is anachron
ism among all these classes. 1t is fol
the purpose of overcoming all these
lsms" that the missionary societie!
have been called into being.
"a great work is being done by tn,
mission schools in the south. TIL,
people in the south whom the schools
are trying to help should be Presby
terians. They are of Scotch descent
The church owes it to itself to gain
these people.
"And yet how great a work is be
fore those who try to gain these souls
These people are SO degenerated tina
they have forgotten their Bible names
They are eager, these mountaineers
W lSdIu lue lllluSS We are tlneT6 U
teach them, but the work of teachin
is task indeed.
Nevertheless, the work we are dc
ing is telling. There is one distric
in North Carolina where twenty-fiv
illicit distilleries were closed thru tn
work of one mission school. This wa
not done by direct work, either, bu
by the influence of the Christian pee
pie in the community upon the one
who conducted the distilleries. NOV
! think how much can be accomplishe