Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-04-18
Mrs. Bowes Chosen
Head methodist
District Society

/
the Rock Island district of the
Methodist Episcopal church at the
18th annual district conference held
this morning. Miss Jennie Taylor
was reelected treasurer and Mrs.
Edward Gregg was reelected secre-
tary of the mite boxes. Mrs. Mae
Brown of Moline was reelected re-
cording secretary.
| Officers for the district are:
President - Mrs. Henry Bowes,
Rock Island.
President emeritus - Mrs. Julia
E. Murray, Galva.
First vice president-Mrs. Fetch
er DeClarke, Toulon.
| Second vice president-Mrs. Cora
Marvin, Lafayette.
| Brown, Moline.
Corresponding secretary Mrs.
| W. L. Enslow, Kewanee.
Treasurer - Miss Jennie Taylor.
| Rock Island
Secretary young people-Mrs. C.
c. Farr, Kewanee.
~ i.
Wendt, Port Byron.
Secretary mite boxes-MrA Ed
ward Gregg, Rock Island.
Secretary literature-Miss Louise
Baxter, Aledo.
Secretary OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. c.
r. Hanna, Orion.
Secretary Christian stewardship
Mrs. C. w. Bridgford, Joy.
SnPrafarU pnnfprnORa Tpnn1
Mrs. c. c. Conley, Buda.
In a splendidly given address
Mrs. Dan B. Brummitt of Chicago.
M tional field secretary for the
Woman's Home Missionary society
Of the Methodist Episcopal church,
at the open meeting of the district
convention in session yesterday out
lined very wildly the work which
is to be done by the society in this
country. She told what had been
accomplished so far for the negroes,
/ the Mexicans and Italians in this
country and for the girls of big
cities. Mrs. Brummitt is power
full speaker and her address, which
was one of the main features of the
conference. was one which present
ed the facts which lay before the
women of the missionary societies
of this country, in a knowing man
ner.
Il know that it is said that the
business of the modern woman is
to bear children and prepare them
for the world That is her bust
Less, but it is not all of it. We
also must repair the world for the
oh
out into it to make their own way.
This is the fundamental duty of the
women of the home missionary So
cieties.
THE war was won because for
every boy in khaki there was
woman behind him engaged in war
industry. The woman who charg-
ed the shell was just as important
as the boy who discharged it, in my
mind. II my son were to come
back and look me in the eyes and
ask me what l had been doing for
the cause for which he fought, and
I answered that l had been knit
ting, he would Look me in the eyes
and say, rs that all" And If /
should say l have been making
surgical dressings and ,bandages,
he would still say, is that ALP Not
until l answer that I have been
making the world safe for democ-
racy, would he be satisfied. This
is the task which has been ours,
and which will be ours in the next
years.
THE Woman's Home Missionary
society came into existence after
another war. The women of the
south stood with their baby daugh-
ters in their arms and begged US
not to let their babies experience
what they had gone through. Then
came another war. And the igno-
rant Louisiana negroes were
brought into camps in the south,
too ignorant to know what they
were fighting for and what was ex-
pncted of them. They were then
taught to right foot, left foot with
a stone in their hand to help. And
they were taught to read 1 am
fighting for democracy, and what
democracy is. And these negroes
are coming back a step in advance
of what they were when they left.
Over 200, 900 negroes wore the uni
form of the United States. There
were 5000 who fought under Wash
ington and $4,000 fought in the
Spanish-American war. 1t is to
the 100000 who fought alongside of
my boy and yours to whom we owe
duty. They are not whining
about their opportunities. All they
plead is, DO not forget We should
hold them where democracy will
rot let hold of them. This is ma
tional question.
And not onlF does the problem
lie in the men of this black race,
but with the girls also. They come
to my city, Chicago. and my mis-
sionary society hasn't been able to
care for them before the human
vultures got them. The black ba-
bies. whose fathers will never come
back from this war, are also cry
ing to US. 1t is not social equality
which the negro of the south wants. |
They just want you to remember"
Mrs. Brummitt told of travelling
in the southwestern part of the
country and of an incident which /
brought out the great need of work |
among the Mexicans in this coun-
try. AS she paced the railway sta
ton in a small town she noticed
two men also pacing back and |
forth, waiting for the train. She |
looked closer, and saw that one of |
them was a bright-eyed Mexican |
boy. and that his hand was hand +
cuffed to-that OF his companion, the |
guard