Mrs. Ida W. Harrison, national vice-president and Centennial secretary, gave her report in the morning at the Presbyterian Church, where she presided; in the afternoon at the Congregational Church, and about the evening session, of which she had charge, we quote from another:

      "The third and final delivery of the crowning Centennial address of our national Centennial secretary, Mrs. Ida Withers Harrison, was fittingly made the closing Centennial address in Carnegie Music Hall. Following the address came the recognition of the

IDA W. HARRISON.

States that had attained one or both of the Centennial aims. The Centennial secretaries, or other representatives from honor-roll States having delegates in the Convention, were called to the front of the great platform, while Mrs. Harrison bestowed the appropriate bronze medals which bear upon one side a relief of Thomas Campbell and "Centennial Convention, 1909," and on the other the seal of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions, with the open Bible. As the names of the States were pronounced the applause gave evidence of the State's numerical representation in the audience, the great organ effectively joining in the final applause. All but two of the States received the medals.

      "Of our stronger States, Illinois was given special mention, because of the near approach to the doubled membership; and Iowa because of attaining both of the Centennial aims, and now having the two largest auxiliaries in the world.

      "Miss Mary Lyons, secretary of Ohio, responded in behalf of the States, making impressive allusion to the fitness of her taking this part, in that Ohio had been the birthplace of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions, and also the birthplace and burial-place of one of the leaders in planning the Centennial aims and objects, the attaining of which had just been recognized.

      "Miss Lyons recognized the accomplishments of the one who, on behalf of the National Executive Committee, had bestowed the medals, and led the great assembly in giving her the Chautauqua salute. Mrs. Harlan stepped to Mrs. Harrison's side and held the audience in perfect silence, as she spoke of gratitude due from all for the manifold and matchless service of our Centennial leader, and gave to Mrs. Maude D. Ferris the privilege of pinning upon Mrs. Harrison's breast one of the medals as a token of appreciation and love."

      Mrs. Harrison's address:

      My report as Centennial secretary for the current missionary year is found on page 60 of the annual report which you hold in your hand. On the same page will be found my report as Centennial secretary for the Christian Woman's Board of Missions for the four years' Centennial campaign, beginning at the San Francisco Convention in 1905 and closing with Sept. 30, 1909. I will not weary you with the details of either report. I will only state briefly the summary of the four years' campaign.

      I have presented the work in thirty-one different States and 151 different towns; a number of the States have been visited several times, and I have also visited two provinces in western Canada. I have attended three international and interdenominational conventions, thirty-six State conventions and twenty-four district conventions. I have been 454 days in the field, have made 320 addresses and have traveled 63,602 miles. In addition to the field work and the ministry of the spoken Word, I have been busy with clerical and press work. I have conducted a heavy correspondence and have prepared and distributed thirteen Centennial leaflets, seven of them written by myself. I have written a monthly record of the work for the Tidings, under the heading, "Centennial Notes," and [37] have sent out, from time to time, articles to our church papers for the promotion of our Centennial enterprises. I have distributed over 280,000 Centennial leaflets and cards.

      Allow me to say, to laying down this work, that these four busy years have been years of unbroken blessing to me, and that my life has been unmeasurably enriched by the fellowship and friendship they have brought me. No greater joy has ever come into my life than the privilege of knowing so many of the choicest spirits of our church and of our land. Nothing can so well express my love and gratitude to you as that simple phrase of the apostle to his friends at Philippi, "I have you in my heart," and my heart shall ever be a treasure-house of happy memories of your lovingkindness to me. So, dearly beloved, my prayer is the one uttered by Paul for those same loyal and generous friends. "This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

      Doubtless most of you are familiar with the aims and plans of the Centennial work of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions, but for the benefit of friends and visitors, I might briefly recapitulate some of the steps along the way.

      Our first plan for celebrating our one hundredth anniversary contemplated the raising of an offering of $100,000 and the doubling of the membership of our auxiliaries. This $100,000 was to be expended in planting our Centennial missions, which should be memorials to the fathers of our faith and the principles they have bequeathed to us. But the response to this work was so generous and enthusiastic that our plans have enlarged themselves, as it were. One year ago the aim for your Centennial offering was increased to $200,000, so that you have, therefore, strictly fulfilled the good Scripture's injunction, "If a man ask you to go with him a mile, go with him twain." You have even surpassed that high ideal, because, instead of merely attaining the doubled Centennial, you have given the magnificent amount of $230,766. During the past year $90,348.75 has been raised. It might truly be said of you, as Paul said of his beloved Macedonian churches, "That according to your power, yea, and even beyond your power," you have embraced this opportunity of showing your appreciation of your incomparable heritage of religious liberty and Christian union.

      And the good work is marching on. We have unpaid pledges, as good as cash, amounting to $31,140 from individuals, and $2,410.88 from States and auxiliaries; making a grand total of $264,576.25. Surely the Lord has prospered us in this glorious enterprise, and to his blessed and Holy name would we give all the praise.

