The Kansas City Deaconess (Kansas City, Mo.), 1920-02-01

              VOL. XIII KANSAS CITY, MO., FEBUARY, 1920 NO. 4

You Can!

There is no thing thou mayest not overcome. 
Say not thy evil instincts are inherited, 
Or that some fault inborn makes thy whole life forlorn, 
And calls down punishment that is not merited. 

Back of thy parents and grandparents lies 
The Great Eternal Will. That, too, is thine 
Inheritance, strong beautiful, divine,
Sure lever of success to him who tries. 

Pry up thy fault with that same lever, Will,
However rooted in propensity, 
However firmly set. I tell thee, firmer yet 
Is that same power that comes from truth's imensity.

There is no noble height thou mayest not climb; 
All triumphs may be thine in time's futurity, 
If, whatso'er thy fault, thou dost not faint nor halt,
But lean upon the staff of God's security. 

Earth has no claim the soul may not contest. 
Know thyself part of the supernatural source 
And naught can stand before thy spirit's force. 
The soul's divine inheritance is best. 
-- Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 

THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS 

 THE BIRD IN THE KINDERGARTEN.
It was five minutes of two by the clock and there
was kindergarten material to prepare for next day,
fiye calls to make, supper to get for two, telephone
and door bell to answer, besides all the extra things
that are sure to come up when you are the only one
at home for the afternoon in an Americanization center.
j As the clock struck two, the door bell rang. I
put my work away and went to answer the bell, well
aware that the work would have to wait until after j
supper.
As I opened the door what was my surprise to
see Mary and the baby. The mother worked, so Mary
?;.iust always take care of the baby, which she did
J with love and cheerfulness ; but Mary had never spent
the afternoon with me as some of the children fre- -
quently did.
When Mary saw me she said, with a smile of de- - II light, "0, teacher, I come to see you !"
"Yes, come in and take your things off and we will
I have a nice little talk." So she came in and we un- -
I wrapped the baby and I gave her a doll to hold, while
I Mary and I talked. Mary adjusted herself in a large
I rocking chair and began thus:
I "Teacher, I come to tell you of a girl that lives
I I by my house that likes to come to this school."
I "Indeed! and how old is this little girl?" I asked,
I because we had to be careful, for there were children
of eight and ten wanting to come, and one young
Kellpw of eighteen insisted on coming because he said
he could learn English better in the baby school.
But Mary insisted that this little girl was only
five, so I said she might bring her the next morning.
"But teacher, she don't wash her face ever!"
"Well, she can learn how here."
"Yes."
"And, teacher, she no speak English."
' "And. teacher, she awful fresh." H ' Now that was the last and worst that she could H say, so I told her to bring her, for by this time I was H anxious to see this bit of flesh and blood. H Six-year-o- ld Mary had warned me just what I H must expect, so as she had done her duty by the teacher H and the little girl who wanted to come to school, she H began to wrap up the baby, and was soon ready to go.
k As she went out of the door she said. "I will bring
H her, teacher." H The next morning they were the first ones there; I Mary, the baby, and the new little girl, Kataleen. She
H was just a little neglected foreigner, here for us who I call ourselves Americans to make or to ruin. It all
Hi depends on where they go to school, "by the street,
j or by the kindergarten." Kataleen was anything but
Hi clean and attractive, and acted more like a little ani-- II mal than a child.
Hi I had been telling different people that I wanted
j, a bird; but where to get it and how I did not know. I It had been snowing hard all the morning and I was very cold the second day of Kataleen's school I life. Just about time for the door to be opened the I' bell rang. It was some of the children ringing the I I bell'for some people in a sleigh who were very much I i wrapped up and did not care to get out.
m As I went out to the sleigh a woman held some- -
K thing out to me, all wrapped in newspaper, and said, I "She never will sing, so I have no use for her, and I we heard you wanted a bird, so here she is. We are
l i
in a hurry; goodby," and they were gone. I had no I idea who they were. I After taking care of the little bird, that looked
like a bunch of yellow feathers because of fright and I cold, I hung the cage high in the window and turned I my attention to the children who were waiting for H
the teacher to open the door. There were many today M
because of the storm. H
After the wraps were all hung in their places H
and we were all on the circle, as we finished our kin-- H
dergarten prayer the sun decided to smile on us, so H
we must sing "Good morning" to the sun. H
But something else had noticed the sun. The H
little bird that had been so scared was warmer now, H
and seeing the nice dish of water decided to have H
its morning plunge. 0, how the water splashed and H
spattered! H Quick as a flash every child was standing with H
neck stretched high to see where the water was coming H from. What a chattering of English and Italian!
Kataleen, our dirty little new girl, was standing on
her chair with her black eyes shining like stars. The
bird did not seem to notice the children, for she began
to shake herself and prune her feathers.
Then we all sat down, and such a talk as we had,
and everybody who had dirty hands washed them.
