How beyond all else in depth and influence were the beautiful church services, reverent and meaningful, bringing close to waiting hearts the burden-lifting, life-giving Jesus the Christ.
Did ever the precious hymn, "What a Friend we have in Jesus" seem quite so fraught with joy and sweet companionship as when the familiar music was sung by this Italian congregation.
Quale amico abbiaino in Cristo!
Sempre pronto a compatir
Ogni nostro pensier tristo
Tutto il nostro gran fallir!
Ma qual pace noi perdiamo,
Quali pene noi soffriam,
Sol perche non confidiamo
Tutto a Lui mentre preghiam.
Already from this Mission sixteen earnest Christian members have returned to Italy, each having two Bibles, one to give away.
Who can measure the leavening force of the gospel carried by the many who return and who are scattered up and down throughout all the lovely land of Italy.
Home Missions is not bounded in its results by the seas surrounding the home land, but reaches far away into the heart of the old world across the seas.
It is not possible here to differentiate the various races and peoples in our land, each of whose particular circumstances and need and reaction upon our national life makes an urgent claim upon the integrating power of Home Missions and the church.
* * * * *
Passing mention only can be made of the special needs of the Mexicans in the United States, thousands upon thousands of whom are voting citizens and yet are quite unable through deep ignorance, and lack of standards of life to take their places as part of the people who govern.
El Paso, Texas, shows 40,000 permanent Mexican residents; Southern California, 80,000. They form one-half the population of Arizona and more than half of New Mexico and are found in other Western and Southwestern states.