The Missionary Review of the World — November 1939
1939
The Wonderful Story of Pitcairn Island Harry A. Forbes China in the Present Crisis Views of Mission Boards, Chinese and Others Every Woman Enlisted for Christ Janie W. McGaughey The War and the Churches in Europe Adolf Keller The Outlook for the American Indian G. E. E. Lindquist, David Owl and Others The Christian Attitude to Hinduism J. F. Edwards 2S Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
to Remember KINDERGARTEN AT HOME which was begun by Mr. Bagby fifty-
eight years ago. October 27-29 – Annual Meeting of FaSCinating Play-Work For Your Child the Board of Home Missions of the Mrs. Luke W* . *Bi*ckel, widow of Congregational and C h r i s t ian Easily solves "WbaHo-do-Now" problems. Keeps Churches, to be held in the Second your child happily. profitably occnpied. Includes all Captain Bickel, formerly commander Congregational Church, Waterbury, materials and plans developed by child traininf experts of a Baptist mission boat in the Japan Conn., in conjunction with the meet- at world-famed Calvert Scbool. Cost is low. Praised Inland Sea, died last April. She ac- ing of the New En~lB;nd Region!11 by thousands-parents and educators. Write, companied her husband on his mis- Committee of the MIssIOns CouncIl. today for FREE booklet-"How You Can Edu- sionary voyages for twenty years. cate Your Child At Home." October 27-29 – National Council of Canon F. E*. H*ow*itt, after long Young Men's Christian Associa- DONALD WELLS GOODRICH, Headmaster, tions. Detroit, Mich. CALVERT SCHOOL, 1811 E. Tnlcany Rd•• Baltimore. Mt service in the Church of England in Canada, died in Hamilton, Ontario, on November 5-12 – International Pro- ing to return to Egypt as soon as August 25. He was best known as a phetic Conference un~er the .aus- sailing can be arranged, has been very effective Bible teacher at Chris- pices of the Moody BIble Institute elected secretary of the Egypt Mis- tian conferences. of Chicago, Mecca Temple, New sion. In this office he succeeds C. C. York. Adams, D.D., of Cairo. * * …
November 10-13-International Good- Rev. William* *Nor*man Cook, of Mrs. R. M. Mateer, M.D., an hon- will ·Congress. Hotel Schroeder, orably retired missionary from the Milwaukee, Wis. Knoxville, Tenn., has been elected Di- Shantung Mission of the Presbyterian rector of Young People's Work of the Church in the U. S. A., died in Tsing- November 14 – Federal Council of Southern Presbyterian Church, to suc- tao, China, September 12. Madge Churches, Committee on Religion ceed Dr. Wallace Alston. Mr. Cook Dickinson was born in Shiremans- and Health. has had a wide experience in Young town, Pa., April 4, 1860, was grad- People's Conferences. uated from Otterbein University, November 19 – Men and Missions Westerville, Ohio, in 1881, and from Sunday. The theme: "I am come Dr. E. C. S*obr*epe*na, of Manila, the Homeopathic Medical College in that they might have life." A man- Cleveland in 1886. Three years later ual containing material on this has resigned as Executive Secretary she went to China as a medical mis- theme will contain messages from of the Philippine Federation of Evan- sionary in Weihsien in the Shantung John R. Mott, Robert E. Speer and gelical Churches that he may devote Mission and after two years became other missionary statesmen. his time fully to the Union College of the wife of the Rev. Robert McCheyne Manila and to the United Church of Mateer, D.D. November 24-25 – Annual Meeting, Manila. Rev. Eusebio M. Manuel, United Stewardship Council. St. District Superintendent of the Pam- For many years Mrs. Mateer had Louis, Mo. panga-South Tarlac District of the charge of the training of Bible wom- Methodist Episcopal Church, has been en; she organized several schools and December 10 – Universal Bible Sun- appointed to fill Dr. Sobrepena's place. had the oversight of hundreds of day. He was formerly District Sunday country and city girls. Her knowl- School Secretary and headed the com- edge of medicine made her a great Personal Items mittee that revised the Pamangan help in training Chinese women as Bible. Several times he was dean of nurses and social workers. After she Horace Grant Underwood, the Institutes for Young People. was honorably retired in 1933 she made her home in Tsingtao, where she first third generation missionary to … … … spent her time teaching hygiene in the schools and translating books for enlist for work in Korea, sailed from The Rev. Gerould R. Goldner, an children and nurses. San Francisco, July 28. His father, evangelical missionary in Palestine who was captured by Bedouin tribes- … '" * Horace Underwood, went to the field men and held for ransom in July, was released on July 24 on payment of a Mrs. Abigail Townsend Luffe, betin 1912, 27 years after his own fa- ter known as "Sister Abigail," died part of the rans…om… de.m.. anded. on May 30. One of her most famous ther, Horace G. Underwood, had gone tracts, "Little Is Much When God Is (in 1885); now 27 years late~ the Andrew Gih, Chinese evangelist, in It," gives some of the remarkable expects to be in the United States this answers to prayer she experienced. third Horace Underwood has enhsted, fall, and is open for engagements to Mrs. Luffe was born in Devonshire, although the Presbyterian Board's de- speak. England, on June 9, 1859, the daugh- ter of John Townsend, an evangelist. cision to abandon educational work in Obituary Notes (Concluded on page 481.) Korea prevents him from undertaking Dr. William B. Bagby, pioneer and founder of Baptist work in Brazil, Witlo.theuse work under this Board. He has there- died recently. Dr. Bagby was espe- . 01 this Coawse•…,ery fore gone out under privB;te support, cially gifted in training and org::n- " Young People'. Society mall' I izing converts. The churches WhICh eonver",cL..ink) a 6t;bgol 10_ in the hope that a way Will open for he started grew and multiplied in a Bible TraWng:' ~. remarkable way, so that today in the continued servi.c.. e to t…he Koreans. Brazilian Southern Baptist Conven- 1939 Chrisl:ian Workers' Course tion there are over 600 churches with … more than 50,000 members. There A Scriptural Stud, Each Week-52 Lessons are five colleges, two theological sem- Sir Wilfred Grenfell, who has been inaries, two missionary training A practical, effective course in methods obliged to remain in the United States schools for women, a publishing house, of Christian work and soul·winning. for three years, because of illness, has a Baptist paper, and Home and Fornow returned to Labrador. He plans eign Mission Boar~s sending. missio~ Send 1Sc: in stamps !O.r euoeiot iiiue. to spend some time inspecting the sta- aries to unevangehzed areas In BraZIl tions which he established along the and to Portugal. There are also nu- .RISTIAN. ~UBUCAIJOl4S.1tiG coast. Sir Wilfred's home is now in merous high schools, primary and in- Charlotte, Vermont. dustrial schools, and other institutions 1502 N. Third St., Harrisburg" Pa. and agencies conducted by the Bap- … * * tists of Brazil as a result of the work Rev. Donald F. Lomas has come from a pastorate in Ridgeview, West Virginia, to become assistant editor for Young People's publications of the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education.
* … * Rev. W. P. Gilmor, of Alexandria, Egypt, now in America for health reasons with Mrs. Gilmor and expect-
MISSIONARY "The September REVIEW is a re- relate the entire story of that in-
REVIEW OF THE WORLD markably able, informing and inter- vasion. esting, a valuable contribution to the DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Editor periodical literature of missions. Con- The unoccupied fields of the Moslem gratulations on this and preceding WorId may be made clearer if we vis- VOL. LXII Nov., 1939 No. 11 issues!" DR. ARTHUR J. BROWN, ualize these little known lands by means of some of their unusually PuTblhiicradtiaonnd aRnedilyBSutssi.,neHssarrOisfbfuicrge,- Pa. Secretary Emeritus, Presby- marked stamps. Editorial and Executive Office- terian Church Board of F.M. Many missionaries are working in 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. lands under the British flag. At the Entered as second-class matter at *** change of a sovereign, changes are Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under "I greatly enjoyed the October num- needed in the stamps of many colonial Act of March 3, 1879. ber. It is always worth reading, and possessions. Many beautiful designs 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. reading carefully." celebrated the Jubilee, the coronation Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. and other events. History is being Published monthly, except August. DR. JOHN TIMOTHY STONE, made and may be made impressive All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1939. Presbyterian Theological Sem- by use of this material. British agents – Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, inary, Chicago. The mission field is the world. Mr. London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, and Mrs. Albert C. Norton are mak- 10 shillings a year. *** ing it their business to collect foreign stamps relating to stations and mis- MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- "Your magazine has been a great sionary agencies, arranging them for LISHING CO., INC. help to me in my source theme about a major exhibit. Duplicates are made BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mohammedanism. The articles on up into packets for distribution as that subject gave me much material prizes and sale to friends of missions, ROBERT E. SPEER, President for my subject." all proceeds being devoted to mission- A. L. WARNBHUIS, Vice-President ary work. Mission groups and classes WALTER McDOUGALL, Treasurer MISS ELIZABETH MAYO. may be fostered by the use of this DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Secretary Framingham, Mass. sorted material. Boys and young peo- PAUL J. BRAIBTED ple may again be led to take new in- *** terest, give gifts and devote their SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT lives to the service of the Master. "I love your valuable magazine and Stamps should be sent flat by regular D. J. FANT post, or well wrapped by parcel post. read it regularly at the Public Li- Stamps should be in good condition, MRS. ORRIN R. JUDD preferably with the complete post WM. B. LIPPHARD brary." A. E. HOLT, mark, or carefully soaked off the en- velope; in the case of picture post ERIC M. NORTH Public Accountant, Council cards, with the cards intact. [Mr. SAMUEL M. ZWEMEa Bluffs, Iowa. and Mrs. Albert C. Norton of 5629 Thomas Avenue, Philadelphia, are Editorial Chat *** now engaged in raising up new wit- nesses for the Gospel after having Look for an important announce- Using Stamps to Promote Missions served in the mission fields of Asia.] ment in the December REVIEW. A meeting of the Directors and of the Boys will be thrilled by the stories Obituary Notes stockholders of the Missionary Re- of missionary heroes and their advenview Publishing Company was held ture. Most boys do not like to study. (Concluded from second cover.) on October 9 at which important ac- They like ships, airplanes, marbles, tion was taken in regard to the fu- match boxes and games; they like She assisted her father in his work ture of THE REVIEW. The time is not making things, and collecting stamps and continued her interest after her yet ripe for an announcement but it of strange lands. Many so-called marriage to John Luffe. Upon his may be expected in our next issue. "mission lands" issue special stamps death in 1901 she went to Buffalo, to commemorate some important event where !!he founded the EI Nathan *** or person. They are interesting and Home for aged and invalid women. It is not too early to send Christmas attractive. gifts to missionaries in foreign lands. *** They and their children will be away A friend in Salvador sent me an from American families and friends; airmail stamp with a picture of the Mrs. J. Davidson Frame, a memmany are in isolated places and have old Spanish church at Panchimalco. little to spend on Christmas gifts- The people of this ancient town have ber of the'Iran Mission of the Preseven if there were accessible shops. recently been awakened through the byterian Church, U. S. A., died in Books, games, toys, dressgoods and work of the Holy Spirit. Resht, Iran, September 11. Grace other gifts for personal or household Jennette Murray was born in Maryuse will bring real Christmas cheer Another stamp shows a map of ville, Missouri, November 17, 1885. and will be a token of loving thought. Nicaragua which nearly caused a After studying at Wheaton College Some gifts may also add to the mis- diplomatic break with the neighbor- and Chicago Teachers' College she sionaries' efficiency and help in the ing land of Honduras. went to Iran in 1912 to serve as a training of their children. Gifts of missionary under the Presbyterian money will also be appreciated. About Another map stamp is from Bolivia. Board of Foreign Missions; three six or eight weeks should be allowed The name "Chaco" printed over the years later she was married to Dr. for gifts to reach the interior of Asia, Paraguay border shows a reason for J. Davidson Frame who was also a Africa, or the South Sea Islands; at member of the Iran Mission. le.ast six weeks for India, Burma and the recent war between these coun- Siam; four or five weeks for Alaska, tries. **• China, Korea and Japan and a month or more for Latin American countries. A fine picture of Henry M. Stanley Bishop Chong 00 Kim, of the Now also is a good time to express adorns some of the Belgian Congo Methodist Episcopal Church in Korea, Christian sympathy for Jewish and stamps. Here is an illustration for died on September 17 in Seoul at the other exiles, for lepers and other suf- a story of the great explorer's search age of 55. He was elected bishop, the ferers and for the Chinese multitudes for David Livingstone. Africa's par- only. bishop of the Korean Church, by who are destitute and afflicted. Gifts tition affords many opportunities for the Methodist General Conference in may be sent through Mission Boards. new situations. 1938. Bishop Kim was born in Seoul and was graduated from the Pierson *** To follow the history of some lands Memorial Bible School and the Meth- Our friends will be interested in one must have stamps of two or more odist Seminary. some of the recent comments received nations and mystery overprints that from readers of the MISSIONARY RE- may involve interesting search.
VIEW: There are developments in China which we may follow through the sur- charged United States stamps from Shanghai, and through the French and Japanese overprints.
We greatly prize an Ethiopian air- mail stamp from Dr. Tom Lambie. It is surcharged with the red cross and was sent during the Italian in- vasion. There are stamps that could [481 ]
by G. P
PITCAIRN ISLAND SCHOOL AND CHILDREN – DESCENDANTS OF THE "MUTINEERS OF THE BOUNTY"
Photo by G. P. Lin41ey BOATS LANDlNGAT BOUNTY BAY, PITCAIRN ISLAND, PACIFIC OCEAN VIEWS OF PITCAIRN ISLAND TODAY (See page 487) REVIB ORLD VOLUME LXII AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER, 1939 Topics of the Times WHAT CAN CHRISTIANS DO? of a single shot. If He does not do so it must be that He has some good ultimate purpose. There The most discouraging thing about the crisis in may be some lessons that men must learn; even Europe and Asia is that most of us feel so help- men with good purposes may be depending too less to do anything about it. We are not presi- much on material weapons and may not be coopdents or statesmen or national leaders; we are erating with God.
not even important financiers or business execu- Second: Christians must realize that God is tives. We are humble citizens of the nation and love and that whatever is not motivated by unpresumably citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. selfish love is not of God. True Christians will Last summer an international group of Chris- love even their enemies, though they may oppose tian leaders met in Switzerland to discuss the in- their enemies' purposes and acts. Christians will fluence of the Church in behalf of justice, peace be ready to forgive, as Christ forgave, and will and goodwill. seek their enemies' highest good, for "love is of Meeting under the shadow of impending war in God." Many Chinese are exhibiting this Chris- Europe, this group pronounced their convictions tian attitude toward the Japanese today. True as to the evil and futility of warfare as a means love is a sign of strength, of Godlikeness, and has of settling disputes. Might does not make right no element of fear or weakness. and the ability to fight and overcome an opponent is no proof of the justice of the victor's cause. Third: Christians will not only resist evil but War brings countless evils in its train~destruc- will work in a positive way to build up the forces tion of life and property, the release of hatred and of righteousness. They will relieve distress, as lust, the increase of poverty and suffering, the Christ relieved it, wherever possible. They.will disruption of civilized progress. And war does carry on the constructive work of education, so that the coming generation will know and love not settle disputes – the last world war offering God as He is revealed in Jesus Christ. They will convincing evidence. continue to promote the Kingdom of God and will There are four things that Christians can do earnestly seek to win men of all nations to faith in such disturbing conditions as we face today. in His Son Jesus Christ. This is being done in First: we can base all thought and action on China today, in the midst of great difficulties. faith in God and on the certain ultimate triumph Such a program will also mean more generous of His good purposes. It would be a simple thing and sacrificial support of missionary work at for Almighty God to use the material forces of home and abroad. nature and His still greater spiritual powers to Fourth: Christians will pray and will unite to defeat the evil purposes of men. An earthquake or fire could destroy a national capital, all the call others to pray-not that their own program fortifications of the frontiers, and every muni- and will may be done but that all who believe in God may be brought to see and accept His. will tions factory in any country, together with the and to obey it, whatever may be the cost. Chrismakers of unrighteous. war. This was proved tians cannot pray for victory to their own cause, more than once in the history of Israel. God could except as that may promote the wise and loving cause a panic to spread through an army and navy purposes of God. They cannot pray, first of all, and so bring about their defeat without the firing for the defeat of their enemies but they will pray [483 ]
for the defeat of the enemies of God and for the brought in over $600,000 in gate money. More expression and establishment of peace based on than twice as much is spent for intoxicants as for righteousness and in harmony with the love of church support and more is burned up in tobacco God as expressed in Jesus Christ. All this will than is given for religion and education together. naturally mean giving encouragement to every As one result crime costs us fifteen times as much one, in State, business and Church, who is work- as we give for Christian enterprises. ing for law and order; it will naturally lead to the support of the weak and ministry to those It is true that m.ost of this lavish expenditure is who are suffering. by those who have no real interest in Christ's pro- gram for the world-but not all of it. How many If this or any other crisis can arouse Christians of us are as careful about expenditures for pleasfrom a state of indifference and self-indulgence ures and luxuries as we are in our giving to G.od's and lead them to full surrender to the will of God work? Are not many Christian parents more and more complete harmony with the spirit and ready tD give their children money for a movie .or teachings of Christ as set forth in the New Tes- ice cream than for missions? Is not self-indultament, then even war and its attendant great gence more appealing to most of us than is sacrisuffering will be the means of blessing-it has at fice for the w.ork of Christ? The average church times proved such in the past. member gives $13.00 a year for all forms of Chris- tian activity sponsored by the churches. How MONEY AND MISSIONS TODAY much do we average for gifts for non-essentials?
These are difficult days for many Christian en- The difficulty seems to be threefold. First: terprises. Almost every missionary society re- the lack of a proper sense .of values; a failure to ports a deficiency of from $100,000 to $500,000. realize how the money entrusted to us can best The need is greater than ever-for new workers, be used for character building and to promote the for equipment, for relief of sufferers in war areas, things that abide, the things which are in the for the training and support of Christian workers sight of God of infinite and eternal value. Let us in mission lands. Germany and some other lands read again Christ's parables .of the talents and are not permitting money to be sent out of their the pounds. c.ountries, and as a result many missi.onaries are stranded and work is crippled materially. Twice Second: a lack .of vision and .of knowledge as as much money is spent in America for war ma- to where m.oney is most needed and where its use chinery as for religion, education and peace com- will bring the greatest blessing. In spite of w.orldbined. Great Britain is taking 370/0 of all income wide contacts thr.ough the newspaper and the for taxes to pay for war and self-defense. In radio, many of us are still pr.ovincial and self- North America taxes are increasing while in centered in our interests. A good dinner at home many lines business is declining. There is a seems more needful than food for starving Chiserious lack of money given for church support nese th.ough the same amount of money would and for evangelical work. Appeals increase but provide for them for a whole month. A new suit responses decrease. Even Christians seem to seems more needed for self than the expenditure think that, in view of present disturbed conditions of the same amount to provide clothes for a whole in Asia and Europe, the effort to proclaim the destitute and almost naked family of Christians Gospel of Christ throughout the world must be in some .other land. A Christmas celebrati.on in curtailed. America, to celebrate the c.oming of Christ into the world, l.o.oms larger than the same amount Do we not need to readjust our sense of values used for the support of His work in .obedience t.o and t.o reconsider our responsibilities? There is His command t.o carry the Gospel to the uttermost no lack of money-at least in America. The Na- part .of the earth. tional Committee for Religion and Welfare Recovery reports that our national income rose from Third: is there not great failure in Christians over forty billion dollars in 1932 to nearly sev- to practice stewardship, conscientiously and intelenty-two billion in 1937 – an increase of more ligently? Where this is done on a wide range, even by tithing-as among M.ormons and Sevenththan 79 %. During the same period gifts to Day Adventists – there is no lack of funds for mission work, and the givers are blessed with- a twenty-five large evangelical denominations, for supply for their own actual needs. If tithing all purposes, decreased from nearly $399,000,000 were adopted throughout the Christian Church, there would be no financial shortage for Christ's to about $315,000,000 a decrease of over 21 %. w.ork at home or abroad. But stewardship is more than tithing; it includes the prayerful and But at the same time there seems to be no lack c.onscientious use of all money, time and talents of money for the moving picture shows, for base- as trustees .of the manifold gifts of G.od. Many ball and football contests, and for cosmetics, alco- Christian stewards have given 25% .or 500/0 of holic drinks and tobacco and luxuries-many of them harmful. Two league baseball games
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
their income to the work of God; some have given people" in the sense that they are to be separated 9070, while they have lived on one tenth. from the world.
Do we not need today to re-examine our re- The fact that the Jews have persisted as a dissources and to readj ust them under the eye of tinct race for four thousand years-though scat- Christ Jesus, our Master, "who though He was tered, persecuted, often exiled and enslaved-this rich, for our sakes became poor that we through fact itself shows the wonderful power and stead- His poverty might become rich." fast purpose of God to fulfill His promise in them. The Arabs, the Nazis and others may rage and Money, like physical strength, physical beauty fight against God but they cannot defeat His or political power, may be a menace, to ourselves purposes. and others, if these resources are not used to carry out the loving purposes of Christ for individuals Dr. Conrad Hoffmann, Jr., Director of the Inand for the world. When money or self and per- ternational Committee on the Christian Approach sonal ambition become master they prove to be to the Jews, visited Germany last summer and hard task-masters, destructive of freedom and has written an illuminating but distressing pamhindering loving ministries. When men, or nations, become self-centered they lose their reason phlet on what he saw there. * He shows the really for existence and begin to die. Christians will agree that the resources of the world belong to remarkable material and political achievements of God, the Creator, and we know that there is the Nazi regime in the past eight years, but he enough money and manpower to carryon all the goes on to describe their antagonism to democratic work that God desires to have done in the world, governments, their hatred of the Semitic race and at home and abroad, in education, science and so- their attempt to eliminate from Nordic or Teucial progress, in national and international enter- tonic life and thought everything that is peculiar prises and in Christian missions. As has been to the worship and revelation of God as revealed said, the question is not how much of our money through Jesus Christ. With fiendish determinawe will give to God's work, but how much of God's tion the Nazi regime is seeking to exterminate the money, of which He has made us trustees, will we Jewish race and to eliminate all that is Semitic use for ourselves. or non-Aryan from Germany. Not only do pogroms seek to destroy Jews, to impoverish them ANTI-SEMITISM AND MISSIONS and deprive them of a means of livelihood, but unnameable horrors and tortures are perpetrated The Jews have never been popular with non- on them in concentration camps. Tales are told Semitic peoples. They were not popular in of German guards who have committed suicide Canaan in the days of Abraham, nor in Egypt in rather than carry out orders of torture against the days of Joseph, nor in Canaan in the days of unfortunate and helpless Hebrews. Joshua, nor in Persia in the days of Esther. They were not congenial to the Syrians or Assyrians, The immediate future is dark for the Jews of to the Babylonians, the Greeks or the Romans. Europe, but "God has not cast off His people." Since the coming of Jesus and their rejection of As Sir J. Haslam, member of the British Parlia- Him, most of the Jews have been scattered over ment, recently said in the House of Commons, the earth, generally despised and rejected by those "Palestine is the 'Promised Land.' It was promamong whom they have dwelt. Today the Jews ised by Almighty God to the Hebrews centuries are everywhere unpopular whether it be in Pales- ago and the fulfilment of His promises cannot be tine or Africa, in America or Italy, in Roumania frustrated." or Germany. Why is it? The Christian Gospel has never been popular The Jews as a race are not "good mixers." They with the Jews-never since Jesus came to earth were called out to be separated people, called to be to offer Himself as the Christ and Saviour and followers of Jehovah-God, and distinct from the as "God manifest in the flesh." Christian misidolatrous peoples among whom they dwelt. Espe- sions have never been popular since the days of cially since the Babylonian captivity they have the Apostle Paul. Since the days of Constantine been a "peculiar people," separate from other professing Christians have been largely responraces, misunderstood and often oppressed. Their sible for the antipathy of the Jews to Christianity. peculiarities and separation have fitted them espe- The "Good News," and ministry of love have not cially to be the custodians of God's message to been characteristic of those multitudes who call mankind but they have not made that message themselves by the name of Israel's Redeemer but popular. Even when Hebrews have become Chris- do not manifest His spirit and life of sacrificial tians they have continued to be "peculiar people"; service. Where Christian witnesses have done Christians also have been called to be a "peculiar this, Jews have shown a great readiness to listen and multitudes have accepted Jesus as their prom- • For private circulation, The International Missionary Council, 156 Fifth Ave., New York.
ised Messiah. Thousands of these converts are didly wrote home that he found himself among now ministers in Christian pUlpits. people "perhaps the most ignorant and wicked in the world." The present persecution of Jews – because of their race, rather than for their faith-in Ger- There are "heathen" aplenty in the U. S. A., many and Austria, in Roumania, Poland and but the Church from Pentecost down has never Italy, is proving a means of turning multitudes worked on the basis that you must have 100% of to the Christ whom their ancestors rejected. It is difficult to give adequate help to the suffering the people at home 100 % Christian before you go and exiled Jews of Europe and Palestine but Christians are earnestly attempting to give such around the corner to brighten things up there, help. bring the light of the Gospel too.
Jews are today more open to the Gospel than Why export Christianity? Well, first of all, if ever before. They are learning that there is a it isn't worth exporting, it isn't worth keeping at distinction between Jesus Christ as He is revealed home. If sewing machines, automobiles and other in the New Testament, and the view of Jesus pre- material conveniences are of great value at home, sented ,by those who are His followers in name that is why we export them to foreign lands. Shall but not in spirit. They are learning to know Him we American Christians say that our spiritual and they see that Nazis who persecute them per- riches are not worth sending abroad also? Does secute also other true followers of Christ. Jews the Marxist believe in exporting Communism? are therefore seeking comfort, refuge and Ask yourself whether you think he should be a strength in Him. "In Vienna, Bible study peri- keener missionary for his religion than you for ods and church services are crowded with anxious Christ. folk and, as a result of the terror behind and the unoertainty ahead, they have an overpowering Secondly, Christianity should be exported behunger for assurance of God." In Berlin also cause, unless we share it with others, we cannot many Bible study groups meet in private homes, keep it vital at home. Charity does begin at home, in spite of demoniac forces at work. In their but it soon degenerates into selfishness, if it ends despair "many are rediscovering God and His love at home. A glance at history will show that when as revealed in Jesus Christ." the Church had little or no interest in missions those periods were exactly when the fires of her Much more must be done by Christians for those spiritual life burned low. Conversely, whenever afflicted people – both materially and spiritually. the vivifying Spirit of God has stirred the Church, "Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no cure for its members have inevitably been moved to share anti-Semitism." The time will come when the with others their treasures in Christ. Further- Israelites will "look on Him whom they pierced." more, every sincere effort to pass on to others the Then they will turn to Him for life and will be- blessings of Christian discipleship has had the come missionaries of their Christ to others-even effect of quickening the spiritual life of those who to their enemies and His. thus sought to bear witness. The Divine paradox is true, "He that saveth his life shall lose it: but * SHALL WE STILL SEND MORE he that loseth his life for my sake shall save it." MISSIONARIES? We increase our faith by giving it away!
Why should we send American missionaries to A very familiar sight in the fields of China are the heathen of other lands? the shrines of the gods of the earth, to whom the farmer looks for a successful crop. Tsang's little "Are there not heathen enough at home?" some- god, however, is not concerned with the fortunes one is .apt to inquire. The obvious answer would of Li, whose rice fields adjoin his, and both Tsang seem to be, "More than enough! But why bring and Li can starve to death for all that Pao's god that up?" Were there not plenty of heathen left cares. How does this petty conception of deity in Syria and Jerusalem when St. Paul, braving differ in essence from the attitude of the Christian every hardship, carried the Gospel to imperial who seems to think that God is an American, or Rome? And were there not plenty of heathen an Aryan, and not particularly interested in His in Rome when St. Augustine and his fellow other children of other races? monks, following earlier missionaries to Britain, brought the faith of Christ to our uncouth If we say that the Christian religion is not worth ancestors at Canterbury? There certainly re- giving to the heathen, it is not worth keeping for mained plenty of heathen in England when the ourselves. Our whole attitude will change when Christian missionaries came to our forebears in Christ is really for us the Saviour of the world. the American colonies. One such missionary can- Then nothing can rob us of the determination to share with our brethren in every land the joy of * From "Vhy Export Christianity?" a brief guide issued by The companionship with God and man, within the supernatural and world-wide fellowship of His Forward Movement Commission of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Church.
Strange Story of Pitcairn Island*
Mutineers of UThe Bounty" and Their Descendants Today (See Frontispie~e) -'~!,; I====B=Y=H=A=R=R=Y=A=.=FO=R=B=E=S=,=M=.A=·===;;;;;;;;;;!JII.- I N THE latter half of t4e Eighteenth Century, Meanwhile, Bligh and his party, after many Great Britain and other countries, stirred by dangers and hardships, fortunately managed to Captain Cook's voyages of discovery, sent out reach Australian waters, and got back to England other expeditions, if possible to secure some of in Dutch vessels. Arrangements were at once the numerous island-groups that stud the Pacific made to send to Tahiti to arrest the mutineers Ocean. there. In March, 1791, therefore, H.M.S. Pan- In 1787, ten years after Cook's death, the Brit- dora, under Captain Edwards, arrived in Tahiti, ish Government equipped, with this object, a small and took away all the officers and crew left there vessel called The Bounty, with forty-five officers by Christian. These men were treated by Cap- and men, under Lieut. Bligh (who had served for tain Edwards (before their trial) as condemned four years with Captain Cook). Bligh was an felons; and on the voyage home were handcuffed able and experienced officer, and manacled, nearly starved; but was unfortunately very they were obliged to sleep on irritable and suspicious in Many are familiar with the story of bare boards, and otherwise character, harsh in his treat- the famous mutiny of the "Bounty" subjected to every indignity- ment of his men, and addicted which took place in 1789. In recent though some of them were years a new interest has been awakened to bad language. He thus be- through the publication of the highly innocent. In 1792 the priscame unpopular, with both the fictionized accounts of Nordorf and oners, having reached Engofficers and the crew; and it Hall dealing with this subject, and land, were court-martialed; is not surprising that the through the movies. These writers ta~e three of them were con- seeds of a mutiny were sown no cognizance of t~e Christian influ- demned and executed, the rest on the voyage to the Pacific. ences that molded the later life of the being exonerated and re- little colony of the mutineers' descend- leased. In April, 1789, in the neigh- ants on lonely Pitcairn's Island. The borhood of the Friendly Is- following account of the mutiny and *** lands, the mutiny came to a what followed appeared in The Chris- After 1e a v i n g Tahiti, head, and Bligh and some of tian and is an authoritative account of Fletcher Christian and his the officers and crew were the incident based upon the "Mutiny men, with the T a hit ian s, forced into a launch and sent of the Bounty," by Lady Belcher. The found Pitcairn, a small, isoadrift to shift for themselves article illustrates, in a remarkable way, lated, rocky, dangerous, and the power of the Word of God to mold as best they could. Fletcher and shape the life of a people. uninhabited island, where they Christian, the mate, and the settled, in 1790. The Bounty, leader of the mutiny, then after being cleared of every- took charge of The Bounty, and after some adven- thing that might be useful to the islanders, was tures reached Tahiti in the Society Islands, the burnt and sunk, lest she might betray the hiding- natives of which were quite friendly. Fearful of place to some passing vessel. Christian mapped being discovered by some British vessel, Chris- out the island in nine lots, each of the Englishmen tian would not remain there, but determined to having one lot. For three years they managed to sail off, and find some uninhabited island where get on together under the command of Christian, he could settle, and spend the remainder of his who had certainly some ability as a leader, and days in safe seclusion. Eight of the mutineers who maintained his authority and respect as long went with him, also a number of Tahitian natives as he lived. But among the outlaws (as they now -men, women and children. Those who pre- really were), there were some desperadoes who ferred to remain in Tahiti, some bad characters treated the Tahitians with injustice and inhu- being among them, raised feuds with the natives, manity. This led to reprisals and revenge, with and quarrels with each other, which led to out- fighting and murder. The Tahitians hatched a rage and murder. plot for the massacre of all the Englishmen on *** the island, which, however, was betrayed to the * Condensed from The Evan.aelical Ohristian. latter by the Tahitian wives they had married.
[487 ]
The racial war went on until several of the muti- Before the Bounty was sunk, everything that neers, including Christian himself (who was shot while cultivating his garden), and all the Tahitian might be of use was taken ashore and preserved. men were killed. Then the mutineers quarrelled with one another; and what between murder and Among the rest were a Bible and a Prayer Book, suicide, only two of the mutineers, Mr. Young and Mr. Smith, were left. Young died of asthma, and found in the kit of one of the seamen, which had Smith (who, to elude identification, took the name of John Adams), was, in 1800, the sole surviving been put there by his mother on bidding him mutineer on the island. goodbye. Perhaps there was some debate as to *** whether it was worth while to save this; but, as For twenty years these people were lost to civilization. No one knew where they were, or what there was probably no other reading matter on had become of them. Speculation at home, very active at first, died away. The French Revolution ttihaenishliamnsd~lft,hisitmaapypehaarvse, decided the point. Chriswars had been raging for several years, and Brit- used to study this Bible ain had neither time nor ships to spare for further search. At last, in 1808, the islanders were acci- until his death. It was then studied by Adams, dentally discovered by an American vessel; by which time an extraordinary transformation had and it doubtless led to his conversion; and was taken place in the little community. Adams, the sole survivor of the mutineers, was looked up to by him taught to the rest of the little community, as. "guide, philosopher and friend," and all his subjects-so to speak-were living in peace, har- with the very remarkable results which were seen mony and goodwill. There was no quarrelling nor disputing, no strong language nor angry words in their character and conduct, which were truly were heard in the island. Vice seemed to be unknown to the islanders, who were, one and al), apostolic. In fact, Pitcairn Island has been com- God-fearing, happy and innocent. pared to the Garden of Eden before the Fall, and The American captain, Folger, wrote home telling of his surprising discovery, and praising it seems to have come as near to that realization Smith for his "excellent moral and religious training of the little community." Curiosity was again as human nature is capable of. roused in England, and the newspapers teemed with the story. But Britain's hands were still The evidence of this is taken, not from anything tied by war and the menace of Napoleon, and no further steps were taken to communicate with the islanders themselves have said or written, nor the little colony. At length, in 1812 (and once more by accident), Pitcairn was rediscovered by from any second-hand information; nor is it contwo British frigates, under Captain Staines and Captain Pipon. Two young men who approached fined to a few years. It is taken from the accounts in a canoe were welcomed on board by Captain Staines, who was much struck by their modest given by a succession of different naval officers and respectful manners. The elder youth was twenty-four, the son of Fletcher Christian by his (including a Lord High Admiral), who visited the Tahitian wife. His companion was eighteen. Refreshments were prepared for the boys by the cap- island through a period of over forty years; whose tain in his own cabin, but "before sitting down they folded their hands and repeated the usual testimony as to the character of the islanders is, short grace; and at the conclusion, another; which, they said, had been taught them by. their from first to last, unanimous. revered pastor, John Adams. Strange to WItness the simple, earnest piety of these young Chris- Captain Pipon asked Adams if he would like to tians, living so far from all civilized lands, and in the vicinity of islands whose people were sunk return to England, and was "greatly surprised" in heathen barbarism, and some of them addicted to cannibalism." to hear him reply that he would; for Adams knew *** perfectly well that, having favored the mutiny, and followed Christian, he would certainly be court-martialed; and that sentence of death could be the only verdict. Pipon then offered him a free passage for himself, and his wife and family, which he certainly would have accepted, were it not for the consternation, the lamentations, and the tears, not only of his wife and family, but of the whole community, when they heard of the proposal to deprive them of their beloved "pas- tor" and leader, now a man of God. "I never,"
wrote Captain Pipon, "witnessed a scene so truly affecting. To have taken him from the circle of such friends, would ill become a feeling heart; would indeed, have been an outrage on humanity."
As to the islanders-"far beyond their personal grace, was their modesty and 'gentle behavior.
Each person considered that whatever he pos- sessed was for the general good, so that there was no difficulty in settling disputes; and if hasty words were ever uttered, the offender was only too ready to make ample amends."
*** Twelve years later (in 1825), Captain Beechy, commanding H.M.S. Blossom, touched at the island; "and his residence of three weeks con- firmed the statements of the former visitors. . . .
THE STRANGE STORY OF PITCAIRN ISLAND
Sunday was observed with remarkable strictness, In 1851 Pitcairn was visited by Admiral Moand there were altogether five services in the day. resby, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station. All preparations for meals were made the day be- This was the first time an officer of such high rank fore." Adams spent a few days on board the had come to the island, and there was therefore Blossom, "and (writes the Captain) the old man great excitement. The Admiral's son and secrenever failed to rise early to perform his devotions tary, Mr. Fortescue Moresby, in a letter home, in some retired corner, and the same when re- thus describes the visit: "Never were seen so tiring to rest at night." many happy, smiling faces, eager to look at the first admiral that had ever visited their happy Adams died in 1829, aged sixty-five, loved, re- island; but not one tried to push his way or make vered, and lamented by all his flock, "having suc- any attempt to get before another. . . . There is ceeded in establishing what has been the dream not one of the girls in whose face good humor, of poets and the aspiration of philosophers." His virtue, and amiability does not beam. It was now place was taken by George N obbs, a godly man, (Sunday) church-time. Mr. Nobbs officiated, and who, having visited the island in 1828 and seen the most solemn attention was paid by all. They the lovable little community, begged to be allowed sang two hymns in magnificent style, and really to remain and help Adams in his pastoral and I never heard any church singing in any part of scholastic work. He proved a most excellent the world, that could equal it, except at cathedrals. successor. (They had been taught by a skilled musician, who But there is no Eden without a serpent; and in THE GRAVE OF FLETCHER CH,RISTIAN-ON THE HILLSIDE 1832, one, Joshua Hill, arrived, and completely ABOVE THE HOUSES hoodwinked the simple-minded community by assuring them that he came by order of the British had been accidentally left for a while on the island Government to take over the management of the by a visiting vessel.) The evening service was island and act for the benefit of its people. He conducted by Mr. Holman, the admiral's chaplain. turned out to be a scheming imposter, and for a . . . That evening I took a walk with them up the time, by means of promises, bribes and threats, mountains. We conversed on the sermons and he was able to make himself complete dictator- other subjects, and I was quite astounded at their framing laws, building a prison, acting as judge, intelligence and the answers they gave. . . . One jury and jailer, and expelling from the island of the girls is very clever, and can repeat a good Nobbs and others who questioned his bona fides. deal of Milton. All the time the stream of fun It was not until 1838, some letters from the and laughter was uninterrupted, but their deislanders having reached the authorities at home, meanor is so virtuous, modest and natural, while that this insolent dissembler was unmasked and they show so much affection, that I could not help deported to Valparaiso, after which he is heard of feeling quite a love towards them all; and I feel no more. Delivered from this scourge and terror, convinced that the most hard-hearted villain and the islanders recalled Nobbs and the other exiles, the greatest reprobate must loathe himself and and gave them an enthusiastic reception; and detest his own sins, in contemplating the high then settled down again to the simple and happy moral standard to which these simple islanders life which had been so rudely interrupted. have attained. The delight and pleasure our com- pany seemed to give them could hardly be be- Passing vessels found them strictly honest in lieved." their barterings, never adding to the price in seasons of privation or scarcity. "The respect which *** those rough merchant men and whalers felt for the Pitcairners was such, that one sailor declared that 'if any insult were to be offered to any of them, and especially to the women, a man would not live long.' "
In 1849 we have Captain Wood of H.M.S. Pandora confirming the accounts given by the previous visitors: "I cannot but add my testimony to those who have gone before me as to the excellent moral and religious character of these people. Evil and crime seem unknown among them. . . . All of them have the most engaging expression of countenance I ever saw. . . . The most charming modesty characterizes all their actions. I felt more regret in parting with the Pitcairn Islanders than I had in parting with anyone since leaving England."
The departure of the visitors is thus described: aged ten, who followed him after three weeks, is "On our last day, when 2 p. m. came, the scene told by Lady Belcher, who also records their last was too affecting. Never in my life have I seen words: "My earnest desire is to depart and be anything to equal it. The whole of the kind, affec- with Christ," and – "Lord Jesus, receive my tionate people crying, the girls clinging round us, spirit."
begging us to come back again soon. One big, Further – though foreign missions to the stout fellow came and said: 'God bless you, Sir,' heathen were then in their infancy (at least in and he kissed me. I could not have believed that Polynesia) two of the Islanders were martyred a few days would have made me feel such an affec- on a missionary voyage with their Bishop, to the tion for any single person, much less for a great savages of the neighboring islands.
number, as I did for them. But so it is; their *** honest, pure, virtuous character produced an im- The secular press rarely pays any attention to moral, let alone spiritual virtues. It is therefore all the more significant that we can point to the Argus, a New South Wales newspaper (of Syd- ney) , for corroboration of the foregoing character of the Pitcairners. "Recent visitors declare that drunkenness, the use of bad language, and sim- ilar vices, are absolutely unknown among the Pit- cairn people. The excellence of their lives, and the harmony in which they dwell together, has surprised everyone that has touched at the island, and we have met rough sea captains and hard- headed merchants from California-most unlikely people in fact-who declared the Utopian condi- PhOto by G. P. LAndZe!! tion of the island to have been such that they fell quite in love with virtue while they stayed there, MRS. ADA CHRISTIAN AND HER GRANDDAUGHTER IN COOK HOUSE ON PITCAIRN r.SLAND and felt strongly tempted to throw money to the pression that can never be effaced. . . . The part- dogs, and to remain and become good among the ing with the men was worse almost than with the descendants of the 'Bounty' mutineers." (Date girls; to see big, stout fellows crying, and hardly not given.) able to look up, was too much. All the officers In this year (1856), Mr. Augustus Robinson, were deeply affected, and I saw some of the men "a gentleman held in the highest esteem," after nearest me, old, hardy seamen, and big marines, two months' residence in Pitcairn, wrote to a not only wipe away a tear, but regularly crying. friend, "I can easily imagine that they must have . . . As the image of the Saviour is found in their been superlatively happy on Pitcairn. Their mod- hearts in this world, so we may earnestly hope esty of demeanor, urbanity of manner, affection- that they will belong peculiarly to Him in the ate disposition, and personal appearance, have next. No profligate has ever been known to prac- won for them the esteem and admiration of all tice his vicious courses in this island." who have visited them. I never witnessed any- *** thing approaching to ill-feeling or anger among them; and the passage of Scripture, inculcated In 1852, Mr. Nobbs came to England, and was into their minds by old John Adams, 'never to ordained chaplain of Pitcairn Island, and was allow the sun to go down upon their wrath,' has granted a stipend of £50 a year. Before return- become so completely a part of their duty, that I ing he was presented to Queen Victoria, who gave was informed by Mr. Nobbs, they might often be him a portrait of herself. seen in the evening issuing from one another's houses to make up any recrimination that had While absent, his place had been taken by the taken place during the day." chaplain of the fleet, who, writing to the Admiral about the Pitcairners, said, "I have seen no in- One is not so ignorant of human nature as to stance whatever of disagreement or ill-temper, imagine or imply that these people were perfect. but on the contrary, everything is done in peace Of course they had their faults and failings, their and good-will." This, it will be noted, was said disputes and quarrels; but they were not inocuforty years after the testimony of Captain Staines lated with the virus of European and American (1812) . "civilization."
Evidence of the spiritual as well as the moral No, the Pitcairn people were not perfect; yet character of the Islanders, is equally cogent. The the only charge of that kind brought among them touching death of Mr. Nobbs's son, and of a boy . was brought by themselves. "We have all our
PITCAIRN ISLAND AS IT IS TODAY
weak points in common with the rest of man- were transferred to Norfolk Island, lying about kind"; wrote Dorcas Young in a letter to the 300 miles east of Australia. This transference Admiral. "The fruit of Adam's Fall is here vis- was a very bitter pill, as all of the Islanders had ible, too. Natural inborn sin is here, as well as in been born on Pitcairn, and all their lost loved ones other parts of this wide world. Believe me, my lay buried there. dear Admiral, when I tell you that we are all alive to our faults; and we know that we are far For a long time there was little or no change in short of what we ought to be. We know, too, that the moral character of the people. "Fifteen years we must be strengthened and renewed day by day have elapsed," writes Lady Belcher, in 1870, "since with more light and wisdom from on high, or else the removal from Pitcairn, and the Colonists have, we must be and are utterly undone." during this period, evinced the same simplicity of manners and conduct, the same honest adherence *** to truth and uprightness in their dealings, for which they were distinguished in their own little By this time the colony had increased to 194, island." A few families returned to Pitcairn and they could not hope to continue on an island Island, and their descendants are there to this day. only one mile by two. In 1856, therefore, they Pitcairn Island as It Is Today By GWEN M. JUDGE, Visiting Missionary MIDWAY between New Zealand and Pan- Pitcairn teachers; but, on the recommendation of ama, Pitcairn Island, a tiny, rugged speck the High Commissioner of the Western Pacific of land, two miles long and one mile wide, under whom the local government operates, a raises its head 1,100 feet in lonely isolation. The qualified teacher and his wife came from Ausromantic history of its settlement by the Mutineers of the Bounty with their Tahitian wives Photo 1>y G. P. Lindley and associates one hundred and fifty years ago, MRS. ANDREW C. YOUNG AND HER DAUGHTERS. has been given world-wide publicity by pen and DEBORAH AND VANDA picture. Not all that has been written and shown is strictly authentic, according to the traditions tralia to take charge of the school work. The held by the best informed people on the island. present enrolment of the school is forty-three, The popUlation is now 22'0, though about 20 of comprising children from six to sixteen years of them are visiting in New Zealand and Tahiti. age. Pitcairn is in touch with the world through passing ships, by correspondence and the radio. Though several of the Mutineers appear to have Rarely a week passes that some freight or pas- been men of strong character, it was not till John senger ship does not make the twenty-five-mile Adams, the only Englishman left after the orgy detour from its course to visit the island. Always of murderous bloodshed, became conscious of the with enthusiasm the islanders set out from Bounty Bay in their 35-foot boats to meet the approaching vessels and to bring fruit and curios which are sold to the passengers or are exchanged for food and clothing. Incoming mail and cargo are transferred to the island boats for distribution to the isolated islanders. About a year ago they were delighted with the gift of a powerful radio. Night after night Pitcairn dwellers may now hear the news of the world and the voice of the licensed amateur Pitcairn operator, Andrew Young, is heard in different parts of the world- "VR6AY Pitcairn Island calling!"
The language generally used on Pitcairn is an imperfect English which, when talking. among themselves, is often mixed with localisms which are unintelligible to outsiders. For many years the education of the children was carried on by
great spiritual need of the survivors who looked ing the requirements of the Christian life – reto him as their leader, that any religious life was pentance, forgiveness, faith, truth and love; the seen in the community. God used that man juniors are following the children of Israel in mightily as, with Bible and Prayer Book, he led their wilderness wanderings. The wee tots are the growing population in Bible study and in seek- taught simple Bible stories with the aid of picture ing to find and follow the Way of Life. The rolls, a sand tray and other illustrative material. Church of England form of worship was observed down through the years until about fifty years A regular church service is held at 11 a. m. and ago when the islanders joined the Seventh-day in the afternoon a meeting is conducted by and Adventists. Today the majority of the adults are for the young people. A missionary meeting is church members, and some of the men and women held each Monday evening at which letters of inare of sterling character and deep Christian ex- terest are read and encouragement is brought perience. from pen friends in different parts of the world, or from articles from Christian papers telling of Missionaries come from Australia· every few the triumphs of the Gospel in lands afar. Early years and stay from six to twelve months. In the every Tuesday morning a number of Islanders asinterim the religious activities are carried on semble for united Bible study and prayer. under the leadership of the elders; Mr. Ward, the school teacher; and Mr. Fred Christian, a great- Though far removed from many attractions and grandson of Fletcher Christian, the leader of the temptations of the outside world – such as the Mutiny. movies, the hotel bar, the dance hall, and the race course-Pitcairn is not beyond the reach of the On each Sabbath morning practically the entire enemy of righteousness, and, as elsewhere, some community, from great-grandparents to infants, in their weakness fall beneath his attacks. May attend the Sabbath School where division leaders we ask readers to pray that all on Pitcairn may review the Bible lessons studied at home during become "more than conquerors through Him that the week. This year the senior division is study- loved us."
"THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH"-IN CHINA The following story from China, (told again in The Sunday School Times, illustrates the truth of Christ's promise to "the meek";- A vagrant named Li K'ai-fan seized a small piece of land belonging to a Christian named Chen that he might use it as a kitchen-garden for himself. "According to justice," writes Chen, "I should have taken him to court where he would have been punished according to law. I did not wish to quarrel with people, yet coul d I let him rob me of my land? I prayed about the affair for three days, after which the Holy Spirit led me to see that I should have no quar- rel with worldly people. So I presented him with the land, taking a writing to his home and, in his presence, with witnesses, made over to him a perpetual deed. Li's conscience smote him, and he was unwilling to receive it, but I insisted.
"Later the Reds compelled Li K'ai-fan to become commander of the surrounding country- side. Under his command were the Red troops called 'The Groping for Melons Society' (an expression for chopping off heads) and 'The Society for Taking Captives for Ransom.' All officials were to be executed, and I would have been no exception. But Commander Li gave secret orders that no one was to molest me, and that if any soldiers passed my home they should go quietly so as not to alarm me. He said, as I heard later, that this man Chen was a right- eous man.
"If, when Li had seized my land, I had gone to law over it, when he became Commander- in-Chief of the Reds it is certain that his head-chopping business would have begun with my head. My whole family would have had no protection, and the work of the Lord would have been greatly hindered. To believers who follow the will of the Lord all things do work together for good."
in the Present
Views of Mission Boards, Chinese and Others A CRISIS is a turning point which is expected others added that great attention should be given to decide the fate of a person, a cause or a to medical work. The Y. W. C. A. specified "spir- nation. On the crisis, and the operating itual and physical reconstruction in free zones."
forces, may depend future failure or success. A Next in importance for emphasis in mission crisis may be a blessing, if it leads those who face work today is the physical relief of suffering Chi- it to find and use their true source of strength nese – mentioned in fourteen answers. General while they recognize and guard against weak- education work is considered third in importance, nesses and causes of failure. Many people fail to being emphasized by four societies.
recognize or to see the way out but the people of The general view is that while all mission work God have always learned valuable lessons in the is important, the greatest emphasis should be crises that have confronted them – at the Red placed on matters of eternal value. Relief should Sea, at the Jordan River, in Sennacherib's inva- be given to as many as possible in their distress sion, through Queen Esther's opportunity, in as an evidence of Christian sympathy. It is neces- Christ's call to His disciples, in Peter's visit to sary also to train men and women for Christian Cornelius, in the call of the first missionaries, in service to their fellow men. There is a great the Macedonian vision-all these were crises and change in emphasis in many missions-from edu- in each crisis there was a danger, an opportunity cation to evangelism and relief-since the beginfor advance and an evidence of trust or distrust ning of the Japanese invasion two years ago.
in God and cooperation in His program. *** The crises that exist today in China and Korea, Second: Among the views as to the outlook for in Europe and other lands and in the Church at missionary work are the following: home are fraught with dangers and opportunities. "Missionary work will continue." In view of the crisis in China, letters were re- "Long distance view is hopeful." cently sent to the Mission Boards conducting work "Bright in free areas; hampered in occupied in China, asking, among other things, three ques- territory." tions: "Good opportunities both in free and occupied 1. In view of the present need and situation in China China." on what are you placing greatest emphasis – on evangelism, education or physical relief? "Opportunities unparalleled."
2. What is your view as to the present outlook for "Response from the Chinese is excellent." China and for Christian missionary work among the "The present outlook is the brightest for many Chinese? years, except for the restrictions and difficulties placed in the way by the fact of war. The very 3. How do you think American Christians can best help forces which handicap the Church in its work are the Chinese in the present crisis? the forces which are driving many Chinese to con- sider the message of the Church. The quiet wit- Other questions, as to the effect of the Japanese ness and heroic service of the missionaries are invasion, were asked and the summary of the re- sure to bear fruit in later years. Saul could not plies was printed in our October issue (pages escape the witness of the martyred Stephen, 437-8) . Here we give the gist of replies to the neither will China forget the quiet witnessing of three important questions enumerated above. the missionaries. Dr. C. W. Shoop, writing from They reveal the general attitude of evangelical the thick of the fight, said 'We must go on with missions and their convictions as to Christian at- our task and not permit ourselves to be unduly titude and activity in mission work in China to- impressed with our failures. I am finding reday. markable resources of new inspiration in the Old Testament prophets who faced very bad situa- *** First: Nineteen out of twenty-six Boards reply that they believe that the present greatest em- tions, yet believed that the earth would be filled phasis should be placed on evangelism of the Chi- with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah as nese by presenting to them Christ and His offer the waters cover the sea.' "-United Brethren in of salvation through faith in Him. Some Boards Christ.
coupled with this the need for the maintenance of "So far as the Chinese attitude is concerned, education work (especially Bible training) and our workers report that the doors are wide open [493 ]
for effective mIsSIOnary service especially evan- "The situation is most difficult and delicate, but gelism. In the areas controlled by Japan, mis- most strategic and necessary, as well as fruitful. sionary residence and travel are much restricted If China can continue to be mistress of her own and work of the Chinese pastors and evangelists house, the outlook is most hopeful; otherwise is fraught with many difficulties but is being car- gloomy."-Church of the Brethren. ried on with a goodly measure of blessing. We plan to send three new missionaries this fall."- "There is more hope for China today than two Christian and Missionary Alliance. years ago. The eagerness with which the Gospel is accepted spells great possibilities for mission- "In Free China the outlook for China and for ary work."-Presbyterian Board of Foreign Mismissionary work is very hopeful. New leaders sions. are developing and Americans are respected because of the devotion to China they have shown." "The Chinese people were never more expres- -Yo W.C.A. sive of their gratitude for what the Y. M. C. A. is doing. They see in North American secre- "In Free China the morale is higher than it was taries a visible expression of the oft-expressed at the beginning of the war and, strangely enough, sympathy of people of the United States and Cantheir loyalty to General Chiang is increasing, in ada."-Y. M. C. A. spite of the many defeats suffered. How Can Americans Help? "If China wins the war with the aid of England and America I believe that the position of the Third: In answer to the question, How can Christian missionaries will be stronger in the American Christians best help the Chinese in the years ahead than in the past. If they are defeated present crisis, most Mission Boards emphasize by Japan the difficulty of missionary work will prayer, together with gifts for Chinese relief likely increase more than it has in Manchuria and (through Church Committee for China Relief, 287 Korea. If on the other hand China wins the war Fourth Ave., New York). Six replies urge "enwith the active aid of Communistic Russia, Chris- lightening the American public as to the facts and tian missionaries will probably be banned."- agitating for legislation to stop supplying war ma- Methodist Board of F. M. terials to the aggressor nation." Three societies ask for the strengthening of the missionary staff "In Chinese controlled China the Church will by sending out more workers. Some say: increase in popular esteem."-Reformed Church in America. "Maintaining of the present missionary force and providing of funds for relief work particu- "I could write at length of the problems which larly among the Christians."-Assemblies of God. we face in Japanese occupied territory. Daily papers tell of the agitation fostered against Brit- "By intelligent, persevering prayer of faith. ish and other missionaries in the interior. How By moral and financial support."-Bible Institute far this may go will depend very largely on the of Los Angeles. pressure Christian people at home bring on the Government to take measures against this policy." "By retaining missionaries, maintaining their -A Southern Presbyterian. work, supporting China Relief Fund and praying for an honorable peace." – Church of England "Let me quote from a recent report of one of Zenana Mission. our evangelistic missionaries in Yuanling: 'During recent months there has been especially good "Supplementing the thin line of missionaries; attendance at all services due to the influx of great maintaining the present salients; culturing and numbers of Christians from other points. The encouraging an indigenous Church; saturating city church has instituted a second worship serv- the Church at home with missionary publicity ice in the afternoon. Many are studying the Bible dealing with things accomplished; and above all preparing for church membership.' "-Reformed by united intercession that the faith of our Chi- Church in the U. S. nese brothers shall not fail and that the assurance that the prophetic words of our Divine Lord which "Changed conditions create new opportunities covers war-torn China with redemption has not for personal evangelism. Physical conditions and been modified nor abridged. 'He shall not fail mental attitudes in some measure retard the work. nor be discouraged: "-Evangelical Church. The frontiers are being pushed into central and western China. The personal reports of our mis- "Keep informed. Pray for guidance and love. sionaries breathe a calmness of spirit and a con- Send wise and thoroughly devoted Christians as fident faith that humbles a reader and shames a missionaries and relief workers. Pray much for hesitant and halting church at home." – Evan- those there. Support sacrificially both relief and gelical Church. mission work."-Church of the Brethren.
"A great door and effectual-and many adver- "By continuing evangelistic work and by carrysaries"-United Church of Canada. ing on educational and medical institutions. Ac- tivities will have to be modified and perhaps in some areas be discontinued; but missionaries
CHINA IN THE PRESENT CRISIS
should remain if possible. Otherwise how can "Opportunities for Christian religious and phil- China know the sincerity of our faith in Christ? anthropic work among the people of Canton are Send more relief funds for the destitute and challenging, in spite of the fact that all educawounded."-United Brethren in Christ. tional institutions are closed, that hospitals are continuing with greatly reduced staffs, and that "Support missionaries and Chinese Christians. churches are carrying on with small constitu- Furnish relief; keep intact the nucleus of tried encies. Most of the workers with any initiative and true workers."-American Bwptist F. M. S. and leadership are gone, yet the few faithful ones who remain are ministering to those in need de- "First, stand by the missionary movement in spite personal embarrassment and frequent hu- China in increasing prayer and sacrificial giving. miliation."-American Information Committee. Second, actually show friendship for Chinese students in America. Third, direct giving to support *** the organizations which are working for relief in China, such as the Church Committee for China "Soochow (Methodist) University was returned Relief and the American Committee for Medical in March after sixteen months of occupation with Aid in China. Fourth, and this is highly important, exert our individual and government influ- its science equipment an 85 % loss, its power plant ences against American selling to Japan, gasoline, steel and munitions of war." – Methodist Epis- smashed, other equipment depleted, and American copal Board. faculty furnishings at least four-fifths gone. A few government schools and some private schools, How Chinese Meet the Situation chiefly of a primary grade, are today limping along. Missions are conducting only special or Fourth: Some of the present difficulties in 'make-up' classes which are crowded with chil- China, and what the Chinese themselves are doing dren who otherwise would be idle. The situation in the present emergency for their own people is holds no promise of marked improvement because shown in the following quotations: the real educators and most of the older students will not return to work under the shadow of the "The effect of Japanese aggression in China invader." goes deeper than the mere material damage done in the destruction of homes, cities, properties and *** the bombing of men and women and children. The establishment of comfort homes for soldiers "In Soochow (under Japanese control) Chris- (another name for houses of prostitution), the tian churches are carrying on a significant minisencouragement and expansion of trade in opium, try to the needy and the burdened in spirit. Atheroin and other narcotics are even more men- tendance at regular services is good, and Bible acing to the moral and spiritual well-being of the Study and Club Work are gaining momentum. people. One of the things that the Chinese Cen- Hospitals and clinics are overcrowded. There has tral Government was putting down with a strong been no serious interference with church work so hand was the use of narcotics."-Mme. Chiang far, although one center knows that a spy (a Chi- Kai-shek. nese puppet) under the military police, has been assigned the task of ferreting out and reporting Speaking before the anniversary gathering of on everything that goes on in that church, with the National Chinese Women's Association, Mme. especial attention to the activities of the Amer- Chiang said that the two-year resistance has icans."-American Information Committee. proved that the 5,000-year-old spirit of the Chinese race has never failed to come to the fore in * '" * any emergency and under any hardship. She expressed the hope of washing away the accumu- "The Christian Church in Chungking is provlated national shame which had been the cause of ing a source of comfort and strength to the peopain and distress to the people. She is confident ple of this region during these days of suffering. in China's perseverance in the struggle and her Churches are filled, interest is genuine, and the final victory. zealous activity and faith of laymen and leaders is most cheering. The challenge that comes to the In the two years the National Chinese Woman's Christian worker in such a situation is truly soul- Association has distributed $5,000,000 in medical gripping."-American Information Committee. supplies and other gifts. While these material gifts are useful, Chinese women do well to con- *** tribute of their patriotic spirit, demonstrating their concern for those at the front and express- "The spirit of the Chinese is indescribable; one ing sympathy to those affected by the war. Spir- who has seen the cheering people lining the roads itual comfort is much more important than ma- in thousands, shouting their slogans, singing their terial gifts. songs, drilling in tailored formations, can scarcely believe that Shansi has been a battlefield for al- *** most two years," said Miss Joy Homer on her re- turn to Chungking from a four-month trip to the
Northwest. She made the trip as a representa- existing conditions to supply our depots with tive of the American Church Committee for China Bibles and Testaments for which there seems to Relief. be a greater demand than we have ever experi- enced in the history of the Bible Societies in The closer one draws to the battle front, the China. This demand comes both from Chinese more firm and striking becomes the morale of the Christians who have lost their Scriptures in the people, said Miss Homer. In Shansi, ravaged more process of sudden evacuation of homes, and in part cruelly than any other of China's provinces, the from an increasing number of non-Christians will of the people seems to have been inflamed by who have observed the life and work of Christians battle. The town of Chihsien, west of the Tungpu and missionaries in the face of the great difficul- Railway, is symbolic-twice captured by the Jap- ties which affect all living in China today. Many anese, it has been twice retaken; twice burnt, it methods are being used to ship Scriptures – the has been twice rebuilt; and today its inhabitants mails where these are effective, unusual routes of are rock-firm and united in their resistance. transportation, and even the purchase of trucks loading them with Scriptures and having them The countryside has been completely organized. driven from the coast to the far interior by routes Every individual is a member of some group that away from the battle lines."-American Bible Sointegrates itself into the all-front resistance. ciety. These groups cooperate intimately with the regular army and the guerilla forces. They serve as *** intelligence agents, as transport corps, and as auxiliary fighters. The relationship between Chi- A PRAYER FOR CHINA nese troops and people is one of friendship and confidence. Eternal God, Ancient of Days, who sittest throned in glory, let Thy blessing rest upon the *** ancient nation of China. Look mercifully, we be- seech Thee, upon the Chinese people in this time "The Y. M. C. A. which has for its motto 'Serv- of their national crisis, and in this day of their ice Above Self' is one of the many worthy move- distress. Have compassion upon the multitude ments in China which Japan has failed to crush. of men, women and children who are the inno- Destroyed or occupied buildings, dislocated mem- cent victims of the cruelty and inhumanity of bership and other damages and hardships imposed war. Pour out upon the nation and its leaders by war have only meant greater and more enthu- Thy Spirit, the Spirit of truth and righteousness, siastic service to the people from the 'Y' workers. that they may be empowered to establish and de- fend a good government, and be guided into a life "Most praiseworthy is the emergency service of freedom and peace. Bless especially the Chrisrendered by 'Y' workers to Chinese soldiers in tian leaders of the land that they may be of good spite of difficulties in communications. Accord- courage and of great faith. Protect for their sake ing to Mr. F. Y. Hsiao, field director for this serv- the messengers of Thy love and grant to all misice, on February 18, four units were operating in sionaries a clear appreciation of the present opthe Shensi-Honan area, and five units in the portunities for service in the name and spirit of Hunan-Kiangsi area. In addition, there are four their Master. May their lives and their labor be newly-organized units in the Chekiang-Anhwei precious in Thy sight. Let Thy powerful benedicarea. Steps are being taken to extend the work tion rest upon the Christian Church in China, that to 30 units covering the entire war area."-China she may stand fast in the faith and persevere in Information Service. all good works. Grant to the nations of the world patience, wisdom and understanding, that they *** may help and not hinder the unity and prosperity of a great people; and bring to the whole world As an example of Christian work at one station, the blessing of fellowship with Thy Son, our Sav- The Missionary Herald says: "The greatest need iour Jesus Christ. Amen.-From ((Prayers for in Taiku station is for 'coal and Bibles'! The va- the Far East." rious Christian groups in the two mission compounds, and within the city, encourage each other, *** especially under Pastor Wang's leadership, and the attendance at Sunday service has averaged BIRTH PANGS OF A NEW AGE 500. The village churches are alive. There was the good fortune of a fine wheat harvest last sum- The world today is in agony. We have heartmer." ache; but that pain is the way of higher life. We see a hundred needs with the mind; but we must *** also feel them with radiant pain. The world is in the birth pangs of a new age.-Dr. Frank Lauba.ch "The military operations have interfered very of the Philippines. greatly with colportage and the sale of Gospels. But there is considerable work among the refugees and the wounded soldiers, work which is steadily increasing; we have been hard pressed under the
Woman Enlisted for Christ*
By JANIE W. McGAUGHEY )5..- Secretary of Women's Work in the Presbyterian Church, U. S.
D R. GEORGE TRUETT has thrown out this Enlisting – a Trust challenge: "What a power this audience would be if every Christian here were liv- In the book, "Adult Education in the Church," ing at his maximum!" Paraphrasing that idea by Sherrill & Purcell, we find this significant we might say, "What power would be generated statement which throws a flood of light on the in this old world today if every woman in our meaning of the word "enlist," making clear the Church were genuinely enlisted for Christ and fact that the conception of church membership living to her utmost for Him!" was enlistment in Christ's service. The author says: "One of the earliest known formulas re- For two years the Woman's Auxiliary of the quired the candidate for baptism to repeat pub- Presbyterian Church has stated as the special goal licly on an impressive occasion the words, 'Sunof their year's program of study and service: tattomai soi Christe.' That may very well be "Every Woman Enlisted for Christ." A high translated, 'I enlist with thee, 0 Christ.' That goal. It echoes the emphasis. placed by Christ on word 'Suntattomai' carries something of the the importance of individual commitment to Him thought of reporting oneself for orders." and the following of Him. It is the objective toward which the movement of Christian education Certainly there needs to be such an interpretaamong the women of our Church is directed, and tion of Church membership by all who have taken the end which we seek to reach, that every knee the step of public profession of our Lord and shall bow before Christ and every tongue confess Saviour and united with His Church. Too often Him as Saviour and Lord. such action is not considered as an active enlisting for and with the Captain of our Salvation and a Women have ever been needed in promoting the reporting to Him for orders. If this were the work of the Kingdom. On down through the ages basic thought, would there not be a marked in- God has used woman to help carry out His pur- crease "in the attendance upon the worship services poses in the world. Christ opened wider horizons in our churches on Sunday and through the week, of service for Christian womanhood. He alone a larger enrolling for study or teaching in our brings new life, new vision" new love, new faith, Church schools, a very different record made posnew hope, new power. He needs Christian women sible for our annual reports of study, service, and today as witnesses for Him in their deeds, their gifts? If every woman member of our churches words, their attitudes. conceived of her membership as a trust through which there would be the expression of loyalty to It is the women of the Church that touch more Christ, the Head of the Church, would that not intimately every other group in the Church-the affect her thoughts, her words, her deeds and even children, the young people, the men. They are her attitudes and lead her to a full commitment the mothers who make or mar Christian influence and even sacrifice for the One under whom she in the home; they are the wives of our ministers, had enlisted? our elders, our deacons, and other leaders in our church life; they form the maj or portion of that Two facts should claim our careful and prayerfaithful and influential group in our Church, the ful attention: (1) There are hundreds of women Sunday school teachers, to whom is committed the in our churches today who are not actively enmoulding of young life through the program of listed for Christ; (2) There are yet other hunreligious education. And numbered among the dreds who have not learned the secret of complete womanhood of our Church are those groups. of lo.yalty to the One under whom they have enlisted. both younger and older women who reach out and touch life in our community, in our schools, in the Within that group of women who have not acbusiness world, in industry, in many of our lead- tively enlisted for Christ, there are personalities ing professions. What a power these groups. of that need to be claimed for service through His women would be if everyone were enlisted for Church. Many seek to satisfy that desire for ac- Christ and living at her maximum for His glory! tivity in channels other than the Church, often because they have not been led to see the oppor- • From Tl/,e Presbyterian Survey (March). tunity for using them iri the Church. But perhaps [497 ]
an even more tragic side of the picture is the fact dividual woman in her Christian life as she en- that these so-called "professing" Christian women, deavors to grow into the fulness of Christ and who by their own voluntary action have united share in the world-wide task of making Him with the Church, do not seek to know Him under known as Saviour and Lord. Every woman is whose banner they have enlisted. They are not asked to read it often and to meditate upon it, using the God-given means for Christian growth. asking herself these questions: Their Bibles are closed books to them. They do AM I LEARNING OF CHRIST AND HIS WORK not know the secret of prevailing prayer. They THROUG~ have not experienced true worship in God's House Daily Bible Reading?
or service for His sake. They are not concerned Bible Study Class? about the millions who have never heard of Jesus Mission Study? who came to save "all people." Often such ones need only to be awakened by some loving, tactful Missionary Books? The Presbyterian Survey? Church Papers?
friend who will show them the joys of daily con- Other Christian Literature?
tact with our Lord through His Word and through AM I CULTIVATING MY PRAYER LIFE THROUGHprayer, or the thrill of fellowship with Christ and Daily Personal Prayer? Christians which is possible in His Church; or Family Worship?
the satisfaction of service done in His name and Prayer Group Intercession?
for His glory. They need the touch of a life living Use of Day by Day?
for life and not for things. They need some one AM I SERVING CHRIST THROUGH- who represents Him who came to bring life Speaking to others about Him?
abundant. Accepting definite responsibility in: The "enlisted for Christ" have a distinct respon- Sunday School? Auxiliary? Other Service? sibility for the unenlisted ones. It has ever been Tithing (money or substance)? so. It was Christ's method of carrying forward Attending Church Services: Public Worship on Sunday?
His program. Someone who has not caught the Sunday School? Prayer Meeting? vision of Christ is dependent upon another who Auxiliary Meeting? Circle Meeting? has journeyed on the Damascus road, has seen the Participating in Christian Social Service activities in Lord, and has been commanded by Him to be "a my community? Am I showing a spirit of friendli- ness to strangers? To any who need a friend?
witness" to those things which were seen and Motto: "FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST"
heard. Through some act of friendliness on the The Personal Guide – a Means part of some Christian woman, through the con- tagion of her conversation, through a dispiay of The Personal Guide is one of the very important her Christian enthusiasm, some unenlisted woman means for use in enlisting women. But it must be may be led to realize the latent possibilities within made to live and definite guidance must be given her which, through contact with her Lord in His as to how the various items listed can be used to Word and in prayer and through service in His help one grow spiritually. The phases of the name, oan fruit into a joyous enrichment of life. Christian life and service outlined on the guide And it is the privilege of the "enlisted" to be just are not for the sake of ohecking on personal atsuch a friend, one who is used to lead some woman tainment for auxiliary records. Far from it! Its into the joy which comes when personalities are purpose as expressed on the guide is: "To help dedicated to our Lord. the individual woman in her personal Christian The Woman's Auxiliary, with its plan of circle life as she endeavors to grow into the fullness of organization, is being richly used of God to this Christ and share in the world-wide task of mak- very end of claiming for Christ latent power in ing Him known as Saviour and Lord."
the adult life of our Church. Circle chairmen are The .lives of some can be enriched by being truly the contact persons in every church. They shown by another the joy of establishing the habit are the ones who hold in their power the possibili- of daily Bible reading and praying; the satisfying ties for reaching just these women. They need of some heart-hunger through attending the serv- the cooperation of every active member of the ice of the church, of some Bible class, or School circle. Many illustrations could be given of how of Missions, or circle or auxiliary meeting; the chairmen and faithful members are working to- fascination of realizing through some missionary gether and are reaching the unenlisted. But are book or article in the Church paper, or other we using to the fullest the means offered through Christian literature, that as Christians we are a the auxiliary plan for strengthening the work of part of a world-wide Christian fellowship and that the Kingdom by adding yet more and more to the missions and world peace are intimately tied up number of those who serve therein? together. Or perhaps we might have the joy of A Personal Guide has been used to help the in- seeing some gifted personality released for·a serv-
EVERY WOMAN ENLISTED FOR CHRIST
ice that really counts by opening up to her some "every woman," includes the world. And so our way to share a latent talent. It may be that some- field is the world and, our aim is to win a lost one with a gift of social graces can be used as world to Christ. In a message given by one of hostess for a meeting or auxiliary party; it may those consecrated pioneers, Mrs. Archibald Davis, be that a beautiful voice or other artistic ability in 1914, this missionary note is sounded. can be used to fill a definite need in the Master's work; it may be through a flower garden or a A part of our unfinished task is working with the indirecipe, or some other special hobby, a woman may vidual, for, after all, organization is only a means to an be claimed for use in some needed niche in the end, only a channel through which to work, and the work church; or it may be that some mother-heart can itself must be done with the individual. . . . We should be reached through some talented child used on a never forget that the salvation of souls is our only aim. program. So long as there is a woman in our Southland not bearing the name of Christian, and so long as there is a 'woman For this responsibility of helping to develop and bearing the name, but not living worthy of the name, our use the resources of womanhood, there must be task is an unfinished task. an ever increasing growth in loyalty to our Lord on the part of those who are enlisted for His serv- In a recent book, "Women and the Way," there ice. Each year should find us more completely is a series of testimonies from outstanding Chrissurrendered to our Saviour and Leader; more tian women representing different parts of the eager for knowledge of Him through His Word; world, each one declaring what Christ means to more full of compassion for His "other sheep"; the women of her nation. We look into the faces more committed to the task of leading these to of women around the world and find in them the Him; more willing to put our love into deeds; common need of the Saviour. For all who have and more sacrificial in our gifts for the work of accepted Him, "the Gospel of Jesus Christ has extending the Kingdom. proved its regenerating power." So testifies one of ,the authors. It is inspiring to visualize the In his book, "By the Still W'aters," Mr. Vance host of women of every race and color around the Havner says that every Christian is a "postmaster world represented in the chapters of that book for God" whose duty is to pass out the messages and to realize that all who are enlisted for Christ God has sent to the world. Some messages are everywhere are one in Him. We are ever conaddressed to us, but many are for our fellows, and scious of the yet larger group of women who have it is our duty to see that these are delivered. The not found "the Way." Until "every woman" out postmaster does not spend time decorating his across this whole world is enlisted for Christ, our postoffice and fail to distribute the mail. He needs task is unfinished. Our commission is to witness a clean and tidy postoffice, as we need a clean and for Him until all shall know Him. ordered life, but this is a means to the end of reaching the ones for whom the messages are in- Truly this is a time that calls for courageous tended. The smallest postoffice can be used to witnessing to the power of Chri,st. We are sumconvey messages. So the sImplest life can be used moned to an enlistment with Christ under His to give to the world the message of Jesus Christ, banner of love, to serve with a spirit of complete the Saviour of all. How faithful are we as His commitment to Him and sacrifice for Him. Every postmistresses! woman gives her own answer. Christ compels none. He invites all. Enlisting with Him and "Every woman enlisted for Christ !" This leads for Him means ultimate victory. "Thanks be unto us to remember our missionary task. The goal, God who always causes us to triumph in Christ."
A JEWISH RABBI'S PRAYER o Master of the World! All roads are closed against us. All strength has been taken away from us upon the earth. Our life has been ruined, and our security has been undermined. We no longer dare to contemplate the future of our people. In this hour of need, of persecution, of unrest and despondency, in this hour of humiliation and hopelessness, we turn to Thee, 0 Lord.
Father of all mankind, of all creation, strengthen us. . . . Place Thy healing fingers upon our beating hearts. Open our eyes, so that we may know, for we can find no hope, no consolation, among men. Let us be "holy unto Thee." For so we have once heard; the echo of these words rings in our ears as we wander through the centuries, firmly clinging to Thy words that Thou hast given us.
This prayer is answered by Jesus Christ, the Saviour of Jews and Gentiles, when he said: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
War and the Churches in
By PROF. ADOLF KELLER, D.D., Geneva, Switzerland I N A SIMILAR situation to that of 1914, war The third characteristic, which differentiates does not find the Evangelical Churches of the Church of today from that of 1914, is a deep- Europe where they stood then. Of course, now ening of the belief that human differences and as then the price of life will sink terribly; many even ecclesiastic and theological differences have Christian Churches, parishes, charitable institu- not the importance which have been attributed to tions are in danger of being wiped out, especially them in the midst of our controversies. These in central and eastern Europe. It may be that cer- differences become minor elements in the life and tain powers will endeavor to give a deadly blow faith of a Church if they are considered in the to certain church groups. light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Himself. His But in spite of this situation the Church is bet- Church has learned today to tolerate differences ter prepared, spiritually, than it was in 1914 to of opinions and theology because we can lay them meet this attack of the world. Where the Church at the feet of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church.
of Jesus Christ is alive and functioning, the King- He stands upright in our midst at a moment when dom of God will no longer be identified with any States and Churches are menaced with destruc- worldly power. The following elements, char- tion. It seems in some countries as if the Church acteristic of the present situation of the Church would be dissolved into congregations, and as if in Europe may show where her life and faith is congregations would be disbanded into those different from that which was manifest during groups of two or three individuals who meet in the war of 1914 to 1918. the name of Jesus Christ. But though Churches, First: the Church is today more conscious than parishes and organizations should come to an it was in 1914 of the fundamental difference be- end-Christ Himself stands as the Son of God tween Church and World. A Church-conscious- who is ever and ever again calling together those ness is alive today, and knows something about two .or three into a family to constitute His the otherness of the world with its sin and revolt Church. Inspired by this new spirit, a Church against God. Opposing this worldliness is the will be prepared to tackle the concrete task which Church of Jesus Christ as an organism; it is in God Himself lays at her feet. Such a Church can- the world but cannot be confounded with it. The not be destroyed and cannot be divided even by Church has heard the challenge of the Oxford war; it will maintain as far as possible the rela- Conference: "Let the Church be the Church I" tions with Christ the Head and between the mem- No longer, although standing with the nation, does bers of His family.
the Church identify piety with the transcendent What can the Churches do now? The Church message of the Church. will continue to preach her message, pointing out The second characteristic of the Church in the that God is a sovereign even above a world which present situation is the fact that a larger and is given over to violence and depends on the power deeper fellowship of the Churches has developed of armies. The Church will continue, not .only since 1914. In spite of racial, linguistic, national the helpful preaching of the Word of God, but also and denominational frontiers the churches know the service of love to suffering humanity. She today something of the Church, the Una Sancta, will struggle to uphold the truth against the prop- that indestructible Christian communion which aganda of lies which is sweeping over the coun- cannot be divided even by war. There is today a tries. She will not forget that the greater suffer- deep conviction in the hearts of millions that the ing of her members means a stronger appeal to Church of Christ is "in, with and above" the indi- faith, prayer, to hope and to a solidarity which vidual churches, and is a kind of bulwark within cannot be broken as long as Jesus Christ remains which Jesus Christ has called us from the world. with us "even and to the end of the age." * Even statesmen and business leaders recognize * An emergency appeal for war-time is issued for suffering pastoday this otherness of the Church and look to- tors' families In Transylvania arnedfugFereasncIe~ for the Czech parish In wards such indestructible fellowship as the re- Paris, for Spanish Protestant France for needy stumaining hope of the world. dents and candidates in central and eastern Europ';. New ways for relief of sutTerlng fellow Christians and Chu~ches may be opened in the near future.
[500 ]
Outlook for the American
A Symposium Gathered by G. E. E. LINDQUIST, Lawrence, Kansas Missionary-ai-Large, Society for Propagating the Gospel Among the Indians I N A RECENT issue of the REVIEW there ap- All these writers agree that the Indian has been peared an article on "What American Indians the victim of experimentation, exploitation, and are Doing to Evangelize Their Own People." paternalism. This "blight of dependen'cy" has As a follow-up, and in view of the comparatively constituted a bane to progress, self-support and slow progress recorded in the Indian mission field, self-respect. Although technically an American the editor suggested a symposium on "The Fu- citizen, he has been exempted from certain pre- ture of the American Indian," as instanced in the rogatives and obligations of citizenship, such as following questions: taxation of his land. Such exemptions often lead "Must we look ahead to another one hundred to race prejudice. In recent years the emphasis years without much more progress than has been on the Indian as "a peculiar race" and the tacit made in the past 150 years?" encouragement of pagan customs and ceremonials under the guise of "religious liberty," and the "When may we expect that the Indians of the preservation of "culture patterns" have tended to various tribes will become self-supporting and in retard progress rather than to accelerate the asgeneral a cultured people?" similation process. We have repeatedly urged that the Christian Church as well as the agencies "What are the chief hindrances in the way of of' Government, owe the Indian more because he this progress?" is a human being than because he happens to be an Indian; that he must be saved, not by a with- "What methods would be likely to produce most drawal from the stream of American life, that is, satisfactory and abiding results?" by subsidized segregation, but by a process of Christian education and assimilation where The above are some of the points dealt with by Church, State, and "Mr. Indian" cooperate to the the writers of this series of responses. It is right fullest extent. that an Indian should have the first opportunity to discuss his own case. Accordingly the views of the Rev. W. David Owl, a Cherokee, are given first. He has long been a missionary and leader on the Cattaraugus-Seneca 'Reservation in New York State. An Indian Forecasts His Future The Indian girl and her future should also re- By W. DAVID OWL, Iroquois, New York ceive consideration. This concern is manifested by such experienced workers as Miss Bertha M. THE present-day American Indian is a product Eckert, Secretary for Indian Work of the of many forces, which include plans, policies, Y. W.C.A. experiments, forced migrations, money, blood fusion and personalities; the viewpoint taken in The present and future of one nation, the Da- forecasting his future will vary with the field of kota Sioux, is presented by one who has lived and service area familiarity and with humanitarian worked with that tribe for twenty years, one who zeal in his behalf. knows their language and has dedicated himself to their welfare. From the past the Indian carries the marks of Other contributions follow by two veteran work- much that is experimental in human relations.
ers: Rev. G. A. Watermulder of the Reformed The Federal Government and the mission forces Church Indian Mission, who has spent thirty have not been idle in their efforts to bring him to years in his present field and who now serves as exercise his own abilities and into adjustment president of the National Fellowship of Indian with the normal life of the prevailing culture Workers; and by Dr. W. A. Petzoldt of the Crow about him. But too frequently the efforts have Baptist Mission, who holds the distinction of tended to be institutional, paternalistic and with thirty-five years' service among the Crow Indians a muffled reluctance to intrust him with respon- in Montana. Both these missionaries speak from sibilities in working out his own temporal sal- a wealth of experience and background. vation.
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Doing for him, rather than aiding him in doing and serviceableness. It is a pathetic misfortune for himself has developed mechanical stop and go that the Federal Government and the Mission signals in his make up. To the amazement of Boards have so inadequately hand-picked young those who would keep him harnessed to distinctive men and women for thorough training in the pro- Indian ideology, many individuals have taken con- fessions and occupations over the stretch of the structive places in organized society. Others, years. The number of Indians who have been who would hurry his abandonment of all things trained for the ministry through this means can native, gaze tear-eyed at the conservative comfort be counted on the ten fingers, a figure too meager and slowness which he manifests in the ancient to meet the demands of a people so rich in posways of his ancestors. sibilities.
Through the pages of American history and lit- Indian Future-As a Tribesman. To the avererature no figure has prompted more interest, ro- age American, tribal life on a reservation is set mantic acclaim and sentimental outcries than has with the jewels of virgin forests, streams aboundthe Red Man. His picturesqueness and rustic na- ing with fish, Indians beautifully bedecked with tive blending, with all that is associated with feathers and buckskin, roaming about with bow early life in this country, is retained, adored and and arrow, noiseless and cunningly stalking game. worshipped by children the world over. Will his- It is a dream life dear to the heart, but actually, torians be able accurately and gracefully to alter tribal life is a thing of the past. Life on an Inthe intriguing and beautiful story for future gen- dian reservation, in the eastern area, is no "happy erations, so that they may catch a vision of the hunting ground" experience. Indian domains and genius of the race? populations are small, surrounded on every side by other large populations and in close proximity Indian Future-As an Individual. The Indian to large cities and towns. The nature of the sitis very human and has definite capacities. The uation creates an opportunity for both wholesome racial traits and characteristics which cling to and unwholesome contacts and employment. him become assets, under sympathetic tutelage, in his gradual transition to new situations. With It is not yet expedient to abolish Indian reserthe Indian, as with all new Americans, he faces vations for the purpose of merging the Indian the inevitable problem of assimilation. Already, population with that of the American community. the influence of race mixture has laid a heavy Amalgamation is in process, but needless hurry hand on everything racial in every community of will result in a breakdown of morale and commu- Indians. It brings a touch of sadness to see fall nity life. Minority adherence to Indian culture by the way much of the color, the arts and the and ceremonials gives vent to native expression crafts, the romance and picturesqueness of a dis- and religious experience not as emotional and tinct race. narrowing as that of some Christian sects.
Because of the Indian's sensitive nature to re- Constant tampering with tribal government buke, criticism, mistakes and illness, he can easily and procedure results in distrust, confusion and be misunderstood and defeated. It is at these morbid support in anything constructive. There vulnerable places that wanton arrows are shot are more tactful ways of curing the ills of a disuntil confidence and buoyancy of spirit are shat- ordered tribal set-up. The schools are playing a tered. Most agencies have failed to recognize the master role in shaping the future. Where buses need of the kindly, patient hand of revitalizing a are filled with high school students, and English wounded soul by methods of spiritual and eco- is the language of the home, we have indications nomic help. The Indian race is worth saving, and that these associations with other young people there is ample opportunity to start with saving bring the desire for congenial, comfortable and individuals. sanitary home life.
By nature the Indian is slow and cautious to The importance of a carefully adapted program move into well set traps of organized effort,be of adult education and recreation, with trained it the church or any other agency. He will accept and voluntary leadership, cannot be underestihelp, such as transportation to church or clinic, mated. The Indian is a lover of music; he is a but when this is terminated he fails to show up natural imitator and dramatist; he is a sportsuntil a clear explanation is made of its value to man and enjoys the fellowship of the crowd. him and to his future. Personal initiative is not Tribal life on a reservation presents every potenlacking; winning him through this means drives tiality of being developed to a high degree of into the surface a loyalty and devotion unsurpassed terest and participation; he does not require rein any people. muneration to be interested in the welfare of him- self and of his people. Trained individual Indians are the key to the rise of the race. Investments made to this end A tribe of Indians can easily go to seed by bring returns abundant in skills, life standards nursing past injustices, animosities and wishfully
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE AMERICAN INDIAN
longing for the return of their lands. The people dians for a larger life the application of the fundaof any tribe, and especially the youth of the tribe, mental democratic principles, of both the nation cannot afford to be disfigured mentally and and the Church, are imperative. Energy and weighted down with the heavy scars of the past. buoyancy of spirit demand exercise from within, Indian youth need high hopes, high ideals, with the minority group of Indians in such a vast and resourceful nation cannot justly be denied every advantage held out to its people.
Future of the Indian Girl By BERTHA M. ECKERT Secretary for Indian Work, National Board, Y. W. C. A.
CALIFORNIA INDIAN GIRLS ON A PICNIC FOR 2,000 years our ancestors have gradually been building the world which we have today. the incentive to attain self-respect and self-sup- Yet in one generation, or at the most 100 port through the medium of a fair and hard years, we expect the American Indians to understruggle into the promised land- of the larger stand, approve of and assimilate our civilization. world of tomorrow. We expect the Indian girl to find self-support, friendships, constructive recreation and a church Indian Future-As an American Citizen. The home. ultimate destiny of the Indian is to have full participation in all phases of the life of an American One hundred years ago her people were procitizen. To be granted citizenship, by act of Con- gressing, but when we came to their shores none gress, is a noble gesture and is accepted by the had emerged entirely from the Stone Age. One Indians as such; but the term "American citizen- hundred years ago the Indian girl knew the inship" to many Indians of conservative loyalties, timacy and care of family and clan life, rigid soconveys only an intangible meaning. Years of cial customs dictated by her grandmother, homes first-hand observation of those who would take made open to all, including the stranger, cooperafrom him his material possessions and his very soul, has not made the Indian very eager to be- A YOUNG INDIAN BASKET MAKER IN NEVADA come like them. tive ways and the barter of goods to supply one's The Indian problem is unfortunately not a na- needs, appreciation of character and of the tional concern; with the Federal Government it achievements of others. She trusted life despite is a departmental issue; with the Church it is its mystery, developed resourcefulness in meetan ever-present task of evangelization; with communities having Indians as neighbors the situation is local, and wrought with the delicate but matchless opportunity of compounding the culture and heritage of two races. Blessed are those neighbors who live side by side with Indians and accept skill, dependability, good character, industry and pride of country, as against race prejudice.
Indians who have established their residence away from Indian communities have experienced scarcely a ripple of race prejudice or hindrance to the open door to everything American. For the majority who remain on reservations there are formidable barriers to the use of the franchise and to receiving the benefits and services of local social agencies. Segregation and special favors for Indians cannot endure within the healthy atmosphere of America. In preparation of In-
ing it and a delight in the gay and joyous. She own to care for. Only as she has opportunity to could think clearly and act directly. think and talk, to plan and laugh with others can During the last 100 years the Indian girl has faced the necessity of living in more and more she become adjusted and self-reliant. distant places, on lonely reservations, in segregated schools. She met the strangers to her land Is it not amazing that with so little opportunity occasionally but rarely lived as neighbor. She saw their love of speed, dependence on clocks, through the years for mutual acquaintance with lack of poise under strain and stress, eagerness to heap up possessions, the kindliness of some other girls and women we have so many Indian and their desire for her to believe as they did and to listen to their talks. women who are Government employees, teachers, She became interested in peoples of other tribes matrons, stenographers, and an increasing numand nations and races, curious to know what they ber of nurses and of young women in their own well-eared-for homes with well-eared-for children?
With more opportunity for employment and for friendship with Christian young people, in less than the next 100. years may we not look to the day when there will be no Indian problem. .
The responsibility rests upon our understand- ing of the needs of the Indian people. It rests upon our appreciation of their contribution to be made to modern life of calm, poise, enjoyment of simple things. Perhaps it rests upon Christian efforts to cleanse our civilization of its love of show, of prejudice and hate.
Outlook for the Dakota Indian By RUDOLF HERTZ Superintendent of Congregational Indian Missions SIOUX INDIAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN ONCE again, the very basis of the economic life of the Plains' Indians has been wiped considered of value in life. She developed a sense out. Years ago, the white man killed off of responsibility for herself and for those near her in family ties. She became aware of the fact the buffalo which had supplied most of tne Inthat her parents and brothers and sisters were dian's needs, his meat, his tenting, bedding, clothunderprivileged and that she belonged to a ing, and many of his tools. Since then, we have minority group. tried to help the Indian to learn cattle raising and farming. Now, however, we have learned through She continued in school, learned the necessity sad experience that the country west of the Misfor the possession of money, the beauty of homes souri is not a farming country except where irriand churches in places far distant from the hogan, gation is possible, and two to four sections of land the tipi, the one or two-room house and tiny un- (1,280-2,560 acres) are needed for fifty head of painted church at home. cattle, the minimum to keep the average size fam- ily. Most Indians do not own that much land, She has had much done for her but experience and even if they do, it is seldom in one piece. But tells us that learning takes place as the individual the government is trying to consolidate Indian has opportunity to practice decision-making her- land holdings and has also bought back land that self, to take responsibility, to use her own money had passed into white possession. As to irrigaand to earn it, to plan the Sunday school lesson tion, only 1-2% of the west-river country is so or the worship service, to have possessions of her situated that it can be watered artificially. So far, only a few Indian gardens have been irri- gated. The most ambitious project is the dam- ming of the Moreau River on the Cheyenne River Reservation, but its feasibility has not yet been determined definitely. As a matter of fact, right now, the Dakota (Sioux) Indian, like his white neighbor, is almost 100% on relief. Whatever one's political affilia- tion, it is certain that this cannot go on forever. Many of the white settlers have already moved, and the Indian, too, will either have to learn to
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE AMERICAN INDIAN
make a living on the land on which he now re- continent. What is to be our future? Who knows? sides, or move. Our country will come out of its hocus-pocus Promised Land spree in time. Better things are At present, it seems more probable that he will ahead for America. Weare in the dawning of a stay where he is. The government will presum- new day! ably continue to buy back former Indian land that has passed into white hands. As:the much The Indian had a definite place in our early hisovergrazed and drought-stricken range returns to tory. Has he anything more to cast into "the normal and Indian land holdings are consolidated, melting pot of America"? I believe he has. He the government may finance further Indian cattle is on the trail of progress. Some certifiable herds. More and more dams will be built to hold achievements are to his credit. More accomplishback water which would otherwise run off. Many ments are ahead. In the future of the Indian I small and perhaps a few big irrigation projects see the following: will make possible more subsistence gardening. Indian art, much encouraged by the government, He will be permitted to have a larger share in will bring skilful workers additional income. the solving of his own problems. It is not so much "The Indian Problem" as it is the Indians' prob- It will take large sums of money to finance all lem. He must have the chance to work it out these projects, but it seems to be the only way to through his own efforts. How can he ever "learn bring the Indian back to final self-support on his to paddle his own canoe" if we continue to carry own land. Money thus spent will not all go for him on a government transport? Paternalism family support, like wages. It will, in the end, has never been conducive to individualism. "Nemake further relief unnecessary except for the cessity is the mother of invention," all right, but aged, the sick, the widows, the orphans, and the she is also the highest paid member of the faculty incompetent. in the University of Hard Knocks, the institution out of which have come most of the great leaders This program, of course, does not mean that of all the racial groups through the centuries. all Indians must become cattle men. A small minority will continue to be absorbed in the gen- Too long has the white man carried the red eral life of the nation. In fact, this is not an In- man's burden. Until recent years the Indian has dian program at all, but the only way for anyone scarcely been asked what contribution he had to that wants to live in the present reservation coun- make to the betterment of his own condition. try. Whites and Indians alike will need this help unless they are to move; only, the Indi,an's larger Too much has been done with the Indian; land interests are more liable to hold him where enough has been done for the Indian; not enough he is than his white neighbor. has been done by the Indian.
At the best, of course, this is a time of strain In all history no racial group has been experiand stress. The government 'can furnish the mented with as much as the Indian. Every admeans and the men to carry through such an ex- ministration has a new program for him. He has tensive plan. But the Indian needs more than always been the pawn on the political chess-board. money and advisers. He needs spiritual as well In these latter days enough is being done for him. as material vision. He needs moral stamina. He The present-day Indian is receiving much from needs the will to do the work. All these come the government, far more than ever before. The from God, not from the government, and God's red men who were so sorely mistreated by the representatives on earth have before them a big government are today for the most part, under task indeed to help the Indian to continue in con- the sod. Not enough has been done by the Indian stant touch with Him that supplieth all out needs for himself. Until recent years he has never had according to his riches in glory. the chance. His weaning process has been an elongated affair. The Indian problem is no nearer The Next Steps solution today than it was ten years ago. The red man has been tied up too much by the red-tape By W. A. PETZOLDT, Lodge Grass, Montana of the white man. The Indian problem will only be satisfactorily solved by the Indians themselves T HESE are no days for prophecy. Not a and not by a benevolent bureaucracy at Washing- statesman in the world has a worq of hope ton. The Indian must be helped less and per- on his lips. The future seems more kaleido- mitted to help himself more. The future will scopic than ever. At such a time as this prophecy record the evanescence of the Indian Office at seems almost a gratuitous form of folly. Yet Washington and the dawning of a better day for there is a tomorrow, that is our hope. the Indian.
Our country has been infected by the hysteria Indianism will give way to Americanism. Less. of government sweeping over the world. Mighty stress will be placed on "the American Indian" things arehappeiling' in every land and on everY and more on the Indian American. The adjective and the noun 'Will change places. It is not so im-
portant that they shall be held up as "the original Southwest, it will be a long time before this will American" as that they themselves shall have the be possible, perhaps a few generations. But in opportunity to evaluate and emphasize American the big sweep the country over, especially on the citizenship, under the same status and laws as reservations where children from both the Indian other citizenship groups. Aside from a few of and white groups attend the public schools this the smaller tribes and uneducated Indians they will be the coming program. Isolation will be less should no longer be held as "wards of the Federal and less possible for the Indian and less and less Government. " desirable. Of necessity he will need to adjust him- The Indian of the old ways and days is passing self to the changing time.
out of the picture. The buffalo cannot be hunted The Indian has shown fine capacities in many with an automobile. The radio is displacing the things. He has some high qualities for citizen- tom-tom. The strong encouragement of the In- ship, because this was his country before it was dian Office to revive the old customs does not fit ours. He has some outstanding character quali- the present-day need. The war-bonnet mood is ties. As a Christian he has shown a fine aptitude not in harmony with the modern mode. The aver- in and appreciation of the Christian life. He is age rodeo parade is not headed in the direction of a great giver. He can outdistance most of us in progress for the Indians who participate in it. prayer. His faith is childlike. Once he is severed Education and the reviving of the old customs are from political dominance, once he gets into stride adverse to each other; each in very essence is for himself, he will build for stronger citizenship opposed to the other. They are beginning to see and for more efficient Christian service. In the the fallacy of this Washingtonized policy and are coming days he will not disappoint his friends.
getting away from its blighting influence.
The Church and the Indian The Indian Office at Washington has done many fine things. It may have been a good kindergarten for the Indians, it will never be a finishing school. By REV. G. A. WATERMULDER, The Indian of the future will not live under a Winnebago, Nebraska politician's wand. He will "scratch gravel for a V living" along with the rest of the Anglo-Saxons- ERY recently Dr. Anson Phelps Stokes wrote: "Until the American people successand like it! He will be a citizen without crutches. fully fulfill their obligations to the Amer- The war-bonnet will be in his pageants and fine traditions but the responsibilities of Christian ican Indians, they have failed to demonstrate their citizenship will be his chief concern. He will be ability to deal with the earliest and one of the thinking of the next election but he will also be most important minority groups of the American thinking of the next generation. Democracy."
The Indians of the future will seek self-support It is, thus, most encouraging to discover a new as a goal in their churches. For some groups this interest in the American Indian and to find peo- will be a long time in realization, but it will be ple willing to study the reasons why this phase of encouraged as an objective. Very few Indian our domestic mission work has been so difficult churches have ever contributed toward the sal- and so batHing. Mission Boards are asking, "When aries of their missionaries for the reason they will our Indian work become self-supporting?"
have never been expected to. No wonder that, in This is a reasonable question. It should bring us turn, so few of the Indian young men are studying great concern, and lead us to reappraise our many for the ministry. No Christian group can amount missionary enterprises in Indian fields.
to much until they become minister-supporting There are a number of reasons but let me em- conscious to the extent of their ability. phasize only two: The Indians will provide their own Christian First, let it be emphatically restated that the leadership. All any missionary can do is to in- Indian occupies a most peculiar position in our troduce a tribe to Jesus Christ. It is up to them American life. He is our "unique minority." He to become better acquainted. It is up to them to belongs to a most unfortunate primitive race in provide their own ministers and lay leaders. Very the midst of a conquering European-American little encouragement has been given the Indians civilization. He has been ruthlessly fought along this line. Of course, there have been some against, buffeted, exploited. He has been forced notable exceptions, particularly in two denomina- to change abode again and again, and finally cor- tions, but they have only revealed the splendid ralled on Reserves, where he has been almost com- capacity for spiritual leadership inherent in the pletely paternalized. He is still a ward of a gov- Indian groups. The Indian churches should be ernment which has had no continuous policy, Indian manned~and they will be in the future. changing with every change of administration.
The Indian churches will gpadually merge with The mental attitude thus produced is most serious.
the white churches. In some sections, as in the A subsidized people will have ,subsidized churches.
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE AMERICAN INDIAN
A dependent people cannot develop responsibility. unknown. Sometimes men have been sent for Witness the demoralizing effects of our present re- whom it was difficult to find a suitable place elselief system on thousands of our population. What where. We still have no special pre-service trainwould other races under similar conditions do? ing, nor to my knowledge, has in-service training Imagine what the result would be, should our been provided-often only such as the confused, relief policy continue over a period of 50 to 100 perplexed and often defeated lonely missionary years of frustration and defeat. finds out for himself. Will God miraculously supply the lack? Are not leaders trained through It is interesting to speCUlate what the results preparation including participation, under caremight have been had the Indian, like the Negro ful leadership? Under such training a Reservain the United States, been a free man, standing on tion becomes a social laboratory, and the job a his own feet and working out his salvation under fascination. Christian direction. We often hear it said, "It is only a small tribe." The second reason follows the first, namely, that But size does not change the situation. A small we have not adequately understood the Indians. nation has all the racial problems of a larger na- We, Europeans, have tried to make them Euro- tion, and generally is in greater jeopardy. This pean-Americans. Yet the Indian type persists. does not lessen the need for careful preparation. We have often failed to understand their basic aboriginal culture. We have so often approached Yet, in spite of all the handicaps, it should be our Indian problem as we would the problem of remembered that we have a goodly number of Inour own race. And the Indian has thus in so dian people who are occupying positions of trust many instances, not understood us. We have been and responsibility in the professions, in offices, forcing him to change his entire course of life. in shops, in the government and mission service. As this can come only by a slow process through They have risen above the common level on the many years under favorable conditions, our ap- Reservations through outside influences, largely proaches to this difficult problem often reveal through the Christian Church. our limitations and our lack of preparation for the task. In making this statement we are in no sense We believe however that a new day has begun forgetting the splendid work of men and women to dawn. Both the Church and the government of God, nor the creative energy of the Spirit of are facing the problems with deeper and clearer God and the power of the Gospel. But Jesus, in understanding. Any temporary resurgence of all His contacts with different types of people, paganism, or humanistic philosophies, will not "Knew what was in man." ultimately prevail. Some one has said, "Nothing contrary to the ideals of Jesus can permanently It is still true today. We still have no mission endure." If we are true to our mission, and in the boards that prepare their missionaries for Indian Name of Christ approach our problem, the Ameriservice. Leadership training in Indian work is can Indian will be set free.
THEY HAVE KIDNAPPED YOUR DAUGHTER!
Tshilomba Esther is a soldier's wife. Mbuyu, the oldest of their four children, is a pretty twelve-year-old girl. While Tshilomba was beating her cassava in her mortar a friend came running and calling: "They have kidnapped your daughter. The priest came and carried her away in his car to baptize her and put her into the Roman Catholic boarding schooL"
Tshilomba .threw down her pestle, screamed to Tshiame, a Christian friend, "Take care of my baby until I come back" and went off like the wind. She ran breathlessly, but fearless- ly, right into the priest's house, three miles away.
"Why did you run away with my daughter? Are you trying to baptize her?"
"N0, .I am only examining her for baptism."
"Well, I am a baptized Protestant. My husband is a baptized Protestant Christian. Mbu- yu, my daughter, was baptized in infancy. You are not to touch her."
With that, Tshilomba Esther, filled with righteous indignation, grabbed her daughter out of the hands of the priest and ran back home.
It was a courageous thing for a native woman heroically to face and oppose the power of the Roman Catholic Church and a white priest. Her husband, Benjamin, is a Christian, but like many missionaries he outmarried himself. Neither our evangelist nor his wife, Disanka, are allowed to enter the soldier's camp, so Esther reads the Bible to the women in the camp. They have served the government for five years and still have two more. They have now been transferred to Luebo, to the soldier's camp there. Pray for them and for Mbuyu that she may grow into a happy and useful Christian. PLUMER SMITH, Mutoto, Congo Belge.
Christian Attitude To Hinduism*
By the REV. J. F. EDWARDS Principal, United Theological College of Western India THERE is probably no other religion in the India's agelong faiths we shall be guided by that world so elastic in the use of basic terms as same indwelling Spirit of Truth. Hinduism. As a competent writer in The Indian Messenger (the Brahmo Samaj weekly of The Hindu Heritage of Indian Christians Calcutta) points out: "During recent years, three The Rev. D. A. Yardi says that the Indian different interpretations have been put on the Christian is in danger of forgetting "the rich and word 'Hindu.' They are: (1) All born in Hindu- the valuable heritage that belongs to him and stan are Hindus. (2) All who profess any of the which has come down through the ages. There religions born in India are Hindus. And (3) the is a great deal that the Indian Christian is heir to, popular or rather the specific meaning of the word besides that with which the Eastern and the West- 'Hindu' is . . .: one who believes in the system ern Churches have endowed him. He must not of caste, and es'pecially in more than one god, in- forget his Hindu heritage. Free from the dross cluding worship of idols, is a Hindu." But even of idolatry and superstition, and its false and mis- three interpretations do not exhaust the possibili- leading ideas of God, free from the taint of caste ties as more than sixty definitions have been given and intolerance, a great deal still remains: there in recent years of a "Hindu." But many people is a devotion, a s'aintliness and a self-sacrifice are called "Christians" who in no sense fulfil the worthy of his most serious consideration. There New Testament definition of a Christian. is also a great deal in its literature which cannot In any comparison between the principles of be lightly cast aside. India has its own peculiar Hinduism and the religion of Jesus we must al- contribution still to make to Christianity. This ways avoid "that irritating method, as unscientific has already been made by some of its saints like as it is ungenerous, which selects the worst in one Sadhu Sundar Singh and Pandita Ramabai who religion and contrasts it with the best in another." shine out like two great lights in the galaxy of We need to remind ourselves that it is the incom- saints which India has produced. What the Inparable Jesus Christ Himself that we have to pre- dian Church will be, when this contribution has sent to India, and never the Western civilization been fully assimilated in the light of the Gospel which so denies Him, nor the Christian Church of Jesus Christ and of the Cross, it is hard to say, until it is much more like Him. Our aim is always but that it will mean a richer heritage, both for to bring people to Jesus; and if we fix attention the East as well as the West, we cannot doubt." either on so-called "Christian civilization," or on Weare sure Mr. Yardi has expressed the true the divided "Christian" Church, this will obscure Christian attitude. the main issue. Nor must we so twist things as to make Jesus and the great sages in Hinduism That Hinduism is inadequate for the deepest say the same thing. One great service these sages needs of the human spirit must be clear to the have rendered is that by following out to the very most generous interpreter of Hindu teaching. end their own chosen path, whether it be the Gandhi is often quoted as the greatest living em- Dnyiin Marga, the Karma Marga or the Bhakti bodiment of Hindu ideals, but Gandhi's remark- Marga, they have made the discovery that none able candor about his. own inner life enables the of these lead India to the desired goal. There are dispassionate student of Hinduism to realize the many things they can teach us and we shall con- limitations of its ministry to the deepest needs of clude, as we seek to lead India to the incomparable the heart. Last April Mr. Gandhi published the Saviour, that there is nothing really good and following confession: "For causes, some of which beautiful in the religious heritage of India that I know and some I do not, for the first time in my need be lost, for the Spirit of Truth can use all public and private life I seem to have lost selfthat is good. And in the saered task of preserv- confidence. I seem to have detected a flaw in me ing, purifying and consecrating what is useful in which is unworthy ofa votary of truth and ahimsa. I am going through a process of self- introspection, the results of which I cannot fore- • From Dnyanodaya. see. I find myself, for the first time during the [508 ] past fifty years, in a slough of despond. . . . It is love Him above all things, the blood He shed so purely internal. It comes from within." freely for me and the wicked world. That is pre- cious, indeed, and who will not love Him for its Again in the Harijan for July 23, Gandhi writes sake1 Amen." frankly: "I have not acquired that control over my thoughts that I need for my researches in non- While there are parts of India concerning which violence. If my non-violence is to be contagious many know persecution to be such that this prayer and infectious, I must acquire greater control over could still be offered, yet on the whole events in my thoughts. There is perhaps a flaw somewhere. recent years have ,shown a definite increase in In- . . . But I entertain the hope that the darkness dian tolerance towards the true Christian convert. will disa;ppear. . . . I am praying for the light We are not half as anxious about religious perthat will dispel the darkness." secution which is sure to purify the Christian Church, as we are that all we missionaries and Hindus Losing Ground Indian Christians shall be worthy of the name of Christ. In an article in The Mahratta criticizing Gandhi's methods, that well-known Hindu of Bombay, A Missionary's Conversions Mr. L. R. Tairsee wrote the following: "The figures given below indicate that the Hindus as a In the July issue of the National Christian community are deteriorating in numbers. Be- Council Review, the Rev. Alexander McLeish had tween 1891 and 1931, the total popUlation of India an informing article entitled "North India Reincreased by 22 per cent in 40 years. But the per- visited." He said: "We have made many miscentage of increase of Hindus was 15 per cent and takes in our zeal to hasten the growth of the hence they lost 7 per cent in population, while the Church, and may now learn from experience to Moslems increased by 35 per cent and gained 13 trust the Spirit in the Churches." Mr. McLeish per cent. As against the general average of in- then goes on as follows: "In regard to this and crease the Hindu numerical strength is lower by other problems, a missionary today in India is 7 per cent; while all other communities have in- faced with a difficult task. He requires to have creased: Moslems by 35 per cent, Christians by what I would describe as three conversions. There 145, Sikhs 127, and Buddhists 79. The comparison is first the conversion which brings him out to of population between 1891 and 1931 shows that India, and the more definite and distinct an exthe Hindus alone are losing their numerical perience it has been, the better will he be able to ground." lead others to Christ. In other words, he must have the gift of an evangelist. There is, however, Are Christians Gaining Ground? a second conversion and that is the ability to see everything from the inside, to feel and understand At the present time Christians are said to be the pulse of the new society he has entered; to increasing in India at the rate of about twenty see his task from the indigenous viewpoint. This thousand a month. Our impression is that this is is a real conversion, and there are those who have not far wide of the mark. It is our growing con- passed through it, and those who have not. It viction that the Christian Church in India can makes every problem and question appear quite only regard itself as succeeding when its, members different from what it normally would. There is are increasingly like the pattern of daily life and also a third conversion, one peculiarly needed, and character and unselfish service seen in the example that is a 'conversion to the spirit of the lowly Jesus of Jesus Christ. in all our dealings with our Indian brethren. If there is a second mile to go, the missionary must Keshub Chandra Sen, the centenary of whose traverse it: if it is necessary to forgive a brother birth (Nov. 18, 1838) was recently celebrated, seventy times seven, it is the missionary who must prayed on one occasion: "My countrymen tell me, be prepared to make the last act of forgiveness. 'Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.' o God, that if I love Christ they will no longer This is the only spirit which will win India, and it is vital for every missionary to put on this garextend to me the right hand of fellowship, and ment of lowliness in all sincerity. Shall we conwill persecute me and hate me as an outcaste and fess that we Westerners have signally failed here, an alien. Father, am I to blame for having loved and that this is the step most needed in order to Christ? Hast Thou not taught me to love Him establish the fellowship with Christ in India, tenderly as my brother, as Thy beloved son? Fa- against which nothing can prevail 1" ther, teach my countrymen to believe that where Thou art, Thy blessed and holy child is sure to be, sooner or later, in spirit, if not in name. There is one thing in sweet Jesus, which teaches me to
Ways of
'Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MISS GRACE W. MCGAvRAN, 5718 OAK AVE., INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA The Stewardship of Money esting result is an $8.50 aver- tributes more than half again as age per member. much in thankoffering as in en- We have said a good deal in these pages during the past few For a society of 30 members, velopes, that fact needs to be months about the use of time, six of whom are life members mentioned and reckoned on as and talent, and energy, and so with an annual fee of $2.00, that the pledges for envelopes are forth. We propose to say some makes an asking of $255. things about the stewardship of made. money in this month's pages. The budget, or plan of giving The line-up for pledges to be Money is an essential medium lines itself up somewhat as folof exchange. We often find lows: contributed in envelopes monthly churches apologetic about finan- is interesting. It is clearly based cial matters. Why so? No sane Fees (for the six life mem- $12.00 on a supposition that there will person would attempt to set up bers) ……………… . 25.00 be proportionate giving rather a household without having some 80.00 money to pay bills and to secure One new life member ….. . than a set amount of "dues." the exchange of that which he Thankofferings ……….. . 133.80 Notice that while there is one is able to offer for that which his Envelopes: 3.00 person able to give $2.00 a family needs. 7.00 month, only three are listed as One member at $2.00 There are many angles from a month …….. $24.00 being able to give no more than which stewardship is approached 5 cents a month. Notice also by those churches and organiza- Four members at that the gifts of the three have tions carrying on a successfully $1.00 a month '" 48.00 satisfying experience. We shall as honorable a place in the review some of them for you Five members at 50 budget as that of the one. This here. cents a month … 30.00 type of budgeting proportion- Eight members at ately has been used successfully 25 cents a month 24.00 in many groups. The number Five members at 10 able to contribute at the differ- cents a month … 6.00 ent amount-levels differs radi- cally. One must feel one's way Three members at 5 cents a month .. 1.80 Collections …………… . Donations …………… . to a wise distribution. A Missionary Budget Total …………… $260. 80 Collections are small. Evi- Gets Results Expenses ……….. 4. 00 dently the group relies little on Please do not limit the term Sent to headquarters …… $256.80 miscellaneous collections. But "results" to the amount of experience has shown them that money raised. Among the most Let us examine the budget a such collections have a place, important results of a budget little. The life members whose just the same. Donations, by plan is the satisfaction of giving annual fee is $2.00 represent which the gifts of those unable in orderly fashion and of know- intelligent work at enlisting that or unwilling to make a pledge ing where the sources of funds type of membership in the past. are usually meant, come to an lie so that energy need be ex- The one new life member sug- amount which is decided on by pended at specific times and in gests that the effort to secure past years' experience. specific directions only. But to that type of membership is con- We look with envious eye at consider the money end. sidered worth making and that the small item of $4.00 for ex- A budget is a plan of giving. the group is certain enough of penses. There is a society which Mrs. Beatrice Thompson, in The being able to secure it, to place is paying for its good times and Missionary Monthly, of Toronto, the life-membership fee in the its other activities on the side. writes about a type of budget budget. It may have another budget for which is very useful. Its basic The amount for thankoffer- local charities. This budget is objective is found by dividing ings is unusually large. It must sacred to its objective for dis- the amount of money given by be based on past experience. patch to headquarters. And it all auxiliaries of the denomina- Possibly there is a group outside has not, we further note, kept tion by the number of auxiliary the membership of thirty which for its other worthy activities, members to secure the average contributes at special times. If the $1.80 by which it has ex- giving per member. The inter- not, and the membership con- ceeded its aim.
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EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
A budget such as this is pos- rent opinion that, to which most care of. The visitor dropped a sible in any group. It may con- of us will agree. Yet waste ma- coin into the chest. tain only a few of the items men- terials often have a sales value. tioned here. But it is a measured Stray pennies! Stray dimes! plan. It faces squarely the pos- A reader of these pages writes, Stray dollars! Given on an imsible sources of income and it "One interesting project of one pulse because there was an opknows just where its energies of. our leper mission supporters portunity and an urge to do so! must be placed in reaching its in New Jersey is that of saving aims. If, for instance, one ex- tin foil. She saves and sells it, Another example of the same pected item fails, a brand-new by the ton, and last year brought sort of giving comes from the source of income may need to be in about $500 from the sale of American Mission to Lepers. tapped, unless reasonable in- it." "A woman in Alexandria, Vircrease of some other item will ginia, has pig banks (pig banks bring up the amount. Of course no woman had $500 are used all over this country worth of tin foil in her own for collections for leper work, on Mrs. Thompson stresses the home! To gather it by the ton account of the small boy who need of quarterly remittance. must take enthusiasm and or- raised a pig in order to be able Many a society falls short of ganization. When you interest to help out with the work. His what it desires to do by exactly a Sunday school class in saving story goes with the pig bank to the amount that it fell short of tin foil you may get tin foil from any group using it) in many of reaching one quarter of its aim every neighborhood in which a at the end of the first three child from that class is living. the stores, banks, etc., and sends months. The greater the amount col- fine offerings from there." lected, the greater will be the Such a budget plan is not only interest in the project. We often find boxes for varifor the officers. It is for every ous charities in banks, restaumember, to study, to discuss, to Tin foil is not the only thing rants, and other public places. approve, to determine her own being "wasted" in our country. share in. Such a budget plan Find out what of the many kinds Many people who do not have gets results. of things being thrown away by truckloads by members of your any connection with organiza- The Gift at the Altar community have a sales value. tions making regular gifts do Think over the possibility of contribute through these means. Bring thy gift to the altar; converting waste into money for Many people making regular But, ere thou lay it there, anything from regular mission- contributions elsewhere are glad ary funds to China Famine to do something more in this Look on the whited harvest fields Relief, Leper Missions, Daily way. There are several rea- And bend thy thoughts in Vacation Church Schools for sons for the latter fact. One is prayer. underprivileged and unreached that unless one wishes to receive children, or a hundred other a constant stream of requests What is this thou art bringing uses for which we wish we had for more money through the To lay before thy King? more funds available. mail it is absolutely fatal to send even a check for a dollar to any Thy precious alabaster box, Stray Pennies Build organization depending for its Or some uncared-for thing? Monuments funds on public support. One may be quite willing and anxious Bring thy gift to the altar. Some years ago a visitor to to do something for, say, a fresh- Withhold not any part, the great cathedral which is in air fund, but be quite unable to process of building, in New support it regularly in addition Will He who gave His all for York City, found before her, as to other things. One may be thee she walked through the part of willing and eager to give to the building already open, a Not look to find thy heart great chart of the floor plan of China Famine Relief, but not the rest of the building. It was enjoy the frequent appeals for Laid down with prayer and of- labeled "The Pilgrim Pave- a repetition of one's gift.Fur- fering ment." Blocks of it were col- thermore, when one has one's ored. Other blocks were blank. purse in hand and giving re- For Him to take and bless, Beneath it was a chest for offer- quires no more exertion than to Ere He can multiply its power ings. The idea was that the drop in a coin, it is one thing. pavement or floor of the cathe- When it means getting a re- In Kingdom usefulness? dral should be paid for by the sponse into the mail in the form donations of those who came, as of a check or a registered letter Bring thy gift to the altar; pilgrims come, to see a spot of it is another. But, ere thou leave it there, religious significance and to wor- ship for a moment within its In planning to secure dona- Look on the waiting harvest walls. The colored blocks on the tions through boxes in public fields chart were floor spaces whose places certain rules must be ob- expense was already thus taken served. First, the cause must And pledge thyself to care. have a universal appeal. The Baptists would not put out boxes * CATHERINE CULNAN. to secure funds for the living- link missionary of their local Save Instead of Wasting America is the most wasteful nation in the world! A cur- * In The Missionary Monthly, Toronto, Canada.
church. The Disciples would would like a chance to contribute. day." A few years ago one de- not attempt to gather funds for Some members who refuse to nomination urged and promoted their Daily Vacation Church pledge, want to do their share sacrificial luncheons for its wom- School held on a strictly denom- through the collection. It is the en's groups. All the appointinational basis. But, a commu- way they like to give. ments of an elaborate luncheon nity Vacation School, an inter- Stray pennies! Stray dollars! were present on such occasions denominational enterprise like Gather them in and let them be- -except the food. A glass of China Relief, Fresh Air Camp come an added strength to the water at each place was all that Fund for a neighboring city's work for which you are giving was served. The program was underprivileged children, the your planned and measured de- carefully planned to make a real Mission to Lepers, and other votion. spiritual contribution to the similar enterprises are quite Our Standard of Living guests. The price of the lunchwell-known and therefore will eon was usually exactly that of not be questioned. There stands between the real luncheons under similar Second, permission to put the American Christian and Christ- circumstances. boxes must be secured from the like living in America, one stum- Two types of women attended. per.son in charge of each place. bling block among others about The first and larger group were Put boxes only where they are which we may do well to think. willing to know hunger for a few gladly given space and a prom- It is the idea encompassed in the hours, touching no food until the words, our standard of living. next meal hour and then eating inent place. Let us illustrate the point. only what they would have eaten Third, empty boxes frequently. During the recent depression a ordinarily. They were those The almsboxes in great cathe- widow in one congregation was who were willing for a time to drals are of metal and fastened enter into the heritage of hunger in place with chain and lock, yet left with five small children. The that too many know, so that the one is told that thefts are not father in that home – a Chris- actual savings gained by their infrequent. tian home – was gone. The self-denial should feed others. church, one of whose theoretical Fourth, do not keep them in cares is the building of Chris- The second type fortified themunfruitful localities. If the box tian family life, saw nothing to selves with food before attendin the local bank brings in few do but to let that home be broken ing the luncheon. They were contributions, take it away. If up. Three fine little fellows seen eating in various places all the same box in a restaurant heart-broken, were sent to an afternoon. They consumed a secures donations, double the orphanage and the mother was heavy meal in the evening on the number of restaurants in which left to struggle along trying to ground of having had no lunchyou have boxes. In other words, support herself and her two eon. They were of those unable let the public see boxes only in small girls. to hunger that others might be situations where they also see fed. They were of those who contributions being placed in A congregation of three hun- could not for one brief period them. A glass container in dred adults could not lower its lower their standard of comfort which people can see that other standard of living enough to to serve a hungry world. people have contributed dimes keep that family intact. and nickles as well as pennies That same principle applies to will help set the standard of We, as a people, rise to an the woman whose home is clutgiving. emergency pretty well. In a tered up with expensive best- burst of generosity we do with- sellers which she reads once and Fifth, keep accounts carefully out some lUXUry to serve a cause. never again. Whose purse opens and report to a local organiza- But our standard of living is readily to the call of her desire tion if possible, even if for in- sacred. How many of us will to see that latest play or movie. formation only. It is sometimes lower it, even for a week, to Whose luxuries become necessibetter for two people to handle care for human need? We have ties, part of an inviolable standsuch an enterprise than for just to have our balanced diet-with ard of living, which she is not one to do it. Let no suspicion the least trouble. Yet we know willing to lower. arise that funds collected thus that a balanced diet can be sefrom the public are not being cured on a fourth of what we "Feed my sheep!" speedily and regularly and en- spend for food. That type of "I will, Lord, with the pennies tirely sent to the cause for which food, however, does not conform left over after my standard of they are given. to our standard of living. We living has been served with my dare not lower ourselves, even dollars." Allied to this matter of col- to raise others. lections from the general public I Am a Steward: is the taking of collections with- Jesus said something about in the organization. Even where the one being greatest who gives Of God-given talents.-Mat. 25: 14-29. one thinks the members are the greatest service. pledged to the limit, there is Of God's revealed law.-Rom. 3: 1-4. often a willingness and a desire "But, Lord, we can't lower our to make a spontaneous offering standard of living to serve!" Of the Gospel.-1 Corinthians 4: 1-5. of a little more. Guests often Part of our standard of living Of Christ's Grace.-1 Peter 4: 7-11. involves "three square meals a -Rev. T. M. Stevenson, Craigs- ville, Va.
BULLETIN
Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
Youth Prays for Peace It is you who belong to Jesus to carry to all worshippers. the By GRACE NOLL CROWELL Christ. Before belonging to any message that Christ gave when national family or individual He instituted the breaking of the Lord, we are the youth of every land today family whom you love in the bread in His name. Communion Lord, you belong to the Lord services were held at different Pleading for peace; times during the day, so that all Weare the ones who will be sacrificed Himself. You belong to Him for might share in their own form justice, truth, obedience, love. Unless wars cease; Weare the ones elected, Lord, to pay You belong to Him to make sac- of celebration. As was said, A price too high. You gave' us life, and it is not your rifices, to be cheated in this "the real miracle is that Christ world, where you must expect no comes to our divided commu- will return when you follow the law nions as host. He takes our di- That we should die. Open the blind eyes of our leaders, of the Kingdom, since it is you, vided bread and blesses and Lord, the pioneers, who are His that In every land; you may take the bread from breaks and gives. It is His gra- Open their hearts and minds and your own mouth that others may cious custom."
make them wise On Monday following these To understand have bread, and who are His for various communion services all That war is sad, and horrible, and wrong, suffering and for victory. You hearts echoed the prayer of the Negro speaker when in simplic- And useless quite; are His holy nation, bound by the ity there came from his lips the That we, the clean, strong Youth of strongest of ties: a blood rela- earth, tion of the Spirit. One nation! heart cry, "Forgive us Lord, Have the good right Do not say then, 'there are not forgive us, Lord, forgive us. To life and love and happiness and very many of us.' The first were peace. a bare twelve. Listen to the That we, who call Thee Lord, We would not be revelation of the Master: '1 am cannot yet meet Thee at a com- mon table. Forgive us, Lord, Killers of men-we want to walk the the bread of life.' Listen to the forgive us." A long period of earth Clean-handed, free Master's command: 'Give ye silence followed this prayer. In From war with all its horrors, lust, them to eat.' Only, young peo- and greed, this deep penitence lies the secret ple of the world, listen also to of the way to unity. Its dark despair. the warning of the prophet: It was a great adventure, our Lord, may there never be another 'There is nothing to be done with fellowship at Amsterdam. The war- This is our prayer. men who have not conquered Bible received a new place of -From "The Epworth gold.' " Highroad." importance in the eyes of those Thus was youth again brought who daily studied its pages to- face to face with the fact that gether. The Church became to Christus Victor the Christian race is not an easy many no longer a local parish, (Conclusion of the Report on the task lightly to be thought of, but but the fellowship of churches A.m.sterdam Youth Conference) one that requires all one has to which is called Christendom, a Perhaps one of the most stir- give and a willingness to place Christendom which embraces all ring messages. addressed to youth first things first. nations and all creeds and which at the conference were the clos- Perhaps, too, youth found its is dominated by the spirit of ing words of Pastor Elie Laurial greatest sense of unity in the Christ. And in the hearts of of France in his address "Give communion service conducted in youth there was born a desire to us this day our daily bread." Nieuwe Kerk using the Dutch prepare themselves for the gift Said he, "We often dream of a Reformed communion service. that will some day come to our sudden start of salvation which While this form of service was world. Stretching out their would bring together, in one entirely foreign to many dele- hands in common prayer toward single will, all the honest people gates, the gathering together, "Christus Victor" new hopes of the world. But what can be 100 at each sitting, about the were born, for youth found there done outside of Jesus Christ? It long spread table, of those whose the Source that bound them tois you who are our hope. You are confession permitted them to gether in their common underthose of whom we are dreaming. participate in this service, served taking.
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And now we have gone again Thanksgiving and recreational activities and to the four corners of the earth, scout-work. Just as important each with a better conception of Doubtless, the majority of us is the personal friendship and the meaning of Christ's words- instinctively think of Thanks- counsel offered to individuals "That they all may be one" but giving when November rolls faced with difficult adjustment also with the great commission around. We consider it a pecu- problems. The Directors often entrusted to us to demonstrate liarly American celebration and, visit the home communities of in our own sphere the meaning in truth, it is even more Amer- the students during vacation. No of "Amsterdam." Only with an ican than we realize for Indian- one can measure the far-reachopen "Book" and the "Spirit" Americans 0 b s e r v e d special ing influence of our religious can youth walk the long, hard times of thanksgiving. They, program in which denominations road which calls for the daily however, were not content with cooperate. practiee of brotherhood in a day one Thanksgiving Day, they had of world conflict, conscious of the eight, for various crops and Gifts from the Indian Girl fact that a world Christian com- special times of gratitude to the munity is the ultimate goal. Great Spirit. It is very possible The gift of restfulness I bring to you, that the idea for what we term And quiet strength of character By means of regional confer- "the first Thanksgiving" did not ences in each state, the ma- originate with our Pilgrim fore- The gift of folk-lore, nature-lore, and chinery for which was set in mo- fathers but was borrowed from love tion at Amsterdam, it is hoped the friendly Indians who conthat the Ams,terdam ideal will be tributed so much to the well- Of all that nature holds I bring to brought to American youth. being of those early settlers. thee. Perhaps no greater benefit could come to any community than the Unfortunately, there was a The mystery of the singing waterfall, impact of the "Amsterdam long period of our history when The secrets of the trees, the talk of spirit" at a time when feelings the white people seemed to forare bound to demonstrate them- get the many friendly deeds of birds, selves in outbursts of hatred and the Indians during the white All are the right and heritage of her misunderstanding am 0 n g na- man's time of need. Fortu- Who owns the Redman as her antional groups in local communi- nately, we are now realizingties. We have only to recall the almost too late! – that the ab- cestor. intense hatreds ensuing from origines with a civilization far This gift is rare and fragrant–let it the last war to visualize what older than ours, had many conwill happen again unless Chris- tributions to make, some of rise tians courageously and actively which we ignored to our sorrow. As incense, as I lay it at your feet. demonstrate justice and goodwill, work for it, sacrifice for it, Thanksgiving is a time of I bring a gift so rare and seldom and pray for it. feasting. This year, when we found sit down to well supplied tables, In a day therefore filled with let us remember that for many I almost tremble at my mission here– paralyzing fear, "Amsterdam" of our foods, we are indebted to The gift of understanding, between sends out its ray of cheer, for its the native Americans. message is one of hope that those "Christus Victor" is not an ideal While feeling grateful for the Who come from different races, difto be longed for, but a goal that gifts of the Indians, let us recan be attained by our striving. member the hundreds of young ferent homes, Nor can that striving be without Indian students whose lives are Whose faces, even, are a different hue. great sacrifice. As Christ drank touched by Christian influence The Indian girl, with understanding his bitter cup, so must youth also through our interdenominational be prepared to accept its Geth- religious work maintained in heart, semane for the powers of dark- five government Indian schools, Can bridge the chasm as few others ness are even now warring one each in Oregon, California, against the powers of Light. New Mexico, Kansas and South dare– But Christ's voice is. still heard. Dakota. We all have a share in Can bridge it as those do who really "Fear not little flock for I have this work through our Boards overcome the world." Christus and by our contributions on the care. Victor! That is the message of World Day of Prayer. No one Amsterdam! And Christian Board can reach young Indians The Indian girl inherits from the past youth from seventy-one nations of so many types, from the most A deep religious impulse, longings are carrying it back to their primitive to those who seem homelands bound together by just like any other young peo- deep ties of friendship and better ple, as by our cooperative ap- To know the real significance of life– understanding, the gift of "Am- proach, we can reach through sterdam." our Religious Education pro- (These lines were written by Miss Dorothy gram. The Directors conduct Cate in 1924 while she was serving as JULIA HEINZ. classes in religious subjects, hold Y. W. C. A. Secretary among Indian girls.) Sunday services, share in social Items of Interest A capable and well-trained young Indian, Agnes Allen, at- tended the Youth Conference in Amsterdam, reported in this issue, as the representative of her race and has been giving in- teresting reports.
An unusual Conference on In- dians was held in Toronto, Can- ada, September 4-16, with dele- gates representing the govern- ment, mission and sociology groups of the United States and Canada. This was the first con- ference of its kind and was so valuable that the group resolved to meet again.
World–wide
A Missionary Newspaper of Current Events EDITED BY MRS. HENRIETTA H. FERGUSON, XENIA, OHIO • p.
NORTH AMERICA "Brotherly relations between and staunch Christian, was edi- "Bowl of Rice" Parties the churches must be main- tor of the Times until his recent tained"-says the memorandum retirement. -Baptist Missionary The second annual series of -in spite of "pressure of censor- Review. "Bowl of Rice" parties, for the ship, of official propaganda, and benefit of sufferers in China, of the whole system of psycho- Presbyterian Gains were held in many parts of the logical mobilization."
United States during the last Preaching should not "create Annual statistics made public part of October. All the funds received, without deduction for hatred of other nations," and by the Presbyterian General Asany expenses, were turned over prayer ought not to "degenerate sembly on August 19 show an to the American Bureau for increase during the past year of Medical Aid to China. As a into a means of national propapart of the plan, a "China Day" ganda." The report asserts also: 24,361 communicant members, was arranged at the New York making the total communicant World's Fair on October 10, "It is the duty of the churches membership now 1,978,095. China's Independence Day. to disentangle patriotism and These figures are based solely religion. . . . God alone is abso- on the number of communicants lute, and He only has a claim to remaining in full standing, ac- our unconditional loyalty."
The "Bowl of Rice" party has The Bible and a Newspaper cording to the strict rules of the become, in the minds of thou- church relating to membership sands of Americans, not only a ANew i York pastor was so and not on the number of bapreminder of the needs of China's impressed by the frequency, ac- tized members, nor on the Preshomeless war victims, but the curacy and aptness of the Bibli- byterian population. T his symbol of America's sympathy. cal quotations in the New York broader constituency is esti- It has proved to be a simple, Times that he noted the follow- mated to be 5,000,000. There is workable means for communi- ing facts about the editorials also an increase over last year ties, clubs, churches, social or- that appeared during one calen- in the Sunday schools of 11,847. ganizations, fraternal orders- dar year: Four hundred and Contributions showed no appregroups of every kind, with a sixty-six Biblical verses, phrases ciable change, while per capita hundred different interests – to and allusions appeared in 367 giving stood at $20.65. unite in a fund-raising effort. editorials spread over 262 days. These parties take the form of Forty-seven books of the Bible Rebuilding Neglected Work teas, dinners, street bazaars, etc. furnished these quotations. Most of the church gatherings Many years ago Methodism are dinners, with speakers on Twenty-two editorial titles re- was the strongest religious China. flected scriptural influence, and movement in the Ozark Moun- four editorials were devoted ex- tain region. Scores of preaching Now That War Has Come clusively to the English Bible. places were manned by itinerant Some editorials held as many as preachers on circuits, but as the The Provisional Committee of four references. years passed many of these the World Council of Churches "A very present help in time places were abandoned and the has issued a memorandum to all of trouble" appeared six times, buildings were either sold to communions and also to national and the parable of the Good Sa- other denominations or fell into governments, suggesting the at- maritan came to the editors' help decay. Now, new efforts are be- ing made to rebuild the work so titude of churches everywhere nine times. during war. This document was These Scripture quotations long neglected. Some preaching prepared by a Board of Strategy gave point to editorials dealing places have been reopened and of thirty-five Christian leaders with sociology, science, educa- congregations encouraged to refrom eleven nations who met in tion, finance, industry, literature, assemble. A new spirit is manicentral Europe this summer on art, philosophy and philan- fest, but because these groups the invitation of the Interna- thropy. Perhaps it is not too cannot support a pastor the tional Justice and Goodwill De- much to say that this can be ac- work must be purely missionary. partment of the Federal Council counted for by the fact that Dr. A case in point is that of a John H. Finley, Bible student little land-locked community of of Churches.
[515 ]
Missouri, 30 miles from a rail- brownstone building on West Texas and Arizona. Those who road or paved highway, where a 89th St., New York City. The work among them say they have group of women decided that building was purchased with the seldom seen such hunger for the they had been without a church gifts of friends, the largest con- Gospel. Rev. Shau Yan Lee, too long. A mile from the post- tributor being Mr. William N. Chinese missionary of the Southoffice stood an abandoned Meth- Cromwell. The four floors of ern Baptist Hom eMission odist church building. The win- the house will all be used for re- Board, conducted a recent redows were gone and the doors ligious purposes, among them vival in Phoenix, Arizona, when had long since been used for being a library and reading most of the time was devoted to campfires. The pews were in- room. The entire second floor visitation in the homes, prayer tact, as was the old pulpit. Hunt- has been made into a sanctuary. meetings, and the use of the ers and fishermen had used the Christian Chart, a type of teachbuilding for shelter in storms. Following the service, a din- ing very successful among the No preacher's voice had been ner was held in the Rumanian Chinese people. heard in that place for many pavilion at. the World's Fair. years. Horia loan Babes there stated Most of the Chinese in San that, when the buildings at the Antonio, Texas, own or work in An offer of a mill owner to World's Fair are demolished, groceries, which are open until donate ground for a new build- much of the material contained nine p. m., so that Bible study ing was accepted and volunteer in the Rumanian pavilion there courses for them begin at that labor completed the erection of will be used in the construction hour. Several have made a proa Methodist Church. How to of a church building, in New fession of faith. In New Orleans, secure a preacher was the next York City. effective work is being done by question; also how to organize a combination of Chinese stua Sunday school for boys and -The Living Church. dents and former missionaries girls who had never seen one. to China. For nearly sixty years, A preacher for one service a Negro Advance Southern Baptists have intermonth was eventually promised, mittently carried on volunteer and a Sunday school is now The New York Times calls at- work for the hundreds of Chiunder way. tention to a statement by Dr. nese, who at times have num- Thomas Jesse Jones, Educational bered as high as 500. -Christian Advocate. Director of the Phelps Stokes Fund, in which he gave a sum- Indian Wanted "New Birth" Another Labor Church mary, concise and factual, of the Negro's economic status, health, In 1879 at Wrangell, Alaska, Preliminary steps have been distribution in trades, educa- Aaron Kohanow, an Indian who taken to organize a Lab 0 r tional progress, population in- had been a sorcerer, gave his Church in Cleveland, Ohio, sim- crease, political and legal rights, reason for wishing to join the ilar to the Labor Temple in religious organizations, wealth church: "I understand very sol- New York City. Rev. F"'ank T. and property. Among the direct emn thing to join the Church. Berry, Director of a Presby- results of schools and colleges it Indians don't understand as well terian Neighborhood HJuse in is noted that 155 Negroes have as white man about it. Willing Cleveland, is chairman of a com- been elected to the Phi Beta to go on looking to God to help mittee which will have charge Kappa fraternity, whose mem- me. Understand how Christ has of the work. Assisting Mr. bership is based on scholarship; spoken that I must be born Berry is a group of young Pres- that 132 Negroes in a period again. I want new birth." byterian ministers and commu- stretching from 1876 to 1936, Aaron was one of 24 charter nity leaders. This new church have won the degree, Doctor of members of the first Presbywill have the support and ap- Philosophy, and that twelve are terian Church in Alaska, which proval of the Presbytelfian listed in American Men of was also the first Protestant and Church, local and national. Science and 100 in Who's Who the first American Church there. in America. The most depress- Its organization was historically A considerable n u m b e r of ing fact is that over 500,000 important. churches in Cleveland p""e com- Negro children are still out of posed largely of industrial work- school. . . . But the Negroes, On July 16, 1939, this church ers. A distinctive church cen- themselves, have a song that celebrated sixty years of service. ter, under an able ministry will they may all now sing: 'Full of A feature of the program was a go far to advance the cause of faith the dark past has taught prayer offered by Mrs. Tamaree, Ch'ristianity. us' and 'Full of hope that the an elder, who was once described present has brought us.' " by S. Hall Young as "the ex- -Christian Century. ample bright and shining of In view ·of its handicaps the what Christianity can accom- Rumanian Church in New York race's advance is remarkable. plish in a most difficult field." Trained native leaders are now On July 23, the Orthodox Ru- Chinese Centers in the South found in church, school and hosmanian Church, which has 2,000 pital. -Monday Morning. members, was consecrated with About 8,000 Chinese live in impressive ceremonies at their the South, many of them in
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Oanada to Have a Mosque ona crucifix; with the result costly an undertaking. Church that there is a tremendous drift members met to consider what It is reported in a Canadian toward atheism. could be done, with the result journal that work has been that each community agreed to started in Edmonton, B. C., on -Life of Faith. share in providing material and the first Mohammedan mosque labor. The women's part was to ever built in Canada. It is to be Permitted in Mexico serve meals to the workers. completed this autumn and is to Rocks were brought in dug-out cost $6,000. Canada has about Protestant groups are able to canoes, kerosene cases of sand 2,000 Mohammedans. In Ed- carryon their work quietly in were carried in on backs of bulls, monton alone there are about Mexico, in spite of restrictions lumber was sawed out in the 150, and 350 in the province of laid down by the government. hills and brought down. One Alberta. The name that appears While the Salvation Army has group in an outlying district on the building permit, issued work in more than eighty coun- burned lime and brought it in by the city building department, tries of the world, Mexico's laws canoes. One man did all the is "The Arabian Moslem Asso- made it practically impossible masonry as his contribution. ciation of Edmonton." for the Army to enter; yet Night after night one could hear World Dominion reports that a these Christians singing as they LATIN AMERIOA young Mexican, a former Gov- worked, sometimes until mid:- ernment official and Communist night. Problems in South America leader, was converted, and, with- out knowing anything of the When the work was completed When nearly 4,000 Christian Salvation iArmy or its methods, it was found that the entire cost people, induding 300 active mis- began work in the slums of Mex- was less than $100, for a wall sionaries, met at the Keswick ico City among drunkards and conservatively valued at $1,000. Convention in England, twelve other human wreckage, on lines word pictures of mission activi- very similar to those employed Samana is considered the ties were given by workers in by the Army. A number of zeal- most dominantly Protestant of the societies represented at the ous young people joined him. all the Dominican Republic. The convention. One of them, Mr. Street meetings were held in de- "Lord's Acre" plan has been J. Savage, invited his hearers to fiance of the law, and, when ar- adopted, and each fall rice, accompany him in spirit to Ama- rested, the leaders continued to beans, plantain, bananas, chickzonia, where the exploitation of preach the gospel in jail. The ens, calves, etc., are brought to the Indians for rubber had re- number of transformed lives at the church grounds to be sold in duced the once mighty tribes to last convinced the Government an open market, the proceeds gosorry remnants. As the white that it was expedient to allow ing to the church. A traveler men advanced with their vices this work to continue un- through this part of the Republic and diseases, the natives had re- molested. may hear these Negroes singing treated into the vast forests, and as they work the same old spirtoday it costs life itself to make Negroes in Dominican ituals sung by their ancestors of contacts with these tribal In- Republic the old South a century ago. dians. Much work had been going on in the vast marshlands In the vicinity of Samana, -Five Continents. of the Chaco, Paraguay, Argen- Dominican Republic, live about tina and Bolivia, and it is now 2,000 Negroes, descendants of The Gospel Takes Root harvest time in these countries. American Negroes who settled there in 1824. Approximately a About twelve years ago a The Indians in the highlands fourth of them are Protestant young couple who lived in the of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia church members, under the care country near Higuey, Santo Dohad been led by those who caUed of the Board of Christian Work mingo, wanted to be married by themselves Christians into idola- for Santo Domingo. Evangeli- a Protestant minister, but local try; but there is at present a cal work was started among prejudice was too strong. Tragspirit of inquiry among the shep- them by English Wesleyan edy might have resulted, so a herd Indians. Methodists in 1837. There was civil wedding had to suffice. The a time when these people kept story did not end there, how- Vast distances have to be trav- up their church work without a ever. The young bridegroom eled and towering altitudes pastor; in 1931 the Board for had found Christ and wished to climbed to reach the shepherd Christian work assumed respon- serve Him. Personal work in Indians, but doors are wide open sibility for them. homes, with a service now and for itinerating missionaries to then in a country district, teach native workers. Because of its high location, brought a sman group to the the ground on which their Master. They felt the need of Spanish and Portuguese peo- church was located was gradual- their own chapel and set to work ple, descendants of the conquer- ly being washed away, and it with logs, palm boards, palm ors of South America, have ac- was obvious that a protecting leaves for the thatched roof, all quired education and civilization, wall must be built around it. furnished by the people thembut not the open Bible; their But there was no money for so selves. The result – a little only conception of Christ is that chapel on a hilltop where people of a helpless babe or a dead body
worship God and find peace for launched over a year ago when spent his holidays driving about their souls. the local Committee on Coopera- England in a dog cart, begging tion recommended that a specia,l The story goes on. The same study be made of plans for a Bibles. When he had filled his man, always busy preaching the more representative organiza- cart he brought his collection Gospel by word and deed has tion. As a result of that meet- home and distributed the Bibles just built a new home, and the ing, attended by forty-four in- among local post offices in two old home where he found Christ vited guests representing un- counties of Southern Ireland, has been repaired and dedicated officially seventeen Protestant with a written notice in the winas a chapel. So, another definite denominations and organiza- dow that they were for sale at religious center has been opened tions, a committee of nine was cheap prices. Walking along a in a section where formerly peo- appointed to formulate definite London street in 1802, he saw a ple refused to have anything to plans. In July of last year this placard announcing a meeting do with the Evangelical cause. committee approved a provi- "to consider the propriety of sional constitution for presenta- forming a Society for the Dis- Japanese in Brazil tion of the various church bodies tribution of the Scriptures." It and requested that official dele- was from this meeting that the Bishop W. M. M. Thomas of gates be designated. The move- British and Foreign Bible So- Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, ment is considered the most ciety developed. Going back to has completed his annual visit to important step in church coop- Ireland, Mr. Shaw announced a 29 Japanese Christian missions eration that has been taken in similar meeting in Dublin, but in the state of Sao Paulo, accom- the past 20 years. -Advance. it attracted only enough people panied by Rev. J. Y. Ito, Jap- to fill one pew. However, the anese director of these missions. EUROPE idea was planted and the or- Ten missions were visited for the ganization developed and grew. first time and the Bishop reports Another Experiment in Considerable work now goes on that everywhere he saw signs of Scotland in distributing Scripture in Iremarked spiritual growth. land itself. Beside this, the So- The Church of Scotland is al- ciety has two colporteurs with The method of the Protestant ways ready to tryout new ideas motor van working in Morocco, Episcopal Church is the opposite and methods wherever there is Algiers, and Tunis, and in addito that of the Roman Catholics, hope that they may prove to be tion eighteen colporteurs and who baptize the children before practical. A minister, who has Bible women selling Scripture in their parents are converted. The been working for two years other foreign fields. Episcopal clergy try to bring a among the Youth Hostels, which knowledge of Christ first to the are now so numerous in Scot- -Sunday School Times. adults, and through them to the land has conceived the plan of children; thus the children are a fellowship of the "open road." War and Religion in France provided Christian training in "Christian Highway," as the the home, and the church is built movement is called, consists of The gravity of the internaupon a more sure foundation. members who are keen on the tional situation has seemingly country, cyclists, hikers and revived an interest in religion in Japanese immigration to Bra- others. They possess a suitable France. Newspapers contain zil began about fifteen years ago; badge, and a buHetin is issued short paragraphs calling attenthere are now more than 200,000 monthly. One of the chief aims tion to the helpful influence of there. They are law-abiding, is to organize circles of the mem- religion in times of trouble, and orderly and honest; of a mystic bers for discussing and clarify- booksellers are displaying an type of mind, and feel that life is ing religious problems and be- unusual number of religious incomplete without spiritual in- liefs, and for practicing speak- books. It is significant that fluence; but they must be con- ing. The work is linked up with while anti-God forces have been, vinced of the truth of the Gospel. a particular parish church New- in recent years, most active Mr. Ito, supervisor of the Epis- ark, Port – Glasgow, and the among French youth, it is among copal mission to Japanese, keeps pioneer, the Rev. D. Macgilliv- these youth, both Catholic and in touch with all baptized Chris- ray, has an office in Glasgow. Protestant, that the reaction is tians and visits them at least most marked. Twenty-five thouonce a year. -United Church Review. sand members of an organiza- tion of young artisans, a Cath- -Spirit of Missions. The Irish Bible Society olic group, publicly witnessed to their religion, while a like spirit Confederation of Argentine The Bible is taxed at the cus- is manifest among Protestant Churches toms gateway to the Irish Free youth who direct the Scout State, whose popUlation is 95 Movement. It has been proposed Cooperation among Protestant per cent Roman Catholic. In to have the movement known churches in the River Plate area 1806 a Hibernian Bible Society more definitely as a Christian was furthered when twenty-five was founded which still flour- organization. The increasing representatives of eight denom- ishes. Its founder was Rev. membership of the Bible Union, inations officially established a Robert Shaw of Kilkenny who and the unprecedented number Confederation of Protestant Churches. The project was
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
of summer camps arranged by Church, the declaration added, homes, possessions, work, fu- ture or hope. It is the special Christian leaders for French "seeks to do away with that responsibility of our Bureau to rescue the Protestant families youth this year, indicate the gen- which Jesus Christ has bought among the Spanish refugees, as well as to assist those who have eral religious awakening. by His bitter suffering: for remained in Spain, in very pre- carious circumstances." A new note of urgency is Christ has created of Jews and Gentiles one Holy Body, the one -Christian Advocate. heard in sermons; churches are conducting evangelistic c a m- Christian Church. Now it re- Communists Have a "Bible" paigns. "Every Christian a erects the wall of partition missionary" is now a popular broken down by Christ, and thus A book with a first edition of slogan which expresses this new 10,000,000 copies is in the same spirit. turns the Christian Church into class with "Mein Kampf." Rus- a pharisaical sect." sians will think this an odious comparison, but the fact remains -Advance. that their "History of the Com- munist Party of the Soviet Nazis Ease Up On Churches Relief Hampered in Spain Union" issued that many copies for its first edition just after The war has had the effect of The American Friends' Serv- the New Year, and probably modifying the Nazi strife with ice Committee, which has been more than twenty or thirty milthe German Con f e s s ion a I aiding Spanish refugees, found lion copies will be sold within Church, according to a report the relief work so hampered that the next few years. There are from their Synod. The motive it has been given up. "Franco twelve chapters in the book, behind this is the effort to assured us he would like to have with an appendix called "conachieve national unity, so neces- us continue the work until we clusions" and another appendix sary in the conduct of the war. are ready to retire, but it is evi- called "explanation of terms." Politics in sermons is not per- dent that he wants the food, not There seems little doubt that mitted, to be sure, and most ser- us," was the report of the di- Stalin wrote most of it, chiefly mon themes emphasize that this rector of this work. Foodstuffs because the book is too imporwar is a punishment sent from intended for Spain's 100,000 tant for him to be willing to God for falling away from half-starved children were al- leave the writing of it to any Christ. The Confessional Church lotted according to political in- one else. reports that church services are fluence, not on the basis of need. only slightly improved in attend- It was even reported that chil- The book is more than a hisance; this in contrast with the dren were forced to sing Na- tory of the party; it is literally situation in 1914, when churches tionalist songs before they were a communist "Bible," a guide to were packed. This is probably allowed anything to eat. In some correct communist thinking on due to anti-church activity, set instances, the food was given to every sort of problem; in short, in motion by the present govern- soldiers instead of to children. it contains what every commument since it came to power. nist should know. War prayer hours have been in- Last June the International Committee of Evangelization in -New York Times. troduced gradually. Spain (which includes almost all denominations having work AFRICA It is estimated that 42 per in Spain) met in Paris; and cent of all the ministers may be among their conclusions is one Religious Literature in Egypt called up for war service. Re- advising the pastors not to retired pastors are taking the The future of literary work place of those called. turn to Spain, in view of the re- in Egypt is promising, and most encouraging is the opportunity Nazi Church Policy port that all are liable to be sent among students, for with them Repudiated to concentration camps. English lies the future of Egypt. The missionaries desirous of return- number of students who attend Christian meetings is negligible; The largest single bloc of op- ing to Spain have not received therefore, they must be reached by the printed page, and this position to the Nazi church pol- any reply to their request for printed page must present its vital message in attractive form. icy has been the declaration permission to return; the im- The modern Egyptian student no longer enj oys the cumberrepudiating a statement of pression is that no such permis- some phraseology of the past; western influence is very marked eleven leaders of the Nazi wing sion will ever be granted by the in the new Arabic literature; sonorous repetition and abstruse of the G e r man Evangelical Franco government. dialectics have given place to a Church who professed agree- Dr. William H. Foulkes, Chair- ment with the principles of the man of the American Executive "national church." The Council Committee of the Central Bureau of the Evangelical Church of the of Relief of the Evangelical old Prussian Union vigorously Churches of Europe on behalf rejects "the application of politi- of Spanish refugees, says: "One cal standards to the life of the of the most terrible of the refu- Church" and asserts that the gee problems is the situation of men responsible for the "national· Spanish exiles in the south of Church" document have "shown France. Condemned to die if themselves to be enemies of the they go back; fated to destitu- Cross of Christ." A national tion if they do not. Without
simple, direct style. It is un- Sayo to "strengthen the breth- of Christian living; heard the fortunate that much of the ren" wrote an unusual letter to Easter music sung at dawn with Christian literature is written in the United Presbyterian Board an enthusiasm that could come the style of the past. in Pittsburgh: only from the heart.
The fact that modern educa- The place where the work of the Another impression is the tion is fast producing a genera- Gospel goes on is a lovely and beau- marked difference bet wee n tionof materialists proves the tiful one. Not long ago the place was America and Africa, in that the need -of a Christian Apologetic. not inhabited; now it is almost a vil- Church in America has per- The younger generation also lage for more than fifty of the breth- meated society for so many gen- ren have built their houses there. erations that the line between needs to be shown the Christian They are living happily together, re- Christian and non-Christian is way of grappling with problems joicing in their ability to help each not clearly defined; in the Cam- other, that God has been so good to eroun, that distinction is immeof a sociological and ethical na- them, that they are able to preach the diately obvious. A woman misture, which have been brought Gospel in love and peace. sionary expressed this when she to the fore by the westernization said: "I would not want to stay 1'he spirit of Christ seems to be alone in a village where there is of Egyptian life and habits. abundant. One night five elders and not one Christian." Converts -Blessed Be Egypt. three deacons came to spend the eve- come into the church out of sav- ning with me. We could not seem to agery, witchcraft, dense igno- Morocco: Islam's Stronghold get through talking; at 3 a. m. we rance. Again, the American were not satisfied, but Gidada led us thinks in terms of the future. No organized missionary work in prayer and thanksgiving. Those in Africa are faced with the grave question whether in was carried on in Morocco before I thank God that I saw the work of the present world chaos the na- the Gospel that shines in Sayo district tive church can survive if left to 1880, with the exception of that with my own eyes, not only by news, itself. Mr. Horner answers this though that is good. I thank God with an unqualified yes. He beof the Franciscan Friars, Ca- again and again for being among lieves that the native pastors and them and seeing, not only news by evangelists, trained in the mistholicism's most liberal Order. mouth, but by eyes. sion seminary, the teachers, nurses, medical boys, and many The British and Foreign Bible Aggrey Memorial thousands of Christian laymen are as zealous as any Christians Society appointed an agent for Achimota College, on the Gold anywhere. Coast, proposes to erect a chapel Morocco in 1882; he and his in memory of Dr. Aggrey, first Congo Prayers appointed member of the staff wife worked successfully among and first Vice-Principal. So far, Congolese women are praying the College has had no chapel women. A writer in the Congo the Moors for many years. In building, and now that ten years News Letter asked the women of of its existence have been com- her Sunday school to write out 1883, the North Africa Mission pleted it is felt that a chapel is some of their prayers; and here needed "to witness to the Afri- is one offered upon awaking in was formed, and now has a chain cans' artistic heritage through the morning: the use of some of the best art of stations throughout the north- work of the students; to stand Our Lord God, we thank thee for freedom from anyone ex- For keeping us safely throughout the ern areas of both Morocco and clusive manner of worship, and so to offer opportunity for the night. Algeria. Since 1923, the Bible growth of an African contribu- We were asleep like the dead. tion to Christian worship and to We knew nothing. Churchman's Missionary Society stand for the cooperation of all But in thy love we awoke tribes, nat ion s, races and With renewed health and strength. has engaged in pioneer work in churches." -The Chronic~e. We want you to go out with us And keep us in daytime as at night. Morocco, and six stations have New Missionary Discoveries been opened. Amen. Rev. Norman A. Horner is The area southeast of Casa- one of the recruits sent out to Congo mothers teach this eve- Africa as a result of the Presby- ning prayer to their children: blanca, seaport town, is being terian Centennial Fund. After only a few weeks on the field he My eyes I am going to close. evangelized by the Southern has gathered a host of impres- God, you are the soldier [guard] in sions, and some of them he has Morocco Mission. Five stations written for the Drum Call. Mr. my heart. Horner has found that it is true Take away sorrow, fear and evil. have been opened on the main that "the African is receptive to The angels will obey you, 0 God, the Christian message," having Safely keep me through the night. coastal route between Casa- now seen for himself the bark and mud chapels, crowded with Amen. blanca and Agadir – a distance black faces that reflect the joy And they even have "hoeing of about 350 miles. In a south- prayers," offered as the women easterly direction there are three mission stations within 200 miles of Casablanca, including the historic city of Marrakech. At all these stations the Gospel is continually being presented to the people, hand in hand with educational and medical activi- -Life of Faith. ties.
