The Grit-advocate., 1904-10-07
WORK OF WOMEN
IN HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY
Great Methodist Organization in Ses-
sion at Denver-Oeaconess' Homes
and Training Schools.

deaconess' bureau constituted the
main topic of discussion at the three
sessions of the Womans Home Mis-
sionary Society held at Trinity Meth
odist Church yesterday. Recommen-
dations for the division of the work OF
the bureau. which has under its charge
forty institutions with property valued
at 1901 900, were made by Mrs. Jane
Van Croft Robinson. who has been at
the head of the work for the past six
teen years.
Mrs. Robinson suggested that the
bureau be subdivided into five bureaus.
with one standing committee to super
wise the training school work. She
proposed subdivisions for the colored
deaconess' work, an eastern bureau in
charge of the institutions in Portland,
Maine; Barre. Vermont; Troy, New
York; Brooklyn, New York; Jersey
City and Newark, New Jersey; Phila-
delphia Washington and Baltimore; a
western bureau. with supervision over
the Institutions at urbana, Illinois;
keokuk, Iowa; Des Moines, Kansas
City Sioux City. Denver and Colorado
Springs; a central bureau in charge
Of the work in Pittsburg. Pennsylva-
mia; Buffalo, New York Brooklyn.
New York: Cleveland, Columbus, To
ledo and Grand Rapids. Michigan. and
Pacific bureau with jurisdiction over
the schools at Los Angeles, San Fran
cisco and elsewhere along the coast
states. The standing committee, it is
proposed. will have charge of the
three national training schools at
Washington. ID. c.. Kansas City and
San Francisco. The proposition for
division of the work along these lines
was referred to the BOARD of trustees.
which will announce its decision later.
The afternoon session was preceded
by conference of the Utah bureau, n
symposium of the conference CORE
spending secretaries and a young peo-
pies conference. Our Local Training
Schools" was taken up. Mrs. J. A.
Secor reported for Brooklyn. Mrs. G. S.
Barnes for Grand Rapids and Mrs.
Florence Miller for Des Moines. All
reported excellent progress during the
last year.
Mrs. J. D. Jones gave short report
on the "Colored Deaconess Work and
Its Training School" Then came re-
ports on the national training schools:
Kansas City by Miss Bertha Elliott.
San Francisco by Mrs. l.. r. Willis
and the Lucy Webb Hayes school at
Washington by Mrs. G. w. Gallagher.
Following this came the reading OF
the report of the deaconess bureau
by Mrs. Jane Bancroft Robinson.
Mrs. Robinson told how she and her
sister. Miss Henrietta A. Bancroft. had
taken hold Of the work at its inception
sixteen years ago The bureau is
made up of representatives from every
city or town where there are about
forty deaconesscs. Institutions and
stations have been located in connec-
tion with the society. In Washington
is large hospital, the Sibey home,
Rust hall for a school. and other prop
erty worth $25O00O.
training school at Kansas City has
been established. 1t was only in its
first stages when the national conven-
tion met there two years ago. 1t had
no money and no land. c. f. Schoell-
kopf gave it ten acres of valuable
property in Kansas City. Kansas,
worth $4,000 and building worth
100000 is being built. 1t was at this
point that Mrs. Bancroft demanded to
know why Denver could not do as
much as Kansas City.
In San Francisco is owned property
worth $35 900. The work there is still
in Its early stages, but already excellent
results have been obtained.
The value of the dcaconess property
throughout the United States is s6Ol.-
S56 The number of deaconesses con-
nected with the Home Missionary So
ciety Is $50. The total amount expended
in the work in 1903 was $S2 $40 Hos
pitfalls are maintained in Washington,
keOkuk. Los Angeles and an orphans
asylum in Urbana, Illinois,
I'VE have constructed deaconesses'
home in Baltimore and have erected an
institutional church of gray stone at a
cost of $4,000" said Mrs. Bancroft
Fifteen hundred children are taught in
the various schools of Baltimore by
deaconesses. The deacOness is the Pro-
testant sister of charity. She receives
no salary. but is supposed to have a
home, all living expenses and has the
promise of being taken care of if in
capacitated for work by old age or
sickness after eight years service"
Mrs Robinson and her sister are col
lege graduates They are two of the
few women who studied in Strasbourg
and Oxford Universities.
The deaconess work began in Ger
many in 1872. There are now ia dea-
in the German Methodist
Church. Sc in Australia. 2G in India. 10
or II in China and three or four in
Africa