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WOMAN'S WORK
Conducted by Miss Carrie Ix'-e Campbell.
A PRAYER.
Keep us, O God, from pettiness;
let us be large in thought in word,
in deed.
"Let us be done with fault-tlnaing
and leave off self-seeking.
"May we be never hasty in juftK
ment and always generous. Let us
take time for all things; make us
to grow calm, serene, gentle.
"'Teach us to put into action our
better impulses, straight-rorward
and unafraid.
"Grant that we may realize it is
the little things that create dirrer
ences; that in the big things of lire
we are at one.
"And may we strive to touch and
to know the great, common wo
man's heart of us all, and, O let us
forget not to be kind."
THANK YOU.
The following exercise has been
found so helpful in Circles and Auxil
iaries that we are asked to repeat it
here.
We thank Mrs. J. Lee Koiner, ot
Richmond, Va., for sending it to us. ?
C. L. S.
THINGS WE OUGHT TO KNOW.
1. How many Church courts has
the Southern Presbyterian Church?
1. Pour, the Session, Presbytery,
Synod, General Assembly.
2. Of what does the session con
sist?
2. The pastor and elders in an in
dividual church.
3. Of what does the Presbytery
consist?
3. All the ministers and one ruling
elder from each church within a cer
tain district.
4. Of what does the Synod consist?
4. All the ministers and one rul
ing elder from each church in a dis
trict comprising at least three Pres
byteries. Our Virginia Synod takes
in eight Presbyteries.
5. Of what does General Assembly
consist?
5. General Assembly is representa
tive of the Presbyteries (of which
there are eighty-seven in our South
ern Church), and consists of equal
numbers of ministers and ruling el
ders chosen by the Presbyteries.
6. What is the keynote of all Home
Mission work?
6. Co-operation of God's people in
the aggressive work of the Master's
kingdom, by which the stronger
Christian (or body of Christians)
helps the weaker. This co-operation
keynote sounds from the General As
sembly through the Synods, the Pres
byteries and the individual churches,
down to every church member.
7. Our Southern General Assembly
is composed of how many Synods7
7. Seventeen Synods, running from
the Pennsylvania State line in the
northeast to the border of Mexico in
the southwest, and from the Iowa
State line in the north to the Gulf of
Mexico in the South.
8. What is the Assembly's Home
Mission work?
8. The Am embly's Home Mission
work is a co-operation among these
seventeen Synods, by which the
stronger Synods help the weaker Sy
nods, thus the Synods are bound to
gether in co-operative union by the
Assembly itself.
9. What is the Synod's Home Mis
sion work?
9. The Synods are composed of so
many Presbyteries, varying in eizo
from three to twelve. Being thus
composed of Presbyteries, the Synod's
Home Mission work is a co-operation
among the Presbyteries of a particu
lar Synod, by which the stronger
Presbyteries help the weaker Presby
teries of that Synod.
10. What is the Presbytery's Home
Mission work?
10. Every Presbytery is composed
of the Presbyterian churches in a
certain district. Being thus com
posed of individual churches, Pres
bytery's Home Mission work is a co
operation among the individual
churches of a particular Presbytery,
by which the stronger individual
churches help the weaker churches of
that Presbytery.
11. What is the Congregational
Home Mission Work?
11. Congegational Home Mission
work is the co-operation of individual
Christians in the particular congrega
tion to which they belong, anything
done to help the cause of Home Mis
sions and not directly to benefit their
own congregation.
12. What is necessary for each de
partment?
12. Committees to plan ?he work:
evangelists and home missionaries to
do the work: and money to finance
the work.
13. Did our Church ever combine
all departments of Home Mission work
into one, as is done in our Foreign
Mission work?
13. Yes, for thirty-two years. From
its organization in 1861 to the year
189 3 all of the Home Mission work
was under the supervision of the As
sembly's committee.
14. What happened when that plan
was abandoned? *
14. The stronger Synods and Pres
byteries were requested to assume re
sponsibility for their own work, leav
ing the Assembly to do only frontier
work, and work in the weaker Pres
byteries.
15. Why is this plan more success
ful?
15. The nearer you bring Home
Mission work home to the people, the
more interest they take in it. Then,
too, conditions in different localities
are so unlike that the efficiency of oui
aggressive work would be much de
creased, if not thoroughly understood.
16. Why can a weak Presbytery
well afford to give to Synod's Home
Missions?
16. Each weak Presbytery receives
more from Synods than it gives.
17. How much do we receive from
Synod in Presbytery?
17 (Ask your pastor.)
18. What do we give to Synod?
18 (Ask your pastor.)
19. Why did Virginia Synod let Ap
palachia Synod have Abingdon Pres
bytery?
19. It was thought that best re
sults could be obtained by so doing,
the work of Abingdon Presbytery
being homogeneous with that of other
Presbyteries in that Mountain Synod.
20. What two Synods did Virginia
Synod help last year?
20. West Virginia Synod and Ap
palachia, the latter for the benefit of
Abingdon Presbytery.
21. What college did Synod takd
over in 1918?
21. Hampden-Sidney College.
22. Why is Hampden-Sidney Col
lege a blessing to Virginia?
22. It is the college where a large
number of our ministers get their
preparatory training. While there as
students, many go out in vacation and
do much needed work in our Home
Mission fields.
23. What is said about our Synod's
present Home Mission work?
23. It is said to be most important
work Synod has done for 150 years.
24. What are three of the best
things Synod has done?
