Читать книгу: «The American Missionary. Volume 42, No. 08, August, 1888», страница 5
BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK
MISS D.E. EMERSON, SECRETARY
WOMAN'S STATE ORGANIZATIONS
CO-OPERATING WITH THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION
ME.—Woman's Aid to A.M.A., Chairman of Committee, Mrs. C.A. Woodbury, Woodfords, Me.
VT.—Woman's Aid to A.M.A., Chairman of Committee, Mrs. Henry Fairbanks, St. Johnsbury. Vt.
VT.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. Ellen Osgood, Montpelier, Vt.
CONN.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. S.M. Hotchkiss, 171 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Conn.
N.Y.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. William Spalding, Salmon Block, Syracuse, N.Y.
ALA.—Woman's Missionary Association, Secretary, Mrs. G.W. Andrews, Talladega, Ala.
OHIO.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. Flora K. Regal, Oberlin, Ohio.
IND.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. C.H. Rogers, Michigan City, Ind.
ILL.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. C.H. Taintor, 151 Washington St., Chicago, Ill.
MICH.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. Mary B. Warren, Lansing, Mich.
WIS.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Mrs. C. Matter, Brodhead, Wis.
MINN.—Woman's Home Miss. Society, Secretary, Mrs. H.L. Chase, 2,750 Second Ave., South, Minneapolis, Minn.
IOWA.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, Secretary, Miss Ella E. Marsh, Grinnell, Iowa.
KANSAS.—Woman's Home Miss. Society, Secretary, Mrs. Addison Blanchard, Topeka, Kan.
NEB.—Woman's Home Miss. Union, President, Mrs. F.H. Leavitt, 1216 H St., Lincoln, Neb.
SOUTH DAKOTA.—Woman's Home Miss, Union, Secretary, Mrs. S.E. Young, Sioux Falls, Dak.
* * * * *
We would suggest to all ladies connected with the auxiliaries of State Missionary Unions, that funds for the American Missionary Association be sent to us through the treasurers of the Union. Care, however, should be taken to designate the money as for the American Missionary Association, since undesignated funds will not reach us.
* * * * *
We are glad to note that the ladies of Vermont in organizing a State Missionary Union, have been careful of the interests of the American Missionary Association in the support of the McIntosh school, the following resolutions having been passed by a rising vote.
"RESOLVED, That the ladies of the Congregational churches of Vermont desire to express their appreciation of the service rendered by the committee appointed five years ago to have in charge funds for the McIntosh school, under the care of the American Missionary Association. The members of that committee have done their work faithfully and effectively, and we feel that we cannot honor them more than by asking them to continue in the work, and thus assist officers of the newly-formed Union, pledging ourselves anew to help them bear the burden and to respond heartily to their calls."
* * * * *
*NOTES FROM MISS COLLINS.*
Elias, our native helper, preached a good sermon this morning. Usually on each Saturday night he comes here to ask questions in regard to the meaning of the parables or stories of the Bible. To-day, however, he quite outdid himself. The lesson was from the story of the Wise Men and the Star. He read the story and explained it. Then he said, "Christ is not on earth now in bodily form. There is no bright star placed in the heavens to guide us to him, or to show us the way to him, but, (holding up the Bible) here is our guiding star. This is the only light that can enlighten our dark minds. This will show us where to find Christ. We may try to civilize men with law, but it can only be done with the Gospel. You do not care to be told that you are sinners, but you rejoice to hear that you may be saved." His exhortation was really fine, and yet he seems ordinarily a very common-place man. His little girl has been near the gates of death, but has been miraculously spared, and it has been a means of grace to the parents. The little baby, Mary Clementine, (my only namesake), is not yet very strong; a relapse may take her off at any time. If it is God's will I hope she may be spared. This afternoon Elias went up to hold services at the Upper Station and I took charge of the meeting here. I told them something of the mission work in Africa. All seemed greatly interested.
A son-in-law of Sitting-Bull and wife came here to-day with their sick baby. They drove twenty miles to see me. The poor baby is very sick and suffered very much. I can hear its moans and cries now. I did all I could for it, but it is a forty-mile ride to visit it and I had to give medicine for a week. They will bring it again in a week. O, how I pity these poor helpless people! This man, One-Bull, has been baptized by the Catholics. He is the Chief of Police. His wife is Sitting-Bull's daughter or niece. Sitting-Bull is called the greatest medicine-man they have, and now in their helplessness they come here to me. Surely God is opening these homes and hearts very wide.
* * * * *
OUR YOUNG FOLKS
THE TRUE BLUE CARD
BY SARAH MAY
"Why are you laughing so here all alone, Auntie?" said Ralph Hill, as he came into a room where Inez Hill sat reading a letter and laughing till the tears ran down her cheeks. "Do tell me, please. It must be so funny—and what are all these blue cards?"
"One thing at a time, Ralph," said Aunt Inez. "I'll read you the letter I was laughing at and then tell you about the blue cards, for they go together. The letter is from a dear friend who is teaching the colored children in the South. It tells of her first attempts with them. I'll not read it all. Listen:"
My Dear Old Friend: I must tell you to-day about my promising pupil, Nan. I am learning patience whether she learns anything or not. One day I overheard Nan and Lila (the pretty mulatto girl I told you about) talking together about like this:
"Nan," said Lila, "do you want to learn to read like white folks?"
"Course I do," laughed Nan. "Hi yi, ho yo, but how's I ever goin' to?"
"Miss Kitty learn us," said Lila. "Heard her tell Miss Lizzy so. Me and you are going to her room after sun-down, and she'll learn us a lesson. I've learned right smart now. Know the a b c, and can spell a heap. It's 'mazin' good."
