Those who look upon
the deaconess as a valuable member of the Church economy do so because
they regard her as a Christian woman, strengthened and disciplined by
special training to do better service for Christ in the world. This is
the recognized difference: "The sisterhood exists primarily for the sake
of forming a religious community, but deaconesses live together for the
sake of the work itself, attracted to deaconess work by the want which
in most populous towns is calling loudly for assistance; and with a view
of being trained, therefore, for spiritual and temporal usefulness among
the poor."[58]

There are now seven deaconess establishments in the Church of England,
each having a larger or smaller number of branches, with diocesan
sanction and under the supervision of clergymen.[59]

The first of these was founded in 1861, and is now known as the London
Diocesan Deaconess Institution. At that time Kaiserswerth was accepted
as its model; deaconesses were sent there to be trained; Kaiserswerth
rules were adopted as far as possible, and a modification of the
Kaiserswerth dress for the sisters. The house was then represented at
the triennial Conferences in Germany, and in the list of mother houses
published at Kaiserswerth[60] the name still appears. It would seem,
however, that now the Kaiserswerth connection is entirely set aside by
the London house, for in an historical sketch of the revival of
deaconesses in the Church, that is found in the organ of the
institution, called _Ancilla Domini_, for March, 1887, there is no
mention made of any of the continental houses. The Anglican Church
apparently dates the entire work from the setting apart of its first
deaconess, Elizabeth C. Ferard, in 1861, as she was the first to receive
consecration through the touch of a bishop's hand. The former connection
with Kaiserswerth and the great work carried on in Germany from 1836 to
the present time are quite ignored.

Besides the London house already mentioned an East London deaconess home
was opened in 1880, to provide deaconesses and church-workers for East
London. Besides the deaconesses and probationers thirty-two associates
are connected with this home. The associates are ladies who do not
intend to become deaconesses, but give as much time as they can to the
work. They live with the deaconesses, conform to the rules, and wear the
garb, but pay their own expenses. These associates are a highly
important part of the worki