24. First, help pay the salaries of
the eight Home Mission superinten
dents; for an active superintendent is
the only solution of the Home Mission
problem in any Presbytery. Second,
establish and maintain our Lynchburg
Orphanage. Third, taking over Hamp
den-Sidney College.
25. Who is our Treasurer and Su
perintendent of Synod's Homo Mis
sions?
25. I)r. J. K. Hooker, Hampden-Sid
ney, Va., to whose tireless and con
secrated work much of the success
is due.
26. Is it necessary for each person
in each auxiliary to do her part?
26. Yes, if we wish our State to be
steadied, guided and inspired by
Christian principles and ideals.
27. How can we, in our Home Mis
sion work, make easier the task of
the missionary abroad.
27. Every movement which best ex
presses Christian ideals in American
life makes easier the task of the mis
sionary abroad.
HOMES MISSION" NOTES.
At First Hand.
In the Georgia Mountains.
One Sunday we attended a "meet
ing" at a primitive church near to
us, and the sermon was wonderful!
The old mountain preacher shouted
most vehemently many things we
could not understand, but once he
declared, "Every morning a njan's
spirit should ascend according to the
palpitation of his heart!" Surely
they need a teacher and a preacher.
In West Virginia.
We heard of the death of an in
fant and went to the home to offer
our sympathy and help. The father
was an old man and there were sev
eral small children, while the mother
was a frail young woman. A few
friends gathered and we followed the
little company up the mountain side
to a lonely spot, where we found the
small open grave. The tiny casket
was silently laid in the little grave
and our hearts ached as we were
about to turn away. Could we, must
we leave that little grave without
even a gospel hymn? So we asked
the father if he would like us to sing
and he seemed very glad. My sister
and I then sang, "Safe in the Arms
of Jesus," and "Jewels." Ever?
man's head was uncovered and every
one stood in silent reverence, and sev
eral thanked us. They appreciate
every kindness and they seem to have
a latent longing for better things,
which they have never known. Shall
we not share our blessings with
them?
Our Work in North Carolina.
Our work was located in a lovely
valley where all was quiet, hut not
far away. Just over a few ridges, the
"still" work goes on, for often we
saw lanterns at night, often heaid
rapid firing and loud yells filled the
air, and well we knew that the still
article was passing our way.
One night, one of my small boys
came to my room and in hushed voic?
told me he saw a strange light on our
mountain. The dark mountain sidft
almost seemed to touch my very wtu
dow when the darkness came on, and
there I could see just above me the
bright, moving light! There were no
locks or keys to my home, and I never
felt more absolutely helpless, but I
must not let Paul know. So I told him
to go back to bed and not to tell the
others. As I sat there by my window
and watched that light on the dark
mountain, I also lifted my. heart up
to hills for help and never more earn
estly. Slowly, steadily, the light
came my way, when, lo, it cleared the
treetops and stood, a wonderful star
in the dark sky! Surely, behind the
great unknown, standeth God within
the shadow, keeping watch above Hid
own."
Sallie R. Burgess.
Seneca, S. C.
BARTOW, FIjA.
On the night of May 19th tho la
dies of this church celebrated the
tenth anniversary of the Woman's
Auxiliary at the suburban home of
Mrs. Anderson Stephenson.
About one hundred invited guests
were present and enjoyed the music
and the social hour, but especially
the program, which Included a talk
by the Presbyterial Field Secretary,
Mrs. Sale, the birthday cake with can
dles for each year, special- songs and
offering which summed up to over
thirty dollars and which will go to
the School for Homeless Girls in Ja
pan, maintained by our church
through the efforts of Miss Annie
Dowd. The occasion will help in
quickening our interest in the great
work of missions.
MANGUM PRKSBYTKRIAIj.
The ninth annual meeting of Man
gum Presbyterial Auxiliary was held
in the First Presbyterian church, Al
tus, Okla., the president, Mrs. W. W.
Sadler, presiding. The attendance
was good and a fine spirit prevailed
throughout the meeting.
Rev. Robert Hodgson, pastor of the
Altus church, conducted the opening
devotional exercises, and the commu
nion was administered by Rev. W. W.
Sadler. Using the topic, "No Rivers
without Tributaries," Rev. J. W. Mose
ley, Presbytery's Chairman of Wom
an's Work, forcefully presented the
necessity of Home Missions.
The reports showed a marked in
crease in gifts, being $1,015 over last
year; also a notable increase in mem
bership and in the number and size
of Prayer Bands and Bible Study
classes.
Three new auxiliaries were en
rolled. The Presbyterial special for
the year was $100 to our college at
Durant for two scholarships. The
president gave a resume of the year's
work and stressed the Presbyterial
keynote, "Individual Responsibility."
Mrs. E. S. Goodner, of Wichita Falls,
'r'ex., an unusual Bible teacher, in the
v^uiet Hours each morning and after
noon also laid emphasis upon this re
sponsibility, first to God, second to
ourselves and third to others. Miss
Eleanora Berry, representing our
Home Mission office of Atlanta, Ga.,
delivered two helpful and instructive
addresses, making us more familiar
with our Home Mission field and Its
needs. Rev. W. McS. Buchanan, D.
D., of Kobe, Japan, by means of his
illustrated lecture, gave us a greater
vision of his work and the needs of
the Sunrise Land. Mrs. R. W. Cal
houn. our Synodical president, pre
sented the work of the Synodical and
emphasized the new Standard of Ex
cellence. Mrs. R. L. Morehouse, on
"Tithing ? Why and How to Teach
It," was heard with interest. Rev.
E. D. Curtis, of Mangum, an experi
enced worker with young peopl?, ex