The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-04-10

and church environments ana the Gu
ture Of the preachers. There was old
Father Donally, with his wooden leg
who always came to our campmeetings
and attracted great crowds, who cane
to hear him scare the sinners and scar
ify the Christians and denounce the
fashions and follies of the day. | have
not forgotten his rebuke to a gay
young couple who behaved unseemly
during the sermon and the old man
stopped and said, If that young man
over there with hair on his face and
that young woman with green bon
net on her head and the devils martin
gales around her neck and his stirrups
On her ears don't stop their giggling
while am preaching Gods message to
sinners, l will pint 'em out to the con-
gregation.'
But mission work was totally un-
known as an organized feature OF
church work. The first we ever heard
of was introduced by some northern
emissaries who came to this region to
plant Christianity among the Indians.
But you must pardon me. | did not
forget that the object of this confer
ence was home mission work, but elo-
quent men and cultured women who
have preceded me have faithfully Gov
cred that ground in every phase and
have left me nothing but memories
that are only kin to it, There is, how
ever, no dividing line. Both foreign
and domestic missions are founded in
Christian charity and Christian pros
ress.
Gust think of it for a moment. Do
you know that we have eighteen thou
sand missionaries in foreign lands? In
China, India, Turkey, Egypt and Cape
! Colony, and these missionaries are
reinforced by eighty thousand native
preachers in twenty-three thousand
towns and villages, with one and
half million communicates and Chris
ton communities of over four million
people. These missionaries have over
one million pupils under instruction.
They have ninety-four universities and
| colleges, and some of them are world
renowned and rank we'll with our own.
The best endowed of these colleges are
at Constantinople, Beirut, Pekin, Egypt
and Cape Colony. Then there are over
one thousand secondary schools for
| training in the arts and industries,
and also one hundred and twenty-five
kindergarten schools. The most graft
/ twin ND ciu foo nj ic q
| than one-third of all the pupils are
| girls. The colleges have over two thnn-
sand OF them, and in the common
! schools they constitute more than half
| the number of pupils. Just think of it
and rejoice, for it is pitiful fact that
! for centuries in these benighted lands
woman has been under the ban, and
young girls were slaves to mans domi,
nation, convenience and passion. What
a beautiful and glorious picture she
| now has of the freedom and elevation
| of her sex, and it has all come through
| the work of missionaries. and is worth
million times more than it has ever
cost
The freedom and elevation of wo-
| man in the most glorious and heavenly
work of the past century, and it still
goes on, not only in foreign lands, but
here at home. Woman is now at the
| head of every charitable work. Who
else is educating our children in the
public schools? Who is foremost in
the church, the Sabbath school, the
Epworth League and the aid societies!
| Who is in almost exclusive charge of
this conference? Fifty years ago she
had no voice in these things and they
were considered beyond her sphere,
and st. Paul was quoted against her
every time she presumed to talk in
meeting or speak very loud at home.
Love is stronger than creeis or
kindred or country. Especially the
love of woman. How often do We see
Methodist or Presbyterian women
| choosing their mates outside of their
church and joining the church of their
husbands. They do not stop to con.
suit the creed, but change their church
as willingly as they change their
name, and | have known them to do
that two or three times. Brother Sam
Jones os not ashamed to tell how he
found his wife in Baptist duck pond,
and | make no secret of telling how /
found mine in that same old Methodist
church have described to you-not up
in the Amen corner among the saints,
nor afar back among the sinners. but
about midway, where the angels con.
gregate. Men do not change their
churches to please their wives, for
they still maintain their rightful lord.
ship as the head of the family. But
for love woman will change not only
her church, but her name. The love of
woman has no parallel. 1t extinguishes
all fear The apostles shrank from
danger and hid themselves, and one
betrayed and another denied his Lord
and master, but woman was last at
His cross and earliest at His grave.
Then we bid you God-speed in your
IL l,