Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-07-16
Order Of Deaconess
Ii Methodist Church
Miss Bridges, Deaconess al Brook.
inss, Addresses Congregation
ON Work Of the Order.

The worship at the Methodist
church service last Sunday morning.
held in the Metropolitan opera house
pending the completion Of the new
ediace on the site Of the old building,
was given over to an address by Miss
Bridges. a ~deaconess. Of Brookings.
Preceding the address, the choir,
composed OF Miss Bcggs and Mrs. S.
B. Dickinson, and Mr.. Shannon and
Mr.. Bryant, feelingly and with ex-
preston rendered an anthem. and.
Mrs. ". ]. Towers. soloist of the First.
Baptist church OF st. Thomas, Ont,
sang with fine effect Mrs. Taylor'sl" "A
Beautiful Place on High with Miss
Taecker as accompanied.
As Vet Only 1000.
Miss Bridges prefaced her address
with a brief reference to the duties
OF a deaconess and q statement con
corning what the order stands for.
AS yet, she said, there are only
about 1000 deaconesses, whereas the
Catholic church is Carrying on its work
with the assistance OF about $4,000
members of the Sisterhood.
But the order within the great
Methodist church may still be said
to be in its Infancy, having been
founded only about twenty-five years
ago.
No Life Vows.
Iii becoming a deaconess, said the
speaker, therei s no requirement that
the candidate shall pledge herself to
the work for life. No VOWS at all, as
such, are taken. One may become q
member for five years, or for ten
years. and at the expiration Of the
period may return to her former ways
Of living IL she SO chooses. However,
said Miss Bridges, it is seldom that q
person once having entered upon the
duties and responsibilities Of q dea-
LLTEIEe ~ 1NE
coness ever forsakes the order.
How They Assist.
Explaining the duties OF a deacon
ess, Miss Bridges said that they are
varied and cover substantially the en-
tire field Of Christian usefulness.
In some parishes, for instance, the
deaconess serves in the capacity.
within limitations, of an assistant
pastor-that is to say, where the par
ish is large and the membership great
the ~deaconess accepts the duties with
respect to certain features that us
ually devolve upon the pastor. She
visits the sick, carries messages Of
coincidence to the grief-stricken, helps
the needy, and otherwise makes her
self useful to both the pastor and the
parishioners.
Hospital Work.
Where practical, and with means
provided, hospitals are established for
the relief Of suffering humanity.
Such an institution is under the man
agement of a deaconess, who is as
sisted by other members of the or
der, with a corps Of trained nurses.
These hospitals are invariably open
for the patients OF all reputable ply
sicians of the town and are strictly
non-denominational in character in
their operation.
As to Remuneration.
In the operation Of the institution
certain fees for accommodations and.
for the attendance OF nurses are re-
quired, but still no worthy applicant
is ever turned aside If the capacity.
of the hospital is sufficient to receive
him # he is a worthy applicant. he.
will pay some time, and if, perchance,
he is g able to reimburse the in
stitution the loss is made up by dona-
tions from those who feel disposed
to render financial assistance
Miss Bridges cited several instances,
without naming the patients, where
the institution at Brookings had rem
dered help in time of dire need and.
as yet It has suffered no financial loss
thereby.
The Brookings institution.
Reference was especially made to.
the hospital at Brookings, under tho
charge Of the deaconesses. Original
~ the building was erected through
contributions by the business and
professional men Of the town and
Others who felt an interest in the good
that such an institution would ac-
complish.
It has outgrown its clothes, 30 to-
speak There are only twenty beds
available for patients. whereas many
more could be utilized ct certain per-
iods. There Is room, however, for At