raw). N. A Westminster Guild HOME MISSION STATIONS Alaska North Carolina Porto Rico Woman's Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. 156 Fifth Ave., New York City The work in the Home Mission Field which has been adopted for support by Westminster Guild girls presents a wide and varied interest. Through our hospital in far-off Alaska, Dorland Institute in the mountain field, and the Marina Mission in Porto Rico, we find every phase of missionary enterprise — medical, educational and industrial — all with the common aim of spread- ing the Gospel message. The Westminster Guild Bulletin gives us, three times a year, the latest items of news from these stations. All Guild Chapters and Circles will, however, wish to know what were the beginnings of the work in each field and what has been its growth and development. May this knowledge deepen our sympathy and interest in the work com- mitted to our care, and stimulate our giving and our prayers, that we may have the joy of seeing it grow through our efforts and realize to a fuller extent its limitless opportunities. I. Haines Hospital. II. Dorland Institute. III. Marina Mission. HAINES HOSPITAL, ALASKA Haines occupies one of the most beautiful sites of all southeastern Alaska. It is built on a beach at the end of a long and wide valley of comparatively level land, down which the Chilkat River flows to the sea. This town is almost one hundred miles from Juneau, the capital of the district, and almost at the end of the Inside Steamer Route. It is only one-fourth mile from the Wm. H. Seward post of the United States Army, whose grounds and buildings present an impressive sight from the bay. HAINES HOSPITAL For the history of the village we must go back to the year 1880 when Dr. Sheldon Jackson, then Government Commissioner of Education for Alaska, visited the trading post and arranged for a Government School in the house of an Indian Chief, with the wife of a trader as teacher. Later the natives helped to erect a small build- ing which became the first school house. In 1881 a Mission was opened under the Woman's Board of Home Missions and Dr. Jackson escorted the pioneer missionaries to their new fields. Two years later a church was organized and the name of the station changed to "Haines" in honor of Mrs. F. E. H. Haines, then Secretary of the Woman's Board. 3 The rush to the Klondike brought dangers to the school and made it necessary to move the Home to Sitka, off the line of travel to the gold fields, and therefore a safer environment for the girls. The day school was, however, continued under a Christian Government teacher. The Assistant Surgeon of the United States Army, in his report to the Adjutant-General, from Haines, October, 1907, said: "The Indian has no idea of contagious diseases, and, unless taught to do so, takes no precaution to prevent the spread of disease to his family or neighbors, and on account of the squalor and filth in which they live, the wonder is that any of them sur- vive. Imagine one, two or even more cases of tuberculosis occupying the same room in addi- tion to the children and friends of the family." Imagine, also, that the room is rarely swept, never scrubbed, and is constantly littered with bones abandoned by dogs and children, crumbs, dirt and filthy rags. Exteriorly the scene changes but little, discarded garments and old shoes lying in the moist soil, salmon skin and fresh flesh disintegrating; decaying organic mat- ter everywhere. Both inside and outside every- thing is conducive to the propagation of germs which produce the disease that threatened the extermination of the natives. Through the efforts of Rev. A. F. McLean, missionary of our Presbyterian Board, our hos- pital was opened December 18, 1907, in the former school building at Haines under a grad- uate nurse, .the Post physician rendering his services. Three years later the natives of Haines and Klukwan, twenty miles up the- river, appealed to the Woman's Board for a doctor, pledging $600 toward his salary. This was a magnificent offer from these poor people, and a physician was soon sent. The present staff consists of Dr. Harold M. Craig, who was trans- ferred to Alaska from the San Juan Hospital, Porto Rico, in 1913, two nurses and two matrons. Some much needed equipment has recently been added but the twelve beds are con- stantly occupied and entirely inadequate for the demands. The dispensary administers to the needs of many who are learning where help for their sufferings may be found. Our hospital boat takes the Doctor up the river and to num- 4 erous islands in the summer time, thus reaching out a helping hand to regions beyond Haines. Recent investigations of the district by Dr. Craig and the Government physician revealed some startling facts. "Out of twenty-eight houses visited twenty-six had less than two rooms, were filthy and had little air. Children are only one-third of the population where they should form two-thirds if it is a growing popu- lation. More than one-fourth the number of children probably will not live to grow up. Over one-half the houses with one or more cases of tuberculosis. Trachoma