Issued February, April, October annd December
Vol XXVI No. 3
ClK American IticHll Record
Devoted to tbe Interests of the McAH Mission in France
Page
Specials I
Two Communications from Paris . . 4
The Paris Annual Meeting .... 5
The Summer Budget 6
Past and Present 8
A Few Gleanings 13
Evangelization by Motor-Car . . . J 4
In the Centre of Paris — The Rue du Temple J 8
The Religious Need of Corsica ... 20
A Garden Party in Paris . . . . 22
Canadian Notes 24
Home Department ..... 26
Financial Statement ..... 32
Forms of Bequest . . . . . . 32
THE AMERICAN McALL RECORD
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN McALL ASSOCIATION, February, April, October
and December.
Bureau, Room 21, 1710 Chestnut Street PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Single Subscription, Four numbers with Annual Report, postpaid. 25 cents a year. Club Rates, twenty or more subscriptions: To one address, 15 cents a year ; to separate addresses, 20 cents a year. Club rates do not include the Annual Report.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS The Silent Highway. By Mrs. Houghton. Price at Bureau, 50 cents. Cantiques Populaires. The McAll Mission Hymn Book. With the Music.
Price, postpaid, 75 cents. The McAll Mission in France. By Rev. Franklin Noble, D.D. 17 illustrations.
22 pp. 10 cents a copy; 3 copies for 25 cents ; 25 copies, $2.00.
The McAll Mission and The New Era in France. By George T. Berry. 5 cents a copy.
Evangelization in Northern France. By Rev. Henri Nick. Price, 5 cents a copy.
Beside the French Rivers. A History of the Boat Work. Price, 10 cents a copy.
A Consecrated Life, Elizabeth Rogers Beach, Memorial Address. By Rev.
E. W. Hitchcock, D.D. 16 pp. Price, 5 cents a copy. The Women of French Protestantism, 20 pp. The Evangelizing Power of
the McAll Mission, 16 pp. French Protestantism in the Nineteenth
Century. 16 pp. By Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton. Price of each, postpaid,
5 cents per copy.
Among the French Folk. By Miss Moggridge. 50 cents, postpaid. A Guide to the Stations in Paris (with map). For free distribution. Young Life and Spirit in the McAll Work. By Miss Miriam Augusta Walker. For free distribution.
Studies on McAll Work; The Work This Side the Sea; The Work of the Boats; A McAll Journey Through Paris; M. Saillens and The Southern Workers ; 10 cents a set.
Four Little Pictures of Little French People. A Sunday School Leaflet for free distribution.
Historical Sketch of the American McAll Association. By Mrs. Louise Seymour Houghton. 10 cents a copy.
All remittances, except those for literature, should be payable to Mrs. Abraham R. Perkins, Treasurer, 302 W. Upsal Street, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.
All orders and remittances for literature should be payable to Miss Harriet Harvey, General Secretary, Bureau, 1 7 10 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Entered at the Post-Office, Philadelphia, Pa., as second-class matter
The AMERICAN McALL RECORD
VOLUME XXVI OCTOBER, 1908 NUMBER 3
By an oversight one of the most important committees appointed by Mrs. Parkhurst at onr last Annual Meeting did not appear in the Annual Report. It is a new committee, designed especially to inaugurate new work at the opening of our second quarter century. The Committee for Work among Young People — Mrs. A. R. Perkins, Chairman ; Miss Aletta Lent, Mrs. A. H. Fetterolf — have already entered upon their active work, laying the foundations for young women's guilds in various Auxiliaries. It is impossible to question the impor- tance of this committee and its work when reading in the pres- ent issue the names of those valued and active workers called to the heavenly home — the President of one Auxiliary, a Vice- President of another, and the quarter-century-long Auditor of our National Board. "Instead of the fathers" and the mothers must be "the children," if this work, so essential to the spiritual life of France, is to continue. All Auxiliaries looking forward to the immediate formation of McAll Guilds among young people — and there must be many such — are urged to corre- spond as soon as possible with the committee.
Our President and Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst sailed from Europe on September 17th and will doubtless be in this country before this number reaches our readers.
The Field Secretary makes special request that all Auxil- iaries which have not yet communicated with him in regard to the year's itinerary (pp. 53-55 of the Annual Report) will do so at the earliest possible date.
It is a matter of amazement to those who know the inter- est and the importance of the Annual Report of the Associa- tion that any contributor to the work can omit to read it, but such appears to be the case. This year's report — that of our Silver Anniversary — is particularly interesting, particularly
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The American McAll Record
important. It was brought out with the least possible delay, being in the hands of all subscribers by the first of June — in time, surely, to be taken away for summer reading, even if the busy days of preparation for rest forbade it being read at once. Yet to our certain knowledge there are members of Auxiliaries, generous contributors, active workers even, who have not looked into it! Beloved, this ought not to be! As well enter upon a campaign without ammunition as begin this autumn's work without that expert knowledge of how the work stands, and especially that vivid sense of fellowship of a large companionship of workers, which nothing but the read- ing of this report can give. It is not yet too late; but how much better it will be, next year, to read and really study the report before the busy autumn days are upon us !
At the annual gathering of the pastors of Paris last June, Mr. Greig was elected chairman. This meeting lasts two days, and is an occasion of beautiful fellowship between pastors of all Protestant denominations.
Two pages of the Silver Anniversary Report ought to be carefully read by the officers of all our Auxiliaries. They are pages 19 and 20. We will not divulge their contents, but merely ask, "Who will take the third place?"
A slight error crept into the printed report of Mrs. Per- kins's remarks at the Annual Meeting (page 21, Silver Anni- versary Report). What she actually did say was that there are "not more than 650,000 Protestants, enough Jews and other non-Christian sects to make up with these one million, leaving 38,000,000 of nominal Roman Catholics. The priests themselves claim only about four millions who in any way follow their teachings. This leaves about 34,000,000 who are drifting away from all belief, and to whom our Mission might give the Gospel of Christ were funds sufficient put into the Treasury."
In this number we give in the original French a circular letter from the Paris Committee announcing that M. Beig- beder, one of its members, and lately one of the three mem- bers of the Special Committee of Direction, has consented to take the arduous position of Director, the post held by Mr.
Specials
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Greig until failing health compelled him to relinquish a part, and subsequently the whole, of this important duty. M. de Grenier-Latour, who has of late been Director of the Paris work, now becomes Assistant Director of the Mission. Fol- lowing the circular letter will be found M. Beigbeder's letter of acceptance, also in French. For the benefit of recent mem- bers of Auxiliaries we add that M. Beigbeder has had a distin- guished career as an engineer under Government, and has been for several years the business secretary of the Maison des Missions, where he has rendered inestimable service. As a trusted member of the Free Church of France, and as an active worker in many branches of the Lord's work, he has had much experience, and has great knowledge of the needs of France.
At the Annual Meeting Mrs. Kelley suggested that it would be.pleasant to have a vice-president's hour at our next meeting. The idea is surely a good one, and we trust that as many as possible of our twenty-two national vice-presidents will keep it in mind all the year through to endeavor to be present at the next Annual Meeting. They probably do not appreciate how greatly their presence would add to the interest and to the efficiency of the convention, nor how much it would impress the people of the convention city, and the newspaper press, if women of such distinguished position as are all our vice-presidents should make a point of attending the Annual Meeting of the Association.
Our readers will be interested to learn that the Rev. Charles Bieler, brother-in-law of Rev. Henri Merle d'Aubigne, has been called to a professorship in McGill University, Mon- treal. M. Bieler has until now been Secretary of the French Protestant Sunday-school Association, and has contributed quite extensively to English newspapers. M. and Mme Bieler and their family sailed from Havre for Montreal on Septem- ber 5th. It is greatly to be hoped that our Auxiliaries may sooner or later have an opportunity to hear M. or Mme Bieler speak about the McAll Mission which they know well. Both speak English, Mme Bieler quite as well as her brother, Rev. Henri Merle d'Aubigne.
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The American McAll Record
TWO COMMUNICATIONS FROM PARIS
Mission Populaire Evangelique de France (MacAll)
Depuis la demission de M. Greig une commission speciale, composee de M.M. Bach, Beigbeder et Benham avait ete chargee de la direction de la Mission populaire ainsi que vous l'annoncait la circulaire de decembre dernier.
