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WOMAN'S MISSIONARY UNION 477
Another way in which our Union seeks to turn its members' "hearts to the
right" is through the having of Standards of Excellence; the ones for the tiny
Sunbeam Bands, for the Girls' Auxiliaries and the Royal Ambassador Chapters
have eight points each; the one for Woman's Missionary Societies has ten
points, as does also the Standard for Young Woman's Auxiliaries except in the
case of those in the colleges and hospitals where the point as to fostering
another organization is not required. In spite of or perhaps because of the
many points on their Standards 4898 of our organizations last year reached
Class A-l, which was a general average of one A-l organization among 8.4,
the average for the women being one among 9.8 societies. The Order of
Royal Ambassadors showed a gain in A-l Chapters.
Unquestionably this Royal Ambassador victory was helped as were other
W.M.U. achievements because Woman's Missionary Societies and Young Woman's
Auxiliaries in the churches organized other young people and women.
Thus last year's report shows 4782 new W.M.U. organizations of which 860
were for women. Doubtless in these new organizations are enrolled many of
the new members, gains being shown by both the women and the young people
as to membership: 739,360 members of whom 400,464 are women.
Since it is said that one in four American women is now in business, it is
reasonable to believe that at least 100,000 southern Baptist women belong to
the 2763 Business Woman's Circles of their Woman's Missionary Societies.'
A special program is provided for them each month in Royal Service, they are
urged to unite with other Baptist Business Woman's Circles and to attend the
Southwide B.W.C. Conference at Ridgecrest. Their conference there this
summer will be an important part of the W.M.U. Conference, the inclusive dates
of which are August 8-14, thus being between the Home Mission Board Conference
and the Foreign Mission Board Conference. The minimum goal for
W.M.U. Conference attendance is 1400 of whom it is hoped that 500 will be
from Business Woman's Circles; it is also believed that many of the women
will arrive in time for the Home Mission Board Conference (August 1-7)
and will linger for the Foreign Mission Board Conference (August 15-21),
during which week the Young Men's Mission Conference will be held.
It is- worthwhile to mention here that all W.M.S. circles except those for
business women are urged to use for their monthly missionary programs much
material as furnished by the S.B.C. publications, The Commission and Southern
Baptist Home Missions. Such circle programs are outlined each month in
Royal Service, specific articles being noted as furnished by the S.B.C. monthlies.
All of the activities thus far discussed in this report have centered in only
12,497 of the 24,976 churches that are listed as cooperating southern Baptist
churches. While it is deeply regretted that almost one-half of the cooperating
churches do not promote any definitely missionary organization for their
women or young people it is heartening that the "better half" does. The
records show that in each of almost one-fourth of them there is a Full Graded
W.M.U. which means that each church maintains a Woman's Missionary Society*
and at least one- organization of each grade as fostered by our Union for the
young people; similarly almost one-sixth of these churches have four each of
our organizations, over one-eighth have three each, nearly one-ninth have
two each, while 4539 of these churches have one each which is apt to be a
Woman's Missionary Society though there are instances where a Sunbeam
Band or a Girls' Auxiliary is the only definitely missionary organization in a
church. Eagerly, "THE yearningly DARKNESS do we SHALL long TURN to have TO all DAWNING" the cooperating churches
actively promoting the graded work among their young people and women,
The the highest symbolism goal of being light the is A-l used Full in Graded three Union of Woman's in each Missionary church even Union's as was
four the splendid organizations victory providing won last missionary year by 142 education southern for Baptist young churches. people. This year
Sunbeam Bands celebrate their sixtieth anniversary. This organization for
children of four to nine years was started by Dr. George Braxton Taylor,
pastor, son of our pioneer missionaries to Italy, grandson of the first secretary
of the Foreign Mission Board. In 1886 he gathered together the children
of his congregation at Fairmont, Virginia, and selected the name Sunbeams
for his organization which studied missions, country by country, using ques-