      Our second Centennial aim--our doubled membership--shows that the same good word might be spoken of our women that was said of the sorrowing mother long ago: "Woman, great is thy faith." It had taken thirty-one years to achieve a membership of about 43,000 women; this second aim proposed to do in four years what it had taken this long period to accomplish. Though we have not quite attained to the 85,000 women we had set as our aim, yet I believe the number we have gained is one of the greatest achievements in the history of our Board. In the four years of our Centennial campaign we have added to our membership 29,853 women, making our present membership 73,601 women. This army of new recruits to our organization is an even richer offering to this great era in our history than the more than $200,000 we have raised. They will remain to prosecute the work long after the money shall have been spent. And they are not only valuable for what they are, but for what they have cost. They did not flock into our ranks of their own volition, but each one has been purchased with a price--an earnest word, a friendly visit, an eloquent address, a loving prayer. It may be that some have been so reluctant that the friends who longed to win them for the work have literally gone after them and compelled them to come [38] in. Members have thus won new members; auxiliaries have organized new auxiliaries.

      This effort for an enlarged membership should not cease with the close of the Centennial year, for our Centennial enterprise is not a "tale that is told," but a beautiful serial story, with many unwritten chapters of things yet to be done. One-half of our twelve missions are either established or on the road to completion. Our missionary training-school and our Porto Rico chapel are built. Our two Centennial mountain schools at Beckley, W. Va., and Livingston, Tenn., are in successful operation and property has been purchased for our Centennial enterprise; in Mexico and Argentina. The six others, not yet started, leave us many things yet to be accomplished, and, after the last land is bought and the last building erected, the maintenance of these memorial missions will make constant demands on our resources; these demands can but be met by an increased constituency--so it should be a perpetual aim with us to enlist the whole womanhood of our church in the noble warfare in which we are engaged.

      The share of our State organizations has been a beautiful chapter in the history of our work. They have not only done what has been asked, but in many instances have voluntarily increased the task assigned them. In the beginning, one great State--Indiana--set a worthy pace by increasing their apportionment from $15,000 to $25,000. And note the blessing on attempting great things for God; their offering now amounts to $30,000, and they have notes for $22,140 more, making $52,140 from that State alone. Ohio and Kentucky, each assessed $15,000, have raised far more. Ohio raised $20,624.29; Kentucky, $19,826. The record of the weaker States has been even more memorable. When California South was notified of her Centennial apportionment of $500, her spirited secretary wrote back, "What is the matter with California South, that she is assessed such a small amount?" and raised her pledge then and there to $2,000. Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and East and West Washington have voluntarily increased their apportionment in varying amounts. Some have gone the three miles, some four, five and six times. The State of Tennessee has gone twelve times, not including the gift of $14,000 from the citizens of Livingston to secure the location of the mountain school there. And the State of West Virginia has multiplied its assessment by twenty-two, without counting the donation of the citizens of Beckley for their mountain school. Mississippi stands in a class by itself. There were so few members that they were not apportioned--but they apportioned themselves $1,000, and have given more than that. Our States have been like high-spirited horses in a race. One was almost afraid to put the spur to them for fear they might run themselves to death. If the Lord loves a cheerful giver, how he must love these offerings from willing hearts and tireless hands.

      These four fruitful years have not only shown this splendid loyalty from our States, but they have witnessed an era of large giving from individuals unparalleled in the history of our Board. There has been one gift of $30,000, another of $5,000, two of $3.000 each, two of $2,000, two of $1,500, and six of $1,000, and time would fail to tell of the hundred gifts. I often wonder, in these days of superb liberality to libraries, to education, to social and civic betterment, that it does not enter into the hearts of some of these princely givers to pour out their millions for the evangelization (which also means civilization) of some of the dark corners of the earth. Would it not be an enterprise worthy of the brain of some of our Napoleons of finance to furnish the means to have the gospel preached throughout some province of China or India, or even to undertake to give a whole country to civilization?

      But, while we rejoice in the large gifts, we would not fail to exalt the small gifts--for the great majority of our fund has come in this way. If these mute dollars could speak, what eloquent stories they could tell of [39] loyalty to our church, of devotion to our Board, of love to Christ and love to man. Many of these are of great price, because they have come through labor and self-denial, and they are costly in the sight of him who measures value by love and sacrifice.

      We would also emphasize the preparation of mind and heart that has made the task possible.

      And now that we have looked a moment at the things that are behind, may we not cast a glance at the things that are before? Our new century stretches, before us like some fair new and, untrodden, unexplored. The glory, the joy, the honor of a new era is upon us. Shall we rise to the greatness of the hour and the opportunity? We have shown what mettle we are made of, and we must live up to our own record.

      So let us make this new year the greatest of all. We have set ourselves a pace that we dare not abandon or relax. Because we have done well, necessity is laid on us to do likewise in our future gifts to the treasury of our Lord; because we have enlisted many women in the past four years, we must enlist many more in the years before us. There should be no pause, no stop in our onward and upward march, until we reach our mount of ascension, and the Father's voice calls us to come up to that rest which remains for the people of God.

[CCR 37-40]