The Washington herald., 1911-02-04
THE TREND OF THINGS
THEN AND NOW.


By HELEN BARRETT MONIUoMc1nA
For the women of our modern churches
it is hard to realize that there ever was
time when there were none or the
active and ubiquitous women's MISSION
ary societies that seem to much part
Of the structure of church life YET
this jubilee year of organized work Tor
foreign missions on the part of women
is bringing that fact vividly before US.
1t is we'll to read the history OF TINS
movement on the background of the So
cial and religious forces which produced
il; TO describe its organizations and alns'
its work and its workers; to picture It's
possibilities and its hopes for the future,
in the light of all that modern life
means TO modern men and women
The Womens National Foreign Mis-
sion2ry Society was Incorporated in Feb-
ruary, 1861. with Mrs. Doremus as its
first president. The membership included
wome n of many denominations. In prose-
cuticn of its works, branches, auNiliarleS,
and mission bands spranS up in Boston,
Philadelphia. Albany, Cincinnati, Chicago.
Louisville. ST. Louis, and many other
places In spite of the storm of the
civil war which broke in the very open
ing year of the society. its work went
steadily on, the inspiration and pattern
of the denominatiOnal boards, which be-
gan to be organized soon after The close
of the war.
= true John the Baptist, this society
was preparing the way for the definite
asslI,lption of its share of the RESPONSE
bility by each d'nomination-relativel
it must decrease, they must increaSe-but
tine Christian union in which the work
began may me again realized in some
wider federation of effort than is yet
dreamed possible. Among special rea-
soEs commencing the Women'S Union
Missionary Society, these have been given
by Miss Isabel Hart, in her Historical
Sketches of WOmen's Missionary SocIe-
ties.
First 1t opened a way and established
a precedent in mission work. which, from
the first. God has wonderfully blessed,
preserved. and prospered.
Second. 1t seeks literally nothing but
the spread of Jesus name and the en-
lightcnment and blessing to women which
ever follows the knowledge of his Name.
Third. 1t represents every evangelical
denomination, and its foreign property
has been the donation Of them all for
one common purpose.
Fourth. 1t was commended and has
been carried on by voluntary workers
ing of love-
How different were the conditions under
which these pioneer societies worked
from those of the present day. Take
the item of postage, for instance. We
now pay = cents postage for mail to
Great Britain, cents to the rest of the
world. Then it cost 50 cents to take
letter to Harpoot, 10 cents to Samokov,
81 cents to India, 10 cents to China, 80
cents to Central Turkey, y cents to
South Africa. For years the scanty mails
We're made up on Thursdays at the board
rooms. Add to slow and expensive COM
munication abroad the inadeQuacy of
railway service at home and the COM
parative difficulty of reaching distant
churches. l. was no earlier than 1854
wher il took from August Is to November
15 to get mail to Montana. and when
that distant Territory was for one long,
terrible year Uuly, 1S62-1S60 cut off from
all mail from the outside world. In 1870
there We're less than two inhabitants to
the square mile over the Western half
Of the continent, and the center of pop
uation was in Eastern Ohio. 1t took
faith and patience 10 weave the fine net
work of organization by which the scant
resources of the women were gathered
for missions.
This year marks the jubilee year of
womens work for foreign missions. 1t
is fitting that such an anniversary should
not pass unmarked. Hospitals. schools,
orphanages, dormitories, should rise to
commemorate the year. great thank
offering might well be brought up. A
woman's conference might be held in
New York City. in which should be gath
cred up the loyalty, the enthusiasm, the
purpose, of women in this greatest Of
all ideal undertakings. Imagine the eX-
hibits of work, the objects from the
Orient, the gathering of women from all
lands. the inspiring speaking. the crown
ing day when the women of America,
from the shurches of united Prot
estartism should bring their offerings to
pour them as the gift of the year Of
jubilee at the feet of the King.
I'VE can do it, if we will
I'VE can do 1t, and we will"