File:Life and light for woman (1873) (14590156939).jpg

Identifier: lifelightforwoma29woma (find matches)
Title: Life and light for woman
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Woman's Board of Missions
Subjects: Congregational churches
Publisher: (Boston : Woman's Boards of Missions
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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and female separated only by a church aisle; ninetywomen and girls with either unbound or natural feet, having come greater orless distances exposed to the gaze and ridicule of curious and evil-mindedlookers-on,—and all this within the four walls of the mission premises, wherethe hated foreigner dwells and preaches the foreign or Jesus religion.Hovv^ can the darkened, conservative mind of a heathen Chinese womangrasp the fact that a pure-minded, noble woman in America, even if youngand unmarried, can have alinost absolute freedom to go and come at will,when her own people are so bound and fettered by custom? And yet if slieis to gain the respect of the women for whom she lias given her life, theyoung missionary must conform somewhat to their custom by being escortedby her servant when she goes on the street. Our Celestial sister, because ofher bondage to custom and her impaired power of locomotion, is debarredthe privilege of enlarging her influence socially, increasing her strength
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298 LIFE AND LIGHT. \_J^lyi physically, or doing Christian work to the best advantage. The young mis-sionary in China has to learn that custom is one of the greatest hindrances tomission work, and that to use a young Chinese woman for that which takesher from the home and brings her into publicity is to defeat ones own plans,and bring disaster to that work. Who could sit through one service in such a ci^owded, unventilated chapelas that before mentioned, and not have her mind revert to the elegant, com-modious, soft-cushioned and brilliantly lighted churches in the liomeland, andwonder? She could but wonder why many of the dear Christians in Americacould not from their abundance give just two thousand dollars to completethe new chapel which the native Christians from their povert)-^ have alreadybegun building. Will the problem on all mission fields always need to behow to make fifty cents equal one dollar? When will the Christians ofAmerica enjoy their full privileges and fulfill thei

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