The Gospel in Ethiopia The little Christian Church of Sayo has been without a shepherd since the beginning of the Italian domination of Ethiopia, but has been faithfully witnessing all the while. An evangelist who went from Addis Ababa to
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
start their day's work in the ing in the country's literature, It was amazing to find how many garden: Tel-Aviv Jews came for Bibles. after having been replaced by a Father be with me now as I begin to Another avenue of approach hoe. Romanized alphabet. is the medical one. The clinic attracts Jews like a magnet. You have planned that by working Changes have been made in Jews who do not wish to hear and perspiring people receive about the Messiah in meetings their food. Amen. the cabinet which will undoubt- are attracted by the manifesta- tion of His love in healing their Be with me today as I work together edly be reflected in attitudes to- diseases. with you. ward the c,llUrches throughout The Arabian Mission Hear me, I pray, in thy name. Amen. Dear Lord God, Turkey. At the present moment From the annual report of this Now I am going to work with my hoe, Mission some salient facts stand Turn away from my garden all prowl- it is impossible to say whether out: ing evil. these changes will be for good 1. Arabia is fast changing; every Also give me strength to do my work report rings with the effect of changes or ill. -Advance. political, economic and social. well. Amen. Eggs as Hospital Fees 2. With these changes come in- African Ambassadors creased difficulties, western atheism, A weekly clinic has been indifference and nationalism. Yambuya and Rebecca, an opened in Deir-ez-Zor, Syria, by elderly Christian c 0 u pIe at the medical mission staff at 3. The Church of Christ in Arabia Yakusu Station, begged the priv- Buseirah, at the junction of the is emerging. Bahrein has organized ilege of going to teach the Gos- Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. a church committee; Muscat has the pel to the Lokele people on the The town government is cooper- nucleus. Lualaba, fisher folk. Before they ating in this venture. It was deleft home, Rebecca spoke at a cided that the fee for clinical 4. With the dawn of a new day in women's meeting at Yakusu and services be paid in eggs, the Arabia come larger demands on our said: "Paul went journeys to number depending upon the ser- institutions in the form of efficiency, tell the Good News, the white iousness of the condition treat- equipment and personnel. missionaries do the same, and ed; so the clinic is crowded, and now Yambuya and I are going eggs are at a premium. One en- Perhaps the most urgent need too, and God will be with us. terprising person tried to dis- is women's medical work. In the Pray for us sometimes. The pose of a basket of cracked eggs whole of Iraq there is only one Lokele people look for fish; we to the waiting patients. woman doctor. are going to fish too, and bring men and women into the net -Monday Morning. Along the 400 odd miles of which is His Church." rough road between Baghdad Tel-Aviv, Jewish Stronghold and Basrah there is not a single Presently, came Yambuya's hospital where major surgery is first letter: "We gathered the The Jews do not permit any done. Iraq regulations require people for prayer, and many Christian teaching or meeting in the presence of at least two licame to look at us. I preached this 100 per cent Jewish city of censed doctors at every major on the words of John the Bap- 100,000 inhabitants. "Tel-Aviv," operation. tist, 'Repent, for the Kingdom they say, "is our own city, and of Heaven is at hand.' In the we do not want to hear about INDIA whole village there was not a your Christianity in our Jewish single book. I urged them to city. Go to Jaffa and preach Hindu Editor Converted buy books, and they bought Christ to the Arabs, but not to hymn books, Testaments, Gos- us." Like the Jews in the Book The following letter was writpels, catechisms, primers, stories of the Acts, they have "stopped ten by the editor of an Indian of Jesus. There are seven in the their ears." weekly to a staff member of the town of Ponthierville who had C.M.S. in Calcutta. The Chrisbeen baptized, and seven in the Nominally, there is full reli- tian, to which he refers, is pubnative Lokele village." gious liberty in Palestine, but lished in London. actually none in Tel-Aviv. Chris- WESTERN ASIA tian activity there would be per- Until recently I hated Christianity, secuted as severely as in Soviet and through the press I carried on Changes in Turkey Russia. But the European Har- anti-Christian propaganda. While in vest Field says that Christian a hospital an evangelist approached With the death of Kemal periodicals are sent by post to me with a few copies of The Chris- Pasha, the secularizing policy of numerous addresses in that city, tian. I began to hate him, and told the Turkish Government seems and Christian literature is dis- him to be off. But he stood firm and to be set aside, and new stress tributed to passers-by on the implored me to take at least one magis being put upon the develop- streets of the suburbs. Last azine and read it. ment of Islam. Mohammedan Easter, a copy of the Watchman, leaders who had been very quiet issued in this way, annoilnced When I was gazing at him, sudwhile the dictator lived have re- that anyone who wished a free denly a remarkable change came appeared on the scene; even copy of the Bible could have one over me. I felt that some inner voice Arabic characters are reappear- between four and six o'clock on compelled me to take the magazine a certain day at the Hall Pennel. and read it. Oh, what a joyous day! I immediately read a few passages from The Christian. I was moved when I read· the words of Christ to
Nicodemus: "Verily, verily, I say in the history of the Christian study India from the viewpoint unto you, except a man be born again, Church. Next year, in accord- of what natural resources there he cannot see the kingdom of God." ance with a suggestion of the are in the land which can be used Today, I have experienced this new Madras Conference, the develop-· in new and undeveloped indushirth, and I am filled with joy. God ment of Indian thought will be tries for which there will be a has illumined my mind. one of the topics of study. This world market; what legal reg- will furnish opportunity for ulations should be made; what The Madrassi youth took us to the Hindu Christians to make a val- "protective" tariffs, if any, Indian pastor, where myself, my wife, uable contribution to the Ash- would be required; what educaand my two daughters accepted Christ ram. tional changes should be made as our personal Saviour, and we four to prepare millions of boys and were baptized. Now we are able to It was voted this year that the girls for a new industrial life; see with our mind's eye distinctly our Ashram home be known as the in fact, the whole needs of a names written in the "Lamb's Book "Christa Darsana Ashram," or great people embarking into a of Life." "the Ashram of the Vision of new world. Christ." I thank you, Sir, for this spiritual Beyond question, this is a work which you are doing in India, "Servants of India Society" large order, but if the Christian directly and indirectly. Kindly send Church-the most humanitarian me a few' more copies of The Chris- Last June this Society, India's and unselfish body working in tian. I am going back to Lahore to- finest social service organization, India today, and with no pernight in great haste. I came here as completed thirty-four years of sonal axes to grind – does not a sinner, but am going back as a child its history. It does not strive help solve the problem, then who of God. for numbers, but the magnificent will ?asks William W. Reed, of work done is indicated in its 52- the Methodist Board of Foreign May God Almighty bless you and page report of last year's activi- Missions. -Foreign Affairs. your workers with a crown of life and ties for the motherland. Those glory. Kindly pray for me and my entering the Society take seven The Ohurch Has a Job family. vows: (1) My country shall be first in my thoughts, and I will Dr. Ambedkar's suggested School of Hinduism give to her the best service that solution of India's economic is in me. (2) I will seek no per- problems is in sharp contrast It is announced that a School sonal advantage for myself. (3) with Gandhi's ideas. While of Hinduism under Christian I will work for the advancement Gandhi envisions India's rural leadership will be opened in of all Indians, regardless of millions remaining in their agri- Benares in December, and ex- caste or creed. (4) I will be con- cultural villages and adding to tend through January and Feb- tent with such provision for my their self-sufficiency by the pracruary. The school will include needs as the Society is able to tice of ancient crafts, Dr. Ama study of the institutions and make. (5) I will lead a pure bedkar sees no economic hope life of the sacred city of the personal life. (6) I will not en- except through a thorough in- Hindus: experiences among the gage in any quarrel with any- dustrialization. He is well aware throngs of pilgrims d uri n g one. (7) I will never do any- of the evils that accompany inmelas, at holy places and seats thing inconsistent with the aims dustry in America, and is quite of sacred learning; classroom of the Society.-Dnyanodaya. as anxious to avoid them as is lectures by visiting Hindu pro- Gandhi; but he counts on the fessors and experienced Chris- A Ohallenge to the Ohurch development of a social policy in tian workers, and the library India which, as that country beresources of Hindu schools and In spite of all the new canals, comes industrialized, shall set up colleges. Conducted tours will irrigation wells, and other de- standards and regulations prosupplement the work. vices that have been brought tecting the worker from exploi- into service in India during the tation and preventing enormous An attempt will be made to past century, the increase in the profits from going into private embody bot h scientific and food supply of the nation has not and foreign pockets. Dr. Am- Christian attitudes. On a foun- kept pace with the increase in bedkar believes India, when she dation of an understanding of population during the same pe- awakes to her situation, can the Hindu religion and culture, riod. Health measures, famine draw upon the two hundred year the school will attempt to relate prevention, sanitation and the experience of industrialism in the Christian worker to the peace guaranteed by Great Brit- other countries, and thus avoid Hindu in such ways as may ain, all have tended to increase many of the mistakes and evils; promise greater success in the the population, and increase the and he is calling on the Christask of evangelism. hunger. tian Church to help. Since it has demonstrated a genuine interest -The Indian Witness. Dr. Ambedkar is challenging in the welfare of India's people, the Christian Church to appoint let it appoint a commission of Ashram Fellowship a commission of agricultural, agricultural, economic, indus- economic, social welfare, indus- trial, educational and social wel- The Secretary of the Kodai- trial and educational experts to kanal Ashram says that one of the most important parts of the fellowship is that of discussion and study. This year, the discussions centered around "The Place of non-Violence in a World of Conflict"; also non-violence
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
fare experts to study India's in- The First of Its Kind they have taken a noble part, not dustrial possibilities and recom- only administering government mend a comprehensive body of The first annual Religious funds but giving of their own economic and social measures, Education Institute of Burma limited means. Much of their ,gays Dr. Ambedkar. was planned to meet the need for best work is being done along leadership training. The Insti- the lines of adult education- -Christian Century. tute ran concurrently with the in reading, writing and politics. annual BJble Assembly for 10 They are teaching the victims of Contrasts in Outcaste Villages days and then continued for the war that they are members of a 10 following days. More than 50 human family that includes the Rev. A. M. Chirgwin of the chosen leaders from the religious weak and needy everywhere; Lon don Missionary Society, and school centers of Burma that their suffering will surely after presenting some contrasts were in attendance the full 20 pave the way for a new and betin Africa to show what Chris- days. Six courses were offered ter China. Their aim is the tianity has done, has given, in a as follows: building of a strong and peacerecent issue of the Chronicle, ful China for the future. One some pictures of India to show 1. Old Testament Teaching Values point has been agreed upon by that the same process is going 2. Methods (Primary Children). the great majority of Christian on there. Mr. Chirgwin spent 3. Methods (Junior Children). students, and that is that whata day and a half visiting Chuck- 4. How to Lead a Meeting and W or- ever is done must be done withler villages in Erode. The out hate in their hearts. One leather workers are regarded as ship. cannot escape the conviction that belonging to the lowest caste. 5. Personal Religious Living. China is advancing more stead- They are untouchables to the 6. Understanding Our Children. ily than before the war began, so farmers, who control the wells, that the Japanese, in their deterand are forced to live in un- -Missions. mination to destroy China, have, speakable hovels attached to the instead, accelerated her growth. caste village, and to do the most Weaving School in Tibet menial duties of the community -World Outlook. life; the recompense is so A venture in industrial mismeager that they are compelled sion work that is much appre- Communist Change of Heart to live on a very low scale. Their ciated is the Mission Weaving homes are poor huts without Technical School at Leh, where Chinese communists h a v e windows. Christi,ans and others are taught largely changed their front to- to weave Himalayan blankets ward Christianity. Instead of From there he went to see and broadcloth, started last April manifesting their former hossome Chri,stian Chuckler vil- and proving a success. It will tility, they are giving Chinese lages, only half a mile away. not be long before the sales of Christians unrestricted freedom One could not fail to see they pure wool blankets will practi- to distribute the Gospel among were different. Most of the cally pay for the running ex- their own following, and to evanroofs were of tiles; most of the penses of the school. At present, gelize the people wherever they walls whitewashed; many of three Christian boys are learn- can. One of their generals who the houses had verandas, and ing to weave, and when they be- had been a bitter foe of Chriswere clean. The villagers wore come competent to manage a tianity acknowledged his error clothes instead of rags; hardly loom themselves, they will be by declaring that the missiona child had disease due to filth. taught how to make and as- aries of the Gospel had been a It had taken forty years to work semble a loom with which they great help to the cause of China, this transformation, but it was can go out to earn their living. and that communists wanted to the steady, persistent influence It is hoped eventually to have cooperate with them for the that made the change. One vil- an instructor in the making of good of the Chinese people. lage visited has a building which Lhassa rugs and carpets. This serves for both school and will be an additional way by -The Lutheran. church; here the children are which the young people may taught, and the whole village has earn their living. Threat of Death for Christians regular Christian worship. Mr. Chirgwin asked an Indian Chris- -Moravian Missions. The North China Daily News tian minister how long it takes, for August 4 publishes the folafter a village has "come over," CHINA lowing story from Peiping. It before one can see improvements was received in Washinglj;on, in the home and village life. Students and the War September 7. On a Sunday in "Not less than ten years," he August, three truck loads of said. "But if the Christian in- When the war in China anti-British pickets surrounded fluence is maintained and in- started, students were ordered an English Baptist Church in struction regularly given, the to return to their classes wher- Taiyuanfu during the evening change that takes place will be ever possible. General Chiang service. very great." made it clear that the students must be preserved for the fu- At the conclusion of the serv- ture. However, this has not ice, they arrested and put in meant inaction on the part of the students; relief work has been their special responsibility and
jail the entire congregation of only by climbing a long, winding What of Manchuria? 150 Chinese. After being de- path, he has erected a unique tained for three days, the women group of buildings, a temple of Ever since war clouds passed and children were released, while Christ, a pilgrims' hall and dor- over Manchuria in 1931, reconthe anti-British Committee in- mitory in the Chinese style of struction has been the order of formed the missionaries that un- architecture. The most devoted the day. The Christian Church less they evacuated, an unpleas- Buddhist monks on pilgrimage is finding that it must re-think ant fate, possible execution, from India pass through this hill many problems and meet new would face the Chinese members country from monastery to mon- situations. This applies alike to of the congregation. astery, and often include a visit Bible Societies. The people of to this Christian one. During this land are turning to the In order to save these men their stay they receive positive Bible and God in increasing from possible torture and death, Christian teaching from one who numbers. the missionaries agreed to with- has made a lifelong study of draw, closing the missions. and Buddhism. The unique Gospel -Bible Society Record. the hospital. They are at pres- of Christ is presented in a setent marooned at Shihchiach- ting familiar and not alien to New Dalai Lama wang, where they are waiting them. Already some sixty monks for the floods to subside. and priests have been baptized. Tibet has been without a sov- Dr. Reichelt also conducts a ereign since 1933, when the Christian Books by the school of religion, in which there Dalai Lama died, for the usual Truck Load are forty resident students pre- divination had failed to produce paring for service in the Inter- one that fulfilled all require- The Christian Literature So- Scandinavian Christian Mission ments. Tibetans do not believe ciety built a new depot at Kum- to Buddhists. that their Grand Lama dies, but ming, capital of Yunnan, hoping that from time to time he lays it might become a distributing – Watchman-Examiner. aside his human envelop, to be center for Christian literature in rejuvenated at a later time. free China. But the demand for Bible Training in Shansi The boy selected must be bebooks far exceeded estimates, tween four and five years of age, and the word from Kumming is A pastor of the China Inland and four were chosen, one each "Send us books, more and more Mission in Shansi has estab- from north, south, east and west. books." It was of no use to lished a Bible Training Institute These four have been kept plead with shipping companies, on a two-acre site near a river under severe observation for a for the one Uttle narrow gauge bank. Enclosed within mud year. The year has now passed railway leading to free China walls are rows of rooms, each and it is supposed that the can handle only a small fraction ten feet square. These simply proper choice has been made. of what is required; the port is furnished rooms are the homes The boy's parents are plain clogged with freight awaiting of the workers. There is a din- Tibetan farmers. Mr. F. D. shipment. ing room which also serves as Learner, of the China Inland chapel, a library and a class- Mission, asked the privilege of In desperation, the Bible So- room. meeting the little new dalai lama. ciety decided to buy a truck and and gave him some Tibetan Gostransport the books themselves. For six months in the year the pel text cards which he eagerly The scheme was not without premises are empty, the team accepted. risk. The roads are bad, there having scattered in twos and is danger of bombing, for the threes, going eve r y w her e JAPAN-CHOSEN trucks may be mistaken for gov- preaching the Word. ernment ones. Besides, the truck The Situation Summed Up might break down. But the need Since devastation came to was urgent, so two truck loads Shansi, the team's motto is: The Presbyterian Survey deof Bibles, one of Christian lit- "Redeeming the time because scribes the position of the Chriserature and one of mission sup- the days are evil." Requirements tian Church in Japan somewhat plies started to cross south and of membership are: as follows: (1) Eighty years central China. of constructive missionary ac- 1. A clear experience of con- tivity has deeply planted the -Foreign Affairs. version. Church of Christ, although it is a minority in numbers. (2) Christian Monastery 2. A definite caB to preach the Self-support is the established Gospel. Preaching is not a policy. Most of the outside con- Dr. Karl Reichelt, a Nor- means of earning one's living. tributions go to the support of wegian scholar, has founded a the missionaries. (3) The in- Christian monastery in China. 3. Willingness to live by faith. digenous workers are adequately He is not a monk nor head of 4. Willingness to receive the trained to meet the ordinary any order, but is devoting him- admonition of fellow workers needs of the native churches, self to winning Buddhist priests and to serve the Lord with pa- but their number is inadequate. and monks to Christianity. On tience and diligence. (4) Strangely enough, foreigna secluded tableland, accessible 5. Willingness to live a frugal ers, because they are foreigners, life. 6. An earnest desire for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
enjoy greater consideration than Japanese Christians preclude the work may expand eventually to idea of large numbers of them include work for Korean women native workers. Increased missionary activity becoming Mohammedans. Al- and children as well. on the part of Buddhist sects though General Sadao Araki, This is the third Episcopal and the phenomenal rise of new, Minister of Education and a Mission for Koreans in Japan, popular cults present serious leading nationalist, is repQrted and has been opened entirely on problems; as does the Sino-Jap- to be encouraging the spread of the initiative of Mr. Koshiba. A anese conflict, involving the Mohammedanism, the divergence recent survey made by Mr. H. question of acting as recon- between the rigid monotheism Mitsui of Keijo, Korea, a Japciliator when the time comes. of Islam and the polytheistic anese, reveals that there are Christianity is one of the agen- teachings of the Japanese na- more KQreans of Christian faith cies in Japan, perhaps the only tional cult make this seem im- than all other religions comone, which assures to the Jap- prQbable. Japan's interest in bined, and more than twice as anese a sense of fellowship with Islam is undoubtedly motivated many Christians as in Japan only by considerations of world proper. -The Living Church. the rest of the world. trade and foreign policy. Expurgation of Christian Year Book Leadership Training ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC All foreigners are conscious of A full summer of leadership Malay Boys' School ever-growing restrictions. The training conferences fQr the The Methodist Mission has most outstanding instance of in- moral, spiritual and physical formally opened a new BQYs' creased censorship is the expur- training of Japanese YQuth School at Sentul, a suburb of the gation of the 1939 Japan Chris- opened July 15 'at Camp Seisen capital of the Federated Malay tian Year Book. Eight pages Ryo, the Japanese Brotherhood States. This is a further step in had to be cut out before the book of St. Andrew's newly estab- the educational program for Macould be sold and distributed by lished leadership training camp laya. The new school was built the Christian Literature Society. on the slope .of Mt. Yatsugatake, at the request of the Selangor The first deletion dealt with Kiyosato. It is noticeable that government and as a branch of "The Year 1938 in Japan: A a distinguished group of leaders the Kuala Lumpur MethQdist General Survey," and evidently was secured as instructors; and School. It will accommodate 250 reported matters in relation to that there was active coopera- pupils, and is the first unit of a the war in China which are not tion, not only of all youth leaders larger institution that it is hoped current news here. The second but of the lay university profes- may be erected .on the same eliminated the introduction and sors and .others from 10 of Ja- grounds. It also is designed to first few paragraphs of a paper pan's leading universities and relieve the overload of the Kuala on "Social Conditions and colleges. Lumpur School, which has an Work"; and the third removed The actual Brotherhood con- enrollment of nearly 1,600 stuthe opening section of an article ferences operate in three sec- dents, representing all the races on "Relations to the Non-Chris- tions–college and business age and creeds in that city. Relitian Faiths of Japan," the latter young men, boys of middle gious instruction is carried on one of several by delegates from school age, and a third for rural by the school in the Christian this country to the Madras Con- young men. Each of these sec- faith, and last year during a speference dealing with Christian- tions has over 100 members cial emphasis week, nearly four ity's position in the empire. Pos- especially selected and invited hundred boys submitted their sibly the book will be thereby fQr their promise of leadership names for Christian decision. made more valuable than before ability. -The Living Church. -Christian Advocate.
in that true conditions will be Mission to Koreans Opened Igorots Save the Day revealed.-Christian Century. in Kyoto The Episcopal Mission School Courting Islam at Sagada, P. 1., would have been Reports of the spreading influ- A new mission to Koreans has closed when cuts were made in ence of Islam in Japan appear to just been opened in Kyoto by appropriations, had not the be exaggerated. A mosque in Rev. H. Koshiba, rector of St. Igorot industries provided a way Kobe and a mosque and school John's Episcopal Church in that to continue. These industries in Tokyo have been erected, but city. He has a nucleus of 37 were begun in 1932 with the these minister primarily to non- men, who meet in a little rented weaving of abaca, a native fiber Japanese Mohammedans resi- house every Wednesday night, commonly known as Philippine dent in Japan. Some disaffected for the purpose of studying pri- hemp. At first there were only Christian converts have gone mary school subjects. He has two looms, and the girl pupils over to Islam, but Dr. Kagawa four teachers for his little night did all the weaving; later, the says they are attracted by the school: himself, an Imperial women of IIi were employed and lower moral standards .of that university student, a prepara- now 19 women and girls are at religion; The high standards of tory school student, and a young work. They make bags, pocket personal purity maintained by lady. He is hoping that this books, book covers, luncheon
sets, rugs and other useful ar- report recommended that cer- constructive influence to counticles in various colors. Success tain immediate steps be taken in teract the degrading, demoralin the sale of the articles is view of the present international izing, disillusioning contribution partly due to the original designs tension. One of these steps, it too often made by Americans as and painstaking hand work, was revealed, urged strict avoid- residents or tourists in other which the Igorots have learned ance of any "unconscious fur- lands. by patient practice. There is a thering of propaganda." considerable sale in the United In a real sense every bearer States. Committee members described of an American passport, wheth- the report as going far beyond er he intends it or not, is a for- Part of the earnings of the in- any preceding ecumenical con- eign missionary. -Missions. dustry has been used, at Bishop ference in formulating definite Mosher's suggestion, to improve principles to be observed in in- Some Interesting Figures the building in which the work ter-state relations, as well as in is done. More and larger win- concrete suggestions for church The 46th annual session of the dows have been installed, and action. -The Living Church. Foreign Missions Conference of dormer windows have been put North America met in Swarthin the third story. Americans in Other Lands more, Pa., on June 6, and an- nounced some interesting facts -The Living Church. Based on the number of pass- in regard to missionary activity. ports issued by the Department "New Life" in the Philippines of State as summarized in The Protestant missions have grown New York Sun, nearly 350,000 rapidly in foreign lands but have Philippine Christians a Iso American citizens are living in fallen off in home countries. In 1925, have aNew Life Movement, foreign lands: More than there were 3,565,443 Protestant comwhich is based on twelve points, 175,000 are in Canada, 80,000 municants in mission lands and given below: are in Europe while the remain- slightly over 8,000,000 who were bap- der live in Asia, Africa, South tized and under instruction. In 1938 1. I shall let God direct my acts, America and the Islands. Coun- the number of communicants had my thoughts, my will, all day. tries like Italy, England, and jumped to 6,000,000 and 13,000,000 France have large colonies of baptized Protestants. 2. I shall spend my life helping the permanent American residents. world's acute need, and sacrifice self- The 350,000 total does not in- In 1911, there were 351 more orish advantage. clude the enormous army of dained missionaries in foreign serv- American tourists. ice than ordained native ministers. 3. I shall give an hour a day for Last year there were 10,271 more orprayer and Bible study. These figures should be stud- dained native ministers than foreign ied with concern especially by missionaries. This shows a decided 4. I shall have daily family wor- people who do not believe in shift from the foreign to the home ship and shall attend church. world missions. Here is an army control of Christian work. of Americans, temporarily vis- 5. I shall keep my soul full of love iting or permanently residing in The business of Protestant missions and free from prejudice. foreign lands. What impression in 1938 represented $60,000,000. Of do they convey of American cul- this amount $28,738,790 was raised on 6. I shall be absolutely honest. ture and ideals? Too often the the mission field, and the remainder 7. I shall be absolutely pure. reputation of America for good was provided by the Canadian and 8. I shall courageously oppose neighborliness, brotherhood, in- American churches. harmful customs. ternational idealism and world 9. I shall work for a juster social friendship suffers irreparably in There is one Christian for every 84 order. their hands. In contrast to that people in Asia; one for every 28 peo- 10. I shall be as pacifist as Christ large army should be contrasted ple in Africa; and one for every four was. the small company of 15,000 people in Oceanica. The high pro- 11. I shall seek ways to share all American foreign missionaries. portion in the last is due to the large my best with others. They present to the world what membership of the Roman Catholic 12. When I am sure others are is best and finest in American Church in the Philippines. wrong, I shall stand alone by Christ, life. They are in foreign lands always radiant with love. not to get something for them- World Council of Churches selves but to give something to These are printed on a card, others, not to exploit but to Among recent additions to the ten by twelve inches, suitable for share the Gospel of Christ and membership of the World Counhanging in the home. to lift people to a higher and cil of Churches, which now has more abundant life. a total of 54 members, are: The -Dnyanodaya. Church of Scotland, the Epis- Leaving out of consideration copal Church of Scotland, the MISCELLANEOUS the underlying spiritual motive Presbyterian Church of Eng- of Christian missions, the total land, the Congregational Union World Council in 1941 cost of the American foreign of England and Wales, the Con- mission enterprise is cheap as a gregational Union of South The administrative committee Africa, the Seventh Day Baptist of the proposed World Council Churches of the U. S. A., the of Churches has announced that Anglican Church of the West the first meeting will be held in Indies, and the United Presbythe United States in September, terian Church of North America. 1941. This committee of the Council's provisional body met It is planned to hold the first last summer in Utrecht, Holland. World Council meeting in the At this time, a confidential re- United States in September, port on the international situa- 1941. tion, prepared by a group of 30 experts, was presented. This Our Missionary Bookshelf Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information The African Today and Tomorrow. religion and culture were a bless- heaven and earth and of man. By Diedrich Westermann. Fore- ing and a curse. He says: "Is- There is an extended bib- word by the Rt. Hon. Lord Lugard. lam has had a far-reaching civ- 355 pp. $3.00. Oxford University ilizing influence. It has given liography, two sketch-maps and PressJ London and New York. the African a greater self-pos- several excellent photographic 1939. illustrations. Altogether, here session and a sense of security in is a book to possess, to read for As one of the results of the his outlook. It has done away delight and use for reference. conference held by the Interna- with many horrors such as hutional Missionary Council at Le- man sacrifice and cruel ordeals. SAMUEL M. ZWEMER. Zoute in Belgium some ten years The misuse of alcohol has dimin- ished. In the larger towns of American Tomorrows. By Wayne C. ago, the International Institute the Sudan, Islam has created Williams. 192 pp. Fleming H, of African Languages and Cul- centers of Mohammedan learn- Revell Co. New York. 1939. $1.50. ture came into being. The au- ing." On the other hand, he thor of this very important vol- writes: "The position of women Mr. Williams is a prominent ume is one of the directors of is in no way better in Islam than lawyer on the staff of the State the Institute and one of the out- with pagans. For the advance- Department in Washington and standing authorities on African ment of moral and physical an active member of the Method~ ethnology and history. He first cleanliness, l1ygiene and the ist Church. As the goals of combating of dise,ase Islam has America are a political democwent to the Dark Continent as a racy, he lists an ethical society missionary and has not lost his done nothing. Today in Africa of brotherhood, an economic soprimary interest. Possessed of it is sterile. Its atmosphere is ciety with well being and secuthe key to the insight into the that of stagnation. The spread rity for everyone, a parliament life and thought of the African, of Islam in Africa will lead the of man to settle disputes around namely a thorough knowledge of development of the Africans into a common council table, and a the chief' languages, Professor a blind alley. It cannot give to spiritualized race of men. He emphasizes education and reli- Westermann writes with author- the African the same new gion among the means of attainity. "It would be presumptu- power as Christianity because ing these goals. He writes rather· ous," says Lord Lugard, "for me its roots are not deep enough in rhetorically, with enthusiastic truth and it does not possess the advocacy of American democto praise" a book packed full same capacity for growth" (pp. racy and institutions, and closea with such accurate information. 280-281). These are weighty his book with the declaration The author tells of the anthro- and authoritative words. that "America can live for hun– pological background of man dreds and thousands of years– Regarding the native capacity but not without God." and race in Afric&. We have observations on the Negro mind, of the Negro and his artistic ARTHUR J. BROWN. the economic basis of life, of arts ski II, Professor Westermann and crafts; then illuminating says, "It has not been proved Through Tragedy to Triumph. By- that the Negro (child) in gen- Basil Mathews. 195 pp. Cloth, sketches of family life, the con- eral intelligence and educability $1.00; paper, 60 cents. Friendship tacts of old and new govern- is substantially inferior to the Press, 150 Fifth Avenue, New Yorlments, the supernatural world, white child." Yet the author City.
education and missions, lan- shows how the emotional char- "Through Tragedy to Triguage and education. The two acter of this race requires a dif- umph," written at the special refinal chapters deal with the dis- ferent approach in education quest of missionary societies integration and reintegration and training. In the chapter on both in North America and in due to the clash of races. the supernatural the author Great Britain, will be widely agrees with Wilhelm Schmidt read by men and women in our- The book is almost indispen- and others that throughout all churches this winter. It is a sable to all missionaries in pagan Africa "there is to be found the popular summary of the forces Africa. It does not· deal pri- belief in a high god or Supreme and issues in our world today in marily with those vast regions Being" who is the creator of the midst of which organized of North and East Africa which are Moslem, except that (pp. [ 527 ] 272-281) the author tells how Islam entered and how far this Christianity must contend for urally w.ant to secure the com- that Africa and India, where the plete reports of the Madras its life. meeting now being published in Germans have labored so long There is no doubt left in the a series of seven volumes and no better, more important refer- and so successfully, receive spereader's mind by the author as ence material supplementing Mr. to the ultimate fulfilment of Mathew's presentation is avail- cial attention. We have here God's redemptive pur po s e s able anywhere. For those leadthrough a united world fellow- ing discussions on the post- constructive criticism as well as ship of Christian believers. For Madras missionary challenge, this reason, Mr. Mathew's book these seven volumes will be in- information and all of the chapis a much needed tonic. It de- dispensable. But for the many picts our world with realism and who are interested chiefly in an ters are worthy of careful study. candor. These are tragic and up-to-date and challenging inominous days. Sinister pagan terpretation of the whither A map of the world, showing the forces and idolatries assail the bound of world protestantism, Christian revelation and all that "Through Tragedy to Triumph" distribution of the delegates to for which the Christian Church, will prove both interesting and as the incarnate body of Christ satisfying. It easily lends itself this world conference and two in the w 0 rid, courageously to individual reading or group discussion. Ministers will find score of excellent illustrations, stands. But the end is not yet. it rich in suggestions and ma- Through tragedy we steadily terial for their next so-called help to make the volume attracmove on to triumph. By many "missionary sermon." thrilling accounts of all that is tive. But most important for going on beneath the surface of MILTON STAUFFER. things in every area of the Anglo-Saxon readers is the chapworld's life and thought, Mr. Das Wunder der Kirche unter den Mathews gives us a fresh and Volkern der Erde: Bericht iiber die ter on Die Kirche und die Weltheartening impression of Chris- Weltmissions – Konferenz in Tamtianity's vitality and of the spir- baram 1938. Unter Mitarbeit von: liche Machte by Dr. Knak, toitual resources of Christian D. S. Knak, D. Dr. C. Ihmels, Dr. groups in most remote places. K. Hertenstein, Dr. W. Freytag, gether with the caveat or ex- etc. 212 pp. RM. 4.20. Heraus- Mr. Mathews for many years gegeben von Professor D. M. planation of the German delehas been a keen student of world Schlunk. Evangelische Missions affairs and has had unusual op- Verlag, Stuttgart. gates regarding the missionary portunities for keeping in close touch with the growth and with German delegates, although in message as adopted by the Counthe problems of C h r i s t ian a small minority, played a large churches in every part of our and important part in the Inter- cil. This is found also in the world. Ten years ago he was a national Missionary meetings at delegate to the International Edinburgh and Jerusalem. They official report of the Tambaram Missionary Council meeting in were a bulwark against "Mod- Jerusalem and later interpreted ernism" in the missionary mes- gathering and should not be this Conference to American sage and were referees in many churches in his book entitled, important aspects of the science overlooked. It emphasizes the "Roads to the City of God." of missions. Here we have the Now, as a delegate to the Madras recent Madras meeting, held at eschatological and christological meeting of the International Tambaram, as des c rib e d by Missionary Council, held last twelve outstanding missionaries standpoint of our German breth. December, he has, given us this and administrators of the Gerheartening and challenging por- man churches. Dr. Mar tin reno There is little sympathy trayal of "The World Church in Schlunk contributes a general the World Crisis." Few other account and is editor of the vol- with a so-called "social-gospel" students of the Christian world ume before us. Twelve chapters mission have a more intelligent discuss the themes: The Mes- nor for the identification of soinsight into the underlying is- sage, The Church, The Historical slles now calling for Christian Basis of Missions, The Christian cial and moral progress with the interpretation and solution, and Message in Its Present Environno author of missionary books ment (by Dr. Knak, pp. 74-89) ; Kingdom of God. They conceive has a more facile pen or greater Ambassadors of Christ, The Infaith in the ability of Christian ner-life of the Church, The Min- the real task of the Church to be groups to think and act together. istry, The Church and Financial Support, Church and State, by Word and deed, to bear daily The final chapter is faith's Church Union (by Dr. Harten- Hallelujah Chorus, "The Distant stein); Africa, India, and what witness to Jesus Christ as only Triumph Song." Many members Tambaram teaches. It is natural of American churches will nat- Saviour and to proclaim His atoning death until He comes again. S. M. ZWEMER.
Turgut Lives in Turkey. By Nezahet Nurettin Ege. Illustrated by The- resa Kalab. 8vo. 230 pp. $1.50. Longmans, Green & Co. New York. 1939.
American boys and girls will find this story interesting, for Mrs. Ege describes briefly a boy's life in modern Turkey- the contacts with schools, ba- zaars, mosques, home life, fes- tivals, farms, factories and va- rious experiences in Istanbul and on the Bosphorus. The boys, Turgut and Sami, and the girls, Sevim and Sura, are really too perfect to be true to life, and the life described, as experienced in Turkey, is very different from that pictured by most writers who are familiar with Moslem homes, schools and religion. The story is not written from a Christian viewpoint but the characters are friendly and not very different from the best type of American boys and girls.
Suffering: Human and Divine. By Arrows of the Lord. Leland Wang. Sketches from Penhalonga
119 pp. 18. Marshall, Morgan & Smith. 60 pp. 18. S. P. G. Lon- H. Wheeler Robinson, D.D. Intro- Scott. London. don. duction by Rufus M. Jones. 230 pp. African W omen-A Study of the Ibo Through Tragedy and Triumph. Basil $2.00. Macmillan Company, New of Nigeria. Sylvia Leith-Ross. 368 Mathews. 196 pp. $1.00, cloth; pp. 158. Faber and Faber, Ltd. 60 cents, paper. Friendship Press. York. 1939. London. New York.
In a world such as ours today Builder of Dreams. Ruth Carver Worship on Great Days. A Book for the message of this interesting Gardner and Christine Coffee Boys and Girls. By a Sister of Chambers. 200 pp. $1.00. Board- C. S. M. V. 72 pp. S. P. G. Lonvolume is timely. The problem man Press. Nashville. don. 1939.
of suffering was difficult enough Bridge-Building in South Africa- The World Friendship Room. Nan Lessons on the Work of the Church. F . Weeks. Illus. 83 pp. 35 cents. for Job and his friends, or for Picture Sheets. 70 pp. 18. 1d. Broadman Press. Nashville. S. P. G. London. the writer of the 73rd Psalm. Livingstone. R. J. Campbell, D.D. Bridging the Gulf – Pictures of the Illus. 256 pp. 28. 6d. Livingstone Today it is vaster and more com- Work in South Africa. Daphne Press, London. plex. Nature has revealed its Lambart. 83 pp. lB. S. P. G. London. John Williams Sails On. Cecil Northmysteries to a large extent, but cott. Illus. 255 pp. 58. Hodder & Book of Worship for Villages Stoughton, London. is still "red in tooth and claw." Churches. Edward K. Ziegler. 130 Humanity suffers today as nenr pp. Agricultural Missions Foun- + Kohila. Amy Carmichael. Illus. dation. New York. 187 99 pp. 58. S. P. C. K., before and corporately from so- London. Chinese Industrial Cooperatives. cial, economic and international General Report. 31 pp. Chinese The Land of the Gold Pagoda. F. Industrial Cooperatives. Hong- Deaville Walker. Illus. 152 pp. injustices. The immensity of kong, China. 18. Cargate Prl;lss, London.
space seems to put God further The Course of Christian Missions. + Yesterdays in Persia and Kurdistan. (Revised Edition.) William Owen Frederick G. Coan. xvi 284 pp. away, and the mathematical reg- Carver. 320 pp. $3.00. Revell. $2.50. Saunders Studio Press, New York. Claremont, Calif. ularity of law leaves no room for Day Dawn in Yoruba Land. Charles + Akiga's Story. Translated by Rupert miracle or prayer – so men tell E. Maddry. 218 pp. Broadman East. Illus. xv 436 pp. Oxford Press. Nashville. University Press, London. us. The author stands on the Directory of Protestant Missions im The Exploitation of East Africa. R. rock of Revelation and inter- China. 68 pp. North China Daily Coupland. 507 pp. 258. Faber News & Herald. Shanghai. and Faber, London. prets suffering, not as a problem Everyday Life in South Africa. Two The Cape Coloured People. J. S. only, but as a problem with a Outline Friezes. 18. S. P. G. Marais. Map. 296 pp. 128. 6d. London. Longmans, London. solution. The main factor is sin. The Frozen Guest-A Play in Two + A History of Brazil. JORO Pandh'i To Saul the Jew, suffering was Acts. D. Austen-Leigh. 40 pp. Calogeras. xxviii 374 pp. $5.00. 6d. S. P. G. London. University Press, Chapel Hill, North a problem; to Paul the Christian Carolina. Frontiers of American Life. Pamit became a privilege. The twelve phlet. Mark A. Dawber. 61 pp. + Inside Asia. John Gunther. xii 599 25 cents. Home Missions Council. pp. $3.50. Harper, New York. chapters are of unequal value New York. 128. 6d. Hamish Hamilton, London.
and the latter are more evan- Grace Triumphant. A. W. Baker. + Pioneers of Religious Education. T. 316 pp. 38. 6d. Pickering & Inglis. F. Kinloch. vii 144 pp. 38. 6d. gelical than the earlier ones. London. Oxford University Press, London.
There are traces of a modernistic Hinduism or Christianity. Sydney Fighting Africa's B I a c k Magic. Cave. 237 pp. $2.00. Harper Madge H. Morrill. 155 pp. $1.25. attitude toward the Old Testa- Bros. New York. Pacific Press Publishing Asso., Mountain View, Calif. ment, but generally the book Fannie E. S. Heck. Mrs. W. C. speaks with deep religious in- James. 192 pp. 60 cents. Broad- Today in Manchuria. T. Ralph Mor- man Press. Nashville. ton. Map. 128 pp. 28. 6d. Stusight and clear understanding of dent Christian Movement Press, Life and Letters of Walter W. London. what Christ's suffering meant Moore. J. Gray McAllister. 576 for Him and for us. pp. $2.50. Union Theological Sem- The Friendly Missionary. Nina inary. Richmond, Va. Mullen. 20 pp. 25 cents. Friend- This is a book worthwhile for ship Press, New York. the devotional shelf in every One in Worship. H. P. Thompson. 72 pp. 6d. S. P. G. London. + Mohammed. D. S. Margoliouth, Mission station. Here is the au- D.Litt., F.B.A. vi 151 pp. 58. Over the River – Six Story Lessons Blackie, London. thor's conclusion of the whole for Little Children, with Outline matter: "Suffering must be in- Pictures. 48 pp. 9d. S. P. G. + Israel's Mission to the World. H. H. London. Rowley, D.D. vii 136 pp. 38. 6d. terpreted from within the crea- Student Christian Movement Press, Suffering: Human and Divine. H. London. tive fellowship with God through Wheeler Robinson. 230 pp. $2.00. Macmillan. New York. The White Man's Burden. William Christ. This enables the believer Paton, D.D. 77 pp. 18. 6d. and See Africa. Illustrated Leaflet. 16 28. 6d. Epworth Press, London. to welcome even suffering. as pp. 2d. S. P. G. London. divinely g i v e n opportunity.
Through suffering, we learn both humility and sympathy with others and we have the oppor- tunity to give effective witness to our faith. Fellowship with J e sus implies 'cross-bearing'
with Him." S. M. ZWEMER.
New Boole.
Among the Zulus. Etheldred Waddy. 16 pp. 3d. S. P. G. London.
American Tomorrows. Wayne C. Williams. 192 pp. $1.50. Revell. New York.
never tirest never flinchest never grows
It travels cheaply and works while others sleep.
The American Christian Literature Society for Moslems cooperating with the Nile Mission Press and Interdenominational Committees on the field is paying for the production of Christian literature for many lands and in several languages.
Will you help to meet the challenge of increasing opportunities to send the Gospel in print to Turkey, Egypt, Arabia, India, Iran?
REV. SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, D.D., President MRS. WILUAM BANCROFT HILL, Honorary Vice President DELAVAN 1. PIERSON, First Vice President REV. THOMAS S. DONOHUGH, Second Vice President REV. JAMES CANTINE, D.D., Corresponding Secretary MRS. JAMES M. MONTGOMERY, Treasurer Make checks payable to the American Christian Literature Society for Moslems, and send them to the Treasurer, Room 1019, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
HAVE YOU READ?
THE LIFE OF GEORGE BOWEN OF BOMBAY By ROBERT E. SPEER The biography of a remarkable missionary whom the (then) Prince of Wales visited in Bombay at the request of his mother, Queen Victoria.
What some readers say of this book: Robert Speer's "Life of George Bowen of Bombay" is one was so far·sighted and so deep.seeing !-the former because of the richest of missionary biographies. the latter. If one wants to sum up the interests of our DR. J. LOVELL MURRAY, Director of the students today-Biblical, social, theological-Bowen is a representative figure. And what a lesson in apparent failure! Canadian School of Missions, Toronto. . . . I feel strongly that every student and alumnus of our What a life! He was old enough to know why he went, and bad enough to know the meaning of salvation. One by_ Seminary needs this book. What better book to lead them to product of his experience was his wonderful humility-nothing in the show window and himself in the remote back- feed on the Bible. One hears so much "vestibule religion"- ground. It is inspiring. men pointing to the door and taking their people as far as the threshold, but no opening up of the treasures within the DR. GEORGli P. PIERSON, formerly of Japan. Father's House. Read the topics of current sermons, and We must all be grateful for this revealing of the main- Bowen's expositions are precisely what Christians need in order springs of Bowen's character, his abiding faith in God, his to grow from puerility into spiritual maturity. Here is no earnest purpose to be a true and faithful follower of Jesus adolescent, but a man in Christ. This is no volume to be Christ; and his deep·seated conviction that the Gospel of read and dismissed, but to be marked and to be turned to Christ could meet the religious needs of India's people. repeatedly. HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, WILLIAM HAzEN, President of Union Seminary. Missionary in ShoJapur, India. A biography of one of the saintliest figures of the nine- The Memoirs of George Bowen will continue to be for teenth century. I could not put the book down. There is a fascination and a depth in this man's soul which held me in years to come a searching manual of devotion. He has set devout attention. I found myself marking his moving sayings before me an ideal which few could attain; his life is a scathwhich would serve as starting points for chapel talks. He ing rebuke to our ease, comfort, self·indulgence and inef- J. Ross STEVENSON, ficiency.
President Emeritus, Prin(eton Seminary.
Send $2.00 to·day for your copy of this latest book by Dr. Speer THE MISSIONARY REVIEW PUBLISHING CO.
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The Missionary Review of the World — July 1939
1939
The "Moksa" Goes to the Country Shannon McCune When a Mission Became a Church Alexander H. Kemp Rural Youth of the Church Today H. S. Randolph Spain Today and Tomorrow By a Wayfarer Politics and Religion in Albania Phineas B. Kennedy Liberty and Religion in Red Russia F. J. Miles Forty Years' Progress in Latin America Webster E. Browning 25 Cents a CoP1 $2.50 a Yeat'
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June 24-July I-Eagles Mere Confer- IIJUST LIKE YOU II ence of Missions. Chairman, Mrs. Earl Breeding, 24 Rugby Lane, By LUCY W. PEABODY Scarsdale, N. Y. 196 pages, a picture on every page. Children love it···Libraries need it. June 28-July l7-Erieside Conference for Girls and Young Women. Wil- PEACE AND GOOD WILL DEPEND UPON IT lowick, Ohio. Special Price, $1.00, Postpaid July 3-10-Northfield Missionary Con- ference for Women and Girls. East Order from MISS M. H. LEAVIS, 186 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, Mass. Northfield, Mass. For information, address Mrs. Warren C. Taylor, 38 Obituary Notes of seventy. For thirty years he had Union Ave., Schenectady, N. Y. held administrative positions in the Mr. Russell Carter, who retired Illinois Synod and the United July 6-11 – International Christian two years ago after serving forty Lutheran Church. He retired from Endeavor Convention, Cleveland, O. years as treasurer and Assistant active service in 1936 after having Treasurer of the Presbyterian Board served as Secretary of English Mis- July ll-August 16 – Winona Lake of Foreign Missions, died in Pitts- sions of the Board of American Mis- School of Theology. Winona Lake, burgh, Pa., April 29, at the age of sions for eighteen years. Ind. Dean, Dr. J. A. Huffman, 302 72. Mr. Carter had also traveled Morton Blvd., Marion, Ind. *** • • extensively in foreign lands. July 22-28-Baptist WorId Congress. The Rev. Albert Oltmans, former Atlanta, Ga. • secretary of the American Mission to Lepers, died June 12th, at Yokohama, July 2l-30-'-Erieside Annual Summer Rev. George F. Jenkins, formerly at the age of eighty-four. Bible Conference. Willowick, near Cleveland, Ohio. a Presbyterian missionary in China, He was born in the Netherlands, and came to the United States when a July 24-August 2-World Conference died April 6, in Kansas City, Mo. In youth: He was graduated from Hope of Christian Youth, Amsterdam, 1903, Mr. Jenkins went to Hunan un- College, Holland, Mich, in 1883, and Holland. der the Cumberland Presbyterian from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 1886. That year he went August 30-Sept. 2-National Rural Church; and later transferred to to Japan as a missionary for the Re- Forum. Penn State College, under the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., formed Church in America. He re- the auspices of the American Coun- stationed first at Changteh and then tired from active service as a mis- try Life Assn., Dr. Benson Y. sionary fifteen years ago and took up Landis, Executive Secretary, 297 at Taoyuan, where he established an his work as secretary of the American Fourth Ave., New York. Mission to Lepers in Tokio. Recently, • orphanage. • • the Japanese Government decorated August l-lO-Erieside Conference for Mrs. Caroline Atwater Mason, au- him for his work among lepers. Boys and Young Men. Willowick, thor of more than twenty volumes of Ohio. short stories, travel and religious Aug. SolO-Ninth Quadrennial Con- books, died recently. She was the vention of the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of Af- widow of Dr. John H. Mason, a pro- Personal Items rican Methodist Episcopal Zion fessor in Rochester Theological Sem- Church, Detroit, Mich. inary.
August l3-2O-Geneva Summer School The Rt. Rev*. R*ob*ert Lewis Pad- of Missions, Lake Geneva, Wis. For information write to Mrs. Paul dock, retired Bishop of the Protestant Rev. William C. Kerr, of Seoul, H. Wezeman, 1177 S. Humphrey Episcopal Church, died in Clifton, Korea, has been appointed to the fac- Ave., Oak Park, Ill. N. Y., on May 17 after a long ill- ness. He was born December 24, ulty of the Imperial University in Sept. 2-4-Erieside Business Women's Conference, Willowick, Ohio. 1869, in Brooklyn, N. Y., and was Seoul, to teach Latin and English ordained as Missionary Bishop of Literature. Because of this connec- DO YOUR S.S.PAPERS Eastern Oregon, in 1907. He retired tion he has been able to start an Eng- ~ in 1922. **• lish Bible Class among university stu- BIBLE TRUTH? Rev. William B. Millar, D.D., for- dents. **• ~~ COUNCll. ~ FIDES – For Young· People merly General Secretary of the New Dr. William Webster Hall, Jr., of York Federation of Churches, died on New York and Sofia, Bulgaria, has May 30 in New York City as a re- been called to the presidency of the sult of a stroke, at the age of 73 College of Idaho. His experience in years. Dr. Millar was born in Lake Mills, dealing with educational pioneering Wis., in 1866. After his graduation was gained in the Near East first at from Lawrence College, Appleton, Robert College, and then in the Ameri- Wis., he became a Y. M. C. A. secre- tary at LaCrosse and later was Sec- can College in Sofia. He is the retary of the International Committee author of numerous magazine articles (1896-1910). He was a founder of and books. the Army and Navy Department of *** Mr. P. O. Philip who has been for the Y. M. C. A. in which he did excel- some years Secretary of the National lent pioneer work. He was General Christian Council of India and one of Secretary of the Laymen's Missionary the Editors of the N. C. C. Review has Movement and later of the Inter- resigned as Secretary to take up work church World Movement. Dr. Mil- in connection with the Mar Thoma lar is survived by his widow and three Syrian Church whose interests have daughters and a son. always been very dear to him. His *** home will be in Travancore, South India, and he is expecting to be a reg- Dr. John F. Seibert, for nearly a ular contributor to the N. C. C. Re- half a century an active home mission view. 1502 N. Third St. Harri.bare, Pena. worker in the United Lutheran (Concluded on page 337.) Church, died April 19th at the age
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REVJEW OF THE WORLD YOUR CHILD At Home. DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Editor Calvert's wor1d~famou8 home study plan fives superior VOL. LXII Nos. 7-8 education to thousands of children not near good schools JULy-AUG., 1939 t or unable to attend school. Complete courses for each Publication and Business Office- grade from Kindergarten to High School. All books. Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. materials and teacher gl.!idance included. En- t~lUsias:ical1y endorsed by educators and parents. Editorial and Executive Office– Low cost. Vrite today for free catalog. State 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. child's age, Entered as second-class matter jt CALVERT SCHOOL, 187 E. Tnscany Rd., Bahim.re, Md. Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under Act of March 3, 1879. all the missionary societies. It can 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. do for these societies what no one of Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. Published monthly, except August. them can do for itself." All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1939. JOHN R. MOTT, British agents – Marshall, Morgan . and Scott, 12 Paternoster' Buildings, Chairman, International London, E. C. 1 shilling per COpy, Missionary Council. 10 shillings a year. *** MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- LISHING CO., INC. "My congratulations on the splen- BOARD OF DIRECTORS did issue of THE REVIEW on home ROBERT E. SPEER, President A. L. W~RNs;auIS, Vice-President missions." (June, 1939). W ALTIllR,.' McIlouGALL, Treasurer KENNETH S. LATOURETTE, DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Secretary Professor of Missions and Or-iental History, Yale PAUL J ..; B.RAISTED· University.
S~UEL'MCCREACAVERT *** D.J. FA-NT""'" . "I have taken occasion to go through MRS. ORRIN ,R.' JUDD the latest issue of THE REVIEW and it wM.. B. LIPPHAllD has brought back to me what a very ERIC M. NORTH able and worth-while publication it SAMUEL M. ZWIilMER is; indeed it has appealed to me so Only 10 swift days direct to Yokohama when you sail by much that I am starting to subscribe Empress to the Orient. Only 3 more days to visit lovely Editorial (.hat over again. The only reason I dis- Hawaii en route by Empress oj continued my subscription was that I lapan, largest and fastest liner This July-August number includes on the Pacific, or Empress oj two summer months when many read- have so many magazines coming to Canada. From California ers are away from home and when ports connect at Honolulu. most local church activities are less. my desk that it is simply impossible The articles in this issue will be of Frequent sailings from both great interest and many are particu- even to scan them all, and in a Scotch Vancouver and Victoria to larly readable for summer mission Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, circles. spirit one day I decided .that I must Shanghai,HongKong,Manila. economize." ,. Consult YOUR OWN TRAVEL *** AGENT or Canadian Pacific: DR. GEORGE W. ARMS. 41 offices in U. S. and Canada. The Foreign Missions Conference at Swarthmore, Pa., (July 9-16) comes Bedford Presbyterian Church, too late to include a report in this number. It has been unusual in set- BrookLyn, N. Y. up, in interest and importance-fol" lowing the Madras Conference and Personal Item, planning to make the most effective use of the re~ults of that 'con:l;erence. (Concluded from 2d cover.) Dr. Milton T. Stauffer, former Education Secretary of the Student Vol- Dr. Wilbert W. White has resigned unteer Movement, and Dr. Herrick from the presidency of the Biblical B. Young, Personnel Secretary of the Seminary in New York, with the title presbyterian Board, are to report and Founder and Honorary President of evaluate this Foreign Missions Con- the Seminary. His brother, Dr. J. ference in the September number of . Campbell White, will act as president THE REVIEW. Look for this report. until a successor has been secured. *** *** Recent letters have contained the following comments on THE REVIEW Mr. James Stark, Mr. M. Hardman and its value: and Miss R. E. Oaskeshott are retir- ing after fifty years of service in the "After all is said and done, THE REVIEW seems indispensable, although China Inland Mission. I know of no otbers of this mission who subscribe for it. But I want it Mr. E. K. ** * a misand that's the reason for this check. I've been a patron for more than Higdon, formerly thirty years, with some time carelessly skipped." sionary in the Philippines under the REV. JOHN C. FINEFROCK, United Christian Missionary Society, United Lutheran Church Mis- has been elected to a foreign secre- sion, .Guntur, .India. taryship in that Society.
*** The Rev. * *R. * Associ- "THE REVIEW exists primarily to Jesse Wilson, further in every way the program of ate Scretary of the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society connected with the Home Department, has been transferred from the Pacific Coast office at Los Angeles and is now in the same department in the main of- fice, New York. Dr. Wilson was for- merly a missionary in Japan and later the general secretary of the Student Volunteer Movement.
[887 ]
"MOKSA" (DR. WM. N. BLAIR) REMOVING HIS SHOE COVERS ON LEAVING THE CHURCH. (THE MEN USE ONE
AND WOMEN THE OTHER) INTERIOR OF THE CHU)'tCH AND AUDIENCE-(TWO JAPANESE DETECTIVES IN THE CENTER FOREGROUND) GDiNG TO CHURCH IN KAICHUN, 'CHOSEN
NARY
REVIB ORLD AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS VOLUME LXII JULY-AUGUST,1939 NUMBERS 7 AND 8 Topies of the Times ARE FORCIBLE CONVERSIONS POSSIBLE? only by a long process of training after a conquest. The Soviet rulers of Russia are attempting to con- At times the objection is raised that Christian vert the people to atheism by force; they are not missions attempt to bring about the conversion of succeeding and can only succeed by a long procmen by bribery or force. It is possible by such ess of atheistic education. In Nazi Germany, means to change a man's vote but not his convic- propaganda, national ambition and false teaching, tions. are being used to overthrow faith in the supreme authority of God as revealed in Christ and the Many means are used to turn men from one Bible. There are multitudes of German Chrisfaith and loyalty to another-military force, tians whom these motives do not sway. money, threats, promises, falsehood and ambition. Mahatma Gandhi has tried, with some temporary How long will it take Japan, by the use of success, to force Indian people by his fasting to bombs, machine guns and terrorism to win the accept his program. His most recent self-im- friendship and cooperation of the Chinese? Only posed fast to convert Thakore Sahib of Rajkot, unworthy men succumb to unworthy motives. apparently gained his point; he now says that it resulted in his defeat. Gandhi's opponents were Intelligent Christians realize that men and not convinced and their purpose was not changed, women cannot be truly won to Christ by bribery, therefore they plan to destroy the effect of the fear or force. One might as well attempt to cause a child to be loving and obedient by continued decision in Gandhi's favor. spankings, by threats or by gifts of candy. Men The transmutation of metals, or the conversion are led to consider the claims and character of of one substance into another of apparently en- Christ by the offer of economic advantages such tirely different elements, was formerly considered as provided by the Grenfell Mission, by medical an idle dream. Today such marvellous changes service like that of Dr. Schweitzer's hospital in are conceded! to be in the realm of science. The Africa, or by such secular education as is offered changes wrought in human nature by the power of in many mission schools and colleges. These God are still more wonderful. This has been methods of work may affect their attitude but proved in countless instances, as in the conversion affect no real change of heart. Jesus Christ, when of Jerry McAuley, the "River Thief" of New York, on earth, won men by the revelation of His heart and of Africaner, the "Hottentot Terror" of of love, by the truth that He taught, and by the South Africa. light of Life that shone out through Him. His The transmutation of metals has not been ac- denunciations of selfishness and sin were for hypocomplished by a wizard's alchemy but by the crits; His invitations to come to Him were for knowledge of natural forces and by scientific proc- the hungry and thirsty; His service and sacrifice esses. The transformation of human beings from were for the needy and dying; His- revelation of the natural and beastly to the spiritual and God- God was for those who we:te ready to receive and like is a fact established to the satisfaction of all follow Him. who have seen such changes. This change cannot There is abundant testimony that today, on the be affected by force or by bribery. The Mohammedans have used force and fear to convert whole mission fields at home and abroad, the most efnations to Islam but their end has been achieved fective work in winning men to Christ is not by means of the denunciation of other religions, or [ 339 ]
by the preaching of "hell-fire"; or by the free The result was that Christianity seemed a "fordistribution of "loaves and fishes." Men and eign cult," not well adapted to the peoples to women of all ages and races are won through lov- whom the missionaries came with the universal ing service, by the proclamation of the Good News message of Christ. of forgiveness and life through Christ, and through the manifestation of sacrificial and under- At the recent Madras Conference, Miss Minnie standing love. Other and unworthy methods may Soga, a Bantu woman from South Africa, declared temporarily add to the number of adherents but that to her people Christianity, with its foreign do not change hearts or make loyal followers. clothes, European churches and ceremonies, for- The transmutation of material substances is eign words and unfamiliar songs, was distinctly wrought by understanding and applying the laws a "white man's" religion. Many thought that if of nature, which are the laws of God. "To as they adopted the white man's clothes and manmany as received him (Christ) gave He the ner of life they would no longer be "heathen." But right to be called (recognized as) the children of Africans did not feel at home in European sur- God-who were born, not of blood, nor of the roundings. When they worshiped in a church with will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of a native thatched roof, an unhewn stone for an God." altar or pulpit, and sitting on the ground; or when they worshipped under the trees with the ESSENTIALS IN MISSION WORK vaulted sky for a roof, then they felt at home.
A young doctor, who had recently been gradu- Christians from other lands pointed out the ated from a modern school of medicine and sur- same need for using native ideas and surroundings gery, was sent as a medical missionary to China to make the peoples of each land and race feel at and became a member of the staff of a large and home in their Christian life and worship. efficient hospital. One of the first things he did was to direct one of the Chinese orderlies to throw Many young missionaries today, going out to out a lot of tin pans and other ancient equipment foreign lands with all the enthusiasm of youth and so that they might be replaced by enamel ware with the equipment of the most modern education, and modern implements. Some of the older mem- are demanding better facilities and more money bers of the staff retrieved the discarded utensils. in order that they may give to the "under privi- leged" of those lands, "the best that America and In contrast to this young doctor's attitude are Europe have to offer"-medically, economically, the reports. of Dr. Gordon S. Seagrave of Burma socially, educationally and religiously. From some in his "Tales of a Waste Basket Surgeon." He quarters there is a constant call for more modern has achieved wonderful results ·by using instru- buildings, better equipment, more automobiles, ments and equipment discarded as out-of-date by fast motor boats, radios, airplanes, together with doctors in America. more highly technically trained teachers and spe- cialists. An article recently appeared in Asia, written by an American college man who went to India to On the other hand missionary history shows that investigate the effectiveness of American and some workers have made the mistake of attempt- British educational methods and ideals as applied ing to adopt native dress, food, and living condito the Hindus. From intelligent Indian graduates tions to which they were not born or adapted. of some of the modern institutions he learned that Some valuable and consecrated men and women many of the best trained Indians consider "West- have died prematurely, or have been invalided ern" ideals and methods to be unadapted to In- home, because of such mistakes. Others have redia's needs. ' Foreign colleges are too highly or- fused to use modern methods, inventions and ganized and regimented. They turn out largely equipment which might have added greatly to "white collar" clerks who find few openings for their efficiency. service in Indian society. The educated Indian critics believe that if the "ashram" method had What are the essentials, as distinguished from been followed, with capable teachers who would non-essentials, for effective Christian life and train students in practical ways for Indian life, service? Jesus Christ came to earth as a "foreign the results would have been far better. missionary." He adopted the Palestinian mode of dress and manner 'of life-so far as these were Other critics of Christian missions in Asia, wholesome; but Jesus was born into that life; He Africa and the Pacific Islands, point out many never refused to use the best that Judea and Galmistakes made by early missionaries who intro- ilee offered to make His ministry more efficient. duced European and American dress to replace native costumes-or the lack of them; setting Is it not clear that non-essentials in Christian foreign styles for church buildings, houses and an life and service include special kinds of clothalien manner of life copied from their home lands. ing, (little or much) ; particular architecture for houses or churches; a special language or music; a type of equipment, peculiar ceremonials in wor-
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
ship; a particular form of organization and spe- on their knees to confess sin and pray for forcial educational methods-these are clearly non- giveness. Dr. Sung's meetings were crowded and essentials. God can use any of these that are many came forward to accept Christ. The "Witimpregnated with His spirit and are wholly sur- ness Bands" with two hundred men, women and rendered to His control. Personnel is vastly more youth, were busy speaking of Christ to outstations important than equipment. An efficient doctor or and neighbors. There is great rejoicing over the surgeon is one who knows his science and can spiritual fruitage of this work and over churches use his equipment efficiently; a successful teacher that have been awakened and strengthened. Biis one who knows his subject and how to present ble reading and prayer have increased as well as it effectively; a successful ambassador of Christ personal witnessing of Christ and His power. is one who knows and loves God as He is revealed lives have been set right; quarrels have been setin Christ and the Bible and who lives a Christ-life tled, debts have been paid, pastors have been set among men. on fire with new zeal for winning people to Christ. In one church some members of the congregation Es-sentials for the missionary, or for any Chris- stood up and said to the pastor : "You are not the tian life and service are therefore: first, life in man you were before the evangelist came-you Christ-a life that comes from God, is God-filled preach better sermons than formerly." The pasand God-directed. The second essential is the tor himself admits the great change. Whereas he purpose and power to lift up Christ as the Saviour, used to consult with the missionary concerning who lived and died for sinful men; who rose again, those cold and indifferent, now he weeps over them and is ever living in and with His people in every and prays for them. Sunday afternoon after he land. The third essential is ability to teach the has taught a Bible class, preached a children's Bible as the revealed Word of God; the Spirit of sermon to the Junior Church and a mess·age to the God can be trusted to interpret and adapt the adult members, he takes any who care to go with ideals and truth of God to meet the needs of each him to hold a street meeting. In the evening he race and clime and condition. It has often been takes his part in the special meeting of the "Witfound that the earnest native Christians of a com- ness Bands." munity are much more reliable guides in applying Christian truth to local problems than are the This new spirit in the Chinese Church was foreign missionaries-even those of holy charac- further strengthened during March, through the ter and long experience. visit of Wilson Wong, of the Christian and Mis- sionary Alliance, when the Christians feasted upon Do we not often make the mistake of clinging the Word of God, and at the evening meetings to old ideas and prejudices when new methods brought unsaved friends to hear the message. might be better or of thinking that modern untried More than forty took their stand for Christ durideas and equipment must necessarily replace the ing those evening sessions. old? The first essential is always life-spiritual life; the second is proper food-soul food found in God used both men and both methods to save God's revealed truth; the third essential for souls and inspire soul-winning service in the strength is exercise-loving spiritual service, using whatever equipment we have that will help hearts of the Chinese Christians.* produce abiding spiritual results. It would be well for every Christian to check up in order to Rev. Sook Pongsanoi, a Siamese pastor in discover how many lessons we have learned Trang, Siam, writes of his interesting experience through a period of years, that have helped to that changed him from a Bible-selling colporteur make us and our children more Christlike and more effective servants of God. into a soul-winning evangelist. He says: t NEW LIFE IN THE CHURCH IN SIAM "As a student in the Bangkok Christian Col- lege and later, when acting pastor of the Second As a result of God's blessing on the work of Church of Bangkok, I sold and distributed many John Sung, the Chinese evangelist, in Siam last Scripture portions and Testaments without makautumn, a new spirit has been manifested in the ing reports to the Bible Society. I went into many Chinese Church in Siam. The work was formerly homes and walked in and out of many lanes with carried on in three dialects and three denomina- the Scriptures, but did not feel any real need of tions; now unity and cooperation have taken the reporting on sales. place of division. There is also a new zeal in evangelism and new signs of Christian faith and life. "When I went to work for the Bible Society as People are saved; lives are quickened; the spirit a regular colporteur I had to report every month and power of Christ are manifest in hearts, homes and wanted to give a wonderful report to the head and churches. Entire congregations have fallen office.
"But I was nQt satisfied with the work I was do- ing, and was not happy in it. I sold more than • Facts quoted from Rev. A. G. Seigle of Slam.
t Reprint from the Forty-Eighth Annual Report of the Siam and Laos Agency of the American Bible Society.
any other colporteur in Bangkok, but I felt that ent situation assure us that religion-and particumy work was shallow. I was just selling the larly evangelical Christianity-is not dead in Rus- Book without giving purchasers any message con- sia. The expression of it may have changed and cerning the Saviour of the book. I knew that I been driven to cover, but the hunger of the huought to do something more than simply sell God's man heart for God has not been satisfied and the Book, but I went on day in and day out like a vital spark of men and women who have received machine. life from Christ has not been quenched.
"A year and a half ago I was called to become A Soviet Government census has recently shown pastor of the Trang Church, South Siam, and I (according to The Sentinel) that two-thirds of the accepted the call, but with the agreement that I 80,000,000 Russian people living in villages and should continue part time work as a colporteur. one-third of the 40,000,000 people living in larger My work had very little power, but there was a towns are stilI definitely believers in God, in spite growing desire for a clearer understanding of the of the twenty years of pressure and persecution Holy Word for myself so that I could pass it on to to suppress all' religious faith. others. The Soviet authorities have been disturbed by "When I heard that John Sung, a noted Chinese the revelations of the census and have sought to evangelist, was coming to Bangkok I determined suppress the facts. A German writer states that to go and hear him. Thank God, God opened my there are today 30,000 organized Christian groups eyes to see His wonderful love in a new way. A in the Soviet Republics, in addition to many secret powerful meaning of the Cross has come to me societies. Faith in God and a desire for some and I came to have a new attitude toward Bible relation to Him-even in the form of unenlightstudy. ened religion-will not die.
"I invited Dr. Sung to come to Trang and Many factors that have been supposed to support through him God has poured out a mighty bless- religious institutions-capitalism, private proping upon the people of this city. The Trang erty, wealth, and an independent clergy-have Church is now on fire for God and has been packed lost influence, but the roots of religion still rewith people every Sunday since Dr. Sung went main. The younger generation, declares the away. Every church member brings his Testa- Deutsche Landshau, that does not remember the ment to every service and we read the Scriptures regime of the Czars, is less prej udiced against together. Every Sunday I read a chapter from the religion. Many Russian congregations are said to Old Testament, and then the congregation reads a be made up largely of people under thirty years chapter of the New Testament with me. (I wish of age. Ministers are ordained secretly, have no all the people could have a complete Bible, but it definite parishes, and travel about unrecognized will be a long time before that can come true.) by the enemies of religion, but known to Believers. We are feeding on the Word of God as never be- Many of the clergy are artisans or small trades fore. and last Sunday sixteen women and five men people, and gather groups of Believers in unfrewere baptized and twenty baptized children pro- quented woods and ravines. Piety is nourished fessed their faith in Jesus Christ and all united in the hearts of the people who are encouraged to with the church; two back-sliders also came and memorize Scripture, songs and prayers. It takes confessed their sins. One of the old missionaries courage to join such groups, as was true in the said }i.e had never seen anything like that ingath- early days of Christianity, but persecution enering before. dured helps to strengthen rather than to weaken faith in God. The truth of Christ's promise is "Now I have an entirely new attitude toward proved today, as to the Church founded by Him Scripture distribution. At first I did not think and characterized by living faith in Him: "The it necessary to make any report to the American gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Bible Society; then I came to look on the report as the major part of my work; no'W I am seeking PROVERBS OF THE HILL FOLK OF INDIA to win souls through the careful and prayerful distribution of thi.<; Holy Book. I am not now A small stick hides the mountain from the eye. most interested in the ntlmber of Scriptures sold, One says, "What shall I eat?" Another says, but in the number of men and women and boys "What sauce shall I eat with my food?" and girls brought to accept Christ." Sparrows are the headmen of deserted villages. A potful of rice is judged by one grain. CHRISTIANITY NOT DEAD IN RUSSIA Men say that time passes. Time says that men pass. In spite of the continued atheistic propaganda A good man finds the world good. in Soviet Russia, as promoted by communistic officials, by means of ridicule, education, persecu- -The Indian Witness. tion and materialism, those familiar with the pres-
"MOKSA" PUTTING ON HIS SHOES, PREPARING TO LEAVE THE HOME OF A KOREAN PRESBYTERIAN
The "Moksa" Goes to the Country Adventures on a Week-end Journey in Chosen By SHANNON McCUNE, Clark University, Wor- * cester, Massachusetts He OME out to the country with me for the thankful ever since, for it gave me a chance to see week-end." It was my father-in-law, Dr. the country work of a missionary in Korea at William N. Blair of Pyengyang, who was first hand. It was not any special trip but the ordi- speaking. I had just returned from a two weeks nary, regular week-end trip of a foreign Moksa, reconnaisance trip through northern Korea and or itinerating missionary. confess that the prospect of starting out right away, even for a short trip, was not very inviting. Mother made ready the bedding for us; Edith, But after some hesitancy, I agreed, and have been my wife, finished the batch of fudge so that we could take some along. I loaded my camera, while • Sha nnon McCune, the son of Dr. and Mrs. George S. McCune, Father Blair put gasoline in the car and checked was born in Korea. He Is a graduate of Wooster CoIlege, Ohio the oil. The car needed careful going over for it (1935) , Syracuse University (1937) and did graduate work at Clark has been in constant service since it was bought on University (1937-38) where he is Willia m Libby Fellow in the furlough five years before. School of Geography. His father was formerly president of the Union Christian College, Pyengyang, Cbosen. His father-In-law, Dr. At three o'clock in the afternoon, on a Saturday William N. Blair, of Pyengya ng, has given most of his time to last November, we started off to the north-Ieavevangelistic work, la rgely in the country districts. The photographs used to Illustrate this article were taken by Shannon McCune on the journey described.-EDIToR.
[ 343 ]
ing our wives at home in Pyengyang. The road presidency of the Union Christian College and was very familiar to Father Blair for he had been told stories of his evangelistic campaigns. There traveling it for almost four decades on foot, by was some reference to the Shrine question (which pony, in oxcart, and by almost every conveyance is such a serious problem in the Japanese Empire imaginable. We were going to the center of his today), but there was no discussion of it for the Korean leaders appreciate the position taken by the missionary body.
After a night's sleep we woke to a fine fall day with light cumulus clouds in the sky. The usual Korean breakfast of rice and soup are scarcely to the Occidental's liking, so Father pulled ou't his little alcohol lamp and proceeded to prepare a real American breakfast of bacon, eggs and coffee.
During the morning I had an opportunity to look around the elder's home, while Father was at Sunday school. It was typical of the better class Christian home and was heated by the regular Korean system of an ondol, the draft going' under the floor from the kitchen stove to the chimney on the other side of the house. The floors and 'walls were made of mud, well-packed on a corn-stalk frame. The outside walls were white with lime . and the inside walls and the floors were papered.
The roof was of slate, warmer, cleaner and longer- GOING ACROSS THE RIVER ON A FERRY lasting than the usual Korean thatch, though more expensive in initial cost. The elder had utilized beloved Anju district of which he has been the the hills back of his home-not for the usual grave sole missionary M oksa ever since he came to Korea sites-but for an apple orchard and the samples as a young man of twenty-five, fresh from semi- we had for breakfast were delicious. He had pre- nary, thirty-seven years ago.
It was not easy driving, for the roads, built pri- marily for army and other trucks, are continually obstructed by large jagged rocks. With rubber.
like gold in a war economy, our tires were Dr.
Blair's first concern. It was necessary to ferry :,lcross the Tatong River twice on small flat-boats just wide enough for the car. Everyone, from the farmer with the top-knot on his head to the J apa- nese gold prospector, offered advice. But Father has guided the car up over the two narrow planks on to many a ferry and so we crossed without much trouble in the growing dusk. We drove along the river for a number of miles and saw boats going down to Pyengyang piled high with firewood or earthen jars.
After a four-hour drive we came into Kae Chy- on where we were welcomed by the pastor of the local church and were taken to a Christian elder's home to stay. In a few minutes the car was un- loaded and soon we were warming our stocking feet on the warm Korean floor. After a bowl of CROSSING STREAM BY FOOT-BRID GJ<:: . DR. BLAIR (IN u-dong (soup) we talked with the pastor, the FRONT), BEHIND HIM A KOREAN DEACON. elders, and others of the church who dropped in to call. This was a valuable opportunity to renew pared a cellar to store the apples, under a shed old friendships with the Korean leaders. I met a where he kept his firewood and rice. In front of number of people who remembered my own father the house was a little garden for cabbages. These (Dr. George S. McCune) and were sorry to hear had been pulled up and stacked by the well to be of his retirement. They recalled his years in the used in making kimchi, or pickle. Tethered under
THE "MOKSA" GOES TO THE COUNTRY
the apple trees were two goats and across the the Church the platform was arranged to make little garden was the pig pen with a fat sow and room for a large sheet of paper which Father her grunting litter. Chickens were pecking Blair would use for his chalk-talk. The church around in the garden and the yard-doubtless filled rapidly, the women sitting on the floor to the missing their companion which was boiling in the right and the men on the left, so that by the time big kettle in the kitchen. The elder was naturally the service started there was not much room left. quite proud of his establishment, which made him Other similar Presbyterian services were taking remarkably self-sufficient. He told me of the help he had received from his subscription to The THE "MOKSA" AND KOREAN ELDER ENJOY SUNDAY DINNER Farmer's Life, a magazine founded by Father (In former days everyone had his individual table, Men still eat McCune and now edited by Mr. Lutz of Pyengyang. The house and little yard n their cleanliness apart from the women,) and convenient arrangement showed that the elder place all around the world, with only a few difhad received from the missionaries not only spirit- ferences. Here the congregation took a big part ual help but also an incentive to improve his ma- in whole-hearted singing and an elder gave the terial surroundings. Sabbath prayer. Everyone listened attentively to the sermon which the Moksa gave. Two Japa- At about twelve we had dinner, a little better nese detectives sitting in front of me took copious than usual in honor of the M oksa. It was a treat notes. (Korea is far from being a free country, for me to be able to sit on the floor and really make especially for a foreigner.) But the preacher my chopsticks click on the good things that the could have the satisfaction of knowing that his elder's wife had prepared. I had been wary of sermon spread beyond the two hundred people in Korean food in my travels around the country the church auditorium. but the clean kitchen was an evidence that I had no need to be afraid of contracting any disease As soon as the church service was ended Father here. With all my appetite, I couldn't hold a candle, Blair put on his shoes and went to the parked car. or should I say a chopstick, to Father Blair as he The canvas cover was taken off in a hurry and off polished off his bowl of chicken soup and heaping we started for a ten-mile ride to a little town to dish of rice. The side dishes of different kinds of the south-west of Kae-Chyon. Here we left the car, meat, fish, and eggs cut up in small pieces, were again shrouded in its canvas cover, and went on also very good but I reveled in the kimchi, the foot. It was a beautiful hour's walk through the pickle which is an essential part of every Korean Korean countryside on this fine autumn day. We meal. It is full of red pepper which burned the had to cross over streams on little foot bridges inside of my mouth, and had a tang, from having and had fine views of lone pine trees towering been in an earthen jar buried in the yard for over above little villages clustered under the brows of a year. The pepper· brought tears to my eyes, the hills. We fell in with a fellow traveler and not only because of its sharpness but because I soon struck up a conversation. When a nail came thought back on my seven long kimchi-less years through the heel of Father's shoe, they squatted in America. down together to fix it with a rock. This road, too, was very familiar to the Moksa and he enjoyed The bell at the church had been ringing all telling about the days when as a young man he morning at intervals for the different divisions of developed this territory. He pointed out the rocks the Sunday school but it pealed for a longer time for church at one o'clock. The elder, in typical Korean style, commented on the glad note it sounded this day because the Moksa was to preach. Rising from the floor and going out on the veranda where we put on our shoes we went off to church. It was the third successive building erected on this site during the last twenty years. Each one bigger than the last and now the congregation was making plans for a new addition. The building, with its tile roof and red brick walls, trimmed with white shutters and doors, made a pretty picture, especially to the Korean eye.
With my camera I took some shots of the men dressed in their white robes going in one door, women, with babies on their backs, going in the other; some "kids" stayed outside to play. Next door was the manse-a modern Korean home with' a tin roof and very clean in appearance. Inside
on which the pigeons used to roost and the hill- out, (or rather "pried" out), and once again the sides which formerly were thick with pheasant. rooms were packed, this time by the adults of the He sighed for: the days whe.n he had a gun and, village. Outside were others, who were too shy not being bound in by red tape, could bring home to come in, making a group of about eighty. Faa brace of ducks or perhaps a deer. The greatest ther spoke this time on some of the basic beliefs pleasure of the trip for him, however, was to talk of Christianity and what they meant in the way of with our companionaboutthe story of Jesus. Much a changed life. At the end of his talk he asked all of my Korean is forgotten but the simple story who wished to make a definite stand for such a change in their lives to raise their hands. Eight torwas beautiful to hear. It fell on "fertile ground," people raised their hands, some having been pre- the gentleman w~s deeply moved. pared for such a stand by the elder and the dea- "At about four o'clock we came into the little vil- con. They only needed the incentive of the Mokla.ge of Kul Chang Kori, or Rock Village Market- sa's coming to ~ake their stand definitely. Our pla.ce. The church had been started many years fellow traveler of the road came up at the close of ago' but had had its ups and downs. Father Blair the service and said that he wanted to change his had not been able to get into this isolated valley for life also, but wished to study more before he came over four years, so that his arrival was a real event to a decision. for the church and also for the village. The little church, situated on the edge of the village, had Shortly after the service we left the town to been repapered arid looked fresh 'and clean. Fa- walk back to the car. A number of the church ther walked around the village of a hundred people, in accordance with Korean custom, walked homes, talked with 11. group of threshers working to the top of the first pass with us. A full moon on the village threshing fioor, and invited them to had come up and the sight of the village, nestled come to the meeting,At night. He also called on on the 'edge of the hill with wisps of smoke spiralsome of the non-believers and interviewed some ling up from the evening fires, is a treasured young men who were interested. At :(lve we went memory. We said our goodbyes and walked tQ",the local elder's home, a typical two-roomed through the beautiful landscape in the crisp au- &untry house with the newly-threshed rice tumn air. We could not but think back on the stacked in bags under the eaves of the thatched eight who had decided definitely to seek a change roof. The cow was in the adjoining shed. Rude in their lives. We wondered if they would be able and poor as it was there was a spirit of welcome to stand fast amid the every day life of the village arid warmth that must have impressed the neigh- and in the strenuous times through which their bors among whom the elder and his wife lived. country was passing. Father commented on how There was no pastor in this village but the faith- typical was the reaction of our fellow traveler who, though sincerely moved, yet was so bound ful elder with a young deacon had kept the lit- by tradition and custom that he could not bring himself to a complete change of faith and life so tle church alive. quickly. There we had supper of chicken and rice and Soon we were back in the car driving to Kae kimchi, all specially prepared for the visitors. Chyon to spend the night in the elder's home. We Again, it was interesting to be introduced as a were up early in the morning in order to be back son of my father, Dr. McCune. It warmed my for an afternoon meeting in Pyengyang. We took heart to hear the old village headman, a non- a different route home and passed through another Christian, say, "The name of Yun Moksa is on section of Father's field with a church in every large town and groups in many of the villages. the hearts of all Koreans." He pointed out the church he had gone to the Sun- At six o'clock the little bell was rung for the day before and the church that he and Mother were to visit the next week. I was impressed by the children's service. The little church, with one fact that this trip we had taken, though extraor- room' about 12 feet by 2'4 and another room in the dinary to me, probably seemed just the usual rear reserved for the women about 8 by 12 feet, thing for him or for any of the evangelistic mis- Was soon jammed with children of all sizes and sionaries scattered throughout Korea. Even Fa- descriptions. There were about sixty, and all ther was sorry to have to rush back to Pyengyang clamoring to be up in the front. The young deacon so quickly but his city responsibilities called him. 'soon had them splitting their throats, singing He wished for time to visit others of his fifty or "Jesus ,Loves Me," while Father tacked some more country churches that have been passing drawing'paper on the wall. In a few minutes all through such difficult times and need the strength- were shouting the answers to his question in ap- ening and encouragement which a visit by the proved Korean fashion, as he told and illustrated Moksa would bring to them. the story of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. Many of the older people had come and the rooms kept' getting more and more crowded. When the children's service was over, they were ushered
a Mission becomes a
By ALEXANDER H. KEMP, M. D., Angola, Africa Missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church W HAT is the supreme purpose of Christian 600 church members; today there are over 5000. missions? Is it not to win people to Christ Then we scarcely dreamed of a self-supporting and to gather these disciples into churches native church; today we have 20 outstations which that will become self-supporting, self-extending, receive no subsidy from the mission. The mediand self-governing through the leadership and cal and educational work at Quessua now receive power of the Holy Spirit? In Angola, West Afri- a large amount of financial support from African ca, after fifty years of mission work many circum- sources. stances show that we should take a big step forward towards achieving the second part of our In the early days there was great rejoicing purpose. It is one thing to found a mission; it is when some of the first converts were deemed quite another thing to establish Christianity in a ready to be sent forth as evangelists and village foreign soil so that the Church will grow and de- pastors, and the missionaries were glad to provide velop and bear fruit. these men with houses and salaries from mission funds. The fact that a chief would allow Chris- The past half century of missionary work in tian work to be started in his village was consid- Angola has cost the Church at home not far from a ered a victory for the Kingdom of God. Realizing half million dollars. During the first twenty years that these first native workers were poorly prenearly thirty of the missionaries laid down their pared for their tasks, the missionaries directed lives on the field. The visible results are seen in their energies. towards the training of more effec- three mission stations, sixty native-manned sta- tive men. This meant mission schools. Every boy tions, five thousand church members and an equal who could qualify educationally, spiritually and number of adherents, and a hundred African morally, was assured of an appointment and a Christian workers-pastors, teachers or evange- salary from American funds. The supply of suitlists under appointment of the church leaders. able young men has never equaled the demand. One of our stations, Quiongua, which has had The desirability, as well as necessity, of instituting missionaries for fifty years has been closed be- a system of self-support for outstation work led cause of a shortage of workers, and there is only to an effort to have the older outstations assume one missionary couple at Luanda, the capital of responsibility for the support of their own pasthe colony. This couple cares for a school with tors. About 20 outstations are now doing this. 250 pupils, a church with an average Sunday afternoon congregation of 1200, and 20 outstations Today the situation in Angola is markedly difin the district. At Malange, 270 miles inland at ferent. Decreasing income from America has the railhead, there is one missionary doing pas- made it impossible to continue the present force toral work and translating. At Quessua, 8 miles of native workers on a salary basis, and an infrom Malange, is situated a central training insti- creasing number will each year be ready to enter tute with a school of 200 boys, a Bible School of the Lord's work. At the same time there are 15 pupils, besides industrial, agricultural and med- several large areas in which, until now, a Chrisical work, directed by a single woman missionary tian worker would not have been accepted, but and one married couple. One male missionary from which requests are now coming. In the superintends the Malange District with its 40 out- Malange District there is a large force of native stations, and four women missionaries conduct workers to whom customary salaries cannot be a school with 250 girls. paid from mission funds; there are opportunities to open new work in unevangelized areas, and When the writer arrived in Luanda in 1923 the there is a constantly increasing number of new re- Methodist Episcopal Board had three times as cruits available from the Mission Institute. many missionaries in Angola as now, and more than double the present annual work budget was A call was issued for a conference and seventy provided from American funds. Then we had a African workers were present. After reviewing score of native workers; today we have a hundred the work of the mission during its first half-cenmuch better trained workers. Then we had some tury, I took the men into complete confidence and laid before them a summary of the receipts, dis- [347 ]
bursements and balances of the district funds for Two vital attainments to be achieved in transeach of the past five years. Summing up the sal- forming a mission into a native church lie in aries of several classes of workers I showed that workers' willingness to receive their remuneration it would take 4,000 angolares ($80.00) per month from the people rather than from the mission. to pay all of them, whereas we had on hand enough The village churches must also be ready to proto pay 25% of this from American funds. The vide their workers with remuneration commensuother 75% would have to come from local church- rate with the service rendered. es, from other remunerative labor, or from their gardens. Each quarter less money would come One fundamental question which must be defrom America for them, so that the time seemed cided concern the form which the ministry is to to have come when the native church must as- take. Is it to be a strictly professional ministry sume a much greater share of the responsibility in which the pastor spends all of his time in Chrisfor the support of its own ministry. tian work and receives his entire support from his people, or is it to be a ministry in which the Is Foreign Money Inexhaustible? pastor, trained at the mission, earns all of his sustenance from his gardens or from a trade, For many years our native workers seem to donating his ministerial labors to the village? have had the impression that there was an inex- Shall the ministry be supported in part by the peohaustible supply of American money in the mis- ple and in part from the pastors' own labors? The sion, and that the share each received depended latter seems to be the only feasible plan for the upon the plea he put up to secure it. To help present, at least, and will probably be the final them realize that every angolare I paid out for solution. An understanding of native customs such general expenses as the conference in which is necessary in determining the question. we were sitting, must be deducted from the amount available for salaries, I deducted the The African Ministry travel expenses of men, the cost of rations during the conference, the cost of sending a boy 150 miles In many instances native pastors spend little into the interior to advise the men of the confer- more time in their routine church work than their ence, and other expenses. Thus many of them for people spend listening to them. The African is a the first time came to the realization that there natural orator, such as no other race claims to be, actually was a limit to mission funds. I endeavored so that he requires less preparation for public to make them see that I was doing my utmost to discourses than one would estimate. Even the best secure for them an adequate subsistence, but I of our African preachers have very few books, or told them that in my judgment there would have other literature; a Bible, hymnal and Sunday to be developed a local rather than foreign source school quarterly being the extent of many a pasfor this subsistence. The word "salary" was re- tor's library. They do little pastoral work, such as placed by the word "assistance." From now on is done in America, but they spend many a day they must consider themselves as supported by listening to disputes, settling differences, and givtheir respective churches rather than by the mis- ing judgment on questions., being in reality an sion, and that if they proved themselves faithful unofficial justice of the peace. A teacher must and loving servants, they would be sufficiently sup- spend about three hours daily in the classroom plied with this world's goods to enable them to and practically every native worker should spend continue to break the Bread of Life to their peo- half of his time in his gardens, as do most of ple. his parishioners. As in all African families, the wife spends from sunrise until one o'clock in her Late in the afternoon, after having been given garden. Even when the man of the home is upon their "assistance," the workers left to return to a salary basis, cash never goes for common foods, their stations, determined to preach the Gospel but is used for taxes, clothes, and trinkets. Even to the utmost of their ability, regardless of the re- a new house costs nothing for floors, walls or roofmuneration they might receive from the mission. ing, all being obtained locally free of cost, the win- dows and doors, table and bed and chairs being We have now agreed that all villages near Mal- the only things requiring a monetary outlay. Land ange that request a worker must provide a house, is free, and if the worker has been taught a trade church, gardens, and some cash salary before the at the mission, he can usually earn some money by worker is sent. For villages among unevangelized simple carpentry, sandals, tailoring, and making peoples, it will be necessary for the mission to forged articles. provide for a small salary for the worker for the first two years, or until the worker's garden be- To get a native worker to accept his remuneragins to produce. This plan must be carefully safe- tion from his church instead of from the mission guarded, however, both the worker and his peo- presents many difficulties-and many opportuniple being made to realize that financial assistance ties. Every boy who passes the government exfrom the mission is very temporary. amination expects a "white-collar job," just as
WHEN A MISSION BECOMES A CHURCH
his wife who had been trained in the girls' school rial returns alone, the finest investment any village here expects to be excused from field work. Un- here could possibly make lies in providing for the til now these expectations have been largely real- Christian message in their midst. Africans are ized, made possible by the salaries paid by the mis- poor in this worlds goods, far too poor in fact to sion. Incidently, one-half of the problem of a continue their present expensive beliefs and reself-supporting church is the wife of the worker. ligious customs. Heathen in their hunger bow It is not reasonable to expect villages to support down to wood and stone-seeking an explanation their Christian leader as liberally as he has been for their experience, a search which every human supported by the mission. A native worker must heart has made in vain, until Christ has been partake liberally of the humility of our Master to found. When He has been found and His freedom make him willing to accept support from his local entered into, then our people will be able to secure church organization, and be responsible to that material as well as s.piritual rewards. church for the faithfulness and lovableness of his ministrations. The present situation makes it imperative that we take a big step forward toward establishing a What Can the People Pay? self-supporting Christian church here. Workers present at our recent conference accepted their On the other side, the village churches, after reduced income from the mission in a spirit that having considered for many years that they were warmed our hearts, especially when we saw how doing the mission a favor in allowing a Christian determined they were to continue preaching the worker in their midst, must be trained to make a Gospel for the salvation of their own people. One fair remuneration for the ministrations they re- worker, who had been unable to attend the con· ceive; and they must be convinced that the min- ference, later wrote that he would continue his ministry even though he never received any reistrations are worth the cost. In old days a man muneration from either the mission or from his own people. Our instructors at Quessua, both would pay an ox to be taught to sign his name, or those in the classrooms and those in the shops, several oxen to have his son taught to read and showed an excellent spirit in accepting lower pay. write. The mission has been giving an incompa- Rather apprehensive of my cobbler's attitude, I rably better education to the boys in our schools, called him into my office to appeal to him to coneven providing the boys with food, clothing, secrate himself as the others had done. When I shelter and school supplies. It has been not too asked his attitude towards the new wage-scale, he difficult to bring our people to the place where drew himself erect and answered, in typical Afrithey pay more liberally for medical treatments, can style: "Have you not given me five boys who and for the educational opportunities provided for passed the government examinations last January, their sons and daughters, than we would have be- for me to train in my art of cobbling? Will not lieved to be possible a few years ago. It is now these boys go out to preach the Gospel in places our task to bring villages to where they will re- where I cannot go, to preach it as I cannot since munerate their Christian workers adequately for I am an uneducated man? Has not God called me the benefits received. About twenty villages. have to help them to the best of my ability to be able been brought to this stage, though the present sit- to earn their sustenance as they preach the Gosuation leaves much to be desired. pel, when the mission cannot pay them? I want to continue teaching these boys, even if I receive An old missionary once told me that we should less pay." With a spirit of consecration and devonever expect our people out of their poverty to tion like this among our workers, we take courage support Christian workers. If this were so, our and press on, feeling confident that God will outlook would be hopeless for progress would be abundantly bless our labors. held down in direct ratio to the amount of American money expended. An Evidence of Success In this way we could never hope to attain the In transforming our mission into a native supreme purpose of mission work. But I have no Christian church, we will be called upon to solve doubt about the ability of the people to support many perplexing problems, to straighten out their Christian ministry, even though the cost be many difficult situations, to exercise many years without material return to them. When converts of patience, tact, foresight, and love. We realize become true disciples of our Lord, and come into that there may be at stake the results of fifty years that freedom which is found alone in Him, they of missionary labor which has cost so much in no longer are bound by their prohibitive taboos lives and money. If we fail, then we shall know and superstitions, and no longer pay so dearly for that the expenditure of a half million dollars and their useless fetishes and amulets; they will no the sacrifice of thirty lives has not yet succeeded longer submit to such death-dealing practices as in establishing here a Christian church that can the sas,s-wood test administered by their witchdoctors. Considered from the standpoint of mate-
be trusted to perpetuate the Christian message tude, so that we may train our converts gladly to through its own efforts in the power of the Holy support the bearers of the Christian message. We Spirit. During the future months we may be can no longer "call" workers from among the called upon to undergo many disappointments in school boys, providing them with work which will seeing our workers and stations and followers enable them to live in relative luxury and ease. diminish in numbers, when they realize that funds We shall have to revive the Master's appeal for from America will no longer be sufficient to main- our boys to take up the cross and follow Him, be tain them as heretofore. But we are confident of the -sacrifices what they may. From many angles, ultimate success in founding a Christian Church it appears to us that the present situation has been which shall endure. How could we be otherwise brought about through the wisdom and love of when we are under a divine leadership, when our God; we feel that the present step we are now native workers, upon whom in final analysis rests compelled to take will be wonderfully blessed by so much of the responsibility for success, are so Him, and will result in great increases in the determined and consecrated and confident that the number of true disciples, and in the appearance work must go on? of a rapidly emerging native Christian Church, which shall be self-supporting, self-propagating Our planning for the future of the work and self-governing. throughout the land must take on a different atti- The Perpetual Value of Foreign Missions By the REV. DWIGHT M. DONALDSON, Meshed, Iran I T IS inspiring to spend a morning roaming third man, Dr. Newton Donaldson, was prevented about Westminster Abbey, London, pausing from going to Persia as he had planned, but he before the tombs of famous men, but there i,s and his wife were always enthusiastic in their something still more intimately uplifting for some missionary interest in the pastorate at home. As of us about going into the prayer-meeting rooms their son I have the privilege of working in Persia. of churches where successive generations have His sister, Elma Donaldson, went to India, where worshipped, and to see the pictures of godly pas- she served at Dehra Dunn with devotion until she tors who have spent their lives proclaiming the was seventy years of age. A daughter, Mary Don- Gospel. aldson, went to China in 192'4.
The late Dr. George Alexander, of New York, Thus a real interest in foreign missions will ingave forty-six years of deeply spiritual service on spire succes,sive generations to take part in the the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian permanent business of promoting the cause of Church. Seven of his classmates at Princeton Christ in all lands. Seminary went to the foreign field, and all died in service. Life is no more static in foreign countries than it is at home. It might be asked facetiously, "Why Over fifty years ago, as a young man returning should the land of the Pilgrim fathers, the land of from India on his first furlough, Dr. J. J. Lucas the Scotch Covenanters, the land of the Quakers, had talks with three students in Western Theo- still require the expenditure of millions of dollars logical Seminary in Pittsburgh. He won their annually in national missions?" Others might inrespect and confidence and was able to help them quire, "Why should the country with the greatest reach a decision in their most important life prob- system of public schools and State universities in lem. At that time all three of these men decided the world need money from a Church Board of to become foreign missionaries. One of them, Education ?" The answer to both of these ques- Dr. A. C. Good, went to West Africa, where he tions lies in the present-day problems in the died after twelve years of vigorous missionary United States. If anyone suggests that economy adventure, and where he has been followed by his in church expenditures could be effected by reson, Dr. Albert I. Good, of Elat. The second man, garding the foreign missionary enterprise as a Dr. John Eaken, went to Siam and carried heavy temporary phase of Christian activity, we should responsibility, with sustained evangelistic zeal, realize that the momentous changes that have for more than forty years. His sons, Paul and taken place in foreign lands make an insistent and John Eaken, and his daughter, Ruth Eaken, are imperative demand upon Christian people. giving life service to the Gospel in Siam. The Where illiteracy and superstition and idolatry
THE. NEED FOR. A LIVING FAITH
have given way before the enlightenment of claimed and the reality of the divine Spirit must Christian education, with its churches, schools and be shown in human lives. hospitals, there are new assets for righteousness in the world. Some of the second and third gen- The spirit of nationalism must yield to the eration Christians fill chairs in colleges or work spirit of Christ. As national churches arise, it is as pastors or editors or evangelists. Missionaries the fact that they are Christian and not merely may no longer be needed to fill these P.ositions national that enables them to be admitted at once abroad but the work of the Gospel must still be to the great international Church of Christ. The carried on by other methods in other places. saying, "Let every nation determine its own re- ligion," is utterly inconsistent with the whole Modern civilization has displaced much ancient tenor of the Gospel. Christians are soOns of n.o error and superstition, but there has c.ome ma- national god, and they have been redeemed by terialism and a more obstinate heathenism of in- no national saviour. The w.orld-wide clash bedifference to spiritual things. Educated Chinese tween capitalism and communism knows no naand Japanese, and Hindus and Moslems, are find- tional boundaries. The auth.ority of Jesus Christ ing that for them the alternative is not between must be recognized as universal. The Christian one religion and another but between Christ and Gospel is of permanent and universal value, and atheism. In Iran Islam is losing its hold on edu- at this time when thoughtful students throughout cated men. Nevertheless the fad remains that the world realize that crass materialism has made Christianity is only beginning to be understood. its sensational denials in vain, the message is espe- Great walls of prejudice and misapprehension cially pertinent. Ambassad.ors of Christ preach have fallen down and there are eyes to see and not a mission of temporary philanthropy, but the ears to hear as there have never been before. universal offer of salvation through Christ and For this very reason the Gospel must still be pro- the everlasting Kingdom of God.
The Need for a Living Faith* By REV. J. W. BURTON, Sydney, Australia Secretary of the Australian Methodist Missionary Society O PTIMISM, we are told, is a great asset for with many luxuries-and many horrors. It has missi.ons. If you want people to contribute given us aeroplanes-and baby-killing bombers; to missions, serve up the bright side .of it has created marvels in chemistry-and pois.on things, tell them .of the "glorious Gospel tri- gas; it has built for us swift motor cars-and umphs," and put the soft pedal on failures and military tanks; it has given us wireless-and nadisappointments. If the income drops, do not tionalistic propaganda; it has lengthened the span advertise that; but if the truth leaks out, then .of human life-and taught us h.oW to cut off the explain the shrinkage as, plausibly as possible. stream of life, so that by birth-control a race may The wand, however, is obviously losing some of be more quickly exterminated than by disease. its magic, and thoughtful people are incon- Let the optimist sound his ram's horn and see if veniently asking for naked facts. these walls will fall down.
Our Lord was not the facile optimist some What chance has spiritual religion in this W.orld would like to paint Him. He s,aw the true condi- of nationalism, materialism, and militarism? tion .of the world in His day. He came .of the line What has the Church, representing Christ, to say of prophets who did not speak comfortable things. The story .of the sower suggests that of the four to economic manslaughter and race suicide? Ruskinds of soil, only one yielded satisfactory results; sia has thrown out the Church, asserting that it the illustration of the tares indicates tpat we must prevents social progress; Germany has banned it not expect a hundred per cent harvest; while the because it demands a loyalty other than to the descripti.on of the net full .of fish shows that there State; Mexico and Spain have challenged it beis wastage. That aspect of our Lord's teaching cause it keeps down the people; many other counhas not had due consideration. tries have done even worse-they have ignored it. According to the totalitarian conception the State We once th.ought that science would lay down a and its interests must be supreme. "Battle pracstraight road for the millennium; but we have tice" is considered more important than the quiet been tragically disillusioned. It has provided us w.orship of God; to learn artistically to thrust a bay.onet in human flesh is of more value to the • Condensed from The Missionary Review, Australia.
State than is· education or slum clearance; the others with the life and death of our Lord. It is profits of a lottery are worth more to the State's by a new spirit of unselfishness. and by a real ap- coffers than the honesty of its citizens; and party plication of the Cross- (not as a theological doc- funds and vested interests come before social re- trine, but as a stern spirit) to aU human life- form and human welfare. whether individual, social, national or interna- No wonder gloomy prophets can find a hearing tional-that we can bring back faith.
when they are so glibly announcing the end of the It is faith we need-faith in the eternal God world; the fear of many is that their prophecies who has revealed the quality of His life and the may not be fulfilled. trend of His will in our Lord Jesus Christ. This Does all this mean that faith – the power to has implications. for the whole Church, and spe- apprehend and appreciate the spiritual-is in de- cial implication for missions.
cline? Spiritual values are simply irrelevant in We must make our appeal more and more spir- this world of brute force and organized hatred. itual. There must be an awakening of the The Christian religion is increasingly suspect be- Church's conscience, far too dormant today, in cause it preaches a Gospel of goodwill. Missions regard to our duty to the wider world. Members in some countries have become a danger to state- of Christ's Church have definitely 'pledged them- craft, for they have proclaimed a world brother- selves in loyalty to Him and they must be aroused hood and have protested against national and ra- to its implications. Let us first face the problem cial discriminations. This narrow conception of of the adult member, who seemingly has little the supremacy of the State-whether in times of interest in winning the world for Ghrist. The peace or war-is entirely incompatible with the missionary meeting has almost vanished as an faith that Jesus is her only Lord. Though we effective method of presenting the "claims of mis- shall suffer, and may be persecuted unto death, sions." Many other interests have sprung up in we must be loyal above all else to Christ and His the last hundred years, and no one in any other eternal love and sacrifice. realm trusts to a public meeting to carry a mes- The new paganism affects our Christian work sage. Our methods of appeal need drastic re- at home and lowers the enthusiasm and passion vision. We place too much emphasis upon results for world evangelization. Depleted voluntary giv- in money. The blunt truth is that most of us are ing is only one incidence of spiritual regression. giving beyond our spiritual interest: it is the What are we to do? Play the ostrich and ignore quickening of spirit that is our deepest need.
danger? Repeat piously "God's in His heaven, That assured, the money will come naturally and all's right with the world?" Quote heartening spontaneously-as. it always should.
texts that have no real application to the situa- We may be obliged to start humbly-in little tion? Attempt to bluff people by weak smiles and groups of three or four-meeting together to talk sugary optimism? Or shall we give up the strug- and pray over the Kingdom of God throughout gle and make ourselves believe that we are in the the world, informing our minds by the study of grip of uncontrollable world forces, and with a material dealing with the concrete needs of the stoic fatalism let the heavens, fall when they will? world, and encouraging one another in this world Or shall we pursue a crackle-of-thorns-under- fellowship. There is no need to wait for some the-pot policy, and attempt to attract people by organization to start such a group. You can call entertainment; devise tempting schemes and a few of your friends together in your own home catchy slogans to lure people to the support of for prayer and missionary study. One of the the missionary cause? dangers O'f our religious enterprises is this super- In our hearts we know that all these things are structure of organization. It takes so much of futile. We must go deep. the coal we carry to stoke the engines. The min- We must realize that the whole trouble is spir- ister is often a busy man with a hundred and one itual. It is the human spirit to which we must thi'llgs to attend to, it is scarcely fair to make him address ourselves, for we are perfectly sure of responsible for forming and carrying on a group, the Spirit of God. His Will is that the world though it would be well to consult him before should be saved, but it is man's self-will that pre- starting one. Groups can start with the infor- vents world salvation. It is a birth from above mation contained in the Missionary Review. There that is needed – a regeneration of the human are also many books dealing with world missions.
spirit. We shall not win by compromising with We have surely enough missionary-minded people the world, by adorning our appeal with confec- in our churches to commence a little group in tionery; we shall win only as we succeed in chal- every church. Live cells live by division, and lenging our own selfishness and the selfishness. of more life comes into being.
Youth of the Church
By H. S. RANDOLPH Secretary of the Unit of Rural Church Work, Board of National Missions, Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
I N THE early history of the American nation assurance to owning and cultivating land as did our rural youth knew no frontier limits. There his forebears. Consequently farm life has lost was land-good land, new land—everywhere, much of its charm for youth. Poor land holds out two billion acres of it ; nearly a billion acres were little challenge, and there is not much greater covered with virgin forest and challenge to a young man to over a half-billion acres with spend his life toiling even on luxurious grass. The nation pos- good land that he cannot afford sessed resources that seemed to to own.
be inexhaustible. This situation Today a rural youth sees that gave birth to 'It youth fired with what his father had been able to profound spiritual qualities of earn in a year is wholly insuffi- confidence, hope, ambition, aspir- cient to pay the taxes and the ation, determination, pride and interest and principal payments self-respect, qualities w h i c h o n the farm mortgage. He has closely paralleled the ideals for seen the farm sold on the block personal attainment in the to a foreigner while his father Christian Church. Therefore ru- has become a tenant, and may ral youth found an opportunity even lose his place as a tenant.
to express its finer qualities Such experiences have forced through the church. In fact the many rural youth to give up church was the only institution their dreams of owning a farm, in which the entire community or of owning anything else; could adequately express the so- dreams of school and college cial, educational, spiritual and have vanished; books and travel other important aspects of its are too expensive to consider; life. the old family car and the house- Today, after more than 300 told furnishings are rapidly years of American history, there wearing out, and cannot be re- is no frontier in the nation placed for there is no money which promi£es inexhaustible available.
wealth. Those old frontiers have This decline in rural resources been exploited, and ours is no and wealth, and the breaking of longer spoken of as "the richest rural morale, have been sorely and most favored continent on felt by the rural church. Lack the face of the earth." In less of clothing suitable for Sunday than 300 years the frontier has has kept many a rural lad and disappeared and rural youth lassie away from Sunday school now races a national problem and church. Perhaps the old presented by a shortage of eco- car won't run, and it is too far nomically productive land. Much A MOU~TAIN BOY LEAVING HOME to walle As a result there is no of the nation's soil is now de- church going. In many instances pleted or suffers from want of the rural economic condition has insufficient moisture. Rural youth faces the prob- made the church pastorless because the community lem of inability to work highly productive land, could not support even a part-time minister. Mis- for such land is too high-priced to be owned sion Boards either did not see the need or did not wholly by the individual farmer. Therefore mo- have available funds to meet it. In the course of dern youth cannot look forward with any great time the rural church closed its doors and be- [ 353 ]
came a ghost in the community-broken windows, either directly or indirectly for youth, the probpaint gone; weeds and briars grown up-all make lems of rural youth are far from being solved. an unsightly landscape. All this brings home to rural youth a sense of the insecurity of the coun- Many look to rural schools for the solution of tryside, leaving in its wake broken confidence, youth problems. Our schools do much to develop torn aspirations, blasted hopes, stunted determi- courage in the life processes of youth. New honation, bleeding pride, and lost self-respect. rizons are seen; new knowledge and skills are acquired. But here we must be disillusioned, for ThElre are twenty-one million youth in America; the rural school training· too often has had only and of these ten million are rural. They live on indirect relation to future work and therefore fails the farms or in country villages; many live in miserably to prepare youth to enter adult vocalittle unsanitary cabins on eroded and depleted tional life. However, we must recognize the trefarms, or on cut-over timber lands. Others live mendous impact which our schools make in the life in stranded villages in improvised houses going of youth. to rack and ruin. In the disadvantaged open country and in rural towns the young people are As a result of present day educational apoften under-nourished so that they fall easy vic- proaches rural youth, as never before, is questiontims to disease. They are unemployed and des- ing things as they have been and are. Old verities perate. lose their moral force in the presence of the logic of today's youth. They are learning how to dis- In many areas there are prosperous farms and cover new truths, how to create new patterns of vigorous, well-eared-for young people who move social and moral behavior. This situation renon in the realm of noble dreams; but these do not ders the approach of adults to youth problems far represent our rural mission problem today. Out more difficult than that of an earlier day. In a in the marginal disadvantaged areas throughout recent state-wide church group of rural youth this all rural America, forces are sensitive and opera- significant resolution was passed: "Our adults tive, endeavoring to bring back to disadvantaged have more problems of their own than they can rural youth the more abundant opportunities in solve. It is therefore highly necessary that we life. Perhaps it is not too late to recapture and go about to solve our own problems." conserve the finer achievements of American rurallife down through the centuries, and to rebuild The church probably has more rural youth in rural youth by making available the resources by its membership than in any other rural institution which the profounder depths of personality are or organization. Are we helping them to discover developed and maintained. themselves, their spiritual abilities and powers in the church and community? Have we been too The Federal Government is making a contribu- much interested in organizations in the church tion through certain emergency measures, such as for youth rather than in youth itself? We have the National Youth Administration, whereby it preached a great deal at youth, and we have creaids many rural youth to attend school. It has ated a great many things for them with the hope provided special courses in agricultural colleges of building up their faith and loyalty to the for farm boys and girls; it conducts work projects church, but too often our church organizations, for thousands of rural youth, as well as educa- our doctrines, our creeds, and our preachments tional guidance and job placement. More than have not been open doors of behavior patterns on 900,000 rural youth from low income relief fam- the level of youth's interests. ilies have been aided through the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Work Progress Administra- Youth in the country would like to see in their tion has reached a considerable number of rural churches and in the religious life of their people, youth through education projects, work projects, beauty and order together with a vital program and by provision for recreational activities. Other of action. They want responsibility for doing governmental agencies have aided rural youth things of great moment. They want a recreamore or less indirectly. tional program that embodies the development of skills and ability, as well as amusement. They Rural youth has also been greatly affected by want to experience a cooperative way of life for certain non-government agencies working in ru- the community. They want a spiritual program ral areas, such as the 4-H Clubs, Future Farmers which ties them to God through the church. They of America, Farm Bureau, Farmers Educational are asking for a voice in the midst of a faulty eduand Cooperative Union, and the National Grange. cation and in the breakdown of economic order These have developed to a very considerable ex- and unemployment. They are asking to be heard tent in rural areas. In addition there are many in a world of prejudices where there is a denial of localized projects throughout the country. It is opportunities-poverty, wars, and rumors of generally admitted that even with all these gov- wars. Youth calls for a prophet to lead them. ernment and non-government agencies, at work They are very eager to know about true religion.
RURAL YOUTH OF THE CHURCH TODAY
They want to see the church tie up vitally with the situation from it religious point of view was well rest of their life, with their school program, their expressed by one of the men of the community in dubs,societies, and their vocational interests. these terse words: "Our young people were going Back in an isolated cove of the Southern Moun- to Hell." On the one hand the fine, well-equipped, tains, where youth is supposed to be retarded and well-organized consolidated school was doing a bashful, the energies of a group of boys and girls, suc'cessful job for its youth; on the other hand who knew only how to "raise HeU" all up and there were four poor churches with divided inter- down the creek, drinking and cursing, were so ests, doing a very poor job for the same group of redirected under the leadership of a wise, pro- youth; this led the people of the community to do phetic laymen, that in the period of two years some serious thinking which ultimately led them they were quite capable of doing to unite their churches to form things that made them and oth- one large positive force. They ers happy. called a strong minister as their They took an old school house resident leader, and now have a and remodeled it to make a beau- church which the youth can look tiful rural church. After the upon with pride and say, "Our building was completed and church is just as fine as our cenpainted they landscaped it with tralized school. Our minister is native plants and trees. Later just as good as the principal of they built a recreational building our school. He is interested in all in the midst of a rhododendron the things we do and his friendly thicket .beside a swiftly flowing counsel helps us to do them betmountain stream. The hoys and ter."
girls worked together on these This new united church is projects during their spare time. crowded with young people.
Now they are singing the folk They are doing things in that songs and playing the folk games church which are just as cre- of the Southern Mountains and ative as those which they do of other countries. Near the through their 4-H Club work.
recreational building is an out- They have their Young People's door rendezvous. Needless to meetings, their club, recreation- say, all the young people of that al groups, and many special pro- community are actively enthusi- grams which they carry through.
astic. They are conscious that A wise lay leader found himthey have played a large creative self a few years ago in the open part in the reconstruction of the country in a beautiful valley of spiritual and social life of their about thirty square miles in area community. There is no diffi- where there were a number of culty here about the young peo- country churches and hundreds ple attending church or Sunday of young people. The ministers school or any other activity for were all bewailing the lack of the good of the community, for religious interest on the part of they have helped to create it, it the youth. They took every opis theirs. They are proud of it. portunity to tell them of their About eighteen years ago a sins, but had little to offer as rural community experienced substitutes except what to the the birth of a new consolidated RURAL YOUTH TODAY AT SCHOOL youth were vague abstract ideas.
public school made possible by The young people of the valley improved roads through the country districts and were called together one Sunday night for an open a growing cooperative spirit among the people. forum. Here they discussed their needs. That All the children of the community were brought very night an organization of the young people of to this fine school, which had a beautiful building, the valley was formed to meet monthly for var- good equipment, and excellent teachers. ious purposes. They met for social and recrea- In that same rural community ' were four tional activities; they met to sing; they spon- churches, all with poor buildings, no resident min- sored the Sunrise Easter Service of the commu- ister, church membership weak and becoming nity; they later created a Young People's Council weaker, Sunday schools gradually dying, no of the churches. Through this Youth Council de- young people's organizations. The young people's nominatioi1al harries were broken down through-
out the valley and a cooperative church spirit was effectively restored and saved to the nation their born that could never have existed had not the confidence, hope, ambition, aspiration, determina- youth been organized in this creative fashion. tion, pride and self-respect must be reconstructed.
Here the young people developed a new spiritual This is the task of the rural church, for there is life for themselves and also for their community, no other institution that can undertake and carry all of which has been reflected in the life of the through such a momentous responsibility. There churches of the area. is no other institution known to rural life that is Give rural young people a chance to use their so well fitted with philosophy, idealism and methcreative genius in the church under wise Chris- od to provide the needed sympathy and prophetic tian leadership and we need not fear them or fear direction to complete rural living by disadvanfor them. They know well the significance of taged youth of the soil as is the Christian Church. creative work. They bring out of a setting of The holy work of the rural church is to build out eggs a flock of chickens; out of a pig they develop of these hopeless, spiritless lives which poverty a hog; they grow a cow out of a calf. Out of has strewn over this fair land of ours, youthful grains of wheat, corn, or cotton they produce a lives strong and true.
worthy harvest. God's creative way of living is Herein is a challenge to our Christian churches an integral part of the life of rural youth. As for unity of purpose and method of work, such as rural church leaders we must translate this vital never has come from the good earth of America, power of youth into the spiritual world and teach to provide a good church without competition in them how to live creatively in the Kingdom of every American rural community, with a well- God. • trained and efficient ministry, and an ongoing Rural youth has a big job in any community, a program attuned to the problems, needs and activ- job that will challenge ities of rural youth, their creative zeal, a job thus creating a new that should build them Christian rural life.
into integral parts of the church life. What MOUNTAIN CHIL- is needed to reach such DREN READ THEIR a goal is a wise leader TESTAMENTS to help youth discover The Bible Institute its spiritual job in the Colportage Association, church and community founded by Dwight L.
and to frankly face that Moody in 1894 for the job and see it through. pUblication and distri- Youth, through the bution 0 f evangelical consolidated schools and Christian literature, other community insti- A RURAL CHURCH IN THE MOUNTAINS-AT CARMEN sent 9,969 shipments of tutions, is learning to books, booklets, Gospels, live and act cooperatively. Too frequently the New Testaments, Gospel tracts and miscellaneous churches are too numerous in rural communities. books to mountain schools in the South last year They are competitive in character and disrupt the -a total of 564,682 copies.
social unity of the community. All of this is a The Episcopal Recorder quotes from a letter mystery to oncoming youth. 'They wonder why written by a mountain girl to her teacher, in which there should be such a division and competition she says: in Christian life and work. Our rural youth offer a new challenge to united religious effort in all "Mother and Dad never had a Bible in their of our rural communities. Christian intelligence house, and never did any reading, until you gave demands a united church, the best of equipment, us the Book of John and the Pocket Treasury; the finest leadership and program, so that when but now they are getting interested in the Lora." youth compares its church with its school it will The teacher adds: "The children are more interfind that the church is an institution of which it ested in the Lord and want to take fifteen minutes each day to read th~ir Testaments. They are askcan justly be proud because of what it does for ing questions about the Bible. I want them to them, then they will give to it their loyalty, their read the Testament through before school is out, support, and their lives. and help them in every way I can."
Many of the ten million youth in rural Amer- Teachers in these mountain schools report a ica are disadvantaged through poverty. The gov- marked improvement in the morals and conduct of ernment and other organizations are making their their pupils since this work of literature distribu- contributions but if these young people are to be tion was undertaken.
Today and
By a WAYFARER The author of this article has first-hand knowledge of the situation in Spain T HE end of the Civil War in Spain, with the ister of the former, the Rev. Atilano Coco was shot surrender of Madrid on the 28th of March in prison; the incumbent of the latter, Rev. Mr. brought to an end one of the great tragedies Borrobia is still in prison. Liberty of propaof modern times. All who know Spain never had ganda, without which a religious minority cannot any doubt as to the ultimate issue, but all were thrive, was carried on normally in Government surprised that an improvised army, without sci- territory but was prohibited in the Nationalist entific training, was able to hold out so long area. The sale of the Christian Scriptures reached against superior forces equipped with modern record figures in republic or Loyalist Spain durlethal weapons. Neither side is without reproach ing the conflict but was prohibited in the country for many excesses· were committed that history dominated by General Franco. Registered parcels will condemn. The Nationalists, in spite of their of Bibles, sent from London to Vigo, were reclaim to a pure patriotism, opened the door to the turned marked "Prohibited by the Military Cenforeign invader and armed the Moors, the heredi- sorship."
tary enemies of Spain, in order that they might Fears for the safety of the Protestant minority kill Christians. The ruthless repression of the and the continuance of the work lead the British Basque autonomists, with its massacre of priests Committee for the Evangelization of Spain to ap- and civilians will not soon be forgotten. Franco point a delegation, under the presidency of Dr.
too seems to have been unable to restrain the Rushbrook, to call on the Duke of Alba, the official Falangists and Requetes in their zeal to extermi- representative of the Nationalist Government in nate "the Red vermin." Spanish Anarchists, al- London, asking for assurances of protection and lied with Communists, by killing priests and burn- liberty. Through his good offices certain questions ing churches, discredited the Loyalist Govern- concerning the maintenance of religious liberty ment cause and alienated sympathy that would and propaganda were submitted to General Franco otherwise have been theirs. It would be as fool- who later replied guaranteeing liberty of worship. ish to hold Senor Azana personally responsible for On being further questioned as to whether this . this as it would be to make Franco wholly respon- included liberty of propaganda the General replied sible for the excesses of his irregular troops. It in the affirmative and this declaration was pub- is a significant fact neither seems to have pos- lished in English newspapers. sessed the authority necessary to dominate the sit- uation. In this age, however, promises do not seem to have the same sacred character as formerly. The As to the religious situation generally speaking dead cannot- be raised but if General Franco would both sides maintained the degree of religious lib- release Evangelical workers who are still in pris- erty that obtained in Spain at the outbreak of the on and allow the reopening of closed Protestant war. At an early stage the Government published churches, such as those of Barcelona that have a decree to prevent excesses and inviting Roman been closed since the Nationalist occupation of Catholic priests to return to their parishes. At the city, that would go far to inspire confidence. no time was Protestant worship suspended in the Government-controlled area; nor were their build- Moreover the news that filters through from ings destroyed. Christian services were carried Spain is increasingly ominous. On the 3d of May on throughout the struggle, frequently in build- a decree ordered the replacing of the Crucifix in ings damaged by enemy aircraft. In Nationalist all schools, whether Government or private. None territory Roman Catholic worship was celebrated will be allowed to function until it has obeyed this in pre-republican splendor. Protestant services injunction. The teaching of the Roman Catholic continued without interference in most towns and religion has been made obligatory in all schools. were well attended. Conspicuous exceptions were The children are obliged to attend Mass. If any Salamanca and Valladolid where Protestant special provision has been made for non-Catholic churches were closed early in the war. The min- children we have not heard of it. All civil serv- ants too are required to give proof of Catholic [357 ]
piety (pruebas de piedad cristia1W) , that is to be brothers united in one conception of the State say, fulfil the obligations of the Roman Catholic and in one religion." But Franco's forces contain religion. Again there is no mention of exemption groups with opposing ideologies. It is easier for non-Catholics. A list of prohibited books has to conceive the lion and the lamb lying down been prepared. Only accepted books may be circulated in Spanish in Spain. Inquiries at the together than Falangists and Requetes living in Spanish Embassy brought forth the statement peace. The Spaniards are a proud people whose that the Bible is not included in the list. Finally, soil has been trodden and their blood shed by foraccording to newspaper and radio reports, the eign invaders. Official friendship may be main- Civil Marriage Law, instituted by the Republic, tained with the invading countries but the people has been repealed and 60 days have been given to who have suffered will not forget. It is even more all married under this law to remarry according difficult to visualize post-civil-war Spain as united to Roman Catholic rites. Failing this their chil- by a common religion. A large part of many of dren will be declared illegitimate. Now as confes- the Spanish people have an inherited hatred and sion is required before marriage in the Roman distrust of the Roman Catholic Church which is Catholic Church, and no so called, "heretic" can considered as the enemy of liberty and a barrier receive absolution, remarriage, under these con- to progress. This feeling has shown itself in ditions, would seem to be equivalent to being re- periods of national tumult by the burning of ceived into the Church. The Spanish Embassy church property. Is it conceivable that the conconfirms the, promulgation of this Law but they duct of the Roman Catholic Church during the have not yet received the text. The conservative civil war was such as to win these people for its French newspaper Le Temps in its issue of April cause? There have been too many priests of the 25th, says that more than 30,000 couples in Madrid type of Zafra who, waving his pistol in the air, alone are affected. They are being remarried at boasted that it has sent more than 100 Marxists to the rate of 650 a day. their account. Even the holy lives and sacrificial death of such men as the Franciscan, Father Re- What will be the position of non-Catholics under ville, who was shot for protesting against the murthis reactionary decree? We do not know as we der of inoffensive citizens, cannot blot out the have not seen the text. We can only hope that memory of others better known whose conduct was there are attenuating clauses in it that are not different. Cardinal Mercier, whose heroism Belmentioned in the first reports. gium will never forget, visited Spain on one occa- I On the 19th of April a deputation from the sion. On his return a friend congratulated him on i'British Committee" again called at the Spanish having seen that most Christian country, to which Embassy in London. In the absence of the Am- the Cardinal replied pensively, "Christian? Do bassador the news of the closing of the Barcelona you think so?" churches-the other information mentioned above had not then been received-was brought to the Spain needs Christ. Not the crucifix hanging notice of the Chief Secretary, the Marquis de los round the necks of bloodstained Requetes and Santos, and the contrast between this event and Moors but the Christ of the Gospels who died the promises given on the occasion of the previ- expressing forgiveness to his enemies. He alone ous visit were emphasized. can lead Spain forward to that new epoch of peace and prosperity desired by all true friends. Pray We hear much of the new Spain that is to rise that there may be an open-door in Spain for men on the ruins of the old. It is, we are told, to be who incarnate the virtues associated with the di- "prosperous and powerful. Its inhabitance will vine character of Jesus, the Christ.
One of India's political leaders said of Stanley Jones: "We always know where he is com- ing out. If he begins at the binomial theorem, he will come out at the place of conversion." And to this Stanley Jones replies: "Right. I make no apologies, for life comes out at that place. Amid all the changes which have taken place in the mind and spirit of this age there is one underlying need that has not changed-men need conversion. But we now see that that conversion is bigger in its scope than we had dreamed-the individual and society must shift the basis from self-centeredness to God. For conversion is that change, sudden or gradual, by which we pass from the kingdom of self to the Kingdom of God through the grace and power of Christ."
and Religion in
By REV. and MRS. PHINEAS B. KENNEDY, recently * of Kortcha; founders of the Albanian Mission A LBANIA, which has recently been front page day dropped leaflets guaranteeing the free exer- .r-. news in the press dispatches on account of cise of religious beliefs." the Italian occupation and the flight of The virile Albanian mountaineers trace their King Zog with his wife and baby, lies north and history (according to Max Muller and others) west of Greece, and across the Adriatic Sea from back to the Pelasgic race. In ancient times they Italy. The country is smaller than the State of were pushed back into their mountain fortresses Maryland and the total population (800,000) is by the Romans, Goths, Bulgars, Serbs, and Turks.
about the size of Baltimore. The people are three- For nearly five hundred years they remained fourths Mohammedan; the remaining fourth be- under the Turks, then they became independent; ing about equally divided between the Roman now they are subject to Italy.
Catholics of the north and the Eastern Orthodox The first Bible colporteur to come to these moun- of the south. Islam was forced on this sturdy tain people was Gerasim Kyrias, an Albanian. He race before the fall of Constantinople in 1453. had been educated under the American Board Their honored patriot, George Castriot Skender- Mission. He was captured and held for ransom, beg who died in 1468, is the hero in James M. but money was raised, through the efforts of the Ludlow's "A Captain of the Janissaries." Evangelical missionaries, and was used for his re':'
The Rev. Arthur W. Konrad of the Evangelical lease. While his health was seriously impaired Mission writes that some Italian bombs proved to by his rigorous experience, he and his sister were be "stuffed with paper and wood, used only to instrumental in establishing in Kortcha an evanscare and not to exterminate." He speaks also of gelical day and boarding school for girls in 1891. the friendliness of the Italian army when it en- This school they carried on for some years. tered the city of Kortcha. A generation ago a young Mohammedan Al- At latest reports the Albanian flag was still banian entered the offic·e of the American Board flying with the flag of Italy. Albania has now a of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in Boston reconstructed government, and, according to and gave a modern Macedonian call: "Come over newspaper accounts, many of the people are jubi- and help us." This touched the heart of the secrelant over having Victor Emanuel III as King and tary of the Board, Dr. James L. Barton, and a Emperor. Albania has lost her brief independ- special fund was raised which enabled the Board ence and she is now related closely with to send out Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy in 1907. While Italy in whatever the future holds. Since the the Turks attempted to prevent the missionaries' Italian occupation of Albania, (April, 1939) there entrance, permission was finally granted on the has been time for some details to filter through basis of American treaty rights. The little school to America. This occupation seems to have been started by Gerasim Kyrias in Kortcha was a veriinevitable due to several years of Italian financial table "cradle of liberty" and was the only girls' aid in the material development of the country. school in the country where the Albanian lan- Moreover dissatisfaction was beginning to be felt guage was taught. Preaching and Sabbath school by many of the Albanians against the Zog regime services in the language of the people were held, in which overtaxed the people. spite of opposition both from the Turkish Govern- ment and from the Moslem and Greek Orthodox The Rev. Edwin Jacques, another Evangelical leaders. From time to time Albanians have conmissionaries, says in his "postscript" to a recent fessed their faith in Christ and have been received circular letter (written before the occupation), into the little Evangelical circle. The occupation "To quiet Moslem forebodings airplanes yester- of southern Albania, during the Balkan War made it necessary for the missionaries to leave, but the * Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, the founders of the Albanian Evangelical way was opened to do relief work among the starving and dying Moslem refugees in the north, MiSSion, are now in America, having passed over to their fellow with headquarters in Durazzo. After four or five miSSionaries, Messrs. Jacques and Konrad, all the property held by them, both mission and private. Their address is 332 West 12th Street, New York. They expect to work among Albanian communities in America and are ready to accept speaking engagements.
-EDITOR.
[359 ]
years' absence, while the World War was still in Two young missionary couples, Rev. and Mrs. progress, the Kennedys were able to re-enter Kortcha, and soon the attendance at the re-opened Edwin Jacques and Rev. and Mrs. Arthur W. school and at the Evangelical services was larger than before. Konrad were added to the staff and are now con- The income of the American Board being in- ducting the mission. adequate they decided to withdraw from Albania in 1922, expecting that another board would take While the great need in Albania today is to over the work, but this was not done. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy therefore decided to conduct the reach tre Moslems, there is also a call to teach work on interdenominational lines and founded the Evangelical Mission as an independent "Faith" the unenlightened Roman Catholic and Greek work in 1923. The so-called Kyrias School, having been moved to Tirana, the capital, a new school Orthodox Christians. Albanians are "very reliwas established in Kortcha and village evangelistic services were carried on regularly. When the gious" but their religion is largely outward and independent State was formed, the Albanian language could be taught without the protection of formal. Those who have had a real experience the American flag so that many, who were not vitally interested in the dospel, lost their interest of Christ are deeply concerned for the salvation in the mission. Nevertheless the school grew so that it was necessary to add more rooms and em- of their fellow Albanians. ploy additional teachers. The Bible was regularly taught in all classes three times a week and new The country has passed through many political . members were added to the Evangelical circle. Later, with the growth of nationalism, the Al- changes under Turkish, Greek, French, Albanian banian Government was influenced to close all private schools, including the mission school. The and now Italian flags. What this new change may prejudice of the people has been dispelled, and more time can be devoted to distinct evangelism. mean for Evangelical work is known only to God.
Certain it is that the Albanian people need the clear Gospel message, proclaimed by the power of the Spirit of God. .
Some day there may be a Christian mass move- ment in Albania, for many are dissatisfied with empty religious forms and superstition. They are "almost persuaded" to become real followers of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. They are a noble race of people, and hold a strategic position in the Bal- kans. Shall we not give them the entire Bible in their language, and evangelize this field while it is yet day? The night cometh in Europe and the Near East, when no man can work.
Liberty and Religion in Red Russia * By COLONEL F. J. MILES, D.S.O., O.B.E., V.D.
International Secretary of the Russian Missionary Society, Inc.
N UMERICALLY, the Russians form the tive Committee viewed with alarm the lack of in- greatest white race in the world, 210 mil- crease due to licensed lasciviousness, reduced it to lion people. Of these approximately 180 latitude, and by law abolished liberty and free millions live within the borders of Soviet Russia, provision of hospitals and surgeons for the pera tract of territory so vast that it stretches from formance of certain operations. The year that Europe to the Pacific; from the White Sea to the the alteration took place making the operation Black, from the Baltic to the Balkans; so huge illegal, the population grew by four and a half that when it is twelve noon in Moscow it is seven million. It is anticipated that the futur·e normal o'clock in the evening at Vladivostock. In this increase will be at the rate of seven million per land, which covers one-sixth of the earth's sur~ annum, until in 1970 there will be three hundred face, one-fourth of Asia and one-third of Europe, million resident in the U. S. S. R. Lenin's widow there dwell 170 races speaking 120 different is leading a journalistic campaign and nation-wide tongues and dialects. There are White Russians movement in fayor of large families. and Little Russians; .Cossacks and Caucasians; Georgians and Ukrainians, and the like. The laws concerning religion govern the whole of the Federated Soviet States. It is, of course, The population was increasing at the rate of true that the farther one gets from the capital three million per annum, until the Central Execu- cities the more likelihood there is that laws will not be so strictly observed. For instance, I vis- • From the E'IIamgeUoal O'hristi<z.n, Jamlary. 1939.
LIBERTY AND RELIGION IN RED RUSSIA
ited a collective farm in the Don Cossack country. mummified bodies lying side by side in the Cathe- The village was still called by its· old Czarist name dral of St. Isaac in Leningrad. The centre one -Alexander the Second! But the collective farm is a "saint," and the outside two are a peasant that included it as its centre, and on which all the man and woman. The stage is set to show that not villagers worked was styled "October 25th"! I sainthood, but chemical processes were responmanaged to "lose myself" from the Field Briga- sible for the preservation. Moreover, into the dier, who made it his business to carefully shep- hand of a corpse lying in the Russian coffin, which herd me around, and I wandered down the village has casket and lid of equal depths, there was street "visiting." placed a Greek Orthodox passport to heaven, printed in Archaic Greek. This had to be pur- One cleanly-clad housewife called me into her chased from the priest and without it there was home where I found in the living-room five ikons, no hope of the departed entering paradise! In the and in the adj oining bedroom another two, each first instance, persecution was directed against with its little red lamp burning beneath it. I this church which was characterized by creed, found that nearly every worker on this intensely ceremonial, crude teaching, and too often not by communistically named farm was still living reli- Christian character. giously as in the old "Holy Russia," and that the bulk of the people, in spite of the five-day week, The Stundists were given a freedom, under were actually worshipping in the little church which they increased with such remarkable rabuilding of the Greek Orthodox Church every sev- pidity that the Central Executive Committee beenth day. came alarmed. They reasoned that the church of these Christians who refused to participate in The American secular press has been misled party politics or to bear arms, was necessarily into stating that the new constitution affords reli- opposed to the Bolshevic plan for world-wide antigious liberty to Soviet citizens. The conditions religious communistic dominion. Their rapid inremain as they were before the draft sent out to crease was, therefore, a menace to the Soviet plan. the Soviets in February, was "adopted" in No- So the forces of persecution were focused upon vember of 1936, and became law on January, 1937. them. No Christian is persecuted as such and Articles 124 and 125 provide for "liberty for anti- no evangelist is banished merely for preaching religious propaganda" and "freedom to perform the Gospel. They are charged as counter revoreligious rites." News editors did not sense the lutionaries. But. facts are stubborn things. Forworld of difference between the two. It simply meant that elderly folk who still clung to their merly we had sixty-six consecrated Russian evanreligious ceremonial could continue to follow it. gelists within the U. S. S. R. Today only five are left and they are in exile. None of the "liquidated" The revolt, while :;tgainst all religion, was in the men ever engaged in any counter-revolutionary first place a revolution against the National Or- propaganda or activity. Before me are the rethodox Church. From the standpoint of the anti- ports for August, 1938. (1) In the Far East God and anti-religious hosts, it was justified. a purge of Baptist churches is taking place There were notable exceptions, as in the case of and the leaders are being charged as "Japanese the Patriarch Tikhon, and the Metropolitan Ben- spies." This is in harmony with the procedure in jamin, the one dying in prison and the other being the West where evangelists and pastors were shot. Before the tribunal the Metropolitan said, exiled· or shot as German spies. (2) Baptist "If I must die, I will die as a Christian." But the groups in Tolka have been "liquidated." Tolka is old Russian Church was largely led by illiterate in the Caucasus. (3) Baptists in the Caucasus and immoral men like that "holy devil of Russia" were accused of (a) hindering the election of -Rasputin. Priests in the provinces actually Stalin candidates at the recent elections; and taught the people that the bodies of believers were (b) conducting religious. propaganda among the immortal, and that when a believer died the body hospital workers of the district. (4) A Baptist remained intact until the judgment day! They pastor of twenty years' standing in one of the exhibited bodies of saints in glass cases in their oldest churches in the autonomous Udmurpk Rechurches. When the revolution came, the anti- public was arrested as a German spy. (5) Evanreligious hosts opened the graves and disclosed gelistic groups in the Crimea were "liquidated." that they only contained decomposing bones. They smashed the glass cases and revealed that the It seems strange that in a land where capital bodies of saints were "fakes." Not all; for the punishment has been abolished hundreds of men ground beneath the monastery of Pechersk at are being shot daily. The military and naval lead- Kieff, the ancient capital of Russia and the pres- ers are shot so that they may be replaced by noment capital of the Ukraine, has the property of inees of Stalin and Company. I ventured to ask preserving bodies interred therein. The monks a City Magistrate in his Chambers in Mosco.w how were quick to take advantage of this and instituted he explained this anomaly. Indignantly he couna mummy factory. • . . 1J'here are three complete tered, "But we do not hang people up and leave
them hanging till they die; we shoot them in- in 1936, twenty-seven in 1937; there are less tostantly and put an end to their misery." And I day. The last German Lutheran Church was found that this university trained man, who had closed in August, 1938, when the pastor died. In taken a juridical course, really believed this. A Omsk, Siberia, with a population of two and a few weeks later I was on the lower Volga, and two quarter million, only three churches remain open. Scotch ladies, traveling first-class, were being con- In a town on the lower Volga, with a population ducted by a Girl Guide interpreter. She told them of eighty thousand, five churches were open when this same story. I had several conversations with I visited it a couple of years back: two Greek her, as we were several days on the boat. During Orthodox, two Roman Catholic, and one German the recent winter she had passed an examination Lutheran. For all practical purposes they might in an additional language, so was receiving an as well be closed. The vital religious work in that extra fifty rubles a month pay, and had been pre- community is being carried on in private circles sented with an English up-to-date edition of a of Brethren, Baptists and Evangelical Christians. work by Frederick Engels in which it was claimed that during the previous year in the Brit- Some reports appear in the press of churches ish Isles, men were banished for life to convict settlements overseas for poaching rabbits, and being full. hanged for stealing sheep. I published excerpts There are enough elderly folk (with whom the from this work in the British Press. Noone has dared to attempt to refute what I wrote. Soviet cannot be bothered-"They'll die off soon, anyway") to fill the buildings that still remain Effect of Censorship open at Easter, and at the three-day Christmas (January 6th) of which Greek Orthodox churches Lamentable ignorance of conditions in Russia make so much. But in the few churches remainand in the other lands is due to the censorship ing open, what can be done? The pastor may which is, applied both in and out of the U. S. S. R. preach on the premises, but nowhere else. He is For instance, no paper, periodical, or magazine taken up for interrogation periodically, and comes Duhlished abroad is permitted to enter Russia. out of the ordeal a nervous wreck. No literature The population gets its ideas concerning "starv- is allowed on the premises except such as is absoing and revolting peoples" of other lands from lutely needful for the conduct of worship. No government controlled papers, in order that by meetings may be held for women or young people. contrast they may be the more content with the It is a criminal offence to gather three young peo- Soviet regime. All who regularly write or are ple under the age of eighteen to teach them reliwritten to come under suspicion. I have before gion. No teacher is permitted to enter any place me a communication from K– asking us not of worship. No social service may be rendered, to write more at present. Believers and others lest by so doing the church should influence those under suspicion are tortured to secure confes- helped to become religious. The church is under sions; nothing to eat or drink; no sleep-terrible! a graduated tax that is increased periodically till, It is such torture that induces wholesale confes- in spite of severest sacrifice, it can no longer be sions of "counter revolutionaries." There have paid; then automatically the Soviet takes over been many positive acts against religion. Church the building because those using Government buildings were taken over by the Government. All property have not paid their dues. It is all quite private property was nationalized, including the lawful and legitimate! !! If the pastor dies, no churches. Like so many other communistic prin- successor may be elected and the church is liquiciples the abolition of private property has broken dated. The German Lutheran Church at Gorki down in practice. For instance, Cooperatives are (Nizni-Novgorod) has been closed for this reason allowed to erect buildings and sell the apartments for years. Apparently the local Soviet has no use to their members. Most of the church buildings for the building. were closed and converted to secular uses such as bureaus, workshops, factories, apartments, clubs, In one city where we bought land and erected a kolkhos (stores for collective farms), public con- building wherein thousands of souls were saved, veniences, etc. "Dom Evangelia" in Leningrad our people were expelled, but permitted to conis a workers' club. for the men who make nails in tinue to meet twice in what we call one week, in a the metal factory opposite. The cathedrals of St. hall attached to a former Greek Orthodox Church Isaac in Leningrad, of St. Basil in the Red Square building which they shared with followers of anof Moscow, and that of St. Andrew in Kieff are other persuasion. Needing this, the local Soviet anti-God and anti-religious, museums. turned them out. They have been driven from pillar to post, hampered, hindered, harassed-yet Of 1636 Greek Orthodox churches in Moscow on the 29th day of January last year, in one meetbefore the revolution, thirty only were left open ing they baptized fifty converts on profession of faith.
Since May, 1929, the Bible has been banned. It is a criminal offence in Soviet Russia to print,
publish, circulate or distribute the Word of God 87 per cent of the Russian population were illitor any portion of it. We printed the largest edi- erate. Now only 14 per cent are, and in the intion of Russian Bibles that ever came off the press dustrial areas, only 8 per cent. But every day 25 -81,000 copies. Before the officials became so million children going to school are taught that alert we sent copies back by the lumbermen who there is no God; never was. a Creator, and are brought the rafts and logs down the rivers to the subject to such caricatures of Christianity, and border states. Our men carried them over the such blasphemous cartoons of Christ that I canborder at dead of night, taking their lives in their not bring myself to describe them. No teacher in hands every time they crossed. In markets far school, college, or university is permitted to enter away from Moscow bidding may proceed for a any place of worship. And yet all over Soviet few mushrooms spread out on a bag-but the real Russia today there are sporadic outbursts of reobject is under the bag, a second-hand Bible or vival among young people (over 50 percent of Testament. When the government said in effect the population, i. e., all the young people, have -"You shall not have the Book in your hands," passed through these schools), and especially the Believers replied, "Then we'll put it into our among young men in the factories, so the local heads and enthrone it on our hearts." So they leaders are sending to Moscow asking that special studied and committed to memory the Sacred speakers be sent to combat the religious revival. Word. Now, when they gather round our evangelists in "bears' caves," they repeat passages of I dare not close this article without giving evi- Scripture and so illumine and inspire, instruct, dence of the truthfulness of the above, from offiexhort, and "comfort one another with these cial Soviet sources, lest I be charged with rowords." mancing.
There is no food shortage in Russia in Europe Lunarcharsky, former Commissar of Education today, though sometimes failure in distribution in the Central Executive Committee, issued a occurs. There is still shortage in Russia in Asia, manifesto in which he stated: and we still need to send food parcels. to Christians and banished evangelists in concentration camps We hate Christians. Even the best of them must be rein the Far East. Nothing but our food parcels garded as our worst enemies. They preach love to one's stands between them and starvation. Until food neighbors and pity, which is contrary to our principles ( !). tickets and ration cards were abolished no priest, Christian love is a hindrance to the development of the rabbi, moulvic, pastor, evangelist, editor of reli- revolution. Down with love for one's neighbors. What we gious pamphlets, or tradesman dealing in any re- want is hatred. We must know how to hate, for only at ligious article, nor his wife or family, was per- this price can we conquer the universe. We have done with mitted to have a ticket or card. Thousands who the kings of the earth, let us deal with the Kings of the wished to be loyal to the Lord "whom not having skies. All religions are poison. They intoxicate and deaden seen (they) love," were living on the bark and the mind, the will, the conscience (!). A fight to the death roots of trees, on nettle grass, and on field mice. must be declared upon religion. Our task is to destroy all kinds of religion, all kinds of morality. In spite of these conditions there has been, and still is, a real religious revival. Let him tell us how they succeeded. Trud, whieh means "labor," is the chief workers' organ; In the U. S. S. R. one evangelist, now in exile, Comsomolska Pravda is "Truth for Youth"; in three months, in three villages far from the Pravda, meaning "Truth," is the chief organ of capital, baptized 450 converts. Next spring he the Communist Party; while Izvestia, "News," is baptized 154 more in two months. Then he went that of the Government. In Southern Russia it is to prison for a technical offence in connection with said that there is no news in the Truth, and no preaching. Not to the Solovetsky Islands, the truth is the News. Writing in Izvestia in 1929 most rigorous imprisonment in the world, but to on the basis of the figures of his own department, a "house of re-education," in which the offenders Lunarcharsky affirmed that in 1917 there were are .given a good time, to induce them to come out only 700,000 members of the Communist Party, good supporters of the Soviet regime. Freedom but in 1927 they had grown to 1,700,000. But in therein enabled our man to preach to those who 1917 there were only 100,000 Stundists, and in would not have listened to him outside, also to hold 1927 over six millions. The Christians had outprayer meetings. Several prisoners were con- lived, outwitnessed, and outnumbered the Comverted. When he was discharged he found that munists by six to one, and this in spite of Governhis wife had carried on so effectively during his ment support of the latter, and satanic and Soviet incarceration that he had to baptize another 12'6 opposition of the former. converts. The Party Commander of the Bezbojniks (the The greatest achievement of the Soviets has Godless), Em. Yaroslavsky, has recently published been in the realm of education. Before the revolt an explanation which is an apology for failure in the Scientific Journal, Antireliginoznik. In it he has to confess that about two-thirds of the rural
pop1l1ation, and one-third of that in the towns, the ministers of the cult must be viewed as fraudstill continue faithful to religion. He admits that ulent members of the Party. All our skill must while the Government can prohibit support of the consist in systematically and unremittingly de- Church, and separate the Church and the school priving the Church of its head; in striking the by decree, "a decree is powerless to efface reli- blow at the Shepherd and alluring the sheep into gious ·conception"; "being deprived of an edifice our own stable" (sic!). has not killed the religious feeling of believers," and even "the Pioneers frequent the Church in There is one reason why the anti-religious hosts great numbers." He claims. that the coercive have failed. Jesus said, "On this Rock (faith in measures have been a mistake: they have failed; Christ as the Son of God) I will build my church and concludes that "The masses must be tamed by and the gates of hades shall not prevail against kindness." But–"We must outroot religion, and it" (Matt. 16: 18). My Master always keeps His word.
Forty Years' Progress in Latin America By REV. WEBSTER E. BROWNING, New York Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions; For Forty Years a Missionary in South America I N THESE chaotic moder:::J. times, forty years United States flag was seldom seen on the few constitute as long a period in the life of a na- ships which then made the run to South America. tion as in the life of an individual. Changes, The investment of North American capital, could rapid and cataclysmic, occur, even in the coun- not have exceeded a few hundred millions in all tries that have been fully organized for centuries Latin America. In 1937, the total investment was and whose traditions and form of government ap- reported to be about $6,500,000,000. pear to be crystallized and unshakable. In younger nations, such as those of Latin America such 2. Politically-Few governments of the very changes, though less sudden and dramatic com- young republics were then more than oligarchies. pared with those of Europe during past years, are A small number of families, in each of them, connevertheless well defined and epoch-making. sidered the presidency and other public offices their peculiar right and saw to it that the power The writer of this article journeyed to Latin was kept within their limited circle. As an illus- America, for the first time, more than 40 years ago, tration, one lady, known to the writer, was the and, except for occasional visits to the homeland, daughter, the sister and the wife of a President lived all that time south of the equator. He has of her country. Today, though not to the same dethus been able to note the changes in the commer- gree in all the republics, the democratic form of cial, political and religious life of the peoples of government prevails, and most of them, like Arthose lands which have marked their slow but gentina, Brazil and Chile, merit the high esteem sure progress toward equal standing with the in which they are held by the peoples of Europe older peoples of Europe and North America. A and North America. brief description of some of these changes may be of interest. 3. Culturally-Public instruction has made great advance and the formerly high percentage 1. Economically-Forty years ago, the immense of analphabets has been correspondingly reduced. natural resources of Latin America lay practically The oldest university of Latin America was founduntouched. The great modern industries of min- ed 56 years before the first permanent English ing, cattle-raising, the elaboration of nitrate; settlement w:as made in North America, and 85 banking, railways, manufactures, shipping, the years before John Harvard made possible the importation of machinery and automobiles, and institution that bears his name. Today, the best of other commercial activities-all these were but these universities equal those of the United States in their infancy. The United States, in particular, or Europe as centers of learning, and the intellechad not attempted to discover in those lands a tual spire of Latin America is as high as our own, market for its excess products. There was not a though it is more slender. In the learned profes- North American bank south of Mexico, and the sions, especially in law and medicine, are found
19391 FORTY YEARS' PROGRESS IN LATIN AMERICA
men and women of the highest professional prep- As a result of this exclusionist policy, when aration, fully the equals of their colleagues in evangelical missions began to extend their work with greater earnestness and conviction, forty or other lands. more years ago, they found certain conditions 4. Religiously-The pioneers and founders of which had to be overcome if that work was to be successful. Among these were the following: the colonies of Spain in the New World differed from those who laid the foundations of religious life in what is now the territory of the United (a) There was no liberty of worship. Free States of America. The groups that came to those thought was in itself considered heretical; the shores, Catholic and Protestant alike, were simply press was under the absolute control of the seeking a place where, quietly and unostentatious- Church, and, in some of the most backward coun- ly, they might worship God according to the dic- tries, death was the legal penalty for adherence to tates of their own consciences. Spanish discover- any religion other than that of the dominant ers and conquistadores, in the lands that now con- Church.
stitute what we call Latin America, were of a (b) There was no civil marriage law. The only more militant mold and sought to establish not legal ceremony was that performed by a priest of only the power of the King whom they represented the State Church; children of those otherwise but also that of their particular Chm'ch. They wedded were ipso facto considered illegitimate. flung to the breeze not only the colors of Ferdi- Even Protestant missionaries, wedded on the field, nand and Isabel, King and Queen of Castile and were required to secure the services of a friendly Aragon, but also those of the Supreme Pontiff priest. To satisfy their own consciences, they of Rome. Even the sails of the caravels of Chris- might have another ceremony performed by a topher Columbus and of less worthy conquista- Protestant minister, but this latter ceremony had dores who came after him, had imprinted upon no legal significance whatsoever. them the figure of the cross and the words, "with this sign you will conquer." Columbus is said to (c) There were no civil cemeteries. The bodies have considered his name Christopher, "Christ- of deceased dissenters were thrown into the sea, bearer," a good omen, and historians tell us that or were buried surreptitiously by night in some his hope was to secure funds from the newly unfrequented spot. About the middle of the past acquired lands in order to finance another crusade century, a progressive Mayor in one of the South against the Turks. American capitals when converting a hitherto' undeveloped hill i,nto a park, found at its base a In view of this deeply religious motive that in- collection of human bones, and on the site placed spired and encouraged the Spanish pioneers in Latin America, which was largely in conformity a tablet with the inscription, "To the memory 0/ with the spirit of the times, in both Roman Catholic and Protestant lands, it is not strange that the exiled from heaven and earth who were buried the type of Christianity which became the official in this place." religion of the Colonies of Spain, and, afterward, of the younger republics that grew out of those (d) Possession and reading of the Bible was proscribed by the Church itself and, under the in- fluence of the Church, by officials of the State. A colonies, should have been ultra-fanatical, ex- customs officer in Ecuador, toward the end of the tremely jealous of its own prerogatives, and dis- past century, refused to admit a box of Christian Scriptures; pointing toward one of the towering posed to resist, to the last degree, the entrance peaks of the nearby Andes, he said, "So long as and propagation of the beliefs of any other sect Chimborozo stands, that Book shall not enter this or denomination. The spirit of the Inquisition, country." typical of the religious life of the time, especially in Southern Europe, was deep-rooted. Branches The distressing religious conditions that preof that feared and hated body were set up in vari- vailed in the countries of Latin America a half ous centers, especially in Lima, the capital of the century ago have been narrated in order to show viceroys, and in Cartagena de las Indias, now one the historical background against which we may of the port cities of the modern republic of Colom- throw into clearer light the situation as it is today.
bia. So strong did the Church become, so thor- The former unfortunate conditions have now oughly did it indoctrinate the peoples, that when very largely disappeared-due largely to a closer the colonies, following the lead given by those of contact with Europe and North America, made Great Britain, in North America, and by France, possible, in part at least, by more modern means gave way to republics, at the beginning of the 19th of communication. The changed situation has ·century, the representatives of the Papacy were also been greatly helped by the liberalizing, reflex able to have written into the constitution of the influence of Evangelical missions. Today, in every newly-created states the words, "The religion of one of the 20' republics of Latin America, there is this State is the Holy, Roman, Catholic, Apostolic, complete freedom of worship; the only legal mar- to the exclusion of all others." riage ceremony is that performed by an official of
the State; cemeteries are open to the dead of all friendly eye and are evidently willing to forget faiths or of none; and the Bible is widely and some episodes of the past in which the "big stick" freely circulated. In one South American republic, played too prominent a part. Brazil, there is now an estimated total of 1,500,000 Evangelical Christians; in all there is a steadily Probably no part of the world has made such growing National Evangelical Church which is economic and cultural advance in the past forty willing to cooperate in many respects with the years in a quiet and natural way as have the nainfinitely stronger, dominant, ecclesiastical organ- tions of Latin America. And their history is still ization, for the spiritual instruction and upbuild- in the making. Millions of Europeans, seeking ing of the people. refuge or the opportunity to better their condi- tions of life are wistfully turning their faces 5. Internationally-There is today a much bet- toward the great open spaces of Argentina and ter understanding between the Government, and, Brazil. Many thousands have already entered hence, the people of the United States of Ameri- those and other Latin American countries, where ca, and the governments and peoples of the other they have established homes and have begun a new countries of the Western hemisphere. Instead of life under more liberal conditions. The Christian the former policy of occupying a country with forces of North America, especially the Evangel- United States marines, in order to establish our ical churches, have a great opportunity to aid conception of what we considered law and order, these incoming thousands, making it possible for or exerting economic pressure to encompass our them not only to secure the right to liberty and own ends, a more modern and more Christian the pursuit of happiness, but also to surround "good neighbor" policy has been adopted and has themselves and their descendants with the spirbeen well received by all Latin American govern- itual blessings that flow from a free Church in a ments. Their people now look on us with a more free land.
Queen Salote of Tonga K ING GEORGE VI of Great Britain sent the lieves in the tenets of Christianity, but is most following message to the queen of Tonga, energetic in seeing that her beliefs find practical a Pacific Island, on the occasion of the expression in the daily life. With her, "Faith twentieth anniversary of her accession to the without works is dead." She is a constant attendthrone of Tonga. He said in part: ant at divine service, is a class leader, and is al- ways present at the regular meetings of the Chris- "The period of your reign has been one of tian Endeavor Society. Not only has Queen Salote steady and peaceful progress in the development advanced the interests of her people in the mateof your kingdom. Medical and health services rial sphere, but she has also, by her Christian life have been extended, educa.tional facilities have and character, provided them with a splendid been increased, roads have been built, and com- example of Christian living. munication between the islands has been improved by the provision of wireless stations. And The great event of the celebration took place in these achievements, of which your majesty may the large public square where gathered about four be justly proud, have been effected without in any thousand school children, as well as the Royal way sacrificing the financial stability of your Guards and Band. kingdom." Then came one of the finest sights of the day- Twenty years ago, as a young girl of eighteen, the march of four thousand school children, Queen Salote Tubou succeeded to the throne of carrying Tongan flags in their hands. Tonga. During the years intervening since that time, by her wise and statesmanlike rule, her The queen then departed, and as her car passed keen, unfailing interest in the well-being of her through the lines of children, she was hailed with subjects and her many excellent personal quali- hearty cheering and the waving of flags. Even ties, she has endeared herself to the people of her after she had returned to the palace the public land. How deeply enshrined she is in their hearts enthusiasm could not be restrained. The Tubou might well be gauged by the remarkable demon- boys entered the palace grounds, followed by the stration of loyalty and affection displayed by them other schools and the general public, until a crowd on October 11 of last year, the commemoration of of several thousands had collected. Her Majesty's the twentieth anniversary of her accession. appearance on the balcony and acknowledgment were the signal for more vociferous greeting. Queen Salote is known throughout the king- -By "The Wayfarer" in The Missionary Review dom as a sincere Christian, one who not only be- (Australia) .
Story for
Tony Finds Two Friends and it seemed wonderful to Tony room where Tony lay. His broth- to be able to help. As he snipped ers and sister were standing by By VIOLET WOOD, New York off the beans he thought of the his bed and to each one the nurse "Won't you leave your chil- time when his father had worked gave a glass of milk. dren with me, Mrs. Rossetti?" in the city, while his mother the nurse at the Center invited. stayed home and took care of As Tony's mother took her them. Suddenly there had been glass she spoke excitedly to the Mrs. Rossetti turned to Tony, no more work. A friend had told boy. Tony laughed, "My mothher ten-year-old son, to interpret his father of the need for bean er says you have nets over the for her. When she understood pickers and they had packed all babies' cradles to keep the flies what the nurse had said, Mrs. their belonging$. in a truck and away just as she used to have in Rossetti shook her head and had come to this big farm. Now the city." gathered her three small chil- father was sick for he had dren about her. worked too hard the first few "Ask her to leave you all with days. me tomorrow? You can go back "You could stay, too, Tony," to the fields in a few days, but the nurse said to the boy, "and At noon Mrs. Rossetti took it would be nice if you could stay help me take care of them." out of her blouse a paper bag and here a little while. Your broth- gave them all cold biscuits for ers and sister will love it." "I gotta pick beans," respond- lunch. She and the children ed,Tony. went on picking beans as they When Tony told his mother ate. But Tony could not eat his she nodded happily, as she fin- When Tony told his mother biscuit. Something was wrong. ished her milk and went back to what the nurse had said, the lit- His head felt as if it were float- the field. tle group passed the Center and ing away. But he kept on pickwent out towards the field. Tony ing, hoping that the funny feel- The nurse brought in some noticed several women leave ba- ing would pass. He suddenly picture books for Tony. One of bies and small children at the fainted. them was a beautiful "Life of Center. He shrugged. Who knew Jesus," and, as the nurse exwhat would be done to them in When Mrs. Rossetti called for plained some of the pictures the that place! Tony's family had help two men came over and car- boy looked up suddenly, and been at the migrant camp only a ried the boy to the Center. When said: "Then I have found two few days and he had no idea of new friends today!"
the loving care, the nice lunches, the nurse came she patted Tony's Making Use of This Story the toys and the Bible stories mother on the shoulder and in a few minutes he opened his eyes that were provided for the chil- and tried to smile. "You just The plight of the migrant is not well dren of the migrant workers. lie here for a little while and enough known by many people and yet soon you'll be quite all right. it is a great social problem in Amer- Down the long lanes between I'll bring you a nice glass of milk ica. Because the parents lose their the rows of bean poles the lit- in a few minutes. Tell your legal residence by so much traveling, tle family went, snipping off the mother I would like to show her the children get insufficient food, imbeans as they moved. Every- our little home here." proper shelter, no medical and dental body helped fill the baskets. care and very little schooling. When one was filled Mrs. Rosset- Tony translated this for his ti carried it to the weigher who mother, whose eyes shone with The Council of Women for Home checked the number of pounds gratitude. Missions has Centers in many states against her name. and has done a wonderful piece of The hot sun beat down upon The nurse beckoned to Mrs. work with the children. Excellent the men, women and children Rossetti and took her into an- material on the migrant is found in working on either side of Tony other room where babies lay the pamphlet, "They Starve That We and his mother. Although many sleeping in little cradles. In an- May Eat," compiled by Edith Lowry were thirsty they could not stop other room little boys and girls, and published by the Missionary Edueven for a drink of water. Every just like her own, were playing cation Movement (35 cents.) moment of daylight counted, and together at sand tables and with if they were to make enough blocks. In one corner a teacher money to buy food they must be was reading stories to the older Questions quick. boys and girls. All the children What would you lose if you had no home, no school, no church? Tony's back ached, but he was seemed very happy. bigger than his brothers and sis- In the kitchen Mrs. Rossetti What are some of the crops that ter and he could not stop to rest. watched the nurse fill five glass- migrants gather?
He must go on like his mother. es with milk. Putting them on Are migrant workers necessary in His father lay sick in the tent a tray she carried them to the America?
[367 ]
Ways of W9rking
'Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home hDITED BY GRACE W. MCGAVRAN, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA Enlisting a Congregation for and throb of enduring purpose as Pete and with a memorable in- they witness Christian romance scription was unveiled. The MissionEsdTuhcarotiuognh*Visual in China (yes, indeed, there is film also gives a glimpse of lep- high Christian romance in China ers' suffering, and of lepers who "Seeing is believing" is an old today, especially today), or a adage. But rich old warp woven great mass meeting of untouch- have been helped. into today's tapestries gives pat- ables in India, or a frightened At the close of the showing of terns of beauty, luster and value. African youth witness his moth- er's slow death at the hands of this film in the city church the If every Christian at home the witch doctor and his deter- pastor arose and said, "I have could visit and see the mission mination to run away and find today had a new vision of this fields, their opportunities, their the secret of the doctor who talks great work. I think everyone needs, their returns for service, and acts with love at his Christhe weaving of the pattern of tian "medicine house" in the for- of· our Sunday school classes Christ into the lives of peoples, est clearing. should have one of these pig not much time or money would banks. I suggest that all of our need to be spent on promotion A few weeks ago the film, Sunday school offering next Sunwork for Christianity. In the "A Million Dollar Pig," taken by day go to the leper work and I entanglement of threads in our nromise to find means of matchpattern here in our own land we the American Mission to Lepers, ing, dollar for dollar, all that are prone to grow discouraged, was shown in a large city church. the Sunday school gives." He feeling it improbable that there It tells the story of how a ten- felt as we had felt after visiting are other spots on the earth year-old boy, Wilbur, sad be- the many leper colonies on our where the Christ pattern is be- cause his mother had been able African way during the past ing distinctly and clearly woven. to furnish support for only nine lepers instead of ten, bought a months. If we cannot see these remote little pig with three dollars Films from mission fields are places, the next best step is to which had been given him. The have them brought to us by the children 0 f the community goingto be increasingly available medium of the motion picture- joined in feeding the pig, all the in the days ahead. The 1938 as nearly life-like a portrayal as time envisioning that pig as Africa Film Project has already can be had outside the actual bringing smiles to the face of released its first 3-Reel, 16 mm. experience. Christianity has not some weary leper. It was finally film, "Ngono and Her People." been in haste to take on this won- sold for twenty-five dollars and It movingly tells the life of a derfully convincing method, feel- the money was sent to help a typical African girl. In it one ing perhaps a worldliness about little leper boy of Siam. Out of really lives in the life of a girl of the very utterance of "movies." this experience came the idea of Africa; feels the heartache of a But at last, after the field of edu- the "pig banks," over 100,000 of ten-year-old child torn from her cation recognized why the "eye which have been distributed in mother and sent to harem life; witness" medium so grasped the America. They have brought in feels the fear of the jungle world public, Christians have over one million dollars to aid where she hides, the ,doubtful come to realize that these same the lepers of the world. Then the eyes may prove to be inlets to film shows the twenty-fifth anni- serenity in the hands of her the hearts and souls of vast num- versary of the event of Wilbur missionary rescuers, the school bers of people. Eyes that make and his pig, "Pete," as it was life, the romance of true love, hearts thrill and throb over which "never smooth did run" scenes of intrigue or love may celebrated in Wilbur's little home in Africa either, the power of also stir those hearts to the thrill town of White Cloud, Kansas. Over one thousand people there, the Christian life and all the • We are indebted to Mrs. Emory Ross including Chief White Cloud and problems it brings, as again she for this fine article. She last year accom- his tribe, honored Wilbur, now a meets the witch doctor and his panied her husband, who is pxecutive secre- successful engineer still giving wiles. As the last scene fades tary of th" American Mission to Lepers, on of himself and his money to help you feel that you have been in a trip to Africa to see many of the institu- lepers. A bronze tablet, erected Africa and you know that Christions aided by that Society. She was former- in his honor, with Wilbur and tian missions pay. You have ly a missionary in the C?n~o and .is now seen with your own eye. an active promoter of mISSIonary Interest [368 ] in America. Another six or eight films are being prepared on various phas- es of Africa, her life, her importance in the world, the impact of and explain some things which more careful showing of one? civilization upon her, the need will otherwise be without mean- Take time to slow down the ac- for Christianity to keep pace. ing. But announce that after tion where it is necessary. You Among the scenarios* are "The the first running there will be a will need to go over the film at World's Stake in Africa," "Chil- second, during which any ques- least once with the operator, be- dren of Africa," "A Day in an tions or comments may be of- fore it is shown in the program African Village," ""Bwamba"- fered. Plan time to do this, so in order to decide where the mo- (the life of a typical African that no one will have a sense of tion should be slowed, and how boy) , and "How an African being rushed. Offer to run it much. As you show it, be very Tribe is Ruled." through a third time for those sure to remark when you do so: Yes, today the home church who would like to see it again, "We will slow down at this may see the foreign field, and after the meeting has been dis- point," having explained before seeing, may she believe the more missed. hand the purpose of slowing and hasten to make the pattern Slow Motion in Using a Movie down. Otherwise you may leave Christian in those lands yet in the impression that the people the loom.-Myrta Pierson Ross. The label on the film case read, filmed are lazy or slow in their "Twenty minutes will be re- movements. quired to show this film." A Informal Use of a Movie group of people, planning to use It is needless to say that some films in their churches, had bor- films will not gain by such treat- The parents of a missionary rowed from the mission board ment. Use good judgment in dereceived, in their very ordinary ciding when to use normal speed mid-west town, a package from an entire set of five on the coun- and when not to do so. their children. It was a one-reel try the churches were studying, film, showing the missionary son and were giving a sort of pre- Remember that some projecand daughter setting up camp view so as to be able to present tors make a lot of noise. Whoin a village, taking part in a them more intelligently from ever reads the accompanying lec- time to time. They started im- ture, or prepares a talk to go church service, giving treatment mediately after lunch to have with the showing, should have a to a baby with sore eyes, walk- them run through. voice easily heard over the noise ing in their garden and romping of the machine. Nine o'clock that evening with the grandchildren who had found them reluctantly re-wind- Newer Stereopticon Pictures been mere babies the last time ing the last film. What had hapthey were home. pened? They found that while Color cameras have brought the speed required to run the into the field of stereopticon With what delight the aging film through in twenty minutes slides something a great deal parents viewed the scenes, as was quite correct for .seeing that more vivid and delightful than their beloved ones moved before which is familiar, it was too fast we have had before. Slides can them. The missionary women of to give them time to see what be made directly from the color the church, naturally, borrowed happened in scenes and actions film. No tinting of pictures with the film. The showing was made quite unfamiliar to them. They the colors running into each othinto a gala occasion. The film therefore slowed the running to er, or failing to join! Furtherwas run through once. Then a considerable extent. more, the picture-taker, instead it was run through again. Com- of having to remember that he ments and questions rose freely When that was done, they cannot count on color to do for during the showing. Whoever those who are to see the pictures had an idea as to the correct an- could actually see what was hap- what its actual presence is doswer to any question ventured pening. For example, the quick- ing for him, knows now that colit. Then they ran the film ly-run film showed a woman or, almost as he sees it, will be through again. Details that had squatting before a mud cooking- present in his film. escaped notice came to the atten- place, doing something with tion of the women now. Those That opens a much wider pospresent felt as if they had had swift capable hands. The slowed sibility for enjoyment in the use a real visit with their missionary film showed her going through of stereopticon slides on subjects and his family. of missionary interest. To be the process of handling the flat sure there are as yet few sets Are you following that proce- unleavened bread in the three which have been made by the dure when you show a film? Or simultaneous processes of mold- newer processes. But most sets are you having it shown as a ing one cake, while a second was have been vastly improved durformal part of your meeting, to searing and a third was being ing the last year or two, and they be run through once, accompa- baked among the live coals of begin to "tell a story" instead of nied by its lecture or by polite si- the fire. giving a disjointed picture of lence, immediately to be re- places and people. wound, set into its case, and sent Some parts of the film became on its travels? tedious with the slowing up, but During summer months, the the operator was soon able to picture method of becoming ac- If there is a lecture, by all speed up sections which did not quainted with the missionary means have it used. It will help show detailed action, and to slow work of the church is well worth to clear up many puzzling bits, down on those which did.
