Figure 1.--This is a pagent put on by John Groom's Crippleace and Flower Girl's Mission. There were several locations. This one was located at Sekforde St., E.C. & Clacton-on-Sea. The cabinet card was titled Orphan Girls' Coronation Pagent. Notice the girls in Irish and Scottish costume. The girls in sailor suits presumably represent England. We don't see an Irish igure, erhps the girl at upper right. In the center are the King and Queen and above then Britaia. We are not sure which one, probably Edward VII in 1902. It could be George V in 1911. Thee cards were probably given to contributors. John Groom founded the Mission (1866). He was struck by the terrible conditins in London slums, and was particulrly trouubled by the plight of blind and disavled girls and the girls selling flowers and watercress.

Missionaries came before missions. Miisionaries were disatched by the early christian Church to convert heatens in Europe and spread the faith. Missionaries like Saint Patrick and Adalbert of Prague played a major role in spreading the faith beyond the boundaries of the historic Roman Empire. While Patrick had begin the convrsion of the Irish, a pagan people who were never part of the Empire (5th century), the Anglo-Saxon invasions meant that what is now England was a numnber of pagan kingdoms (6th century). The Irish church began the convrsion of Scotland and northrn England. The Hiberno-Scottish missionary effort began (563). Pope Gregory the Great sent missionaries, including Augustine of Canterbury, to England (7th century). A Franciscan missionary effort to Asian was conducted late-13th and early-14th centuries). One of Queen Isabella's motives in financing Columbus' voyage (1492) was to spread the Christian faith. As part of both the Spanish and Portuguese colonial effort were priests serving as missionaries who accompanied the Conquistadores. As part of the conversion process, the missionaries began fonding missions. This wasdone by Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits, and smaller orders. This was primarily a Catholic endevor. Protestants joined in this activiy in Africa, Asia, and Oceania (19th century). The term mission is primarily used withinin the context of European and later American churches attempting to convert people outside of Europe. The term began to be used in Beitain and America for facilities to convert the poor and downtrodden, often Children, in the growing industrial cities. The people they tried to aid and convert were people who were not practicing Christiams. The English and American missions sought to provide material support as bringing them into the Church. The British missions dealt with children and adults. The American missions as far as we can tell were mostly associted with adults. Unlike the Afrisan, Asin, and Latin American missions, these missions in England were not primarily residential faciliies, although some of the most successful evenually did provide some residential care.

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Created: 4:18 AM 4/3/2018
Last update: 4:18 AM 4/3/2018