Dances are very frequent here, they seem to be the only social occasion when young men and women can meet. I have longed for a stereoptican or something that would attract these people and be a means of enlightenment as well as pleasure. The girls leave school early, and their realm of thought is so circumscribed. on the floor. It all implied a big some, as commissioned by Mary who problem. sat far above. It reminded me strongly of pictures on the walls of Pisa. The leaflet also had several passages of scripture-some from apocryphal books of the Roman canon-one most quoted by the Padre was Job's cry (Job 17:21), "Have pity upon me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me." Of course it was assumed that Job was in Purgatory. The appeal was that they give money to pay for having prayers said to release sufferers in Purgatory. I was told that the offering amounted to about fourteen dollars. The names of donors and the amount each gave were read off by the Padre the next morning at the close of a wedding service. But I must not go into detail about that The Padre's coming had no effect on our school, indeed I had two new pupils the next day. When I went to ring our big school bell that Monday I rang with a right good will. I felt as if all the constituency of the A. M. A. had hold of Twice we have joined the funeral procession of a little baby. The wee body was laid in a grocery box, fitted up as best they could, the big advertising letters showed through the thin cloth that covered it. The baby's face was exposed. Small girls took turns in carrying the poor little casket to the church. Unexpectedly last week the Padre came to town for the first time since my arrival. We did not know how such an event might affect our work. I attended the Sunday morning service. A good audience was present and the sermon part of the service was given with fervor. Later he offered some envelopes that rope with me. I seemed to have for distribution and made an urgent appeal. I captured one. On the outside was a graphic picture of people in the glowing flames of Purgatory, from which angels were rescuing an instant vision of the unseen host whose prayers and money are behind us. I did not feel alone any more, and a bit of that inspiration abides. WOMAN'S WORK IN THE CONGREGATIONAL Mrs. P. R. DeBerry The question is often asked, "Do the prosperous happy sheltered women of our race in proportion to their opportunity use their chances of developing Christian characters among their less fortunate sisters as they should?" The answer comes to me both in the affirmative and the negative. I regret to say that too large a percentage of the women of the more favored class live entirely in an atmosphere above the people who need them most. Yet we have among our best trained women those who are giving their devoted service for their less fortunate sisters and for the people as a whole. These women are visiting the homes of the unfortunate, holding mothers' meetings, establishing fire-side schools and helping in homes for the old and poor, and establishing homes for delinquent girls doing whatsoever their hands find to do. The burden of my heart is that only a few have a vision of the real condition of our sisters. When the vision comes what do we see? Mothers without the slightest knowledge of the responsibility which accompanies parentage; young girls between the ages of thirteen and twenty years roaming the streets of our towns and cities with no purpose other than that which is bad. In these awful days when the nation is facing its dreadful crisis the woman with a vision not only sees the need of moral reform in the home, but she sees the economic con ditions as well not only in her own home and the necessity of fortifying her household against the invasion of famine, but she has a duty as well to her neighbor to induce her to do likewise. Of the $34,400 raised by the women of the Congregational churches for missions last year, our State Union of Colored churches shared a very small part. Let us work more arduously along the lines of benevolence during the coming years. Let us make a greater effort to do for ourselves. As we return to our various homes I wish to leave the following questions with each of us to honestly answer. Have we honestly divided all that God has given us, of our time and our interests, as well as our money? How much time do we spend in the interests of missions? Have we kept ourselves well informed on the work which is being done for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Christ? Do not forget that we can give our best service to the work only as we let the Master of all life add his unsearchable wishes to our lives. NOTES Following the Columbus conference, a continuation committee was formed consisting of Secretaries Burton and Swartz of the Home Mis-. sionary Society, Secretaries Doug lass and Roundy of the American Missionary Association, Rev. A. C. Garner of Washington, D. C., Rev. Wm. N. DeBerry of Springfield, Mass., and Sup't. Harold M. Kingsley, with the purpose of having one or two cities in the North carefully investigated between now and the middle of January, with reports made of them to the Home Missions. Council, where request will be made for the financing of investigation under interdenominational auspices of a considerable number of Northern cities as to their need for Negro churches. Since