Instead of rushing through • Not yet available. two films, why not arrange a considering.
For Small Children Pictures article), was sponsored by the each and marked its location Are Best Harmon Foundation and the Af- with a red pin. rica Committee of the Foreign The flicker and movement of Missions Conference of North The study might have gone movie pictures are not any too America. "Song After Sorrow" further, but did not. To atgood for the eyes of the small is another new film which por- tempt to locate all Protestant children. Furthermore very lit- trays the magnificent work in churches in a city the size of tle of the motion pictures, de- one of the leper colonies in theirs would have taken more signed to interest and educate Africa. time than the enterprise was adults, is of value for children worth for that one study. But of pre-school age. Films like the two mentioned there, in visual form, lay the may perhaps be secured from information that, scattered all The nursery and beginner your mission board under the over their city, were many child should not, however, be same conditions as other films of churches which were working to neglected in the use of visual missionary work, or they may be make the city a more Christian education. One of the newest rented from the Harmon Foun- place in which to live. In those pieces of material, specifically dation. "Song After Sorrow," buildings, week after week, men planned for use with them, is may be rented direct from the and women and beiys and girls the picture set "Children and American Mission to Lepers, 156 gathered to study, to worship, Their Toys Around the World." Fifth Avenue, New York. and to have fellowship. It has eight pictures in color, and a leaflet with a short story Investigate the possibilities. Such a visualization of facts to go with each. This publica- Write to your mission board for gives children a real sense of tion of the Friendship Press sells information. Remember that being a part of something which for sixty cents and can be se- the number of copies of each film includes and yet is greater than cured through your denomina- is limited so that requests need their own local church group. It tional book store. to be made well in advance of the expands their horizon. It brings date desired. We know that one to their consciousness, in a way The pictures are directly re- group of films is dated up com- that mere spoken information lated to the child's interests. pletely for four months in cannot do, the realization of Each one shows a child of some advance. Others, not on the forces which are operating toother race or nation, with a toy country of the current study, day to rebuild the world in characteristic of his environ- may not require such advance Christian ways. ment. booking. Try the use of this form of visual education in the Maps, graphs and charts are This set should be part of the near future. We venture to say not to be limited to Juniors equipment of every Nursery and that you will plan to include it alone. They are good for any Beginners department. It might very definitely in your subse- age above Juniors. well be used in each child's own quent study. home. Individual pictures can Consider them for use in your then be hung in turn where the Using Maps with Juniors church or parish house lobby. Or child will enjoy them. in your meetings when you have When a Junior department five minutes to present some in- Sources for Religious and was making a study of The City, formation about missions which Missionary Movies as was suggested in the course, can best be imparted through they used their own city as the this form of visualization. The Most -of those reading these object of their study. small graphs and charts often columns are familiar with the sent out from Board headquarsources of missionary films. The The boys took a big map of ters, in materials for the inforimportant source for any church the town and mounted it on bea- mation of leaders, can easily be is its own missionary board. Ar- ver board. Starting with their enlarged to proportions such as rangements differ. Many mis- own community they set out to to make it possible for a large sionary boards loan the films discover and locate on the map group or an entire congregation free of charge, requiring only the position of the Protestant to see them. Color can be used payment of express charges both churches of their city. When to make them vivid in their enways. There is the additional they found the actual streets larged form, where only black cost of a projector which is running past their own church, and white was used in the printusually rented locally by the a red pin marked the spot on the ed form. church. map! They did the same with other churches of their neighbor- Never leave such materials The Harmon Foundation, 140 hood. Then they went further hanging for more than a week Nassau St., New York, N. Y., is afield. They secured the list of or two. You do not glance at another very important source. the churches of their own denom- that store window where the dis- Their charges are reasonable. ination in their town. What a play is the same week after Some of the Harmon Foundation surprise! Who would have week. Let your people become films have been prepared in co- guessed that in their own city accustomed to finding something operation with certain of the there were so many churches of new, fresh and worthwhile on mission boards. The Africa film, their own group? They located your display wall every week or "Ngono and Her People" (re- so. ferred to by Mrs. Ross in her
BULLETIN
Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
~======~~~==================== WITH THE MIGRANTS IN crops." It was while in "melons" family as they were growing up CALIFORNIA in Imperial that Maria had her and it took more and more and accident. According to her fa- it seemed that he made less and The bountiful state of Cali- ther: less. So at last they joined the fornia with its varying seasons, caravan of folks off to "the land luxuriant farms, and many in- "If I stay few more days to work of promise," California, to seek dustries is faced with the tre- in floods last winter and not go down their fortune. Theirs was a mendous problems. of migrant to Valley, maybe I not have the bad wreck of a car, a truck, with a people-people who trek from luck, but I go. It's cold. That day canvas over the top so that the crop to crop, starving in between our children left alone. This one, mother and children could sleep "prunes" and "cotton" because Maria, she think she make herself there and the father drove as there is never enough to go warm burning paper. She light it. many hours as he could to make around. When it is too hard to It catch her dress. This other one the trip as short as possible-it find food for three scanty meals she want to throw on water, but the took them fourteen days-a four a day, new clothes are out of the burning one, Maria, she scared, she to seven day trip in a decent car. question; and these people are so run out the door all flames till she The trip was made in the pourvery poor! fall; she fainting then. Her sweater, ing rain. They still shudder as it stops the flame from her face. She they remember the terrible ex- To help lighten their burden bur ned so bad, all over front. She in perience of losing a wheel on a and bring some necessary relief, hospital six months. Eighty-seven steep grade, and the "panthers" the Council of Women for Home skin grafts her mother give, but not that they could hear howling in Missions supports missionary much healing. I got no money, but the night, not to mention the nurses who serve these camps. hospital very good. The vallev too fiat tires that had to be fixed on Nursing and visiting the sick, hot for Maria, doctors say I must take the darkest roads. They felt that telling the story of the Gospel to Maria to where is cool; no more let- their crossing the mountains was the children, finding help here, tuce, no more melons, I go north to quite as trying as that of the eargiving help there, from dawn to 'prunes'; I take my family, and for lier "pioneers" of the covered dark they go and always leaving Maria it is cool. The doctor there wagon days. a little hope, a little comfort and say, 'you no live here,' you take Maria a great feeling of friendship. where you live. What I do? Maria They arrived during the mush- cannot live where is the heat; no room season, and, as they had Would you like to meet a few doctor where it is cool. .I feed my never had such a tasty dish they of these families who make their family? I must work. Doctor put living in crops? on one bandage, I keep Maria with me. I do all the best I know. I keep Take the family of John Wil- burn clean with feather. It no get liams-the children: Susanna, better. She seem sick; she no play born in the "grapes"; Maria, in like other children. Her dress, it hurts "melons·" ; E u p hem i a, in her burn, she walked stooped, like old "prunes" ; John, in "lettuce"; lady. We have cot just for her. We Raphael, in "nuts"; Josephine, move to 'cotton,' and you find her. She in "cotton." Truly children of afraid, she shake all over." the crops. Here there is hope expressed in his When the nurse came upon brightened countenance, he is encourthem she saw Maria walking aged, as he continues: very stooped so that her worn thin dress, her only garment, "You nurse, you find her. Her burn would not be touching her open so bad for so long; you come often, sore which covered her abdomen "ou do much for Maria. It take you and thighs. She was frightened long time, many bandages, much work as she stood before the nurse for you, but now Maria she all well. holding her dress away from her God bless you nurse ! We cannot say body with trembling fingers and how much we thank you. Now, no told her story. more cotton, we go to valley for 'let- tuce' and 'melons'; work for me, feed The family took to the road in my family. heat no hurt Maria now 1930 when the father lost his job -she well!" and joined the "Gypsies of the Then there is the White fam- ily from Oklahoma – father, mother, and four children. For ten years Mr. White had been the "handy man" in the little town that was their home. He made sixty to seventy dollars a month. That didn't keep his [371 ]
relished it more than they could cents. Forty men went out and They are healing now. The describe. Just by picking they picked one crate of spinach. druggist was afraid to undertake could have all they wanted to treatment because of the severity eat. But the season was soon A Mexican father doesn't of the burn, but the nurse over and such things are just a know what to do. He asks the "breathes a prayer" and gives memory. nurse. He explains that there is the necessary treatment for it is no more cotton to pick, and he sixty miles to a doctor, and be- A Brief Round in Camp only has beans for his family to sides there is no money. The Visiting eat. The nurse has no alterna- druggist thinks it is the "prayer" tive but to suggest "relief." The Leaving the nurse's home, we father is proud, and explains, "I that did it-healing, he thinks, go seventeen miles on good high- never ask for that in all time. I was impossible otherwise. way, then eight miles on an just move here. My wife she sick adobe road, then the last half at heart, no can work much; I On to another camp and the mile over what is supposed to sick in stomach, cannot work all road is still slippery, and it is be a road, and into the camp, time." ten miles distant. This camp is thirty cabins in all. Separated from these are some larger cab- Drive toward the foothills and built beside a canal. Here the ins-these for the "permanent" on this road there are three Council nurse spent much time, help. It is wash-day. Tubs of camps. Roads impassable in effort and energy toward solving water are being heated over fires rainy weather. It is ten miles to built outside; clothes lines the first. the problem of sanitation. The stretched between cabins filled grower was very cooperative. with clean garments of all kinds, shapes and sizes. Some families asked the camp Over one tub is a Mexican EYE CLINIC IN A MIGRANT GENTER mother, rubbing away on a washboard, and beside her is her The nurse recalls that this manager concerning the nurse's three-year-old, the youngest of camp was one of her most un- authority, and the grower issued nine. He has on two sweaters sanitary camps, so much so that and a coat, and a dark cloth tied the camp manager remarked to the order that if families did not around his head. her, "I believe these children are cooperate with the nurse that the dirtiest of all cotton camps." they would be moved out. Camp The nurse discovers that the That can't be said now. The child has a temperature. She camp manager and the campers and cabins were cleaned. Five explains that he must be kept in gamblers who had caused the bed, and she takes the child by too were most cooperative in nurse no little concern, were the hand, leads him into the cab- changing things. Health kits moved out. Order prevailed. in, the mother follows and a containing wash cloth, soap, little pallet is made in the corner The sentiment of the people of the cabin. His clothing is re- tooth-brush, and comb, were moved and he is slipped into a given to the children. whom the nurse serves is best pair of warm sleepers that the expressed by the tribute to the nurse finds among her clothing The nurse inquires. about Mr. nurse by a country doctor who supplies. That dark rag is re- Gonzales who was burned so bad- depends. on their help to bring moved from the only window in ly at Christmas, and discovers healing and health to these mithe cabin, and she explains to that he has learned that she is in grants. "So much is heard and the mother that there must be camp and is getting the "water read nowadays of organizations sunlight. The mother im't un- boiling" for her to use in dress- and agencies. doing this and that derstanding why the cloth should for the migrants, but the one not be about her child's head, be- ing the wound. He has learned cause she explains, "Baby sick that it had to boil ten minutes who does the most and the most in the head," but she is willing worthwhile thing in helping the to do as the nurse says, and does before she could use it. First migrant is the little missionary not miss a word of the nurse's and second degree burns were on nurse who rarely ever gets one instructions to "rub the child's chest four times daily with warm his left shoulder and upper arm line of printed matter concerncamphorated oil; give plenty of ing her work in the paper." water and fluids, and keep baby -he had fallen on the stove. in bed."
It is late in the cotton season, and many people are not working. Some have gone out to pick spinach but so little could be made they didn't stay. One man explained that he had made ten
World–wide
A Missionary Newspaper of Current Events ~ EDITED BY MRS. HENRIETTA H. FERGUSON, XENIA, OHIO ~'================================-~~ LATIN AMERICA fered the boys. Near Saltillo, weekly broadcast of religious boys are taught in school to programs. 'A Latin American Cooperation in a Church Bell make rope, and other articles Youth Conference is planned for from raw materials they have February, 1940, in Lima, Peru. We all know about the denom- raised. They learn the art of inational cooperation am 0 n g making dyes, and using them. -Christian Century. Christian forces in Puerto Rico; At the same school, the boys of the union enterprises which farm a tract of land, raise cat- Among South American include a theological seminary, tle, hogs and bees. Indians book store, newspaper, university pastor, e~change of pulpits, Culture Missions, something The treaty signed between and other manifestations of the like an Institute, are held at in- Bolivia and Paraguay leaves the cooperative spirit; but this spir- tervals all over Mexico. For a way open for Christian work it does not end with formal en- period of ten days, five or six among pagan Indians of both terprises. When the Yauco Bap- educators meet with teachers for countries, especially in the Chatist Church, for example, had a lectures and discussion, with co area between the two. Var- 500 pound bell that would not graphs, charts and posters. Such ious indepe!ldent organizations fit its tower, and the Ensenada subjects as the cause and cure of have expanded their work among Presbyterian Church had a large eye trouble, or the digestive Bolivian Indians; while the tower but no bell, the Presby- processes, are presented. This South American Missionary Soterians bought a small bell and is work along constructive lines. ciety has completed fifty years gave it to the Yauco Baptists, of work in the Paraguayan Chawhile they in turn presented the Protestant Youth in South co. In Chile, the same mission Presbyterians with their 500 America has developed a work among pound bell. Mapuche Indians, two of whom The Protestant young people's have been ordained deacons. Rural Schools in Mexico organizations of Argentina and Uruguay held their second bien- In the Argentine Chaco, work The Federal Government has nial conference last April, with has been most encouraging. At put in operation some very prac- more than 100 delegates, repre- Easter 68 adults were baptized, tical ideas in rural education. senting seven denominations, in and a new area has been opened. Two groups of Southern Metho- attendance. There were three The Unevangelized Fields Misdist missionaries visited a num- visiting delegates from Brazil. sion has continued its pioneer ber of these rural schools last The program centered around work among Kayapo Indians of year, and their impressions are the deepening of spiritual life, Amazonia, who, it will be rereported in the World Outlook. and the challenge of the present membered, killed three mission- Almost every country school has day to young Christians. Three aries (the "three Freds") in a little store which the children things stood out: first, interest 1935. themselves manage, thus learn- in a g g res s i v e evangelism; ing how to buy and sell and order second, a passion for closer co- -International Review of Missupplies, such as pencils, tablets, operation in Christian service, sions. crayons, cookies, etc. Some have irrespective of denominational kitchens where the children differences, and a sense that After the Earthquake in Chile learn how to prepare many vari- Protestant Christians are bound eties of food. One school visited by a common loyalty to Jesus Reconstruction work is under maintained a barber shop, while Christ; finally, a desire that way in Chile, following the dispractically all of them raised Christian forces may reach out astrous earthquake, and at pressome living thing -chickens, into the realms of popular litera- ent there is a huge construction rabbits or pigeons. ture and social life. camp at Chillan, located there for months. Military authorities Nearly every school has an an- In these two republics, young have permitted Mr. William M. nual exhibit of needlework, and people's work is organized under Strong to open a center for rest there are special projects to be two national federations. Each and evangelism right in the undertaken by high school girls; publishes a religious monthly, in- heart of this vast encampment, perhaps a layette for a baby formative and well edited. For -its only place of diversion. brother, or her graduation out- several years the Argentine fedfit, while manual training is of- eration has maintained a bi- Evangelical workers were left practically unharmed by the [373 ] earthquake, says Mr. Strong. He
adds that when in 1757 half of Franco occupied Catalonia, evan- Church shall transfer the right Concepcion sank beneath the gelical churches were not inter- of the use of certain cathedrals, surface in a similar cataclysm, fered with, but it is reported that yet to be named, to the Hitler blasphemy, drunkenness and in- those in Barcelona are closed, Elite Guard for their neo-pagan decency were put aside for a though it is believed to be only ceremonies. long time; and asks if perhaps a temporary measure. a similar result will follow this All three demands were relatest catastrophe. -The Christian. fused on the ground that the Di- rectorate was not empowered to EUROPE The "Church of the Den" make any such decision. The demands were issued by the On the Montmartre, Paris Long before Wycliffe and chief of police over the head of Hus were born, the Waldenses the State's church minister, who The Tabernacle Church on the preached the Gospel which re- is reported to have fallen into Montmartre has a corps of de- formers afterward taught in disfavor among the radical elevoted workers. M. Charlet, an Europe. A few months ago a ment of the government; a reevangelist, was a merchant, a group of British tourists visited port that is coupled with the Parisian skeptic, whom God the great cavern known as "the statement that the "Gestapo" called to the ministry of preach- church in the den.". During the (secret police) are sick and tired ing. Andre Fune is son of a time of the persecution of the of the whole church business. French farmer, who is working Waldenses this cavern was used at real financial sacrifice with as a secret place for worship and Encouragement in the Ukraine his wife, a registered nurse. In study of the Bible. Access to it 1925 a young Swiss engineer, Al- is obtained by crawling through September 25, 1938, was the fred Escher, gave up a career to a narrow tunnel formed in the 950th anniversary of the foundserve this mission church. Fif- long past by a terrific upheaval, ing of the Ukrainian Lutheran teen Hollanders have found when the great rocks fell into Church. At that time a Harvest Christ in these meetings. M. the position which they occupy Festival was celebrated in Stan- Jacques Blocher, trained in the today. From the tunnel one islau, when people came from University of Paris and in the emerges into an immense nat- every direction, by wagon, train Bible Institute, Minneapolis, is ural cathedral, the only shaft of or on foot. All Evangelical Luanother worker. M. and Mme. light coming through an aper- therans participated in a com- Dumesil sold their property at ture in the roof. In this spot munion service, creating a pro- Dieulefit to serve as unpaid vol- hallowed by the prayers of mar- found impression upon all those unteers. M. Memmert came in tyrs a feeling of awe came over present. The Stanislau pastor, 1933 after careful preparation the visitors-a feeling that ex- Rev. Theodore J arczuk, writes in the Bible school of Pastor tended to the muleteers who had of the victories of the Gospel of Saillens at Nogent-sur-Marne guided them to it. They rever- Christ among these people: "The and in Glasgow. This does not ently removed their hats upon results of this Harvest Festival exhaust the list. entering. One of them ap- led to arrangement for a similar proached the leader of the tour- service for the Reformation An effective agency is the Gos- ist party and said, hesitantly, Festival on October 2:0. Attenpel poster; 500 of these have "If Monsieur prayed?" And so, dance was even greater. Those been put up in Paris and sub- with bowed heads and hearts up- who passed the chapel were asurbs. Many persons have bought lifted to the Saviour of all, Eng- tonished at the crowd of people, copies of the Scriptures as a re- lish, Irish and Italian, each and said: 'These Lutherans besult. Sometimes professional praised Him there for the past, lieve in God.' The Festival conbill pOosters tear them down; and asked His help in the future cluded with the singing of 'A sometimes unexpected results for the Waldensian Church. Mighty Fortress Is Our God.' In are produced in connection with many different ways the work other posters. For example, a Confessional Church Crisis was advanced." poster announcing a grand ball, had this significant addition at- Three new demands made on Pastor J arczuk writes further: tached: "And after it is over?" the Confessional Church by the Most of this work is done by the German chief of police, Hein- It has long been the custom of young people of the Tabernacle. rich Himmler, indicate that the Lutheran Ukrainians to worship on struggle between the Church and Epiphany at the bank of a river, in -So S. Times. State is nearing a decisive phase. commemo"ation of the preaching of These demands, as reported by John the Baptist at the River Jordan. Gospel Work in Spain the New York Times, were: 1. A few months ago such a service was The Confessional Church shall held on the banks of the Dniester. Reports vary considerably in relinquish its claim to a share of The crowd was constantly augmented, regard to the prospects for evan- the church tax. 2. The Confes- the nearer it came to the river. From gelical work in Spain, now that sional Church shall surrender its all neighboring villages came the folthe war has ended. Protestant status as a corporation of pub- lowers of the Gospel and the curious. churches are permitted to open lic right. 3. The Confessional At the place where the service was to in some centers, in others they be held, thousands of persons had alremain closed. When General ready gathered, listening with the greatest interest to every word of the service. Among those present were some who had come to disturb the serv-
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
ice. From the other side of the river at Memia, found no sale for her to work with God in the planta group of agitators came across in a pictures and turned to fruit cul- ing and working of their garboat. As they were crossing one of ture, finally gave that up also; dens.-American Board News. their number cried out: "Either I and offered her home to the Miswill throw the Lutheran pastors into sion. There was no money to "Separatist" Groups the water or will drown myself." But buy, but she agreed to rent and when the service began they listened, now the Mission is established These religious. groups in the and the longer they listened the more there. Union of South Africa number attentive they became. Soon the an- over 500, ilccording to official ger faded; they took off their caps The entire Bible is available figures. Similar movements are and began to nod approvingly. At in Kabyle; portions have been found in other parts of Africa. the close of the service the young man put into the Berber dialects of Whatever may be the underlywho avowed that he would throw us Morocco. So far, the Scriptures ing cause of the rise of these into the water joined our brethren and are almost the only literature in sects, they are hindering the began to make known his sympathy. these dialects. spiritual growth of the African Church. In general, the separa- AFRICA School in Elephant Land tist groups are formed by those who are moved by personal am- The "Book of Manne'rs" Children from the kraals of bition or who wrongly interpret southern Rhodesia attend schools the Scriptures; by those who are Mrs. E. M. Bailey, of the which are merely thatched roof seeking to avoid discipline or United Presbyterian Mission at sheds, and these are often de- have been disciplined by the rec- Minia, Egypt, writes that one stroyed by herds of roaming ele- ognized churches. Sometimes the of the most encouraging things phants. In these so-called "light movements spring from reasons that has happened in the Chris- houses" it costs about $1.40 which are racial or political, or tian school in a long time is the apiece to give the children an from the hope that in the ecclesivoluntary request of some of the elementary education, and is astical sphere the African will graduates for a special Bible their only chance to secure one. be able fo obtain a freedom of class. They are now in a gov- Of this sum, the government action which is denied him in ernment secondary school and supplies 68 cents, the American the political. Owing to the high they find there an atmosphere of Board contributes 30 cents and proportion of illiteracy among profanity and rudeness very dif- the pupil must somehow find the the rank and file of the African ferent from the Christian school other 42 cents, and also buy his people it is always possible for where they grew up. They are books. This would barely sup- a leader of strong personality, coming on a free afternoon to ply movie tickets for the Amer- by specious promises to carry study the Bible and have brought ican child, but we read of one numbers of people with him into several of their new Moslem lad who walked six miles.. each the body which he forms. schoolmates with them. One of way, to cut grass for six cents them, when the Bibles were a day; sold tomatoes from his -Congo Mission News. brought out, asked what they mother's tiny garden, and finally, were. A Moslem girl from last to complete the 42 cents walked WESTERN ASIA year's graduating class replied: six miles with a bunch of bana- "That's the book we get our man- nas on his head to sell them for a Another Side of Palestine ners out of." few cents. Picture Among the Berbers In the same section of Africa It is heartening to sight some there is conducted each year an islands in the sea of trouble Monsieur Warren, of the Paris interesting ceremony called "The which is Palestine. One is what Evangelical Missionary Society, Seed and Hoe Consecration has been described as a "boom" has recently visited the stations Service," a blending of long es- in Christian education. The of the North Africa Mission in tablished African custom and C. M. S. Girls' School at Amman Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Christian practice. Men, women has the confidence of prominent In The Link he describes the and children come with seeds Moslem families, and is looking curious Berber villages of flat- and hoes. The pastor recalls how toward a boarding department roofed houses, reminiscent of the the people would bring grain to for village girls. The Bishop's adventure of the spies in Jericho the chief to be blessed so that it School for Boys in the same (for Berber tradition has it that might be productive. "Here," town is becoming a cultural centhe Berbers are the descendants he points out, "we are bringing ter, and pupils of the different of Canaan's inhabitants, driven grain and hoes to God for His communities are mixing without out by Joshua). This sturdy blessing on our work." At Chik- strain in these schools. A race is not deeply grounded in ore, Rev. Frank T. Meacham re- marked increase of interest in Mohammedanism, and therefore ports that the Community Dem- social work is noted; large nummore or less open to the Gospel. onstrator spoke on the parable bers of the elder boys and girls More than fifty years ago, the of the Sower and then represent- volunteered to teach in daily vafounder of the North Africa atives of the congregation stood cation Bible schools during the Mission was interested in them, before the altar and repeated a summer holidays, and took a but the door was not open for pledge consecrating themselves deep interest in the thousand or evangelization. Years later, an English lady-artist built a home
more children who attended the taught that there is no God, no tees. An interesting experiment score of schools held. use in prayer, and that educated calculated to abolish purdah was people have ceased to be be- the formation of a "family cir- Christian medical work stands lievers. cle" in one constituency, with a out. There is a new hospital at view to promoting inter-commu- Es Salt, and a small temporary On the other hand, there is nal friendship and inculcating a clinic is at work in Jerash. Other developing a more open-minded healthy sense of freedom among hospitals and dispensaries report attitude towards many matters, the sexes, and to encourage increasing work. It seems cer- including religion; and although sport. tain that the spirit of Christ is there is no wide-open door for at work, and new hope has arisen Gospel preaching in Turkey, the Thus Hindu, Mohammedan, that the land sacred to three re- evangelist can get a hearing if Sikh, Parsee and Christian womligions may again become a land there is no suspicion that his en are cooperating for the uplift of peace. message has any political bear- of India's Women. . -International Review of Mis- ing. There is a free field for -Women's Missionary Maga- the circulation of Christian liter- sions. ature; and the Scriptures, which zine. have been published in Latin Palestine After Eighteen Years script, are selling readily. In Soviet Combats Missions the Istanbul area it has been Moses Bailey, writing in The found that the establishment M The Bombay Press Service re- American Friend, describes the small, scattered prayer groups ports': changes he observed in Palestine among the members of the Evanwhen he returned after an ab- gelical and Oriental churches has The Soviet Russian Godless League sence of 18 years. Better roads, served to strengthen and encour- has decided to establish international more land under cultivation, in- age them in life and witness. schools in Moscow to train propacreased orange groves, shade ganda experts to combat the missiontrees, irrigation systems, modern -International Review of Mis- ary work of the Christian Church in ways of doing things, were su- sions. the colonies, especially the humanitarperficial changes first noted. Per- ian and cultural work. Indians, Nehaps the tremendously increased INDIA AND BURMA groes and Arabians will be among the hatred, fear and economic insta- candidates to be trained in these bility might also be signs of Years of Progress :schools. modernity. In the midst of all this it is difficult to train boys The All-India Women's Con- The Bulletin adds: and girls for a useful life. Fiery ference is the acknowledged adnationalists' idea of education is vocate of the women of India, According to information received to have their wits sharpened the without any distinction of creed, in London, special propaganda cambetter to supplant their oppo- caste or class. It has a mem- paign for British India is announced nents. bership of over 8,500. At its by the Riga press bureau of the God- 13th session, about 200 delegates less League. The campaign includes, Mr. Bailey finds two outstand- were in attendance. The criti- among other things, the scattering of ing attributes in the Arab mind: cism that the Conference was 10,000 Russian atheists throughout a genius for friendship and a only for ladies of leisure was re- India. keenness for hard study, not futed, for the delegates were surpassed in any other race, so mostly teachers, doctors and oth- The same facts have been notfar as he has observed. Friend- er workers. ed in European papers. liness and ability form a combination that can go far. There The work of the conference Plea for Economy are two disadvantages, however, during the past year has been as Mr. Bailey sees it; religion, constructive and extensive. Pub- The Soc i a I Reconstruction whether Christian or Moslem, is lic opinion has been enlightened Committee of the American materialistic; and the fact that as to divorce, polygamy and the Marathi Mission presented to the the Arab feels first and thinks legal disabilities of women. Ag- Annual Meeting of the Council afterward; this makes them a ricultural improvement and a recommendation on family fertile field for the demagogue. home industries, such as leather problems, among them the ex- work, clay modeling and needle- travagant marriage c u s tom s Materialism in Turkey work, have been organized in prevalent in the Indian Chris- several centers. Considerable tian community. It was urged The westernization of Turkey attention had been paid to ma- that all Indian Christians and goes on apace; so much so that ternity and child welfare, and especially mission workers armissionaries are saying that it is clinics providing free medical range only simple and inexpennot primarily Mohammedanism, treatment, and in some cases sive weddings, without giving but materialism with which they free milk and clothing, had been dinners to the community, or have to deal. In many govern- established at some centers. The spending money on bands, on ment schools there is not only insanitary condition of certain processions, on lights or on rich no religious. and moral teaching schools and mill areas had been clothing for bride, bridegroom given, but distinct anti-religious tackled by a few health commit- or relatives; and without borteaching. The children are rowing any money for the occa- sion. To encourage those who would prefer to arrange wed- dings within their means, but who yield to the pressure of so- cial opinion, it was recommended
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
that Christians should not attend reminded of it by one of the augurate a New Life Movement, extravagant wedding festivities. women, a fact in itself encour- with the following objectives as aging. So a meeting was called their goal: It was further recommended to plan the campaign, and in- that all mission schools and in- stead of the six women expected, No filth in the house or around it. stitutions should introduce prac- eighteen presented themselves Every Christian wear clean clothes. tical projects which through ex- for Instructions. No debts contracted through mar- perience will teach all students riage, and workers the value of money The women were divided into No excessive interest. and how to use it; and will also groups of three or four, and each No expensive feasts. definitely discourage them from group was assigned a definite All disputes settled out of court. going into debt. number of homes to visit; thus Punctuality, all the homes in one village were Cleansing of tobacco from personal -Dnyanodaya. visited in an afternoon. In two and social life. homes the workers were asked No liquor. Bhil Christians to pray; those who asked for Adoption of a salutation-folding this said they had faith, but to hands and saying namascaram. The story of Christian Work accept Christ openly was a dif- At least one-tenth to Church, Chris- among the Bhils goes back to ferent matter. tian work and charity. the year 182'8, when a British Wiping out the remnants of caste. officer, an earnest Christian, was Mrs. Whitcomb went with a Family devotions every day. in charge of Rajputana, and in different group each day, and No recreation that cannot be taken his administration of the district was deeply moved by the ear- in the name of the Lord Jesus. prayed for the day when these nestness of these women in giv- A cooperative in every village people might hear the Gospel. ing their testimony. Their spirit (Kagawa method), But it was not until 1878 that of good will was contagious, and Wiping out of illiteracy. steps were taken to found a Mis- great benefit came to the work- Cottage industries in every home. sion among these aboriginal ers themselves, for they con- tribes. The C. M. S. put an ap- trasted the hopelessness of the -National Christian Council peal in the church papers for a villagers with the blessings of Review. missionary to go to the Bhil Christianity. country, and two years later a CHINA young recruit went out. After -Outlook of Missions. ten years of uphill work, results A Visitor's Impressions began to appear, and by 1892 Political Advance Helps there was a small Bhil Christian Evangelism A traveler visiting nine out- Church. Coming down to 1939, stations and one main station how has this Mission fared? A A writer in the Missionary of the China Inland Mission, re- recent report says that churches Herald argues that the obstacle marks that three things im- have been .established in nine to progress represented by finan- pressed her especially: the ear- main centers with a total mem- cial retrenchment will turn into nestness of the women, their de- bership of 1047. Schools have a stepping stone to indigenous s,ire to learn and their extreme been opened and there are now evangelization, and the steady poverty. In every place women over 500 pupils in them. building up of an indigenous walked from one to four miles church, because of the political in the early morning, bringing There is also a well developed development of the past year or just a few pieces of dry bread medical work. Presbyterians two. India has taken a long for the noon meal, and would sit have a mission among the same stride toward independence, and on hard benches all day study- people, and many thousands have from now on is ruling herself as ing a hymn, memorizing a bit been baptized in the last few never before; so also she is be- of Scripture, struggling over a years. ginning to realize that she must few characters. When the last also evangelize herself. This is meeting was over they would The work is quiet and inten- the trend of India's Christian trudge back 3 to 8 l~-not only s i ve; sporadic persecution movement; self-government not complaining, but pathetically . breaks out from time to time, but must be paralleled by self evan- grateful for the privilege of the missionaries carryon faith- .gelization. coming. Wind, cold, heat, in no fully the activities of schools, way deterred them, and they hospital, evangelism and pastor- In the light of this conclusion, s,eemed never to tire of meetings, al care. -C. M. S. Outlook. the United Theological College seldom less than two hours long. of Western India is redoubling They have a very real faith. and Women Volunteers its efforts to supply a trained to listen to their stories of an- ministry, and thus do a work of swered prayer is impressive. For some years at Baitalpur, strategic importance for India's Many are in direst economic it has been the custom for Chris- future. straits, yet not one asked for tian women to volunteer for financial help; many eve n evangelistic service in the neigh- Indian "New Life Movement" brought gifts of eggs or sweet boring villages. Mrs. E. W. potatoes to the Mission. Whitcomb who went to Baital- As an outcome of the Mara- pur after furlough knew noth- mon Conference, Christians of The visitor mentions the prev- ing of this custom, but was Travancore have decided to in- alence of demon possession. One saw and heard much of the pow- ers of darkness. In one instance
two Christian workers knelt for now is to institute a movement tians gave cause for alarm, as it two hours beside the afflicted for socialized reform compatible extended to local shops and even person in continuous prayer be- with the aspirations of all pro- necessary food was unobtainable fore release was finally given. gressive people. Portraits of for a time, but happily normal Lenin ruld Stalin have been re- conditions have been resumed. -China's Millions. placed by those of Sun Yat-sen One unfortunate result was the and Chiang Kai~shek. This has apostasy of a whole family of Reveals War Conditions been amply corroborated by oth- Christians with the exception of ers who know China; and this one of its members; and this cir- The Presbyterian Mission in destroys the point of J apanes.e cumstance was the more painful Peiping received the following assertion that they are fighting since the head of that family had letter in Chinese, written by an bolshevism. professed Christianity for nearevangelist living 30 miles outside ly forty years. of Peiping. This is the trans- Future of Medical Missions lation: More Gospels are entering Dr. K. C. Wong, Secretary of Tibet than ever before. Last Do not turn your face away from the Council of Medical Missions, year, with the financial support this my letter. But incline your ear says that of 217 mission hospi- of the National Bible Society of to your evangelist, a man filled with tals 81 were (in March) in "oc- Scotland, an adventurous jour': grief. Since my eyes last saw you I cupied areas," 82 in "fighting ney of two months was underhave been as a tree without leaves. I zones" and but 54 in "free Chi- taken by two evangelists who rehave suffered from one new moon to na." A survey made some ported the acceptance of hunthe other. The church members have months earlier showed that of dreds of copies of the Gospel. passed through four calamities: war, 34 mission hospitals in east Chibanditry, flood and famine. In this na 11 had been bombed or de- During the first three months our country there is no law, there is stroyed, 12 had been damaged of its existence, the "Gospel no peace. Bandits entered our town. or looted, 7 were "occupied" and Inn," of which mention has been They came with big shouting, they left 4 were closed. Since this re- made in these columns, more in clouds of black smoke. As a whirl- port some have been recovered than 800 travelers and pilgrims, wind they went over the land. Spoil- and opened, but almost every 700 ponies, yaks and donkeys ing and violence was before them. At week one or more has been dam- found shelter and more than 2'00 random they killed young and old. aged or destroyed. patients were treated for minor And they considered it but nothing to ailments. A capable Bible womrope seventy of our men together and Dockors and nurses are sadly an and her husband are in throw them into the river. In a well overworked, with most of their charge of the Inn. Beside the near our church twenty-eight women Chinese staff gone. However, daily Gospel talk, each lodger reand girls found death in escape from European refugees have ren- ceives a tract, or buys a Gospel their hands. Young Mrs. Wang, the dered ass,istance. So overwhelm- before he leaves. A public liwife of him who tends the sick in the ing are immediate demands that brary and reading room have mission hospital, was one of them, there has been no time to plan been established, where daily also Mrs. Yang and her daughter, for the future. Relief funds will papers and magazines are availwhom you know. In wartime life is not last forever; doctors cannot able. Another plan to extend the truly cheap. The iniquity of our time run one-man hospitals indefinite- usefulness of the Inn is that of is fiercer than evening wolves. The ly with from 100 to 200 clinical opening a grocery, where tired bandits trampled down the harvest, patients daily besides their in- pilgrims may buy such necessiburned our homes, kidnapped the girls, patients. Before the war many ties as tea, butter, flour and keroand plundered the stores. They took of these hospitals were practical- sene. Judging from the extent away our donkeys and drove our pigs ly self-supporting but for the to which this has been used, the before them. missionaries' salaries. Now the new venture is a success. supporting constituency has fled. Thou, Shepherd-teacher, will re- -Moravian Missions. member how the people used to sing 'One conspicuously efficient as taught at the evangelistic meetings. hospital recently was approached JAPAN -CHOSEN Now everyone is quiet. The men look by the Japanese to rent or to worried, the women have forgotten sell the plant to them, and it is Christianity Gets Official how to smile. For many, death seems reported that a refusal will be Status more desirable than life. A great met by the challenge of a new many have no home, no clothing, no hospital designed far to outshine The 74th Japanese Diet has remoney. 0, thou who art safe out of the mission institution. cently passed all the 89 bills inthis spot of calamity, incline thine ear troduced, not one being rejected and knit the little thread of our hope -The Christian Century. or even altered materially. The into a rope of victory. enactment of the "Religious In Western Tibet Bodies Bill," which in one form -Evangelical Christian. or another has for 40 years been Rev. Walter Asboe, Moravian a bone of contention in legisla- What About the Communists? missionary, reports both encour- tive circles, may have great or agement and disappointment in little significance for Christian- One who has lived long in Chi- the Tibet field. A severe boycott ity depending on what happens na, in a personal letter to a of missionaries and native Chris- in other respects. While acfriend, throws light on a question often asked: Is China going "red"? This writer says that Chinese communists have abandoned many of their ideological concepts, originating in Russia, and much of their violence ; they are now Chinese, first and foremost; their aim
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
knowledging the right to reli- anese laymen and of mission- and surgical work is done by one gious freedom guaranteed by the aries; one half are to be chosen foreign and one Korean doctor. constitution, the bill puts all re- from eastern Japan, and one ligious organizations under the half from western Japan. In 1938, the company spent regulation of the Ministry of over 60,000 yen for this medical Education. Creedal positions and Large Bible rallies in Tokyo service. There were treated in forms of worship must be ac- and Osaka give evidence of a de- the wards, dispensary and the ceptable to the authorities; ad- termined spirit in this move- surrounding villages more than ministrative, legal and property ment. -Bible Society Record. 40,000 patients (this is a record affairs must conform to regula- of treatments-not different pations, and all changes must be Chinese Y. M. C. A. Suppressed tients) . There were more than promptly reported. 400 major operations. Of the The Tokyo correspondent for treatments more than 10,000 Some Christians say that the The Christian Century made a were for outsiders. No charge new bill merely legalizes condi- visit to the parts of the city is made to anyone, but patients tions long in force; that Chris- where formerly many Chinese not employed by the company tianity is now specifically recog- resided and where the Y. M. must pay for their own drugs nized as one of Japan's' three C. A. and other cultural institu- and operating material. The accepted faiths, hence prejudice tions sought to serve those from company has never been known on the part of petty officials can the Celestial Kingdom. Chinese to refuse to send their doctor to no longer be a handicap; that are there still, but both Chinese distant villages to see seriously the new legal status accorded and Christian institutions as sick Koreans. both denominations and local such have disappeared. There communions will prove of advan- was a great exodus of Chinese -Korean Mission Field. tage in penetrating conservative students from Japan in the sumand bigoted regions; and that mer of 1937. Now hundreds of What Medicine Has Done for the bill will discourage the devel- Chinese youths are again com- Chosen opment of superstitious faiths of ing to Tokyo for study-this all sorts. The danger of state time from the occupied regions To form a correct appreciaregulation is minimized. of China. But who now will tion of the part played by medi- help them as did the Y. M. and cine in the regeneration of Ko- -Christian Century. Y. W. C. A. and the churches in rea, says Dr. O. R. Avison, one the days when Sun Yat-sen, Chi- must know what were the con- "Nippon Seisho Kyokwai" ang Kai-shek and C. T. Wang ditions when Protestant missions were occasional sojourners there entered the country in 1884. This is the name of the Japan and had many friends in Tokyo Even forty years ago, practical- Bible Society, recently organ- interested not in the politics but ly everybody was pock marked. ized. It marks another step in in the souls of these youthful All children were expected to the cooperative plans of the seekers after truth? have smallpox before the age of older Bible Societies, and reveals two; so many of them died that the courageous way the younger Medical Work in Mines mothers thought it hardly worth churches are rising to increased while to count a child as a memresponsibilities. One of the Th e Oriental Consolidated ber of the family until he had things that stood out clearly at Mining Company in Korea is survived this disease. An epithe Madras Conference was the known as the American Mines. demic of Asiatic cholera was exfact that these younger churches Its president from the beginning pected every five or six years. have made great strides. Many until he died in 1927 was Henry Both diseases were attributed to of them have grown up in lands C. Perkins of New York who, the power of demons. There was where Christianity was unknown throughout his life, had a deep no knowledge at all of sanitaless than two hundred years ago. interest in the lives of the min- tion ; vermin were abundant; ers and their families, one evi- excrement from human beings Many Japanese Christian lead- dence being the maintenance of infected with all sorts of intesers have been concerned that the medical care for these workers. tinal parasites was used as fer- Scriptures in use in Japan bore tilizer, and raw vegetables eaten the imprint of foreign Bible So- Much could be said of the gen- unwashed, or washed in polluted cieties; and after a number of eral policies of this company; water. Flies had access to conconferences of representatives how it has never been in the taminated places, and to good; of the foreign societies and their courts, has always paid at least mosquitoes were uncontrolled. Japanese advisory committees, a one yearly dividend; never fluc- Those ill with contagious disconstitution was drawn up and tuated prices nor padded its re- eases were not isolated. ratified last October. The essen- ports, but there is space only to tial objectives are the same as speak of the medical work. The One day Dr. Avison was walkthose of Western societies: the company maintains a little hos- ing outside the city gate when translation, publication and dis- pital with room for 25 to 30 in- he saw a strange sight-the tribution of the Scriptures, with- patients. Through a dispensary corpse of a child that had died out note or comment. The gov- and clinic connected with the of smallpox. Here was an operning body is composed equally hosuital 75 or more patients go portunity to pit the strength of of Japanese ministers, of Jap- daily except Sundays. Medical vaccination against the power of
a demon, if only he could be al- and have no Christian influence. from the war scene in Spain, or lowed to try. At first, all offers There are about 4,000 Japanese again it might fit the picture of were refused. Finally, a Chris- Christians living in Formosa. a Jewish refugee group on the tian mother agreed to let him see One hopeful sign for the future border of Czechoslovakia. But what he could do. Her child is the keenness and activity of no, it happened in the U. S. A.; passed its second year and then the Christian youth in Formosa. the pitiful procession was made its third without taking small- up of "sharecroppers" in Mispox; after that other mothers -International Review of souri, evicted from their shanwere anxious to try the new way. Missions. ties because, allegedly, landown- This incident opened the door to ers wished to change from tendisease prevention, and in time In Netherlands Indies ants to day laborers. the government made vaccination compulsory. Today, small- . The first Christian book in One More Poll Needed pox is rare. Javanese, other than the Bible, appeared in 1938. It is a child's We have "had plenty of "polls." -Korea Mission Field. Life of Christ entitled "The King Weare asked how we shall vote of Love." It originally appeared in 1940; even personal habits ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC in Arabic, then in Urdu, then are inquired into, so that we Persian. Christian work among know how everybody feels; but "For Value Received" young people in both Java and why not have a poll as to what Sumatra is being steadily pro- the churches intend to do about Filipino Christians are assum- moted. Annual conferences and the missionary enterprise? ing more and more responsibil- a Christian newspaper are some Would it not be possible to ask ity for work, which a few years of the means used. Autonomous 100,000 people in typical churchago had to be done, if at all, by churches are to be found in dif- es some such questions as: the missionaries. For example, ferent areas of the Indies, but in the wife of a Filipino professor some sections missionary work (1) Do I really believe that Jesus at Silliman University is teach- is forbidden by the government; started the missionary method, and ing music while the missionary in northern Sumatra and in Bali, believed that. His Gospel would evenhead of the department is absent for example, but Christians from tually win the world? on furlough. "Don't worry about other localities settle in these salary," she said. "Silliman gave areas, bringing their faith and (2) Do I really believe that my anme my education, and if I can witness with them. The fact cestors received civilization and every be of service I shall be glad." that now for the first time in uplifting ideal they possessed through One of the assistant professors Borneo the Asiatic ministry of Christian missionaries? Clearly this has started a flourishing cooper- the Church exceeds the Euro- seems true, and how anyone can doubt ative in Dumaguete; while an pean holds out hope for the fu- our obligation to share similar lifeinstructor is teaching local farm- ture. giving and level-lifting Christian ers how to make better use of ideals is beyond understanding. their resources. Still another -International Review of goes regularly to the small Missions. (3) Despite taxes, losses, fears, but churches to help with the music. admitting most of us still live in com- NORTH AMERICA fortable homeR and eat thrice a day, -Monday Morning. do I really believe that an annual per Where Did This Happen? capita gift of fifty cents per member Christianity in Formosa in our denomination proves our part- Last January the New York nership in a progressive and victori- Restrictions have been placed Times published a news story ous enterprise like winning a world on Christian work in Formosa, from which the paragraph be- for the Gospel of Christ? as elsewhere in the Japanese low is taken. Missions reprinted empire. Efforts have been made it and asked its readers to guess (4) Do I really believe that our to force all Formosan household- what part of the world the story missionaries exert important influers to set up miniature Shinto came from. ences for world peace, and that shrines, and neglect to do so has through them we are aidinp.: in the led to trouble in some districts. Along two highways more than progress of the Kingdom of God? This order is as unacceptable to 1,000 men, women and children non-Christians as to Christians, camped in the open air. They hud- -American Board News. since the former regard the sub- dled around camp fires, or makeshift stitution of new emblems for old stoves, along desolate rights of way, "Temperance Trailer" as destroying their own ances- sharing the contents of huge steaming tral religion. kettles. The number of camps was A "Temperance Trailer," still growing at nightfall as new- sponsored by the Friends' Tem- In 1936, the Canadian Mission comers straggled in on foot, or in perance Association of Philadelwithdrew from the Tansui Mid- dilapidated vehicles. The camps dot- phia, has made a transcontidle, and Girls' Schools in For- ted the road all the way to the border nental tour of over 10,000 miles, mosa, because of government re- line. Men feeble with age, one woman stopping in more than a hundred quirement in regard to shrine so ill that she had to be carried on a towns in twenty-eight states, and attendance. These schools are cot, and babies crying from fright and carrying a temperance message now under local management, hunger, added to the distressing pic- to over 150,000 persons. The ture. trailer is fitted out with various exhibits, including a "drunko- It might describe the plight meter," designed to dramatize of the Chinese; it might come the dangers of alcohol. Tem- perance lectures are given, and questions from the audience are
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
answered by the crew of three. missing from my daily life. In which he demonstrates the pos- There has been no acrimonious that immortal masterpiece of sibility of the miraculous by scidebate, or hostility. literature I find new inspiration. entific analogy. Up to March, That is why the Holy Bible is many thousands had listened to -The American Friend. my favorite book." these demonstrations; sometimes the lectures start thirty minutes Immanuel Mission to Seamen -Lutheran News Bureau. early because the auditorium is jammed. The audiences are Laden with Scripture por- Organization Changes Name about ninety per cent untions, workers of Immanuel churched. There have been defi- Mission to Seamen enter cabins The "International Save the nite conversions. A San Franand crews' quarters on vessels Children Fund," as this agency cisco daily observes that these of all types and nationalities has been called since its organ- lectures leave the audience less along the Pacific Coast. Oppor- ization in 1931, is now to be cock sure of their own wisdom, tunity to read at sea, the absence known as the "Save the Children and with a feeling that the mirof opposition and a lack of di- Federation." The President, acles of the Bible are not so imversion ensure a friendly recep- Dr. John R. Voris, says that the possible as they had supposed. tion for these workers. The name Federation is adopted be- Alaska salmon fleet carries a cause this is a movement, or as- Institutions Closed mixed group of Americans, Chi- sociation, and the name "Fund" nese, Italians, Scandinavians, no longer describes its functions, Because of financial strin- Mexicans and Filipinos. They as it did in the beginning. Drop- gency the Presbyterian Board. beg for reading matter, for ping the word "International" is of National Missions has voted Alaska is almost a spiritual of no significance, except to to close three of its institutions: wilderness. shorten the name. The Federa- the American Indian Institute, tion will continue to maintain Wichita, Kansas; Ingleside-Fee Malay and Javanese Scrip- relationship with the Save the Institute, Burkeville, Virginia; tures find their way to the crews Children International Union of and Brainerd Institute, Chester, of Dutch East Indies boats, and Geneva, of which the fund has South Carolina, in the Negro. Spanish booklets are used with been the American member ever field. All three have been givgreat blessing on various ships since its founding. The question ing splendid service, but their coming in to San Francisco from of changing the title of the agen- discontinuance was the only al- Puerto Rico. American liners cy has been under consideration ternative to a general retrenchsailing across the Pacific are for more than two years. Effort ment, which would have crippled supplied with Bible portions and has been made to find a still the entire program of the Board.. booklets. For a period of more shorter name.-The Churchman. than 24 years this work has been At the same meeting at which carried on among seamen. The Radio as a Missionary this decision was made it was Voice voted that the new hospital be- -Scripture Gift Mission ing erected to replace the over- Bulletin. The "Lutheran Hour," a Sun- crowded Brooklyn Cottage Hos- day afternoon coast – to – coast pital at Dixon, N. M., be named The Bible in the CCC broadcast, can claim a mission- the Embudo Presbyterian Hospi- ary bearing. Dr. Walter A. tal; and that the staff home be When CCC boys were asked Maier, of the Concordia Semi- called the Brooklyn-Nassau Cottheir preference in reading mate- nary Faculty in St. Louis, who tage. Embudo will be the post rial, a large majority indicated broadcast over 66 stations from office address of the new hospithat the Bible is their favorite October to Easter Sunday has tal. The name of the staff home book. The reasons given for this been heard by sailors on the high is the Board's expression of appreference were varied, but first seas, by isolated men in lumber preciation for the continued prize, if one had been awarded, and mining camps in the north interest of Brooklyn – Nassau would go to Wayne Berkshire of woods, by distinguished person- Presbyterial Society in this Company 793, Hill City, S. Da- ages high in the business, pro- project. kota, for the following reply: fessional and social life of the "My favorite book is the Holy nation – by a vast audience Indians Set Example Bible. Why? Because it is my whose number can be estimated mother's and my own wish that only from the tremendous num- In proportion to their means, I develop a more wholesome, sin- ber who send in their comments, the Sioux Indians give more for c ere and faithful religion. totaling 133,000 last season. the promotion of Christian activ- Through the Bible and, of course, ities than any other church the Church, I am striving to Treasure Island Gospel Project members anywhere. Once they reach that goal. I have discov- were the fiercest, most war-like ered and constantly rely upon Mention has been made of the of all North American Indians. the magic powers of prayer when San Francisco Christian Busi- They were the ones who wiped in trouble, in doubt, and at the ness Men's presentation of the out General Custer and his cavclose of every day. If I could Gospel at the Golden Gate Expo- aIry; now, every member of the not have access to the Bible each sition through Irvin Moon's tribe is a professed Christian, day, I would feel that something "Sermons from Science," in important and necessary was
All of them are peaceful farm- MISCELLANEOUS Persia …………….. . 40,000 ers. 40,000 Fifty Years-Past and Future Brazil …………….. . 24,141 A few years ago when grass- 23,553 hoppers and drouth practically United Presbyterian young India ……………… . 20,000 ruined farmers, many church people have been celebrating fif- Australia ………….. . 19,850 people advocated withdrawal ty years of organized work in from the South Dakota field, but their denomination, and are con- Mexico ……………. . 7,800 the Sioux Indians held a mass sidering the situation of today in China …………….. . 4,000 meeting, pledged a fifty per cent its relation to that of fifty years 2,591 increase in their giving and hence; facing a world of today, Cuba ……………… . adopted the slogan, "Move For- terribly disorganized economi- Spain …………….. . ward."-United Presbyterian. cally, socially, internationally, religiously and morally. They New Zealand ………. . The Church in the Arctic realize that there probably nev- er was a day of greater oppor- World O. E. Advance The aeroplane and the wire- tunity for youth to make an imless have caused tremendous press on their world. The older Two important changes in changes in mission work in the generation is looking on with Christian Endeavor activities Arctic regions. Last year Bish- keen interest as it sees young have taken place across the op Fleming traveled from 15,000 people ready and eager to spend Pacific. The Methodist Episcopal to 16,000 miles through the east- a large part of their summer Church of southern Asia has ern Arctic, covered much work vacation period in listening at- voted to discontinue the Epwhich had never been done be- tentively to leaders who try to worth League to permit its youth fore, and could not have been direct their energies in the path organizations to unite with the attempted but for the aeroplane. of Christ's Kingdom. While this Christian Endeavor Union of Plane travel is not expensive, fiftieth anniversary celebration India, Burma and Ceylon. This considering the e nor m 0 u s has paid tribute to the "giants is another step toward union of amount of time saved thereby. there were in those days," it Protestant missionary programs For the better spiritual care of makes clear that the younger in southern Asia. The Methodist the 11,000 people-Indians, Es- generation has a whole army of Church has nearly half a million kimos and white folk-within possible "giants." members in India, and more the Arctic Circle and a distance than 54,000 are registered in below it, the diocese of the Arc- -United Presbyterian. Methodist schools. tic was constituted in 1933, and comprises one-third of the whole Where Can the "Wandering The second move was the for- Dominion of Canada. Jew" Wander? mation of a Pacific Region of the World Christian End e a v 0 r There are two hospitals in the Union, to include China, Japan, diocese: All Saints, at Aklavik, Korea, Manchoukuo, New Zeaand St. Luke's at Pangnirtung. land, Australia, the Philippines, Remembering that the diocese the Fiji and Samoan Islands, and comprises over a million square other Pacific island groups. miles, one understands why Bishop Fleming is seeking to found From his original home in Pal- Youth at Amsterdam a third on the north shore of estine the Jew has wandered far Hudson Strait. The existing and wide. He has indeed been There is an alarming regimenhospitals are fully equipped with "the wandering Jew." The tation of young people in many electric light, X-ray apparatus, Christian Evangelist has given parts of the world in movements operating theaters, and other de- that are anti-Christian, or at sirable and necessary features·. an interesting tabulation to show least non-Christian. A World The government supplies the the present distribution of Jews Conference of Christian Youth doctors: the Church provides throughout the world: to be held at Amsterdam, Holthe staff and upkeep. land, July 24-August 3, is United States ………. . 4,228,029 planned to make the Christian Primitive animism is the re- 3,028,837 youth of the world more aware ligion of the native, Eskimo and Poland ……………. . 2,676,109 of their heritage in the Chris- Indian alike. Nineteen clergy- tian faith, and more forceful one an Eskimo deacon-and six- Russia ……………. . 728,115 and courageous in applying the ty or more lay workers assist Rumania …………… . 514,269 message of the Church in a Bishop Fleming. There is also Near East …………. . 499,682 world whose disintegrating forcwork for white people. Each 444,567 es are placing Christianity benorthern settlement has its Hud- Germany ………….. . 356,830 fore one of the greatest tests of son's Bay Company store, the Hungary ………….. . 300,000 its history. barracks of the Royal Canadian 260,000 Mounted Police (the "Moun- Czechoslovakia ……… . 240,000 The conference program is the ties"), and the wireless. station. Great Britain ………. . 191,408 result of two years of consulta- 161,312 tion among youth leaders from -Life of Faith. Argentina …………. . 156,817 all parts of the world. The 155,614 daily worship service will enable France ……………. . 155,125 all delegates to attend the type Austria ……………. . 110,127 of service to which they are ac- customed, and also to experience Morocco …………… . 95,000 other worship customs. 81,280 Netherlands ………… . 72,791 Canada ……………. . 72,550 Lithuania ………….. . 60,000 Algeria ……………. . 59,485 South Africa ……….. . 51,000 47,825 Turkey ……………. . Greece …………….. . Egypt …………….. .
Belgium …………… .
Tunis …………….. . Abyssinia ………….. . Italy ……………… .
~==~======~============~l'~
Our Missionary Bookshelf Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information Cry Dance. A Novel of the Ameri- It is an attempt to provide a While the main emphasis in can Indian. By Coe Hayne. 8 Yo. guide to the solution of life's dif- "This Business of Living" is 255 pp. $2.00. Harper & Bros. New ficult and often tragic problems. upon personal and individual York. 1939. Who among us would not wel- problems, the author pauses come assistance at this point and more than once to point out the The American Indians are a who is there without some friend application of his proffered solupicturesque and romantic people. or acquaintance whose need for tion to the larger social and na- They have been exploited, exhib- wisdom and guidance is great tional problems as well. "There ited, abused and protected for is no problem that is not in printwo hundred years. They sur- indeed? ciple a personal problem," he vive but are not yet made a civi- But will this book meet that truly says. And here are a few lized, Christian and integral part other wise observations: "Any of the nation. Many are strong need? Undoubtedly it will for victory won by force is a defeat" characters and capable of becom- the more intelligent reader, for ing highly educated and efficient the person who is equipped to "An agreement reached unde' r leaders. understand and appropriate that which is not always easy read- pressure is not an agreement, but As Secretary of Research of the ing. But it is a question whether the perpetration of a disagree- American Baptist Home Mission the common man, untrained in ment." "All war is defeat." "We Society, the Rev. Coe Hayne, philosophical and psychological must never surrender to the behas had many opportunities to lief that force has the last word." study the Indians on the reser- terms and methods, will find These words are true for the invations and has come to love and much of this helpful book avail- dividual; they are no less true admire them. Here he has told able for his needs. This is to be for nations. a stirring story of a young In- regretted since the common man dian, "Yosemite," who gave up is often the one who most des- VICTOR G. MILLS. his college course, and fine pros- perately needs the help which pects of a professional career, to Dr. Grensted offers. If the meth- Dynamic Christianity and the World throw in his lot with his people od and style of the book as a Today. By Samuel M. Zwemer. 8vo. in the Sierras and champion whole had been closer to the free 17? pp. 28. 6d. Intervarsity Fellowtheir cause in the struggle and easy spirit of the title it shIp. London; Zondervan Publishagainst poverty and wrong and would be more useful where ing House, Grand Rapids, Mich. in behalf of their rights in Amer- most needed. 1939. ica. A young white woman joined in the fight for the Red Yet with this one limitation, There are good reasons why man. "Cry Dance" tells the let it be said that for many, es- only earnest, believing followers story of the struggle-which pecially for those who would still continues. There are ad- help others in meeting life's of Christ are interested in proventures, bitter fights, and two moting Christian missions. One love stories woven into the nar- problems and crises, this book must believe in the importance rative. It is an incompleted tale will provide very real assistance. but the author shows good judg- Workers with troubled minds of a cause and in the claims of ment in his outcome of the love and hearts will be bet t e r its leader before one will give stories of white folk and Indians. equipped for reading it. It notes time and strength and money to Young people will find the novel advance that cause. Dr. Zwemof particular interest. It has a the nature of life's most common er has proved his faith by his definite Christian tone. problems, always stressing the works for he has spent nearly fifty years in many lands seek- This Business of Living. By L. W. fact that in the last analysis all ing to win Moslems to Christ- Grensted. 187 pp. $1.75. Mac- of these problems come back to by voice and pen and life. He millan. New York. 1939. the problem of self. The inef- knows that the only kind of Christianity worth following A cover notice calls this "a fectiveness of the common meth- and worth propagating is "Dy- book for everyman." One can- ods of help is made clear. And namic Christianity." This is the not but wish that this were more then the author points out the Christianity of the living Christ nearly the case, for every man one adequate answer which is who is the ever present Head of needs what this book has to offer. found through religion, when His Church and the motivating rightly conceived, and preemi- and achieving power of the Gos- nently through Christianity. The pel. chapter on "The Way of Release" is especially worth while.
[383 ]
The author has given us here wealth of Christian doctrine, scenes are laid, gives additional a dynamic book. The Gospel that and the last three which deal he proclaims is the same that with Christian experience based value to leaders of children's came through Jesus Christ and on that doctrine. Her analytical that "turned the world up-side- mind does not prevent her from groups. H. H. F. down" in the days of the Apos- seeing the beauty of the truth tles. It is the Gospel founded on she presents nor do her outlines Mary Reed of Chandag. By Lee S. faith in the Bible as the inspired obscure the life and power. One Huizenga. 37 pp. Paper, 35 cents. Word of God and in Christ as the wishes that she had drawn more Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Son of God and only Redeemer largely on her rich experiences Rapids, Mich. 1939. of men. This is the heart of to illustrate the truths presented. Christianity that has proved its But there is a reality and a glow Almost everyone knows the truth and power and that is dy- in her Christian life that is con- story of Mary Reed, who went namic today among all peoples tagious. These studies in Ephe- to India in 1884; became a leper; to whom the Gospel is pro- sians will richly reward any was healed through prayer and claimed in the power of the Holy student-preacher, teacher, mis- for forty-seven years has di- Spirit. sionary or layman. rected the Chandag Leper Home in the foothills of the Himalayas. Dr. Zwemer shows clearly that They Dared to Live. By Robert M. She recently celebrated her 83d this Gospel is everlasting; that Bartlett. 12mo. 135 pp. $1.25. birthday. This little, illustrated it has not changed; that it is Association Press. New York. book retells a story and gives absolute and is vitally linked 1939. important facts about leprosy with the "Changeless Christ." and its modern treatment. He shows that, while this Gos- This series of thirty-five tenpel is neglected and repudiated minute biographies are very H. H. F. by many who refuse to believe, brief stories of explorers, scienit is the Gospel that the whole tists, teachers, reformers, stu- Meditations on the Holy Spirit. By world needs today. The work of dents, social workers, artists, Toyohiko Kagawa. 167 pp. $1.50. Christ has made great progress, authors, doctors, political lead- Cokesbury Press, Nashville, Tenextens.ively and intensively, and ers and missionaries and Amer- nessee. 1939. mankind is accessible as never icans. They include British, before, but there are still great French, Chinese, Japanese, Ger- The world famous Japanese regions of the world and vast mans, Swiss, Russians, Czechs, Christian has given us an attracareas of humanity that are un- Africans, Norwegians, Indians tive statement of some great enlightened by a knowledge of and others. There are well- principles of the spiritual life. "the Light of the World." known names like Helen Keller Throughout it the author shows and President Masarayk, and ob- a strong mystical tendency. He This is not only an intensely scure persons like Roland Hayes is definitely Trinitarian and interesting and informing book, and Pierre Ceresole. The great clearly stands for the Personit is inspiring and dynamic. disappointment is t hat the ality of. the Holy Spirit. What would be the result if sketches are too brief, but they every Christian minister should make one wish to know more Readers who accept the inread it? about these men and women who errancy of the Bible will be dis- dared to work against obstacles turbed by Dr. Kagawa's tend- The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of and for a high purpose, and suc- ency to rationalize some of the the Christian. By Ruth Paxson. ceeded. miracles. He also appears to ac- 8vo. 222 pages. $1.50. Revell. cept Darwin's views of the New York. 1939. Far Round the World. By Grace W. "Origin of the Species" quite un- McGavran. Illustrated by Mar- critically. Another questionable Miss Paxson is already well garet Ayer. 118 pp. Cloth, $1.00. point is a rather naturalistic known through her spiritual Friendship Press, N. Y. 1939. view of the personal spiritual presentation of "Life on the experience of the Lord Jesus. Highest Plane." She is a devout Miss McGavran, the REVIEW'S With such reservations it is only and intelligent Bible teacher and Editor of "Effective Ways of fair to say that there is a great an evangelist of rare gifts and Working," and the author of deal that is searching and helpgraces; she has been widely and "Missionary Stories for Chil- ful, for the book evidently comes wonderfully used of God in dren," gives here eleven splendid out of deep personal experience. China, in Europe and America. stories showing the improve- The supernatural view of the ments of social conditions, de- Holy Spirit is accepted. In the present volume Miss cline in race prejudice, braving Paxson gives us some fruitful re- danger in Mexico, India, Africa, F. E. G. sults of her study in the letter Japan, China, Paraguay, Ceylon to the Ephesians, which she calls and the Philippine Islands. They Studies in First and Second Kings the "Grand Canyon of Scrip- describe events that actually and First and Second Chronicles. ture." It is remarkably rich, happened. A section at the back Arranged by Grace Saxe. 35 cents. suggestive and stimulating. She of the book, supplying facts 112 pp. Bible Colportage Assn. points out the connection be- about the countries in which the Chicago. 1939. tween the first three chapters, which deal chiefly with the These twenty-three studies in Old Testament history are de- signed for individual or class work. Exposition and applica- tion are well balanced. The mor- al lessons seem to flower forth
Encyclopedia of Religious
"How many baptized Christians in Burma?" "Where is the headquarters of the Evangelical Church?"
"How much does the average Baptist give to his church?" "Name three Christmas dramas suitable for church presentation." "How many denominations in the United States?" ''What are the best available books on the life of st. Paul 1"
"How many Christian missionaries in Egypt?" "What is Kingdomtide?"
"Is church giving going up or down 1" "Where is Washburn College located?"
"To what church does the Governor of Ohio belong?"
You can answer these and many more by turning to the proper pages in CHURCH MANAGEMENT DIRECTORY for 1939, now available in your book store. The price is but 65c. (by mail 75c.). If your bookstore cannot supply you, send the proper remittance to address l;Ielow. This directory offers the most complete almanac for the Protestant field.
CHURCH MANAGEMENT : Auditorium Building : Cleveland, Ohio from the Scripture itself. God Launch Out Into the Deep. By An' The New Sovereignty. Reiinald is clearly seen to be at work be- drew Gih. Edited by J. Edwin Orr. Wallis. 93 pp. Is. Pickering & hind the scenes. The great uni- 119 pp. Cloth, 40 cents. Zonder- Inglis. London. fying message in Kings and in van Publishing House, Grand Rap· Chronicles, Miss Saxe makes ids, Mich. 1938. One Gospel for Mankind. Hugh abundantly clear, in the impera- Vernon White. 72 pp. 35 cents. tive need of trusting God and Among the consecrated Chi- Friendship Press. New York. obeying Him. The book would nese soul winners is Andrew be still better if the author did Gih, now on an evangelistic tour Right Here at Home. Frank S. not lean so heavily upon a very in war-torn China. Previously, Mead. 183 pp. $1.00, and 60 cents. limited number of Bible scholars he made a three months' tour of Friendship Press. New York. for her quotations and if she had Australia with J. Edwin Orr, included more thought-provok- who says he was second to none Studies in I and II Kings and I and ing questions, along with the list for effectiveness. This book is II Chronicles. Grace Axe. 112 pp. of fact questions, at the end of in two parts: the first half be- 35 cents. B. I. C. Assn. Chicago. each lesson. ing s tor i e s of conversions through the Bethel Evangelistic When I Awake. Jack C. Winslowe. C. NORMAN BARTLETT. Bands, and the second half a 78 pp. Is. 6d. Hodder and Stough- collection of Bible readings on ton. London. The Doctor Comes to Lui. A Story such subjects as "The Dry of the Beginnings in the Sudan. By Bones," "Catching Fish," and The Wealth, Walk and Warfare of Eileen Fraser. Illus. 71 pp. Is. "The Way to Victory." "His vi- the Christian. Ruth Paxson. 222 Church Missionary Society. Lon- tal exposition of the Word of pp. $1.50. Revell. New York. don. 1939. God captivated both the saved and the unsaved," says Mr. Orr Yesterdays in Persia and Kurdistan. The reviewer and his wife in the preface; "Not a single Frederick G. Coan. 284 pp. $2.50. spent some years in the Sudan theme will be easily forgotten." Saunders Studio Press. Claremont, enjoying the personal acquaint- Calif. ance of the author and Bishop H.H.F. Gwynne who wrote the intro- Cry Dance. Coe Hayne. 255 pp. duction to the book. The story New Book. $2.00. Harpers. New York. of the establishment of many bush schools in darkest Sudan; The Acts of the Apostles. Studies The Greatest Words in the Bible and cutting down the jungle and let- in Primitive Christianity. W. H. in Human Speech. Clarence E. ting in the Christ; these are in- Griffith Thomas. 93 pp. 30 cents. Macartney. $1.50. 103 pp. Cokescluded, with some stories of the B. I. C. Assn. Chicago. bury Press. Nashville. mauling of African natives by buffaloes, lions and leopards and The Faith We Declare. Edwin Homeland Harvest. Arthur H. Limtheir recovery under the skillful Lewis. 236 pp. $2. Cokesbury ouze. 211 pp. $1.00 cloth, 60 cents care of Dr. Fraser. One feels Press. Nashville. paper. Friendship Press. New that the reader stands in the York. presence of a great and modest Far Round the World. Grace W. servant of Jesus Christ. Mrs. McGavran. 118 pp. $1.00. Friend- One Family. C. M. S. Review of Fraser's self-abnegation in writ- ship Press. New York. 1938-39. 62 pp. 6d. Church Mising of her talented husband and sionary Society. London. herself is remarkable but we The Gospel, in the Pentateuch. Herwould like to know more of bert Lockyer. 125 pp. 50 cents. Personality and Character Developthem. A minor criticism might B. I. C. Assn. Chicago. ment. J. D. Messick. 192 pp. $1.50. be that the narrative skips back Revell. New York. and forth in a way that makes God's Purpose. A Book of 365 Serit bewildering to follow the monettes for Home Worship. 366 The Remarkable Jew. His Wonder~ dates and, sequence of events. pp. 50 cents paper; $1.00 limp ful Future. L. Sale-Harrison. 224 fabrikoid; $1.50 art leather. Win- pp. 28. 6d. Pickering & Inglis. T. A. LAMBIE. ston. Philadelphia. London.
The Meaning of War. James W. The Rural Church in the Far East. Johnson. 57 pp. 75 cents. Revell. Ralph A. Felton. 258 pp. $1.25. New York. Friendship Press. New York.
The S. P. G. Story. 1939. 156 pp. 6d. Society for Propagating the Gospel. London.
Builder of Dreams. The Life of Robert Edward Chambers. Ruth Carver Gardner and Christine Cof- fee Chambers. $1.00. 200 pp. Broad- man Press. Nashville.
Day Dawn in Yoruba Land. Charles E. Maddry. 217 pp. Broadman Press. Nashville.
MOSLEM
PUBLISHED BY THE HARTFORD SEMINARY FOUNDATION Editors: SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, EDWIN E. CALVERLEY Some Articles in the July Number Broadcasting Our Message Samuel M. Zwemer After Madras Paul W. Harrison The Theological Approach Al Sha'ranI the Mystic lens Christensen Our Debt to Moslem Arabs Margaret Smith An East African Experience An Ordeal in Central Asia lohn Clark Archer Mission Frontier in Palestine A. Rowland Pittwa'Y International Relations G. Raquette Book Reviews Survey of Periodicals E. Theodore Bachmann Robert S. Darbishire Current Topics Sue Moll~son Foster ._-•• SUBSCRIBE NOW ….- __ 150 Cents a Copy. $2.00 It Year (postpaid) In combination with THE MOSLEM WORLD THE MISSIONARY REVIEW OF THE WORLD 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City $3.50 a Year. (Foreign Postage, 50 Cents.) British Agents: MARSHALL, MORGAN & SCOTl', 12 Paternoster Buildings, London, E. C. Price in Great Britain, Eight Shillings a Year, net HAVE YOU READ?
THE LIFE OF GEORGE BOWEN OF BOMBAY By ROBERT E. SPEER The biography of a remarkable missionary whom the (then) Prince of Wales visited in Bombay at the request of his mother, Queen Victoria.
What some readers say of this book: Robert Speer's "Life of George Bowen of Bombay" is one was so far·sighted and so deep.seeing!-the former because of the richest of missionary biographies. the latter. If one wants to sum up the interests of our DR. J. LOVELL MUllIlAY, Director of the Canadian School of Missions, Toronto. students today-Biblical, social, theological-Bowen is a What a life! He was old enough to know why be went, representative ligure. And what a lesson in apparent failure! and bad enough to know the meaning of salvation. One by. product of his experience was his wonderful bumility-noth. . • . I feel strongly that' every student and alumnus of our ing in the show window and himself in the remote back. ground. It is inspiring. Seminary needs this book. Wbat better book to lead them to DR. GBORGI! P. PIERSON, formerly of Japan. feed on the Bible. One bears so much "vestibule religion"- We must all be grateful for this revealing of the main· men pointing to the door and taking their people as far as the springs of Bowen's character, his abiding faith in God, his threshold, but no opening up of the treasures within the earnest purpose to be a true and faithful follower of Jesus Christ; and his deep.seated conviction that the Gospel of Father's House. Read the topics of current sermons, and Christ could meet the religious needs of India's people. Bowen's expositions are precisely what Christians need in order to grow from puerility into spiritual maturity. Here is no WILLIAM HAzEN, adolescent, but a man in Christ. This is no volume to be Missionary in ShoJapur, India. read and dismissed, but to be marked and to be turned to repeatedly. A biography of one of the saintliest ligures of the nine. teenth century. I could not put the book down. There is a HBNRY SLOANB COFFIN, fascination and a depth in this man's soul which held me in President of Union Seminary.
devout attention. I found myself marking his moving sayings The Memoirs of George Bowen will continue to be for which would serve as starting points for chapel talks. He years to come a searching manual of devotion. He has set before me an ideal which few could attain; his life is a scath· ing rebuke to our ease, comfort, self.indulgence and ind- J. Ross STEVENSON, liciency.
President Emeritus, P,inrelon Seminar,.
Send $2.00 to.day for your copy of this latest book by Dr. Speer THE MISSIONARY REVIEW PUBLISHING CO.
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The Missionary Review of the World — May 1939
1939
The Church in Arabia Salutes You Paul W. Harrison Twenty..six Thousand Africans Converted L. K. Anderson Evangelical Progress in Brazil Philip S. Landes Experiences of a Missionary in Hainan Henry H. Bucher Saint Lucas of Allahabad Dr. and Mrs. Sam Higginbottom and Others Among the Indians in North Dakota Thomas A. Simpson Using Fingers for Eyes Lewis B. Chamberlain 25 Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
to Remember P LA 0 W ~I ~I to Spend Next Suauner". Vacation with some
I~ I~ America'. Greate.t Tbeolopcal Teachers. May 1-3 –..,. Tenth Annual Missionary Education Institute. Third Chris- Winona Lake School of Theology, Winona Lake, Indiana tian Church, Indianapolis, Ind. For Ministers. Teachers. Miuioaaries. SwuIa,. School Workers aDd La)'JDeD May 14-Rural Life Sunday. For sug- gestions write to Committee on Courses leading to Regular Theological Degrees, Cost Reasonable 50 FREE Town and Country, 297 Fourth Ave., July 11 to August 16-Two Terms 15 Day. Each-Interdenominational ROO M S New York. Evangelical Faith and High Scholarship Combined May 25 – General .Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in U. S. A., Dr. W. E. HiedeNoH. Director Ask for free Proopectus from Dr. J. A. Haffmaa. D…. Marion. Ind. Cleveland, Ohio. copal Summer Camp, P. O. Bijou, Rev. William A. Waddell, D.D., May 25-World-Wide Day of Prayer California-including Utah, Nevada honorably retired missionary of the for ministers and missionaries. and California; Eastern (Sept. 11- Presbyterian Church in South Brazil, 13), Thomas Indian School, Iroquois, died in Sao Paulo, Brazil, February May 30-June 2-Third Biennial Insti- New York – including Michigan, 22, after an illness of several months. tute, A Movement for World Chris- New York, North Carolina and Dr. Waddell went to Brazil in 1890. tianity, New York, N. Y. Florida. He was elected President of Mackenzie College in 1914, and held this position June 7-13 – Ann u a I Conference, Obituary Notes until 1927. From then until his re- Church of the Brethren, Anderson, tirement in 1932, his time was spent Ind. Dr. John Mason Somerndike, a sec- in evangelistic and Presbyterial work retary of the Presbyterian Board of throughout Brazil. June 8 – General Synod of the Re- National Missions, died of heart dis- formed Church in America, New ease on March 14 at his home in *•• York, N. Y. South Orange, New Jersey, at 61 years of age. Dr. Somerndike was Mrs. William A. Mather, Presby- June 16-24-Winona Summer School born in Philadelphia in 1877 and was terian missionary in Paoting, China, of Missions, Winona Lake, Ind. connected with the Presbyterian died in Peiping, February 19. She Courses include Bible, Missions, Board for forty years. Recently his assisted her husband in rural evan- Text Books and addresses by mis- work had to do J,T.<ainly with Sunday gelism and taught in the Girls' Bible sionaries. Write to Mrs. C. E. school missions, Alaska and the In- School, in the Nurses' Training School, Ahrensfeld. 431 S. East Ave., Oak dians. He was the author of "Sunday conducted a Mothers' Club and trained Park, Ill. School Missionary Incidents and Exer- volunteer workers. cises," "Teachers' Manual of Week- June 20-25 – Northern Baptist Con- Day Bible Lessons," "Sunday Schools *** vention, Los Angeles, Calif. in Town and Country," "On the Fir- ing Line," "By-Products of the Rural Dr. Luke Tamikichi Imaizumi, a June 21-25-Sunday School and B. Y. Sunday School." Surviving are his Christian physician who had devoted P. U. Congress of the National Bap- widow, Edna Smith' Somerndike, two the last years of his life to the spread tist Convention, U. S. A., (Inc.) , daughters and a son, J. M. Somern- of Christianity in Japan, died at Tulsa, Okla. dike, 3rd. Sendai, December 30th. In 1932, after making provision for his family, he July 6-11 – International Christian *** turned over the greater part of his Endeavor Convention, Cleveland, fortune, about $100,000, to be used for Ohio. Rev. E. S. Greenbaum, of Montreal, strengthening the Church in Japan. a former president of the Hebrew July ll-August 16 – Winona Lake Christian Alliance of America and '" '" '" School of Theology. Winona Lake, founder of the Hebrew Congregation Ind. Dean, Dr. J. A. Huffman, 302 of Christ in Montreal, died on March Dr. Spencer Lewis, veteran Meth- Morton Blvd., Marion, Ind. 25. He was born 50 years ago in odist missionary in China, died at Poland. After his conversion he Chengtu, February 15th, at the age July 22-28-Baptist World Congress. studied theology in America and was of 85. He had served in China 58 Atlanta, Ga. ordained to the Christian ministry in years and after his retirement in 1929 1917. remained in semi~ctive service until July 24-August 2-World Conference his death. of Christian Youth, Amsterdam, Rev. Martin *Eric* E*kvall, for forty- Holland. '" '" '" six years a missionary in China under Aug. 5-10-Ninth Quadrennial Con- the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Mrs. W. T. Larimer, formerly a sec- vention of the Woman's Home and died on January 6 at Hangkow, retary of the Presbyterian Board for Foreign Missionary Sdciety of Af- China. Mr. Ekvall was born in Christ- Freedmen, died February 15. She rican Methodist Episcopal Zion dala, Sweden, on July 26, 1866. His retired as secretary in 1928 but con- Church, Detroit, Mich. parents emigrated from Sweden in tinued to serve in the Pittsburgh Pres- 1882 and settled near Manchester, byterial Society. August 13-20-Geneva Summer School N. H. Martin and his younger sister of Missions, Lake Geneva, Wis. became students at the Missionary (Concluded on Tkwd Cover.) For information write to Mrs. Paul Training College in New York and H. Wezeman, 1177 S. Humphrey were appointed to China in 1892. Withthause Ave., Oak Park, Ill. of this Co-. every *** Young People'. Society may Regional Conferences of Indian Mis- eonvertef1..into a Sghgol fot sionary Workers, held under the Bishop Joseph Marshall Francis, Bible Training! . – .. auspices of The National Fellowship oldest Protestant Episcopal diocesan of Indian Workers, are as follows: bishop in America, died in Indianapolis 1939 Christian Workers' Course Oklahoma (June 6-8), Bacone Col- on February 13, in his 77th year. Ex- lege, Bacone, Okla. (near Musko- cept for ill health, Bishop Francis A Scriptural Study Each Week-52 Lessons gee)-including Oklahoma, Kansas, would have completed 52 years of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas; service in the Church last December. A practical, effective course in methods S'authwest (June 13-15), Ganado of Christian work and soul-winning, Mission, Arizona – including New *** Mexico, Arizona and Colorado; Pa- Send 15c in slampa for current iSsue. Mr. Edwin F. Willis, treasurer of cific Northwest (June 20 – 22), the Executive Committee of Foreign HRISTIAN PUBLICATlONSJNG Missions for the Presbyterian Church, (place to be announced)-including U. S., died February 2, in Nashville, 1502 N. Third St., Harrisburg, Pa. Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Wash- Tenn. ington; Central (June 27-29) , Yank- ton College, Yankton, S. D.-includ- ing Nebraska, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota and Wisconsin; Western (Aug. 29- 31), "Galilee" on Lake Tahoe, Epis-
MISSIONARY Personal
REVIEW OF THE WORLD Dr. J. H. Oldham, who has held the DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Editor office of Secretary of the International Missionary Council since its beginning VOL. LXII MAY, 1939 No.5 in 1910, has resigned in order to give more time to the problems inherent in Publication and Business Office- the relations between Church, Com- Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. munity and State, and the efforts that are being made to solve them. Dr. Editorial and Executive Office– Oldham was the first editor of the In- 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. ternational Review of Missions, estab- Entered as second-class matter at lished after the Edinburgh Conference in 1910. In later years, he made Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under Africa his special care, and served as Act of March 3, 1879. a member of the Commission on Closer Union in East Africa, member of the 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. Advisory Committee on Education in Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. the Tropical Dependencies and as Ad- Published monthly, except August. ministrative Director of the Interna- All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1939. tional Institute of African Languages British agents – Marshall, Morgan and Cultures. and Scott, 12 PaternDster Buildings, London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, *** 10 sh!11ings a year. Madam Chiang Kai-shek has been MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- awarded the gold medal of honor of LISHING CO., INC. the New York City Federation of Woman's Clubs for her "indomitable BOARD OF DIRE'CTORS courage and leadership in the crisis ROBERT E. SPEER, President of her native land." This is the first A. L. WARNSHUIS, Vice-President time the award has been made since WALTER MCDOUGALL, Treasurer 1929. DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Secretary *** PAUL J. BRAISTED SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT Mary Reed, friend of lepers, at 84 D. J. FANT years of age is still superintending MRS. ORRIN R. JUDD the leper colony at Chandag Heights, WM. B. LIPPHARD India. Miss Reed's fifty years of ERIC M. NORTH work for lepers has recently received SAMUEL M. ZWEMER a spontaneous tribute through meet- ings, letters, radio talks, and by the Editorial Chat publication of a new biography. Only 10 swift days direct to Yokohama when you sail by The June number of THE REVIEW *** Empress to the Orient. Only will deal largely with the progress of 3 more days to visit lovely Christianity in America and the de- Sigurgier Sigurdsson has been Hawaii en route by Empress oj velopment of the Christian Church. elected Lutheran Bishop of Iceland to Japan, largest and fastest liner This includes a wide range of activi- succeed Bishop Helgason, retired. on the Pacific, or Empress oj ties, in various fields and by many The new Bishop is 49 years old and Canada. From California types of work. Christian work in has served ten years as pastor in the ports connect at Honolulu. America includes not only pioneering most rugged part of Iceland. in new territory but reclaiming old Frequent sailings from both ground; attempts to reach nOlI; only *** Vancouver and Victoria to miners, and lumbermen of the West Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, and North, but mountains of the The Hon. Kensuke Horinouchi, Shanghai,HongKong,Manila. South; it includes neglected city areas Japan's new ambassador to the United Consult YOUR OWN TRAVEL and rural districts; Indians and Ne- States, is a witnessing Christian. His AGENT or Canadian Pacific: groes, Orientals and Mexicans, Euro- home in Tokyo has often been opened 41 offices in U. S. and Canada. peans and Eskimos, neglected rich and to Christian meetings where morning neglected poor, industrial workers and devotions are the rule. migrants, Moslems, Mormons, Buddhists and atheists. Only a few of *** these will be dealt with but all must be kept in mind in the study of Home Dr. James Dexter Taylor, of Johan- Missions. Our June and July issues nesburg, South Africa, who is now in will be overflowing with interesting the United States, is supervisor of the amalgamated churches of the Rand articles. Native Mission of the Congregational Union of South Africa and of the *** American Board Mission. Dr. Taylor has written a number of books dealing Readers have recently sent in their with race relations and missionary work. comments on the REVIEW, as follows: *** "The March issue is a splendid num- Mrs. Richard H. Soule, who origber and we certainly will use it to ad- inated the United Thank Offering plan fifty' years ago,- celebrated 90 vantage." MISS MARY MOORE, years on February 17. The annual thank offering topped a million before Secretary for the Western A rea, the financial depression. Board of Foreign Missions, *** Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. Robert B. Giffen, recently student *** pastor at the University of Chicago, has become secretary for the Univer- "I find your magazine the best that comes into the office." (Concluded on Third Cover.) ESTHER ROYAL ALTMAN, [225 ] Cincinnati Branch, Woman's For- eign Missionary Society, Meth- odist Episcopal Church.
BRAZIL – THE MONROE PALACE IN RIO DE
BY OX-CART IS STILL ONE OF THE MODES OF TRAVEL IN THE INTERIOR OF BRAZIL THE OLD AND THE NEW IN BRAZIL (See page 243) REVIB ORLD VOLUME LXII AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WOBLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 5 MAY, 1939 Topics of the Times CHRISTIAN TRENDS IN JAPAN dent is their opposition to Christ and His spiritual AND CHINA program.
There was a time, forty years ago, when Japan Contrast the trend in China. Forty years ago seemed almost ready to accept Christ ·as the na- the Boxer rebellion sought to obliterate Christiantional ideal if not as divine Saviour. The old edicts ity in China and to drive the "foreign devils" into against Christianity were no more and the boards the sea. Many Christians died as martyrs, but on which they had been posted were only found in the succeeding ten years more Chinese became in museums. There was religious liberty; Bud- Christians than in the previous one hundred years. dhism was dying and Shinto was becoming more But even after the republic was founded by a proand more only a patriotic cult. Many Japanese fessing Christian and religious liberty was propeasants, students and even rulers were turning to Christ and there seemed a possibility that the claimed, there was a widespread anti-Christ.ian Japanese nation might adopt the Christian way of life. But the Christian Church was not ready to sentiment. Governmental decrees separatmg rise fully to the opportunity with a sufficient Church and State included laws against religious supply of consecrated men, money and prayer. instruction even in Christian schools and colleges. This was a serious blow to mission work but Then the tide turned. Rationalism came into Christianity continued to spread. schools and colleges to foster unbelief in Christ and in the authority of the Bible. Materialism Today China is passing through a baptism of took hold of the people and they sought satisfac- blood which is having a refining influence. Not tion in the cultural fruits of Christianity, while only has the anti-Christian feeling disappeared they overlooked the roots. Japanese travelers in but the whole nation seems to be turning toward America and Europe brought stories of the failure Christ. Many of the national leaders are outto practice Christianity in the lands from which standing Christians and not only is missionary missionaries were being sent to Japan. The World work favored but the law forbidding religious War brought another crushing blow to Christian education in public and private schools has been idealism. More recently the increasing power of abrogated. The sacrificial service of the missionthe nationalistic military party in Japan has pro- aries in China's time of need has shown the true moted the effort to establish Shinto shrines .in character of Christ and His Gospel. all Japanese controlled territory, to promote em- But what will be the effect if schools, churches peror worship and to make national S.h.into su- and other institutions in China should come under preme. Patriotism has become a reIIglOn, .and Japanese control? military might is the only power recognIzed. Japan and Korea are both suffering from th~ de- One foreign observer writes: . termination to make Japan supreme – obedIence to God being secondary. This attitude of the If Japan should win this war, Jtahpeando, o~roroefa,mFisosrimonoasray, domI·nant mI·II·tary party in Japan is making opportunity in the Orient-China, Christian life and work difficult in lands dom- embracing a third of the human race, WIll gradually be inated by the Mikado's army. The greater the success of Japan's military forces, the more evi- closed. She will extend her anti-Christian activities from Korea and Japan proper to China, just as soon as possible.
Here is a significant list of questions submitted by the Jap- anese gendarmerie to representative minis~ers of the Chr~s tian churches in Japan: "1. Who is thIS God of ChrIS- tianity? 2. What is your opinion of the 800 myriads of gods of Japan? 3. What is the difference between the Emperor of Japan and your God? 4. What is the differ- [227 ]
ence between a foreign ruler and your God? 5. What is r the relation between the Bible and Imperial Edicts? 6. What is the difference between Imperial Commands and claimed that she was defending them-that it is time the the Commands of Christ? 7. What is your opinion of an- truth or falsity of her claims were definitely proved. The cestor worship and shrine worship? 8. What is your opin- missionaries all go "at their own risk." ion of the ancestors of the Emperor? 9. What is the ultimate goal of your religion? 10. What is your idea of The recently reported statement by the Chinese Comreligious freedom? 11. Why do you regard worship at munist leader, Chu Teh, that he welcomed the mission- Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines as superstitious? aries raises an important point. In 1927 the Chinese Gov- 12. What is the difference between the Christian spirit ernment was opposed to Christian missions in many ways. and the spirit of Japan?" To give honest and Biblical Missionaries settled down to their tasks and in a few years answers to such questions would undoubtedly lead to op- the Chinese Government came to appreciate their work. position and persecution. In 1933 in our conference on "Christianity and Commu- nism" we decided that the only thing Christians could do But if China is victorious the result will be a great vic- was to out-live and out-serve the Communist. Missionary tory for democracy, for human freedom, and for religious efforts, especially in this year of great suffering, ha:ve now liberty. The doors of international trade will be opened won the respect of this Chinese Communist leader. wider than ever before, as China will need vast amounts of everything at one time for her rehabilitation. And best SIGNS OF LIFE AND DEATHof all the doors of missionary opportunity will be opened wider than ever before, not only in China, but in Japan, IN A CHURCH Korea, Formosa, and Manchuria. Victory for China will mean the triumph of right over might. It will mean the Springtime brings new signs of life – in budliberation of the Japanese people themselves from the in- ding trees and flowers, in new apparel, and in human tyranny of their own wicked military leaders. many church services. These awakenings are Surely Christian hearts all over the world should daily peri'Odic. At the Easter sunrise gatherings in join in prayer for victory for China and her brave Chris- hundreds of places all over the United States tian leaders. Surely the citizens of the United States there were pr'Obably not less than 200,000 people should vigorously protest to their government against the present, 'Ostensibly to commemorate the resurrecsale of anything to Japan that aids her in this iniquitous tion of Christ f.om the dead. Without doubt at war, this wanton orgy of murdering innocent men, women least thirty million people in America attended and little children. Christian church services at sometime on Easter -many of them for the first time this year. How Eighty per cent of the missionaries are remain- much does this celebration mean? It is difficult ing in China and most of the mission stations are to know how much is 'Outward show and how much still 'Occupied. The Chinese Christians are show- is an evidence 'Of inward spiritual life. Will the ing their courage and their patriotism, and openly 'Outward signs of awakening continue and bear testify to the c'Omfort and P'Ower of Christ and His fruit or will this apparent life be followed by an Gospel. What can Christian missionaries do for early blight? the Chinese in this time of crisis? Much in every way. They are a tremendous force for righteous- In many shop windows in large cities there ness and save multitudes of Chinese from death are on exhibition beautiful plants and flowersand starvati'On, from dish'Onor, despair and spir- palms, ferns, lilies, poinsettias, roses. They are itual defeat. One missionary writes: the same day after day, year after year; they never wither and die; they are artificial, without In the occupied territories our first duty is to carryon. life. The evidences 'Of life in a plant, an animal, Because their fundamental purpose is humanitarian rather a soul, a church are ability to breathe, to feed, t'O than nationalistic, Christian missions cannot enter into change, to grow, t'O reproduce its own kind. Life any "scorched earth policy." As the Chinese Government is "ability to respond to environment" and is maintold the Friends: "We can do a great deal for our own tained by a life producing and stimulating enpeople behind our lines, but there is a job we cannot do. vironment. That is to care for the people behind the Japanese lines. That you can do. Go and do it." The need is tremendous It requires n'O argument to pr'Ove that the life and the gratitude of the people almost breaks your heart! of a church is n'Ot shown by its beautiful buildings, The Christian missionary i3 the best friend the Chinese by the size of its membership, by the state 'Of its people in the occupied territory have. Every missionary finances, by the el'Oquence 'Of the sermons, by the who can possibly go back should dd so, with the exception impressiveness 'Of its ritual, or by the attendance of women with small children, and even that depends upon at its services. These may all be go'Od and helpful each family's own· position and desires. Single women but they are not the signs of true spiritual life. have proved that they can carry on even under war conditions almost if not as well as men. The story of how A report recently received from a very intellisix women and one man doctor have protected 5,000 refu- gent and spiritually-minded observer in a Chrisgees from the Japanese army in one mission compound tian church contains the following diagnosis 'Of a without any consular assistance, will go down as a classic church in a small American city: of heroism and devotion. Of course, the going of missionaries into occupied territory raises the question of Amer- This church has fallen on difficult days and may be ican rights and interests. But if we hold back for fear forced to close its doors. Only about one-third of the memof those complications we will betray our sacred trust and bers pay anything toward church support; the minister's obligations to serve the suffering. We do not ask for mili- salary is in arrears. . . . The reason for this condition tary protection. Japan has proclaimed so loudly that she is, I believe, that the people do not take any interest outwould protect the rights of third party nationals–even
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
side of themselves. None of them seem to have any and gives evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in knowledge of Christian stewardship. All of the men and love, joy and peace; one whose people show that most of the women show that they do not want to hear they are truly interested in promoting the Cause anything about missions. . . . Many are strongly opposed of Christ throughout the world. to having any benevolence budget. The church does not seem to be spiritually minded. I have never heard any VOLUNTEER SERVICE elder or deacon offer prayer in any meeting-and few of them attend. There is work but no true life; the chief Are we mercenary? Does anyone say that men idea of Christian activity seems to be entertainment, and women will not do effective and continuous church suppers and such things. . . . When the pastor work unless they are paid for their services? The started a Bible class for Lenten services less than ten peo- American Red Cross, that serves humanity in so ple were present, out of a total membership of four hun- many emergencies, has had a remarkable history dred. . . . The majority of the women belong to clubs that disproves this cynical charge. It is called of one sort or another and seem to want to make the upon in times of flood, drought, fire, epidemics, church just another club. hurricane or war to bring relief to many thou- sands who are suffering and in distress or danger. In contrast to this, note the signs of Life in the Forty years ago the headquarters of the Amerrecent annual report of the Peoples Church, To~ ican Red Cross in Wasihington consisted of a oneronto. The pastor is a Bible student, an evangelist room office with one full-time employee; its list and a spiritual teacher. He is deeply interested of donors numbered about three hundred and there in missionary work and ten years ago he organ- were only a few hundred dollars in the national ized "The Peoples Missionary Socety" of the treasury. Today the organization occupies its church. Now they contribute to the support of own building and has a large staff of efficient em- 130 missionaries in eighteen different fields at ployees. But the remarkable fact is that today home and abroad. Their congregational expenses, the Red Cross has in the United States 3,700 local including $3,966 for radio broadcasting, amount to chapters with 3,500,000 members. Its 197,397 $20,410 a year, while they give nearly $40,000 a. volunteer workers are always on call for service; year to missions. and they gave last year the equivalent of more than 105,000 days of volunteer service. They This church shows activity, but also life and made garments, layettes, surgical dressings; they power. The Peoples Monthly states: drove automobiles, gave public health aid, helped in hospitals, prepared food and fed victims of This church stands preeminently for the conversion of many disasters; with free smiling service they souls, the edification of believers and world-wide evan- also collected a million or more dollars in the nagelism; emphasizing especially the four great essentials~ tional relief and membership campaigns. salvation, the deeper life, missions and our Lord's return; endeavoring by every means to give the Gospel message to Another noteworthy fact is that the efficient the Christless masses both at home and abroad, in the head of this organization, Mis,s Mabel Thorp shortest possible time. Boardman, who has been leading the Red Cross for thirty-nine years, has never received any sal- The church activities include: a missionary ary, although she works daily from 9 a. m. to medical institute for prospective missionaries, reg- 4 p. m. and keeps four secretaries busy. It is reular preaching services, radio broadcasts, Sunday markable that this organization, with all its power school with adult Bible classes, elders' and ushers' and money for relief has kept out of politics and, prayer meetings each Sunday, Warriors prayer though handling millions of dollars of public meetin~s, children's services, young people's meet- money, has been free from scandal or charges of ings, women's prayer meetings, church prayer selfish and wasteful use of its relief funds. meetings, Sunday school teachers' meetings, and monthly meetings, for converts and personal All honor to the Red Cross workers; but they workers. are not alone in this free and sacrificial volunteer service for humanity. The Christian Church and How can we expect evidences of spiritual life in its missionary organizations have a still more wona church organization unless there is spiritual life derful record. In the American Protestant Chrisin the pastor and the individual church members? tian churches alone there are not less. than two True life will be manifested in earnest prayer and million women who are working as volunteers to Bible study, in personal work for the conversion serve their fellow men, women, and children, and of non-Christians, in vital spiritual activities and to promote the Kingdom of God on Earth. These in the practice of stewardship of time, talents and women provide free motor service, sew on garmoney. Any church that is not a working force ments, speak at meetings, collect funds, do free for Christ and the Kingdom of God, is apt to be clerical work, cook and serve meals, visit the sick a farce, without effectiveness for the fulfilment of and strangers, care for children, teach Bible Christ's program.
An Indian Christian, N. K. Mukerjee, remarks that a "converted church" is one that is vitally related to Christ; one that is fruitful in spiritual children, not barren; one that lives victoriously
classes – in churches, homes, Christian associa- vited. Mohammedan converts have recently been tions, missions, jails, hospitals and other insti- able to register themselves as Christians, and their tutions. They give or collect not less than marriages by Christian ceremony are officially $20,000,000 a year to support the work done recognized. All religious faiths must stand on through Protestant churches and various Chris- their own merit rather than on tradition or force.
tian societies. All this volunteer service is ren- Iranian officials often praise Christian schools dered without publicity, public honors or material and hospitals and many send their children to rewards. These women are not organized into one these schools rather than to the government insti- great body under an outstanding human leader tutions. Sons and daughters of Cabinet and but they nevertheless work faithfully and effi- Parliament members, of provincial governors ciently, serving Christ and humanity. Their re- and other high officials have been students in ward is reaped in the lives they brighten or help mission schools. Missionary teachers are asked to save, and in the youth whom they teach and to serve on examining boards in Government ex- enlist in the cause of Jesus Christ. aminations, and serve on committees appointed While Chrstian women render the major part by the Ministry of Education to draft new curric- of such volunteer service, the men are not far be- ula for elementary and secondary schools. Re- hind. Their WIOrk is more largely on boards and cently when the Ministry of Education wished to committees, and in furnishing funds for the con- open Government nurs,ing schools they asked for duct of Christian enterprises. When to the Prot- half the time of three American missionary nurs- estants we add the Roman and Greek Catholic and es for three years. to start this work. Here was other volunteer workers, it is clear that mankind is an opportunity to render a unique service to Iran.
not wholly engrossed in the pursuit of money and Christianity in Iran faces new opportunities and pleasure. Sacrificial service is honored among all it is time to pres,s forward in the works of Chris- men-whether it is rendered in the sphere of the .tian faith and love.
State, in social welfare or the Church. Those who acknowledge allegiance to Christ are inspired by INTERDENOMINATIONAL COOPERATION His teachings and example. IN MEDICAL MISSIONS CHRISTIAN OPPORTUNITY IN IRAN Christian workers in mission lands are usually less conscious of the denOiminational distinctions The ancient land of Darius, the Persian, is and barriers than in the United States. This is attracting attention by the progress made in gov- particularly true in medicine. Dr. Edward M. ernment, in material improvements and in educa- Dodd, medical secretary of the Presbyterian tion. The Shah Riza Khan Pahlevi, is 'absolute Board of Foreign Missions, in his Founder's Day ruler of about nine million people. While Islam is address at the Clifton Springs Sanitarium and the recognized religion, and Moslem "doctors of Clinic, said: "It is an 'old saw' that there is no law" wield great influence, there is more religious distinctively Methodist medicine or Presbyterian liberty in Iran than there has been. – The Govern- surgery, no difference between Baptist and Episment seeks to take an impartial attitude toward copalian diagnoses – whatever may be said for all religion and Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Baptist hydrotherapy! Christianity are all recognized. Some officials are – "Most of the large mission medical hospitals in Christians or are very friendly toward Christiani- the field are union institutions in which various ty. "ASia matter of fact, (says a recent Bulletin), denominational groups collaborate. more limitations have been plraced on Mohammedan ceremonies, such as the famous. Moharram cele- "At this end of the line (in America) the Misbrations, than on Christian activities. . The sion Boards have had a joint examining office for Moslem ecclesiastics, who formerly often exer- several years in New York City and last summer cised more authority than government officials, a Christian Medical Council for Overseas Work have been reduced in number and are largely was organized. stripped of power." "There is still so much to be done, so large a In Iran today Evangelical Christians are quite medical and Christian contribution to be made in medical missions, that a life-time service should free to conduct preaching and worship services be devoted to this work. The chief hazards and handicaps today are the extreme phases of nationand to carryon evangelistic effort. Schools are alism in some countries which may in time shut even allowed to give Christian instruction to out foreign doctors, even though a country may Christian students; the government requires all not be adequately supplied with its own physicians elementary pupils to take examinations in the and hospitals. The Church at home should supteachings of their own faith. Missionaries and port and promote this arm of Christian missions Iranian evangelists hold public services to which while there is opportunity." Moslems and other non-Christians are freely in-
Church in Arabia Salutes You*
By PAUL W. HARRISON, M.D., Muscat I ~ .. – i Missionary of the Reformed Church in America ,~========================~I A RABIA is a small country, small in population good news? Everything that is recorded of His .L. at least. Three million men and women, earthly life is part of our message, and everything more or less, are scattered over a million that we know of the significance of His death and square miles of territory. The rainfall can hardly resurrection-all of His humanity and all of His exceed an inch a. year, and perhaps no area in the deity, and in their identifi,cation is our salvation.
world is quite so poor as Arabia. The drought That message we have carried to Arahia. We and the heat and the hunger have hardened the are celebrating our fiftieth anniversary this year.
Arab into one of the great races of the world. Once upon a time there was an Irishman. Some- Mohammed lived and died there, and he still holds body asked him how he was getting along. "Very the souls of the Arabs in the hollow of his hand. badly," he saia, "starvation is staring me in the Christ told us to "Go into all the world and make face." "That," said his friend, "must be very dis- disciples. of all the nations." It would be hard to agreeable for both of you." For forty-five years discover a more difficult task than this one, the that was our situation in Arabia. Our major in- transformation of the Arabs into disciples of door sport was staring our robust sense of failure Christ. But a promise was given with that com. in the face, and it was very disagreeable for all mand. "All power is given unto me in Heaven of us.
and on earth" and "Lo, I am with you all the days." But it is not true any longer. Five years ago, It is in that power that we go out to obey the com- Dr. Dame took a trip down to the Pirate Coast mand. Not with the tepid and futile feeling that and there he preached the Gospel. He did not have men ought to become disciples, but the confident much time for preaching, and perhaps he did not conviction that they will do so. Everything de- preach it very well; but Abdur Razzak listened pends' on this. If we succeed in making men dis- and walked right into the Kingdom of God as a ciples of Christ we succeed in our task. If we fail result of what he heard. It was a gift of God to here, we fail. His workers in Arabia, and we thanked Him and And in carrying out this difficult command, al- took courage.
most the most important equipment of all is a Forty-five years ago, Zaharah was born in Bah- robust sense of failure which refuses to be satis- rein. She did not live a monotonous life, and after fied with anything short of genuine discipleship. she married Mohammed, neither did he. She Human nature is weak and there are two direc- would quarrel with her husband more and more tions in which we tend to slip out from under the industriously until finally there was a major ex- pressure. The first is the wishful thought that if plosion; her husband, having patiently endured only we can provide a man with a shirt, having in many hard words and curses, would lose his it one hole instead of two, we will thereby save his temper, too. After some years Mohammed took soul. The doctors are the ones who yield here. We a second wife, Safeeah, and that made the situa- mend up the holes in a man's anatomical shirt, and tion still worse.
fondly hope that in some way this will make him Zaharah came into contact with the mission- a better man. One year we operated on three aries. She wanted something better than this life hundred hernia patients in Bahrein, and with all of disgrace and fighting and tears, but her resent- these anatomical shirts mended, the city was not ment was hot and her pride was like iron. The the least bit saved. Kingdom of God seemed very far away. But one The final interview in which Christ told us to day after a particularly disgraceful explosion she go and make disciples of all the nations was re- sat in tears in the path where she knew I would ported by Mark, and he remembered that Christ pass. Her pride was gone.
also said, "Go ye therefore and preach the Gospel "Sahib," she said, "I have done it again. What to the whole creation." We make men disciples can I do?"
by giving them the good news about Christ. What I told her that Christ would cleanse her heart of the terrible temper if she would give it com- • Report of an address given at the Madras Conference of the pletely into His hands. I led her in prayer, a word I. M. C.
[231 ]
at a time. She hesitated at the prayer, "And, God, brought over to, A:rabia and sold as slaves. NOQbie I take Safeeah to be my sister," but after a little was brought Qver as a baby, and his memory bepause she said those words too, and Christ led her gins with the bitter experiences of a slave boy into His Eternal Kingdom. Now she is the strong- whose father and mother were gone; he, a rebelest member of our Muscat group, and while she lious little .boy who wanted to run away and find has nQt led an altogether monotonous life as a them. Noobie is proof, for those who, need it, that Christian, a very splendid Christian she certainly the human spirit has a strength that cannot be has been. broken and a beauty that nothing can efface. Through forty-five years he tried to, escape, and Mobarrek was a sceptic. His first wife was a blows and irons were CQmmQn, but his spirit relittle wild thing, and he at that time was not much otherwise, but they were utterly devoted to each fused to break. other. Then the twin babies came. Out of the After many efforts, which failed, there came valley of the shadQw they came alone. The mo,ther remained behind. Mobarrek never got over that. one which succeeded. At sundown while he was He tried other matrimonial experiments, and a paying the penalty for a previous. unsuccessful bad time was had by all. He became our best com- effQrt, and was wearing the manacles which are pounder, and a very splendid perso,nal friend. their reward, a wandering camel came Qver to However, to the message of Christ he seemed ut- where he was standing. Mounting, irons and all, terly impervious. The mQre he heard of the Gos- he raced savagely thrQugh the night until Muttreh pel the more devout a Moslem he became. One and safety were only eight miles away. There he night I was led to share with him some of my o,wn left the camel dying behind him, and half-crept, deep experiences. The death of his first wife had half-walked over the weary miles that remained. been a desolating experience, and its scars were Providence was with him this time, fQr he met no still on his soul. I had walked in that path too,. Arab anxious to, send him back into the Purgatory It is not easy to share experiences of that sort, .but from which he was escaping, and at last he it is in the deep recesses of our SQuls that Christ dragged himself thrQugh the gates into the delecsaves us, and in that hour of sharing Mobarrek table city. A friendly blacksmith remQved his put his hand in Christ's and has fQund in Him an heavy jewelry and the British CQnsul gave him absolute Master ever since. He leads the Muscat his freedom. When Mobarrek walked into, the group with a love and a maturity that are superb. Kingdom Qf GQd, NQQbie fQllowed him, and the two, have been inseparable cQmpanions Qf the King And Noobie. Who is Noobie? He was a slave ever since. Qf the Bedouins for fQrty-five years. He has been a slave of Jesus Christ for three. AIQng the Mik- And so, the Church which is in Arabia salutes ron coast of Baluchistan tribal raids are common, YQU, yQur brQthers and partakers with yQU in the and the women and children who are captured are tribulation and KingdQm and patience which are in Jesus.
. SOME AFRIOANS' ANSWERED PRAYERS In a sixth grade Bible class in the West Africa MissiQn, the questiQn was asked: "Men- tion sQmething GQd has given you in answer to, prayer."
The fQllQwing answers were fQund among the papers handed in by the pupils. MQt MebomQ said, "I first became a Christian, but my mQther refused to, believe. She preferred the faith Qf my father and her father. But I prayed GQd fQr two, years and she now is a fQllQwer Qf Christ." Nkoe Le'e said, "When my brother's wife died and left a small baby, he wanted me to, take care of it fQr him, even though I was just an unmarried schQQI bQY. But I prayed God that he would give me wisdQm and patience and He did. Today the baby is big and has gQne to, live with his father. I cared fQr him a whole year." MbazQng Zok said, "When I was Qn vacation, it looked as though I CQuld nQt PQssibly find work to make the mQney to, buy my school books and pay GQvernment taxes. I knew I CQuld not CQme back to, schQQI withQut these things so, I prayed GQd with all the strength and hunger in my heart and He put it into, the hearts Qf my friends and they gave me palm kernels to, crack that I sold until I had money enQugh fQr everything." Angumu Kak said, "I was IQst in the fQrest Qne night. I knew a leopard WQuld eat me be- fQre morning and my heart was filled with fear. So, I prayed GQd that He WQuld take care Qf me. Next morning, God showed me the path that led to, my village."-Presbyterian Board News.
Twenty~Six Thousand
Were Converted An Experience of the Church in West Africa ~ –<ilil By the REV. L K. ANDERSON, Metet, Camoroun I THE West Africa Mission of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., has had a remarkable growth in recent years. But the knowledge of the untouched thousands in the Cameroun, and the many weak members of the Church, led the Mission to plan a general evangelistic campaign for Christ. The Bulu have a word that describes it oban, meaning "a raid to capture slaves and booty." This campaign was to capture men and women for Christ.
The forces and supplies for this campaign were appraised. The spiritual ammunition was gath- ered in the truth of the Gospel, simple enough to be understood by the least educated. Messages of God's plan of salvatiO'n were printed at the mis- sion press. A strategy was thought out, flexible enough to suit the need of every station and tribe.
Then, according to traditional native procedure, advance scouts were sent out to reconnoitre. For three months the Christians became scouts, visit- ing every hut in the entire district, returning to camp with news of thO'se whO' had been persuaded to' surrender. Then Believers gathered in camps, not like slave raiders to leap into the air driven A WOMAN OF THE NGORO TRIBE by the frenzy O'f a fiendish tom-tom, nor to sweat in contO'rtiO'ns around a flaming pyre of a captive name. The headman is a kindly soul, yet he was slave, but to spend hours in united prayer. And trusted by nO'ne. He attributes his success in at- hO'W earnestly they prayed for those who had re- taining the chieftainship to Mohammedan magic fused to' hear and for the scO'rners and sorcerers! which he bO'ught in his youth. Nominally, he is a There were three mO'nths O'f calm, prayerful prep- Mohammedan, but he and his tribe are ruled by aration for the Gospel of Peace. a fanatical belief in witchcraft. For ten years the A week of preparatory preaching and visitation MissiO'n struggled against this blighting fear, the was followed by a mass meeting on Sunday morn- tiny school gaining an occasional convert to ing. It toO'k long intO' the afternoon merely to strengthen the little Christian community. Things register the names of the hundreds whO' came pro- seemed brighter at times, until the customary an- fessing their faith in Christ as Saviour. As the nual orgy O'f fiendish deviltry drove all semblance campaign gathered impetus, many marveled, and of faith from the feeble followers of the New Way.
some even became fearful of the power that had The missionary arrived at NgorO' late one after- been unleashed. Miracles were of daily occur- noon to' find the one man thought strong enough renee, unexpected conversions of those long to be ordained an elder of the church in his cO'm- prayed for thrilled the Christian communities. munity, lying on his cot bruised and bleeding. It For ten years. a little struggling band of Be- was found that two days before he had been set lievers had tried to capture Ngoro, the largest upon by the men of the tribe when he refused to town of the interesting little tribe O'f the same participate in the horrible heathen practices de~ [233]
manded by the headman. At first he refused to. who. were willing to' make a public prQfessiQn Qf tell the story but after considerable persuasiQn their faith in Jesus Christ. This meant no.thing recQunted the tale of the fiendish machinatiQn Qf less than incurring the wrath Qf the headman, the fear-stricken chief. The gQvernment census and yet seventy-nine men and women came fQr- ward, and remained to. unburden their hearts and AN AFRICAN FETISH HUT seek CQurage fro.m the leaders. One year later sixty-eight Qf these CQnverts were still hQlding true to. their pledge and came back fQr a week to. be instructed in the meaning Qf GQd's grace and truth.
This is Qne instance Qf many thrQughQut SQuth- ern CamerQun. The MissiQn hQped and prayed fQr fifteen thQusand peo.ple to' be WQn fQr the Master. By the end o.f twelve mQnths Qver twenty-six thQu- sand had been enrQlled as beginners in the "Tribe Qf God."
What is the secret o.f the power that some men have enabling them to. sway multitudes and bring them to. a saving knQwledge Qf Jesus Christ? Wherein lay the Po.wer Qf SpurgeQn, Mo.o.dy and Qthers? Is it persQnality or eloquence, ability to. appeal to. the emQtiQns Qr is it a more complete consecratiQn to. Christ? Evidently none Qf these gifts, singly or combined, are sufficient in them- selves. Some men seem to. PQssess them and yet they are only ordinary, faithful pasto.rs Qf the shQwed that the tribe was decreasing rapidly, the A NGORO WIDOW, IN MOURNING COSTUME birth rate was abno.rmally IQW and infant mQrtality was high. The cause eQuId be attributed to. flock. What causes periQdic o.utbreaks Qf Christhe filth and disease resulting frQm the immQ- tian interest and enthusiasm which often center r:ality and carelessnessamQng the peQple o.f the arQund Qne man and so.metimes result in the CQntribe. But the chief blamed the WQmen – the versio.n of many? usual scape-gQat in Africa. He decided that they needed new blQo.d in the tribe; so., on a given day, all the WQmen were herded into. a little grQve Qf trees, stripped Qf what little clQthing they had, and were made to. lie dQwn by little ditches while dQgs. were butchered. Their blQQd flQwed down and was lapped up by the pl'Qstrate wo.men.
It was to. this rite that Mbassa, the Christian elder, refused to. go.. Then he was bQund by fQrest vines and was dragged by fQrce to. be an invQluntary spectator at the disgusting spectacle.
No. WQnder that the team o.f evangelists, chQsen to. sto.rm this citadel Qf Satan, walked the weary miles to. NgQrQ with prayers Qn their lips but scant hQpe in their hearts. A little grQUP o.f Believers, led by a faithful gra;duate Qf the missiQn theQlQgical schQQI, welco.med the visitQrs, and the week's campaign began.
Sunday mQrning the little mud chapel was filled to. Qverflo.wing. AlmQst every person in the tQwn was present, except unfQrtunately, the headman, who. was away Qn a gQvernment errand. The fQur members Qf the team, led by the cQnsecrated Bulu pasto.r, preached with spiritual PQwer. At the clQse Qf the service an invitatiQn was given to all
SAINT LUCAS OF ALLAHABAD
The movement we have descdbed marked a trial and Normal Schools, African helpers of every mighty surge of a mass of humanity, turning from description, government employees, interpreters the lowest depths of sin-cursed filth to march to of divers kinds of tongues, as God had set them the heights. of a knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. in the Church, offered willingly of their time and What caused such a spiritual phenomenon ? It was strength. not brought about through an individual but by a whole army of devoted souls. Every one of them The decision of the Mission, the plan of camknew that they had received supernatural power paign, the prayers offered, and the messages to which they reacted in simple faith by fearless preached, proved once again that the Holy Spirit testimony. Ministers, lay preachers., teachers, is the only agent by whom Jesus Christ must be doctors, instructors and apprentices of the Indus- preached when He is glorified and in full control this will result in the salvation of men.
Saint Lucas of Allahabad By DR. and MRS. SAM HIGGINBOTTOM and others I N MISSIONARY circles in northern India JAMES JOSEPH LUCAS AT NINETY-ONE James Joseph Lucas was a unique institution. He was so deeply, vitally Christian. Jesus I first met Dr. Lucas on November 18, 1903, in Christ was so real to him, and he seemed to have Allahabad. I saw him last in Lahore on March cultivated such a habit of constant communion, the 25th, 1938, when I had chhoti hazrie (early that it was a benediction to be in his presence. morning tea) with him. His mind was as clear Though only two might be present to the eye, one the last time I saw him when he was in his ninetywas always conscious that the Third was there. first year as it was the first time when he was More than any other human being I have ever fifty-four. F'or many years he and his wife had known, Dr. Lucas seemed to carry with him a read "Daily Light" together, and that morning on peculiar spiritual atmosphere. When he would the train I had received comfort from the readgo into meetings, where feelings were running ings for the day. I was being sent home to Amerhigh or where things were being said in the heat ica to make an appeal on behalf of the Allahabad of argument that did not help to calm the troubled Agricultural Institute and did not feel at all sure water, Dr. Lucas by his very presence would that I was doing the wisest thing. The reading change the atmosphere. for that day had removed all my doubts. Dr. Lucas was reading George Bowen's daily selection Never have I known any other man so generous for the day and this too was a deeply spiritual and kindly in his judgment of others, even those and helpful message. who differed most from him and fought him with determination. In the thirty-five years I have known him, especially in dealing with those who opposed him, he seemed to have learned with the Apostle Paul that Love is ready to believe the best and to bear all things. There seemed to be no other man to whom so many people in trouble have gone-young and old, men and women, Indian and non-Indian, religious and non-religious. In trouble they seemed to gravitate to Dr. Lucas; there to find wise counsel. For those who were slipping and had lost their grip-to come to him meant renewed hope and faith and courage. More than most other men he seemed to know what was in man-the wickedness and deceit and sinfulness of the human heart; but he knew also One who was mighty to save even to the uttermost and so there was never a note of despair. He believed that if the wrong doer would submit himself to God, there he would find abundant mercy and forgiveness.
In the early days in Allahabad I would go, on ing for over 68 years against the principalities college holidays, with Dr. Lucas into the villages and powers of darkness. He never lost faith that where he did evangelistic work. There I gained an Jesus is an all-sufficient Saviour for all who accept insight into the physical, mental and spiritual pov- Him; he was able to strengthen the faith of others erty of the village people of India. When I dis- and now he has been granted an abundant encussed with him the idea of the Agricultural In- trance into that City whose Builder and Maker is stitute, the "Mount Hermon" on the hanks of the God. Jumna River, he could not see the need for it at first; but as a result of our discussions he was How to Spell "Disappointment" convinced that this effort would be used by the Lord Jesus to hasten the coming of His Kingdom Once in a time of peculiar stress he came over to northern India. After I had studied agricul- to the farm and found me in the barn among the ture in America and returned with him to the vil- oxen. We sat on the manger and he said: lages, I pointed out some things that were among the causes of their economic disability. "For 40 "Did I ever tell you how I learned to spell disapyears," said Dr. Lucas, "I have been going into pointment with an 'H'?" Indian villages and there was much that puzzled me, but seeing the village through your eyes has "No," I replied. explained much." "Then, I will tell you," he said. "When I was Many of the most spiritual missionaries could ready to start for India, my sister was lying ill of not understand the purpose of the Agricultural typhoid fever at our home at Danville, Kentucky. Institute. Some spoke of it as a "fifth wheel My mother had planned to come to see me off at to the coach," concerned with material things and the boat at New York, but when my sister was so as a diversion of the primary purpose of Chris- ill, she was greatly disturbed to know what to do. tian missions. Through all the heated controversy Finally the neighbors persuaded her that every- Dr. Lucas never wavered. When I was tempted thing possible was being done for my sister, so she to be discouraged he would come and put his hand left with me. We reached New York on Wedneson my shoulder and say, "Higginbottom, every day day morning and I expected to sail that afternoon. I pray for two things for you: First, that you will Mother planned to catch the evening train back continue your work, and second, that God will to Kentucky. Then the Board Secretary came and give you patience." This confidence of Dr. Lucas said, 'The Board finds that there is the largest in me enabled me to go on and work through the number of foreign missionaries being sent out at darkest days, when all I said or did was misunder- one time in the history of the Board, so we have stood. Dr. Lucas lived to see his faith justified, decided to have a big farewell meeting tomorrow, and now all over the world, whether it is Kagawa and I want you to change your sailing date from in Japan or Sir Wilfred Grenfell on the Labrador, Wednesday to Friday.' " or Dr. Alfred Schweitzer in Africa, rural missionaries the world over are seeing and understanding "At first I felt that I didn't want to do this, as the relationship between spiritual and physical I knew how anxious my mother was to return to and mental poverty; what gets rid of one is likely her sick daughter and I did not wish to keep her to help get rid of the others. The rural folk of the over. But after I prayed about it, I finally said backward countries are poor to a degree that to the Board Secretary, 'All right, I will stay.' So America knows little about. When our Lord stood I took part in the meeting and sailed on Friday. up in the synagogue at Nazareth and declared that At the Prince's Landing Station at Liverpool, news the Spirit of the Lord was upon him because he placards told of the loss of the ship on which I had sent him "to preach the Gospel to the poor," was to have sailed on Wednesday. Only one perhe proclaimed the day of release for the world's son was saved in that wreck. I was impressed by rural billion, most of whom live in dire poverty. the fact that God had intervened to prevent my Christ was ,to heal the broken-hearted; He was to sailing on that steamer as I had planned and that set the captive free; He was to preach deliverance He had a work for me to do for Him in India. to them that are bound. This is the only program Then it was that I learned to spell disappointment that is adequate to meet man's need. Dr. Lucas with an 'H'-not 'disappointment,' but 'Hisapsaw this and earnestly helped to carry out our pointment.' " Lord's program. This was always his philosophy of life when James J. Lucas was graduated from Center Col- things did not go in the way he had thought they lege, Kentucky, in 1865, from Yale University in should. He would wait upon God to find out what 1867 and from Princeton Theological Seminary in God was trying to teach him. 1870. He arrived in India in the autumn of 1870 and died in India in January of 1939, after work- It would be difficult to explain all that this view of disappointment has meant in my life. Thirty- five years of close association with Dr. Lucas has meant much to me, and many others remember him as the most Christ-like man they have ever known. He did not seek to escape the pain and
disappointment of the world but he went boldly the man condemn Wanamaker for selling poker forward knowing that where "sin did abound chips while he professed Christianity. Dr. Lucas grace did much more abound." pushed through the crowd and interrupted the speaker, saying: "Sir, Mr. Wanamaker is a friend By MRS. HIGGINBOTTOM of mine and a friend of God, and I do not wish you to say anything against him, even if he does sell The homey Indian bungalow of Dr. and Mrs. poker ti·ps I" The crowd howled, the soap box Lucas gave us a welcome many a time when my orator was confused, and Dr. Lucas smiled and husband and I were confused by the new language led in prayer. It was all so natural and sincere and the new religions, or when new joys or new that it captivated even the careless street throng. sorrows came upon us. He seemed to sense our moods, and with a radiant face would say, "I Dr. Lucas afterward said, "I did not know what found a beautiful promise for me today as my wife the man was talking about; but I was not going and I read 'Daily Light' together early this morn- to have him denounce my friend and call in quesing." The promise seemed to fit our needs as well. tion his loyalty to the Lord." For many years, whenever he married a couple, Dr. Lucas gave them the little book with the hope Once, when we were praying about Allahabad that they too would form the habit of reading it and the general work in India, Dr. Lucas sobbed and praying together every morning. like a child, muttering, "Lord, give us this land which we so love I" Mrs. Lucas, who died in 1931, mothered all the missionaries and made them feel at home around By FRANK G. CORNELIUS her table. Her courtesy and love were also extended to Indian Christians. During my first Looking always to Jesus Christ and living like year I had been sick, my servants were a problem, the Master he served, loving and kind, Dr. Lucas the language was difficult and I was ready to weep. was an inspiration to many a soul. Many years Quick as a flash a missionary friend said to me: ago I had the privilege of working for him in my "Come, change your dress and come with me to professional capacity as "stenographer" when he see Mrs. Lucas." I was an unbidden guest at a dictated to me the "Biography of Robert Stewart lunch party but was welcomed so cordially that Fullerton," and "Commentary on the Epistle to there was no chance to apologize for breaking in the Hebrews" in English. I found that his faith on an invited company. in Jesus was deeper than one could ordinarily comprehend and his life foundations were laid on Dr. Lucas, more than anyone we knew, mani- the "Rock of Ages." fested the Love which is patient, kind, knows no jealousy, makes no parade, is never rude, never By A. RALLA RAM of Allahabad selfish, never resentful (even under strong provocations); is always slow to expose, always eager We always called Dr. Lucas the "st. John" of to believe the best, always hopeful. Hundreds of our time. His face was radiant with the glow of people, Indians and Americans, would heartily a joyous Christian. His gentleness, humility, genendorse that statement. erosity and affection were so infectious and real. We used to make opportunities to seek his study Whenever Dr. Lucas spoke in the church or at a for inspiration and strength. Never did he let us prayer meeting, one heard the comments on every go without prayer. Up till the close of his life his hand: "His face shone." "His goodness glows in delight was in the Scriptures, and their great him." His daughter's death was a terrible shock promises and assurances filled his mind. Who can and sorrow, but at the funeral service he spoke of tell how much literature poured forth from his the lovely influence of her life and of the certain pen to exalt his Master as Saviour and Lord of hope of seeing her again. His radiant, smiling men? face revealed his deep faith and was the means of strengthening the faith of those who were present. By REV. JAMES L. GRAY of Jagadhri By DR. JOHN TIMOTHY STONE He "walked with God." I can think of no better way of describing the life of our dear friend. When Dr. Lucas was my guest at the Brown There was a peculiar radiance about all he said Memorial Church of Baltimore thirty-five years and did that made us all feel that he was conscious ago, he had recently called to see John Wana- of another Presence ever at his. side. To meet him maker who had visited India and was much inter- on the roads of Landour; to talk with him in his ested in the work 'he saw there. The great mer- book-lined study; to see that sHyer hair and the chant was exceedingly busy and as Dr. Lucas be- uplifted hands in Kellogg Church-was always to came tired of waiting, he walked out on the street be made aware of an utter devotion to his Master for a little exercise. Passing a crowd that was and an intimate communion with Him that always being addressed by a soap box orator he heard made me feel that God was near. The place of
prayer was to him the place where "he took off By MR. C. THOMAS his shoes from off his feet" for the ground was indeed most holy. In the quiet of his study; at I can never forget the visit I paid Dr. Lucas at the grave-side with bereaved friends, or in church, his son's house in LahDre Dn March 1, 1938. Dr. that quiet yet thrilling voice was heard pleading Lucas had been ill, but on the previous evening he the promises of God, and leading us with holy was seen standing at the gate of his house giving boldness to the throne of the eternal Father. tracts to. the passers-by. He believed in the power Dr. Lucas was always busy for God and His Kingdo.m. On his daily constitutiDnals you met of the printed page. The faith and prayer life of him with tracts and Gospels in his hand, and a George Muller of Bristol had influenced him a happy word of cheer to coolie, soldier and mission- gDod deal. His own prayer life was known to all ary. In his study he worked with patient dili- his assDciates-the ease with which he would pass gence in English and in Urdu, seeking to give from conversation with men sitting with him to form to anything which he felt would enrich his conversation with GDd. One of his two. surviving fellOW-Christians.. His outlook on mDdern mis- students whom he taught at the Saharanpur TheosiDnary problems was sane and progressive, and logical Seminary said that Dr. Lucas loved his stuhis understanding and sympathy profound. Never dents and taught them by his example how to love did his evangelistic fervor ,lag. Often his zeal, his one another. He preached love and practiced love. piety, his faithfulness have been to me, as a much younger missiDnary, a reproof and a much-needed Dr. Lucas was a Christian saint. Many of us urge and stimulus. feel that nothing can be more helpful to young Christians, Indian and foreign, than a biography of this saintly missionary.
By A., RUSSELL GRAHAM of Indore By HOWARD E. ANDERSON To come to India at the age of twenty-three-tD spend 68 years in the Master's service here-to Editor of "The United Church Review" thrDw aside the well-worn earthy cloak with glad abandon and enter joyfully into His glorious pres- Dr. Lucas was a saint of God. Of few peDple ence. What a life! What a course to' run! So can this be said with the same absence of restraint old in years-so young in spirit! So. spiritual that and the same assurance Df agreement on the part his every cDnversation spDke of an Unseen Presof such a wide circle of acquaintances, and friends ence-yet so beautifully "human"! A saint, a true as he had. His saintliness was revealed in his saint Df God-yet reckoning himself as chief of countenance, the tone Df his voice and his conver- sinners! For he gloried in the Cross of Christ satiDn. Others may praise him fo.r his achieve- and all fDr which that "stumbling block" stood. To. ments, and they were many; but in the realm o.f personal contact, no Dne can tell the number of know Dr. Lucas was to. know Christ better. To. lives he touched for the glory of God. have fellowship with him was, to. desire a more in- The saintliness Df Dr. Lucas was shown in his timate fellowship with the Master. prayers, in what he talked about, in the thDUghts to which he gave expressiDn. They were largely By DR. FRED M. PERRILL Scriptural, fDr he was saturated with Scripture. God's Word was his meat and drink. For years Editor of "The Indian Witness" he lived in constant expectatiDn of the return of Dur Lord. I presume that is what gave him such Dr. J. J. Lucas, the friend of all, was bDrn in calm and repose at funerals, yea, even at the funeral of his own daughter which he himself CDn- Ireland, August 21, 1847, and came to. India in ducted.. He used to say that we who are alive at that advent time shall in no wise "prevent" them 1870. He had finished thirty-six years' service in that are asleep. To him it was indeed a blessed India when I arrived-a fairly long term Df servhope. ice; but for him it was barely half Df the tDtal years he was to give to India. The experience of death was for him an experience of "falling asleep." He grew more and Dr. Lucas had a remarkable memory and used more tired and expressed his desire to. depart. In it in a most helpful way. He must have held many Dehra Dun, a little more than a month before his death, Dr. Lucas spoke to us about a portion of to. a worthy pitch of effort by his encDuragement.
God's Word that had meant much to. him. It was He was a man Df cDnvictions, but he believed that earnest Christian brethren could find a way to that beautiful beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in understand each other. He did not think that heart; for they shall see God." He smilingly ex- bluster and bombast were substitutes for calm and plained that the beatitudes are for the present and considerate thinking. He was a mDdern "fundanot for the future. "So," he said, "the pure in mentalist," but most of all he had a vital Chrisheart shall see GDd now." tian experience and a heart filled with Christian love. For him to live was Christ, but having lived almost a century and having finished the course and kept the faith, certainly fDr him "to. die" was gain. Who. follows in his train?
Fingers for
Cooperative Service to the Spiritual Life of the Blind By the REV. LEWIS BIRGE CHAMBERLAIN, New York General Secretary of the John Milton Society for the Blind BLINDNESS is decreasing among children but when they could see; but only a small portion be- increasing among adults in America. Better come literate through their finger tips.2 After an care· at birth, in infancy and childhood ex- acquaintance with the problem of the literate Blind plains the decrease. Among adults, however, are that began twenty years ago, through supplying not only the historic disease causes and the more embossed Scriptures to them as one of my duties recent hazards and accidents of industry and mod- as a secretary of the American Bible Society, my ern life but also the increase in longevity and, sur- amazement and admiration continue to grow over prisingly, such modern causes as "high blood the achievement of the Blind in using fingers for pressure, hardening of the ar- eyes. It involves real intelli- teries and diabetes." 1 More gence, will power, persistence, than half the Blind in the and, particularly, a sensitive- United States are over fifty- ness in finger tips. Highly edu- five years of age, and there are cated adults are sometimes 11 per cent more blind men frustrated. What of those of than women.1 small education and hardened Though it may seem para- finger tips?
doxical, it really is natural that During recent years em- reading means more to the bossed magazines and books in sightless than to the sighted. Braille 3. have been appearing The Blind are cut off from or- in increased numbers, chiefly dinary life and activities and through generous appropria- have extra time to read and to tions by the United States Con- think. It is a frequent, though gres.s. Public funds, however, not inevitable result, that their are not used for religious lit- thoughts turn to the inner life erature.
-the spiritual; and they desire How then is the spiritual help in Christian life and serv- need and hunger of the sight- ice–the "new life" that grows less being met? Inadequately and gives to others. Many thus and incompletely. The great find blindness a blessing. HELEN KELLER READING HER Protestant churches of Amer- The loss of sight has roused JOHN MIL1'ON MAGAZINE ica-Baptist, Methodist, Pres- byterian and others, from sympathy through the ages.
Christ seemed peculiarly sensitive about it and the whose ranks the bulk of the literate Blind come, Gospels record more miracles by him to cure have neglected for decades both their own blindness than any other physical ailment. In 2 It is estimated that there are some 130,000 Blind in the United America, especially in recent years, much has been States, Gf whGm SGme 25,000 can read Braille. Some tWG Gr three done by both private and public effort, to lighten thGusand whose fingers are not sensitive enough to read the small this great handicap. Braille points, can read the Moon system which, fGr the Blind, is what large type Is to the sighted. In Braille the basis Is an em- The Literate Blind bossed domino six set upright and so small that the finger tip of a child can cover It. TG the uninitiated the fact of a single unit might "Fingers for Eyes" focuses attention, not on imply simplicity, but In it liefl complexity. All tbe letters Gf the the Blind generally, but on those who can read alphabet, all punctuation marks, all capitals, italics, underscoring, all without sight. numerals are made by omissions and combinations of these six pOints. Not only must the mind register and remember what each combina- Doubtless most who become Blind could read tion represents, but the fingers must register the relative positions of these pOints. For example, the single point may occur in any 1 Report of the Public Health Service on January 21, 1939. one of six pGs·itions and a two-point combiIlation may be made in eighteen ways.
3 "Talking Books"-that Is phonograph records of books, and the radio are real boons to the Blind and are being made available by Congress appropriation in considerable numbers. However, they do not take the place of books one may read and study and ponder any more for the sightless than they would for the Sighted.
[239 ]
Blind 4 and the other Blind who form a part of the who reside in all but one of the States and in great home missions field. The relatively heavy twenty-eight other lands. This wide distribution expense of embossed printing, and the relatively is almost entirely due to the activities and interlimited number of Blind affiliated with each de- est of blind readers themselves. They have a way nomination, are chiefly responsible for this fact. of passing magazines from one to another and this diminishes the expense of circulation. The The John Milton Society foreign circulation has come entirely through the Blind them,selves. Illustrations are constant. A Realization of this neglect, and appeals of the blind reader in Texas passes her copy to a blind Blind themselves for help in their spiritual life man in the same city who then sends it to a fel- low blind Hebrew in London who eventually places RE'ADING BRAILLE it in a Hebrew home for the Blind, and reports that "they holler for more." Inmates of homes or and service, brought about the incorporation of institutions for the Blind make one or two copies the "John Milton Society," taking its name from suffice for all their members. A few copies sent to one who despite his own blindness rendered great a State School for the Blind are read by many older service to generations of those having eyes to read. pupils for their own pleasure and then are read by The Society is sponsored by the Councils of them to younger pupils not yet literate with their Home Missions, both general and women's, and fingers. Home teachers of the Blind lend their by the International Council of Religious Educa- copies to their students. A blind American mistion. Its purpose and field were defined as the sionary in China enj oys her own copy and passes supply of general religious magazines, Sunday it on to her blind Chinese teachers who use it with school lessons or Bible stUdies, and religious books. their blind pupils. A masseuse in Jerusalem gains In 1932 the monthly John Milton Magazine was refreshment herself and tells her patients what launched for adults and in 1935 the monthly, Dis- she has read. covery, for boys and girls. Both are in "Braille." In 1937 a small book of standard hymns, words Nearly one hundred blind ministers, missionand music in Braille, the first of its kind, was aries (both home and foreign), and evangelists, issued. 5 The production of three books has been acclaim the John Milton Magazine for the aid it authorized this year: "Daily Devotions," "Sun- gives them in their work and life. Twenty-one day School Manual for Teachers" and "Christmas American denominations are represented by the Carols." The two magazines are free, as are the blind ministry. Some are active pastors and Sunday school papers for the sighted; but gifts preachers and often prepare their sermons from from readers toward their production are encour- the John Milton Magazine. Some are evangelists,; aged and received. The sale of books helps to meet their cost. BLIND GIRLS USING BRAILLE HYMN BOOK The 2,500 monthly copies of the two magazines some home mis!sionaries; some retired and lonely now reach from 10,000 to 12,000 blind readers, and eager for good reading. All are grateful.
• To their credit a few religious bodies have been responding to Among nearly eight hundred letters (several this need but they are exceptions and the activity of most is quite hundred in Braille) from blind readers recently recent. Also they are all keen on their own peculiar teachings. received, about five hundred came from those who Naming them somewhat on the length of their service, they are: attend Sunday school, and of these over two hun- Roman Catholic, the Seventh-Day Adventist, the Church of God, dred are actually Sunday school teachers, some Theosophist, Christian Science, Episcopal, Hebrew and a branch of the Lutheran.
• This year the two magazines are being continued; though a long-standing appeal for a magazine in "Moon" is still deferred because it Is a recurring expense without money as yet provided. "Moon" is to the blind what large print is to those wh<> see.
USING FINGERS FOR EYES
school superintendents – a truly noteworthy English in Holland wishes its stories to pass on record.6 to his scholars.
Sixty denominations listed in the Federal The John Milton Magazine collates and con- Church Year Book are represented by these read- denses its general articles from denominational ers, some of whom are members of religious and interdenominational religious publications.7 groups not listed. What other thousands represent we do not know. Apparently a large portion BLIND SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER (RIGHT) WITH of the blind readers are not connected with any HER SIGHTED CLASS religious organization. Many are too isolated or too physically restricted. Yet all eagerly receive Intentionally interdenominational, special care is and use these definitely evangelical Christian mag- taken to bring to the Blind, though in much conazines. They need this help even more perhaps densed form, choice articles-devotional, informathan the blind ministers and Sunday, school teach- tional, inspirational, and missionary-from variers. What a field for home mission work! It is a ous sources 7 which the sighted enjoy. The Sunday real privilege to have a share in such a service of school lessons have been condensed from those love. prepared by outstanding Sunday school workers in various denominations.s The Magazines for the Blind Half the pages of both magazines are given to The articles in the John Milton Magazine are general articles and half to treatment of the uni- varied not only in subjects to catch and hold attenform Sunday school lessons. Discovery usually tion, but in simplicity, in strength of language and has stories gathered round one theme each month, and largely from Miss Margaret Applegarth's thought, so that each issue inimitable store. The Sunday school lessons at may have a message for its present are drawn from the Methodist Illustrated variety of readers. Many tes- Quarterly. The bulk of each issue of Discovery timonies pour in, constantly goes to State Schools for the Blind which house marking the real service being most of the 6,000 to 7,000 blind school children in accomplished. Sunday school America, all facing lifelong physical darkness. It teachers say that they could is the only such magazine available to the blind not teach without the magachildren of our great land. Individual copies also zine's Sunday school lesson go far and wide. For example: A grandmother helps. One man in Alrubama in Buenos Aires receives a copy to read to her recently wrote that he had taught a large adult Bible two daughters who are Sunday school teachers; class until blindness cut him and the stories to her own grandchildren who are off. Then he learned Braille, entranced. A blind missionary in Shanghai trans- obtained the John Milton lates some of its stories into Cantonese and into Magazine, and is now back at Mandarin, sending them to schools and scholars his post. Young and old renot using English. A Christian blind teacher of port taking part in Christian Endeavor and in missionary societies, thus having 6 The exact figures are 772 letters received from Blind readers, of a share in the life of the church. A Sunday school whom 498 attend Sunday school and 222 are teachers. 7 A recent summary showed that in the past five years, articles have been drawn from 77 denominational, 27 interdenominational and 17 general sources.
8 Drs. H. C. Moore, Baptist So. (several quarters); C. A. Hauser, Christian and Reformed; M. Stevenson, Disciples; L. H. Bugbee, Methodist; E. ];'. Ziegler, Presbyterian; C. P. Wiles, United Lu- theran; Miss M. Tarbell, J. H. Snowden, G. L. Robinson and D. D. Burrell. The last four publish their lessons in non-denominational form.
teacher from Australia eagerly asks for the mag- "I keep it by my bed to read in the sleepless azine, the existence of which he had just learned. hours of the night." The custodian of a library for the Blind in South Africa appeals for its visits. A blind Japanese "I and my blind husband live in the hills of Ver- Sunday school teacher in H3iwaii rejoices in its mont where we do not see even the postman more help. A blind Presbyterian missionary giving his than once a week. What a comfort the John Millife to India, an Episcopal rector with ten happy ton Magazine is to us both." years of service in Kansas, an Evangelical Lutheran minister, executlve officer of a State Com- Such sentences are typical expressions. Many mission for the Blind, are a few of those who a touching and telling tale could be recounted from rejoice in it. One of its earliest and strongest the correspondence. The gist of it all is that they friends is an eloquent, forceful and successful are hungry souls; eager for and sorely needing blind Methodist minister whose church is filled at such help ; and they gratefully rejoice in havevening as well as at morning services, and who ing it. is in demand as a S'peaker before school, college, Rotarian and other audiences. To serve such is Sponsored by the Councils already named, the indeed a privilege. Society is helped by contributions from some Boards of Home Mi,ssions, Education, Sunday The Major Need School, and Publication. For them, however, these years have been difficult, and their contributions The great bulk of the Blind are not ministers or furnish less than one-tenth of the heavy expense teachers. Too often they are people limited in ex- involved in producing the Brame pUblications. perience and resources, isolated in country and Additional help has come from one other organizaother localities, home-bound by physical disabili- tion interested in the spiritual welfare of the Blind ties. Not a few are deaf, others are bedridden, and the Blind themselves contribute surprisingly. many have scant education and even scantier re- But it is necessary to secure 700/0 of the budget sources. To them the magazine,s, bring cheer and from individuals who are blessed with sight. inspiration, help and comfort and company. Where knowledge of this work is spread, those grateful for their own physical eyesight rejoice in "Next to the Bible it is my most treasured pos- helping the sightless in their quest for spiritual session." aid and life.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN TIME OF CRISIS Rev. C. Darby Fulton, Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Foreign Mission Commit- tee of Nashville, says that this is a day of unparalleled opportunity in mission work, and lists some outstanding reasons for encouragement: The high spiritual purpose and morale of Christian missionaries. The courage and steadfastness of the Chinese Christians. The scattering of many believers to the provinces of West China has meant that they have carried the 'contagion of their faith into areas heretofore unreached by the Gospel. The new friendship of the Chinese people for the missionary, growing out of the helpful- ness and service he has shown in this emergency. The enormously enhanced prestige of Christianity because such great national leaders as Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Madame Chiang, and others who are guiding the nation in the present crisis, are themselves Christians. The unprecedented open-heartedness of the people toward the Gospel, with their new long- ings for the assuranecs of faith in the midst of the uncertainties of the present conflict. The return of missionaries and the reoccupation of all our stations. The large crowds attending evangelistic services throughout the country, with many con- versions and other evidences of spiritual awakening. Thousands of Korean Christians standing fast under severe persecution. The deep undercurrent of heart-hunger among the people of Japan. The bond of fellowship that remains unbroken between Japanese and Chinese Christians. The wide open doors in Africa and Brazil.
Progress i11
By REV. PHILIP S. LANDES, Sao Paulo Missionary of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., 1912- BRAZIL is, a land of great possibilities and tious and spiritually destitute. With the advent great opportunities. Among the countries of Protestant missions this situation began to be of South America, this republic occupies the changed. first place in territorial extent, population and nat- As soon as Protestant missionaries landed in ural resources. It is larger than the United Brazil, they began distrihuting the Scriptures and States (exclusive of Alaska), covering half the preaching the saving truths which they contain.
map of South America. Thus a new era dawned for the people. From the Within its bounds are vast tracts of undeveloped independence of Brazil in 1822 to the year 1936 land available for the support of human life. The about ten million copies of the Scriptures or por- greater part of the world's supply of coffee is tions of them were distributed by national work- grown in Brazil which could, if necessary, furnish ers and misslionaries.
the world with cotton and foodstuffs such as The Rev. Ashbel G. Simonton, the first Presby- manioc, corn, rice, beans, cacao, sugar, tropica1 terian missiona.ry to Brazil, began work in Rio de fruits and many other agricultural products. Janeiro in 1859. He was a man of broad vision Brazil possesses abundant water-power, vast and statesmanship and laid solid foundations for forests, extensive grazing fields, immense deposits the development of a strong national Church. The of iron and manganese, rubber of the best qual- plan adopted for the development of the work fol- ity, many medicinal plants and a great variety of lowed the lines of the missionary purpose; to win other natural products. These vast resources, men to Christ, to train them for Christian service still mostly undeveloped, are an indication of the and to organize them into churches which should great future which lies before the greatest of our become self-propagating, self-supporting and self- sister republics in the Western Hemisphere. Bra- governing. After eighty years of work, there is zil has a population of forty-five million, but, if it in Brazil a strong national Church, carrying on were as densely populated as the State of New its work independently of foreign control and Jersey, it would contain a population of more than support.
a billion and six hundred million people. The beginnings of missionary work in Brazil A question of vital importance to all of the were characterized by the conversion of individ- American republics, as well as to all Christians, uals who formed the nucleus of the Church.
is this: will Brazil, the greatest of all Latin Amer- Among those won to Christ in this initial period, ican countries, remain democratic or will she join the most notable was a Roman Catholic priest, the "totalitarian states," placing nationalism Rev. Jose Manoel da Concei~ao who was, attracted above God and freedom of worship? The peace to evangelical Christianity by the honesty of the and destiny of the entire Western Hemisphere members of the new sect. He was the first Prot- may depend upon Brazil's decision. In determin- estant minister to be ordained in Brazil, became a iug the issue, evangelical Christianity may be the tireless itinerant evangelist and traveled over decisive factor, judged from the role that Prot- great areas in Southern Brazil.
estantism has played and is playing in the life of At Jandira, in the State of Sao Paulo, there is the Brazilian' people. a fitting memorial to this consecrated evangelist, When a century ago Protestant missions began in the form of a college which is training candi- their work in Brazil, the people had practically no dates for the Gospel ministry. At present this knowledge of the Bible and its saving truths. school has some sixty stUdents, nearly all of whom For three hundred years the Bible had been an expect to preach the Gospel to their own people, unknown book to her people. .It is no wonder, after completing their training in the theological therefore, that the religion of the people consisted seminary.
in the fo'rmal performance of religious rites and Rev. Carvalho Braga, the father of Erasmo ceremonies, devoid of spirituality or vital regen- Braga, was first led to examine the claims of evan- erating power. The dominant religion had left gelical Christianity when, as a clerk in a store, the great mass of the people illiterate, supersti- he read what was on a leaf which had been torn [243 ]
from a Bible to be used as wrapping paper. This one of the elders of the church receiving instrucled to his conversion and later he did a great work tions a.bout the new Christian life into which he as a preacher and as the translator of Davis' Bible had entered. He gave up Spiritualism, drinking, Dictionary. His scholarly son, Rev. Erasmo g1ambling and even smoking, although he had been Braga, became an internationally known religious an inveterate smoker for twenty-five years. It leader in the evangelical world and presided at was a hard struggle, but Christ gave him the victhe Congress of Christian Work at Montevideo in tory. Through his example his wife was won to 1925. Christ and all his family, so that the missionary had the joy of receiving his entire family into the There have been many remarkable instances of fellowship of the Church. Senhor Alvaro became the transforming power of the Gospel in Brazil. a most enthusiastic and energetic personal worker We tell the story of but two men of recent times. and pre,acher of the Gospel. He used to stand at the door of the worship hall in Campo Grande and When Gospel work was begun in the Sta~ of buttonhole passers-by, almost compelling them to enter, in order that they might hear about the Matto Grosso, a young man heard the preaching power that had transformed his life. He has a of the Word of God, for the first time, as he lay government position which takes him to different drunk in the gutter, outside the preaching hall in localities, but wherever he goes, he witnesses to Rosario Oeste. – The Gospe~ message, as it was the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation to sung and preached, touched his heart and he came all who believe. to the missionary with this question: How the Church Is Being Built "Do you think it is possible for me to be forgiven and saved?" It is by conversion of individuals that the Church of Christ is being built up in Brazil, not No wonder he asked this question, for he was by mass movements. The Presbyterian Church of not only a drunkard but a murderer as well. At Brazil has now an adult membership of fifty thoua;bout twelve years of age he had killed a police~ sand, with a yearly increase of ten per cent. Rev. man and later had killed-several other men from Domingos. Ribeiro, in his book, "Origens do Evanambush as they were bathing in a stream. Could gelismo Brazileiro," gives the total number of he be forgiven of God? The missionary was able communicants, baptized children, catechumens to assure him that "the blood of Jesus Christ and adherents of Presbyterian churches as apcleanses us from all sin" and that "if we confess proximately three hundred thousand. More than our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us two hundred Presbyterian national ministers in our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- Brazil constitute a fine body of men who have reness." The young man accepted Christ as his ceived an education not a bit inferior to that of Saviour and today is a public school teacher. He most ministers in the United States. They have conducts worship and directs a Sunday school in their own schools and theological seminaries which the far interior of the State of Matto Grosso. are independent of missionary control. The Pres- byterian churches of Brazil have been organized An Extraordinary Man into twenty-three presbyteries, four synods and one General Assembly. These bodies have been A few years ago, when a series of evangelistic compJetely nationalized and are independent of meetings was being conducted in Southern Matta missionary control. The missionaries are still do- Grosso, in the city of Campo Grande, a rather ing the pioneer work, in the interior, and as rapextraordinary man began coming to the meetings.. idly as churches reach the point of self-support, He was known as intelligent and able, but a they are turned over to the national councils. drinker and gambler. It was not unusual for him to come home at four o'clock in the morning after The Southern Baptists also have a strong work a night of dissipation. The missionary thought in Brazil, with ~bout three hundred thousand, that this man, Senhor Alvaro, would be one of the counting adults, children, catechumens and adherlast in the world to be converted, not so much on ents. The Methodists number approximately one account of his vices, but because of his erratic hundred and thirty-five thousand, the Episcopa- Spiritualistic ideas which had made him egotis- lians twenty-seven thousand and the Congregatical and self-sufficient. When an opportunity was tionalists eight thousand. There are also indegiven, at an evangelistic service, for public deci- pendent missions at work with evangelical groups sion, he was one of the first to take a stand, declar- amounting to one hundred and ninety-five thouing his intention to follow Christ. It was difficult sand. In Southern Brazil there are nearly half a to believe that he was converted. He went home million German Lutherans. In round numbers and told his wife that he was a changed man, but the total Protestant population of Brazil is estishe did not believe him. Soon after this, he failed to come home early one night and his wife went out to hunt for him, thinking to find him amongs,t his old companions. She found him at the home of
EVANGELICAL PROGRESS IN BRAZIL
mated at one and a half million, which is about in large measure, to the high grade of theological three and three-tenths per cent of the totalPOI?~ training given to the ministry from the days of ulation. Domingos Riheiro affirms for the year Simonton down to the present time. Last year 1937 that there were, in Brazil, more than three (September 8), the Presbyterian Seminary at thousand preachers of the Gospel, including lay- Campinas, in the State of Sao Paulo, celebrated preachers, and more than four thousand places of the fiftieth anniversary of its foundling. Today it worship. There is probably not a town of any has a strong faculty of scholarly men who have size in all Brazil where there is not a group of also been successful pastors. Twenty-seven stu- Christians witnessing to the power of Christ. dents were graduated in the last three graduating The evangelical churches have produced some EVANGELICAL CANDIDATES FOR THE MINISTRY FIND great religious leaders such as Alvaro Reis, a great A RATTLE'R ON THE COLLEGE CAMPU.S AT orator, pastor and evangelist; Eduardo Carlos JOSE MANOEL DA CONCEICAO Pereira, the author of a Portuguese Grammar used in all the schools of Brazil; Antonio Trajano, classes and the total enrollment last year was the author of textbooks on mathematics adopted thirty-three. This school of the prophets has proin all Brazilian schools; Erasmo Braga, scholar, duced a fine type of leadership for the Presbyteacher and religious leader who also wrote text- terian Church of Brazil. books for the youth of Brazil; Miguel Rizzo, the brilliant pastor of the large and influential Igreja It is not possible here to do justice to all of the Unida in the City of Sao Paulo, and who recently evangelical institutions at work in Brazil, includrepresented the Preshyterian Church of Brazil at ing the splendid work of the British and American the centennial celebration of the Presbyterian Bible Societies, of the Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A., Church. There are many other able leaders, too the printing presses, hospitals, sanatoria and ornumerous to mention. phanages conducted under Protestant auspices. Evangelical Christianity has become a mighty The Influence of the Evangelicals force to be reckoned with in .shaping the destiny of this greatest of the Latin American republics. The Evangelicals of Brazil exert an influence far greater than would be expected from their Let no one suppose, however, that the task numerical strength. Like the Huguenots in the has been completed in Brazil. Not even four per history of France they are usually better informed cent of the total population has been evangelized. and more alert than the rank and file of their fel- The great unoccupied Hinterland is destined to receive millions of people who will need to hear low-citizens. In general, they are intelligent, in- the Good News. Besides this, in the forests of the great Amazon Basin, there are many wild Industrious, honest and patriotic, and exert a great dians who have never heard the Gospel. The task influence upon the life of the nation. of the evangelization of Brazil has been well be- gun, but it is far from completed. The nation is An account of the progress of evangelical Chris- still young and in the formative period of its existtianity in Brazil would not be complete without ence, so that now is the opportune time to lay the some reference to the contribution to education foundations for a still greater Church of Christ made by the Protestant churches. The American in Brazil. It is the part of Christian statesman- School, founded in Sao Paulo, in the early days of ship to act now, in order that the people of our missionary work, served for years as a model for great Sister Republic maybe won for Christ and the educational system of Sao Paulo, recognized may enjoy all the blessings of His full salvation. to be the most advanced state of the Union in educational matters. The American School became a great educational institution which today ministers instruction to some two thousand students in all of its courses, from the primary grades up through the Engineering School of Mackenzie College. There are numerous other important evangelical schools of higher education in Brazil, such as Granberry College at Juiz de F6ra, Gammon Institute at Lavras and Jose Manoel da Conceic;ao at Jandira. A large number of evangelical gymnasia are scattered throughout Brazil, as well as many primary schools. Some devote themselves exclusively to the education of believers and their children.
The success of the work in Brazil has been due,
of a Missionary in
~._ By REV. HENRY H. BUCHER, Nodoa, Hainan, China I I Missionary of the American Presbyterian Church [Mr. and Mrs. Bucher are just completing thei~ first ings, accounts, many details of administration; term as missionaries in Hainan, the island off the south oversight of workmen and evangelis,ts; a funeral coast of China, and recently raided by Jap'anese bombing or a wedding; then some of the Lois (aboriginees) planes and occupied in part by Japanese troops. Mr. come to buy salt or fish from us to take back into Bucher (in per,sonal letters) describes graphically some the mountains. They are so often cheated in experiences connected with mission work in Nodoa and money deals that they depend upon us to help on tours into the country. The latter reveal a few of the them. They bring their midget chickens and sell trials that a missionary encounters today in a land that them to us so that they may have a few cents to lacks good roads and many other conveniences to which buy things for their simple needs. all travelers have grown accustomed in countries where good roads, comfortable inns and gasoline stations abound. There is a satisfaction in spending and being The day of the pioneer missionary has not passed.- spent for people in need, but one practical prob- EDITOR.] R THOUGH there have been no actual raids lem I face is the problem of finding any uninter- or loss of life in Nodoa (due to Japanese rupted time for Bible study and prayer. This is raids), there have been many scares and one of the hardest problems a missionary has; to panics! Altogether this unspeakable, "unde- fa'ce-to be so busy in well-doing that it is difficult clared" war has made inroads upon our strength to keep the spiritual fires burning! This Nodoa and energy – and nerves. In all my life I have church and compound is a very live place; no- never before experienced so sustained a drain where else in Hainan is there so much activity in upon my energies, both mental and physical, as the church, or so many meetings (averaging one during this past year. . . . meeting each night and a chapel service every Mr. Melrose (a fellow missionary) left on fur- morning). The work that I enjoy above all others lough last Spring (1938) and from that time I is the evangelistic work and the contacts with peo- have been the only man of the missionary person- pIe out in the country.
nel in this part of Hainan. I have had charge of Roughly speaking, in the past eight or nine the employees and of all property and repairs of months, I have been away from home out "iIi my the large compound. I have also had a goodly pasture" half the time. The average trip takes share of the accounts and bookkeeping – which about one week. First there are periodic visits can be a thorn in the flesh to one not trained or to each church area to examine candidates for . experienced in it. This has been merely "inci- baptism and to hold communion services. Then dental" to my major missionary task as one of there are eight-day Bible institutes for the in- the superintendents of all the evangelistic work struction of ignorant Christians; third, there is in Nodoa, with a dozen churches and a congrega- the preaching of the Gospel in towns and markets tion of several thousand. I am the treasurer for in order to contact those who have never or seldom all the evangelists in this area, and pastor of six heard the Gospel message!
of the country churches which have a combined While we lived in Kiungchow, where the Hain- 'congregation (not membership) of two thousand. anese language was the medium of expression, I In addition I am responsible for the Lodi field in did a great deal of this third type of evangelistic the mountainous interior where there are twenty- work and enj oyed it. There is a thrill in knowing five hundred professed Believers awaiting instruc- that one is speaking to many who are hearing the tion. I much prefer this phase of work to the ad- Gospel for the first time. Since coming to Nodoa ministrative details and bookkeeping in the mis- I have been able to do very little evangelistic work sion station, but someone must take care of these of this kind because of the "confusion in tongues." details and I have been the only man to undertake One cannot hold a boisterous crowd when speakit for eight months. It has ,been necessary for me ing in a tongue that they cannot understand. In to be absent in the country a great deal, so that Nodoa we are face to face with one of the moSlt the station work has: piled up. amazing dialectical jumbles-the true cross-word Early in the morning-at about 6: 30 a. m.-the puzzl~in all China, if not in all the world. If daily procession begins. It is made up of meet- this sounds like an exaggerated statement, listen [246 ] A GROUP OF CHRISTIAN LOI WOMEN IN HAINAN. THEIR VILLAGE IS NEARLY 100% CHRISTIAN to the enumeration of the different tongues com- huke mo," thinking that I was telling him not to put himself to so much trouble. But by a slight mon here. Every day in Nodoa I hear six major mispronunciation of the "0" in the last word "mo," what I really said was: "Don't act like a pig." On dialects spoken: Hakka, Limko, Mandarin, Dam- another occasion, I started out to take a walk after a day of holding classes. Someone asked me tsiu, Hainanese and Cantonese. As if six were where I was going and I thought that I replied that I was going for a stroll to cool off. By the not enough, and to add to the confusion, we often slightest difference in tone, which most foreigners would not notice even if it was pointed out, I achear the melodious monosyllables of the Loi, Miau tually said: "I am going to visit a young lady."
and Malaysian tongues. If this is not a "Babel" After several such experiences I realized that Limko is not one of those tongues that is easy to and confusion of tongues, then I do not under- pick up from hearing it spoken occasionally, so I hired a teacher and studied an hour a day for a stand the meaning of these words. These six month or more. These later efforts have been crowned with so much succes,s that on December major dialects, though they have some similari- 18th I preached my fil1st sermon in Limko. My aim is to be able to speak to the people in their ties (as is true in the Romance Languages of own dialect wherever I go.
southern Europe), are distinctly different tongues. In the last month there have been two phe- nomena to cheer our hearts greatly: First, the Some of the people can speak and understand only local Nodoa church sponsored a great collection throughout this area for the benefit of war sufferone of these six; most people can converse in sev- ers in North China. Over six hundred local dollars were given by Christians and non-Christians eral, not a few can make themselves completely at home in all six! Unfortunately this last ability does not come to an American without the lubri- cating agency of a great deal of "consecrated sweat." . .
