Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-01-14
MISSIONARY
ANNIVERSARY

The missionary anniversary Of St.
Paul's NJ + church Sunday was
celebrated with an address from Miss
Anna Limbergcr,a missionary station
d in Me Xico. Miss Limberger, whose
home is in this city, is laboring under
the auspices of the Woman's Foreign
Missionary society of St Paul.s NJ f,
church. Since her return to this coun-
try she has spoken at several different
places throughout the Central PpnnSyl-
vania Conference and has still several
other appointments to fill before She
returns to Mexico
Her address Sunay was intensely
interesting, and conveyed much in
formation relative to the unique Re
public south of Us which possessed a
peculiar value coming as it did from
an eyewitness in touch with life there
in one of its most interesting phases
Miss Limberger gave a most charm
ing description of the natural beauty
Of the Mexican landscape in connection
with which she dwelt upon che an
tiquities and the most romantic feat
ures of early history. Beginning
with Cortez, the Spanish invader, she
followed his fortunes through his var
ious exploits which eliminated in the
capture of Montezuma, the Indian Rul-
tenn and the establishment in its stead
Of the Roman Catholic religion. Trac
ing the progress of events she arrived
at period Coincideut with the Dec
laration OF Independence in our coun-
try when the spirit of rebellion in
Mexico first began to manifest itself
against the existing regime, after
which she described the insurrection
after. .insurrection which occurred un-
til all religion was overthrown.
From the depth of unenlighten ment
and superstition, Miss Limberger says,
the pendulum has swung far to the
other extreme. The reins of govern
ment today are in the hands of set
of agnostiCs, men without any positive
conclusions as TO the existence of
personal Deity or of future life.
Miss Limberger conceded that the men
in authority as a class are scholarly
and in a worldly sense intensely pro-
gIessive. Free Intercourse with other
nations is upheld aud no one is more
welcome on Mexican soil than the in
habitants of the United States.
Nothing speaks better for the toler-
ance and the spirit OF freedom i'll our
country than the fact that Catholics
are accorded much more liberty in the
United States than in Mexico. the land
where that church for so many cen
turies reigned supreme. The sight fre-
quently witnessed here of Sisters Of
Catholic church appearing on the
streets in the garb of their order is
one never witnessed in Mexico. The
nunneries as well as the mOnasteries
are all under the ban and if any at all
are maintained it is done surreptitiOus-
ly.
1t is the province of the Missionaries
in Mexico to check the strong reaction
toward practical skepticism as we'll as
to educate a class which need it bad
ly. The missionaries under the policy
of protection toward foreigners have
unlimited protection from the govern
ment. The time was when mission
aries who went to Mexico faced mar
tyrdom, but those days are past and
faithful devoted effort in the cause of
Christ at the present is sure to bring
its fruit and the element of personal
danger hardly enters into it.
The missionaries devote their labors
almost exclusively to the young. The
schools established in the past have
grown to considerable proportions
Here the young people of both sexes
are educated and in most instances
converted and in turn sent out to ex
ert their influence on their own peo-
Pile Miss Limbe1ger drew a very
pleasing picture of this phase of mis-
sionary effort in Mexico. Each girl
passing through the school in time be-
comes the head of q household and as