Indiana Baptist History -- 1798-1908
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Indiana Baptist History
1798-1908


Page 324

ing so faithful and wise a representative in the state
as our brother, S. H. Huffman. He was a business
man and was succeeding in his business, but when the
duty of entering upon the work of the Publication
Society for Indiana was impressed upon him he "im-
mediately conferred not with flesh and blood." He
brought his business experience into his new work.
It soon became evident to his brethren that he was
not making a large Sunday school enrollment his
chief purpose; neither was it the securing of large
permanent funds for the society. On the other hand
they soon saw that what he sought as a chief end was
accurate statistics, and especially to interest all Sun-
day-school workers in an honest and earnest study of
the word of God. Hence the Sunday-school Insti-
tutes that were held in all parts of the state, year after
year. Those who attended and took part in these
institutes are uniformly prompt to testify that they
came under the instruction of a teacher who himself
knew the Bible with remarkable grasp and clearness
both as to the letter and the spirit. After more than
twenty years of such labor, Secretary Huffman needs
a lengthened period of rest, and as he seeks bodily re-
cuperation he has the prayers of his brethren for his
speedy and complete restoration.

Woman's work in missions was begun in 1876, the
Centennial year. At the Convention in 1878 Miss
Eusebia Craven (later Mrs. S. M. Stimson), state
secretary, made a report from which it appears that
associational secretaries for foreign missions had
been appointed in fifteen associations. The contribu-

Page 325

tions for the year were $691.00 which, the reports
say, was "double what was given last year." In 1879
the contributions were $734.00, and seventy-one cir-
cles and children's bands had been formed. The re-
port also speaks of the raising of $131.43 for the
Rosa Adams Bailey memorial bell.

The relative amount of contributions for foreign
missions constantly increased; in 1882 it was more
than half that raised by the churches in general. In
1906 the relative amounts are these: Contributions
in general, $5,161.11; women's contribution, $3,-
564.25.

In 1881 the Home mission women speak in their
report of that being the "tenth year of our Society."
The contributions for the year were $331.11. There
was a rapid increase in their contributions, for in
1882 the sum of the contributions was $697.76; and
in 1900 while the general contributions of the
churches were $8,269.33, those of the. women were
$3,710.77.

For sixteen years Mrs. Mary E. Jeffrey, widow of
the lamented Rev. Reuben Jeffrey, D. D., has been the
State secretary for Indiana of the Woman's Home
Mission Society of the West, being elected annually.
She has put intelligent leadership, untiring energy
and a cheerful christian spirit into the work; and the
constantly increasing results are a sufficient evidence
of the fidelity with which she has performed her task.

Following the work of women for Home and For-
eign missions was that for State missions. The later
form of the constitution of the Convention provides
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