Cette Commission s'etait propose, non seulement de main- tenir l'ordre et la securite dans la march e de l'ceuvre, mais encore de se rendre compte par l'etude et l'experience des meilleurs moyens d'assurer et d'etendre les bienfaits de l'Evangile dans nos postes.
Pour donner plus d'unite et de cohesion a nos efforts nous avons prie M. Beigbeder de vouloir bien se charger de la Direction generale de la Mission.
Tout le designait a nos suffrages : l'interet qu'il porte a l'Evangelisation de notre pays, ses rares qualites d'adminis- trateur dont il a donne les preuves dans notre Mission "et ailleurs, et les grands services qu'il a deja rendu a notre cause.
M. Beigbeder a cru ne devoir accepter ces fonctions. que provisoirement. Le Comite a l'unanimite de ses membres ne lui en a pas moins exprime sa vive gratitude pour ce nouveau temoignage d'attachement a notre ceuvre.
Nous vous demanderons, chers collaborateurs, de joindre vos remerciements aux notres et de demander a Dieu avec nous de maintenir a notre nouveau Directeur les forces neces- saires et cet esprit de puissance par lequel il manifeste sa gloire.
Au nom du Comite, le President :
Paris le 23 Juin 1908. H. Bach.
Mission Populaire Evangelique de France (MacAll) Cher Collaborateur, — Le Comite de la Mission populaire MacAll m'ayant demande a l'unanimite de prendre la direction de l'ceuvre, je n'ai pas cru pouvoir refuser de deferer a Finsistance affectueuse de mes collegues malgre les nombreux travaux dont je suis charge par ailleurs.
A vrai dire je n'ai accepte ce mandat qu'a titre provisoire, avec la pensee que Dieu nous fournira lui-meme a bref delai un homme mieux qualifie que je ne le suis pour remplir les dedicates fonctions de Directeur General d'une ceuvre aussi importante.
The Paris Annual Meeting
5
Je suis heureux de pouvoir compter sur la collaboration de M. de Grenier-Latour qui a ete nomine Directeur adjoint. M.M. Benham et Merle d'Aubigne continueront a donner leur concours a la Mission, le premier comme tresoricr et le second comme correspondant avec lAmerique.
J'ai besoin d'etre aide dans ma lonrde tache par tous les collaborateurs de la Mission MacAll et je vous prie de vouloir bien interceder aupres de notre Pere Celeste pour qu'il mette le sceau de sa benediction sur cette nouvelle organisation.
Votre bien devoue en Lui
Paris le 23 Juin 1908. O. Beigbeder.
THE PARIS ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of the Mission was held on May 3d at the rue Roquepine Wesleyan Church, Paris, and was largely attended and most interesting. Pastor Bach presided, and spoke of the year of happy work that had passed, and of the blessings that had been accorded, especially that in spite of the serious financial crisis in America, our friends of the American McAll Association had, with great energy and unflagging zeal, been able to send over rather more than they had the previous year, for which he would express the grateful thanks of all.
He spoke of the change that has come over France in recent years ; of the fight between faith and unbelief that is now raging all along the line ; of the special difficulties that the Mission has now to face. France is not anti-religious, but it is anti-clerical. It loves the preaching of the Gospel and does not as a whole share the sentiments of its political leaders. To meet this changed condition, we are not going to lower our flag nor to make any concessions. God forbid ! We place before them Jesus Christ, so little known, and we say to them, as from Him, "Repent and be converted." We would know nothing among them but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In every station and in every hall there have been conversions to record, and in not a few cases the converts have themselves become evangelists.
M. de Grenier-Latour gave the annual report of the work of the Mission, and Messrs. Hirsh and Sainton gave addresses.
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The American McAll Record
THE SUMMER BUDGET
The report of the Treasurer of the Mission, Dr. Henry James Benliam, which was presented at the annual meeting in Paris last May, gives some food for reflection. It begins with an expression of thanksgiving to God "for the great deliverance He has vouchsafed us" in that, notwithstanding the serious financial crisis in the United States, which had given him reason to fear that there would be a considerable falling off in receipts from the American McAll Association, there was in fact (as those know who were present at our Annual Meeting or have since read our Annual Report) an actual, though not large, increase from this source. Dr. Ben,- ham's report further states that the same is true of nearly all sources of revenue. The debt of the Mission, therefore, which stood last year at $18,845.81, has been reduced by a little more than one-third, and now stands at $12,000. This debt will be still further diminished by the application to it of legacies and a certain memorial gift of one thousand dollars from a French friend to the amount of $2921.40, bringing the debt down to $9,078.60.
This is cheerful news, though we could wish that the debt might be entirely extinguished, and the saving of interest thus effected. Two points of special interest emerge from this report. One is that not less than six thousand dollars of the debt is due to three members of the Paris Committee. Not one of these three men is wealthy, all of them have families to educate and care for, yet each has advanced to the Mission an average of two thousand dollars, absolutely without security, except their confidence in those who are contributing to the support of this work ! It is an immense service, a striking act of faith !
The other important point is one upon which comment has been made in previous years, yet, since the situation still persists, it again demands our careful thought. "As in former years," says Dr. Benham, "so now, more than half our income has been received since the first of April" (the books having been kept open until June 5th).
We all understand why this is so. Between June and December, not only in this country but in other countries,
The Summer Bun get
7
very few, if any, collections can be made. This would not matter much if the fiscal year began in September or October instead of May, and the sums received after April first had not been spent in advance to meet the needs of the previous sea- son. Or, in other words, if from the sums then received enough could be left over to carry the work through the summer without borrowing.
The expenditures of last year, including interest on loans, were $58,306.58. To carry the work through the summer, autumn and early winter $20,000 were borrowed from the Woods Trust fund and repaid, with interest, before the end of April. This is precisely what the Woods Trust fund is for — to tide the Mission over any temporary emergency. How grateful the members of the Paris Committee, and espe- cially the Treasurer, must be to the beneficent donor of this fund ! Nevertheless, how fine a thing it would be if by de- grees the Mission finances could be so replenished that this annual borrowing ceased to be necessary, and the fund could remain a true "emergency fund" for unusual occasions, the interest meanwhile being available for the current expenses of the work. Even after the extensive borrowing of last year, the difference between the interest received and paid on account of this fund amounted to no less than $516.04. It would have been nearly $900 had the fund been left intact — almost enough to meet the average expenses of a mission hall.
It is not to be expected that the American McAll Asso- ciation should feel bound to raise in one year, or in a term of years, the additional $20,000 which would be required to synchronize the year's income and the year's expenses. Other countries — Great Britain, Canada, the Low Countries, Switzer- land, France itself — bear an important part in the support of the Mission. Nevertheless it is true, according to the Treas- urer's report for this year, that a trifle more than one-half of last year's income of the Mission was contributed by the United States. How fine and how appropriate a thing it would be, therefore, if the American McAll Association should undertake, not in one year, perhaps, but in three or even in five, so to increase its gifts that by the end of that time the Treasurer should have in hand when he closed his
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The Ante tic an McAll Record
books a balance of $10,000 to help carry the work through, not the seven lean years, but the seven lean months of the fiscal year ! What a relief to the overburdened Treasurer, to the overwearied Committee, as they separate for their summer rest, to know that the harassing question of ways and means was at least half settled ! How bravely in that case they might respond to the ever-recurring appeals for the extension of the work ! Shall we trv to do it ?
PAST AND PRESENT
Address by Pastor Hirsch at the Annual Meeting of the Mis- sion, held in Paris, May 5, 1908
I am the oldest of the workers in the McAll Mission in Paris, apart from the regular staff. I have seen halls open and close ; I have seen them prosper and abide amid the inevita- ble changes which are the lot of all things human, and I have seen them develop and fully answer to the expectations formed concerning them.
