In each of the buildings an hour was devoted to the interests of the Young People's Department of the Board. Miss Mattie Pounds, national superintendent, gave a brief report, with recommendations; then followed special music and an address on this department of work. In Carnegie Hall the address was given by Hugh McLellan, of Kentucky; in the Congregational Church by Adelaide Gail Frost, of India; and in the Presbyterian Church by E. C. Davis, of India.

      Miss Pounds' report is as follows:

      The Young People's Department of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions has cause for gratitude because of the most successful year's work of any during its twenty-five years of service. Our young people not only have been joining this year with their elders in celebrating the Centennial of our religious movement, but they have also been celebrating the quarter-centennial of their own special missionary work.

      Property.--Very early in the history of the organized missionary work for the boys and girls they were constituted "The Builders" for the Christian Woman's Board of Missions. As rapidly, and to as great extent as possible, they have equipped the mission stations of the association in foreign fields with needed lands and buildings. They have also erected one church in this country. The buildings they have put up number more than sixty. [44]

      The building work this year comprises the following:

      India.--At Jhansi the bungalow for the evangelist and his family has been completed at a cost of about $3,000, much of which was provided last year. A lot for a Christian cemetery was purchased.

      At Pendra Road a church was erected, and some other repairs made upon our other property. At Simra, an out-station from Pendra Road, a small schoolhouse was erected.

      At Bilaspur a hospital ward for contagious diseases was put up not far

MATTIE POUNDS.

from the hospital buildings, and some repairs made upon other buildings. Land for the location of a new school house was purchased at a cost of $300. It is recommended that the money for this new schoolhouse be provided this coming year.

      At Bina repairs were put upon the bungalow that required $282. Ground for a hospital was purchased at a cost of $110. It is recommended that at as early a date as possible the young people erect a hospital upon this land which they have purchased.

      At Maudha the dispensary begun last year was completed and is affording Dr. Crozier facilities for a larger work.

      Jamaica.--The work of restoring the buildings destroyed by the earthquake has gone forward as rapidly as possible. Work has been done at Oberlin, Salisbury Plain, Mt. Industry and Bushy Park. A half-dozen other buildings must be repaired or entirely rebuilt. Missionary work at these stations is greatly hindered through the lack of suitable places for worship. Misfortune seems to have attended our building work in Jamaica. The young people's offerings, supplemented by gifts of workers on the field, had provided ten churches, three homes for families of missionaries, some cottages for the use of native preachers, and several schoolhouses. These buildings, together with some secured in other ways, seemed to quite well equip our stations in that island. But in August, 1903, just about the time the last one was completed, a cyclone totally destroyed six of these churches, besides damaging several other of our mission buildings. Most of these buildings had been rebuilt by the end of the year 1906. Then in January, 1907, came the earthquake that again destroyed or badly injured them and much other of our mission property. But we will soon have as good buildings as before at every station, and in many places far more substantial and commodious ones.

      Such urgent need has arisen for a home for the missionaries in the Portland District that it seems wise to make this the next building enterprise in Jamaica with the young people's funds. So it is recommended that $1,000 be raised for this purpose early next year, and then the work of replacing the buildings which were wrecked be continued until all are completed.

      Mexico.--No building work was done with our funds in this field this year. The recent disastrous flood made repairs on our church at San Luisito imperative; and the home of the superintendent of the Christian Institute must be repaired. It is therefore recommended that these buildings be put into good condition at the expense of the Builders' Fund.

      Porto Rico.--The special work of the department this year was raising the funds for the one Centennial enterprise of the young people, which is also their memorial to our sainted leader, Mrs. Helen E. Moses. This Centennial enterprise is the building of the Helen E. Moses Girls' Christian Orphanage at Bayamon, Porto Rico. It was hoped that the old orphanage building might be so braced and repaired that it could be used as a home for our girls until the new building was provided. But it has been examined and condemned by the officials of the city of Bayamon, so the missionaries removed the girls to other quarters. The new orphanage building should be erected at once.

      Orphanage Work.--During recent years about one-half of the income of the Young People's Department has been expended in the care of orphan children [45] in India and Porto Rico. The need for Christian orphanages in non-Christian lands is far greater than can be told. There came to India dreadful days of famine that demanded the opening of orphanages--days of famine that proved to be God's opportunity for giving the Bread of Life to the famishing souls of thousands who came to his people because of the hunger of the body; the weary days of famine, when for months there was continually in the ears of the missionaries the piteous cry of the famine-stricken, "We are hungry souls," "We are hungry souls"--the heartrending cry that voiced their greatest need, which was so deep that they themselves were unconscious of its existence. Through the horrors of famine God gave the Christian churches many hundreds of children and the great privilege of making them messengers who will carry the message of salvation throughout much of benighted India. But not all the children in the orphanages came there because of famine. Some have become ours through the hardness of the hearts of those who bow down to images of stone, which represent to them the gods that delight in cruelty. Many have been deserted by their parents, and some even sold for a pittance.

      We have three orphanages for girls, one orphanage for boys and a Babies' Home in India; one orphanage for girls and another for boys in Porto Rico. In these hundreds of children are being cared for. There are no Christian homes into which to place orphan children in the lands in which our orphanages are located, so the children received usually remain until they are grown, and thus are under the influence of the missionaries during that important period of their lives when impressions are most easily made, and the mind is most tenacious of the truths taught. From among such as these will come the evangelists and teachers who will be the means of turning these nations to Christ.

      Watchword for 1909-1910: Each one bring one; each one win one; each one give one.

[CCR 44-46]