The next morning Kataleen came direct to' me
to show me her clean dress (which wasn't ironed)
and her clean hands and face, and pointed to the bird
in comparison.
One day we were singing our songs and doing
our best when our little bird broke forth into the
sweetest of songs, and every day she bathed and sang
and seemed to know that she was the bright and
shining example of the kindergarten and the chief
assistant to the deaconess teacher. The children never
grew tired of watching her, and she would look at s them as much to say, "Yes, I have found my place
in the world."
Yes, let them pass, the ills of yesterday,
The deed unlovely, and the speech unjust,
The whispered hint, betrayal of our trust,
That struck faith's chalice from our lips, away,
And trailed her graceful garments in the dust ;
Our own default, the good we might have done,
The battles lost that patience might have won, V
The "word in season" that we did not say!
Let them all pass, those things that grieved us
Behind His back God casts the sins of men,
Repented of, remembering them no more.
And shall not we who have been born again,
And by His wondrous grace to Him brought nigh,
Hold fast the good, and let the evil die?
M. A. Maitland. fl
Deliver us from fear and favor, from mean hopes
and cheap pleasures. Have mercy on each in his de- - jH ficiency, let him not be cast down, support the stumb-lin- g
on the way, and give at last, rest to the weary.
Stevenson.
. Our practical concern in religious education is
not merely to produce sincere belief in God and im-- 1 mortality, but to make our pupils yearn for God and
for the complete triumph of his social desire.
G. A. Coe.
: .
" tB
THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS 3 f
CHRISTMAS AT EPWORTH SCHOOL.
I "Eugene Field wrote about a boy whoso name was Bill
And from what he said about him lie must have been
a pill.
For most the time this boy was naughty as could be
'Cept just 'fore Christmas he was good as good could
This
be."
may or may not apply to girls. At any rate
it was Christmas eve at last. In the big front window
stood a beautiful tree all shining and bright with all II the fruits the Christmas tree bears. From the chan-delier
and doors and everywhere twinkled dozens of
pure white stars and sprays of holly graced the mantel.
The whole house rang with joyous laughter and song
and no one could doubt that the happiest time of all
the year had come.
Now fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and
friends began to arrive for each of the twenty-fiv- e
girls in Epworth School had the privilege of sending
three invitations for the Christmas program. There
were carols and recitations. The high school girls gave
a pretty little play "Christmas in Many Lands," which
was followed by a series of livinir pictures of the first
Christmas, bringing the story of the birth of the
I Christ child in a new and effective way. Following this
I was the story of "The Other Wise Man."
I Such laughing and shouting as was heard when
I the teachers distributed the gifts to the girls as they
I sat in a big circle on the parlor floor. Churches, Sun--
I day school classes, Queen Esther Circles and it just
seemed as if everybody remembered us in such a sub-stantial
way. The gifts were opened and admired by
all, then good nights and shouts of "Merry Christmas."
But is that all and only Christmas eve? Oh no,
Santa had gifts and time to make a return trip in the II night. Christmas morning after being awakened by
the strains of "0 Little Town of Bethlehem" on the
victrola and coming down to breakfast each girl found
a new pair of stockings hanging on her chair and Santa
had put in each fruit, candy, nuts, a handkerchief and
a little useful gift sent by one of the former girls.
This was such a complete surprise that it was almost
better than the tree gifts of the night before.
Then came the delightful dinner, a gift from one
of the churches. The day closed with more carols and
a prayer of thanksgiving for all the dear friends who
had made it possible for us to have such a
M.K.L.
happy time.
A REAL SCHOOL"
Amy Fairbanks had longed ever since she was
a little girl to give her life to missionary service. Both I her parents had approved of her desire, and now, after
her graduation from high school, she was at last begin-ning
her preparation in the Training School. Two
busy weeks had passed; weeks of work, play, study,
inspiration. Listen to part of a letter to her mother: H "This is certainly a real school. I don't know H whether I had doubted that when I was looking at the H Course of Study before I came, or not. Maybe I was
M thinking more of the play-tim- es and home-lif- e so well H described in the "Shield." Anyway, after I was regis- -
H tered and saw the pile of books I was to study this
semester I was a wee bit tempted to run back home.
But I knew a few books couldn't scare me out. Here
H is the list:
I
Biblical Introduction j
Doctrinal Epistles ' m
Ethnic Faiths
Sociology J
History of Education i i
Domestic Science
Graded Sunday School
Gymnasium. ?
"We work on a schedule of a week here and I find ;
after going through one week that I will have to do
some real studying, and I will have something when I
get through, if human help can do it.
"Miss Belnap, my roommate, a senior, came here
after a college course and she says this course is keep-ing
her right at it all the time.
"Don't think I'm discouraged, for I am not; I am
only telling you this so that you may know what I am
doing and likely to be doing. I am glad I am here
and in a real school where hard things conquered are
a part of our daily life.
"I love you both.
Your daughter,
Amy."