Such is the case with the hall, 8 Boulevard Bonne Nou- velle. in which I chiefly work. Twenty-four years ago, when it was opened, it was filled with a crowd of persons of a very mixed sort ; some came from the Boulevard, and some from the gutter ! The meetings were always agitated and often disturbed. One evening I spoke on "Obedience," surely not a very exciting subject. But there was a good deal of unrest during the meeting, and all the way through an undercurrent of trouble, so much so that M. Rouilly, who was presiding, closed before the usual time, and omitted the prayer, and wisely so. Hardly were we on the Boulevard when I was greeted by ferocious cries of "Down with the priests !" (A bas la calotte!) Yes, this was the way I was greeted — I, who hate all clericalism ! I confess I felt mortified, but did not protest, but hastened on, accompanied by the young friend who had been playing the harmonium. The crowd followed us, yelling excitedly.
A little farther on we crossed the Boulevard, hoping to escape, but they followed us, and so, looking to a policeman, I begged him to free us from this rabble.
Past antt Present
9
"Ah ! it is you who are provoking all this trouble, " and, with a loud smack, he laid hold of my collar, and hurried me to the station. We had to pass the cafes, their tables filled with people, for it was the month of September, and I was wearing a silk hat, and to see a man with a silk hat in the hands of the police is always a great pleasure to a Parisian crowd. Two more policemen joined us, and all three held me fast ; all the more since I had taken the precaution to note their numbers for future reference.
The loungers at the cafes followed us en masse, saying, "It is the assassin of the Bois de Vincennes!" Thus we reached the police-station, and the superintendent informed me that it was clear as the day that I should be guillotined!
My companion boldly insisted that I should be released, or taken to the commissary. The superintendent replied roughly enough to this request, saying that I should soon have my due from the commissary. In we went, the mob getting larger than ever around the door. They could only see the hat of the assassin, and they wanted to see his face. In the room we first entered was the official known as the "commis- sary's bull-dog," or his secretary, a term most uncomplimen- tary— for the dog, man's faithful friend ! This secretary was more brutal and offensive than the policemen. I refused to answer any questions, and insisted on being taken to the com- missary at once. He, too, received me at first with little courtesy, but when he knew who I was, he quickly changed his tone and began to complain. "It is a bad job, and the newspapers will be taking it up." (M. Hirsch is one of the best known journalists in Paris.) He called the police, and when they saw me seated in the commissary's own arm-chair, instead of standing tremblingly before him, they were seized with a most luminous idea. "We have saved this gentleman's life," exclaimed one, to the great satisfaction of his comrades.
"Did you seize the gentleman by his collar?" asked the commissary.
They had to confess that they had.
"You will hear again from me," said he, as he told them to leave his presence.
io The American McAll Record
I was shown out by a side door to escape the large crowd who were awaiting my exit by the front. I promised the commissary to say nothing of the matter in the press, but the following day the papers had a paragraph, sent from the police, to the effect that it was owing to the courage of three valiant policemen that Pastor Hirsch was not violently assaulted on leaving the hall on Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle. The Prefecture de Police had sent this round, but I soon corrected it.
But it was thus that the affair was spoken of. The trouble had been occasioned by the violence of my language, by my provocations before a quiet, well-disposed and most respect- able audience. What a description of our meeting! Only a fortnight before Pastor Theodore Monod had been interrupted in his address by some one crowing like a cock, a signal answered by a series of cries of all kinds ; and a short time before, Pastor Roger Hollard was compelled to close the meeting after having tried to speak, so violent were the dis- turbers present, and he was glad to get away in a cab from the tumult. That is the plain truth.
And now compare that time with the present. We may have meetings not quite so large in this hall, but the num- ber varies from 60 to 160, and that seven nights in the week, all the year round. We are listened to with respect and with real attention. I know that those good people, for whom the present always seems unsatisfactory, will try and prove that the noise is far better than the calm ; but if the circumstances were changed, they would as eagerly prove that quietness was infinitely preferable to disorder. Well, my friends, I do not fear noise when it is the expression of a real conflict of opin- ion. But noise for noise's sake, tumult in the midst of which one cannot lay hold of a single idea to which one may answer — Ah, no ! Allow me to prefer greatly our quiet meetings, quiet, and yet most interesting. Our hearers do not interrupt nor try to disturb, nor incite to mischief; but they think all the more of what they hear, and come closer to us, and it may be, come in conflict with us also, but in a serious manner, and in a way that has brought about not a few victories for the Gospel, and that will always insure more.
Past ami Present
We need not regret the past, but we can be thankful for the present state of things ; and this refers to the whole of the past and to the whole of the present.
I do not ignore the seriousness of the times in which our lot is cast. In the birth-throes of the new society that is forming, and in which we are taking our part, there must be violent shocks, dislocations, and the passing away of much that we have valued, and all this cannot come about without suffering and anguish. But we must see things as they really are, and not as the dread of anything new so often makes us see them. There is certainly a displacement of the centre around which the world has been accustomed to revolve. The laboring classes, who formerly were content to have nothing and to be nothing, now are demanding their place at the social feast. They have found, painfully taught by many things, that those who preached the most the virtue of being detached from terrestrial matters were those who practised it the least, and so they have come to think as little of heavenly things as did those who so passionately urged the contrary. They want no longer to work that others may possess and enjoy; they desire themselves to be the owners and themselves to share the good things of this life. And in all this tremendous change there is much to admire. The right to live is not only to live the eternal life, but to live this life also. And this the Church* ought to have recognized, and it would then have had far more authority in combating error. But instead it held itself resolutely and doggedly at a distance. And even if it had only done, that ! But it mingled' its voice and its authority with that of all those who tried to impose silence on the suffering and on the complaining. Always and blindly has it thrown in its lot with the "haves" against the "have- nots." And when the "have-nots" refused any longer to bear the age-long yoke, when with an effort, partly grand and partly brutal, they have tried to overturn the ancient economy,
*Whenever a French writer or speaker uses the words "the Church" he refers to the Roman Catholic Church. Protestant churches are called collectively "Protestantism." or by a distinctive name "The Reformed Church," "The Free Church," etc. — Editor.
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the Church has appeared to them as the keystone of the arch which must be demolished first.
And as the masses of the people left it, the Church found its other allies deserting it. The State took away the greater part of the education formerly in its care, and then the nursing in the hospitals, and then its pecuniary aid. Science, so long the vassal of the Church, gave her only a few crumbs of its attention; in short, the Church which absorbed everything, so that it was easy to say that outside it there was nothing, since based on .the secular power it allowed nothing outside of it, has now to count only on its own resources.
Must we groan over this? Yes, if you insist upon making the Church of the Lord Jesus one with that of the Papacy; worship in Spirit and in Truth one with that of the Sacred Heart ; a religious institution one with a political institution. As for me, I refuse to make such a blunder.
$ 9fs 3§: :{c $
You see the difficulties, the unbelief, the impiety, the im- morality, as though that was a new thing under the sun. For me, I see the Christ Who never before has gathered up such a store of material and of energy for bringing about the new order. * * * And Jesus Christ, my Lord and your Lord, Whom you and I love — Jesus Christ our Redeemer, will be King for evermore !
Be of good courage then, dear McAll Mission, for you have sought only to serve and to make known Jesus Christ. You have traced all over France the furrow that M. Armand Delille began in his work of the rue Royale, and you have scattered with lavish hand the Good Seed of the Cross. You have already begun to reap, and you will go on to reap abundantly. But if there were to come a time of standing still or even of decline, you will remain none the less faithful and trustful, and you will go on with joy as the days lengthen, for you know in Whom you have put your confidence. May He ever remain the only Inspirer and the only Object of your activity, and you will be more and more blessed and evermore a blessing !
A Few Gleanings
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A FEW GLEANINGS
Entering a large dark room to which wc have been directed, a first glance makes evident that the occupant is from the South, and as she comes smilingly to greet us her salutation is in broad Provencal. Madame A. is seventy-four years old ; she works in mushrooms from four in the morning until five or six in the afternoon, and by intense work man- ages to earn from 1 franc 40 centimes to 1 franc 75 centimes (28 to 35 cents) a day.
In the same house another regular attendant of our hall lives in bitter poverty. Madame A., moved with pity for her, has for the past seven months generously shared her poor dinner with her every day, often depriving herself of really needed food in order to feed her friend, and this with such tactful kindness as to seem to be receiving rather than per- forming a service.
In another house, in a lodging entirely deprived of light and air, we find a poor cobbler with his invalid mother. The son is a model of filial love. He surrounds his mother with an atmosphere of tenderness and forethought ; he does all the housework, earns their bread, and even has courage to cheer her with songs.
