The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-22
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

anywhere.
 "Who are they and where do they come from, and what brings them here?" you ask. Well, I will tell you, or you may be mystified by the mystic letters W. M. U. s. B. C., which. being interpreted. means the Woman's Mis- sionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention, with headquarters at Balti- more but whose Alabama home is now in Birmingham, although at one time they were here.
 The French expression, "cherchez la femme carries with it in most in stances a suspicion that if a man goes wrong all you have to do is to look for the female who has led him astray; but I like best the idea that if a man has ever done anything worthy you can count on it that good woman was be- hind him urging him on.
 Now the delegates who are here are from all parts of the state. They are the picked women out of the Baptist churches in Alabama, and they come to devise ways and plans to carry on mis- sion work in the state, in the south, and abroad. It is a body of earnest workers who have taken missionary endeavor as one of the first duties of Christians.
 The story of the Woman's Missionary union, which is just a little over quar- ter of a century old, is one of the re- ligious romances of Southern Baptists. It seems hard to realize how their brethren at every forward step the women tried to take were held back Mere man ought to know that to put obstacles in a woman's pathway is but to call out the feminine trait of sacri- ficial overcoming.
 Good women seem to thrive on sur- fering and flower best when asked to serve. We are seeing this every day Those of us who are too young to have caught the note of heroism which ran through our southern women in their baptism of fire in the four years of civil war and the darkest days of reconstruc- tion may not fully appreciate why 1t is that their daughters today are follow ing so unselfishly in their footsteps, as they come forward to the help of Uncle Sam.
 While the Woman's Missionary union was organized in Richmond in 1888, it when women were sacrificing and suf- ferins and ministering to the bodies and the souls of the confederate soldiers. There were missionary societies In To- cal churches as far back as 1S40; there were possibly committees in associa. tions years before the founding of the Women's Missionary union as an aux ilitry to the Southern Baptist conven- tion.
 For years here in Alabama even after the forming of the Womens Missionary union the women had no convention Of their own, but met with the men in aheir state convention. but had no gramme by some brother who brought in a report on women's work and spoke to it. It was rather a tame and per functory affair, so the good women de- cided to have a convention of their very own, where they could originate and own work and needs, and this is what they will do here. A few men connected with the denomination in an official capacity are always invited to speak to them, but men are not allowed to remain through the sessions.
 Just a word about the marvellous growth of the Women's Missionary union I haven't this years figures, They distributed about 100000 missionary leaflets and pamphlets and contributed more than s4Oo,0oo to denominational en- terprises. They are going to raise sl5O- 900 for the Training school in Louisville, Ky, and $S25000 for church building loan lanta. pr. Louis Warren will be here to tell of this special work
 
 that Miss Kathleen Mallory, the gifted and consecrated daughter of the Hon. H. s. D. Mallory of Selma, is the cor responding secretary of the Women's Missionary union, and directs the vast undertakings from Baltimore. She is a and modesty of young woman reared to take her part in social life. Highly educated and deeply spiritual. she turned to church work and because of her ability as an organizer and platform speaker she was elevated to the highest adorns it and makes it place of power in spreading the gospel.
 Miss Laura Lee Patrick. who is the corresponding secretary of the Women's Missionary union in Alabama, is a young woman, but she has more than made good and is looked upon as one of the most competent secretaries in inc south. She is the leader whom all are at Montgomery, but travels extensively over the state.
 Mrs. Charles A. Stakely. the president of the work in Alabama, is one of the best informed women in the country on mission work, as she was at one time the president of the Women's Mission ary union of the south. Miss Clyde Met calfe. young peoples leader, is a young woman of great charm and usefulness.