Last summer; as I traveled in the Limko field and conducted Summer Bible Institutes, I under- took to apply myself to the Limko dialect so that my work there might be more effective. My first attempts were not crowned with complete success.!
Upon entering a home, if my host put himself out to be courteous and hospitable I remarked, "Murn
working together. This is a new thing under the we might be compelled to spend several days along sun! the road. Unwisely perhaps, we decided to chance it and trust God-so off we went into the night Another new thing is that at Christmas time and into trouble! about thirty Lois came down from the mountains and brought over ten dollars as their contribution Those next ten miles of road were unlike anyto the work of the church in this presbytery. thing that I have ever seen; I shall carry a men- tal picture of them for years to come! The rain At the present stage in our Hainan church there came down in torrents so that at times I could not is even a greater need for teaching the Bible to see where I was driving and the wind became those who are already professing Christians than alarming. In the light of the headlights the roads for bringing larger numbers into the ohurch that looked impassable and at times we would sink in has already too few teachers. so deep that we would come to a dead stand-still. By backing and charging and trying new ruts we The persecution of Christians by one of t~oi would finally be able to go on. I began to think chiefs is so bad that the Christians have begged that we would make our destination after all, but me to go out to the country field and see what I in the blinding rain and darkness I failed to see can do, largely working through official channels a big hOole until just too late. We settled down as I have no authority to deal with any Loi chief. in that hole until the rear left wheel was out of However, I can talk with him, and we can pray. sight and the rear right humper was sunk in It is a five-day journey on foot to the area where water and mud. The engine pan was fast down the trouble is so that I shall have to walk one hun- on a semi-hard shelf of dirt and the axles were dred and fifty miles, mostly up and down moun- buried in the mud. With Oour mind on a possible tains. But its all a part of the Lord's work and robbery we turned off the headlights, got out in there are great rewards. the drenching rain and deep mud and dug fran- tically with the hoe that I always take along. I *** must have spent at least a half hour down in the Traveling Under Difficulties mud on hands and knees trying to get the jack A recent trip from Hoihow to Nodoa was over under that rear bumper, but the weight of the car only rammed jack and stone down farther the worst road I have ever seen in all my life- into mud. We were stuck and no joke-and nothand I have seen very bad roads in southeastern ing for miles but fields and water and a sea of Asia (China, Siam, Malaysia), India, Persia, Rus- mud. The force of the rain beating against our sia, Turkey, Europe and America. The only trip faces became unbearable, so we climbed back into that was worse in physical strain was the two the car to wait for it to let up a little. We sat days and three nights without stopping in an old there, soaked to the skin with mud and slime and truck from Douzdab to Meshed, Persia! When I the driving rain; we had begun to shiver and left Hoihow I doubted the wisdom of starting out chatter with the cold when to add to our miseries in the face of the storm hut as I had been sent to the wind became so violent that it drove the rain get typhoid serum in a hurry I wanted to carry through the top and the side curtains. I had beout the commission and keep faith with the Nodoa gun to picture what we would be worth in the hospital. morning after a night spent huddled there in the damp and cold our bodies soaked and chilled to The first forty miles we covered in a little over the bone-when rip! ! before we knew what had three hours. The rain came down in torrents; the happened the wind took the top right off the car. wind blew and the road was execrable, but not It did not take us many minutes to conclude that impassable. It seemed a little ominous that in all we couldn't longer contemplate spending the night that time we saw not one other car, nor did any there and live through it. We would have to abancars go out from Nodoa all that day! Just before don the car to its fate-and in the back seat was we reached the half-way road-house, darkness over a hundred dollars worth of school uniforms, came upon us and we experienced what may have hats, books and other things that I had brought been an attempted hold up by bandits. However, along so that they would be safe! Maybe I didn't we reached Sim-toa and had a warm Chinese meal. hate to think of deserting the car there in that The question arose: should we attempt to cover condition to be blown and rained upon, for no one the other forty-five miles that night after dark, could tell how many hours-and open to the sky! with the poss1ibility of robbery (as another car However, we were desperate and had begun to had been p~undered there two weeks before), or think pretty serious thoughts. Each grabbed a should we spend the night in the car at Sim-toa small handbag containing personal belongings and and try to complete the journey the next day over a change of clothing. (The $700 was ina large roads that would be still more softened by a ty- suitcase with all my clothes.) I would gladly phoon rain all night? On the one hand I thought of the $700 that I had in my suitcase. On the other hand there was the likelihood that the roads would be impassable the next day, in which case
EXPERIENCES OF A MISSIONARY IN HAINAN
have left the clothes behind in order to travel light might be disposed to take us in. While the Chinese in the storm, but I couldn't open the bag there in are naturally hospitable they are not inclined to the driving rain and take out that paper money. receive strangers in the middle of the night and So we started toward No-vun which was several out in the country, for they have learned by bitter miles away. experience to assume that everyone is an enemy at such times. (The robbers are very bad in that I shall never forget that wild walk. You can area.) One would be apt to be met by vicious picture us in the midst of a cloudburst and a ty- dogs and perhaps a gun shot rather than by hosphoon wind; the former cut into the skin and pitality. This had been the subject of not a little made vision almost impossible; the latter blew talk before we arrived. us around at will and at times threw us down on the ground or into the fields, or started us run- SOME OF THE WILD LOIS IN A NON-CHRISTIAN VILLAGE ning along the slippery road, unable to stop and unable to proceed without slipping and falling. But there was never so much as a dog bark, for My long suitcase acted as a sort of sail and caught all animals were locked indoors; not a living thing the wind so that it was all I could do to keep stand- was stirring and apparently all were dead as the ing upright. The water and mud were often knee tombs. That is the first time I have ever apdeep; at other places the road was slick and slip- proached a village in China after dark (or in daypery as ice. I fell headlong in the mud a dozen light for that matter) without a multitude of dogs times,and twice I picked myself up in the fields going wild and making the air hideous. Every off the road entirely. Our knees and legs grew house was securely locked, with doors and winweak and our backs ached. That seemed the long- dows barred against the storm, and all the inest walk I ever took; actually it was only four habitants tucked snugly away under all the warm and one half to five miles! Talk about Paul Re- covers they could collect-for it was cold. We vere's ride. That was tough on the horse; this first tried the inn, or roadhouse (which is also the was tough on us! headquarters of the Public Road Department for that area). We yelled, and pleaded and shouted A Midnight Adventure ourselves hoarse-singly and in unison; we bel- lowed in desperation. It was all utterly useless Finally, at nearly midnight, we found ourselves waste of breath and energy. We did not seem to on the outskirts of No-vun-some distance off the be able to make ourselves heard above the noise main highway. Along the road we had passed of the storm. (Next day we found out that they five or six other cars in mud holes,; one was down heard us but didn't want to be bothered; or they in a field and deserted. They had all started out thought that we were robbers.) We didn't dare earlier that day in the hope of beating the storm beat on the door to attract attention for fear lest to Nodoa but all had lost the race. We were cov- we might get too warm a reception. So we went ered with mud from head to foot, drenched and down the street and tried .other places. Soon we soaked, chilled to the bone, and nearly "down and came to what we later found to be the "Smoking out." We were miserable specimens of humanity, Palace" (opium den) where we saw lights through and it didn't add to our peace of mind as we walked through the streets of the town (themselves litle rivulets) to see buildings blown down and other evidences of the violence of the storm. We could not but think of the car out there on the highway and we wondered what would be left of it in the morning. Of course my mind turned anxiously toward Nodoa, wondering what my wife was doing during this storm and how the children were. Had she been able to get the windows and shutters securely locked without help. For months the roof of our house has been leaking like a sieve: the tiles were very inferior, and in a recent storm we had to place pans to catch drips in about five different places. The mental picture was not very reassuring, or calculated to remove anxiety.
We were somewhat reassured by the fact that we saw on the only street of the village two cars that had taken refuge from the storm. If the passengers had been taken into the houses near by then the people of this small village must be awake to the fact that the road was impossible; they
the cracks in the building. We carried on a lively leather seat-covers and the coating of mud. But and edifying conversation with the people inside the car was not utterly ruined. I collected what through these same cracks; but they had no in- was left of the top from a near-by field and folded tention of letting us in. They called out: it up for future use. The engine, the coils, and all else were soaked-and it was still raining by "Go away and leave us alone. We won't open gusts and spurts. To start the engine seemed to you as you are robbers." hopeless but I took a chance and tried the Chinese method that I have seen used with success but not But we had no intention of being denied as we without risk. We ignited several' pieces of paper were getting desperate. We said: and put them into the engine so that the flames curled around the coils, cylinders and spark plugs "If we were robbers would we be standing here to dry them out. It sounds dangerous and it is, with a flashlight lighted up and shouting to you but we were desperate and ,still damp and hungry through the door, making a lot of racket and in- from the proceeding day's "lark." The plan viting you to attack us? Robbers wouldn't be that worked like a charm! The spark caught and the stupid !" engine started. I would not recommend the method to folks at home but it might be a good So the talk went on into the night, for what thing to know about when you visit Hainan. seemed to us hours. We were making no headway and were about to give up hope of getting in The day's work had just begun. There were anywhere – when an old woman (who had no ten men with sturdy poles and great strength, but money or valuables and so was not afraid of being the car would not budge an inch, so deep had it robbed) took pity on us and let us come into her settled, with the bumpers under water and mud house. There was no room for the four of us, but and great suction holding down the rear tires. we, at least temporarily, found warmth and We must have worked at it an hour before we shelter; she finally persuaded the gallant smok- gave up and hired several more men to lift the ing braves across the street to let us come into car bodily out of the slough. Then all rode the their commodious quarters. running board back to No-vun, and it was well that they did, for they often had to get out and The first thing for us to do was to take off our push us through ruts so deep that the bottom of filthy, drenched clothing. We did not have one the car literally plowed through the mUd, and the really dry garment in our handbags or in my suit- front axle and radiator acted as a scrape to level case, but we had some semi-dry pieces and shared off the road, clear away rocks and prepare the what we had. For instance, my pajama tops way for the more vulnerable parts behind. It was looked ridiculous on a little nO-pound Chinese- a miracle – nothing more or less – that we got Bit-kheng, one of the hospital assistants. We had through that stretch of road as far as No-vun quite an interested audience of men and women which is the worst stretch on a very bad road. whose curiosity as we changed our clothing might We drove into No-vun to get something to eat, charitably be explained as "fraternal interest." I pay our bills for our luxurious night's accommodawas too far gone to be "nice." They finally gave tions, and buy gasoline from the Public Roads us some food and a warm drink of some kind Headquarters. I had started from Hoihow with which fortified us against the night that we had to ten gallons, had made about fifty miles of the endure. eighty-nine and had only two gallons left. That gives some idea of the state of the road; under For a bed all four of us were provided with good conditions my car can do nearly twenty miles double doors supported on two wooden horses; on a gallon of gas. for pillows we each had a nice ten-inch brick (guaranteed not to break from the weight of one's Of the rest of that trip as far as Notia I will head, nor to transmit insect life.) The roof leaked spare you the details of the numberless times we but not directly over our heads. The floor was so got stuck, the hours we spent pushing, digging, muddy and slippery that we could scarcely walk jacking up the car and putting rocks under the or keep on our feet. There was very little sleep tires. It will always remain etched upon my memfor any of us that night but we survived! ory as incomparable. We learned that between Notia and Nio-hau two bridges had been washed The Morning After away and were told that we might as well give up any idea of reaching Nodoa that night. But after The next morning with empty stomachs we all our herculean efforts, we were not going to trudged back over the road we had trekked the fail to reach our goal when so near-especially as night before and took five or six men with us to we feared one more night in wet clothes and with help push, drag and persuade the car out of that empty stomachs might be the end of us. So we mud-hole. My imagination had painted a very sad went on. The first bridgeless stream was not wide picture of what the car must be like after being out on the road all night, through a typhoon rain and with no top. It was certainly an awful sight to behold-with all the contents (hat-boxes and school uniforms) melted and merged with the
EXPERIENCES OF A MISSIONARY IN HAlNAN
but had high banks and a deep swift current. We China through Canton are now cut off and we are hired a bunch of farmers to bring beams and left in the dark mostly – and the victims of the planks, and in a couple of hours a bridge was put most alarming rumors. The loss of Canton, nerveacross where there had been none before. There center of the wealthiest province in China, is a was a clearage on each side of only a few inches. dreadful blow, and an awful heartbreak to We had not gone far before the farmers were tear- Hainan. There may have been darker periods ing down the bridge so the next cars to come along ("before the dawn") in the history of other nawould be obliged either to pay four dollars to them tions-but it is not to be denied that the present to rebuild it or could sit there and enjoy the beau- picture is black. We still have hope and faith ties of nature. but we do not know what our future course will The second bridge was wider but the approach LI-EK, niE LOI LEADER, WHO BROUGHT HUNDREDS was damaged and speedy and temporary repairs OF HIS PEOPLE TO CHRIST were out of the question. We decided to take a chance, running through the stream, though the be. Before we can write another letter communiwater was deep and the current racing. There cations may be cut off entirely, or Japan may take was an ox-cart crossing at that point; but a cross- over the island and establish a rigid censorship. ing possible for an ox-cart is usually impossible Already word has come from Hoihow that the to a car. Out came our hoe and again we went local Government has ordered all the Chinese to work leveling off the approaches and cutting women and children and old people to flee from down the bank that we must ascend on the other Hoihow and Kiungchow to the villages. The side. The water was almost up to the waist and French Consul has notified us that France will not the ascent on the other side looked almost impos- defend Hainan, and advises all American women sible. But the alternative was to leave the car and children to leave for Hongkong, as he conthere or spend the night with it in our exhausted, siders the Japanese invasion of Hainan as a mathungry, wet, clammy state. If I had to leave the ter of a few days or possibly hours. car in the middle of the stream it would at least be washed clean, so I breathed deeply and made We have made up our minds, for better or the attempt. The water was up to the engine and worse, to stay by here for the time being at least. the vulnerable parts, but it was so heated from We will stay and serve the people just as long as its exertions that it resisted the water. That is we can, for I prefer to stay by the people here at my theory-because before we reached home the a time of stress and danger. water and mud had permeated into the motor and stalled us; the battery, carburator, and coils were soaked and coated with mud. It was too much for even as noble a car as my little Ford. We had to push her the rest of the way home-and our entry into the compound gates was anything but triumphal! The next day (Sunday) I spent in bed, conscious for the first time in years of many usually well-behaved muscles, now sore as a boil all over, almost too tired and weary to sleep. The next two weeks I spent all the time I could spare working on that car, cleaning it inside and out, putting on a new canvas lining for the top, and repainting the whole car. It really looks very well, but I fear it will never be the same again.
Developments in the War Zone Later: For days we have been intensely watching developments in the war zone – and especially the lightning attack upon our own Province. Everyone 'is greatly disturbed and for several days I have done little but talk with callers, trying to allay fears, answering questions about what is happening (the Chinese will believe that somehow we have inside information that is kept from them). Several days ago came the staggering news of the fall of Canton and its destruction. All communications with war zone and the rest of
Beams from Lima
By DR. SAMUEL S. RIZZO, Newark, N. J.
Pastor of a Portuguese Presbyterian Church T HE recent conference of Lima was not with- service. The liberalism of President Vargas goes out religious significance. Its political re- so far that, being a nominal Catholic, he does not sults, valuable as they were in proclaiming apologize for naming his son after the great rethe validity of International Law, and in pro- former Luther. moting friendly relations among the nations, are secondary in importance when compared with the Several years ago a proposal came before the recognition of certain moral principles accepted Brazilian Congress to "declare" Roman Catholiby the conference, and of great significance to the cism the religion of the majority of the Brazilian Kingdom of God. people. President Vargas, then a congressman, wrote: Religious and Racial Liberty With reference to the proposed amendment (to the Con- stitution, Item No. 10) stipulating that the Catholic The Lima conference was an event, perhaps Church is the church of the majority of the Brazilian peounparalleled in the history of Latin America. ple, I think, in the first place, that such statement is very Twenty-one nations, after much debate, and with disputable. In order that a person might call himself a full acquiescence of their respective governments, Catholic, he should know the doctrine, accept it and live it. signed a document upholding the principle of "in- With such conditions only an elite, a select minority, comdividual liberty without religious or racial preju- ply. The high circles in social life have adopted a Catholidices." cism rather sceptical and elegant. And the vast ignorallt masses are still in the age of fetishist worship of saints While the Americas are not entirely free from with several miracle-working specialties.
religious intolerance, it is only fair to say that The amendment was rejected by an overwhelmsuch intolerance as exists in the republics of the ing vote. south is usually the work of Roman Catholic priests. Such intolerance is not condoned by the At Lima, when the world's political skies were laws and is repudiated by the best citizens. When so dark, it was an auspicious time for this "liberala Presbyterian minister was expelled from the ism" to project itself as a ,beam of hope for decity of Aparecida, Brazil, and the furniture of his mocracy. How long shall "individual liberty withhall was burned by a mob led by German monks, out religious prejudices" prevail in Central and the ex-president Washington Luis, then governor South America we do not know. With the world of Sao Paulo, sent a squadron of oavalry to the constantly menaced by dictators,and the devil acscene of disturbance, and for several Sundays the tive, anything may serve as a pretext to justify same pastor preached in the open air, protected the invalidation of this religious liberty. But by the State troops. I have seen a Christian Jew while it prevails may we, ministers and laymen, knocked down by men of his race when he at- be made equal by the power of the Holy Spirit, tempted to preach the Gospel in Columbus Circle, to the opportunity of this hour. New York. Religious liberty was not vindicated The Christ of the Andes more quickly or with more emphasis by the police Of far-reaching .significance was the declaration of New York, than it was in the case at Aparecida. at Lima, by the twenty-one nations of the Amer- In both instances the intolerance was a violation icas, to express their "unbreakable desire for of the law of the land and was, not condoned by peace, and their profound sentiment of humanity the State. and tolerance." Next to the delegation from The statesmen of South America are, as a rule, Bolivia sat the delegates from Paraguay, all in proud of their "liberalism." When I invited a joyful mood, glad that no longer an abnormal redip~omat in New York to come to a religious serv- lation of hate existed among the family of nations ice in my Portuguese Church in Newark, knowing in the Americas. Dignified and greatly esteemed, that he was of different faith, I added to my presiding over the most important committee of invitation, "I know that you are a liberal." He the conference-the committee on Declaration of sent me a courteous reply, stressing his liberal- Solidarity-sat one of the oldest statesman of the ism and promising to prove it by attending the Americas, the Brazilian delegate, Afranio de [252]
AMONG THE INDIANS OF NORTH DAKOTA
Mello Franco. He was the sole arbiter of the dis- own plans to accept that from Argentina." pute between Colombia and Peru over the conflict Twenty-one nations of the Americas refused, in of Leticia, and his efforts for peace saved thou- the critical hour, to "isolate" Argentina, writing sands of lives from destruction at a time when a declaration of continental solidarity without the Peru, Colombia and Ecuador had already em- signature of Buenos Aires. "The victory belongs barked on a wholesale arming for war. When, to the Messrs. Hull, Mello Franco, Conchas and in the midst of the conference this gentleman re- others, who were magnanimous and did not deceived the sad news of the death of his son-in-law, mand that which the superiority of their forces the sincere sympathy of his admirers poured in . . . could suggest." This declaration marked an in hundreds of telegrams daily from all the Amer- attitude most dramatic in the history of the Panicas showing to the world that those who labor for American Conferences, and perhaps never equaled peace are ble,ssed by man, as well as by God. Let in tne political history of the world! Twenty-one us be thankful for the peacemakers of the Amer- republics sacrificed their personal preferences be- £Cas, and let us' ,pray that the Christ of the Andes, cause they could not bear the separation of a sister today ruling over the Chaco, in Tacna-Arica, and republic from the family of nations. This speaks up in Leticia, shall be always the Prince of Peace of the unity of the Americas much more effectively in the Western Hemisphere. than the Declaration of Solidarity in itself. It was a beautiful example of the Christian principle Solidarity at a Sacrifice of "the second mile," practiced collectively.
Commenting on the Declaration of Lima, a Bra- '" '" '" zilian newspaper wrote: "The only victory that is really to be seen in the declaration of continental Liberty, tolerance, peace and magnanimous sacsolidarity of Lima, is the loyalty and spirit of sac- rifice were the contributions of the Conference of rifice of twenty other nations, who, in order not to Lima to a world darkened by the lack of these virbreak the unity of the Americas, abandoned their tues. Christian people welcome them as new rays of hope for mankind.
Among the Indians in North Dakota* By the VEN. THOMAS A. SIMPSON Archdeacon of Indian Work, North Dakota O N THE Standing Rock Reservation, North some of the men present she said "and he has Dakota, there was Red Hail, a Sioux chief, struck some of you." But she remarked that it so named, says Indian tradition, because he was a good place to be, for if he came after anywas born during a great meteoric shower. For one they could run to the church for refuge. many years he welcomed Indian missionaries to Lastly she said the river was near by and those his cabin for services and largely was responsible who did not wash very often could come for a for the building of St. Gabriel's Chapel at Red swim. Hail Camp (Brien). St. Gabriel's has produced some fine Christian characters among whom are William White Eagle's zeal for Christ led him the Rev. William Skala (White) Cross, a grandson of Red Hail, and Luke and Lucy Shoot-the- into active missionary work, both on the Standing Buffalo. Lucy invited the annual Indian convo- Rock and Fort Berthold Reservations. On one of cation to meet at St. Gabriel's in 1937. Argu- his mis1sionary journeys to Fort Berthold he was ments were advanced in favor of other stations. the means of Yellow Bear's conversion. One night It was said that good food would be served at St. as he was conducting service in his tent, Yellow Sylvan's, while at St. Gabriel's there was a den Bear went on the war path, determined to put an of rattlesnakes which the people from Fort Tot- end to such religious activity. Yellow Bear waited ten did not like. Lucy promptly replied (her re- for a moment outside the tent before going in to marks being interpreted) that nowhere did the break up the meeting, but as he sltood there he Bible teach men to worship their stomachs. She heard for the first time the message of the Master acknowledged that there were rattlesnakes at St. spoken through the lips of White Eagle. His con- Gabriel's and that one of the snakes had seven version followed. At his baptism he was named tongues and one tongue was liquor. Pointing at Paul after St. Paul, who also was once the enemy of Christ. • Condensed from The Spirit 01 Missions, December, 1938. Paul Yellow Bear was an unusual man; as he formerly had used his natural gifts to keep his
friends and neighbors in paganism, he later used vicinity. Here the Church has some eight acres them to win people to Christ. For many years he of land, church, parish house, rectory, and miswas lay reader at St. Paul's Chapel, where he has sion home; all in charge of the Rev. W. S. Cross, left a lasting impression. a retired Indian priest. The existing social and moral conditions demand recognition. The Gov- Paul Bear-Paw, another convert from pagan- ernment has established' a local school system in ism in North Dakota, served for many years as addition to nonreservation schools but the averlay reader at St. James' Church, Cannon Ball, age home life has not kept pace with these adwhere his widow, Julia, is still an active com- vances and the returning student has almost municant. insurmountable problems of adjustment, often reverting to old reservation ways of living. Sick- Thomas Ashley, another chief figure, was an ness is prevalent while social diseases play havoc able leader and efficient interpreter. As an inter- with countless Indians. Among children, the preter he served faithfully, with marked ability, death rate is especially high. Doctors and hospinot only his Church but also the Government and tals are miles away and there are some tragic courts of justice. deaths. Only within one-half mile of St. James' a young girl died of tuberculosis while in the In St. Sylvan's Mission, in the Turtle Moun- same one-roomed cabin a young mother was givtains, labored that staunch Christian, Rising Sun, ing birth to her first child. And there was no one a full-blooded Chippewa, who lived to the age of to help! 110 years. His name was given him because he first saw the light of day when the sun was peep- An adequate program of religious education for ing out of the East. When past middle life he set- Indian children is something yet to be achieved. tled down in the Turtle Mountains, and devoted his Distances, weather conditions, general environtime to raising cattle. He was partly the means ment, seem to be insurmountable difficulties. of preventing a repetition of the Custer massacre Apart from two Church missions there is no orin the Dunseith hills when the county authorities ganized religious instruction. Leaflets, manuals had a misunderstanding about taxes with the of instruction, odd numbers of the Christian Nurmixed-blood Indians. When Rising Sun and his ture Series, religious pictures, are given out and wife received their first annuity from the Govern- used at home, where many of the parents welcome ment, they bought thirty dollars worth of lumber the help given. But the Church has not yet to help build a chapel that they had been wanting touched the problem. The men have their guilds for years, keeping the lumber in their little log and carry out a program of service adapted to hut for six years before their ambition was real- local needs. The Woman's Auxiliary branches ized. St. Sylvan's. log chapel, standing on a high meet for worship and work. elevation of land, is a monument to Rising Sun's devotion. Mr. Robert Fox, an Indian trained at Santee, Nebraska, and his wife, are doing excellent work The present work at Breckenridge Memorial in St. Paul's Mission to the Arickara tribe at Fort Chapel began in 1898. It is about six miles from Berthold. Since their coming the work of the the Agency in what is known as the Crow Hill Church has made real progress. Once a month neighborhood. An Indian named Iyayukamani they give religious instruction at the public school, (He-Follows-Walking) had loaned a house where to classes that are increasing in numbers. The services were conducted in the Dakota langua.ge. Arickara people, having had more educational ad- Iyayukamani was a stalwart Christian and is re- vantages than some other Indians, are more admembered as the founder of the Church work at vanced and more prosperous. this point. Bernard Rainbow, brought up under the Christian influence of Iyayukatnani, carried Originally St. Sylvan's Mission in the Turtle on the work of lay reader for many years. Mountains consisted of a log chapel and seventy acres, of land, but about five years ago the National In recalling these and other names it can be Indian Association turned over to the Church seen that the work among the Indians in North their abutting property consisting of 220 acres, Dakota is unique in that it is the result of the a dwelling house, a frame parish hall, and some missionary zeal of the Indians themselves. dilapidated buildings.
Today there are some eight thousand Indians If the story of this Indian field had to be sumliving on the four reservations where the six mis- med up into one word it would have to be the sions of the Protestant Episcopal Church are word need. Not only is there need for physical located. direction and assistance, there are those deeper and more urgent needs arising out of the social The largest mission on the Standing Rock and tribal background of the various groups, Reservation is St. James', three miles south of which can only be met by a well-balanced program the village of Cannon Ball, in the center of a large express'ed through the Church. Indian community. The name Cannon Ball is derived from the huge rock formations found in the
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I Effective Ways of Working 'Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MISS GRACE W. MCGAVRAN, 5718 OAK AVE.. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA ~=I============~~==~~~~~ Combatting Summer Heat glad, once a year, to open them At one of the regular meetings to such church groups, especially the members who had made Although it was early summer when the hostess is a member of these trips told about them. it was already hot. Sheer iner- the group. They spoke informally, not attia would keep some people from tempting to philosophize or to attending their missionary meet- In planning such an event, it summarize situations. The y ings. The two missionary or- is wise to put extra effort into merely gave their impressions. ganizations in one church were the arrangements, so that every- Those who had not been able to busy planning attractions, the one may have an unusually good go, gained a new vision of the pull of which might overcome time "visiting." The trip out in needs of a great city and of some that tendency to stay at home. the bus may be made a jolly oc- of the very human ways in which The women's group, made up of casion. Have good, simple and life can be changed when somewomen who can come in the ample food. Have a good pro- one cares enough to do someafternoon, had its special prob- gram, suited for outdoor pro- thing about it. lems. The business women's duction. group (who necessarily met at What is there about which night) had to combat the fatigue Every summer meeting, from your missionary society, your resulting from work through which members of the society ch~rch body, or your young peolong hot hours. come away saying, "Didn't we ple s group need first-hand in- have a good time? Let's do it formation? Do they know that At this point an invitation again next year," has not only many human beings are suffercame from a former minister of accomplished its purpose in this ing in the suffocating streets and the church and his wife, to both series of meetings, but has had a alleys of the very city or town in groups, to hold their next meet- real part in training the women whose comparatively cool subing at the country home to which to look forward to summer mis- urbs you live? Do they know he had retired some years ago. sionary meetings, instead of some of the difficult working and avoiding them. living conditions of migrant The invitation was accepted workers in your own county? with delight. But careful plan- Telling What They Have Seen Do they have firsrt-hand knowlning had to follow. The country edge of the way in which social place was some distance from There is an eternal fascination service and church agencies are the neighborhood so that busses in hearing about interesting working? Do they know what had to be chartered, and the things that we have not seen. avenues of volunteer service are necessary meals planned. There is even greater fascina- open to some of themselves? tion in telling about things we One group went in the after- have seen to those who have not Try making investigations. noon and one in the evening and seen them. Why not make use Those who do it will be glad to both enjoyed a delightful time. of those two characteristics to tell about it. Your meeting will The attendance was as good as achieve summer program effec- have a breath of reality to it if the weather had been more tiveness. which will attract, in spite of hot propitious. The programs were weather. excellent; the fellowship was A missionary group in a large joyful, with an opportunity to city asked several members to A Book Meeting in August wander through the orchard look into certain institutions last with its closely mowed grass, summer during the study of The August is usually a very dead among the flower-beds, along the City. (The summer before the month when many churches alraspberry vines, and beside the same group had asked members most close their doors. lily pool. After a dusty day in to look into the Negro's living town it seemed like a different conditions.) A morning in the But it is during those very world. juvenile court; a visit to the "dead" times that many people county home for orphan chil- have more leisure for reading While only a few societies can dren ; a few hours in police than at any other time during enjoy such an experience, it is court; time spent in one of the the year. possible for more than actually settlement houses-these were a experience it. Many times per- few of the trips made. One organization asked a comsons with lovely grounds are mittee to select new books deal- [255 ]
ing with various missionary sub- Among those put out coopera- living in areas of tension, conjects. These were to include tively by a number of the denom- flict or economic readjustment, stories, biographies, travel, his>- inations, are very good units on "working on some community tory, background material; and world friendship. Less well project of social significance ineven such things 'as the poetry adapted to the longer vacation volving physical labor." and the philosophy of a certain schools, but good for those runcountry or people. ning for a short period are the Work camps require more texts of the Friendship Press than a desire to serve. Only One person, quite clever at (New York), which can be se- those should apply (says the such things, took five or six of cured through any denomina- folder describing them) "who the lighter books, and selected tional publishing house. are willing to live cooperatively from each an incident which she as a part of a group; do hard dramatized. The dramatization Talk over the matter of mis- physical labor; impos.e self-disin each case ended uncompleted sion study with those in charge cipline as a member of a demoat an interesting point, leaving of the vacation school planning. cratically organized group." the group with a desire to know An effective course should be what happened next. placed somewhere in a three- Hard labor, we might say in year cycle. Write to your na- passing, means just that. Wreck- The dramatizations, together tional children's work director, ing houses to create playground with a review of a book or two, the missionary education depart- space; quarrying stone to build formed the program for a meet- ment of your Board of Christian a dam; clearing land for farming, and started the autumn Education, or similar organiza- ing, making roads – these and reading in a very effective way. tion, or to your church publish- other projects are done under ing house for specific informa- technical supervision and must Why not have a book meeting tion. be done right. sometime during the summer? If you do not wish to have dram- A Comparison Ha.rd labor is not all. Noone atized incidents from books, does the camp work for the there are many other ways in I thought of it once as I sat by myself workers. It is a cooperative which books can be introduced. And looked at the boxes that sat on enterprise and the campers must Perhaps you can secure some do camp work themselves. Then member, or some one else who the shelf, there are hours of study. Each is a well known reviewer of One so large, one so small, with a camp, with its relationship to books, able to give a really one of the areas noted above, thought-provoking book review contrast most grim. engages in serious study on the of one of the important books for A bandbox for me, and a mite-box for problems of the community and the coming year's study. The ways of working toward their one review may make up the en- Him. solution. tire program – one to which guests might well be invited, and I paid for my hat and I paid for my You could not do better for one which would stimulate the gown, your young people this summer reading of the book by every than to investigate with them member of the group. Such And I paid for the furs that I pur- this particular field of service books do not often appear, but chased down town, and other avenues of volunteer the type we have in mind is that work. of House of Exile (China), by And when I returned, it was plain as Nora WaIn, or the more recent could be– You could not do better than Himself (India), by Ramahai to guide them to that which is Ranade. A mite-box for Him and a bandbox the "moral equivalent for war, for me. in terms of a constructive and Vacation Church School and adventurous service." I tossed in a dime, but it didn't seem Mission Study right; For specific information about work camps, write to the Work Camp Com- Now is the time to survey the I couldn't be proud of that curious mittee, American Friends SerVice field of studies in world friend- sight; Committee, 20 So. Twelfth Street, ship and in the missionary work Philadelphia, Pa. of the church which are avail- So I took out my check book and tried able for Primary and Junior to be square; Another avenue for a different type study in the Daily Vacation of service may be found in the Chris- Church Schools which will be set For I wanted my giving to look like tian Centers in migrant groups. Write up this summer in thousands of my prayer. to the Council of Women for Home churches. Missions, 297 Fourth Ave., New York. -By Sarella Te Winkle, in Vacation Church School is an "The Missionary Monthly." There is adventure aplenty in takideal place for effective mission Used by permission. ing Vacation Church Schools to the study. Make sure that those in children of isolated regions of our charge of selecting the studies American Youth Can Serve country. Write to The International this summer are aware of the Council of Religious Education, 203 available texts along this line. One of the most interesting So. Wabash Ave., Chicago, 111., to ask developments of recent years is about that. the type of volunteer service made possible to American youth Student Peace Service secretaries under the American Friends are looking for Peace Volunteers to Service Committee. work this summer in America, Mex- ico and Europe. Pacifist youth will Since 1934, when the project find a thrilling service there. Write was started, the movement has grown. What is it?
Briefly, work camps are set up -there were six or seven of them in 1938 – where carefully selected college or university young people spend eight weeks
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
to Harold Chance, 20 South 12th since the preparation of entirely Koreans and Japanese, and Street, Philadelphia, for information. different menus would be im- green tea.
There are also innumerable practical. However, a dessert On the China table was a Chiprojects arranged by mission typical of each country was nese evergreen in a dragon bowl, served, as nearly as possible boards of various denominations. after the manner of that coun- and "water flowers." Woven Send out inquiries in various try. straw place mats were used, and directions, and try to plan a con- the place cards were Chinese structive summer of study and The centerpiece for the Mex- scenes, attached to tiny paper valuable experience, for the ico table was a bowl of cactus parasols. Rice wafers, crystalyoung people in your church or plants. Zinnias would be equally lized ginger, peanuts and "jas- appropriate, since this flower community. came originally from Mexico. mine" tea formed the dessert. A list of Chinese proverbs was An International Luncheon There were bright-colored doi- read, the Chinese being noted for lies, fiesta china and paper nap- their terse sayings. (We are indebted to Mrs. H. H. Fer- kins with a fiesta design. The guson for the following account) dessert was penuchi, strips of Chopsticks were provided for fresh coconut and coffee with those who cared to eat rice with An "International Luncheon," hot milk. them. given recently in Xenia, Ohio, was a social occasion with a pur- At the Philippine table, na- At Iran's table, the hostess pose: to create an interest in the tive-drawn work doilies were sprayed each guest's napkin peoples of far-away lands and to used, and as a centerpiece an with rose perfume (from the 10 promote world-mindedness by oriental bowl with brilliant cent store). Roses are grown in attempting to secure a better orange flowers. Place cards were Iran for the manufacture of perunderstanding of how other peo- hand made, using very tiny sea fume, so the centerpiece was a ples live, of their customs, their shells, glued to cards and tinted bowl of roses. Brass is much interests, their problems. Plans to represent flowers. The des- used in Iran, so the candlesticks, for the luncheon were rooted in sert was sliced pineapple, fresh tray and dishes for the dessert the idea of the oneness of the coconut and coffee with hot milk. were of brass; and since green human family. They can be is the Mohammedan color, the adapted to any group. For the West Indies, the cen- paper napkins, ink on the place Tables, each seating eight per- . terpiece was a pottery donkey, cards and the candles were sons, represented countries with tiny plants growing in the green. The dessert was turkish paste, dates and wafers. Black where Presbyterians are at baskets attached to his back. tea was served, guests putting a work. Since this group was not These donkeYis with their bas- lump of sugar in the mouth and large enough to represent all of kets are the common carriers in s,ipping the tea over it, according the sixteen countries, the follow- the West Indies. Little dolls, to Iranian custom. ing seven were selected: Korea, made of sea shells and popular China, India, Iran, Philippine with tourists, were used in the The afternoon program in- Islands, Mexico and the West decorations. A missionary friend cluded a few national songs, and Indies. A tiny national flag and in Santo Domingo sent a native items of news interest from vaa placard on each table indicated candy, made of coconut milk, rious lands. Guests were then the country represented; and to and hand tinted photo scenes in divided into two groups for a arrange the seating, the guests, the West Indies for place cards. "Prof. Quiz" feature, with thirty Another missionary in Porto questions of general missionary as they arrived, drew a slip bear- Rico sent guava paste for this significance, and a score of coring the name of one of the coun- rect answers was kept. Some of tries. The centerpiece, .and other table served as Porto Ricans like the questions. were: appointments of each table, sug- it with yellow cheese and crackgested the country. Some of the ers. At this table also, coffee What people are called a "nation of place doilies were paper world was served with hot milk. . Bible readers"?
maps, secured from Dennison'S, The hostess for the India table Has India more, or fewer people than New York. Place cards con- made "tied and dyed" plate the United States? tained a statement or question doilies, as this art originated about the country to provide con- with the Indians. Their favorite Name five living religions. Which religion has the largest num- ber of adherents?
versation topics.. At each table a flower, yellow marigolds, formed Narne three famous missionaries of "hostess," who had been previ- the centerpiece. At this table, the past.
ously supplied with facts, kept there was chutney, cashew nuts The success of such a lunchthe talk going about her country. and "sweets." Black tea was eon will depend upon planning The following ideas were car- served. well in advance, in order to se- ried out at the various tables. A A "dish garden" made the cure as much background inforlittle canvassing among friends, centerpiece for the Korea table. mation as possible. Denominaand consultation with mission- Place cards were supplied by a tional Boards will gladly supply aries or Board executives, will former missionary. For dessert, songs and proverbs, and interyield many other suggestions. there were rice wafers (from esting facts about all countries Rice was served as a part of the R. H. Macy's, New York), per- are to be found in the MISSIONmain course at all the tables, simmons, a favorite fruit among ARY REVIEW OF THE WORLD.
A Story for the
MOTHER'S DAY FIESTA "Ah, Ricardo, can't we do "Well, I have it here and I'm something?" The tears started By VIOLET WOOD, NEW YORK in Jacinto's eyes. "How good going to give it to you." you are! I did not even notice Ricardo, a Mexican boy, sat our mother's rebozo." "Could we possibly have that hunched over on his pony. He scarcely heeded the cattle as they "No, it is not that I am better one, just for the Mother's Day wandered about nibbling grass. than you, little sister. I am Then, as he heard someone older than you and notice such Fiesta?" Jacinto fairly shouted. shouting "Ricardo!" he looked things," responded Ricardo. up and saw his sister, Jacinto, "Yes," responded the teacher, running in and out among the "Now I am sad like you. Now gentle beasts, shouting: "Hi, the beautiful funny-faced pan- "and if you will make another Ricardo, hi!" sies in my garden no longer make me laugh." one to take its place, your mother As he looked at her he thought, "When I am a man I "There is our friend, Mrs. may keep this one. I'll give you shall buy her ribbons for her Turner, at the church," said hair so that she will not have to Ricardo. "She is the one who the patches and if you sew one tie her braids with shoe strings." spoke to the Senor of the ha- cienda and arranged that I small one every day, the rebozo "What's the matter with you, should take my father's place." Ricardo? Are you ill? Was the will be finished in time for our market-day too much for you "Yes," Jacinto clapped her yesterday?" she asked all in one hands. "Let us go to her dur- Christmas service next year." breath. ing the siesta." Ricardo and Jacinto threw "Ah, Jacinto, how you chatter, Since their mother worked in like a macaw, the noisiest of pa.r- the big house on the hacienda, their arms around Mrs. Turner rots," sighed Ricardo. Jacinto prepared lunch for her brother and herself in the little and then ran after her into her Jacinto, puffing, reached the white-adobe, one-room hut that pony and rubbed his nose affec- was their home. After lunch, little three-room house. Breathtionately. "But, Ricardo, why instead of sitting on the little are you so sad on this beautiful porch under the hanging peppers lessly watched her turn over the May day? We are to have fri- to enj oy their siesta, they set off joles and tortillas for lunch." at a fast pace to the Christian contents of her trunk. In it were Social Center to find their friend. "Tomorrow is the Mother's lovely soalrlaasp,esor(cwlaayterdijsahres~),bea- Day Fiesta." On the way Jacinto gathered sides an armful of wild geraniums "Ah, I have guessed. I know." and dahlias t.o give to their painted pig bank and a huge Jacinto danced around. "You friend. When they reached Mrs. are afraid you will forget your Turner's house, they bot h sombrero. Near the bottom of poem at the Christian Social stopped, suddenly frightened. Center. It is hard to speak Eng- The missionary welcomed them the trunk lay the rebozo made lish, but you are very smart, from her porch and finally Ri- Ricardo; you will not forget." cardo blurted out their problem, of hundreds of patches of gaily with Jacinto butting in tearfully "No, Jacinto, it is not that I every once in a while. colored calico, silk, rayon and fear to forget the English words." Ricardo shookhis head. "I know just the thing," said cotton. It was a beautiful shawl, Mrs. Turner. "You remember "T hen what?" J a c i n t 0 the Christmas pageant we had much more lovely than the usual shrugged. in the church last December?" black rebozo worn by the women. "If I ten you this, you must Ricardo nodded. not let our mother know I have Jacinto burst out, "But what There was great rejoicing in guessed. Promise me, Jacinto." has that-" "Oh, it has a lot to do with it," the little adobe hut when the "Yes, yes, Ricardo. It will be cried the missionary. "Rememas if you had not said it." ber that lovely patchwork rebozo next day the children gave their I made and which your Spanish "Our mother has no new re- teacher wore when she was the mother the rebozo! That evebozo to wear to the Christian Madonna?" Social Center. All the other "Yes," cried both children. ning in the Christian Social Cenmothers who have husbands are going to have new shawls, but [258 ] ter there was no prouder woman our mother has no husband to buy her a rebozo. She will be than the mother of Ricardo and unhappy." Jacinto.
Rkardo was so happy that he shouted his Mother's Day Fiesta poem. Jacinto could scarcely sit still. Mrs. Turner, the mission- ary, thanked God for having the chance to bring happiness.
Making Use of This Story To interest the child in the missionary project among Mex- ican children, who are our near- est neighbors. See how many Mexkan words he knows after reading the story.
1. hacienda (large estate). 2. fiesta (holiday). 3. siesta (resting period after lunch) . 4. frijoles (beans). 5. tortillas (corn pancakes). 6. rebozo (shawl). 7. plaza (city or village square). 8. sarapes (blankets worn by men). 9. so-mbrero (huge hat). 10. senor (Mr. or owner). .
BULLETIN
Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
I============================~ Vacation Time – Summer Women and girls. unfamiliar counter in our local tasks and to- with summer conferences often gether solve them. We learn to Conference think that their sole purpose is understand characteristics and to teach the mission study books. viewpoints of peoples from other Yes-vacation time does mean This is only one feature, an im- lands by our contacts with misa summer conference for an in- portant one, but many more sionaries and nationals. We see creasing number of women each courses are offered. It will be ourselves from their viewpoint. year throughout the United of interest to doubting ones to States. There are twenty-two list a few of the courses that Vision – with this fellowship Conferences and Schools of Mis- were successfully tried last sum- comes a new understanding, and sions affiHated with the Council mer at various schools. with this new understanding of Women for Home Missions, comes a loftier vision. A vision and the Committee on Women's Christian conduct today. which places us and our difficul- Work, Foreign Missions Confer- Leadership training in devotionals. ties in their proper relationship. ence. These conferences are held Normal class in leadership. A vision from a spiritual mounat various times from April Book reviews. tain top that gives courage to through October, planned to co- Building and administering a helpful descend to the valley, better preincide with the vacation season. pared to attack the work waiting The attendance ranges from one youth program. there. A vision of the whole hundred and twenty-five dele- Laboratory class in methods of pro- purpose-His Kingdom on earth gates at the smallest conference -and the part we each are privto more than twelve hundred gram building. ileged to contribute. delegates at the largest. They Planning worship services for girlsvary in length of time. A few 1939 Conferences * are for two days-devoting one including personal worship. day to Home Missions and the Christian citizenship. The mission study for 1939 other day to Foreign Missions. Problem clearing. will be developed around the Some are of four-day duration, Religion in art. 'theme "Christ and World Comand many take a full week for Women's work-social action-peace munity." study. It is interesting to note that the large majority of the -unity. "The Mission of the Church delegates are lay-workers and Girls' personality course. Abroad" will be studied against leaders, women and girls from Music in Christian education. the background of the material local churches. Women and Panel discussions on various phases of presented at the great missiongirls who have accepted offices ary conference held in Madras, of responsibility: president of women's interdenominational work India, in December, 1938. In the mission society or women's Round table discussions on Oxford no sense a report of the meeting, auxiliary, devotional I e ad e r, the study books will interpret chairman of worship services, and Madras. the valuable discussions on the teacher of a study book, teacher Infusion of missions in the whole life and work of the younger in the bible school, etc. One mis- churches and the major issues sions school reported local pas- church program. confronting all Churches of the tors as delegates and one confer- East and West in their common ence had four groups: children, We have been thinking and missionary enterprise of the junior girls, senior girls, and writing about courses and dele- coming years. The books are bewomen. Apparently local work- gates, now let us consider the ing prepared by S. Franklin ers, women and girls, realize spiritual benefits derived from Mack and Basil Mathews who that more serious study and a these gatherings. were in attendance at Madras. deeper consecration is of vital importance if they are to per- Fellowship-Understanding "The Mission of the Church at form their various duties accept- -Vision Home" will be presented in ably. It is also encouraging that courses showing the rich fruits the groups attending are com- Fellowship – with worn e n of home missions through a cenposed of younger women. from other churches, from other tury of pioneering, introducing denominations, from other coun- tries. A fellowship with mis- * A list of summer conferences for 1939 sionaries. A fellowship with leaders and teachers. Fellow- will be found on page 260. ships that ripen into life-long friendships. Friendships that call forth the best in us in re- membrance of our conference days together.
Understanding – in this close fellowship we share the prob- lems and difficulties we en- [259 ]
the new leadership and pointing ward, 902 North 6th Street, Cam- and power may be utilized) but out the new tasks for the home bridge, Ohio. also practical new ways of premissionary enterprise of the fu- Mountain Lake Park, Md.-July 19-25 senting the four projects-samture. Books are in preparation -Interdenominational Sum mer ple d ram a s, impersonations, by Arthur S. Limouze and Frank School of Missions. Mrs. F. I. symbols-as well as other inti- S. Mead. Johnson, 711 Lake Shore Boulevard, mate suggestions. about proce- Saint Cloud, Fla. dure so that various types of These books on home and for- women may become active: coleign missions will be taught at AUGUST lege girls, world travelers, inall the mission schools. Kerrville, Texas – August 10-16- valids, etc. Instruction in the Bible will Texas Synodical Auxiliary Training 3. The Publicity Sub-Commitbe given at the conferences. School. Mrs. George M. Smith, "The farther the ages advance in Route 2, Brownsville, Texas. tee is already at work on sample civilization the more will the articles for use in local news- Bible be used."-Goethe. Lake Geneva, Wis. – August 13-20- papers beginning a month ahead Summer School of Missions. Pres., of February 9, 1940, which is Let us strive toward a greater Mrs. W. P. Topping, 406 Center the first Friday in Lent next interdenominational cooperation Street, Elgin, Illinois. year. If you have something in all summer schools and con- good used in your own newsferences. The Council of Women Chautauqua, N. Y.-August 19-25- paper, do send it to us at headfor Home Missions and the For- Institute of World Missions. Miss quarters to share with others, eign Missions Conference are B. Louise Woodford, 930 23rd Ave- for much of our mail asks: eager to help foster this coopera- nue, North, St. Petersburg, Fla. "What shall we say and how tion and may be called upon for suggestions. Many conferences SEPTEMBER shall we say it?" Bradford, take an offering each year for Pennsylvania, mailed us an asthe two home and the two for- Warren. Ohio-September 5-6-School tonishing and glorious reproduceign projects. Let us all support of Missions. Mrs. George Konold, tion of our small blue "Call to these four projects – Migrants, 314 Scott Street, N. E., Warren, Prayer," enlarged to cover one United States G () v ern men t Ohio. entire huge page – including Schools for Indians, Christian Durer's "Praying Hands," all Literature, Union Christian Col- Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul)- the prayer items, the poem, and leges in the Orient-by gifts as September 18-22 – School of Mis- the interdenominational commitis our custom on the World Day sions. Pres., Mrs. C. E. Heard, tees of church women sponsorof Prayer. 3020 Colfax Avenue, Minneapolis, ing it, with a significant line, Minn. reading: "This is not a paid ad- Let us include a summer con- vertisement." So somebody was ference in our vacation. Dallas, Texas – September 25-29- amazingly wide-awake to the School of Missions. Mrs. Mitchell challenging uses of creative pub- Conferences and Schools Langdon. Hutchins, Texas. licity! of Missions Houston, Texas – September 25-29- 4. The New Radio Sub-Com- Affiliated with the Council of Women Leadershin Training School. Dean: mittee will put into the handbook for Home Missions and t "e Com- Mrs. A. B. Haynes, 618 Highland several sample radio programs mittee on Women's Work,For- Avenue, Houston, Texas. of warm and reverent beauty for eign Missions Conference use on a local radio. It is none The World Day of Prayer too soon now to secure "time" DATES AND CHAIRMEN, 1939 for this local broadcast next It is the hope of the Commit- February 9. JUNE tee for the World Day of Prayer that each city has already called In case you have any splendid Winona Lake, Ind.-June 17-24-Sum- together its Day of Prayer lead- ideas to share with your World mer School of Missions. Miss Min- ers to garner their beautiful Day of Prayer Committee, please nie M. Rumsey, 685 Northmoor items, to list all unfulfilled send them to the Chairman, Miss Road, Lake Forest, Illinois. dreams, and plan to make these Margaret Applegarth. Room 63, come true in 1940. Boulder, Colo. – June 25-July 1 – 297 Fourth Avenue, New York. School of Missions. Pres., Mrs. To make all of us conscious of Henry F. Hoffman, 741 Adams the larger values at our com- A Letter from Kinston, Street, Denver, Colorado. mand, the World Day of Prayer North Carolina Committee has set up four sub- Eagles Mere, Pa.-June 2d-.Tuly 1- committees to concentrate on "Yesterday I served on an interde- Interdenominational Confer('nce of preparing sample suggestions to nominational committee to plan for Missions. Mrs. Earl B. Breeding, be gathered into a handbook, for the observance of the World Day of Palmer Avenue and Vernon Road, Fall publication. Prayer. It was most encouraging. Scarsdale, N. Y. We plan to have a program in each of 1. The Program Sub-Commit- the public schools at the chapel period Mount Herman, Calif.-June 24-July tee will have as its duty the prep- and to help the Negroes with materials 1 – Federate School of Missions. aration of three new programs- and plans for observing the day. Mrs. Grace C. Makinson, 201 Ridge- one for children, one for young way Avenue, Oakland, Calif. people, one for women; the lat- "Last year we had a most impres- ter to use the "findings" of the sive service in our church. This year JULY recent Madras Conference, so we will all meet in the Christian that all of us may share in the Northfield, Mass.-July 3-10-Mission- impetus· of new goals for our Church." ary Conference. Miss Edna M. Christian living. Springhorn, 19 Wayside Lane, Scarsdale, N. Y. 2. The Promotion Sub-Com- mittee will put into this hand- Bethesda, Ohio-July 10-14-School of book not only an ideal set-up for Missions. Dean: Mrs. John Se- a local Day of Prayer observance (so that all the innate richness
come to. believe that "might with the remark: "Please in-
makes right" because the in- form owners in America that The Future of Christianity vaders seem to get what they their property will receive good want without much effort. care." The writer of the article World Call asked a number Oof Where is justice, they ask, and describes the kind of care it is Christian workers in China to what is truth? Evangelists who receiving. "Its dormitories have give their reaction to the present stress the future life have con- been used to house troops, alsituation and the outlook for siderable influence on this group. though Japanese property near Christianity in that harassed by is unmolested. These troops land. Briefly, here are some of The other group argues that cook their meals by burning furthe replies: it is more important to struggle niture from the Woman's Build- in this life than to seek immor- ing. Its thirty-year-old trees "Though distressed, Chinese Chris- tality in the next; that it is use- have been cut down over our protians do not believe that God has for- less to speculate over anything test. University safes have been saken them, or that His purposes have so remote. Face the world, chal- rifled, although we informed the been defeated." – J. H. McCallum, lenge it, change it, say they; but Japanese that these safes con- Nanking. the tendency is away from reli- tained nothing but University gion. A number of this group record.s. At least one small *** were once Christian, but now building has been torn down. "Youth are interested in the Chris- they are uncertain as to just Efforts to remove the library tian message as never before. They what to believe. They are say- and laboratory equipment have are rethinking the meaning of life."- ing if Christianity has no effec- failed. Katherine Schutze, Nanking. tive solution for the ills of this chaotic age, sooner or later it Innumerable holes have been *** will disappear. cut in the long fences, and sneak thieves snag typewriters and "Every opportunity for worship, The Association Pre s s of microscopes at will. It is obvious Bible study or service is met with China has published a set of fifty that the local military want this radiant spontaneity. Said one young books and three sets of pam- property after the war is over, man: 'Our lives must be representa- phlets that will be of value to all and are doing all this to depretions of Him. What else should we be these inquiring minds. The view ciate its value, so that it can be about these days?' "-Edna W. Gish, expressed by a Central China bought at a fraction of its worth. Nanking. University student shows how It is valued at $2,000,000, is 100 obvious and how urgent is the per cent American property and *** need for guidance. This student is so registered with the United who was a Christian with a States Government. "The Bible teaches that Jesus came sound religious background said to bring life and liberty. Although he was weary of abstruse books "Near to the Heart of God" our suffering is unspeakable, still our on religion, as most of them canspirit is unbroken."-Pastor Lee Cho- not be understood; nevertheless, Dr. Frank W. Price, of Nanwu, Wuhu. if he could find a good one he king Theological Seminary, gave would study it diligently to see students of Cornell University a *** if there is any alternative to glimpse of China that is refresh- Christianity, and if so, how it ing: "The Church has found real roots could help solve their problems. in the lives of the people, and favor Rural churches in China are feeling with the Government. To us, it seems University of Shanghai their way to new forms of worship. the future of Christianity for the Chi- I have never felt so near to God as in nese has never been brighter."-Daisy An article in the Religious some little village chapel near the B. Slater, Nanking. Herald of Richmond, Va., clari- fields. A cross on a table, a few scrolls fies the situation in regard to the on the wall, some backless benches, *** University of Shanghai, still in but it all belongs to the people and to the hands of the Japanese Army, God. Songs, not merely translations "The Church is the only decent despite repeated promises to re- of our Western hymns but more and thing we have left from our past."- store it to the Baptist Mission. more Christian verse set to Chinese An Educated Chinese. One of these promises ended music, throbbing with the pain and joy, the longing and hopes of country What Students Are Thinking [261 ] life, and rich in rural imagery. I A contributor to the Chinese Recorder points out that the present time is a critical one for students; and divides them into two groups with regard to their attitude toward Christianity. One group is pessimistic. They have been seriously affected by the horrors of war i they have
think of the line in one hymn, "He is Ohristian Oolleges are too small to hold the people, the spring wind and I am the grass; and in some places it is neceslet him blow"; and of that hymn with The most recent reports tell sary to hold parallel meetings. an old ballad tune which Christian us that there are at present over Progress on the East coast is farmers in many parts of China now 6,000 students in all the Chris- constant. sing as they go to their work: tian Colleges in China. This is "Wearing our straw hats and carry- 2,000 more than the previous -Sunday School Times. ing our hoes, we go to our fields, year, and only 1,000 less than praising the Lord." In Shantung and the record of peace days. This JAPAN AND CHOSEN other provinces village Christians are condition is due to the tenacity singing whole sections and chapters of students and staff in the face Economy Must Be Observed of the Bible to old tunes that have of hardship and danger. All the come down through the centuries. To Christian Colleges are still in Orders have been sent from hear the twenty-third Psalm thus existence, although only two are Prefectural Headquarters to all chanted by a country congregation is conducting all their work on religious organizations t hat to be moved to tears. their own campus-West China economy must be pra.cticed in Union University and Yenching the following ways: erect no On Easter of last year I was with University in Peiping. Cheeloo more buildings than are abso- Frank Brown of Suchowfu in one of University carries on sections of lutely necessary; do not use gold the rural churches of his missionary its work on its campus in Shan- in ornaments and decorations; field. The Christians streamed in tung, but the Medical School and do not use gold thread, and limit from the villages and filled the little Science Department have moved as far as possible the use of iron, chapel to overflowing, so that we met to West China. lead and copper; contribute in the yard outside. Each came with waste products to the governa wild flower in his hand and greeted U. S. Property Returned ment; carry on festivals economhis fellow-Christians, "Ye-su fuh-ho ically; do not have elaborate liao, Jesus is risen!" More and more On March 9, Japanese mili- funerals and marriages; curtail the rural churches of China are giv- tary forces, after many months the holding of feasts and the giving the festival the place it deserves, of occupancy, returned Soochow ing of presents; for publicathe church festival and the Christian- University to its Southern Meth- tions, use a poorer grade of ized native festival. odist owners. The Japanese au- paper. thorities also informed the Service for the Wounded United States Government that Suggestions for work that they were returning the South- Christian churches may carry The "Christian Service Coun- ern Presbyterian School and on are indicated in a program cil for Wounded Soldiers in Mission property at Kashing in announced by the Nat i .0 n a l Transit" enlarged its program Chekiang Province, and the Christian Council: (1) In Jain January this year, the nine- Southern Methodist School at pan; comfort for the wounded teenth month of China's resist- Huchow in the near future. and memorial services for the ance to aggression. Headquar- Members of the Soochow Uni- dead. (2) In China. Cooperaters of the Council have been versity staff have returned to tion with comfort agencies in removed to Chungking, provi- start repair work, and resume China and training workers for sional capital, and soon after- work at the institution. evangelism. (3) InternationaL ward eleven service units were Cooperation wit h Christian established along the various -New York Times. agencies in other lands in corhighways, railways, waterways recting mistaken views of J aor other lines of communication The Tide Rising pan's policies, and contacting inthroughout the provinces of dividuals with letters and pam- Shensi, Hupeh, Hunan, Kwangsi From French Indo-China it is phlets. (4) Distribution of the and Kwangtung. Workers wait reported that revivals are Bible and publication of pamupon wounded soldiers at the spreading. The Mois are assem- phlets. on the "emergency." various stations, serve them food bling at almost any hour of the and drink, dress their wounds, day or night for testimony, Kagawa's "Ten Points" write letters for them and ren- praise and prayer. These simpleder all help needed by the war- minded children of the jungle In one address, Kagawa has afflicted men. have met God, know their sins given five points of achievement are forgiven, and are filled with of Christianity in Japanese life. During the past year, the joy. Annamese Christians have They are: personal piety, purity, Christian Service Council had been touched also through a Chi- respect for labor, the spirit of under its direct employ only nese evangelist, and their lives peace and the spirit of social about 100 workers, drawn from have been completely changed. service. As for peace, he says the various Christian churches, that while the Japanese people schools and hospitals in differ- Changes are coming about in have never particularly abhorred ent centers throughout the coun- Sumatra also, and Mohammedan war, they are calling the present try. This foundation group drew influence is on the wane. The war a "war for peace." This into their respective folds of Batak Christians now number idea can be traced to Christianservice a total of 2,000 men. A 400,000, and 28,000 were bap- ity; that is, it is a step in adtotal of 460,754 wounded soldiers tized last year. The churches were assisted during the past year. Generalissimo Chi a n g Kai-shek has expressed his appreciation for the invaluable service thus rendered.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
vance that they must find an ex- Government officials h a v e jian schools, both in the number cuse for war. of pupils and the quality of work been friendly; a preaching per- done. Most significant of all is the changed attitude toward In a different address he mit for any place at any time Christianity among all the peopointed out five mistakes in mis- was readily secured; but the ple of the Islands. No longer sionary work: too much de- priests had warned the people are expressions of contempt pendence on Japanese workers; that the Protestant devils had heard when a Christian passes failure to read Japanese news- horns, and were evil people. by; opposition is being suppapers; unfamiliarity with good This aroused great curiosity, planted by admiration. Whereas Japanese books; too little min- especially among the children. religion is fighting for its life in gling with Japanese people and As the evangelists approached, so many countries, in Fiji there not growing with the Japanese. however, most people would dis- are signs of a rising tide of re- The Church of Christ will take appear within and bar their vival. time, he says; maybe four hun- doors, but their windows re- mained open, so the workers Clothes for Pitcairn Islanders dred years. would stand on the street and An amateur radio in the home -Japan Christian Quar- preach in a loud voice, knowing of Mrs. Dorothy Hall of Long terly. there were many listening ears. Island, New York, is practically the only contact that the 215 A few of the bolder inquirers Pitcairn Islanders have with the outside world. Ships that hap- "Combating Superstition" came to the evangelist's home in pen to be in that latitude call in- in Formosa frequently, but no closer than day time, but most of them five miles because of the shoals. Islanders must row out to meet The rigorous "Nipponizing" sneaked in at the back door by them. Since Mrs. Hall made campaign under way in Formosa night. At one time the workers public an appeal for supplies and . were speaking to a crowd when medic-ine last July, as all the includes the elimination of the world knows, she has been in Chinese language, even from a woman with eyes tightly closed constant touch with the island, primary schools; all teachers are for fear of seeing something, and the descendants of the required to have a command of came groping through the crowd Bounty mutineers look upon her the Japanese language, which in search of her son who, she as their agent and savior. When- knew, was listening. Still an- ever supplies run short, or demeans that Formosan teachers other day, during a street corner sires are expressed, they appeal are replaced by Japanese. Jap- to Mrs. Hall by radio to make service, an old woman ran out of the purchase and expedite the anese must also be th!Ol spoken her house with a bolo, ready to shipment, thus saving many prelanguage in homes, and the knife the preacher. She was re- cious weeks; otherwise, they strained, but the meeting broke must wait for a ship to call and police check up as to whether up. take the order. A recent request this is being done; also, whether was for a white shirt to wear to church; and something to use families have replaced the old It is encouraging that teach- as a substitute for tea and coffee, since the islanders will not drink Chinese gods with Shinto deities ersand school principals have either for religious reasons. -this, to do away with "superstition"! Compliance with these open minds, and are anxious for Honolulu Again a Foreign requirements assures the head of Field the family a preference in get- students to have the New Tes- On recommendation of the' tament. -The Message. Finance Department of the Epis- copal National Council, Honolulu ting a local job, or success in his The Fijians Today has been restored to its former business; and conversely, with- status as a foreign mission field; and Bishop Littell of Honolulu out such compliance it is impos- The Governor, Sir Harry has been given discretionary sible to find a job, or carryon Luke, was in attendance at the power to allocate appropriations business. Fijian Synod last fall, and was for this field. Since 1935, Hono- lulu had been considered a do- presented a whale's tooth by the mestic missionary field.
ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC Fijians as a mark of their re- -The Living Church.
Victories in, Batanes Islands gard. The Governor told them that, as a fellow-Christian, he Up to 1937 there had never rejoiced in the evidences of what been a Protestant worker in the Christianity has done for Fiji Batanes Islands, in the extreme and the Fijians.
north of the Philippines. Two The Synod celebrated the 25th Baptist missionaries, Dr. and anniversary of Baker Hall, built Mrs. Culley, were the first to go, in memory of Rev. Thomas and left two Filipino evangelists Baker and seven Fijian Christo establish a permanent work. tians who were killed and eaten A total of 2'15 conversions are in 1867. The building contains noted in the latest report, and 12,000 stones, a fact which sugtwo young men from Batanes gested the text for the occasion: are studying at Manila Evan- "Ye also as living stones are gelistic Institute, in preparation built into a spiritual temple."
for returning to their province Educational progress has been as evangelists. marked in both Indian and Fi-
NORTH AMERIOA The Bible Goes to School the land, for the most part un- molested. Those five Indian Another Unfinished Task Gideon Bibles are going to chiefs and army officials met and Although the Christian forces school. Inspired by Canada's of the United States have been negotiated at the junction of the attempting for more than 300 three years of placing Bibles in years to evangelize the North Trinity and vKelraymsaptoht Rt hi vaet ras~aInnd- American Indians, only about the schools, the Gideons of it is on this half of the 350,000 profess to be either Catholics or Protestants· America adopted as their na- dian Presbyterian Church has while the other half are stili pagan. Sectarian divisions are tional objective ilnastthyeeanr~t"ioTnh'es been built, near the old Indian no doubt partly responsible; an- nation's Book other factor has been the enor- rancheria known as Weitchpec. mity o~ the task ?f evangelizing schools for the boys and girls of the whIte populatIOn as it moved About ten years ago when the westward from the Atlantic to America." Denver, Colo., was the Pacific, obscuring the need Rev. Emil A. Schwab became for evangelizing the Indian. the first city to follow out this p~stor of the Presbyterian In- Now that there are no longer dIan Chureh at Hoopa, he saw 'an any frontiers in the United objective on a large scale, al- States, the Christianization of the Indian should receive more though other states rapidly fol- opportunity to extend Christian attention. Notable work has been done by the Episcopal lo~ed. Six hundred and fifty work among the Indians at Church among the Sioux in South Dakota, and by Baptists BIbles have been placed in 63 Weitchpec; whereupon, a Sunand Methodists in Oklahoma. schools in Denver: Several sub- day School was osregtanuizped~nda -Christian Observer. preaching station urban schools have been sup- Are Americans Being Duped? plied, making a total of 700 ac- through the years services have tually placed in schools, at the been maintained. Lseacsut ryede afr ~oamn appropriation was last report. Contributions have come mainly from Colorado Sun- the Board of National Missions day schools. Gideons themselves which made possible the erection visit Sunday schools and present' of a church building. It was dedi- the plan. cated November 16, 1938. An The fact that copies go only interesting part of the dedica- to rooms requesting one is as- tory service was the reading of surance that it will be used. an historical sketch of the Mis- sion by a grandson of one of the Teachers read passages for a ~ornin~ devotional, they study five Indian chiefs who had a It as hterature, they use it in part in the negotiations over the memory work, they use it as ref- land. erence material.
EpDisrc.oWpa. lRuCshseulrlcBh,owNie~wof Grace Realizing the general lack of Ohristianity and National York, knowledge of the Bible, the Gid- Wealth recently expressed astonishment eons are preparing a list of ref- erences adapted to students; and Speaking before 500 business at ~he number of apparently in- an outgrowth of this whole proj- and professional men at a Chi- cago Chamber of Commerce te~hgent persons who are being ect n?w follows in the forming me~ting, W. A. McIntyre, Sal- of BIble research clubs in the vatIOn Army Commissioner for mIsled by under-cover anti- schools. These are regular the central states, said that the school clubs, each sponsored by Army has contributed two bil- Semitism. Exaggerated state- lion dollars to the wealth of the a member. of the faculty, and United States by the reclamation ments are made that are cal- they pr:ovIde both Bible study of over 200,000 "down-and- and socIal contact for Christian outers." When a citizen is lost culated to arouse dislike of Jews young people. The study in to society through drunkenness, as many thousands are every by people who pose as intelligent these clubs covers a wide range of subjects, such as archeology, ~ear! ther~ is !l- monetary value defenders of the truth. These astronomy and other sciences in the light of the Bible. mevItable m hIS restoration. An people are unwitting tools of -So S. Times. propaganda by groups who are using anti-Semitism as an in- strument to establish here the same sort of fascist regime as is in power in Germany and Italy. Here is the technique: Divide the nation into groups: get New Hoopa Indian Ohurch economist estimates the average ~me. ~roup to hate another; fasten an It was eighty-seven years ago person is worth $10,000 to the last October that five Indian InVIdIOUS label on every one who chieftains, representing tribes in country. Mr. McIntyre says northern California, met a milifst~aeneddosmf(orfa~Armpelraiyca; n ideals of honor tary commission and entered in- that in his life time he has seen call every cham: to treaties with the United plOn of JustIce a communist and every States Government whereby cer- 200,000 human derelicts, with no tain tracts of land were deeded Jew a communist; call every labor to the Indians. These treaties future but sapisrliatbuailnlythaendmophrygsu.ie~ have never been ratified, but the recovered lead,er in the North and every or- Indians have continued to occupy ~amzer of the pitiful share-croppers cally through the ministry of the I!l the South an enemy to the estab- Salvation Army. This means a ~Ishc:d order; call every defender of Jus~lce for the Negro a traitor to contribution to soc i e t y of whIte supremacy – in short stir up $2,000,000,000.
enough antagonisms and you will The totals mount when one make democracy unworkable and the adds the results of other rescue stage will be set for a Hitler.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
mISSIOns, and the ministry of stroyed. In all, the cash loss is friends with officials, and finally the churches. In commenting, approximately $10,000, but this gained permission to begin evanan editorial writer in the Watch- does not include loss of farm in- gelistic work. Although hunman-Examiner says that while come and that from damaged dreds of men crowded in to hear, one cannot approve of measur- buildings. when they were given their freeing the value of a life in dollars dom, they were soon back in and cents, this is nevertheless a ELMER E. GABBARD. prison for new crimes. Then language that business men the prison walls were made to understand; and that our eco- LATIN AMERICA ring with the warnings of God's nomic depression is in large part judgments on murder, theft, and the result of business leaders Student Pastor in Puerto Rico other forms of wickedness, toforgetting that Christianity pro- gether with the assurance of forduces far-reaching benefits to the The University of Puerto Rico giveness through Christ. Soon nation. is a growing institution. It has it was evident that "something" recently added several ne,w was happening. Tears flowed; Good and Evil Influences buildings, and its six depart- prisoners began to make a "clean ments have a faculty of 229, breast" of their sins and there A group of workers of St. with a total enrolment of nearly has been a mighty turning to Mark's Methodist Church in 5,000 students. For some time Christ in this prison. Many are New Orleans recently made a the evangelical churches of now reading the New Testament, survey of the French Quarter of Puerto Rico have hoped that an and some are genuinely conthat city, in which the church is evangelical pastor might be ap- verted. located, and report that this pointed to the University staff, a Quarter has about a dozen bad hope that has now been realized. A Nurse's Job in Guatemala influences to one good influence; Rev. Domingo Marrero, missionor, 285 bad influences and only ary in Santo Domingo for some Poverty, malnutrition and dis- 25 good ones. In the category years, a Methodist minister with ease underlie the picturesque of bad influences are 264 saloons excellent preparation, a fine beauty of Guatemala which touror beer parlors, six dance halls, speaker and strong in Christian ists admire. Miss Lucy Bestand fifteen gambling houses. education, was appointed to the wick, R.N., conducts a clinic in staff. He has already won the her home in Quezaltenango and Among the twenty-five good respect and affection of both stu- in the near-by villages. She has influences were eight churches, dents and faculty. learned to drive a car on roads eight schools, one park, two play- where a leeway of six inches begrounds, one library, one kinder- The Federation of Evangelical tween the car and precipice is garten, two health centers, and Churches of Puerto Rico re- considered ample, and where 72 two community centers. cently honored Mr. Marrero by hairpin turns in a distance of appointing him as executive sec- two miles make what Guate- -World Outlook. retary of the Committee of Re- malans call a good road. There ligious Education of that or- are regions, however, where the Flood at Buckhorn Mission ganization. nurse and her car cannot go- not because she fears the road The region around Buckhorn, Preaching to Prisoners but because there is no road; Kentucky, experienced the most then she takes her bag and disastrous flood in its history in F. J. Huegel, a missionary to climbs to whatever cornstalk hut January, and the waters did Mexico under the United Chris- may need her services. their worst on the premises of tian Missionary Society, has the Presbyterian Mission there. been a leader in prison work in Last summer typhus broke out The church was under eight feet Mexico. He writes in World Call and 87 died. Though it origof water. The Domestic Science of some of the difficulties. At inates in poverty and filth, the building, McKenzie Hall, Englis Xochimilco the Christian work- privileged class is struck down Home, the Geer Gymnasium and ers were told that if they would too. So Miss Bestwick set up an the store rooms were all flooded. teach the prisoners to read, and isolation hospital in a little evan- The water went into the second kill bed bugs, that would be more gelical chapel, where she and an story of the Domestic Science to the point than giving "a mes- Indian preacher who volunteered building and totally or partially sage of pretty words." Both to help, and twelve patients were destroyed all the weavings. Al- projects were undertaken on the left to fight it out. One patient most all the food supply that side, and the result was a group died; eleven got well. had been canned and dried and of Believers won after a year of placed in the new store room, preaching. Two years of preach- Colombian Christians built safe~ above the highest ing at Coyoacan had a similar water level 'known to the oldest result. Days in the s'addle, nights in citizens, was destroyed. a hammock, heat, insects, fatigue Mexican law forbids evan- are incidentals in an evangelistic The whole farm program of gelical activity in the federal trip over mountain trails in inthe school was disrupted, and prison, but when a young nurse terior Colombia, but these hardhope of returns from gardens, killed her lover and was put in poultry and dairy seem de- the prison, Mr. Huegel visited her. He took books, made
ships did not dim Mr. W. W. mosque in London, connected were granted religious liberty on Thomas' enthusiasm over the with the Ahmadiyya sect which February 17, 1848. Since that staunch qualities of Colombian is only about seventy years old. time, realizing that they must be Christians. Said he: "To use missionary, they have spread the your machete for chopping brush Hinduism has not formerly Gospel throughout Italy and toinstead of carving your neigh- favored proselyting but is now day they have churches, mission bor, to be a teetotaler, to be the conducting propaganda in Eu- stations and organized groups in husband of one wife, to read the rope and America, through their Italy, in Italian East Africa, in Bible and try to practice its swamis. Hindu publications are Uruguay and Argentina, and teaching – all these sound like issued in English and German North America. commonplace things to us; but as well as in Indian languages. they are not commonplace to the Many of the Hindu sects are Bible Study in France mountain villager in Colombia." closely related to Theosophy and some claim a considerable fol- As if tired of human theories, Mr. Thomas met a woman lowing of the yogi cults. French Protestants are drawing who told him she never used to closer to the Word, and forming know when her husband would A Waldensian Celebration Bible reading circles. Out of get home, because he simply this has come the formation of could not pass the cantina with- This year the Waldenses plan Bible study groups in a number out stopping to get drunk. "But to celebrate the 250th anniver- of churches. In one church an now," she said, "I still never sary of their "Glorious Return." entire afternoon was given over know when he'll be home, but After the revocation of the Edict to a detailed study of selected that's because he can't pass. any- of Nantes by Louis XIV of portions of the Bible. In another body on the trail without stop- France, the Waldenses in Italy place, sixty young people were ping to tell him what Christ has suffered greatly from ruthless seen bent over their Bibles in done for him, and urge the other persecutions. In 1687 the small meditation. Observations made man to become a Christian too." remnant were allowed to flee to by these young people, whose Switzerland and there they kept training and environment had -:-Monday Morning. alive their love for religious lib- given them no special aptitude erty and for their valleys in for Bible study, showed a grasp EUROPE Northern Italy. Two years later, of Scripture truth. in August, 1689, Pastor Henry Asiatic Missions in England Arnaud led about 600 men across -Sunday School Times. the Alps to the Waldensian Val- Rev. G. Francis S. Gray, a leys, where, against superior Religions of Central Europe missionary of the S. P. G., when forces of French and Italian on furlough, made an investiga- soldiers, they rewon their home- Practically every European tion of the activities of Bud- land. This "Glorious Return" creed may be found in Czechodhists, Moslems and Hindus in will be celebrated in Italy in slovakian territory. Here live England. He visited the head- August and the first week in Roman Catholics, Lutherans, quarters of the two main Bud- September. Calvinists, Jews, Roman Uniates, dhist organizations. One is the Old Catholics, Baptists, Metho- "Buddhist Lodge," which has The Western Section of the dists, ultra-patriotic Czechoslobeen in existence for about fif- World Alliance, which met in vak National Church, Greek Orteen years and was formerly a Pittsburgh, February 28-March thodox, Pietists, agnostics and branch of the Theosophical 1, adopted resolutions express- atheists. Presidents Masaryk Society. Its work is largely ing their congratulations to the and Benes were of the Hussite devoted to the translation of Waldensian Church, and calling tradition; the present premier Buddhist classics. The other this historic event to the atten- is a Roman prelate. Roman Buddhist Mission (also called Catholics embrace about two the British Maha Badhi) with tion of Protestant churches.* thirds of the population; less headquarters in London, is con- than a tenth are Protestant, the nected with Ceylon Buddhism The Waldenses are the oldest two ma,in subdivisions being and is more intent on propa- survlvmg evangelical church Lutherans and Calvinists. The ganda. It was founded in 1926 group in the West. Their his- Moravians, some of whom setby a Singalese but the monks torY is continuous from the tled in Bethlehem, Penna., total find it difficult to observe their twelfth century to the present about 8,000 in Czechoslovakia. religious rules in the climate of day. Their missionary efforts Congregationalists n u m b e r England. at one time covered most of Eu- 7,000, Methodists 8,000 and Bap- rope and their influence was tists perhaps 3,000 Smaller Islam in Epgland is repre- strong in the Latin, Germanic, American sects, such as Russellsented by two sects. There are and some Slavic lands. The ites, Pentecostals and Seventhonly two mosques but a number Waldenses helped prepare for Day Adventists are represented. of Moslem prayer houses, mainly the Protestant Reformation by There is also a group of some for Eastern M 0 s I ems. One sending missionaries and the 600,000 seceding Catholics who mosque at Woking is staffed by Bible throughout Europe. They resemble in their beliefs the Indians, graduates of Indian universities. There is another • Suitable music and other helps for the celebration of this anniversary may· be ob- tained from the American Waldenslan Aid Society, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York,
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Alnglicans of the time Qf Henry to its readers last December to. tiQn fQr the purpQse o.f spreading the VIII. kno.wledge amo.ng o.ther peo.ples., cQntribute to a fund to supply that they, to.o., might be made In the midst Qf cQnflicting ra- happy thro.ugh its ,blessings. cial claims Qf Czechs, SIQvaks, destitute Russians all o.ver the These charitable o.rganizatio.ns PQles, Ruthenians, Sudetens, WQrld with free Bibles. This send o.ut their educatio.nal mis- Magyars, Jews, Rumanians and met with pro.mpt and hearty re- siQns, supply them with mo.ney Gypsies, the religiQus aspect Qf SPo.nse on the part o.f Swedish and supPo.rt them in every way, the CzechQslQvakia prQblem have Christians, and in one month fo.r no. o.ther purpo.se but sincere been largely Qverlooked. This about $2,500 were sent to. the service fo.r humanity's sake and seems all the mQre remarkable o.ffice of the paper fo.r this pur- fQr the lessening Qf its afflictions. since this is the land Qf J Qhn pose. With this sum, 6,000 co.m- Wherever these missiQns have Hus, Qne of the fQunders Qf plete Russian Bibles can be sent, gQne, they have becQme angels PrQtestantism. and several societies are now Qf mercy and examples of per- busy distributing them amo.ng fect fulfilment of duty. "God. Seekers" in Yugoslavia Russians in the Baltic States, Po.land, Czecho.slovakia, Ruma- "If the noble feeling, that o.f The Watchman-Examiner re- nia, France, Brazil, Argentina sincere cQoperation among na- PQrts a new religiQus mQvement and Manchuria. tions, permeated the individuals that is sweeping over YugQ- of society and brotherhoo.d of slavia. More than 400 brQther- AFRICA love were spread among all, then hQQds have been Qrganized and all nations would be the memtens Qf thQusands Qf members Leaders for New Egypt bers of one family, and most huhave been enrQlled. TheyadvQ- man tro.ubles would be ended." cate a return to. the Qriginal In 1921 Wilbert Smith went primitive life of the evangelists., to Cairo. with a co.mmissio.n and -The Moslem World. free frQm the "burdens" of an idea. The co.mmissio.n was to. earthly PQssessiQns, and call start an Egyptian Y. M. C. A. Spiritual Progress in themselves "GQd-seekers.." Many Friends in America provided the Sudan thQusands are said to be giving $275,000 for a building, and away all their possessiQns and England and America provided C. M. S. missionaries tell of a j Qining this movement. five secretaries. But the idea remarkable spiritual movement was more difficult to put thro.ugh. in parts Qf the Upper Nile re- Galicians Eager for Gospel It was that the new Y. M. C. A. gion, with schools, hospitals and must be manned by Egyptians churches all flourishing. Mrs. Last year, in the Galician re- and stand o.n its o.wn feet. Now, K. G. Fraser writes in the Life giQn Qf pQland, wQrd was sent after 18 years, eight o.f the ten of Faith: Qut that an evangelical Christian secretaries are Egypitians and meeting WQuid be held in Qne Qf o.nly two. are Americans. The s c h 0 01 s and dispensaries the villages, and five thQusand throughout the country are packed perSQns responded by attending, The first Egyptian to. become with people, and on Sundays the SQme Qf whom had traveled 35 a Y secretary had been an ardent crowds are so great that they have miles. nationalist, and tho.ught the Y overflow meetings at every center. o.ught to. be destroyed, so he At Chief J ambo's there are over 1,000 This meeting was Qne Qf the j Qined it in Qrder to. bo.re fro.m people every Sunday morning. In addevelQpments. Qf the interna- within. Now he is more reSPo.n- dition to sixteen out-schools there are tiQnal Christian WQrk carried Qn sible than any other man for now ten preaching places, and quite with the help of the Central Bu- pro.ducing the yo.ung leaders 10,000 people hear the Gospel every reau for Relief o.f Evangelical both in bo.ys' and men's depart- Sunday. Several well-known witch Churches in Europe, begun ments who. are interpreting doctors have broken up their charms twelve years ago. The work in Y. M. C. A. ideals to. the youth and destroyed their entire parapher- Galicia no.w has 18 salaried pas- of the natio.n. Another of the nalia, and are attending services and tors, 75 grQUps of worshippers, eight is now studying in the New classes regularly. 40 organized churches, 3,020 York Schoo.l of Social WQrk, and recognized church members and plans to. return to. Egypt for spe- There are not enough beds for all 2'0 Sunday Schools. Of the 40 cial work in this field. the patients in the hospital at Lui, and Qrganized cQngregations, five as for schools, about 80 attend the meet in chapels. The remaining Honor to Mission Schools Girls' Classes, sixty the Women's 35, until they receive aid in School and over 200 pupils are in the erecting buildings conforming to. The Governor Qf Assiut PrQv- Boys' School. Sale of Gospels has the local law, meet in peasants' ince, Egypt, in addressing 2,000 gone up by leaps and bounds. In short, cottages consisting of one living at the co.mmencement exercises the increase in the Christian commuroom each. of Assiut College, said: "One of nity has far outstripped the resources the accepted human principles is in teachers and evangelists. It is re- Bibles for Russians that individuals coo.perate in ported that 11,000 Christians are in o.verco.ming difficulties, the the care of one African pastor, the A Swedish Christian paper, strQng helping the weak. Gro.ups nearest missionary being 80 miles Hemmets Van, issued an appeal Qf charitably inclined individ- away. uals have gQne ahead in civiliza- Nigeria Opens Its Doors The establishment of leper set- tlements by the Sudan Interior Mission, the Sudan United Mis- siQn and the C. M. S. in several
provinces of Nigeria has gained boys play football with bare menian and Syrian Evangelical the good will of the people to feet, harder than boots, and the Churches. The Bible Lands such a degree that missionary native band at the game dis- Union for Christian Education work is now possible in the for- courses "The Swanee Ribber" conducted a successful Sunday merly closed Moslem emirates of on instruments of bamboo joints. School Institute and the Arme- Kano, Katsina Zaria and Sokoto nian Christian Endeavor Socie- Provinces. The above named mis- It should be further noted that ties held a large and enthusiastic sions are caring for about 800 the white man's prestige is prac- conference whose results are belepers. With government assist- tically a thing of the past. In ing evidenced in various direcance the Brethren mission is car- the commercial world the su- tions. The British Syrian Mising for 500 lepers and the Dutch perior,educated native has dis- sion and Danish missionaries Reformed Church for 400 more. placed the inferior w hit e. also held a ten-day summer Natives are to be found in large school. In the Steps of Dan Crawford offices and banks, using compli- cated cash registers and type- The Near East School of The- Mr. Ernest Salisbury, mis- writers, and keeping their firm's ology, another union institution, sionary of the Brethren, last ledgers. Many of the captains graduated five students last year visited the district around of large transport steamers are year; two were women. Hospi- Luanza Mission, Elisabethville, natives, as are postmasters and tals of the American Mission in Belgian Congo, where Dan traders. Tripoli and Deir-ez-Zor, and that Crawford labored for so many of the Edinburgh Medical Misyears. He describes a confer- -Sunday School Times. sionary Society in Damascus are ence of native Christians, which all filled and several young began each day with a devotional WESTERN ASIA women have completed their message and prayer. This was training as qualified nurses. followed by a study of Paul's Religion in Turkey Epistle to Titus, presented in a -NearEast Christian Counhelpful manner. Gospel services There is a distinction between cil N eW8 Bulletin. were held in the evenings, and official and personal attitude toon the closing day four converts ward religion in Turkey. Offi- Two Bible Societies Combine were baptized. Nine persons in- cially, Turkey is completely secdicated their desire to become ular, but religion is respected The American Bible Society Christians. because it is ingrained in the life and the British and Foreign and thought of the people. Tur- Bible Society have combined Mr. Salisbury's tour of the key has not suppressed religion, their work in the Near East, Luanza district covered 350 but has separated religious and and have established headquarmiles, including a visit to the tin secular authority which were ters in Beirut. The American mines where thousands of na- formerly united in the Sultan. Press is the chief publishing tives are employed. At the In thousands of mosques and in agency for the Society. During hospital no fewer than 200 pa- hundreds of churches and syna- one recent four-month period, tients are treated daily. Bibles gogues worship goes on unhin- 40,000 Bibles and portions were had been given to a number who dered. Four evangelical churches shipped out, most of them to the had shown their keenness in in Istanbul hold services as Port Said depository. In addievangelistic work, while two na- usual. tion to Bibles, the Press prints tives had been sent as colpor- textbooks and other publications. teurs to villages near the mines. No religious training for chil- A monthly magazine issued by A three-room house has been dren is permitted, except at the Press goes to North and erected for untainted children of home, but there is a good oppor- South America, as well as to leper parents.-The Christian. tunity for mission Sun day Asiatic and European countries. schools. Schools have been sec- Palestine, Iran and other Arabic- Changes in Nyasaland ularized and mosque schools speaking countries are good cus- suppressed. Early morning call tomers for literature. These are suggested by the re- to prayer has been discontinued; cent dedication of a memorial Sunday is now a legal holiday Results Among Moslems window in the mission church instead of the Mohammedan Friat Ekwendeni, representing Luke day. The sale of Christian lit- It is sometimes said that a and commemorating the minis- erature is limited by censorship. hundred years of effort to contry of Dr. Walter A. ElmsIie; vert Moslems have not produced the singing of Ngoni songs with Progress in Syria results. A report of the Near Christian words, and Scottish East Christian Council, while psalms as well. Tales of sav- This country, too, has its prob- admitting that the number of agery are all but incomprehen- lems, but mission schools report converts is not large, calls attensible to Ngoni young people of advance. Aleppo College has tion to the incalculable change today, who are happier by far erected new buildings and over that Christian thought and than their forefathers. There 275 have enrolled. This School ideals have wrought upon Islam. are slave raiders no longer. The is a united undertaking of the The reports reminds that it is American Presbyterian Mission, not required of stewards that the American Board and the Ar-
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
they be successful, but that they Indian Communal Groups Dr. John McKenzie, Principal of must be "faithful." Wilson College, was elected Mod- Recently, the Near East Chris- The National Missionary So- erator, an appointment for three ciety of India has now eleven years. tian Council has been looking fields in India. The work is carinto the reasons for the lack of ried on in association with neigh- Communicant membership of definite results. The inquiry boring missions, and comprises the United Church of Northern has centered around two ques- district work, hospitals, an ash- India stands at present at 77,000, tions : (1) "What special hin- ram and a college. Thus, the all- while the adherents. number well drances make work for Moslems India society has extended its over 200,000. The India Mission less successful than similar ef- work into almost every branch of the Lutheran, and of the Reforts for other people?" and (2) of the Christian missionary en- formed Church in America, were "What changes in methods or terprise. The Poona and Indian incorporated with the United line of approach offer hope of Village Mission, in its last re- Church of North India, after better success?" The two hin- port, faces up to the results of nearly six years of negotiating. drances stand out: Christian itswork. It describes its bapteaching does not mean the same tized converts for the last five Another action taken by the to the Moslem as to the Chris- years as numbering eight. The Assembly had to do with a protian ; and to the Moslem a change churches, which meet almost en- posed foreign mission project. of religion involves a change of tirely in compounds, consist of Definite plans submitted by the group connection and loyalty. Christians entirely dependent Foreign Missions Committee on the mission. There cannot be were approved by the Assembly, The best way to overcome in the whole area more than and the Church will now be these hindrances is first: more fifty-five Christians not depend- asked to support its own mission devotion, more prayer, more ef- ent on the mission; some of the in East Africa. Almost all the fort, more faith, more love; and latter are not in regular attend- Church Councils are supporting second, a way must be found ance, and the names of others are home missions within their own around the obstacles, so as to not even on the church rolls. bounds. avoid a frontal attack on the There are altogether in touch Moslem position. This requires with the mission about one hun- -Presbyterian Register. a sympathetic understanding of dred and sixty individuals. the Moslem mind. Efforts should Growth in Elementary Schools center about making J e sus It should be remembered that Christ known as a personality, India moves in com m una I One of the changes of the last rather than on doctrinal discus- groups, and that work for indi- decade has been the phenomenal sion. New converts should be viduals often causes a deadlock. increase in the number of chilled to develop such a sympathetic One missionary relates his ex- dren going to school; indeed, relationship with their neigh- periences in Hyderabad State, there has been a marked advance bors that a spiritual fellowship where he had refused to baptize in all stages of school training; will follow. individual converts until they but according to the Minister of had made every effort to win Education in Lahore, what is -American Mission Report. their relatives and friends. On now needed is not so much quan- one occasion he took a number titative expansion as consolida- INDIA, BURMA, SIAM of these unbaptized converts tion of what· has been under- with him, and they visited in a taken. He would like to see the Hunger for the Gospel team the relations and friends of system of education in schools to each throughout the district, be based on community work- A convincing evidence of In- with the result that in a few more on actual observation of dia's hunger for the Gospel is months one thousand were under things and facts and nature found in the statement of an preparation for baptism. study than on mere cramming English Methodist missionary in and the reading of officially prethe Deccan. He says that in his -Australian Missionary scribed textbooks. thirty-eight years of missionary Review. service he has never yet gone to Not in costly buildings, but in a village for evangelistic work United Church of North India thatched houses, if need be, he without being called to it by the would have students trained in people thems.elves. During the A successful General Assem- simple living and high thinking; past three or four decades the bly of the United Church of with more attention given to dedemand for copies of the Chris- North India was held early this velopment of mind and chartian Scriptures has far exceeded year in Bombay. From nineteen the supply. Similar conditions acter. -Agricultural Mission Notes.
exist among the Bhils of West- Church Councils, or Presby- A Note on Prohibition . ern Central India. During the teries, covering an area from past three years the North India the Northern Panjab to Assam, The following observation on United Church has baptized Rajputana and Central India, the prohibition campaign is en- thirty thousand from among some 100 delegates gathered. lightening. A correspondent of Some delegates traveled more the Daily Times of India who these primitive peoples.
-Dnyanodaya. than 3,000 miles to be present. has been investigating economic
conditions on behalf of the Bom- these versions is told by Rev. than 1,000 consecutive cases bay Industrial Survey Commit- J. M. S. Hooper in his recently there has not been the loss of tee, made a special study of the published book, "The Bible in any mother. With the medical effects of the "No Drink Cam- India." care has gone the presentation of paign" on the lives of some fish- the Gospel of Christ. ermen. Here is his report: Baptist Union a Reality Bangkok is a difficult field for About 42 fishermen of Kumta were The Baptist Union of India, evangelistic work. In the hustle working in cooperation and owned a Burma and Ceylon is an accom- of such a city, it is difficult to rampan (big net). As was their cus- plished fact. The tentative or- make lasting contacts. A good tom, before going on work with the ganization was set up at Bala- time to present the Gospel is durrampan and after coming from it they sore in February, 1936, a con~ ing the first few days following used to take toddy, all sitting in a stitution was agreed upon and a the birth of a child. To many it circle. Apart from this each of them panel of officers elected. Seven~ is the beginning of plans for also invariably had his bottle or two teen of the various Baptist family life and the home. To in the evening. Excluding this quan- groups ratified the constitution. others it is added responsibility, tity taken on individual account, I An inaugural session of the as well as greater joy to be found that the 42 fishermen spent, be- Union has recently been held, shared. A sympathetic interest, tween November 1937 and February and a president has been elected. with Christ-like care and atten- 1938, Rs. 800 on drinks. In short, Words of greeting from Karens, tion, are bringing results. what was happening was that the in- Burmans, Telugus, Panjabis, come of the male members was being Bengalis, Assamese and head -Siam Outlook. spent on drinks, and it was the woman hunters were a demonstration of who was supporting the family with the power of the Gospel. The Siam – Land of the Free her slender earnings. All this is central theme placed before the changed now. About 90 per cent of delegates at this first session The Siamese have maintained these fishermen are not drinking to- was "All one body in Christ." their independence for the past day. A small number of them have 600 years. Their ancient name freed themselves from debt and have -Baptist Missionary for themselves is thai, free. Just opened accounts with the post offices. Review. now, in this totalitarian age, They have also given up their set no- they are experimenting with a tion that fishing is impossible without Buddhist Missionaries constitution and representative toddy. Small artisans outside the from Siam government. "dry" area want prohibition in their areas too. But the real contribution The Siam Chronicle reports Siam is surrounded by broadof the experiment is seen in the eyes that a group of Buddhist priests casting stations – at Singapore, of the womenfolk. are about to set out from Ceylon Batavia, Hongkong, Calcutta, so on a missionary tour. Starting that all the currents of world How the Bible Came to India from India, and going east thought sweep over her. Her through Burma, Siam, Ind~ political patterns are new, and The honor of giving India her China, China and Japan, they her leaders are young. It is sigfirst Bible belongs to German expect to take three years to go nificant that they take up their missionaries of the Lutheran around the world. In America responsibilities with a heritage Church, who went out in 1706. and Europe they will investigate of religious liberty, unhampered There have been Christians in conditions to see what advances by a racial inferiority complex, Travancore for 1,500 years-Ja- of the Buddhist religion can be less bound by tradition than cobites, converts of early Syrian made in those two areas. Also most Orientals, unafraid of new missions, but no attempt was there are many young men in ideas. All this constitutes a made to provide the Bible for the Ceylon studying, in preparation striking challenge to the Chrisconverts. The Church of Rome to go wherever there may be an tian missionary forces, since nohas been in India for 500 years, open door for the teaching of where else in the world is Budand has today nearly 8,000,000 Buddhism. dhism so well organized and members, but only recently has firmly established as in Siam. any translation of the Scriptures For Mothers and Babies Protestant work there is largely been done under the auspices of the responsibility of the Presbythis Church. While Bangkok has some fine terian Church. The task was hospitals with modern equip- faced at aconferenc·e in Feb- In 1857, the year of the Sepoy ment, they are not adequate to ruary, when a program of evan- Rebellion, the British and For- care for young mothers and new- gelism was outlined for the imeign Bible Society appointed a born babies. Fifteen years ago, mediate future. committee to prepare a union the Presbyterian Mission in version of the Bible. An earlier Siam assigned Miss J. Christen- For the past five years, the Tamil version, translated by Lu- sen to Bangkok, to work out young king Ananda Mahidol has therans, had served the purpose some plan for helping in this been studying in L a usa nne, of introducing the Book, al- great problem. Switzerland. In November he though it had many defects. The went to Bangkok to open the pr.inciple races of all India now Government approval of her newly-elected parliament and atpossess the whole Bible, trans- work has been given for, in more tend to various official duties. lated by men like William Carey and Henry Martyn with the help -Foreign Affairs Bulletin. of Indian scholars, and finally revised by committees of the Bible Societ.y. The story of all Our Missionary Bookshelf Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information Studies in Popular Islam. By Samuel social worker, builder, truck ments, explicit and tacit. It can M. Zwemer. 8vo. 148 pp. $2.50. driver, preacher in three lan- Macmillan Co. New York. 1939. guages, Bible class teacher, and be expressed in words (verac- has trained a very efficient staff Forty years of study and ex- of native nurses. The frontis- ity) , or in actions such as fulperience has made Dr. Zwemer piece, showing a Burmese doctor an authority on this subject. As a and his wife and twenty-nine filment of contracts, and in missionary to Moslem lands, edi- nurses belonging to his Amertor of The Moslem World, the ican Baptist missionary hospital habits such as fidelity, loyalty, author of many books on Islam, at Namkham, Burma-where he wide travel and recently Pro- has been in charge for seventeen and dependability. A lie is an fessor of History of Religion and years-is most impressive. He Christian Missions at Princeton, is a graduate from Johns Hop- attempt to deceive without conhe has gathered an immense kins University and a fourth amount of information. Above generation missionary, the great- sent. It may not succeed; yet if all he writes with sympathy for grandson of Rev. J. H. Vincent, the good points in Islam, but a pioneer missionary to Burma. it tries to deceive it is a lie from with understanding and convic- Mrs. Seagrave is evidently a tion as to the supremacy of wonderful partner in service. the moment that it crosses the Christ and His Gospel. If you would like to know how liar's lips.." Xes and it may start This volume takes up the use a ,good pioneer missionary doctor of the Moslem prayer beads, the "wastes" his time, of his adven- farther back than the lips. Ka'aba at Mecca, the sword of tures on the road, of the way he Islam, their calendar with feasts "holds the fort" against attack- Dr. Cabot's great book is in and fasts, traditions, supersti- ing tribes from China; if you are tion, sorcery and charms; the interested in amusing incidents, three parts: I-Definitions; 11- Koran and its translations, the tragedies, near tragedies and prophet and the worship of triumphs – physical and spir- Selected Problems in Honesty Adam. Here is an excellent but itual-we recommend this book. brief description of faith and It is easy, fascinating reading and Dishonesty, and III-Phipractice in Moslem life. for young and old,for doctors and laymen. losophy of Honesty. It faces Tales of a Waste-Basket Surgeon. By Dr. Gordon S. Seagrave. 265 Honesty. By Richard Cabot. $2.50. honestly the problem of honesty pp. $1.50. Judson Press. Phil- 326 pp. The Macmillan Co. New adelphia. 1938. York. 1939. and tells the truth about lies.
In an informal, chatty way, This is clear ozone, purifying Here is solid foundation for Dr. Seagrave tells many inter- and penetrating. According to esting experiences of his life as Dr. Cabot's sound doctrine a lie character and human trust and a pioneer missionary doctor in is a lie and it is always wrong. North Burma. The "waste- He agrees with Dr. Henry Clay right relations between men and basket" does not indicate the Trumbull's position: "A Lie quality of his work but the des- Never Justifiable." Honesty and nations. R. E. SPEER. tination of his patients if no truth are obligations not to be skilled medical help had been tampered with, never to be com- Abraham to Allenby. By G. Fredavailable in their time of dire promised. There is no room here erick Owen. Illus. 8vo. 351 pp. need. As it was, he saved many for Dr. Joseph Collins' physi- $2.50. Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. lives and won unbounded grati- cian's lie. Dr. Cabot is a physi- Grand Rapids, Mich. 1939. tude by this free and loving cian too,and he can find no place service. in a physician's pharmacoopia for Palestine and its history are a lie. And he has his clear defi- important and fascinating from Dr. Seagrave is a true pioneer nitions: "Honesty is the will and many points of view – political, among a primitive people. He the effort to keep one's agree- racial, archeological, geological, is not only physician and sur- cultural and religious. The augeon, but sanitary engineer, [271 ] thor of this large volume has de- voted twelve years to research in preparation for this important popular study. He spent some time with the American School of Oriental Research at Jeru- salem and his books of reference include one hundred contribu- tions to archeology, Biblical and secular history and kindred sub- jects. (He has, however, omitted many important volumes, such as those by Morton, George Adam Smith and George L. Rob- inson.) In popular and vivid narrative style Mr. Owen tells the story of God's call to Abraham to leave Dr of the Chaldees. He carries on the story of the history of Abraham and the children of It Will Be Daybreak Soon. By conflict in China is. not warfare Israel, through Egypt, the wil- Archibald Rutledge. 12mo. 129 pp. but wholesale massacre, rape derness wanderings., the period $1.25. Fleming H. Revel! Co. New and robbery. It is a horrible of the Judges, the Kings, the York. 1939. tale and would have been much exile, the Maccabean period, the worse but for the presence of time of Christ, on through the The American Negro is an in- courageous missionaries and apostolic days, the Arab con- teresting character, intensely hu- other foreigners. quest, the crusades, the rule of man, full of humor, a sense of the Turks up to the capture of God and a nearnes,s, to nature. By Life and By Death. Lessons from Jerusalem by the British under Mr. Rutledge was born in South the Diary of John C. Stam. By General Allenby. It is a check- Carolina in 1883 and is Poet E. Schuyler English. Illus. 12mo. ered history very briefly told, the Laureate of his native state. He 62 pp. 50 cents. Zondervan. Grand early portion following closely understands the Negro of the Rapids, Mich. 1939. the Biblical narrative. The story South and has written several is carefully annotated with copi- books of poetry and prose. In The Christian world knows ous reference notes to each 1932 he received the John Bur- the story of the martyrdom of chapter. roughs medal for "the best na- John and Betty Starn in China in ture writing" in America. This 1934. Their testimony is beau- Preaching-The Doctrines of Grace. volume pictures life on a South- tiful and powerful and abiding. Compiled by Roland G. Leavell. 8vo. ern plantation and reveals the Here are striking extracts from 150 pp. $1.00. Boardman Press. fine character and native ability John Starn's diary written dur- Nashville. 1939. of the old-time Negro. His ing the last three years of his sketches reminds one of some of life. Mr. English has drawn les- Present-day interest in evan- the best features of books on the sons from his courage, his faith, gelism has led the 'Superintend- Negro by Thomas Nelson Page his love and experience. It is ent of Evangelism of the South- and Booker T. Washington. stimulating to faith and sacriern Baptist Convention to collect ficial living and is especially apsome "orthodox" and very help- Green Timber. By Esther Gerberd- pealing to youth. This makes a ful messages from fifteen evan- ing Hunt. 8vo. 220 pp. 75 cents. good companion volume to "The gelical Baptist preachers. They Board of Publication of the lJ nited Faith of John and Betty Stam" deal with such Christian doc- Lutheran Church in America. Phil- with the poems of Betty. trines as God, sin, forgiveness, adelphia. repentence, f a i t h, salvation, Welcome House. By Jessie E. Moore. sanctification and glorification. This is a prize-winning story Illus. 8vo. 95 pp. Friendship These are forceful, biblical, Gos- of Olaf, a young American-born Press. New York. 1939. pel sermons that will furnish Norseman, and Ebba Maj who material for much needed became his wife. He entered the American children – primary messages to congregations in Lutheran ministry and went into and juniors-will like this story churches at home and on the the "great timberland of the of six children whose parents are mission fields. Northwest, where they faced missionaries in Iran. How they difficulties and hardships to- came to America by automobile, The Lord Is Calling. By Oswald J. gether and grew into strong, train and boat, lived in America, Smith. 96 pp. 1 sh. well-seasoned timber." It is an went to church and school, interesting, wholesome story but played, made friends, helped The Work God Blesses. By Oswald without outstanding lit era r y other people, and celebrated J. Smith. 96 pp. 1 811,. Marshall, merit as to situations, plot or Christmas-all this is told in a Morgan and Scott. London. character delineation. loving, sympathetic way, show- ing what a Christian family can Dr. Smith has a large, evan- War Conduct of the Japanese. By be and do. gelical "Peoples Church" of over Shuhsi Hsu, Ph.D. Prepared under 2,000 members in Toronto. They the auspices of the Council of Inter- Canadian Journey. By H. P. Thompare a missionary-minded people national Affairs. Circulated by the son. Paper. 68 pp. S. P. G. Lonwho give $40,000 a year to mis- China Information Service, 945 don. 1939. sions – about two times as Pennsylvania Ave., N. W., Washmuch as they spend on them- ington, D. C. 1938. The Editorial Secretary of the selves. In each of these two Society for the Propagation of volumes we have a number of This 217-page book is an at- the Gospel in Foreign Parts tells the pastor's sermons – one vol- tempt to set forth in unre- of the conditions, the people and ume on Christian doctrines, like strained language the truth the work in Western Canada. It the Virgin Birth, the Resurrec- about Japanese, methods of war- is worth reading and raises hope tion and Salvation vs. Religion; fare in China-in the air, at sea for the Western Hemisphere the other volume on Christian and on land. The author has col': even though Europe should go to service with such topics as "The lected facts and shows how pieces. The prairies, the forests, Supreme Task of the Church," Japan has disregarded interna- the pioneers and the rich reand "Responsibilities of Stew- tional laws, treaties and prom- sources should be won for Christ ardship." They are spiritual, ises, and the rights of non-com- and developed with a knowledge practical, Biblical sermons. which batants. of the love and character of God have proved their effectiveness. and with whole-hearted alle- These records are largely gience to His authority. taken from the reports of the International Committee. The
A Oorrection Edward Rawlings was born at Tomorrow. Report of the Board
Powellton, Brunswick County, Vir- Home Missions, Congregational and Dr. Speer calls our attention to a ginia, on October 23, 1865, and was Christian Churches. 160 pp. New word that was incorrectly read in the graduated from Randolph-Macon Col- York. manuscript of his review of "Essen- lege in 1886. For seventeen years tial Christianity" which appeared on (1890 to 1907) he was a pastor, and The Work God Blesses. Oswald J. page 224 of the April issue. The first was presiding elder one year. He was Smith. 96 pp. 18. Marshall, Morsentence in the last paragraph should appointed Conference Missionary Sec- gan & Scott. London. r:ead: retary in 1908 and the following year was elected Educational Secretary of War Conduct of the Japanese. Shuhsi "Dr. Angus' emphasis on the duty the Board of Missions. For two years Hsu. 217 pp. China Information of Christlikeness, of obedience and (1916-18) he was Secretary of the Service. Washington, D. C. conformity to the Spirit of Christ, or Laymen's Missionary Movement and unselfishness and sacrifice and service in 1917 became Foreign Mission Sec- The Great Succession. Leaders of and love is all to the good, but his sub- retary of the Board. He traveled the Baptist Missionary Society durjective humanism is a swan song of a widely in the interest of missions and ing the Nineteenth Century. E. A. declining liberalism." in 1926 he was elected Secretary of Payne. 160 pp. 28. Garey Press. Education and Promotion and Editor London. Penonll Items of World Outlook. The Voice of the Church in China. (ConcZuded from pa,ge 225.) *** A collection of documents. Preface by Dom P.-C. Lou Tseng-Tsiang. sity Christian Mission, which is mak- Rev. Edmund W. McDowell, D.D., 120 pp. 38. 6d. Longmans. Lon- an honorably retired missionary of the don. ing plans for the academic year of Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., 1939-40. died in Fort Collins, Colorado, March K. T. Paul. Christian Leader. Reli- ••• 31. He was born in Altoona, Pa., gious Life of India Series. H. A. Rev. Robert M. Hopkins, D.D., March 13, 1857. Mter being gradu- Popley. 254 pp. Rs. 2.4. Y. M. ated from Wooster College, Ohio, and C. A. Press. Calcutta, India. LL.D., for the past ten years general from Western Theological Seminary, Allegheny, he and his wife sailed for Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis. secretary of the World's Sunday Persia in 1887. Dr. McDowell gave George W. Briggs. Religious Life forty years of his life to service in of India Series. 380 pp. Rs. 4.8 School Association, has been elected Persia and Mesopotamia and was in- and 5.8, Y. M. C. A. Press, Calcutta, president of the United Christian Mis- strumental in developing mission work India; 8s. 6d., Oxford University in Urumia, organizing a chain of vil- Press, London. sionary Society with headquarters at lage schools and churches through the Indianapolis. Dr. Hopkins was born mountains all the way from Urumia Yesterday and Tomorrow in North- to Mosul. After the organization of ern Nigeria. Walter Miller. lUus. in Trenton, Kentucky, and has been the United Mission in Mesopotamia in 182 pp. 58. Student Christian engaged in religious educational work 1922, he was stationed at Mosul until Movement Press. London. he was honorably retired in 1928. One since 1900 when he became Sunday of his two sons, Philip C. McDowell, The Mahar Folk. A Study of Un- M.D., is now a member of the Pres- touchables in Maharastra. Alexschool evangelist for the Disciples of byterian Mission in Teheran, Iran. ander Robertson. Religious Life of India Series. Rs. 2 and 3, Y. M. Christ in Kentucky. In 1910 he be- New Books C. A. Press, Calcutta; 48. 6d., Oxcame Bible School Secretary of the ford University Press, London. . American Christian Missionary So- Abraham to Allenby. G. Frederick ciety, and ten years later was placed Owen. 351 pp. $2.50. Eerdman African Women. A Study of the Ibo Pub. Co. Grand Rapids. of Nigeria. Sylvia Leith-Ross. lUus. in charge of the Department of Reli- 367 pp. 158. Faber and Faber. The Art of Conducting Public W or- London. gious Education in the United Chris- ship. Albert W. Palmer. 211 pp. tian Missionary Society. He has done $2.50. Macmillan. New York. From My African Notebook. A. Schweitzer. Trans. by Mrs. C. E. B. a remarkable work in connection with Civilization. The Next Step. Delisle Russell. Illus. 132 pp. 58. Allen Burns. 291 pp. $2.75. W. W. Nor- & Unwin. London. the WorId's Sunday School Associa- ton. New York. tion. He attended the Glasgow Con- The Southern Bantu. L. Marquard Christian Faith in a Day of Crisis. and T. G. Standing. 262 pp. 78.6d. vention in 1924, visited Central and Charles S. MacFarland. 226 pp. Oxfoi'd University Press. London. $1.50. Revell. New York. South Mrica in the interests of Sun- Venezuela. Erna Ferguson. 346 pp. day school work in 1934, and was a Essential Christianity. Samuel An- $3.00. Knopf. New York. gus. 226 pp. $2.00. Macmillan. delegate to the recent Madras Confer- New York. Philippine Pagans. The Autobiog- raphies of Three Ifugaos. R. F. ence. Dr. Hopkins' successor in the Honesty. Richard C. Cabot. 326 pp. Barton. lUus. 271 pp. 15s. Rout- $2.50. Macmillan. New York. ' ledge. London. W. S. S. A. has not yet been elected. The Lord Is Calling. Oswald J. The Gospel in the World. A Restate- ••• Smith. 96 pp. 18. Marshall, Mor- ment of Missionary Principles. God- The Rev. C. E. Wilson, for thirty- gan & Scott. London. frey E. Phillips. 252 pp. 58. Duckfour years Secretary of the Baptist worth. London. Our Father. A Missionary Prayer. Missionary Society of London, has re- C. Mallam Johnston. 27 pp. 3d. World Community. William Paton. S. P. G. London. 192 pp. $1.50. Macmillan. New tired after notable service. He was York. for ten years a missionary in India Preaching. The Doctrines of Grace. Compiled by Roland G. Leavell. 150 The Church of the T'ang Dynasty. (1894 to 1904) and later, during his pp. $1.00. Boardman Press. Nash- John Foster. 168 pp. 48. S. P. ville. C. K. London. secretaryship, visited China, Jamaica, Those Gay Middle Ages. Frederick Bantu Heritage. H. P. Junod. lUus. Africa, India and other fields of the Kershner. 233 pp. $2. Willett 155 pp. 308. Hortors (For the society. Mr. Wilson has proved an Clark & Co. New York. Transvaal Chamber of Mines). Jo- hannesburg, South Mrica. able executive and a wise missionary A Testament of Faith. P. G. S. Hop- wood. 215 pp. $2.00. Macmillan. Re-Thinking Christianity in India. statesman. New York. Edited by D. M. Devasahayam and A. N. Sudarisanam. 267 pp. Rs. 2.8. Obituary Notes A. N. Sudarisanam, Madras, India.
(Concluded from Second Cover.) Living the Christian Faith. Edwin Ewart Aubrey. 118 pp. $1.50. Dr. E. H. Rawlings, Business Man- Macmillan. New York. ager and former Editor of World Outlook, died at his home in Nashville, This Busine-ss of Living. L. W. Gren- Tennessee, on March 17. He was the sted. 187 pp. $1.75. Macmillan. senior connectional secretary of the New York. Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and dean of missionary officers. His work for missions was more diversified than that of any other man and he had held many positions connected with the promotion and administration of missions in the Church.
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..
THE LIFE OF GEORGE BOWEN OF BOMBAY By ROBERT E. SPEER The biography of a remarkable missionary whom the (then) Prince of Wales visited in Bombay at the request of his mother, Queen Victoria.
What some readers say of this book: Robert Speer's "Life of George Bowen of Bombay" is one was so far-sighted and so deep-seeing!-the former because of the richest of missionary biographies. the latter. If one wants to sum up the interests of our DR. J. LoVBLL MURRAY, Director of the students today-Biblical, social, theological-Bowen is a Canadian School of Missions, Toronto. representative figure. And what a lesson in apparent failure!
What a life! He was old enough to know why he went, . . . I feel strongly that every student and alumnus of our Seminary needs this book. What better book to lead them to and bad enough to know the meaning of salvation. One by_ feed on the Bible. One hears so much "vestibule religion"- product of his. experience was his wonderful humility-noth- ing in the show window and himself in the remote back- men pointing to the door and taking their people as far as the ground. It is inspiring. threshold, but no opening up of the treasures within the G ' n . . P PI f f .1 r Father's House. Read the topics of current sermons, and .lJA. BORGJ! • BRSON, ormer" 0 Japan. Bowen's expositions are precisely what Christians need in order We must all be grateful for this revealing of the main- to grow from puerility into spiritual maturity. Here is no adolescent, but a man in Christ. This is no volume to be springs of Bowen's character, his abiding faith in God, his eamest purpose to be a true and faithful follower of Jesus read and dismissed, but to be marked and to be turned to Ptrist; and his deep-seated conviction that the Gospel of repeatedly. };!=~:ntS~Of "tJ:io;;o;:~7~ar~. Christ could meet the religious needs of India's people. J WILLIAM HAzEN, The Memoirs of George Bowen will continue to be for Missionary in ShoJapur, India. years to come a searching manual of devotion. He has set t.e.eItn.thbicoegnrtauprhyy. oIf coonueld 0nfotthpeutsatihnetlibeostokfigduorwesn.0 fTthheererui·snea- before me an ideal which few could attain; his life is a scathfascination and a depth in this man's soul which held me in ing rebuke to our ease, comfort, self-indulgence and ineE- devout attention. I found myself marking his moving sayings ficiency. J. Ross STBVENSON, which would serve ,as starting points for chapel talks. He President Emeritus, P,in.eton Semina".
Send $2.00 to-day for your copy of this latest book by Dr. Speer THE MISSIONARY REVIEW PUBLISHING CO.
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The Missionary Review of the World — February 1939
1939
About Shinto Shrine Worship A Japanese Christian How One Mission Works in Chosen A Missionary Report Conversion of a Pagan American Lena Blowers Janowsky Preaching Christ to Students in China Stanton Lautenschlager The Chinese Dragon No Longer Sleeps Mrs. Gerald R. Zimmer Save India Through India's Women . Anbu M. Azariah , Closer Cooperation in Missions Alexander McLeish 25 Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
D.te. to Remember Seminary; He became a local preach- was Honorary Secretary of'the
er upon his conversion in 1906. January 23-February l8-Iowa School India Tract Society. He served for a for Missionaries. Iowa State College, considerable time on the faeulty of Ames, Iowa. * ob*erts*has Mr. been elect- the Theological Seminary in Saharan- February 2-4–Conference on Siam at Thomas R pur. 156 Fifth Ay,e., New York. ed secretary-treasL/rer of the New After his retirement he served for February 6-l4:'-International Council York Seamen's Church Institute, to of Religious Education, Chicago, Ill. fill the vacancy caused by the death of sixteen years as an honored and greatly beloved adviser for almost February 7-March 31 – Teams of Mr. Frank T. Warburton. Mr. ROb- every phase of missionary life. speakers from the Madras Confer- erts is well known as financial ad- ence are to visit a number of cities visor to many organizations. He is survived by two daughters in the United States and Canada to * and one son, Rev. Edmund D. Lucas, report on the most important fea- 'I< 'I< Ph.D., vice-principal of Forman tures of that conference. One team will consist of Professor G. Baez Mrs. M. D. Eubank, retired mission- Christian College at Lahore, India. Camargo of Mexico, Dr. P. C. Hsu ary of the American Baptist Foreign of China, and Miss Ila Sircar of * 'I< India. The second team will con- Mission Society, died in Kansas City, 'I< sist o.f Dr. Rajah B. Manikam of India, Dr. Hachiro Yuasa of Japan, Mo., September 24, 1938. With her Helen Miller Gould Shepard, the and Miss Minnie Soga of South Africa. husband, Dr. Eubank, she sailed for wife of Finley J. Shepard of New Huchow, East China, in 1899. They April 26 – Uniting Conference of York and Tarrytown, died on Decem- American Methodism, Kansas City, continued their medical, educational Mo. and evangelistic service until 1915; ber 2lstat the age of 70 as a result of an apoplexy stroke.. She was the FLORIDA CHAIN OF MISSION- and since their return Dr. Eubank has ARY ASSEMBLIES daughter of J.ay Gould, the railroad been field representative of the Mis- February l-3-Palm Beaches. sion for Missouri; magnate who willed her a large share February 4-8-0rlando. of his fortune. She received this gift February 5-7-De Land. as a steward to ,be used for God in February 8-lO-Ft. Myers. *** February 9-10-Sarasota. His work for man. Her contributions February 11-l6-St. Petersburg. Miss Mary C. Helm, Presbyterian to various cause's were many and February l2-l5-Clearwater. ll'ebruary l7-l8-Southern College. missionary in the Punjab, died in the large, including work for soldiers and February 19-2l-Tampa. Deaconess Hospital of Boston, Octo- February 19-21-Winter Haven. ber 15, 1938. She was, successively, sailors, for Bible instruction in col- February 22-23-Quincy. February 23-24–Tallahassee. principal of the Boarding School for leges and for missionary and philan- February 24-26-All College. thropic work in many lands. In 1913, Girls in J agraon, teacher in the Mary at the age of 55, she was married to E. Pratt School in Ambala City, as- Mr. Shepard, then a manager of the sistant principal of the Boys' Board- ing School in Khanna, and from 1923 Gould system of railroads. Mrs.
until her death, principal of the Sarah Shepard was on the boards of many philanthropic and Christian enter- M. Wherry School for Girls in J a- prises, including the American Tract graon. She was keenly interested in Society, American Bible Society" the literacy campaign which has been American Christian Literature So- developing in the Punjab. ciety for Moslems, and the World Do- * * 'I< minion. She was a member of the Dr. Henry Beets" the Secretary of Reformed Church in America. She is the Christian Reformed Church Board survived by her ~ husband and three of Missions to the Heathen, and Stated adopted children and one ward whom Clerk of that denomination,and Edi- she educated. tor of The Missionarry Monthly * * 'I< (Heidenwereld), retired in January as Secretary· of Missions, having Dr. A. E. Burrows, the editor of the Rarm's Horn, died on November 13th, Personal Items reached the age of 70. Dr. Beets con- tinues his work as Stated Clerk and as a result of an automobile accident followed by an apoplexy, stroke. The Dr. Emory Ross, secretary of the Editor of the Monthly which he has publication of the Ram's Horn will be Africa Committee of the Foreign Mis- carried on effectively for so many sionsConference, of the African Wel- discontinued for the present at least fare Committee of the Federal Council years. and will be missed by its many of Churches, and of the American Mission to Lepers, returned in December readers. .. * * from a lleven months' trip through Africa, from one end of the continent Obituary Notes Mrs. Katherine, Ellis, senior C. M. S.
to the other. The Rev. J. J. Lucas, ·D.D., an hon- missionary in Palestine, lived almost uninterruptedly in the country since *** orably retired missionary· from the North India Mission of the Presby- she first came in 1884, with her Mrl!. F. S. Bennett, in whose honor terian Church in the United States of mother. Seven years later she was a bell was placed in the tower of the America, died in Lahore, India, Jan- Central Church of Santo Domingo, has uary 7, 1939. (Concluded on piJ,ge 65.) again been honored in the naming of a new unit of the· Presbyterian Hos- James Joseph Lucas was born in A Scriptural Stud'Y Each Week-52 Lessons pital in San Juan, P.R. A gift of Dublin, Ireland, August 21, 1847, and $23,000 to the Hospital had made poS- came to America with his parents A practical, effective course in methods sible the addition of a new clinic, when he was a small boy. He received of Christ1an work and soul.winniD.!l. additional private rooms and two op- his education in Danville, Kentucky, erating rooms; but the equipment for and Princeton Theological Seminary. Send 15c in stamps for current iUu.. the operating unit had waited for ad- In ~870 he was appointed asa misditional funds. In December the Pres- sionary to India and two years later RISTIAN PUBLICATIONSJNG byterian Board of National Missions married Mary Eveline Sly, a mis- .allocated $5,000 for this purpose, and sionary. ~n 1884 they went to Alla- Hlrrlsburg, PI. Mrs. Bennett has been asked to repre- habad, where they remained until sent the Board at the dedication. honorably retired in 1922, ·after fifty- two years of active service. Mrs. Rev. Chong *00.* * pastor of the Lucas died in 1931.
Kim, For years Dr. Lucas had o¥crsight of evangelistic work in a large field, First Methodist Church of Seoul, Ko- was head of the boys' school in Alla- habad, where he taulfht Hindu, Morea, has been elected General Superin- hammedan, and ChrIstian students. He was the author of many books, tendent of the Korean Methodist commentaries, and tracts in the Indian Church. Bishop Kim was educated vernaculars and for a number of years in the Pierson Memorial Bible School and the Union Methodist Theological
MISSIONARY Thursday of February each year, will
REVIEW OF THE WORLD be postponed until further notice on account of the absence of several of By mistake the death was reported DBLAVAN L. PIBllBON, Bent.". the Directors at the Madras Con- (in the January issue) of Thomas ference. Moody, who served many years in VOL. LXII FEB., 1939 No.2 Central Africa as a missionary of the Obituary Notes American Baptist Foreign Missionary Publication and Business Office– Society. We are thankful to say that Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. (Concluded from 2d cover.) Mr. Moody, while retired as a mission- ary, is still living at Closter, N. J. Editorial and Executive Office– accepted as a C. M. S. missionary. 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. She married Mr. F. T. EUis, head- In the brief a*rtic*le *on Dr. Imad-ud- Entered as second-class matter at master of Bishop Gobat School in 1894. She died in Palestine on No- din, reprinted in our December num- Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under vember 17th. Few people have a con- ber (page 573) from The National Act of March 3, 1879. tinuous record of fifty years' service Missionary Intelligencer of India, ap- in the Moslem world. pear two errors as to dates, Dr. Imad- 25 cents a copy-$2.60 a year. ud-din, the famous convert from Islam Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. *** was baptized in 1866 at the age of Publlsbed monthly, except August. forty-four (not sixty-four) and was All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1939. Rev. Ezequiel D. Torres, of San ordained to the ministry in 1868. He British agents – Marshall, Morgan Miguel de los Banos, Cuba, a Presby- was descended from the famous Mos- and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, tenan leader, died suddenly on Jan- lem Qutub (not Gutale) Jamal, a London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, uary 6. He was born in Cuba on descendant of the royal house of 10 shillings a year. April 8, 1887, and came under evan- Persia. gelical influence early in life. At the MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- close of the SpaniSh-American War *** LISHING CO., INC. when Protestant missionarIes went into Cuba, Dr. Torres' mother at once The "Fourteen Points for Foreign BOARD OF DIRECTORS enrolled him in a mission school. He Missions" quoted in our June number ROBERT E. SPEER, President was graduated from La Progresiva at (page 262) was credited by mistake A. L. W ARNBHUIB, Vic"-Pr,,.id"'" Cardenas, and entered Westminster to Dr. William Adams Brown. The W ALTER McDOUGALL, Treasurer College, Missouri, from which he re- correct author is the Rev. William A. DF.I.AVAN L. PIERSON, Secretor'll ceived his A.B. degree in 1909. He Brown, founding pastor of the studied for the ministry at Union The- Friendly Mission at Cave Junction, PAUL J. BRAISTED ological Seminary, Richmond, Vir- Oregon. SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT gima, and returned to Cuba to take a D. J. FANT pastorate at Camajuani. He opened An Effect of Tithing MRS. ORRI~' R. JUDD a mission day school to give children the advantage of daily religious train- Whereas the total per capita gifts W14. B. LIPPHARD ing and contmued in educational work of American churches, for both out- from that time until his death. After side benevolences and congregational ERIC M. NORTH 1930, he was principal of the Kate expenses, averaged only $13.02 per SAMUEL M. ZWEMER Plumer Bryan School at Guines, Cuba. member last year for 20 large Prot- Dr. Torres was a gifted orator, with estant denominations, the four leading Editorial Chat a brilliant mind, and was well-beloved churches of Long Beach, California, by church groups in Cuba and the last year gave $13.47 per member to The special home and foreign mis- United States. benevolences alone. The average besion study topics for the year 1939 and nevolent gifts reported for all leading 1940 will take up subjects that deal *** American churches was only one sixth with the needs, the progress and the this amount, or $2.23 per member. At program for promoting the Christian Rev. George A. Landes, an honor- the same time the Long Beach enterprise at home and abroad. The ably retired missionary from the churches are paying off their "Earthforeign missions textbooks will deal South Brazil Mission of the Presby- quake Loans" and are engaged in with the subjects discussed at the re- terian Church in the United States of building programs. One secret of the cent Madras Missionary Conference America, died after a brief illness in fine showing of the four Long Beach (December 13-30, 1938), These relate Pasadena, California, December 30, churches is that they are tithing to the Church and its opportunities, 1938. churches. They give 40 % of all their methods and program in mission fields contributions to local home and foraround the world. He was born in Milroy, Pennsyl- eign mISSIOns. Tithing evidently vania, February 17, 1850. He grad- brings blessed results both to givers *** uated from Pennsylvania State Col- and to the work of Christ. The po- lege in 1877, and from Princeton Theo- tential giving power for Protestant We plan to publish a series of logical Seminary in 1880. On August Christians in the United States is papers in THE REVIEW to give views 3, 1880, he married Miss Rebecca estimated at about $3,000,000,000 a of delegates as to the importance and Margaret Newell Shoeder and they year, or ne"l'ly ten times the present probable results of the conference. left for Brazil, commissioned by The reported gifts. Papers are expected from Dr. Paul Board of Foreign Missions of the W. Harrison of Arabia, Dr. John R. Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. Dramatic Portrayal of Life Mott, Chairman, Mr. B. L. Rallia in India Ram of India, Prebendery W. W. Cash First stationed at Rio de Janeiro, of London, and others. Later papers later they moved to Curityba, Florian- Mr. and Mrs. Ramkrishna Shahu and photographic illustrations will be opolis, and were the first missionariE:s Modak of Ahmednagar, India, are ofpresented on the most interesting and to establish work in Curityba. He fering a dramatic program in costume important topics discussed. made extensive journeys on horseback showing everyday life in India. Mr. over almost impassable roads, travel- Modak is pastor of a large, self-sup- *** ing hundreds of miles to reach the re- porting Christian Church and Mrs. mote areas of his field. Several groups Modak, formerly Marguerite Grove, a The home mission text books for the of evangelical Christians were estab- missionary of the American Congrecoming year are to deal with "The lished as a result. gational Church. They are very active World Community at Home." We plan in Christian work in India. Mr. and also to present in THE REVIEW a num- Mr. and Mrs. Landes were honor- Mrs. Modak can be addres~ed at 47 ber of articles by outstanding leaders, ably retired in 1923, after forty-three Allenhurst Road, Buffalo, N. Y., by dealing with this and related topics. years of devoted service on the field. those interested in their portrayal. In 1927, they returned to California. *** Mr. Landes is survived by his wife and several children, one son, Philip, There has been a large demand each being a member of the South Brazil year for our special numbers dealing Mission. with the mission study subjects. Mrs. F. F. Hutchins of Indianapolis writes: [65 ] "The October number is an invaluable help on India." This year the special articles will be distributed through the year.
*** The Annual Meeting of THE RE- VIEW, regularly held on the second
CITY OF PAHSIEN (CHUNGKING), SZECHWAN, WHICH IS NOW THE PROVISIONAL CAPITAL OF CHINA
HEAVY FOGS HAVE MORE THAN ONCE AFFORDED THIS CITY A NATURAL PROTEC'TION FROM JAPANESE AIR ATTACKS Photograph by E. Warren Knight, M.D. CHINESE REFUGEES LISTENING TO THE GOSPEL IN FRONT OF THE MEN'S HOSPITAL, LINFEN, SHANSI. A BRITISH FLAG IS SPREAD ON THE ROOF BESIDE A PAINTED RED CROSS, SE'RVING AS A MEANS OF IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION AGAINST AIR RAIDS SCENES CONNECTED WITH MILITARY AND SPIRITUAL CONFLICTS IN CHINA (These plates are used by courtesy of Ohina's Millions, Germantown, Pa., January, 1939)
NARY
ORLD VOLUME LXII AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY, 1939 Topics of the Times FORWARD IN FOREIGN MISSIONS advance. The goal is world-wide evangelization and the establishment of Christian churches, with What has been achieved by the Christian trained Spirit-filled leaders in every land, ready to Church in nineteen centuries of missionary work? carryon victoriously in the name and power of The forces against Christ and His program of Jesus Christ.
love and righteousness have been many and active. Among the advance steps to be taken in Chris- They have usually been foolish or diabolical. But tian missions, in order to make the work more the forces for good have been stronger, for God effective, may be mentioned the following: has marshalled and inspired them. As one result the Bible (in whole or in part) has been now First: A new study of the areas yet to be evantranslated in 1,000 tongues so that nine-tenths of gelized and at least given an opportunity to see the earth's population, if they can read at all, can Christ and receive Him as the living Lord and read God's message to man in their own language. only Saviour. This includes not only the unoccu- In every land and to every race the Gospel of pied and unevangelized geographical areas, but Christ has been proclaimed; and in practically the areas in social life in so-called Christian lands. every land the Church of Christ has been estab- There is need for advance today in evangelistic emphasis and activity. lished and prepared to carry forward the work Second: An appraisal of missionary message, of evangelization. Hundreds of thousands' of personnel, assets and methods at home and abroad Christian witnesses of every race and tongue and to discover which are the most productive in abidnation testify to the grace of God~most of them ing spiritual results. Is our work sufficiently for love and without any thought of personal gain sacrificial? Is more courage needed in meeting from this service. The largest number of the opposition? Is evangelism ineffective in instituearth's inhabitants now are called Christians- Honal work? Is the Holy Spirit given the right though they are divided into Protestants, Roman of way in guiding young Christians and young and Greek Catholics, Abyssinians, Copts, Gre- churches in mission fields?
gorians, Nestorians and other sects. While they Third: What steps should be taken to clarify outnumber the Buddhists, Hindus, Moslems, Tao- the essential Christian message and to purify the ists and other non-Christian sects, many of them Church life? Many miss,ionaries today are critiare still weak and ignorant and know not the cized because they are not first of all true "ampower of God in their own lives. The amou~t bassadors for Christ." At home and abroad both done in fulfilment of our Lord's last command IS churches and Christians are inclined to be too selfvast, but the work is still incomplete. indulgent and to adopt other standards of life We look backward to learn from experience; we than thos,e set for us in the Word of God. Fourth: There is need for more Christian fellook around in order that we may see the present lowship and cooperation among all those who aclnoeoekds~pffoorrcegsu, ideannecmeieasn,d and opportunities; we cept Christ as Lord and Saviour. This may not strength; if we wish to mean organic church union, but it does require spiritual unity and cooperation with other memgo forward and make progress, we must look bers of the body of Christ. How can this be ahead. Christians press on toward a definite goal -in spite of difficulties and discouragements.
The foreign mission leaders at Madras have effected so as to avoid duplication, conflict and been looking forward in preparation for a new confusion? How can such a united front be pro- [67 ]
moted without weakening Christian testimony in Naturally this affects their religious philosophy evangelism and in education and service? and life. They see that Buddhism and Buddhist Fifth: Greater emphasis must be placed on the priests are antiquated, and there is a search for a training of native Christian leaders in every land. better way of life. The war in China is today In the past too much energy and money have been driving many illiterate Tai from southern China spent, proportionately, on the general education of across the border to seek a home in Siam.
non-Christians. The greatest need today is for The great present day need is the promotion of Spirit-filled, well trained Christian leaders and enlightened Christian ideas and the development teachers in every field-especially volunteer lay of strong Christian leaders in Siam; otherwise workers. the country may go the way of other lands, seek- Sixth: More emphasis must be placed on the ing to gain strength through communism or by production and use of Christian literature. With dictatorship. The Christian missionaries are growing literacy all over the world, new and highly respected in Siam because of their valuable larger fields are opened; with the increase of contributions to educational and medical progress.
cheap and harmful literature, more must be done They have sought to supply Siam's greatest needs to counteract this evil by wholesome books and and are recognized as unselfish, enlightened bene- papers. Mission Boards have not yet devoted factors and statesmen. As a result there has been sufficient attention to the power of the printed for some years, and is today, a great response on page-with a message skilfully presented. the part of the Siamese to the Christian Gospel, Seventh: The members of the army of Christ especially among the Lao and Shan tribes in the must advance on their knees. The need for this North. A national church has been formed and is has always been recognized but not sufficiently making encouraging progress.
practiced in spirit and truth. Prayer sometimes One peculiarity about Siam as a mission field is made subordinate to programs. Is not the is that only one Protestant church is working Spirit's guidance too often sought after steps have among the Siamese and Lao – the Presbyterian been taken, rather than before? Church in the U. S. A. which opened work in Christ's challenge comes to His Church to ad- Bangkok ninety-nine years ago. This Church has vance. There is reason for thanksgiving for the now seventy missionaries in thirteen stations, and progress made, but while 60 millions in India are 412 Siamese full-time Christian workers. still considered Untouchable; while 100 million in Africa have not yet heard of God's love for A special conference on "The Present Day Opman; while militarism holds sway in Japan, and portunity in Siam" is to be held in New York, China is suffering the extreme horrors of warfare; (February 2 to 4) in which three Siamese Chrisand while even in more privileged countries antigod movements are active, there is clearly no rea- tians and eighteen missionaries from Siam are to son for self-satisfaction because of the past take part. In Siam the present door will not reachievements of the Christian Church. There is main open if atheistic, materialistic, communistic a clarion call to more earnest prayer and more or totalitarian forces gain the ascendency. Her~ united service in the Cause of Christ. is a friendly, receptive country located in a stra- tegic position in Southern Asia. It is a unique opportunity in a unique mission field.
SIAM, A UNIQUE FIELD MISSIONARY UNITY IN MADAGASCAR Siam, called by the Siamese Muang-Thai, or The great island of Madagascar is famous in "Kingdom of the Free," is one of the last liberal, missionary history for the remarkable conversion constitutional monarchies in Asia. Its area is of the people, followed by terrible persecution un- 200,000 square miles, or twice the size of New der Queen Ranavalona lone hundred and ten England. The population is growing and now years ago. There were many martyrs but the atnumbers about 10,000,000, or one half that of tempt to blot out Christianity failed. Today the New England. While Buddhism is the prevailing church is making real progress with 3000 organreligion, there is full religious liberty; ninety per- ized churches and 212,000 Protestant Christians cent of the schools. are still located in Buddhist connected with two British, two American and temples. two continental societies, in addition to the Roman Catholics. Today Siam seems to be awake and ready to step out on a new program. The spirit of nation- This East African island, which was taken over alism is felt and national leaders are studying for- by the French in 1896, has an area of 241,000 eign ideas in medicine, education and modern im- square miles (one fifth larger than Siam) and a provements to adapt them to the country's needs. population of 3,604,000 (the same as Cuba which The people are seeking new education and the ad- has one fifth the area). Recently the five leading vantage of Western discoveries and inventions.
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
Protestant missions have come together in har- the Christian worship, the opening of new places, monious cooperation and division of territory. and liberty to preach and teach the Gospel in all Twenty-five years ago the first conference of the prisons. of Madagascar. .
all the Protestant missions was held in Madagas- 3. The chief of public instruction was to be recar. Last August we held the fifth inter-mission- quested to abrogate the school law that rules out ary conference. teaching the vernacular. The former meetings were held at Tananarive but this time Fianarantsoa was chosen, with the 4. The French Mission was asked to consider Inter-Lutheran Theological Seminary at Ivory as permanent mission work in the prison colonies at headquarters. St. Marie and Nosy Be. All missions are to sup- port this work financially since the prisoners at The delegates included 56 voting members, be- these colonies come from the whole island. sides advisory ones-from American, Norwegian, British and French missions. Dr. M. J. Stolee 5. The same mission was asked to open a home from America spoke in fluent Malagasy, although and a school for the metis children as soon as he had been away from Madagascar for 29 years, possible. All the Protestant missions are to take and gave some of his impressions about the chang- their share in carrying the expenses of this new es he observed in Madagascar. home and school.
The Inter-missionary conference is made up of 6. In order that all church workers may have an equal number of missionaries and native church free access to the present church and school laws, workers from the three Lutheran missions, the a member of the conference was asked to gather London Missionary Society, the French Protestant and publish these laws.
Mission, and the Friends. The Anglican mission 7. A Gospel Campaign by all the missions was withdrew a few years ago. agreed upon, to be launched in 1939 preferably in The aim of the conference is cooperation in such August or September, with Gospel teams prepared enterprises and problems as call for combined ef- for the work.
fort. There is a general agreement that these 8. Each mission was asked to encourage and • missions will not take up missionary work in the train Christians for different kinds of laymen's fields assigned to another mission. This has been work.
a wonderful blessing, and has saved overlapping 9. Standing committees, with members from and strife. Any Christian, upon the presentation each mission, were recommended on the followof certificate of membership from one church, is ing lines: Theological text-books; Malagasy meloreceived as a member in good standing in any church in the locality to which he moves. dies adaptable for religious use; tracts and re- ligious posters. The programs, of the conferences avoid doctrinal differences in order to prevent unnecessary dis- 10. Emphasis must be put on the propagation of cussions and to promote the spirit of Christ-like the Gospel by mission s.chools. It is better not to cooperation and unity in the Holy Spirit. have any schools if they are not strictly Christian.
All the topics tliscussed were either religious, 11. A good Protestant weekly newspaper was social, or educational, or were topics presented by recommended in order to counteract the present the Inter-missionary council. These are evidently communistic tendencies.
to be further discussed at the International Mis- 12. The Malagasy Protestant Church was asked sionary Conference at Madras, India. Papers to send two delegates to the International Miswere read on the Sunday School, the Young Peo- sionary Conference at Madras, and Mr. E. Burton ple, Laymen's Work, on Church Music, the Fam- of the L. M. S. and Prof. Johanes Rakotovao of ily Altar, Christian Literature, Evangelization, the the Norwegian Lutheran Society were elected.
Social Evils and their Consequences (such as alco- An open air meeting, held at Ivory, was unique holism, slums, etc.), and Leadership Training. in the mission work in Madagascar. It w,as esti- Representatives from each mission reported on mated that between 3000 and 4000 people were the progress of the work in their respective fields. present. Eight speakers were picked from the The following are the substance of the most best missionaries and native preachers and the important resolutions adopted: Malagasy choir sang. This meeting was an in- displltable demonstration of the strength and in- 1. Christian work should be taken up among fluence of Protestantism in this Island. the natives of the Comore Islands (a dependency of Madagascar). This new field was turned over This Inter-missionary conference closed with the Lord's Supper, held at the Norwegian Lutherto the French Protestant Mission. an Mission. A general feeling prevailed that all 2. The central committee should approach the were one in Christ Jesus, our Saviour. Governor-general with the request for a more liberal interpretation of the laws pertaining to M. G. C. VAAGENES.
PRAY FOR TROUBLED KOREANS Since the Japanese invasion of China began, the Strict Japanese censorship makes it difficult for difficulties in Chosen have greatly increased. Americans, or even Japanese Christians, to know Under police instructions the Korea Sunday the facts about the present situation in Chosen School Association, the Christian Endeavor Sowhere there are over 500,000 Protestant adher- cieties and the National Christian Council have ents of the Christian Church, in addition to the been forced to disband "voluntarily" on the pre- Roman and Greek Catholics. Many of the Korean text that they are no longer needed. The Korean Christians are noble-minded, well-educated lead- Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. and the W. C. T. U. have been united with the Japanese orers, and most of them are courageous, intellige.nt ganizations. A group of Japanese pastors was sent to Chosen, under the auspices of the Governand God-fearing men and women, not easily In- ment, to organize associations of Korean and J aptimidated. The Japanese, who are forcing their anese pastors with a view to winning the Korean way in Manchukuo and China, are determined to churches over to the Japanese point of view and form a totalitarian state in Japan and Chosen, to make them willing to participate in shrine worone in which the people will acknowledge no au- ship. Great stress was laid by the Japanese repthority as superior to that of the Emperor. They resentatives on the need for the Korean churches therefore require all subjects to attend and bow to weaken their connections with foreign missionat the national Shinto Shrines, dedicated to the aries and to come more under Japanese control. Sun-Goddess, Ama-terasu O-Mikami, who is re- Systematic propaganda is now being carried on to puted to be the grand ancestress of the Japanese foment anti-foreign and anti-missionary sentiimperial family. The Koreans lost their national ments throughout the Korean Church. No deleindependence by annexation in 1910. They are gates were allowed to go to the Madras Confernow threatened with the loss of all liberty of ence unless they would agree to favor Japanese thought and action in matters which do not harmonize in the program of Japanese dictators. policies.
The Constitution of the Japanese Empire guar- On account of the present situation and the unantees religious liberty, but this guarantee is of certain outlook, it was decided not to open the • little value if the officials can decide what is reli- Theological Seminary in Pyengyang, and to omit gion and what is not. Who is lord of the con- holding some of the Men's Bible Institutes. Misscience, God or the militaristic government? In sionaries have been advised to give up visiting Korea, at least, the Government is divided into their country churches inasmuch as these visits compartments-civil, military and the police-and result in increased pressure and bring new diffithe greatest of these is the police. These three culties upon the church members. For this reason departments very largely act independently. The much of the Christian work, which has been so educational authorities say that the Government promising, is now almost at a standstill and the does not force citizens to do obeisance at the organized work of the Church has been greatly shrines, but that only the pupils and teachers in hampered. Many of the Church leaders have been schools must go. When a delegatio!}. of mission- imprisoned and some have suffered tortures. In aries waited on the Governor-General he declared past years the Korean Christians have gone that it was not his policy to force religious or- through times of severe testing, when their whole ganizations to go to the shrines. At that same future seemed to be threatened, but the Spirit of time the police in Pyengyang were forcing repre- God, quietly working in Christians, has overruled sentatives of the Church to attend shrine cere- each trial in the past. This has led to the strengthmonies. ening and purifying of the Church and has pre- For over two years Japanese detectives have pared for greater growth.
been present at nearly all Christian church serv- The present situation is the most difficult and ices and have been ready to report anything the most threatening in all the history of Chris- said that might be interpreted as "Dangerous tian work in Korea. Many are confused and Thoughts." Since the order that all schools must troubled. Earnest prayer is needed on behalf of do obeisance at the shinto shrines, any discussion the missionaries and church leaders, and for of the question has been forbidden and declared Korean Christians, that their faith may not fail, to be lese majeste. All church and mission eom- but that they may be sustained amid conditions mittee meetings receive police permits only after which often seem heart-breaking. In spite of the pledges have been signed promising not to discuss apparent hopelessness of the present situation we the shrine question. Usually English-speaking believe that God will over-rule the present diffi- detectives have been present to see that this de- culties and will prepare for clear testimony to the mand was obeyed. It was therefore with great supernatural power of God. This has often proved difficulty that the decision to close the mission true in the past. God's arm is not shortened that schools was passed by the missions. it cannot save. Pray for the Christians in Chosen.
TEARS
Ah, tears, unbidden tears! Familiar friends since childhood's lonely years, Why do ye come again to dwell with me? Ye come; nor wait your coming nor delay; Nay, fearless with what scorn, Ye picture China by my brothers torn. The scorn I must accept, But I'm no coward; pray heed ere more ye've wept; I love Japan so fair, And China too; this war I cannot bear . .
TOYOHIKO KAGAWA.
Facts About Shinto Shrine Worship __ <!III By a JAPANESE ClffiISTIAN II~– [This authentic statement, translated and condensed the people worship at the shrines religiously. In view of from a paper written by a Japanese Christian, shows how this fact the Government measure requiring the people to obeisance at Shinto shrines was regarded in Japan before pray for victory in war is recognized as constituting no the matter became a political and totalitarian issue.- small obstacle to evangelistic work. This is the reason for the present resolution. EDITOR.] n..A FTER the restoration of the Emperor to his At the Convention of the Christian Church of throne in 1868, and up until 1882, the Jap- Japan, and in the Federation of Christian anese Government did not attempt to foster Churches of Japan, the following resolution was State Shinto shrine worship. Indeed the opinion also adopted: prevailed among the authorities that all religion was useless. In 1882, however, possibly to arouse The festivals at the shrines are held today in a purely greater patriotism through ancestor worship, the religious sense and with religious rites. It is recognized Government began to revive Shinto and, at the therefore that the authorities, in encouraging worship at instigation of Marquis Okurma, began also to de- the shrines and in frequently forcing school children to clare that State Shinto is not religious. attend them, are evidently violating the Constitution of the Empire and are impairing the freedom of religious belief. Later, after the China-Japan and the Russo- Japan wars, the authorities became keenly aware Three years later (October, 1917) the Federaof the need for religion. This attitude grew tion of Christian Churches of Japan distributed stronger so that in 1911 the Government issued to all the Christian churches of the country a reorders that all primary school pupils throughout markable declaration in commemoration of Marthe land should attend the shrines. When, on tin Luther's posting of his Ninety-five Theses at August 23, 1914, war was declared on Germany, Wittenburg. the prayers for victory and speedy restoration of peace were commanded to be offered at all the October 31, 1917, is the four hundredth anniversary of 49,000 State shrines above village grade. the posting of the ninety-five articles by Luther at Witten- burg. Nothing that we could do would be too great to Immediately ;:tfter these orders, the following commemorate his grand work of making clear to all the resolution was introduced at the Convention of meaning of Christianity, of advocating the great principle the Congregational Churches of Japan, held at of freedom, of dispelling the dark clouds which had ob- Kobe, October, 1914: scured religion, of denouncing superstitions and of break- ing up evil customs of society. The Government encourages shrine worship mainly for the purpose of ancestor worship, and a large number of In commemorating this day we realize that the general condition of this Empire (Japan), the inclinations of so- ciety and particularly the conditions affecting religion, are in many points similar to those obtaining at the time of the [71 ]
religious reformation in Europe; and we cannot but feel minded parties are spreading the idea that shrines the responsibility to awake and rise up to advocate these "are superior to" religion, and that opposition to great principles throughout the world. the shrines is opposition to the nation.
1. The Japanese people are, in religion, like sheep with- As proof that shrine worship does not constiout a shepherd. Their spiritual power has disintegrated, tute religion, the Government calls attention to the power of faith has declined and, therefore, they do not the fact that shrines and religion are supervised know what to follow. They are destitute of piety, they by different governmental bureaus, although forhave become rude and shameless; their haughtiness, ex- merly they were under the same bureau. This travagance and lewdness are growing worse day by day. contention of the Government, however, utterly There has never been a time when spiritual reform was disrega~ds a history of many hundred years durso urgent as it is today. ing which the shrines developed as religious in- stitutions invented by the Japanese. No Govern- 2. Evil gods, superstitions and other accumulated evil in ment proclamation that shrine worship does not religion impair society and poison public morals to a ter- constitute religion would be worth anything. Not rible extent. We believe that to remedy these evils and the arbitrary and political interpretation of addevelop sound religion, to arouse a sense of piety, to build ministrative officials, but only the impartial and up strong and good belief and to improve social spirit and disinterested judgment of qualified theologians, taste is very urgent indeed if we would meet the needs of can be conclusive. In actual fact there has not the times. been one scholar in our country-indeed there has not even been one among the theologians of the 3. The only true personal God, who is Father and Ruler whole world – who has declared thfl,t Japanese of all the people in the world, is the only one who should State shrine worship is not religious. be worshipped. The fact that the shrines are religious is fully This declaration, after comparing the situation demonstrated by their historic origin, the nature in Japan to that in Europe at the time of the of their festivals and the attitude of devotion that Reformation, stated that the Japanese people, in must be observed. Moreover, charms or amulets religious affairs, are like "sheep without a shep- sold by the shrines confirm this conclusion and herd," that evil gods, superstitions and other reli- the prayers which the Government causes its gious evils poison public morals, and that the only priests to offer to their gods, make it altogether true personal God (Jehovah) should be wor- impossible to doubt that shrine worship does acshipped. In regard to Shinto the Federation de- tually constitute a religious rite. The following clared: are actual Government instructions as to such prayers: 4. There is a clear distinction between veneration for ancestors, expressing itself in the exaltation of historical 1. Prayer for a good year; that there may be no damage benefactors who performed distinguished service for their country, and religion. To hold ceremonies full of religious through storm or flood; that crops may be good and rites (on the plea of venerating such persons) is not only unreasonable but also it adversely affects education and abundant; that the country may be prosperous. impairs national development. It is the duty of loyal subjects to cut off such evils, abolish the evil practice of con- 2. At the harvest festival (niina1nisai); to return thanks fusing purple and red, remedy narrow-minded habits and thus greatly encourage the spirit of the world. for good crops and to invoke peace and prosperity for 5. Freedom of religious belief is guaranteed by the Con- the country. stitution of the Empire. We must exert ourselves to defend this right, for there are today many things taking 3. At regular festivals; to pray for the prosperity of the place in violation of it. Such are the recent enactments and events relating to shrines, the relation between educa- country. tion and the shrines; various customs in villages and even in large places which are almost compulsory. It is the 4. At the time of Saidansai, Genshisai and Kigensetsu; duty of subjects of the Empire to correct all that is wrong in these practices. to pray for the tranquility of the country, abundance Although the Japanese Government encouraged of grain, prosperity of industry and expansion of nashrine worship, it took the position, for a time, that such worship ought not to be forced. This tional glory. . may have been because Christians objected, or because Buddhists did not like it, or possibly for 5. In the "purification ceremonies"; the prayer reads, "If fear of violating the Constitution which guarantees religious freedom. the priests have unwittingly committed sins, keep evil This cautious attitude, however, has now been spirits from them and purify them." superseded by one which increasingly compels shrine worship. This has come in the wake of No one objects to efforts to foster respect for the demand for revival of "the spirit of Japan," ancestors. However, since ideas and beliefs vary and may be owing to the growing power of the in different persons, methods of showing respect military, the use of rightist parties, or may be also vary. It is a great error to think that the due to the authorities taking the chance of our only way to honor ances,tors is by the Shinto cere- being weak and unprincipled. Wilful and narrow- mony. Even in ancestor worship it would not be desirable to have different races and peoples par- ticipate in the same ceremony. Germany or Italy, which each consist of but one race, may unite in one such ceremony, but our country (Japan) com- prises, besides Japan proper, Chosen (Korea), Formosa and Karafuto, and is therefore a country
FACTS ABOUT SHINTO SHRINE WORSHIP
of four peoples. Japan is now making great prog- as a useless thing fQllowed up by an attempt to. ress as one o.f the great nations. The ideas and enfQrce religiQus practices under the name Qf beliefs of these different peoples ·therefore will patriotism. Pray fQr the Japanese Christians. not readily be given up so that they will embrace a universal relIgion by governmental edict. The Appendix Added March 1936 idea that the peoples of Chosen, Formosa and Karafuto will adopt the same attitude of mind What attitude did the authQrities and the peQple toward the popular Japanese gods as the people take toward, and what criticism did they make Qf, of Japan, is an exceedingly foolish self-deceptiQn. the military o.fficers who. as,s'assinated Premier HQwever much the Government authQrities may try to. aVQid the name "religiQn," if the shrines Inukais.ome years ago! [It was notorio.us that are regarded by the people as religious. institutions, they come within the prQtectiQn of the Con- they too.k no. adequate action whatever.-ED.] stitutiQn (article 2'8) which grants freedQm Qf religious belief. The Supreme Court (of Japan) Then (February 1936) they hesitated to call in October 1901, rendered a decisio.n saying that State Shinto is religious. Therefo.re to fQrce such those tr.oops traitQrs o.r insurgen.ts, o.r riQters who wQrship on the people, for whatever reaSQns and by whatever eloquence, co.nstitutes an interference attacked and murdered many elder statesmen and with the guaranteed freedom of belief and tramples upon the rights of the peQple. It is our duty high ministers, seized and held for four days govto compel a reform of wrQng administratiQn which disregards the spiritual life of the people; ernment o.ffices and principal streets in the Imand we should uphold the great principle Qf freedom Qf belief. perial metroPQlis and made necessary the prQcla.- To. speak mo.re particularly, it has beco.me the mation of martial law! Instead they used very fashiQn in recent years to. pro.mo.te "the spirit Qf Japan," and even to. subvert constitutiQnal gov- mild terms to describe them. ernment. DesPo.tic militaristic parties are rampant. Even disturbances by soldiers in which We Christians have been greatly cQncerned lest, elder statesmen and high ministers o.f state have been murdered have been kno.wn. Under such co.n- if the people be nQtawakened to. the religiQn which ditio.ns freedom of speech so. Io.ng enjoyed, will be lost, freedQm o.f belief will share the same fate teaches respect for and belief in the supernatural and thus the rightful authQrity of the WQrld Qf GQd-excluding belief in natiQnal go.ds and wo.rthe spirit will be dethroned. ship Qf ancestQrs – the cQuntry shQuld fall into. There is no doubt that all this is the result of an erro.neQUS educational PQlicy ado.pted at the time decay and decline. Qf the Meiji RestQratio.n which regarded religion Our anxiety has: been justified. A great insur- rectiQn has taken place, invo.lving a shame that can never be blotted o.ut from the history Qf Qur country. This exposes the errQrs, Qf the educa- tiQnal policy adopted at the time Qf the Meij i Res- tQration. TQday extreme young military Qfficers may be said to. be spiritually paralyzed, s.o much so that they, in the name of the country, disregard justice and humanity, violate the laws o.f the state and know no. shame. .
There is but Qne way to save the present age- and that is thro.ugh belief in Christianity, the only true religiQn to which end we now appeal again to. the public at large.
KAGAWA IN TROUBLED TIMES Many are wQndering what TQyohikQ Kagawa is doing in these troubled times. In spite Qf the difficulty which every o.utward expressiQn of Christian effo.rt in Japan has met this past year, Kagawa's numerous activities have been incorpQrated into. a juridical bQdy as the "Pillar of CIo.ud FQundatiQn." In hQnor of the silver wedding anniversary o.f Dr. and Mrs.
Kagawa their friends thrQughQut Japan presented them with a substantial mQnetary gift as a start toward the endo.wment o.f the new FQundatiQn. It is hoped that $150,000 may be secured to. relieve Kagawa o.f his literary hack work.
In spite of ill health Kagawa is active in writing, promQting cQo.perative ventures and carrying a heavy program of preaching. Sensing the spirit of the times, he now asks all per- SQns whQm he receives into church membership, in additio.n to. the usual questiQns, wheth- er they are willing to suffer persecution, and if necessary go to death fo.r the sake Qf the GQspel.
When criticism of army plans was being construed as treason and men Qf pacifist inclina- tions were being apprehended and, imprisQned, Kagawa published in his Fellowship Bulletin the PQem on page seventy-one.' Heis now in India, making post-Madras CQnference addresses. . /' " ….;,;: ~'…~' , …..~,
One Mission Works in Chosen*
C HOSEN is a small field of about 85,000 2,022. For the first time the c.ontributi.ons from square miles and a population of 22',000,000. the churches connected with .our mission al.one The American Presbyterian Mission is re- totaled more than Y 1,000,000, showing a gain .of s'Ponsible for about half.of this field. There are now 880/0 over the year 1932."
eight stations in Chosen; three in the northern, Closing the Mission Schools two in the central, and three in the southern part.
Seoul and Pyengyang, the oldest and largest sta- In the field .of secular educati.on, conditions were tions, contain all the union institutions; Kangkei n.ot normal during the past year because the mis- and Andong, the youngest stati.ons, alth.ough sion was in the process, of withdrawing fr.om sec- each more than 28 years old, still .offer some of the ular education (due to the shrine problem).
physical hardships and thrilling experiences of Nevertheless, f.our girls' and four boys' schools of pioneering days. Kangkei heard the whistle of a middle grade ran all or part of the year. In Pyeng- locomotive for the first time during the past year. yang, n.o students. were received in the entering The other four stati.ons are Syunchun, Chairyung, class .of either the boys' or girls' school in March Chungju and Taiku. There are now one hundred 1937 so that the enrolment was greatly reduced, and twenty-eight missionaries of the Presbyterian and in March 1938 both scho.ols were closed. The Church of the U. S. A. in Ch.osen. Our 1,998 g.overnment took over the pupils. and is using the Korean workers, though not strictly a part .of the property of the boys' school temporarily until it mission personnel, are an indispensable 'Part of can provide other quarters.
our active force. Of these, 324 are .ordained min- The other six schools took in new pupils, though isters and these K.oreans have, for years past, it was not the mission's wish that this be done in done most of the work and controlled the official five of them. Until March 1939 these schools will organs and c.ourts of the church in Chosen. Both continue toO run under the j.oint auspices of mis- missionaries and nationals are the laborers UP.on sion and KDrean groups. as provided by their con- wh.om God looks in love, as they suffer for Him, stitutions, after which the missi.on will withdraw w.ork in His vineyard, trust His pr.omises, and from all except the girls' school in Seoul (which rely on His power. will continue another year). The future of the The activities carried on by this working f.orce schools and the disposition .of the prDperty will include church, scho.ol, hospital, s.ocial service, be determined by the special conditi.ons. In both Kangkei and Chungju, serious property problems agricultural, and literary work-all with an evan- have been created by the taking over of church gelistic emphasis. schools by non-Christian bodies who refuse to va- Although most missionaries have an assignment cate the buildings belonging to our missi.on. to work in some local church, the major part of the work .of a strictly evangelistic WDrker is with The strictly religious, or Biblical, education has the churches in the country districts; itinerating, fared better, though how long they can escape the holding Bible classes, preaching to the unsaved, fate that has befallen the other schools .only time organizing new groups, etc. Such work has been can tell. Large Bible institutes and normal traincarried on about as usual during the year, though ing schools were held in all the stations of the in some cases, either because missionaries were mission with attendance ranging from 200 to unable to meet the shrine requirements of the offi- 2,000; Bible conferences were held in all country cials, or because visits of missionaries made new districts and in many individual churches. If condifficulties for the churches, these visits were dis- ditions permit, we hope to put even more emphasis c.ontinued temp.orarily. But in church attendance, on this type of education, now that we cannot zeal f.or Bible study, .organization of new groups, longer carryon secular education. reception of new believers, and even in the CDnstruction of new buildings., the past year was very The Women's Biblical Seminary in Pyengyang successful. The statistician says, "All .our stati.ons is the capstone of our work for women and may show a gain in the average attendance at the prin- serve as a typical example of the work done in cipal service. F.or the f.ourth c.onsecutive year a other institutes. During their three years of gain is shown in the total communicants. The study, the pupils engage in hospital visitation, t.otal gain f.or the wh.ole Presbyterian mission was street chapel preaching, holding noonday meet- ings in fact.ories, c.onducting Bible clubs, Sunday school teaching, and many other tasks in and near • Extracts from the Presbyterian Mission Report tor 1938. the city.