In the next house another poor woman receives us with a dazzling smile. Never leaving her arm-chair, suffering acute pain, she forgets all her trouble in communion with the Saviour. "I live with my God," she says, "I tell Him all my little affairs, and He speaks back to me. When I suffer too much I think of St. Paul, and of our Lord, who suffered much more, and I sing hymns. That always comforts me."
A little farther we find another old woman, very active in spite of her seventy-six years. She explains to us how she lives on 48 centimes (93/5 cents) a day, and has enough left to help her neighbors a little. When this woman became con- verted she could not read, but, though so advanced in age, she went bravely to work and learned to read her Bible.
And when I ask these people where they learned to know the Saviour, they all reply, "At the salle ; and if you don't see us there, you may know that we can't come !"
A Newly Appointed Bible Reader.
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The American McAll Record
EVANGELIZATION BY MOTOR CAR
By M. Jules Sainton
Address given at the Annual Meeting of the McAll Mission
in Paris
Motor-car work is as you know of quite recent date, and the best thing I can do will be to take you with me for a trip in Brittany. Without warning, we suddenly make our ap- pearance in the centre of a populous place where a fair is being held. Surprised and taken aback, the men make way for us, while the women make the sign of the Cross. But I reassure them, and as soon as the car stops, I stand up and begin to speak to them.
"Don't be afraid, you won't be hurt, for my car is well- behaved. Come up near me, and let us make each other's acquaintance, for I have something good to offer you. Now then, stretch out your hands, for here- is some first-rate reading about the Gospels, the very teaching of Christ, and you can- not read them without pleasure and profit."
It is the Feuilles Popnlaires, printed in Geneva, that I give away thus broadcast. This takes up a few minutes, and as I give, I make some comments on the titles of the tracts. "Who would like this? It is a good one, called A Dream. One must not dream, one has to work, but sometimes a dream can teach us a good deal ; and that is what happened to the man in this story, and his dream may be useful to you." "Here is another, Husband and Wife. Oh, this is indeed a good one, I can see! It is just the tiling to bring peace to a home where there has been a dispute, and it shows how to keep the peace unbroken." "Now, you young folk, just read this, The Sirens. It tells a young man who is beginning life how to avoid its precipices, for there are many of them along the way, and many are hidden and cannot be seen." "Here is another — what is this? The Parasites. That means those who feed upon others. We find them among the plants in our gardens, like the mistletoe ; and among the animals, as the microbes, for instance ; even among men, for men devour each other ! But the worst is to have on oneself those parasites which eat the purse, suck the blood, poison the whole life — strong drink,
Evangelization by Motor- Car
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anger, fast living, ambition. I can tell you this tract is worth reading carefully." "Here is one of the very best — it is for the women, for pious women and for those who seek salva- tion, The Sunday Cap. It shows the way to heaven as clearly as possible, right straight ahead, without passing through Purgatory. No need to have masses said. What a blessing ! So don't miss this."
Thus, as we go on, the number of listeners increases, and the crowd becomes compact, and now is the time to offer the New Testament. Holding up the precious volume, I go on: "You see this little book? I have come here for the express purpose of bringing it to you. I go all over France with this object, going in my motor to get over the ground quickly, so that there may be a copy in every home, as Victor Hugo, our great poet, desired that there should be. 'Give every laborer a copy,' said he, 'with a field to till, and that man will be a worker for morality.' I myself found all my happiness in this Book when I was just twenty, and you will find it as I did. How many here are really happy? Let those who are lift up the hand. Alas! not one does so. It is the same all over the country, men are unhappy everywhere. Well, this little Book will show you the way to happiness, its very source. It is the Book, unique, incomparable, the Book of books, none is like it. To say the truth, it is the Book of the Lord Jesus, the most wonderful Man, the most admirable Man that ever lived. It is His teaching, the story of His life written some 1900 years ago by His contemporaries, His disciples, who were the witnesses of His work and the hearers of His words. Every man ought to study this Book. If you are a believer your faith will be enlightened by it, for in this century of light one cannot believe without knowing the why and the wherefore. And if you are not a believer — well, you are free not to be one, for we are on the ground of liberty of will ; but you are responsible all the same as to knowing who Christ was and what He taught. We like to know the great men of the past and to learn from their example. Here is the great- est of all ! If we speak of others as stars of different mag- nitudes, He appears as the Sun. He could say, and we find nothing strange that He should say it — T am the Light of the
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world.' And what a Light He was! Christ summed up all His teaching in the words, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself.' He it was Who the first preached this sublime doctrine by Himself prac- tising it. When these great principles become the universal rule of life, then will have begun the Golden Age that men have always dreamt of. And how much does this wonderful Book cost? Not a great sum — only five sous, so the poorest can buy it. Here it is — who will have one?"
As you may suppose, in work of this kind, interesting, amusing and sometimes tragic incidents are not wanting. Here is one of them.
At a fair in Normandy we had begun to sell briskly, some eighty books having changed hands ; the people were friendly and sympathetic. There appeared a gentleman, a man of some importance, who asked what was going on. He saw what was our merchandise, listened a moment, and then said to me with a commanding voice, "What are you doing here? We are Catholics in these parts and you are Protestant ; we have no need of your propaganda." He went on in a scolding way, getting at length very angry. The people looked at us surprised, wondering if, after all, I had been hoodwinking them, or if this gentleman, whom they knew well, had sud- denly become mad. When he thought that he had sufficiently stirred up the crowd, he planted himself before the motor and called to the people, "Take that thing away !" No one budged. I had hardly said a word, so I remarked quietly, "Well, Mon- sieur, you will have some difficulty in moving it, for the car weighs about 1600 pounds, and my stock is heavy; I see that I must give you a helping hand !" This remark made people smile, and I felt I had them with me. But the gentleman continued, "Well, get away with your car, and leave us in peace!" "Why should I go? I have been kindly received, I am glad to be here and so is my motor. You see it has no idea of running off." He could not keep up his anger, and as I had restrained my temper, he moved away, saying, "I must confess that you have acted very politely !" To which I replied, "That is the very least I could do, seeing I am a fol- lower of Jesus Christ."
Evangelization by Motor- Car
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Let us go a little into figures. I have geen giving a por- tion of my time to this work for the last six years, with the help of some faithful friends who have often joined with me. I have sold over 30,000 New Testaments, counting in as New Testaments copies of the four Gospels and Acts, which we sell also for five sous. In one year, from spring to autumn, I found the total of the eight months' work amounting to 14,607. During August and September we sold 5572 copies. In Brittany, in fifteen days at eight fairs, we sold 1760 copies. In one day at a great fair we sold 423. In one town, in four fairs, we sold 1200 books. These figures show clearly that the Word of Christ finds an echo in many a heart. This propa- ganda is of the utmost necessity. It must be done, in order to dissipate the prejudice still so largely prevalent in Catholic centres against Protestants. Besides the many who have bought the Scriptures at these fairs must be reckoned the still larger number who have received tracts, and who have heard something of the Gospel from our lips. We calculate that over 300,000 different persons have thus come in contact with the Gospel, and have learnt that it is to evangelical Christians that they must go if they would understand the true teaching of the Lord Jesus.
This work is necessary as a preparation for more thor- ough efforts. In many localities that we have visited, one could begin a series of meetings which could not have been tried otherwise. We have seen in the Messager des Messagers that it is rare that a church is formed in any place in France unless the colportage has prepared the way.
Then what immense good is, done in these fairs by giving any who are seeking the truth the opportunity of buying a copy of the New Testament. Once, when sales were very difficult, only busy or indifferent people being around us, a woman passing by heard that it was the Gospel we were speak- ing of, and returned, saying, "If that is about Christ, I will have a book, for I believe in Him." * * * One needs to hear the remarks made by those who have purchased a copy. "This is a book to read carefully," said a man, "not hastily, as one reads the paper." "Now," said another, "I am begin- ning to understand what religion really is." "I don't read it
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every day," said a third, "but sometimes I spend the whole morning- over it." "What numberless consolations I have found in this Book," said a fourth. And often we have this testimony, "Here I draw all I have for the feeding of my soul." And who dare to say that these believers, who nourish their souls with the Word of God, are not as truly converted, in the sight of God, as many Protestants in our churches who take the name of Christians? * * *
IN THE CENTRE OF PARIS -THE RUE DU TEMPLE
By M. Fleury
We find that our visits to the homes of the people are of the greatest value, and they enable us to judge of the reality of the work in their hearts and lives. Then it is that we can talk with them in close intimacy, and thus help them forward.