THE INDIAN'S TWENTY-THIR- D PSALM. I
The Indian language is not easily subject to trans- - I lation and in their intercourse with one another the
various tribes use a sign language, more or less uni- - I versal, which they have evolved. The following is a B
translation of the twenty-thir- d psalm, which can easily I be interpreted by this sign language: II
The Great Father above is a Shepherd Chief. I am H
His, and with Him I want not. 'H
He throws out to me a rope, and the name of the H
rope is Love, and He draws me, and He draws me, and H
He draws me to where the grass is green and the water H
not dangerous, and I eat and lie down satisfied. H
Sometimes my heart is very weak and falls down, H
but He lifts it up again and draws me into a good road. H
His name is Wonderful. jH
Some time, it may be very soon, it may be longer,
it may be a long, long time. He will draw me into a H
place between mountains. It is dark there, but I'll draw
back not. I'll be afraid not, for it is in there between
these mountains that the Shepherd Chief will meet me, ;
and the hunger I have felt in my heart all through this
life will be satisfied. Sometimes He makes the love I
rope into a whip, but afterwards He gives me a staff i
to lean on. 'M
He spreads a table before me with all kinds of food.
He puts His hands upon my head and all the "tired" j
is gone. My cup He fills till it runs over.
What I tell you is true, I lie not. These roads that ,
are "away ahead" will stay with me through this life, J
and afterward I will go to live in the "Big Tepee" and 1
sit down with the Shepherd Chief forever. ! :IH
Missionary Review of the World. J
A good heart is nothing esoteric, nothing merely
inner; it can always be defined objectively in terms j jH of that upon which we are actually expending our IH energy and our resources. IH G. A. Coe.
"No one can rest on attained unselfishness. Any j
point that we. have reached, however.it may look to
outsiders, a goal, is for us a starting point." j 'M
. - ,7witinpH,ir 'M
I 4 THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS I
The Kansas City Deaconess
Published monthly in the interest of the Kansas City
National Training School of the Woman's Home Missionary
Society.
Editor: Anna Neiderheiser. I Subscription price, 25 cents. Anyone sending in ten
subscriptions at one time may send in the eleventh name, to
I whom the paper will be sent free for a year.
If you sec a blue mark here your subscription has
Expired.
) All' correspondence concerning contributions, and sub-scriptions
should be addressed to the Editor, Miss Anna
Neiderheiser, corner East Fifteenth Street and Denver Avenue,
Kansas City, Mo.
Entered as second-clas- s matter, October 27, 1908, at the
postoffice at Kansas City, Mo., under the Act of Congress of I March 3, 1879.
I KANSAS CITV. MO.. FEBRUARY. 1920
M. Pfeiffer, General Secretary of the Associated IG. of Kansas City, Kansas, addressed the class
I
recently.
and Remedial Agencies at the Train--
Rev. W. E. J. Gratz, D.D., pastor of St. Paul M. E.
I Church, Lincoln, Neb., delivered a very helpful ad I dress at the Training School Jan. 15, on the subject,
"What Time Is It by the World's Clock?"
Two very enjoyable group receptions were giyen
!, in January, which were participated in by the following I churches: Oakhurst, Phoenix Park, Agnes Avenue,
Slavens
Beaumont.
Memorial, Stewart, Grace, Summit St;, and
A "Weaver's Friend" loom has just been installed
in our Industrial Department, the gift of the young
women's Sunday School class of Oakley M. E. Church, I of which Mrs. Millie Le Counte is teacher. This makes
still more imperative the need for more adequate room
for this and other departments of our work.
Rev. Jas. A. Stavely, D.D., Dist. Supt. of the Kan-sas
City, Kansas District, is giving some lectures in
Personal Evangelism. His general subject is "Some I Essentials in the Personal Background of Personal
Evangelism." Under this he is taking up A Clear
Vision of the Work of Christ; Definite Personal Ex-perience
of Divine Grace; A Consuming Passion for
Redemption; A Baptism of Spiritual Power.
New students who have entered since our last
issue, for the second seamster:
Eleanor Brown, Washington, Kan.
Cedora Hart, Delano, Minn.
Grace Hayes, Gate, Okla. H Thelma Wolfe, Topeka, Kan.
Ambie Mosely, Kansas City, Mo.
Mrs. Geo. K. Withers, Kansas City, Mo.
I Rev. and Mrs. Stephen L.
Riser sailed Feb. 7th from New
York on the S.S. La Toraine, H
for Tunis, North Africa, where H
they have been sent to work H
under the Board of Foreign H
Missions. H
Mrs. Kiser is our own Karen H
Hansen, who was graduated H
from K. C. N. T. S. in 1907. In
1912, she was married to Rev.
