I Yv'nV “ Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature P—Mark ^^And the Angel answered and said unto the women * * go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the deadP — Matt. 28:y. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the womanl"—John q.'gg. I SO?-^ THOUGHTS FOR GIRLS, BY ONE OF THEM. FOURTH EDITION. This Pamphlet can be obtained at the office of the MISSIONARY Review, qgb W. 20th St., Hew York. Single copy, ^ cents. 12 copies, j'o cents, j'o copies, $2.00. 100 copies, $3.So. Any avails will go to Foreign Missions. SHALL I GO P “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, ”—Mark i6; 15. “ And the Angel answered and said unto the women * * go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.’’—Matt. 28: 7. “ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman.”—John 4:39. The Bible teaches women’s duty and privilege in Christian work. Women are included in the admonitions, warnings and commands given to the children of Israel. In the service of song they had a large share. All the women went out after Miriam when she exclaimed : “ Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously.”—Ex. 15:21. “When David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing.”—i Sam. xviii: 6. Women had an active part in the equipment of the Tabernacle. “ And all the women that were wisehearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun.”—Ex. 35. In the prophets we see them as mourners. In the psalms as preachers—“ The Lord giveth the word : the women that pub¬ lish the tidings are a great host.”—Ps. 68 : ii. The Old Testa¬ ment records signal services rendered by women, nor does it close without a prophetic glance at the future enlargement of their work. “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. * * ♦ Upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”—^Joel 2. Add to this the words of Christ, and women’s Christian privil- leges and responsibilities cannot be doubted. But just what is our great work as women of this 19th century ? Our Saviour has died and risen. The door of heaven is open to every poor sinner. “ Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Yet millions of women know not this won¬ derful truth—and why not ? Christian women have not told them. In the selection of his disciples our Saviour makes prominent a single requisite. And Jesus said unto them, “ Come ye after me and I will make you to become fishers of men, and straightway they forsook their nets and followed him!' Prompt obedience was repeat¬ edly the condition of signal blessings. Mary showed her knowledge of Christ when she said, “ Whatsoever he saith unto you, do itf The most vital questions for every Christian woman to day arc, 4 What Would He Have Me Do? Am I Doing It? As to the first, we have a distinct answer in the first chapter of Acts. At the ascension, as the group of disciples gathered around Jesus, with longings inexpressible, they must have desired to show their love to him. The Saviour knows it and in the solemn moment of parting he confides his one great desire to those whom he deems worthy to fulfill the sacred trust. “ Ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter¬ most part of the earth.” Before the clouds received him out of their sight his last words were “ uttermost part of the earth!' What greater legacy could he have left? Such a trust shows his confidence in our love and faithfulness. “ Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me.” As these first Missionaries walked back to Jerusalem, did they discuss what con¬ stitutes a call? Is each one of us included? or. Where is the money to come from? Ah no, these hearts were intent on their Master’s orders. Obedience was simply a question of supreme love to Jesus. When Garibaldi had been defeated at Rome, he is¬ sued his immortal appeal: “ Soldiers, I have nothing to offer you but cold, and hunger, and rags, and hardship. Let him who loves his country follow me.” Thousands of the youths of Italy sprang to their feet. Girls, if we see our work laid upon us with all the emphasis of a Saviour’s last wish ; if we are honestly asking: Shall I carry the message of salvation to heathen women ? let the answer be prompted by pure love and gratitude to Jesus. He knew us when he gave love as our motive for work. Nothing short of it will keep us faithful and strong. Do you say. I Want the Assurance that I am Personally