REPORT OF SECRETARY.
In inviting the women of the North, and particularly those of the Congregational churches to help establish and sustain its missions, the American Missionary Association has felt that woman’s work in the churches at home is as important as woman’s work in the mission field, in order to secure the greatest efficiency, the best results of the labor expended.
Nor have we been disappointed. As the hearts of those at home have opened pityingly toward the needs of women suffering from the effects of oppression, abuse and paganism, right here in our own country, and the hearts of our missionaries have been burdened with the same woes, the helping hand has been mutually extended; and it has been the mission of the Bureau of Woman’s Work to join these hands in strong and loving ministry.
Our woman’s work in the field can be only briefly referred to here. It is embodied in the full report which the Association gives of all its missions. Of the sixteen Normal and graded schools reported by the Association, seven are in the charge of lady teachers alone. One of these is a boarding school especially for girls, and is similar in plan to the Mt. Holyoke and Auburndale schools. But in all our boarding schools like methods are introduced, indeed the best that can be culled from Northern experience is put into practice.
Some slight changes in our plan of work should be noted, as indicating the new demands upon us in woman’s work. We no longer select our special missionaries mainly for house-to-house visiting and Bible reading, but combine this with more effective organized work. To concentrate effort upon the training of the young for usefulness, is conceded by all our workers as most essential. This is well accomplished in our boarding schools, but where we have only day schools or churches we have felt the need of reaching the home life more effectually than could be done by a missionary visitor. We therefore bring the young people to our special missionary for practical instruction, connecting this with the Christian training.
Sewing-schools are established in which girls are taught not merely how to sew well, but how to cut and make garments for themselves and fathers and brothers. Kitchen-garden has been quite generally introduced for teaching all kinds of laundry, kitchen and dining-room work, care of bed-rooms and bedding, polite attention to guests, with all amenities of home life. Thus a transformation has been made in many homes through the new life opened up to the children.
White Shield and White Cross Societies are sustained in the interests of purity. Missionary societies are formed and the young people are taught how to manage them. Through these societies the sympathy and interest of colored and Indian women have been so moved as to lead to self-denial that would put us to shame, so eager are they to give to others the light they have received. Temperance work has a prominent place in all our missions. As illustrative of the influence exerted in this direction we note one instance. The principal of our colored school in Jonesboro, Tenn., organized her temperance society ten years ago, and for years it was the only one in the place. Thus the colored people were organized and ready for action long before the white ladies. Our Northern missionary bought materials for colors, sat up nights and lettered the banners, and at the late election in Tennessee took her school to the polls, nearly every child carrying a suggestive motto, such as “Protect Our Homes,” “Lead us not into Temptation.” Through her persistence and energy the white ladies of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union joined in the movement. It is true, the amendment was lost in the State, but in Jonesboro every colored man except two voted for prohibition. Noble efforts may sometimes fail—noble lives, never.
But even could our woman’s work in the field be written in minute detail it would give but an imperfect review of what is undertaken. You hear of overflowing schools, of many forms of Christian work, of the numbers added to our churches from ranks in day and Sunday-schools, but the wrestling prayers of earnest women, the watchful admonitions, the unremitting toil which has entered into what we call success, who shall record? Over two hundred such missionaries the American Missionary Association has upon its rolls, and it is for these, and that we may add to the number, that we ask your united support.
We have much to encourage us in the results of the past year. There has been an earnest reaching out by ladies’ societies, Sunday-schools and mission bands, for some special work which would tell for good in direct influence toward the enlightenment of those in darkness and need, and contributions have been so applied as to be at once helpful to our treasury and yet assigned to some specific object interesting to contributors. Christian Endeavor Societies have begun to come forward with their help. These societies, which include lads and misses, find a most useful and attractive work in our Indian Missions. It has been quite a problem how to win and hold the interest of boys in missions, but we have found the magic word—Indian—and that if our boys’ thoughts are given proper direction in the study of Indian history and missions, they will not fail to be on the right side in their convictions and eager to help educate an Indian youth, the longer and more unpronounceable his name the more eager.
Sewing societies have been encouraged to contribute their service in a way that is valuable to us. Our item of house furnishing alone is a large one, for in connection with our eighty-nine schools are about thirty mission homes and boarding halls to be kept supplied with bedding, table linen, etc., for families of from fifteen to two hundred and fifty. These needs are indicated in a sewing leaflet which is sent to those who will assist us to set an example of good housekeeping where we plant our missions.
The most important help, however, being money contributions from all these societies, we have sought by our system of missionary letters to encourage the ladies and young people to annual contributions. The amounts thus received have varied from $10 to $100, according to the ability of the church, but every society thus contributing to the A. M. A. may work for some definite object and receive the field letters.
To the Woman’s State organizations we offer specific work on a larger scale. Of such we name the following as co-operating directly with us: Maine and Vermont each by a “Woman’s Aid to the A. M. A.” Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, each by a Woman’s Home Missionary Union, and Minnesota and Kansas by their Woman’s Home Missionary Societies.
The State organizations have some of them undertaken the support of a single school, and others of missionaries selected from different departments of our work. In every State the appeal of the A. M. A. is made through its Woman’s Bureau to the ladies of all the churches and to all the ladies of the churches, and the contributions are in part through the State organizations and in part direct, all working to the same end.
Other States also, not yet organized, are assisting us in definite lines, as Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Any society of old or young people, whether Missionary, Ladies’ Aid, Benevolent Society, Sewing Circle or Christian Endeavor—whatever involves combined interests and united work—we cordially welcome to share with us in the grand opportunities of our field.
In this way the ladies of the Congregational churches are helping in the support of seventeen of the established missions of the American Missionary Association—among the colored people, poor whites, Indians and Chinese, according to their choice.
Public meetings in behalf of missions have been provided with lady speakers, and in many instances the monthly missionary concerts of the churches having the American Missionary Association for a subject, have been furnished with fresh letters from different parts of the field, thus giving vividness to the facts gathered from the A. M. A. literature.
We all know that it is not by doing any great thing that the home is made beautiful and strong, but by the many acts of thoughtfulness, the light and skillful touches which singly appear so small, but together and often repeated become essential. So in our connection with these great mission boards, let us make our work valuable by our constancy and skill in doing what we can, giving an aureola to the cause of missions by the well directed rays of womanly, consecrated service.