[74 ] Hospitals and Social Work of our younger missionaries are giving consider- able time to the Morning Calm products plant and In spite of the fact that four of our six mission a demonstration dairy; to the publication of the hospitals were without any foreign doctor during Farmers' Life magazine; to animal husbandry; the past year, all show increases in the number of and to plant and tree culture. All these enterpatients treated. Two of these hospitals have not prises serve to supply demonstrations, inspiration, had any foreign doctor in charge for some years; and information to the whole country. the other two have doctors who were on furlough. Whether we shall ever be able again to staff all Producing Ohristian Literature these hospitals we do not know, but it is exceedingly difficult for lay missionaries to supervise the Many missionaries are active in the work of work. Such supervision, however good, is not producing and distributing Christian literature. satisfactory, and besides it detracts from the work Our Mission also supplies the editors and business that such missionaries should be doing in the fields managers of some of the magazines published in for which they were prepared. Either more mis- Korea. sion doctors or fewer hospitals will probably be the way out. Language study is assuming a larger and larger place in the life of all missionaries, both new and Social welfare activities of many kinds are find- old. This country has become bilingual to such a ing an increasing place in the mission program. degree that it is imperative that all new mission- Almost every station reports some such work, aries become proficient in both Japanese and though most of it is done in the two large cities of Korean. Many of our missionaries conduct lan- Seoul and Pyengyang. This work includes tem- guage classes (both Korean and Japanese) and perance; tuberculosis stamp sales; work for many are studying Japanese with private teachers. blind, deaf, and dumb; baby clinics; work in factories and with employed girls; and visitation Some missionaries devote nearly all their time in cafes and restaurants and even brothels; to say to the work of union enterprises in which our misnothing of the share our mission has in the work sion cooperates, and still more give some time to for beggar boys, fallen girls and travelers carried such institutions. Strictly speaking, all our evanon under the auspices of the Salvation Army. gelistic work is union in as much as there is but one Presbyterian church in Korea in and under After nine years of effort, a great victory was which the Northern Presbyterian, Southern Preswon for temperance in Chosen when on April 1, byterian, the Australian Presbyterian, and the 1938, the law prohibiting the sale of both liquor United Church of Canada missionaries work. The and tobacco to minors (which has been in force in Presbyterian Board of Christian Training con- Japan proper for some years past) was made to tinues to function, and, among other things, pubapply to Chosen. lished the Childs' Life magazine, supervises the Bible Correspondence Course, and the Christian The value of the work among laboring classes, Herald, and conducts Daily Vacation Bible especiaIIy women is revealed in a year-old project schools. The Bible Course enrolls about 10,000 in Seoul in work with bus and street–car girls. pupils, and has some 800 graduates; there were This work is done by a Korean woman with the 880 Vacation Bible ,schools held by 4,364 teachers assistance of some of the missionary ladies of the for 64,146 pupils. Both the Korea Sunday School station. Some twenty suoh girls. meet regularly Association and the Christian Endeavor National once or twice a week in a missionary home where Union w,ere temporarily disbanded during the they study Bible, English and sewing, and sing year. When and under what conditions they can and play and pray together. Already twelve of resume their organization and activities we do not these girls are attending church regularly, and know. they have asked for an English Bible class teacher. Union Institutions Work for blind, deaf, and dumb is done both in Seoul and Pyengyang. In Seoul it is strictly evan- In union education, our Presbyterian mission gelistic and is confined to the blind among whom cooperates in four institutions, viz., Union Chrisa blind evangelist preaches and teaches. holding a tian College and the Theological Seminary in Sunday morning service at the Central church at Pyengyang, and Chosen Christian College and which the average attendance is about twenty. Severance Union Medical College in Seoul. The In Pyengyang a blind-oral school has been de- first of these was closed in March 1938 and the veloped during the past year, wholly under Korean other three have carried on only under the greatauspices and largely self-supporting. est of difficulties.
Although the first days of enthusiasm for the No entering class was received in the Union rural work and the agricultural program are over, Christian College in March 1937 and the college there is still need and opportunity for practical came to an end March 31, 1938. Most of the pupils efforts along well-defined lines in this field. Some were transferred by the government to other
schools. All the land, buildings, and equipment work; and the growing spirit of nationalism and reverted to the Presbyterian Mission which had self.,sufficiency of the Koreans, all combine to provided them. The college had rendered out- create a spirit of unrest. But, despite these acstanding service to Chosen for 32 years. Nothing knowledged difficulties, distinct progress has been but absolutely impossible conditions under which made both in services rendered and in the imto operate could have caused the abandonment of provement of the plant. In the medical college, so valuable an enterprise. there are now 192 pupils, and in the nurses' train- ing s'chool there are 146 pupils. During the year, The past year has been, perhaps, the most diffi- the hospital served 2,921 new cases in the in-pacult yea!r in the history of the Chosen Christian tient department, of which 15 ro was free service. College. With the vice-president, dean, heads of The out-patient department served 23,955 new all departments, and nine members of the regular cases with a free service of 12ro. At present, our teaching force under detention by the police a mission has but one medical doctor, two dentists, good part of the time, and later forced to resign, and three nurses on the staff." it has been almost impossible to maintain the regular teaching schedule. Nevertheless, the college Our mission has a large share in the work of did carryon with considerable success. After the Christian Literature Society of Chosen, even graduating 103 pupils in March 1938, bringing supplying the Acting-Administrative Secretary at the total number of graduates to over 800, and the present time. A report for 11 months reveals receiving an entering class of 170, ,selected from a total of 2,073,485 copies of new and old titles. 369 applicants, the roll stood at 475, eighty per The Korea Mission Field put out 13,000 copied cent of whom are Christians. this last year. The closely related British and Foreign Bible Society also serves the whole of Even the Theological Seminary has not been Korea. The past year saw the final revision of without serious problems, but God wonderfully both the Old and New Testaments completed on blessed it this past year. Forty men were grad- September 22, 1937-a notable event. In the disuated in March 1938, and the new term began in tribution of Scriptures there was an increase of April with 191 in attendance. 10,373 over the previous year, the total number of volumes circulated reaching 872',821 a year. The medkal work, both in Seoul and Pyengyang, is union. These two hospitals serve more In this great mission, as in the days of the patients than all six of our other mission hospitals early Church, "there are diverse gifts, but the combined. The Severance Union Hospital re- same spirit; diversities of administrations, and the ports: "The year has been a difficult one. The same Lord; diversities of workings, but the same peculiar times in which we are living in Chosen God, who worketh all things in all. But now they keep everyone on tension; the swing away from are many members, but one body. Ye are the western ideals and the inability to import neces- body of Christ, and severally members thereof." sary drugs make it difficult to do satisfactory TOYOHIKO KAGAWA ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE "As the sculptor devotes himself to wood and stone I would devote myself to the living soul. But I am solemnized by the thought that the sculptor cannot carve Either on wood, or on stone or on the living soul, Anything better than himself. All the lines of my carving Will but reveal my own portrait. Gazing at my hand, at my chisel, I shudder. How long will it take for this human sculpture, Which can not be carved by me better, finer than my own soul, To escape! To escave from my pitiable and limited domain, And to advance to the position of a carving of God?
Happily, there is a Guide for me. lt is He who has broken open the door of the Sanctuary And made a molten cast of God's Portrait in His: own. flesh."
Conversion of a Pagan
_'~I,–====B_Y """1_ _L_ENS=aAl_aBm_La_nOc_a_W, E_RN_Se=wJANY=Oo_rWk=S_K;;;;;Y;;;;;'==;;;;;;;;;.Jllo1.7.•.- SET back toward a wooded hill, on the road the dance continues until about 10 o'clock at night, that runs past the winding Allegheny River each hour growing more intense as the Indians near Salamanca, New York, stands an Indian warm to the spirit of the celebration. It takes Long House. To it come the pagan Indi'ans of the three days to recite the Gai'wiio (pronounced as Seneca tribe at least twice a year to attend the "guy-we-you," and meaning "Good Message").
"Green Corn Dance" in September and the mid- As the bus turned homeward to Canada, the winter "New Year" festival of the Iroquois, be- Chief of the Mohawk tribe decided to ' remain on the Allegheny Reservation to tryout the hospi- tality and friendliness of the Senecas. All are brothers of the Six Nations of the Iroquois.
Between the pagan ceremonies held at the Long House in September, .and the Revival Meeting held in the little white church in November, is only a short interval. In the church a group of Christian Senecas gather to worship. Upon their knees they testify to the saving power of Jesus' blood through His death on the Cross; they make humble confession of their failures and pray earn- estly for victories. Among these worshipers was KENJOCKETY ADDRESSING THE INDIANS the Mohawk leader of the pagan dances. He could not easily understand or speak English but, at tween January 15th and February 15th. At such the invitation of friends, he knelt in prayer. One times the "old time" Indians send for an "Ex- ray of the light of Heaven must have penetrated pounder," paying his traveling expenses and en- his heart, darkened by sin and superstition, for tertaining him during his stay. when he retired for the night at the home of one of the Christian Indians he was asked, "Which Last autumn, a large, rather grimy, batter~d looking bus might have been seen making its way along this road, in the direction of the Long House.
The bus bore Canadian license plates and the faces that peered out at the windows were Red. In- dian religious officials were coming to celebrate the Green Corn Dance-the ceremonial Thanks- giving to the Creator.
Among the leaders from Canada was a small wiry, hard-faced Indian of the Mohawk tribe. It was his duty to shake a horn rattle for the chant, which the speaker starts as the company of danc- ers circle around the benches, intoning sections from their religious ritual. The gathered assem- bly offers thanks for all things "from below up to the Creator Himself," starting with the fish, wild beasts, sweet water of the maple tree, herbs, fruit, forests, nuts, rain, thunder, stars; for the sun, "eternally dutiful,"-for the moon, "our grand- mother, the night shining orb,"-and for "Hand- some Lake," the Seneca Prophet whose teachings they profess to follow. The stamping of feet in THE DOWDY FAMIl,.Y—-<JHRIS'rIAN SENECA INDIANS [ 77 J
AN INDIAN PROPHET WITH MASK CARIVED OUT OF WOOD. CLIFFORD HALF-TOWN AND HIS FATHER, JEFF HALF-TOWN. THESE MASKS, USED IN THEIR CEREMONIES, THEY ARE CHRISTIAN INDIANS WITH FINE ARE SACRED VOICES FOR SINGING way do you think is best?" To this he responded gins ten days after burial. The bereaved family with a fervent ejaculation of the Christian and friend offer thanks to the one who cared for "Amen!" the body and dressed it for burial and to the one who dug the grave. The property of the deceased The Chief was also present at the night of the is distributed and all must eat of the death annual Thanksgiving feast at the Council House. feast. After the ceremonies were ended, the This was held in commemoration of the time when young Chief returned to the States his mode of White and Red men first ate together. The Chief travel being to point with his thumb at motorists seemed heartily to enjoy the good things and lis- along the highway. tened attentively tothe earnest exhortations of the evangelist after the feast. Then for several So it came to pass that the missionary of the litmonths he was not again seen in the Christian tle flock of Christian Indians, coming along the services and only occasionally did we see his road from the camp grounds, recognized the Instolid face as we drove through the reservation. dian Chief of the Mohawk tribe standing by the Force of habit had led him back among the non- wayside, thumbing his way. Sensing an oppor- .Christians, to the gambling and vice so prevalent tunity, the missionary invited him into the car and among them. asked him to go to the camp ground and remain for several days. Dirty, hungry and travelworn, Summer came and with it the denominational the Indian was glad to accept the invitation. An camp meeting for the Christian Indians a few empty tent was offered for his use, a cot and a miles distant from the reservation. Word came blanket or two were secured for his comfort and that an uncle of our Mohawk Chief had died, he his meal ticket was provided. The Indian was was called back to Canada to attend the funeral well pleased to have a Seneca dwelling so nearly and the death feast. The Code of "Handsome like those of his ancestors. But the Bible studies, Lake," the Seneca prophet, decrees that "It is evangelistic meetings and form of worship were right to have a feast for the dead" and this be-
THE CONVERSION OF A PAGAN AMERICAN
still an enigma to him. Brotherly young men of tributing Christian literature to those who can the camp loaned him clean clothing and took him read. He often spends almost whole nights in with them to play ball at the recreation hour. In prayer for them and uses practically all his money this atmosphere of love his heart began to melt keeping his old Chrysler in repair and buying gasand when an invitation was given one evening our oline so that he can take his people to and from Chief went forward for prayer. There he wept the services. and prayed; but soon his countenance seemed to clear and he was seen to laugh. When a lady Spiritual truth seems to dawn slowly on Indian evangelist, kneeling near by asked if the Lord had minds. Their habits of lying, stealing, drinking saved him, the Indian answered affirmatively. On and adultery are hard to break. But numbers of further questioning he said that he knew this to them become true Christians after they have be so because "The Lord made me laugh." grasped the meaning of who Jesus Christ is, and Afterward in his testimony he said that God CHIEF HUBERT KUSICK OF THE had taken him into "a beautiful room," where the SENECA INDIANS old furniture of sin and vice had been cleaned out; the house was swept and garnished and the new what He has done for them. New grooves of furnishings of Heaven had been moved in. Later thought are gradually established along the lines he said, "I met brothers and sisters there who told of righteousness as taught in the Word of God. me things for my good. I have just waked up." Some of our Christian Indian boys are being sent to college and are making good use of their op- Perhaps some self-satisfied religionist "at ease portunities. We hope that at least one will come in Zion," with few difficulties to face and no spe- back to help his own people. There is great need cial persecution to undergo because of his Chris- among these Indians for a real experience of tian stand, may ask: "How long will his experi- Christ in their lives. This calls for much earnest ence last?" S.ome have said with a sneer that the prayer, faithful testimony and sacrifieial service. only way to get an Indian to Heaven is for him to die immediately after his conversion. But experience has proved that this is far from true. Some slip back as do many of the white race who have once "tasted of the grace of God and the power of the Wlorld to come." We must remember that, while we have centuries of Christian background, our Red Brothers are only three or four generations out of savagery.
It is necessary to be patient, to build slowly and to lay a good foundation. It is often necessary to rebuke and reprove in all long-suffering, forgiving those who slide back, knowing that Christian Indians are often unconsciously influenced'by the superstition and unbelief of the pagans. It is hard for a Christian Indian to be called a traitor to his. race, one who imitates the white man and is ashamed of his ancestors and their religion.
God who can "bid raging winds their fury cease," can also "calm the savage breast to peace." It is true of the evil spirit in the Indian, as in the demoniac boy of old: "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."
Our local Indian preacher, Frank Pierce, is very faithful in visiting the homes of these people, dis- JEWISH NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS Rabbi Heller, speaking at the opening of(the Jewish New Year, suggested the following resolutions: "Though men may hate me and mine and wreak their enmity upon me, I shall not give them hatred for hatred. I shall not permit their dark intolerance, their depravity, their inhumanity, to take possession of my soul. I shall strive to see in them misguided children of God, and to pray for the day when they will return to reasonableness and brotherly love. I shall strive always to hate the sin but not the sinner. I shall never let the realization leave me that I am not alone in my problems. I shall strive to cooperate with all men of good will, and with all faiths."
Christ To Students in China*
By REV. STANTON LAUTENSCHLAGER, -otEt Tsinan, Shantung ~- Associate Professor of Sociology, Cheeloo University THE crucified Christ is always the greatest difficult to carryon Christian schools there. In possible challenge to any youth. This is espe- occupied territory, schools are forced to take part cially true when injustice seems to be on the in Japanese victory parades and in public demonthrone, and righteousness on across. That is why strations against the present Chinese national preaching Christ crucified tQ students in China government. Christian schools are not allowed today is probably the greatest privilege which even to be neutral in the war, much less to teach can come to any man. patriotism. Some which refused to take part in Under the auspices of the China Christian Edu- pro-Japanese dem'Onstrations, have had their prin- catiQn AssQciation, this privilege came tQ me re- cipals dismissed and their students 'Ordered to cently in a two months' evangelistic tour in the transfer tQ other schools. If students. are forced Christian schools 'Of South and Central China. to take part in such demonstrations contrary to This tour took me more than a thousand miles by their cons>Ciences, they become invoOlved in hypoc- sea, from the Japanese occupied territQry of risy. Therefore it seems to many that where both Tsingtao in North China to British cQntrolled Christian prin>Ciples of loyalty to country and to Hongkong in the South, and then another thou- conscience are impossible, we should sacrifice our sand miles by rail and steambQat via Canton, institutions rather than .our principles.
Macao, Hengyang and Changsha to the three gre-at Tens of thousands 'Of students have fled from cities of Wuchang, Hanyang and Hankow. occupied territQry to free territory, to the South, On the second thousand miles, I preached on an Southwest, Northwest, or toO Central China. Here, average of three times a day, in eleven cities, and both in the new schools and in the old, doors are in more than thkty Christian middle schools and wide open to the preaching of the Christian Gos- colleges, as well as in a number of government pel. The national crisis- has forced students to schools, Y. M. C. A.'s and Y. W. C. A.'s, and in rethink, not only the foundations of the nation, many churches of all Protestant denominatiQns. but the very meaning of life. Some have lost their In most schools, I was invited to speak to the parents; many have lost their homes and most whole student body on some political or interna- of them have lost their source of income. They tional subject. When this was done first, prac- traveled a thousand miles to free territory only tic,ally all the students came to the evangelistic to be bombed again.
meetings later. Everywhere, there was the most Faced with the annihilation of their nation and inspiring cooperation between the Christian with a threat to their very physical existence, the sehoQls, the national churches, the missionary students are gripped in a new way by the chal- bodies of all denominations, and other Christian lenge of the cross. During my recent evangelistic and even non-Christian institutions. tour in the free territories of South and Central Due to the terrors of war, which accompany the China, I have seen hundreds of students accept present invasions of China, the bQmbings, the Christ and His cross as the way and inspiration flight of refugees, the rape and the loot, the for the s-acrifices they feel called upon to make at slaughter and destruction, Chinese students have this time of personal and national crisis.
a new understanding and a new apprecia;tion of It was my privilege to lecture and to preach in the meaning of the cross. Perhaps that is why abQut thirty scho'Ols and to nearly ten thousand they have everywhere responded to its challenge students, not in great mass meetings, but always in such an unpre-cedented way. in individual schools. Only in tWQ or three schoQls In Occupied and in Free Territory were there as many as three or four hundred stu- dents at one meeting. Where decisions were made, Student evangelism is more difficult in territory discussion grQUps were held, and the school prinoccupied by the Japanese military, because it is cipals and teachers promised tQ follow up the de- cisiQns with Bible classes and with other prep- • Condensed from The Ohine8e Recorder for October, 1938. aration fQr baptism and for Christian service.
[80 ] Only a Christ-centered and a cross-centered gions. We are Christians; not godists (in a genmessage is adequate for the spiritual and social eral sense). We find God in Christ. He i,s the needs of Chinese youth today. Where time did Way-the way by which we go to God and the not allow more than three evangelistic appeals, I way by which God comes to us. He is the vine. spoke first on the challenge of faith, second on He is the door. He is the bread from heaven. the challenge of patriotism and third on the chal- He is the water of Life. He is the truth and the lenge of Christ and His cross. He was presented light. He is the Saviour of men. It is God in from the human side as the courageous youth, the Christ who died on the cross, and who rose again. carpenter's son, the noblest revolutionist, the true Jesus is truly both God and man."
son of man, challenging wi,thout fear or favor all Results of the Christ-Centered Message the selfish social and political forces and all the hypocritical religious forces of his time, with a The challenge of the Cross always becomes the vigor and a determination which sent him to the triumph of the Christ. After the final mes,sage cross. He was also presented from the divine side on the cross, I alway,s gave an opportunity for as the true son of God, the vine, the bread from three kinds of decisions. First, for Christians to heaven, the Lamb of God, the Saviour of sinners, be better Christians, to know Christ more and to who gave His life as a ransom for many. serve more unselfishly. Second, for believers to I tried to make students understand the cour- prepare for baptism and for Christian service; age and the conscience which made Jesus attack third, for non-Christians to accept Christ as every wrong. I tried also to make them under- Saviour and Lord. An opportunity was also given stand the love which made him willing to die to for students to present their problems, which they move men's, hearts to repentance, to s,ave s,inners, wished to discuss with a friend.
which was the divine reason for the Cross. At the first few meetings, students were only On the one hand, it was Jesus' attack on the asked to raise their hands or to come forward and social, political and religious wrongs of his time, give their names to the religious instructor; later which unified his enemies into a demand for His a Christian principal suggested the card method. death. It was the organized institutional, social, This method gave the principal and the religious political and religious forces of His time and na- leaders a better census of the students' religious tion, which nailed Him to the tree. On the other needs and ideas. As soon as we used the card hand, it was Jesus' love for sinners, for His method the decisions at once doubled, for the stuchurch and nation, which drove him to Jerusalem dents then each had some definite propositions to face His enemies and His cross there. Jesus which challenged their consciences.
was slain on the cross by our sins and for our Only a few individual schools, and some of the sins, but it was also His great love for us sinners, more unique experiences; can be mentioned here.
which finally broke not only His hands but also In the Canton True Light School for Girls, now a His heart. On the cross, deepest sin and highes't refugee school in Hongkong, twenty-eight made love met. Love conquered. Sin was defeated by decisions to become Christians. About half of doing its worst and by being forgiven. After these were baptized at the end of the term. In Jesus' "Father forgive them," there was hope for St. Paul's Girls School in Hongkong, although every individual sinner and for every sinning there was time for only one brief chapel talk, six- group. teen girls, came forward to accept Christ.
I tried to show how even a meagre knowledge In the Canton Girls Union Normal School, now of this Jesus of history drives us to real repent- in Macao, there were thirty-two decisions for ance. It makes us repent of our uncleanness, of Christ. Fourteen of these girls were seniors.
our faithlessness, our selfishness, our cowardice Nearly all of these seniors said they wished to and our laziness. True repentance brings the joy practice their new faith and to realize their new of forgiveness; Christ received in faith gives us vision by going into the country villages to teach new courage, new power, new love and new life. and to preach as soon as they graduate.· In the To build our new lives and the new world, we American Presbyterian Boys School in Hengyang, must receive and worship Jesus as Lord so that Hunan, where the card system was used for the we may have His new life and His spirit; but we first time, there were sixty-eight decisions to ac- must also follow Him, to do what He did and what cept Christ in a student body of one hundred and He clearly told us to do. ninety-four. Thirty-seven were already Chris- A bright girl student in a discussion group said, tians. These decisions changed the average of "Why do Christians talk so much about Jesus as Christians in the school from one-fifth to more if He were more important than God?" "You than one-half.
have hit on a great truth," I said. "That is what In Yale-in-China, the only senior Christian Boys makes Christianity unique in the history of reli- Middle School in the province of Hunan, one hun,..
dred and twenty-nine in a school of four hundred treat. Not many of them were Christians. I made decisions to become Christians, while nearly spoke on the Cross of Christ as we sat on the hillone hundred expressed their determination to be- side overlooking the sea. The glory of the setcome better Christians. Of those who accepted ting sun shone on the mountains and on the faces Christ, seventy-nine made a further decision to of these young leaders. It also shone upon the prepare for baptism. Twelve of these were bap- "carriers," just beyond our vision, from which tized a month later, just before the close of the bombers daily rained death upon the civilian popspring term. In the Fu Hsiang Girls School, also ulation of Canton, less than one hundred miles in Changsha, and the only senior girls school in away. Hunan, there were eighty decisions to follow Christ, thirty of whom wished to prepare for bap- I challenged these student leaders to accept tism. Another ninety made decisions to be better Christ as their Saviour and as their power to Christians. build their new lives and the new China and the new world. It was my first invitation to students At Yiyang, Hunan, the response in the Lutheran to accept Christ on this three months' tour. As Schools was equally great. In the Girl's School, we waited a moment before prayer, one by one, although there was only time for one address, over nine hands went up. Then the general secretary 20 girls made decisions to be better Christians. of the Hongkong "Y" said, "Tonight, when we In the Boy's School, the decision cards were dis- divide into discussion groups, we will add another tributed at the last meeting. The students were asked to think it over and to hand in the cards the group for those who wish to know how to become next day. This was to prevent decisions too lightly made, under the influence of emotion. In spite of Christians. Thirty-two, about one-third of the this, the number of decisions were as great or total number, came to this group, and after we greater than in any other school. Thirty-four talked to them for an hour about the meaning of said they wanted to be better Christians, which the Christian life, twenty-five signed their names was almost the total number of Christians in the to join a new Bible class to learn more about the Boy's School. One hundred and two made de- Christian Way of Life. cisions to believe in Jesus and follow Him. About half of these made additional decisions to prepare In the three Wuhan cities, Wuchang, Hanyang for baptism, while another hundred decided to and Hankow, although the meetings had to be enter classes to study Christianity. held in the two weeks of final examinations, there were one hundred and eighty decisions to accept Bombs Make a Nation of Singers Christ and more than two hundred to be better Christians. In Hongkong twelve hundred students meet weekly for patriotic singing. After an hour of While our work was mostly in the middle singing they divide into groups to do social and schools, there was excellent response in five unipatriotic work. There are also hundreds of clubs versities. Two of these were Christian, Lingnan which proclaim the Gospel of patriotism and of University, Canton and Central China University social justice in song and drama. This kind of in Wuchang. Three were government universithing is going on all over "free" China. The roar ties, the University of Hongkong, Chung Shan in of Japanese bombers has made "free" China into Canton, and Hunan University in Changsha. In a nation of singers. The aim of this mass sing- some of these there were decisions to become ing is to stir the soul of youth to true patriotism Christians. and to unify their spirit. In these three months of preaching in the Some years ago a Chinese youth, who in a schools of South and Central China more than moment of despair had decided to commit suicide, eight hundred students made decisions to be betwas saved by hearing mass singing in a Christian ter Christians and more than seven hundred to school in Tientsin. He wondered who could sing accept Jesus as their Saviour and to follow Him in such· a dark world. He investigated and didn't in a new life of unselfish service. More than three commit suicide but became a Christian and gave hundred made additional decisions to prepare for baptism. More than three hundred, individually himself to education. He founded a middle school or in small groups, discussed with me the prob- lems which weighed heaviest on their hearts. of three thousand students and a university with six hundred. Japanese bombs have destroyed both Questions Chinese Students Ask Today his schools. But he has gone West to "free" China, and has created other schools. A man, who The questions which students asked can be dican still sing, cannot commit suicide, and a nation vided into four groups, individual, social, political of singers can never be destroyed. and religious. Only a few of these questions will be mentioned here, without suggesting any an- On Easter Sunday, ninety singers, mostly lead- swer. Here are some: ers, met on the mountains of Hongkong for a re- Is there really a God? If so, what and where is God? How can God be all-powerful and all-loving and yet
PREACHING CHRIST TO STUDENTS IN CHINA
allow such suffering and injustice as the present invasion Qwn. He also. promised to. invite his wife to. re- has brought on China today? turn to. China to. help him live on this new basis. Why do the Christian nations do so little to help China? In abQut two. weeks I received a joyful letter say- If Christianity makes nations more righteous, why do ing that two. days after he wrQte to. his wife, and IQng before she could have received his letter, he the Christian nations not help China more than non- Christian Russia?
Why do the nations, which have declared Japan the ag- received an air-letter frQm her saying that she gressor, still send war materials to Japan? was to. blame fQr some of the trQuble, and that she Why do nations, which protest the bombings, still sell also. wanted to. begin life Qver again Qn a new basis. GQd's spirit had been working in America, planes to continue the bombings? while we were praying in HQngkQng. Why do Christian nations send munitions to Japan and only communist Russia does not do so?
Why do more communists than Christians in Japan run A Hero's Grandson Accepts Christ the risk of prison and of death in protesting against Jap- anese militarism? In my address, "The Challenge Qf the Cross," I Is there any real conflict between communism and Chris- Qften used the illustratiQn Qf the herQic death Qf the famQus Chinese revQlutionist, Tan Tzu T'ang. .tianity? If so, what is that conflict?
What is the difference between socialism and com- munism? When warned to flee, he said, "I can die but I Should we organize a Christian socialist party to advo- can't run away." He wrQte a letter to his fellQwcate Christian socialism, democracy and internationalism? revQlutionists in which he said, "China is nQt be- ing saved because no. Qne is willing to. die for What is the real meaning of life? China. We cannot all die, if we all die, who will How can the cross save men? carry out the principles o.f Qur revQlution? But How can we get Jesus deep into our hearts? How can we get his courage and his noble spirit?
How can we get rid 01 social injustice, aggression and someone must die to. move the hearts Qf Qur people. war? YQU may live and carry Qut the principles Qf Qur What are the social and political duties of a Christian? revolutiQn, and I will take on myself the Qther The Problems of a Governor's Son duty-that of dying. But if I die fQr China, yQU a A bright, fearless student, a governor's son in can no. IQnger live for YQurselves. If I die fQr China, yQU must live fQr China." Yale-in-China, said, "I admire some of the Christians, and I am much interested in what you say, This stQry was used as an illustratiQn of Jesus, but when I try to read the Bible, it seems like who. steadfastly set His face to go. to Jerusalem, mess of contradictions and superstitions to me. the centre Qf all selfishness and of opposition to. Also while I admire Jesus, I cannot believe in the His GQspel, and who. knew that Qnly by dying fQr existence of God." His cause CQuid He becQme a SaviQur and move hearts to. repentance. I tried to explain what intelligent Christians The Wounded Soldiers mean by God. I told him that the Bible, besides being the Word of God, was also the history of the The Province Qf Hunan has six thQusand Hebrew people. If he remembered that, the seem- wounded soldiers frQm many battle-frQnts. At ingly contradictory ideas about God in the Old Changsha, I had the privilege Qf speaking to. abQut Testament would disappear. His final reSPQnse three hundred Qf them. When I used the picture was, "I can believe what you say. It seems quite Qf Christ Qn the cross, the soldiers crQwded around clear and reasonable, but why don't the preachers and asked many questiQns abQut Jesus himself, say it that way?" abQut the bandits Qn the Qther cro.sses, about the Not only did hundreds of students accept Christ, WQman at the fQQt Qf the cross and especially but older Christian leaders refound him. At about the RQman soldiers in the background.
Hongkong, a college graduate, who had long been NQt many Qf the sQldiers were Christians. After a Christian leader, told me that he was in great speaking of Jesus' struggle against injustice, distress. His family life was bankrupt. Quarrels which tOQk Him to. the crQSS, I said, "Do you and jealousy had almost broken up his home. His understand the meaning of the cross?" "Yes,"
wife had taken the children and had gQne to. Amer- they said, "We knQw the crQsls." "What cross do.
ica. His family life was a continual clash of wills. you know?" I asked. "We knQw the Red Cross,"
He had also lo.st God Qut Qf his own life. My ser- they shQuted. "What does the Red CrQss mean?"
mon to the singers had aroused in him a deep I asked. "It means save life," they answered.
sense of remorse and a great desire to be different. "YQU are right," I said, "the Red Cross means We shared some of our failures and victories and save life." prayed that the clash of wills WQuid disappear in I explained that befQre Jesus died on it, the a new acceptance of GQd's will. He promised to. cross was an instrument Qf torture, the black crQSS write to his wife, confessing his share of the blame Qf death. That is why the sQcial forces, which and telling her that he wanted to. begin life again ruled in Jesus' time; nailed Him to. it. They Qn the new basis of Christ's will instead of his thQught the black crQSS Qf imperial Rome WQuid
destroy Him forever. But the Galilean was too for his spirit. We give our all to him. We regreat. The black cross of death could not destroy ceive him. He gives us power to become the sons him. His death changed the cross into the symbol of God. Sinners of weakness, become saints of of life-giving and life-saving, into the symbol of power. The spirit of the divine carpenter becomes sacrifice and service. It was the blood of Jesus our spirit. Our all given to him is transformed which changed the black cross of death into the and to our all is added His all. Our all is not Red Cross of life-saving. So the Red Cross of enough, but our all and His all is enough. Christ saves the bodies of men, and the Christ of the Red Cross saves the souls of men. Jesus came to make the blind to see, to set the captives free, to give liberty to the oppressed, to The soldiers were greatly impressed and nodded bring glad tidings to the poor, and to give His life their approval. An officer thanked me for the a ransom for many. He came to abolish human message and urged the men to believe in and to suffering, both physical and spiritual. He saw this follow Him who died on the cross and whose blood was not possible under the selfish social, political. made the black cross red. and religious system of His time. Therefore He attacked these systems with all His might. This Chinese students are determined to struggle for attack took Him to the cross where He died. He a just social order, a free nation and a peaceful became a Saviour and He sent His disciples out to world. A Gospel which is unrelated to society make disciples of all nations, to teach all He had has no meaning to Chinese youth today. Students taught and to do all ,that he had done. He said, are socialists, democrats and internationalists. "What I have done, ye shall do also, and greater Nearly all Christian students wish that the Church things than these shall ye do, because I go unto was even more socially minded than it is. Many my Father." He also said, "Go, I am with you students and college professors would like to or- always, even unto the end of the age." ganize a Christian-Socialist party or group, which would be Christian in its spirit, socialist in its This gospel of Jesus is both evangelical and soeconomics, democratic in its politics and interna- cial. It is the gospel of repentance, and of the tional in its outlook. Most Christian youth realize Kingdom of God. It is that gospel in which all that the Church, as such, cannot itself become a is given to men by giving all to God, and in which political party, but they want the Christian spirit all is given to God by giving all to men. It is the to be more definitely expressed in social and po- gospel of socal evangelism, in which the Lord of liticallife. They want Christianity to take a more our worship is hungry as long as men are hungry, definite stand against the present unjust economic and cold as long as children freeze, and in untold order. They believe that a Church which can be agony as long as men are torn with strife, and silent in a world of such cruel injustice is not women and little children are bombed in war. following Jesus. The Church should now arise and declare itself Challenge of Evangelical Socialism unequivocally, as Jesus did, on these great social issues. If she does, she can win the allegiance of Chinese youth is best gripped by a gospel which whole armies of Chinese youth. If she does not, is both evangelical and social. Youth believes that she will unconsciously abdicate in favor of other Christianity should take on more of communism's philosophies, as far as Chinese students are conpassion for social justice, and that communism cerned. should take on more of the spirit of Jesus. Chinese youth is ready for the full Gospel of evan- Hundreds of students in China are accepting gelical socialism. They insist on a Gospel of Christ today. These students believe that the cross-carrying and not just a Gospel of cross- Church is more and more awakening to both its worshipping. The students are ready to give their social and evangelical mission. Students are arisall for their nation, for a just society and for a ing to welcome Christ as the Lord of all life. Will new world of peace. Any philosophy which does the Church also arise, as never before, to follow not challenge them to give their all ,cannot get Him in all things? If so, the vision for a new their allegiance. China can be realized, and the new faith of Chi- nese youth in Christ will not be disappointed. The full Gospel of Christ challenges us to give more than our all. Real Christian communism is The challenge of Chinese youth to the Church is a greater challenge than Marxian communism. as unequivocal today as that of Christ to Chinese Christian communism says that our all is not youth. The evangelical-social gospel, the whole enough to create the new world. It takes our all gospel of Christ for the whole of life, is what and Christ's all. We are sinners. We are too China and the world needs today. And in China, cowardly. We are too lazy. We are too selfish. at least, when this gospel is preached, even in We are too unclean. Before the majesty of the weakness, hundreds of youth everywhere in a new cross, we see our true selves. We see what we way respond to its challenge. Will the Church are, and what we might be. We repent. We ask equally respond?
Chinese Dragon No Longer
By MRS. GERALD R. ZIMMER, Tungjen, Kweichow, China Missionary of the Evangelical Church I N EARLY Chinese art there was frequently entire group must walk. In the fall some of them pictured two swirling dragons grasping for the will return while others go to the front as nurses, flaming pearl, which always remains beyond officers and to serve in other capacities. In the their reach. This is the parable of man's striving near future one thousand more refugee students for the unattainable. China has been compared are expected here from Hankow and vicinity. to a sleeping dragon. But the dragon no longer sleeps! China is united and, even though torn by Tungjen is also to be the training center for war, her people are working together and are ac- twenty thousand new recruits from the counties in this section. Although Kweichow province is complishing what was considered the impossible declared to be free from professional bandits we a few years ago. are troubled by local bandits. When a troop of soldiers left for the front, leaving the city prac- Kweichow province is often called the Switzer- tically unprotected, bandits entered and kidnapland of China. Tungjen, a city of twenty-four ped a wealthy merchant's son and fatally wounded thousand people, is fourteen hundred miles from another, holding the son for $20,000 ransom. The Shanghai. The living conditions are twenty years government would not permit the family to pay behind those in down-river towns where the in- it because this would encourage other kidnappers. fluence of education and modern inventions have Food shortage means famine, disease and inbeen felt. Kweichow has been one of the most creased banditry. backward and undeveloped provinces but now every effort is being made to develop it along agri- In a recent letter to us Madame Chiang Kaicultural and educational lines. Where tall, bril- shek said in part : "We are trying to do the best liantly colored poppies formerly grew, golden we can for the salvation of our country. China headed wheat and other food products are planted. is now passing through a terrible crisis, and what The government is succeeding in the suppression the end will be, no one can foretell. We will conof opium, and the mission hospital is filled with tinue resisting to the best of our ability, but we men and women taking the opium cure. Opium know that great pain and suffering will have to users are given a stated length of time to quit be endured owing to the terrible ruthlessness and smoking or be punished by imprisonment or death. barbarity of the Japanese. . . .
Tungjen has been suddenly jolted awake by "The morale of the troops is high, and the spirit thirteen hundred refugee high school students and of the Chinese people has never been greater. The two hundred teachers and their families coming philosophy of the refugees is helping them to bear to the newly established government school. The the impoverished condition with goodwill and comstudents and teachers, from all parts. of China, parative cheerfulness. are readily distinguished because of their sophisticated air and mode of dress. Many are homeless "Everywhere efforts are being made to take and friendless. Some have no idea where their care of the refugees and the orphans and the lost parents and relatives are, many of whom have children. . . . The Generalissimo and I have pubbeen killed in the war. Because of the unsanitary licly expressed our great admiration of the misconditions, and lack of proper care and food dur- sionary body, and our abiding gratitude for all ing the past months, many of these students are they have done, and are doing, for our people. ill. They are crowded into the former government The example of the missionaries has been a great buildings and large temples where they are quar- inspiration to many of our people. . . ." tered too closely for good sanitary and health conditions. The work this great, courageous, Christian woman and the Generalissimo are now doing is August first, four hundred seniors, both boys heroic. They have the strength which comes and girls, left here for Kweiyang, capital of Kwei- from the determination to give all for the greatest chow, for military training. It takes five days to cause in the world-that of building a united and make this trip by bus but as none are available the Christian nation.
The Christian Church in China is faced with [85 ]
the greatest PQssibilities in the histQry Qf the within the walls at night because Qf the activities Church. Our desire is to. help Qur Chinese friends Qf the Chinese guerilla bands. t'O a kn'Owledge Qf Christian peace and JQY. We thrill at the QPPQrtunities fQr service each day. We believe that China will be victQriQus in the end. When that time will cO.me we do. nQt knQw, In· the "Qccupied" parts 'Of China the Japanese but this we do. kn'Ow, Japan is fighting a losing are not really in cQntrol. Many villages are prac- battle. But whatever CQmes we stand in admiratically empty, shQPs are clQsed and peQple have tiQn and IQyalty to. these faithful and persistent fled to. safer districts. When Japanese troQPs QC- Oriental brQthers Qf Qurs. The DragQn awakes! cupy the walled tQwns, they are fQrced to. stay China will attain the flaming pearl!
Hu Shih on China's Progress* DR. HU SHIH, the new Chinese ambassador they will admit that in quality and quantity the to. the United States, is nota Christian but new system has excelled the old many times over. is, an ardent patri'Ot and a pr'OfQund sch'Olar With the Qld system Qf educ.ation, there have in China's histQry, literature and philosophy. He fallen the absurdities. Qf the 'eight-legged essay,'
strongly 'Opposes the recent attempt of some Chi- and the mechanical forms Qf blank verse and nese leaders to. stimulate nationalism by a revival PQetry. The new system has not yet achieved 'Of CQnfucian culture and semi-annual SlaCrifices to. much, but it has already increased knowledge, thes.age. Dr. Hu Shih is c'Onvinced that China imprQved skill, ref'Ormed the written language, must I'Ook t'Oward ,the future rather than the past, advanced physical educatiQn, and popularized na- and must face reality. In a recent address, pro- tiQnal CQnsciQusness.
testing against dependence Qn Confucian cere- . 3. "The cMnge of the family system. Recent monies to. bulwark the national spirit, he recites industrial, commercial and educatiQnal develQP- the evidence 'Of progress in China during the last ments started the prQcess Qf c'OncentratiQn Qf Po.P- twenty years, befQre the invasiQn by Japanese ulatiQn in the large cities; the first instituti'On to armed fQrces. He wrQte in Chinese f'Or Chinese, be affected by this transfQrmatiQn is the family, and not fQr foreign propaganda. which has been reduced in size. Parents, parents- The number Qf elementary schQol students in in-law, ,and heads Qf clans have l'Ost much Qf their China increased fourf'Old in the last twenty years; aricient powers. and prestige. Sons and daughters the number Qf seco.ndary school Sltudepts tenf'Old, have declared their independence.. The elevation and the cQllege and university students a hundred of WQmen and the improvement Qf the marriage fQld. There were in 1937 abQut twelve and a half . system that haveaccQmpanied this change in the milliQn students in the mQdern sch'OQls Qf China. family QrganizatiQn can be regarded as the great- Hu Shih says: est refQrm. of the last five thQusand years., "China has made wonderful strides in the last 4. "The reform of social customs. The abQlitwenty years. The prQgress during these years tiQn of f'OQtbinding, male pr'OstitutiQn, judicial in intelligence, m'Orality, nati'Onal spirit and char- t'Orture and Qther refQrms are nQt positive deacter, sQcial custQm, P'Olitical QrganizatiQn and velopments, but the emancipatiQn Qf women, the self-respect has surpassed any Qther generation attempts to. reduce the expense Qf funeral and in the histQry of the cQuntry. Of course this periQd marriage ceremQnies; the enthusiasm Qf y'Oung has n'Ot been withQut its Qbno.xiQus features and people fQr athletics, and the extensiQn of sdentific weaknesses, but these do no.t cancel the gain. We medicine and public health wQrk are all achievemay PQint Qut some of the 'Outstanding evidences ments beYQnd the dreams of the ancient sages. Qf progress. 5. "New developments in political organization 1. "The overthrow of despotic government, with are the direct result 'Of the passing of ·the old desPQtic gQvernment. NQt all these experiments all its parasitic systems, imperial cQncubines, have been successful, but many Qf them, such as Qur mQdernized judicial, PQlice and military syseunuchs, hereditary nQbles, yamen-runners, the tems, and the advance from a yarnen-centered to. a schQlar-centered gQvernmental machinery have purchase 'Of government PQsitions and other evils, prQduced unusually satisfactory results. Our re- cently promulgated civil law, which embQdies has been a great achievement. , many impQrtant imprQvement~, has been in itself 2. "The reform in education. Ther.e are still superficial observers who. attack the failure 'Of the new educatiQnal system, but if they stQP to. think what the old system was, and what it had to. offer, • Forwarded by Dr. Geo. W. Hinman. a blQQdless revQlutiQn.
WHEN HINDUS BUY GOSPELS IN INDIA
"These are indi,sputable historical f,acts. The attitude, freedom of action and sublimity of charsucces1s of the revolution against the old regime, acter. In classical scholarship, ih polish and and the achievement of modernization in China, worldly wisdom, and in punctiliousness in little are facts. Has there been progress in character- things, Dr. Sun Yat~sen may have been excelled building, self-confidence and strength of the people by Tseng Kuo-fan. Neverthelessl in courage of during the years between 1917 and 1937? At this thought, greatness of personality' ,and fearless time when the habits and behavior of men are action the revolutionary leader has greatly surexposed to the influence of forces both old and passed the earlier philosopher statesman. Acnew and trends of thought, both Western and cording to my observations during the last decade Chinese, it is very difficult to decide which com- or two, the personalities of those who have been bination of forcesl produces which type of char- most influenced by modern culture not only comacter. But without hesitation we say that because pare favorably with those of the great men of the leaders of this age have lived in a new world any other age, but have frequently excelled them. and under new currents of thought, they have sur- The new type of character, which is manifested passed their predecessors in thoroughness of by Generalissimo Chiang, adds much to the glory thought, richness of knowledge, magnanimity of of the age and convictions that produce it."
When Hindus Buy Gospels in India -~ I By MARGUERITE MODAK, Ahmednagar, India I }!lE-•.- T HE first sales-of twelve Gospels-were the city, a few Gospels in my hand and a boy with made by an eleven-year-old Indian girl, the me to carry the extra supply. To each one I met daughter of a member of our church in on the way I offered a Gospel in his own language, Ahmednagar, India. She sold them to those she saying that as I read other Indian religious books saw on the street, between the church and her in order to be informed for, the same reason they home. The first man to buy was a Hindu milk- should read mine. Almost every person purman carrying quart cans of milk on his bicycle. chased a copy and within an hour I had sold The next purchaser was an elderly Mohammedan fifty-five Gospels to non-Christians. The only obwhom she saw in front of his dye-shop, hanging jection to the sale of these books occured when out a bright red turban-cloth which he had just I approached three Hindu ladies sitting on their dipped in the dye. Indian girls are generally shy door-step. A Hindu gentleman passer-by interand timid but this young girl was fired with a ferred and told them not to buy. zeal to sell more Gospels than anyone else, and to follow the instructions given her, that they be Five hundred people had in their hands, many sold to non-Christians. for the first time, the words of Christ to speak to them directly. While many Christians may be Five days in the early part of 1938 were al- unworthy of the name they bear, Christ himself lotted to the sale of Gospels by the First Church and His words meet little opposition from nonof Ahmednagar (The United Church of Northern Christians in India today. A Hindu or Moslem India). The British and Foreign Bible Society of may not be willing to leave his social group, as his Bombay sent one of their representatives to teach family would no doubt force him to do if he were our church members the best methods of ap- baptized, but he wants to know more about Christ. proaching non-Christians. He was a young Indian gentleman, modest in appearance and effi- Gospel selling week was a part of the year's cient in his work. Fifteen of the men of the work for the Ahmednagar Church. The calendar church and our most enthusiastic young people for the church was drawn up in December for met in the church and then went out singly and in the ensuing year, and called for two periods of twos to do this important piece of evangelistic Gospel selling, as well as for a retreat, a series of work. My husband, the Rev. Ramkrishna Shahu special meetings, picnics, one day of commemora- Modak, pastor of the church, sold fifty copies in tion of the dead, Bible reading, a church birthday two hours in the bazaar where tradesmen of all celebration, a village preaching campaign, and kinds, and gentlemen of the city were transacting the annual religious festivals., The retreats of business. I went down one of the main streets of our church are days when the people sit in silence before God and mediate upon Him.
of "Spirit of Missions," New
A CHRISTIAN HOME IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE'
Save India Through India's Women -<III By ANBU M. AZARIAH,' Domakal, Ceottal Iowa IIJIo- O UT of the whole population of India, "some coolie work with her husband and children. She 352 millions," more than eighty-nine per does not return until dusk, when she again cooks cent live in villages. In the Telugu coun- a meal for her family. For nine months in the try, there is not even one city of major import- year, this is her life; the remaining three months ance, or any militwry station. Hence, to give a in the hot weather are less occupied, but are pro- typical picture of the life of the average Telugu portionately "lean."
Christian family, we must look closely at one or The village women toil all the day long but, like two villages. the rest of their family, they are underfed.
Many efforts are being made by the present Not only the depressed classes but the sudras Government at rural reconstruction. Yet the (farmer caste) also live under insanita.ry condi- backward conditions under which most village tions. They and their cattle live under the same women live at present will probably strike Amer- roof. One village is noted for intestinal di,sorders.
ican Church people as surprising. Until recent The filthy condition of the neighborhood, the cow years, nearly all the village Christians were drawn dung heaps close to the houses, and the number from the "depressed classes." These still live of flies, are the root cause of this common malady.
outside the village proper, in hamlets of thatched Propaganda work is being done by talks on the huts. In the hot weather these hamlets are sub- laws of health and by health song;s composed in ject to devastation by fire so that every year many Telugu.
homes and all their contents are reduced to cinders One caste woman who had been to a hospital in a few minutes. One room or at most two are for an operation and who used to live in a house all that a family possesses. Earthen cooking pots, with no proper ventilation, had another house with one or two brass vessels for water, large built to live in, with large windows and doors as baskets for storing grain and other food stuffs, a result of what she learned at the hospital. a coir (rope) bed or two, and some mats of wild date palm leaves are all the furniture they possess. And yet there i,s a brighter side to the life of The wife and mother rises at dawn, pounds her the Christian family, even living in these condigrain, does some hasty cooking and departs for tions. Christianity lets in light, even in the dark- est places. There is, first of all, the village Chris- * Wife of the Bishop of Dornakal, the Rt, Rev. V. S. Azariah, tian schools for the children; to these the boys, contributes this paper to The Spirit of Missions, Protestant Epis- and an increasing number of girls, are sent. There copai Church, New York.
[88 ]
SAVE INDIA THROUGH INDIA'S WOMEN
is the evening service, late in the evening, when number of adult literates rapidly in each congrethere is a joyous service with hearty singing. The gation. This is true not only of the depressed truths of the Chdstian religion are simply taught, classes but of caste people also who gladly avail including preparation for Baptism and the Holy themselves of this opportunity to learn to read. Communion. All these truths give a new meaning to downtrodden lives. There is on the faces The Diocesan Guild for Christian girls (Andhra of some Christian men and women a look of in- Christava Balika Samaj) is another auxiliary orward joy and peace, and outward cleanliness, ganization which enables us to serve village girls. which cannot be mistaken, when they are com- This guild aims at helping unmarried girls in the pared with their non-Christian neighbors. villages. and towns. The village girls have never had the chance of going to school; they have al- The Mothers' Union, in spite of all difficulties ways worked in the fields to contribute to the caused by illiteracy and ignorance, has been a family income. In the Samaj, they learn to live means, of strengthening the faith of these village a simple life, say a prayer each day, and celebrate women, of improving their standards of life, and a joyous Christian festival once a year. They are of giving them a sense of fellowship with other gathered into night classes where they learn to Courtesy of "Spirit of Missions," New York FUTURE WOMEN LEADERS AT THE DIOCESAN GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL This Is one of four girls' schools in Bishop Azariah's area of Dornakal. About five hundred Christian girls are enrolled in this school.
Christian wO'men. The Mothers' Union members read, to sing, to sew or anything else that will help are also able to preach the Gospel to others. During the "Week of Witness" in May, 1938, in many them to better their lives. . villages they went out to their caste neighbors with the Good News and witnessed for Christ In some villages, this year, the Balika Samaj under the leadership of teachers' wives. girls presented an Easter drama, "Seeking the But we must look outside the village itself to see what Christ has done for the women of the Body of Christ," and thus taught in a beautiful depressed classes. Out of some of the most depressed hamlets have gone girls who,. passing way the meaning of Easter. The girls,' boarding through the Church's boarding schools, have become teachers, nurses, doctors, wives of the clergy schools have branches of the Samajand the girls and Government officers. These are giving to India today many instances of the ideal Christian who were originally drawn from the villages, now home worked out in practice. having O'btained the privilege of a Christian edu- The "Laubach method" t of adult instruction, cation and training, pledge to help their village used in this diO'cese, enables us to increase the sisters by fellowship and service, especially dur- t See article by Dr. Frank C. Laubach in our January, 1939, ing the summer vacation when they go home. REVIEW. The Christian women leaders are those who thus get their training at the girls' boarding and training schools. These schools, are an important adjunct to' the work of the Church, under the man- agement of women missionaries. There are four such institutions in the diocese with about five hundred Christian girls enrolled in them.
There is a training center for women in a vil- three years. As Dornakal is wholly rural, it is a lage in Kurnool District where two women mis- good training ground for rural service. Their sionaries live in a simple thatched house, with the wives are required to prepare for the ministry of students in similar simple huts built all round their their husbands. The spiritual preparation and house. Here the women have a thorough course the consecration of their whole being to Christ's of training in the Scriptures, Church doctrine, and service are important factors in the ministerial practical social and evangelistic service. service of their husbands. To help them in their spiritual life, early morning devotions, morning In a village, the teacher and his wife are looked and evening services are held, with Holy Comupon as the leaders of the people. Where the munion on week days, and a quiet day once a quarter. Courtesy Of "Spirit of Missions," New York AN INDIAN MOTHER AT WORK The women have regular classes daily, from one o'clock to two forty-five, when the babies and chil- She rises at dawn to pound her grain as the dren are left at home in the husbands' charge. first task in her long day ot toll They learn a short outline of Old Testament his- tory, the Life of Christ, and the Acts of the teacher's wife is a very earnest woman the women Apostles. Once a week, they go out to preach to of the congregation follow her example. Study non-Christian women. They also go out another schools for the teachers' wives and the wives of day to do social and welfare work among village the clergy are conducted by the women mission- women in the neighborhood. Every noon, interaries, often assisted by the officers of the Mothers' cessions are led by the women in turn. Union. They also write essays on home life, training Candidates for ordination (as clergy) undergo of children, village service, and kindred subjects. training at the Divinity School for two or three They do Sunday school teaching for the local vilyears. They come to Dornakal with their families lage men and women. Thus they are trained to and live at quarters provided for them for about take upon themselves the responsibility of the leadership among women.
These classes, now completing two decades, have long since proved their worth. Most of the women who have been in Dornakal with their husbands are helping in the villages by their work among women. Some are able to visit in the pastorates with their husbands. The village women look up to the clergyman's wife as their pattern in every- thing, in social, physical and spiritu.al life.
The Lord giveth the word: The women that publish the tidings are a great host (Psalm 68: 11) .
These words receive literal fulfillment today in the misision field. If you want to transform the nation, transform the mothers. If you desire to transform the mothers, transform the girls. If you want the girls, catch the children. The child, the girl, the wife and the mother afford great op- portunities of service for India. Save the women, and so save the nation.
THE CRY OF A TAMIL POET Lord, in the darkness I Wlander; Where is the Light? Is there no Light? Nothing know I, but I wonder Where is the Way? Is there no Way? How may I reach Thee, I wonder; Is there no way? Where is the Way?
(Tamil poet, 1,000 years ago; quoted in "The Women's Missionary Mag- azine.")
Cooperation in Mission
By the REV. ALEXANDER McLEISH, London Survey Editor of "World Dominion"
THE last twenty-seven years have been marked This whole movement towards cooperation in- by the growing cooperation of missionary dicates that this method of work has come to stay, societies and churches. World Christian and having gone so far it is clear that we must Councils have been formed in nearly all the mis- go further. Recently in India cooperation has sion fields and these have done much to give to been entering a new field. Owing to the growing Protestant missions a united front as they face emphasis on the preeminence of evangelism in the the problem of evangelism in their respective work of the Church, the field has been viewed fields. As was to be expected, this spirit of coop- from a wider point of view, and the ideal of a erative helpfulness has resulted in the emergence united Indian Church in the various areas has beof many projects. In reviewing the work of a gun to dominate policy. Some of the Provincial whole area much overlapping has been avoided by Councils, in view of the urgency of the present cooperation in various activities. This has been situation, have brought about a new cooperation the means of economy in men and money, and among missions in evangelistic work. Mr. J. Z. has secured a greater degree of efficiency. Hodge, Secretary of the National Christian Coun- cil of India, gives one example of this in the case These projects, however, should not be confused of the missions working in the Bhil country in with "Church union." Undoubtedly the atmos- Central India. This people is one-and-a-half milphere of cooperation has greatly aided the nur- lion strong, and on the advice of the Mid-India ture and completion of many schemes of union. Christian Council, which had previously surveyed These, however, have taken place almost exclu- the field, the mi·ssions in the area have formed sively along the line of denominational affinities, themselves into a council of work among the Bhils, the widest union being that of the Church of pledged to seek as their objective a united church Christ in China. This includes almost all denom- in the Bhil country. This action has made posinations and Christian bodies with the exception sible the interchange of workers and, where necesof the Episcopal Church, the Scuthern Baptists, sary, the readjustment of territory. and the China Inland Mission. In Japan many unions have occurred between the separate The study of many of these cooperative enterchurches of different denominations; in India, prises reveals one great weakness. This arises the Church of North India and the Church of from the nature of their development and their South India are mainly Presbyterian in character, relationship to the normal work of mi,ssions. They while the Lutheran and Baptist unions have been have tended to be viewed as an extra or additional .more exclusively along denominational lines, as commitment outside the main budget, and have also is true of the Church of India, Burma and not been considered as an integral part of the Ceylon. But all these unions within the various work. But it is clear that if this type of activity camps have laid the foundation for further union. is to develop it must be viewed by the mission boards as just as much an integral part of their In cooperative projects. a still greater degree of activity as any other and more particularly decommon action is found in many places. Chris- nominational interest. A readjustment is needed tian colleges exhibit a wide degree of cooperation in the point of view of the relative importance of in India; the work of the Baptist Mission and the .our various activities. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Delhi is a cooperative effort that promises well This growing cooperative activity should be for the future. It is probably not generally real- placed in the centre of our purposes, planning and ized how great has been the growth of union in- budgeting. stitutions. during the last few years. As an example of this, there are now twenty-six union Very closely connected with this is the educaenterprises in India, apart from those general tion of our respective constituencies as to the need, movements that may be described as interdenom- the value, and the results of cooperation. One inational. finds in most mission reports little or no adequate reference to the work of these cooperative [ 91 ]
schemes. It is' very important that full particulars (h) In all such projects the financial side, once should be broadcast to show the significance of settled, should not be allowed to obtrude itself these cooperative movements; projects in which continually, and the real object of the scheme missions may have a share should be reported in should command all the energies of those working annual report,s and other periodicals as truly the it. The spiritual objective and the fellowship of activities of that mission. The education of our endeavor should be kept first. supporting constituencies is a crucial matter. The cooperative field, more even than the denomina- The organization of cooperative councils is now tional field, needs the fullest publicity, and those fairly complete throughout the world. The coengaged in such work should be more alive to this operation between missions that resulted from the necessity and obtain publicity from home commit- Edinburgh Conference of 1910 has been gradually passing in most fields into cooperation between tees. mission and church. Cooperative activities have greatly appealed to This development has changed the whole situa- Christians with large vision as to the needs of tion; in India it has been marked recently by the definite fields; and from time to time individual amending of the constitution of the National Christian Council. The two new factors embraced givers have been found to help inaugurate these in the scheme are of supreme importance. They schemes. In other cases one society has associated are: others with it in some activity, and has had to (1) To review periodically the progress of the bear the brunt of the support of a cooperative project. Recently much of this support has been Christian enterprise in India, Burma and Ceylon withdrawn. The men loaned to cooperative work in cooperation and consultation with the Provinhave been withdrawn, or the building has been cial Christian Councils, and to suggest plans for required by the society; no financial equivalent has been forthcoming, so that many cooperative further advance. projects have fallen into a perilous financial (2) To take all possible steps. to give-effect to situation. the principle within the Chri,stian enterprise that Some Needs in Reconstruction the church is central and permanent.
This decision means that the future business of the annual meeting of Provincial Christian Coun- A good deal of reconstruction is required if cils will be to review the progress of the Christian cooperation is to make adequate progress. From movement in its area and to plan accordingly.
the experience of the last few years I would sug- The Provincial Councils know with some certainty gest certain requirements: what the needs of the area are, what are the (a) The need of broadening the basis of sup- available resources, what reinforcements are re- port and so decreasing the individual grants-in- quired, and how they should be distributed. The aid. This would, at the same time, widen the point to emphasize is that cooperation is to centre interest in the project. around the church and its activities. This' coop- (b) Every scheme should be supported by a eration in the' church and mission institutes a budget covering a definite period of years (three definite procedure to what were exclusively mis- or five have been suggested). sion activities. A policy of greater "give and (c) Supporters of the [scheme should be kept take" is needed. In many fields too definite a line particularly well informed of its progress. has been drawn between church and mission.
(d) In order to command the fullest confidence Burning Questions such projects should have a good executive with the requisite knowledge. From my recent visit to India I have found (e) Gifts of men and property to help the that there are many burning questions in the project, in lieu of money payment, always present minds of Indian church leaders which require a difficulty, for when the man or property is with- handling by missions with greater sympathy and drawn it is not likely that the equivalent in money understanding. A few of these might be men- will be forthcoming. If possible, every project tioned: should be so financed as to pay for its own staff. First, there is the administration of money as and equipment. between the mi,ssion and the church. As things (f) There should be equality of status among stand, the indigenous church has been operated the cooperating groups; all should pull their on a too limited self-support policy, a policy which weight, and not let the others down. can barely keep it in existence. It appears to the (g) The various cooperating councils have a church leaders that they are a poor, struggling special duty to keep in close touch with the work- body, while the mission seems to be a wealthy or- ing of these projects and to keep the supporting ganization. Yet increasingly the church is being churches and mis,sion bodies well informed of the called upon to face the whole Christian task, and progress, as they affect the interests of each. it is being admitted that the church and not the
CLOSER COOPERATION IN MISSION WORK
mission is the main factor in future evangelistic prises where the support comes mainly from forefforts. Nevertheless, evangelistic activities, eign countries. There is a growing feeling among owing to the pos,session of the necessary finance, some that financial support ought not to give the are largely undertaken by the mission. The right of control of work conducted in another nachurch leaders feel that there is something wrong tional area; there is much to be said in support about all this. of this contention.
Financial support cannot be separated from In a lengthy vi,sit to India and the Far East I other factors in the situation. An amazing was struck by the fact that while there is wideamount of self-support can be carried on a wave spread acknowledgment of the centrality of the of spiritual awakening, but should this spiritual Church in the Christian enterprise, there seems, fervor decline, the effort to maintain self-support from the practical point of view, very little grasp may be found quite inadequate to the task. No of the significance of this truth. Many say, "Yes, one will deny that the church must be further the Church must increa,se and the mission deenlisted in the evangelistic movement. A case in crease"; but in many quarters it was not recogpoint is that of the opportunity presented by the nized that this is an exceedingly revolutionary Mass Movement in India. If, at this stage, the proposition. It affects not only the question of missions were to seek exclusively to cultivate this policy, but the whole personal attitude of the misopportunity and to rush forwaFd with what mone- sionary to his indigenous colleagues.. It affects tary help they can obtain, the position of the his standard of living and his relationship to the Church would be a very difficult one. It would feel prevailing economic situation. It is very regretthat it had taken no effective part in the move- table that so many quarrels exist between the ment and yet was likely to be called upon to take local mission and the local church. Of course, it up the responsibilities of the infant church gath- is inevitable that it is difficult to establish the new ered as a result of the missions' evangelistic ef- relationship, and it is just here that the demand forts. To avoid any such result it is vital that for allocation of foreign workers in the field of the church should be taken into full cooperation the church becomes acute. The leaders of the with the mission in facing any evangelistic oppor- church feel that they must be able to say who tunity that may present itself in the mission field among the foreign missionaries they wish in the today. The time has gone when the mission can service of the church and where they would like act alone. The church that has been established to see them employed. is the central consideration. Its interests must be regarded in a new way that will involve a read- These questions show how vital it is that a: real j ustment in the allocation of foreign money for the fellowship should exist between the mission workprosecution of the Christian enterprise. ers and church workers, and how necessary it is at the present specially critical stage to preserve In the second place, a good deal of misunder- the spiritual value of the relationship of the misstanding is being caused, rightly or wrongly, in sion to the church. If that relationship is obconnection with the question of the holding of scured, the mission will not be in a position to help property. Where the mission has acquired prop- and cooperate with the church in shouldering the erty in any particular area for the prosecution of future task of evangelization. It is an undoubted the Christian enterprise, the native church leaders fact that here we find the reason for stagnation in think they have a right to remand that this prop- many, fields today. erty should remain in the service of the Christian enterprise of that area. Many may hold that a The new position into which the church has mission, .having spent money on land or property, come in the cooperative councils of the world has a perfect right to dispose of it by sale or makes the question of cooperative mission projects otherwise. This seems to be reasonable, especially still more important. The interest of the church when there is a deficit in the work conducted in must be secured in the project; it must feel that that area. Nevertheless, the question is not so the matter is one that intimately concerns its own viewed by the indigenous church. Mis,sionary welfare, and if possible the church should be asleaders may think that this is wrong; others may sociated with the group of missions that are comthink that selfish motives are at play. What has bined in the particular project. to be faced, however, is that this feeling is widespread, and to ignore it is to do irreparable dam- Viewing the whole field I' have not merely been age to the relationship between the indigenous impressed with the variety and extent of cooperachurch and foreign mission. tion already achieved, but also by the wholly un- developed possibilities. Everywhere new vistas In the third place much misunderstanding has of possible cooperation open up. This is especially resulted from the effort to assert control of work so when we realize, as Dr. Mott points out, that financed from outside sources. The very word the Christian mission today is confronted with an "control" is "a red rag" in many indigenous enter- intensification of the forces of opposition, with the organization of religions against the Christian
cwliatinmeisns~ and with the success of the many isms Faith in Christ has been discerned in a new di- the allegience of men. In answer to this mension in the fellowship of others representing all sections of the Christian Church. Where these world situation the missionary enterprise must conference and councils have included Christians of all nations this discovery was even more sigalso intensify, organize, and make more efficient nificant. Faith has enlarged its boundaries and has overstepped divisions; in very truth Christ its organs of cooperation. has been found by all in a new way.
In view of this necessity, it is regrettable that The faith of the Church as a whole has thus so many missionary cooperative councils are crip- taken on a new significance; this has not been pled for lack of adequate financial support. It because of organization and manipulation, it was stands to reason that the cooperative projects al- a real discovery. This wider and deeper faith, ready functioning will be greatly endangered if which the Church has entered upon in this way, these councils are not strengthened. Is it not a has opened up new possibilities; these possibiliwrong policy to be concerned chiefly about the ties are not confined to committees, the Church support of this or that project when the mission- has discovered that it had a more adequate Mesary council itself is, in serious financial difficulties sage for the world. What Christ might mean for and is largely rendered inoperative? In spite of Christians and for non-Christians has been set all handicaps, however, it is amazing how these forth more clearly, and the whole witness of the councils have functioned through times of recent Church is definitely linked up with the needs of difficulty and how extensive have been their opera- men everywhere. The life and witness of the tions and how vital the emphasis they have placed Church necessarily involves a world outlook, as upon the centrality of evangelism. has been demonstrated beyond all gainsaying.
Two dangers have been present in the develop- On the practical side the experience of these coment of cooperative projects. On the one hand operative councils has thrown increasing light on schemes have been promoted by specially inter- the problems of world evangelization and on the ested groups, which have not been properly dis- whole mission of Christianity. The experience cussed by the missionary community. This danger gleaned from other parts of the mission field, and is the greater where the group interested can from other sections of the Christian Church, has usually provide initial finance. Development once been brought together and has been applied to the begun may wrongly direct a great deal of mission- whole enterprise. Solutions otherwise impossible aryactivity. have suggested themselves for long-standing diffi- culties, and the Christian forces have found them- On the other hand there is the danger of pre- selves facing the task presented by its information paring plans from the top, and not sufficiently throughout the world with fresh vision, rejuvepreparing the ground and nurturing them from nated faith, and conscious power to apply the below. The result is that often the schemes are Christian interpretation to the life of the world. superimposed upon an uninstructed constituency It can safely be said, therefore, that we have whose interest has not been captured. Another reached a point where it has become clear that necessity in all cooperative projects is that while cooperation in the missionary enterprise' has come they should be devised on a thorough business to stay, that it must become an integral part of our outlook, plans and budget, and that we must basis, we should never lose sight of the spiritual embark upon a process of education of constitu- encies in order to show unmistakably the signifisignificance of the project. It should constitute cance, the need and the value of cooperation. for all concerned a call upon their faith and sacrifice. It is the growing conviction of those who have much experience of cooperative projects and the This subject of closer cooperation formed a part work of these Christian councils that they have of the program of the World Missionary Confer- a significance for the missionary enterprise ence in South India. The time has come seriously greater than that devoted to parochial or denomto reconsider the whole question of cooperation inational interests. This, in fact, stands to reaand its financial support, and to integrate it in the son, and there undoubtedly seems a special blesseveryday plans of missionary councils and com- ing attached to all such endeavor. It demonstrates mittees. The experience that has, attended such the existence of a unity for which we all pray, and cooperation has revealed to those participating is the closest approach we have yet been able to something unique. It has been found that what make in the present circumstances to the fulfilwe hold in common is much deeper and more sig- ment of Christ's prayer, "That they also may be nificant than that which separates Christians. one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou This is a great discovery! The magnitude of the has sent Me." issues at stake, and the demands of an increasingly difficult situation may have drawn us together, but it was not these which kept us together. The spirit of Christ has been found to be the unifying factor, and this was a real discovery.
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I Effective Ways of Working crested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home 'v. EDITED BY MISS GRACE .;yICGAVRAN, 5718 OAK AVE., INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA ~'=i======================~====~~ Enthusiasm is something home after the Sunday evening chance to meet thus. Spontanewhich can be caught. Ten min- service and called a men's meet- ous or pre-planned, it accomutes with someone who is ac- ing to hear him. I never saw plishes something that a mixed complishing something is worth men as captivated as were the group will not do. ten hours reading about him- men at this conference."-M. E. provided the ten minutes is used Obviously their mISSIOnary effectively. Weare deeply con- Very well; look at what hap- had a winning personality and a cerned in developing the interest pened. Labor Day-a week-end real message. But so do many of our laymen in the missionary when men would be free. His other missionaries who are never task of the Church. Are we approach-refreshing to say the given half a chance to put them making effective use of the times least; and vital. We venture at your service. when our missionary is, for a that those who arranged the conbrief period, with us? Is the ference gave deep thought to the Two-Way Contacts enthusiasm which dominates his question of what phase of the (or her) life to the extent of work they wanted their mission- We have often heard of readkeeping him at work in a foreign ary to present. It is necessary ing a letter from our missionary environment being transferred to study out what a group needs. once a month at the meeting. to those who are responsible for To say, "Just speak to us upon Here is something different. It his being there? anything that is in your heart," comes from a church in Louis- is a lazy and ineffective method, ville, Kentucky. Almost as valuable, and in some cases more so, are the con- calculated to result in nothing. "Our Young Matron's Guild, tacts with the National Chris- (Parenthetically may your edi- our Business Young Women's tians from mission lands. Guild, and our Women's Mission- tor remark that within this past ary Society each write a letter And to a varying degree, the year she listened to an address every month to our missionary same is true of opportunities to given by a world famous mis- in India. Our pastor also writes meet Mission Board secretaries occasionally. We keep up a suband other official liaison-people sionary at an interdenomina- scription to Good Housekeeping of the various boards. tional gathering of thousands, for her and once in a while send which was but futile piffle. her patterns of dresses, as some We have received and present Probably because no one had of our women wear the same to you some interesting accounts troubled to discuss with the size." They find many ways of of effective use of such opportu- speaker possible background and sharing in her work and of keepnities. They compose but a frac- needs of the group to be ad- ing her assured of their contintion of the ways in which we dressed.) uing interest. "In fact," the acshould be making better use of count closes, "we are all crazy personal contact with those on Arrangements were made for about her and do all we can for the far-flung battle line of Chris- her."-E. S. tian progress. close contact with three laymen -not with a family or a married The emphasis, in that church, As Man to Man couple. Those three men may we note, has been almost entirely on its responsibility to their mis- "An adult conference in Iowa have been chosen because of sionary. The personal contact over Labor Day week-end was what the experience would mean was made while she was on furarranged to take advantage of to them, and through them to lough. Now their affection and the presence and participation of the local church; or it may have expression of interest follow her. a missionary home from Africa. been a deliberate setting of the It does not take much imagina- His approach was from the point stage for just what happened tion to picture the difference beof view of the African who ac- spontaneously. tween the atmosphere in which cepts Christ; and revealed the that missionary works and the changes that must necessarily There was a spontaneously one in which the unattached come in his whole scheme of liv- called meeting of men-where as worker labors. Upholding the ing. The missionary stayed with hands of those afar off to give three laymen, who took him man to man the subject could be them power to achieve is no followed further. Men gather for serious discussion in almost every organization except in re- gard to the missionary work of the Church. Men need to have a [95 ]
sentimental imagery. We called become set into a form. Con- the place where her abilities it morale in the days of the Great sider this year having at least could serve. She is a success and War. one dramatic element is your a piece of work is being well Do not be content to be on the service. The following report done. receiving line. Make a two-way gives an excellent suggestion. How often have we tried to contact with some worker and With the world in its present force every member of the misenter into his or her work with state, what more forceful than sionary society into a pattern of appreciation and intelligence. the symbolic recognition of the giving? How often have we Presents are all right. One gives fact that only Christ can draw measured the success of our where one's heart is. But under- the peoples of the world together stewardship by what we have standing and interest is the jewel in friendship. Use nationals if accomplished along one or two beyond price that lies in our possible; it will give reality to lines? hands to bestow. the service. But the nationals Why not try, instead, to A Continuing Contact must express their own convic- search out the realm of every tion as to the power of Chris- member's greatest interest in A state missionary leader in tian living. It must be real, not giving and then demand "Full Georgia writes of a series of con- assumed. We are in a service of measure, pressed down and runtacts with a missionary which prayer, not in a playhouse. ning over," of everyone in her she is using to secure that con- This year the international service chosen field. The total giving tinuity so often lacking in our was held in the Community Church, when unorthodox avenues re- with the wife of the sub-dean of Holy ceive recognition and encouragemissionary education. Trinity Church presiding. Twelve ment will amaze you. And there Three steps are noteworthy. different nations were represented in will be an increase also in your First, a series of contacts in the audience. Each one prayed in her regular avenues of stewardship, which a missionary was person- own language. The earnest prayer ally escorted from church to offered for the sufferers of the war for increased interest always rechurch by the state worker who by a Japanese woman will long be re- sults in better general support.
was quite familiar with those membered. The high peak in the Here is one way of finding out churches. What a splendid way service was the candle lighting service interests and abilities and get- when women, representing the differ- for a first contact to be made! ent nations, approached the central ting them into harness. Be sure The missionary was free to give candle with their unlighted candles, herself; and received so much each team has a driver who, in her companion's interpreta- from opposite aisles, to return with them lighted to spread their light. even if the road is new, is will- ing to work along and find its A holy hush fell on the audience as tion of the situation in each the Japanese and Chinese women from goal. opposite aisles approached the cen- Make a sheet, or sheets, church as to be able to give tral candle and at the same time preferably mimeographed, with what it needed most. Second, a lighted their candles to return to project of providing things for spread their light. It was evident something like the following on the missionary's use in the field that the only way out was for the them, leaving space at the botwas arranged through Board love of Christ to lift us all above the tom for any member to write in Headquarters. The necessary narrow nationalism which is darken- any other special ability she follow-up study of that mission- ing our world. We were challenged to might care to offer for service. spread the light of His love as the ary's work was a natural accom- only way out of the darkness which Place a copy in the hands of paniment of such a plan. Third, is fast enveloping us. . each member of the missionary and this is especially interesting, Harness Hidden Abilities society, asking that one or more this contact and the project were of the items be checked, that the deliberately planned long enough The director of a welfare or- slip be signed and returned to ahead to be the build-up for the ganization with a million dollar the officers. * From a study of endowment remarked, "I don't the returned sheets, interests of present India study. The same sort of thing is pos- know why we keep Miss X. She members will become apparent, sible in any group. Too often violates every rule for procedure and abilities hitherto neglected we study frantically a certain that we have drilled into our may be put to use. country or racial group and after workers." He paused thought- 1. I feel the need of a bit of the six months is over, we drop fully and added, "And yet she serious study. I would like somethem like hot stones while we can, in her own way, accomplish time during this year, to join a pursue a new interest. New results in this group of contacts leadership training class on studies keep us alert. But let that has baffled our best work- methods of effective missionary us so plan our approach, our ers." work in the church . . . contacts, our service projects, That organization is to be our study, so that along a few complimented. Although Miss 2. I am interested in needle major lines at least we build up X's talents lay outside the pre- • Before preparing the slip. the officers a continuity of interest and ac- should consult anyone directly involvedtion. scribed set-up, she was allowed such as the leader of a Junior group. or to serve in her own way and the superintendent of the Sunday school- The World Day of Prayer given a problem the orthodox so as to have some idea of what types of could not solve. They used her service may be rendered. The possibility of The observance of the WorId inability to work in routine a few weeks of help may encourage the Junior leader to take up a mission study with the children. Or it may reveal the fact that she is not cooperative. and so lead to Day of Prayer can all too easily ways to advantage by finding the decision that that item should be omitted.
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
work. I might be able to join a 7. I like giving book reviews. ward older members who can small group of women who I shall be glad to read and pre- not otherwise come. I would would meet occasionally, to pare introductory book reviews like to have a regular group of make garments for some mis- on several books which would be passengers so that we can desion center, such as those for stimulating reading for our velop a fellowship-so these Migrant workers under the members. . . . members will not feel they are Council of Women for Home imposing on me for an "occa- Missions. . . . If such a group 8. I have directed dramatics. sional" ride. . . . meets I think it would be inter- If playlets for the meetings are esting if a chapter or two at a to be given, I shall be glad to A Garden Meeting for Bab y time of some one of the lighter help direct, costume and stage Bands: As children and leaders mission study books might be them . . . If a missionary play gather together, two lovely read out, – something which for public presentation is to be verses were read from the memnone of us have read…. given, I should be happy to un- bership cards and mothers and dertake its production. . . . or babies sang, "Jesus Loves Me." 3. I enjoy telling stories to to help in its production. . . . Four tiny members then apchildren. I should be glad to peared dressed as the little gift undertake the preparation and 9. I have had some experience box friends, Sita, Lillian, Taro telling of a group of stories in in directing music. If new mis- and Danny, and in a few words one of the children's story hours, sionary hymns, are to be used, I told something of these little or study periods for "missions. It will be glad to learn them and to folks. In response to the roll would give me a fine excuse to plan for interesting learning call each child presented his or be with the children in one of periods in which I shall guide her kodak picture to be used in their units of mission study, and our members in learning them. a Family Album being started it would bring me up-to-date on in the Baby Band. The speakers the methods and materials being 10. I like to cook and to ex- were the ministers of the church, used with children today. Be- periment with new dishes. I who gave the mothers a thoughtsides, "it would encourage the shall be glad to tryout recipes ful talk on child training, and leaders of the children's group for foreign foods and to plan re- the branch secretary of Baby to have an extra helper once in freshments or dinners using Bands an interesting address on a while…. them, supervising or undertak- the work done for Japanese chil- ing their preparation. . . . dren at one of our schools. The 4. I find I would like to do S. S. superintendent provided a some special reading on –. I 11. I have had some training very happy surprise in the way would like our librarian to make and experience as a teacher of of moving pictures. A brief out a list of several good books adults. I would be willing to program of games followed, the on the subject and give it to me. prepare to lead a group of our children having been told that If she will indicate whether the members in a leadership train- other little boys and girls all books are from our own library, ing course on missions . . .; around the world were running, are personal copies or are in the in a study of the current home skipping, playing ball just as we public library, I will try to read missions book . . .; in a study at least – – of them during the of the foreign missions book were. For the refreshments the year. table was spread with pink and 12. I like going to Confer- blue paper-Baby Band colors- 5. I have become interested in ences. I am willing to consider and flowers to match. Bread the political aspects of some of giving several days to go to a and butter or little sandwiches our city problems. I am willing missionary institute, summer with peanut butter or jelly were to investigate any such thing as conference or something similar offered, cocoa or milk given to Juvenile Court, Playgrounds, during this year. . . . drink, and ice cream was served, Color Lines and restrictions, made" attractive with animal which would help our society to 13. I enjoy making out bib- crackers (bears, elephants, etc.) find out what our nearest city liographies. When our mission- climbing up the mound. – Misconditions really are . . . I ary group wants to do some sionary Monthly of the United might be willing afterward to reading on a special subject, I Church of Canada. serve on an interdenominational shall be glad to browse thrcugh committee to attack some one our own and the public library Unique Report: The secretary for phase of the contributing cause and make out an annotated list national and overseas sewing of Los of trouble at its root, in the at- of books and magazine articles Angeles Presbyterial, in presenting tempt to destroy or modify it. to be circulated. . . . her report at an annual meeting, used a chart to illustrate the number of 6. I enjoy entertaining. I 14. I have some artistic abil- articles sent to the field. She had should be interested in helping ity and would be glad to plan written on a roll of wide shelf-paper, to arrange for interracial social and make posters and announce- fastened to a curtain rod, the numbers affairs, . . . in entertaining ments for special meetings . . .; of the various articles made, the some guest speaker of another or place cards and table decora- smallest figures first, and the largest race . . ., in planning special tions for special dinner or lunch- last. As she rose to make her report, times of fellowship and recrea- eon meetings. . . . she unrolled the chart to its full tion for our group. . . . length. The effect was very dramatic. 15. I have a car and shall be -Women and Missions. glad to call for and bring to the meetings and return home after-
A Story for the
By VIOLET WOOD, Missionary Education Movement THE LITTLE HYMN She was in despair because she MAKING USE OF THIS wanted her voice to be as beau- SINGER tiful as possible. Mrs. Anderson STORY tried to comfort her daughter Marian had one joy, which with the hope that a way would Tell the story of Abraham Lincoln was not many for a little Amer- be found. and his struggle to free the American ican Negro girl living in the Negroes from slavery. Explain that poorest and noisiest section of The minister, the organist and he knew that freedom for them was South Philadelphia. She loved all the friends at Marian's only half the battle and that the other to go to church, for there she church knew of her problem, and half lay in making it possible for them could sing as much as she wanted wanted to help her. One of them to have an education. Out of illusto, without fear of disturbing said, "It seems selfish to keep trations from the work of your own sleeping babies in adjoining Marian to ourselves. How proud denomination show how Christian tenements at home. Standing up we Negroes would be if white home missions are carrying on the between her mother and older people could hear her sing !" work that Lincoln started. Round out sister she would pour out her the child's understanding of the term heart in "spirituals" (Negro "Yes," said another friend, "it "Home Missions" to include Christian hymns) . The other people in might help white people to real- schools, colleges. community houses, the congregation often stopped ize that God gives beautiful gifts traveling hospitals, clinics, clubs, singing just to listen to Marian. to us as well as to them." churches, social workers, nurses, doc- tors, teachers and pastors for the "Did you ever hear such a As a result of their talk to- Negroes in rural and metropolitan voice as that?" one of the church gether it was suggested that they America. people would say to others; "that arrange for a big concert at child of Mrs. Anderson is the which Marian could sing. Tick- In building up a picture of the backbest little hymn singer I ever ets would be sold to members of ground of the South from which most heard." all Negro churches so they could Negroes come, make the scene vivid raise the needed $125.00. Marian by describing sorghum cane, cotton It was small wonder that be- sang that night in her rich con- bales, Mississippi paddle-wheel boats, fore Marian was eight years old tralto voice to a full house. The paper-shell pecans, Spanish moss, she was singing solos in the people sat spell-bound and called Negro spirituals, sage brush brooms, adult choir of the Union Baptist for encore after encore. It iron kettles, and other things con- Church. Many people came to seemed as if they would never nected with their life. church especially to hear her let her go. sing, and finally the organist A True-False Test for Children arranged a concert so that many That was the beginning of a more could hear her. Admission great career. Today Marian (When the child has written his anwas charged to help raise money Anderson is one of the world's swers, or given them orally, the parent for a community project. famous singers. She has sung or teacher should follow up each item in the capital city of almost with "We know this is (or is not) After that, almost every every country in Europe, in Rus- true because . . ." month she sang at some church sia and in South America. She social in her own or in other gave a concert in the White 1. George Washington set Negro communities. She was House, and she sang before the free the slaves in very poor and had to work to King and Queen of England. Jan America ………. T- False help her mother, but with her Sibelius, the famous Finnish earning, of from fifty cents to musician, admires her so much 2. Negroes do not admire two dollars each Sunday, she that he has written songs of Abraham Lincoln .. T- False sang her way through grammar great beau~y especially for her. school and high school. Her fa- 3. A Negro dance is called ther was dead, and life was not Marian has not forgotten that a spiritual …….. T- False easy for Marian, her mother and her two sisters. she was once a little hymn singer 4. Negro boys and girls can go to any school T- False One day her mother realized in a Negro church. As the clossadly that Marian could never 5. Roland Hayes is a fabecome a better singer unless ing part of her concerts she al- mous Negro singer . True Fshe could take lessons from a teacher who could help develop ways sings three or four Negro 6. Marian Anderson is an her voice and inspire her to hard spirituals. Some day you may English singer ….. T- False work. This would cost much hear her over the radio, on your more than Marian could pay. phonograph or at a concert when 7. A Community C h est she sings "0, Lord, What a helped Marian An- Morning, When the Stars Begin derson ………… T- False to Shine." 8. Jan Sibelius does not [98 ] permit Marian An- derson to sing his songs …………. T- FaIlle Music "African Hammock Song" -first English printing of song of native African men bearing the hammock of the white missionary and incorpora- ting the rhythm of the marching feet on the forest trail. Both English and Buluba words. (5 cents per copy or 3 for 10 cents.) Order from the Missionary Education Movement, 150 Fifth Ave., New York. BULLETIN Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
~==–=============I~ The Women of the Church sion of these Boards in order good will are vital factors in in- Seek Peace that women of all denominations ternational relationships. may use it if they so desire. The The Christian Church in these complete program may be ob- As citizens of the United days is in the vanguard of that tained from the headquarters of States we join in the renunciagreat movement driving the peo- these Boards, 25 East 22nd tion of war as set forth by the ples of the world away from war. Street, New York City. Kellogg Peace Pact which our Amidst the tension of the hour nation has signed. in international relations and *** the confused thinking as to how Finally, we seek Peace because to preserve the peace of the Call to Worship: Glory to God we have seen the fruits and fuworld one fact stands out in bold in the Highest, and on earth tility of war. Its cost in money characters, and that is the de- peace, goodwill toward men. was the smallest price of the sire of the common people to find Blessed are the peacemakers; World War. It cost 33 million a way to keep out of war. The for they shall be called the chil- human lives. Church is making its contribu- dren of God. The day spring tion in its declaration that war from on high hath visited us, to The end is not yet; the fruits is sinful and contrary to the way give light to them that sit in of life as revealed by Jesus darkness and in the shadow of are still with us, in broken Christ-and in its effort to lead death, to guide our feet into the homes, shattered lives, economic Christians in their attempt to way of peace. And He shall achieve a peaceful world built speak peace to the nations. Glory burdens, increased bitterness upon justice and brotherly love. to God in the Highest, and on and distrust among nations. In this movement the women of earth peace, goodwill toward The last word of a war is never the Church through their organ- men. (Luke 2: 14; Matthew spoken. ized groups, and as individuals, 5: 9; Luke 1: 78, 79; Zech. 9: are taking a leading part, and in 10; Luke 2: 14.) We seek peace because the increasing numbers are seeking way of war has failed. Why not peace and pursuing it. How are Hymn: In Christ there is no try His Way? Love never they doing it? Through wor- East or West. faileth. ship, first of all, believing as they do that God is wisdom and Scripture Reading: Isaiah 52: Meditation: How shall we that only through communion 7; Zechariah 9: 9-11; Isaiah 11: pursue Peace? with Him will the true solution 2-6,9; Micah 4: 3. be found. It is not enough to seek peace; Prayer. "Seek Peace and Pursue It" we must pursue it. World peace Hymn: Jesus shall reign is an ideal still far from real- A WORSHIP PROGRAM where'er the sun. ization, but it is our part to fol- low the gleam. To achieve peace This peace program, extracts Reading: Why do we seek we must follow hard after the from which are here given, has Peace? things which make for peace. been recently published by the We know the things that make Women's Boards of Domestic As Christians we have chosen for peace with our neighbors; and Foreign Missions of the Re- to follow the Prince of Peace. the same laws operate for naformed Church in America. It As loyal followers we believe in tions. Love is the fulfilling of emphasizes the relation between His teachings and spirit, and He missions and peace and is in- taught and exemplified the the law. Mayall that we do be tended for use by women's mis- power of love. He showed us done in love. sionary societies or other groups the Father, and all men as our of church women. It is given brothers. We seek peace because *** here in outline with the permis- it is His Way. Prayer: Dear God of Love, As worn e n in the home and King of Peace, we know that churches we have become ac- out of the heart are the issues quainted with God's children of life. Disarm our hearts. Take around the world. We believe from them all things that make that understanding, respect and for strife, all hatreds and preju- dices, all suspicion, and self- [99 ] seeking, and self-righteousness, and give us hearts sensitive to the sufferings and the needs of all our brethren, of whatever
color or race or nation. Make people of a community are being "Eleven hundred luncheons held us ever anxious to aid, eager to aroused to the need for intelli- by eleven hundred women each share. In our own lives, and as gent study and responsible ac- entertaining eleven guests at far as we can project our in- tion in this field of foreign af- eleven minutes before eleven on fluences, may we follow after the fairs. Never have the people of the eleventh day of the eleventh things which make for peace. the United States been so inter- month" was the goal set by the May we who dare to call our- nationally minded as at the presselves by His name, dare, too, to ent time, nor so confused by the Council, and the church women try His Way, the way of love. trend of world events. To create of the city took an active part an intelligent public opinion in the project. At eleven o'clock In the name of the Prince of from the point of view of the Peace. Amen. Christian citizen is the work of there was a radio broadcast con- these groups of church women ducted by some of the religious Hymn: 0 God of Love, 0 who are cooperating with men leaders of the city. The time King of Peace. and women in other organiza- tions who are equally aroused to from that hour until luncheon The Church Woman's Deca- the need of the hour. was served was given to a dis- logue of Peace cussion of the world situation, And what are some of the and after luncheon a ballot was A statement of beliefs has taken to register the opinion on evolved from the thinking of things which these women are American foreign policy. The groups of church women who interest was very great and it is through study and dis>cussion doing? The Woman's Auxiliary have come to the conclusion that of the Diocese of Newark, New the hope of St. Louis that other they must base their work for cities will follow their example peace upon the principles here Jersey, sent out a call for a one next year. set down. The National Com- day Institute on Peace Education mittee of Church Women be- for which they asked the coop- These are but samples of the lieves that this Decalogue ex- eration of the New Jersey State many ways in which the women presses the point .of view of the. Committee on the Cause and of the churches are working. If maj ority of the church women Cure of War, the first time that you are convinced that your with whom it has come in touch. a church group had appealed to Does it represent your convic- that committee for help in set- church should have a share in tions? Write to the editor for a ting up such a program-a fine this great task and would like to free copy. Study it and decide. example of cooperation between know how to get started, send to church and secular agencies. To the Church Peace Union, 70 Gleanings from the Activities quote from the letter sent out by Fifth Avenue, New York City, of Church Women in the the President of the Woman's Peace Movement Auxiliary of the Diocese: "The for a leaflet called, "Building a findings of the great World Con- Peace Committee in the Church," The organized women of the ferences at Edinburgh and Ox- and you will find much help. Or, Church are taking an ever in- ford have so appealed to our increasing interest in public af- clination toward church unity write to the National Committee fairs. Witness their activity in that we have perhaps missed an of Church Women, Room 63, 297 interracial and social pr.oblems equally important emphasis in Fourth Avenue, New York City, which are so closely aligned with the program of the church cooptheir mission study, and the eration with existing organiza- which represents the Council of growing realization that inter- tions and agencies in the interest Women for Home Missions, the national relations are so bound of world peace. This is, there- Committee on Woman's Work of up with the missionary enter- fore, more than' a date on our the Foreign Missions Conferprise that the building of the calendars. It is an expression ence, and the National Council Kingdom of God on earth de- of faith that, in spite of the sense pends to no small degree upon of futility induced by present of Church Worn e n, through the solution of the problem of world conditions, it does matter which the organized women of peace and war. Studies in inter- that the church women of the the Church are related to the national relations are being put Diocese of Newark believe in peace movement. into the programs. of missionary peace." The program included societies, and .other church among other topics a discussion "Seek Peace and Pursue It." groups, and this-is leading to an of peace education in parish pro- This theme represents the ideal active participation in the peace grams, and from that institute movement through church agen- there no doubt was carried down which moves the women of the cies or through one, or more, of into the churches of the diocese Church today as through worthe various peace organizations. a new enthusiasm for this phase ship, education and action they of the work of the Church. seek to put the Christian motive Many stories could be told, into the heart of the great cause would space allow, for in one Another instance: The Peace for which they work-"on earth way, or another, word comes of Council of the City of St. Louis peace, goodwill to men." the many methods by which the planned a huge demonstration ELINOR K. PURVES, for peace on last Armistice Day. Chairman, International Re- lations Committee, Na- tional Com mit tee of Church Women. * * The National Committee of Church Women is the coordinating Committee of thE'
Foreign Missions Conference, the National Council of Church Women, and the Council Of WOmen for llome MissionS, .
• Our World–wide
A Missionary Newspaper of Current Events EDITED BY MRS. HENRIETTA H. FERGUSON, XENIA, OHIO ,.
================================I'~ CHINA set with diffi,culty in such areas, Nothing of the kind had ever because students are compelled happened before. The majority Spreading the Gospel by Radio to take part in Japanese pro- of those aroused from sleep and moted parades and demonstra- carried off for ransom were The Shanghai C h r i s t ian tions against Chiang Kai-shek young girls; the others were Broadcasting Station is in many and the central government. In three men, some married women cases the only means by which schools which refuse, teachers and several children. Tied tothe Gospel is heard in China. are dismissed and students are gether with ropes, they were Additional factors favor this transferred to other schools. forced to wade through a river method of spreading the message Some feel that institutions should waist-deep. Nevertheless, they of Christ. be sacrificed, rather than ideals; refused to be' frightened and others think it their duty to car- went serenely with their captors, The people of China are from ry on as, best they can. Paced confident that they were in God's 80% to 90% illiterate, but no il- with such a desperate situation loving care. At first, their capliteracy prevents them from Chinese students are gripped in tors taunted them with the fact hearing. Even a lack of educa- a new way by the challenge of that they did not believe in God, tion does not prevent their Christ and the Cross; hundreds that their church had not been understanding the story of sal- are accepting Him and hundreds able to take care of them, that vation through Christ. more are ready to do so. God had not helped them; but this taunting did no damage to Many who would be afraid of -Foreign Affairs Bulletin. their faith, and soon the bandits "losing face" should they be seen began ,to be impressed, whether going to a Gospel Hall, do not Love of God in Action they would or no. Then began hesitate to Hsten over the radio. an experience for these ex-sol- A China missionary on fur- diers as to what ChrisHans were The worse the weather, the lough in the United States. says like. They could trust themlarger is the audience around that more progress has been and this resulted in more liberty. the radio so that storms do not made in Christian work in the They spent much time in prayer, hinder the work. last six months in the a,rea where and couldn't be intimidated. Fi- he has been doing relief work nally their captors said: "Truly, This is also the quickest and than in the previous ten years. your prayers have power to open cheapest way to reach large The love of God shown in the the heavens." They returned areas with the Gospel Message. heart and life is more convincing them in safety, some even saying than sermons·. wistfully that they would like to Christian unity is promoted, become Christians too. "Come for from 80 to 90 speakers from All of the thirty-nine Presby- with us to our compound," was different missions and churches terian mission stations areoccu- the reply. "We would be given take part in the program each pied and active. For the most ropes and told to hang ourweek. At the end of 1937 there part, missiolliary mothers and selves," was the answer. "No, were at least 1,500,000 receiving children are in protected areas, Christians forgive," was the resets in China, and the number while the men remain at their ply. "They do not want reis increasing. There are very posts or service. Two mission- venge." Probably it was their few programs on the air in Chi- aries have recently been allowed guilty consdences that did not na, so that the Christian message to return to Soochow, the an- permit the acceptance of the inis listened to more readily by cient capital, which was almost vitation, but who knows but that those who have radios in their destroyed by the Jlapanese. in happier times some of them homes. -Alliance Weekly. will find the better way? Forty Christians Bear Witness Students and Christianity -World Dominion Press. Forty Christians at the United A Presbyterian college pro- Church of Canada Mission in All Seek a Better Order fessor in China says that preach- Changte, Honan, were carried ing Christ to students in China off last August by 160 armed A writer in the Missionary Retoday is probably the greatest men who broke into the com- search Library Bulletin reminds privilege that can come to any pound. Later, all were safely us that whereas one country follower of Christ. This convic- returned, and had a tale to tell. tion came after a two-months' .evangelistic tour among students [101 ] in Japanese-occupied territory. Student evangelism is more be-
turns to Communism, another to supported by national and inter- Two native evangelists pene- Nazism, another to Fascism and national student organizations trated the interior of Tibet, disstill another to old age pensions to meet the acute needs of stu- tributing Gospels to the wander- -all in the pursuit of a better dents in China, to demonstrate ing tribes they met on the arid social order-not one has shown student solidarity around the Pa- plateaus of that country. They sluch inclination to turn to Christ cific, and to strengthen the forc- encountered little difficulty in as the solution of its problems, es of reconstruction in the their travels, partly because they as has been revealed in China in war-torn Far East. Last year, had toured that district on a preher crisis. The germ of a mighty C h r i s t ian Associations and vious occasion, and partly benational movement is there. The church groups raised $18,000 for cause they carried a medicine Japanese invasion has shattered the same purpose. chest with them which proved the placidity of the Chinese invaluable as a means of creatmasses, so that the missionary Funds are distributed through ing a friendly spirit. Longer program must follow a new path. nine local committees in key stu- tours are arranged at times dent centers of China. Trained when the rivers and passes be- Hitherto, the chief emphasis has secretaries, gIvmg volunteer come more or less easy to negotibeen on training the intellec- service, make possible wise se- ate, though travel at any time in tuals,and the success of this em- lection of those receiving aid and the Himalayas is fraught with a phasis is well demonstrated by a personal relationship with certain degree of difficulty and the large number of Christian them. There is no discrimina- considerable risk. leaders in every department of tionas to sex, religion or politithe nation's life. It is this group cal views. Help is given to any The poverty of the average of the nation's Christian leaders student in good academic stand- Tibetan Christians and the fewwho are urging ,a program for ing who is in desperate need be- ness of their number are factors cause of the war. that stand in the wlay of selfcarrying the Gospel of Christ to support for the churches; yet the the awakened masses as the ob- -Presbyterian Tribune. fa,ct that they are attempting to jective of future missionary face the problem is a step toward work. Literature for Refugees the goal. -Life of Faith.
Missionaries vs. War The Christian Literature Soci- Chinese Hospital Merger ety for China reports that after A significant development in Presbyterian missionaries at months of disturbance and un- medical education has been the Shanghai have sent the following certainty, they are going ahead merger of three large mission appeal to the readers of Monday in their Shanghai headquarters hospitals in Chengtu, capital of Morning: with something resembling a Szechuan Province into a teach- ing hospital for the medical The members of the Shanghai Sta- normal program of printing and schools of the three universities tion of the Presbyterian Mission in distribution. In the refugee in that city. The three hospitals are the Canadian Mission Hos- China would appeal for social action camps-for Shanghai is still a pital for Men; the Canadian Mis- sion Hospital for Women ; and to the Presbyterian ministers of the city of refugees, with 100,000 in the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat the shelters-at least 10,000 took Hospital. Each has a history of United States. We ask that they or- literacy tests, preliminary to en- more than twenty years. The ganize the men of their churches, and tering the classes organized in three universities are Central University, Cheeloo University the women, for action against war; and the West China University. that they send letters or telegrams to The medical colleges. of these three universities have a total of the President of the United States, to . these centers. These destitute more than 200 students. the Secretary of State, and to representatives in both houses of Congress, people welcome books and maga- -Chinese Recorder. demanding that the United States no zines, though war has so filled JAPAN-CHOSEN longer be a partner to the invasion their minds that they cannot set- Contrasts-China and Japan of China through supplying the means tle down to anything but brief pamphlets and magazines. "Pil- Dr. Fred Field Goodsell, of the of aggression to the Japanese invad- grim's, Progress" is one of the American Bo'ard ,sent an article ers or through the loaning of money most popular books. for Advance from Hongkong, in which he points out marked diffor the so-called reconstruction of "oc- ferences between Christians in cupied areas." China and Christians in Japan. Christians in Japan, for the most We want peace for the United part, are urban, middle class folk. Their churches are usual- States, a peace that is not only legally Christian Growth in Tibet correct, but that is also honorable in its relationships to other countries. Although progress is neces- Our latest information is that 54 per s'arily slow in a land of age-long cent of the war supplies purchased by darkness and prejudice, such as Japan have been secured from the Tibet, yet one finds much encour- United States.
We ask that the United States of agement. For example, at Sheh America make no further such contribution to the armed agression of there are now four Christian another nation in China. households; a Tibetan evange- list has gone to live there so that (signed)-Members of Shanghai he may teach the people to read Station Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and give them Christian train- Student Aid ing. This little company has shown so much growth in grace The Far Eastern Student that it is hoped to build a church Service Fund of $50,000 is being at Sheh in the near future.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
ly simall and coherent, growing with dis,trust by the Japanese with you to be unresentful, faithvery slowly. It is assumed there can be no conflict between reli- Government, and are threatened ful and loyal till the end." gion and the state, so that J apanes'e Christians, with few excep- with serious curlailment of their He was calm, s,elf-possessed, tions, do not feel that they are untrue to their Christian princi- religious and personail freedom. dignified, but meek and unreples when they support the policies of their government, even -Pageant. sentful. One could see the flowwhen it invades China. Dr. er of Bushido baptized into a Goodsell heard one Japanese Christian say: "Of course we Spiritual Mobilization Japanese Christian gentleman. don't like this war business, but Nobody could lay hold upon him since the government has gone Japan's present emergency at that time. Later, however, the into it, we must see it through." has forced religion upon the at- pressure wa's brought upon him, tention of the Government, hith- because of his Christians views The Chinese in contrast to the erto indifferent to all religion. on many critical issues. For the grim seriousness of the J apa- Great efforts are being made to peace of his university where he nese, are naturally exuberant secure the understanding and co- had taught over seventeen years, and enthusiastic. There is a gap operation of religious leaders in he resigned his chair. between Christian intellectuals promoting the "Spiritual Mobiliand Christian peasants in China, zation Movement" of the Gov- – World Dominion. such as is not so apparent in Japan, probably for the reason ernment. Recently, a week's A Novel "Experience Meeting" that there are fewer Christian Training Conference was held at pea's.ants in Japan. which Government officials and Around the dinner table at a specialists presented national missionary's home in Chosen, Under Government Control problems for consideration. some guests related the manner These included the nation's ec(}- of their conversion. When the proposed mobiliza- nomic life, thought life, objec- An elder of thirty years' tion is completely effected, Ja- tives on the Asiatic continent standing had been a dissolute pan win rank with totalitarian and future policies. Buddhist youth. After much urging on states. Speech and press are and Shinto priests, predominat- the part of a Christian older rigorously censored. Textbooks ed, but 'sixty Christian pastors, ' brother he went to church, merehave been rewritten. Universi- representing all the denomina- ly to please his brother. There ty and college professors- tions, were present. The crisis he was fascinated by the clock among them a number of Chris- is forcing the followers of all re- on the wall, and went back time tians-who. professed liberal or ligions, and especially their ~ead and again to observ-e this redemocratic opinions, have been ers, seriously to grapple with the markable foreign contraption removed from their positions questionings and problems which that had the power to move its and held for trial. The bill for ass,ail the nation. Therefore, a hands itself, and by which one the control of religious organiza- Buddhist-Shinto-Christian Coun- could tell the time-if he knew tions, if enacted in its present cil has, been formed to enable the how. It couJd be nothing less form, will extend government leaders of these three faiths to than spirit-controlled. Fascinatcontrol of churches and temp~es take united action where possi- ingas it was, he could not coneven to such details as the ap- ble, if no compromise of religious centrate on the clock all the time, pointment and dismissal of re- so that gradually he became ligious workers. principle i,s involved. more interested in what the Japanese Christians number -World Dominion Press. preacher had to say, and after less than 300,000 ina total population of approximately 67,- Japanese Professor Speaks that it was not long until GOod's 000,000. In their outlook on the Truth took hold of him. world, their sympathies lie with the democratic states of the west When a Japanese professor Another man said that when rather than with Japan's new European allies. They profess a addressed a large audience on he had gone to market he was religion which is strongly identified in the public mind with in- "The Christian Idea of Right- asked to buy a smalJ book. He ternationalism and movements for world peace. In recent years eousness," facing him were seat- was not interested and had no their leaders have been striving earnestly to realize a common ed some twenty secret service intention of buying, but he could viewpoint with Chinese Christians on a basis of fellowship to men ready to jump at him if he not be impolite enough to say a "remake the world." This explains why they are looked upon uttered any sentiment against curt "no" so he asked the price.
the national unity movement. When he learned it was only two "0 Holy Spirit," he prayed aloud sen he felt sOorry for the man before his lecture, "stand bes,ide whom he thought must be in me and give me power to be very reduced circumstances to Thy witness, Amen." Again and be selling anything as cheap as again he appealed fervently to that, so he bought one. But this the audience, saying, "You who did not mean that he had any in- are not Christians, I assure you tention of reading it. He had that Christianity raises up true charge of a sewing machine in a patriots in every land. Search clothing shop, so stuck the book history. Christianity makes us in the drawer and forgot about the best citizens, the best Japa- it. Eight years later, when work nese. You, Christians, I plead grew s,lack he sometime,s glanced
at the little book, so long out of northern and southwestern part NORTH AMERIOA sight and mind. Finally, his in- of Dutch New Guinea has been teres,t was gripped; he began to offered Captain Skolfield. Present Day Demands on wonder if this thing was worth American Missions inquiring into. He sought out a The present population of the Christian group, was given in- Dutch East Indies probably ex- Two conferences were held in struction, and now, for many ceeds 75,000,000. On this basis Pittsburgh by United Presbyyears has been a Chris,tian help- it appears that there is not one terian le,aders last October. er in his district. white missionary or Christian There was a courageous facing worker, (including Roman Cath- of realities and responsibilities -Presbyterian Board News. olics) to each half milHon people. in this day when every system, A section of Central Sumatra, social, political and religious, is ISLANDS OF THE PAOIFIO inhabited by more than a million being tested by fire. Definite ob- people, has never seen a mission- jectives include taking CDmmu- A Memorial Day in Papua ary. There is a highly developed nity census at proper intervals; civilization, supervised by Dutch enrolment of communicant class- The birthday of Charles W. officials, without one Christian es; where possible, series of Abel, founder of the Kwato Mis- among them. -The Message. evangelistic meetings fDr winsion in Papua was celebrated as ning of life. a memorial day. Events indud- Philippine Oooperation Aded a cricket match; a dedication vances Dr. W. Bruce Wilson, before service when 40 babies were the conference, had completed a baptized, among them the first During the past five years, 10,000-mile tour of western sta- Dorevaidi baby, from the inter- and notably during 1938, definite tions; some in the "dust bowl," ior. Chief Sibodu brought his others in mountain fastnesses 14-month son, and in his own forward steps have been taken where the Jmrty stuck in a snow gutteral tongue promised to in a 40-year old cooperation drift nine feet deep. In that negbring him up to love and serve lected, one-time important gold God. among the missionary boards in mining center, a promising North America and among the group was brought together. In At women's and men's meet- institutions set up by them in the second largest county in the ings, great surrenders were the Philippines. Asa result of Uni,ted States, not many miles made, in' which Papuans re- what was formerly the Ameri- from Los Angeles, Cal., is a disnounced pride, unwillingness to can Council of the Philippine trict without a Christian minislet God convict of things they Federation 0 f Evangelical try and typical of 10,000 comdidn't want to let go, unwilling- munities in our boasted land ness to be really unselfish in the Churches there is now the Phil- without religious instruction, home. They expressed a desire ippine Committee of the Foreign Protestant, Catholic or Jewish. to live, instead merely to preach, Missions Conference of North There are 60,000,000 of our felin difficult situations. Many said America; a secretary has been low ,citizens without definite asthat they had caught the vision added-for at least a year's serv- sociation with religious faith of God's plan for Papua, but had ice-to the Foreign Missions and culture; more than the milshirked the cost and preferred Conference staff to be also secre- lions in fields in India, Egypt the easy life ofa nominal Chris- tary of the Philippine Commit- and the Sudan. tian to the revolutionary life of tee during much of his time; and complete God-control. the Philippine Committee is" by -United Presbyterian. action of the American Council Mr. Cecil Abel gave a story of of Missionary Boards agreed Men and Missions Sunday the Mission to help the young upon last spring, cooperating people realize their heritage and with the Philippine Federation The Laymen's Missionary responsibility. of Evangelical Churches in a Movement-in case anyone has number of aggressive enterpris- forgotten-is a voluntary fel- Expansion into Dutch East es. lowship of Christian laymen of Indies all denominations, whose objec- Among these cooperative ac- tive is to enlist the interest of Captain Skolfield, in command tivities are the following two: men in missions at home and of the Independent Baptist Gos- "A more adequate presentation abroad; and to stimulate their pel Ship in the Philippines, has to the American people of the support of missionary work in been looking into the missionary strategic position of the Philip- the churches with which they situation in the Dutch East In- pines in the Far East, and are connected. From their headdies, with a view to expanding America's Christian responsibil- quarters in Chica.go comes the work into that field. He says ity and opportunity there"; and report that "Men 'and Missions" that this is the neediest, least "continuous study of the needs, Sunday was observed in 1341 evangelized field in the world. progress and opportunities of cities and towns from coa.st to As a result of conferences with the evangelical Christian move- coast in the United States. Every the Missionary Consul there, Mr. ment in the Philippine Islands, State in the Union was repre- Van Randwyck, territory in the with a view to the development sented. Each year the partici- of a more adequate and effective pation has increased, and this program of work."
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
year's total is the largest to date. ganization is spending some $1,- four years ago often refused to Fifty-three denominations co- 500,000 a year on 5,500 mission- come to the door when visitors operated with the National Com- aries, Bible women and other called. She now spends many mittee of the Movement in pro- workers in 17 lands. It is the hours talking with her friends moting the enterprise. Plans largest UnUed States organiza- about the meaning of church are already under way to secure tion of its kind. It now faces membership, and urging them to an even wider observance of the the prospect of losing its identity join.
day in 1939. in the merger of the three main A small group of young peo- branches of United States Meth- ple meet about once a week to odism. One problem that must Are We a Nation of Gamblers? be decided is how best to merge share opinions and convictions seven boards all doing related about fellowship among people Dr. George GaUup, Director tasks. Probably four boards of various races. At one of these of the American Institute of will remain: Education, Home meetings, a Negro lawyer spoke Public Opinion whose polls on Missions, For e i g n Missions, to the group, and on one Sunday various subjects have proved ac- Christian Work for Women. The morning breakfast was served curate to a high degree, has com- Woman's Foreign Missionary to fifty people of eight different pleted a study of the gambling Society will have to join with Qne races. habit which leads him to assert of the last twO'. -Watchman-Examiner. that 50 per cent of the people in Syrian Church Enters Federal Council In Mormon Theological the United States indulge in Seminaries games of chance, by which fabulous sums of money are squan- Every High School in Mordered. Included in this are lot- teries, slot machines, raffies, The first non – Protestant mondom has one of these, a thesweepstakes tickets, racing, elec- Church to enter the Federal ological training department tion bets and sport gambling. Council of the Churches of which every boy and girl is ex- Church lotteries, bingo, and raf- Christ in America, the Syrian pected to attend for one hour a fles of one SQrt or another have Antiochian Orthodox Church, day in their graduating year; become amazingly common, even was received into membership at members of lower classes one in some Protestant churches. the thirtieth biennial meeting hour or more a week. They are Once this fever grips a per- in Buffalo, December 6-9. Other taught much of the Bible, meson, moral and spiritual degen- features of this meeting were chanically if not spiritually, and eration is sure to follow. Many vigorous denunciation of anti- Mormon books rate even higher people are driven into financial Semitism and similar racial en- in authority. difficulty which sometimes leads mities; appeals for prayer and to suicide. aid for refugees; a call for world- Sometimes these "seminaries" wide cooperation among the have asked Protestant mission- -Watchman-Examiner. churches. aries to' talk to the classes; pre- sumably, to give the opportunity A request was made to the De- afterward to refute what has Methodists Study Merger partment of State at Washington to exert influence to persuade Time observes that the 19th sellers of war supplies to Japan been said. But many mission- Century saw the women of the aries have spoken so plainly and United States emancipated in to cease such operations volun- logically that orders have now many fields-but not in religion. tarily. Arrangements were made been issued that no longer will When, in 1869,eight Methodist they be allowed to address the women formed the Woman's to form a commission to study students.-Light on Mormonism. Foreign Missionary Society, an measures by which the Church independent bQdy, churchmen can remove economic injustices Coordination in Alaska between nations, and a call was tried to persuade them to let it issued for a spiritual revival A new cooperative piece of be administered by men, who among the churches in order to missionary work in southwestknew about such things. But meet the challenge presented by ern Alaska, called the "United the women stuck to their pur- Protestant Conference of Southpose, which was "engaging and "new secular rivals." western Alaska," is reported in uniting the efforts of the women Friendliness Wins Monday Morning. Its first meetof the Church in sending out ing, held in the spring of 1938, and supporting female mission- Volunteer workers in Berke- was attended by missionaries of aries, native Christian teachers ley, California, who call in for- the Presbyterian, Methodist and and Bible women in foreign eign homes, are delighted that Baptist Churches, Allocation of lands." they are now beginning to see territory among the different de- The society sent to India one some outward results. Twelve nominations was suggested for of the most famed missionaries Chinese have joined the Church, approval by the Home Missions of all time, Isabella Thoburn. at least half of these came Council. Rev. Bert Bingle, Pres- It sent to the East the first wom- through influences working in byterian missionary in the Mat- an doctor from the U. S. A., the Chinese-American Club. The anuska Valley, was' elected pres- Clara Swain, and today this or- Chinese President of this Club ident. Annual meetings will be
held, and all matters pertaining tral Plateau. Thus students in 20,000 square miles, possible to to the coordination of Protestant training are making a contribu- be covered only on mule back. mission interests in southwest- tion to the evangelization of Part of it is in a low, wet area, ern Alaska will be deared Costa Rica. which in the hot season is a pest through this organization. -Latin American Evangelist. hole for malaria; but the east- ern pa,rt is in a high, healthy Religious Education in Domin- Changes in Ecuador location, and his home is estab- ican Republic lished there. Mr. Reasoner tells Last summer the Board of The spiritual progress evi- of holding a meeting in a farm Christian Work in Santo Domin- house, where a man got up durgo held its seventh annual Insti- denced in Ecuador in the past ing a prayer and said in a loud tute of Religious Education. It three years is noted by Mr. and voice, "I'm not in agreement with was attended by eighty dele- Mrs. J. D. Clark, of The Chris- this, I am of the other religion, gates, representing the 80 con- tian and Missionary Alliance, I'm an illiterate." Another time a gregations in the Republic. So who have recently returned af- man said, "I believe in God but keen was the interest in one of ter a furlough. They note that will not swear that there is one. the courses, "New Orientations the people are more open to the I have never seen God nor found in Education," that public school Gospel, that it has taken deeper anyone that has seen him." Afteachers asked one of the staff ro.ot in their lives, and that it ter showing him that we know to give a series of lectures on ed· exerts a wider influence in the things through other means than ucation in Central Church, and country. The radio has played by sight, Mr. Reasoner told the over 100 attended. man that he was willing to its part in this; native witness- swear there was a God, because If a new day is dawning in the ing is another factor; there is he had experienced Him, and educational life of the Domini- greater stability in wo.rk begun. had seen His power change can Republic, the Evangelical lives. The greatest challenge is the na- Church is providing some of the tive ministry; new recruits' are urgently needed.
light. These annual institutes D.V.B.S. in Colombia Brazilian Broadcasts offer Dominican youth one of the Bahia, Brazil, has a broadcastfew opportunities available for Daily Vacation Bible Schools ing station powerful enough to definite study in new fields, un- in Barranquilla report that they der competent instructors. Six- are impo.rtant instruments for reach two-thirds of the people of teen were recently graduated in bringing the Gospel to many that country, which is larger Religious. Education. The Na- than the United States. The tional Department of Education children. The first such school Presbyterian Mission School in recognizes the value of these in- there was held in 1933. The fol- Bahia has been on the air three stitutes. -Monday Morning. lowing year there were two times with a program of mu- schools, and the increase has con- sic, a Gospel message by a Bra- LATIN AMERICA tinued steadily until this year a total of eight schools were held zilian teacher at the school, and Student Evangelism in Costa in this area. Five of these were the offer to send the evangelical Rica in the city itself and the others monthly Light and Life, free, in near-by villages. One of the Practical experience in evan- to anyone sending in his name gelistic work is part of the train- directors writes: "In spite of the and address. Requests have ing received by students at the fact that three public primary come from as far away as the Bible Institute of Costa Rica. Amazon in one direction, and Open air preaching and work in schools were still in session near Sao Paulo-1,000 miles distant public institutions are closed to our center, we had an average -in the other. The school hopes them, but much has been accom- attendance of 43. The general to be able to continue the pro- theme was 'Service'and the chil- gram for six months. dren were genuinely interested.
plished by house to house visita- In order to. attend the school, Outward Religion in Peru tion and distribution of liter- one ten-year-old girl had to preature. Workers can be seen any pare food for her father who was No country in the world Sunday morning coming out of sick, leave the house in order, seems to present the outward the Institute swinging their and get ready three little broth- symbols of religion so conspiculunch bags, to set off by twos ers who came to the school with ously as does Peru, where the for villages and towns. The her. The mother was employed Pan-American Congress recentmorning will be spent evangeliz- outside the home. The Lord ly met. Visitors are confronted ing along the roadside or visiting has richly blessed the work in by images of the crucified Christ on every hand; and one can from house to house. Sunday this section of the city." scarcely round the corner of any schools are held wherever pos- street without seeing a statue of sible in the afternoon befo.re the Itinerating in Brazil a saint, the Virgin or the crucirains set in. During the past year, students have conducted Rev. D. T. Reasoner, Presby- fied Christ. But there is little about 15 different Sunday terian missionary in South Bra- evidence of any consciousness of schools, scattered over the Cen- zil, has a field comprising over a living Saviour, the Hope of
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
mankind, who has the power to Recently 2,000 Scottish fisher position, but has hitherto withtransform lives. His teachings girls made a protest against Sun- stood ever-recurring attacks of of love, truth, honesty, brother- day fishing-not in Scotland, but apathy and despair. Dr. Martin hood, seem to have been missed, in England. As the English fears that the Confessional cler- -so completely overlooked that boats put out to sea on Sunday, gy, deprived of Neimoller's leadboys and girls in mission schools they have an advantage over the ership, will have less resistance are surprised and mystified that Scottish fishers who do not go to Naziism; and Dr. Karl Barth acts of truthfulness and honesty out that day. The girls claimed has seen the advisability of sendare considered essential attri- that the conditions were unfair ing a circular letter to the Counbutes of Christian behavior. To and went on strike, refusing to cil of the Confessional Church their way of thinking, a wrong clean Sunday-caught fish. Their and to many of the clergy urging is not wrong unless one is caught effort drew public attention to them not to give up the struggle; in the act. Such is the result of their grievance, although they as the concessions they are. ofa religion whose teaching goes have not as yet won their point. fered, in return for taking the no farther than outward rites oath of allegiance to Hitler, are and observances. -The Presbyterian. slight and practically meaning- less. -Christian Observer. An Unfinished Task Hitler Requires New Oath South American Missionary The founders of the Belgian Society Gospel Mission, Mr. and Mrs. German Evangelical pastors Ralph C. Norton, had a great The annual report of the work vision for that small country. are now being called upon by of 1937 in the Chaco, (Para- Counting all Protestant groups Hitler's National Socialist State guay) tells of some recent ac- at work in Belgium, their adher- to give the following oath which complishments: ents do not yet number one per cent of the population. But there is identical with that required of On every station the tide has flowed are encouraging facts to record. all State officials: "I swear I Books and tracts in French and will be loyal and obedient to the the same way, sometimes quicker, Flemish, as well as the monthly Gospel papers, have penetrated Leader of the German Reich, sometimes slower, but surely never- as far as the Congo and Haiti, Adolf Hitler, obey the laws and the Dutch East Indies and theless. It is rare for an Indian to French Indo-China. Subscribers fulfil the duties of the office I in ten different countries have hold, God being my helper." The live long in anyone of our stations taken Bible Courses by Corres- pondence. Young Peoples' So- pastors were given a month to without making tentative attempts to cieties have been organized, and decide whether or no they would progress is being made with take this oath. Advice was join the ranks of the inquirers; some- Summer Camps. In addition to sought from Dr. Karl Barth, Sunday School and Thursday exile in Switzerland, and this is times, after questioning, he is put Schools, Children's Meetings are his reply: held during the tent campaigns. back till he appreciates better what Young people are urged to take My opinion and my counsel amount Bible Correspondence Courses to this, that the oath should not be the step means; sometimes he is ac- which will fit them to train the taken either with or without reserva- little ones. Self-support has been tions. . . . The question before mincepted, and enters on a period of pro- attained by some of the stations. isters today cannot be how they would One Belgian couple, M. and Mme. or could interpret the oath, but how bation and instruction, the length of Mayeur, have offered their lives National Socialism requires it to be for service in the Belgian Con- interpreted. Every other way of exwhich varies according to his appre- go and, after additional training plaining the question would mean an in England, plan to sail next au- evasion of the decision required and ciation of the teaching and visible tumn. Belgian missionaries are ultimately an evasion of the Christian in great demand there. witness which God demands…. This growth in grace as testified to by oath demands that Adolf Hitler should About Pastor Niemoller become the law, conscience and standthose who live with him. These week- ard of the one who subscribes to the Dr. Julius Martin, in a letter oath in every relationship. . . . He ly classes are a regular feature of to The Spectator, in London, says who takes the oath in this the only that Dr. Martin Neimoller, who possible way has at the same time mission life; the attention is usually is suffering from intestinal ca- under solemn invocation of God ex- tarrh, is being subjected to the pressly contradicted the First Comexcellent; the attendance is good, and relentless process of slow demen- mandment. . . . In 1935 the National tation reserved in Nazi Germany Socialist State punished me with disoften considerable inconvenience is for recognized leaders of the op- missal because I intended to make ad- ditions, such as those which today cheerfully borne in order not to miss stand in question, to the oath required of me as a State official. . . . I can a class. . . . Today in the fully es- see nothing but a temptation in taking the oath in any form whatsoever. In tablished missions . . . and in the a spirit of true friendship, therefore, I desire to warn everyone against this extensive rural schools of the districts temptation, and pray God that many may have strength to resist. served by those stations, we have a -Dnyanodaya. permanent bulwark of faith to con- vince the casual inquirer of the im- portant results of mission work among such aboriginal peoples as the Map- uches. -The Christian.
EUROPE Scotch Sunday Fishing Problem The Church of Scotland maintains an efficient ministry among the 10,000 Scottish men and women engaged in the English herring industry, and follows them up with care for bodily ills. as well as soul needs. The staff of twenty-seven workers includes ministers and skilled nurses who speak Gaelic.
Expanding Work in Italy Jews in Czechoslovakia gion. "Teaching must be so con- The Spezia Mission faces the Rev. 1. E. Davidson, Director tlucted," says an article in the bitter hostility of the Vatican at of the Barbican Mission to Jews, official organ of the commissarvery close range; and the trend tells of the readiness of Jews in iat of education, "that by the end of Fascist political life has a Czechoslovakia to hear the Gos- of his schooling the pupil has a strong anti-Christian influence. pel. He explains that he cannot clear understanding that, though Tact, good judgment, courtesy give particulars, because only religions differ in form, they all and infinite patience are con- one page to foreign countries is in essence lead to the same end, stantly needed, and without firm permitted and letters must be all are ideologies of slavery, all faith it would be impossible to left open. "When I tell you," he implacably contradict science go on. Rev. C. H. H. Pullen, gen- says, "of the number of Jews and all are directed against the eral director of this Mission, who are asking for baptism, per- interests of toilers." thus describes the situation: haps you will think that I exag- gerate; but I assure you what I AFRICA Here in Italy we labor among a am reporting is true. I am in very fine people-keen, intelligent and, Whole Clan Converted in the great centers, highly educated. touch with 12,000 to 15,000 Their history and their experience, Jews who are asking to be bap- A special mission was con- and more especially the assiduous tized. I am giving instruction ducted in the upper Nile region working among them of the Roman to hundreds every day; some last year under C. M. S. direc- Catholic Church, while they have times I go a whole day without tion, and one result was that . made the rustic populations supersti- forty-two old men and sixty-two tious and bigoted to the point of fan- a meal. The anti-Semite land- old women in one small village aticism, have driven the thinking and lord, seeing so many Jews come have been admitted to the cate- more influential parts of the nation to to the house, gave me notice to chumenate. The Rev. H. F. cynicism and scepticism, and they are leave the flat by January 17, Davies writes: "The church was very hard indeed to reach on religious 1939. His brother, quite a dif- too small, so we held the service matters. ferent man, told me to remain under a tree. We were very in the flat, and said, "The Jew is touched when the old men and It is evident that the efforts of the also our brother," but I think it women stood up to make their Mission are bringing results, for many promises. First were the old have recently been baptized and joined will be better for us to look out women, most of them grand- the Church. Before a convert is bap- for other mISSIOn premises. mothers, many with grey hair tized, the greatest care is taken to en- These premises, in any case, are and failing sight. Then came sure that the change of heart pro- too small. God is blessing this fessed is real. Those who have found work in a wonderful way." Christ are gathered into classes by the pastors and carefully taught and pre- -Life of Faith. the old men, grey-headed elders pared.
The distribution of the Scriptures accomplishes a great deal. Colpor- of the tribe. It appears that a teurs make contacts with people on the highways and on doorsteps. Religion Dies Hard in Russia whole clan has come over in a body. We asked what was the -Life of Faith. The Christian Century ob- cause of this movement, and Repression in Rumania serves that the corpse of slaugh- were told that during the last tered Christianity in Russia mission a teacher went to the King Carol of Rumania, visit- keeps on moving, "occasionally village and visited and preached, ing London, was waited upon by lifting its head and even opening and as a result these people have a deputation representing the come in. an eye." Then it must be killed Evangelical Free Churches and again-if possible. Recent re- Now they must be taught, and including some Anglicans, to the only teacher available is not ports tell of "deplorable" mani- highly trained. Perhaps while protest against the suppression festations of religious sentiment he is trying to explain the Gosof Protestants (almost all of and practices in many districts. pel to others, he will gain a betthem Baptists) in Rumania. The Last year children went about ter knowledge of Christ himself. King was petitioned to use his singing Christmas carols, even influence and authority to en- on collective farms; and at Eas- -C. M. S. Outlook. ter they went to church and car- sure: (1) That the Baptists ried candles; and on religious Refugees in the Sudan and others now in custody or in holidays some of the schools are prison should be liberated; (2) half empty. Accordingly, the Missionaries are not the only That the administrative decree commissariat of education feels refugees from Ethiopia who published by the Rumanian Min- he must again exhort all teachers have sought safety in the Sudan.
istry of Cults should be with- to redouble their efforts to "con- Many Ethiopians have gone drawn; (3) That the Baptists of vert all Soviet school children in- there to live, one of these is Rumania should be acknow- to convinced, active fighters Banchi, (former pupil of Gorei ledged as members of a legally against religion." Whatever re- School.) Mrs. R. F. Shields, recognized communion. The ligion is strongest in a particu- United Presbyterian missionary King's foreign minister, who re- lar district, that is the one to of Khartum writes in the Womeeived the protest, promised to fight most fiercely, but the war is en's Missionary Magazine: recommend favorable action. a general one against all reli- "After our la·st missionaries
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
left Gorei she continued to teach villages, and on the day appoint- Here is what one finds today: the Gospel. Because their house ed for volunteers to meet at a a central church numbering over was neat and clean they were central point, 160, young and 5000, divided among 16 local suspected of being servants of old, came forward. That day was churches, of which eight are foreigners and she was told that spent in prayer, and the week self-supporting; more than 200 she must become a servant of following in plans for action. teacher-evangelists who instruct Italians. But by night Banchi From reports that have come in, 10,000 village children in almost and her husband started for the it was found that more than 4,- 200 villages, conduct morning Sudan. She had shaved her hair 000 people had burned their and evening prayers and special off and dressed in men's clothes idols. Not only this, but church Sunday services; a rising educa- and together they came to Kur- members have been revived and tional standard and an increas- muk with a group of carriers, reconsecrated. ing number of those who request walking eight days. . . . Sev- the marriage ceremony. eral times she has gone over to News from Central Africa Khartum and gathered a few of The C. M. S. Outlook reports Facing Problems in S. A. the Ethiopian women together to that Christianity has taken root teach them a Gospel story. Ban- in Uganda, and the Church is be- During the darkest hours of chi has been faithful to her Lord coming increasingly i n dig e- the international crisis in Sep- and has trusted Him through nous. In Kenya Colony, within a tember, more than 1000 minis- many hard times. She told me few years, the number of com- ters and laymen of the Dutch of how she was in a place with municants in the Church of Reformed Churches gathered in bombs dropping all around, and Scotland Mission has increased Bloemfontein in the largest Mis- while others were afraid, she from 1,000 to 4,636; and there sionary Conference South Africa opened her Bible and read, una- was an increase in giving. Dif- has known; and earnest prayers fraid, because she had faith in ficult problems are raised by the for the peace of the world Christ and it mattered not to impact of Western civilization, mingled with the discussion of , her whether she lived or died. and the demand for education. plans for a wide extension of the She is now working in the Eng- Church's missionary work. lish Mission Hospital. Her hus- There is reported a steady band is stUdying Arabic, with growth of African ministers, re- This Conference was not mere- the small boys, in the Mission sulting in more conversions and ly a gathering of missionaries. School, and trying to learn Eng- more adequate pastoral care of The 150 mission churches were lish in the evening, with Banchi Christian communities. The Mo- each represented by a European as tutor." ravian Church has opened a new missionary, and no less than clinic at Usoke in Tanganyika, 4 0 0 European congregations Chiefs Destroy Idols while the Mennonite Mission were also represented each by its now has four stations and four- minister and a chosen lay mem- In 1937, field executives of the teen missionarie~ of whom two ber. Qua Iboe Mission decided that are doctors. SOWle disturbance intensive Gospel campaigns is reported in Nyasaland, due to A good deal of attention was should be inagurated at each a number of separatist move- given to native education. It central station during 1938, with ments, seven such sects having was emphasized that schools are a view to carrying the Gospel to been organized. of great importance to the all the heathen compounds in Church; that secularization of every town. Reports have come Moanza-Yesterday and Today teaching much be opposed, and in from several stations that are that education must not "dena- most encouraging. Never in the Writing in the Watchman-Ex- tionalize" the native. history of the mission have so aminer, Rev. T. E. Bubeck pic- many idols been burned in nu- tures what the visitor to the Bel- Another problem considered merous cases by heathen chiefs gian Congo would have found was the degree to which heathen who, in the evening of their days, there twenty-five years ago. customs should be recognized. have turned their backs on the There would have been, to begin Some held heathenism as the old ju-ju worship, and have come with, no teachers, no pastors, no Gospel's deadliest foe, seeing a to Christ. evangelists, no Christians, no danger that heathenism might followers, no churches, no village adapt itself to Christianity in- Two elderly men who had nev- schools, no school children, no stead of being rooted out; others er faced an audience before be- medical work, no medical in- held that Western civilization came very eloquent, and were in struction, no trained in/irmiers, was replacing by its evils the great demand as evangelists. no Christian worship, no Chris- old paganism of the tribe, with- One had been a witch doctor of tian homes. The visitor would out imparting religion, the only safeguard.
great repute; the other had been have found tribal wars, social Discussion of controversial a member of all the heathen so- isolation, spiritual desolation, matters was not allowed to ob- physical suffering, fetish wor- scure the ultimate aim of estabcieties. Preparations for this cam- ship, belief in animism, the prac- lishing an independent, self-suppaign began with an appeal to tice of slavery and in some parts, porting native Church.
those willing to travel among the cannibalism. -South African Outlook.
WESTERN ASIA asm. When the people expressed Arabs of the Shiah sect, though surprise at these exa-mples of there are many Sunnis among Religion in Turkey unselfish service, and asked the them. Outstanding character- Turkey has not suppressed re- reason, they were told it was J e- istics are hospitality and a caligion, but it has ended the au- sus' command. "How good this pacity to endure hardship. The thority of the State over religion. man must have been!" they said. more than a hundred families When republican Turkey de- "These expressions encouraged of Jews there are probably desposed the sultan and abolished us," said Mrs. Younis, "and made cendants of the Babylonian capthe caliphate, the clergy was us see that kindness is more ac- tives. There is also a small stripped of authority and stand- ceptable than speeches. I then group of Christian converts ing. The regrettable result of began to teach the girls how to from Islam, but the Christians all this has been the neglect of weave rugs, and other handi- one finds are of various sects, religious training for children, crafts. Children kept coming to and not a united group. except what they may receive in our home, so I started to train their homes from their parents. them in politeness, cleanliness New forces are acting upon all Mission Sunday schools, known and truthfulness. Their parents these people. Motor cars, teleas Services of Worship for Chil- noticed a change in their conduct phone, electricity and telegraph dren, have, therefore, a large and were pleased. Other little are changing life and thought. and fruitful field of activity ones began coming, so I got a Irrigation is extending the araamong Turkish children. A re- few ·supplies and started kinder- ble land, and there are new vival of religious interest is ap- garten methods. We have rela- roads, new buildings, new towns. parent in many directions. The tions with about thirty-five fami- Also, the educational system has Christian Scriptures, especially lies whom we visit and who come been greatly extended, and esthose in the new Latin script, are to visit us." pecially noteworthy is the inin demand, and Christian litera- crease in the number of schools ture has free circulation. Re- -Syria Mission Quarterly. for girls. Much of the fanaticently, interest has been aroused cism of former days has disap- ' by publications dealing with The Palestine Problem peared. the early introduction of Christianity among the Turkish tribes. Rev. A. S. Morrison, of the INDIA Church of Scotland Mission in Religion is everywhere re- Jaffa, gave an address in Edin- Mass Movement Figures spected in Turkey today. In burgh last October in which he thousands of mosques and in said there is only one solution of From distant jungle villages, hundreds of churches and syna- the present dilemma in Palestine, about 15,000 people traveled to gogues worship goes on unhin- and that is the spiritual solution. a recent Christian Convention in dered. Four evangelical church- Arabs and Jews must learn the Dornakal, where loud speakers es in Istanbul hold services as way of brotherhood. A German were installed so that all might usual.-World Dominion Press. Jewish lawyer, recently convert- hear the addresses. Village ed to Christianity, expressed this Christians put by small sums Evangelical Venture view as follows: "I have had a throughout the year in order to hard life. I belong to a perse- cuted race, and it has forced me To move from a Christian to to think. I have been up against attend these annual meetings. a Moslem town is something of the German problem, the Jewish Following this Convention, 33,- a venture, but to go there as an problem and the Palestine prob- 000 communicants took part in a evangelist r eq ire s courage. lem, and the solution of these "Week of Witness"; an increase Last year, a young Syrian evan- problems contained in the Gos- of 10,000 over the previous year.
gelist and his wife were sent to a pel seems to me to be the only Reporting on the results in virgin field in the Alaouite Dis- way out." one of the areas, Archdeacon trict, and they went in consider- Mr. Morrison believes that Tanner, of the C. M. S., writes: able trepidation. His first move conferences, pacts and disarmawas to secure government per- ment programs will not bring As regards the visible results, mission to transplant about 4,- peace; and that men or nations eighty-two villages asked for a teach- er. There were 4,969 definite deci- 000 olive trees from an aban- will not stop fighting merely be- sions to become Christians, including doned grove,-an odd way to cause guns are taken out of their 1,037 Sudras. This is a rise of fifty per cent on last year's results. An preach the Gospel, but it proved hands. even larger number of persons-6,553 to be an entering wedge. The The Church of Scotland is sup- -promised to become Christians later next move was to secure a model porting Missions to the Jews in on; these included 1,658 caste folk. bee hive, and start raising bees Budapest, Prague and Cluj in What are we going to do about it? After removing the names of unsatisscientifically. Not only does all Europe; Alexandria in Egypt factory inquirers, we had 27,136 this work make friends, but it and in Jaffa and Tiberias in Pal- names on our Kistna list to be preserves a real need of the people estine.-E. M. M. S. Quarterly. pared for baptism. At our present rate, it would take about nine years whose way of living is primitive Problems in Mesopotamia to baptize all of them. Now nearly and degraded. Since this was a another additional 5,000 have asked large town, a reading room was The majority of Mesopotam- us to prepare them for baptism, and opened, and met with enthusi- ia's inhabitants are Moslem that in one week.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Hyderabad Mission Then there is Philip Bhai B. A Non-Christian Testifies Christian, who used to read the The bi – monthly H yderabad stories of David Livingstone in An Indian woman doctor of Bulletin says there are 800 his home school at Baroda, and great prominence, a non-Chris- Christian congregations with a is this year leaving with his wife tian, touring India on an educacommunity of 109,885 people in and child for Old Umtali, Africa, tional commission, discovered the Hyderabad (British) Meth- where he will be an Indian-sup- the widespread influence of odist Mission. In the villages, ported missionary among the Christian missions; and in the 690 evangelists and 667 Bible- Indians of Africa. There is a course of an address before the women are at work. In 1937, the member of the British army at All-India Women's Conference total number of baptisms was Leonard, who left the ranks and said: 8,923. There are 715 Sunday plans to become an Indian evanschools, with 983 teachers and gelist. -Christian Advocate. I feel I would be failing in my duty 16,296 pupils. In the Theologi- if I do not offer a tribute to the miscal School, 128 students are in A Life of Service sionary education organizations which training. It is now over ten have been the pioneers in every provyears since the first caste-con- A Jain, former pupil in a Kol- ince in the cause of female education. verts appeared for baptism. apur High School, spent three The female population of this country Since that day, there has been a years in residence in the palace has been placed under a deep debt of constant stream of enquirers and of a Maharajah, of West India, gratitude to the Christian missionary "the movement" seems to be and there was imbued with a de- societies for their valuable contribumore vital and determined than sire to serve his people. He tion to the educational uplift of Indian ever. gives all the credit for this ideal women. I honestly think that they to Christian missions. A writ- have done more for women's education Training a Native Ministry er in Western India Mission in this country than the Government Notes outlines the result of this itself. . . . Even more than the edu- Leonard Theological College desire on the part of Mr. Patil, cational and the cultural contribution at J ubbulpore recognizes that a the Christian Jain. made by these missionary societies trained native ministry is the to the Indian people, the noble and means for evangelizing the mis- "A hostel in Satara where self-sacrificing examples of the men sion field. They also realize that there are now 183 boys from 100 and women who, infused with a spirthe type of training in the West villages from all castes, who cook it of love and service for suffering does not adequately equip stu- and eat together in friendliness humanity, and true to the teachings dents for service in the Oriental which is continued when they re- of their Master, face obstacles and Church. The curriculum at turn to their villages. They live very often a single, lonely life, Leonard includes practical work promise to cease to observe caste cannot but have a very beneficial efin villages. The students make 'wherever.' fect upon the men and women of this surveys, conduct reading rooms, country. study indigenous handicrafts "A Normal Training School and industries, travel to fairs for teachers has 40 students this -Christian. and melas for the purpose of ex- year. There is a Practising hibiting higher standards of vil- School up to the 4th Standard. Sundar Singh Ashram lage life. In the midst of a Hin- In the home of Mr. Patil are du mela, held near Jubbulpore nine or ten small boys who live Christian circles all over Inrecently, was a working exhibit and eat and study under his di- dia are awaiting developments of village industries. Christian rection. The house in which they of the proposal to establish a boys from Leonard were show- live was built by the hostel boys Sundar Singh ashram at Subaing the pilgrims how to improve themselves. Next year Mr. Patil thu to carry out his expressed their lot with household weav- plans to open schools in 50 vil- wish and to consolidate the work ing, spinning and planned agri- lages of the Satara District he started. A writer in The Naculture. where there are now no schools. tional Missionary Intelligencer The teachers will be sent from of India thinks the Sadhu's most Among the students this year his own training school. important piece of work was the is Joseph Johannes Khan, a con- adaption of Christian missionary verted Moslem, who escaped "A recent project is that of methods to the needs of his from hanging after fifty-seven selling grain at cost to the vil- country. Hindus and Moslems strenuous days in jail in the lagers, in the midst of a bazaar heard through him a truly In- Turkestan country north of the where profiteering is rife. Boys dian version of the message of Himalayas. Incarcerated for his from the school will carry it on. the Gospel. His success was phe- Christian preaching, the Mos- Land has been secured for nomenal, and Christian ashrams lem rulers threatened him with permanent hostel, schools, etc., have sprung up at Tirupatur, poison, hanging, and all kinds of and the boys are to do the build- Poona, Sat Tal, Coimbatore and bodily harm. Later released, he ing. Farming is the chief in- other places, and is carried on ran away across the pass to In- dustry taught." by real sadhus in every sense of dia and Jubbulpore. the word. Mr. Patil himself lives on 20 rupees a month and puts 100 ru- The writer of the article sug- pees a month into the work. gests an ashram with a two-fold purpose: first, "a center for the deepening of the spiritual out- look of our people and provide ample means and devise methods for doing SQ." Secondly, it should
serve as a school for the prepara- "Freedom of worship, lawful Only 10 swift days direct to tion of sadhu missionaries im- liberty, equality of economic and Yokohama when you sail by bued with the spirit of sacrifice social opportunity were among Empress to the Orient. Only to carry the Gospel message to the worthy objectives of the 3 more days to visit lovely all corners of India. founders of this RepUblic. . . . Hawaii en route by Empress oj The value and importance of the Japan, largest and fastest liner Educational Adventure Church in every city, town and on the Pacific, or Empress oj hamlet must be reemphasized. Canada. From California With social customs what they . . . The teaching and practice ports connect at Honolulu. are in India the admission of of the New Testament standard women students to college class- of stewardship, and the larger Empress of Japan es is something of an adventure. recognition of youth in all the The Church Missionary Society, plans and programs of the Frequent sailings from both which was the first agency to Church are essential if we are to Vancouver and Victoria to provide education for girls in fulfil our God-given mission… Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, Travancore, announces this im- Shanghai,HongKong,Manila. portant development at the C. M. "We call upon our church peo- Consult YOUR OWN TRAVEL S. College at Kottayam. It is ple to give more earnest atten- AGENT or Canadian Pacific: intended that all girls admitted tion to prayer, the devotional 41 offices in U. S. and Canada. to the classes shall live in a hos- reading of the Word, personal tel, with a woman missionary as evangelism, and such other forms Facilities available warden. There they will have of Christian service as will make for the celebration of their own social activities and the Christian Church once again games, and should gain valuable a witnessing Church to the sav- Holy Mass experiences in the art of living ing power of Jesus Christ." together in a Christian atmosphere. This hostel began with -Christian Advocate. twenty women students. Braille Missionary Union -C. M. S. Outlook. This valuable adjunct to the MISCELLANEOUS missionary enterprise makes the Scriptures and Christian litera- Race Relations Sunday ture available to the blind in many lands. A special appeal for the observance of Race Relations Sun- The Union's organization is of day (February 12th) says the the simplest. The work is volday has never rolled around with untary, and is essentially an insuch crucial importance as in dividual one, since the various this troubled year. The message operations of producing braille reads: "The world appears to books is carried on by workers in be drunk with fear and hate, their own homes. The first obcrazed with desire to persecute ject is the supply of free Scripand crush racial minorities." tures; then grants toward the support of teacher evangelists Such is the theme of the chal- and pupils, and for the provision lenge to Christian people from of equipment whereby copies of the Federal Council of Churches, various publications can be mulas it issues through its Depart- tiplied on the field. ment of Race Relations a new set of programs for various depart- There is also a library departments of the Church for the 17th ment, in which devotional books annual observance of Race Rela- of an evangelical character are tions Sunday, to be followed by prepared. Interracial Brotherhood Week. It is possible for workers to How to Make Democracy Safe transcribe into braille charaHers books in any language employing In a statement issued by the the Roman script, without knowl- Methodist Board of Home Mis- edge of that language. sions, attention is called to the grave dangers that confront our The Union is entirely dependnation. "America for Christ," ent on missionaries for the teachsays the appeal. "Our democra- ing and supervision of the blind. cy will be safe only in proportion It is anxious to get in touch with as it is Christian, because the hu- retired missionaries who are man content of Christianity and willing to make use of their democracy are the same. knowledge of other languages in preparing Braille Scriptures for copying. -The Life of Faith.
Reviews beliefs and hopes. The book is New
divided into sections, dealing Horizons of Stewardship. By Her- with such subjects. as The Search Directory of Christian Missions and man C. Weber. 8vo.. 119 iJp. $1.25. Churches in India, Burma and Cey- Fleming H. Revell CQ. 1938. for God, Existence of God, lon. Rs. 2-8. National Christian Faith, Prayer, Worship, Nature, Council. Nagpur, India. Probably no one is better fitted to write on Christian steward- Sorrow, Life, Death and Immor- "Heaven Knows." Margaret H. ship than is the president of the tality. Any reader may find Brown. 168 pp. $1.00. Friendship United Stewardship Council of Press. New York. North America. Dr. Weber has here food for uplifting medita- The Horizons of Stewardship. H. C. tion, faith and hope. It is a book Weber. 120 pp. $1.25. Revell. worth owning and will repay New York.
made a thorough study of the very thoughtful reading. Highways and Hedges. William Wissubject and has presented it to tar Hamilton. 120 pp. $1.00. Prisoner of War 31,163 – Bedros M. Broadman Press. Nashville. many churches allover the land. Sharian. By Ernest Pye. IIlus. Here he discusses many philos- 8vo. 202 pp. $1.50. Fleming H. The New Man. A Play in Four Acts. phies and problems associated Revell eo. 1938. Margaret Cropper. S.P.G. London.
with money-including¥Ceti- Here is an echo of the World Ra-Ha-La-Hi-Ho (My Brother in cism, materialism, greed, r1cket- . War, gathered from a soldier's Madagascar). Andrew Burgess. 224 pp. $1.00. Augsburg Pub. e e r i n g, gambling, wasteful war journal, and sent out by the House. Minneapolis. former president· of the School 25 Years Mission Work Among the spending, the tithe, stewardship Lepers of India. Wm. C. Irvine. and the every member church of Religion at Athens. Bedl'os 143 pp.. 2s.6d. Pickering & Inglis. canvas. The book is illustrated Sharian was born in Cilicia by some very suggestive charts, about 1862 of Christian parents London.
statistics and interesting experi- and was educated in a Mennon- Who Claims the World. Cecil Northences. Any pastor seeking to cott. 100 pp. Is. Livingstone Press. educate his congregation, and ite school. He was drafted into London. any Christian desiring to be a to World War. by the Turks, The Heritage of the Indian Chrisfaithful steward will. find here served in Gallipoli and later was tian. The Story of the Christian captured on the Mount of Olives Church and the relation to' it of the some excellent principles and in 1917. The story of his exper- Church in India. By a Member of the Church of India. 179 pp. Maps. practical suggestions. Here is iences is vividly told-as soldier, Rs. 1-4. S.P.C.K. Madras. store-keeper, interpreter, prisonnot a bibHcal study· but it is Couriers of the Dawn. R. H. Boyd. based on Bible teachings. It er of war and latera cavalry 255 pp. Illus. 2s.6d. Church would serve as a very useful man in the British Army. Under House. Belfast.
text book on the subject. all circumstances Bedros showed The Real Conflict Between China and his Christian faith and courage. Japan. Harley F. MacNair. 216 The World's Great Religious Poetry. Today he is living in America; pp. $2. University Press.Cam- Compiled by Caroline Miles Hill. an industrious, successful and bridge. 8vo. 836 pp. $1.69. The Macmil- respected citizen. lan Co., New York. 1938. The Chinese People: New Problems Seventy Less Known Bible Stories. and Old Backgrounds. George H. It is a difficult matter to com- By George Goodman. IIlus. 8 vo. Danton. '312 pp. $3.50. Marshall· pile an anthology of religious Jones. Boston.
poetry, or of any verse. Idea.s 333 pp. 3s. Pickering & Inglis. What about Ipdia? L. F. Rushbrook and tastes differ and the mate- London. 1938. WiIIiams. (Discussion Books Series, rial is almost unlimited. Dr. Hill, no. 4). 176 pp. 2s. Nelson. Lonthe compiler in this case, has The author of these stories, don. done her work well, in the wide retold for preachers and teachscope and variety covered by the ers, has written several stimu- The Bible in I·ndia. J. S. M. Hooper, lating books and is the editor of Illus. 152 pp. 3s.6d. Oxford Uni- versity Press. London.
verse. Some are not poetry ac- Daily Bible Notes, widely used An African Survey: A Study of in Great Britain. There are Problems Arising in Africa South cording to the generally accepted twenty-two illustrations from of the Sahara. Lord Hailey. 1837 standards, and many verses are photographs of Biblical scenes. pp. 218. Oxford University Press. not religious. The seven hun- London. dred or more selections from Mr. Goodman also adds a helpful some four hundred authors in- chapter on "The Wonders of the Pioneers In Pondoland. Godfrey Cal- laway. Illus. 199 pp. 5s. Love- Bible" and a·· poem on "The clude, Jewish and· Zoroastrian, Value of Memory." His Bible dale Press, Lovedale, South Africa; Chinese and Indian, Greek and Livingstone Press, London. Latin, American Indian and stories are chiefly in outline and Christian. Both omissions and are homilies-with texts, lesson The Native Tribes of Central Ausinclusions cause surpris.e but tralia. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. and application pointed out in Gillen. Illus. 671 pp. 258. Mac- millan. London.
the selections are intriguing and each-rather than retold stories. The Philippines: A Nation in the They include the stories of Mel- Making. Felix M. Kessing. 137 lead a reader to realize the way chizedek, Jethro, Caleeb, Jeph- pp. 6s. OxfO'rd University Press. in which the unseen, the eternal thah, Ishbi-benob, J ezebel, To- London. and the spiritual aspects of life biah, Barnabas, Tabitha and a and thought have captured the number of Jesus' parables. Over The Christian Handbook of South Africa. 289 pp. 4s. Lovedale attention of men's minds in all Press, Lovedale, South Africa; ages. There is a distinct advan- one thousand Scripture texts are World Dominion Press, London. listed. Preachers and teachers Evangelism for the World Today: tage, too, in noting the contrasts will find these outlines very help- As Interpreted by Christian Leadand similarities between ancient ful but they must be adapted to ers Throughout the World. Editand modern Christian and non- ed by John R. Mott. 295 pp. $2.50. Christian thoughts and emotions, pupils or audiences. Harpers. New York. PREVIOUS RECORDS BROKEN!
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The Missionary Review of the World — January 1939
1939
The Years Past and to Come Robert E. Speer God's Voice from China Mrs. Howard Taylor How Interest Men in Missions Various Authors Missionaries at Work in Africa West Africa Missionaries The Challenge of Venezuela William H. Rainey A Christian Approach to Moslems Frank C. Laubach Christian Bands in War-Torn China Andrew Gih 2S Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
to Remember students to the United States and Personal
Canada for technical training. January 7-10, 1939 – Home Missions Council, Baltimore, Md. *** Miss Muriel Lester, founder of January 21-25 – Cause and Cure of The Rev. William James Drum- Kingsley Hall in London, is now a War Conference, Washington, D. C. mond, the oldest Presbyterian mis- full-time .Secretary of the Interna- sionary in China, died at Santa Bar- January 23-February 18–Iowa School bara, California, on November 26, tional . Fellowship of Reconciliation. for Missionaries. Iowa State College, from an illness that followed suffering She wIll travel in Europe, the Orient Ames, Iowa. from the Japanese invasion of China. and the United States in the effort to February 6-14-lnternational Council He was born in Ontario, Canada, establish a line of connection for in- of Religious Education, ChicagO, nI. seventy-four years ago and his Chi- nese service covered forty-seven years. ternational peace. She planned to go April 26 – Uniting Conference of He performed heroic service in the American Methodism, Kansas City, Boxer Rebellion and was one of the to India in December and thence to Mo. two American missionaries decorated by President Sun Yat-sen. Palestine. * • … FLORIDA CHAIN OF MISSION- ARY ASSEMBLIES *** Dr. George A. Buttrick, pastor of The Rev. Edgar P. Hill, educator the Mad i son Ave. Presbyterian January 24-26–J'acksonville. and clergyman, died on November ~ 26 Church, New York, was elected Presi- January 25-27-Daytona Beach. at his home in Los Angeles. His dent of the Federal Council of January 28-February 1-Miami. Churches at its annual meeting in January 29-31-Ft. Lauderdale. was seventy-seven. Buffalo in December. Dr. John R. February 1-3-,-Palm Beaches. Born in Pontiac, Ill., he held many Mott was elected Vice-President, Dr. February 4-8–0rlando. Charles H. Sears, Recording Secre- February 5-7-De Land. positions in Chicago educational and tary, and Frank H. Mann was again February 8-10-Ft. Myers. February 9-10-Sarasota. religious institutions. From 1906 to e,lected Treasur•er. * … February 11-16-St. Petersburg. 1918 he was professor of Homiletics February 12-15-Clearwater. Dr. George William Brown, Gen- February 17-18–Southern College. at "McCormick" Theological Seminary eral Secretary of the American Bible February 19-21-Tampa. and for ten years was superintendent Society for the past ten years, has February 19-21-Winter Haven. February 22-23-Quincy. of the churches of the Board of . . resigned to accept a call to become February 23-24-Tallahassee. February 24-26-All College. Church Extension of Chicago Presby- pastor of the West Presbyterian tery. Mr. Hill was the first general sec- Church of Binghamton…, New York. retary of the Board of Education of Dr. John McGuire, Baptist mission- the Presbyterian Church, serving until ary to Burma, was ten years past the age .of ~etirement when he left the the Board was merged with the Board 8erVlce m 1934, after 42 years of .of Christian Education. evangelism at Mandalay, Rangoon and * .. • Maymyo. Dr. and Mrs. McGuire have ePsotratbolis~hiecdo,thweiirthhotmheeinr ecahrilSdarnenJuaannd Obituary Note. Rev. Myron C. Wilcox, Methodist grandchildren. Dr. McGuire cele- missionary in Foochow, China, died in brated his eightieth birthday on No- Dr. Edwin B. McDaniel, formerly San Antonio, Texas, October 17. He was one of the editors of the Chinese vember 11. … … … a member of the Siam Mission of the Christian Advocate, and book editor Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., died of Methodist publishing activities in Shanghai. Mter his retirement he in Los Angeles, Cal., on November 2, continued to translate English works after a seven months' illness. He was into Chinese. Rev. W. Reginald Wheeler,. D.D., born in 1873, and reti~ from active has accepted appointment under the service in 1937. Many years were * * … Board of Foreign Missions of the Pres~yterian Church in the U. S. A., spent at Petchaburi, in charge of a Rev. Frank Paton, M.A., B.D., son as DIrector of the Division of Special of John G. Paton, one of the greatest Gifts and Annuities in the Home Base hospital; later he went 500 miles names in missionary history, died at Department of the Board. Dr. south of Bangkok to take charge of Melbourne, Australia, September 28, Wheeler has lived or traveled on five as the result of an accident. Frank continents in the interests of mission a mission hospital in Sritamarat. He Paton was born in the New Hebrides ~orK !l-nd has seen missionary service was known as an expert in sanitation, where his father began work ove; In Chma. and also built a Leper Home, which e.ighty years ago. A recently pub- lIshed statement expresses his motive now includes 20 buildings that care in taking up work in Tanna: "I saw • • for 400 lepers. . my father and mother with no aid but God's, facing the pitiless cruelty • of heathenism and banishing it from Lady Anne MacClanahan Grenfell, the !sland I saw a n~w ~ociety spring up In less than a lIfetime, with the wife of Sir Wilfred T. Grenfell of idyllic happiness of New Testament Christianity, and I resolved, God willthe Grenfell Mission in Labrador, died ing, to give my life to such work." no YODH S.S.PAPERS ~ December 9 in Boston at the age of • … * fifty-three. Her husband, a son, Wil- BIBLE THUTH?
fred T. Grenfell, Jr., an instructor and 4CioDrm,m;WF athletic coach at St. Mark's School, ~ For YoungPoopIe Southboro, Mass.; Kinloch Pascoe Grenfell, an engineer, and a daughter, JIOOORBOYSA1l1l ems Rosamond Loveday Grenfell, survive. For Jucian. aad lnleJ1'ftediarnt She was born in Lake Forest, nI. on November 11, 1885, a daughter of Thomas Moody, D.D., an American Baptist missionary, died November the late Colonel Edmund B. MacClanahan, was graduated from Bryn Mawr 17, after forty-four years of evan- gelistic service in the Belgian fCoronhgo~ College in 1906. She met William He will be best remembered Grenfell while she was traveling in pioneering at Sona Bata. Ownitah10M0r0s0. Europe. They were married Novem- square mile field, alone ber 19, 1909, in Chicago, and there- Mo!>dy, he was in charge of the eduafter they shared the hardships and catIOnal, evangelistic and medical work when in 1921 a marvelous movement work of the Labrador. toward Christianity began. More than In recent years and especially since ~ thousand people were baptized dur- mg that memorable summer, and the 1934, when a chronic heart ailment movement has continued unabated since then, with hundreds of converts compelled Sir Wilfred to abandon his added to the churches each year. trips to the North, Lady Grenfell had assumed many of the administrative burdens. She founded the educational fund which provided the means for (Concluded on tlvird cover.) sending Labrador and Newfoundland
Chat VIEW gets better all the time. I
want to read it through." THE MISSIONARY The New Year brings with it a MRS. GLENN B. OGDEN. REVIEW OF THE WORLD sense of the tremendous and unending need of all men for the secret of peace Ka,sganj, India. VOL. LXII JAN., 1939 No.1 and the will to peace; for the spirit of unselfish love and the expression of *** Publication and Buslnua omce– that true love in fellQwship between Third and Reily Sta., Harrlaburc, Pa. men and God and in all human rela- "The October number of THE RE- tionships. There is good reason to de- Editorial and Executive omce– spair of any purely human solution to VIEW gives more for deeper study of 156 Fifth Avenue, New York CIt7. the problems that face us; but there situ8>tions and conditions in India to- Entered as aecond-cla.. matter at is no despai;r"'-Only hope, courage <and day in the missionary enterprise, than good cheer~':"'" in the hearts of those anything I have read. And I have Post Omce, Harrlaburc, P&., under who have faith in God. read most of our study course and Act of March 3, 1879. reading lists." His spirit, His program and His 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. working are most clearly· seen in the MRS. FRANK F. HUTCHINS, Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. lives and work of His ambassadors at Indianapolis District Counselor Publlabed montlil)", except August. home and abroad. The story of hu- All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1939. man need, and many places and meth- of the Methodist Young PeQ.. British agents – Marahall, Morgan ods in which and by which this need is ple's Foreign Missionary So- and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, being met, will be recorded in THE ciety. London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, REVIEW during the coming months. 10 ahllJlngs a year. It will be worth while and very cheer- *** ing, in these days of strife and uncer- MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- tainty, to read .in THE REVIEW the "The REVIEW arrived today (Nov. LISHING CO., INC. story of what is going on"'-Often in BOARD OF DIRECTORS obscure corners, at home and abroad, 15th), the issue in which appears the to carry out the program of Christ. ROBBRT E. SPBBR, Pre_'4em article on the 'Practical Value of Mis- *** sions to Pastors.' What a revolution A. L. WAlUfBHUI., V40B-Pr..ufllt WALTER MCDOUGALL, TrBlHvrer Many readers find great help in it would cause in the churches if there DBLAVAN L. PIBRSON, 8Boretaf1l THE REVIEW. Will you bring it to the were a similarly conducted course in attention of others? Here are some PAUL J. BRA.ISTBD recent comments : every theological seminary, and if SAMUEL McCmu. CAVBRT "We feel that THE MISSIONARY RE- such a course were required for every D. J. FANT student!" GEORGE SCHWAB, Presbyterian Mission, Sakbayeme- MRa. ORRUl R. JUDD Edea, Cameroun, West Africa.
WM. B. LIPPlLUID "For over * y*ear*s we have taken ERIC M. NORTH forty SAMUBL M. ZWlIMJIB and have enjoyed the MISSIONARY RE- The Church may be doing too much VIEW and we continue to profit by its for young people and too little with them.-Professor Georgia Harkne88. high spiritual level. Often we share our copy with others."
FRANK G. MASON. Montclair, N. J.
Jesus Set the Example of Early Morning Devotions (Read Mark 1: 35) "Begin the day with God" is the oft-repeated exhortation. Mark tells us that Jesus went apart, early in the morning, to pray and to commune with the Heavenly Father. If our Lord and Master felt the need of a spiritual undergirding for the day, how can we expect to fulfill our daily responsibilities without fol- lowing his example.