Stephen L. Kiser, a member of H
the Southwest Kansas Confer-- H
ence. Last year while her hus--
band served in France as chaplain, Mrs Kiser spont H
some time with us, doing post-gradua- te work. For H
several months they have been in the Kennedy School H
of Missions, Hartford,' Conn. H
Our prayers and interest will follow Rev. and Mrs. I Kiser in their new work. H
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEXICAN MISSION. I January 16, 1919 January 16, 1920. I The record of the work accomplished at the Mex-- I ican Mission during its first year of work is hereby I submitted for the information and encouragement of I all interested. H
The work of the Mission is carried on in six dif-- JM
ferent clubs, classes and religious services. There (
were 248 meetings held, with a total attendance of .H
2,507 persons, 1,119 of whom were in Sunday School 'I and 304 in prayer meeting. H
The Sunday School is organized in all departments I including the Home Department and the Cradle Roll. I In the Elementary Department the Graded Sunday
School material is used and in the Adult Department H
the International series. H
The prayer meetings have been well attended.
Once a month a special program has been given with
music as the important feature. H
The Bible and the hymn book have been made the I foundation of the night school work, where English, I arithmetic, geography and music are taught. Plans are I being made for the formation and training of a young I men's chorus in connection with the work. We are J I hoping to organize a baseball team also. mI'B
, The Boys' Club is in charge of Miss Wolfe from the 1 1 Training School. They are doing good work in manual g 1 training. Bible memory work is also the foundation J 'I here. I The Girls' Club carries on lines of kitchen gar- - k I den work. if H
In connection with the Mothers' Club we have the 1 l Good Will Industries, where outgrown garments are 1 I remodeled. This is a very practical way to help the j fl Mexicans to help themselves. A religious service is j H
held in connection with the Mothers' Club. II I During the year three funerals were attended, two I of which were conducted by the mission workers. $ H
Six persons were taken to the different hospitals H
for treatment. m H
Three women were taken to the doctor's office. gI The visiting nurse was asked to call in seven , II homes. I d'H
Fourteen calls were sent in for physicians to visit II the sick. I
3 I
I THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS 5 Hv, . ,
Three families have been provided with food and
bedding.
Two destitute families found and reported to the
Provident Association.
Two Christmas baskets of food provided for needy
families.
258 articles of clothing and shoes distributed.
40 portions of Scripture and tracts distributed,
besides several copies of the Methodist and Spanish
Hymnals.
Copies of "EI Mundo Cristiano" (Christian World)
circulated among the people.
From June 16 July 25, 1919, a five weeks' session I of Daily Vacation Bible School was held.
Total enrollment 22
f i Total attendance 321
Average attendance 13.4
The school consisted of music, Bible stories, health
and habit talks, manual training, sewing, kindergarten
work, plays and games. Several memory verses were
learned, especially John 3:16.
200 calls were made, 10 sick calls, 6 visits to
Mercy Hospital with a little boy who had sore eyes.
During the five weeks we had three picnics, one
automobile ride, and one special program where re-freshments
were served.
On July 25 a model program of the Daily Vacation
Bible School was given. Many of the Mexican parents
wnvlr.
were present and much interest was manifested in the
H At Thanksgiving the workers were divided into
H six groups, who visited the Mexican homes and left
H bouquets of flowers. 50 calls were made and 57
H bouquets distributed. H An entertainment was provided at Christmas at
H which 45 Mexicans were present. Dolls, books and
Hi toys were given the children, and a box of candy and
H' an orange given to each one present. H January 14, 1920, our First Anniversary was cele- -
H brated with a program of special music. H At the opening of the fall term of school and dur--
H ing the year 32 Mexican children have been placed in H public school, many of whom had never been in school H before. A close touch has been kept with the teachers H and cases of delinquency looked after. One of the H public school teachers said that she had never been
Bh able to get the same response from the Mexican child- - H ren before that she has this year. She gave the work H they had received in the Mexican Mission full credit H for the change. H One of our young men has been induced to quit H work and continue his schooling. His scholarship is H being paid at the Boys' Hotel and he is making rapid H progress. He very freely confesses that he has found H Christ through the efforts of the workers in the Mex- - H ican Mission. H Through the year one street meeting has been held H and many cottage meetings, where the Spanish hymns H have been sung. H Visits have been made to the section-house- s of the H Kansas City Southern, a mile and a half north of Shef- - H field ; also to the Rock Island a mile and a half south. H Through the 1602 calls made (102 of which were H sick calls) the Mexican Mission has touched 82 families, H , consisting of 248 individuals.
Hj Very much time has been spent visiting in the H homes, learning the interests and the needs of, the H mothers. Scarcely a day passes but some advice is
given in regard to medicine or nursing. Many letters J j
have been written, also. j
After a year's work we look back with joy that .1 j
some good has been done, and with sorrow that more J
has not been accomplished. 1 he field is very needy and 1
the people appreciative. I
We are very much in need of a larger place. Music 4
has a great apppeal for the Mexicans and we are sorely .,
in need of another musical instrument. Modern Sun-- $ 1
day School science calls for a distinct department for j
each part of the Sunday School, while we are trying to j
make the same service fit the needs of the adult who '
speaks no English, and the beginner who should have j
everything in English. If we had a piano we could put $
the children into the back room and have their entire '
j
program separate. ,
This work affords a very effective training center i .
for the students of the Training School, and especially i j
for those who are studying Spanish. I
We need the prayers and financial help of all the 1
'
friends of the Mexican Mission, in order that the work ;
may be enlarged to the point adequate to the demands
of a needy people, and the result will be a proof of the ;
power of the gospel to save from sin.