Lately I was visiting one of the oldest frequenters of the old Salle Rivoli in her poor room on the sixth story. I often go to see her, for she suffers from heart trouble, and cannot get to her much-loved meetings as often as she would. I found her with her hymn-book on her knees. "I sing in my heart, for I cannot sing aloud." "And what are you singing?" "Number 238." It is one of M. Theodore Monod's beautiful hymns, which ends with the words, "Viens m'oter tout mon cceur, me donner tout le Tien." (This is the original French of the well-known hymn, "O the bitter shame and sorrow.")
She told me again her story, a very interesting one it is, and worth setting down. Born in the north of France, one of a large family, and a very poor one, she was sent to service when quite a child. She was made to work far beyond her strength, and thus she thinks her health was undermined. When twenty years of age, she came to Paris with her mistress. Passing one Sunday morning before the Church of Ste. Marie (one of the four old Roman Catholic churches given to the Protestants by Napoleon I in compensation for those burnt in the persecutions), she asked her mistress leave to go in to be present at the service, supposing it to be a Catholic Church. To her surprise she saw no altars, images, nor ornaments of any kind, but she found that what the
In the Centre of Paris — The Rue i/u Temple 19
preacher said was "very good." So without knowing it she had been present at an evangelical service. Then she found her way later on to the Salle Rivoli, and became a most faithful attendant. She has truly found the Saviour, and has profited much by all she has learned. "They taught me much, but I have such a wooden head !" She is indeed very ignorant, but she has the root of the matter in her.
The same day I went to see Mme C. She too is ill, and has to keep her room. She is a Catholic by birth, but is a true believer. "I am a widow, and live here with my sister, who is out at work all day long, so I am quite alone — yet not alone, for the Lord is with me. I cannot tell you how happy all I learned at the meetings has made me." "How did you get to know of the meetings?" "Well, a friend said to me, 'You are so fond of religious things, I am sure you would like to hear the gentlemen at the Salle Rivoli.' So I went, and ever since have never ceased to attend there."
We find it not easy to get in many new hearers in the hall. Those who come enjoy the meetings and get good from them, but we want to see more fresh faces. And yet we do get some. I see from time to time a young workingman with his wife and little boy come in. They are from Normandy, and have been in Paris for a short time only. I trust that not being as yet corrupted by the prevailing infidelity here that they may be brought in and become true followers of the Lord. They live a long way off, and come thus of their own free will, so it looks as though they enjoyed our meetings.
We try to get our people to induce others to come with them, and one of the women is excellent at this work. When she comes in with some one she has brought, she smiles at me and says, "You see, I have got you some fresh hearers." Then she asks them what the impression has been on attending for the first time, and lately she said, "You remember that man I brought last Sunday to the four o'clock meeting? He is a man without any religion. Well, he was very glad to hear you, and you have won his heart. He said it was just the kind of religion he approved of." I believe there are many around us here who would receive the Gospel could we but get them under its power, but that is the difficulty.
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I have also been visiting a young man, a clever workman, a graver on metal — young, intelligent, and dying of tuber- culosis. He has a wife and young children, and he suffers much, poor fellow ! I often see him and try and comfort him, and his patience is wonderful, and his soul is opening to the eternal realities. His young wife is a true Christian, and works with wonderful energy, and cares for her husband with the greatest tenderness. They have three little girls, the two eldest come to our Sunday-school. We thank God that the Gospel has entered that home, and that in the day of sore trial they know in Whom to put their confidence.
A gentleman who came into the meeting lately said in going out, "One thing you teach is how to find peace in the soul, and that is already not a little matter." So we go on, sowing the good seed day by day in the heart of the great city.
THE RELIGIOUS NEED OF CORSICA
Our readers will remember something of the history of the McAll Mission work in this island. The most genuine cases of persecution encountered by our workers anywhere (and very genuine they were, as M. and Mme Mabboux and Mme Rombeau could easily remind us) were encountered in Corsica, and in Corsica, too, occurred some of the most inter- esting cases of conversion in the history of the work. In the course of the retrenchments rendered necessary by insuffi- cient income, our work has been — alas! — very much curtailed. The report for 1906-7 (that of 1907-8 has not yet come to hand) shows that in Ajaccio during that year only 13 meet- ings with an average attendance of 28 were held, with 9 Bible classes having an average attendance of 14; in Aullene, 31 meetings, 42 Bible classes, 36 Sunday and Thursday schools and 2 special meetings with an average attendance of 41, 36, 23 and 125 respectively. In Monaccia, 3 meetings only were held with an average attendance of 61, and in Cuttoli, where some of our most interesting experiences have been encount- ered, no meetings at all except two Bible lessons with an average attendance of 15. Apparently the work there has been abandoned, as there is no record of domiciliary visits, or •distribution of Bibles, Gospels or tracts.
The Religious Need of Corsica
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Yet Cuttoli sorely needs the Gospel ! A recent French novel, Columba, draws a striking picture of the voceri of Corsica, and a recent letter to one of our French papers from the pastor of the little Protestant Mission Church of the Socictc Centrale tells his experience with the voceri of Cuttoli. The voceri, or as the word may be literally translated, "vociferators," are mourners for the dead, and this mourning for the dead is so frantic, so hopeless, so utterly devoid of Christian comfort, as to move to pity every one who knows what it is to mourn the dead with the aid of divine comfort.
Pastor Monnet was approaching Cuttoli when he heard prolonged and heart-rending shrieks. "'Some one is dead," said his Corsican fellow-traveler, and they hastened in the direction of the cries. On a bier before the house lay upon a pillow the photograph of a young soldier, the son of the house, the news of whose death in the colonies had just arrived. The bier was surrounded by women, who in the intervals of their piercing shrieks would snatch up the photograph, kiss it, talk to it, rock it in their arms like a baby, and lifting it to heaven demand in agonized tones revenge for this life too soon cut oft". Old women with disheveled hair were rocking themselves from side to side as they bent over the bier, looking like the sorceresses of ancient legend : young girls, with screams which rent the air, were calling upon the dead to return. The poor mother, quite beside herself and uttering heart-rending moans, was dancing before the bier. In the background was a group of silent men. who, when the pastor asked why they did not attempt to calm the excited women, replied only, "Those are acts of duty ; it is our cus- tom to mourn our dead this way."
Happily, the good pastor was able to give these poor creatures a message of comfort, and when at last a degree of calm had been restored he read to them those glorious words of hope from the burial service, the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians. But when will the servants of God and the lovers of Jesus Christ our Lord provide the means to enable us to do unceasing, devoted work among these benighted people, to whom sorrow is so familiar and comfort is unknown ?
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A GARDEN PARTY IN PARIS
By Dr. Henry J. Benham
Pastor and Madame Bach invited the members and friends of the Mission to a garden party at their house on Friday, May 29th. Some fifty were able to accept the kind invitation, several friends from England being present, among them being Lord Radstock. Unfortunately the weather was not propitious, and rain soon compelled us to take shelter in the house and conservatories, instead of being able to enjoy the pleasant walks of the spacious garden.
After an hour of tea and chat, we assembled in one of the conservatories for a friendly meeting. M. Bach gave out the old favorite, "T'aimer,-0 Sauveur charitable," and then said how much pleasure it gave Madame Bach and himself to wel- come us all there, and he hoped it would be the first of many such gatherings. He told us how the house and grounds had been bequeathed to the Lutheran Church by a wealthy friend « in order that a church might be erected on a part of the estate, and that the rest might serve as a place of meeting and recreation, while the house would be the parsonage. He had also left the sum of $30,000 for the building of the church.
As president of the Mission he felt a deep interest in all its work, and he assured the workers of the joy he felt in their successes and of his deep sympathy with them in their trials and difficulties ; especially would he express his true sym- pathy with their friend, M. Tricot, in the death of his eldest son, and with all who were passing through trials of various kinds. He regretted that his many avocations prevented his visiting as he would wish to do all the halls in Paris and in the environs. M. Beigbeder, Dr. Benham, and himself had been charged, since the beginning of the year, with the direc- tion of the Mission, but they felt that it was advisable that it should be centralized in one person, and as they had not thus far found the right person to invite to take it up, the idea had recently suggested itself that one of their number be asked to undertake the work for a time.