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[1]
Al"RICA SEEKS INFORMATION FROM THE WEST Photo f.rom Janet
AN AFRICAN SEEKS INFORMATION FROM THE "MEDICINE MAN"
AN AFRICAN MOTHER AND HER CHILD INDUSTRIAL TRAINING A'r THE MISSION FORGE WHERE WEST AFRICANS RECEIVE THEIR TRAINING (See articles, pages 20 to 28) Photos from the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions REVIB ORLD VOLUME LXII AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 1 JANUARY, 1939 Topics of the Times HOPE FOR THE NEW YEAR Jesus had been crucified and the disciples were There are many discouraged people today in surrounded by religious and political enemies; the world-many to whom the outlook seems dark in the Reformation of the Middle Ages, when -in Korea with its Shinto shrine problems; in those who contended for spiritual ideals seemed China with the continued wanton destruction of few and weak-all through history times of diffilife and property; in India with its fight against culty, indifference and opposition to God's propoverty and its struggle for independence; in gram have not been days for discouragement but Europe because of the growth of godless Com- have presented a challenge to faith and courage; munism and Fascism; in America with its racial they have called for an upward look and a for- and political, its economic and religious or anti- ward march. religious conflicts. A recent statement by Dr. H. Today, as of old, those forces that are for us C. Link (author of "The Return to Religion"), are greater than those that are against us; one issued as a result of surveys, reports that of nearly with God are still a majority. As we look for- ward into the New Year we see many causes for 10,000 representative American citizens ques- encouragement – in the fact that men are not satisfied with the fruits of selfish materialism; tioned, less than 25 % believe that religion is gain- there is still a constant warfare against vice and ing ground in the United States and over 45% say that moral standards are declining. Among the possible causes for this decline, as viewed by dishonesty and oppression; there are multitudes the National Committee on Religion and Welfare in Germany, like Pastor Niemoller, and in Russia, Recovery, are mentioned the 30% decrease in the' who refuse to deny God or to be intimidated in support of religious and welfare work (in four their acknowledgment of His supreme authority; .
years) compared with a nearly 4000% increase great numbers of Christians in Korea go to prison in the earnings of 105 industrial corporations; rather than worship at Shinto shrines; the Chialso there has been in the same period a 300 % nese, in the midst of cruel warfare, are seeking increase in amount spent for beer and whiskey. God as never before; India reports thousands of While gifts to colleges, community chests and gen- new converts coming to Christ every day; Moseral benevolences have decreased, the amount lems also are seeking the way of the Cross rather spent on jewelry, armaments, theatres, cigarettes than that of the Crescent; from Africa and the and automobiles have increased by 25% to 203% Islands of the Sea also multitudes are turning to in the same period. The average .of voluntary God. In America and England, what a multitude gifts to benevolences, charitable and educational of forces for righteousness are working, quietly and unostentatiously – in city missions and work is only about 2% of American taxable in- churches, in street meetings and Bible classes, in jails and hospitals. Recently in Newark, New comes, according to the statistics furnished by the Golden Rule Foundation.'
But in spite of many causes for disquiet and Jersey, eight hundred Christians gathered whose deep concern, there is no reason for discourage- great interest is in evangelizing the unreached ment. In the days of the children of Israel in multitudes in the city. All over the United States Egypt; in the time of Joshua, after the death of and Great Britain there are Christian gatherings Moses, as the Hebrews faced the Canaanite foes; where thousands meet for earnest Bible study and in the time of Elijah and the prophets of Baal for the quickening of spiritual life. Not only is and of Elisha when the Syrian armies threatened the University Christian Mission in North Amer- Israel; in that day of the early Church, when ica now seeking to bring Christ to students and [3]
students to Christ, but there are countless other as the only Saviour, that man is potentially en- agencies working to the same end, but without listed in Christ's world-wide campaign of conquest publicity. through the proclamation of the Good News and Much of modern mission work has been criti- by Christlike service. cized as being too institutional and secular and The consciousness of my personal debt to God unfruitful in spiritual results, but the recent because of what Christ has done for me will lead Madras International Missionary Conference, and me, as it led the Apostle Paul, to be eager to make missions as a whole, have come to see that, while known to others the remedy for sin and failure world peace, social reform and economic better- and the new Life that Christ offers to all. Withment are greatly needed, the most important and out this commitment, and a sense of personal hopeful work is Christian evangelism leading to debt, it is useless to expect to interest men in the personal acceptance of Christ as Lord and missions. Saviour, if any permanently transforming work Second: Men must be informed as to facts if is to be done. Student movements, churches, they are to be interested. But how many are woemissions, and social and political agencies have fully ignorant of the vital need of other men, tried other methods and have found them waijt- women and children for Christ and His Gospel? ing. The hope of tomorrow, as in the past, is in Every man with human sympathy will be interlooking to God for guidance and power, in exalt- ested in helping to remedy· situations. caused by ing the crucified and risen Christ and His Way famine or plague or crime; but he must know the of Life as the one remedy for sin and death and facts. So men must be informed and convinced as to the deadly spiritual diseases that are destroythe one God-given source of life and peace. ing men everywhere, if they are to be enlisted tp help make known the One effective remedy. No, we are not discouraged in these days when many men's hearts fail them for fear. It is still Men must also be informed as to the transform- God's world and His purposes and forces are cer- ing results of missionary work, where Christ is tain to be victorious. On which side are we going made known and truly followed. We may not to line up during this coming year-with our time, agree with some missionary methods; we may not influence, talents, material possessions and per- be willing to cooperate with certain organizations; sonal testimony? "If God be for us, who can be we may not approve of all missionary workers. against us? He that spared not his own Son but We do not approve of all doctors, lawyers. and delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with business men, but nevertheless we acknowledge him also freely give us all things?" the great value of these lines of service and we MEN AND MISSIONS are ready to promote the best in medicine, law and commerce.
How to interest men in missions and how to The story of missionary progress is thrilling keep them interested is a problem that is always ·and convincing to any honest student. What has . with us. But why pick on the men? Evidently already been accomplished, in spite of human they are "harder nuts to crack" than the women, failures, is an evidence of the power of God work- in this respect at least. Is it because men in gen- ing in the world. Multitudes of statesmen, trav- eral are more materialistic, more selfish, more ab- . elers, professional and business men and women sorbed in "money-making," and less informed on testify to the wonderful results achieved in all missions than the women? Experience proves lands, through the work of Christian missionaries.
that at least three things are necessary if a man Much, too much, remains to be done; but those or a woman is to be truly interested in spreading whose confidence is in God will not doubt the vic- the message of Christ and in promoting the rule torious outcome. Men must be informed.
of God among people of all classes, races and Third: To be truly interested in world-wide conditions. Christian work, men must make a real investment First, a man must be a believer in Christ and in the cause. They become vitally interested in in sympathy with His program. How can we ex- stocks and bonds, in automobiles, and in other pect to enlist men in the service of Christ if they lines of business, in proportion as they invest have never truly yielded to His claim on their money, time and thought in those things. If a lives. Attempts have often been made to capture man makes an intelligent, sacrificial investment in the "man on the street" for missions, but every some missionary or mission enterprise, that man's attempt has failed, unless the man has first been interest is assured. His investment may consist captured for Christ. Naturally no one is inter- of money, effort, prayer, a child, or all of these, ested in promoting any campaign – political, so- but it must be sacrificial. Continued contact with cial or economic-if he does not believe in the Christ and His work will keep the fires burning cause. But if a man is wholeheartedly committed so as to warm a man's own heart and will make to Christ as His divine Lord and believes in Him him wish to spread the light and warmth to others.
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
If these three essentials are met-commitment faith and education." Various groups interested to Christ, information as to the work, and a sacri- in the spiritual welfare of students and their ficial investment in the cause – there will be no teachers are uniting in this appeal for the surdifficulty in enlisting and maintaining a man's in- render of life to the Will of God and to the service terest. It has been done. Great men of all ages of Christ. Dr. Jones reports that the evidences of have been deeply concerned in missionary promo- the hunger of students for spiritual help, and for tion. The s~me is true today. Men of Christian definite life objectives are very remarkable. These faith ~ men of world vision; men of sacrificial young people are eager to make their lives count spirit; and men who have sympathy with God and in service. The most difficult but most important mankind, will be interested in promoting Christ's thing will be the follow-up work to conserve rework throughout the world. sults. The National Preaching Mission scarcely touched students and the need for reaching them EVANGELIZING COLLEGE STUDENTS is pressing if the Church is to grow. The days when the Student Volunteer leaders stirred the While some writers warn us of the growth of colleges and when the Student Christian Associaatheism, irreligion and immorality in American tions led many to Christ and enrolled them in high schools and colleges, the University Chris- Bible classes, has passed. Spiritual life in schools tian Mission is now seeking to bring Christ to the and colleges has suffered and a true revival is 150,000 students in colleges and universities. needed.
There is no doubt about the low moral stand- In each center the leaders, with the cooperation ards, and the religious ignorance, indifference or of local student and faculty members, are adapt- ing their program to the special needs of students. hostility of many students. Materialistic, athe- Instead of mass meetings, the informal conferistic and anti-Christian forces are active. "Anti- ences in dormitories, club rooms, fraternity and God" or "militant godless" societies are reported sorority houses and other student centers provide in some institutions. Usually their activities are the chief points of contact with inquirers. There secret and subversive but at times they are openly are also daily sessions with faculty members, lecanti-religious. All this is too true; but the youth tures in classrooms and opportunity for personal are more sinned against than sinning. Many of interviews. Breakfast meetings are held at seven them come from practically godless homes; they o'clock and often student interviews keep the vis- iting workers up until past midnight. are catapulted into a society full of pitfalls and traps; in high school and college they too often The lntercollegian and Far Horizons says: meet teachers who undermine and destroy faith The present is a logical and fortunate time to bring into in God and advocate certain forms of immorality. the center of campus life a straight, plainly spoken ex- position of the claims of Jesus Christ. No subtlety of The results are seen today in business and social oratory nor of intellectual defensiveness is necessary in life. talking with students today about religion. In fact the gun-shyness today is of the man with subtleties, not of the To counteract these destructive forces in a con- man with religion. If he has discovered something real, structive way, the University Christian Mission, students want it or at least respect it. under the auspices of the Federal Council of Churches and other organizations is conducting a We are glad to see that the Mission is on this forthcampaign in over twenty leading American col- right basis. It is directly and openly evangelistic; viz., it believes so strongly in the Christian Gospel for our day leges and universities. They report some remark- that it wants to share it as clearly and persuasively as it can, so students may have a chance to mak~ up their able experiences. eTr shiet ymoefetOinrgesgl obne,gaann on October own minds about it. But make no mistake, this mission 2nd, in the Univ d continue has a perfectly clear objective, and that objective is Chris- tian evangelism. We think we know students well enough until March 17th when they are to close at the to be sure that this statement, which a few years ago University of California at Berkeley. The work would have been impolitic, will only whet their interest in meeting these men and women who come to the campus is being conducted in these leading colleges and with something to say! universities and the Director of the Mission is Rev. Jesse M. Bader. The forty-four speakers include Will the Christian agencies, which so far have united E. Stanley Jones and Sam Higginbottom of India, in such harmonious unity, be able to forget their units T. Z. Koo of China, Margaret G. Bonfield of Lon- in a real. crusade to meet students and their problems don, Bernard C. Clausen of Pittsburgh, George A. where they aTe? That is vastly more important than for Buttrick of New York, Arthur Lee Kinsolving of students to know where the agencies are. And will stu- Boston, and Henry H. Sweets of Louisville. dents themselves really take some evangelistic responsi- bility themselves? Revivals of religion or education or A team of fifteen spends six days on each football don't get imported. They spring up from the campus where they hold popular evangelistic meet- grass roots of the concern of individual students. They grow. If there is to be a student religious revival, stuings, group conferences and personal interviews. dents themselves will have to get off their academic dead- The aim is to win college youth to Christ and His centers and start it. Way of Life. One purpose of this present effort is to "close the wide gap between the Christian
It is as yet too early to appraise the results of in Hungary, 984,000 in Rumania and 3,000,000 this mission but if one man or woman is awakened in Poland.
-like Wesley or Spurgeon or Catherine Booth; Today Palestine, the land that God gave Israel if even a few colleges or universities are brought for an everlasting possession, is a bone of conten- into vital relationship to Christ and are set on tion. The Arabs claim it by conquest, the Jews fire for God, the time and money will be well ex- by covenant. The efforts of Great Britain to solve pended and abundantly worth while. Naturally, the problem by a division of territory between with such a variety of speakers, there will be a Jews and Arabs, has proved a fiasco and even an great difference in the amount of living truth pre- impartial and righteous government under the sented, in the incentives and appeals; but if Good Mandate to Great Britain -is unacceptable. The Seed is sown and the field and workers prayer- Arab revolt has recently spread to all classes.
fully prepared, so that students are truly aroused The people of Palestine are impoverished; busi- by the Spirit of God and are led to a vital relation ness is at a standstill; tens of thousands are un- to God through Christ, and if effective follow-up employed and the country is being plunged deeper work is carried forward by intelligent and conse- and deeper into debt. To political, economic and crated personal workers on each campus, God social questions the religious element has been will give the increase. added and is pitting the Jew (and the Christian) against the Moslem in fierce antagonism. Even THE JEWS-A "PECULIAR PEOPLE" Christian Arabs are attacked by their Moslem compatriots. The religious element has added to Everyone will admit that the Jews are a "pecul- the bitterness of the strife. The whole Moslem iar people." They are credited with being pecul- population seems to be behind the revolt and there iar in their appearance, their language, their is a new effort to declare a universal "holy war"
traits of character and their habits; "peculiar" against both Jews and Christians. Repressive in their history and religion, and in their sad ex- measures by the British add to the bitterness of periences among other races. They are "peculiar" the fight. The Pan-Arab Islamic aspect of the in the fact that, though they are without a na- revolt has been strengthened so that even the place tional government or country of their own, and of the Jews in Palestine is becoming secondary although over sixteen million of them are scat- to Arab opposition to Great Britain in the Near tered over the earth, they still are a "separated" East. Palestine seems to have become merely a people, looking back on a remarkable past, hoping testing ground for Arab strength. Unrest is in- for a return to their national home and temple, creasing in Iraq, Syria, Transjordania, Arabia and look forward to a great future. and Egypt, but Turkey and Iran are governed by Six times they are called a "peculiar people" in dictators who still rule with a strong hand. The the Bible, four times in the Old Testament and British cannot afford to yield to Arab demands, twice in the New. But the word as applied to much as they desire peace.
them does not refer to their racial characteristics In the meantime Great Britain, America and or to their history; it refers to them as a "pecul- other nations friendly to the Jews, are seeking a iar" possession, acquired, purchased, preserved solution for some phases of the Jewish problem and treasured by God, who promised Abraham a by providing havens of refuge for them in Africa, land which his descendents should possess; who North and South America, Australia or elsewhere released Israel from Egypt and brought them into that is not already overcrowded. The end is not the Promised Land; who established His temple in sight but there is reason to believe that, as in in Jerusalem, gave the people His laws, disciplined the days of Israel in Egypt under oppression by them but preserved them through many centuries, the Pharaohs, God has not forgotten or cast off through them sent the Messiah to bless all nations, His "peculiar people." Jews have their serious and has promised to restore all things and estab- faults but nations that have fought against them lish the reign of righteousness, truth and love. and have persecuted them have always suffered in But today the Jews are "peculiar" in the world- the end. They have lapsed into extinction or ob- wide ostracism and in their sore trials. In the scurity-Egypt, Midian, Moab, Syria, Babylon, past they suffered many things in Russia, Poland Assyria, Greece, Rome-while the Jews have re- and other countries of Europe; today 750,000 are mained, denationalized and homeless wanderers, being persecuted, robbed and banished from Ger- perhaps, but still a remarkable race and a "pecul- many and Austria. Even Christian Jews and iar people." Men and governments cannot suc- those with a fraction of Jewish blood are deprived cessfully fight against God. His promises and of citizenship and of fair opportunities for edu- plans will yet be fulfilled. When will the time cation, as well as in business and in professional come that Israel will see and acknowledge their life. Italy is following in the same path; it Is yet Messiah, experience a new emancipation and enter to be seen what will happen to the 441,000 Jews into their inheritance?
Years Past and to Come*
By ROBERT E. SPEER, Lakeville, Connecticut Author of "The Finality of Jesus Christ," "George Bowen of Bombay," etc.
O UR country is so young that it is only now asked him why he chose rowing for his sport, a that we are coming to realize that it has had tame and effeminate affair, instead of some a past. Heretofore the past and present verile game like football with its body to body have been so close together as to appear as one. personal encounter. He answered that he pre- Now, at last however, our centennials are begin- ferred to take his exercise sitting down, and added ning to make us aware of time and of far off be- the rather pointed and pertinent remark that he ginnings which we do well to recall. would "rather belong to a crew that looked back During the last three years we have observed and moved forward than to a team which looked a number of these significant anniversaries. In forward and moved back." Which thing is a 1936 we had the Whitman Centennial, commem- parable. In a shell there are nine men. Eight of orating the heroic venture of Marcus Whitman them who furnish all the power look backward. who set out in February, 1836, to establish the There is only one, the coxswain, who looks formission at Walla Walla which planted the Chris- ward and he would be a still better coxswain if he tian Church in the far Northwest and helped to had eyes also in the back of his head. prevent the yielding of the territory to Great Britain. In 1936 also the Southern Presbyterian Or consider a gun. Where is the pawer which Church celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary hurls the projectile? It is not in a magnet or any devic~ in front of the gun. It is in the explosion of the establishment of the Church in the beauti- behind. The energies which drive us pour out of ful old building in Augusta, where their first As- the past. Even when we pursue a distant future sembly met under the shadows of the Civil War ideal, it is the past which gave it to us and which thrusts us after it. in 1861. Last year our Northern Presbyterian The second great use of the past is as a teacher. Church celebrated the centennial of the Board of Foreign Missions which, indeed, was also the It is in the school of the past that we learn our Board of the Southern Church, for the quarter lessons: as to essential realities, as to abiding century preceding the division that came in 186!. values, as to the possibilities of achievement, as Now this year we are observing the Sesqui-Cen- to vital resources, as to true direction, as to the tennial of the adoption of the constitution of the Will of God, His trustworthiness, and our duty. It Presbyterian Church and the establishment of its is of some of these lessons that I am to speak in General Assembly. In the midst of these anniver- the matter of the foreign missionary enterprise saries we are happy and grateful in commemorat- of the Church during the century of this Second ing the founding of the Second Church in St. Church's history.
Louis one hundred years ago. What Christianity Is Sometimes we are told that we waste time in First of all we are taught the fundamental lesthese historical commemorations. "Of what use son of what Christianity is. The foreign missionis the past," men ask, "when the present with its ary undertaking is the expression of the essential problems and its tasks demands all the thought nature of the Christian faith. It embodies the and energy that we possess?" conception of the adequacy, the uniqueness and the finality of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. Chris- There are at least two of the many uses of the tianity is not one of the world's great religions, past which stand out clear and indisputable. each of them the expression of the religious gen- ius of one race and adapted to the experience and For one thing, we draw inspiration and power needs of that race. Christianity is solitary, not from the past. I recall a shrewd saying of Dr. comparative, universal not ethnic. Christ is not Duncan Spaeth, who is one of our leading Shakes- one of many great religious teachers; and Chrisperean scholars and was for some years professor tianity is not the religion of the white race. Christ of English in Princeton University; at the same stands alone; His name is not to be included in time he was the inspiration of the revival and any list of names. And the white race did not maintenance of rowing at Princeton. Some one • An address at the Centennial Celebration of the Second Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, MissourI.
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originate Christianity. It originated in As i a humanistic spirit of the community. The organic among Asiatics; and it has always been and is relationship of all unselfish philanthropy to the now not the natural expression but the supernat- Christian motivation has been obscured and for- ural condemnation of the ethnic spirit of the whilte gotten. On the foreign mission field we see char- race. ity in its primitive reality. The orphanages, leper One must go further. Any definition of religion asylums, hospitals, schools for deaf and blind, all which covers Christianity excludes all' other so': the unselfish charities of the non-Christian world called religions. Or, if they are religions, Chris- are still seen as having sprung from a lesson still tianity is not. This, indeed, is the fact. Chris- maintained by the Christian Church. The late tianity is not a "religion." It is a revelation. It . F.W. Stevens, professor of law in the University is not man's quest for God. It is God's quest for of Michigan and American member of the Bank- man. Webster's dictionary defines religion as "the ers' Consortium in China in 1920-23, saw this and recognition of God as an object of worship, love bore his competent testimony to it. "I have come and obedience; piety; any system of faith and to believe," he said in an address in Peking to worship. Religion is subjective, designating the returned Chinese students, "that America's great- feelings and acts of men which relate to God." est contribution to China, greater even than "Much that belongs to religion," says. John Mac- America's political friendship is the work of the murray, the English philosopher, "permeates American Christian missionaries in China. This what we call Christianity." But he adds, "I have statement may indicate the importance I attach a conviction that the points which the various to the need of moral regeneration which must pre- world religions have in common with Christianity cede any great political or industrial improve- are in large measure the points which are not ment. In all China there is not a single organiza- specifically Christian, but merely religious." tion on a scale of importance, that aims at moral What is specifically Christian? The glorious improvement or that is calculated to bring it fact of the Incarnation and the Good News of Sal- about, that is not traceable in its origin to the vation and Eternal Life offered by God through Christian missions. I have inquired among all His only Son, Jesus Christ. It is this conception kinds of people from all parts of China for such that makes Christianity missionary. "The·true an activity of non-Christian origin without findstate of the case," as Dr. William Newton Clarke ing one." And the widest possible meaning must said, "must not be forgotten, namely that Chris- be given to Mr. Stevens' word "moral." It covers tianity sets out for victory. The intention to con- the whole ideal of man's deepest and fullest wel- quer is characteristic of the Gospel. This was' fare, both of body and mind. Of the latter I will the aim of its youth when it went forth among speak in a moment. My point now is that in the the religions that then surrounded it; and with missionary enterprise we have seen the inevitable this aim it must enter any field in which old re- relationship between the love of God and the love ligions are encumbering the religious nature of of man: we have seen Christianity revealing its man. It cannot conquer except in love but in love true nature in seeking, side by side with the oral it intends to conquer. It means to fill the world." proclamation of the truth, to heal every human This conviction is incarnated in the missionary hurt. It has been, as it was at the beginning, undertaking. It is equally essential if Christianity the fountain of the stream of philanthropy, of the is to be vital and effective at home. healing of disease, of the care of the unfortunate A Ministry of Love and needy, of charity and compassion and love.
There is also a lesson for us to learn here for In the second place the missionary enterprise our situation at home. Let the Christian convic- reveals the basic nature of Christianity as a min- tions and loyalties die down and we shall soon istry of unselfish service and of love. Its primary discover the utter inadequacy of our reliance upon aim was to preach Christ as the only Saviour of community goodwill and humanistic philanthropy.
the world; but the Christ whom it preached could The real driving force in all our apparently sec- be no other than the Christ whose first sermon ular civilization is not secular. It is the hidden in his home synagogue was from the text: "The and unostentatious Christian valuation of Christ spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He hath and the motivation of Christ's love and the love anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He of man for Christ's sake.
hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach Relation to Education deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are In the third place, we see in the missionary en- bruised." Here in the West our charities and terprise of the century the fl,mdamental relation- philanthropies have largely passed out from the ship between Christianity and education, between control of the Church, and seem to rely upon the Christ and the freedom. and expansion of the
THE YEARS PAST AND TO COME
mind. From the beginning with William Carey ated freedom suffers. All true education is the and Alexander Duff, the missionary has been the child of the Christian spirit and will suffer when founder of schools. He began the first elementary divorced from the source which produced it, and schools in non-Christian lands. He founded the from which it mus,t continue to draw its life. Let colleges, the medical and industrial schools. He one tragic contemporary illustration suffice. Ger- or she was the pioneer of education for women. many was once the leader in thought, invention In many lands the same thing happened that has and discovery. And today-!
happened in America. The state took over or The Bond of Union and Peace built upon what the missionary began. The Im- perial University of Tokyo had its origins with This school of the past missionary century is a Guido Verbeck and Divie McCartee. The Nation- rich school but I will speak of only one other of al University of Peking, now destroyed, began its lessons. It has disclosed the one possible bond with W. A. P. Martin. David Murray guided the and basis of a united and rationally ordered hu- establishment of seoondary education in Japan. man society, namely the Holy Catholic Church.
In many cases, however, the missionary enter- Every other proposed basis of a peaceful world prise is still carrying on its institutions, equal or order has broken down; diplomacy, international superior to those of government. All the medical organizations, "nine-power treaties," leagues and education of the Chinese began with missionary covenants, ententes, alliances, "axes," all world medical schools. Eighty-five per cent of the associations of whatsoever sort. Even greed has schools of Africa are still conducted by missions. failed. Indeed greed has worse than failed. Men The outstanding modern educators of India have sell to their nation's enemies the very instruments been missionaries, honored by the government for their enmity. No words seem more pitiable with Knighthood for their service,-Sir William today than Mr. Kipling's "Peace of Dives"
Miller and Sir James C. R. Ewing. Even where "The word came down to Dives in torment where he lay, government with its resources begins to monopo- 'Our world is full of wickedness, My children maim and lize the educational field, the missionary enter- slay; prise has found its opportunity in pioneering And the Saint and Seer and Prophet enterprises, the originating liberty of the Chris- Can make no better of it tian spirit fulfilling its function of freedom and Than to sanctify and prophesy and pray.'''
creativeness. So Dives rose up and bound the world together in The present victory of India has borne tribute irrefragable peace.
to this service of the missionary spirit. In his "With gold and fear and hate report in 1928, as Chairman of the Royal Com- I have harnessed state to state.
mission on Agriculture in India, he said, "We can- And with hate and fear and gold their hates are tied. " "And behold all earth is laid not leave the subject of the teacher and his In the peace which I have made." training without referring to a movement which offers bright hopes. for escape from the difficulties Ten years after Kipling wrote, Dives' peace which clog the progress of education. The new was burned ashes and Dives had no need to go scheme for training teachers which has been back to hell. worked out by the Presbyterian Mission at Moga, has been adopted and extended by the Punjab There is only one world fellowship that is real Education Department and now prevails in every and that can bear the strain. That is the world training institution for vernacular teachers in the Christian Community. For a hundred years the province. This system of training at Moga is but missionary enterprise has preached it and has one example of the valuable pioneering and ex- been busy building it. Our Church has had its perimental work accomplished by missions, to glorious share in it. In a dozen lands it has led which education in India owes so great a debt." in the founding and development of independent national churches with leaders of whom I could In America education, like philanthropy, has tell you, the peers of any in our Church at home, slipped from its relationship to the Church. The whjch hold fellowship with sister churches across Roman Catholics, to a lesser degree the Lutherans all-boundaries of nation and race, across the gulf and to a still lesser degree the other Protestant of nationality between China and Japan, across Churches, are seeking to maintain Christian edu- the gulf of race in India. The goal of world unity cation in relation to the Church but it is a hard may still be far away and the Christian unities struggle against the State with its power of taxa- may still be too weak to overpower the human sus- tion. In Russia and Mexico Church education is picions and rivalries and hates, and the coercive extinct; in Germany it seems to be doomed. We powers and pessimisms and paganisms of govern- are in danger of forgetting the lesson of the past. mentsmay stm.defeat the feeble instrumentalities Where distinctively Christian education is obliter- of Christian fellowship. But, soon or late, the
choice must be made between the unity of Christ man intercourse the nations burden it with even and the Satanic sin of a divided humanity. If we heavier limitations of travel and trade. Missionlearn aright the missionary lesson we shall not aries may be as ready for martyrdom as ever but despair but wait in hope and love till the martyr cannot get his passport vised. The difficulties which the missionary met in earlier Nation with nation, land w1th land years have vanished but they have been replaced Enarmed shall live as comrades free: by new ones. But what are difficulties for, except, as General Armstrong used to say, to be overcome In every heart and brain shall throb by the grace of God? Twice in "The Influence of The pulse of one fraternity. Sea Power upon History," Captain Mahan speaks of "the glorious disadvantage of numbers." And Some may say, "It has been a great past, and St. Paul shows how he regarded difficulties when you are justified in what you claim for it, but it he said "and," not "but": "I will tarry at Ephesus is gone and cannot come back or be reproduced. until Pentecost for a great door and effectual is We have come to a new and different day. The opened unto me and there are many adversaries." old motives which produced and sustained the missionary enterprise are dead. The sacrifices And the opportunities are greater than they which it required cannot be obtained in the world have ever been. The national churches in every in which we live." mission field are inviting help and offering asso- ciation. In China there is such an open door as I do not believe it. There have been changes, has never been known since Robert Morrison and there will be more changes, but they make the landed in 1807. One missionary writes: enterprise only the more necesary. Bible teaching is now permitted in all schools, and na- The Gospel has not changed. Jesus Christ is tional leaders are by their example and words urging the still the same, yesterday and forever. If our youth to find the secret of the power of the Christian relithoughts about Him and the Gospel change they gion. Never has the atmosphere of our schools been more only change truly as they see Him and His Gos- Christian. This is indeed the flood tide of mission work pel as something still greater than men have con- in China. Similar opportunity came after the Revolution ceived. His is still the Only Name. He is still in 1911 when China became a republic. There is a tide the only Light of the World. He alone is the in the affairs of Christ in China which taken at the flood Way, the Truth and the Life. Now, as ever, no leads on to victory. The ebb tide will later set in, for man comes to the Father but by Him. The world time and tide wait for no man. Now is the time to bring is worse lost without Christ, if that be possible, the ship into the harbor. A missionary today can with the then it has ever been. Its need of Him is greater help of the tide and favorable winds make more progress than ever in the past. If its flight was such that in a day than in a month when the tide is changed. it required His coming nineteen hundred years ago its desperate hopelessness today requires Him And so everywhere the tides run with us or even more. Of the seven nations which are de- against us but our duty abides, the duty to protermining the fate of the world today four either claim Christ to the whole world and to every man openly reject Christiani<ty or tolerate it only as as the only hope. an instrumentality of the State. Of the other three one is frankly secular and in neither Great Christ is our sure hope. What the conditions Britain nor America is the Christian spirit set in may be is a matter of subordinate consequence. supreme authority over the national. In one of They may affect the times but they will not deterhis last utterances Henry Watterson declared: mine the issue. What th8lt issue will be St. Paul declared in the clearest and boldest way long ago. The future looks black enough, yet it holds a hope, a The time will come, he said, when Christ's Name single hope. One power and one power alone can arrest will be above every name, when "at the name of the deseent and save us. That is the Christian religion. Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue con- Democracy is but a side issue. The paramount issue, fess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Where was Paul underlying the issue of democracy is the religion of Christ when he said this? In prison, chained to the wrist and Him crucified. If the world is to be saved from de- of his jailer; forsaken by friends; the victim of struction, physieal no less than spiritual destruction, it the ill will of insincere fellow Christians; anticiwill be saved alone by the Christian religion. That elim- pating a martyr's death at the end of his way. If, inated leaves the world to eternal war. under those conditions, Paul could have this faith ought we not to feel shame if we waver in it? The difficulties are greater than ever before. Weare at least nineteen hundred years nearer Man has created machines which now tyrannize this consummation than Paul was. If he were over him. He has produced an environment standing where we stand, with what overflowing which he has not learned to control. His most gratitude would he survey the century past and boasted inventions are as capable of working ruin with what glorious riew faith and courage would as of doing good. He is exalting inferior values he advance into the century to come! over the value of man. An age which overestimated man is succeeded by an age whkh degrades him. Instead of simplifying and enriching hu-
God's Voice from
With Glimpses of His F.aithfulness in the Experience of the China Inland Mission By MRS. HOWARD TAYLOR Author of "The Life of Hudson Taylor," "By Faith-Henry W. Frost and the China Inland Mission," and other volumes f". ALONE in his Toronto office, a young man was "Be definite, young man, be definite! What is facing a situation that might well cause it that you need? What are you really asking?" concern. He was the newly appointed sec- Startled, Mr. Frost rose fr.om his knees, went retary of a movement which had come into being to his desk and began to consider the matter, pen largely through his prayers and eff.orts. Carried in hand. One after another he wrote down the on a full tide of spiritual blessing, he had taken pressing financial needs and was dismayed to find part in the establishment on this continent of a that they came to a total of six hundred dollars.
Mission, begun in England, which had for its aim Could he ask definitely for so large a sum? It the evangelization of inland China. But now its was a critical moment for himself no less than beloved leader, Hudson Taylor, had gone on to for the Mission. But faith triumphed by the grace Shanghai with the first reinforcements from of God. Spreading the paper on the chair before North America, and Henry W. Frost was left re- him, the young man knelt again and definitely sponsible for the home side of the work in the asked, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, for the United States and Canada. For years, the lead- whole six hundred dollars.
ing of God in his life had been preparing for these "So real was the transaction," he recalls, "that developments-as the biography just published when I rose from my knees the sec.ond time it was graphically records ;*-but with the newly-formed without a burden of any kind. With complete rest Council he had now to deal with no fewer than of heart, I went through my corres.pondence and forty missionary candidates and a home-centre to other: work for the day, though as hour by hour provide for the Mission, S.o that the problems that went by nothing happened."
pressed upon him were neither few nor small. Nothing happened in that office- but many, All this had been foreseen and considered with many miles away a friend was led to think and Mr. Taylor in helpful hours of fellowship and pray about the Mission. Under a sense of divine prayer. "No debt" and "no appeal for funds" guidance, this friend wrote a letter which reached were principles of the Mission with which Mr. Mr. Frost the following morning. At the desk Frost was in full agreement. The life of faith where his list of needs had been made, the latter for things temporal as well as spiritual was not opened the letter to find a check enclosed for six new to him. With his young wife, he had already hundred dollars, to be used at home or in China, launched out on the promises of God, proving in as it might be needed. This experience opened to experience that as we seek first His kingdom and the young secretary new vistas of the power .of righteousness all things needful are indeed prayer and the faithfulness of God. He wrote: "added" with a Father's loving care. Fifteen Did I pray more in detail after that? I certainly did!
missionaries in China, h.owever, and increasing I remember that I used to breathe prayers in those days needs at h.ome put faith to fresh tests. Without that I would have laughed at before, as childish. Somethe backing of any church or denomination-for thing came back to me then that Mr. Taylor had said when the Mission embraced all evangelical Christians we were together at Northfield. in its fellowship-and without reserve funds or "Have you ever thought," he asked, "of the difference between a father's and a mother's care of their children?
pledges of supply, prayer to God was. the only re- The father goes to business, whatever it is, and works source. And on his knees in his office that day hard to provide for his family, but it takes a mother to the young Secretary was unburdening his heart mend the children's stockings. And in a very real sense, before God. God is a Mother to his people, as well as a Father."
And then a strange thing happened. It seemed And truly I have found it so, in all the years since then. as if a voice spoke in the silence: By this time (1890) the China Inland Mission was twenty-five years old and had reached a posi- • "By Faith-Henry W. Frost and the China Inland Mission." ti.on froni'which rapid growth was possible. Start- CBhyinDar.InalnadndMMrsi.SSHioonw, aPrdhilTaadyelloprh. ia,Il1lu9s3t8ra. ted. 8vo. 364 pp. $1.25. ing in England in 1865, l·t had spread to N.orth [11 ]
America, but still its home-base was inadequate for the developments that were to come. The growth of those early years had been remarkable and full of promise. The Mission's first objective, that of placing pioneer evangelists in all the inland provinces of China, had been attained in little more than a decade, with the sole exception of the province of Hunan. To enter any of those great regions marked black on the first of our little maps had seemed impossible. The very name, "China Inland Mission," had been a laughing stock to many who did not know the power of prayer. But the eighteen pioneers asked of God CH'NA 18Y4 EXPANSION OF THE CHINA INLAND MISSION-FIRST DECADE Extension of the work to 1876; still unoccupied provinces in black EXPANSION OF THE CHINA INLAND MISSION-I teach precious lessons of the faithfulness of God. Up to 1867, no Protestant missionaries in Financial needs were never mentioned, save in eleven provinces (black) 'the inner circle, where they were constantly spread before the Lord in prayer. Walking before were hardly ready for their task before the long- Him day by day, why look to man for the succor closed doors were thrown open by the Chefoo Con- He has promised? But the inspired prayer, "Give vention (1876), and the young evangelists w~re us this day our daily bread," often took on new the first to avail themselves of the new situation. meaning. Such was the morning, for example, In two brief years they traveled over thirtythou- when there was nothing to put on the table for sand miles in those unreached provinGes, preach- breakfast when the first bell rang. The interval ing the Gospel, scattering Scriptures and, tr!l!!ts of ten minutes before the second bell changed the and even opening settled mission stations. ,A glance at the China of 1866 and that of 1877,will situation providentially, for a hamper arrived show the advance that had been made,:a.tJhe latter from some unknown friend with a generous supdate only one province still excluding :r1l.essellgers ply of groceries and provisions, and the large of the Gospel-the province of Hun~J.JamOlisto- household sat down with thankfulness to a wellday for its Christian preaching-band'S,;,: . spread board.
And the ground gained was nevet 'lost; fot the CHINA vital work of evangelization went' on, reinforced more and more by missionary women,until in .817 1890, the four hundred members of'the Inland Mission were settled in seventy-five stations, EXPANSION OF THE CHINA INLAND MISSION-III chiefly in the interior. All provinces occupied in 1877. Hunan opened later. . 'Kwangsi and Mongolia developed by other missions *** Back in Toronto, the work had taken deep r{)ot, Mr. Frost's spiritual ministry being much, valued. Tests of faith were many, but,theY:.{l.ll ~el'vedto I. .
GOD'S VOICE FROM CHINA
:sao G"OWT>~ GtOWTK h. THl NUMBi:f IN TriE. HUMSEI oJ 0' C.l.M. lIAPi'SMS i" STAT10M& C.I.M. DISTR.ICT5 ….·100 ilEaL – 19~'
199 IU '1$ STEADY GROWTH IN CENTERS OCCUPIED BY THE C. I. M. INCREASE IN BAPTISMS IN c. I. M. Special growth after times of special suffering. There are also two thousand out-stations. IN ANSWER TO PRAYER Special growth after Boxer Outbreak, the Revolution, the One is tempted to dwell upon many of the answers to prayer recorded in the recent volume Evacuation period, and in the present war ("By Faith"), but one other must suffice. saw by the handwriting, was from a member of The rather gruff landlord of the first home of the Council who knew nothing about the immethe Mission in Toronto was in the habit of calling diate situation. Thinking it concerned some busiregularly for his rent. He made no profession of ness, Mr. Frost put it in his pocket, but half way being a Christian, and Mr. Frost was the more to the office was impelled to open it. To his suranxious to be always ready with the full amount. prise, it contained a check. And there, when he But one month, through an oversight, the money looked at it eagerly, was the ·one and .the five of laid aside for the purpose proved to be fifteen dol- the sum so much desired, but it was not fifteen lars short. Twenty dollars were in hand, but not dollars 1 To the figures that stood out from the thirty-five; and the treasury was empty. The check a naught had been added – it was for morning came when the rent was due, and still $150.00. Almost overwhelmed at such an anprayer seemed unanswered. Not a little dis- swer to prayer, Mr. Frost hastened back to tell tressed, Mr. Frost was up with the first trace of his waiting wife that the Lord had indeed prodaylight, haunted, even as he waited upon God, vided. by persistent suggestions of unbelief: "I knew He would," was the quiet though "Oh, yes, you will get the money, but not to- rejoicing reply, for Mrs. Frost's faith had been day-not before the landlord comes I" unperturbed.
Stopped in the hallway as he was leaving for With a full heart, the young Secretary arrived his office, Mr. Frost was told that a letter had been at his office to find that the episode was not finhanded in and was lying on the piano. This, he ished. . The Lord had something further to teach him about His watchful care. In the mail-box was another letter, 'placed there by hand-for it
had no stamp or post mark-and imperfectly ad- sular orders for the evacuation of British and dressed. Evidently it was from someone who American nationals from the interior of China. wished to remain unknown. For on opening it, That crisis of 1927 can be better imagined than Mr. Frost found a blank sheet of paper-not a described. More than six hundred C. 1. M. misword of writing-and folded within it were three sionaries were obliged to come down to the seanew five-dollar bills. What could it mean-the coast, leaving their loved work, and with no homes fifteen dollars over again! to go to, save as the Lord provided. But provide He did, and in such wonderful ways that no one "This time I did not rush back to Mrs. Frost. was without a true C. 1. M. welcome to temporary She was too far away. But I did hurry up to the quarters, and every account for traveling and office, where my overcharged heart found relief other unforeseen expenses was paid the day it was in praising the God of all grace. Since then, I presented. Truly, "God is our refuge and strength, have often thought that the gift of a hundred and a very present help in time of trouble." The chief fifty dollars was to show how ample the love of point is that every time of crisis was followed by God is, and the gift of fifteen to show the exact- greatly enlarged blessing. ness of His understanding care." To these three periods of crisis is now added *** the present war-situation in China, in which the Mission is facing greater perils and perplexities But tq come to the enlargement of the Mission's than ever before. But our Omnipotent Leader is home-base which followed the extension to North "the same, yesterday, and today and for ever." America. Troublous times lay ahead. Unknown This is why we have been and are enabled to adto any but the Supreme Director of the work, His vance rather than retreat and to send out large servants were to glorify Him in the terrible suf- reinforcements to meet the adversary's challenge ferings of the Boxer Outbreak in 1900. No fewer in this hour of his seeming triumph. than fifty-eight of the missionaries to win a martyr's crown, that summer, were members of the It is appropriate that in this Jubilee Year of the C. 1. M. More prayer, more faith, more love were Mission's history-half a century from the sailing needed to strengthen the whole Mission, at home of the first American party – the complete story and in China, for its baptism of fire. And in His should be published under the revealing title, "By own wonderful way the Lord prepared for the Faith," which emphasizes the secret of victory. crisis that He only could foresee. Before us lie greater opportunities and more urgent needs than ever before. God's voice from Those years from 1888, when the North Amer- China rings out a new and perhaps last call to ican branch was founded, witnessed extension to faithful following in the steps of our crucified, other lands also, until some time before the year ever-living Lord, the world's only Redeemer. This 1900 the Mission had become international as to is no time for fear or for retreat. Forty-two new its home constituency. The Prayer Union com- missionaries sent out this fall, including eight menced in North America spread with the growth fully qualified physicians, surely means that beof the work, gathering many into its fellowship fore us is still set an open door. in Europe and Australasia as well as in the United States and Canada. And surely it was this world- "No man can shut it" as long as God gives us wide intercession that sustained the Mission in the privilege of being "workers together with that overwhelming flood of suffering, and carried it through to the bleslsed aftermath of following Him" in and for China.t That great land is seeing years. Up to 1900, the baptisms in connection with the C. 1. M. had totalled about 14,000, that is Jesus as never before-seeing Him in the sacriover a period of thirty-four years; but the single ficial love and labors of His children. And Christ decade that followed, witnessed 22,000 baptisms -the suffering, dying, everliving Saviour – is in C. 1. M. stations, and a corresponding increase drawing countless hearts to Himself who alone in the centres occupied, as may be seen from the can meet China's need. accompanying diagrams. Have not they a right to know of His redeeming Since then, the record has been the same love? Has He not charged us with the saving mesthrough the years, for the story haS been one of sage, promising His own presence and enablement crisis after crisis, right up to the present period "even unto the end of the age"? It is our day of of warfare. Following the Boxer troubles came the opportunity, priceless opportunity, of which we difficult period of the Revolution, when large parts shall e.ach one have to give account. We call him of China were devastated by the armies of "White "Master and Lord." Oh, to see what He would Wolf" and other brigand leaders. Then i;ame the have us see, that we may do while we can what World War, with its inevitable repercussions; He would have us do! the rising power of Communism and Russian influence; the fearful sack of Nanking, and Con- t Including these reinforcoments, the staff of the Mission now numbers more than thirteen hundred foreign missionaries and four thousand Chinese workers.
To Interest Men in
Some Practical Methods from Experience with Men of Our Churches HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE cult to discover which is cause and which is effect.
CALL OF CHRIST If men become genuinely committed to the service By BISHOP RALPH CUSHMAN, DENVER, COLO. of our Lord they will, as a matter of acoreurfsoe~nbd.e devoted to His interests wherever men Resident Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church If men become interested in serving their fellows If I am to interest men in missions I must, first in the spirit of Christ, near and far, they are of all, have a conviction myself as to the authority bound to have a deepening fellowship with their of the Great Commission and the reasons behind Lord, which is sure to express itself in every it. I must believe that the Lord Jesus called us, avenue of life. His disciples, to preach and practice the Kingdom of God on this earth. I must believe this so pro- But how shall we begin to interest men in misfo.undly that I will either stop praying, "Thy sions? Kmgdom come on earth," or will set out to cooperate with Christ in bringing it to pass. I do My own experience, and that of others that I not believe that there is any substitute for this have observed, is that the beginning of a growing interest and concern is to get people to give money to some specific missionary project or person.
burning conviction in my own mind and heart. While missionary administrators may have trouble with those who wish to give to special Second, I must clearly see how tragic are the persons or projects, there is no doubt that people results of failure to preach and practice the King- grow in missionary concern when they have direct dom of God on earth. In all of our churches, and contact with some individual or group about in the lives of individual church members, this is apparent. Our people perish for lack of vision. whose work they receive first-hand information. This conclusion is based on actual first-hand ex- Even if we hold that the chief business of the perience and close-up observation. Church is to acquaint its members with God, it is impossible to do this apart from the missionary But how can we persuade a person who while nominally and probably really Christian, has no vision. It is not by searching but by following great zeal for the work of Christ, to make a bethat men finally find God. Obedience is the organ ginning in giving money? It is here that the in- genuity of Christian love has a chance to operate. of knowledge. Years ago I heard Dr. George A. Gordon say, "Our churches are full of people who have never No spiritual education is likely to be easy. We understood what the call of Christ really is." This must seek to keep the work of Christ before peo- ple until they begin to see the sheer fun of having is true now. The majority of church members partnership with God. project the Kingdom of God almost entirely into Of all methods for arousing and deepening such the next world, and give almost no thought as to an interest there is nothing like the study of the Christ's plan that his Kingdom shall come "on earth as it is in Heaven." Until we get this larger New Testament. A careful study of the life of vision there is little hope that we can have closer A. A. Hyde, of Wichita, who became one of the great givers to missions of his life time, clearly communion with· Christ. demonstrates that his passion for giving money to Therefore it seems to me that the business of help forward the cause of Christ began when he interesting men in missions is only secondarily a made an intense study of the Bible, and especially matter of methods, it is primarily a matter of a the Sermon on the Mount. He said that he there conviction as to the imperativeness of the build- discovered no justification for a Christian laying ing of the Kingdom of Christ in all the earth. up a fortune and from the time he made that dis- THE CAUSE AND THE EFFECT covery "literal obedience was determined upon." It is a dangerous thing to read thoughtfully our By REV. GEORGE IRVING, PHILADELPHIA Christian Scriptures if one does not want to give Author of "A. A. Hyde-Master of Money" with enthusiasm to the cause of Christ, without geographical or other limitation. My two specific The primary question is, "How can we lead men suggestions then in answer to the first question to commit themselves to our LordJesus Christ are: and to His K~ngdom?". . 1. Endeavor to establish an interest in the work In attemptmg to arrIve at an answer it is diffi- of some missionary person or group.
[15 ]
2. Major on persuading people to make an hood and national growth equals that of any other honest, intelligent effort to know the Christian group. Those were strong men, those pioneer Scriptures, especially the clear testimony of our missionaries, interested in every phase of a good Lord and His apostles. life. This same is true of hundreds of men on our mission fields today.
BY A SENSE OF PERSONAL OBLIGATION In the case of Home Missions, we must show what is being done for the support of the best By REV. MERLYN A. CHAPPEL, NEW YORK form of democratic government. Home mission- Board of National Missions, Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. aries are at work in the "crisis areas" of Amer- Tens of thousands of American Christian men ican life where the going is hardest, the economic are giving to the support of missions, but the co- conditions are most trying, educational facilities operation of many thousands more must be won are least likely to be good, and opportunities for before the missionary enterprise receives ade- uplifting fellowship are not numerous. Church quate financial support. How may we interest men should know that our missionaries are great more men in missions? The following suggestions exponents of Christian democracy, emphasizing have been gathered from experience in the work by word and life the value of every human soul of missionary promotion in the home-church. in every area of our land. It can be said truly that Home Missions Societies are the greatest We can help our men of the church to develop force for true Christian Americanization in the the sense of social responsibility. They already entire country. have this to a larger extent in the field of community service. The distinctly Christian mission- Missionary speakers soon learn that they must ary challenge, when squarely faced, adds breadth win men to themselves as a preliminary to winand fulness to a man's social vision. The implica- ning them to their cause. There is no distinction tions of this truth came home to me recently in of sex at this point. Women speakers can do this the form of a challenge at a luncheon of many as well as men. Earnestness and a complete deservice and welfare organizations at the launch- votion to the missionary enterprise are essentials ing of the annual Community Chest drive in one to winning strong men to missions. Speakers of our progressive middle western cities. The must be recognized as the voice of the mission churches were well represented at the speakers' field.
table, as well as throughout the dining room. As We must show the men that when they invest I noted the feeling which the speakers, all men, their money in missions it is well invested. Mis- put into their appeal for the less favored citizens sion funds are handled by men who employ good of their community, I could see that they were business methods. Missionary money is not pleading for several prominent features of the wasted in denominational competition, but is missionary program. Surely it should not be dif- rather used for the purpose of making the nation ficult to enlist those men who were speaking, and Christian.. Many a man has become interested in the men who were listening to them so intently, missions by hearing the story of the birth of the in the active support of the world-wide missionary National Church in China and the equally roman- enterprise. tic story of the interdenominational success of the We can make a much wider use of the pulpit Board for Christian Work in Santo Domingo.
for the presentation of missions. Men are most Men are drawn to missions when we appeal to likely to be found at the Sunday morning service. their sense of fairness in the recognition of a debt.
Pastors who include missionary illustrations in In the United States we owe our religious life to their sermons Sunday after Sunday know full the missionary, foreign first, then national.
well the value of this in making missions seem a More than 90% of our churches have, at some natural thing for presentation to a Christian con- time in their history, received Home Mission gregation. Splendid missionary material is avail- funds. Sunday school missions are responsible able today in great quantity and concise form. for the building up of thousands of American Mission Board representatives who come as speak- churches. We must make this fact known and ers endeavor to make their sermon a part of the then challenge our men to give other people the service of worship, just as truly as the pastor chance to hear the Gospel, to become acquainted does. with Christ, and to find salvation through Him.
We can acquaint the men of our churches with Men respond to such an appeal.
the strong men who pioneered in establishing mis- The tragedy is that not more than one third of sion stations at home and abroad. In America the members of our men and women give to the the missionary was as truly a pioneer as was the benevolent causes of the Church. The hopeful settler, the merchant, and the soldier in the early thing is that many men are now reading mission days. His contribution to the foundation of state- literature as never· before.
HOW TO INTEREST MEN IN MISSIONS 1'7
ONE PASTOR'S EXPERIENOE says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you." By putting REV. OSWALD J. SMITH, D.D., TORONTO world evangelism first we find that all things needed are added, for God is true to His Word. Pastor of The Peoples Churck INFORMATION AND MOTIVATION In the Peoples Church, Toronto, we do not have a Women's Missionary Society. No money is By REV. CHARLES E. SCHAEFFER, D.D., raised through concerts, bazaars, entertainments, sales and similar devices. Nevertheless – or as PHILADELPHIA one result-the offering for missions three years ago was $36,000.00; two years ago it was Secretary' of the Board of Home Missions, $43,000.00; this year it has been $46,000.00. Reformed Church in the U. S.
We now support 130 missionaries, foreign and Men usually are interested in big things and in national, on some twenty different fields through- going concerns. Somehow they have gained the out the world. We have taught our people for impression that missions are a side issue in the years that the supreme task of the Church is the program of the Church and that they are supevangelization of the world, and they have caught ported by the small change. given by the contributhe vision. We have trained them, each and every tors. The bigness of the enterprise has never one, to contribute systematically to the great work captured the imagination of our men. Conseof Christian missions. quently, if we wish to enlist their interest and co- operation we must magnify mi,ssions as a thor- If we were to relegate the work of missions to oughly worthwhile enterprise. We must remove a group of women we would be saying, in effect, the impression that such a work can be supported that the supreme task of the Church is not the on a nickle a week basis. evangelization of the world but that this is only a side issue which a Women's Missionary Society Most men need more information regarding the could easily attend to while the men of the church work of missions. But this is not their chief dedid something more important. That would be ficiency. Even now they fail to respond to the the inference. amount of information which they already pos- sess. Wherever there is a wide gulf between in- We have fifty elders in the Peoples Church. formation and action the whole process becomes Practically everyone contributes systematically. sterile and men's work is dwarfed. Men need We have one hundred and thirty-five in our choir motivation rather than information. Motivation and orchestra and they likewise take part each is produced in two ways: first, by a new sense of year in this great work. Our Sunday school chil- values and appreciation of the real worthwhiledren contributed $1,200.00. Our Young People ness of the task; second, by an inward urge or do likewise. Everyone has caught the vision and desire to do what ought to be done. Methods, each one feels his responsibility. conferences, technique, may prove helpful in gen- erating interest in missions but personal contacts We hold a great Missionary Convention in April with individuals, fostering in their hearts a sense each year when we invite missionaries from all of value, will accomplish the best results. If men over the world who are home on furlough to at- can be led to make big investments in this entertend and speak. Two addresses are given each prise, they will show greater interest. "Where afternoon and each evening. The morning is de- your treasure is there will your heart be also." voted to prayer. These sessions continue for But the reverse is also true: "Where your heart seven days, and thus the people get a vision of a is there your treasure will go also." world's need. INTEREST IN GREAT AOHIEVEMENTS Finally, on the 8th day, the closing Sunday, missionary offerings are taken at all services in By REV. CHAS. T. LEBER, NEW YORK the form of cash and promises for the next twelve months; month by month the people pay in the Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions amount promised, dividing their entire donation into twelve parts. Thus our needs are met. In my judgment there are four emphases to be stressed if we are to interest men in missionary By this method we have found that the men of work: our congregation are intensely interested in missions; in fact, they look eagerly forward to the I. Make the interpretation of missions to men day when they are to make their contributions, statesmenlike in scope and content. and because we are putting first things first God is blessing us at home; at almost every service That is to say, lead men to see (in sermon, ad-: people are compelled to stand or are turned away dress or conference) that the Christian mission is in spite of the fact that we can pack as many as not just one little story after another, but that the two thousand and more into our auditorium. God
missiQnary movement is the greatest cause in the THROUGH MISSIONARY READING world meeting such issues as world peace, eco- By REV. HAROLD S. LAIRD, WILMINGTON, nomicjustie:e,thetotalitarian state and the whole DELAWARE Pastor of the First Independent Church of Wilmington question· of security and. progress with a realism and a power that is not evident in these issues as they are being met by any other government in the Men should be interested in missions in the world today. same manner in which women are interested, II. Keep men informed constantly as to the great namely, through private missionary reading and achievements and outstanding events of the the study classes. The problem, however, in in- missionary enterprise. teresting men is found in the fact that so few men have a desire to use these methods. Myex- Sporadic talks are not sufficient. Keep up a perience has been that, even with women, it is thorough and persistent program of missionary always a small percentage of the membership of education for men, thoughtfully persuading them the church that has sufficient interest to take up to read books, pamphlets, news-letters and bul- either private reading or the mission study class letinsl (all of which are available if sought) and work. In view of this fact, I am persuaded that thus keep men's minds awake and their hearts the pulpit must not neglect its message on the sensitive to what the Christian movement really Great Commission.
is doing across the world. Once a missionary asked me if I believed that III. Give a man, something to do in the mission- missionary interest is waning in the Church at ary cause. home. I replied that missionary interest is not waning in any church whose pastor's interest is Put men on commissions to study missionary not waning. Just as men and women are attracted issues, on committees to plan for missionary occa- to the Church of Christ by the preaching of the sions, in groups to meet and confer with mis- Gospel of Christ, so they are interested in the exsionary personalities, on programs to speak on tension of the Gospel by the testimony of the missionary subjects, in campaigns to raise mis- Word of God regarding this all-important Chrissionary quotas, on boards to direct miss.ionary tian obligation. affairs, on creative tasks for missionary projects. Surely men are as much interested as women IV. Let a pastor plan and carry out the mission- in the thrilling accounts of the power of the Gos- pel unto the salvation of people of every kindred, ary task as the responsibility of his entire tongue and nation, when the story is told by one church, and not as of one group in the church, and then men will take their share who has been God's instrument in the salvation of souls in heathen lands. Because of this fact, it of missionary responsibility. has been my custom to bring into my pulpit the best miss,ionaries I could find. Nothing interests EXHIBITS FROM LIFE either men or women in any subject like the first- By REV. EDWARD D. KOHLSTEDT, PHILADELPHIA hand testimony of those who speak from experience. Executive Secretary of the Board of Home Missions, Methodist Episcopal Church AN ANSWER IN A MEN'S MISSIONARY First-Portraitures from the laboratory of life, LEAGUE * rather than dissertations on the philosophy of missions or elaborate statistical summaries, are By FRANK STEWART the most convincing presentations of either home Church Editor of The Cleveland Press or foreign missions. Every churchwoman in Cleveland knows "the Second-While statistics do sustain vital rela- missionary society is strictly a job for the ladies."
tionships to the cause of missions, the most real- That has been the way almost since they built istic proof of the success or failure of missionary the first church back in colonial days.
investments must be found not in statistical tables, Either in the little old country congregation or but in evident exhibits of enriched individual and the big city denomination, it's always been the collective life. Women's Missionary Society and the Ladies' Aid Third–According to my experience and ob- that baked the cakes and managed the oyster supservation, the average congregation is most read- pers. They've raised the funds to pay for the ily challenged and quickened by stories .of actual mission work in India, Egypt and China. experiences in fields of missionary activity which have revealed worthwhile social and spiritual As for a Men's Missionary Society – well, no one ever dreamed of that-sounded too much like ;,I.chievements. • From The Cleveland Pre88.
HOW TO INTEREST MEN IN MISSIONS
one of those "believe it or not" affairs. And yet, An address was given by the Rev. T. Clifford right in Cleveland's back yard there is just such Strangeway on "World Service Today." an organization – a Men's Missionary Society! This men's society-formed solely for support and READING AND DISCUSSION GROUPS study of missions-is located in Elyria. It is included in the activities of the Elyria United Pres- FOR MEN * byterian Church and has a membership of more than forty men. Rev. George Taylor, Jr., D.D.,. pastor of the *** First Presbyterian Church, of Wilkinsburg, Pa., This Men's Missionary Society numbers on its recently hit upon the idea of a Mission Book Club roster professional men, coal dealers, store owners, clerks, factory employees, linotype oper- for Men. Two hundred and twenty men in Dr. ators, grocers, insurance men-representatives of most any kind of business you can mention. Taylor's church and in two other churches of The Elyria men changed the traditional Wom- Pittsburgh read "Mecca and Beyond" by Dr. and en's Missionary Society in only one way. They amended the title just a bit and call themselves Mrs. Edward M. Dodd. Upon the conclusion of the Men's Missionary League-dropping off the word "society." The idea for the unusual church the reading, 146 members of the club met to hear organization was that of the pastor, the Rev. George A. Brown, who has headed the church for an address by the author ·and to ta;ke part in a fifteen years. He organized the group Nov. 20, 1933, when he decided men, as well as women, forum discussion. . should be interested in extension of the church in foreign countries. As a result his Men's Mission- In the club membership of sixty-nine from the ary League has received national notice in church publications throughout the country. The move- First Ch].lrch of Wilkinsburg are fourteen engiment is spreading in congregations of the United Presbyterian Church throughout the United neers, seven executives, two clergymen, twelve States. clerks, eight bankers and financiers, two dentists, *** one superintendent of schools, two teachers, five Who do the men do? And what kind of fellows are they? salesmen, three heads of business, two attorneys, First, about their program. They hold mission three insurance men, and eight unclassified. study classes. They know where and how their denomination works in Egypt and India-prin- A Book Club for Men can be organized through cipal mission fields of the United Presbyterian Church. the men in any church or groups of churches, if The League pays for support of a native the pastors will lead the way. Very little of what preacher in one of the districts of India. No emphasis is placed upon finances. The principal in- men read deals with a constructive presentation terest of the group is spiritual and not financial. of the Christian way of life as it finds expression In addition to the strictly mission work, the League has a boys' committee and welfare group in the races of the world. The object of this club which takes part in civic and social activities of the church and community. is to encourage men to be informed as to the con- It was five years ago last November that a quests of Christianity as the true revelation of group of men in the United Presbyterian Church of Elyria, Ohio, met at the request of their pastor, God in Jesus Christ. the Rev. G. A. Brown, to organize a Men's Missionary League, the first of its kind. This group Any man who promises to read the particular has grown steadily in numbers and missionary interest. As an outgrowth of the movement book which has been chosen becomes a member of started in the local church there are now seven Men's Missionary Leagues in the presbytery. the club and is invited to the dinner meeting when Recently on a Monday evening, over sixty men the book will be discussed. The only expense is gathered at the church to observe their fifth anniversary. the cost of the book and of the dinner in case the member attends.
There should be a simple organization and men who hold responsible positions in the church life should be asked to serve as officers. If they show interest it will be easy to enlist some of the other men of the church. An enthusiastic minister is necessary to ensure the success of the club. The dinner meeting is the end of the club for any book.
When the club is organized the date is set far enough ahead to give the members ample time to read. Questions that arise in the mind of the member can be noted and become part of the open forum at the dinner. Several churches may join together for the dinner discussion, and someone well versed in the subject should be chosen as the leader.
The secretary of the club should keep a roll of the club members with the name and address of each member, stating he purchased a book, and whether he expects to attend the dinner. In or- ganizing a new club this information will be of great value.
• • From Ohristian WorJd Facts, 1938.
Missionaries Work in
Extracts from letters of pastors, teachers, doctors, and industrial missionaries, of the American Presby- terian Mission in West Africa, printed in lIThe Drum Call" (October, 1938) in Elat, Cameroon A MISSIONARY PASTOR'S DAY that all Bible teachings are true and then we join By THE REV. FRANK O. EMERSON with them in the Lord's Prayer.
Passing village after village we presently come "Here Kan, we go far tomorrow, so we must to a large company of mourners, a few wailing, divide the night for an early start. Is everything most of them sitting quietly under the eaves of ready?". the huts. They welcome a short message of com- "All set, but one thing; the only avocado is fort and prayer. Soon we come to a large stream.
spoiled, but we found a fresh pawpaw." How to cross depends on several things; most "I'll be shouting if you are not out at four!") fortunate if a canoe is at hand. If not too deep Just as I was closing the hut door with a slab we may just wade in, shoes and all, but we are of bark I heard someone near. already soaked to the knees with dew from the "Who is there?" I asked. grass. When the water is deeper one may de- "Me," was the only response. grade himself by being carried on another's back, It was a Nicodemian call; a man with several or in absence of onlookers he may hoist his clothes wives who had decided to become a Christian but to his head and wade. This time we found the before a public profession wanted to know if he water a little over knee-deep so we waded over.
must send his wives home to their brothers and At noon we rested in a village where there is a await their return of the dowry. It was quite school and chapel. They had heard of our coming true and he left with a crowded brow and repeat- and mashed plantain and thick peanut soup were ed assurance of Divine help. An hour had been ready for the men, with a dessert of sugar-cane cut from my short night, but soon I was com- and bananas. My own lunch was suppJemented fortably stretched on my camp bed. by two eggs and a pineapple. After half an hour Suddenly I found myself half sitting up; under we trudged on, our feet heavy, our garments the flashlight my watch indicated a quarter to soaked with perspiration, the tropical noonday four. As I stooped to pass under the eaves drip- sun was pouring down on us wherever we were ping with dew I discovered Kan already blowing compelled to leave the shade of the forest.
the embers into flame in the little thatch kitchen. Near three o'clock in the afternoon we were By the time I was ready there was a breakfast coming down the hill to the last stream before awaiting me of fruit, cereal, coffee, an egg fried reaching the outstation church toward which we with bacon and toast. Some of the carriers came were bound; a small boy ran dripping from the sleepily in, unstrung the bed net, packed the bed- stream and started up the hill opposite calling, ding and folded up the cot. By five-thirty we were "He's come! He's come!" As we climbed the hill feeling our way along the path in the darkness we heard one and another of our loads set down that was just beginning to fade. with a thud and the shouts of our men as they Someone called, "Tell my sister in the town splashed about in the shallow stream. Women three rivers ahead that our small father (uncle) were vociferously warned away, for this was a is very sick." Another dark form approached civilized community. While still some distance with outstretched hand and said: "Remember from the village we were surrounded by school to tell the teacher in Ovefi to send me the two children calling out greetings. I took their out- francs he owes me." stretched hands, sometimes three or four at once.
A mile further along we come to a village where How clean and cool some of them were! And a man is beating a call drum with little zest. It some of them-well, never mind.
is the call to village prayers. No one else is in Then came the women, not so noisy but not sight and we pass on, just as the first gapping, lacking in zest. Those with babies were pleased stretching people respond to the call of the drum. if the little one would hold my finger or smile; Another mile and we find some twenty people others would laugh uproariously if the child cried.
gathered for prayers and the leader is droning Finally, in the street the dozen or more teachers the tune, "Onward Christian Soldiers" to time and evangelists, displaying due dignity and re- that would lose the battle for any army. We enter serve; one dressed in tattered trousers and shred- and bow our heads while prayer is offered and ded singlet because his good clothes were not yet remain through the twenty minutes of assurance. ironed from the wash; others fortunate in hav- [20 ] ing second best clothes, and some, either well-to- amy after she had confessed years ago; now the do or foresighted, with white trousers, shoes, sal~ other women have all died and she wants to be shirts, ties and hats. Later in the day the mature counted in."
men of the village would come to salute us in "Do you think her heart has changed?"
our lodging. "Of that only the Lord knows. Ah, to change Very soon Kan announces that "tea sits" and there on my knock-down table-or, is it a set-up table? are sliced bananas, fresh toast and jam.
Did ever a meal taste so good!
The men were in the teacher's house disposing of more food than is worth while to enumerate.
Soon the native pastor and his wife appear, one carrying a chicken, the other a basin in which are piled avocados, oranges, eggs, a few pine- apples and pawpaws, while a small boy comes lugging a bunch of bananas. This is the first offering to the white man's appetite; other things will follow through succeeding days but with less formality. Now my canvas bath is ready and the second great privilege of the day is about to take place. Anyone approaching is warned that, "He Photo from C. E. Whittier bathes." SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH THEIR WOODEN SLATES The native pastor approaches with notebook from sin to righteousness is a thing only God can and file cards. Would I like to know what is laid bring about. We should rejoice that His Spirit up for the church session tomorrow? I would accomplishes it, or what would we do?" -not like~but should! After a warm supper and a bit of quiet fel- "Forty applicants for baptism and you find lowship under the moon, weariness sends us early them all prepared?" I ask. to our waiting cot where the prayer drum will waken us to a new day on the morrow. "Well, we find they have done nothing." Not the strongest recommendation you think, until you understand that he refers to heinous sins.
"And for advancement as catechumens-twen- A MISSIONARY TEACHER'S DAY ty-eight? Do all of them know their catechisms?" By MYRTlE KIRBY MCCLEARY I ask.
"You yourself must decide. Some are stupid, Everyone knows that a teacher's interests are some are old and some perhaps are a bit lazy, but not confined to the schoolroom, especially if she is a housekeeper as well, with an adjacent garden and yard to supervise. A busy day, and its con- tact with the people, should bless both the helper and the helped.
I was awakened at three in the morning by voices outside my window. Startled I slipped through the darkness and peered down. Three bulky forms were huddled against the house, and I called down, "Who is there?" I caiIed.
"Bia" (Weare), came the answer in female voices.
. "What do you want?"
"We have brought food to sell."
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT ELAT, WEST AFRICA "But why at this hour?" "Oh, the soldiers are on the path at daylight and would take it. Please we find that they too have done nothing," I am come see it." .
told. "Can you not rest on the porch until morning?"
"Tomorrow we shall know. And what of new "No, we have to go to our gardens."
confessors?" I ask. Remembering the hungry houseboys, I donned "Of them there are many; some of their cases kimona and bed-shoes, lit the lantern and came await yourself. One woman married into polyg- out onto the porch. I thought to buy hastily by
the basketful, for I was sleepy and chilly, but no to help each other. During my first period, which –everything must be piled and counted, for the is reading, one stood to read the Gospel and mis- brown woman's financial sense is keen and the pronounced a word. That amused a younger boy white woman's must match hers. But finally all and he laughed. This so irritated the reader that was accounted for. I bade them "walk well" and he stopped, faced about and thoroughly rebuked they departed. the laughing one who retorted; it required dis- Cuddled down in bed again, my next alarm was cipline to regain quiet. When we had finished the from the Girls' School near by. They were open- tragic story of the death of Judas Iscariot, three ing the day with morning prayers. How they did hands shot up for question. I nodded to the first sing! In spirit I joined with them as the chorus one, but all asked in unison, "What became of the rolled out through the darkness: "I Need Thee, bag?"-indicating there were more Judas na- Oh I Need Thee"-we both did. I felt better be- tUres. Sometimes, when their childishness is very cause they had awakened me this way, just as pronounced, then I remember that this very ele- the brown women through the darkness had ment in their cheerful nature seems to be a bless- brought material food for my need. Thoroughly ing. Arithmetic is the older men's Waterloo.
awakened, I sought the "quiet hour" after which When I found one looking earnestly under his I was ready for the day. The bird song, the dawn, desk, believing he had a flyleaf of "tables," I the awakening activities, all made me glad to be walked around and found him counting on his alive. fingers. When I asked if he did not know how The house boys came to receive instructions for many fingers he had he said his hand itched and the day. I directed their work and peeped into he was scratching it! They are generally clever the kitchen where my "boy of all work" presides. at drawing and would be at writing, if they did It was fairly clean; the stove did not shine as not add quirks and curls to the simpler modern when freshly blackened, nor were the dish towels form.
as white as when freshly laundered. But he tin- Their good nature carries them far, as was il- kled the call-bell and I sat down to a good break- lustrated one morning when I thought a boy had fast, thankful for cook and food. forgotten to remove his wool cap. I came from While at breakfast the garden women come behind and tried to quickly jerk it off and surprise for their day's work-a trio whom I sometimes him, only to find I was the surprised one for I feel I do not need as much as they seem to need found his hair was cut cap-form and it was his my help. Faithful, industrious, loyal, daily ex- crown I was trying to lift! He laughed when I amples of true women. One morning there were did, but took my advice to have his hair cut.
no pawpaws in the cupboard. They are my break- After four hours' work, broken by a short re- fast food. But ere I sat down, Evina, one of my cess, I hurried home. On the porch was a Mo- garden women, appeared smiling as she held out hammedan trader with his goods spread out three saying, "I peeped into the cupboard last awaiting me; a boy who wanted a guitar string, night and saw there were none, so I got up early four school girls waI).ted beads. I bought a trinket to pick and bring these to you." Bless her! of the trader, supplied the string and the beads, But the school bell is ringing and I grab a bag went through the house, out of the back door, of books and hurry away, trusting all to the help- made a round of inspection of the morning's work ers. On the porch are waiting boys who follow and sat down to lunch. Too tired to eat, I thought.
me, telling me their wants en route-to beg a pen- Then I rose refreshed and slipped into my sleep- cil, to work for a copybook, to borrow a song book, ing porch with a magazine. The latter faded into to ask a question about the lesson. I answer all oblivion in time and I slept until the two o'clock and provide, if I can, as I rush on. bell called me back to the primary boys' school.
At the schoolhouse door are about two hundred Again my porch seemed full. A boy with a men and boys who are waiting for the final call wound he wanted bandaged and one wanting a and with their three teachers we go in together. little piece of soap to wash his cloth. I finally Devotions first, the native teacher leading. We satisfied them and rushed away to the school- have songs, prayer and Scripture lesson, after house. What a noise as I neared it! One hundred which we have a brief practice in note singing. and fifty little boys and ten teachers. One saw How the boys enjoy it, and how quickly they take me, gave the alarm and there was a rush for the four voices and sing their parts! When some seats and positions; heads bowed over books and were so often tardy for the devotions we re.quired slates and all was quiet for a moment, then work all late ones to sit in the rear of the house until resumed. I went from class to class, watching class hour. . teachers listening to readers and inspecting their My class of prospective teachers numbered fifty: wooden slates-much faulty work, but some very They have never learned to whisper and "silence good, done with those little lead pencils that were is golden" there, but we try to arrange recitations once held in white hands in America. There was
HOW MISSIONARIES. WORK IN AFRICA
PRIMARY VERNACULAR SCHOOL AND TEACHERS IN THE PRESBYTERIAN MISSION, CAMEROON another commotion when closing time came and rarily be laid aside, and a day devoted to physical slates, pencils, rulers, counters and books were relaxation, perhaps, and spiritual renewal. Tocollected. But after a hearty song, they all said day no operations, no clinics, no workmen to prod, "Our Father" in prayer. Once outside, some quar- no machinery to repair, no disputes to be settled." reling, more fun and the head teacher saw them started homeward, while I placed tomorrow's Before a breakfast of pawpaws, avocado pears lesson on the blackboard. and oranges could be finished, there comes a medical boy with the tidings that there is at the En route home I encountered a trader's boy, hospital a very much frightened young man who while on the porch stood myoId boy, Mejo. I went was bitten by a snake while going to the river to for my shower bath, fresh clothes and a rest, bathe. There was no time to be lost. By instinct After the evening meal and other interruptions or custom, very fortunately, a tight bush-rope the curfew bell rang at nine o'clock. I looked at tourniquet had been applied, before coming in to a pile of unanswered letters, selected one and be- the hospital. Still more fortunately the patient gan; but my head went down, my eyes shut and had merely stepped on a sharp stone, but on that letter was put off for a more convenient searching through the bushes a companion hapseason. The spirit was willing but I went to bed. pened to see a small snake. A vivid African im- agination did the rest. A MISSIONARY DOCTOR'S DAY Now it is time to make Sunday morning rounds, By ROBERT H. MCCRACKIN, M.D. which must be done early enough to allow the medical assistants to bathe and groom themselves, As usual the rattling of pans in the kitchen whether to teach a class or to hold a meeting out announces the fact that another day has dawned. at a leper colony or in one of the neighboring Yet, not just another day, for it is Sabbath, the villages. A medical assistant is primarily a day of rest, when one may stay in bed later. Christian worker and personal evangelist, and is Breakfast is not until 6: 45. What a relief it is given time from the routine of hospital life for to realize, as the objects in the room begin to these activities both in the hospital and in the make sense, "Here is one day when the suffering surrounding country. He realizes that our hosof mankind and of getting up early may tempo-
pital work is only a means to an end-the salva- activity or control their routine in any wp,y after tion of the lost. they leave the hospital just as it is difficult to The head of the native staff has already made get them in for subsequent examinations unless complete rounds, so that he knows exactly where something new has developed. Therefore, we try special advice is needed in the way of treatment. to keep them in bed and about the hospital longer We're sorry to hear that Ziem, the little boy from than we would ordinarily.
the grass lands who had a piece of bone removed We walk back of the building containing the from his arm, has a fever. But the medical as- private rooms, wherein live the elite who come sistant has. examined his blood and finds that it from great distances in search of medical aid and is only malaria. It is a surprise to see little Eko sympathy. By far the larger number of this sitting on the edge of her bed shining her skin relatively well-to-do, English-speaking clientele , 'from the west coast make the pilgrimage to be examined by the X-ray, whether they are suffer- ing from a touch of malaria, intestinal parasites or skin irritation. After being examined, and sampling every description of medicine which can be found, they reluctantly admit that they are better and return from whence they came.
Our rounds over we make our way up the hill to the main building to find an anxious medical assistant wanting help with a difficult delivery case, the wife of one of our evangelists. This detour has left just enough time to get to the main church service. The sermon today is one LEPERS WAITING FOR TREATMENT BY THE that no one wants to miss. Our oldest African MISSION DOCTOR pastor is to speak. Though somewhat broken in with palm oil. She is going out for the first time body he is alert mentally and filled with Christian after weeks in the hospital with a partial paral- fire. Potentially, there should be at least an hour ysis of the right leg from a bad case of malaria. and a quarter when the troubles of the world may She won't be going all the way to the big church be forgotten, except as our attention is drawn but will go to the hospital chapel service. What to them by the minister, who was just getting a day it is for her, when both she and her parents under way when the voice of a medical assistant thought she would die, or that she certainly would whispers, "We have need of you at the hospital, never walk again! a strangulated hernia has been brought in." On arriving at the hospital a desperate effort was We must have a look at the little boy who has being made to sterilize the instruments over a been sick with pneumonia. His chart shows that kerosene stove which refused to burn properly. his temperature dropped during the night. In The patient was not in very good condition havthe next children's unit we find a three months' ing had his strangulation for four days in his old baby girl who fell off of her mother's bed into town and three days on the road coming to the the fire one night. We were awakened that night hospital. Two of the boys are talking to him by the cries of the baby and the moaning of the about his soul's salvation. He is a pagan who, for father. She seems to be making the grade. those four days of waiting in his town, has been There goes the drum which is beaten theoreti- trying all manner of native medicine. He concally at 8: 30, an hour before Sunday school be- fessed his utter helplessness, and desire to place gins.. As we go through the surgical wards we his life in the hands of the Master. The operation find a greater number of hernia patients. than any was performed and he finally went back to his other, but there is always a good percentage of town rejoicing that he had escaped both a phys- people who have had abdominal operations, ele- ical and spiritual death. The last word we had phantiasis, superficial tumors of every size and was that he was consistently working his way description, surgical venereal cases, and an oc- through the preparatory groups toward church casional goitre. Old Amugu is in the act of cut- membership. ting another notch in his foot long tooth brush. Sunday dinner over and there is just time for He was operated on for a hernia, and having no about an hour's rest before the 3 o'clock drum knowledge of the calendar this is his method of beats for the afternoon service. When the midkeeping track of the days, for he knows that when point of this allotted time was reached the inevi- there are 20 notches he may get up. As with all table again happened-another emergency. This the others, it is next to impossible to limit their time it was the result of a man meeting a lone
HOW MISSIONARIES WORK IN AFRICA ,25
gorilla on a narrow path in the heart of the jun- their belongings gave silent but eloquent testigle. Though a merciless killer when aroused, the mony to their intention. Then for at least the gorilla is usually very thoughtful in doing no more tenth time I marshalled all the reasons as to why damage than necessary to disable man, his po- that was impossible. All this was given out of tential adversary. This is done by cutting through my most emphatic Bulu vocabulary, but the only the tendon of Achilles of one foot, just above the response I received was a sullen look and three heel. This done the gorilla walks peacefully away. words, "We feel hunger." At last they decided to This man managed to drag his helpless. leg about stay awhile longer. The scale was brought and a mile, to the nearest village. This case was typ- the midget weighed. The slight gain in weight ical of all, in that the wound was made clean-cut was gratifying and gave me new courage in my as though by a knife. As a result, barring infec- battle to keep the baby until it was safe to release tion, they usually heal up without any difficulty him. after hooking the ends of the tendon together again. Visiting the wards was interrupted by the ar- rival of a sick boy carried by several of his broth- Space does not permit taking you with us ers. They said he was dying and certainly he through an entire day. Though often devoid of looked sick unto death. Multiple abscesses during the coveted day of rest it is a glorious field of a period of three weeks, and scarcely any sleep endeavor and we love it, as we help these people and nourishment, accounted for the emaciated, in their struggle for life against the beasts and anemic boy who lay moaning with the pain from insects of the forest, and Christ in His conquest a large abscess in one thigh. Happily his pulse of the beast that is in man. was good and the abscess was lanced with satis- factory results. Then came the most difficult task A MISSIONARY NURSE'S DAY -that of convincing his parents that he needed food and drink. "But he is about to die," they By ARISTA STALEY, R. N. stolidly informed me. "He will not die if you truly nurse him," was my vigorous reply. They There was a quick staccato of knocks on the refused to be convinced; it was therefore necesdoor, a slight-a very slight pause and the rat- sary for me to have soup made and a special guard tat-tat was repeated with the machine gun set to see that the patient was fed! Often it is persistency, until the din penetrated the conscious- harder to combat the doubt and fear of the paness of a soundly sleeping nurse. A veritable tor- tient and his people than it is to cure his sickness. rent of words followed her drowsy inquiry. "Such a foolish woman is that one! Never did I see such Suddenly a wild hail assailed our ears. The a foolish one! She surpasses in stupidity!" nurse I had left to watch Ngono was loudly call- ing for the woman's husband! The call was com- With difficulty the swift flow of words was ar- ing from the corner of a coffee patch across the rested and definite information extracted from road from the hospital. When we reached them, the Bulu widow who aspires to be a nurse in our the mother and child appeared to be doing well little hospital. I silently agreed to the foolishness on their mat of banana leaves! And this was the of the poor patient in the maternity ward whom baby who was to have been ushered into the world we sought to save from a premature labor. Not properly! I looked reproachfully at the nurse, once had she cooperated with us and as a result who hung her head and refused to meet my eyes. our efforts had failed-which news Hanna had We were all speechless as the patient and baby come to report. were placed on a stretcher and taken into the hos- pital. All the answer I could get from Ngono In the morning as I was leaving for the hospital later was, "Ah, my mother, all sense just per- I discovered that our cook had preceded me with ished from my heart!" his wife, Ngono. I was glad for I had already decided that this time her child should be properly At two-thirty, refreshed by lunch and a bit of born, in the hospital and not "on the path," as the rest, I returned to the hospital where I was met last one had been! Preliminaries were taken care by a sad-faced medical assistant. "I have bad of. Ngono begged permission to walk about. Hav- news. The 'big kettle' (auto-clave) has finished ing put her in charge of a nurse in whom I had being spoiled." I stared at him in consternation. confidence, I set out for the maternity ward to see Then my questioning eyes met those of the head another little premature, now two weeks old. My assistant and found confirmation of the awful "Good-morning" went begging. Both the mother fact. For months had this young man attended to and grandmother averted their eyes. "What is the sterlizing of our supplies and yet this time troubling your hearts now?" I inquired, immedi- he had failed to fill the water compartment before ately amassing my defenses against what I knew lighting the fire! All he could say was, "I'm sure would be their answer. "We are going home," I poured in water." I stood by, gloomily regardwas the terse response and the basket loaded with
ing the wreck and wondering what wizard would rain falling on that new corrugated iron roof. be able to mend it and if mending proved impos- The heavens surely opened and for over an hour sible, just where our little hospital would find the there was no let up. I was dry but how about several hundred dollars necessary to provide a that sand down by the river side? I could picture new sterilizer! those piles of sand with the river gradually creep- ing closer and closer and carrying those piles of Away to the children's ward, particularly to see sand, that cost over four thousand francs to dig the baby of Ze, for whom we had long fought out, back into the stream again. It must have against the ignorance and superstitious fear of been like counting sheep for the next thing I the mother and the old cronies who influenced her. heard was the alarm clock. It was six o'clock and To my amazement no one was with the little pa- time to get started. After breakfast and a "quiet tient but a small girl. hour" the day's work really began.
"Where is his mother?" I demanded. The river had risen slightly and the sand was "She has gone to the village to get some squash all right. Nevertheless we began moving it to seed to eat." safer ground. After roll call forty-two men were "Well then, where is Ze?" sent to move the sand, forty to break out rock "He it is who has gone to get his share of the for the new church, thirty-two to saw planks (all inherited goats," was her astonishing answer. by hand), eighteen to the swamps to cut palm A distant relative had died; a division of prop- leaves for thatch, twenty-eight were assigned to erty had occurred and apparently Ze was so meat build new houses for the workmen and eighteen hungry he could not resist a visit to a village some were assigned to the new carts to haul in the four miles distant, leaving his sick child. Silently broken stone; there were a multiplicity of smaller pondering the vagaries of the Bulu mind, I took jobs. Getting these men assigned to their differthe sick baby and gave it food and medicine. ent tasks and then seeing them saunter off to their There were more ward visits to be made, in- respective places, about as slow as they can drag cluding one to Abesolo, the lad with the large one foot after another, is the most exasperating abscess. He listened to my encouragement doubt- part of the day. I watch them and wonder if the fully but admitted he was resting better. With a church will ever be built. parting word to his people, that if he died, it would be because they did not feed him, I dragged Each of the twenty-two carpenters. needs his my weary self back to the hospital and then up own special instruction. At present they are the hill to home and a hot shower. On the way, making doors, windows and furniture for the came this query to my heart, "Is it worth all it new workmen's town, but soon they will begin takes, after all?" Swiftly and clearly came the dressing the large timbers for the church roof. answer, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one From the carpenter shop I went to see those timof the least of these my brethren, ye have done it bers that are still in the process of cutting. The unto me." tree I visited was a hard-wood tree about four feet in diameter at the base and three feet at the AN INDUSTRIAL MISSIONARY'S DAY branches. As it was nearly straight we measured it up for the longest members of the roof trusses. By EDWIN COZZENS Each piece will be forty-two feet long. Since the sawmen had never handled such long timbers When the mission builder was ask?d to contribute to before they had to be instructed in almost every this number of The Drum Cull, he immediately began to step. make excuses-he was too busy building the church, at Efulan station to write an article. His letter of excuses I next stopped where the men were breaking follows. Is it an article, or not?-Ed. out rock. Since almost anyone should know how to build a fire over the rocks and then tomorrow We were sent here to build this long waited break off the pieces that had cracked off due to for church, but since our arrival in February I the heat, the only instruction'they needed was to have done everything else but that. I have been keep at it! Back at the station I found six men. called away four times on other business. wai.ting for me. A palaver.
On .arriving I hired more than two hundred men !'We want a file to sharpen our cutlasses." and we went to work cutting as much timber, and "But I gave Obam a file this morning," I said. digging as much sand out of the river as we "We know, but he won't let us use it." could, before the heavy rains began. A perma- Obam then explained that the best way to keep nent roof was put on our residence and a recent the file from wearing out was for only himself to fire necessitated the replacement of houses for use it! The men went back to the grass cutting eighteen workmen. quite satisfied, having something to wrangle about for the rest of the day. Take today for an example. To describe the whole day I will have to start about two a. m. when I was awakened by the sound of torrents of
HOW MISSIONARIES WORK IN AFRICA
On getting back to the shop I had two hours AN AFRICAN PASTOR AT ELAT before noon to work on an old auto engine I was preparing to operate a small saw for trimming demand most of his time. His wife must write the hand-sawed lumber. I was getting my hands letters to the two children in the homeland and dirty when another saw man called me to see a the other two at Elat; the Sunday school lesson hollow tree they had just felled. A half..;mile away is to be studied, for tomorrow she instructs the in the forest I found the tree. Examination teachers; the afternoon is reserved for town visshowed about thirty feet still usable so I marked iting; also neighbors are invited in for supper. it off in lengths and left the men to their sawing. The coffee arrives. Where is the top to the new They were quite provoked as they would have to coffee pot? dig a pit and then saw only three logs.. "Why it fell and broke," is the nonchalant ex- Back in the shop, too late to start another job planation-six months we waited after we had before noon, I went to the house. Not too late to ordered it from America and we have used it less start something there. My timekeeper presented than a month! last month's payroll to check and then I had to count the money to pay the men. A carrier was Prayers over, the visitors on the front porch also waiting to go to Kribi. Letters were written, are greeted. packages were prepared and the man sent on his way, but not before the boy from the kitchen was "Mb616 Esamba, it has been a long time since told to hold up lunch for a few minutes. I saw you."
The afternoon was spent in the shop doing the "Yes, I have been sick. I have brought you a odd jobs that the men were not able to do and gift of bananas and makabo." instructing them in the fine arts of filing saws or grinding valves. I got back to the house just "Thank you so much, the children will be very in time to listen to the radio news from England happy. Will you give them to the cook?" at 5: 45. After supper I remembered that I was to preach Sunday so I went to my desk to prepare The second visitor advance.s. "Let me see, I for this important task. We are here not only to know·you." build buildings, instruct workmen and to saw lumber, but to open up to these workmen, their wives, "Yes, I am Mej6 m'Abe'e." their children and their neighbors this wonderful "Indeed I do know you. How sad I was when Book, that they might grow in grace and the I heard your husband had died of sleeping sickknowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ness and even sadder when the news came that you had fallen into sin." A MISSIONARY HOUSEKEEPER'S DAY "Yes," Mej6 continued, "your letter did help, but the thing that brought me back was the By ELIZABETH MILLER NEELY thought which came to me every night when I lay down to sleep, 'Am I to perish eternally just "Mummy," piped a little voice from the next because! love the things of this world?' " room.
"A Jo," muttered Mummy drowsily from her bed, "Why can't you sleep longer-at least until your nurse-girl comes?"
. "Mummy, bobo, bobo," in ever persistent tones. "J0, keep quiet," orders her bigger sister from her near-by crib. But J 0 has decided the day should begin and so Mummy goes for a bottle and stills her cries. Later mother, combing her hair is horrified to see in the bathroom mirror the reflection· of the table boy in the kitchen industriously washing face, hands and hair in the dish pan.
"Oh, why did I see that, and before breakfast?" she groaned.
Fresh flowers are arranged and the family is breakfasting at last. The plans for the day are discussed. The man of the house has a class of men with very little education, whom he is trying to convert into acceptable evangelists. They will
"Come in and sit down while we talk." you were in her house watching her shell pea- So many years to cover since the days when nuts."
Mejo was one of the bright women in school. "I am sick," grumbles Etua.
Another face appears at the door-an attractive "Ah, so you go to the first wife for comfort, is woman, with a beautifully kept skin rather light it so? Why did you marry more than one wife?"
in tint. Flashy earrings add to her charm and a "It is a Bulu custom." great poise. Almost fourteen years have elapsed "What kind of clothes are you wearing?"
since this white woman lived at this station so "White man's."
how can she attach the right names to faces she "Why do you not wear the kind of clothes worn remembers. by your fathers? How many children have you ?"
"I am Metyi," the woman introduces herself. "None." "Years ago we traveled the forest paths together. "A friend told me of a man who had nine wom- That was when you were new and just learning en and no children. He put away his women and married one wife. Then had fourteen children." to talk Bulu. My husband is an elder at Nkoln- In the next house the visitors are pleased to yen. This is my daughter," introducing the at- find that Mvondo and his wife, Mvutu, are living tractive child with her. more happily together.
Dear, Dear, the clock says half past ten. No What a joy to step into Eyinga's little mud hut. Even a stranger could sense that here is a Christime is left for instructing the flower gardener; tian home and it swarming with little duplicates of the mother. These people who long for chilthose letters cannot wait. Exactly three sentences dren, can they not see that big families are the offspring of Christian parents? have been composed when ear splitting .screams Mbengon, a fine Christian in Madame's school rend the air. Little two-year-old Ruth arrives, so many years ago, calls from across the street, "Come over and talk." blood streaming from one knee. How our hearts warmed within us to sit and "Pretty medicine, Mummy," she exclaimed, in- watch her deft fingers prepare plantains for the evening meal. Her husband's second wife came dicating the mercurochrome bottle. giggling up the street. She is possibly as old as our Miriam so far away in America. How could The second letter is under way when the wash she marry that old polygamist and be so flippant about it? boy pokes his head around the corner to' ask for Up the street lives Kabiyen who informs us that money to buy starch. Another visitor coughs from her husband is accepting payment for their daughter, Olle, hoping to purchase another wife. the front porch and demands Madame. But before "Is the man paying for your daughter a Chris- lunch the letters are finished and a slight inroad made on the Sunday school lesson. .
Lunch is over and siesta. Notebook,. pencils, tracts are in hand ready for a visit to the near-by village, when the table boy comes bringing a hope- less looking wreck the pumpkin pie baked for the evening guests.
"What happened?" I ask in tones none too gen- tle. tian? Do you know him well? Does your daugh- "I took it out of the cupboard and it fell." ter want to marry him?" Thus we pelt her with "Well, go gather oranges for the evening des- questions..
sert." "He said he would become a Christian but he The missionary neighbor joins company and off has not yet done so. He drinks heavily. My go the two. Today they will revisit the homes daughter does not wish to marry him and says visited two weeks ago. How pleased the women her father will return the money or go to prison." are to be called by name, not realizing that their "Good for her," is our commendation. "Do not let names with the numbers of their houses are in her weaken and the government administrator the little notebook. Mejo, a poor old sick woman will uphold her decision. is still lying back in her dark corner. The day is cooler now and we hurry home to "Has anyone taken you out under the eaves to bathe and dress for company supper. It is nice see the sunshine?" to sit around the table and converse in a language "No." Her brother says she is too much of a more familiar than the one used all day. Then burden to carry out every day; the big six-foot we play a frivolous game before we say good- lummox and she a little shriveled up morsel! night.
Finally after much persistence he is persuaded A few minutes to read before the light is blown to carry her out and place her in a deck chair. out, another moment to ponder over the day that Has he since done likewise? Next week we must is done and to utter the prayer, "Forgive us that go and see. which we have left undone which we should have "Etua, where is your second wife? Lastwe~k done this day."
Challenge of
By WM. H. RAINEY, Caracas Agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society D URING his third voyage across the Atlantic asylum, and reminds us that this disease is very in 1498, Christopher Columbus first touched prevalent in the sun-bathed republics of the the mainland of South America, near the Caribbean. mouth of the river Orinoco. The following year Alonso de Ojeda penetrated the Gulf of Mara- The train winds round the hills, skirting preci- pices, disappearing into dark tunnels, emerging caibo, and seeing the Indian houses built of piles. a few minutes later with a puff of· relief; then driven into the bottom of the lake, he called the the summit of the pass is reached, 3,500 feet above country Venezuela or "Little Venice." the sea; the blue Caribbean disappears from view, A century ago Simon Bolivar was the most and we begin to descend the southern slope to the famous personage in South America. Born of tableland. Soon the city of Caracas, the birthnoble family at Caracas in 1783, he studied law place of Bolivar, appears below, its churches and at Madrid and witnessed the closing scenes of the larger buildings standing out clearly in the bril- French Revolution in Paris. Returning to Vene- liant sunshine. zuela, he became the leader of the widespread in- All the way from La Guaira a broad cart-road surrection which finally liberated South America runs parallel to the railway-line, and winds its from the yoke of Spain. In 1824 Bolivar was way like a yellow ribbon among the green hills.
chosen president of a republic which stretched Venezuela is one of the most advanced republics along the southern shores of the Caribbean sea in South America in respect to highways, for from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Soon after roads mean as, much to the young nation as to the Ecuador was added and the Spaniards were driven Roman campfire. The Government has set an ex- out of Peru. ample to Latin America, spending money on com- Venezuela is the South American republic near- munications rather than on spectacular public est to the great markets of North America and works.
Europe. Caracas, its capital, is but ten days' Caracas is situated in a naturally beautiful spot journey by steamer from either New York or at an elevation of 3,000 feet, surrounded by green London, and one day by plane from the United hills. To the east there is a break in the range States. and access is given to a smiling valley bright with On arriving off the Venezuelan coast, the trav- golden maize and sugar-cane plantations. The eler finds himself face to face with a high range royal palm and the banana lend an air of romance of verdure-clad hills, rising almost from the sea- to the streets and gardens, and there is a feeling shore to a height of from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. At of lassitude in the air that probably accounts for the foot of this Cordillera, on a narrow strip of the national trait-never doing today what can ground, is situated La Guaira, the principal port. be postponed until tomorrow. The city is clean, Beneath the burning rays of the tropical sun- well-paved, and lighted with electricity. In the and there are few places in the world hotter than Plaza Bolivar, rou,nd the beautiful equestrian La Guaira-without a breath of air to refresh the statue of Bolivar, the life of the town is concen- atmosphere, the traveler awaits the train on the trated, and reaches its maximum intensity just little railway that connects the port with the cap- before sunset, when the day's work is over and ita!. They blow the whistle, the toy-engine makes the people come abroad to see and be seen. a supreme effort, and the little convoy of three Venezuela is naturally a rich country, with an carriages begins to climb the flank of the moun- immense area and vast resources, but it has been tain. Soon the port is almost lost to sight. One depopulated through its. numerous revolutions. large white building is clearly visible, standing Politics have been considered the royal road to alone on the outskirts of the town, and surrounded riches, and initiative has been crushed by un.,. by a high wall which gives it an air of mystery scrupulous governments. Physically the land is as though it had something to hide. And there is divided into four natural divisions-the Llanos, a mystery here-the greatest of all mysteries, the Andes, the basin of Lake Maracaibo, and the the enigma of human suffering; it is the leper basin of the Orinoco River. The Llanos are im- [29 ]
mense plains, covered with long grass, extending forest. Two men had already been killed by this from a little south of Caracas to the River Orinoco. means. He wanted the Indians turned into useful Here roam great herds of cattle attended by rough pick and shovel men, otherwise, he said, "if they cowboys, who live much as their forefathers lived do not abandon their helicose attitude we shall at the time of the War for Independence, when be obliged to take stern reprisals." Two Amerthose agile riders, armed with lance and lasso on icans are reported to have found their way into their wild horses, carried panic into the Spanish the dense forests inhabited by these Indians, and hosts. The region of the Andes extending from to have seen the remains of cannibal feasts. They Caracas to the southeastern shores of Lake Mara- escaped with their lives by shooting a number of caibo, contains peaks reaching a height of 16,000 the natives. It is open to question whether the feet. There are cities such as Merida, situated tribe.referred to are cannibals, but the Guarhibos 5,415 feet above the sea with a mean temperature of the Upper Orinoco certainly are addicted to of 64 degrees. this habit.
This temperate zone produces the most active A census of Venezuela, taken by the writer, people of Venezuela, and the term "andino" is shows eleven missionary societies working in the synonymous with energy and enterprise. The republic, with a total of 103 workers (including basins of Lake Maracaibo and the River Orinoco wives)-68 foreign and 35 national. The popare the most fertile regions of the country, and ulation of the country is 2,411,952; thus we have produce all the fruits of the tropics; but the prev- one worker for each 23,417 people. However, of alence of malaria plays havoc with the white pop- the twenty States comprising the Venezuelan ulation. Union, eight, with a total population of 579,239, are still unoccupied by Protestant Missions. This Untouched Indian Tribes virgin territory, which includes strategic centres of the first importance, constitutes a challenge to Here are numerous tribes hardly touched by Evangelical leaders-as do also the Indian tribes. civilization, and vast unexplored regions awaiting their Humboldt and Livingstone. Around Lake The Bible Societies are to the fore in the evan- Maracaibo four distinct languages are spoken, and gelization of this field. The Roman Catholics do within a sixty-mile radius seven more. To the nothing whatsoever to provide the people with the west of the lake, reaching as far as Rio Hacha in Bible and copies of the Vulgate are not only ex- Colombia, is the territory of the powerful Guajira ceedingly scarce, but cannot be purchased for less tribe of Indians. They live in small villages made than $25. This sum puts them quite beyond the of round thatched huts, which at a distance look reach of the common people, who earn, on an like ant-hills. The floors inside the huts are ,cov- average, about $1.00 a day. The American and ered with grass on which sleep the inhabitants as British & Foreign Bible Societies in Venezuela well as their domestic animals. The men are have made the Bible one of the best-known books bright and strong, but more fond of fighting than in Venezuela. The circulation of the Scriptures of working. In warfare they use blowpipes with in the republic is not free from obstacles. Heavy darts dipped in the deadly curari poison. The duties have to be paid to get the books through women till the fields as well as attend to domestic the Custom House; then their distribution is duties. Their animistic religion consists of a be- strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church. lief in two great spirits, from which emanate good Moreover the Venezuelans are not a reading peoand evil. All nature-the forests, streams, rain, ple. However, there is one Book within the reach thunder, etc.-is believed possessed by these spir- of all, and many thousands of huts are scattered its. The Guajira tribe, about 60,000 strong, is throughout the country where the Bible is the only quite untouched by Evangelical missionary effort. book, and where it is read again and again until No book of the Bible has as yet been translated its pages almost fall out of the binding. We have into their language. Both men and women may rejoiced to see these Bibles, and their worn apbe seen in Maracaibo on market days, .clad in the pearance has made us think of homes in North blue and white garments they wear for contact America where the Bible is not read. Throughwith civilization. A certain number of Guajiros out the land may be found groups of Bible-readspeak Spanish, and a few are able to read. ers, formed by traveling colporteurs; what is now necessary is the systematic visitation of such Many other untouched Indian tribes live in this groups by missionaries with a view to forming little-known republic. Some time ago, while trav- churches. Much of the fruit of Bible work is lost eling in the state of Zulia, I came into contact with because the number of missioriaries is too few to the representative of an oil company who offered take advantage of the opportunities presented. me financial support and a house if I would under- The time would seem to have arrived when a fortake to civilize the Indians living near the com- ward movement would reap a mighty harvest as pany's concession. He complairied that they shot the result of years of patient sowing. arrows at his workmen from the security of the
A Christian Approach to the Moros *
By REV. FRANK C. LAUBACH, Ph.D., Dansalan, Lanao, Philippine Islands Missionary of the American Board EXPERIMENTS during the past eight years sing. If you try to rob people or beat them, it in a missionary approach to the Mohamme- makes you feel mean, but if you try to help them, dan Moros in the southern Philippines have it makes you happy; and so I have discovered attracted wide interest. that the happiest way to live is to help people.
The situation is easier than in many other Mo- When I get through teaching you, I want you to hammedan countries because Mohammedans here go out and teach other people. Don't take any are not, as a rule, very well grounded in Moham- money for it, and see if it does not make your medanism and because the Philippine government heart sing."
is increasing its pressure upon the Moros of this An agricultural nursery has been conducted to province to break with many old customs and reli- discover what crops succeed in this province; gious ideas. The result is that the people are what trees, vegetables, and grains are best adapt- changing rapidly. ed to the climate; and efforts have been made to The opportunity has been unusual. The actual teach the Moros lessons learned in this nursery.
number of people converted from Islam to Christ We have given away thousands of seeds-oranges, is not large, but we are exerting a decisive in- papayas, avocadoes, grapefruits, balsa, maholo, fluence upon the Moro people. many hundreds of bunches of spinach, Georgia Our approach has been attempted along two yam tops, and yawtia, for the Moros to plant lines-by service and through the study of Islam around their own homes. We have taught them and Christianity with the Moslems. how to bud their own orange trees, and are fur- nishing them with budded orange trees at fifty Lines of Service centavos each. We are also experimenting on our The first important service which we have at- own land with cinchona trees, mahogany, derris tempted is The Literacy Campaign.t Every week root, ramie (from which Chinese linen is made), our teachers are starting many people on the road vetiver (a native product which is the basis for to literacy. We have given away a hundred thou- the best perfumes), many varieties of other farm sand inexpensive primers. printed on cheap paper. and forest products. These we distribute through- This is not only making Lanao Province literate out the province as rapidly as they prove sucbut it is also making countless friends. When you cessful. sit down beside a man and patiently and lovingly help him to read, he is surpris.ed and asks you A dispensary, conducted by a nurse and her how you are going to be paid. Frequently he says, assistant, meets a great medical need, for this "Our own imams do not teach us unless we pay province is afflicted with all kinds of diseases them. Why are you doing it?" which follow ignorance and dirt. The commonest of these diseases are dysentery, tuberculosis, ma- This gives us our opportunity and we answer laria, beriberi, tropical ulcers, boils, and influenza. in some such fashion as this: There are a great many wounds, particularly on the feet, since most people are barefooted. Our "I have studied the lovely life of Nabi Isa dispensary gives nearly a thousand treatments a (Prophet Jesus) and found that every minute of month. At first only the Moro men were willing the day, from the time he arose in the morning to be treated, and many were afraid. No women until he went to sleep at night, he was helping came at first. Now both men and women come somebody – teaching, healing, defending, and with great eagerness, for they have learned that serving. Is that not the most beautiful way to they can be cured at very low cost. The average live? I have discovered that when you spend your time helping people, it makes your heart treatment costs five centavos (2112 cents gold).
There are many calls from women giving birth, • From a paper prepared for the International Missionary Con~ and other people who are too sick to come to the ference, Madras; December, 1938. dispensary.
t A complete description of this campaign is contained in "Towa"rd A library, with about three thousand books and a Literate World," by Dr. Frank. C.Laubach. 177 pp.$1.-75. Published by the Foreign Missions Conference. New York.
[31 ]
some twenty-five magazines and newspapers, is I Would Be True-Waters Chambered Nautilus-Bry- much used by the young people-Christians and Things That Endure ant Moslems. Students in the pu1;>lic schools use this When I Have Time Prayer-Tennyson library constantly for reference. The soldiers The Human Touch Psalm 121 from the training camp frequently come to read Giving The Present Crises All You Have Loved To the Knights the papers, and magazines, and to borrow books, Trees-Kilmer First Corinthians o Maker of the Mighty Deep The Heart of the Eternal as do the other citizens of Dansalan. Frequently The Human Touch To a Waterfowl-Bryant the afternoons find the library crowded. Most of The Rainy Day He Leadeth Me the books have been sent by kind-hearted people Discovery This Is My Father's World in American churches. As a rule they send the Four Things The Psalm of Life-Tenny- books that are really of value and interesting. Salutation of the Dawn son An indispensable service is the printing press, Isaiah 55 which prints books, pamphlets and a fortnightly The Moro young men have been organized into newspaper called Lanao Progress. We have the what is known as the "Good Life Movement." This organization now has a membership of over only printing press in the Maranaw language. In- 130 men, including almost all the leading young Maranaws. The Movement has two main objecdeed until this press began, no Maranaw had ever tives: To develop character, and service.
been printed. Lanao Progress, in an editorial, described the purposes of the society as follows: There are many advantages in having a mo- It is impossible to exaggerate the possibilities of the nopoly upon the printing. Nothing has ever come "Good Life Movement" which was organized in Dansalan on August 7th, bya group of earnest young Maranaws. into print in this province that would not pass These young men, among the finest and most high-minded and respected in the province, are seeking to help one anthe most critical censorship. Whatever may be other to live THE GOOD LIFE, and to bring to bear pressure and persuasion upon all young men in Lanao to seek the said of reading in other countries, there is no good life with them. Their major emphasis is upon trust- worthiness, and loyalty to the government in every good doubt that the reading in Lanao Province is im- effort for Lanao. They resolve to be 'matitw' (straight) in every act and purpose;" 'isa isa' so honest in word that proving the people, as well as interesting them. nobody will doubt what they say; 'kusarigan' (trustwor- thy) in every detail of life. The books which interest Moros most are their own production; foreign translations are not good sellers. This experience is highly important.
In Africa, for example, one finds that nearly all books are written by foreigners and from the for- eign point of view. If the native Africans could be encouraged to write the type of literature that would be appreciated most by their own people, These young men are convinced, that when Christians and Moslems reach the highest levels a great new interest would develop in reading. of character they are very close together. The Moslem and Christian saints have the same loving We have two dormitories, one which takes care attitude toward their fellow men. The members of this society hold out the hand of cooperation of thirty-two young Moros who are attending the to all men who seek to live "The Good Life." They have found the principle elements of a noble charhigh school, and another for about an equal num- acter in both the Moslem and Christian religions. These are seven in number: ber of Christian and Moslem girls who are going to the public schools in Dansalan.
We spend nearly half an hour every morning in the dormitory with the Moro boys learning the finest poems and chapters from the Bible and Koran, and songs from our Christian song books.
A list of about eighty selections that these boys Seven Tests of Character learned in two years speak more eloquently than To abandon evil habits of thought and action. To be honest. any words. Here are a few: To be pure. To be unselfish. Sura I (Koran) Concerning Prayer To .be .loving. What to Forget To seek and obey the Will of God in every detail of life. Psalm 23 The Celestial-Surgeon To help their fellowmen to find THE GOOD LIFE. Psalm 1 The Lord's Prayer Life-Henry Van Dyke Psalm of Life This society has begun something which may The Loving Word From Age to Age echo around the world. C We know· of no place on Live and Help Live Be Strong-Babcock earth where Moslems and Christians have in this The Builder God Give Us Men definite way set out to cOrrie closer by becoming When in Disgrace Brotherhood better. Both Christians and Moslems have failed AbouBen Adhem If-Babcock – to live the highest life in which both profess to A Noble Deed believe, and the men and women seeking "The God's Promise Our God, Our Help in Ages Good Life" .really belong shoulder to shoulder. Love and Light Past Kind Words Awareness Straight and Tall Brotherhood My Prayer-Thoreau Philippines, Our Motherland The Pilgrim Way The Ways-Oxenham
A CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO THE MOROS
If they can show true love and courage and have has taken a great deal of interest in civic prob- faith to persist, this new movement may become lems, although as foreigners we have kept aloof the beginning of a new era in the history of Mos- from politics. No matter who are elected officials, lem-Christian relations. as a rule, they are eager to know what they can The First Sura of the Koran is as follows: do to enhance their popularity with the people.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Some are always genuinely interested in the wel- Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds! fare of this country and welcome constructive The compassionate, the merciful! ideas.
King on the day for reckoning! Mutual Understanding Thee only do we worship, and to thee do we cry for help. Along with this program of social service goes Guide Thou us on the straight path, The path of those to whom Thou hast been gracious:- the effort to understand the Moros and to be With whom Thou art not angry, and who go not astray. understood by them. We have felt that the way "The Good Life Movement" has thus far en- to avoid mistakes is to study their literature and gaged in thirty-eight social efforts in Lanao, some their religion. If we understand them well enough of which are as follows: they will be more willing to understand us and to know that our ideas are not born of ignorance Complete the literacy campaign to make this province concerning them. 100% literate. 1. Appreciating Literature. – We discovered Hold meetings at which experts in agriculture, health, that the Moros have a really important literature. government, animal husbandry, metal craft, business and Most important are their fifty epic poems deother useful subjects may speak and answer questions.
Distribute seeds, vegetables, seedlings, graftings, and scribing the heroes of their ancestral home. We plant culture information throughout the province. have collected many of these epics, and have had them translated into English. The language of Encourage attendance at school. these epics is that of the ancient Moros and is Distribute literature about health, sanitation, and clean- no longer used, excepting in poetry. Besides the liness prepared by the Bureau of Health, the Red Cross, the Anti-tuberculosis Society, and our own and other presses. epics many lyric poems are composed by their best Promote games and wholesome social activities. singers. Each issue of our Lanao Progress con- Study the Boy Scout Manual and similar helpful books. tains one of these songs, most of the Moros sing Act as peacemakers among the Moros and between this lyric before they read anything else.
Moros and Christians.
Spread information about animal diseases and aid in 2. Appreciating Crattsmanship.-We have also endeavored to show our appreciation of the really their eradication. . fine work done by the gold, silver, and brass workers and other artisans. The best Moro houses Encourage vaccination. are decorated with beautiful Moro art and the Spread a knowledge of law and ordinance and advocate law observance.
Make a survey of. communities to find what are their chief needs. owners are delighted when they are appreciated. Improve the water supplies and introduce sanitary toi- In a contest held throughout all the schools of the Philippines the native art of Lanao won first lets. prize. This appreciation has had a most whole- Help to encourage native Moro arts and crafts. Join the crusade for world peace.
Encourage sick people to make use of doctors and hos- some effect upon the Maranaw people, and has pitals. Spread knowledge about modern agricultural imple- tied these Christians with new bonds of insepara- ble friendship. ments. 3. Appreciating Their Religion.-We have also Prepare to be worthy· leaders of this province.
Work for a tubercular sanitarium in Lanao. made a study of the Mohammedan religion as Begin new types of manufacturing in Dansalan to use practiced in this province. This led to the realiza- Moro products. ation that Mohammedans are not separated from us as far as we had supposed. Dr. James L. Bar- Work for improved housing conditions in this Province. ton's book "A Christian Approach to Islam" re- Study the resemblances of Christianity and Islam.
The service which consumes more time than vealed years ago that there is indeed a strikingly anything else is helping Moros out of trouble:…:.- large common ground. "Christendom and Islam"
those who are arrested or in prison; those who by Prebendary W. Wilson Cash, has also thrown are out of work; those who are oppressed; those light on the subject.
who are unable to read legal documents; students Every Sunday evening there is a united meet- who need financial help; enemies to be reconciled. ing of Moslem and Christian young people, about The list is almost without an end. Every day finds thirty to fifty of each religion, where they sing many people in need of some kind of personal at- Christian songs, repeat Christian and Moslem tention, and about half our time is devoted to this prayers, and recite the noblest religious and in- kind of service. spirational prose and poetry of all countries.
Working for civic improvements. Our Mission Some will say that we are covering up the er- "
rora of Mohammedanism and are therefore not anything they say or do. The mystics in any reli- true to all the facts. Our answer is that in the gion ought to represent the best in that religion, past there have been too many attempts to select for they seek to come closest to God.
facts which will prove that Islam is infinitely be- To match the greatest mystics of the Christian low Christianity. For centuries both Christians Church one can find Sufis who also had wonderful and Moslems have selected or invented statements experiences of God. .A Sufi woman, Rabia Al that tended to widen the gap and to whip up Adawiyya, of Basra, is said to have lived a life fanatical hatred between the two religions. Our of saintliness and fellowship with God, never exaim in Lanao has been to reveal the neglected ceeded among the Christian saints. When asked facts that will beget love. by several men to marry, she replied: "I have There is an exhilaration of enlargement and of ceased to exist and have passed out of myself. I discovering that many people whom we had sup- exist only in Him." She wrote these beautiful posed to be in the dark were much nearer the lines: "I have made Thee the companion of my truth than many people who profess but do not heart. My body is available for those who seek its live our own brand of religion. With this thrilling company and my body is free toward its guests, discovery comes also an enlarging conception of but the beloved of my heart is the guest of my God. soul." In our age who can deny that one great need of humanity is to heal the wounds of fear and false Dr. Margaret Smith points out that Mohammed propaganda and dislike that threaten to engulf himself derives most of his religion from the our civilization? Everywhere the healing balm is Christian sects of the Near East. His resorting needed in national, religious, racial and economic to a cave in Mount Hira was an imitation of the affairs: Love must be built upon understanding Christian monks whom he knew. Bowing and and a desire to appreciate whatever is lovely in others. prostration in prayer were in imitation of the ritual prayers of the Syrian Christians. Night When one sets out to heal the ancient wounds praying was taken from the Syrian monks who caused by Christians and Moslems, one soon read the Psalter twice between evening and mornmakes astonishing discoveries. We discover that ing. The fast of Ramadan was an imitation of the good Moros who are very loyal to their reli- the Christian hermits during Lent. His teaching gion are also very friendly toward us. about heaven and earth emphasizing fear was that of the Syrian Christian Church. Penitence, Our task now seems to be to persuade men and ascetism and self-discipline are certainly taken women of both religions to surrender themselves by Islam from the Christian Church. Alms-giving completely to the will of God, believing that as was also an imitation of the monks of Mohamthey seek more earnestly to do His will they will med's day. Other-worldliness, which is so strongcome closer together. ly emphasized among the mystics of Islam, is a i~gWferolemaruns.froFmortheexaMmoprloes while they are learn- Christian idea-"Lay not up treasures on this one cannot be in con- earth, but lay up treasures in heaven." * tact with Mohammedanism without feeling that Thus, in many ways, we are appreciating every- God is omnipotent, and that He is all-wise. The thing good in Lanao and in Islam, believing that the Moros will return our spirit by living our reword Islam, meaning "Will of God," stresses the ligion. This spirit of appreciation is reflected in the pages of Lanao Progress. Practically every side of religion which is under-emphasized in issue has some reference to Mohammedans who have revealed the Christian spirit. For example, most Christian communities. Here in Lanao, we an article on "Why Moslems Fast," includes the statement that the "Prophets before Mohammed, Christians, stimulated by that great slogan "The such as Jesus, Moses, Abraham (peace be on them all) were all acquainted with fasting." An- Will of God," are striving to give our lives to God other issue published the statement that the Mo- hammedans have four scriptures-Tauret (the aanneswi~ so that we will equal the best Mohammed- books of Moses); Zabur, (the Psalms); InjiI our desire to find and to do God's will.
The Moros have responded to this attempt to appreciate them, by attempting to appreciate Christianity. One hears from Moslems no word of dislike or opposition for our church and believe that we shall see a mass movement, in which an entire province will participate. This rapid shift- ing of ideals toward Christianity is the most sig- • There Is a long list of words used by Mohammed, not found In nificant event in Lanao today. the Arabic pagan religions, but borrowed from the Christianity of his day. From the Nestorlan Church Mohammed took, the word Dr. Margaret Smith, of Oxford, in her studies "Rahman" which means "merciful" and "munin," WhICh means on "Early Mysticism," found that mystics of Mo- "believers." From the Aramaic language he took the word for hammedanism and Christianity are in some cases "prayer" and for "glory be to God"; and from the Syrian he took so'close together that they cannot be identified by the word for "purify" and the words for "salvation" and "illumina- tion," "worship," "remembrance," and "repentance.'" The words for "Lord" and "divine" came from the Gospels. The list Is very long, and proves the close dependence of Mohammed upon the Christian people of Arabla.-F. C. L.
(the Gospels), and the Koran. Another article by The Koran did not, however, stress this point. It, howa leading Moro Christian insists that honesty is ever, gives light to the fact that in the course of Jesus' the will of God and that the dishonest man is a preaching He would make many enemies. However, the traitor both to God and his country. Koran gives light to the fact that he is a personification of love and humility. . . . Another issue prints the widely known Christian sermons of the General Chiang Kai-Shek and The Koran clearly states that Jesus will be raised to life. his wife, on "My religion." In the September 15 "And peace be on me on the day . . . I am raised to life." issue is the report of Stanley Jones' visit and ex- (19: 33.) This clearly shows that Jesus was raised to life cerpts from his speeches in Manila. Another issue after his death. But the details are not specified in the says that the one most important thing in the Book. world is to find the Will of God and that therefore everybody ought to go to church, because it is In spite of the differences of opinion about this great difficult to find God alone. Another issue tells the Teacher and Reformer, He is still revered both by the story of the life and death of Macaindeg Tataro, Christians and the Moslems-to the Christians as the Son the leading Mohammedan to became a Christian, of God, member of the Holy Family, and to the Moslems and points out his beautiful Christian life. as the Prophet, the Messiah, the Apostle, the religious Teacher, and Reformer and in a figurative language, sent The Moro people are responding by taking a by the Almighty "To look for the lost sheep of the Israelgenerous attitude toward Jesus Christ, as is illus- ites." trated in an article on "Jesus Christ in the Light of the Islam Religion," by Domocao AI. Alonto. In some of our Christian Sunday services the This Moro Moslem says, (in part) : entire congregation is asked to write ideas as to the proper approach to our Mohammedan neigh- Jesus Christ is revered not only in Christian nations, bors. Among the many suggestions which our but also in the Islam world. This may sound surprising to church members have offered are the following: an ordinary Christian who has not had a chance to study the Islam religion, or Mohammedanism, as it is commonly Study the likes and dislikes of the Moslems. Then pray known in the realm of her sister religion, but truly indeed that they may open their hearts to you and to God. Serve the Moslems revere Him too. and pray and praise, but do not try to condemn.
Jesus in the Moslem world is known by three different Attend the Mohammedan worship on Friday noon. Join names: Nabi Isa, Alaiki Salam, meaning "Prophet Jesus them in their fun and games with enthusiasm. Take them on whom be peace," Ibn-i-Maryam, the "Son of the Virgin on outings with you. Mary," and Al-Mashih, "the Messiah." The phrase Alaihi Salam means "On whom be peace," and this phrase is used Have more public programs jointly with them, including after the name of every prophet, from Adam to Moham- lectures on health, child welfare, cooking, and housekeepmed. All good Moslems never miss to use this phrase in ing. mentioning the name of Jesus. Never for a moment allow your mind to have any feel- One section of the Koran, Chapter 19, entitled "Mary," ing except brotherly love. Always keep in mind and say is devoted to His birth and His mission. According to and act the truth that we both worship the same God and this chapter, the story about His birth does not differ in are therefore brothers. many respects from the story in the Bible. "So she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then we sent to Let the church support a Moro pensionado. Have a Her Gabriel, and there appeared to her a well-made man." recreation center for Moros and Christians together. Have She said, "I fly for refuge to the Beneficent God, if thou a convention of Christian and Moslem priests. fearest Him be-gone from me." He said, "I am only a bringer of a message from thy God that I will give thee Open dormitories for Moro boys and girls of all ages a holy Son." (19: 18-19.) This verse in the Holy Koran so that they can go to school. Have Christian children in gives light on the birth of Jesus. . . . Mary was sur- these dormitories too. Parents will be impressed if we prised for no human hand had yet touched her. She said: have the children live together, play together, and learn "How shall I have a son and no mortal hand has yet together. touched me, have I not been pure?" (19: 20). But the man told her that God, the Creator, can create anything out Let the Christians study the Moro language well. Then of nothing. He said: "Even so, thy Lord says: 'Easy go to the houses and have friendly talks about our reis this with me:' and we will make him a sign to man- ligion and theirs. kind, and a mercy from us." (19: 21.) This is the way Mary received the message in the light of the Holy Koran. Urge every Christian to apply the Golden Rule. Fair, . . . In this point the Christian principle differs. While honest treatment will attract them to the Christian way. in the light of the Islam teaching Jesus is only a prophet raised by the Almighty, the Christian teachings consider United prayers for the propagation of the Gospel among Him as being the Son of God, or the Personification of Him. . . . the Moros. Preach Christ to them without fear or re- Jesus Christ in the light of the Moslem religion is a serve. Plant the seed and let the HoJy Spirit do the rest. Messiah, an Apostle. "The Messiah, so~ of Mary, is no more than an apostle, the apostles before him have indeed Praise be His name! . passed away . . ." (5: 75). He is a great Teacher, a religious reformer. He preached His gospel with love. Work for education of old and young alike, for this is the great hope.
" Encourage the comparative reading of the Bible and the Koran.
Have our new church building look like a mosque. Ask the Moros to worship there when they wish.
Put the Bible in the public schools and let them learn.
Hammer away at the fact that they and we are wor- shipping one God, for they think Christians have a differ- ent God.
Send students away from the province to Silliman Uni- versity, so that they will have courses in the Bible.
Sumatra-·A Miracle of
By MRS. LEE S. HUIZENGA, Shanghai, China Missionary of the Reformed Church, U. S. A.
A FEW years ago we made a trip to the island noticed a remarkable change in the whole outlook of Sumatra while my husband was inspect- of the people. They were friendly. They were ing Christian leprosaria. Today as Dr. better farmers, their homes were more private for Huizenga baptized three lepers in Shanghai, I they had individual homes; their children were thought of the hundreds of lepers in various parts better dressed and clean; schools and churches of the world who have found the Lord in lepro- dotted the area, and there was even a Christian saria. Sumatra has many such. leper hospital. Their cemeteries also showed a Sumatra is one of the largest islands of the marked difference over the burying grounds of their neighbors in the highlands. Dutch East India. Its rich natural resources are largely untouched. It has also wonderful rubber, What was the cause of this transformation? It cocoanut and tea plantations. Each year many was the Gospel of Christ. In about two generatourists and people from India and the Federated tions this change has taken place. We found that Malay States spend their vacation here to take a missionary, D. Ludwig J. Nommensen, had come advantage of the delightful climate on this island. to Sumatra in 1862 as the first missionary. This ·"Apostle to the Batakkers," as he is called, worked In the center of Sumatra is the large and beau- among them until in his. 84th year and died on the tiful Toba Lake, and in this lake lies Samosir 23rd of May, 1918. Because he lived there, Suisland upon which heathendom is still practically matra has been changed. untouched by Christian influence. A missionary of the Rhenish Mission carries on the Gospel work When Nommensen came to Sumatra there were all alone in this isolated place with a few converts, practically no Christians on the island, when he surrounded by overwhelming heathen influences. died there were over 180,000 baptized Believers in Christ in the Toba Lake district. Today there Seventy years ago the island of Sumatra was all are in the Bataklands 510 schools with 32',700 heathen, like this lonely spot. Then most of the pupils, all receiving Christian instruction. There Batakkers, the native tribe of Sumatra, were are 788 teachers, and 2,200 elders in the Batak head-hunters and many were cannibals. Now church. The whole countryside is dotted with great changes have taken place. churches and schools. Nearly one-half million Ba- takkers are under the influence of Christ and tre- One of the greatest surprises we met was in mendous changes take place in home, social and the highlands of Sumatra. We had been traveling political life. for hours through mountains and jungle and had seen no signs of Christianity. On every side we Nommensen was original; he had great foresaw natives living in their filthy homes; their chil- sight, tremendous power and high ideals. His dren playing about naked. We saw the large fellow-workers found that for sympathetic and Batak house in which several families live to- constructive work it was desirable to fall in line gether in community style, each family occupying with him; and they did. a small part of the house. There were no windows in the houses and the air was almost unbearable Another outstanding feature in Nommensen's from the heat and smoke of fires used for cooking life was his devotion to His Lord. Honors were food. Here large families were raised and such piled upon him, but he refused to speak of them. conditions have existed for generations. When the Said he, "These honors are of little importance to boys reach the age of puberty they are isolated me; they give no real joy. Nothing should cap- from the rest of the family and are compelled to tivate my heart that is earth-born. I am only a live together in bachelor's quarters. poor sinner who desires to be saved by the ramson of Christ." Other villages, with a much poorer class of pagans, showed a very inferior type of building, As we saw the wonderful work of grace among although the social customs were very much the these ignorant heathen of two generations ago, we same. There were no schools for the boys and dedicated ourselves anew to the Lord's service, girls.. desiring to spend and be spent for his service. It We went on to the Toba Lake region and there is "not in vain in the Lord."
[36 ]
Bands in War,Torn
i -e{ By REV. ANDREW GIH, Bethel Mission, Hongkong 1)Be- I T WAS a summers night and the moon shone were bombed there was no raid when we were brightly. We were in Kuling up among the preaching in any particular city. In Chenghsien hills where the famous Summer Bible Confer- the church leaders thought at first that we could ences are held – a sort of "Chinese Keswick." not have any night meetings because the electric Many missionaries and Chinese workers usually lights might be put off at any time. But we used come together here for spiritual refreshing· and gas light and the church was crowded night after for preparation for work. night. A number accepted Christ and on the last I was preaching in the Union Church when we Sunday morning fifteen converts were baptized.
heard the first air-alarm. It was a clear, striking Bombs and Busses sound, and a sudden feeling of fear, inexpressible, came over the people. The thought came over me Early Monday morning I went to the bus sta- of the uncertainty of life and that all ought to tion to leave for our next stopping place. The bus make sure of their soul's salvation. I made the was already crowded but I managed to get a seat.
appeal and about four or five responded. After About two hours after we left the city we heard that we scattered and a few of us sat on the rocks that it had been bombed. After I had made half under the trees while the Japanese bombing planes the journey I had to change to another bus across raided the province. We prayed that God would the river. This bus was over-crowded and I could protect us and deliver us from awful destruction. not persuade the conductor to take me. Several Soon after "all clear" was sounded; our hearts hundred people would be waiting for me at my were filled with gratitude that the planes, which next meeting place and if I missed the bus I had had been coming toward us, had changed their no way of getting there in time. I was left behind direction. but reminded the Lord that I had prayed that I Early one morning without any warning we might be at the meetings that night. It was early • saw three planes flying toward us, away up in in the afternoon and I was hungry so I went to the sky. At first we thought they were Chinese buy a bowl of rice. While I was eating, the sta- planes. But God knew they were not; suddenly tion master sent to tell me that a second bus was thick clouds covered the whole residential area, going and that I could go on it. That certainly and we could hear the whirr of the planes over was an answer to prayer. I was only about half our heads. It was reported later that a factory an hour late for the meeting. We filled all our had been bombed about ten miles distant and sev- engagements except one in a city that had been eral people were killed or wounded. bombed too often so that the people had left for Four of us from Bethel were at Kuling and it the country. Liling was bombed just before our was a joy to see Christian workers with a sense meetings and we thought that the people would of the reality and nearness of Christ, going out to not come out; but the Lord did a wonderful thing face difficulties and dangers. Some were soon to and night after night the big church was so face this awful war in their districts. We may crowded that we had to preach to the children first never see them again on this earth but we thank and then send them away to make room for the God that they received a blessing at Kuling. adults. We had to tell late-comers to come the Our way back to Shanghai being cut off, we next evening for many were already standing in decided, after much prayer, to go to Hunan Prov- the aisles. About one third of the people in the ince for evangelistic meetings. That was last Sep- city attended these meetings. Every convert re- tember. Fortunately we bought our tickets to go ceived a Gospel copy and during that week more by a British boat up the Yangtze to Hankow than twelve hundred copies were given out.
where we could take the train to Hunan. The The Rev. Frank Ling, who was leader of an- ship was so crowded that we were compelled to other Bethel Band which worked in Kweichow sleep on the deck, packed together like sardines. Province writes that going through these moun- The Lord wonderfully led us. We spent four tainous districts if there were not busses they had months holding evangelistic meetings in different to ride in chairs. In one city there was only one cities and although many places in the province chair and one of the two chair-bearers was unable [37]
to carry. So Mr. Ling and Mr. Yang had to walk begotten Son to die for their sins. As we travel and to climb up the hills. Many times they had to from place to place we never meet Christians who stop on the roadside to pray for strength.. After feel bitter toward Japan but they pray that peace the first day they were so tired when they reached and order may be restored. I pray that God will the small village that they hunted for a hotel to grant righteousness and justice in the Far East.
spend the night. There were only three rooms- Japan and China have so much in common that one of which was for cows and pigs. One room they ought to live in peace as neighbors. May offered for their sleeping room was so dark and God grant that these two nations may come to filthy that they could not sleep there so they went understand each other.
out to the guest room. Here they found no bed One of the Chinese Christians, Mr. Ernest Yin, but some empty coffins and coffin lids. Spreading the Provincial Minister of Finance for Hunan, their bedding on the coffins they went to sleep. wrote a letter requesting Christians in China and Mr. Ling said to his friend, "Weare not dead yet, all over the world to observe a day of prayer on but we are tasting death !" Christ had not where behalf of China. He wrote: to lay his head, but they had a coffin. That night I am writing you on a very urgent matter that the Lord they slept very soundly, not even conscious that has laid upon my heart, and one that I am sure to which they were sleeping so near to the cows and pigs. you too have given great consideration. It is the matter of prayer. On the third day they lost their way going by a small footpath through thick woods. They in- It is nearly one year since the war started in China and quired the way several times and at last found the at present it looks as if it will be a long drawn out conflict. The awful destruction and great loss of so many innocent main road. In some places they could not buy lives weighs me down with grief. I am burdened to know anything to eat-not even eggs. Mr. Ling finally what we Christians should do. I know of only one thing was able to buy some rice-porridge but the next we do and that is to pray. day he had dysentery as a result of eating it. The Lord has laid it on my heart to suggest to a few friends that as a group we might suggest a Day of Prayer There were many difficulties in traveling. One for Christians in China and in foreign lands. Can we not stand unitedly in definite prayer that God will bring about day the bus in which he was riding got out of a speedy and righteous settlement to this awful conflict? order along the hilly roads. The driver was not a mechanic and he could not repair it. There was I realize that we in China, whether engaged in Governno other bus going that way so the passengers got ment service or in any other pursuits have grievously sinned against God. But I believe that if we humble our- out and walked to the nearest village to find selves and call upon the Lord He will hear us and save us. lodging. Mr. Ling felt too weak to walk so was Therefore I believe it will be pleasing to Him if we set left behind and slept in the bus that night with apart a Day of Prayer. I suggest September 4th, or even the driver. They could see the hungry wolves on an earlier date for this purpose. the hilltops, but God protected them and they slept well. This mission band traveled four thou- In an address by Madame Chiang Kai-Shek at. Hankow, s.he says: sand miles; they walked on foot four days, rode The Generalissimo and I feel that no words we could in chairs for eleven days and held over sixty meet- speak could sufficiently express our debt of gratitude to ings. with definite conversions. the missionary body all over China who have been a help to the distressed and the best of friends, to hundreds of A Glorious Revival thousands of refugees. You may remember a few years ago it was quite the fashion to decry missionary efforts. Another Bethel Band in Kwangsi Province re- There was even a commission sent from America to inves- ported glorious revivals and many cried to the tigate mission work because there was a general feeling that missionary efforts had been a failure. There were Lord for salvation. Kwangsi has been most strict also people who asked where were the successors of Livin the conscription of law and that province alone ingstone, Morrison and others? Is the missionary spirit has furnished the Government with about half a dead? If we are really impartial and look around us and million men. The Christian Missionary Alliance take an impartial view of what has happened in the last Bible School there was emptied of young men. A nine months I :would say their successors are right here! military officer came to meetings one night and Everyone of the missionaries possesses the same valour was converted so that the next day he brought his whole family and urged them to accept Jesus and the same undaunted spirit that the missionaries of old had. I would go a step farther. When we picture old Dr. Morrison in a sanpan with his Chinese teacher, work- Christ as their Saviour. He wanted to be sure ing under the heat of the tropical sun on the translation of the Bible into Chinese, while edicts from the Emperor that he might meet his loved ones in Heaven. had been issued against him, we think of that as being Certainly hearts are hungry all over China. We very heroic. But when we think of what the missionaries have done during the last nine months, I would say that would like to send out more young men to bring these missionaries have not been one whit less heroic. . . • the message of God's love and salvation to the sin- ·stricken, broken hearts. The refugees now num- Coming back from the war it was the missionaries who ber 100,000,000 and many have lost all their visualized the need of refugee zones and saved hundreds of thousands of people, men, women and children. Here earthly possessions. They need to know the One in Hankow you have started refugee camps and your In- who loves and cares for them, who gave His only . ternational Red Cross Committee has organized help for
CHRISTIAN BANDS IN WAR-TORN CHINA
our wounded soldiers. In Kaifeng they have well-organ- more. We are planning to send a group of workized plans for establishing a refugee zone whenever the, ers, headed by Rev. Frank Ling, to start a large need arises. From all over China come reports of work orphanage in Tuhshan, Kweichow. The China like this. Those of you who are here now have done so Inland Mission has kindly offered property there much for our people! We do appreciate it. for this purpose. Remember us in your prayer. Since the loss of our mission property in Shang- These quotations show the general feeling hai the Bethel Mission is branching out. We have among the Christians in China. They feel guilty now one hospital in the French Concession 'in before God and realize their own helplessness. Shanghai and another was opened last May to take They pray for forgiveness and depend on God and care of the war babies. The Gospel Hall work has His mercy. Throughout China people are also been re-opened in Shanghai. In Hongkong we very grateful to the foreign missionaries. It is have over fifty promising young men and' young time for the Christian churches all over the world to stir themselves to relieve the suffering and to women in our Bible School. The Orphanage here preach the Gospel in our distressed land. We be- receives new children almost every week. Opporlieve that we have unprecedented opportunities tunities for preaching are wonderful. We lost our before us. press but the printing department is stilI going on, and we have printed Dr. R. E. Neighbour's As for the war orphan question: Madame Chiang Kai-shek in her letter to me says: book, "Victorious Living," Dr. Oswald Smith's on "The Revival We Need," and Dr. Walter Wilson's I am exceedingly glad that your mission feels that it "Miracles in a Doctor's Life." Tens of thousands will be possible for you to take care of fifty war orphans. of tracts and a monthly magazine in Chinese are There are so many tens of thousands of these destitute, also printed on our press. And now the Bethel homeless little ones, that anything we can do to better Bands will again be sent to the needy fields. ' The their lot is only a drop in the bucket. Yet, it is incumbent need is great, but our God is greater. Pray that upon us as Chinese, and as Christians, to do all that we much blessing may accompany our efforts to bring can on their behalf. about the greater things, for His Kingdom.
The fifty war orphans are already cared for by the mission in Hongkong and there are thousands MOVING DAY IN A CANTON HOSPITAL Mrs. Theodore D. Stevenson (Beatrice Scott), an American missionary in Canton, sends this interesting account of moving into their new hospital before it was bombed by the Japanese.
"Char-women, with beaming smiles, carried heavy pails of water and scrubbed all day long and far into the night-and if they dropped an occasional cleaning rag down the new drains and flooded a floor or two, it was with the best of intentions and only because they had never met proper plumbing before. The gardeners left their beloved pots of chrysanthemums (an unusual thing) and moved heavy cupboards hither and yon. The hospital carpenter stayed up until the wee, small hours adding last minute touches to the furniture. Even the nurses lent a hand and voluntarily cleaned windows (a very 'face-losing' business for nurses).
"Downstairs the doctors were adding finis.hing touches to their smart new offices and examining rooms, and seeing to it that the ferns and blackwood furniture in the adjoining waiting room were placed in conventionally staff attitudes. Carpenters hammered; electricians installed and blew out fuses with equally cheerful rapidity; the telephone company put in a local dial system which everyone must stop their work to tryout; the elevator men (who were being paid by the day and therefor,e did not share the general enthusiasm for accomplishment) reluctantly put their final screws in place; the kitchen staff, proud in their new aprons, triumphantly served up the first meal; the first baby was born in the new delivery room.
"And then, unbelievably, we were in; all the wheels were in motion. "Best of all, this new efficiency is for everyone. The public wards and private rooms with bath are equally attractive and convenient-same curtains and spreads, same electric fixtures, same devoted nursing care, and the same chance to hear about Christ, the Life. "One patient remarked: 'We like your hospital because it is so clean,' by which she meant new, empty of the evil spirits that lurk in dead corpses. We hope it is 'clean' in that very sense-purged of the evil spirits of superstition, ignorance, callousness, pain-and that its example will count for good in this community and city and country."
A Revival in Angola, West
By MAURICE E. PARSONS, Elisabethville, Belgian Congo A REVIVAL has been sweeping over the An- such a vision of the havoc his unforgiving spirit gola Mission field for more than a year. was working among his people, that he could not The leader of the Methodist Conference, stay in bed. Hastening to the river, he got into evangelist Joaquim Bernardo, received a genuine his canoe and paddled the 20 miles to the village baptism of the Holy Spirit about four years ago. of the other pastor. There he poured out a con- This changed him from a shifting, uncertain, in- fession of his own wrongness and besought foreffective preacher into a man aflame with a pas- giveness. This completely broke the other, and sion for souls, mightily empowered in prayer and he in turn, with tears and sobs, took the blame. preaching so that he is greatly used in winning Peace flooded their souls. souls. One of his Spirit-filled workers is a grandmother who has been called "the bride" because Together they returned to the scene of the speshe walks very slowly as do African brides in cial meetings and after they told their story it going to the weddings. In trudging from village was not long before there were outpourings of the to village to pray with needy souls at these revival Spirit. Darkness was changed to light; blindness meetings, her aged feet have become so sore that to sight; sorrow to joy; and strife to peace. Folshe can hardly walk; and yet she keeps on with lowing this revival most of the people of the vilher work for God. lage went to the second village and paved the way for a revival there by asking pardon for past atti- This corps of workers began meetings in one tudes and actions, and then joined in singing, village and after several days the people still sat praying and rejoicing with their friends. They stolidly as the invitations were given. There was spent a week in winning victories in heart and no spirit of prayer or revival. What was the life through the power of the Spirit. Individual matter? It was discovered that the local pastor hearts had been made right, and there was marand another had become jealous of each other and velous "peace on earth among men of good will," neither would budge toward confessing and ask- because there was born in Bethlehem One whose ing forgiveness. This attitude of the pastors had name is not only "The Prince of Peace," but also spread to their people so that there was animosity "Jesus" "for He shall save His people from their between the two villages. sins."
Joaquim Bernardo and the others were pray- I have met many such examples of the grace ing that God's Spirit might break through. Fi- and power of God in my two years in Africa. nally one night there came to the pastor a great There are whitened fields in which there are few conviction of his own sinfulness and pride and laborers.
White Fields in Rhodesia By BISHOP JOHN McKENDREE SPRINGER, Umtala, Southern Rhodesia Bishop for Africa of the Methodist Episcopal Church "BEHOLD ye among, the heathen, and regard engaged in service as class leaders, stewards, and wonder marvelously." As we shuttle nurses and foremen, and hundreds as capable back and forth across Central Africa be- teachers, evangelists, and ministers. Truly God tween the Atlantic and Indian Oceans for the con- is working "a work in your time which you will ferences, visiting stations and seeing some work not believe though it be told you." This is as true of other societies and touching a camp meeting in 1938 A. D. as it was in Habakkuk's time. now and then, we are thrilled to see the thousands This year we attended seven conferences, two of joy-lit faces and to note the transformed lives. of which were interdenominational. The first was Large numbers of African Christians are actively the 60th anniversary of Protestant Missions in [40 ]
THE GOSPEL THE CITY NEEDS
the Congo and was held at Leopoldville. Two hun- definitely building up one Church-"The Church dred and forty native delegates. from eighteen dif- of Christ in Congo." ferent tribes gathered for the first conference of . Next came the All-Angola Conference held at the Congo Methodist Church, which preceded the Chilesso. For this forty-one missionaries and naconference of missionaries. Most of these people tives were present from nine different societies. understood one of the three native languages used: The president, citing the intensive practice of Kikongo, Lingala or Kiluba. Many of them also athletes, musicians anil others, gave new content understood French, which was used in some of to the words of Paul to Timothy to "exercise thythe sessions. self unto Godliness." Considering that in this Col- ony, as in the Congo, there is intense opposition In addition, three hundred natives, trained for on the part of Roman Catholics to Protestant Misthe choir, had been assembled from these tribes, sions, this became very appropriately a dominant and their voices blended beautifully. The cloth note in the Conference. for their vestments was given by the textile company which, from cotton grown in the Colony, Preceding each of our five Annual Methodist weaves 60% of the calico used in the Congo; and Conferences we had a three days' Retreat. ,a tailoring firm made them up free of cost. Many local firms donated food and gave other help to The revival in Angola, reported a year ago, has this Native Christian Conference. continued through the year. Over a thousand have professed conversion to. Christ. The day A pageant was given in a natural amphitheater after the Angola Conference closed, John Webba, on the west bank of Stanley Pool, a lake-like the senior minister of the Conference, entered widening of the mighty Congo, near the very spot into his rest. Webba assured his sorrowing wife where the first missionary, Bentley, landed sixty that God was taking him "Home" and that he was years ago to build his station among the wildest not afraid, and that the heavenly Father would of savages. This landing was depicted in one care for her and the children. He left five sons, episode. Other scenes portrayed the way in which all in Christian work, including an eider and a the Government had put an end to s},ave trading, deacon. As a boy, this prince of the Kingdom had and showed how medical missions are routing the been considered by his heathen chief as worth old-time witch doctor. There were seats for 5,000, merely the price of four razor-back pigs, and had but the demand was such that the performance been given as payment for a fine in lieu of the had to be repeated on the next day. The highest porkers. Government officials attended and were greatly pleased. On the closing Sunday of the Native The Congo Conference was held at Sandoa, and Conference vast congregations joined in services over 800 partook of the Communio.n, though it was in the three languages.. only sixteen years since the Brintons cleared a place in which to build the grass huts in which In the Missionary Conference one hundred and they had to live all through the first rainy season. twenty-six delegates from twenty-two Protestant Talk of miracles! When we saw the congregation societies spent eight days in fellowship, prayer of some 2,000 Christians assembled at the Church and the discussion of problems and policy. In that first Sunday and thought of the other thouthe Congo there is the fullest comity in the Prot- sands throughout the circuit, where there had not estant group, all working as though united in one been more than a dozen Christians sixteen years society, joyfully acknowledging one Lord, and ago, our hearts sang the Hallelujah Chorus.
The Gospel the City Needs By A. SCOTT, New York* "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; Christ died for the ungodly. Through Him lies and .this is the victory that overcometh the world, even individual salvation as well as the one effective our faith." remedy for the social ills of the day but even the most consecrated of Christians are prone to wan- T HE city needs the Gospel of Christ. It is der into concern over prison conditions and their obviously true that there is no spiritual need reforms, conditions in the so..called slum areas, of one class of society greater than that of temperance, the motion-picture evils, war and another class. The crying need of the day in peace, and many varieties and shades of modern which we live is a reproclaiming of the Gospel of political and economic philosophy. The ills of the Christ to all men everywhere. body social are many and, while true, none of • Brought to Christ In the McAuley Cremorne MisSion.
them are according to the Will of God. Christians since been washed from the sands of Galilee's energetically spend time tilting at these wind- shore, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. mills, all the while failing to realize the full significance of our Lord's words, "Ye must be born There are citizens other than Christians, who again." For is it not only through that which is are concerned with the ills of the day, as is eviborn of the spirit that the day of social regenera- denced by a trend in civic thought. The differtion will ever be possible? Meanwhile we mis- ence existing between those others and the Christake gpod causes for the one good cause-the re- tian lies in the remedy proposed for application. demption of humanity by everlastinglyproclaim~ The civic forum is no longer a platform from ing the everlasting Gospel of the Son of God. which are heard the words of the wise; no longer the nations press, nor again the voice of the radio, Are there fOI1ces of evil abroad in the city? Are but the thinking processes of the entire people is there spectres of poverty, greed, lust, crime, vice, gravely concerned with the welfare of society. pleasure seeking to the exclusion of all else, and Within' itself economically distressed, politically the s·pectres of moral looseness and laxity to be disturbed, morally retrogressed and s,piritually seen on every hand? Can the aim of the Chris- decadent, the nation derives but little comfort tian, of the mission or the "up-town" church, be from events beyond its borders. All over the anything other than to point to the Christ of Calvary as the remedy for all that is contrary to the world there exists a state of near-chaos needing will of God? Can the substance of any Gospel but little to become chao3 in the absolute. The that is to save humanity from itself be anything present lies shrouded in doubt, while the future other than the sacrificial death of Him who said, is darkened by fear. And yet, for this nation and "I am the way, the truth, and the life"? On what those beyond our borders, there is a way out; it is the road back to God and back to a reverence is emphasis to be placed other than on the human for the things properly to be reverenced. The need for its one and only Saviour? The Gospel road back is the road leading forward whereon lies the realization that man's will cannot run the city needs is today that old, old story, first contrary to the Will of God. proclaimed by Him whose footprints have long DILEMMAS MUST BE FACED IN CHINA Christian forces in China are realizing that war brings moral problems, by-products, as well as those that have to do with refugees, evacuation and the like. One of them is the opium traffic. One earnest layman advised silence regarding opium, lest embarrassment be caused the central government, which, he said, was largely dependent on opium revenue for carrying on the war; but those in a position to know say that Chiang Kai-shek has been and is uncom- promising in his efforts to suppress the cultivation of the poppy even at the expense of amaz- ingly large revenues. It is in the areas occupied by Japanese that the traffic is flourishing, and if there is to be a fight against this evil it must be by Christian forces that remain there.
Another problem concerns the choice of silence, or defiance in connection with preaching.
Occasionally, warnings are given against proclaiming any doctrine of God that might be in- terpreted as a slight ag.ainst the emperor. There has even been a suggestion from high mis- sion circles that certain publicity material prepared for the Madras Conference which indi- cated that body's intention to exalt the supremacy of God above any state authority might make it more difficult to secure the attendance of the delegations from one or another totali- tarian state. Some missionary leaders in China have begun to realize that the carrying on of church work in conquered territory does not insure freedom from that kind of problem.
A third quandary has to do with the use of a foreign flag, for more than once mission- aries have been asked to lend their national flag to protect a chur.ch or school which legally belongs to the Chinese; and still anoth.er question is that of sale of property to the Japanese.
Shanghai offers an illustration. Under pressll:re from Washington the Japanese agreed to re- turn the property of the University of Shanghai, which they had occupied since last autumn.
But they specified that it should not be used either as a Chinese school or as a residence for for- eign missionaries. Also they refused to issue passes to the missionaries or university represen- tatives to traverse the roads leading to the campus. Negotiations led to the suggestion that the Japanese purchase the buildings and grounds. But Chinese faculty members, and Board of Managers, to a man, rejected the proposition. They would rather be without a college than accept even the huge sum suggested. -Christian Century.
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II Effective Ways of Working 'Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MISS GRACE W. lVlcGAVRAN, 5718 OAK AVE., INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA A Solo in Costume more familiar to your group, but can add so much to your year's be sure that the mood of the study. It is true that a wide- The hymn which follows is one music interprets suitably the awake committee can find out written for use in the Leonard emotion of the hymn. many things from many sources Theological College in Jubbul- and do without the book, but it pore, Central Provinces, India. Marbled Halls of Ancient is also true that many a commit- It may be sung to anyone of Kingdoms tee will have neither the time several tunes which are noted nor the sources of information; below. Marbled halls of ancient kingdoms, and that many another commit- Mighty empires passed away, tee has to choose between find- Have this sung as a solo with ing out and putting into effect. the singer in the costume of In- Baffled lore and mystic longing, You handicap your committee by dia. Introduce the solo with the Join the cry for life today. failing to put into their hands information about its origin. the result of much research Suggest that in this and other Open is the door effectual, which, in a pamphlet like this, hymns of aspiration we join See the multitudes that yearn, concentrates ideas and materials with Christian friends in India which have taken weeks to get in feeling that only through Reaching up from crushed existence, together. Give your committee Christ can that beloved country 'Tis for life their hearts do burn. this tool and then expect good find the true Way of Life. use to be made of it. It will re- "Show us Jesus!" Hear the cry of sult in much more effective work Use it again in some program Multitudes in thronging mart! on their part. on India given for the whole church, with the same introduc- Send us, Lord, our Pentecost to A Book Dinner tion. Bear the Cross to India's Heart! We might take a hint from a If you wish instead to have the Forth there goes the weary pilgrim sorority group in Illinois. They missionary society use it as a Seeking peace in lotus shrines; needed books for their library. hymn during their India study, Each girl was asked to bring ask your choir director to help Though the proffered ways are legion, back in the fall a book she had choose that tune for it which will Still the heart of India pines. enjoyed during the summer. The best lend itself to congregational chapter then had a book dinner. singing. Then have a time when Christ the livin~ way we offer, They used the books brought, as it is learned. This should not be High we hold His Cross of love, centerpieces. For after-dinner a part of the devotional period, speeches, each girl told why she but the devotional period may Joyfully we join in service, liked the book she had contribwell be shortened occasionally to Build we beauty -from above. uted. A Fall, or New Year's insert in the program a five- or Book Dinner might launch our ten-minute "learning period" "Show us Jesus!" Hear the cry of groups in some very worth-while when new hymns such as this Multitudes in thronging mart! reading. Even if only a very are learned. If you give time few books are donated the interto learning it, be sure it is used Send us, Lord, our Pentecost to est created in them will secure frequently enough thereafter to Bear the Cross to India's Heart! their effective use. Write the warrant the time thus spent. name of the donor in the front "E'er abide in me," says Jesus, of each book and lightly paste in The tune to which this is some- "Would ye fruits of Spirit bear," a slip of paper on which each one times sung is "Clem." These who reads the book may put her other tunes are good-"Panoply Yea, abide in us, we ~ray Thee, name. of Light"; "Feliciter"; and for Grant us power to do and dare. congregational use "Hymn to Stimulate Reading Joy." The last named requires So, we pledge Thee who hast called us, the repetition of the third and In one fellowship sublime, A meeting often ends early or fourth lines of music, sung very someone who was to have been softly, for the refrain. Other All we are in glad abandon, tunes in the same meter may be Make us prophets of our time.
"Show us Jesus!" Hear the cry of Multitudes in thronging mart!
Send us, Lord, our Pentecost to Bear the Cross to India's Heart!
-C. Stanley Thoburn.
Help Your Social Committee In studying a foreign country like India, it is only fair to your social committee to give them some help in their planning. Twenty-five cents will bring you "Fun and Festival from India," which contains many ideas for decorating, for music, for menus, and for all that local color which [43 ]
on the program unexpectedly The business women came di- ful and clear-cut presentations fails. One organization has a rect to the church from their by people able to speak with aulibrary committee whose mem- offices, those arriving early hav- thority. bers are always prepared with ing time to enj oy a bit of visitone or more book reviews. Just ing. Those for whom the trip We cite this case, not as one a word from the leader in an was longer, or who were free to be copied, but as an example aside, and a delightful and stim- later, arrived just in time for of a church ready to find a way ulating book review appears on to give its business and profesthe program as if it had been the meal. sional women the missionary planned as a part of it. Since At six-thirty the supper was education they needed and these reviews never increase the wanted at a time and in a way usual length of the meeting they over and tables were cleared. which could enlist the greatest are always enjoyed and do much The program lasted from six- number. to increase the reading-desires of the members. thirty to a quarter to eight. The To insist on old forms of or- business was brief and efficiently ganization – on ancient times Burma Comes to Iowa planned; devotionals were mean- and places and ways of meeting ingful but short; and talks or is to hamper the cause. Find the At a young people's rally in addresses were planned to take problems facing a group in con- Sheffield, Iowa, the Saturday an exact period. At 7: 45 the nection with their meeting for night dinner took the form of a benediction was pronounced, so missionary education. Discover Burmese scene in which the that any member with an eve- the type of work which will chalposts of the room simulated ning engagement was free to go. lenge them. Arrange a way of palm trees, the menu cards were getting together which will be in the shape of pagodas and the At times the church was de- both convenient and effective. menu written in Karen. Peanuts serted by eight o'clock except for Then keep the conditions inand sweets were served in cocoa- the woman employed to wash violate. nut shells. The pastor, his wife dishes. At other times a group and their children (formerly lingered for an hour or more, Use Dolls for Publicity missionaries in Burma) were enjoying each other's comments dressed in Karen costume and –or, just "visiting." Occasion- The W 0 men's Missionary sang, "Jesus Loves Me," in that ally an interesting speaker held Friend (October, 1938) carries tongue. On the long table was a sort of post-session as thought- an advertisement by Mrs. Elsie constructed a Burmese village provoking as the address. But Clark Krug, 2'227 St. Paul replete wit h thatched – roof this rose out of circumstances Street, Baltimore, Maryland, houses on stilts, groups of ele- and not through planning. which has a fine suggestion for phants standing about, and two publicity. Mrs. Krug has for pagodas in dominating position. Consider the situation: A sale India dolls, made in India Three devotional addresses were group of women from forty to in a home for widows. These given. The menu cOn";sted of sixty in number, who had so dolls represent different castes Me (rice), Dahsih (pi'kle rel- many conflicting interests and and occupations. Write for her ish), Thequitha (banana), Kapi responsibilities that a free eve- price-list. Her suggestion is (coffee), Ice Kri (ice cream), ning could not be discovered, that newspapers will gladly Ghethu (curry), Thagotha (to- found that they could take the photograph them and write armatoes), Goh Seh (cake). earlier hour, provided certain ticles about them. conditions were met. They had Meet the Situation of Your no responsibility for the meal be- Securing the right publicity yond paying. (For years a dol- for special meetings is a weak Group lar per member per year pro- point in most church groups. vided the meal and dishwasher.) Newspapers are always ready to A church in a busy Kansas They were content with a meal use really interesting copy. town found a method of securing so simple that its cost and prep- They cannot be expected to run regular and large attendance of aration were reduced to a min- the dull sort of announcement business women at their mission- imum. There was promptness in that attracts no one. ary guild meeting once a Bonth. starting and clock-like regularity in clos.ing. A good program was Snappy and news-worthy A flat, yearly charge was made provided, usually from outside write-ups, especially when ac-. each member to cover the cost of the group. companied by pictures suitable the very inexpensive supper for making cuts and really tellserved promptly at six o'clock Perhaps some of these condi- ing a story, will have ready acten times a year. Note that an tions are not ideal. But cancel ceptance in many newspaper absent member's supper-fee was one of them and that particular offices. available to equalize costs. group would have dissolved. For instance, had the leaders at- We hope later to devote an is- Three women of the church, tempted to provide for the pro- sue to the question of effective who did not belong to the group, gram from within the group, a publicity and would be glad to prepared a simple, well-balanced certain proportion would imme- receive accounts of especially efmeal. diately have dropped out. They fective publicity for missionary wanted to be stimulated and events in your church. forced to think, through force-
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
We Want to Know who later spoke to the entire The book is true to its title. group, was inspired by the l:.S- The theme and motive of the life What was the most effective surance that she had before her of an Indian woman is her huspiece of work you did for Mis- women intelligent on the subject band. The charm of the book is sions last summer? Or the sum- of her address. Several members unusual. It portrays most delimer before? We do not neces- were able to listen with greater cately the devotion of the womsarily mean a meeting. Through delight because of their informal anhood of India to her ideal. what enterprise, technique, nov- "preview" of the speaker. Ramabai Ranade, its author, elty, or method did you affect moreover gives a moving picture the lives of members of your The words in which a speaker of the contrast between the purcongregation, missionary group adresses the group are only half dah-bound women of the averor individuals in a worthwhile of the service she may render. age household and the struggle way, in spite of heat, summer Choose with care a few persons for freedom on the part of these "slump," etc.? In other words with whom the speaker may chat who like herself in obedience to what did you do to make your in the social moments preceding the desire of an enlighted huswork, or some phase of it a suc- the meeting. Questions will flow band are defying custom and cess, in spite of the usual sum- much more readily following the tradition to leave seclusion and mer handicaps? address if there has been an op- enter public life. portunity for the speaker to Our May issue, according to meet at least a few of the mem- Something of the theme and present plans, will be devoted to bers in the right way. outlook of the book might be that problem, and we want to given by one woman, who must give others the best of your sug- Try This Game on India be able to enter with sympathy gestions. Address the editor of into the feelings and life of the these pages at 5718 Oak Avenue, A heart-warming little note Indian woman. The story itself Indianapolis, Indiana. from Mrs. Aitchison, the former may be given by another wom- editor of these pages, written in an, reading from the book if de~ Effective Personal pencil as she takes her enforced sired, as if she were seeing for Introductions rest-cure, has come to the pres- the first time her own words in ent editor. In it Mrs. Aitchison print. She should be dressed in Contrast these two situations. mentions a game on India, Know an Indian sari, as delicate and as -A younger member of a mis- Your Mission Lan d 8 – India, rich a one as possible, for the sionary group brought a guest which has come to her and Ranades were wealthy. to the meeting. She introduced which she feels would be interher to several who made her esting and worth-while. We are Learning Through Drama welcome with the inconsequen- delighted to have her recomtial pleasant chit-chat of new mendation, as a copy of the An interesting little playlet, acquaintances. Imagine their game has not so far reached us. prepared and published in India annoyance when she was later for use in the village schools to introduced as an outstanding The game is similar to the portray their own program, is worker in another denomination weH-known Lotto. The cards available at 10 cents a copy from and the speaker of the day. contain questions and answers Mabel W. Moomaw, Vocational They had lost a golden opportu- selected from the interdenom- Training S c h 0 0 1, Anklesvar, nity for informal· conversation inational mission study books on Broach District, India. It is enon some of the things, in which India. Two to fifteen people titled "My Son." they had been especially inter- may play. It will provide a ested, and felt that their speaker lively game period for from two Juniors would enjoy using must have thought them un- to fifteen children, young people this in a study of India. There usually unconcerned about her or adults. It costs only 50 cents are gaps in it which they would own background and interests. postpaid. need to fill after study. For in- stance, a child reports on the A tactful hostess of another Order from: The Literature Department, birds that are seen in the village. missionary group brought a The Women's General Missionary Society, This, in the village school pr~ guest. She introduced her to 904 Publication Building, Pittsburgh, Pa.. gram, is easily done. Our chilseveral members. Each time the or from Mrs. E. D. McKune, 211 Fifteenth dren would need to look up India hostess was able to mention Ave., S., Nampa, Idaho. and find out about birds there. some particular interest which the member had shown in the An Unusual Book Opportunity Its value would lie to a large type of enterprise carried on by extent, for children in this counthe visitor. Both were made to The autobiography of a lady try, in the study they would be feel that it was because of a of India, recently off the press, led to do in order to give it. common interest that she had offers a wonderful opportunity They might even make some brought them together; she for a book review. In the first changes in it to make it clearer chatted with them long enough place its title is "Himself," an to an American audience.. They after each introduction to be intriguing thing in itself. "An might get quite a bit of delight sure that each had a key to the autobiography of an Indian lady, from putting on something writ~ other's activities. The. guest, ten for and actually given by and called 'Himself'!" * writes children in India.
one woman inchedulously.