The owner of the building in which the Mission is '
being held has expressed his willingness to build on
another room, which can be used for the elementary
departments of the Sunday School and also for the
week-da-y industrial work. This will give an adequate
plant for present plans of work. I
THE CHALLENGE OF A RACE.
At this hour may we not consider for a while
"the signs of the times" in the light of the Negro of
yesterday, today and tomorrow? 'ihere is no history
so rich, so interesting, so inspirational as that which
tells the story of the struggles and triumphs of in-stitutions
or people, so for a moment let us become just
a bit reminiscent. It is a distinct pleasure to belong to 11
an army of Methodist women, women who have in their
tread the swing of Victory and on their lips the song
of triumph.
We, the colored women of the Methodist Episcopal j
Church, shall always feel that we owe a debt of grat-itude
to this Society and to the pioneers, especially to
that pearl among women, that tower of strength, Miss
Flora Mitchell, the superintendent of the first home ,
for Negro girls, 1883. God grant that her fondest de-sires
may be realized before her sun goes down. '
O, my sisters, we are proud of our race and its j
music, and we are teaching our youth to be proud of
its accomplishments. "Fleecy locks and black com- - j
plexions cannot forfeit Nature's claims. Skins may
differ, but honor and virtue dwell in white and black j
the same." No individual or race has ever accomplished
or can ever hope to accomplish much when there is
lack of pride in itself. I do not refer to that feeling of
exaggerated egotism, that vanity which is without
foundation or substantial worth, which causes one to
assume that they are holier and better than others. I
refer to that justifiable feeling of pride in the accom-plishment
of good deeds in the past and which inspires
a confidence and courage in the ability to do as well or
better in the future. A people that produced a Harriet
Tubman, born a slave and was called the "Moses" of her
race, and often the "Underground Railroad" because i
she made 19 trips from the South leading slaves from
H I
6 THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS II
- v i
bondage to freedom and on whose head a high price was
placed. During the Civil War she was employed in the
' secret service of the United States, and during the
last year she was armed with papers which admitted
her through the lines of the army in any part of the
country. She entered the higher life in 1913. In
1914, at the auditorium in Auburn, a tablet was un-veiled
in honor of this great and good woman.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, teacher, lecturer, and
poetess, after the Civil War went up and down in the
Southland telling the mothers to start at the fireside.
In a letter dated 1870 she wrote, "Now is the time II for our women to begin to lift up their heads and
plant the root of progress under the hearthstone."
I And the Negro women all over the country have seen
I that flower grow.
Phyllis Wheatley, sold in a Boston slave market in
1776, when only eight years old, in a year's time mas-tered
the English language so that she read difficult
parts of the Bible intelligently. She wrote poems, one
of which she addressed to Gen. George Washington, and
from whom she received a letter of appreciation.
Amanda Smith, that wonderful evangelist, a slave
whom God made the instrument of winning thousands
of souls into the Kingdom, and whose simple eloquence
won the hearts of people. One day, at the close or a
most wonderful revival, a lady came to her and said,
"Amanda, I want you to go to England. I believe
God wants you to do a great work there." She was
astounded and said, "I, Amanda Smith, a washer-woma- n,
born a slave, go to England to preach Salva-tio- n!
Oh no, no, not Amanda!" But she prayed and
God revealed to her that she must go. When she
reached her destination she saw large bills announcing
"Mrs. Amanda Smith, a converted slave from America
will preach in Victoria Hall."
The History of American Womanhood is incom-plet- e
without recording the sacrifices, the longings, the
accomplishments of the Negro woman.
"Truly out of the wilderness, out of the strife
Has the black woman come to the dawn of life,
Beaten by lashes and bound by chains,
A beast of burden with soul and brains ;
She has come through sorrow, need and woe,
But the cry of her heart is to know, to know."
This wonderful Centenary Movement which is still
challenging our faith and consecration is the outcome of
John Stewart, a Negro who heard voices, or thought
he heard them, telling him to preach to the Wyandotte
fl Indians, and he obeyed.
Now, these are some of the "signs of the times."