Called ? “ Let him that heareth say, come.” Thank God, this means me, just as truly as “Whosoever will, let him come.” Our Gov¬ ernment in dire extremity calls for recruits between the ages of 25 and 50. What would you say of one who, refusing to go, would give the excuse that he had not received a personal call ? Living face to face with the fact that 800,000,000 are without a knowledge of Christ, can we ask—have I a call to tell them of Jesus? What mean the cries from desolate heathen homes, from hundreds of children carrying deep gashes and brands made on the tender flesh to bring out an evil spirit, or the still deeper heart¬ burnings which come with every added year of life ? What means the mute appeal from India’s twenty-one million widows, 1,500,000 5 under 24, and 10,000 under 10 years of age ? Girls, is there not here a personal call to “ carry good tidings, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ? ” It was a call which reached to heaven and brought down the Saviour. Can it do less in a human heart? But T have not a Missionary Spirit. God forbid that we should undertake this work without the true spirit. Let us not lower our standard but remember that “ the preparation of the heart is from the Lord.” Jesus emphasized the essential requirement and “ commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.” Of the disciples it is written—” These all continued with one accord in prayers and supplication with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and his brethren.” Acts i, 14. “ Thus saith the Lord God ; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them.” We who are young and tremble in presence of soul-work can rest on Zech.5 iv. 6, How earnestly we would seek the Missionary spirit, if we remembered that it is our badge of discipleship. “ If ye love me, keep my commandments.” “ Ye are my friends, if ye do what I command you.” Do you say. I FEAR I HAVE NOT ALL THE QUALIFICATIONS NeEDFUL ? Cor. i, 18^31 mentions five things which God uses. The weak, foolish, base and despised things and things that are not. Why ? that no one may glory in his own strength, wisdom or power. Moses made excuses until he learned it was not the rod, not Moses, but the Lord was the deliverer. Samson with his jawbone of an ass, Gideon’s armament of empty pitchers, David and his sling, Shamgar with his oxgoad, Elisha and his staff, Dorcas with her needle, and Mary with her alabaster box of ointment, are each a standing rebuke to every faint hearted Christian. Our only fear need be that we are not offering to God the very best we have. If we cannot give our thousands, We can give the widow’s mite. But let us remember the widow’s mite was all she had. One who has been a missionary a quarter of a century sends us girls this message: ” If you have given yourselves a living sacrifice unto 6 God, fear not the Foreign field.” “ Go ye therefore^ because all power is given unto Me!' Do you say I CAN Work at Home ? We certainly would not be Missionary candidates if not Christian workers. But consider—“ The good is a great enemy of the best.” Are we working for souls entirely dependent on us for a knowledge of Christ ? Could not we do more for our col¬ lege, our literary circle, our sewing school,'! our church and our home by enlisting it to support us with its contributions and prayers, by sending back letters and thus bringing it into closer sympathy with Christ and his work ? Pastor Harms, instead of getting men from the learned Univer¬ sities, urged upon his own people, farmers, artisans and mechanics, the duty of carrying the gospel to Africa. A ship was built for the purpose and the first band of missionaries reached Zululand in 1854. During the following 17 years Pastor Harms’ parish in Hanover enjoyed one uninterrupted revival in which 10,000 souls were hope¬ fully converted. As to Ties of Friendship, Let us prayerfully read Matt, x, 37. As copartners in the work of redeeming our world to Christ we are to know the “fellowship of his sufferings.” Oh to rise to the holy enthusiasm born of a desire to have the sufferings of Christ abbund in us. Paul viewed souls from the standpoint of the cross and so exclaims — “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of*the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.” We need this enthusiasm. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to make us realize the value of one immortal soul. We need Him to open our eyes and hearts to the fact that 1800 years have passed since the command to disciple all nations was given, and ^ of our race are still without hope, without Christ, without God in the world. We need His help to realize our relation to the world’s redemption ; to the fact that while the church has been gaining some 3,000,000 converts from heathendom, the natural increase of heathen has been 200,000,000 ! Praise God; His Spirit is carrying home these facts and lead¬ ing many to say “Here am I, send me.” To the list of Missionary Volunteers, 1,401, as given in the third edition of this pamphlet, we can now add :— 7 Unversity of New York,.6 Heidelberjr, Ohio,.7 Dennison University, Granville, O., . 7 Female Seminary, “ “ • • 5 Otterbein Univ., Westerville, “ . . 4 State Univ., Columbus, “ . . 10 Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Mich., . . 24 Albion College, Albion, “ . . 24 Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, “ • . 30 Olivet Univ., Olivet, “ • • 34 Presbyterian Sem., Kalamazoo, “ . . 10 Baptist College, “ “ . . 16 Holland, “ . . lo O. N. W. Normal, Ada, O.,.9 Park Col., Parkville, Mo.,.70 Total to May i8th, 1887,. N. N. A. Normal School, Lebanon, O., . 16 Wittenburg College, Springfield, “ .11 Wesleyan University, Delaware, “ . 24 Wooster College, Wooster, “ . 16 Earlham College, Richmond, Ind., . . 4 Hanover College, Hanover, “ . . 7 Hope College, Holland, Mich., ... 15 Depauw University, Greencastle, Ind.,..38 Macalester College, Macalester, Minn.,. 10 Hamlin University, Hamlin, “ 14 Carleton Col., Northfield, “ 31 Minneapolis, “ 23 Wabash Col.,.14 Liberty, Mo., ..ip Other Colleges,.172 .2,081. Of this total some 400 are girls. This missionary interest is reaching College girls chiefly through Young Women’s Christian Associations. In 32 Colleges recently visited by the National Secretary, there are 140 young women who expect to be Mission¬ aries. Has not the “ Y. W. C. A.” “ come to the kingdom for such a time as this ” ? Can we not enlist every one of the 600 schools where young women are educated that so ufiitedly we may undertake work ; that of carrying the Gospel into every Zenana and Harem ? “ It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe,” and it pleased Him to make woman the first herald of resurrection news. Our Saviour has not left us in doubt as to what he would have us do. Are we doing it ? The following table, though incomplete, will help us in answer¬ ing this question. Estimating the heathen population at 850,000,000, at least 425,- 000,000 are women and girls. According to statistics of 1884- 1885, the living communicants in the churches of all Christendom number 28,736,647. Fourteen millions, less than \ this total, will not be too large an estimate for female communicants. We 14,000,- 000 Christian women ought to carry the Gospel to 425 million heathen women. This table shows that our organized work for this purpose be¬ gan'in England 52 years ago. 8 I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXL XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV. XXXV. STATISTICS OF Union Missionary Society. 1. Society of the Presbyterian Church . .. 2. “ “ Northwest,. 3. “ “ Northern New York. 4. “ “ Board of Missions, New York, . . . ,. 5. “ “ the Southwest,. Board of Presbyterian Church, South,. Society of the U. P. Church,. Reformed Presbyterians,. “ (Dutch) Church,. Cumberland Presbyterians, . .. *Board of Missions, (Congl.). 1. “ “ Interior,... 2. “ “ Pacific,. Baptist F. M. Society,. I. “ ‘‘ “ of West,. Free Baptist F. M. Society,. Protestant Episcopal Auxiliary, .. Society of the M. E. Church. “ “ “ Church South,. “ “ Methodist Prot. Church,. Association United Brethren,. .. Disciple Church,. Mite Society African M. E. Church,. . . Evangelical Association,. '. . . . Lutheran General Synod,. Canada Presbyterian Church, E. Sect.,. I. “ “ “ W. Sect.,. Canada Methodist Church,. Baptist Maritime Provinces,. 1. Baptist Society of Ontario,. 2. “ ‘‘ Quebec,. Friends ¥. M. Society,. Society for Education in East.. Indian N. Sch. and Instruction,. f Church of England Zenana,.. . Association Presbyterian Church,. L. M. S. Ladies’ Committee,. Free Church of Scotland,. Estab. “ . Zenana Mission U. P. Church, Scotland,. Irish Presbyterians,. Wesleyan Methodists,. Ladies’ Society for China,. Totals of all Boards,. Total of American Societies, ............ * Now