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WOMAN'S WORK NU M&R
The Presbyterian ui uie South
Vol. !>7. No. 42. RICIIMOXI), VA. OCTOlJKi: is i
W(>MI\\ for many years have done by far
the great or part of the actual work of
the churches. 1 lie men have provided the larger
part of the money, they have made the laws and
directed the affairs of the congregations. 1 >11 1 it
has been the women who have worked with
hearts and hands. I hev 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 lunch of their
equipment. They have ministered to the sick
;ind the poor. I hev have taken the lead in the
study of the work of the Church in the home
land and in foreign tields. They aire ever look
ing out for ne.v 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 < 'hurch 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 Kxeellence.
by which their work is measured. This Stand
ard of Kxeellence calls for the placing of a
Church paper in the homes of at least <?<> 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.
f^IIUieil I'Al'KU WKKK, in which the
> Women's Auxiliaries are to make the every
family canvass for new subscribers to the
< hurch papers, will be November ">-12. All
over the Church this week will lie a busy one
with the women. They have undertaken this
work, because thev realize the value of the
Church papers. They know that the members
?>l 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 inemlicrs 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
"I interest and support. By this work the
women are trying to provide the information
needed.
PASTORS AND OFFICERS ran irreatlv
aid the women of their churches in their
? ?Hurts to increase the nmnher of readers of the
< hurch papers. This can he done 1 > v yivine
them encouragement, counsel mid advice. The
pastor or some officer cam speak to the congre
gation (>m the subject on Sunday. Xoveinher r?th.
or :it sonic otlicV convenient time, tollim* 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 bv subscribing for the papers if the\
are not already takinir them. It lias often heen
said that the Church paper is the pastor's host
assistant. The readers of these papers are the
best inforihed. most intelligent and most literal
members of the church. If all the people could
Ik- iniiiK'fi l ? ? read them, many < > 1 t lie* church
problems would easily be solved. 1 his assist
ance given Ity pastors an<l otlicers will help the
women linaneially. They will ree^ive a com
mission ot otic dollar ior eaeh new subscriber
secured, which can he used in some other de
partment of their work.
1 1 FAT FINANCIAL AlOY KM FNTS
J \\t re launched hy a nnmher of t lie large
churches just after the close ot the war. Very
much ih? same methods were used that had heeii
employed to raise the vast sums needed hy the
(Invert nietir for the conduct of the war. Croat
success was met with in these campaigns in se
curing subscriptions for la rue amounts of
nioi.ev. 1 liese subscript ions, we believe, are
being fairly well paid up. I >u t there i- a feol
i nii" in some ?|itarters in these eliurches that the
tinan.'ial side of the work of the ( hurch was too
much emphasized in pioportion to the other
phases of its work. The Philadelphia i'lv-hy
terian says: "Many were skeptical of the-e
mov<Miu'tits as spiritual agencies. They were
largely imitations of the world hy the ('hurcli.
The appeal was mechanical and the method
commercial. Most of these big movements have
>1 l{S. F. I/O! ISK MAVES,
Chairman of (lie Wonuin's Advisory Committee and
?'resident of Soiitli Carolina Kynodical.
run tlicir course. While by their artificial
stimulus they may have increased the tiuaucial
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 hacking up
and there is a general feel ins; that the church
would do well to return to and advance more
truly spiritual. Biblical, systematical and pro
portionate giving. Tlie individual and not the
mass is the moving unit in Christianity. The
character of the mass depends upon the char
acter of the individual*." Herein is seen tlio.
wisdom of the lenders of our own ( 'hurch.
in proposing the Progressive Program.
While finances have been emphasized, that i
onlv one of the features of the Program. (Jreat
emphasis has been laid on the spiritual tea
iiiiv-. I lie result Ikis been iliat year by year
our ( hurch lias i \ ? ? 1 1 more money than a 1 most
an v other < "hurch in proportion to membership
nixl in addition t<> that the spiritual interests of
tlie ('hurch have hem greatly advanced.
ROMAN CATHOLIC PIMKSTS are be
coming tired of celibacy. It is reported
in a paper puhlished in Koine that a large
number of priests and bishops have signed a
| ?< >t it ion which has heen sent to the pope asking
that the clergy of the Church he relieved of
their vow of eelihaey. The petition says:
"Moral purity, the high aim of the Church,
hum he 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 Komish 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.
JKW S cannot Ik; won for Christ is the opin
ion held by some people who do not know
the facts. The Herald ancl Presbyter says 011
this sub ject : "Dr. Davis \V. T.usk, Presbyterial
Superintendent of Newark Presbytery, finds
thiit liiM.OOO .lews became (hristians and fame
into the ( 'hristian churches during the nine
teeiith century. It is said that 'this is a greater
result than for any oilier class of people in any
other part of the world's mission field : that
many have become ministers of the; gospel, as
(ioo Hebrew Christians are ministering to (Sen
lilc congregations. or are engaged in the work
of foreign missions.' (!od has power bv II is
Holy Spirit, of reaching .lewish hearts today,
as in early days lie reached flic hearts of such
eminent .lews as .Tames and Peter and dohn
and Paul, and made them powerful in leading
souls to faith and salvation in Christ."
CI i 1K(I I WILDINGS of an expensive
kind are being built in the South at a rate
that was never before known. Figures com
piled by the Manufacturers' Ueeord, of Balti
more. show that there are being erected this
year in the Southern States clmreli build
ings, none of which will cost less than $10,000.
and the total cost will he 1 This
total would be. largely increase! 1 if the cost of
cheaper buildings were added. This shows how
(Sod's people are showing a willingness to give
liberally of their means for the building of
houses for the worship and service of (Sod. 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 ?