He was happy to say that that week he had received a letter from M. Beigbeder, stating that if all the members of the committee were unanimous in asking him to undertake
A Garden Party in Paris
the post, he was willing to do so, and to take it as a call from God to accept the heavy responsibility until the right man was shown them. On consulting the committee on Tuesday even- ing, the members present were unanimous and enthusiastic in their approval, as had been their honorary president, M. Louis Sautter, and the vice-presidents.
He had, therefore, much pleasure in presenting to them their old and valued friend, who, notwithstanding his many heavy responsibilities, had consented to become provisionally the delegate of the committee for the direction of the work.
They had come to the conclusion that it would be better to return to the old plan of having one director for all the work, both for Paris and the Provinces, and M. Beigbeder desired that M. de Grenier-Latour be associated with him as assistant director, to help him and to replace him when required while having special charge of the Paris work.
In feeling terms M. Beigbeder thanked M. Bach and the committee for the confidence they felt in him, and assured them that in accepting what he believed to be God's call to this post, he felt that the responsibilities would be crushing were it not that God had promised His presence and His strength. He would remind us of two passages: Acts xxviii, 15, "When he saw them he thanked God and took courage," and 2 Cor. iv, 1, "Wherefore having this ministry, by the mercy which has been given us, we do not lose courage" (literal transla- tion of the French). He asked us all to remember him much in prayer, that God would give him the needed strength of body and of mind, and that we might all be filled with the Holy Spirit and work together for the object for which the Mission existed, the proclamation of the truth of God and the ingathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. Let us be banded together in love and in prayer, and seek continually from the Lord all that we need.
The meeting then resolved itself into a prayer-meeting, Messrs. Bonnet, Benham, Merle d'Aubigne, Greig, Lord Radstock, and others taking part.
After a verse of a hymn and prayer by M. Bach we sepa- rated, having spent a most enjoyable and profitable afternoon together.
The American McAll Record
CANADIAN NOTES
The annual meeting of the Canadian McAll Association was held on the last Thursday of March in Toronto, too late for a report to be sent to the April number of The Record.
The commodious parlors of the Bloor Street Baptist Church were kindly given for the day.
After the morning devotional exercises Mrs. Chas. Stark, the president, welcomed the delegates, the attendance being better than usual. The reports of secretaries and treasurers showed an increased interest and liberality for the year.
Miss Gorman, of the London Young Women's Auxiliary (the first for McAll Mission work in Canada), read an excel- lent paper on Young People's Work.
The new president in Paris, Rev. H. Bach, sent the usual letter of greeting and told something of the work in France.
At the noon hour those present were entertained at luncheon when there was an informal discussion on "How to Interest the Young People in McAll Mission Work."
At the afternoon session the report of the Corresponding Secretary was read.
Mrs. Ross, of Lindsay, read a carefully prepared paper on "The History of French Protestantism."
The special speaker and guest of the Convention was Mrs. Holland, of Buffalo, who brought greetings from her Auxiliary, and gave a bright and helpful address on the command of our Lord, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature."
Toronto was especially favored by a visit and address from Mile Merle d'Aubigne as she passed through Canada; also from M. Peyric, of La Maison Verte, who had been lecturing in Montreal all winter and was going home via Niagara Falls and New York.
Although it is difficult to extend this work in Canada owing to the great demands made by other Christian interests in her home field, yet those who have been interested in France remain faithful to the McAll Mission.
Mrs. Amelia M. Cowan,
Secretary.
Mary Bradford Lewis
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MARY BRADFORD LEWIS
The death of Miss Mary Bradford Lewis, which occurred about ten weeks after the Philadelphia Anniversary, will be deeply felt throughout the entire circle of our Auxiliaries. Naturally the blow will fall most heavily upon the local society, thus unexpectedly bereaved of its exceptionally efficient presi- dent. But Miss Lewis's interest was too wide and her enthus- iasm too vital to be confined to her own Auxiliary. She loaned herself and her not too vigorous physical strength generously to many other Auxiliaries. In the Hartford report at the Twenty-second Annual Meeting the Secretary said : "Our president has shown her great zeal for the work of the Mission by speaking to several Auxiliaries in different States." Her gracious and cordial welcome to the delegates to the Twentieth Annual Meeting of the Association in Hartford, in 1903, will not soon be forgotten by those who heard it. Her name was familiar to readers of The Record, and more than once officers of other Auxiliaries in perplexity have found in her an informed and wise counsellor. To me, personally, her knowl- edge and insight were invaluable. Her familiarity with the work, and her acquaintance with its "atmosphere" were at first hand. Little escaped her in the passing currents of French thought, and she read with a keen sense of historic perspective. To be a guest in the hospitable home in Farmington Avenue, at least once a year, was a "dear delight" ; but even more than the encouragement and rest by the way which this gave me, shall I miss the suggestions, comments and criticisms which came from her reading, her observation and her intelligent devotion to the work. Her last letter, written shortly after the last Annual Meeting, which she attended at much personal inconvenience, was signed : "Your co-worker." Her plans for the present year were more comprehensive and enthusiastic than ever.
The appreciation in which she was held in Hartford was beautifully expressed the day after her death by one of the pastors of the city. Dr. Stone wrote in the Courant:
"The rare judgment and tact which were shown by Miss Lewis in her services connected with the Hartford Auxiliary of the McAll Mission deserve more than a passing notice, now
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that her removal brings the most painful sense of her loss to her large circle of friends. She was not only a tireless worker in her chosen field. She brought the highest culture and the most ardent enthusiasm to the task. With a willing and beau- tiful spirit of sacrifice she made herself thoroughly acquainted with the wants of the Mission in Paris, and returned from her repeated visits to it with an insight of the genius of the French character, an affection for the people which rose into a passion. Always frail in body, she did not allow this to check her con- secrated activity. With true Christian refinement, finding expression in gentle manners and voice, her noble spirit, kindled with Christian love, could not fail to arouse others. Her mem- ory will linger fondly and long in the city which was her home, and we cannot doubt it will be cherished in that other city beyond the sea for which she prayed and labored."
I am sure my request will find a wide response when I ask that the prayers of all the Auxiliaries shall be offered for the bereaved Auxiliary at Hartford, and that the beloved father and mother of her who was but lately the light of their home be held in special and tender remembrance.
George T. Berry.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Not the Hartford Auxiliary only, but the Hartford entire Association has been sorely be- reaved by the death of the president of that Auxiliary, Miss Mary B. Lewis. All who attended our Silver Anniversary in Philadelphia last May will remember her inspiring presence. Frail as she then looked, her delicate body seeming a mere vail for the soul which shone forth through her face, no one dreamed that she would be so soon called home. The Auxiliary has adopted resolutions which will be found below. The following tribute is from the pen of one who has long been intimately associated with Miss Lewis in the work of the Auxiliary :
To all of us who knew and loved Miss Lewis our feeling can only be that she is away for a rest. Such a much-needed restl But as we think of our work, the work so inexpressibly dear to her, we are overwhelmed with the sense of our loss. Yet God
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must have prepared some one to fill the place made vacant. Twenty-one years ago, when the Hartford McAll Auxiliary was formed, Miss Mary Bradford Lewis was chosen secretary, a posi- tion she held until 1901. when chosen to be our president, which position she held up to the time of her leaving us.
Words are inadequate to give an idea of the work that she did, not alone in our own dear Mission, which we may truly say she rarely forgot for an hour. Always extremely frail in body, she would rise over obstacles and lead us into the light. Her intelligent, clear mind helped us all to do our work. Among the working girls her interest never flagged, and her home was a haven of rest for them always. So charitable toward others, excusing their failings, but always in her work, putting, it would seem, the McAll Mission first. .
For nine years she taught — oh, so faithfully — her class of boys in the Sunday-school, one of the number being a member of my family.