Fifty years ago we were goods and chattels. Today
we are free men and women. Fifty years ago we were H four million and it was said we could not live as free H men. Today we are twelve million. Fifty years ago H we could sing "Naught of land do I possess." But to- - H day, dotted here and there all over this broad footstool H of the Creator, are more than three hundred and fifty H thousand homes, worth two million and a half dollars. H Fifty years ago we were toiling in ignorance. Today H the illiteracy has been marvelously reduced. Think of B the Woman's Home Missionary Society's model homes ; H of the 1,100 educational institutions, 53,000 teachers; H 23,000 ministers; 8,000 physicians; 5,000 lawyers; H thousands of cooks, maids and dressmakers; 348.474
members of this great Church. Millions of dollars H spent in buying Liberty Bonds, War Savings Stamps,
w
as well as putting Red Cross drives and other war I
activities over the top. I
But, watchman, what of the night? What are the I
signs of promise for the morrow? Past history, how-- I
ever, rich, will not suffice. We must go forward. I Happily we have demonstrated our capacity to succeed. m
But with all we have done as Negro women, marvelous I though it has been, we look with joyous anticipation I toward tomorrow. The signs of the times that the I young Negro girl hears today is the clarion call to I crowded school's service. They have caught the vision I of a bigger, better day. We need and must have trained I leadership, better community service, centers of re- -
creation in our cities and rural districts; I with organized movements in industrial, social and I moral needs. In this readjustment program Negro I girls and women coming from other cities must have 1
trained guidance along all lines lest by the glare and I glitter they be lost. We need a seminary, a high-grad- e I school where, under the best training, future leader--
ship may be assured. We need deaconesses, social H
service workers. This is a new day. A new message H
is given. We must take our girls when they have H
completed their high school course and offer them the H
chance of advanced training. The great mass of Negro H
men and women and children coming North presents a
serious challenge to our ability to handle a very com- - H
plex situation, and the first consideration is to furnish H
Christian education and a strong bond of sisterhood. H
We need a Methodist school for girls only. I am a H
believer in it is all right, but there are (H
times in a girl's life when she needs to be placed in a H girls' school where under Christian influences such as H our model homes give, she may grow. Think of it, H within the bounds of the Washington and Delaware H Conferences it is said that one-six- th of all the colored
people in the United States live. And we have no
Methodist school for girls only. Parents stand ready
to pay the price. You heard the Jewish pastor plead
for the Jewish race, and that sweet little Polish girl
plead for her people. I stand today to say in view of
this program in this new reconstruction period we
need trained leadership.
Never was the need greater; never was the supply
so unequal to the demand. The Negro does not ask nor
seek social equality, but we ask equal opportunity, equal
privileges, and a fair chance. On many sides we are j
discriminated against; our aspirations are crushed;
we are not permitted to follow many paths open to I !
others. Segregation and its evils humiliate and dis- - J
courage us. But we do not sit down and complain of i H our lot. We know we have women in our race today
who stand shoulder to shoulder with any women in any J
avenue of life. We are like the wrecked ship which to
the call, "Shall we lower the boat and take you in?" Wl gave answer thus, "No, no; lay by us till morning." '! So say we to the great Methodist Episcopal Church of III which we are and intend to be a part and which has
planned so largely and well for the welfare of twelve
million in the United States and millions in far away
Africa. O, Church of the living God, lay by us till
' morning, when right shall triumph over wrong, when
hate shall turn to love, when mob violence and lynch- - M
ings shall no more disgrace our flaor our own Stars
and Stripes, for which our boys, as did your boys, went
over the top to keep its folds from trailing in the
dust,, and many made the supreme sacrifice in this
struggle for liberty, for democracy. All honor to our
j
ifl
THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS 7
black boys. They had a right heritage when they en-tered
this war. Back in the yesterday of years ago
their fathers sang, "We are coming, Father Abraham,
a hundred thousand strong," and in the recent war
their sons sang, "Over there, over there; we are going
to fight till peace is won; to muster strong and steady
at freedom's signal guns."
The biggest program ever put on to advance the
kingdom was the Centenary, and streaming across the
radiant skies are signs of the triumph of Christ
through the consecration of young life to the cause of
' the Kingdom and the teaching that there is only one
race in the world and that is the human race,
I i The race and people who have survived and left J I monuments of greatness are those who have with
v I patience, courage and endurance stood fast in the try- -
ing periods of their existence. We have been patient.
We have been courageous. We have endured. Now,
we ask for justice. Justice, because no Negro hand
ever stained the flag by assassinating the President of
the United States. Justice, because no Negro is an
anarchist or traitor. And every woman in this room
can help by lending all possible assistance to the carry-ing
out of the recommendations of the Federal Council
of the Church of Christ in America.
Miss Ida Cummings, Chairman of Woman's Sec-tion,
Council of Defense, and a Trustee of Morgan Col-lege,
Baltimore, Md. Address given at the National
Meeting of the W. H. M. S., in Detroit.
H GROWING PAINS.
