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? IK.VJli> I A 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 ?