As her infirmity increased she looked forward to the years of sitting in silence with great dread. The past year she had grown very tired, and a rest in the country seemed to be the thing she most needed. Only four days of suffering and she fell asleep. The last talk we had together, just before her leaving home, she said. "I am going to make you all work harder than ever the coming winter." And so with her spirit constantly with us, let us be glad that our dear little lady is resting, and be sure that she is watching to see if we carry out her wishes, and keep the faith, though with aching hearts. E. S. F.
Resolutions in Memory of Mary B. Lewis
The Hartford Auxiliary of the American McAll Asso- ciation feel that they have sustained a great loss in the death of
MISS MARY BRADFORD LEWIS
their beloved friend and long-time leader.
She has passed to her final rest at the noonday of her life, and the world is better for her having lived.
For twenty-one years Miss Lewis had been officially con- nected with this Auxiliary as secretary and president, re- spectively, giving to the cause her means, time and strength unsparingly.
At our future gatherings we shall miss her gracious pres- ence, and also her fruitful way of keeping us interested in the work, and encouraging each one to feel that the success
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of the mission depended upon the personal service of each member.
Her Christian character as shown in her gentle influence and kindly deeds, and her special zeal for all mission work, were known not only to her friends in America, but also by the workers who toiled in France for the spreading of the Gospel in that country.
Familiar as she was with the French people and their language, she occasionally, when in France, addressed them in their mission halls, speaking to them words of good cheer.
Miss Lewis was an unusually intellectual woman, and possessed of many charming qualities. Socially she was one whom her friends loved to meet, and her whole life was full of joyful service in her Master's cause.
We, her associates in the Hartford Auxiliary, bow in humble submission to God's decree, cheerfully bearing testi- mony to Miss Lewis's usefulness and worth ; and we ask that a copy of this tribute be placed on the records of this Auxili- ary ; that a copy be sent to the family of Miss Lewis, and to the Secretary of the American McAll Association in Philadelphia. Respectfully submitted,
Susan Burr Very,
Secretary, Edith Kerr Richards, Grace Turnbull,
Committee.
It is with deep sorrow the Boston Auxili- Boston ary has to record the death of Mrs. J.
Howard Nichols, an earnest and enthusias- tic worker, who passed away on August 4th. A Vice-Presi- dent and manager since 1884, a year after the formation of the Auxiliary, her interest in the work continued to the end of life. Even during months of suffering it never flagged, as the writer can testify, having spent an hour with her about three weeks before her death, when the conversation soon turned on the McAll work, and she wished to know all about the Silver Anniversary of last May. and the work of our own Auxiliary, •etc. Having been traveling around the world for a year, she
Hume Department
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had been cut off from knowledge of it. The fatal illness attacked her on her homeward journey; strength, however, was given whereby she was able to return to pass her last days with her family. In cheerful and earnest work for the McAll Mission she was an inspiring example to all her co-workers.
M. H. B. VanWagenen.
From the earliest years of the Boston Auxiliary the noble presence and the enthusiastic loyalty of Mrs. J. Howard Nichols have been an inspiration, and now she has been called to her reward ! How devoted she was to this work only those can say who knew her. Her beautiful house and grounds at Newton were often thrown open for special meetings, when neighbors and friends were brought together to hear some speaker brought thither at Mrs. Nichols's invitation. From a tribute in the Boston Transcript of August 15, 1908, we copy a few lines :
"Wealth and opportunity were hers, but of these she took little account. For her children and herself she desired only such possessions as wisdom, courtesy and kindly consideration for others would bring. To learn, to help, to enjoy the highest in the realms of music, painting and eloquent speech, these were the satisfactions that her nature craved.
"She seemed untouched by the petty ambitions and sordid aims of those around her. Her life was ever an inspiration, the unquenched longing of a child for what is above and beyond its grasp."
On May 26th this new Auxiliary was Sewkkly formed with Mrs. John T. Findley Presi- dent (242 Walnut Street) ; Mrs. O. Camp- bell First Vice-President and Mrs. F. H. Lloyd Second Vice- President; Miss Roberta Wilson Secretary, and Miss Mary Gray (Watson Road) Treasurer. The President, in reporting this organization, writes : "The parable of the mustard seed was in my mind when I looked at the little company assembled for the opening exercises. I have seen the wonderful growth of the work from its beginning, for I attended the first meeting held in Pittsburgh, in 1880, and was the first Secretary. I trust
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that here in Sewickly we may receive the same power and blessing through the Holy Spirit that has been given the work from its beginning."
Every member of the Association will welcome this new Auxiliary, the first child of our second quarter century. Those who attended the Silver Anniversary may remember the pres- ence there of Miss Gray, now the Treasurer of the Auxiliary so soon thereafter to be formed.
Almost a twin with Sewickly is the Harrisburg new Harrisburg Auxiliary, also formed in
May, and therefore in the first mouth of our second quarter century. Except that the Treasurer is Mrs. John E. Cox, particulars and names of officers have not been received at this writing, but we welcome the new Auxiliary, and our prayers are offered for every member and every officer by whatever name they are called.
At the last meeting of the Germantown Young Ladies' Guild McAU Guild it was suggested that we each
take a character from any of the following periods of French history, illustrating one of these four aspects of any period :
(a) Political.
(b) Intellectual (literature, science, art).
(c) Religious.
(d) Commercial.
I. Rise of France, 800 A.D. — Charlemagne. II. Low water mark of national spirit, 1412-1421 — Joan of Arc.
III. Renaissance, Francis I.
IV. French Reformation, or religious and political struggle
culminating in St. Bartholomew's Eve.
V. Intellectual activity, Louis XIV.
VI. French Revolution, 1789 — Napoleon; modern France.
"Will you be ready to give an eight-minute report at some meeting during the year?
The above will surely be an incentive and a help to the young girls who are forming guilds in' other places.
Home Department
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From the earliest days of its existence the American McAll Association has had a faithful and zealous friend in Mr. Lewis H. Redner, and his death on the night of Saturday, August 29th, leaves us with a very keen sense of loss. From the beginning Mr. Redner was auditor of the accounts of the Board, and it was to his good offices that we owe the securing of the charter of the Association. He was a warm friend of Miss Lea (Mrs. Chamberlain), a member of the same church, that in which our Silver Anniversary was held, the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. When Phillips Brooks was rector of that church Mr. Redner was organist there, and they were life-long friends. When Phillips Brooks wrote his beau- tiful hymn, "O Little Town of Bethlehem," he asked Mr. Redner to set it to music, and it is to Mr. Redner's music that that hymn is always sung. Mr. Redner organized the large Sunday-school of his church, and was for many years its superintendent. His philanthropic works were many and made him known and beloved through all the city, so that summer though it was when he died, his funeral was very largely attended and nearly every Episcopal clergyman of the city was present.
We report here a few titles of books with which those who are interested in religious questions in France would do well to make themselves acquainted.
La Crise Morale. Paul Bureau. Brentano, New York.
French Calvinists and Exiles in the U. S. Rosengarten. Lippincott.
The Roman Catholic Church in Italy. Robertson. Mor- gan & Scott, London. The Cambridge Modern History, Vol. X. Macmillan. L'Emigre. Paul Bourget. Brentano, New York. The Church in France. Bodley.
Duruy's History of France. Jameson. T. Y. Crowell & Co., New York.
Little Tour in France; Henry James. Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
French Dramatists ; Brander Matthews. Scribners.
The American McAU Record
RECEIPTS OF THE AMERICAN McALL ASSOCIATION FROM AUXILIARIES AND CHURCHES
September 15, 190s
Englewood Auxiliary 8320 00
141 25
MAINE, 806.31 Portland Auxiliary . . . .
March 15—: 860
MASSACHUSETTS, 8831.75
Amherst, Friends in
Andover Auxiliary
Boston "
Eusthampton "
Lowell, Kirk St. Church ....
Lowell
Northampton Auxiliary
Pittsriekl Auxiliary
Balem
Springfield "
Worcester "
RHODE ISLAND, $245.10 Providence Auxiliary
CONNECTICUT, 81,882.58
Hartford Auxiliary
Meriden "
New Britain "
New Haven "
Norwich "
Norwich— Mr. F. J. for Library- Mrs. E. B. Huntington
Windsor Locks Auxiliary .