Davie did not think it fair. He was the only boy in H the family and he was never ill. Every now and again
Hi Stella or Nancy, Essie or Joan, would develop trouble
Hi of some kind and would be straightway ordered to bed. H There they would be indulged with savoury broths H and toothsome custards, whilst friends and relatives H would make affectionate inquiries, incidentally leaving H highly colored jellies, bags of oranges and glorious H bunches of delicious grapes. But Providence seemed to H have forgotten Davie. He was never ill. No friends H called to inquire with anxious solicitude concerning H him. And, which was more to the point, no beautiful- - H ly moulded jellies, no eggs or oranges, no tempting
H) clusters of luscious grapes, were left with tender mes- - H sages for him. Davie's faith staggered beneath such a H strain. So obvious an inequity in the eternal scheme H of things shocked his inborn sense of justice. He de- - H tected a flaw in the universe. Clearly it was not fair. H But, as so often happens when we bring an in- - H dictment against Providence, it was only Davie's H' patience that was at fault. His turn came at length. H He appeared one morning with a glum face and a H decided limp. He could recollect no fall that would H account for such discomfort ; no hockey-stic- k or cricket--
H ball had struck him. The trouble had evidently arisen H from within. Father and' mother exchanged anxious H looks. Did I not say that Davie was the only boy?
H He was packed off to bed. The doctor was sent for.
H Pending his arrival, the medical books, were consulted
H on such cheerful themes as rheumatic fever and hip
m disease. The doctor came, said little, but remarked I that he would call again next day. Davie would prob-- I
iv ably have em'oyed the chicken broth but for the fact V that it suddenly occurred to him that the school sports I were to be held the day after tomorrow. That tan- - I talizing circumstance considerably discounted the value
of the avalanche of oranges and grapes with which' kind il
callers had accompanied their inquiries.
"I though as much," observed the doctor, when he j
called next morning; "they were just growing pains. j '
Davie, you may get up and be off about your business P J
Davie was cheering himself hoarse at the school f
sports next day, and has ever since submitted to the j
disabilities of perfect health with heroic resignation. ?
I wish that all the optimists and pessimists that
ever were born could have been made to consider
Davie's growing pains. A philosophy of growing pains
is the very thing they both need. It would put them
both right. Here is our friend the optimist, striding
off along the path of progress with flowers in his
hand, laughter on his lips, and a heart as light as a
feather. A philosophy of growing pains will sober
him. It will remind him that progress only comes by
pain. The cost must be counted. Growth is frequent-ly
attended by suffering. Then, for the comfort and
stimulus of the pessimist, a philosophy of growing
pains puts the case the other way round. It comes
upon him as he sits his elbows on his knees and his
head buried in his hands bemoaning the anguish of
the world. To him it is like a balm and a tonic. Suf-fering,
it explains, is the natural corollary of growth.
Was it not so with Davie? An ancient Highland pro-verb
declares that where there is pain, there is life.
It is only through the travail of one age that a better
can be born. To the optimist a philosophy of growing
nains will immrt a new seriousness and a manlier
gravity ; to the pessimist it will come like the song of a j M
lark after a crash of thunder, like sunshine after storm.
Progress and pain are inseparable. I
The entire progress of humanity is punctuated by I growing pains. At the outset we were hampered by I no restrictions. The savage can do as he likes, he can I go where he pleases and he can have what he wants, H
if he have but the strength of limb to acquire and keep ; H
it. Might is right ; and he knows no restraint but the ,H
restraint imposed upon him by his own limitations. fl Then civilization sets in. Falling under its influence.. H
the savage begins to feel like the mustang from the j H
prairie that, having careered about the vastness for . H
years, is suddenly lasooed and imprisoned and broken j H
in and harnessed. He feels the rein being more and j H
more tightly drawn. And the more refined and cul- - H
tured he becomes, the more arbitrary are his restraints. H At last he revolts. Like Davie limping to the breakfast ,1 table, he is conscious, not of his growth, but of his
suffering. But let him take courage. His pains are H growing pains. Like the fees that our fathers pnid at
the turnpike gates, those sacrifices of primitive liberty
are the penalty the savage pays for getting on. j
I
Does riot the history of the Church furnish further j jM
evidence of the operations of the same law? What H are we to say of the ages of bitter antagonism and cruel 4 jjH
persecution ? That storv of rack ?nd stoke and thumb- - ijH screw makes sorry reading now. We admire the daunt-- J
less courage of tta martyrs, but we find it hard to j
understand the pitiless intolerance that sent them to j
their doom. And yet, is it not vastly significant' that
we find it so difficult to project the imagination, into
the iron temper of that afire? We look back upon that
phase of the world's religious experience muh as a
man in middle life looks back upon the growing pains
of boyhood.
The analogy is very close. An age of persecution
8 THE KANSAS CITY DEACONESS ,
was always an age of rapid religious development. The
faith was forging ahead by leaps and bounds. And
just as, when a boy is growing fast, his bones and
muscles do not always keep pace with each other, so,
in days of swift transition, head and heart do not
always work in perfect harmony. Zeal sometimes out-strips
judgment. Valour is more noticeable than dis-cretion.
Under such conditions a crisis is easily pre-cipitated.
The sufferings of the martyrs were the
i growing pains of the Church.
