The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-22
ssy southern Missionary News Bureau

Sends Account of the Day
ssy Southern Missionary News Bureau
The following remarkable story OF
how native gifts at meeting OF
African children amounted Ia slS%'
comes from Rev A. Scott Patterson,
q well known southern Baptist ms
sionAry. II is story we'll worth
rea ding MIR. Patterson SAYS,
e0ne day while praying for the girls
1 had q vision OF a great mass meeting
OF the children OF Ogbomoso, 1 talked
over the matter with some Of the Tas-
tori and teachers. and then deter
mined TO make an effort. and set rhe
date for Aiay 80. Just four months
away. knew that IN order to sue
coed ] must have definite plans, ana
I knew also that I'm working with so
much crude material there was a pos
sibility OF great failure, but GOD
never had failed me, and / felt CON
adent. 50 ! made out a program, ana
with nay teachers went 10 work train
ing the academy students. the day
school children, and the mem beers OF
our newly formed Girls Christian
PURITY Society. All the children en-
tered heartily into the plans, but since
and many had never heard real tune,
II was somewhat difficult The girls
continued to increase. and with each
newcomer our difficulties were multi
piled, until felt almost like the man
who caught bear and varied some
one to come and help him turn IT
loose.
but we stuck to it and drilled and
AEFlDfI
recttations. and marches, using TOM
tom drums for marching music, and
MT last we came to see the date set
for the meeting / sent TO the out
stations and invited the workers TO
rcr.e In 10 witness tae meeting, and
the three churches Of Ogbomoso
united for the service. On saturday
we an went TO the church and deco
rated IL and had our first rehearsal in
the church. Oke-Lerin is IN ugly ola
mud csaurch, but when we had beau
titled It's walls within and without
with palm branches and flowers.
confess TO a feeling of pride and high
expectation. / was up Sunday morn
Ing al early dawn for prayers with
the students and boys, and very soor
the children began to come to the
compound to form for the grand martf
es1rongh the streets to the church.
The March Begins.
AT $40 we were ready and
formed in three companies. First. thu
sixteen academy students. then came
the twenty-five members Of the Girls
Society, and quite a few friends: just
behind these came the band, consis t
irx OF three pieces-~ona tom ION. an
otsner tom tom, and a school beli--~an
last of all came the day school anc
their friends. more than hundred
strong and So began the march witt
nearly two hundred children. They
were all dressed in sheir best, anc
IL was beautiful sight. The students
had spent all day Saturday in wash
trr and ironing their shirts and pants
and each girl was DIRE ssed IN native
skirt and a real shirtwaist "r blouse
Il don't know the diff erentel, all C.
the same sort, and i had given earl
member Of the society piece cl Glow
with which to make head covers Yer.
few Of the girls had eve rworn wais
and some had never seen thenselNe
in a. large mirror, SO / opened up m
room and let them dress before IN
mirror, and / am sure tfat there Wer
never girls more happy. When the
came out the change was SO mar
velous and they looked so happy, tina
my eyes filled with tears OF grautud
TO God for giving me the opporthnit
TO be blessing 10 them.
Mothers and Babies, Too.
The feature of the mothers an
babies was very interesting Nhei
their number was allied l had all tn
rae, hers TO come and Stand before ~
: Nal
.us. a few minutes there were forty
ni.c mothers and fifty infants IN tnei
Races tone mo, 1cr, the wife of
young teacher. had twtnsl,
A Great Offering.
att had been determined some
time beforehand that the offering
was to go on the Dke-Lerin neN
church building fluid, and We ha
done much praying ami made a.
the preparation that we could. Time
are surely hard with the natives, and
felt that II we got twenty-five dollars
we would have reason to be thankful
but God willed it otherwise. As
had already given nearly one-half o
my salary for various objects durin
the year l felt that / could only Civ
one dollar. | say this that You ma
3 know, when you see the final result
taht the money came from the natives
We got the table ready and place
two teachers at il 10 take the name
and money of those who gave. an
I then we told the people TO come or
IL didn't take a second call, All tn
people made a rush for the table, an
] stood in front 10 keep them iron
FORMING too much OF IA jam. AT thu
same time ! kept the children sing
! ing, and AZ the end of fifteen o.
B twenty minutes we counted up am
found rlat We had one hundred an'
eighty-two dollars and sixty mine cents
and there were promises enough Il
4 make IL about two hundred dollars
III was the most wonderful sight o
Kivfng that / have ever Witnessed. ;.n'
n II seems TO me that those who PaV'
+ d penny were as happy az those w'1t
4 gave one, two and three dollars. So
Il Tar as ! have been able to ascertain
this is the largest single offering eyel
made by q Baptist congregation III tn
4 Yoruba land. and suppose II II
3 almost unnecessary 10 say that W.
& closed the service by singing the dox
q ology and by having prayer O
4 Hanks.
The Final Demonstration.
sN s.After We dismissed we formed
again and marched about the city am
! rang for an hour. and then came home
II for rest and lunch. At three o'cloc}
I'VE formed again and went out for