Nan opened her big eyes as Lila went one, than gave a quick toss of her head and said: "Feels mighty peart and proud like, Lile, over your larnin'. Reckon some other folks can learn too, if they wants to."
Nan is not a very quiet pupil. She has queer remarks to make about each letter as I point it out. I told her the first letter was A. She made a funny courtesy, and said:
"Mighty glad to make your 'quaintance, Massa A. Been wantin' to know you long time ago."
"That is B, Nan," I continued.
"B," she screamed, "Oh! I feared of him. Will he sting? Done got my eyes all stunged up with them bees once. Couldn't see nothin' for a week. Fac—Miss."
"I don't like X," she burst forth, "he's like Miss Lizzy when I's done broke sumthin', so cross."
* * * * *
In spite of her chattering and her capers, Nan learned all her letters that night. Teacher and scholar were astonished and delighted at her success. The next evening, however, showed that Nan could forget as quickly as she learned.
"Nan! What is that letter?" I asked, pointing to A.
"Dunno, Miss."
"What is that round letter?"
"Done forgot, Miss Kitty."
"Well, what is that letter that looks like Miss Lizzy when she's cross?"
"I disremember."
And thus it was all through the alphabet. Nan had forgotten the whole. She could not be persuaded to try again.
"Laws, Miss Kitty," she cried. "I'se done learnt 'em onct. Does white peoples learn 'em twicet?"
"Yes, Nan," said I. "If they forget the first time."
"Sho," said she with a queer twist of her black face. "I'd be 'shamed to learn it twict. Ef 'twont stay in dis head first time, 'tan't no good."
So I concluded to let the alphabet go for awhile and try spelling.
Nan learned this also quickly at first. After she had learned to spell cat and many other words, I said, "Now, Nan, I'll teach you to spell 'Kitty.'"
"Oh, I knows. Miss Kit," she interrupted, "Lemme spell, Ise-self. Must be cat wid de tail cut off. C—A—Kitty."
* * * * *
After awhile as Lila progressed and read stories to Nan, the little rogue "wisht" she could read too. "Couldn't see no use in dat yaller gal gittin' so fur ahead." When she found she could only read by learning those little things that "bobbed so spry into a body's head and hopped out a heap quicker," then she reckoned she'd have to come to it. She tried once more. It was a long time before she could call the letters and spell out words, and it was many months before she could read at all without spelling. It was hard work for Nan and harder for her teacher. Before she had half looked at a word she would hear a blackbird or see a hawk after a chicken, or she thought "sure, Miss Lizzy called." I tried to have patience and in the end I conquered. Nan was "mighty proud" when she read the last page of her primer.
"Don't think much of that ole book, no how," she said. "Got it all in here now. Spect I'd better be spry an' git inter nex' book fore I disremember this ere."
I begin to hope that both Lila and Nan are beginning a Christian life. But oh! it takes so long for seed to grow in soil that has been trampled on for years. But I hear Nan now singing the chorus of an old war song, still sung by the colored folks:
"We're coming, Father Abraham,
Three hundred thousand more."
And I will believe it. There are more than three hundred thousand just such ignorant girls and boys. They "will come" if we go after them.
Do "pray and pay" for us. Yours,
KITTY.
Ralph enjoyed the letter so much that he forgot for once to ask a question until his aunt took up a blue card and handed it to him.
"Oh, yes," he exclaimed. "Now tell me about the cards."
"Read it," said his aunt.
Ralph read as follows: "The A.M.A. True Blue Card."
"Oh, I know," said Ralph. "A.M.A. (ama) means love those. I had it in my Latin lesson this week."
"Love those, is it?" questioned Miss Hill. "Pretty good meaning that for our abbreviations. A.M.A.—the Love Them Society; it means just that. Love your neighbors, love your brothers."
"What brothers?" inquired Ralph. "I haven't any; wish I had."
"Yes, you have, my boy," answered Miss Hill. "You have red, white, black, and yellow brothers, and this 'A.M.A.' is to help them to read, to work on the farm and in the house, to learn trades, and to know the best things. Your black brothers are the negroes who live in all the South, the yellow are the Chinese in California, the red are the Indians in the Territories, in the schools of Hampton, and the whites are in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee. All these little books that I will show you tell about these brothers and sisters. Now read the card. Read it all.
THE A.M.A. "TRUE BLUE" CARD
SPACED FOR COLLECTING FIVE CENTS
For each five cents collected, prick a hole with a pin in one of the squares below—each space representing that sum.
Letters from the "Children's Missionary" will be sent to each collector upon returning the card with amount of collection—not less than Five Dollars.
Six of these cards will entitle the collector to a Life Membership in The American Missionary Association.
"GATHER UP THE FRAGMENTS, THAT NOTHING BE LOST."
[Following this is a large square containing one hundred small squares, which are the ones to be pricked.]
Ralph read the card very distinctly and carefully, and then said,
"O Auntie, may I have one to prick."
"Indeed you may," answered Miss Hill. "I was just wishing for a young collector. When will you begin?"
"Oh, right off," exclaimed Ralph, impulsively.
Then taking the card he approached Aunt Inez with a low bow and said, "Miss Hill, I called to see if you would not like to give me a small sum, five or ten cents for the poor negro."
"You'll do," said Aunt Inez, smilingly, handing Ralph the ten cents, while he energetically pricked two very distinct holes in the blue card.
"There," continued Ralph, "Now see if I don't get a missionary letter for the next Sunday-school concert. Before the year is out, I'll be a life member of the A.M.A."
Is there any other boy or girl who would like to be a collector?
If so, please raise hands.
–The Advance.