I Harry Seldon is a friend of mine ; but quite recent
ly he was terribly worried about one feature of his I deep experience. He is not radiantly happy as he used
to be. Years ago his faith was a perfect ecstasy to
him. He could scarcely cease from song. But now
those rapturous and tumultuous emotions never visit
him. Those of us who know him have marked with
admiration his development in other respects. In all
his dealings he is more scrupulously conscientious; in
all his utterances he is more considerate of the sus-ceptibilities
of others: in all his ways he is more
chivalrous, more unselfish, more gentlemanly and more
winsome; in all his judgments he is more charitable
and moie kind. But for all that, he often deplores the
loss of his earlier rapture. We catch him singing
Cowner's hymn:
Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord ?
Where is the soul refreshing view
Of Jesus and His Word?
But one day, not long ago. we went for a holiday
together. We motored away through miles and miles
of bush and passed some of our great Australian
orchards. After the quiet green of the bush, the
orchards, which were in full bloom, broke upon us like
a dazzling riot of color. As far as we could see. it was
a fdorious pageant of pink petals. Then we plunged I into the buh once more and soon reached the lonelv
bench bv which we camped and fished, sauntered and
shot. A fortnight later we motored back again, but
when we came to the jrreat. orchard country our eves
were not again dazzled. Th blossoms had all fallen
and Hown away. I asked Hrry if he thought the
treps had fallen from grace. Were they not nearer to
fruit'nn than they were before? And is not t'ie fruit
j the Wing that matters? And he saw then that the
1 sheading of the blossom was the growing-pai- n of the
fruit tree.
F. W. Boreham in "The Silver Shadow."
I DEFEAT.
H No one is beat till he quits, - H No one is throuirh till he stops, ,CC H No matter how hard Failure hits, H No matter how often he drops, , H A fellow's not down till he lies H In the dust and refuses to rise.
H Fate can slam him and ban" him around, H And batter his frame till he's rore, H J But never can say that he's downed
H,, Whi'e he bobs ii" serenely for more.
H1 A fellow's not dead till he dies, H Nor beat till no longer he tries.
H Edgar A. Guest.
PERSONALS. I
Miss Britt recently made two Thank Offering ad- - I
dresses in Omaha. I
Mrs. Fannie Lynch, of Winfield, Kans., gave us I
real pleasure by a call recently. I
Miss Benedict is itinerating in the interests of our I
work in the Nebraska Conference. I
Miss Rigg is spending a number of weeks assist- - I
ing in special meetings in Oakley, Kans. I
Miss Tibbetts is visiting a number of charges in I the Missouri Conference for K. C. N. T. S. , I Flora Cassell, '13, spent a week end in Kansas City I recently. The Training School family enjoyed their I share of it very much. I Miss Mattie Gaines, '14, was called to her home y I at Gallatin, Mo., in January, by the death of her brother I and the serious illness of her parents. ' I Miss Mabel Sheldon, of Woodland, Mich., visited I her friend Miss Iva Tibbetts of our Freshman class, I recently. Miss Sheldon is a teacher in the schools of I Flint, Mich.
Twin boys, John Walter and Paul Gordon, came H
January 12, to make glad the home of Mr. and Mrs. I John E. Nelson, of Cleveland, Ohio. Their mother will I be remembered as Amy Johnson, '12. H
Dr. Nellie M. Cramer has taken un work in the H
Portuguese Mission in East Oakland, Calif. This work H
is a part of our Latin-Americ- an Missions, in charge of H
Dr. McCombs. H
Out of the city callers: Fred Osborn, Elk Falls, A
Kans.; Miss E. L. Justin, Sioux City, la.; Nellie !
Hughes, Bucklin, Kans. ; F. H. Krug and Helen Dorothy H
Krug, Russell, Kans.; Mr. and Mrs. J. B. W. Boyd, '
Joplin, Mo. ; Mr. and Mrs. T. H. Darby, Solomon, Kans. ; H
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Green, Westmoreland, Kans.; Nils H
Christensen, McLaughlin, S. D. ; E. F. Eslinger, Kinsley, H
Kans. ; Olga Lundstrom, Minneapolis, Minn. H
The first thing in religious education is not an ,1
idea but a personal fellowship.
G; A. Coe.
"However hard the way we go,
This blessed certainty we know
That men may follow from below;
That those may follow who might fail,
Where pathless woods and rocks prevail
Had we not cruised and made the trail." jH
The supreme revelation of God is one with the jH
supreme revelation of man. To know God we must 'M
be socially intelligent, to make His will our own is a
matter of social practice, and entire consecration is JM
a strictly vocational concept. IH
G. A. Coe. H
"The carrying out of your purpose in years of
labor is drudgery unless you put into every fragment
the same ideal and desire which made the first glimpse
of the whole so appealing."
The vocation of a Christian is not to be as benev-- tfl olent as an unbenevolent occupation permits, but also
to re-crea- te the social system that tends to restrict
the sphere of good will, in his daily occupation.
G. A. Coe.