• "Himself" by Ramabai Ranade, trans- Jated by Katharine Gates. $2.00. Long- mans Green, N. Y., 1938,
BULLETIN
Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
A OALL TO PRAYER scenes, we know that with hus- such a warm purpose – to re- bands and children and servants member one another, to dedicate GOES OUT TO ALL PEOPLE and neighbors and friends, at themselves anew to creating the home or abroad, these good Kingdom of Heaven on earth, LET US PRAY: women created a contagious and engaging climate around them and to capture the attention of Father, grant that I may take which others undoubtedly copied. the listless and the lukewarm, my religion seriously and in- that all may realize a little of the vite the spirit of Jesus Christ The quality of goodness we to permeate everything I say mean includes ideals spiced with startling attraction to be discov- and do. imagination, and fine living done ered in Jesus Christ and to be for a purpose. Suppose that for expressed in lives touched afresh May the law of love be the law even one day in the year all such by His beauty! which governs my everyday women could pause, kneel in life. May I seek to reproduce prayer for one another – that This year's Service of Worship the warm friendliness of Jesus their common .dream for their for Friday, February 24, has in my home, my neighborhood, world might materialize, through been prepared by a group of my business life, and in my young women in the United smallest personal contact. -Albrecht Durer States, using as a theme, "Let us Help me to seek out some person themselves. Who knows what put our Love into Deeds-and or group whose immediate impetus this could give to Make it ReaL" It is a searching needs cry out for Christian weaker women trailing along in sequence of responsive readings, service and in mutual shar- the footsteps of their leaders? prayers, and hymns, with peri- ing give all that I am and have. For many years now the first ods of penetrating silence and a Friday in Lent has been set aside stirring roll call of the nations. Help me to study, work, and for the World Day of Prayer. It is designed to stab any wom- pray for better understanding East, West, North, South, from an awake into 'seeing herself as among people of all races and dawn to dusk, somewhere on the nations. Heln me to be will- face of the earth, women ac- someone expected to alter the ing to live dangerously that tually will be meeting for just trend of history and shift civili- peace may come in this our zation into a more truly Christ- day,O Lord. [46] like era: through the definite "God will not ask thy race, mention of the high traits in the Nor will he ask thy birth. character of Jesus. Alone he will demand of thee But even before the practical stimulus of the printed page is What hast thou done on reached, the cover itself offers· earth." the silent influence of Albrecht Let us put our love into deeds Durer's "Praying Hands." These and make it real. Hands have a legend significant enough to be told first to the THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER small interdenominational group which will meet beforehand to Sometimes we need a sudden plan the February 24th service, sentence to lift us into a new and then retold at the World Day focus on ourselves! Listen therefore to Emerson: "Civ- of Prayer service also, in order ilization is the history of good that their very patience may sugwomen-" as sudden, as provoc- gest the beauty vested in the ative as that! But is it true? Each one of us will at least agree humblest of us, when dedicated that it cannot be not true; for wherever a high civilization has to the highest. For Durer had been created and maintained, the a friend who had been trying to women have been as geared into be a great painter; but try as he it as the men; and, because of might through the years, greattheir quieter influence behind all ness passed him by; yet he nev- er gave up. One day Durer's imagination saw in those unsuc-
BULLETIN: COUNCIL OF WOMEN FOR HOME MISSIONS
cessful hands not thwarted There is a similar benediction Hearty Welcome I dreams, but the incarnation of such genuine worth that he waiting to bless your town also! The women of the West Coast asked to draw them in the atti- are welcoming as a worthy suctude of prayer, to suggest the To promote such vital and vigor- cessor to the late Miss Adela J. dignity of labor and the bene- Ballard, Mrs. F. E. Shotwell, the diction of hope. ous fellowship the following sup- new Western Area Supervisor of Migrant Work, appointed by This is so symbolic of our own plies are available; and in case the Council of Women for Home consciousness of being neither Missions. brilliant nor famous; yet a qui- yours is one of the cities where et glory touches our merely aver- Those of us who have met Mrs. age hands when folded in the World Day of Prayer has Shotwell are delighted with her prayer: "May the beauty of the personality, with her back- never been observed, will you not ground of education and with Lord our God be upon us; and her qualification in experience. establish Thou the work of our consider that because you have Personally she has grace and hands; yea, the work of our charm; her degrees in secular hands establish Thou it." read these words you are there- and religious education as well as sociology assure excellent pro- That this has been an actual fore the very person to initiate fessional preparation and her result to communities observing experience in working with the World Day of Prayer, our the observance and to take the young people and church groups, 1938 report of it proves, one sec- as well as in Nevada Welfare first steps which these leaflets Work and in Colorado, Washingtion of which paints the picture: will list? . ton, Oregon and California mi- grant projects assure practical For the women of Shanghai the The following supplies for the application of her knowledge. Women's World Day of Prayer had Quite as much as with all these, unusual significance. "The love of observance should be ordered we are delighted with her evi- Christ our only hope," was the unify- dence of judgment and balance ing theme. The committee which set from denominational Boards: in difficult situations and with up the program was composed of her determination to restudy the Chinese, Japanese, German, Russian, Call to Prayer-free (in limited quan- needs as they are today and the English and American women. This tities) . effective program for the future. committee appointed a sub-committee to plan for a meeting in the Chinese Adult Program – "Let Us Put Our With the changing type of peolanguage. Love into Deeds – and Make It ple making up the migrant Real"-2 cents each, $2.00 per hun- group, from a largely foreign The Chinese service brought the e I erne n t never economically audience face to face with the implica- dred. above a subsistence level, to a tions of the love of Christ in our war- Young People's Program-"And Who group largely native Americans, torn city. In the midst of our tragedy many of them dispossessed farmand losses we were given to see we Is My Neighbor?" – 2 cents each, ers from the dust bowl, who have still had much to be thankful for. In formerly been independent, Mrs. the time of confession the personal $2.00 per hundred. Shotwell is proving herself an and national sins which have contrib- Children's Program-"God's Children understanding and h e I p f u 1 uted to this situation were confessed. friend. The forgiving love of Christ con- Live in Many Lands"-l cent each, strained the audience to forgive those We can think of no one better who have sinned against us. At the $1.00 per hundred. qualified for the four-fold apclose of this service, those who were Poster (llx17)-5 cents. proach necessary to work in the at home in the English language went The Church, A World Fellowship (A migrant areas: contacts with to the international service. . . . government workers, church Review of the World Day of Prayer, groups, employers and the mi- This year the international service March 5, 1938). Single copies free, grants themselves-all approachmet in the Community Church. es requiring wisdom and tact in Twelve different nations were repre- $1.00 per hundred. an unusual degree. The Council sented in the audience. Each one is indeed fortunate in its choice prayed in her own language. The MRS. F. E. SHOTWELL of Mrs. Shotwell. She will need earnest prayer offered by a Japanese our understanding and cooperawoman for the sufferers in the war This article was prepared by Miss Mar- tion. We pledge our support will long be remembered. The high garet T. Applegarth, Chairman of the World peak in the service was the candle Day of Prayer Committee of the National and wish her well.* lighting service when women repre- Committee of Church Women, representing senting different nations approached the National Council of Church Women, the • From ",letter to the editor from Mrs. R. L. the central candle to light the un- Foreign Missions Conference, and the Coun- Bowen, Vice President of the Southern Calilighted candles they carried. A holy cil of Women for Home Missions, Room 63, fornia Council of Federated Church Women. hush fell on the audience as the Jap- 297 Fourth Avenue, New York. anese and Chinese women from opposite aisles approached the central candle and at the same time lighted their candles to return to spread their light. It was so evident that the only way out was for the love of Christ to lift us all above narrow nationalism which is darkening our world. We were challenged to spread the light of His love as the only way out of the darkness which is fast enveloping us.
A Story for the
Yasha, the Refugee One Monday morning a visitor Down in the audience Karl came to talk to the whole school beamed with pride. He whis- By VIOLET WOOD, NEW YORK about health, for it was the first pered among the fifth grade day of Health Week. To all the boys, "Didn't I tell you he's Yasha stood in the school yard, children, except Yasha, it was smart?" unhappily the center of a circle like a holiday. For him it was of·· jeering boys. They were punishment, as he had to sit After the program was over with the first-graders and he Miss Inglis detained Karl and laughing and calling out "Yasha was so much bigger that he felt Yasha. "I am proud of you is a refugee! They threw him both," she said. "Yasha, you out of Russia! They threw him uncomfortable. may get your things and I will out of Germany! Yasha is a Miss Inglis made a little take you into the third grade to- Jew boy. He is ten years old day. If Karl continues to help and only in the first grade! He speech about their visitor, a you, I'll promote you until you're can't even speak English. Yasha in his class." is a refugee!" famous Russian doctor. When the doctor himself spoke, a At recess Karl told the other Miss Inglis, the principal, saw boys. He tossed off a few Rusall this as she looked down from whisper of surprise went around sion words that Yasha had her office window into the yard. among the fifth grade boys, "He taught him. The boys crowded She knew that if she called the around jealously, "How about tormentors off, she would only sounds just like Yasha!" Dr. your teaching us some Russian? add "teacher's pet" to the list of Malkin made them all laugh by Why don't we start a Russiannames given to Yasha. telling stories of germs that English club?" never go to sleep, but dig little She turned from the window "All right," said Karl, "if you to a boy standing beside her, and tunnels in unbrushed teeth and will let Yasha be president." said: "Karl, I am glad you came live happily in dirty finger nails. to see me about Yasha. I will "Sure," one of the boys an- He started a new story: "When swered, "if he's not mad at us .try to do something about it. I was a boy in Russia I was a for calling him names." belfer. Now I guess there is no What are you going to do?" one here who understands that At first Yasha could not be- "Well," Karl began, "last Sun- lieve that they wanted him, but word. Is there?" when he understood that they day we were talking in Sunday At the word belfer Yasha really meant it, he thought that school about persecution and I he was the happiest boy in told our teacher it sounded like jumped. He knew. His father what the boys do to Yasha. She had long ago been a belfer in America. said I ought to do something. I figured it out that he's really Russia. He raised his hand and Making Use of This Story smarter than we are 'cause he Dr. Malkin called on him. Yasha knows a little English, some spoke in rapid Russian, "A See how many famous Jews the chil- German and a lot of Russian. belfer is a boy leader who used dren can name. We only know English. Do you to bring the younger children think I could help him with Disraeli, twice Prime Minister of English?" home from school at night in old Great Britain. Russia when there were no "You certainly could," re- street lights. He walked at the Mendelssohn, composer of beautiful sponded Miss Inglis. "If you head and carried a lighted lan- hymns and songs. give him lessons faithfully, I'll be able to promote him much tern." Sarah Bernhardt, famous XIX cenfaster, for Yasha is a bright boy. Dr. Malkin said, "Very good. tury acress. Only his lack of English is holding him back." That is entirely right, but you Yehudi Menuhin, 21-year-old violin- must come up here and tell us ist of international fame. Several weeks went by. Yasha about it in English." was feverishly learning English Albert Einstein, mathematician, auunder the guidance of Karl. The Tremblingly Yasha faced the thor of theory of relativity. young teacher would have liked school, not wishing to tell the to bring his pupil into his Sun- doctor that he knew so little Benjamin Cardozo, Justice of the day school class, but Yasha jour- English he was only in the first Supreme Court of the United neyed every Sabbath with his grade. States. parents to the Synagogue in a near-by city. In spite of Karl's The doctor put his hand on the Stephen Wise, Jewish leader and kindness, Yasha was very un- boy's shoulder and said, "Now rabbi. happy. The boys often chased take your time, my boy. English him home shouting, "Yasha is a is much easier to speak than Ask the children to bring in current Jew boy, a refugee, a refugee!" Russian. Your Russian is per- clippings from magazines and news- fect. You do your school much papers about the Jewish persecution in Europe today. Let the teacher or credit." parent link up the story of the perse- Yasha suddenly lost his fear cution of the Pilgrims and their flight as refugees to America. and in good English told how his father, like Dr. Malkin, had been Give the children hymn books and a belfer in Russia. see how many hymns they can find, the music of which was composed by [48] Felix Mendelssohn, such as "Still, Still with Thee"; "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing."
~'!===================="~
~ OuJM!'n?;~~;sp':!~:cuS~~?Ok o71t EDITED BY MRS. HENRIETTA H. FERGUSON, XENIA, OHIO ~============~==================.~~ MISCELLANEOUS increased fivefold in Africa, Ja- introduced, and it is pervading pan and China, and sevenfold in the national life. Christianity Has Not Failed Africa. The increase since 1903 in Korea is seventyfold. There Minority Churches Who are bringing most credit were practically no Protestants to their country, and serving it in the Philippines in 1903; now The world Alliance for Intermost effectively in distant lands? there are 190,000. Seven out of national Friendship Through the asks the Central Christian Ad- everyone hundred Negro Af- Churches has adopted a minivocate. The answer is: "The ricans are now professing Chris- mum standard of liberty for missionaries." The Advocate tians-about one-half of whom churches that form a minority amplifies this answer:- are Protestants, and one-half in any country. The nine points Rom a n Catholics. Compared require: 1. Freedom to deter~ . . . The missionaries have been with Asia the baptized Chris- mine its faith and creed and life-savers; they have restrained Jap- tians in Africa are proportion- freedom from any imposition of anese raiders and rapers; they have ately over five times as numer- another philosophy or system of given first aid and hospital service to ous, and the missionaries are morals; 2. Freedom of public Chinese and Japanese alike. The pop- proportionately four times as and private worship, preaching ulation turns by thousands to the mis- many. and teaching, and freedom from sionaries. They stay, though local imposition of other religious cergovernment has collapsed and local The present number of Prot- emonies ; 3. Freedom to deterofficials have fled. estant missionaries is 27,483- mine its constitution within the or about 527 less than in 1925. limits of the laws of the state Nor are they immune from danger. Missionaries to Asia have de- and to administer its ownaf- Mission properties have been wrecked. creased by 2,345, and increased fairs; 4. Freedom to use the Nine Roman Catholic priests were in Africa by 2',158. Since 1925, mother tongue of its members in butchered-that's the exact word for the salaried staff of native work- all activities of church life; 5. it – at Chengtingfu, Hopei Province, ers has increased by one-third, Freedom to determine and conwhen the Japanese came in. Mission and now amounts to 203,468 trol the education of its minisstations have been looted. workers. There are now 17,789 ters and to decide upon their ordained Protestant nationals. suitability for service; 6. Free- The Japanese have been restrained It is significant to note that in dom to give religious education by the presence of missionaries, whom Japan during the past thirteen to their youth on the same conthey didn't dare to kill, and who years the m iss ion a r y body ditions as the majority churches would be witnesses of whatever out- dropped from 1,253 to 829, while and to bring them together in rages the invaders might commit or the ordained Japanese increased youth associations; 7. Freedom allow. Outside mission areas, the fate from 950 to 1,759. to support and carryon social of Chinese women has been a thing that cries to heaven for vengeance, In China and Japan, one out service, charitable w 0 r k and but very few Japanese soldiers have missionary activities at home dared invade mission premises. . . . of seven students of college and and abroad; 8. Freedom to use all rights open to citizens and The mission hospitals have been university age is in a Christian associations, e. g., the ownership swamped and swamped again by the of necessary property and coltides of wounded. In peace time they institution; in Korea the per- lection of funds; 9. Freedom of were the best hospitals in China, and exchange, cooperation and union their war work has been a miracle of centage is hi g her. Scripture with other groups of the same devotion, desperate toil, and personal church or with other Christian as well as surgical daring. translations have increased, the churches. largest growth being in Africa; Survey of World Missions and everywhere an astonishing All of this means simply that increase in Scripture distribu- members of minority churches The comprehensive statistics tion. should have the rights guaranof Protestant missions, issued teed to all citizens by any demoby the International Missionary But there is an arresting side cratic Bill of Rights. No church Council, is the result of two and to this survey. Out of a world is safe in a State where such a half years' work on the part pop u I a t ion of 2,095,000,000 rights are denied. of an able staff. The total Prot- there are still 1,377,000,000 nonestant Christian constituency in Christians. Progress in reach- -Christian Century. non-Christian lands has expand- ing unoccupied fields has not ed since 1925 from 8,340,000 to bee nmarked. However, into 13,036,000; or more than in the most lands the leaven has been previous twenty-two years. Communicants have, during the pres- [49 ] ent cenhry, trebled ili India;
Methodist Missions Reduced Pinewood. Two have already Orime Figures for New York been finished-The Call of Sam- The' Methodist Board of For- uel and The Good Samaritan– New York City's crime record eign Missions, at their 12'Oth and a third, Woman's Faith, is nearly ready." shows that the city mission task annual meeting in November, re- of the Christian Church is far port that war, and the domina- from finished. The New York Sun has just revealed some startion of increasingly large areas Beer "Ads" Turned Down tling facts, among them the fact by the totalitarian governments are steadily reducing the spread America's largest producer that there was a murder for of Protestantism and the possi- and distributor of short-length every day except one in 1936, bility of maintaining church in- motion picture advertising films, the latest year for which com- stitutions in mission countries; the Alexander Film Company, of plete statistics are available. As- and that freedom of religious Colorado Springs, Colo., has an- sault, robbery and larceny cases worship is meeting the strongest nounced its policy to drop ad- totaled 14,158, while minor fel- political opposition in the his- vertising of beer in its 7,782 onies reached 34,207. While the tory of Protestant missions. Op- contracted motion picture thea- major service of the Police Deposition to the work of ,the mis- ters. partment is the apprehension of sions in Japan, Korea and the In abandoning beer accounts, criminals, the prevention of conquered parts of China, in the firm is sacrificing an annual crime is also its responsibility. Italy and Italian colonies, in net income which has been ex- Constructive measures in crime Spain and in Germany was sin- ceeding $50,000. The action was prevention include provision for gled out in the report. Italian due to a belief that the other 77 outdoor playgrounds and 44 territory in Africa has become clients do not relish being placed indoor recreation centers. Morepractically impossible for Prot- in the company of beer adver- ever, the Police Athletic League estant missions, and should Ger- tisers on theater screens. This provided vents for young energy many's demand for the return of firm is reported to handle ap- in sport instead of crime, and colonies be granted it will place enrolled 34,407 members with under their domination territory proximately three-fourths 0 f attendance well beyond a million where Christian missions now such advertising in the country. in its sport events. exist; while if Franco wins in Its contracted theaters show to Spain, Protestant work is in more than 25,000,000 theater- For other measures in crime danger of being forbidden. Be- goers each week. prevention, the Police Departyond Spain, let it be remem- ment must continue to look to -Union Signal. the schools and to the churches, bered, lies all South America. and especially to the Sunday -New York Times. No Essays on Atheism schools.
NORTH AMERIOA A year ago the following ad- vertisement appeared in a Yak- Ohurch Boat in North Oarolina ima, Washington, paper: Religious Films In the isolated coastal regions In' 'Order tQ prQmQte tQlerance and a The many efforts during the brIOad-minded attitude toward reli- of North Carolina, a church boat past fifteen years to secure good giQUS questiQns, the American ASSQ- now is regularly taking religious religious films have not been a ciatiQn fQr the Advancement 'Of Athe- services to long-neglected com- ism is 'Offering prizes fQr the best lit- munities, many of which until success. England seems to be erary eXPQsitiQn 'Of arguments against the past summer had not seen a the Christian religiQn. . . . minister in more than two years. far in advance of America in this respect. The Manchester If the Christian religiQn is what its This work is under the direction Guardian recently observed that prQPQnents claim for it, it should welthe Religious Film Society is come the most searching and studious of Rev. A. H. Marshall, rector of investigation into its past, its present carrying on its program with set-up, and its possibilities fQr the fu- St. Philip's Church of Southexcellent effect. Says the Guard- ture. If it can't stand such an invesian's London correspondent: tigation, it is unworthy of the support port, N. C., and Mrs. Marshall. Together they visit isolated com- "The Religious Film Society given it. munities in their boat, the Jo- sephine Marshall, conducting and its publicity agent, the Cin- The American Association for the ema Christian Council, arranged services from the deck of the during the 'indoor' season of Advancement 'Of Atheism, therefore, boat anchored near docks, in cot- 1937-38 for over two thousand offers a first prize of fifty dollars, sec- tages, in private homes, and ond prize 'Of twenty-five dollars, and five additiQnal prizes of five dollars bookings of films, including two each for the best essays by pupils 'Of even in village grocery stores. high schools and junior colleges 'Of based on Tolstoy's Where Love Yakima County, 'On "The Folly and Despite the necessity of long Is, God Is and What Men Live Futility of Christianity." treks over swamp trails filled By. Several more new films will with poison ivy, mosquitoes and be added to the society's book- Interested to know what, if sand flies, residents of the area ing list for the coming season. any, was the response, the editor have greeted the services enthu- Episodes from the life of St. of the Sunday School Times siastically, and at times more Paul have been taken for a two- wrote the Association, and by than 100 on short notice have reel sound film, Faith Trium- return mail received the reply journeyed for miles to attend phant, which is being made at that no essays were submitted. the gatherings.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
It is estimated that more than munion work supported by the other natural resources; road 55 communities along the inland Church Boards that compose the construction to open up remote waterway are thus being served. Home Missions Coup-cil, the local areas; Indian arts and crafts; church is now almost self-sup- health service, relief and reha- -The Living Church. porting. The Rev. Harold H. bilitation. Eymann is the successor of the Cooperative Venture in I ate greatly beloved "Parson Many missionaries at work in Tennessee Tom" Stev·enson, the former the vicinity of some of these Boulder City pastor. activities are not favorably im- A new venture in cooperative pressed with all of them. Sevliving is being inaugurated at -The Presbyterian. eral feel that the Indians are Ravenscroft, Tenn., an aban- being subjected to so rapid a doned mining community. When Problems of the South change and so many new influthe mining company moved out, ences that they have been unable some sixty famili.es were left The population of the South is to make the adjustment satisfacstranded. The Rev. Ed win increasing more rapidly than torily. Tribal customs, so op- White, who has been a mission- that of any part of the United posed to Christian ideals and so ary in Cumberland County, un- States. Its excess of births over hampering to Christian training, dertook to relieve the situation; deaths is ten per thousand, as are encouraged by the Govern-. some young women volunteers compared with the national av- ment. The problem of increased were enlisted to take charge of erage of seven per thousand; drinking remains unsolved. a community house and the and already it has the most Farm Security Administration thickly populated rural area. -Monday Morning. sent a young couple to lend aid in rehabilitation through sub- The South must educate one- Chinese Presbyterian Church sistence farming. An option has third of the nation's children in San Francisco now been obtained from the min- with one-sixth of the nation's ing company on 7,000 acres of school revenues. Only 16 per The Chi n e s e Presbyterian mountain land, together with all cent of the children are in High Church of San Francisco obthe houses in the mining camp School, as compared with 24 per served its 85th anniversary in and all mineral rights at a price cent in other states. November. Although all Chiof $3.50 per acre. nese are fond of elaborate cele- The health-protection facili- brations, this occasion was a The leaders hope to secure ties of the South are limited. For simple one because of the suffergovernment loans for coopera- example, there are only one- ings in the home land. This tive enterprises at low rates of third as many doctors per capita church was organized November interest and to organize the com- in South Carolina as there are in 6, 1853, by Dr. William Speer, munity on a cooperative basis California. The South is defi- who had been a medical missionwith skilled farm and business cient in hospitals and clinics, as ary to China, and was the first management. There is, in all the well as in health workers. Many such organization of Chinese land, no more tragic story than counties have no facilities at all. outside of Asia. Since the beginthat of stranded communities in ning, the church has had Chithe southern highlands where The South leads the nation in nese pastors except for brief inmines have been mined out, tim- the employment of children in tervals. It maintains a close reber cutting completed and erod- farm and factory. One hundred lation to the communi,ty through ed hillside land depleted. The eight out of everyone thousand its present pastor, who serves wage earners are unable to move children between ten and fifteen on the staff of directors of vawhen the company moves. years old are employed in the rious civic 0 r g ani z a t ion s. South, compared to forty-seven Schools have been established -Christian Century. out of everyone thousand chil- and Christian homes set up in dren of these ages in the country China by those who have gone Churches Cooperate at as a whole. out from this c h u r c h. Ten Shasta Dam churches in China have been -New York Times. founded and supported by gifts The Home Missions Council from Chinese Presbyterians in will cooperate in interdenomina- The American Indian the United States. tional religious work for the families of the 7,000 persons According to the latest census, -Monday Morning. who are to be employed in build- about 50 per cent of all Amering the national government's ican Indians live in three states: LATIN AMERICA new Shasta Dam on the Sacra- Oklahoma, Arizona and New mento River, near Redding, in Mexico. This is an increase of Christian Education in Cuba northern California. One town 1.2 per cent a year for the past already has been built by the s eve n years. The agency in Cuban delegates to the Hagovernment and three 0 the r charge of federal activities for van a Congress on Christian town sites are being developed. Indians has an extensive pro- Work in 1929 proposed a plan At Boulder City, Nevada, which gram, which includes tribal or- for a continental federation of is another center of inter-com- ganization; increase of Indian evangelical churches, but the land-holdings; soil conservation plan met with no enthusiasm in and irrigation; conservation of
Cuba. Again in 1937, coopera- simplicity of their faith was most re- the whole community several tive fellowship was discussed at freshing. times before being invited to the Han a v a Conference on come in, but once he has gained Christian Education; and last In one village where w~ knew th~ngs a hearing, he will sit where the October definite plans material- were not right, opportumty was gIven family sits, comment as little as at the close of the meeting to set af- fairs straight; there followed such confessions and going to each other possible, preferring to let God ized at a Conference in Cama- speak for Himself through the giiey, Cuba, when, by unanimous and asking forgiveness for harsh simple, clear reading of one passage after another. Where vote, the Cuban Council of Chris- words or bitter thoughts as would put tian Education was formed. most American congregations to shame. . -Evangelical Christw,n. there has been a receptive spirit, Article I of the new constitu- he will suggest praying to God tion states "the purpose of the Fair Exchange No Robbery organization will be spiritu.al, just where they are. At fi.rst educational and fraternal, wIth C. H. Morris, American Bible their thoughts run somethmg special aim to promote the co- Society Agent in Amazonia, with like this: Is it really possible to operation of the evangelical two of the Society's launches pray to God, through J e sus churches in Cuba in the prom(jt- visited the immense archipelago Christ? Don't we need to pray ing of Christian education. It is in the mouth of the Amazon to an image, some visible nearour further purpose to enj oy the River, where most of the people by representation or representaworld-wide fellowship of the are rubber gatherers, and live Christian churches in affiliation under very unfavorable condi- tive of the far off God? Is no with the World's Sunday School tions. At one place, a man ex- other mediator necessary? No Association." pressed delight at the opportu- intercession by saint or virgin, nity to own a Bible, of which he apostle or martyr? How simply It appears that Cuba has do~e had heard but had never seen. he prays! It is just like talking more in the way of leadershIp "Read more," he pleaded, when training than most of the other the colporteur read to the end to a father! But does he think Latin American countries. There of a chapter. He paid for his that God will really hear him? is evidence of a broader and Bible with seven bunches of ba- Doesn't he need a priest? Why, deeper understanding of essen- nanas. An elderly blind widow tial Christianity and its rele- exchanged some corn for a Tes- he prays to God as though he vance to individual life. How- tament. knew Him, as though he ~ould ever, it must be noted that there see Him! Then they begm to is not the same sense of respon- In the course of this interestsibility for the maintenance an~ ing journey a great variety ?f listen to what the evangelist is extension of the Church. POSSI- commodities were received m saying; that they might know bly its nearness to the United exchange for the Scriptures. States, and the facilities there Here are some that helped to that they have access to the Fafor the support of pastors may make the launch resemble a partially explain this fact. traveling general store: 119 ther through Jesus Christ, II!ight fowls, 12 ducks, 8 parrots, 193 know their sins are forgIVen. -WSSA News. eggs., a large supply of bananas Usually, the family will start and maize, coconuts, rice, fish, daily family worship, and t~e On Mule Back in Honduras evangelist is content to leave It at that, with the suggestion that they invite their friends. Thus a congregation is formed.
-The Neglected Continent.
Miss Mabel Rowell gained a salt, vegetables and two canoe Growth by Persecution new understanding of the need paddles. in Honduras when she made a It is almost fifteen years since, two weeks' evangelistic t rip 'The s a I e s of the journey in answer to an urgent telegram, across the country on muleback. amounted to 1,897 volumes, in- missionaries of the Evangelical She writes in the Evangelical cluding 154 Bibles and 374 Tes- Union of South America entered Christian: taments. the little town of Catole de Rocha in Brazil. The story from There are no hotels in the villages Evangelism in Peru there is one of continuous persewhere we stopped, but every house cution; the greater the persecuhas a lean-to roof in front to shelter One of the most interesting tion the greater the progress; the calves, pigs, etc., during the nigh~, points in Peruvian evangelism and they will always allow travelers is its tendency to hinge around and the greater the progress the the privilege of slinging their hammocks there and usually the privilege households rather than individ- greater the persecution. This uals. Quite spontaneously, and of using their open fire in the kitchen. without comparing notes until area is a small outlaw kingdom, At one place we stayed I was awak- with two rival clans; and the ened several times in the night by a afterwards, national workers in word of the dominating clan is little fat pig who thought it would be nice to rub his back under my ham- different parts of the Republic law. While one clan reigns, the mock and incidentally on me. This other suffers, waiting opportutrip has taught me that there is no have been led to use the family nity to take revenge. Finding as the basis of their approach to such thing as private life in Honduras, the community. An evangelist favor in the eyes of the then at least in mountain sections. But may visit every family in a vil- dominating chief, the missionarthere are always compensations and lage before he finds the family ies, during their first visit. to instead of giving blessing to those dear believers I think I received. The he is looking for; perhaps visit the district were 0 accompamed
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
upon practically all of their ence have stated that there is no by the Committee, they are re- evangelistic excursions by a ser- real difference between them. turned to the Shipping Room of geant and two soldiers of the The Godless are those who lead the Committee on World Friend- State Police. Under this favor- the struggle against religion ac- ship among Children, at 207 ing wind, three churches were cording to the teachings of Karl East 19th Street, New York, erected by 1932. One was de- Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin. from which they are forwarded stroyed by enemies, but in 1938 These are not only Godless but directly to Spain. It is expected a fourth was built, and now a also Communists. Atheists are that the supply will be exhaust- national pastor is available to those who have separated them- ed before December 31st. take the oversight of the s e selves from religion, who belong churches. The work was pros- to socialist political groups but Methodists Keep Out of pering, new preaching points who have not yet accepted Com- Trouble with Nazis were established, and in his de- munism. Bishop John L. Nuelson, of sire to see further progress the -World Dominion Press. Zurich, Switzerland, rep 0 r t s young pastor invited another na- that the Methodist Episcopal tional pastor to hold a series of A Queen's Message to Youth Church organization in Germany meetings. This released a flood of bitter persecution which cul- Queen Wilhelmina, of Holland, and Austria have been cut loose minated in the pastor's forced recently celebrated her 58th from international ties and thus departure from the town to save birthday and the 40th year of have kept out of trouble with the his life. The encouraging fact is her reign. From the beginning Nazi Government. Catholic and that five or six people have been she realized that d i v i n e re- Lutheran Churches are state- sources would enable her to rule sponsored churches, their minisconverted. in peace and justice. In a broad- -The Neglected Continent. cast to her people, the Queen ters on the state payroll, so that Nazis look upon them as state urged youth to undertake great employees, and their utterances EUROPE responsibility with character, are judged as loyal or disloyal.
Freethinkers' Congress devotion, understanding and fi- On the other hand, Methodists a Failure delity. Her words have deep sig- support their own churches and nificance for the youth of today, preachers, as in America. There- The International Congress of not because of royal privilege fore, they have a degree of free- Freethinkers held in London in but because of a warm and hum- dom in speech and organization. September was considered a fail- ble faith which this great wom- -New York Times.
ure by the Russians. Their dele- an has in God. She said: Niemoller Can't Be Seen gation did not attend, but were Even at the time of my accession, I represented by an observer who was conscious of the insufficiency of Dr. Adolph Keller, of Geneva, read the speeches of absent lead- human knowledge and ability, and ers. The delicate international firmly believed that only the aid of was in Berlin some weeks ago, and asked the authorities, with- God could provide our wants. I now situation was one of the reasons look back on these forty years in the out much hope of s u c c e s s, advanced to dissuade them from light of the Lord's guidance and am whether he might see Martin attending. Information was also filled with gratitud'e. -Watchman-Examiner. Niemoller. Dr. Keller relates his conveyed from high and friendly experience: quarters, that their plan of in- Friendship for Spain To my surprise I received no resisting upon the communistic fusal. But the secret police which had and militant Godless character American children in Sunday re-arrested Niemoller knew better and of the Congress, might lead to schools and other groups are answered: "Niemoller can't be seen Government intervention and sending goodwill suitcases filled now or later."
Niemoller is to be silenced. This the suppression of the gathering with toys, clothing, soap and courageous voice is no longer to be heard. He would be free if he would as threatened public order. It is other articles to refugee Spanish reported that Russian Godless children as an expression of sell his liberty and promise to remain leaders will create an interna- sympathy. The suitcases are silent. There is a time for saying no and a time for saying yes. Niemoller tional commission to organize distributed in both Loyalist and would not be famous, if he would not future international congresses, Nationalist Spain by the Amer- be a symbol for a new type of Chris- tianity: a Elymbol for a militant under the expert guidance of ican Friends Service Committee. church, for a suffering church, for a Yaroslavsky, the i r president. The project is one which reli- church of witness who says again like The U. S. A. is suggested as the gious educators and many other Luther: Here I stand, I can't do otherwise. We speak sometimes of the meeting place of the next Con- leaders in children's work have unknown soldier. Niemoller is a solgress in 1939. found of great value in cultivat- dier of Christ known the world over, ing a spirit of international and it is a matter of Protestant Following the London Con- goodwill among children. solidarity not to forget him. gress, discussion has been stim- -Pageant.
ulated in several countries as to The suitcases can be secured the difference-if any-between from the Committee on World the terms "Godless" and "Athe- Friendship among Children at Confessional Church Leaders ist." Leaders in Moscow who $1.00 each. When filled in ac- Thus far, 77 pastors and were asked to define the differ- cordance with instructions given church officials of the German
Confessional Church have been afford meat, butter or fruit, and foreign influence, and all probsuspended from office by Nazi tea is used only as medicine. A lems based on proven facts. authority. There are 49 pastors pound of sugar costs half a day's Such a movement cannot fail to who have been forbidden by the wage. "We have nothing but revolutionize Ban t u political, hope," says Mr. Kremenlieff, agricultural, economic, social, state to enter the parishes to "but hope is strong. We be- religious and cultural organizawhich the church has assigned them. But most crippling of all lieve Bulgaria needs the Prot- tions. are the national speech prohibi- estant Christian message." He -Indian Social Reformer. tions, Redeverbote. Recent in- believes that the friendship of formation states that 41 leaders Christian democracies means Youth Oonference at Efulan much to the small nations of toof the Confessional Church are The West Africa Mission at now forbidden to preach in pub- day, and particularly to those Efulan has had its first Youth lic. Church leaders anticipate a Conference. For weeks in adbitter struggle this winter over who are making a profound vance preparations had been gothe control of church finances. ing on. The office boys mimeo- Of the 26 church districts in struggle to keep alive faith and graphed illustrated invitations Germany, 22' already have state- in red and black type. Regisappointed finance commissioners. hope. -Advance. The majority of these commis- tration tags had been cut out by sioners are men openly hostile to AFRIOA the school girls, and 300 proorganized Christianity. grams mimeographed and bound Revision of the Koran in yellow covers. A huge gaso- -Pageant. line drum of peanuts had been A professor in Al Azhar Uni- versity, Cairo, threw a bomb- shell into Mohammedan circles by demanding the revision of the shelled, roasted and ground by Visitor f'rom Bulgaria Holy Koran-to bring it in line the younger dormitory girls.
Rev. A. F. Kremenlieff is in with the times. He declared The 300 programs proved inadethe United States as a represent- that the punishments required quate. Of the registered deleative of the Union of Congre- by the Koran should be revised, gates, 125 paid six cents for gational Churches in Bulgaria, their food, and slept in the dorto plead the cause of forty Con- and cited two verses as ex- mitories. gregational churches in that amples: thieves, both men and country which were started by women, must have their hands One of the most attractive fea- American missionaries about cut off, according to the Koran; tures was the music, composed seventy years ago. and in a case of adultery, both for the occasion. One of the guilty parties are to receive 100 French teachers, a pastor's son, The first American mission- lashes. These punishments, the wrote out native tunes, and the aries went to Bulgaria over 100 missionaries wrote words that years ago on their way to Tur- Sheikh avers, are out of con- expressed the Conference theme key, seeking a field there, but formity with modern civilization. -"Christ liveth in me." finding unexpectedly a receptive His pronouncement caused such a flurry that a deputation of pro- -Presbyterian Board News. fessors and Mohammedan clergy people in Bulgaria, remained to urged an investigation to deter- Evangelical Work in Angola teach and preach the Gospel. mine whether such punishments Thirty missionaries of the Amer- are really being carried out in The President of Portugal reican Board have been in Bul- the Mohammedan world today. cently visited Angola, and mani- -Religious News Service. fested his good will toward garia, and when the last was evangelical work' in various withdrawn three years ago, be- ways. It is expected that the cause the American Board could Emancipation of the Blacks Colonial Minister will make a no longer be financially responsible for the work, practically The All-Africa Convention in- longer stay, and thus have opall Bulgarians. could read, cludes representatives of the portunity to see at first hand the largely as a result of the mis- natives of all Africa. This As- value of this work. Among the sion's educational program. sembly has just organized a re- visitors at the biennial meeting of the Evangelical Alliance was Mr. Kremenlieff says that Bul- search department to deal with the Portuguese Inspector of garia is the only tolerant coun- all questions concerning in- Schools, who was there to extry in the Balkans, and the only digenous races in Africa, which plain Portuguese ideals of edu- promises to raise the standard country where there are seven cation; and still another encourschools of American origin. The and insure the efficiency of Af- aging fact is that a colonial people are peasants, obliged to rican leadership. The movement paper, normally favorable to live very simply. The church has been launched by Africans which Mr. Kremenlieff serves as of academic attainment, who Catholic missions only, has reminister is in a town of 7,000 hope to establish study groups cently called attention to the valinhabitants, where there is not along the line of cultural, reli- uable work of Protestant misa single motor car, no piano– gious. and social justice activi- sionary societies.
only two bicycles, and two pri- ties; fundamental causes of so- Recently the Portuguese vate telephones. Very few can cial degeneration, the extent of League of Evangelical and Mis-
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
sionary Action sent out the first Christ was the Messiah. He gave Progressive Iran !?ortuguese missionary to the his heart in faith to the Master Island of Sao Tome, where he is and announced his decision to The Shah is furthering a the only evangelical worker. At the congregation of which he movement to end illiteracy by first he encountered considerable had charge in one of the cities means of night schools for official opposition, but in re- of Palestine. At first they adults, and all illiterate adults sponse to a representation made thought he was mad, but were are required to attend. The b:y the League in Lisbon, permis- soon convinced that he was in municipalities which issue per- SIOn to preach has been granted his right mind and most sincere mits to various kinds of workers and as many as, 500 people have in what he said. He had to leave will refuse to do so, unless these attended the services. his position, of course, and was workers attend classes in the for some time in Beirut, but has various cities. Another sign of -World Dominion Pr~ss. now returned to the Holy Land. progress is seen in the new Girls' Handicraft School, where home- EASTERN ASIA -The Presbyterian. less girls in normal health, be- tween the ages of 12 and 18 are Near East Christian Council Refugees Too Long given free home care, with a three-year course of training in The Near East Christian "We have been refugees too domestic science, handicraft and long," an Armenian exclaimed child care. Council is the only cooperative bi~terly. But years of disap- pomtment and the unwillingness The Christian Church in Iran group in Bible lands, and is a of nations to admit them to citi- is the outgrowth of the work of zenship or even as temporary the Presbyterian Mission in the clearing house for information residents to give them a chance north, and the Church Mission- to make good, have still failed to ary Society in the south. The o~ work for Moslems and Jews. dull the aspirations of many that Church of both these missions they may yet be a nation, able to has a membership of more than FIve new organizations. were work, live and hope once more. 3,000. About 1,000 of these are ~h.e 10!1g drawn out misery of converted Moslems, more than ' received into membership in the hvmg m wretched shacks, ruin- 200 are converts from JUdaism, ing alike to their health and a few were formerly Zoroas- 90u~cil at its last meeting, mak- character, is in Syria gradually trians, and numbers are Arme- drawing to a close. In Aleppo nians and Assyrians. mg m all some forty missions there are less than 30 families now in the camps, but in Beirut -World Dominion Press. and Christian organizations in and Alexandretta there are still 2,000 or more carrying on a pre- INDIA AND BURMA full membership. The areas carious existence in the same tumbledown and leaky shelters, Are Hindus Losing Ground? represented on the Council are on the outskirts, of the city, as 16 years ago. A Hindu writer of Bombay North Africa, Egypt, Sudan says in an article in The Mah- It is amazing that they some- ratta: "The following figures Abyssinia, Syria and Palestine; how manage to retain a sem- indicate that the Hindus as a blance of decent home life, and community are deteriorating in Turkey, the Balkans, Arabia and spotless cleanliness. A few numbers. Between 1891 and straggling plants. in an old tin 1931, the total population of In- Mesopotamia, and Iran. The can are almost always to be seen, dia increased by 22 per cent in and not far off will be found a 40 years. But the percentage of Council cooperates with Sunday wooden shed (larger and more increase of Hindus was 15 per likely to be at least partially cent ~nd hence ~hey lost 7 per Schools and Bible Societies. watertight) which acts both as cent m populatIon; while the church and schoo1. Moslems increased by 35 per One of the converts, a former cent, and hence they gained 13 The Nansen Office for Refugee per cent. As against the gen- Jewish rabbi of Poland, was rid- Work closed at the end of 1938, eral average of increase the and although strong pressure Hindu numerical strength is i~g on a train one day in Pales- has been brought to bear on lower by 7 per cent; while all League officials in Geneva re- other communities have intme when he saw a man reading garding the need to replace it creased: Moslems by 35 per by a Refugees' Commission, to cent, Christians by 145 Sikhs a small book, and asked what it look after the interest and legal 127, Buddhists 79. The com- protection of the refugees, noth- parison of population between was. r"eTphlieedN. ewThTeesrtaabmbei n~ts"ktehde ing can yet be said as to the ac- 1891 and 1931 definitely shows man tual result. that Hindus alone are losing their numerical ground. "Why do you read a book of –.,-Evangelical Christian.
fables like that?" "Since you offer such a criticism," said the man, "I suppose you are very familiar with the New Testa- ment." The rabbi had to admit that he had never read it. Then the passenger went on: "Being a scholar, I am sure you will agree that it is not proper to speak good or evil of a book until one has read it. If you hwa~ine promise to read it, you may this Testament." The rabbi promised and took the Book. He began to read and was struck with the quotations in the Gos- pel of Matthew from the Old Testament, and the claim that they were fulfilled in Christ. He had not finished the first Gospel until he was convinced that
To Whom Shall They Go? Christian-Grace. A loving South India – the Scotch Pres- . It is. impressiv~ that so many suffering God rewards you; byterian, Lutheran, Methodist, m IndIa are lookmg wistfully to Jesus, and wondering if He is faith with the gift of righteous- Syrian Protestants and Anglican the friend they need. They have -makes some observations on ness. Continue ye in it. denominationalism. His experiseen the miracle of the loaves ences, he says, made him underand fishes reenacted in times of In the Etawah district Chris- stand the difference between the famine and scarcity in the his- East and the West in this retory of Christian Missions; they tians continually suffer for their spect. In the West, denominahave come within range of the tionalism is a history of mis- Church's ministry in medicine faith. "Take these 500 rupees understandings and quarrels; in and education; hope has been and forsake your Christian reli- the East, it is a history of enrevived by the scheme of rural richment because there has been reconstruction, and they have gion-or if you don't I shall soon so much cooperation. "This good point comes from the Lutherheard of "the Bread of Life that dispossess you of your alapnod~"r ans," or "that good thing comes cometh down from heaven" and said a Hindu landlord to from the Methodists." Someare not turning away. ' This village Christian. "I don't want times when one mission fails trend is as marked among through lack of support in the aboriginal peoples as among the 500 rupees. I wreapnlty-Cahstrios~ti"shis Depressed Classes. the astonishing home field, another mission steps in and takes hold. Here and In the hills of Assam a Chris- ing because that amount of there one finds one member of a tian leader, speaking for himself family an Anglican, another a money represents at least three years' income for him. That was several months ago. The landlord has already partially made good his threat by craftily and unlawfully taking part of his land.
and his clan, made this observa- Village Improvement through Methodist; upon asking why, t~on: ~'The future of our people the Church one finds it is because one brother moved from an Anglican lIes wIth Jesus Christ: only as we are loyal to Him, can we As a project of the "Rural neighborhood into a Methodist prosper as a people." From un- Reconstruction through a Liv- one, so that often one's denomlettered villagers in the Bhil ing Church," a clean-up village ination is determined by geogcountry comes a similar state- contest was undertaken. Rev. raphy, rather than dogma – a ment: "For us, Jesus Christ is J. C. Heinrich writes in Agri- by-product of the "comity of the true Guru: He alone can cultural Mission Notes: "We missions." save us." finished our Clean Village Chal- -The Mission Field.
What Is Religion? lenge Cup Contest on April v1i6l~ Christian President of a with an inspection of seven Rev. M. S. Pinkerton, of lages that made up the finals out Municipality Etawah, North India, writes of of one hundred villages that conan unusual meeting in the city tested. We had to cover 150 When the municipality of bazaar. A crowd composed of miles of village roads in one day, adherents of different religions and anyone who knows Indian Manmad first exercised its right had assembled to hear addresses village roads will tell you that under the new constitution to on "What Is Religion?" Four that is some covering. Martin- elect its own president, it unanireligions were represented by pur took first place." Mr. Hein- mously chose Mr. C. G. Chhatre, spokesmen: Jain, Sikh Hindu a former headmaster of one of an.d Christian. One could hardly rich and all the judges had a the Zenana Bible and Medical thmk of a broader subject, and meal with the Mohammedan dis- Mission's schools, who is wellto condense it into a half hour trict magistrate who is an old was not easy. student of Forman Christian known for his fine Christian College and has been a strong character. That the first free The Hindi term dhurm is in- backer of this clean village choice should fall upon a Christ~rpreted as either religion or effort. tian, is a matter for deep satisrIghteousness. Mr. Pinkerton faction. was the first speaker on the This R u r a 1 Reconstruction Christian dhurm. He tells us movement, which has a yearly Mr. Chhatre came as a master that a "thumb-nail" summary of grant from the government, has all the talks would be: to the Mission's Paton Memorial great possibilities. As a result Sikh-Be strong; follow your of fertilization and irrigation the School when only nineteen. As Teacher. wheat crop has more than doubled, a third factor in this the years passed, his aim became Jain – Knowledge of self. improvement being the use of Know thyself to be God, all selected seed from government increasingly the glory woof nGhoid~ powerful and righteous within experiment farms. and his life and witness the reputation of being incor- ruptible in all public affairs, and satisfied with none but the very best workmanship in all he thyself. Don't beg from God. undertook. His wife was head- Hindu-Works. Do righteous- The "Comity of Missions" mistress of the Hindu Girls' Mis- sion School for many years, and ness according to the rules of Mr. A. L. Jackson, after vis- won the trust of all around her. iting a number of missions in At a mass meeting held in his your caste or sect.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
honor after the election, Brah- children be given the opportu- the importance of this work in a mins, Hindus, Mohammedans, statement he made in 1926: Mahars and Christians all took nity to become useful members part. Speaking of Mr. Chhatre's "The conclusion was driven in character, one Hindu said it is of society. It is therefore pro- upon us that the Indian villager what it is because he follows the posed that these destitute chil- is not helped unless he is helped teachings of the Bible. dren be removed to some healthy simultaneously in every phase of spot outside the city, and be di- his life, and in regard to every -The Indian Witness. Vided according to their inclina- relationship he bears to others. tions and possibilities. Those The service must be comprehen- Among the Bhils who are capable of taking an sive to get anywhere, and it must education will be put in one in- be simultaneously comprehen- Rev. J. C. Koenig writes in the stitution, where special attention sive. In other words, what is Outlook of Missions of a visit will be paid to their mental de- wanted is not reform but reconmade to Ratlam, a station in velopment. Those who have an struction, from the center out Central India (where 20,000 aptitude to learn some industry and all around." were received into the Church will be put into an Industrial within the past twelve months) School. Those suffering from CHINA to work in collaboration with the mental deformity will be put in missionary there on the manu- another institution. About 100 Can Communists Be Christian? script of a union hymnal. In the acres of land would be required course of a fifty-mile drive to carry out this plan. Rev. Donald D. Rees, of Hanthrough the district, groups of kow, has been talking with a smiling Christians were met in -Baptist Missionary Re- missionary doctor, who thought nearly every village. In some view (India). it would be well to create a betvillages all inhabitants had ac- ter understanding between the cepted Christ, in others half of Rural Reconstruction in "Eighth Route Army" and the population, seldom less. Burma Christians. To this end he has There are nearly 400 villages been traveling through Shansi. with Christians in that area. Mr. Brayton C. Case, of He everywhere met a friendly Burma, reports a Rural Recon- response. Some of the listeners These new converts are Bhils; struction Rally in connection came afterward and said that their former religion, animism. with the meeting of the Burma they, too, were Christians. He Gone now is their fear of evil Christian Council. A resolution also met a number of the highest spirits; they believe that Christ was passed recommending that authorities among the Comis present to protect them in all mission stations have Rural Re- munists, and they all told him situations. Whereas drunken- construction committees to help they had nothing but friendly ness had been all too common, village churches carryon this feelings for missionaries. It the liquor vendors are now put form of activity along the lines seemed advisable to have this in to it to make a living. Officials of improved economic life, health writing, so when he met General testify that they have ceased to and recreation. Recreation is Chu Teh, in supreme command be a police problem. thought of in terms of its wider of the Red Army, he asked him significance as including inner for a message he could carry When the first Bhil inquirers spiritual renewal as well as so- back to other parts of China. presented themselves to the mis- cial stimulus. It is urged that Here is an English translation sionary he doubted their sin- these activities become a part of of the document: cerity, so to test them he empha- the normal expression of the sized that every true Christian Christian spirit in v i II age The Eighth Route Army expresses desires that others may be saved. churches. The Burma Christian its thanks and gratitude for the kind- "Teach your neighbors and bring Council committee will work out ness and help rendered to China by them to me," he said, "then I wggested activities for village the foreign missionaries during her shall baptize you." After some Christians, and the Judson Col- war of resistance, especially to those ti~e one inquirer came bringing lege group is asked to make up doctors and nurses who work under half a village with him, all of some traveling exhibits which great difficulties and dangers. Their them asking for baptism. This may be used along visual educa- work in China not only means a great test is still applied to every in- tion lines at suitable public oc- deal to the Chinese army, but also quirer. casions. renders tremendous service to Chinese refugees and people. I hope that our Beggar Children's Village Another resolution called the international friends will continue to attention of Mission Boards to support China's war against aggres- A children's village in the the desirability of recruiting sion, and that those doctors and nurses suburbs of Bombay, where desti- rural station missionaries from in the war zone will remain there to tute children can be housed and those who have had agricultural work. Furthermore, we welcome our trained, is contemplated by the college training. foreign friends to extend further their government of Bombay. There service in aiding China by taking care are nearly 10,000 homeless, beg- The late K. T. Paul, Rural of the sick and wounded in the war gar children in Bombay, and it Secretary of the National Coun- zone. The Eighth Route Army has no is felt to be essential that these cil of the Y. M. C. A., India, prejudice against missionaries. On Burma and Ceylon, recognized the contrary, we welcome them. For our war of resistance not only fights for the independence and freedom of
the Chinese nation, but also for the About 80 were present in the about 50,000 of them, who have maintenance of world peace. In this respect our goal is just the same. morning and 70 in the afternoon. been set adrift by the tides of There was preaching, singing war. Of this number, about (Signed) CHU TEH. 40,000 are now being cared for and testimonies, including Mr. by various philanthropic socie- -The Living Church. Tung's. DR. H. E. HENKE.
Refugees Want Bibles "The Three Musketeers" ties, while the other 10,000 roam the streets. Bishop Roberts, of Refugees who, in the stress of This is the name given admir- the Episcopal Church, received getting away, left their Bibles ingly to three Murdoch sisters, a letter from the Chinese pastor behind are buying new ones, say- Presbyterian missionaries in of St. Peter's Church in Shanging they cannot get along with- Hwaiyuan, China: Doctor Ag- hai in which he said: out their Bibles. Copies are be- nes, Nurse Margaret and Teaching made available not only for er-Evangelist Mary. The war A Refugee Children's Educational retreating Chinese, but also for caught them en route to China Committee has been organized to prothe invaders. The famous "Dare after furlough, and they were vide some schooling for these unforto Die" battalion in the final stopped in Shanghai, unable to tunate children. About twenty thousiege of Shanghai were all pro- get permission to go into the in- sand are receiving the benefit of two vided with pocket Testaments. terior. While marooned there, hours' schooling a day. The Govern- It will be recalled that restric- they took charge of a hospital ment has subsidized the ChildWelfare tions placed on the teaching of for Chinese war victims which Association with a certain sum of the Bible in mission schools has had been set up in the second money to care for the orphans only. been repealed. story of the old Chinese Cham- It is hoped that after the war the ber of Commerce building. Dr. Government will be able to provide – Watchman-Examiner. Agnes and Nurse Margaret fol- accommodations for all the orphans in lowed their usual professions, the country. The Government has Result of a Cure and Teacher-Evangelist Mary been collecting orphans in various places and has sent them to the in- A merchant of Shunteh, North terior to be taken care of. It is alleged that the Japanese are also collecting stray children in the occupied zones and have shipped thousands to Japan China, Mr. Tung Ming Shao, was kept the books. In tIme the pup- for some unknown purpose. One re- port is that they are to be imbued successfully operated on for pet Chinese government of the with Japanese ideas. amoebic abscess of the liver at district, moving its offices into the Hugh O'Neill Memorial Hos- the first floor of the building, As to war widows,-the Shanghai International Red Cross gave me a pital. Some weeks later he threatened to seize the upper figure of no less than 10,952 as asked the church people to come floors. "They won't do that "women without relatives and supto his home to hold meetings, easily," laughed one missionary port" from their camps. How many are outside the camps, they cannot and those who went were given informant, "for the Murdoch sis- tell.
a handbill which Mr. Tung had ters in themselves are equal to had printed for distribution. half a dozen puppet govern- Evangelists for Manchuria ments !" The following is a free transla- Finally, came permission to go Several missions are repre- . tion: sented in the student body of the Greetings; I used to get a disease into the interior, and they Newchwang Bible School in of big abdomen. Many doctors do not started immediately. Reaching Nanking they were given the Manchuria. The latest annual know what the disease was. And also report indicates that on the fac- choice of proceeding on a they haven't any way to cure it. Then crowded military train or wait- ulty and Board of the school are ing for the regular train. They representatives of the British I went to the Gospel Hospital of west decided on the military train as and Foreign Bible Society, the surer way of arriving. The of the south suburb, Shuntehfu City. next stage was Pengpu, where American Southern Baptists, Rpformed Presbyterians and On one side their doctors did their best they stayed overnight in a con- vent; and the last lap was on a others. Twenty-one student"! to me and on the other hand, I flatboat loaded with wine casks graduated last June, and all of and piled with rifles and machine them have found work wfth prayed very eagerly to Jesus Christ. guns. Hwaiyuan reached at last, churches, schools or hospitals no one met them; no one had I only stayed there one month and my dreamed they could get through in Manchuria. Visitors to the so soon. Heads lifted as they School are impressed with the heavy disease had been cured. This earnestness of the stu den t s, came along the street – war- the consecration of the teachers, is really wonderful. And I deeply strained faces broke into smiles the administration and the of recognition. strategic location in the heart of feel that Jesus cured me by their doc- -Monday Morning. the city, where students have tor's hands. They favored me so abundant opportunity to preach the Gospel. -The Christian. much that I should like to make it known to others. Therefore, on the 11th of the 5th moon from 10 to 12 in the morning and 3 to 5 in the after- noon at #64 of Indigo Market Street, I will invite the members of the Pres- byterian Mission to come to preach the Gospel, and I will also express out my former disease to you in detail. We will be very welcome if you have time to come. I am, (signed) Tung Ming Shao. .
When the day came for the "Wolf" Children Tibet's "Gospel Inn" service, benches were borrowed from neighbors, tea and water- The "wolf" children of Shang- The Gospel Inn, which came melon seeds were prepared. hai are homeless, hungry waifs, into being through the gift of a
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Moravian convert, is now an ac- sions, who has recently returned survival from slave days, and complished fact. The wayfarer from Japan reports 2,000,000 they are so despised that even may feed and stable his horse, Japanese under arms. News and children will have nothing to do and find for himself a shelter speech are rigidly censored; with them. When boys and girls and a resting-place, and the even to utter the word "individ- from this class were invited to a needful things. wherewith to cook ualism" may endanger one's lib- special Sunday school program his food. An evangelist goes in erty; all the Church is feeling in Kyoto, the regular pupils met and out, engaging the travelers the pressure of Government reg- them with a shower of stones.
in conversation, and by word ulation. Obviously, it is not easy "What about being kind?" the and example setting forth the for a small group of Protestant claims of Jesus Christ. So prac- teachers asked. "That will do tical and picturesque a way of Christians (204,000 out of for other folks," said the chilspreading the Gospel appeals to 67,000,000) to carryon their dren, "but we won't stay if they the pilgrim, the trader, and the program, yet the wonderful come to our program." Finally, thing is that the work is going a compromise was worked out; wayfarer alike, and each goes on on, and with added emphasis. the visitors stayed in one group his way refreshed and rested. Except in the necessity for far from the platform and the He carries in his mind a mem- cautiousness of statement, there ordinary pupils near the stage. ory of Christian charity: the has been no need for curtailment As the program progressed, Name of Jesus has sounded in of the religious program of any everyone became so interested his ears. -Life of Faith. school. No school reports inter- that segregation was forgotten.
JAPAN-CHOSEN nal difficulty and several are con- By the time the illustrated talk scious of an increased sense of on the childhood of Jesus came Government Seeks Hold intimacy and Christian fellow- on, all the children crowded on Churches ship between the missionary and around the teacher, with all so- Japanese members of their fac- cial lines wiped out.
Whereas the Japanese govern- ulties. The Oral School for the -Monday Morning. ment now deals with Christian Deaf in Tokyo made application churches as individual congre- to the gqvernment for incorpora- Their Happiest Class gations, it seems likely that in tion in January, but its applicathe future they will be dealt "With tion was denied because the A young missionary teaching according to their denomina- school's charter contained the English in the Girls' School in tional grouping, if the final draft words, "based on Christian prin- Tokyo gave a written assignment of the new regulatory law for ciples." The Mission voted to on "Why I Am Glad I Came to supervision of religious bodies forego the privileges of incor- Joshi Gakuin." She was not exaccepts the opinion current poration rather than remove the pecting the comment made by among members of the Educa- offending, but very fundamental every girl in the class. Some tion Ministry committee now clause. liked the good looking uniform studying the law. It is expected of the School; others were inthat each group would be re- In evangelism the watchword terested in the frequent visits of quired to select a representative has been "forward"; in fact, the foreign guests and still others who would be responsible to the Japanese Church recognizes the were pleased with the friendly government for keeping order in work of the missionaries as so spirit of the School, in contrast his group, and for seeing that important that it is asking that with government schools; yet his group obeys government reg- more workers be sent out. In everyone of the girls mentioned ulations and who would act as a response to this request, the her joy in attending the daily liaison between the government mission has sent the following chapel service. and the group. A reporter of appeal to the Board in New The Japan Advertiser was told York: -Monday Morning. by a representative of the Education Min i s try that these The Mission wishes to put itself on Records Broken in Chosen changes are being recommended record with all possible emphasis that in order to secure a closer con- these requests of the Japanese Church All Bible Institutes and Connection between the government cannot be treated lightly and should ferences in Korea have had recand the Christian churches, and be filled at the earliest possible mo- ord-breaking attendance during to make it possible for the gov- ment. Such opportunities do not wait! the year. Not only that- stuernment to make effective use of The fact that Japan is now involved dents have manifestly experithe Christian church groups in in a great emergency simply heightens enced spiritual uplift. Growth educating the people in the na- the urgency of these requests. With- in local societies and increased tional spirit of Japan. out possible doubt Japan is the dom- efficiency on the part of leaders inant nation of the Far East, so that are most gratifying. A new Working Under Difficulty as goes Japan, so goes the Orient. phase of this Institute work has This may truly be the last opportunity been in the line or correspond- Dr. Willis Lamott, new Direc- within this generation, at least, to en- ence. There have been sent ter what is still an open door. through the mail 369 Japanese, "Water-Level People"
tor of Publicity for the Presby- J apan has a class caned 127 Korean and 3 Chinese copies terian Board of Foreign Mis- "water-level people," probably a of the Gospel of John, with about
a dozen key verses marked in red received as much attention as tirely withdrawn its financial ink and a tract entitled, "Have they should have, and so there is support, but agrees not to paryou heard about Jesus?" now under consideration a ticipate in the management of Philippine Committee of the the Church, or exercise any con- About ten days later, these Foreign Missions Conference of trol over its teaching. were followed up with a tract North America, similar to those and a copy of the pamphlet, on the Far East, India and Af- Native congregations are now "Catechism on the Apostles' rica, through which interest is raising annually $6,000 to carry Creed," which will give them the created in these fields. the Gospel to unreached heathen gist of the essential doctrines of in New Guinea. salvation. At a meeting of the American Council of Missionary Boards -Moody Monthly. The rolls of the 84 churches Related to the Philippines last were gone over, and a handwrit- March, it was recommended that New Guinea Wilds ten invitation sent to every this Council become the Philipyoung baptized man on the roll, pine Committee of the Foreign Wild tribes in the center of urging those who had never Missions Conference; that its New Guinea's mandated terristudied in the Bible Institute to functions be mainly consultative tory, visited for the first time in do so and those who had already and advisory, and that it con- 1933, are no longer isolated. entered to come and continue stantly study policies and pro- Permanent government and mistheir course. There were some- gram for Christian work in the sion outposts have been estabthing over 200 of these letters Islands. It was also recom- lished there. When the discovsent out. One interesting result mended that one of the Secre- ery of about 200,000 people in was that quite a number who taries of the Foreign Missions this interior who had never had become slack in their attend- Conference be assigned for part- heard of Great Britain, the ance began coming to church time work in the Philippines. WorId War or the League of Naagain. tions, it was inconceivable that -Evangelical Bulletin. so huge a population could have Letters of sympathy, encour- remained unheard of 'So long. agement and assurance of inter- Protestants on Moluccas But since their discovery, extenest and prayers have gone out Islands sive developments have taken from the station, as well as the place. Five government outmonthly letters and leadership The Moluccas are the spice posts, manned by European ofmaterial that go to the country islands of the Dutch East Indies. ficers and native police recruited churches. The Protestant religion was in other parts of the territory, brought there in 1615 by the and ten missions are introducing Many Handicaps Dutch East India Company, who government and church in- brought ministers as well as fluence. Numerous m iss ion Rev. Edward Adams, of merchants. For three centuries schools have been founded in Taiku, Korea, in his annual per- Christian work was supervised various parts of the plateau, no sonal report, says the political from the island Amboina, and part of which is less than 5,000 atmosphere is far from con- the Dutch government supported feet above sea level. The climate ducive to Christian teaching, the undertaking, fully aware of is invigorating; hot days, but and adds: "You may read quite the civilizing influence of the nights cold enough to require a bit into that statement without Gospel. In 1935 a new epoch many blankets. The tribes differ danger of exaggeration." Five began, when both Church and in language, type and culture; years ago a week of meetings Government felt strongly that some are war-like. would bring from 100 to 200 de- the Church of the Spice Islands cisions; today, the number sel- should learn to stand on its own A recent visitor describes dom goes over 50. Wild rumors feet. A synod was called, and some of the types. Quills, shells, are afloat as to what will happen after a constitution for the new tusks, pieces of tin, even shirt to one who becomes a Christian. Church had been drafted, it re- buttons adorn the holes punc- Permission to hold meetings ceived both ecclesiastical and tured in ears and nose. Huge rests with local officials. Mr. governmental approval. The of- bunches of leaves hung from the Adams is convinced that the best ficial ties were severed and the back provide a cushion to sit on. way to meet the situatiOl; is to independent Moluksche Protes- The skin of the young girls emphasize evangelism. tantsche Kerk came into being, shines with pig grease. Some with a synod and nine mission are painted from head to foot ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC districts. Some idea as to the with vivid red, except forehead size of this Church may be gath- and nose, which stood out in con- Responsibility for the ered from the fact that there are spicuous black. Philippines 179,458 baptized members, or- ganized into 577 congregations, A system of roads is being de- Americans have very meager and served by 437 nat i v e veloped, and the people are enknowledge of the Filipinos, their preachers. couraged to cultivate gardens. needs and possibilities. As to be Long, spadelike sticks are used expected, the Islands have not The government has not en- for this purpose.
-New York Times.
Missionary
Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information Central Africa Revisited. By D. M. Although he has spent only Even at these forbidding fron- Miller. Illus. 121 pp. 28. Africa tiers, the gates. open obstinately. Inland Mission. London.. 1938. seven years there, he has been Far back in the nineties of last century, Dr. Susie Carson Rijn- After an absence of some fif- able to delve beneath the surface teen years the author went on a hart, with her husband and intour of more than sixteen thou- and discover the depth of char- fant son,entering through the sand miles in Central Africa. latter gateway, reached the He was able to address over acter, the pathos and the humor twenty thousand people and vis- of the West African in a re- Lhasa district in Inner Tibet, but ited many of the stations and at the cost of the lives of her outposts familiar to him in pio- markable way. His experience two loved ones, and herself to neering days. be uncompromisingly ejected. has been wide, and his under- The great changes he saw in During the same decade, and facilities of travel, governments, standing and sympathy must reactions to the Gospel message, attempting entrance at the same missionary development and or- have made him a valuable mis- general Gateway, two young ganization were thrillingly en- sionary. couraging. The difficult task of men of the Christian and Mismaking a rapid tour of a great Certain chapters of this book sionary Alliance, the vanguard area is reported, and Mr. Miller are of outstanding value and inincludes vivid descriptions of of the Kansu-Tibetan Border country, the inhabitants, mission terest. The one on "West Africa Mission, reached the frontier stations and the hazardous ex- city of Old Taochow. This book citement of African travel. through the Centuries" shows an is the story of that great adven- Heartening accounts· of the immense amount of research ture, a thrilling tale of more spiritual awakening sweeping work, and will be of especial in- than two score years. These inover many parts of Central trepid pioneers, and the forces Africa are followed by the au- terest to anyone who studies histhor's reminder that the work of tory in the light of the happen- that followed, found themselves Protestant Missions in Africa at a natural divide between the must be carried on .against a ings of the present day. plains. and rolling farmlands of four-fold front – the paganism China proper and the forest clad of a passing age; Mohammedan- The author's explanations of ranges, deep ravines and grassism, the restless competitor of Christianity in large parts of native customs and superstitions covered plateaus of outer Tibet. Africa; non-evangelical activity This region during its long hiswhich is spreading with alarm- are accurate and readable and tory has been the meeting place ing rapidity; and modern materialistic civilization. show deep sympathy and love and battle ground of several branches of the human family, L. K. ANDERSON. for the African. and descendants of these still in- habit the area and struggle for Soudan's Second Sunup. By Des- Anyone with a taste for hunt- mond W. Bittinger. 1 map, 8 pages ing will get a real thrill from supremacy. Chief of these are of illustrations. 252 pp. Price, $2. the Chinese from the East, the Elgin Press, Elgin, Ill. 1937. reading the chapter on "Game Tibetans from the West and the One who has lived for many Trails," in which Mr. Bittinger Moslems from the ancient highyears in West Africa finds it re- way of Asia to the North West. freshing to read a book which tells more than one hair-raising Indeed again and again during gives one's own impressions in such a vivid and engaging way. experience. In another chapter, the decades recorded in this story, Moslems have risen in re- Mr. Bittinger is a missionary entitled: "Just what does a mis- bellion; Tibetans have made under the Church of the Breth- sionary do, anyhow?" he gives ren in the interior of the Soudan. border raids and Chinese have the intimate details of the sys- fought their way back to at least nominal control. The record of tem used by his Mission for such sanguinary struggles, plus bringing the Gospel to the peo- the awful scourge of the White Wolf savages and the more re-. ple of their district, and for edu- cent Communist commotions, make these pages a stirring mod- cating the young people.
The book is altogether delight- ful and valuable to study classes, ministers, and others interested in Africa. MARY R. GOOD.
Gateway to Tibet. By Robert B. Ek- vall, B.A., F.R.G.S. 8 vo. 198 pp. Christian Publications, Inc. Har- risburg, Pa.
There are all too few Gate- ways to the almost impenetrable Land of the Lamas – North Eastern India, Western Sze- Chwan, North Western Kansu.
Any of the books noted in these columns will be sent by the REVIEW publishens on receipt of price.
[61 ]
ern history of that far-away he tells a story – and what a Japanese people. These lectures region. story!-which, as D. J. Findley have just been published in this But the author's motive is to says, is "more like a chapter in attractive volume. They are de- record quite another struggle. It a modern Acts of the Apostles" lightful reading, characterized is that of establishing Christ's than a book on missions. to a high degree by ability, wis- rule in those unruly regions. The story is divided into six- dom, breadth of view and fre- Work among the Moslems has teen short chapters which deal quent sparkles of wit. Whoever also been carried on with cour- with the work of a young man wishes to know what is best in age and has in some instances and his wife in the inland city Japan and the Japanese, and we won their admiration and friend- of Joazeiro, Brazil. This city, trust that the number is large, ship. But to change allegiance entirely unevangelized and un- should read this book. It shows from the Prophet of Arabia to friendly to the Evangelical mis- that there are better Japanese the Christ means death. One sionaries, is located in the ma- than those who are now ravag- laria-infested valley of the San ing China. Incidentally, it helps did so. Here is the sequel: "Two months later when one Francisco River. Mr. and Mrs. Americans to see themselves and of the missionaries rode through Duncan did the "impossible," their discrimination against J apthe threatening dangers and all under the guidance and power anese in migrants as a fair- the horrors of a freshly sacked of God's Spirit. They started minded Japanese observer sees city to see if there were any to without one Christian disciple us. ARTHUR J. BROWN.
be saved, the mutilated bodies and after five years they were The Poems and Verse of Betty Scott of Chi-ko-tse and his family lay able to build a church in which Starn. Portrait. 8 Vo. 129 pp.
outside the compound gate." there were hundreds of adher- Kelly & Walsh, Ltd., Shanghai, In happy contrast to this, the ants, with a commodious build- China. 1938.
freedom-loving Chinese, whether ing, and without incurring any The name of Betty Scott Stam in rich farming regions or debt. The first Brazilian pastor is known far and wide as the among the merchants and sol- of this church was won to Christ charming and brave young misdiers of the frontier, have heard under Mr. Duncan's ministry. sionary who, with her husband, the message gladly and in city, There is need for more mis- was killed by Chinese commutown and mud-walled mart sionaries like the Duncans to nists in 1934. The "Miracle groups great and small are form- show that the day of miracles is Baby," Priscilla, was saved and ing into a self-sustaining, self- not past. Evidences of this fact is now a charming little girl, livgoverning and self-propagating that God is working would lead ing with her grandparents, Dr. church of Christ. the church at home to support and Mrs. Charles E. Scott, in The major motive of the mis- missionary work more ade- Shantung, China. sion has been however, "to send quately. A. H. PERPETUO. These poems and blank verse, a missionary to Tibet and keep Lectures on Japan. By Inazo Nitobe. lovingly.gathered and published him there." In this respect too 373 pp. $2.00. University of Chi- cago Press. Chicago. 1938. for wider reading, reveal a rethe great dream has come true. markably beautiful and poetic In these times of universal character. The earliest was Not one but several workers are condemnation of the Japanese, it written when Betty was only is well that this book should re- eight and a half years old and now holding the fort in widely mind us that not all Japanese are the last ones twenty-seven years ruthless militarists. What Dr. later. They cover many subscattered stations. Long jour- Nitobe's attitude would be to- jects-nature, family, college ward his country's present in- life, human love, and Christian neys have been taken, even vasion of China cannot be thought and devotion. They are known, for he died in 1933. But worth reading. The collection reaching to the Goloks of the we do know that he was a man makes an excellent gift book worthy of all honor, a fine schol- and, like the story of "The Trigrass-lands, and there are invi- ar, a true statesman, a Christian umph of John and Betty Stam," gentleman of broad sympathies by Mrs. Howard Taylor, may be tations and earnest intentions to and international reputation. He purchased from the China In- was an active member of the land Mission, Germantown, Pa. visit peoples in the regions yet staff of the League of Nations in Geneva for seven years. He was The Christ. By A. Wendell Ross, far beyond the border mountain president of the Institute of Pa- D.D. Fleming H. Revell Company, cific Relations in 1929-31, and at New York, N. Y. 222 pp. $2.00. ranges. In twelve courageous chapters, The book is written with fine clarity and courage and contains information and inspiration for all who are and should be mis- sionary minded. A good map, some illustrations and a compre- hensive introduction add much to the understanding of the story. J. L. STEWART.
A Missionary Arrives in Brazil. By the time of his death was chair- Dr. Ross, a Kansas pastor, places T. Bentley Duncan. 192 pp. 28. 6d. man of the Japanese Council of the life of Christ before us as it Pickering and Inglis Ltd. London. the Institute. In the last year affects people today. With rare 1938. of his life, on his ninth visit to skill he blends the facts of the In the above volume Mr. Dun- America, he delivered a series of Gospel record with the needs of can does not generalize, or lectures on the social, political modern men. The result is a preach a sermon on missions; and cultural development of the solid study of the Redeemer
OUR MISSIONARY BOOKSHELF
which has the authority of au- love for God, his sacrificial devo- value. It consists of series of thentic history fused with the tion to the masses and the addresses on the Apostle's Creed, force of contemporaneity. strength of his Christian convic- in the chapel of the Lutheran The chapters include "Jesus tions. Theological Seminary at Mt.
and Childhood," "Jesus and In the Italian artist, Leonardo Airy, by the late president of Women," "Jesus and Marriage," the Seminary. It is difficult to "Jesus and Modern Life," and da Vinci, Dr. Eastman sees also "Jesus and Tomorrow." Each the engineer and scientist born say anything new on a subject presents the treasures of Christ's out of wedlock and left in pov- Person and power as they satisfy erty at his father's death. He which has been so often disthe spiritual needs of believing did not have the schooling that people. The exaltation of Jesus cussed; but it is worth while to the Christ, the Son of the living the times offered but learned God, strikes a responsive chord from nature and in the school of have an old subject presented in in the reader's heart. The au- experience. At eighteen he came thor also shows how the evils a fresh and effective manner. and hypocrisies of Christ's day into touch with a famous natuare experimented in our day. ralist and astronomer and Ver- Dr. Jacob's purpose was not Dr. Ross successfully fulfils his rochio, a sculptor. He was aim: "to emphasize that the charged with heresy by the theological but devotional. Of New Testament Gospel will bring salvation, peace and eter- Church, was handicapped by course, he has expressed theonal life to all who believe." lack of funds but finally be- came court painter to Francis 1. logical views and he has occa- R. I. LINDQUIST. His painting of the "Last Sup- sionally raised questions that he Men of Power. Vol. II. By Fred per" nearly perished because he Eastman. 8 vo. 186 pp. $1.50. used oil paint on a clay base over has not adequately answered. Cokesbury Press. Nashville, Tenn. a damp refectory wall. But Leo- 1938. But the book as a whole is wise, nardo da Vinci's work survives. Lessons may be learned from luminous and helpful to a high each of these four famous men. degree, a tonic to faith and an aid to devotion. All who read will henceforth repeat this an- cient creed with a fuller and richer understanding of its meaning. ARTHUR J. BROWN.
The New Testament: a Translation in the Language of the People. By Charles B. Williams. 575 pp. $2.50. Bruce Humphries, Inc. Boston. These skillfully condensed bi- The Church Takes Root In India. By 1938. ographies deal with men famous Basil Mathews. Map. 12 mo. 198 in religion, art, war and litera- pages. $1.00 cloth. 60 cents paper. New Scripture translations by ture. The author is professor of Friendship Press, New York. 1938. Literature and Drama in the individuals are becoming numer- Chicago Theological Seminary The Church in the mission field is the main topic to be con- ous. While they cannot be conand has already published a sim- sidered at the coming Madras ilar volume dealing with Thomas Conference. India is one of the sidered substitutes for the stand- J efferson, Charles Dickens, Mat- most colorful, varied and im- ard versions, they are often help- portant mission fields in the thew Arnold and Louis Pasteur. world. It is the subject for mis- ful for comparative readings. Dr. Eastman draws a realistic sion study this coming year and This translation has been made Mr. Basil Mathews, who has repicture, dwelling on the weak cently visited India, has written by a well-known Baptist scholar this as the senior textbook. He points of his characters as well has a graphic, popular style, is who has made many contribuas revealing their strength and well acquainted with his subject tions to Biblical literature and and knows how to write. He exegesis, and is now Professor achievements. He shows Oliver gives a very "spotty" picture of of Greek and Ethics in Union Cromwell to be a stern, bloody India in brief compass. After de- University, Jackson, Tenn. He scribing village life and the says that "our aim is to make soldier and dictator, as well as a changing times in India, he tells this greatest book in the world religious zealot and self-sacrific- of the progress of Christianity readable and understandable by ing statesman. John Milton he and the building of the Church. the plain people," and that "this pictures not only as a poetic gen- The book has a good map, sta- is not a word-for-word transla- tistical tables, a helpful topical tion; it is rather a translation of ius, but as a political pam- reading list of eighty books and the thoughts of the writers. It phleteer, unloved by his own an index. Here is an excellent iS,the thoughts of our New Tesdaughters and h a v i n g few introduction to a fascinating tament, not its single words that subject. we have tried to translate." friends when he died at sixty Such an objective involves a risk years of age in blindness and that, in attempting to state what poverty. Francis of Assisi is a translator thinks that the in- spired writers intended to conpictured as an unusual man, a vey, he may sometimes be miswandering friar, "God's Troubadour," who exemplified voluntary poverty, humility, love and joy that was in conflict with prevail- The Faith of the Church. By taken, or unconsciously influing desire for wealth, mingled Charles M. Jacobs. 114 pp. $1.00. enced by his own theological pre- with pride, hatred and fear. The United Lutheran Pub. House. suppositions. Most Bible stusources of Francis' power are Philadelphia. 1938. dents are more desirous of know- stated as having been: his moth- We have read this little book ing just what the inspired er, his spiritual experience, his with warm appreciation of its writers actually said than in
knowing what any translator some of the great changes tak- Amos and the Famine of the thinks that they meant to say. ing place and their relation to Word; Hosea on Sin, Judgment, While the colloquial style of pres- Biblical prophecy and the future Love; Nahum on the Vengeance ent-day English lacks the stately of the Jews. The facts he brings of God; Habakkuk on the Probrhythm of the standard versions, out are of tremendous interest lems of Faith. Pastors and we feel sure that many students and importance, and the end is young Bible students will find will be grateful to this devout not yet. Read what he says, these brief, popular studies esscholar who has earnestly sought whether you do or do not agree pecially helpful. with the author in his concluto make the New Testament sions. Look on the Fields. By James more easily and fully understood. Stephen. 192 pp. IlIus. 28. 6d.
A. J. B. Impending Great Events. By John Pickering & Inglis. London. 1938. Ritchie. 12mo. 192 pp. 28. 6d. Prophecy and the Tottering Nations. Pickering and Inglis, Glasgow, 1938. Hoping to deepen interest in By Keith L. Brooks. 12mo. 100 pp. $1.00. Zondervan Publishing House, These addresses on "The Sec- the program of evangelization in Grand Rapids, Mich., 1938. ond Coming of Christ and sub- sequent Events" were delivered every land, the author has col- The editor of "Prophecy in Great Britain and in North Monthly" and author of "The and South America, but there is lected brief surveys of the work Jew and the Passion for Pales- nothing to indicate when. The tine," gives here an interesting author believes that the return in 34 different fields, made by study of Biblical Prophecy and of Christ draws near. Many modern times. This is all we earnest students of prophecy resident workers. The book has know of the author, an English- and of history agree with him man who has revised and en- and the possibility of the ap- value because it appraises the larged his earlier prophetic proach of this great event makes studies on the Last Days and the the study and preparation for it changed conditions in almost Second Coming. They are worthy every part of the world, due to government restrictions and other menacing forces.
Some encouraging features are noted, among them the in- creasing circulation of the Scrip- tures. H. H. F.
of attention, even though we of supreme importance. World Treasure Trails, Vol. II. may not agree with all the au- India. By Ethel E. Ward. Drawthor's interpretations and appli- Mr. Ritchie, whose father was ings. Paper, 50 cents. 125 pp. a well-known evangelist and Woman's M. S., Free Methodist cations. Church, Winona Lake, Indiana. Bible teacher, begins with a Mr. Brooks considers the re- study of "The Ages," and un- Juniors will like these true juvenation of the Roman Em- folds in a popular way the Bible tales of India, written by the pire under Mussolini as signif- teachings on the Second Com- daughter of a missionary-one ing, the Day of the Lord, the who loves the people of her naicant but does not look on II Rapture of Saints, Israel's fu- tive land. The stories describe Duce as the Antichrist. He ture, the "Appearing," the Mil- adventures with monkeys and quotes many political leaders, lennial Age, the "Last Day" and w i I d animals, children and scientists, historians, newspaper Eternity. The subject is too snakes; weddings and widows, much neglected by Christians. Moslems and Hindus. Each writers and Bible students to chapter is supplemented with a support his very positive opin- Why should the Day overtake us series of hints for those who ions. "Babylon," of Revelations, "as a thief" because of this neg- would follow these "treasure lect? Mr. Ritchie is a devout trails." It will be a llseful study Mr. Brooks takes to be the Bible student but he deals very book for Juniors. "Counterfeit Bride of Christ"; little with modern events. An the Red Horse and Potter's Clay index would be useful. he interprets to be Socialism and Bolshevism. In like manner he interprets the references to the Blue Skies. By Louise Harriwn Mc- "Man of Sin," the return of the Voices of the Twelve Hebrew Proph- Graw. 8vo. 262 pp. $1.00. Zon- Jews, the Jewish feasts, Apos- ets. By G. Camphell Morgan. 12mo. dervan Pub. House, Grand Rapids, tasy and the word of Christ to 160 pages. 28. 6d. Pickering and Mich. 1938. the Church of Laodicea. The Inglis, Glasgow, Scotland. This story of Christian work book stimulates us to prayerful The Minor Prophets, as they among Jews in an American city study of the Bible and the signs are generally called because of breathes a Christian spirit and of the times in modern history. the comparative brevity of their reveals a knowledge of Christ messages, are less knOWn! but as the only Saviour of both Jew Seeing Prophecy Fulfilled in Pales- not less important than. Isaiah and Gentile. The author shows tine. By Geo. T. B. Davis. IIlus. and the other "Major Prophets." acquaintance with Jews and 12mo. 127 pp. 18. 6d. net, paper. Dr. Morgan is a prince of ex- their attitude toward Christ and Pickering and Inglis, Glasgow, 1938. positors-always incisive, clear, Christians; also she reveals Mr. Davis, a Bible evangelist spiritual and practical. He deals truly the ignorance, indifference who has widely promoted the with the Bible intelligently, as and antipathy of most nominal "Million Testaments Campaign" the inspired "Word of God" and Christians toward the Jews.
in China, South America and shows the practical value of the Through the story runs a double elsewhere, has recently visited message of each prophet for the romance, with many complica- Palestine. He here describes present day – for example: tions.
Notes New Boole. Union Church in
Sudan (Concluded from second cover.) Christ Among the Telugus. Carol Rai Bahadur N. K. Mukerji, of Graham. 16 pp. 3d. S. P. G. in All Christian communities at Allahabad, was called home as he was F. P. London. Malakal, the headquarters of the taking his place in the Katra Presby- Upper Nile Province and an im- terian Church for the morning serv- Each with His Own Brush. Daniel portant center in the Egyptian ice Sunday, October 30, 1938. Mr. J. Fleming. 86 pp. $1.50. Friend- Sudan, plan to unite to build a Mukerji had been carrying on his pro- ship Press. New York. common house of worship. gram of activities and had attended the General Assembly of the United Good Morning. Louie D. Newton. Although there are representatives Church of North India late in October. 92 pp. 75 cents. Broadman Press. of the Greek and Coptic Orthodox He was the treasurer of the Assembly. Nashville. Churches, the American United Pres- For thirty-four years, N. K. Mukerji byterian Mission at Doleib Hill, the had been secretary of the North India It Will Be Daybreak Soon. Archi- Armenian Church, the Church of Book and Tract Society of Allahabad. bald Rutledge. 129 pp. $1.25. Scotland and the Church of England, He was among the first Christians to Revell. there is no Church in which any of be placed in executive charge of a these communions can worship. In great inter-Church enterprise. "To Lesson Commentary for Sunday addition to these, there are a certain meet him was a tonic, for there was Schools. Edited by Chas. Wiles number of Christian Shilluks, Dinkas, strength in his character." His duties and D. Burt Smith. 320 pp. $1.75. Baris, etc. as Secretary of the "Tract Society" United Lutheran Publication House. were hea:vy but he found time for Philadelphia. As it is impossible for any of these many outside responsibilities. For two to have their own special churches, it terms he was president of the Indian The Horizons of Stewardship. Her- was decided, at a general meeting held Christian Association and served as man C. Weber. 116 pp. $1.25. on August 16, at which all these secretary and president of the U. P. Revell. New York. churches were well represented, to Christian Council. At the time of his build a church in which each body can death he was Chairman of the Civil Guy Bullen. By His Friends. 136 pp. hold services according to the customs Rights Committee of the U. P. Chris- 58. Highway Press. London. and rites of that church, and on occatian Council and was president-elect sions to have united services. of the All-India Indian Christian As- Women and the Way. Christ and the sociation. Mr. Mukerji served for six- World's Womanhood. A Sympo- In the erection of this church, there teen years as a member of the Alla- sium. 196 pp. $1.00, cloth; 50 is no idea of speeding the movement habad Municipal Board and was Vice- cents, paper. Friendship Press. towards union. The ministers and Chairman for a number of years. He New York. priests of each church will, when they voluntarily retired from the Board but are available, conduct services accordconsented to serve as Special Railway The Wild Rue. A Study of Muham- ing to the rites and customs of their Magistrate. He was an active mem- madan Magic and Folklore in Iran. own church. ber of the Upper Chamber of the Bess Allen Donaldson. 216 pp. Provincial Legislative Assembly. He 108. 6d. Luzac & Co. London. The Sudan Government is allotting wrote: "You will believe me when I an excellent site in a central part of say that it is always my desire to do Getting Acquainted with Our Friends Malakal at a "peppercorn" rent.· my utmost to render whatever service in France. Sarah G. Klein. (A lies in my power to the Christians." Unit in World Friendship-Junior -Egyptian Mail. Grades.) 30 pp. 60 cents. Revell. New York. * Contributions should be sent to repre- Toward a Literature World. Frank sentatives of cooperating churches at Malakal C. LaubaCh, 178 pp. $1.75. For-' Or to the National Bank of Egypt. Khar- eign Missions Conference. New toum. Sudan. York.
TESTIMONY OF THE QUEEN SALOTE OF TONGA * The folloWing testimony to the influence and good achieved by Christian missions in the Pacific was recently given by the Queen of Tonga and by the Prince Consort, Tungi.
I speak as the represehtative of the women of Tonga. We are a small land, and a small people. We are only on the way in education and in the knowledge of the things and happenings that belong to the great world outside. We are not a wealthy people. We have very little money. No one is very rich, but no one is in want. Our people are a cheerful people. The root of that cheerfulness lies in two things-our faith and our land. Before the Christian Church came our people were cheerful, but they were living in serfdom and fear. They did not realize that they were serfs, but when the missionaries came with the truth of Jesus, and the King's heart was touched, he led them to realize their serfdom; then with the knowledge of God real cheerfulness came, and freedom from fear. Although they arrived at Wchheeenrfut hlneelsasn dthwroausgdhistthriebiur tefadittho, they were still poor, and had no way to show their faith. them, they were able to prove their faith. Now they are free and every one has his own land granted by the Sovereign. The freedom that they enjoy is different. If the workers "strike," everything becomes hard and difficult, and the comforts of life are affected. But such things cannot happen here. In our land no one can disturb the contentment. No one can create a strike. If a man wants to fish, he may fish. If he wants to grow yams, he may grow yams. If he does not want to do so, he does not grow them! That is the way the Tongans live. The Church is developing a healthy tone. It has its ups and downs, but we have a firm and constant faith in God. In Him is our trust. We are one with you in our desire to further the Gospel in heathen lands. There will be many providences hard to understand, but God is with us.
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The Missionary Review of the World — July 1938
1938
Religion in Turkey Today Charles T. Riggs A Visit to Dutch New Guinea J. A. Jaf/ray The Church Challenges the City Dwight J. Bradley The Power of a Woman's Faith George W. Hinman What a Down..Town Church Can Do , Frederick B. Fisher Looking to the City of Tomorrow .Charles H. Sears Shall We Discontinue Institutional Work? G. Baez Camargo 2S Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
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CLAIMED DAILY DE- THE UPPER ROOM Jti1rll to IS-Bethesda, Ohio, School Upptr contains meditations. of Missions. Mrs. John Seward, VOTIONAL CUIDE – Scripture selections and ,902 North 6th Street, Cambridge, Now Used by a Million Room suggested prayers for Ohio. People in English- and each day. Spanish – Speaking July July 11 to 19-Nprthfield Missionary Countries. Every Chris- EL APOSENTO ALTO, Conference, Notthfield, Mass. Mrs. tian desiring to have a August the Spanish edition, Gula Plummer, 330 West Emerson, family altar or some September shipped to a" Spanish- Melrose, Mass. other form of daily speaking countries on devotions lin the home Cbe exactly same price July 18 to 24-Mountain Lake Park, should have a copy of schedule as the English Mel. Interdenominational Summer THE UPPER ROOM- Upptr edition. School of Missions. Mrs. B. H. buy from the pastor of Sincell, Oakland, Md. your Church or order Room Order from direct THE UPPER ROOM July 12 to August 17'-:";Winona Lake Doctors' Bldg. School of Theology, Winona Lake, Nashville, Tenn. Indiana. Assembly. He will remain in this AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT August 21 to 27":""Chautauqua, N. Y., country for about a year, speaking By an oversight, two charts used in Institute of WorId Missions. Miss the June REVIEW, pages 265 and 291, Louise B. Woodford, 930 23d • • • in various parts of the United States. were not credited to the book, "The Avenue, North, St. Petersburg, Fla. Dr. Stephen J. Corey has resigned American City and Its Church," by from the presidency of the United Dr. Kincheloe, published by the Mis- August 23 to 29-World Conference Christian Missionary Society to be- sionary EducatIon Movement. There on International Friendship Through come President of the College of the were also two quotations on pages 286 the Churches, Larvik, Norway. Bible at Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. and 294 from the book by Dr. Robert Corey has given thirty-three years of Searle, "City Shadows," also published September 11 to 16 – International his life to the cause of world missions. by the Missionary Education Move- Convention of the Disciples of ment. We gratefully acknowledge Christ, Denver, Colo. Dr. Frederick• Sc•ov*el, Presbyterian these sources.
September 19 to 30 (tentative)- missionary at Tsining, Shantung Obituary Notes School of Missions. Mrs. Mitchell Province, China, was seriously Langdon, Tex. wounded by a Japanese soldier the Rev. Roger C. Cumberland, an first week in June. Dr. Scovel was American Presbyterian missionary to September 21 to 28-General Council, attempting to protect the nurses in Iraq for the past fifteen years, was United Church of Canada, Toronto, the mission hospital when one of the fatally shot by a Kurd at Dohuk, Canada. soldiers shot him in the side. It is forty miles from Mosul, on June 12th. reported that he has an excellent The Kurd escaped to the desert. No September 26 to 30-Southern Cali- chance of recovery. reason for the attack is known. Mr. fornia (Los Angeles) School of Cumberland was born in Verne, Cali- Mission Study. Mrs. H. M. Horn, *•• fornia, forty-three years ago, and be- 1811 Huntington Drive, South Pasa- gan his missionary service in East dena, Cal. Dr. Enrique C. Sobrepena of Ma- Persia in 1923, going soon afterward nila has been unanimously elected as to Mosul, Iraq, and then to Dohuk. October 4 to S-Warren, Ohio, School Executive Secretary of the Philip- He made long trips to the villages of of Missions. Mrs. George Konold, pin e Federation of Evangelical tribesmen, living with the people and 314 Scott Street, N. E., Warren, Churches, an interdenominational or- establishing Christian centers among Ohio. ganization representing the whole them. He is survived by his wife, Protestant movement in the Philip- Mrs. Harriet Gunn Cumberland, who October 5 to 12 – United Lutheran pines. He succeeds Dr. Higdon who went to the field in 1928. Church in America, Biennial Con- remains in America for a time, after vention, Baltimore, Md. which he hopes to return to Manila Rev. Edwin F. Frease, D.D., a to engage in interdenominational Methodist missionary in India and October 14 to 20 – American Lu- North Africa for 44 years, died in theran Church, Biennial Convention, Canton, Ohio, April 22. Dr. Frease Sandusky, Ohio. went to Bombay In 1888, and one year later was transferred to Baroda, October 20-Baltimore, Md., Institute where for 20 years he was pastor, for Church Women. Mrs. Bruce H. Superintendent of Gujarat District McDonald, 515 West Fayette St., and editor of a Christian publication. Baltimore, Md. He also translated the catechism and other Christian books into the native Personal Items language. In 1910, he was chosen to t3ke up a new work among the Mo- Dr. Sam Higginbottom, of Alla- hammedans of North Africa with his habad, India, arrived in America in time for the Presbyterian General (Concluded on page 821.) work. ••• Rev. Lewis Seymour Mudge, D.D., LL.D., after 17 years of faithful serv- ice as the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., has been honorably retired at the age of 70. Dr. Mudge has ren- dered a remarkable service, to the whole Church and to the Cause of Christ by the faithful and efficient way in which he has carried his heavy resllOnsibilities. Temporarily, he is acting as General Secretary of the Board of Christian Education for the Church, filling the place of Dr. Harold McAfee Robinson, who has been or- dered to take a rest on account of ill health.
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REVIEW OF THE WORL~ In the Foreign Mission Field O.,LAVAN L. PIERBON, Kd,tor , Endorse Calvert School ." :'l-Iome Study Courses VOL. LXI JULY-MJG.,1938 Nos. 7-8' for Children Publication and Business omce– Calvert School, through its Home Instruc- Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. tion Department, will give your child a Editorial and Executive omce– 156 Filth Avenue, New York City. superior elementary education ••• by mail, Entered as second-class matter at regardless of where you may live. Mod- Post 01llce, Harrisburg, Pa., UDder Act of March 3, 1879. ern, approved courses from this famous school are being used by parents all over 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. I"orelgn Postage, 50 cents a year. the world with outstanding success. Published monthly, except August. All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1937. Give your children the advantages of these Brill.h agents – Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, interesting lessons, carefully chosen books, London, E. C. 1 shllling per copy, and attractive materials. Instruction is 10 Bhlllings a year. under the personal guidance of teachers in MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- LISHING CO., INC, Calvert's prominent and successful private BOARD OF DIRECTORS day school in Baltimore: ROUEUT E. SPEER, J'resident t Write today for booklet of complete in- A. L. WARNBHUlB, Vice-Pres>dent W ALTIl:R McDOUGALL, 7'reasurer formation. Costs are low. DFlLAVAN L. PIERSON, Secretary PAUL J. BRAlBTEO CALVERT SCHOOL 180W. Tuscany Road SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT Baltimor. + Maryland D. J. FANT MRS. ORRIN R. JUDD Obituary Notes The great white Empresses hold WM. B. LIPPHARO every speed record to and from ERle M. NORTH (Concluded from 2d c01Jer.) the Orient. 10 days direct to Yokohama by Empress of Asia SAMUEL M. ZWEMmB headquarters in Algiers, where he or Empress of Russia. Or only served until he retired in 1932. three days more via Hawaii by Editorial Chat Empress of Japan, largest and *** fastest on the Pacific, or Empress The July and August numbers of of Canada. Connect at Honolulu the REVIEW are combined into one. Dr. Maria White, who went to from California ports. The next issue will be September, and Sialkot, India, as a United Presbywill come from the press about August terian medical missionary in 1886, From Vancouver and Victoria 25th. It is to contain some very in- died in Wilkinsburg, Penna., March to Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, teresting and valuable articles on the 20, at the age of 84. She was the Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila. Madras Conference Topics; others on first woman doctor to serve in the Details from YOUR TRAVEL the City, Brazil, Tibet. Africa and Punjab and after repeated efforts AGENT or Canadian Pacifio: "How to Interest Students in Mis- secured enough money to build the 41 offices in U. S. and Canada. sions." Miss Grace McGavran will Sialkot Memorial Hospital. She also begin her contributions on Best Meth- established a clinic at Pasrur and in ods for Promoting Missionary Interest 1910 built a small hospital there with at Home. Do not miss this number her own funds which she named the because you are absent from home. White Memorial Hospital in memory Write to give any change of address. of her parents.
*** *** Here are some recent comments't to John Elijah Case, father of Brayindicate why you and your friends ton C. Case of the American Baptist will find the REVIEW of interest atld Agricultural School in Burma, died February 8 at the age of 81. John and value: "I am an interested reader of E. Case went to Burma in 1882. Due to the shortage of missionaries he the REVIEW. I both enjoy it would not take any furlough and profit by it. You are rendering incal- stayed continuously on the field until culable service to the cause of the 1901. He then came back to America, Master's Kingdom in the world. God broken in health, and did not return. bless you!" *** BISHOP J. R. CHITAMBAR. Jubbulpore, India. Mr. Albert G. Adams, honorably retired Presbyterian missionary to *** West Africa, died on May 27th in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1902, Mr. Adams "I have been a reader of your val- heard that a mission treasurer was ued journal for a number of years, needed in the West Africa Mission and have long admired its fine com- and applied for the position. The bination of evangelical loyalty and position entailed an immense amount breadth of vision," of work in handling shipments, keep- ing accounts and dealing with all the NORMAN S. MCPHERSON, intricate problems involved in con- Vice-President, Association of nection with French Customs. In 1935, after he had served for thirty- Baptists for Evangelization' three years, the French Government in the Orient. recognized the high quality of his work by awarding him the "Order of "I think that*thi*s (*REVIEW) is one the Black Star of Benin," the highest government honor given in Africa. of the finest publications that I know. It has been a great challenge to me, [ 321 ] and I hope to acquaint others with it."
(MISS) LILA MAE CHAPMAN.
305 Adams St., Macon, Ga.
BOYS AND GIRLS'-GIVING CHILDREN A CHANCE TO GO TO THE
REBUILDING MEN-GLIMPSES OF WORK IN GOOD WILL INDUSTRIES MISSION, CINCINNATI, OHIO (see article by Richard Scully-page 335)
NARY
REVIE ORLD AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS VOLUME LXI JULY-AUGUST, 1938 NUMBERS 7 AND 8 #'fI'
Topics of the Times WHAT DO WE SEE IN THE WORLD? by the need of the Athenians for a knowledge of the true God and for the life offered through The earth is made up of material things, of Jesus Christ. animals and people. History is a series of events, discoveries, disasters, conflicts, human problems What we see indicates what we are and what and heroic deeds. What do we see when we look are our chief interests. These determine our amat the world of matter and of time? bition and plan of action. What Japan sees in China and the Chinese is vastly different from In an automobile men see different things ac- what the Christian missionary sees-and these j:!ording to their interests, experience, viewpoint. They see a beautiful piece of mechanism or a pile different viewpoints lead to opposite courses of of junk; a wonderful invention or a mystery; a possible joy-ride or a vehicle for business; an action and opposite results. . expense or a means of profit; a family asset or an engine of destruction. The summer is here, with its opportunities for What do you see in a sunset-a "weather work and play, for travail or travel, for self inbreeder," a mass of clouds and sunlight, a wonder- dulgence or for service. Where and how will we ful picture or an evidence of the glory of God, the Creator? and our families spend the summer if we have an opportunity for choice? There are factories and There is a similar variety and contrast in the offices for constant toil; there are summer reway men and women look at the heavens on a ~orts where the world, the flesh and the devil clear night, on a school, a church, on the Bible, hold sway; there are camps and summer conferor on money. In a baby some see a cute play- ences that offer opportunities for Christian felthing, others a nuisance, an adorable bit of hu- lowship, wholesome recreation and spiritual manity, a son and heir, ransom money, the mak- growth. Which will we choose? ing of a possible criminal or a future servant of God and benefactor of mankind. How differently, The Christ-centered and Christ-controlled life too, men look at a cross! has a different viewpoint from that of any other life; and the results are different here and will When the hosts of Syria came against Israel be through all eternity.
"The things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal."
and besieged the city of Dothan, Elisha's servant NEW STEPS IN JAPANESE SHRINE saw only horses and chariots and an enemy's WORSHIP army; but when his eyes were opened he saw horses and chariots of fire-the encircling hosts It seems self-evident to many Christians that of God assuring victory. the act of obeisance at the Japanese State shrines In a multitude of people did Jesus see only a transgresses the implications of monotheism and mob or possible commercial asset? No, He saw violates the explicit requirements of God as found hungry, straying "sheep without a shepherd"; in the first and second commandments. This is He saw men and women whom He had come to so fully borne out by a careful study of State save. At Athens, the apostle Paul was not im- Shinto, that it comes as a distinct shock to find pressed most by the wisdom of the Greeks or by some Christians willing to bow at these shrines.
the beauty and expense of the Parthenon, but to direct students under their care to attend and [323 ]
bow, and to influence Christian leaders to ac- necessary for such arrests, and no trials are quiesce. Imperfect apprehension' of the moral held, but these people are told that if they will implications may explain this tragic anomaly. do obeisance all else will be forgiven.
In the ancient and modern conflict between At meetings of Christian organizations the de- Christ and "Cresar," the issue eventually becomes mand is made that they adopt resolutions favorclear. The significance of the attitude of mind ing obeisance. When one Presbytery met, the which the Japanese Government desires to de- town was filled with soldiers and Christian leadvelop in every subject of the Empire is becoming ers were told that the town was under martial evident-namely the entire subservience to the law, that failure to obey -orders meant death Japanese State and the worship of "spirits" other and that resolutions "must" be passed approving than Jehovah. Recent events in Korea are mak- obeisance at the shrines, even by the Presbytery ing it clear that the ultimate question that Chris- itself. Such pastors and elders as were suspected tians and churches are facing there is that of of opposition 'tvere detained at the police station, monotheism or polytheism. while weaker brethren were' persuaded to pro- pose such resolutions. The small affirmative vote Weare convinced that if Christians yield to was heralded as the action of that Presbytery! Government requirements that students attend When the men detained at the police station were and do obeisance at Shinto shrines, later demands released and wished to rescind the resolution, will lead to further acquiescence in Shinto wor- the police declared that such action would not be ship. Two missionary teachers who attended the tolerated. shrine were soon ordered to make offerings at the shrines. No official, whatever he might say about Some Christian congregations are also being the act of obeisance, can deny that the offering coerced, as in one province where the Governor of sacrifices to "spirits" is a religious act. When ordered the churches each time they met to go in missionaries have declined to make such offer- a body to the Shinto shrine and do obeisance. If ings, their educational qualifications have been there was no shrine in the village the church rescinded. was ordered to erect one on its own property. In this province, an oath of allegiance to Japan must When a Christian School Board declared that be repeated in unison by those in the church; it would do all that the Government required, the the Japanese calendar must also be substituted missionary principal (who had done obeisance) for the Christian calendar. Such "regulations" demurred, but the Board members told him there corroborate the conviction that the Government was no difference between obeisance and meet- intends to force "obeisance" upon the whole popuing other requirements. In connection with the lation. A year ago, in another province, it was war in China the orders of the Government show announced that a Shinto shrine would be erected what is at the core of State Shinto worship. On in every village, and each household would be September 21, 1937, the Japanese army invading ordered to contribute toward the cost. When China was halted and prayers for victory were Christians objected, "pressure" was exerted to offered to Amaterasu-Omi-kami (the Goddess of compel contributions. Heaven). On February 11, 1938, the whole Empire was ordered to go to the shrines and pray The issue is being drawn more and more defor victory. Christians, formerly excused, are no finitely and more and more clearly it is seen that longer permitted to absent themselves. The police the issue is actually:-"Will the Christian Church in Chosen hIve volunteered the information that do obeisance at Shinto' shrines to 'spirits' other they are driven by the military, "who look upon than Jehovah?" Amaterasu-Omi-kami as their god," to compel the Christian schools to do obeisance. A missionary says, "We are tryipg to live up to our Lord's words in Matthew 22: 21. … There Coercion, in various forms, is being used to is no danger of God's demanding the things that make it appear that "right-minded Christians" belong to Cresar, but it is a historic fact that have no difficulty in doing obeisance. All Chris- Cresar has often demanded the things that belong tian gatherings have long been under police sur- to God. . . . We do not pretend that conditions veillance, with special severity in the case of those here are as severe as those in the first three Christian bodies which have shown scruples about centuries (under Rome) ·but the differences are doing obeisance. All over the country people are rather of degree than of kind." being urged to purchase "Kami-dan" (I!'od shelves) and small replicas of the shrines, and to Christians need to awaken to the facts in reinstall them in their homes. Once installed, these gard to this struggle between Christ and the must be treated with special reverence. Japanese Cresar, and to aid in the effort to keep Christian schools and the Christian Church from Christian leaders in Korea who will not do entering the road which is likely to end in aposobeisance are being imprisoned. No warrant is tasy. To many a Japanese subject, the demand
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
"Choose ye this day whom ye will serve" is a terian Church U. S. A., on the other hand, was terrible reality. the first ecclesiastical body to vote to approve cooperation with this proposed "World Council THE UTRECHT CONFERENCE-"THAT ALL of Churches." MAY BE ONE" Those who become members of this fellowship Last summer's interchurch conferences, at Ox- will appoint members of the Assembly of 450 ford and Edinburgh, were followed by a special members, which will include lay and clerical, men delegated conference at Utrecht, Holland, May and women. There will also be a Central Com- 9th to 12th, called to plan for a proposed World mittee of which Dr. Visser t'Hooft of Holland Council of Churches. This Conference was pre- and Dr. Henry Smith Leiper of New York were sided over by Dr. William Temple, Archbishop of elected secretaries. York, and was attended by about fifty-six delegates and twenty-five other representatives from At the Stockholm Conference in 1925 the twenty-one countries. Many denominations were slogan was "Doctrine divides; service unites," cooperating, including the Old Catholic and Greek but at Utrecht the conviction was that there must Orthodox churches. Among the delegates were be a solid foundation in a Christian faith that Dr. Francis C. M. Wei of China, Mr. Thomas unites. The doctrinal basis, unanimously adopted David of India, Dr. John R. Mott and Dr. A. L. for submission to the various churches, had as its Warnshuis of the International Missionary Coun- main point "the acceptance of our Lord Jesus cil; Dr. Kenneth S. Latourette, of Yale; Dr. S. M. Christ as God and Saviour." Representatives of Cavert of the Federal Council of Churches of some groups-such as the Unitarians and Czecho- Christ in America, Dr. Adolf Keller of Switzer- Slovakian Church-objected to this basis, but land, Dr. J. H. Oldham, Wil1iam Paton and the without avail. Archbishop of York, of Great Britian. The proposed World Council of Churches will The Conference unanimously adopted a form not attempt to judge orthodoxy or to exercise of constitution, recommended for the World authority over the constituent churches. It will Council of Churches, which will be submitted to be consultative and cooperative, not legislative. the various constituent bodies for their criticism or approval. A provisional Committee was appointed to carry forward the work of the Conference, with Reporting on the Utrecht Conference, Dr. La- the following members from the United States: tourette says, "In our day, as in no other, tbe Dr. J. Ross Stevenson, Dr. John R. Mott, Bishop Christians of the world are beginning to come to- George Craig Stewart, Dr. A. R. Wentz, Dr. Samgether and to find in their common Lord a bond uel M~ Cavert and Mr. Charles P. Taft. which is stronger than the rising divisions of Whatever may be the differences in opinion as to the feasibility of such a World Council of international jealousy and hatred. Growing Churches, or the methods and characteristics that should mark such a Council, there can be only Christian fellowship in a divided world cannot sympathy and admiration for those followers of but give to thoughtful souls convincing evidence Christ who seek to fulfil His prayer "that they all that in the Church of Christ is a superhuman may be one, even as thou, Father, art in me ann T power that makes for love and trust." in thee, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me." AJl While practically all truly Christian churches disciples of Christ are called to form a united believe in promoting unity of spirit and harmony in operation among all followers of Christ, there stand against paganism, atheism and materialism, against sin and selfishness and to promote a are strong differences of opinion as to how these united faith in Christ with a growth in loyalty, objectives may best be brought to pass without love, cooperation and sacrificial service. compromise in matters that are considered essentials. The United Free Church of Scotland, for example, considered the subject at its recent As Dr. A. L. Warnshius says: "The mission- General Assembly and proposes to withdraw from ary significance of the proposed Council consists the ecumenical movement on the ground that their in the recognition of the world-wide character of affiliation would "endanger the whole position of the Christian Church. A .primary purpose of its religious freedom, religious equality and volun- organization is to make visible the essential unitv taryism for which the United Free Church has of the churches throughout the world that are i~ contended and suffered." "State Churchism vs. agreement with the doctrinal basis stated above.
Free Churchism," the historic Episcopate, and co- The possibility of now organizing a wor1d-wide operation with some church bodies that are con- Council of Churches is accepted as a demonf1trl'l- sidered "non-evangelical" are among the dangers tion of the results of the missionary service of the to which objection is made. Church. "Ecumenical" means the "inhabited The recent General Assembly of the Presby- world," and that includes more than North
America and Europe. Christian missions have from India, Dr. Stanley Smith from China and now made it possible to speak of an 'Ecumenical the veteran Secretary Robert Speer picture the Church.' The form of organization of the pro- world's need and the proved sufficiency of Jesus posed Council is based upon the experience of the Christ to meet it; and finally, on the last great day International Missionary Council. of the feast, the presentation of the Report of the Assembly's Standing Committee on Foreign Mis- "The missionary work of Christ is not finished, sions, with its courageous, forward-looking resobut only well begun, and it will necessarily be lutions – all this constituted a program not one of the primary responsibilities of the Council, likely to be forgotten by Commissioners or when organized, to cooperate in the advancement visitors. It renewed assurance of the fulfilment of missionary endeavor everywhere, so as to of the promise of the retiring moderator's constrengthen and extend the churches in every part fident sermon, HI will build my Church." Dr. of the world. The realization of the missionary Foulkes calle~he Church, with impassioned apresponsibility of the Council in its service is es- peal, to believing prayer and consecrated effort, sential to the achievement of its purpose; other- both in behalf of suffering China and sinning wise it will become merely an academic debating Japan, and for all mission lands, where, though society. Missions are no mere department of the the harvest is great and the laborers few, yet the life of the Church, to be remembered only by a Lord of the harvest is wonderfully blessing both minority of its members. The whole life of the the sowing of the seed and the garnering of the whole Church must be directed to the fulfillment sheaves. of its world-wide evangelistic mission." The fact that this Assembly was entirely free MISSIONS AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY from the doctrinal and judicial contentions, which have disturbed and saddened many recent As- It seems hardly possible that any future meet- semblies, and that many enc()uragements were in ing of the Presbyterian General Assembly, at evidence that seem to point toward an early releast for fifty years to come, should surpass in union of all branches of the Presbyterian order missionary signficance the Sesqui-centennial As- and the ultimate fulfilment of our Saviour's sembly, with its two days of pre-assembly con- prayer "that they all may be one," contributed ferences, which convened from May 24th to June greatly to the missionary inspiration of this As- 1st in Philadelphia's Municipal Convention Hall. sembly. Great encouragement was derived also Even the distinctively Foreign Mission Centennial from the fact that, in spite of the current financial Assembly of last year can scarcely be compared recession and the disturbed state of the world, with it. Everything seemed to combine to make the Board of Foreign Missi()ns has received more it a record Assembly. More than 150 of the than $500,000 toward its special Centennial Fund Church's missionaries were present; the Board of a million dollars for the reinforcement of a de- Exhibits were most appropriate and attractive; pleted missionary force and the restoration of the arrangement and atmosphere of the great missionary salaries. The group of consecrated "Hall ()f Fellowship," beneath the huge Conven- women present, who had just come from a week of tion Hall, left nothing to be desired for the meet- soul-stirring conference at Buck Hill Falls, were ing of old friends and the making of new, within enthusiastically, if not enviously, applauded 011 and with()ut the missionary group itself; the in- their report that, instead of raising a mere half spiring foreign mission gathering after the Evan- of their Centennial allotment, they had raised gelism Conferences, followed by the delightful every dollar of it. The Presbyterian Board, fellowship dinner the next day; the world-wide though made tragically short-handed by many Communion service of more than 6,000 after the recent retirements from its executive staff, yet Moderator's sermon; the Women's Reception to rejoices in the finding of able and devoted sucmissionaries; the Stewardship Breakfast and the cessors for some of the veterans, and is devoting Men's, Women's and Young People's Fellowship its energies to the development of new plans for Dinners for 6,000; preaching by scores of mis- increasing its official and field efficiency, and for sionaries through all that region, in churches of calling the finest new recruits to the colors. The many denominations; the Vesper Prayer Con- new Century of the Church's Foreign Missions ference led by Dr. Cleland McAfee, with reports opens with a cheer.* COURTENAY H. FENN. from all the mission fields and intimate intercession: the gathering of many thousands in the • The Rev. Charles W. Welch, D.D., of L()uisville. Kentucky, was Great Hall, the platform crowded with mission- elected moderator to succeed Dr. William Hiram Foulkes of Newark; aries and Board officers, to hear Mrs. Carruthers and Dr. William Barrow Pugh of Chester, Pennsylvania, was elected Stated Clerk for a five year term to S1Icceed Dr. Lewis Mudge, who is honorably retired at seventy years ()f age.
in Turkey
By the REV. CHARLES T. RIGGS, Istanbul, Turkey For forty years a missionary of the American Board THERE appears to be prevalent an impression his capacity as Sultan. One illustration of the that Turkey has thrown off her Mohammed- power of the Moslem religion over the Ottoman anism and is trying to go along without any State. was in the fact that the Sheikh-ul-Islam, religion. To understand what has happened, we who was the highest authority in the Moslem relimust first distinguish between official and per- gious courts-the Chief Justice, so to speak, of the sonal attitudes. Officially, the United States might Mohammedan Supreme Court – was the only be said to have no religion, since Church and State power legally entitled to pronounce a decree deare entirely separate. But that would be mis- posing the Sultan. Now, in these Republican days, leading. Officially, Turkey has pronounced herself when the dominance of the old Sultans is held to to be entirely secular; but religion is ingrained have been the cause of the many disasters to in the life and thought of her people, as it always Turkey, this union of religion with the highest has been. secular authority is regarded as a calamity. Steps have therefore been taken to abolish the power There is no such anti-God movement in Turkey of the Moslem clergy for the purpose of preventas exists in the United States of Soviet Russia. ing any return to the old absolutism and tyranny There is in Turkey no organized attempt to eradi- such as existed in the days of the Sultans. cate religious faith and sentiment; any such at- tempt would be rigorously opposed even by the Unfortunately, in the process, much of the secular Government. Nor has there been any at- ethical influence of the clergy has also gone. The tempt to get rid of the mosques, or even of Chris- abolition of the old mosque schools for children thin churches or Jewish synagogues. Religious and the more recent abolition of the medresse, or worship goes on in hundreds of churches and in theological schools, the reduction of financial aid thousands of mosques, without hindrance. It is from the State to mosques, the forbidding of the true that many old mosque buildings, long prac- use of clerical dress on the streets, the abolition tically disused for lack of adjacent Moslem pop- of all civil compulsion in the observance of Ramulation, have been condemned and torn down. It azan (the annual month of fasting) and finally is also true that churches have either been torn the suppression of the early morning "call to down or diverted to other uses, where the Chris- prayer" on the ground that it woke many people tian population has disappeared. But these facts up who did not wish to pray at that time-all are not proof of anti-religious feeling. While the these and other new regulations have given the Turkish State is absolutely separated from reli- religious leaders an inferiority complex. They gion, the Government has taken over the manage- feel that their authority is gone, and the average ment of the mosque properties, and repairs or man no longer looks up to them as the models in renovations are made by order of the Government all things ethical as well as religious. which also sees to the payment of the clergy. As One of the most ominous results of modern reg- to the Christian churches, the Government is try- ulations is, that in the secularization of all schools ing to regularize the affairs of each and to prevent and in the suppression of mosque schools, chila misuse of church funds by appointing some one dren no longer have any religious training aside for each church who shall be directly responsible from what they may receive in their own homes to the Government for the correct use of its funds; from their parents. Since the reading of the this person is to be one designated by the church Koran in mosques is still in the Arabic language, itself. and since no school lower than the University is To understand the situation in Turkey today, allowed to teach Arabic, children no longer com- mit the Koran to memory or learn its precepts. one must remember the centuries during which And with the suppression of the theological semthe religious and secular powers were united; when the Sultan was also the Caliph, and was inaries, one wonders just where Turkey will obmore powerful as Caliph than as Sultan, his reli- tain religious leaders of the future; certainly they gious dominance was paramount. In those days, will not have the preparation they formerly rethe Moslem clergy had a strangle hold on things ceived. There is a course in Moslem theology ofsecular, through their influence with the Caliph in fered in the University, but at last accounts there [327 ]
were no students who had enrolled in that course! pupils are all of Christian families. The Arme- The larger mosques, and to a certain extent the nian day-schools have thus kept on with their smaller ones, are still frequented by worshipers, religious lessons; and one of the Mission schools especially during the fast-month of Ramazan. In in Istanbul has its Sunday services in a separate some places, owing to the substitution of Sunday building; these are attended by Armenian girls for Friday as the weekly holiday, one finds more only. As for leadership – priests, pastors and people attending the mosque at the noon prayer ministers of Christian churches of all denomina- on Sunday than on Friday. Yet in most mosques, tions are on the same footing with the Govern- Friday is still the great day and often there will ment as are the imams of mosques.
be many hundreds in each of the larger mosques Further, the publication and circulation of of Istanbul for the noon prayer on that day. Christian literature is not forbidden in Turkey, Popular interest in religion in Turkey is notice- and many Christian books have been on sale for able in another and more unusual way -=In the a long time:….' Strangely enough, and without sales of the Christian Scriptures through the apparent reason, after a Turkish translation of Bible Society colporteurs. Those parts of the new Fosdick's "The Manhood of the Master" had translation that have been issued in the new alpha- appeared, all copies were confiscated by the Gov- bet have met with a good sale; and many Turks ernment, and the publishers were told it was "un- are reading the New Testament to find out what desirable." But this prohibition was not on the this Protestant Christian religion is. The Bible ground of its being a religious book. The Gov- Societies have opened a new store on the main ernment pUblication office itself has in recent years street of one of the great business quarters in issued translations of European biographies of Istanbul, with an attractive show-window where Jesus and of Mohammed; and now, within less open Bibles are constantly displayed; and these than a year, it is hoped, the entire Bible, in mod- attract much attention from passers-by. There ern Turkish and in the Latin type now adopted, is, and has been for many years, a weekly sel'vice will be issued from the press. This should meet of worship of one of the Evangelical churches in with a good reception.
the Turkish language; it is a rare Sunday when A comparatively new development along reli- two or three or more Turks are not present-men gious lines is the interest shown in the history of who are professedly Moslems, but who wish to the early introduction of Christianity among learn what Evangelical truth is. Turkish tribes. A book has appeared by a Turk There has been considerable misunderstanding on this theme, showing the extent of the early as to the attitude of the Turkish Government to- prevalence of Christianity in central Asia among ward Christian communities today. These are not Turks; there has also been published a book by being interfered with, except in certain individual the celebrated historian, Dr. Fuad Keuprulu, on cases in cities remote from the centers. There "The History of Religions Among the Turks"
are scattered groups of Gregorian as well as Prot- (192'5), in which he gives considerable space to estant Armenians in many towns in Anatolia, and this matter. A philosophical work by Prof. Hilmi each of these conducts its public worship. In Ziya, of the University of Istanbul, "Turkish Talas, near Cresarea in central Asia Minor, the Philosophical Thought," treats of the same sub- Protestants were told they could go to the church ject. Recently a long article appeared in one of in Cresarea, four miles or more away, but were the Turkish dailies, Cumhuriyet (Dec. 13, 1937), forbidden to continue their worship in Talas. referring to three recent Italian publications on This was decreed by a peculiarly hard-hearted this topic, proving that Christianity existed in governor who has since been removed. In Sivas, the early 13th century, before the days of Marco a little farther east, the Gregorians have likewise Polo. The author of this newspaper article read a been forbidden to gather in their church. But paper at the Historical Congress held at the invi- with rare exceptions, services go on wherever tation of President Ataturk in September last, in there are Christian groups large enough to sus- Istanbul, in which he set out to prove that Chris- tain such. Four Evangelical churches in Istanbul tianity had already penetrated among the Turkish continue their services as usual without hindrance. tribes by the second century after Christ. He is The question of Christian Sunday schools has convinced that the supposed Nestorians, who in- been more difficult, because of the name "school," troduced Christianity into China about the seventh which led the Government to classify them as un- century, were themselves Turks. He cites with authorized schools not under the Department of hearty approval the writings of Dr. Alphonse Public Instruction. Where Sunday schools are Mingana of the John Rylands Library at Man- known as Services of Worship for Children, they chester, England, who takes the same view re- go on unhindered. Another concession of the garding the early introduction of Christianity Government has been in allowing religious in- among the Turks.
struction to be given in day-schools where the Such studies, and the idea that many of the
A VISIT TO DUTCH NEW GUINEA
early Turks, before the days of Mohamm~~,:wer~ .it is certainly true that there is a more open- Christians will undoubtedly help counteract the .. minded attitude among them toward the claims nationalistic opposition to Turks bec9ming Chris- of Christ, especially if this can be dissociated tians today. We rejoice in all such light as can from any political connections with so-called be thrown on the early spread of" Christianity in Christian nations. Nationalism is still rampant Central Asia, as having ,~ direct bearing on the in Turkey and whatever presentation can be made attitude of the descendants .of those same Turks of the Gospel, it must be free fr.om any attempt today. to interfere with this. Thus we may hope for an While one cannot point to any wide-open door increasingly favorable reception of truth as re- among the Turks for the preaching of the Gospel, vealed in Christ.
o Q HaJmahelra /) U ('j THE DUTCH EAST INDIES-SHOWING MR. JAFFRAY"S RECENT JOURNEY TO DUTCH NEW GUINEA A Visit To Dutch New Guinea A Letter from R. A. JAFFRAY, Makassar, Celebes ~- Missionary of the Christian and Missionary Alliance W ITH the exception .of Greenland, New The trip to New Guinea and back to Makas- Guinea is the largest island in the world. sar took me twenty-four days, stopping en route I have recently returned from a visit to at fifteen different places, . three of which are this almost wholly unevangelized territory. Every in New Guinea. A map will show the location new tribe we reach with the Gospel adds a link of the three new fields that we have definite in the chain that will bind Satan for a thousand hope to enter with the glad Message of the years, and hastens his eternal doom. No wonder Gospel. Also in my possession I have a number he tries to hinder. of good pictures of native Papuans, most of which
are not presentable as originally photographed. million American dollars have already been ex- Our Bible School at Makassar is producing able pended at Babo. They evidently have faith for oil! Have we faith for souls from the interior of native Christian workers for the field, and we this great unknown, unworked field? At Babo it want to find new unreached fields in which they was a pleasure to meet Americans-geologists and can do pioneer work. We believe that the Lord aviators, who are working for the joint oil conwill provide the right men and women, mission- cern. They had flown over much of the interior of this part of New Guinea and gave me much in- formation about these' recently discovered areas, where we want to go with the Gospel message.
Again I felt that, if men for oil and for gold will leave all and go to the uttermost parts of the earth, why dO'-hot missionaries go with the Gos- pel? If they spend huge sums for that which will perish, why cannot we carry the imperishable Gospel to those Papuans of the interior who have never-dying souls to save? One hundred and twenty more Americans are expected to arrive at Babo during the year. When shall we begin to work for the precious souls of men who still sit in darkness and in the shadow of death?
We then sailed around to another port, the largest port of this part of New Guinea, Fak-fak.
One Chinese merchant said that he had heard me preach in Makassar ten years ago, during my first visit to Makassar.
Mr. Cator, the Assistant 'Resident, has done a deal of rough work for the Government in the in- terior of Borneo, and is now doing much the same kind of work in New Guinea. Modestly he told me of his experiences, by sea, by land, afoot through the jungle, and by air. He has discov- ered lakes in the interior, and many new tribes of Papuans hitherto unknown to the world, people who have never been to the coast, for there was no road from their villages to the coast until the Government made a trail. These people had con- sidered themselves the sole residents of this world.
A NEW GUINEA HOUSE OF BAMBOO, IN THE JUNGLES I had asked the Lord to lead me to the right people, in order to get what information was These houses are built from twenty to thirty feet above the ground, necessary to start Gospel work among these hith- for protection from their enemies.
aries from home and Chinese missionaries, to go erto unknown tribes. He surely answered prayer as His pioneers to these uttermost parts. and led me to Mr. Cator and others who knew the Our first stop, after leaving Makassar, was facts, and were willing to help. Mr. Cator prom- Ambon, a Christian island, the result of some ised to do all in his power to recommend us to the three or four hundred years' labor by Dutch mis- Government for permission to work in the newly sionaries. We had several important interviews, discovered lake regions. When one comes in the gathering valuable information regarding New name of the Lord, even to the borders of these Guinea, which is under the control of the Govern- lands where Satan has indisputable control, the ment of Ambon. Brigadier Woodward and his enemy tries hard to cast an indescribable gloom wife, of the Salvation Army, were very kind and over one's soul, and to destroy faith for the on- helpful. A number of earnest Chinese Christian ward triumph of the Gospel to every place where friends knew us, as they are readers of The Kalam Christ is not named. At this stage it all seems Hidoep (The Living Word), our monthly Malay such an utter impossibility.
magazine. The Papuan of the interior of New Guinea is Our course was eastward to New Guinea, and perhaps the most degraded of all the races of the first port was Babo, an oil town, though the mankind. He has sunk lower far than the Dyak, oil has not yet reached the surface. Some twenty "the wild man of Borneo." He is not only a head-
WHERE WEST MEETS E'AST-AN AIRPLANE LANDS AT BABO, DUTCH NEW GUINEA hunter, but a cannibal. He kills and eats his hu- for sin." The Christ of the Cross transforms men. man victim. Can the message of our Gospel save In New Guinea we also met Dyaks. We cQuld him? Can he too be transformed? We have seen the wild man of Borneo tamed, and become a never mistake them. They had been brought over humble, devoted follower of the meek and lowly to New Guinea by the oil concerns to work as Jesus-yes, thousands of them. But, can He save coolies. As I looked at them, and then at the and change the Papuan also? It is the supreme Papuans-like a flash of light it came to metest of the power of our Gospel. He has done it; Dyak evangelists from our Bible School will come He can do it; He will do it. over here, and teach these Papuans to love and trust, and to serve the wonderful Saviour that The man of the world, who does not know the they have found! The Dyaks I met were not transforming power of the Gospel, says that it Christians, but there are many of our Christian will take generations to raise these people out of Dyaks here in New Guinea, and we will yet find the deep mire of sin and superstition into which them. Yes, "the wild man of Borneo" will yet be they have sunk. But, as never before, I believe the bearer of the Message of Salvation to the still that the Gospel which we preach is "the power wilder man, the Papuan of the interior of New of God unto salvation to everyone who believeth." Guinea. A leading Dutch official, whom I met, By the Holy Spirit,this message of the Life, the was impressed with the idea, and heartily ap- Death and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus proved of the missionary working with Christian will instantly transform and cleanse the vilest Dyak evangelists among ,the cannibals of New heart and life, even though a man be a pagan Guinea. cannibal of New Guinea. By believing in the Saviour, he becomes "a new creature" in Christ A clear distinction must be made between Jesus. As one has said, "The blackest, vilest, Dutch New Guinea and British New Guinea. most debased, most debauched,polluted, filthy, Also, it must be remembered that much noble unclean, hard-hearted, evil-tempered, lying, covet- work has already been done by the Dutch Misous, thieving, murderous, gray-headed sinner that sions, especially on the northeast coast of the ever tottered on this side of the grave, is reached island. One has said, using a rather unfortunate and broken, and wonderfully saved and trans- figure, that the Gospel has spread in some parts formed by Him Who hung between two. thieves of this northeast coast of New Guinea like an epi- demic! All credit to the brave men and women
who are working in these parts. Most of them, ing. Shall we let them sink, and not even give however, are far distant from the part of the them a warning call, or offer them the helping fields of which we are speaking. Some work on hand of full and free salvation that is to be found the southwest coast has been done, but it is mostly only in our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ? . in the port towns, and among the mixture of races who have settled there. Where we plan to go, no 3. The Wissel Lakes District one else has gone with the Gospel. We have made it quite plain to all with whom we have spoken These newly discovered lakes lie down the that we will not tread on the toes of any other southwest coast of New Guinea, and may now be missionary, for there is plenty of room. The reached from the little port called Oeta. With Roman Catholics are attempting a good deal of no little hardship, a way has been made from the work in Dutch New Guinea. coast to these lakes. The trail is not yet complete, but will be i~. better shape a little later his year. 1. The Amaroe Lake District Mr. Cator lost his way once when attempting to cut the trail through the jungle to the lakes. He This lake lies in the midst of the northernmost was deserted by his men and had to return to the part of New Guinea, known by the Dutch as coast, but finally made the perilous journey, and Vogel-kop, or Bird's Head. The lake forms, as it found a wonderland of three lakes, some 4,500 were, the eye of the bird. Lake Amaroe is reached feet above the sea, and a popUlation of some from the southern coast up the Kaiboes river. The 20,000 friendly Papuans. His last trip took him port town is Temin-aboeah. From this town, a three months and a half. Mr. Cator has since Government trail has been recently completed to made the trip by air, and has made further in- Lake Amaroe. It is not by any means an auto- vestigations, his hydroplane alighting on the lake. mobile road-only a trail, a walk of two or three He tells us that the people were not greatly excited days. "Rest Houses" have been provided on the by the sudden arrival of a hydroplane. The cliway. A garrison of 100 native soldiers and three mate around these lakes is very fine and he is Dutch officers with their wives are now stationed anxious that missionary work be opened among there. One of the three Dutch officers is a doctor. these people. They are of course primitive, still I was assured that a lady could be carried over living in the stone age, and know nothing yet of this road without trouble, as even a frigidaire and the use of iron. Like other such unknown races, a billiard table had been transported to the lake! they are uneducated and uncivilized, but they are by no means stupid. They are called the Kapauku The immediate population of Papuans around tribe which means the "Mountain Man." Other the lake is estimated at about 5,000, and there is tribes may be reached by motor boat up the rivers in the whole district a population composed of which, at times, can be traveled for 100 kilovarious tribes of about 15,000 or 20,000, no one meters. Let us pray till they are reached for Him. knows exactly how many. The chief tribe is called the Mention tribe. There seems to be no Here is another world to conquer for the Lord reason why missionaries may not go there as soon Jesus. Who will hear the call, for not only are as the proper Government permission is obtained. these people calling, but the Voice of the Lord is All along this southwest coast line of this north calling, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will section of New Guinea there are rivers, along go for us?" Too many at home say, "Here am which there are peoples who know not that there I, and here I stay!" Who will say, "Here am I, is a Saviour. Lord, send me, even to New Guinea!"
2. The Island of Misool Over one hundred American men and women are coming to Babo, New Guinea, this year for This island lies off the south coast of northern oil. How many are coming to Misool, to the New Guinea in a southwestern direction. It has Amaroe Lake region, and to the Wissel Lakes an estimated population of 3,000, of whom two- plateau, to seekAost souls for the Lord Jesus? thirds are pagan tribes of the interior. The re- We will never ~rest till the missionary places his mainder are nominal Moslems, living in the coast feet on thisunteached soil, and claims it for the towns. No missionary work is being done at all Lord Jesus. 'lfhe missionary promise is, "Every in Misool. It seems to us to be the devil's island. place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, We have been recommended by the Missions' Con- that have I given unto you." Let us ask, and ask sul at Batavia to take up work in Misool. The largely, for the Lord Jesus has already asked for island can most easily be reached from the south "the uttermost parts of the earth" for His poscoast of Vogel-kop (Bird's Head). Here is an- session. He has' also said, "All power is given other challenge. Dare we ignore it? If we let unto me in heaven and in earth-Go ye therefore these people sink and perish in their sins and superstitions, under the awful sp~ll of Satan's . . . and Lo! ·r am with you all the days, even power, are we to be held guiltless? They are sink- unto the end of the Age."
Church of Christ Challenges the
By the REV. DWIGHT J. BRADLEY Pastor of the Union Church in Boston, Mass.
I AM not sure that the word challenge is the one seems interested enough in them to speak to best word to use in this connection. I should them even though they live in the same building prefer the word invite, for, while the Church or lodging house. of Christ certainly does challenge the city in important ways, it invites the city in a way that is Such a condition of human relations constitutes far more important. This is the conviction de- a very definite challenge by the city to the Church. But instead of talking back to the city, as it were, veloped and matured through a good many years and telling the city how impersonal it is, and how of experience. sullenly it ignores the people who live in its area The word challenge suggests a tension, and a -instead of answering the challenge with a chal- kind of almost belligerent attack to resolve that lenge-I think that the Church must set about the task of creating within the city's area a kind of tension. The word invite suggests a kind of per- friendly oasis, so to speak: that is, a "nurturing suasion which, if persuasive enough and if heeded, fellowship."
could render belligerency unnecessary. While it Cities are strange creatures, and have been such would be cowardly to ignore tensions that actually from the time of Thebes and Babylon, Rome and exist between the Church and the city, the Church ancient Jerusalem. Cities bring out the best there may well exercise persuasive power to the utmost is in human beings, and also the worst. Cities in an effort to meet the challenge of the city, provide unsurpassed opportunities for intellectual, rather than to meet the challenge with a counter- resthetic and social creativity and enjoyment. On challenge which might make persuasion far less the other hand, cities tempt men to superficiality, effective in the future. vulgarity and social deterioration, such I;S the Putting this in another way the chief under- countryside or the village or the small town could never know. Thus, the city represents civilization taking of a city church ought to be that of active at its highest and at its lowest-and in about equal friendliness in all its relations, both with its parish measure. The city is like a great divinity and a neighborhood and with the city as a whole. One great beast at the same time. But whether diof my colleagues recently said that in his opinion vinity or beast, one thing the city of itself can the Church, especially the city church, should be never be; it cannot be a neighborhood, a fellowa "nurturing fellowship." The implications of ship, a community where men and women as a this apt description are many.
City life tends to be terribly impersonal. In whole may feel truly at home. If there are to be this regard it differs greatly from life in the coun- within the city, neighborhoods, a fellowship, a try and the small town. There are certain advan- community, then some other agency than the city tages to be found in the city's impersonality; must be responsible. I contend that of all the there is likely to be less gossip and less of that things a city church can do and must feel under barbarous cruelty which the too personal exist- obligation to do, this is the most important. ence in some village communities seems to encourage between individuals and groups when these There may be other agencies besides the Church are not under the rule qf Christ. But even so, that cando this, but. we are interested in the there come times when th~ city dweller, especially functiOn of the Church in doing its part in helping if he arrived originally from a small town, could human beings find their way into a simple, almost wish to hear some gossip, and would be friendly, sustaining, nourishing fellowship.. Our almost willing to take the risks of heartless mis- Christian conviction is that of all forms of fellowunderstanding, if only he or she might really know ship, the Church has the best to offer, since it is a someone well enough to be gossiped about, or even fellowship based essentially on the fellowship beto be subject to the torture of a sadistic tongue. tween God and men and women, made most pure and most wholesome by the presence of Jesus The pastor of a city church becomes used to hear- Christ. Here is something that cannot be found ing people complain wistfully that no one notices in any club, in any social settlement or in any them, or seems to care anything about them; no other association.
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The Church, therefore, invites the city people problem of contemporary secularism made more into the fellowship of God through Christ, and in- complicated by all sorts of fugitive paganisms- to the fellowship of the body of Christ. It promises still each section or stratum of the city's life pre- an experience of real communion through wor- sents its own peculiar challenges. The Church ship, through prayer, through constructive and must know its own neighborhood well enough to helpful work, through happy self-expression, and be able to "spot" the situations definitely as they perhaps most significant of all through that sheer arise. Having "spotted" them, the Church must sense of being at h.ome which is what we all crave. know with whom to cooperate and how to render In seeking to provide this, the Church comes effectual aid.
up sharply against forces in city life, and these All this having been said, it ought to be repeated plainly throw down a challenge. These are some- that the chief business of the city church is to times so openly sinister that we realize that they create and ~aintain the nurturing fellowship, by constitute a menace to the very existence of the inviting the city people to enter, and by providing fellowship we are seeking to maintain. The that feeling of homely and friendly security which church in Boston to which I minister is surrounded human beings crave. If the Church develops any on every side by such forces: liquor shops, gam- illusions about being able to "save" the modern bling dives, cheap pool rooms, as wen as little city merely by engaging in schemes and move- pockets or nests of viciousness and hidden crime. ments for this or that reform, the time of disillu- One can literally feel the presence of evil; and sionment will not be long postponed. Salvation yet, in the midst of all this, there live people and by outward reform is found to fail; while the families of pure Christian quality; on the streets constant, quiet persuasive effort to redeem the are playing hundreds of children who are as yet city-not by some great stirring crusade nor even unsoiled by the filth of the environment. What by some spectacular evangelistic campaign, but can we do? We can invite these people and fam- by invitation and nurture and pastoral care.,–will ilies into the church fellowship; we can gather at do more to promote the Kingdom of God in the least some of these children into the Christian city than any "activism" could ever do.
community; but by doing no more than this we Reform is necessary, of course, and a certain have only begun to touch the problem that our amount of the Church's energy must be spent in neighborhood presents. such undertakings. And no city church can prop- Here is where Christian social action comes in. erly do its work as a nurturing fellowship unless The housing in our part of Boston is inexcusably it is constantly on the look-out for opportunities wretched. It is inexcusable that gambling, liquor to develop an interesting program of boys' and selling and hidden vice should flourish in seeming girls' club organization, games, plays and pag- security. It is inexcusable that children should eants, creative handiwork, week-day kindergar- be obliged to play in the streets where traffic is a tens, mothers' clubs, motion pictures, and all such constant menace. It is inexcusable that any city wholesome activities. These, however, should be should tolerate such outward squalor and such derivative aspects of the greater enterprise, which insidious evil. It becomes the duty of the Church, is the nurture of the fellowship through the Chris- therefore, to do whatever it can in cooperation tian community of worship, prayer and ever-in- with social agencies, with the police and the city tensifying faith in God's love as expressed through government, and with individuals and groups, to Jesus Christ.
fight back the encroachments of evil, and to make When I first entered my present field of work, a positive attack upon the network of problems raised by modern social decay and by a decadent it was thought that we might institute a kind of economic system and political corruption. To do religious experiment station in Boston's South this requires the wisdom of serpents as well as End. I have long since abandoned that notion. the harmlessness of doves. It requires courage A church must not be used as an experiment staand patience, backed up by common sense and tion, for it cannot become such without becoming a species of monstrosity. The people of a church Christian devotion, and implemented by the best are not "guinea pigs," upon whom an aspiring available knowledge of sociological and psycho- parson may tryout certain social and ethical thelogical, as well as practical political techniques. ories. Far from this, a church is a church whether In different sections of the city, the problems it be set down in a city or set up in a suburb or vary somewhat, at least in degree, from those we set out in a country town. And a church is a bit face in Boston's South End. In each case, in each of the Church-a cell in the Body of Christ. The parish, it is necessary to know what the problems task of the Church is fundamentally the same in are in order to be able to attack them with any all places: namely, the establishment on earth of effectiveness. While the underlying problem is a community as nearly as possible like the com- common to all sections of any modern city-the munity of Heaven.
"A CHARGE RATHER THAN A RETREAT"
The city throws down a challenge to the Church that the Church may find itself under moral oblito settle such a community in its midst, despite the gation also to make effective use of the knotted hindrances which city life inevitably puts in the cords as Jesus did. Nor does it preclude the posway. The Church best answers this challenge by sibility that the Church may let itself be led, by repeating in deed as well as word the invitation the city in its sin, to that Calvary of sacrifice and of Jesus to the whole world: "Come unto me, all suffering which, in the final term, always proves ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give to be the spot from which the redemption of all you rest." This does not preclude the possibility earthly cities invariably comes!
"A Charge Rather Than a Retre,at"
I By the REV. RICHARD E. SCULLY, Ph.D., D.D.
1)1- Executive Secretary, Good Will Industries, Cincinnati, Ohio ~==============================~ I T IS notoriously true that the Church has he had a change of heart. This is what he says: tended to run away from areas that become a "Let us look now at another problem of city moral and spiritual wilderness, to fields where church work which cuts across the strategy, mes- the pastures were greener. In downtown Cin- sage, and program. It has to do with desire on cinnati a marked trend in the last thirty-five years the part of the churches to seek the greener pas- has been the merging or moving out of churches. tures which lie over the fence. For ten years we Especially has this been true in the west down- have been seeing a scramble on the part of all the town area. In this section sixteen Protestant denominations to pre-empt the locations in grow- churches have closed their doors. The chief fac- ing suburban communities where a future for tors that have contributed to this retreat are the Protestantism was bound to exist. The writer of shift of population and the economic inability of this paper was probably the most guilty of all men the present people to support churches. Such a at this very point. He went up and down his situation calls for "a charge rather than a re- bailiwick preaching over and over to people that treat." the huge investments of denominational money In his volume, "The Economic Sources of De- should be taken out of unproductive downtown nominationalism," Richard Niehbuhr has shown centers and should be located in productive sub- that from the beginning of Christianity the estab- urban home areas. Nor was this wholly untrue.
lished religious bodies have tended to neglect the On this basis the Society for which I work spent people called "disinherited." He gives many illus- many hundreds of dollars in producing a survey trations of this' process· of passing by these of the church work in the three counties served wounded people, "on the other side." by our' Society. The opening chapter of that book, Large tenement house sections are considered which had my entire sympathy and approval at unproductive from the standpoint of the Church, the time, was a discussion of a map which showed and a spirited debate has gone on whether to the areas in these three counties which probably spend missionary money in such areas, or in more would be the least productive places in which to promising fields. The other day a minister of a establish churches. By varied degrees of shading fine hill-top church remarked that the City Mis- these maps also pointed out the best of the happy sionary Society should stop sinking its money in hunting grounds and those in-between places hopeless areas, but should put it in newly devel- where there was a fair chance of livelihood. But, oped suburbs where people are building homes, somehow, I am not so greatly impressed with that and can afford to support the church. map. There is growing on me, instead, a feeling Without question new suburbs of the middle that churches should be erected and programs car- class people should be churched. Denominational ried on, not from the standpoint of whether a Boards will see to that. But, from the missionary successful church can be developed, but from the standpoint, whether we should take missionary standpoint of the need-condition of a community."
funds from blighted areas to put in more prom- In our more blighted areas, in Cincinnati, where ising fields is a serious question. The head of a the little ones have been called "The Children of city missionary society in a large city at one time the Shadows," we have not altogether made the was convinced that this was the best policy. Then mistake of deserting these areas where the need
was great. In fact, we have strengthened rather Visits also revealed the fact that there were than weakened our ministry in the basin 'of the many handicapped people, physically, mentally, as well as economically, and that these people city. wanted "not charity but a chance." Out of this At five different points, weak churches were need grew the Good Will Industries, with its workshops, offering work opportunities instead of combined into one charge, and a stronger per- alms. (See Frontispiece.) sonnel made possible by the uniting of funds, in addition, a deaconess assigned to each one of these In eighteen years almost three quarters of a combined charges, and a more able pastor ap- million dollars were paid in wages to handicapped pointed. Very good results have been obtained. people.
Another wise allocation of funds strengthened The little mission church has continued to the hands of a struggling little mission in the preach the Gospel through its Sunday services poorer section of the city. The church superin- and, in due "time, was able to build a beautiful tendent of missions, instead of spreading thin the little Gothic structure which has portrayed the funds that were available, concentrated them in beauty and dignity of religion. this one point where the need was outstanding. The result has been that there has grown up a Delinquency was recognized as being one of the strong church and missionary institution that great problems of this field, so the facilities minhas commanded the respect of the city. From a istering to boys and girls were greatly enlarged little struggling mission, with an annual budget in the way of play rooms, gymnasium, library, inof $2,200, it has grown to an institutional church dustrial clubs, art, music and character building with a budget running from ninety to one hun- activities. Now the Children's Settlement Departdred thousand dollars. This has happened in a ment registers about one thousand persons. field where eight other churches of that denomination have moved out, and eight other Protes- Through proper support and enterprise, other tant churches also. activities were made possible. The institution, seeing the plight of children in summer, on hot A survey of this great tenement house section city streets and in uncomfortable homes, with tuberculosis taking a large toll, purchased a onerevealed the fact that 95 % of the people were hundred-acre farm and established a fresh air camp for the children of the tenements. This was renters. The density of the population had so a boon, for the "children of the shadows" now increased that in comparison with a growing had glorious sunshine and beautiful country to suburb to the west, it was found that there were take the place of their dark homes. When Spring fifty-two times as many people per acre in the arrives the children can scarcely wait until they tenement house section as in the suburb of middle- can make the trip to their "country club," as Jane class people. Addams called her fresh-air farm for tenement house children. The Public Health Survey reported twice as much disease among the tenement house dwellers Still another need was apparent, and that was in this section as among those living in the proper housing of elderly people. One day an op- portunity presented itself when a former college suburbs and in separate homes. building was abandoned" and the building was of- The State Department of Charities and Cor- fered to the Good Will Institution for its use as a Home for Elderly People who could not purrection reported that 70 % of the inmates of hos- chase their way into an expensive home for the aged. Here they may live together in good felpitals, jails and workhouses came from this lowship, the only requirement being good charcongested area, and the census tracts show a acter and ability to pay room rent at a minimum majority of delinquency of the city is in this basin cost. area. In this "Wesley House," as it is called, town "In making a charge" on this blighted field, one meetings, entertainments and religious meetings of the first things which was done was to establish are held. The building was fortunate in having a playground for children who have no other parlors which afford a delightful place for fellowplace but the city streets and the near-by railroad ship meetings and entertainments. yards, always involving danger to life and limb. In all the activities of this work, established in While the little mission continued to preach the the West End of Cincinnati in 1918, religion has Gospel, supposedly to "the poor who heard it always been the motivating force. Contrary to gladly," yet not very much progress was made. the view of some social workers that you cannot The people had physical, social and economic carryon a religious enterprise with social work, needs to which the mission had paid little or no this institution has always maintained religious attention. services in all of its varied departments.
Discovering that many women were breadwinners in their families, and were forced to leave their children with neighbors who gave them inadequate attention, a Day Nursery was established.
THE POWER OF A WOMAN'S FAITH
It is, very difficult to judge the results. With- petitor to the pool room,. gambling joint, and quesout question many hear the Gospel gladly, and are tionable dance hall. happy to have a well-ordered church with good appointments for their own kind, not feeling at Here handicapped men and women find not only home in churches where fashion 'and culture a physical and ther~peutic value but also a moral count more. and spiritul value in earning their own way in the industrial department rather than being pau- Without question, too, rough-and-ready boys re- perized and morally broken by accepting relief. ceive something when they apply their hands in building aeroplane models, doing linoleum block When some of the younger people marry and work, building radios, and working in their Junior move off to the better suburbs, and still retain Achievement workshops. The boys also come in their interest in the church, one feels that the off the streets to play in game room and gymna- money invested and the seed sown in the tenement sium under efficient supervisors. house wilderness has not been sown in vain.
Without question there must be value in the set- This enterprise has come into being because a tlement social rooms, where young people meet City Missionary Society, instead of calling on a under right auspices to sing and play together in mission church to beat a retreat, gave it support good fellowship. Such a social room is a com- to make a charge.
The Power of a Woman's Faith* -~ I By the REV. GEORGE w. HINMAN, Foochow, China 1)Be- FAITH in the power of God has been the mo- mits that Madame Kung, by her faith in the fu- tive power of every social revolution which ture of China and her executive ability, has has brought nearer the realization of the vis- greatly helped her distinguished husband in the ion of better things. And it has been frequently remarkable reorganization of China's finances. the faith of women which has helped the world The third daughter, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, in the midst of danger and discouragement, still has borne witness to her Christian faith. The to endure and to struggle against pride and power story of her rescue of her husband, supPo.rted by and greed, against the aggressors, the tyrants faith and Io.ve, has become like the message o.f the and the exploiters. stars: "There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their sound is gone out There is no reason to doubt that the faith in the through all the earth, and their words to. the end heart of Madam Soong, a humble Chinese woman, of the world." It is literally true that the testiliving in restricted circumstances with her hus- mony of Madame Chiang, and her brave and reband in western America, inspired and stimulated sourceful work in rescuing her husband from his ,the faith of her three daughters, who became captors in Sian, has gone out thro.ugh all the earth. Madame Sun Yat Sen, Madame H. H. Kung, and One American paper paid more than fifteen tho.u- Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. They have, in their sand dollars for the publication rights of the turn, brought a new and unquenchable faith to story. That may be regarded as an indicatio.n of so many men and women of the new China. How how pro.foundly it interested all the rest of the much the Chinese owe to that humble woman, wo.rld. who first learned the source of all faith in a little Christian school in America, where the overseas Students of Chinese history know that this is Chinese were welcomed and taught the spirit of not the first or the o.nly time when a wo.man's faith' Jesus Christ! and courage have profoundly affected the future of the nation; but probably never before have History has not yet recorded the great share such faith and courage been motivated by such taken by the oldest daughter, Madame Sun Yat trust in Him "who hath showed strength with His Sen, in upholding the faith of her husband, the arm," the Almighty God and Father of all men, founder of the Chinese Republic. Everyone ad- who is the defense of the weak, and the champion of the poor and the humble. All men of every * Part of a baccalaureate sermon preached to the graduating class land should be glad that General Chiang wa:s great at Hwa Nan College, January 2, 1938, by Dr. G. W. Hinman of the American Board MiSSion, Foochow, China.
enough to recognize and acknowledge the Chris- me I" Mary's joy at the message of the angel is tian faith and resourcefulness of his wife, and to paralleled in the lives of myriads of women who record that obscure verse in Jeremiah (31: 22), feel just as truly that the Lord has called them found in his daily Bible reading: "The Lord hath to definite service. created a new thing; a woman shall protect a man." The reason why women have a special power to save their country and society by their faith is But it was not altogether a new thing. Ever that their faith is not uncertain and wavering. since the days when Deborah "arose as a mother Origen, one of the successors of the apostles in the in Israel" and sang the song which is recorded early Christian church, said: "Christians hold the for us in Judges 5: 1-23, down to the days when world together." It is even more true that Joan of Are, that peasant girl of seventeen, women hold the world together, by their unrallied the crushed and demoralized French quenchable faith in ideals. Women are conservaarmies, and led them to victory and to the crown- tive in the be~t sense. They "hold fast that which ing of King Charles VII-throughout all the his- is good" in human relations. One philosopher has tory of civilized men, nations have again and taught that the development of the sense of moral again been saved through a woman's faith and obligation in the human race began with the inleadership. creasing dependence of children upon their mother, and her increasing response of protection Nor do we need to go back to remote history to and care. Though the males of animals forget find instances of the power of a woman's faith. and desert their young, the mothers show, with One of the Shanghai papers has just issued a spe- each advancing step in evolution, an increasing cial supplement reporting the faith and courage faith in the future of their offspring and an inof the Chinese women in this critical period of creasing responsibility for their preservation and China's history. The paper begins with a glow- care. ing editorial saying: "The glory of the Chinese woman, as exemplified by her heroic deeds and Another reason why we are so often saved unselfish devotion to duty while her beloved coun- through a woman's faith is that women are not try fights for its very existence, will live forever only more sensitive to the "voices," as was Joan in the history of the Chinese nation." In a text- of Are, and more steadfast in following their dibook which every middle school student in Foo- rection, but also more daring in what they atchow reads, written by a woman teacher in your tempt in carrying out the call of duty. Nowadays neighbor school, we are told of the faith of Kath- we have become accustomed to the march of solerine Wright, who helped her brothers to carry diers following the drum beat. But not only in through one of the greatest inventions of all ,times, these critical times – always in fact, there have the aeroplane. There is also given the story of been many women as well as men who "dared to Edith Cavell, who nursed the soldiers in the World walk to the beat of the drum that they alone heard, War and gave her life because she helped the and who kept step with that drum regardless of wounded prisoners to escape from the German circumstances." The faith in God that "endures army. Her faith in the cause of the allies, and to the end" is found perhaps more frequently her witness that we must have not only patriotism among women. The courage that dares and enbut love for our enemies, was one of the greatest dures is the central pillar of the home and the lessons to the world that came out of the Great nation. War. Women are the champions of faith, because The reason why the faith of a woman has so their lives are always an expectation of "the joy often been the decisive factor in the success of a set before them" (Hebrews 12: 2), in the birth man or a nation, is that women more often than of children and the successful growth of those men feel in their hearts: "The Spirit of the Lord children in the world. Even if they do not receive is upon me." They may not often express the the promises, "they have seen them afar off, and message in words. There are not many like Jane were persuaded of them, and embraced them" Addams, Maude Royden and Muriel Lester, who (Hebrews 11: 13). Beyond their own families can publicly proclaim their faith in peace and women are thus led to be the guardians of faith in righteousness and social justice; but, even though a better world, the preservers of all that is good, voiceless in public assemblies, many women yet and the prophets of that which is better just know that they are "anointed to bring good ti., ahead. dings to the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to comfort all The failure of the Church after nineteen centhat mourn." How many women, in their hearts, ~uries to occupy the world more completely is due, rejoice to sing, in the words of that old Negro III large part, to the failure to fulfill Christ's hymn, "I know the Lord has laid His hands on prayer that they might all be one.-Daniel A. Poling.
A Christian Martyr From
The Story of a Tibetan Who Died for Christ -ef I By ALFRED D. ZAHIR, an Indian Christian I j3t-.- ~============================~I JESUS CHRIST has the power to draw out of which the Christian preached. The wdrds en- men the best there is in them. Out of Simon, tered the heart of Shunar, and made him think of the hot-headed, impulsive fisherman, He drew religion as he had never thought before. the steady man of rock. Out of fiery John, the son of thunder, He drew the man of tender, strong "What can this saying mean," he thought as the love. Ever since that clouds received Him out of Christian delivered his message? "My religion teaches that we may not look for any peace in this men's sight, He has been drawing men of all ages world, nor seek for any comfort of soul until we and of all climes. Men of every rank, high and have attained nirvana (the complete extinction of low, in every nation savage and civilized, in every desire). Who is this teacher who says: 'Come generation of all these centuries have felt the unto me and I will give you rest.' " thrill of His power, and followed Him at the cost With such thoughts troubling his mind, and of all that men hold most dear. How wonderfully real this power of the Saviour is, and how won- arousing his curiosity Shunar forced his way to derful and complete the transformation that takes the Christian preacher, and conversed with him place is well illustrated in the case of Shunar, an on the subject of sin and salvation. He obtained orthodox Buddhist who became a Christian, and a copy of the Tibetan New Testament and a few followed his Master to death. tracts to carry with him.
The story of Shunar comes to us through a well- A few days study of the Word of God, and hours of thought on the question of religion, soon con- known evangelist working in a dark corner of vinced him of the reality of sin and its deadliness. India. He was the native of a viUage on the It was a source of joy to think that the power of borderland of Tibet. His father being a rich man, Jesus Christ could free him from its bondage. owning extensive property in land and cattle, He decided that he would give up everything and Shunar lived in luxury and, like most aristocrats be His disciple. He realized that suc,h a step of his country, considered work below his dignity. would involve him and the whole family in great The little education he had received did not equip difficulties, and in all probability spell his ruin, him for any profession, nor elevate his character so he decided to say nothing to his parents until above the level of that of the average uncultured his changed life prompted their curiosity, and Tibetan. His unprincipled life was very largely might gradually lead them to the knowledge of the result of the careless and easy way in which his new faith. he had been brought up,and also of the undesirable society in which he moved. As he became more and more convinced of the truth of the Gospel, Shunar became a totally dif- Despite the fact that he possessed a strong reli- ferent man. From the licentious libertine and gious instinct, he had from his very boyhood godless infidel that he used to be, he now became shown a distinct tendency to be apathetic towards a dutiful and obedient son, a faithful and devoted the religion of his own people. A growing dis- husband, and a thoughtful and conscientious regard for the religion of his own country, and worker, dealing justly with his clients and sub- total ignorance of any other, cut him loose from ordinates. all spiritual moorings, and tossed him on to the Christ produces not merely a superficial change, sea of irreligion and impiety. The life of dissipation led during these years made him a profli- but a revolution in character. He not only alters gate and an out-and-out infidel. Shunar, one day, a man's life but creates an entirely new perheard a Christian preaching the Gospel in a near- sonality. The phrase "new birth" is not the- oretical hyperbole, but a fact. Men irretrievably by village. That was the first time he had ever bad, cold and indifferent become good, warm- heard of any religion other than his own. hearted and ardent seekers after the "lost."
"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy- Shunar's new life attracted everybody's attenladen, and I will give you rest" was the text on tion, and became a subject of popular comment [339 ]
amongst members of the community. Some said Christian friends across the frontier; there he it was a touch of lunacy, some that he was pos- expressed his whole.,.hearted devotion to the Lord sessed of a ghoul or devil; others that some enemy Jesus, and was admitted as a member of the had cast a spell of magic on him, and had thus Christian Church.
contracted his ruin. Day ·after day they watched On his return home, the retiring young man be- him, and offered sacrifices on his behalf, praying came so bold and energetic that he went about, that he might return to his normal condition. openly declaring that he was a Christian, and When many days passed and no change seemed to wished that everybody else would be the same.
come over Shunar's new manner of Hfe, his father' Whenever there was an opportunity he told men accosted him one day as he was returning from of Christ, and urged them to accept Him as their the fields, and said: Guru, or Lord.
"Tell me, my son, does all go well with thee, or Shunar's evangelistic zeal now disturbed the art thou overburdened with secret care, oo,trou- peace .of the"iamily, and they attempted to draw bled by some fell disease? Unlock thy heart to him away from the "strange deity" he had de- thy father and let the Ups speak nothing but the cided to follow. Once when his mother tried to truth." reason with him on the subject, Shunar explained These touching words almost brought tears to his position in the following characteristic way: the young man's eyes. Drawing close to his par- "Mother, supposing we all went on a journey of ent's side Shunar placed his hands on his shoul- a dark night, and I was appointed to carry the ders and answered: light. Do you think I would so hide the light be- "No father, I have no trouble hor sorrow of hind my cloak as to darken the path for the rest any kind; in fact I am happy as I never was be- of you? Would I not hold it high above my head fore in all my life. And do you know why? Be- so as to lead you in safety? You and I have all cause I have discovered the true source of been travelling in the darkness of a dead religion.
happiness. " But in His great mercy God has revealed to my "What is that?" inquired the father eagerly. eyes the Face of the Sun of Righteousness. He "It is faith in the Lord Jesus," answered Shunar can shine upon your lives just as He does on mine with a ring of joy in his voice. "As long as I be- today to fill them with true happiness. Can you lieved in our old form of faith I was so uneasy expect me then to hide the secret of this joy in my that I often felt desperately sick of life. I real- own heart, and not wish that your minds might ized that I was going from bad to worse every also be enlightened and your souls saved? A day, and yet there was nothing that could keep great peace has entered my heart since the day me from going wrong. I am not going mad; the I gave myself to Jesus. I desire now that you change you notice in me is the result .of the new may have this rich treasure too, and may know hope that has entered my heart, and the new hope the joy of possessing Him."
is the outcome of the new faith I have adopted." But to his kinsmen, Shunar's religious zeal These words were calmly spoken, but they en- seemed something to be feared and hated. After . kindled a fire within the angry parent's heart. they had tried various ways to win him over, and "So you have proved that after all you are mad; found them unsuccessful, they resorted to stricter I shall see that this madness of yours does not go measures, and persecuted him by burning his relitoo far." gious books; forbidding his friends to visit him; cursing and scolding him whenever he mentioned So saying he walked away and left Shunar de- Christ, and treating him more as a menial than bating the wisdom of the words he had just a member of the family. When these methods spoken. He was sad all that day, thinking that also pr.oduced no effect they adopted harsher he had hurt his father by telling the truth so measures, making him an outcaste and putting bluntly. But his sadness was overcome by a feel- him out of the baradari, or brotherh.ood. They ing of joy that entered his heart. dispossessed him of his property, and finally beat him and dr.ove him from home. With the confession of his faith in Christ he felt that the curtain .of doubt and uncertainty had When Shunar had been rendered homeless and been lifted off his people's minds, and that they penniless, some of his friends counselled him to now knew the secret of the change in his life. leave the district and to go elsewhere where he With this feeling also came the joy of having would be immune from further persecution, and made the first public confession of his faith in could live in comparative safety. Jesus. The conviction grew stronger and stronger that if he was to grow in grace, and would enjoy To such friends Shunar's answer was: the blessings of his knowledge of the Great "I have been called that I might bring the rest Saviour he must share that knowledge with of my countrymen to Christ, and might lead them others. Acc.ordingly he went to pay a visit to his to the knowledge of His saving grace. Do you
A CHRISTIAN MARTYR FROM TIBET
then advise me to turn traitor to my Lord, and started throwing more earth into the hole, and forego the wonderful privilege of serving Him? buried him to the neck. Then they inquired again That can never be, even if I must die for His if he was still willing to renounce Christ, and so sake." secure his release. A heavenly smile pervaded his gentle face as Shunar opened his lips and replied: Driven from home, Shunar went about from village to village, proclaiming the Name of his "Please yourselves my friends, and do to me Saviour, and enduring all manner of trials and whatever you will. After all it is only my body temptations. Wherever he went troubles pursued you can torture, for you cannot touch my soul and his faith was tried in the fire of suffering. which is my real self. The same is eternal and Often as he stood preaching round street corners everlasting." and other public places, men would angrily abuse him and his religion. Others would pelt him with At this they kicked his head, and marred it so dirt or stones, or even buffet him and push him that his face could be hardly recognized. RealIzfrom his place. The humble Christian scarcely ing that his end was near and the strength of his ever said a word, but blessed them in return for body fast declining, the faithful Christian opened the treatment they gave him. his mouth for the last time and said: As Shunar grew richer in Christian experience "I see the gates of heaven open before my eyes, his all-absorbing passion was to win men to Christ and I am soon to enter therein. Do you, my and save their souls. His love for the Master friends, think that yoU: are killing me? You canfilled him with great enthusiasm to proclaim His not kill me for I am soon to enter another life ::Name with greater courage, and to endure the which is a thousand times more glorious than the loss of all things for His sake. But his country- one you are now taking from me. You are tormen noticed no change in his attitude, the opposi- turing me to death because I sought to lead men tion to him gathered great volume, and his haters to Christ. Mark my word, more souls will find planned to kill him, and thus rid the country of Him through my death, than my life has ever won his "baneful" influence. for Him; and so my joy is great."
