The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's WorkPenny, Virginia
General
The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's Work
Penny, Virginia
Women -- Employment
=5. Bible Readers.= An incalculable amount of good has been accomplished
by this class of persons. The originator is Mrs. Raynard, the L. N. R.
of the "Missing Link," "The Book and its Story," &c., who lived in
London. "One hundred ladies have joined her as managers and
superintendents. The ladies each select from among the uneducated class
the best women they can find, and send them out to read Bibles and sell
them to their own class. They have now two hundred such Bible women in
England, Ireland, Scotland, and France, and they are meeting with
unheard-of success. Mrs. Raynard told me they made soup for the poor in
winter, and sold it to them very low, and in such a way that the poorest
could have his bowlful for some trifling service; and while one is
serving the soup, others serve them with portions of God's word. Then
the lady superintendents have tea meetings without number, and sewing
meetings, and clothing meetings. Beside, the ladies must first instruct
their readers every week or day in the Scriptures, in teaching, in
meekness, in manner, in helping the sick, and sympathizing with all
suffering, and, above all, teach them to lean only on God. They must
also pay the Bible women, who give up their time to this work, and keep
an account with each one. These lady readers or superintendents in
England publish a monthly of their own, conducted by dear Mrs. Raynard,
so that they can all communicate with one another; and God sends them
funds to the amount of $35,000 the year." A lady of Baltimore writes me:
"The Maryland Bible Society employs three paid Bible readers--all
women--at eight dollars per month each. These are purposely selected
from the poorest class of pious women, because it is thought that
persons of that class have readier access to the homes and hearts of the
poor, beside the aid it affords to honest poverty. Independently of this
Bible effort, another has originated from the London charity, unfolded
in the 'Missing Link.'" The lady of Baltimore (Miss W.) wrote from the
Maryland Bible, &c., through the _Word Witness_: "Just one year ago, I
engaged a pious poor woman, at two dollars per week, to labor among the
destitute, vicious poor--a class that could not be reached by ordinary
methods of voluntary effort, dwelling in localities that ladies might
not safely visit. The work was to humanize these people; to wash and
clothe the children, and put them in Sabbath and public schools; to read
and pray, and teach their mothers; and to relieve personal suffering.
She has done a good work. Another woman has been employed in South
Baltimore, in the same calling. Recently, the ladies of the First
Presbyterian Church have formed a union, and raised the salary of one of
these female colportors, and thus the experiment promises to expand
itself into a permanent benevolent organization. I may say that the plan
adopted, if vigorously and efficiently carried out, would rid our
crowded alleys of half the suffering and nearly all the vices and
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