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WOMAN'S WORK N U MiE'r"
The Presbyterian oT uie South
Vol. 97. No. 42. RICHMOND, VA. OCTOBER 18, 1922
WOMEN for many years have done by far
the greater part of the actual work of
the churches. The men have provided the larger
part of the money, they have made the laws and
directed the affairs of the congregations. But it
has been the women who have worked with
hearts and hands. They have done most of the
teaching in the Sunday Schools. They have
been the most numerous attendants upon the
services. They have largely taken care of the
church buildings, providing much of their
equipment. They have ministered to the sick
and the poor. They have taken the lead in the
study of the work of the Church in the home
land and in foreign fields. They are ever look
ing out for new oportunities for service, are al
ways ready to take hold in an earnest and con
secrated way of any work that will advance the
cause of the Saviour. In this spirit for several
years the Woman's Auxiliaries have been try
ing to put the Church papers into the homes of
the people of their churches. So important do
they consider this work that they have made it
one of the goals in their Standard of Excellence,
by which their work is measured. This Stand
ard of Excellence calls for the placing of a
Church paper in the homes of at least 60 per
cent of the members of the Auxiliary. To ac
complish this and to put the papers into other
homes in the church, the Auxiliaries have un
dertaken to make an every family canvass of
the churches to see how many new subscribers
can be secured.
Church paper week, in which the
Women's Auxiliaries are to make the every
family canvass for new subscribers to the
Church papers, will be November 5-12. All
over the Church this week will be a busy one
with the women. They have undertaken this
work, because they realize the value of the
Church papers. They know that the members
of the churches need information and inspira
tion in order that they may most effectively
advance the work of God's kingdom in the
world. Without such a paper most members of
the churches will have little information of the
general work of the Church, and where there is
lack of information there is likely to be lack
of interest and support. By this work the
women are trying to provide the information
needed.
PASTORS AND OFFICERS can greatly
aid the women of their churches in their
efforts to increase the number of readers of the
Church papers. This can he done by giving
them encouragement, counsel and advice. The
pastor or some officer can speak to the congre
gation on the subject on Sunday, November 5th,
or at some othefr convenient time, telling the
people of the plan, showing them the value of
the papers, and urging them to subscribe for
one or more of them'. Thev can also aid the
women by subscribing for the papers if they
are not already taking them. Tt has often been
said that the Church paper is the pastor's best
assistant. The readers of these papers are the
best inforAed, most intelligent and most Iberal
members of the church. If all the people could
bo induced to read them, many of the church
problems would easily be solved. This assist
ance given by pastors and officers will help the
women financially. They will receive a com
mission of one dollar for each new subscriber
secured, which can be used in some other de
partment of their work.
Great financial movements
were launched by a number of the large
churches just after the close of the war. Very
much the same methods were used that had been
employed to raise the vast sums needed by the
Government for the conduct of the war. Great
success was met with in these campaigns in se
curing subscriptions for large amounts of
money. These subscriptions, we believe, are
being fairly well paid up. But there is a feel
ing in some quarters in these churches that the
financial side of the work of the Church was too
much emphasized in proportion to the other
phases of its work. The Philadelphia Presby
terian says: "Many were skeptical of these
movements as spiritual agencies. They were
largely imitations of the world by the Church.
The appeal was mechanical and the method
commercial. Most of these big movements have
MRS. F. LOUISE MAYES,
Chairman of the Woman's Advisory Committee and
President of South Carolina Synodical.
run their course. While by their artificial
stimulus they may have increased the financial
income of the church for the moment, yet their
nature has been revealed, and they have left the
church in a lower spiritual condition. They
have required a constant mechanical backing up
and there is a general feeling that the church
would do well to return to and advance more
truly spiritual, Biblical, systematical and pro
portionate giving. The individual and not the
mass is the moving unit in Christianity. The
character of the mass depends upon the char
acter of the individuals." Herein is seen the
wisdom of the leaders of our own Church,
in proposing the Progressive Program.
While finances have been emphasized, that is
only one of the features of the Program. Great
emphasis has been laid on the spiritual fea
tures. The result has been that year by year
our Church has given more money than almost
any other Church in proportion to membership
and in addition to that the spiritual interests of
the Church have been greatly advanced.
ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS are be
coming tired of celibacy. It is reported
in a paper published in Rome that a largo
number of priests and bishops have signed a
petition which has been sent to the pope asking
that the clergy of the Church be relieved of
their vow of celibacy. The petition says:
"Moral purity, the high aim of the Church,
must be reached through the free working of
human nature, not by coercion, nor by the im
position of laws against nature. The clergy
ended by ignoring the vow, and a wave of im
morality swept over the Church, spreading as
far as the Pontifical throne itself. The name
of Alexander VI is enough in this connection."
We have never seen any more severe arraign
ment of the Romish clergy made by any Pro
testant writer than this. We shall watch with
interest to see what action the pope will take in
the matter.
JEWS cannot be won for Christ is the opin
ion held by some people who do not know
the facts. The Herald and Presbyter says on
this subject : "Dr. Davis W. Lusk, Presby terial
Superintendent of Newark Presbytery, finds
that 224,000 Jews became Christians and came
into the Christian churches during the nine
teenth century. It is said that 'this is a greater
result than for any other class of people in any
other part of the world's mission field ; that
many have become ministers of the gospel, as
GOO Hebrew Christians are ministering to Gen
tile congregations, or are engaged in the work
of foreign missions.' God has power by His
Holy Spirit, of reaching Jewish hearts today,
as in early days He reached the hearts of such
eminent Jews as James and Peter and John
and Paul, and made them powerful in leading
souls to faith and salvation in Christ."
CHURCH BUILDINGS of an expensive
kind are being built in the South at a rate
that was never before known. Figures com
piled by the Manufacturers' Record, of Balti
more, show that there are being erected this
year in the Southern States 361 church build
ings, none of which will cost less than $10,000,
and the total cost will be $23,612,595. This
total would be largely increased if the cost of
cheaper buildings were added. This shows how
God's people are showing a willingness to give
liberally of their means for the building of
houses for the worship and service of God. We
cannot help wondering whether a few thousand
dollars might not have been saved from the cost
of some of these buildings. to be used to pay
the salaries of some of the many missionaries
who are so sadly needed in the foreign field.
Or would it not be better still for the church
that has raised so much for itself to practice
a little more self-denial, if necessary, and help
to provide the means for sending the gospel to
the heathen ?