prevalent — cataracts numerous. One-fourth the population blind in one eye or both." Whereas the population has been decreasing because of the low birth rate, the poor care "MONKEY" JOHN, A HOSPITAL PATIENT. THOUGH BLIND AND CRIPPLED HE TRIES TO GET OUT AND CHOP WOOD FOR HIMSELF of babies — not more than ten per cent reaching adult life — and the inroads of disease, we confi- dently look for an improvement. One physician and two nurses cannot do much among so many, but already the birth rate has been, increased, in- fant mortality lowered, and there are definite signs of improvement in the sanitary condition of the homes where the lessons in hygiene have been heeded. But these Christian workers have done far more than relieve physical suffering and give the little ones a new chance for life. They 5 have exemplified Jesus Christ by their daily liv- ing and presented Him to the hospital patients. The Alaskan in his darkest condition believed in a Great Spirit and tried to worship Him, so when enlightened he embraces the Christian faith readily. This has been called a "dying race." Need it be? We answer "No." When the older people may still be regenerated, physically and spiritually. It is to this very worth-while work that the Westminster Guild lends part of its support, the Chapters and Circles sending, besides their finan- cial aid, gifts of hospital equipment and sup- plies. Here is a great work to be done for a neglected people. The Westminster Guild has undertaken a share. Shall we advance? 5 DORLAND INSTITUTE, HOT SPRINGS, N. C. Dorland Institute is a name with which all Presbyterian girls should be familiar, for it is one of our schools for the girls and boys of the southern mountains. Among the very best and purest of our Amer- ican stock, these people of the mountains have fallen behind in the march of civilization because of their isolation from the rest of the world. They have never had communication by railroad or telephone or telegraph and not even roads over which to drive. They are merely a "Be- lated People" of whom education and example make splendid men and women. The attitude GIRLS' DORMITORY, HOT SPRINGS, N. C. of many of the mountaineer people toward edu- cation may be summarized in the speech of one father who declared that "It puts notions into the children's heads, and then they ain't no ac- count to work, cause they're all the time want- in' things different. Of course 'rithmetic's a good thing for boy childrens and a little readin' and writin' won't hurt 'em, but gals can find enough to keep 'em busy without lookin' for learnin'." In 1887 Mr. and Mrs. Luke Dorland came to Hot Springs seeking rest and recuperation after twenty years of strenuous labor at Concord, N. C, where they had founded Scotia Seminary for the negro youth. They found that in this village of 700 people there was no school, and 7 some of the parents were anxious to have their children learn to read and write. Dr. and Mrs. Dorland made room for a few pupils in their home and the school proved so popular they were compelled the next year to erect a small school building. The following year eighty pupils were enrolled, and in their small quarters Mrs. Dorland also managed to take a few girls who lived too far away to attend as day pupils. In 1893 the Woman's Board of Home Missions assumed charge of the work, and erected a dor- mitory to accommodate sixty girls. In 1900 a large and comfortable school building for both boarding and day pupils was built. The following story of the work is told by one of the girls : "The days at Dorland are very busy but quite happy. Each girl has a part of the work assigned her, and this is changed every few weeks. We are graded on housekeeping A MOUNTAIN CABIN just as on our school work, and of course that makes us more particular. The school-room hours are from nine o'clock to three-thirty. Af- ter chapel exercises each grade has a Bible les- son and then other lessons follow. The eighth grade is studying Agriculture. We, being farm- ers' sons and daughters, find it very interesting. My specialty is poultry raising. We have two farm papers that come each week and the pupils eagerly search their pages for new suggestions. At present we are studying domestic animals, and are anxious to read about them in our papers and learn which are the very best to raise. In the afternoon when school is over some of the girls wash and iron, some prepare the evening 8 meal, and others go for a walk. We enjoy our walk as it is a relief after the day's confine- ment in the school-room. "At half past five our dinner bell rings and the girls assemble in the hall and march into the dining-room. When the supper dishes are done we have about two hours to prepare our les- sons for the next day, and then it is bed-time. "Dorland has two practice cottages where the girls in the higher grades go for extra practice in home-making. The girls are changed once during the year. They are always sorry when they have to leave. I live in one of the cot- A DORLAND GRADUATING CLASS tages, and I certainly enjoy every detail of our life up here. We do all the house work and the