The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-24

Mary Magdalene-and woman has
been standing by His cause ever since y
From time immemorial the PreSby-
terrain woman has regarded her home
as her God-given sphere of action, and
the training of her household in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord.
her normal line of service In mod
ern times, changed conditions have
seemed to demand her entrance into
a wider and more varied sphere; vet.
so ingrained has the dread of publicity
IL Christian work become, in the
course of generations, the Presbyte-
rian woman is still slow backward.
and conservative regarding organized
effort in what we call church work,
and has little relish for prominence
in the public eye. While most often
the prime in the organizing,
promoting. and maintaining of the
church and its worship and work, her
record shows individual rather than
cooperative effort.
In these latter days, however, she
finds she must take her place with
her sisters of other denominations in
the use of methods suited to the needs
of the times.
The early days of the nineteenth
century saw the beginning of woman's
organized work in the church at large.
In the Southern Presbyterian church
there are records of Il rev organiza-
tons as far back as the twenties.
''Dr. Wiley, in his sketch of old Ala
nance church in North Carolina, re-
cords the name of the Female BeneV-
client Society," of which his mother
was secretary, and these ladies by
hard labor of the hands, not by fairs
or festivals, nor by begging, raised
five hundred dollars, and among 9TH
err things educated an Indian boy. -
Female Benevolent Societies" were
also formed in Greensboro and Chapel
Hill n. c., in 1880 and 1854 respec-
lively, for foreign and home work;
and a foreign mission society in Will
mington in 1882, but as women had
not then been encouraged to take such
part in church work, it was probably
society of both men and women
Today there are Home and Foreign
missionary societies, both adult ana
junior, and local Aid societies in every
prominent church, and in many of
the weaker churches throughout the
Southern Assembly. These contribute
annually nearly $4,000 to foreign,
and $4,000 to the Assembly'S Home
Missions, besides the multitude of local
gifts and enterprises that go on in an
unceaSing stream; orphans aid, rescue
work. homes for the aged, manse-
equipment, and educational benefits
for the ambitious sons and daughters
of poverty. The aggregate of their
gifts can only be estimated, but would
probably amount to million dol
lars
There is, however. no general or
ganization except Presbyterial Unions.
confined to individual presbyteries.
These are growing in number and are
showing marked results for good.
Their purpose is cooperative effort
toward securing organized misSonar!
work in every congregation in the
presbytery, stimulating the training of
children in the cause disseminating
missionary literature, and promoting a
spirit of prayerfulness and libcrality.
The year 1874 marks the beginning
of womanS organized mission work
in North Carolina. in the distinctive
Southern Presbyterian church. The
church without it's Missionary or Aid
societies now is the exception. Five
presbyteries of the synod of North
Carolina have Women's Missionary
Unions. organized within the last
twelve years.
But the great bulk of Christian
work that is being done by the women
of the Southern Presbyterian church,
is done by individuals; We must needs
generalize i'm a recital of their work,
for this very reason. Time would fail
to tell the instances of Christ-loving
service that come under the eye of
any interested beholder A helpless,
lifelong cripple of Louisville used her
consecrated powers of mind and soul
in labors most ABUNDANT; was teacher,
adviser, friend, and helper to girls,
in Bible classes, Y. M. G. A., mission
training classes, Kings Daughters, and
much more-all, in the helpless seclu-
sion of her inyalids couch; effective,
aggressive, permanent work-the out
come of an indOmitabe passion for
Christ and His needy ones In the
slums of the same city is a settle
ment work. in which a free kinder
garten. day-nurSery, Womens meet
ingS, mothers meetings, sacred con-
certs, domestic teaching. are some
of the paths to better life that are
opened by three young Presbyterian
gentlewomen, who live among those
whom they seek to help.
A young girl of Richmond origina-
ted and organized the "Covenanters,
a boys band, which has not only null
tiplied all over the church. but is
helpful, practical and greatly blessed
of God. THE Children's Friend, the
young peoples church paper is cdi
ted by one of the ablest and most
Cody of women. Another daughter
of the church is associate editor OF
| leading religious papers of the South
A number of women go-often at their
own charges-to take part in the
mountain mission work of Kentucky
| Tennessee, Virginia and North Caro-
| lina and do faithful evangelfstic anc
| teaching work, enduring hardness
| in deed and in truth. Here and there
| an earnest Christian woman is en-
| gagged by a church to do certain lines
of city missionary work. In one in
| stance known, she makes her home il
| cotton mill community, in constant
| touch with the people-going about
| doing good
| Hundreds of Sunday school teach
ers in country, village and towf
| churches swell the unnoted records.
Still, in all departments of Chris.
/ tan work. the laborers are lament.
ably few in proportion to the number
| Of women who call Christ Master ant
| Lord
| In the foreign field, there are one
| hundred Southern Presbyterian wo
| men healing and nursing the sick witt
/ trained skill, teaching in schools anC
| from house to house, tranSlating ant
| writing for native religious and edu
| cational books and papers-doing
| even as the home workers unCounte
| deeds known only to Him who seetl
| In secret and will reward openly.
| We claim no monopoly of such. The
| spirit of our common Master moves