NEW YORK, 86,295.40
Albany Auxiliary
Albany
Buffalo Auxiliary 1
Brooklyn " )
New York " 3
Rochester "
Rome "
Syracuse "
Troy "
Utica "
245 10
Huntington, memory of
625 71 105 550 144
100 287
285 15 ,000 294 023 150 6 70 420 31
NEW JERSEY, 86,037.99
Belvidere Auxiliary
Bloomfield — First Presbyterian
Church 18
Elizabeth Auxiliary 1,136
Elizabeth 25
00 10 00 00
23
00 25
00 00 00 90 00 00 00 00 00 50
00
00 25 00
Morristown Montclair 1 Newark 1 New Brunswick 1 Orange
Oranee — Legacv,
Mary Moir
325 00 452 75 426 05 939 25
Memorial " 2,000 00
Plainlield Auxiliary Princeton Trenton
5 00 100 44 72 00
5 00 93 00 216 50
70 55
PENNSYLVANIA, 84,017.03 Chester and Vicinity Auxiliary . 130 00
EnstOU Auxiliary 170 00
Harrisburg " 50 00
Philadelphia" 2,171 53
Pittsimrg & Allegheny Auxiliary 1,181 00
Scranton
West Chester Auxiliary .... Wilkes-Barre " ....
DELAWARE, 870.55 Wilmington Auxiliary ....
MARYLAND, 8761.00
Baltimore Auxiliary 761 00
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 8500.00
Washington Auxiliary 500 00
OHIO, 8523.00
Cincinnati Auxiliary
Cleveland " ....
Dayton "
INDIANA, 825.00 Indianapolis Auxiliary ....
ILLINOIS, 895.00
Chicago Auxiliary
Lake F'orest "
MICHIGAN, 8H5.0O
Detroit Auxiliary
Saginaw— a gift
MISSOURI, 829.00
St. Louis Auxiliary
MINNESOTA, $287.10 Minneapolis Auxiliary .... St. Paul " ....
2.50 00 130 00 143 00
25 00
32 50
62 50
65 00 50 00
29 00
147 10 140 00
FORM OF BEQUEST FOR PERSONAL ESTATE I do give, devise and bequeath to the American McAll Association the sum of dollars.
FORM OF BEQUEST FOR REAL ESTATE I do give and devise to the American MoAll Association the following described property.
AMERICAN McALL ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS President
Mrs. Chas. H. Parkhurst, 133 E. Thirty -fifth Street, New York City Vice-Presidents
Mrs. James A. Garfield, Northern Ohio Mrs. F. B. Dwight, New Jersey
Mrs. J. V. Farwell, Illinois Mrs. Grover Cleveland, New Jersey
Mrs. Henry A. Laughlin, Western Pa. Mrs. Edward H. Skmple, Missouri
Mrs. Francis Wayland, Connecticut Miss Anna L. Dawes, Western Mass.
Mrs. A. F. Beard, Eastern N. Y. Mrs. Samuel M. Vail, Northern N. Y.
Mrs. W. H. Fenn, Maine Mrs. J. S. Berry, Maryland
Mrs. C.VanR. Berry, District of Columbia Mrs. H. N. Paul, Eastern Pa.
Mrs. J. H. Nichols, Eastern Mass. Mrs. W. W. Seei.y, Southern Ohio
Mrs. A. L. Crocker, Minnesota Mrs. Lawrence Myers, Central N. J.
Mrs. C. A. Severance, Minnesota Miss McVickar, Rhode Island
Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana Mrs. J. Warren Goddard, N. Y. City
Board of Directors
Term Expires igog Term Expires igio
Mrs. \\. R. Nicholson, Philadelphia Miss Alletta Lent, New York
Mrs. John F. Keator, Philadelphia Mrs. Geo. E. Dimock, Elizabeth, N. J.
Mrs. Roberts Le Boutillier, Wayne, Pa. Mrs. Adam H. Fetterolf, Philadelphia Miss Ida Simpson, Philadelphia Mrs. Louise S. Houghton, New York
Term Expires igu
Mrs. Frank B. Kelley, Elizabeth, N. J.
Mrs. J. Lewis Crozer, Chester, Pa.
Miss Isabel W. Semple, Philadelphia
Mrs. Edward Yates Hill, Philadelphia
Treasurer
Mrs. Abraham R. Perkins, 302 W. Upsal Street, Germantown, Philadelphia
Corresponding Secretary
Mrs. H. L. Wayland, 511 S. Forty-second Street, Philadelphia
Recording Secretary- Mrs. John H. Scribner, Oak Lane, Philadelphia
Representative Secretary
Rev. George T. Berry, Englewood, N. J.
General Secretary
Miss Harriet Harvey, Bureau, 1710 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
Auditors
Lewis H. Redner J. H. Jefferis W. W. Arnett
Attorney
Henry Pleasants
PARIS COMMITTEE OF DIRECTION
Honorary President
Mr. Louis Sautter
President
Rev. H. Bach
Vice-Presidents
Rev. B. Couve Rev. Chauncey W. Goodrich Mr. O. Beigbeder
Treasurer
Dr. H. J. Benham
Rev. Chas. E. Greig; Rev. Samuel Gout; Mr. Roger Merlin; Prof. J. Monnier; Hon. Eugene Reveillaud ; Rev. R. Saillens; Mr. L. Vanden
Secretary
Mr. E. J. Rouilly
Perren Twyeffort and Rev. E. Bonnet.
Director
Mr. O. Beigbeder
Mr.
Assistant Director
Samuel de Grenier-Latour
Corresponding Secretary for the United States
Rev. Henri Merle d'Aubigne
PARIS STATIONS AND DIRECTORS
8 Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle (Salle Baltimore) 129 Rue Marcadet, Montmartre (Maison Verte) (Rev. L. 4 Rue du Temple (New York) (Rev. Charles Fleury) 90 Rue d'Allemagne, La Villette
(Rev. Elie Gounelle) 13 Rue de la Lancette, Bercy (Rev. C. E. Greig) 142 Rue du Faubourg-St.-Antoine (Rev. Eugene Creissel)
Peyric)
19 Rue de l'Avre, Grenelle 157 Rue St. Charles, Javel
(Mr. de Grenier-Latour) 157 Rue Nationale 8 Rue Danton, Kremlin-Bicitre (Rev. H. Merle d'Aubigne) 6 Rue Etienne Dolet, Menilmontant 4 Rue Solferino, Aubervilliers (Mr. E. Huet) 105 Rue Veron, Alfortville ' (Mr. E. Mabboux)
PROVINCIAL STATIONS AND DIRECTORS
Amiens, 54 Rue des Archers Mr. Thomas Lockert
AulKne and Ajaccio Mr. J. D. Reboul
Bethune, Rue de la Gendarmerie Mr. S. Farei.ly
Calais, 51 Rue Galilee Mr. Henri Brun
" Rue Deneuville
Cognac (Haute-Vienne) Mr. A. Boutonnet
Desvres, Rue du Temple Mr. Arnold Malan
Fives-Lille, 165 Rue Pierre le Grand Pastor Henri Nick
Grasse, 21 Place aux Aires Mr. A. Quehen
Lagny-sur-Marne, 9 Rue St. Denis
La Rochelle, 6 Rue du Temple Mr. J. Durrleman
Limoges, 5 bis Rue Cruveilher Mr. J. Canet
Lourches, Rue de la Mairie Pastor Vincent
Marseilles, 40 Quai du Port ; 35 Boulevard
Vauban ; 10 Rue Bernard Pastor Louis Biau
Nantes, Avenue Metzinger Mr. E. Chastand
Nemours, 7 Rue du Champ de Mars Mr. J. Coorf.man
Nice, 22 Rue Lunel Mr. F. de Saint Vidal
Rochefort, 30 Rue du Champ de Foire .... Mr. J. Durrleman
Roubaix, 123 Boulevard de Belfort Pastor Alfred Durrleman
Rouen, Mr. C. Vautrin
Saint-Etienne, 7 Place Fourneyron Dr. Hastings-Burroughs
Saint-Nazaire, Rue de Cran Mr. P. Corby
Saint-Quentin, 1 1 Rue Thiers Pastor A. Monod
Saint- Yrieix, 26 Avenue de Chalus Mr. J. Canet
BUREAU OF THE MISSION
36 Rue Godot de Mauroi (Second Street East from the Madeleine)