the conference at Columbus satisfactory progress has been made on African Missions to be jointly supported in part by income from a legacy held by the American Missionary Association to be used for foreign work; and by contributions from the colored Congregational churches, South and North. The mission will be located on the higher lands back from the coast in Angola, in Portuguese territory. It is purposed to have eventually a station by itself, with a minister and wife, a physician and wife, and an industrial teacher and wife. The first one to go will be the minister; and search is now being made for the right one from our A. M. A. schools to fill this appointment. Great interest is shown among all our colored churches in the matter of this mission." A Color That Will Not Run The first company of soldiers chosen to guard the White House when the war started, according to Dean Pickens, were colored, and he accounts for it because no Germans could possibly be among them. He adds, "Ours is what might be called a safe color. The record of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment of Negroes in the Civil War, and of the 10th Cavalry in Mexico was that our color will not run. This war is a great opportunity for us colored men because we can prove that we are not American citizens with a qualification." There are twenty vacant places in the teaching army of six hundred in the A. M. A. It asks for twenty volunteers. Write to Secretary Douglass. OBITUARY Those who are personally interested in our Indian work at Oahe, S. D., and at Fort Berthold, N. D., will remember the devoted services of Miss Emily Bechan who went to Oahe in the winter of 1893, and was there four years; and who was at Fort Berthold two years. In 1901 Miss Bechan went to Dorchester Academy and was there five years. After retiring from the work she kept up her interest and correspondence with the West and South until she died. She was ill one week and died on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 11th. Miss Bechan was a sincere and devoted faithful christian worker whose memory remains with us. We give below a comparative statement of the receipts for November and for the two months of the fiscal year, to November 30th. Designated by Contributors for Special Objects, Outside of Regular Appropriations: "I give and bequeath the sum of dollars to "The American Missionary Association, incorporated by act of the Legislature of the State of New York." The will should be attested by three witnesses. CONDITIONAL GIFTS. Anticipated bequests are received on the Conditional Gift plan; the Association agreeing to pay an annual sum in semi-annual payments during the life of the donor or other designated person. For informaion, write The American Missionary Association. THE CONGREGATIONAL Office: 287 Fourth Avenue, New York Church Extension Boards Charles H. Richards, D.D., Church Building Secretary Charles H. Baker, Treasurer Church Efficiency Secretary, William W. Newell, D.D., 19 So. La Salle St., Chicago, Ill Field Secretaries, John P. Sanderson, D.D., 19 So. La Salle Sreet, Chicago, Ill.; William W. Leete, D.D., Room 611, Congregational House, Boston, Mass.; Rev. H. H. Wikoff, 417 Market Street, San Francisco, Cal.; Assistant Field Secretary, Mrs. C. H. Taintor, Clinton, Conn. Happy New Year to all our friends! This includes all the churches which we aided last year to complete their houses of worship; all the pastors and their wives and little ones living in parsonages we helped to build; and all the donors who made this work possible. Yes, and Happy New Year to all the people in the churches which are going to give to us this year, for they will find a new happiness in such a gift of fellowship! The old year is gone! In spite of war conditions the churches and their affiliated societies sent us larger contributions in the year just closed, than in our banner year which preceded. In the aftermath of the old year, we find more than a hundred churches still knocking importunately at our door, asking for grants, church loans, and parsonage loans. We could not get money enough to help them last year. The Tercentenary Poster for Sunday Schools is increasingly in demand. Every one of our six thousand schools would find it interesting and delightful. The month for the Church Building Society is April. Look out for the hero-story, the concert exercise, and the other interesting material which will be sent. The churches are showing a splendid spirit in these days of world conflict. Out of the churches which we have assisted, tens of thousands of boys in khaki have gone forth to battle for righteousness, democracy and brotherhood. Mrs. Mary J. Barnard of Milwaukee, long a warm friend of this Society, has recently passed to the eternal home. Many years ago she began making conditional gifts to our work, and continued until she had placed $36,000 in our treasury. She has received substantial dividends on this investment, relieving her of all anxiety as to her support, and giving her a surplus for such other uses as she preferred. This amount is now released for our Loan Fund, and as soon as we can advantageously sell the securities in which it was invested, it will go out to assist some of the needy churches now urgently asking our aid. Ten new churches are made possible at once by this money which she no longer needs; and in due time the |