girls take so much pride in keeping a neat, orderly home. "This is a co-educational school and the boys have their home about two miles away. Some- times the girls go to visit them and we play games out on the lawn. We always visit the farm on the Saturday before Easter and have an egg hunt on the green lawn and in the orchard. Such fun as we have searching in the grass for eggs ! The boys serve lunch out on the lawn and then we play games and go for a ride on the ferry boat. "So you see life is not all serious here. There is plenty of time for play. Occasionally we go 9 to the mountains to gather galex leaves and we always have a pleasant time. We have a social almost every month. Sometimes some of the pupils give a short play and we play games. In the evening after our work is finished and be- fore study hour, we gather in the sitting-room for games. The time is always too short. Sometimes we invite some of the institute girls to our cottage. We enjoy a nice victrola given at Christmas time. "You would be surprised to see how cheerfully the boys perform their household duties. Their happy faces can be seen in the kitchen, dining- room, bedrooms and laundry as they prepare their meals and clean house. I think the boys are quite as capable of keeping house as girls. They are justly proud of their fine herd of cows which supply them with an abundance of fresh milk and butter,, and of the chickens and eggs. "This is my fourth year at Dorland and I have learned to love the school very dearly. Here we are taught the lesson of life devoted to a noble purpose. No girl can live at Dorland as long as I have and not be a better girl." A wide field lies before Dorland Institute. The younger generation of boys and girls are increasingly anxious for something better than the little mountain school which lasts only two months, and where the teachers are often in- capable. One of these teachers, an unusually intelligent man who had taught for fifteen years, said: 'T should like to have taught writing in my school, but, to tell the truth, I am not much up on writing myself." In our division of Westminster Guild funds and in our prayers, let us be generous with Dorland. 10 "LA MARINA", MAYAGUEZ, PORTO RICO If we wish to visit "La Marina" School with- out crossing the Islands, we would have to leave the steamer six hundred feet out and go ashore in a small boat, since there is no dockage at Mayaguez on the western end of Porto Rico. We note the beauty of the place "with the sea at its feet and the mountains rising beautifully green behind it." The twenty thousand inhabi- tants could enjoy almost perpetual sunshine in this tropical climate but they seem afraid of fresh air and keep themselves closely shut up MARINA MISSION, MAYAGUEZ, P. R. (Miss Hazen at the extreme left) in poor, illy-ventilated houses. Our "La Marina" day school is located in the most crowded part of the town, down by the sea- shore, as its name signifies. Miss Clara E. Hazen, its principal, is doing a wonderful work and is accomplishing the regeneration of the community. The streets were very noisy, but the coming of a Christian Mission has brought quiet. The stores are now closed on the Sab- bath. In the town are cheap moving pictures, but by the use of its stereopticon the Mission is trying to interest some of the people in a bet- ter class of pictures. We might divide the work done at "La ii Marina'' under four headings : ( i ) school work ; (2) day nursery; (3) vacation school; (4) in- dustrial work. The regular work in the day school carries pupils through the fourth grade. The day nursery has been opened by the Aux- iliary — American ladies resident in Mayaguez. The vacation school keeps boys and girls happily and profitably employed for eight weeks in the summer. Of especial interest is the industrial work. Basketry is taught, but more important than this, the fine embroidery and drawn work done in old Spanish times. Women who had learned this beautiful work were asking for an oppor- tunity to teach it that they might earn thereby bread for themselves and their children. Young girls who had inherited an aptitude for such work were begging to be taught. This fine art is now taught by a Spanish teacher to a group of working girls from fifteen to twenty-one years of age who could not remain in school to prepare themselves for teaching, but needed to earn their own living. In this class they are kept in the mission atmosphere and yet enabled to earn money, for their work is paid for as soon as it is salable. Miss Hazen has associated with her two native helpers from the Colegio Americano, girls who were trained in the class formerly supported by the Westminster Guild. A daily Bible Class is conducted for all pupils in the school. The Christian influence is being shown in the lives regenerated — immorality done away with, quiet- ness in homes and on the streets, cleanliness, and in fact all the marks of Christian life that are present where His Gospel is preached. The Westminster Guild is helping to Christianize this western end of Porto Rico through sharing in this work of regeneration at the Marina Mission. 12