One day, as Shunar was returning from a cer- No murmur of pain or hatred came from his tain village, a gang of men waylaid him, bound lips. Those that stood by saw no shadow of his hands behind his back, and drove him to a anguish on his face; only the earnest eyes raised lonely place. Here they had digged a deep narrow to heaven, and the angelic tenderness and strength pit in which they made him stand upright; they covering the whole countenance. So Shunar went filled the pit with earth, thus burying him to the to be with his Lord in Paradise. waist. A great silence crept over the gathered group. "Now," said one man harshly, "take your choice. Promise now that you will solemnly renounce Men who had been railing at the Christian, and your accursed religion, and never speak of the kicking at his head, were awed and filled with a new dewta (god) you worship; or be prepared touch of remorse. For a few minutes not one for death." moved, and the silence grew more intense. Then as though waking from a dream, one of the crowd The suffering Christian remained perfectly calm heaved a deep sigh and walked away. Others did as the men railed at their victim and made likewise. Hard hearts had been touched and the fun of his religion. When several minutes had patient suffering of the innocent Christian had passed, and the sufferer made no answer, his spoken to their souls. Later the martyr's prophsilence incensed his persecutors, and spurred ecy was fulfilled and we are told that twenty-five them to greater brutality. One of them gave him men became Christians at heart, and openly cona violent kick and ordered him to speak; others fessed their faith in Christ.
A Church which is not at heart a missionary Church, which is concerned chiefly with its own selfish interests and has little desire to extend its messages to others, is not the Church of the Gospel or the Master. Christians should be the first to recognize that yet today we have the spectacle of secular states on fire with missionary enthusiasm and rejoicing in every ex- pansion, no matter what the cost, setting an example to a self-centered and lukewarm Church.
Moreover, such states are also paying great attention to the training of the young, thus in- suring a rising generation to carry forward the cause. In the Church we hear on every hand the complaint that there are few to take the places of the devoted Churchmen of the older generation who are now too rapidly passing from the scene; and, if that be true, the Church is facing a dubious future. BISHOP OLDHAM.
OPEN-AIR MEETING-LISTENING TO THE "GOOD NEWS" NEAR THE PElNNSYLVANIA RAILROAD STATION, NEW
Outdoor Evangelism for the City By J. ARTHUR SPRINGER, New York Director of Evangelism, Nation.al Bible Institute PROBABLY the very first preacher of the have been saved by God's grace and commissioned Word of God in history was an outdoor to take the Gospel to the whole world! What are speaker. It may have been Enoch, or Noah, we doing about it? but in any case the preaching was probably done In the city of New York there are over 7,000,000 out of doors. Some of the greatest preachers of souls in the small area of approximately 310 all time have been outdoor speakers. Think of square miles. This includes over one million per- Elijah, of John the Baptist, of the Apostle Paul, sons of Italian descent, almost a million more of and of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, preaching Russian descent, and over 450,000 of Polish ex- to large crowds under the open sky – and with traction. Altogether, some five million New York- telling effect. Nearer our own day, John Wesley ers are of foreign white stock. In addition, there and George Whitefield addressed great throngs of are more than 300,000 Negroes, and over 2,000,- people in the open air. 000 Jews, most of them without Christ. Less than Think of the great centers of population, par- 2,500,000 New Yorkers profess any Christian ticularly in North America. There were in the affiiliation and not over 600,000 are members of United States, according to the latest census evangelical churches.
(1930), thirteen cities having a population in Here is a great mission field and one of the most excess of 500,000 persons, containing seventeen open fields in the world. It is a strategic field, as percent of the population of the country, or a total New York not only has the largest concentration in excess of 20,000,000 persons. Cities of over of population, but is also the gateway to the coun- 100,000 population, ninety-three in number, con- try, and wields a great influence over the whole tained more than 36,000,000 persons, over twenty- land.
nine percent of the entire population. The vast Only a small fraction of the population attend majority in these great concentrations of people any place where the Gospel of Christ is preached are undoubtedly without Christ and therefore in its fulness for salvation. There are nearly without life. What a challenge this is to all who 5,000,000 in the city who make no public profes- [342 ]
OUTDOOR EVANGELISM FOR THE CITY
INDOOR GOSPEL MEETING–LOOKING INTO THE JERRY McAULEY CREMORNE' M.ISSION, NEW YORK sion of Christ; few of the others ever attend a result is that perhaps half a dozen are going on Christian service. These "unchurched" will not simultaneously, each within earshot of the rest. come to church services to hear the Gospel. If A similar situation, although perhaps less aggrathey am to be reached we must go to them! This vated, exists now in other parts of the city. means preaching the Gospel on the streets, supplemented to some extent by evangelistic adver- Borough Hall, Brooklyn, still is a favorite spot tising on billboards, subway cards, and even by for the preaching of the GDspel. Mr. Scott Asskywriting from airplanes, and by house-to-house pinall, who has been preaching the Gospel on the visitations. Such methods are expensive, either in streets of New York approximately forty-four time or money. Large numbers of people who are years, has used this location to great advantage. without Christ but without a clear understanding of the Gospel can be reached through outdoor Wall and Nassau Streets, in the heart of Manevangelistic meetings such as are conducted in hattan's great financial district, was for many, New York under the auspices of many different many years the site of at least one daily outdoor groups of Christian workers. preaching service. Every business day the "Bishop of Wall Street" and other men who have succeeded Columbus Circle, where Broadway and Eighth him spoke here during the lunch period at noon Avenue cross at Fifty-ninth Street, was formerly to the assembled crowd of messengers, bank one of the choice locations for Gospel preaching. clerks, and dignified financial men. Great inter- Immense' crowds would gather to listen to the est was shown in these meetings which were story of the Cross. In recent years, however, almost regularly attended, at least for a consider- Columbus Circle has become the meeting place for able period, by crowds running up into the hun- dreds. This best of all noonday locations was groups of all sorts including Communists and closed for outdoor preaching early in 1937. others who are unfriendly to Christ. Police and traffic regulations have restricted the use of the One of the agencies that has been most prom- Circle, and for the greater part of the week all inently active in outdoor evangelistic work in meetings must be held within a small area. The New York City so far in the twentieth century is The National Bible Institute. For thirty-one
years this agency for Christian education and service man, who was also intoxicated, took excep- evangelization has maintained a persistent wit- tion to the manner in which the American flag was ness for Christ on the streets of the metropolis, displayed in the meeting. He took it upon him- from a Gospel car, or more often from a small self to move the flag and place it in front of the portable platform. Hundreds of locations have speaker. As it would have been very disadvanta- been occupied in the five boroughs of the city by geous for him to attempt to speak with the flag students and other representatives of the Insti- between himself and the' audience, the speaker tute. During 1937, over one thousand outdoor moved the flag to another spot. This angered the meetings were held. ex-service man and he made considerable trouble.
Last July a Christian young man was talked Some young "roughs" came into the meeting and with after a meeting, who had received his one of them snatched the flag from the hand of Christian training in a Christian school in Tien- the worker who was holding it. It was recovered tsin, China. The young man'sf~tb~r was·a cap- by the speaker, but shortly one of these young tain in the army and the youngman, himself, was men came up behind him and struck him on the taking examinations for Wel'lt Point. Another head with a piece of glass fastened in a metal man dealt with at the same meeting was a young frame, breaking the glass over his head. This in- Jew, a graduate of Cornell University, who was in- cident was the means of bringing four men in the terested in sociology and criminology. He ad- audience to accept Christ.
Outdoor evangelistic work cannot be done by everyone. Often there are efforts made to break up the meeting. It is a very difficult field of evangelistic activity and those who engage in it should have care- ful training, and experience .with other qualified leaders. The leader of an outdoor meeting should know how to handle a crowd of people composed mostly of men. He should know what things to say and what things to leave unsaid. Heshould know how to deal with hecklers and intoxicated persons. He should know the Gospel thoroughly and should also know how to present it REACHING A LARGE AUDIENCE WlTH THE GOSPEL to others in the midst of difficulties and distractions. He should know at Madison Square, New YC)rk City, in overcoat weather. Daily noon meetings how to illustrate his talks with anec- are still held here by the National Bible Institute dotes. He should know when to mitted that he was confused. He said he believed pray in public. He should know how to reply in God but could not see his way clear to accepting when asked embarrassing or irrelevant questions.
Jesus as his Saviour. This young man's case He should have an abundance of God-given wis- shows clearly the need for the preaching of the dom, tact, and love. * Gospel and the opportunity that lies before the If the people of New York and other cities are Christian people of America and especially of to hear the Gospel, it must be taken to them by New York City to give the Gospel out of doors to those who have experienced its blessings in their those who are in darkness and confusion, their own lives. The need is great because our cities minds blinded by Satan. abound with sinners who do not know the Lord Perhaps one of the most dramatic outdoor meet- Jesus Christ and the Gospel of His saving grace.
ings conducted during the 1937 season was held The privilege we have to be ambassadors for the evening of June 28th at 65th Street and Christ is great, but our responsibility to the Lord Broadway. A previous meeting had just been who has redeemed us and commissioned us to concluded at 73rd Street and Broadway and two carry His Gospel to the world about us is even of our workers had just commenced a second serv- greater.
ice at nine forty-five p. m. This second meeting • The National Bible Institute recognizes the need for special was one long to be remembered. It was inter- training along these Jines, and offers courses in its day and evening rupted successively by two women, both of whom schools in both General Evangelism and Personal Evangelism so that were under the influence of liquor. Then an ex- those who wish instruction may be prepared for the ministry of evangelism. Special attention is paid in the course· in General Evangelism to the problems which are constantly met in outdoor preaching in the city:
"Unofficial" Missionary to
I —!{if By KROUM STOYANOFF, Sofia, Bulgaria IJ5t— TEAVING America to work as a Christian min- These people, whose way of thinking had Lister in my home land, many ideas whirled changed little since the Ecumenical Councils of in my mind as in a kaleidoscope-ideas and the seventh century when the stronger party in a pictures which different teachers ~ad impressed religious discussion was always considered right.
on me in the Seminary. I kept seeing chapels, The view of the Holy Synod is so involved in this pipe organs, beautiful and simple church services ancient conflict, and this view has so much to do full of religious depth; statistical graphs and with the political history of this country, that the questionnaires; ideas for or- idea of God had to shrink ganizations wit h i n the until He became a small church; ways of working Mr. Stoyanoff is a native of Bul- tribal God. To enter the with people outside the garia and a Bulgarian citizen. He Orthodox Church meant to church; personal and social has a Bulgarian wife who has never compromise and appear to work. I was full of hope con- been outside of the country, al- favor things which I could cerning the religious fervor though she received her education not accept. of the people with whom I at the American College in Sofia. Nor could I go about and was to work, but I wondered After an early training in the preach apostle-like from vilhow one could succeed in a American Mission schools, Mr. lage to village. I saw that land which, as I well knew, Stoyanoff went to America to com- much more can be accomhad long been antagonistic plete his education and acquired a plished by living with people to the Protestant Church. thorough training in the best Amer- for a longer time; not only In the name of Christ, preaching to them but also what course should I follow ican style. He "worked his way" giving them an example in through three years of high school, in Bulgaria? Should I work through college, and finally three Christian living. I believe with this Protestant Church years of Seminary training – no in the Church and so decided or should I leave it and work easy accomplishment even for one to work through the Protat large, living. apostle-like, whose native language is English. estant Church. I knew about traveling and preaching? Having been away ten years, and its many handicaps and that Should I work with the dom- having visited the length and it was dragging behind a inant Orthodox Church, if it breadth of the United States, he little. Yet this is the one would permit me? These returned to his own land (which is organization through which questions turned over in my no larger than Ohio, with about the I could try to carry out the mind as I traveled home- same population) to work among message of Christ for today.
ward. The political unrest his own people. This was two years When I reached Sofia I re- in Europe reflected itself in ago. The following article tells ceived a letter from a church dark colors over Bulgaria. about his experiences as "a Bul- in a small town asking be to The situation in the Balkans garian missionary to Bulgaria," in preach. A month later I left was growing worse every an unofficial capacity. for Assenovgrad, a small day. How was I to obey town built in the canyon of the command of Christ? the river Chai, one of the As soon as I entered the country most of these main tributaries of Bulgaria's largest river, the questions cleared themselves up. I could not work Maritza. The church looked like an ordinary with the Orthodox Church. Most of its leaders small house. Inside, it was one large room with had so much prejudice toward everything that seats for about 100 people. On the platform was differed from their own thinking and practice an old, worn-out pulpit. At the right stood an old that I could not convince them that I had anything portable organ and at the left a shelf of torn to give. They said, books. Above the pulpit hung two large gold- "It is true that the young people refuse to go to painted frames enclosing scripture passages. On church, but with compulsion they can be forced that Sunday morning about thirty people came to go." to hear my sermon on The Great Need of Faith.
[345 ]
The next day I climbed a near-by mountain and ister, in his name, to the needy, hungry, and destilooked at that small town with its crooked streets, tute. These ideas did not enter their hearts very its river and bridges, its many Orthodox churches, readily. Their life outside of church continued its forty-two shrines built on the cliffs around the to be the same as the life of the people who never town. .I loved it and wanted to work there. It listened to these things. seemed to me it would be glorious to try to understand the problems of these people and to help The interests of these people were very narrow. them, to love them, and constantly, little by little, They seldom read anything but the local daily show them the light of Christ which made me rest- paper-a one-page affair. They spent their time less till I should share it with all people. I was criticizing their neighbors. This constant gossip asked to be their minister, and entered upon this is the most cruel torture of small town life; it new work with all the zeal and enthusiasm of one makes life petty. With this in view, and because who for ten years had been preparing for just I received many papers from abroad, I arranged this task. hours when news of the world could be discussed. But I discovered they were not interested. Noth- Discovery-The First Year ing interested them except their own way of liv- ing, the welfare of their homes, the enlarging of My first year was full of illuminating trials and their business, the buying of another field. Anyerrors and discoveries. It began with sermons thing which interfered here they were ready to that took me a whole week to prepare. Later on crush and destroy. How could I work with such I advertized throughout the town and gave a series people? They wanted the church to give them of sermons for "outside" people. only peace and contentment when Christ was beckoning them to a new way of life. Very early I discovered a situation which gave me my first project. I found that there was an- Some of the people understood what I was tryother small Protestant group in that town, calling ing to do, and at the same time I was learning itself the Church of God, and having nothing to many new things. I began to understand how do with our church. Such a division seemed deeply the Church was a part of the life of these strange in a town which was already unfriendly people. I understood also how the special Church to Protestantism. As I made inquiries, hoping to terminology, which may be useful for the transunite these two insignificant groups, I discovered mission of theological doctrine, neither excited that the fault was not all on one side. In both their imaginations nor influenced their lives. Most there were some old people who held personal of the church-going people of Bulgaria felt that grievances against members of the other group, they had already "heard" the Word of God, and and they were determined not to allow any re- that God had no new word for them in this day. union. Hence I stopped pressing the matter for They would not be convinced that Christianity the time being, hoping that the future would see today has to compete with communism and nathe situation cleared up. tionalism; they did not think Christ had any word to say about these things. For them Chris- The more I worked with these people, the more tianity spoke only of the life to come and had little I became sure that for many of them the Old to say about life today. Testament was the center of the Bible. They seemed hardly to have understood the meaning of While I was learning much, the people of As- Christ's life and of his death. They had made senovgrad heard Christian teachings in termiof God a very strict, narrow-minded, doctrinal and nology strange to their ears, and teachings that revengeful being. It reminded me of the "right- were strange to them about this life. They were eous Bostonians and citizens of Salem" who making up their minds whether they wanted to wanted to purge their country of sorcerers. Here continue hearing this type of Christian truth also there seemed to be many who were sniffing which tended to disturb their slumber. They may the air for heretical teachings and who were ready have learned a little, but I was the chief learner. to throw heretics into the fire. I realized the great need of sacrifice by us who teach the life of Christ, and I saw also the great But these people had called me to work with need of his Gospel in the world of today. The them. I had to become a patient teacher, as one people decided to ask me to stay. who would teach the beginnings of mathematics to little children, hoping that by and by they So I started the second year in Assenovgrad would understand the higher mathematics. I surer of my position and of the Gospel which must talked about the love of God, love which we need touch the lives of these people. In order to build so much, love which will heal bruised souls, love anything on an old site, be it a house or a way of which will clear the poisonous atmosphere which thinking, some pulling down is necessary. But suffocates Europe today. I told them that we shall this process is always painful to some. As I see God not in the clouds, not in the smoke in the started "building the Kingdom of God," I had to church, but when they search for Him and min-
AN "UNOFFICIAL" MISSIONARY TO BULGARIA
find the best method of clearing away the type of long ago that inward beauty was most important.
Christianity which seemed to affect their lives in Almost no one saw the need I saw, except an a way which was not helpful. This Christianity, architect friend who drew a plan for the interior.
which had lost its passion for "preaching into the With the money from the English lessons, a part world," becoming only a state of mind, was futile of the plan was carried out: the pulpit was re- to affect the life. It was necessary to change that painted, the church yard was beautified, the young way of thinking and in its place build another people's hall was enlarged and redecorated. Fi- way, new, clear, shining, dynamic. To this I di- nally the church bought a beautiful little organ, rected my efforts during this second year. the best of its kind that had ever come to Bulgaria.
Soon I became familiar with the "secrets" of Fortunately there happened to be in the town a their special terminology. I realized when it was musician friend whom I had known in America. possible to use new words to impress some Chris- With his help our church services were modified tian truth on their minds, and when it was best considerably. to put the new truth in the old terminology in After the arrival of the organ we gave a con- order not to awaken suspicion. In this way I cert, and for the first time in this town Handel's managed to preach everything that a modern min- Messiah was heard. We invited local talent and ister would preach. Many outsiders began to the choir of the larger church in the near-by city.
come to the church and the attendance was larger The little church with its places for 100 people managed to accommodate 250 by filling all the than the membership.
Difficulties arose later when I turned from aisles and the platform. I read the scripture on ideology and started doing things. The first thing , which each number was based. The concert was that I wanted to do was to break the iron circle such a success that we planned to give another and which divided this small protestant community organized a choir to include the Orthodox people. from the world. I wanted them to stop thinking In spite of the difficulties made by some of the of themselves as the favored people of God, as priests we gave this concert twice. better than the rest of the world; I wanted them One idea was constantly in my mind: the to be interested in the spiritual and material con- Church of Christ must be the representative of the Kingdom of God on earth. Pe'ople must have dition of people outside their own group.
In order to start in a quiet way not to arouse a more abundant life because of the Church. Yet the suspicions of the Orthodox Church, I an- I saw misery everywhere in Assenovgrad, even in nounced that I would give lessons in English. the church group with which I worked. It seemed These were given free at first, until I found that tragic to see that even in the group who had listhe people had less interest because they did not tened to the teachings of Christ for forty-seven pay. To attend these classes many entered our years the principles of Christ had apparently not church building for the first time. Among them begun to work. The more privileged seemed to were the owner of a large mill and the chief of have no real concern for those with less ability the railway station. In spite of their prejudice and little money. No real help was given even against the Protestants, these people spent many within our own small group.
long hours with the minister of that church, be- In our group we had poor families who needed coming friends, and occasionally speaking with help, but the church did not help them by making him about Christianity. them independent materially, by improving their in an "Orthodox" Home means of support.
I was invited into an Orthodox home for a reli- With the help of some friends I succeeded in gious discussion with a group of more than thirty organizing a small loan fund to aid honest people people. For the first time in its forty-seven years to better their condition. By means of this fund of existence this Protestant church had the oppor- one family was able to build a place for raising silk worms. Another family was able to plant a tunity to meet the Orthodox townspeople face small orchard. A third could buy a pig which, to face on a friendly basis. The discussion interested young people especially. Many homes be- when fattened, would be used for winter food. gan to think of me as a friend, rather than as a One young man could buy a sewing machine to dangerous "propagandist" who wished "to destroy work at his trade. All were held to their promise the faith of the Bulgarian people." to repay their loans in order that others might be helped. In answer to my letter, Dr. George W.
When these people came to our church, as Carver, of the Tuskeegee Institute of Research in many of them did, the difference in appearance Alabama, sent me instructions for the manufac- was so great that they did not think they were in ture of products from crops which might be raised a church. Their church was so ornate; ours was in this region. I hoped that something might take so plain. The people of my church had learned the place of tobacco. I wanted the church to b~-
come, on weekdays as well as Sundays, the place faith in God. A few days later he told me that where all might find help in whatever they needed. unless I preached things which he approved I I wished that Christ, like sunlight, might enter would have to leave the church. I replied that ,every home and bring health and joy. there were certain things I felt so imperative that they must be spoken. After that his conduct dur- But trouble started right here. Some old peo- ing church services became such that worship be- ple felt that it is not the business of the church to came impossible. meddle in everyday life problems, and should not even mention contemporary events in sermons. Two other important events happened about Sermons, they thought, should be strictly Biblical. this time. One was that for the first time one of the Orthodox priests asked the Protestant min- The Turning Point ister to cooperate with him on the anti-war com- mittee of which he was chairman. The other was About this time an event happened which that money 4wd come and my plans had developed proved to be the turning point. One day as my far enough to revive in a new form the neglected wife and I (our marriage took place after the be- paper which had formerly been published by the ginning of the second year in Assenovgrad) were Young People's Society of the Evangelical visiting in a poor district, we entered a home Churches of Bulgaria. I intended to use the where three members of the family were sick in Ecumenical News Service from Geneva and to bed with typhus – two children and the grand- translate articles from the magazines which I re- mother. We thought best to take one of the chil- ceive, so as to widen the vision of some of the dren, a girl of eleven, into our home. When the people. doctor came and examined her he said she had tuberculosis as well as typhus, and that she ought However, for the good of the church, I thought to go to a private hospital where she would have best to leave before it was too late. Now I am proper care. The family had no money so I went back in Sofia, as busy as ever, hoping that God to the church treasurer to ask for a part of my will use me further in His work among my people. over-due salary to advance what was necessary. When he learned why I wanted the money, he ad- r know other young men who are trained and vised me not to take any measures,but to pray, as becomes a minister. He said I should not depend who also want to be ministers. upon the word of men of science but upon God. I One man is supported from England by people insisted on having the money and took the girl to the railway station. This man, and a few others, and churches who believe in him and in the work concluded that I was propagating some new the- he is doing. This makes me wonder if churches ology, that I had strong faith in science but weak in America will, in addition to the work of their Mission Boards, support other "unofficial" mis- sionaries in the places where, they are needed most.
CHRISTIAN THINKING AND ACTION People are confused; they hardly know what is Christian, or how to come to a Christian judgment on issues placed before them. Selfish interests try to exploit them; propaganda machines attempt to dominate them; programs and laws, panaceas of a thousand kinds, are placed before them.
Most people are willing to be far more Christian than they know how to be. If they could be mobilized they would constitute a tremendous force pulling toward a Christian solu- tion of many of our issues. But their thinking is not concerted, their imagination not cap- tured, and their loyalty not challenged. Is it not possible for the, churches to say, in a voice united enough in the name of their Lord so that the world can hear and so that any proposal of society or government which asks for the backing of Christian people, but which would protect property at the expense of people, would protect the privileged at the expense of the underprivileged, would seek material profit rather than the enrichment of life, would rely upon force rather than justice, would manipulate and control the gifts of God in nature for the interests of the few as against the many, would breed the fears that destroy rather than the confidence that releases and strengthens, would exploit humanity rather than enlarge the life which humanity lives-that any such proposal is not consistent with the purpose of God and the teaching of Jesus and cannot have our support?
Such thinking, if it were honest, might be disturbing. It might disturb our prejudices and present customs. But they are going to be disturbed anyway, and I would rather have them disturbed by those who are thinking toward the purpose of Christ than by those who think toward selfish views. ALBERT W. BEAVEN.
a Downtown Church Can
By FREDERICK B. FISHER * Late Minister, Central Methodist Church, Detroit T HE first step in making the downtown church provision is made for every member of the family: a successful representative of the Gospel of Nurses, in sanitary rooms, care for the babies and Christ is to analyze the life of the church. very young children.. A hundred of the older chil- No program should be attempted without first dren are in the boys' choir and the girls' choir.
making a careful scientific survey of the condi- A half-hundred youth are in the young people's tions, resources, potentialities and purpose of ,the choir. A full,.time choir director, with an assis- organization. Each church is a problem in itself. tant, gives expert attention to the training of It is difficult to generalize but for the purposes of these children in music, as well as in those phases discussion it might be said that there are three of religious .edU:ca~ion that have to do with public types of downtown churches: worship. The school of religious education, under 1. A mission to dispossessed residents of slum the leadership of a' full-time director, continues districts; its departmental sessions throughout the worship period, as well as one hour following. Trained 2. A social center and preaching point for lodg- teachers are in charge of the various departments, ing-house people and transient hotel even though in some cases it means an honorarium guests; for the service rendered. We believe that the church budget must of necessity provide expert 3. A cosmopolitan center of worship for kin- training for children and youth, because of the dred spirits from every part of the city. danger of leaving such training to haphazard It is impossible for one church to attempt to cover all three of these phases of life and work. methods and desultory instruction. The church is The geographical location, the social traditions so located that all the street car lines and bus and constituency, as well as the financial resources routes of the city pass the door.
and ministerial leadership, must all be taken into Our constituency is divided into fourteen terri- account. These factors will very largely deter- torial units, with a leader in charge of each sub- mine the type of service the church can render. urban section. This leader has a group of four Central Church, Detroit, about which I have lieutenants, who by telephone and personal visita- been requested to write, is not, strictly speaking, tion keep in touch with the constituency of that a downtown church. In spite of the fact that it area with reference to sickness, church attend- is located at the very heart of the city and sur- anee, financial support' and spiritual guidance.
rounded by hotels, department stores, banks, One of the slogans of Cehtral Church has come to theaters and office buildings, it has remained a be "We are fourteen community churches." We dynamic family church. Not more than one fourth h~ve discovered that this plan does not compete of our congregations could be said to belong to with, nor proselytefrorri, the regular community the transient hotel group. Three fourths of all churches. The reason 'for this is that we have a the personalities to whom we minister are defi- specialized emphasis. We major on pageantry nitely related to the church and its activities. and color in public worship; upon personal reli- Only a few of these members live within a half gious psychiatry; upon social adjustment and mile of the church. The vast majority of our wor- reconstruction in the pulpit messages; upon a shipers and workers travel a distance of anywhere on selectitie school of religion; and upon popular from one mile to twenty miles. One of our careful analysts estimates that the average is eight Wednesday night lectures public topics by outmiles. They come in whole families. The~e is no standing' nati~nar' Vdfces. My experience in Greater Detroit, and in visitation among scores subway or elevated system of transportation in of churches in other modern cities, leads me to Detroit, consequently the vast majority of our believe that a great deal of unwholesome competi- people come to church in their own automobiles tion could be eliminated in our city churches if we and the whole family comes together. Once there, recognized that the mind of modern humanity is • This article was prepared for the Review by the late Dr. Fred.. divided by several definite spiritual interests. seericcrketaBr.y.F-Eisdhietor r.just before his death, and was sent us by his There is need for great centralized fundamentalist [349 ]
churches, where people who interpret religion in able burden. It is a heavy task to have a church these terms can come together for mutual sup- supper every Wednesday night. In the course of port and spiritual stimulus. Churches with a dif- the last year more than twenty-six thousand meals ferent theological outlook may serve personalities have been served on the fourth floor of Central that see life in "liberal" terms. The evangelistic Church House. This is an absolutely self-supporttabernacle and temple has its place. The plain, ing feature, but none of the money goes into the unembellished service of the Quakers has a real current expenses of the church. The women are contribution to make. There is also a wide and constantly interested in furniture, equipment, a growing field for churches that specialize in choir vestments, Red Cross work, family relief forms of ritualistic worship. Central Church, and kindred interests. During this last winter, though Methodist, is altar centered, with a high careful record has been kept of attendance at the altar and heavily carved symbolic reredos. We various activities, with the result that our chart have a processional and recessional in vestments shows a monthly attendance, on the average, of of purple and white and red. There are approxi- approximately eighteen thousand people. mately two hundred people in the choir organization, and on certain occasions the full choirs march Special attention is given to children, youth and in the procession. A "crucifer" carries the cross, young married couples. Boys are trained, and a "hook-bearer" carries the open Bible, and a consecrated by the laying on of hands, as Junior "flag-bearer" carries the flag. The ministers are Deacons for assistants at the altar. Crucifers, in vestments, and wear stoles which vary in color book~bearers and flag-bearers are all similarly with the seasons of the church year. It is inter- trained and consecrated. Special confirmation esting to find what a strong appeal this makes to classes are held for the training of young people modern youth. In the midst of this colorful serv- as to the meaning of church membership, and ice of worship, the pulpit message deals with Gos- white capes with purple cross embroidered on the pel as it. relates to social justice, problems of collar are used in the confirmation ceremony. personality adjustment, and the vital issues of modern life. The newest feature to be added to the life of the church is a specialist in psychiatry and person- There are two distinct Sunday congregations, alityadjustment. He is a medical doctor with his morning and evening. Few of those who fill the degree in philosophy from Vienna, Austria, where church on Sunday. morning come again at night. he has been a student and a lecturer on the fac- The services differ in emphasis, with the result uIty with Freud, Adler, Jung and others. Lecthat there is a solid Sunday morning congregation tures are given in personality adjustment, and the and an equally solid evening congregation. problems of psychology and nervous diseases, to selected groups, and hours for personal consulta- Wednesday night is a gathering of all the clans. tion are provided. Modest fees are charged for It is a "church night." .School children begin to these personal consultations. No hospitalization arrive at three or half-past three on Wednesday or actual treatment of patients is provided afternoon, before the real activities hegin. They through the church, but all pathological cases are bring their home work from school, and rooms are referred to their own doctors and to the regular made available, under proper direction, for home hospital staff of the city. study. If they come from families which cannot afford to pay the price of the church supper, a Central Church cannot claim entire success. room is provided where they may open their own The problems are great. The complexities of lunch baskets and have a good time together. modern urban and industrial life make experi- Many of the other children are served in these ment essential, with its attendant failures and same rooms, so that there is not the consciousness inadequacies. The staff is composed of thirteen of prosperity or poverty and there is an utter full-time people. The mere statement of this fact lack of self-consciousness. By five o'clock a va- will reveal to ministers and laymen the problem riety of activities is under way: Bible 'study of supporting an organization of this size. Howgroups of youth and adults; youth forum; Boy ever, the church has no debt, and a group of Scouts and Camp Fire Girls; dramatic clubs and splendid laymen manages the finances with great orchestras; handicraft classes; choir mothers' devotion. Our small endowment helps to make club; hoys' choirs and girls' choirs in practice; possible a program like this at the heart of an committees on social justice, parish visitation, industrial city. One interesting feature is that financial budgets, religious education and other all three ministers have had experience on the subjects. At six o'clock there are several simul- foreign mission field. These three men and their taneous suppers. The efficient women's commit- wives all feel that they are performing the most tee employs a full-time housekeeper and other essential missionary task of their lives. The dihelpers, so as not to make this feature an unbear- rector of religious education is likewise a former missionary of the foreign field.
to the City of
By the REV. CHARLES HATCH SEARS, D.D.
Author of "The City Man"
O NE is bold indeed who attempts to describe follow the crowd, to lose a sense of individual re- the future formation of a molten mass. sponsibility. Collective behavior tends to level Scientists may do this on the basis of well down character, as erosion wears away high'
established natural laws. Social laws affecting mountains. Individual character has been devel- environment are not nearly so well established. oped in America, at any rate within a family and Spiritual laws may be clearly marked out in terms within a neighborhood setting. In a city, particu- of individual conduct but are less defined in their larly in a great city, the individual has quite gen- social application. erally been separated from his family and from It seems clear, however, that the church is jus- the neighborhood in which he was reared. He has tified in looking to the world of tomorrow in too frequently been forced to live in isolation. The terms of facts which are clearly discernible today. city man touches elbows with thousands, but The Fact of Urban Life touches hearts with few. The city man lives in isolation within a multitude of contacts. A city In looking to the city of tomorrow the church is where men die of loneliness in a crowd. He has must accept the fact of urban life. This fact is to do with people whom he does not know and accepted on the basis of a general trend of a forces that he does not understand. He is com- century and a half of American life. This trend pelled to make inferences and to draw conclusions.
has been accelerated during the last two or three He does not deal with the concrete but is com- decades. True it is that the early years of the pelled to deal with the abstract.
depression (1929 to 1932) witnessed a migration The city man has developed certain fairly de- from the cities, but already this has proven to be fined attitudes. Self-assertion is a characteristic only a temporary check in a generally rapid in- sin of the city man. Compelled to yield to his crease of urban population which during the pre- superiors in shop, factory, store or office, he loves ceding census decade was at the rate of almost to enter a little world of his own where his opin- 27%, with a record of sixty-nine millions by 1930. .ions have weight; hence the gang, the club and That this was an American migration move- the social set. The city mind is preoccupied, in ment is the more significant. It is difficult to this sense absent-minded. It tends to lose its sense comprehend that forty out of everyone hundred of relationship to humanity, to lose the joy of the boys and girls between the ages of ten and twenty ,common touch, and to cease to find pleasure in who were on farms in 1920 had located in some homely things. The insistent stimulation of city city by 1930. This is the more surprising in that life tends to produce indifference and inability to urban growth during the most of the present gen- make a normal response.
eration has been so largely augmented by immi- The creation of these attitudes is a matter of gration which is no longer a major factor in the concern to the church. It is one of its tasks to growth of cities. provide correctives. Its problem is to establish It is safe to say that the church of the future relationships with the detached individual and must accept the fact of urban life both because particularly to follow him into his group relation- we are gregarious and like to flock together, and ships from which all but members of the group on the other hand because it requires a decreasing are generally debarred.
percentage of the working popUlation to produce the raw materials of foods and fabrics which in The Fact of Metropolitan Community Life turn are subject to almost infinite refinement. The second fact which the forward-looking. city This processing takes place largely in cities. church must take into account is the fact of met- ropolitan life in contrast with mere urban life. The fact of urban life would not be of so much City men in the main have shown their preference significance for the church of the future if cities, for the great metropolitan centers rather than for particularly the great cities, did not so profoundly cities of average size. In fact, many of the smaller change people. City men are influenced by what cities have lost population in recent years. we may call collective behavior-the tendency to [ 351]
All cities have not fared alike. Urban growth with which the church of the future will be con- in America in recent years, particularly during fronted to an increasing degree.
the last census decade, has been strikingly selec- The churches everywhere in America have been tive. The average American is quite surprised to built from neighborhoods. City neighborhoods learn how spotted the growth of cities has become. have been broken down by the incoming of new Accustomed to reports of loss of population in peoples and by the exodus of the more favored to rural areas, he is not greatly surprised that nearly suburban areas. The flood of newcomers, men one-half (46.5 per cent) of all villages in the and women and young people, attracted by their United States under 2,500 lost p()pulation from specialty interests has created quite a new situa- 1920 to 1930-6,285 villages out of a total of tion. They have no interest in a particular neigh- 13,530. borhood. Their only concern is to live where they In view of the enormous increase of urban can be comfortable and within reach of their own population from 54,305,000 in 1920 to 68,,955,000 chosen group'1$•• in 1930 (or an increase of 26.9 per cent during It is true, old neighborhoods still p2rsist. There the decade) and particularly in view of the Amer- are still parish churches in metropolitan New ican assumption that all cities grow, he is quite York of which we might speak; many of them unprepared to learn that many cities fared very are in the suburbs though conditioned by the metbadly during the last census decade. Five hundred ropolitan structure; some of them are in survival neighborhoods illustrated by the recent coming and twelve places rranging in population from 2,500 to 100,000 lost population from 1920 to 1930. together of the old Church of the Sea and Land A very much larger number of cities has failed and the old Mariners' Temple into the new Henry to keep pace with the rate of population growth of the nation. As Dr. R. D. McKenzie points out, Street United Church, Presbyterians and Baptists of the 746 cities of 10,000 popUlation and over in 1920, almost one-half of them (354) showed a settling down together to a continuing parish rate of increase below the national rate of increase. work, but how changed the parish from the old It is obvious that the great metropolitan com- days of the "Kirk on Rutgers Street"! munities have grown in recent years at the expense of all other political unity-towns, villages While still prepared to serve so far as may be and smaller cities. These communities have tapped the sources of population;-in Europe, Asia, Af- along parish lines, the church frequently, generrica and South America, on American farms and villages, and in the smaller cities of America. ally, finds itself compelled to minister either on a Foreign-born whites, children of immigrants, Negroes and especially native Americans gravi- metropolitan-wide basis or to people on the basis tate thither like iron filings to a magnet. of a selective interest or both. The Community It is not so much the fact of metropolitan growth in terms of increased population to which Church of New York City served by Johns Haynes the church of the future must adapt itself, as to the tremendous changes in which these communi- Holmes and the Riverside Church with its dual ties have been and will be involved. The attraction of specialists to these centers and their voluntary ministry to the neighborhood in its educational association into groups is at the heart of it. This ever-growing process of specialization creates and social program and to the greater metropol- itah community in its preaching ministry are cases in point. .
The Calvary Episcopal Church apparently has chosen for itself, on the basis of its rector's inter- est, to minister to a particular group with a dis- tinctive religious interest. The church of the future almost inevitably will be selective in its ministry, however much it undertakes to remain the Church of the Open Door to All Who Will Enter.
The Fact of Cosmopolitan Life groups. As a result, special interest communities It is evident that the church of the future must or special activity groups, ever in process of for- adapt itself increasingly to meet the needs of a mation, take the place of neighborhoods. cosmopolitan community. The executives of de- Finding association within the group, to an in- nominational Church City Societie3, who have fol- creasing degree the members become subject to lowed neighborhood changes in great metropolitan the ethics and social attitudes of the group and communities, may be more conscious than the are not amenable to the ethics and social attitudes average pastor of the tremendous changes which of the community as a whole. Devoted to their have grown out of immigration and that are now peculiar functions within their own chosen group, emerging through the influence of the wide dis- they are disposed to carryon largely in accord pers'ion of second generation immigrants.
with their own cultural pattern and often with The presence of great numbers of immigrants, little accommodation to the larger community. who until less than twenty years ago were con- This creates serious ethical and social problems fined largely to "colonies," did not greatly· upset
LOOKING TO THE CITY OF TOMORROW
the cultural situation, or disturb the church The church that looks to the city of the future outlook of older Americans, but when the well must orient itself to a cosmopolitan community trained second generation young people began to and adjust its outlook to world vistas. emerge it became evident that great changes were taking place. The older Americans were not deep- Man, the Abiding Fact ly concerned that customs and codes, wrought through long centuries in the homeland of these The church that looks to the city of tomorrow immigrants, no longer had controlling force in the will seek to adapt itself to urban life, to metrolives of the second generation that was emerging politan life, to cosmopolitan life, but it will lose from these homes. They were more alarmed, how- itself in the process unless it has a sense of its ever, when they discovered that the old New Eng- own universality which was so strongly emphaland culture and ideals were being broken down sized at the Edinburgh Conference. by this infusion of second generation immigrant life into the best residence areas of the great To put the matter in other form, the church cities. must adapt itself on the one hand to its environ- mentbut recognize that while man too is a vari- It became evident that old incentives and re- able, he changes far less rapidly than does his environment. As compared with the shifting sostraints, old sanctions and social controls which cial scene he is a constant. While he changes in obtained in these cities until a score of years ago, outward appearance and in his customs and while whether in Anglo-Saxon communities with their his attitudes reflect the conditions under which he New England background or in foreign-language lives, his essential needs are the same from gencommunities with their varied European back- eration unto generation and among all peoples. grounds had been largely repudiated. The result We affirm, therefore, that the church must find its is a cultural phenomenon, moral phenomenon if universality in its consciousness of God and in you please, practically without precedent-a great its realization of the needs of men. body of people living without a generally recognized moral pattern and without sanctions hon- Staggered by a social burden which he finds ored by generations. It is evident that the church unbearable without the assistance of religion, imof the future must address its'elf to building up pelled by a moral imperative, the ethical contents new spiritual foundations to take the place of the of which he does not understand, the city man in old spiritual foundations upon which America was his more confident moods looks to religion for established. support and to Christianity for moral guidance. Christianity, in the past at periods of crisis, has While the immigrants of pre-war decades and met the challenge of destiny. The city man, theresecond generation immigrants of today have quite fore, calls upon the church to mediate to him a completely transformed old American cities domi- religion adequate to his personal needs and internantly Teutonic and Protestant into cities domi- pretive of his confused social relation. nantly Latin, Slavic and Semitic in race and Roman Catholic and Jewish in religion, there are Under normal conditions nature enters into the other factors which have had a part in the cosmo- creative religious process. Trees, streams, the sky politan process. and the stars are all sources of life valuable in the cultivation of the soul. It is apparent that Changes in the function and structure of these nature plays a large part in the cultivation of great metropolitan communities sketched in a religion when man and nature are living in norpreceding section have come in no small degree mal reciprocity. But is it possible to pursue the from the national orientation of industry, of com- mystical approach within city walls where the merce, and of professional life in America. A stars are rarely seen and where frequently in myriad of interests in each of the classifications winter the dust-laden atmosphere hangs like a has selected a major metropolitan community, pall over the city, shutting out even the sky? most likely New York, as headquarters with branch centers in other metropolitan communities. The city, particularly the metropolitan commu- nity, with its specialization in art, in music, in The church that looks to the city of tomorrow literature, is peculiarly rich in the materials 'for cannot afford to be provincial. It can not remain the cultivation of the mystical qualities of the parochial. It, too, must cultivate world-wide at- spirit. "A certain type of mind has always distitudes and relations. If Christianity is to survive cerned three straight and narrow ways going out in America it must become in fact a world reli- towards the absolute-in religion, in pain, in gion. The Christian movement in its world out- beauty," says Miss Evelyn Underhill. reach can not afford to think in terms of separate hemispheres of foreign missions and home mis- The expansive qualities of the individual may sions but of a church universal in space as well be cultivated generally by finding essences, someas in'concept. thing akin to universal experiences, in other human lives-by finding those qualities that life lives by.
The city is peculiarly rich in opportunity to continuing fact of urban life and adjust its prorelate spirit to spirit through a common under- gram to conditions which have grown out of the standing of ideals and through association in transformation of the small city into the great noble undertakings, even as we have found the metropolitan community. Facing the breakdown city peculiarly rich in its interpretation of life in of the old Anglo-Saxon, Puritan, and to a large its mystical aspects through literature and art degree Protestant standards, the Christian church and poetry. must address itself to the recreation of Christ's standards of faith, character and conduct. For the sake of the individual, his self-realization, his peace and joy on the one hand, and for In this process the church finds itself at home the creation of moral energy directed to social because it is still dealing with man forever changends on the other, it is highly important to culti- ing but forever presenting the same basic needs. vate the mystical aspect of the personality The fortunes of the church have never been inthrough an appreciation of nature, through aware- extricably bo~d with any secular order. It has ness of the essential qualities of the human spirit ever had standards to which it could repair. and through communion with God in Christ as the only source of religion and of moral energy. The abiding task of the church in the city, as elsewhere, will ever be to regenerate and to re- As important as these things are the church vitalize the individual and by this process to culmust accept as its primary responsibility the cul- tivate new social attitudes and to release a new tivation of worship in the individual and a sense ethical vigor equal to the task of social reconstrucof his vital personal relationship to God in Christ. tion.* As the church looks to the city of the future it * By permission of the Publisher, Harper & Brothers. the author is convinced that it must address itself to the has made liberal excerpts from his recent book. "City Man." adapted to the purposes of this article.
The Gospel in Mexico To~Day -~ I By WALTER MONTANO* Iffl.- FOLLOWING my decision to visit Mexico I re- Near Mexico City I was surprised to see news- ceived a cordial welcome from President Car- paper notices and accounts of the activities of the denas on behalf of the Mexican Government, Roman Catholic Church, just as in the most lib.. and from the Minister of Public Health. The eral country in the world. This was surprising, National Council of the Evangelical Churches, as I had seen and heard much about the oppresthrough their Executive Secretary, Professor Gon- sion of the priesthood. zalez Baez Camargo, had prepared a full program of evangelistic meetings, not only in Mexico City, My first week in Mexico City was filled with but in other States. As a result, I traveled a dis- meetings, held in the largest Protestant church in tance of six thousand miles in about one month. the republic, which used to be a Franciscan mon- astery. We began with some thousand people, and At the frontier, I saw that various persons were by the end of the week, there were more than being refused permission to enter. The officials fifteen hundred present. There were high army carefully examined my passport, and enquired as officers, government servants, representatives of to the object of my visit. However, my letters the intellectual circles, even Roman Catholic froin the President of the Republic and the Min- priests, in fact all classes of society, political and ister of Public Health were sufficient, although religious, were represented. For an hour each my passport described me as an "evangelical min- night there was attention, silence and interest. ister." I was shown every courtesy, and even my suitcases were passed through the Customs with- The way God worked in these meetings was out examination. The five hundred Mexican truly marvelous. At the last two gatherings, the dollars, which most who enter the country are local brethren urged me to make an appeal to those supposed to deposit, were not required of me. who wished to come forward and accept Christ. On the first of these occasions forty people, their • Sr. Walter Montano has been a missionary of the Evangelical eyes streaming with tears, came forward and Union of South America since 1929. His article appeared in the knelt, confessing their sins and accepting Christ. World Dominion. The following night, when I told the story of my
THE GOSPEL IN MEXICO TO-DAY
own conversion, more than a hundred came for- In Orizaba the hall, big though it was, would ward, crying to God for the pardon of their sins. not hold the people. The street was full and men The Gospel was new to these people, Roman Cath- and women were sitting on the paths. There were olics who, in all sincerity, were seeking peace for more than fourteen hundred people present. They their souls. Nor was it only the common people begged me for another day and I invited them for who came forward, but society folk and well- a meeting at five in the morning. At this hour, known persons. Professor Camargo stated that in the bitter cold, there were six hundred people he saw many people come to the meetings full of waiting. . . . The power and presence of God pride and even hatred toward us; at the close of were evident and we felt the fire of the Holy Spirit the service not a few of them were crying like kindling our hearts. children, among them an army general, who, moved to the depths of his soul, gave way to tears. From this last place we returned to Mexico City After the meeting many Catholics came to me say- for other meetings in the Y. M. C. A. There was ing, "I am a Catholic, but I know nothing about .a magnificent gathering of people who did not bethe life eternal, and now I accept Christ as my long to any of the churches. Some Communists only personal Saviour." in the audience tried to make trouble, but there were no serious difficulties. On another evening A Visit. to Pueblo two thousand united youth of the Federal District met me; it was a most touching occasion, when It was not my intention to remain in Mexico for crowds of young people of all denominations dedimore than two weeks, but Professor Osuna, an cated themselves to the service of God. They outstanding Christian, and a prominent figure in agreed to issue an appeal to the evangelical youth the Mexican Government in the time of Presidents of all Latin America to work on behalf of the Carranza and Calles, came from Monterey to Mex- forthcoming Congress of Latin American Evanico City and exacted a promise that I would visit gelical Youth, in which they proposed to study the Monterey. After prayer, I decided to remain best methods of a vigorous campaign for the evanlonger and visit Pueblo, Vera Cruz, Orizaba, gelization of unconverted youth. Guadalajara, Aguas Calientes, San Luiz Potosi, Saltillo, Torreon, EI Paso (Texas) and Nogales. In Mexico City there is a center for preparing These last two places are on the frontier of the young men for the ministry. The president and United States. Professor Camargo accompanied the other professors are men of real consecration me to Pueblo, and there we had united meetings to God, and the seminary is a center of training for two nights and a large number of people were for all denominations. As part of my program in led to Christ. During our visit to Pueblo, the first Mexico, the brethren arranged that I should give National Anti-Alcoholic Congress took place at devotional messages to faculty and students every the invitation of President Cardenas, with dele- day. God blessed these meetings and foreign misgates from all the Mexican states and from other sionaries, pastors of churches, professors from countries, chiefly Latin America. Dr. Siurob, the seminary, as well as the students, and also Minister of Public Health, presided over the Con- workers from Sunday schools, came unfailingly. gress and represented the government. He in- The theme was that of consecration and service. vited me to preside over the third full session, in my capacity as delegate of the National League of Other States Social Hygiene of Peru, and extended to me the privilege of being a guest of honor of the Govern- From Mexico City I set out for Guadalajara, ment of Pueblo. accompanied by two outstanding Mexican Chris- tian leaders, and again had most encouraging In Vera Cruz the church was full, and at the services. Our journey was continued to the places close of the meeting the platform would not hold already mentioned, and in every town we saw the the crowd of people who came pleading for our hand of God. The fact that most of the meetings prayers. The brethren asked if we could not re- were united gatherings tended to more cooperamain another day, but the itinerary was already tion between the different churches. There has fixed and it was quite impossible, so I said, jok- come a greater spirit of unity among the workers; ingly, "If you would like a meeting at four-thirty in fact, in many churches there are now united in the morning . . . !" Thinking no more about meetings for prayer among the workers of the difit, I went to bed, tired out, but exactly at four- ferent denominations. thirty in the morning I was awakened; the pastor and other brethren had called for me, and when Mexico is passing through a unique phase of its I went to the church there were two-hundred and history. The clouds of confusion have not yet fifty people gathered for a meeting. God worked passed from its sky, nor will they do so quickly. that morning in the hearts of those people! Everything is in a state of uncertainty and it is impossible to foretell what tomorrow will bring. The properties of churches and religious colleges
are in continual danger, for at any moment the of the intellectual classes; we stayed from seven Government can take possession of them. As a until ten in the morning, while I spoke to them matter of fact, many of the Protestant schools are closed and cannot exist if they teach religion. of my personal experience of Christ. Some evangelical schools have had to be turned 3. Now that the foreign missionaries cannot into purely commercial colleges or institutes for social instruction. It is difficult to understand the conduct definitely religious services, they are dissituation, for some of the actions of the Govern- covering other methods. Mr. Norman Taylor, a ment seem quite contradictory in nature to others. Presbyterian, is working with fine results among Shortly after I left Mexico, I was told that the the soldiers. He has a small wireless set 'installed Government had restored valuable property to the in his car, and Mr. Huegel gives them a Bible talk, urging upon them the need for repentance and Presbyterians. turning to Christ. All the soldiers held up their As Mexico is a Federal country, it is left to the hands asking for our prayers, and many bought Governor of each state to interpret the program New Testameqt,s. of education as he may Ghoose. Consequently 4. Other missionaries, such as Mr. Reifsnyder, there is a great variety according to the local attitude. There are a few schools where the teaching have sought some method of reaching the students is not only anti-religious but immoral; there are of the college and university, gathering them some teachers who pervert the children by ex- weekly for "lay sermons." The night I was there, treme programs of sexual education. . . . This twenty-two students, among them Roman Cathdoes not occur everywhere, nor is it officially olics, were deeply interested. recognized. Nevertheless, because of the liberty of interpretation and the fact that there is no uni- 5. In the midst of the difficulties presented by formity or standard of teaching, the enemies of the law, the workers have had to fall back on religion take the opportunity to inject their poison propaganda by the press. It is difficult to calcu- late the great results attained by the Latin Amerinto the hearts and minds of the children. ican bookstore, under the direction of Sr. Baez The preaching of the Gospel by foreigners is Camargo. The method which he uses attracts Communists, revolutionaries, students, professors, severely limited by law, but foreign missionaries publicists and others, and all receive the Gospel in Mexico still carryon their work, perhaps with even better results than before. The central de- message. partment of the Government made it clear that 6. The youth, indifferent hitherto to the neces- I was free to speak in any part of Me:xico with sity of testifying before others, are not only perfect liberty. uniting among themselves but are working openly; groups of young people go out to different suburbs New Methods of Evangelism in Mexico t and carryon regular services, also visiting homes. One such group has dedicated itself to carrying the Gospel to outcast women, a truly apostolic The restrictive laws of Mexico in the matter of labor. religion have turned out favorably in many 7. The difficulties which the evangelical bodies senses: face have made the Christian workers feel the im- perative necessity of more prayer, and a turning 1. The Evangelicals have felt compelled to unite to God for the solution of the religious and spirfor one common object, to preach Christ crucified. itual problems of Mexico. They have issued a 2. They have adopted new methods of evan- circular, addressed to "our brethren in the comgelization, which in other circumstances probably mon faith of Christ scattered throughout the enthey would not have adopted for many years. Dr. tire Mexican Republic," calling them to a deeper Wallace, a missionary of the Presbyterian Board, consecration of life and to the practice of daily and Sr. Baez Camargo took me to what they call prayer. "Wednesday Breakfasts" in one of the best res- t See Religion in the RClYUblic of Mexico, by C, Baez Camargo taurants in the capital. To this are invited people and Kenneth G, Grubb, published by the World Dominion Press, The Christian laymen in one Mexican church have organized a "Salvation Patrol" which works in the tenement districts at night. A missionary has developed a group of university students whO meet for the discussion of spiritual and social questions-probably the first ~or~ done ~y. Evangelicals for university stu.dents in Mexico City. In Tabasco, where preach- mg IS prohIbIted, a group of laymen orgamzed themselves as peddlers. With packs on their backs, they go from home to home selling merchandise and talking about Christ. A former ci~y pastor has dedicated himself to country wo.rk. He tells of a poverty-stricken village, WIth an ugly? n.ear-deformed, po~rly educated IndIa~ boy who went there to shepherd the little flock of ChrIstIans. The town IS gradually becommg transformed and this simple Indian boy is its hero.-S. G. Inman.
the Church Discontinue Institu–
tional Missionary Work?
-.~i By G. BAEZ CAMARGO, Mexico City, Mexico ._. ",,==;;;;;E;;;;;x;;;;;ec;;;;;u;;;;;ti;;;;;v;;;;;e;;;;;s;;;;;e;;;;;cTC_et;o;.;.au.;;;nTyc=oi;;l;;;f;;o;;;thf;;;;M;e=eN;;x;;;iac;;;;o;ti;;;;;o;;;;;na;p;;I;;;;;E;;;;;V;;;;;a;;;;;n;;;;;ge;;;;;lt;;;;;'c;;;;;al===!.f.l.- EVANGELICAL Christianity throughout the whole missionary program and to an examination world is looking forward to the international of the comparative and real values of evangelistic missionary conference called to meet in and institutional mission work. The question be- Madras, India, in December. Christians from gan to press itself upon the minds of both the many lands will come together to appraise the missionary and the national Christian leaders: status of the work, and to plan for united advance Should mission boards give less attention to elabin the evangelization of the world. Four hundred orate speciaU.~ed institutional work and more to delegates will wrestle with the most crucial prob- pioneer evangelism and the training of Christian lems of the Church and will seek to understand workers? our Lord's, mind and will for His people in these trying times. Among these problems, and not Another element in the situation was the growthe least of them, stands the whole question of the ing sense of responsibility in the National "institutional work" of the church, especially in churches and their increasing desire to attain the the missionary enterprise. ideal of a self-governing and self-supporting in- digenous church. This would naturally lead to Pioneer mis,sionary earnestness has been poured the taking over of the administration and support into several types of auxiliary institutions-edu- of the institutional work. New questions arose. cational centers, ranging from parochial schools In view of the nationalization of the churches, to universities; medical institutions, from modest was it the proper course for them to take over the dispensaries to large and well-equipped hospitals; institutions founded and supported by the missocial centers and even agricultural and industrial sions? Could the national churches support projects; other philanthropic agencies also have themselves and also afford to conduct the rather been established and sacrificially maintained the expensive institutional work as established with church at the home base and by native Christian foreign funds? Would it be wise for the missions organizations in the lands where they are estab- to withdraw their help from the support of the lished. Thes'e institutions have absorbed most of churches and pioneer evangelism and to devote the missionary budgets in many cases and often foreign funds exclusively to the support of instihave been used as the decisive argument for mis- tutions? Or would it be better to give up the sions. Many have found in their work one of the institutions and concentrate on new purely evanmain sources of satisfaction, as rel~orted in mis- gelistic projects, in cooperation with the national sionary reports and surveys. churches?
All seemed to be going well with these institu- In some countries there was a third and very tions until three new elements entered into the important problem involved. The national govsituation. There was, first, a serious setback in ernments were committing themselves to political mtsswn income. In readjusting the budgets, it doctrines of different types, all of which coincided was necessary to cut down expenditures. But the at least in one particular-the gradual or violent problem was: What appropriations should be re- assumption of control by the State of all the deduced? It is not easy to cut down on upkeep of partments of human life, educational, social, and plants, equipment, personnel and current expenses even individual. The situation was the more comof large institutions, without risking their very plicated in countries where totalitarianism was existence. On the other hand, should the cuts be strongly impregnated by hostility to Christianity made on the distinctly evangelistic work an4 on the support of churches? It was easier to' cut or to all forms of religion. This trend, often incorhere, but perhaps not the best way out of the financial difficulty. All this led to a review of the porated in a very definite form in legislation, has been making it increasingly difficult for churches in Mexico, Turkey, Iran, Korea, and some other [357 ]
countries to maintain their educational and med- people, teaching, healing and nursing the people ical institutions. Some governments have been to an abundant Christian life.
very active of late years developing a compre- In other fields, where there is a degree of cul- hensive program of national welfare, opening ture and social welfare and where, as in Japan, schools, dispensaries, social centers and hospitals. the government is fulfilling its medical and edu- Thus the institutional work of the churches does cational responsibility, the need for philanthropic not seem to be so necessary as in former times, and cultural work by the missionary agencies is when the missions were the only agencies con- not so pressing. It is here not impossible for the ducting it. Except for their evangelistic purpose, churches to consider giving up their institutions most of the institutions are now becoming a dupli- or their turning over to governmental or other cation of government enterprises. In several national agencies. The churches should be ready, countries evangelistic work in Christian schools within the measure of their possibilities, to coop- and hospitals is looked upon with suspicion by the erate with puba.ic and private philanthropic and governments and in some cases is even prohibited educational agencies, where such cooperation is by law – as in Turkey. When this is the case, possible.
would it be advisable to give up such church in- The stage of progress in evangelization, par- stitutions and turn this work over to the govern- ticularly with reference to the strength of the na- ment? tional churches, is also to be considered. There . This missionary agencies and the national are at least three main stages in evangelizing a Christian churches have come to face the prob- people in any country: lem: Should mission boards and churches of the First, there is the approach, penetration, and missionary-sending countries withdraw from edu- planting of the first organized groups of converts, . cational and philanthropic work on the field and entirely under the wings of the mother churches throw the responsibility for these forms of service and under the almost exclusive leadership of the on the churches and governments on the various foreign missionaries. Forms of organization, fields? methods of work, supporting funds and leaders, Obviously, this question cannot be answered all have come from abroad.
categorically Yes, or No. The answer depends The second stage is one of national growth, the upon several factors, and no wise decision can be upbuilding of Christian churches, the development reached that ignores one or more of these factors. of a trained native leadership, the progress in The best answer will result from the careful con- self-support and the progressive transfer of resideration of combination of facts and experi- sponsibilities to them. Important steps towards ences. The main factors are: self-government culminate in the organization of (a) Conditions prevailing on the particular national churches.
field; The third stage, one that perhaps has not been (b) The degree to which evangelization has fully achieved on any mission field, is when the national churches assume complete responsibility, progressed; both financial and administrative, of the work and (c) Financial ability of the mission boards; they become in turn missionary churches, send (d) The real purpose of the missionary enter- out to evangelize other fields.
prise; Clearly it is not possible for the mission boards (e) Type of work that the institutions are ac- of the sending churches to think of throwing on tually doing.
There are some countries where educational, the national churches the responsibility for the hygienic and social conditions are primitive and institutions which they are unable to support, if where the people are still in a desperate need of the evangelization of the field is in its first stage help along these lines. The governments are or entering its second. The national churches either unable to take care of the people's intellec- must first assume responsibility for their own tual, physical and social needs or they lack a sense maintenance and their evangelistic work proper; of responsibility. The result is the abandonment if they succeed in this, then they may begin to of the people to illiteracy and misery. No Chris- accept full responsibility for the institutions.
tian mission or church would wish to confine Where this process of nationalization is under itself to purely preaching the Gospel while the way, the institutions are the last points from people are the prey of ignorance, disease and pov- which the mission funds are expected to be with- erty. Where these conditions prevail, as in parts drawn. Naturally the national churches cannot be of Africa, India and elsewhere, some form of expected to assume the support of the institutional work to relieve these conditions is imperative and work while the churches themselves are being SlJP- has no substitutes. We must not hesitate to make ported by the mission. The national churches will great sacrifices to minister to the needs of the not be able fully to take over the institutions until
SHOULD THE CHURCH DISCONTINUE INSTITUTIONAL MISSIONARY WORK?
the third stage is reached – if these institutions arated from the churches, leading their own life are to be continued in any effective way under and doing their own more or less secular work. church auspices. But many others insist upon the supreme impor- tance of evangelistic task of Christian institu- The financial status of the mission boards is an tions and cannot conceive of a missionary project essential factor to be considered. If the mission that does not seek to bring to the churches a receipts are down to that point where drastic re- harvest of "saved souls" or souls to be instructed ductions in the budget must be made and the in- and saved. The situation varies widely according stitutional work cannot longer be supported then to place and personnel. Many institutions, like the mission must withdraw. If there is any pos- the hospital at Miragi, India, and the Union Colsibility of turning over the institutions to other lege in Pyenyang, Chosen, actively engage in satisfactory agencies, the national churches should evangelistic work. Others are more secular in be given the first option, next the work may be character and outlook. Not a few have practically offered to some other responsible organizations or made their Christian character so abstract as to to the government. In any case, there must be be hardly distinguishable from wholly secular inthe assurance that the plants and equipment will stitutions. really be used for the good of the country and for the benefit of the more needy people. This is a sore point in the whole discussion of missionary work. A fair 9.istinction should be Perhaps it is too much, in many cases, to insist made, at the very start, between proselytizing and that their Christian character will be maintained. evangelizing. To proselytize is to be primarily in- terested in winning members from one particular But, in the whole problem, the essential and cen- religion, denomination or church to another, withtral purpose of Christian missions must be kept out regard to any vital change in faith and life. in view. This is the ultimate guiding principle To evangelize is so to preach Christ in word and and the supreme criterium for any change in mis- deed as to bring people to accept Christ as Saviour sionary service. Fortunately, this matter has re- and Lord, and His way of life as a daily path of ceived prayerful and earnest consideration lately, conduct. As to the best means by which to achieve although perhaps the outcome has not been always this supreme goal there is no uniformity of rule true to the New Testament standards. But the or opinion. It depends much upon the local situafact that it is a real concern to re-define, for our tion and the individuals with whom one comes in times, the supreme purpose of Christian missions, contact. Steadfastness of purpose is essential but is in itself gratifying. The writer of this article uniformity of method is as fatal to true evandoes not pretend to pronounce dogmatically on a. gelistic work as is the lack of aim and ideals. It question that is still keeping busy the best Chris- is certain that no Christian institution should tian minds of today, but it is necessary to give lower the central purpose or depart from the plan his own views if this discussion is to be clear and of all missionary work in the name and power of conclusive. Christ; otherwise it will lose its vision and de- pendence on the Spirit of God. The central purpose of Christian missions may be briefly stated as follows: The purpose of Chris- Non-cooperation with the national churches is tian missions is threefold in its active expression: another strong temptation of socially successful mission institutions. Some seem afraid that by (a) To preach the Gospel of God's redemptive disclosing their connection with the churches the grace in Jesus Christ; institutions will risk their prestige. It is not neces- sary, and may be even harmful, for these institu- (b) To cooperate in the upbuilding of an in- tions to be wholly subordinated to the churches. digenous educated Christian church; In most cases they should have their separate ad- ministration. But to part from the churches, re- (c) To serve this church and the people of the fusing to have anything to do with them, pn the land where it is established. pretext that success may be attained only in this way, is to pay a very high price for such success. The whole problem of institutional work should It has not been found necessary in America. Exbe kept under the spotlight of this one and three- perience shows that institutions committing themfold purpose. To what extent are Christian in- selves to this policy find it increasingly difficult stitutions faithful to it? What is the actual type to maintain their true Christian character; they of work being carried on by the institutions and are finally dragged down by the spirit of humanhow do they rate when measured with the yard- istic secularism. This at least can be strongly stick of the supreme purpose of Christ when He stated: no mission institution should allow itself founded missionary enterprise? to come to this self-defeating point of refusing to recognize its Christian character and purpose. Many believe that Christian institutions need to be Christian only in their inspiration and motive, but that they may refrain from becoming agencies to win others to Christ as Lord and Saviour. In order to avoid the charge of "proselyting" they are expected to keep themselves sep-
Every mIssIOnary institution should actively Christian boy or girl to get an education. The serve the churches and people in the country writer once visited a mission high school, finely where it is established. Duplication of govern- equipped and with excellent social prestige. When mental or private institutions should be avoided inquiring about the curriculum, the principal, in as far as possible. Instead of this, mission insti- all candor, informed him that their program was tutions should always be reaching out to unserved adjusted to similar schools in the United States, areas. In this work elaborate and costly plants as there were so many pupils from the British and may become a hindrance. Expensive plants then American colonies who wanted to secure credit become an end in themselves, and in order to keep for their studies when going abroad to college. them up, other important elements of the mission- The principal appeared to have given scarcely any ary program are sadly neglected. We should thought to the question as to whether this curnever forget that institutional plants are made riculum was the best suited for the needs of the for the missionary work and not the missionary nationals of tha't-.country. work for institutional plants. After all, to accomplish the primary task of serving Cnrist by Now we come back to the starting point in this helping the people of any country, it is not indis- discussion. Should mission boards, and the pensable, and not always desirable, to set up costly churches in the mission fields, plan to withdraw plants that in a time. of crisis and readjustment from their institutional work? An absolute anbecome veritable "white elephants." swer is not possible. We have tried to point out the factors which should be combined to make up As an illustration of what has been said above, the criteria under which the answer in each parthe complaint is heard from several fields that not ticular case is to be sought. In dealing with our a few of the "Christian" colleges "have estranged problem, we often come closer to the solution by themselves from the churches and the Christians reminding ourselves again and again of facts and and have become schools for the rich and socially principles we know but which we are apt to forelite, where it is practically impossible for a poor get or ignore.
The Challenge of the Philippines By the REV. NORMAN S. McPHERSON -tEl Vice-President of the Association of Baptists for Evangelism );.- in the Orient A FILIPINO high school senior who was work- many months had passed yielded his life for full- ing his way through school in Manila by time service and enrolled as a student in the laboring in a laundry was one day handed Institute. a tract in jest by a fellow workman. The tract was entitled, "Are You Born Again?" by Bishop This is but one of hundreds who have found J. C. Ryle. The message fell on good soil. At Christ through the varied ministries of the Assohis first opportunity the young man sat down and ciation of Baptists for Evangelism in the Orient. wrote a letter, addressing it to the Manila Evan- It is not too much to say that the Philippines congelistic Institute, publishers of the tract. He con- stitutes one of the most responsive harvest fields in fessed: "I am exactly the man concerned in your the world today. article." After mentioning some of his temptations and seeking advice he asked: "Am I eligible The Association of Baptists is an evangelical to be born again?" agency formed eleven years ago for the propaga- tion of fundamental Christianity – there is no As director of the Institute I replied to his let- other kind-in the Orient. Its activities thus far ter, arranging for him to come and see me. The have been confined to the Philippines, where it interview closed with both of us on our knees maintains two training institutes for Christian while prayer and surrender forged the link bind- workers in addition to a growing provincial work ing another soul to the Christ who once again extending from the northernmost Batanes Islands looked upon the travail of His soul and was satis- down to the Palawan group in the extreme south. fied. The young man began attending Sunday Millions of pages of gospel literature are printed services in the First Baptist Church, and. before on the mission press in Manila in both dialects and English every year. Through the evangelis-
THE NEED OF STUDENTS IN BRAZIL
tic efforts of itinerant gospel teams new churches angels in heaven found fresh cause for rejoicing are established and manned with graduates of in the 672 who found Christ in the opera house the training institutes. and on the street corner during those two weeks.
An indispensable means of evangelizing the While the Philippines constitute a striking op- Palawan group of some forty islands is the Gospel portunity by reason of the cordiality of the re- Ship, Fukuin Maru, formerly used by Northern sponse, the Association believes the time has come Baptists in the Inland Sea of Japan. Captain to expand beyond the confines of these islands, and Skolfield cruises from island to island with a thus fulfil the purpose for which the Association group of Filipino evangelists preaching the Gos- was originally chartered. A new field on the pel and rendering simple medical aid. Twelve island of Ceylon has recently been acquired, and churches have been established with over a thou- plans are now being made to release the Gospel sand members. One day a Moro asked the cap- Ship for a year's survey of New Guinea and other tain what to do for an aching tooth, to which the fields in the Dutch East Indies, many of which captain replied that it would be best to extract it. represent virgin soil. New Guinea is the second Whereupon the Morosaid: "All right, and as soon largest island in the world. Never has the inas you have stopped the ache be sure to put it terior been explored by white men except from back again!" the air. We must not, however, overlook the par- tial penetration in the region of the Fly River. The keynote of the Association of Baptists for Now that mining companies and scientific parties Evangelism in the Orient is, as its name suggests, are planning to exploit the island's natural reevangelism. All of its activities-whether preach- sources, it is believed the Church of Christ caning, teaching, housing students in dormitories, not afford to neglect the souls of the tribesmen in printing, broadcasting, street corner ministry, vis- the interior, many of whom are said to be headitation in hospitals and on ships, student center hunters and totally ignorant of the Gospel. activity-find their focus and impetus in that supreme objective. Every form of evangelism is Nothing short of prevailing prayer will release used to good advantage. At least two hundred the resources in men and money needed for such decisions for Christ a month ar.e made on one a gigantic undertaking. The newspapers recently street corner where student teams proclaim the announced that scientists of the Metropolitan Mu- Gospel six nights a week. During the eucharistic seum of Natural History of New York City expect congress that was held last year in Manila the to explore New Guinea this year with a $250,000 Association of Baptists rented the Manila Grand airplane. What will the Church of Christ do in Opera House for two weeks and brought Leland the face of those thousands who have never so Wang of Hong Kong as special speaker. The much as heard of Christ?
The Need of Students in Brazil –'11 By HAROLD A. COOK, Rio d, Janolto 1111– W E HAVE missions to the Indians, and ef- or after. Remember that he had lived ,his twenty- forts to reach the poor and teach the two years in another world, quite untouched by ignorant in Brazil. Evangelical colleges the Gospel, even though in a modern civilized city. reach a very limited .proportion of students; but On receiving a Testament, he said that he was the Teacher Training Schools, the medical, dental holding the Word of God in his hand for the first and law schoo!<s, and the academic class, as a time in his life. If you do not know who is the whole, present an untouched field, without any leading American jockey of today or the present special effort to evangelize them. They are com- heavyweight boxing champion a member of the paratively untouched. sporting fraterniity would say: "What astounding ignorance! Where have you been brought up?" The students are brought up in a Roman Cath- The pages of the newspaper to which sportsmen olic atmosphere; and a large number of them be- turn first, you do not even look at. The case is come formalis,ts or wander into the desert of the same with the majority of our academic stuagnosticism and scepticism. dents in Brazil. They have not come within a thousand miles of the Gospel, even though there A few months ago I met a college graduate who did not know whether Moses was before Christ
may be an evangelical church round the corner. 3. He would endeavor to keep himself informed The spirit of Christ requires of us, not that we concerning books suitable for his constit- uency and in keeping with the purpose of shall wait for them to come to us, but ,that we shall his mission, so that he could advise and guide go to them. The Good Shepherd went after the inquirers into profitable avenues of Christian lost sheep. literature. (A suitable magazine we already have–.:.viz., Sacra Lux.) A book talk might Brazil is nominally a Roman Catholic country, be the theme of one of his lectures. and for them the world is divided into Catholics and non-Caitholics. Hence many think of Prot- 4. He would make a speciality of personal interestants as in the same class with all the freak view by appointment; at these interviews he religions that have found their way into South could deal with intimate problems which America. Our task is to bring these people to the could not be handled at question time after living Saviour whom they have not so far discov- a lecture. ,While not evading the intellectual ered. side of such problems, he would stress the fact of Christ as the infallible solution to How can ,this be done for the academic classes? every problem, whether intellectual or moral. Not through invitations to our church services; for the large majority would not come. I suggest Doubtless there are many American and Engthree methods, each one dependent on the other; lish graduates who could ably occupy this p{)siefficiency requires all three, but a measure of suc- tion, but other things being equal, a Brazilian cess could be obtained with anyone alone. would be far more preferable. We have such a man. He is still on the youthful side of life, elo· 1. Well-bound Testaments and other suitable lit- quent in speech, attractive in personality, and well erature (well printed) sent through the post, educated, he everywhere gathers large audiences addressed to persons whose names could be of the intellectual class. The evening audience at obtained. The literature should not be sent his own church invariably includes a number of out in large numbers at one time. A safe the professional men of the city, as well as stu- number would be five. dents from the colleges. His book on "Christ as the Man of Sorrows" has gone into a second edi- 2. Personal work by church members who are tion. His pastoral duties prevent him from mak- themselves academics. Andrews should be ing frequent trips away from home, but those he on the lookout for Peters. has made have been crowned with success. The local churches will hire the cinema for a night, 3. A college graduate or university man could give and he will be advertised, not as a visiting pastor, his whole time as a missionary to academic but as an orator and an author. A subject such students. as "The Defects of the Human Will" provides ample opportunity to include the Gospel. Scores The firs.t method requires money and inside co- will attend such a lecture though they would not operation. The second requires men-and there go to a church service. After the leoture it is exare few church members among the academics; plained that owing to the expense of the cinema some who are there have not caught the vision of theater, one of the churches had been offered, and the harvest so near to hand. The third method re there the speaker of the evening could again be quires a specialist. He must have not only grace, heard. By this means many have been lead to but gifts also. If ithere were only one such spe- visit an evangelical church for the first time, and cialist, his work would have to be extensive; if have heard the full Gospel there. They discover there were more than one, their work could be that the Protestants are not as the priests have proportionately intensive. represented them. After the firs,t visit, the sec- ond is much easier, and they are on the way to What would be the work of such a missionary? find the light. I suggest the following main lines. Experience would probably indicate others: The academic class contains the future leaders of this progressive country. Here is a wor-th- 1. He would mix with academics as far as .time while work, which offers a fine opening for invest- and circumstances permitted, in order to ment, with guaranteed returns. make personal contacts. (These contacts would enable him to combine methods 1 and . Not only have we the man for the task, but we 2.) He would be careful not to disclose his also have an organization under whose auspioes he own denominational connection, because he could work and travel-viz., the Brazilian branch is not out ,to win men for his church, but for of the Committee of Cooperation in Latin Amer- Christ. ica, with offices at 254 Fourth Avenue, New York City. 2. He would embrace every opportunity to give addresses – not sermons – to audiences of academics only; these addresses would con- tain the hook of the Gospel, skilfully baited. At such gatherin~s he would invite questions.
B'ack. on Our Furlough*
By REV. RAY E. PHILLIPS, Johannesburg, South Africa Missionary of the American Board; author of "The Bantu Are Coming"
W E HAVE come back to South Africa laden It takes heroic leadership these days to compel with riches. Not in coin of the realm- attention to spiritual truth when the movies, the American or otherwise – but in friends, modern novel, the motor car, and the very air itfresh associations, and a better understanding of self, are agencies of such distracting, conflicting, our task. and competing appeals. It has been a frequent, Nine months of study have been immensely re- and thrilling experience to discover in various warding. We have become acquainted with the parts of the country churches which have evi- work of students of primitive cultures, as well as dently found the message and the methods for with that of research workers in modern indus- enlisting the joyous cooperation of young and old.
trial areas, and we have been assisted in looking There are people in our churches who are crit- at our task from new angles. ical of missions and say so quite frankly.
Mrs. Phillips and I have been privileged to "I have no time for missions," said a church meet with many young people at summer confer- member just before a church supper. "I have ences. What memories we have of companionship always questioned sending missionaries to people with high school and college boys and girls on col- who were perfectly happy in their own way, to lege campuses and at rallies and week-end confer- teach them to wear clothes, to eat our food, and, ences. in short, to bring all of the troubles and problems We have been given ample proof that some of of civilization to them. Wouldn't they really be the finest people in the world are to be found in better off without all these things 1"
the churches. We have been brought into close Statements of this sort are not only a confession contact with people whose names leap to mind of ignorance as to the actual, fear-ridden, soulwith a quickening of the heart-beat. We met destroying life of primitive peoples, but also a many devoted, intelligent, women scattered throughout the churches who are quietly, pa- curious admission that one's religion means little tiently, year after year, creating interest among more than food and clothing and the troubles of the indifferent, raising their quota for benevo- civilization! lences in spite of obstacles of all kinds, leavening the lump of more or less nominal church mem- Which introduces the question whether religious faith can be called "Christian" until it is so vital bership. and radiant that it overflows the bounds of one's We are back in South Africa with a new under- own family, church and nation to embrace all men everywhere 1 standing of the difficuties of the home pastor in America, and a deeper appreciation of the men As we look back on experiences in various cenwe have met in individual churches and at Con- ters, those which seem to have been the most references. Out in the Dust Bowl are men and warding were those where we had time really to women who would have been canonized had they get acquainted.
lived a few centuries back. And they are not all Conditions to Be Improved in the Dust Bowl, or in the smaller, rural Is there anything we have seen that we would like to see improved 1 We would prefer to dodge churches. this question were it not that one or two things In larger churches in the cities and towns, we have forced themselves quite definitely on our at- tention and are grateful for a chance to "off-load have sensed the steady, sacrificial giving of them- themselves," as we say in South Africa. selves on the part of pastors and their wives and the loyal church folk who stand by, all without First, my personal impression is that, in dealthe glamour surrounding missionary activity nor ing with young people, our church leaders are not the rewards and satisfactions that often come to concrete and personal enough when it comes to the worker in foreign lands.
• Condensed from The. Missionary Herald, religious experience. In spite of the ubiquitous [363 ]
insistence upon being realistic it seemed to me and are making Christian activity ultimately that it is almost entirely second-hand testimony meaningless. that is given out to the future members of the church. "Kagawa says-," "Stanley Jones Christ'~ insistence upon individual perfection says-," is about as far as many speakers get in -"Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is percommending the practice of Christianity. fect"-requires an eternity for its achievement. Belief in an eternity of existence in the realm of But I cannot escape the definite impression that an active, working God, one who is working speakers to young people and conference leaders against difficulties and who rej oices in the growth would rather do anything else than explain just of his children to share with him in his vast, coswhat Christ means to them. mic enterprise – this gives glorious meaning to life now. Is prayer a reality to them? Just what response do they receive from the Unseen God that deepens It validates and justifies the presence of probtheir conviction that they are on the right track? lems of increasing complexity in human life and Can they look back in their lives to any certain regards sacrifice and suffering as stepping stones time when they were certain that they were being to that finer type of manhood pre-requisite to guided by The Heavenly Father? emergence on a loftier plane of deity.
In short, is their faith something that they We must re-discover belief in Eternal Life on themselves have experienced, or is it a good phi- a new basis, not as "dope" but as "dynamite," losophy of life to be assented to intellectually as attaching permanent value to present-day spirethically sound. itual attainment, in order to inject fresh interest and more powerful incentive into Christian life On the occasions when I have suggested to and activity. Stripped of faith in the immorspeakers at summer conferences that they con- tality of the individual soul, how are we Christclude their talks with a personal testimony, noth- tians any better off in the matter of objectives ing has happened. than the Communists who are working for a righteous order here on earth and who have ex- In my seminar groups I have found that young ceeded the humanists in cleverness by making its people are hungry for an exchange of real, vital attainment lie just ahead-a few more five-year experience, and are grateful for personal confi- plans? dence on the part of the leader. With the background of belief in a Father God To my mind the main appeal of the Oxford who operates. in a universe so vast that he can Groups can be found right here. There is the utilize through the eternities that lie ahead, the ring of reality about their doing. One after an- potentialities latent in every individual on this other "Grouper" will say: "I have experienced-," small earth, this Christian task takes on added HI have been guided to-." radiance and significance.
Again, some churches and Christians seem to Even my black friends in Africa are seen to be be groping in a fog when it comes to a Christian of stupendous value; their future growth is of basis for missions or for Christian life at all these vital concern to all of us. We go gladly back to days. our work in that great land to bring the Good News to Bantu folk of their magnificent destiny Our fathers had a long-time objective, a heaven as sons of a Living God, and to help mold enof rest for the weary and of bliss for the suffer- vironing conditions which will help to develop ing, which put in proper perspective the inequali- that type of character which is essential to those ties and disabilities of earth and gave a sense of who would become "joint-heirs" of Christ. urgency to spreading the Good News. In the last ten years the American Bible Society Col- The whole idea of Immortality seems to have porteurs have sold eighty-five million copies of Scripture, become vague and indistinct, certainly it has small and .great. The Eastern Agency of the United ceased to have richness of content to many Chris- States showed last year an eighty per cent increase in the tians, many clergymen. Some of the younger purchase of whole Bibles. The Society put 35,000 Testachurch leaders are frank in admitting that Eter- ments into the Civilian Conservation Camps in 1933. One nal Life has no meaning for them. They say: agent and his colporteurs is working the little State of S·an Salvador on a house to house program, and expects "Why worry about it when there is so much to to cover the entire state in five years. Already they have be done in cleaning up this old world? Let us gone through 27 towns and 272 rural districts with a work for the coming of the Kingdom of God on population of 219,128. Gideons have placed Bibles in three earth." of the largest hotels of the City of San Salvador; also in those of Santa Ana and San Miguel. This is their first While agreeing as a social worker, that stu- placement by Gideons in Central America. pendous tasks remain to be undertaken to make society Christian, I cannot but feel, and with ERNEST GORDON. equal intensity, that without a long-range view of life as Eternal we are emasculating our Gospel
~':====O==========~==-=~
II Effective Ways of Working Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MRS. ESTELLA S. AITCHISON, GRANVILLE, OHIO ~=I==============================~~~ PATTERNS TO FIT ANY A hymn, "Lead on 0 King She then calls on the entire membership to rise and take a PROGRAM Eternal," or "The Light of the World Is Jesus" may be used as pledge for cooperation and sup- Whether your organization is an opening. While the pianist port in every way, in order that planning to use the study topics the kingdoms of this world may or an independent outline as a plays suitable music softly, a basis for the year's programs, young woman in white, carrying become the Kingdom of our Lord plans to brighten up the topics and S a vi 0 u r, Jesus Christ. and also to mark certain out- a large candle, enters and is imstanding days and occasions in mediately followed by the six re- Leader declares the officers are the course of the yeftr are desir- tiring and six incoming officers, duly installed and a closing able, unless the work is to be- all bearing candles but with only prayer is offered before the parcome dull and unalluring save those of the former lighted. to those already interested in ticipants march out to the tune missions. Look through the fol- When the leader moves to the of "Fling Out the Banner." lowing suggestions, gathered right side of the table, the offifrom here and there, and see cers take their places in front of Another effective installation whether you may not find some the chairs, the two presidents usable program patterns. exercise is based on the plan of standing in the center, etc., in a wheel. Called to the front, the corresponding pairs. new president stands at the cen- ter with the other officers When all are in place, the around her to form the hub, the leader sets her large candle in circle chairman a few feet far- For Special Days and the center of the circle and re- ther out constituting the rim. Occasions cites impressively selected Scrip- These chairmen hold ribbons ex- ture passages regarding light, its tending to the president, to form Installation Services: With function in the City of the New the spokes. Then the installing new officers coming in at the be- Jerusalem, and our obligation to officer reads a choice statement ginning of the fiscal year, many extend this light to the non- as to God's mighty plan for His societies will welcome ways of Christian world, this being the work on earth necessitating hu- placing the mantle of responsi- occasion for the present recon- man activation, the Church bebility on the shoulders of the secration service. ing the chief instrument through leaders and rallying the mem- Next, the retiring president which this cooperation is accom- bership to get behind the work. places her candle on No.1 in the plished. Each machine has many An impressive service used for circle and recites, "The Lord is wheels, each one has its place the Young People's Department my light and my salvation," ad- with its specific work to be faith- of the M. E. Women's Foreign dressing the incoming president fully and steadily done. The so- Missionary Society first sets its as to her duties and responsi- ciety (whatever organization is stage with 12 chairs in a semi- bilities. The latter lights her giving the program) is one very circle back of a table on which candle at the large central taper important wheel in the local a circle 18 inches in diameter and placing it in the circle on church unit, the officers before has been marked, 12 numbers No.7, recites, "They that wait the audience being a most re- being marked thereon at regular upon the Lord," etc. sponsible portion. "This wheel intervals so the officers may see The retiring president steps before us has 10 spokes, a frame- just where to place their candles. back a pace while the leader calls work as you see, each one the Instead of, or with, the candles, the first vice-presidents, the pro- chairman of a group which in- a cape of white with a cross of cedure for the two presidents cludes you and me. There must blue may be worn on the left being duplicated, with new be an ever-widening-out in shoulder of each retiring officer, verses. In similar fashion each hearty cooperation, the whole and taken off and put on the set of officers takes part, until circumscribed by the rim of officer succeeding her at the all are in position. The leader united cooperation. The wheel moment when she is installed. faces the (inner) circle of offi- must be oiled, kept clean and Headbands of white with blue cers and calls on them to repeat free from rust, have perfect bal- cross in front may be worn by the pledge for faithful discharge ance, do its work in harmony all. of duties, as she lines it out. with other wheels, avoid fric- [365 ]
tion, and be repaired from time N. J., tells of the meeting place praise the Lord," and "Come to to time by the One who regulates the whole (Jesus Christ)." A arranged as the waiting room of the Y. W. A. meeting of Praise consecration hymn and prayer follow. a railway station, "Division of and Thanksgiving, at" (date The Annual Meeting: Much our Great Baptist National and and place). tact and endeavor are usually necessary to lighten the heavy International Railways." There A very charming plan, as details and make the service attractive. Church Business re- were reports. from the secretary, given in the Baptist mimeoports this one, as used in a church at Medina, Ohio: The the treasurer and the corre- graphed sheet, Program Pointprogram sheet was headed: sponding secretary-who arrives ers, describes a pot of gold "ON BOARD THE GOOD SHIP on a late train preceded by "red (brass bowl filled with orange 'FIRST CHURCH,' IN PORT AT caps" carrying her luggage, etc. flowers) on a table decorated MEDINA FOR ITS 115TH ANNUAL Around the room was a maga- with rainbow colors, seven gold MEETING ON . . . . . . (DATE AND zine stand displaying the denom- paper streamers leading into it. HOUR) ." inational magazine and reading Seven participants, each with a Order of the Day- contest books; travelers' aid crepe paper sash representing a (a) Hear the reading of the Ship's log for 1938 (nominating (White Cross work for mission'-. rainbow color, stand together committee's report). hospitals) ; tickets (the new gift with a silver box in one hand (b) Transact business and make necessary repairs while Ship boxes); information booth (new and the end of one of the gold is in dry dock. literature), etc. Girls of a junior streamers in the other, singing (c) Set it afloat for 1938-39 with all good wishes. organization served as red caps "There's a Rainbow Shining (d) Election of new officers for the or helpers. Certain reports are Somewhere," the audience join- Ship (clerk and tellers). received as telegrams by girl in ing in the chorus. (This can be (e) Assembling of Officers and Sail- ors on Upper Deck-special messenger's cap. The Prayer obtained in sheet music from the music on ship-board. (Gath- ering for church dinner.) Committee reports on the Source Rodeheaver Co., Philadelphia.) (f) "All Aboard!" of Power. The Scriptures were One by one these seven persons The Ship's Mess-the Stewardess and used as "running orders." Post- take part, each holding up her Helpers (dinner at 6: 30 p. m.) . ers told of house parties to be box as she speaks. Calling of Crew together for the An- nual Session. held in summer (missionary (1) Violet stands for Faith, (a) Devotions and prayer for safe conferences). There was a without which we cannot fill our return ….. the Chaplain. lunch ro?m glee club, and. after silver offering boxes. (b) Reading of the Ship's Log ….. the meetmg t~e membershIp fol- (2) Indigo stands for Hope, the Captain. lowed the SIgn to the ~unch and without hope for the future (c) Recognition of the Crew (pas- counter w her e sandWIches, we shall not have the inspiration toral committee, trustees- who keep Ship afloat; mis- doughnuts. and co f fee. were needed to fill the boxes. sionary committee – who di- rect its course to faraway served. Fmally the trll;m an- Similarly there are repre- parts; the men – "who lie down below, below"; the nounce; called, the. trams. on sented Blue for Joy, Green for choir-who keep us joyful; tracks 35 ,~nd 36, w~~h ,~tah?ns the S. S. – that makes good sl:1ch " a~ .Harm?n~;" AmIty- Brotherliness, Yellow for Pa- sailors; the young people– v~lle,', FrI~~dshIr,,, Opportu- who will be officers some day; mty and SerVICe, ~nd the tience, Orange for Loyalty, Red the scouts-who are at your for Sacrifice. "We put these service). boxes in the Rainbow Pot of The Purser's Report (treasurer). newly elected officers (mstalled silver; but if given with our by the p,~stor) left ~y t~e door Faith, Hope, Joy, Brotherliness, Report of Keeper of Records (clerk). marked To the Trams. etc., they will surely come from Three Cheers for the Old Crew-the *** Stokers and All. the Pot of Gold transformed into Launching of the Ship for Another Thanksgiving and also the golden gifts ready to lift the Voyage (announcement of new officers) . annual Thank Offering Meeting burden of our denomination and Ports Ahead ("What I'd like to see are high lights deserving special worthy of the 'Well done' of the Ship do this year," and "Where the Ship might go"). features. A poster suggestion our Master." Then followed a "Blest Be the Tie that Binds." for advertising a young wom- song specially composed for the Benediction. an's meeting (in The Window occasion.
*** of Y. W. A.) showed two young A good devotional for a Another plan used by Mrs. women standing at opposite Thanksgiving meeting uses a A. H. C. Morse, of Jersey City, sides of the page, the one on the Scriptural acrostic. After open- left carrying a basket of goodies ing remarks on the special occa- labelled as petitions for things sion, say, "Let us think for selfishly desired, with a very awhile of the letters in the word few labelled "Thank you." The T-h-a-n-k-s-g-i-v-i-n-g that are girl on the right held a basket of also the first letters of the words delectables labelled for things that cause our hearts to be for which she was grateful. Both thankful" : baskets were extended as if be- T-ruth, Psalm 117: 2; H-ope, ing offered up to God. Blessings Psa. 39: 7; A-bide, John 15: 10; poured in a shower on the girl N-ame, Luke 8: 30a; K-now, at the right, the words under- Luke 19: 43; S-ee, Psa. 65: 5a; neath being, "0 that men would G-race, Acts 11: 23a; I-ncline,
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
Josh. 24: 23; V-oice, 1 Cor. 14: Seat. Once more we are re- member of the several women's 10; I-ncrease, Provo 9: 9b; minded that out of one blood boards, thus acquiring a knowl- N-ew, Rev. 21: 5a; G-o Forward, God hath made all nations of edge of missionaries under Ex. 14: 15. We can "Go For- men, and that all may come to world-wide conditions. For 25 ward" on deeds of mercy and Him with their burdens and years she was Methods Editor love, after this service, and so cares. of Missions and wrote missionfind happiness in things to be ary leaflet literature, pamphlets thankful for. Sing, "Count And now as the day lengthens and pageants. In 1932 she be- Your Many Blessings." A brief toward the setting sun, the West- gan to edit this Department in talk follows each letter in this ern Hemispheres take up the the REVIEW. Mrs. Aitchison acrostic. – Adapted from World strain – from pole to pole, in hopes, after a period of rest, to Comrades. many tongues-Spanish or Por- take up writing and speaking tuguese, Alaskan or French, again. Outstanding Features for English or Indian, we lift our Any Meeting hearts and voices to the God of Miss Grace McGavran Nations, who is the God of the Takes Hold A Diurnal Cycle of Prayer, as individual too, and pray for perused at a Presbyterial group sonal and civic righteousness- As we bid farewell to Mrs. meeting, may be incorporated "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will Aitchison, we welcome to our into any program as its devo- be done." editorial staff Miss Grace W. tional, or used on the Day of McGavran of Indianapolis, In- Prayer. Another name for it is "Prayer in the land of the fir tree and diana, who will become the Ed- "A Prayer Quest" : pine; itor of this Department. She is a member of the "Disciples" Out on the wide Pacific where Prayer in the land of the fig tree Church and has had wide and East meets West, this day's peti- valuable experience in writing tions are borne. Faraway Japan and vine; and in promoting better and hears the call to prayer and more effective methods of pre- Christians, both white and yel- Prayer where the waves dash loudly senting missions to groups of low, gather and bow the knee Christians at home. to the same Father. Our own and cold; hearts but echo the terror and She was brought up in India appeal in theirs, as they see that Prayer where the lion stalks fearless and later was a secretary of Misfair land following the god of sionary Education in the United War. and bold; Christian Missionary Society. Her first contribution will ap- Swiftly the hours move west- Prayer in cathedrals whose spires pear in our September number, ward and soon the call to prayer dealing with "Tested Methods resounds across the far East, in tower high; for Increasing Interest at Home" Korea and Siam, in Cambodia -through books, enlisting new and Anam, and in war-torn Prayer in kirks and cabins close by; members, improving missionary China. Thousands lift up their meetings, drama and other pracvoices to Almighty God in a na- Prayer where two are gathered to tical plans. She will keep in tion-wide cry for peace and mind the interests and needs of safety. pray; , pastors, teachers and parents, as well as those of officers of local Christians all over India join Everywhere, everywhere, prayer to- societies and laymen. We bewith us and with each other to speak for Miss McGavran your plead with the God of nations to day." hearty cooperation. If you have lead them to the right solution any problems or questions along of their internal difficulties. Mrs. Aitchison Retires these lines, or any experience or ideas that have proved effective The sun moves on over the After editing this department in promoting missionary inter- Near East and bathes the ancient on "Effective Ways of Working" est and cooperation, send them land of Iran and the Hqly to Miss Grace McGavran, 5718 Land of sacred Writ ……… . for nearly seven years, Mrs. Es- Oak Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana. (add a suitable complete statement) . tella S. Aitchison feels it neces- EDITOR., sary to retire. Health needs to Day dawns in Russia, but we be conserved, and other respon- Yesterday evangelism was vodo not find Christians gathering sibilities call for attention. We in churches to pray together. . . join with the readers of this De- cational; today it is avocational. so in humble homes behind partment in deep gratitude to locked doors . . . Mrs. Aitchison for the faithful Yesterday it was perennial; to- way in which she has presented As the hours fly swiftly by, the methods that have been of day it is only seasonal. Yesterwe see the blacks in Africa by help to many in the churches. the thousands, and Christians in day it was victorious; today it every country in Europe, meet- Mrs. Aitchison was born in ing around a common Mercy Iowa, and from an early age has is simply visitational. – W. G. been identified with church mis- Coltman. ' sionary organizations. She was married to Dr. John Y. Aitchi- son, a Baptist. minister, who subsequently became joint secre- tary for Baptist Home and For- eign Mission Societies, later Home Secretary for the Baptist Foreign Mission Society, and finally General Director of the Baptist Board of Missions Cor- poration. Mrs. Aitchison shared his rich missionary experience in the pastorate and served as BULLETIN Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
~,==================~ THE CHURCH IN THE CITY in which his Church is to face CITY MAN. Charles H. Sears. Friend- the city or the extent to which '.". ship Press, New York. Cloth, Where do the greatest number hI·S. Chu'rch'~s t a 11 ow t h.e C' tI.y TH$E1.50C;ROpWaDpEeDr, 7W5AcYeSn.ts. Charles H. of Americans live? How much do they know about their en- 0 vironment? How do they earn to mfluence It. Not only IS thIS Sears. Friendship Press New their living? What do they theme for study exceedingly York. Board, 35 cents; pS:per, 25 really get out of life? What part has the Church in influencing tsi.mmce~lry~, bCuh.trIi.St ti·~sanesms. enhtiI'a~l pfroerst~hnet CITcMYenutrsAr.aNyD HC. HLUeRiCffHer. INWTilRleAtNt,SICTIlOarNk. this life in all its varied aspects? partIclpatIOn m Amerlcan hfe. & Co., 1938. $2.50. What part ought the Church to have? All groups whether urban or OUR CITIES: THEIR ROLE IN THE ~A- ·11 fi n' d the S.t ud~ st·lmu- TtiIcOsN, AgLraEpChOs,NOcMhaYr.ts, Hetecl.pfuFl osrtastaIsle- These and many other ques- ru~a1, W tions await answer or stimulat- I ing discussion and enlightenment latmg. Those who hve m large by the Superintendent of Docuin the study of the Home Mis- cities are the subject under con- ments, Washington, D. C. 70 cents. sion Theme for 1938-39 on "The sideration. Those in smaller CITY CHURCH INVENTORY. A brief Church in the City." Follow- ~l·t·les or t owns h. ave some S.lm- mapapnruaaisletoitshelilpfe aanndavseerravgicee.chuPrrcohing the study of last year on Ilar problems or may face them cure from Home Missions Council, the "Church in Rural America" it is appropriate to give equally later. Those in rural areas de- 297 Fourth Avenue, New York. studious attention to the exceedingly challenging city situation. pend upon cities for the pattern 10 cents. Those who fail to take advantage of modern 1I·v·mg. All wh0 be- CO2L1L,IER1S938M. AGAAZrItNicEl.e oIsnsue"Shooft-MGuany long to the Church face the Houses."
Christianizing of the city as a What You Can Do with common task.
Resources Available These Materials As an individual in a number of this opportunity will be losing The Missionary Education of ways you can help to inform a valuable and helpful personal Movement of the United States yourself, your Church and your experience, and will be failing and Canada presents again this friends outside the Church, so as to measure up in their obliga- to profit by these materials. Few year a number of books and lead- city people know their own city, tions to the Church in its major and few realize how important Home Mission task today. ers' guides which will make it a knowledge of the city is in pro- possible for every type of age or moting the City Church. If you The city is a part of a great interest group to outline a course can first increase your own change in trend in American for study or to build programs knowledge and then arouse an which will bring keen interest interest in others by the added life. "In a little more than a and value. Although most of facts you have acquired you will century, our country has pro- the women's groups or mixed be taking an important first step foundly altered its mode of life, adult groups will give major in advancing this program. emphasis to the adult book by and has been transformed from Dr. Kincheloe, leaders will find Some significant facts put a frontier settlement into a full- much valuable reference mate- upon striking posters; some fledged urban, industrial so- rial in all of the books published. graphs or some important staciety." In the June REVIEW Book De- tistics; a map showing different partment will be found a list of population areas in your city; "City Man" has not been pre- books recommended by Dr. the housing situation; the depared for the growth of his city Charles H. Sears of interest to linquency record; the welfare in all of its marked variations. those studying the Church in program; any of these linked up the City. In addition we note wherever possible with the He finds it difficult to adjust here a few additional source ma- Church of your city in its coophimself to the changed and terials that have seemed to us eration, or its lack of cooperachanging environment. Who valuable for reference: tion, may attract the attention of some one and lead to an really is his neighbor becomes a THE CITY'S CHURCH. H. Paul Doug- inquiry concerning the source of question that he himself is baf- lass. Friendship Press, New York. fled in answering. And of ever- Cloth, only 35 cents. increasing importance to him, if he is a church member – not merely on the membership list, but in active service-is the way [368 ]
BULLETIN: COUNCIL OF WOMEN FOR HOME MISSIONS
your information. If all that For program building for conferences that should lead to a World Federation of Churches. you can do is to read and have women's or you n g people's Secondly, it seeks to renew someone else read these thought- groups there is also adequate the passion that has fired the Christian Church through the provoking books, you have material on the city theme for ages to send forth laborers into all areas of need. Personal conachieved a first goal. many use s. Denominational tacts and messages from our own missionaries and from those But this first step might well headquarters will give you sug- of other races reveal again the lead to the organization of a gestions and will have series of need of a redeeming Saviour. group for more intensive study. programs outlined for your use. It ought to. If so, the group will If you cannot find already out- A balanced program not only be glad not only to work for lined just what seems to meet stretches the mind and gives their own advancement, but they the need of your group, we refer world vision, but attacks the will assist you in bringing to the you again to the above list of concrete problem of how to proentire congregation the results references. From the leaders' ject this vision into the local of your work together. For guides you may select what will church. This year the challenge group study, refer to the lead- appeal to your group. Dr. of India and the miracle of what ers' guides noted above. You Searle's book "City Shadows" is happening to one-sixth of the will find in them many helpful will be sure to find among all a people on the opposite side of the suggestions. If you have a sympathetic response. Anyone globe, will be paralleled by a group to assist you, there might of these chapters will give back- course on how the Church may be produced a more informing ground for a most stimulating make the Kingdom of God efmap of your city. It might be discussion which will make an fective in a modern American started in one session and grow excellent program. city. Instruction on how to profrom session to session. Begin- The City Church in America mote these courses and how to ning with the central area in should be awakened not only to arouse the Church to an urgent your city which will be first geo- thought but to action by the need for action, is essential. graphically and historically, you home mission study for this can ,work out until you have put year. Those who have prepared The third objective of a suminto the map all of the features the materials have done a note- mer conference is the social felof special concern to your group. worthy service. It remains for lowship. In the renewing and It will be found that the general those who have the privilege of forming of new friendships with pattern of city life is similar for using them and of urging others those of like interest and pasdifferent cities in different parts to use them to make the best of sion we find a stimulus to greater their opportunities. May the service. of the country. Many subjects will present "Church" and the "City" profit In the Bible and devotional themselves for discussion or de- in large measure and may the hours, prophets of today will bate. Interesting assignments Kingdom be advanced by this present the Living Christ who, can be made to individuals with- program! as in the days when He walked NONA M. DIEHL, and talked with men, remains in the group from the wealth of today the only hope of a tangled Member of the Annual Meeting world. Only as our hearts burn books and pamphlets available. Committee of the Council of within us will women attending Women for Home Missions. summer conferences find a cre- In a discussion of the city ative faith equal to the mission- Church itself and its present ary task of the Church.
purpose and function a good OBJECTIVES OF A SUM- B. LoUISE WOODFORD, method will be found in the leaders' guide to Dr. Kincheloe's MER CONFERENCE Chairman of the Chautauqua Com.mittee for the Council of book by Kenneth D. Miller. It "Did not our hearts burn with- Women for Home Missions and the Foreign Missions Conwill be agreed that the pattern in us as He talked with us." ference.
of the average city Church Thus spoke two weary, disillu- CONFERENCE LEADERS!
should no longer provide chiefly sioned, discouraged men who Having studied Rural America, leaders will find knowledge of migrant work an infor a Sunday morning service. had found a dynamic faith that dispensable springboard connecting Rural America with the American City and its Neither should the Neighbor- sent them out to help change a Church. Conference Packets have been ashood House, built up chiefly . world. The summer missionary sembled for the use of leaders, including the booklet They Starve that We May Eat; a around group activities, be al- conferences plan to bring to Leader's Guide to be used In connection with They Starve that We May Eat; an Illuslowed to take the place of the women today, who also live in a trated map; A Volume of Service,' Around the Calendar with the Crops; and other Church. Mr. Miller presents in weary, disillusioned world, a valuable material all for the price of 60 cents. Write to the Council of Women for the last two sessions of his out- faith that will dare the impos- Home Missions, 297 Fourth Avenue, New York, N. Y., or your denominational headline a constructive plan for dis- sible. quarters for the packet.
cussing the place and function First it seeks to clarify the of the Church in the modern place of the ongoing Christian city. The Church should not Mission of the Church amid the duplicate other city service movements that threaten the activities, but it must become democratic ideals of Christiancivic-minded. It must not only ity. It presents the urgent need elaborate its policy but rethink of a united Christian front and its philosophy. the attempt made in recent
World~wide
A Missionary Newspaper of Current Events ~~ EDITED BY MRS. HENRIETTA H. FERGUSON, XENIA, OHIO "
~'I=·================I~ ISLANDS OF THE PAOIFIO ment and plaster work. The about to devour Jesus. Numer- Ways of Working in building will accommodate 1,000 ous caricatures of God, the Pope, the Philippines people. It will be cruciform in ,,..priests, ministers and rabbis Filipino Christian workers emphasize the personal touch, shape, with a bell tower and were included. The crusade and recognize the value of Christ-like living. One of them cross, a concrete base, raised against the Roman Catholic writes: altar and choir stalls, over which Church in Mexico was portrayed "We have tried to meet individuals at the most opportune there will be a Gothic arch. with numerous pages from time here and there, in our homes or theirs, on the street, in Spotlights will be used to illu- school books. Communism, the market, in the stores, in their places of work in the town or minate the choir, altar and fascism and totalitarianism were country. We have met people on all sorts of occasions, at electric organ chamber. All fur- also featured as enemies of weddings, funerals, receptions, parties, birthday celebrations, nishings will be of redwood to Christianity. In the German fiestas, social functions, recreation times – wherever a word resist white ants, which de- section, newspapers and pamcould be said to turn attention to Christ and the Church. stroyed the old church. phlets set forth the German "Many of our best members -Pacific Islands Monthly. Neo-Pagan Movement. One have been won by following up the faithful work of teaching the pamphlet, w h i c h emphasized Gospel in the Sunday Schools. Much good has been accom- Australian Youth Oalling anti-Semitism, was entitled, plished through the use of tracts. "Jesus-Only a Jew." Also, the traveling clinics have Ninety thousand Australian proved powerful evangelizing Christian Endeavorers have in- An hour in this exhibition was agencies. A doctor, a nurse, two deaconesses and two helpers vited other Endeavorers from a sobering experience. It is now comprise such a team. Two all nations and tongues to meet weeks as a rule are spent in a in Melbourne on August 2', 1938, on a tour of schools, colleges and town. The days are given to the healing of men's bodies, while for the Tenth World's Christian patriotic societies throughout the evenings are devoted to Endeavor Convention. Here is health talks and messages which one of the youngest nations call- the country as an evidence of the point them to the Great Physician who is able to heal their ing Christian youth of all na- extent to which anti-religious souls. propaganda will go when given Portable Ohurch license. -Missions. A church, to be shipped in sections to Nauru Island, in the tions to meet for an advance. Juvenile Delinquency Central Pacific, has been built Australia is a great, largely unin Melbourne, Australia. Wood, The New Jersey Juvenile Decement and fibrous plaster are developed continent about as linquency Commission has just the main materials. They were large as China or as the United submitted a report to the Govpaid for with £3,000 subscribed ernor, in which it is shown that by the Nauruans, who will erect States of America – but it now failure to attend church and a the church and complete the ce- contains only about 4,000,000 lack of religious training has a people-mostly white.
NORTH AMERIOA direct bearing upon the problem An Anti-God Show of juvenile delinquency and crime. In their search for causes An unusual exhibition was re- and cures, the Commission inter- cently held in New York City, viewed 1,500 offenders serving sponsored by the Roman Cath- terms in four penal institutions, olic Church. It featured more inquiring into their home rela- than 2,500 books, pamphlets, tionships, school experiences, magazines, handbills, posters church attendance and other and other anti-God propaganda factors. In the findings of the material. Three years were re- Commission we read: quired to assemble this array, "Though the great majority including a number of bitterly of the mothers and fathers of anti-religious posters from Rus- these offenders attended some sia. church, according to the testi- One poster showed a Russian mony of their sons, regular at- peasant with a gigantic broom tendance was far less common sweeping away Bibles, ikons, in- among the sons themselves. cense burners, etc. Another "Of the mothers, 80 per cent showed a group of cannibals were declared to be regular in [370 ] attendance, and 65 per cent of object was to examine personal fect would check the spread of the fathers. No fewer than 43 lives in the light of God's truth false political systems. Said per cent of the offenders gave a and God's commands, so that we she: blunt 'no' with respect to their should heed Him when He own attendance, and enough speaks. "The Christian world has paid tribute to the witnessing of the more returned equivocal answers "As soon as the term began German church and its pastors to bring the number of irregular the program was sent to every against Hitler. We know what attendants up to 53 per cent. resident member of the Univer- Christianity means to those peo- Thus, only 47 per cent claimed sity-both senior and junior- ple now. I would like to know some 6,000 people. Together what it meant to them at an any regularity of attendance." with it was an open letter from earlier date. What were they the three missioners stating the doing when Hitler was rising to Is New York Pagan? case for such a mission and power? What was the Church emphasizing their own unity of doing? What was the Y. W. The City of New York, with conviction." C. A. doing? Was there a time when the united action of Chrisits 7,500,000 inhabitants, has -Intercollegian and Far tian forces could have averted H.orizons. Naziism? Is not that where we 1,074 Protestant churches, with are today? … Preaching Mission Continues 554,000 members. Thus only "This is not an easy time to In spite of the fact that the be a Christian. We are faced seven per cent of the population National Preaching Mis s ion with the problem of putting ended last December, the impulse Christianity into practice in an is reported as having member- continues, of which the latest in- age characterized by a meaning- dication is the decision of the lessness that is terrifying, by an ship in Protestant churches of North Dakota Association of insecurity that breeds fear and Denominational Superintendents drives us to unreasoning action the American metropolis. Of to conduct a state-wide mission when the securities we set up in the autumn of 1938. The for ourselves prove vulnerable." these members less than forty plan has been endorsed by the state organizations of the Meth- -Religious News Service. per cent indicate that they at- odist, Baptist, Congregational and Presbyterian bodies. Six Presbyterian Centennial Fund tend church and only two per missions will be held in six dif- ferent centers of the State- A year ago the Presbyterian cent, on an average, will be Grand Forks, Devil's Lake, Board of Foreign Missions, cele- Minot, Fargo, Jamestown and brating one hundred years of found in Christian churches on Bismarck. service, set a goal of $1,000,000 to be raised for foreign missions. anyone Sunday. There are 194,- Nine missions have been held The Fund has now passed the at different centers in Maine, half million mark. In view of 000 on the rolls of the Sabbath four days being spent in each the sudden and unexpected place by the group of cooper- financial "recession," the Board schools, or about two per cent ating leaders; 141 local churches considers it a matter for thank- of 10 denominations cooperated fulness that this much has been of the population. This shows and the total attendance in the accomplished. It has been voted nine missions was approximately to approve the following per- New York to be one of the great 18,000. One of the practical out- centage allocation of this Fund: comes of the Maine Mission was non-Christian centers of the the decision to hold a state con- I. New Missionaries …… 600/0 vention of the pastors of all II. Restoration of Salary Cuts 200/0 world and one of the places denominations next fall for wor- III. Evangelistic Expansion. 11 0/0 ship, to plan the year's program IV. Educational and Medical greatly in need of evangeliza- and to promote interdenomina- tional comity and understanding. Expansion ……….. 80/0 tion. -Revelation. V. Other Urgent Needs …. 10/0 -Federal Council. Christian Evangelism Pioneer Among the Pimas in Colleges Fresh Dynamic Needed This year marks the hun- Twenty universities in the Mrs. Austin Kimball, national dredth ann i v e r s a r y of Dr. United States are planning president of the Y. W. C. A., in Charles H. Cook, who for thir- "Christian Missions" during the her opening address to the 2,000 teen years worked among the next college year. The report of delegates to the organization's Pima Indians of Arizona witha "Mission to the University at 15th biennial convention, in Co- out a single convert, but lived Oxford, England," meeting last lumbus, Ohio, last April, said to see 2,000 of them accept February, will help to clar- that Christian ideals put into ef- Christ. Not far from where he ify the thought of those who first taught stands the First plan these missions in America. Presbyterian Church of Tucson, We quote from this report: "It was decided that what was needed was a clear and unequivocal declaration of the one eternal Gospel. The essential thing for a Christian university, now so largely oblivious of its Christian origin, is to be clear about what Christianity is. …
"The preparation began publicly at the beginning of last October, and since then weekly services of prayer have been held. In all the twenty-eight colleges there were meetings of small groups of Christian leaders, for prayer and study. The
a memorial to this "apostle to damaged. Last April the Church Scofield, the report says: "Only the Pimas." From this center have sprung up seven other filed claims against the Japanese recently has it taken the whole churches which serve a population of 6,000 Indians. They are government for this damagE;, and question of church development strategically located over an area about the size of Connecti- for the use of its property for seriously: in the past it has been cut. war purposes. The lowest esti- confent simply to preach and to Through Dr. Cook's influence a training school for Indians was mate of the damage sustained is pass on." founded in 1911. All the native evangelists now at work on the $500,000. That is to say, more impor- Pima, Papago, Maricopa and Apache fields are former pupils This appeal to Secretary of tance is being given to the mainof the Charles H. Cook Bible School. There are also many State Hull is the first to be made tenance of a settled ministry. others who are Sunday School teachers, choir directors and officially by a Church board. The book's statistics show that exemplary citizens in their home communities. Pimas have sent Other denominations have con- the total number of evangelical forth their missionaries to the Papagos, the Apaches (their sidered such action, but so far Christians in the one republic ancient enemies) and to others u n til the establishment of none have been made. of Guatemala is almost equal to Christian citizenship among the 18 tribes of Arizona is one great '~–the total number of the other enterprise. LATIN AMERIOA four republics combined. -Monday Morning. Training Porto Rican Youth – Watchman-Examiner. China Relief Organizations A Training School for Sunday Indians' Search for God The following agencies in School teachers and officers in America have been at work the three Presbyterian churches The South American Missionhelping China's distress: The of Mayaguez, P. R., was held ary Society has been engaged American Bureau for Medical recently, with an attendance of for nearly a century in the diffi- Aid to China; the American 65. The courses included: Sur- cult task of taking the Gospel to Red Cross; American Student vey of the New Testament, the Indians of that continent. Union; Associated Boards for Teaching P rim a r y Children, One piece of pioneer work in the Christian Colleges; China Emer- Story Telling, History of the Argentine Chaco has been regency Civilian Relief; China Bible and Methods of Teaching. markably successful. About Famine Relief, U. S. A., Inc.; Almost all who took the courses seven years ago, Toba Indians China War Relief Association; were young people. Specific sent a deputation to the Mission, Chinese Women's Relief Asso- problems of the field were dis- asking for a teacher and saying ciation; Federal Council of cussed, and a spirit of enthu- that they were in search of "Our Churches; International Stu- siasm was manifest. Father." Mr. Leake accepted dent Service; National Intercol- the challenge, prepared to graplegiate Christian Council, the In Porto Rico, where there are ple with the difficult language, National Student Federation of more children in Sunday School and in November, 1930, launched America and the various Church than in any Spanish-speaking the new undertaking. During boards having work in China. country, there are thirty Pres- the intervening years, there has Send your gift to any of these. byterian Young People's Socie- been a steady stream of converts, ties, with nearly 1,200 members. corporate church life has been Other groups whose only ac- Three district Unions hold quar- established, and the singing of tivity is raising funds for relief hymns has now superseded the include the International Mis- terly Conventions; once a year incantations of the witch-doctor. sionary Council, China Child Before the advent of the mission- Welfare and China Medical all assemble in one general Con- ary, the Tobas were a dying race, Boards. vention. At the last such meet- but medical service has effec- ing, those in attendance were tively arrested a mounting Damage Claims Against divided into three groups for death-rate. Furthermore, total Japanese discussion of the "Youth and illiteracy, which originally pre- Spiritual Emphasis Program of vailed, has largely been over- Of Southern Methodist prop- the Board of Christian Educa- come. erty in China, 24 buildings are tion." This proved to be more said to be in ashes and 98 per stimulating than the usual pro- A striking feature of the work cent of the remainder have been gram of speeches. is the self-appointment of twelve Indian evangelists who, on their Religion in Central America own initiative, determined to go out each Sunday afternoon into The World Dominion Press the villages and preach the Gos- has added to its numerous sur- pel. Before setting out, it is veys of mission fields one on their practice to meet in a small Central America. One finds prayer-hut, where they seek from this survey that "there is guidance and plan their itiner- less educational activity in Cen- ary. Results everywhere follow tral America in proportion to their preaching, and their ex- evangelistic enterprise than is ample has led to the erection of general in the larger Latin other prayer-huts. American republics." -The Christian. Of the Central American Mis- sion founded in 1890 by Dr. C. 1.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
North Brazil Evangelical tional) received an additional so prevalent among Christians is Seminary faithless and unreasonable. . . . income of over 17,000 pounds, Two years ago a group of and came within some 8,000 Religion is a natural instinct. Deworkers in North Brazil unani- pounds of wiping out its accu- generate people will have a degenerate mously agreed that the solution mulated deficiency of 76,000 religion. If Christianity becomes exto their problem was an inter- pounds. The Baptist Society tinct for want of teachers, the Holy denominational Bible School for finished with a heavy' deficit of Spirit will take care of the Church. the training of Brazilian work- Church history has shown us again ers. As the months passed, one 13,000 pounds. Through be- and again that the blood of the mardifficulty after another was re- tyrs is the seed of the Church. I think moved, and the Union Bible quests the C. M. S. received the Church was probably at its purest School became an established 98,000 pounds, the Bible Society during the persecutions which weeded fact. A spacious house was 68,000 pounds, and the London out the insincere and the half-hearted; Missionary Soc i e t y 33,000 and I believe that in all these coun- pounds. tries which I have mentioned the ulti- mate result of the anti-God campaign placed at the School's disposal will be the revival of Christianity in and fifteen students appeared at Protestantism in Portugal a purer form than before the troubles. Religion really is not taught: it is the opening. The two Bible The Evangelical Alliance of caught from someone who has it al- Portugal has recently issued a ready. And your duty and mine, if Schools which had previously we want to make Christianity a more existed and whose amalgamation compilation of those laws which vital force . . . is to show forth the affect the standing of the Prot- fruits of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, formed the "Seminario Evan- estant Churches in Portugal. longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, gelico de Norte," taken together, The fact that these occupy forty temperance.
had not approached this number.
There had been no effort to in- pages of small print show the Unified Church in France duce students to come and no attention which is given to regpublicity whatever. They just ulating the position of the local A unified Protestant Church arrived. religious bodies. The effect of in France was achieved as a re- They come from the various sult of a meeting at Lyon of the recent cases of discrimination Constituent Assembly of Protstates in North Brazil, from against evangelicals by local au- estant Churches on April 28. Pernambuco, Sergipe, Parahyba, thorities is reflected in these The Assembly brought together pages, which contain the text of Ceara, Maranhao and Para. over 600 congregations of four They represent all classes. There recent instructions sent to all such authorities, laying down denominations to heal a breach are those from the hoe, and the in French Protestantism that more cultured city men. They that "it is not to be tolerated goes back to 1872, when liberals that evangelical C h r i s t ian s among the Evangelical Reare drawn from the various de- should be the victims of vionominations at work in North formed Church declined to sub- Brazil. They vary in capacity. lence." scribe to a new Declaration of -World Dominion Press. Some are taking only the two Faith and established the Reyears of intensive training for evangelists offered by the Sem- "Gloomy Dean" Sees Gleam formed Church. inary, while others avail them- The two other groups now selves of the full theological The former Dean of St. Paul's joining in the unification are the course. in London, Dr. W. R. lnge, has fifty odd congregations of the -The Neglected Continent. no gloomy view of the future of Free Evangelical Church and religion. In an article in the about 2'5 Methodist congrega- Christian World on "The Revolt EUROPE Against Christianity," he says: tions in France. The union is based upon a new Declaration British Mission Deficits . . . It is true that real persecution of Faith which is a moderate re- eXIsts in sev-.:n,J parts of the world With an estimated 30% of statement of the historic Calvin- church members supporting the quite as violent as the early church ism of the Reformed Churches. missionary movement in Eng- suffered at the hands of the Roman This is the fourth major move Emperor. In Russia thirty bishops land, three British missionary and more than eight thousand priests toward unification of Western societies report deficits, one have been murdered. In Spain four Protestant Churches. Previ- thousand priests have, they say, sufmanaged to hold its own and an- fered death. The property of the ously there was the creation of other reduced its debt. Church has been confiscated, and the Church of Scotland from the churches have been destroyed; the many Presbyterian sects in that The Church Missionary So- ciety, with an income of 415,000 public performance of divine worship country, the formation of the prohibited and religious education enpounds sterling, reports 570 tirely stopped. Blasphemous posters United Church of Canada which deficit of 20,000 pounds for the from Russia and other countries have year. The Methodist Society has been exhibited, intended to bring reli- has developed a very close work- ing agreement with the Church been able to make ends meet, gion into contempt. The same things of England in Canada, and the while the Bible Society received have been enacted in Germany. . . . almost completed move towards I have no wish to minimize the 378,000 pounds and spent 385,- danger of these revolts against all Methodist unification in the 000 pounds. The London Mis- that we hold true and holy; but I United States. sionary Soc i e t y (Congrega- think that the pessimism which is now -Religious News Service.
Persecuted Waldensians time witnessing to what the explain this book to the best of Lord has done for them. their knowledge during the R. M. Stephens, of the Wal- -Scripture Gift Mission. church service. densian Church Missions of Lon- Poland's Bible School "The National Church is dedon, tells of his recent visit in The eyes of the world have termined to exterminate unalter- South Italy and Sicily. Speak- been focussed on Poland in coning of an interview he had with nection with the Lithuanian ably and by all necessary means the Waldensian pastor in charge the Christian faith which was problem, but with the peaceful imported into Germany in the of the work of the Bible Society fatal year of 800, and pressed in Rome, he says: "The difficul- upon the German people though ties of Bible circulation increase. settlement of this question Po- it was of an entirely foreign na- Last year the authorities in- l~nd has strengthekned ~er poshi- ture and substance.
formed him that 'it was incon- bon as a bulwar. agamst t e "In the National Church f the venient' that Bibles should be hordes of commumsm and athe……__ ~erman!t e·ICh h . roeml.~- ism pressing upon her eastern t ere IS no sold without any indication as to sS!lOrensos ft~sl~Sns.agaIm~ aassnedrtasg, a3m:nd, . which Church published them. border. While the State is the wIll On being informed that the Bible fence to keep out communism, that it is left for the Church to stem sms 'YhI~h ha;re been comm.ltted Socety was not a Church it was the tide of atheism. The Evan- once m .lIfe wIll. be unrelentmgly ordered that no Bibles should be sold. . . . At Foggia I met Pas- gelical Churches are in the fore- met wIth pymshment by the tor Castiglione and went with front in this undertaking, and brazen and Irrevoc~ble l.aws ~f are cemented by the World's na~ure,', and certamly m thIS him by car to Orsara in the mountains, where there has been Evangelical Alliance. Recently, wo ld.
a church for forty years. A few the Alliance sent a deputation to Rome's Influence in Yugoslavia hours before our arrival the Poland to survey conditions and leading elder and founder of the needs. The visitors were as- According to a new law in Church passed away. While I sured by the Prime Minister, a Yugoslavia, all religions are was there a message came to the Protestant, that the Government placed on a nominally equal offi- pastor from the police to say will favor the constructive work cial basis, with no group enjoy- that while a service would be of the Alliance. ing special privilege. However, permitted in Church, no speak- The first interdenominational the Roman Catholic Church in ing would be allowed at the Bible School in Poland was es- strength and initiative is far grave or in the cemetery. The tablished last December, through ahead of the Orthodox Church.
local priest is a bitter enemy, the initiative of the W. E. A. Numbering something 0 v e r and through his influence the au- Beginning with eight students, 5,000,000, it is endeavoring to thorities refused to renew the there were soon more applica- . obtain advantages t h r 0 ugh pastor's permit last year. No tions than could be accepted. agreement with the State – ad- meetings are allowed in private The churches in Poland, poor vantages that are denied the houses without the permission though they are, are doing their Orthodox Church, which num- of the police, which is seldom best to promote this School. bers about 6,500,000.
forthcoming." -The Christian. Among other things it would -Evangelical Christian. seek to enforce the Roman Cath- Revival in Hungary Nazi's National Church olic rule that all children of The political situation in Hun- A "National Church of the mixed mar ria g e s must be gary is difficult for both govern- German Reich" with "no scribes, brought up Roman; if a parish ment and people, yet word comes no pastors, no chaplains and no of a great revival movement should go over to orthodoxy it is clergy," and which would pro- stipulated that all its possessions hibit the printing and publishing remain with the Roman Church.
there, not only in Budapest but of all Christian literature, is Under such circumstances, it in other centers. Evangelistic now the plan of the National So- is encouraging to read incidents meetings are being held many cialist Party. It would put Hit- like the following: times a day, and at some of them ler's "My Struggle" in place of "In the elementary school in from four to seven thousand peo- the Bible, and the swastika in Novi Sad, the New Testament ple are present, many of whom place of the Cross. Its thirty- is used as the text for religious have never heard the Gospel be- point program requires accept- teaching. One day a lad about fore. Special editions of the ance of the State race ideology. nine years of age came into the Gospel of John and the Epistle Some other points are: shop and asked if he could get to the Romans have been placed "On the altars of the National an Evangelical Bible. Looking in the hands of inquirers; while Church our most holy book, 'My at the child, I said, 'How much Christians are urged to take five Struggle,' shall be consecrated money have you?' 'Eight dinars,' copies and, after prayer for to the German people and thus he answered, so I knew he guidance, to seek out five rela- to God, and at its left the sword wanted the New Testament. To tives or acquaintances to whom shall be sanctified. The speakers make sure, I asked, 'Who is your they may give them, at the same of the National Church have to teacher?' 'Mr. Dietrich,' the lad
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
replied. 'What is he teaching to see Islam rule over the social the population of Egypt has for you?' 'Just now we have the life of Egypt because the great too many decades been unable good Samaritan.' And without majority of the inhabitants of to share in the great movements my enquiring any more the this country are Moslems, and of Egypt's development. But schoolboy said, 'I believe on the because the official religion of now that half, the half of the Lord Jesus Christ, my father the country is Moslem, and noth- population which is made up of does not, and today I am going ing else. Other religions differ- women, is awakening and is beto read that story to my father entiate between religion and ing set free to cooperate in the -he promised me that he would politics; Islam does not." activities of the nation." 'listen.' " This statement was made fol- -Blessed Be Egypt. New Era in Greece lowing widespread rumors that the Sheikh had incited the stu- Religion as a Therapeutic The spirit of persecution, so dents of Al Azhar to rioting in long a feature of religious life the recent political crisis in Leper work that failed under in Greece, has, to a large extent, Egypt. This was a virtual ad- government administration is been overcome, and unrest has mission of his activity in the somehow succeeding under the given place to a spirit of peace. attempt to dislodge the govern- direction of Christian mission- Twenty-five years have passed ment of Nahas Pasha. aries in Northe·rn Nigeria. Late since the death of the founder in 1936, the government in this of the Greek Evangelical Church, Nile Mission Press Mohammedan territory gave and there are now twelve or- over to the Sudan Interior Mis- ganized churches, six of them On March 10, Mr. Arthur T. sion and the Mission to Lepers self-supporting; while scattered Upson laid the foundation stone the responsibility for directing throughout the country are more for a new building for the Nile the leper work; and since then than twenty preaching places. Mission Press. Dr. Charles R. four colonies have been estab- Watson, President of the Amer- lished. One of the more recent con- ican University in Cairo, said in verts was a Doctor of Mathe- his address: "I found in looking Some one visiting the colony matics, and his influence among at the government statistics for at Kano, after a long absence, the students is being much felt literacy that every ten years the commented: "What has hap- at Athens. In his student days literacy of Egypt increases by pened to the Colony? It seems he was an atheist, but his life like a new place; the spirit of was changed. After his conver- more than 50 %. According to the people is so much happier." sion he started meetings. in his It seems unquestioned that a own home and, as a preacher in that, the Press, merely to keep new hope instilled in the hearts the Evangelical Church and in pace, ought to increase over 5010 of the patients, a knowledge of halls, his compelling message is in the outreach of its publica- a force outside themselves work- winning many for the Kingdom. tions. But since it has never ing to implant this hope, has a All Evangelical Churches in from the beginning overtaken definite part in bringing about Greece have a special collection the need, it would seem that improved physical condition. It annually toward the work of dis- every ten years jt should more was the government's recogniz- tributing Bibles. than double the scope of its ing this fact that moved them to activities and the output of its turn over the leper work to mis- -The Unchained Word. literature merely to meet the sionaries. challenge of the increasing lit- AFRICA eracy in this country. -Without the Camp.
"Religious Politics" "To this literacy challenge Women Advance in the Sudan may be added the challenge of a Egypt has about fourteen mil- changing mental outlook. This The women of the Moru tribe, lion Moslems as against a mil- is calling not merely for a larger southern Sudan, are more back- lion and a half Christian Copts, volume of literature, but for a ward than the men. Even the the original Egyptians. In an fresh presentation of the· old wives of teachers have not made exclusive interview, She i k h truth to which we hold. Science much progress, in spite of reg- Maraghi, who as head of the is invading every sphere of life ular attendance at school. It is oldest university, Moslem or even here in Egypt and the only in the last two or three otherwise, in the world, the Al reconciliation of science and re- years that girls have shown any Azhar, wields almost as much ligion is more and more urgent. desire to learn; but after a few power as the Caliphs of bygone There is also a growing sense of had begun to attend the women's days, made it clear that Egypt need for moral power. The pop- school, their numbers and inter- is a Moslem nation. ulation is coming into touch with est grew until there are now 70 European life and European on the roll. Eight of the girls The Sheikh declares he does temptation. The old moral mo- have made their stand as Chris- not engage in party politics, but tives no longer hold against the tians; they have shown amazing that he does engage in "religious engulfing tide of temptation and responsiveness, and application politics." immorality. To this I would add of Christian principles to every the challenge of an awakened day life. -Life of Faith. "I will even go a step farther womanhood in Egypt. One-half and say that I personally wish
Darkness Still Reigns twenty of them are Christians. and especially the discussion They have their own church, periods. -Neglected Arabia. Human sacrifices and twin murders still take place in the their own elders. Though physismall, isolated villages of Nsukka, West Africa. The missionary cal healing is denied to many of Iran Has a C. C. C. in charge of this district recently visited a village where a woman them, they laugh and sing and The Christian Courtesy Circle and child had been sacrificed a praise God. -Life of Faith. of the Evangelical Church of few days before. Out of a population of a million and a half, WESTERN ASIA Hamadan was organized in Ocabout 8,000 are Christians, or more accurately, church attend- tober, 1933. The young women ants. There are sixty churches in the area, staffed by African Modernizing Jericho of the church were divided into teachers, most of whom are do- four groups, each group having ing good work. The people are A mo~erniza~io~ of J erich?, a missionary leader. The groups beginning to realize the value of education for their children, and that anCIent BIbhcal town, IS meet in the homes of its memapproximately 3,000 are attend- now b~in?" undert.aken br a local , bers every other week and the ing the schools. A large central CommIssIOn. It IS not mtended ~-young women take turns in leadschool, which will accommodate to change the character of the ing the meetings~ A school for sixty to eighty boarders, is being built. small city, especially the residen- the children of church members The dispensary attracts an tial character of the community who attend public schools on average of more than 100 patients daily, and the maternity which is thought t? be its grea;t- Sundays has also become a projblock, with beds for about fifteen women, is nearly always full. est asset. New JerIcho was bUIlt ect of the C. C. C. It is conducted Three girls and two boys are in training as medical workers. by the Crusaders. It is below as a Sunday School.
-C. M. S. Outlook. sea level, and has a popUlation Last year in order not to be Moravian Missions of 1,700, including 170 Chris- hearers of the Word only but tians a~d four J ~ws. It enjoys doers also, one group started a The Moravian Church may well claim to be a missionary popularIty as a 'Ymter resort. Friday school for children who Church. Its missionaries labor in 300 stations in all parts of the In the RUSSIan Garden of were working as weavers of world, and there are no fewer J er~cho are to be seen the re- carpets, and a few children of than 130,000 Moravian converts mams of ~n old fourth century the neighborhood. They were in foreign fields. The youngest of all their fields is that in East church, WIth a mOSaiC .floor. In taught Gospel stories, reading Central Africa, where a witness one corn~r of the town IS a .tower and singing. It proved so worth has been maintained for about on t~~ SIte where, accordmg to while it was continued this year. fifty years. Here are some remarkable figures concerning the tradItIOn, stood the house of There is also a baby clinic, conextension of the work in recent years: In 1922 there were 300 Zaccheus. ducted by a missionary doctor. baptized Christians; in 1930, nearly 6,000. Medical work be- Boys' School in Iraq Even the children of well-to-do gan in 1923, and it was six families are undernourished. months before they could persuade any native to come for Rev. John Van Ess, Reformed The problem is to impress the treatment; but in 1930 there Church missionary in Basrah, were 250 in-patients, and last Iraq, lists the encouraging fea- mothers with the value of care year there were 350, while outpatients numbered nearly 5,000. in feeding. -Iranew8. Two years ago a new hospital was built. tures of educational work for Building Solidly. boys at Ashar: Comparatively new is the leper work. A home was estab- 1. The overwhelming propor- Alborz College, of Teheran, lished about eight years ago in tion of Moslem pupils. In a Iran, limits the number of its an unused compound. There are students to 700, admitting only now 37 lepers in residence; typical month the figures were: Moslems, 207; Christians, 13; such students as can be assimi- lated into the existing student Jews, 11. Of the Moslems the body without lowering the stand- great majority are village boys. ard of the School. This policy results in building up a reputa- 2. During this, the first year tion for excellence which is re- flected in the confidence shown in which the conscription law the School by government offi- has been applied, pupils who con- cials and hundreds of families formed to the regulations were throughout the country. exempted from military service. Primary work was dropped in There has been no evidence of 1932, but preparatory grades discrimination a g a ins t the are included. Many students are School. turned away for want of room. 3. In government examina- -Monday Morning. tions the pupils compared favor- ably with those from other schools.
4. One of last year's pupils, Literature for Moslems now employed in Baghdad, has asked for, and is to receive bap- To set the men of Moslem tism. lands reading Christian litera- 5. There has been a marked ture would be an achievement of response to the Bible lessons, the highest order. It might come
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
about if we could discover a new once in his life to journey to believe Dr. Ambedkar has himway of presenting the world's Mecca. One very holy man of self made this very plain. Heart most interesting story to these India is taking ten years to it. conversion most certainly will master story-tellers of the world. He is a saint called Shah Sub- remedy the evil of untouchabil- Moslems have the firm convic- han, often known as the "King ity; it is the only thing that tion that they know far more of the Strivers after Happiness." will." -Dnyanodaya.
about true religion than Chris- Shah Subhan started from Allatians, whom they regard as habad some time in 1933. He is hopelessly astray in polytheism journeying on foot, and every Indian Young Women's and other dangerous heresies. five paces he stops and recites Secretary The younger generation how- prayers, which take two minutes The United Presbyterian Inever, who are leading the Na- to repeat, thanking God for hav- dia Mission presents its first nationalist renaissance of intellec- ing permitted him to undertake tive young women's secretary, tual and religious freedom, and this pilgrimage. If he is still and here is her first report: are escaping western domination alive he must be near Baghdad. "In our Punjab church we by adopting western civilization, Thence by way of Damascus and have five presbyterials and in are obviously thinking different- Jerusalem he will journey on to four of these there are young ly. These modern-minded men Mecca, some 5,'0'0'0 miles in all, women's societies. In each presin Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Egypt saying those prayers every five byterial there are other societies and, in lesser degree in North paces. Africa, are appreciating Chris- such as the Junior and Senior tian literature productions. Shall we say that missions are organizations. The missionary no longer needed in India? societies help in the evangelistic The day of controversial lit- -D'nyanodaya. work in every way, some by goerature of the old type for Mos- ing out and telling the Word, lems appears to be passing. The India's Tanners and some by prayer and some by giv- Conversion ing money. Christian story, to command wide attention, must be cast in "But my wish at this time is attractive form by the pens of Twenty-three per cent of the to tell something about our Eastern Christians, instead of world's buffaloes are supplied by young women's societies. There in the form of theological debate. the Bombay Presidency, and the -World Dominion. export from India to England of are 214 members in the six so- cieties. These members not chrome leather rose from 3'0,'0'0'0 only try to do evangelistic work INDIA ANJ) SIAM square feet in 1931 to nearly but also temperance work. They 9,5'0'0,0'0'0 square feet in 1936. give out temperance literature, Missionary Opportunities Similarly the export of dressed and by dramas and meetings, in 1938 leather increased from 2,'0'00 place the temperance message In spite of modern trends in square feet in 193'0 to almost before the people. In all these India, temple goldsmiths have as 4,'0'0'0,'0'0'0 square feet in 1936. things, by the grace of God, we much to do as their predecessors In the Bombay Presidency alone are making progress. We do had in the day of Paul. If you nearly two million people are our work wholeheartedly and do are inclined to forget the hold of engaged in the leather industry it all with God's help and for Hinduism on present-day life in and almost all of them belong to Him. the Depressed Classes. Condi- India, note that last year at tions in their villages are ap- "Finally, I would ask you to Tirupathi, the most sac red palling. please remember our societies in shrine in South India of the god your prayers that we might Vishnu, goldsmiths were asked to On the same day that an in- grow daily in numbers and make send in designs for a new crown dustrial conference made these progress in our work." for the image of the god. The revelations, the village tanners image is large, perhaps three had a conference, and their Students' Prayer Service times as large as an ordinary president observed: "I do not man. The crown is to be 43 believe in Dr. Ambedkar's con- The Intercollegian and Far inches in circumference, where version move, knowing as I do Horizons tells how the annual it is set on the head of the that this will not remedy the evil Day of Prayer was observed by image; and will be about 3'0 of untouchability nor raise the students at Lucknow: "Early in inches high, all of solid gold. In social status of Harijans irre- the morning the students prothis crown 2,4'0'0 diamonds, 2,4'0'0 spective of what new faith they ceeded to a grove beside the emeralds, 3,9'0'0 rubies and many embrace. On this question, we river. After a period of devohundreds of other gems from the ourselves earnestly hope that tions the students divided into treasury of the temple are being every Christian worker in India groups to discuss the findings of set. All these are gifts from will make very clear that any the Rangoon Quadrennial Confaithful Hindus who have come so-called 'conversion move' that ference; then a morning serv- aims mainly at 'social status' is ice and a picnic lunch. They as pilgrims to this temple. Keep in mind also that every no 'conversion' at all in the truly went to their colleges for the devout Mohammedan expects Christian sense; and, indeed, we afternoon siesta, and in the eve-
ning together again for a united ary of $8 a month if he would must contribute tow a r d the service in a local church. r e n 0 u n c e Christianity and maintenance of the family, with preach Hinduism instead. This the result that what is learned At other centers of India the is soon forgotten. However, Day of Prayer was used as an Kotiah refused to do. Then a those who are able to continue opportunity of celebrating also gift came to him from a friend in school soon earn more than the Jubilee of the Indian S. C. M. in America, and to show his they could have done without an and the service was modeled on education. the jubilee service at Rangoon. gratitude, he resolved to win one After a proc€ssion, 25 earthen person to Christ at once. Shortly -Baptist Missionary lamps and candles representing Review. the years 1912 – 1937 were after that a shepherd from his lighted; then they were re- village was baptized. Christian Wanted lighted as a sign of consecration of the next twenty-five years. -Watchman-Examiner. Prayers and responsive readings of Biblical passages followed, Children Help China Miraj Hospital is one of the then intercessions for the work of the S. C. M. in India. The "Criminal Tribes" children at'''- best in Bombay Presidency for service clos·ed with a hymn that symbolized the evangelistic task the Sholapur Settlement have the treatment of cancer, if not of the Student Christian Move- s€nt 25 rupees to the Red Cross the. best. The qh~rles Edwa~d ment. to help China's suffering chil- VaIl Cancer ClImc, !l~med m dren in the war with Japan. memory of the physIcIan who Village Improvement This contribution is the result of served there for so many years, The young Maharajah of gifts of grain in the Sunday has tre~ted more than .100 can- Gwalior, whose state is 28,000 Schools from both Christian and cer p~~Ient~, and there IS always square miles in extent, with a a waItmg h~t. human population of 3,500,000 non-Christian children, and was . and a cattle population of 4,000,- presented on "White Gift Sun- 000, decided to do some rural day." The serVICe and mfluence of uplift work, and set aside $3,500,- this, the only C~ristia~ medical 000 for the purpose. He invited The remaining Sunday collec- school for men ~n IndIa, re.ach Col. Brayne, British official who has done much to improve vil- tions were set apart to help 150 out far. beyond ItS ?wn reglO!l' lage life in the Punjab, and of the poorest children in the Th~ chIef of a natIve state m others including Sam Higgin- G~Ja~at wrote and as~ed for a bottom to advise him. There are Settlement, and provided needed MIraJ. ma~, to run a dIsI!e~sarr, now thousands of villages where clothing for them. for hIm. I want a ChrIstIan, there is nothing to offend eye or he stipulated, "for only a Chrisnose, and where the health of the -Dnyanodaya villagers is thereby improved. . Garbage and wastes are collected and carried to the fields, where Bengal's Boarding Schools tian has the true spirit of servit is demonstrated that cleanli- ice." Former students of Miraj ness is profitable financially, According to the last census, are at work i·n Arabia and Iran, since the crops are from 50 to the total number of In d ian as well as in India. 100% better. The whole state Christians in Bengal is approxiis working with enthusiasm to mately 132,000. Of these about -Presbyterian Board carry out the program as drawn 26,000 live in towns and 106,000 News. up. -Sam Higginbottom. in the country. There are 43 towns of various sizes in Ben- For Chinese in Bangkok Proving His Gratitude gal. About 14,000 Indian Chris- tians are permanent residents of There are about 12'5 members Velugu Kotiah is a Sudra Calcutta and Howrah, while the in the Cantonese Church of preacher of South India, and is rest of the Indian Christian ur- Christ in Siam in Bangkok; 91 one of the staunchest Christian active members and an average converts of recent years. He is a fearless and eloquent evan- ban population, numbering ap- attendance of 85 at Sunday servgelist, though illiterate. Two proximately 12,000, live in 41 ices. Last year four adults were years ago, he encountered a severe testing, since his harvest towns. These 106,000 rural In- baptized, two members w ere failed and three of his cattle dian Christians are scattered in received by letter and four by died. About this time, two Brah- 27 districts of Bengal. They live reaffirmation of faith. Two inmins offered him an assured sal- either in single families, or in fants were baptized. The Sunday very small groups in predomi- School has an average attend- nantly non-Christian communi- ance of 60. A Young People's ties. It follows that Christian Society was organized a few children must either be educated years ago, and every Saturday in non-Christian schools, or go they play games in the church without education. T his ex- compound. The same evening plains the low percentage of lit- they have a Bible study class, eracy in Assam, Madras, United followed by a religious service Provinces and Behar. and then training in pub I i c Missionary schools of primary speaking.
grade have not proved success- This year, this Cantonese group ful in certain districts of Ben- gal, because pupils from the started family prayer meetings, poorer homes are not permitted dividing the city into districts. to study continuously, as they This kind of work is of great value, as families invite their
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
neighbors to the service; also, disputes and imposes penalties. In Seventeen Air Raids it strengthens the interest in families where only one member A labor bureau has charge of Rev. R. W. Porteous, of the is a Christian. C. 1. M., Nanchang, writes that all the work, each activity under the Coleman Bible Institute was The Church conducts a school able to open on schedule time in for the children of the neighbor- the supervision of a skilled the new memorial buildings, alhood-most of them very poor. though seventeen air raids have There are now 180 enrolled, workman, trained in the institu- passed over them. He writes: with f 0 u r Chinese and four "I think it would be quite safe Siamese teachers. Bible classes tion. Each patient is assigned to say that hundreds have been are held each afternoon at the brought to a definite decision for close of school. A textbook is work according to his strength Christ at the daily services in used which will take each child the Gospel Hall, the larger prothrough the whole Bible in six and ability. portion being among wounded years. Another piece of work soldiers. Recently, Mr. Wang connected with the church is a This plan has revealed the fact and I had the joy of baptizing clinic on t h r e e afternoons a seven of them. They were leavweek, conducted by a Christian that many of the patients are ing shortly to rejoin their divisdoctor, a member of the church. ions. One of them remarked, 'I Patients treated last year num- thoroughly dependable. Con- have lots of pocket money now bered 1,160. Most of this work that I have given up gambling. is for the very poor, but they are tentment and a feeling of re- If I am spared to return I will expected to pay a little, if pos- surely come to visit you-if not, sible. The church hopes eventu- sponsibility is fostered, because we will meet in heaven!' We ally to have a hospital. are now working in five of the the status is changed from out- military hospitals, which we -Siam Outlook. visit regularly each week." cast to citizen. . Self-Governing Lepers From Kiang comes news of -Siam Outlook. exceptional opportunities for Partly because of limited presenting the Gospel among funds, leper homes in all mission CHINA students and soldiers, which fields have had to grapple with abound everywhere during these the problem of inadequate staffs. War's By-Product war times. After the preaching The one at Chiengmai has found service there has been inaugthe solution in self-government, One of the most important urated an "appointment hour" at patterned after Siamese village sequences of the Japanese in- four each afternoon. Every day, government. This Home is di- vasion of China is the westward groups of soldiers come to this vided into three distinct groups. trek of China's social, educa- enquirers.' class. They are a Over each group is placed a tional and political leaders, the special lot, all being officers, sent headman and his assistant, who significance of which is just be- to enlist and train new men and are responsible for the behavior ginning to be realized. This is take them back to the front; of those under their direct indeed history in the making. therefore, they are in a position charge. A chief headman or Cultural and educational influ- to influence many others. mayor elected by them is di- ences that have for centuries rectly responsible to th€ manage- been confined to coast cities, or Mutual Aid Groups ment and must answer for the eastern areas, are suddenly efficient handling of all internal planted in virgin soil; isolated The Foreign Missions Conferaffairs. provinces are being brought into ence of North America reports the stream of modern life; trade the way family loyalty is seen in A department of morals and routes over deserts or mountains Chinese efforts to meet their rebehavior functions under the are supplanted by air routes or lief problem. One method that oversight of the Christian elders. new railroads. Thus, China's has helped greatly to steady and A sanitary squad of eight men back door suddenly becomes a maintain the usual life of the and four women, cares for the front door; or shall we say that suffering villagers, and prevent sick, gives the semi-weekly in- in future China will' have no them from "taking to the road" jections of chaulmoogra oil and back door? Her isolation and has been that of organizing muis responsible for the cleanliness seclusion seems to be gone for- tual aid groups and providing of the institution. Homeguards, ever. them with small loans. This composed of twenty-seven uni- enables many farmers to sow formed men keep order among The Province of Szechwan is their wheat fields. It will emthe more than four hundred in- twice as large as the areas of ploy carriers from market to mates and insure protection England, Germany, France and market, and barrowmen who from outsiders. A court made Italy combined. It now has a push coal from mine to conup of the chief headman, the population of 48,000,000, but, sumer. It will help keep farm minor headmen and the elders, with improvements in methods tries all minor offences, settles of agriculture and irrigation and with the development of other untapped resources, it could sus- tain a much larger population. Then there are the other half- dozen provinces – Y u n nan, Kwangsi, Kweichow, Kansu and Sinkiang – which the Chinese believe they can hold even if all the rest of the provinces should be subjugated. China's pro- gressive leaders and her cultural institutions are to a large extent being concentrated in these in- terior provinces.
carts and burden animals busy, plained all this until slowly the JAPAN-CHOSEN to revive the household indus- truth dawned on him; and then, Satan Released, Says Kagawa tries of spinning and weaving a light came into his face until and to continue the many other the hard, bitter look was gone, Again, we hear from this and we knew that, there was one Japanese Christian: activities of ordinary village life less bandit in the Y a n gt z e that usually help to feed, clothe Valley." "In the Orient it is very dark. and shelter the peasant in his We feel like we were back at the Agricultural Experiments beginning of the fourth century home surroundings, and prevent of the Christian Era. Satan his becoming a wanderer or a Long-range agricultural ex- has been released again, and the pauper. world is swayed by his power One Bandit Less periments are under way at the rather than by the Spirit of the Oberlin-in-Shansi Me m 0 ria I Lord. But somehow we have The Outlook of Missions tells School at Taiku, North China. great hope in Jesus Christ. Tothe following story: "A Chinese These are important in the pre-'''~'day young men are willing to bandit was brought into the hos- vention of famine and the im- listen to the gospel, as are also pital at Wuhu after a raid. No provement of the food supply. farmers and the laboring classes. one who saw his cruel face had These experiments, begun six or Japan feels her isolation and is any doubt as to which side of seven years ago, have been very lonesome. But the Spirit the fray he had been on. While handicapped by war conditions, of Christ can remedy this, so we we cleansed his frightful wound, but it is hoped to complete the must preach the gospel without we discussed the man. 'He won't experiments this year in spite fear. Missionaries are wellive, so there will be one bandit of a limited personnel. less in the Yangtze valley, and a comed; and if they preach the good thing, too.' Yet it was our Oberlin-in-Shansi is a sister gospel of the Love of God, no duty to save life, and after weeks school of Oberlin College, Ohio, we saw with amazement that the hindrance will be put in their man was going to recover. No and is conducted in cooperation way." -World Call. flicker of pleasure responded to with the American Board of our congratulations, so we said: Commissioners for Foreign Mis- Drugs as a Weapon 'Aren't you glad you are going sions of the Congregational and Christian Churches. Its prin- Muriel Lester, writing for the to get well?' The reply was an cipal was formerly Dr. H. H. Christian Century, says that unqualified 'No.' Kung, now Premier of China and brother-in-law of Madame when the new Peace Preserva- "Thinking he must have mis- Chiang Kai-shek. -Bulletin. tion Council was set up in the understood, we had one of the Japanese-occupied territory last August, it was announced that the Nanking law no longer ap- Chinese nurses ask him again, Missionary Tomatoes plied. The drug habit reassumed 'Wouldn't you rather be well its tyranny. Anti-narcotic hos- Mr. Frank Dickinson, Canathan die?' But again he gave us dian missionary in West China, pital work was stopped. In an emphatic 'No!' Puzzled, we in talking with a prominent pro- Peiping, the trade is in charge pushed the inquiry fur the r. ducer of tomato seed in Ontario, mentioned the contribution that of Koreans, under Japanese pro- 'Why would you rather die?' tomatoes would make to the diet tection. Death is the penalty And he answered very simply, of the people in West China, who number more than 100,000,000. for any Chinese trafficker that is 'Because I have sinned.' The seed-growing expert ac- discovered, and the difference "It was quite obvious that he cepted this as a challenge to his between the furtive expression skill, and offered to share seed had sinned, and grievously. Had for experimental purposes. of Chinese'traders, and the selfwe any help for such as he? We assurance of all Korean dealers Father and son, both specialhad ! 'You have heard while you ists in the production of a num- is very marked. ber of varieties of tomato seeds, Miss Lester also reports that have been here in the ward,' we have agreed to supply annually reminded him, 'about the heav- the best products of their tech- the japanese in Peiping are enly F:ather who loves us earth- nique for trial and experimentapeople and sent His Son to us. tion at the West China Union opening small clinics, with well University, Chengtu, Szechuan. Don't you know, because He illumined street signs to guide loves us earth-people so much, passers-by from the main roads He has thought out a method to their doors on side streets. about sin? His Son came to give They advertise in the papers the us that method, and so you don't various diseases which they have to carry the burden of your cure. The procedure in many of them seems to be that each sins with you all your life. You Mr. Dickinson feels sure that person on entering is given a are sorry for your sins, and God this kind of sharing will not only cursory examination by an un- is willing to forgive them. Don't give gradually to millions of qualified doctor or dispenser you know that?' No, he had Chinese in the heart of Szechuan who registers him as suffering never heard of it. a splendid supplementary addi- from some specific diseases; "We sent for our wise Chinese tion to their meagre diet, but then he is allowed to buy as pastor, who sat beside this un- soul satisfaction to the givers. much heroin or morphine as he happy man and patiently ex- -United Church Record. likes.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
MI.SCELLANEOUS in content or point of view with- For Every Man Why Not Attend Church? out consulting the Director of It is interesting to know that Radio Education of the Interna- seventeen new languages were Eight reasons for the failure tional Council. A set of these of people to attend Church have programs will be supplied with- added to the Ust of Bible translabeen authenticated by the Ad- out cost to any organization tions during 1937, making a vertising Club of the Lutheran which definitely plans to broad- Church in the Mansion at Flush- total of 1,000 languages in which ing, N. Y. The group made an cast them. They may be secured the Bible can now be read. extensive survey of the North through the office of the Divi- Forty years of work by Presby- Shore of the Queens area which sion of Christian Education of terian missionaries, working might well reflect attitudes of the Board of Home Missions, 14 among the 600,000 people in the the unchurched throughout the nation. Beacon Street, Boston. French Cameroun, culminated -Advance. in the completed manuscript for Here is a tabulation of the re- the Bulu Old Testament. Rev. plies: Causes of Religious Decline E. B. Stilz, of the Southern (1) Twenty – three per cent Methodist Mission in the Belgian wanted Sunday for themselves A Council of 24 members, Congo, completed a translation and their families. representing the principal Prot- of the New Testament in the estant churches of England, ex- (2) Twenty-one per cent did pects to look into such questions Otetela language, the first comnot go to Church because of the as: "Why does the church fail plete New Testament for these unfriendly or insincere people to attract the younger genera- people. they found. tion?" "What is the cause of the almost incredible disappearance A revision of St. Luke for (3) Nineteen per cent stayed of knowledge of the Bible?" and Quechua Indians in Ecuador has away because the Church was "What can be done by the been completed; while the Saalways asking for money. churches to relate the Church to every day life?" mareno Bible, in a Philippine (4) Fifteen per cent stayed dialect, was published last year away because the sermons were This Council will then seek for uninteresting. a formula to revive an interest and met with a hearty reception. Translation of a revised Turkish (5) Nine per cent had indi- Bible is ready for the printer. vidual reasons, no two of which were alike. in religion. Mohammedan View of The same problem claimed the Christianity (6) Five per cent did not go because they never experienced attention of the "All-New Eng- The Moslem World quotes a any spiritual help. land Conference on the Rural Church," meeting in Keene, Mohammedan's tribute to Chris- (7) Four per cent stayed N. H., in May, when Carl C. tianity: away because no one had ever Zimmerman, Harvard Professor "I can definitely say that invited them. of Sociology, stated that the Christianity is stronger than it (8) Four per cent remained masses of the people are in the has ever been in history. I am away because the minister was always telling people to be good. quandary of Cresar vs. Jehovah, surprised at the number of peo- "Building a Christian World" and blamed present tax policies ple, both pagan and otherwise, The International Council of for declining church allegiance. who feel that Christian ethics Religious Education has had a special committee at work devel- He said, in part: constitute the only answer to the oping programs for radio broadcasts. The whole matter has "The central problem of the present world-chaos. been very carefully studied, the members of the committee have relation of the Church to the "We Moslems have a secret interviewed many people connected with broadcasting, and family is whether it can keep· feeling that the ',collapse of the the script which they have prepared has been examined by a the role of the moral guardian, present world order is the greatnumber of competent critics. The result is a series of six pro- while the state increasingly adds est verdict in favor of Christiangrams on the theme "Building Together a Christian World." to its role as economic guard- ity, for world civilization is still These are available for use over local stations by responsible re- ian. . . . largely pagan. It is the pagan ligious organizations. Such organizations are free to make "If the governments are go- elements in your civilization that necessary adaptations to local situations, but no major change ing to be responsible for the are working havoc. Where real family economy they are going Christianity has penetrated to claim most of the allegiance there has been steady progress.
of the people. An overtaxed or Weare honest enough to recog- a relief citizenry neither have nize that. Never believe this the funds nor the inner moti- nonsense that fills one of our vating gratitude to build up or papers, condemning your reli- preserve strong churches. State gion. It is only a means to relief means. state religion. strengthen our group-conscious- When Cresar becomes the source ness by assuming a superiority of maintenance he also wants complex. In a great many cases the praise formerly accorded we are continually borrowing Jehovah." from you – your thoughts, your -Religious News Service. method, your outlook."
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Our Missionary Bookshelf Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information The Christian Message in a Non- must always be the same-a new the influence of Christ and west- Christian World. By H. Kraemer. Foreword by the Archbishop of relation to God and a new atti-,…. ern culture. York. 8vo. 455 pp. $3.00. Pub- lished for the International Mission- tude toward men. Unfortu- As to the missionary approach ary Council by Harper & Brothers, New York. 1938. nately, too often an old church to non-Christians of different Dr. Kraemer is a member of becomes a corrupt church and a lands, Dr. Kraemer recognizes the Dutch Church; a former missionary in Netherlands East In- weak church. the importance of the personality dies, a missionary statesman, and now a professor of the His- In dealing with this great of the missionary, a clear undertory of Religions in the University of Leiden. He has given us theme, Dr. Kraemer first looks standing of non-Christian charhere an unusual treatise on one of the most important subjects at the present world situation- acter and thought, as well as a that is to be discussed at the coming Madras Conference of the widespread secularism and vital relation to Christ and a the International Missionary Council. Without a true Chris- the new political, social and spir- knowledge of the Gospel He tian message to non-Christians, the missionary work of the itual revolutions; he notes the came to proclaim. Church must be fruitless; and yet too many who go out as mis- effect of the meeting of East and In conclusion, the author gives sionaries seem to have no clear knowledge of the vital Christian West. Not only is there a crisis his conception of the true nature message of salvation that Jesus Christ authorized His Church to in the world because of revolu- of the Church as a living organproclaim. Many emphasize only the importance of the fruits of tions, but there is a crisis in the ism based on intelligent faith in Christian life, but neglect the essential elements of faith and Church because of obscured vi- Christ, rather than an organizafull surrender. sion, weakened faith and atten- tion based on western theological Dr. Kraemer goes back to Apostolic conceptions as he deals tion diverted from the main concepts. He re-emphasizes the with the evangelistic message, the method of approach and its issues and Source of power. need for a clear Gospel message application to non-Christians. The message is essentially the These conditions have brought and for active, continued evansame for all classes and conditions of men, at home and about a new crisis in the mis- gelism. He considers the presabroad-a message of God's love and His offer of eternal life sionary work of the Church. ent missionary outlook cloudy through acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and The early pioneer stage has but hopeful. The Christian misonly Saviour, through His sacrifice on the Cross. The method passed, and young churches have sion in the non-Christian world of approach may be different in New York and in Central Africa, been founded; today, these must be accomplished in the to Moslems and to spirit worshippers; but the evidence of churches must. be strengthened present complicated conditions the power of the Gospel in life and kept true to the original pur- with all the means that human pose and plan of the Founder. intelligence, ingenuity and de- They must be loyal to Christ, votion put at our disposal. The must show evidence of His life underlying fire, however, with- and power and must be sacri- out which all our endeavors are ficially and aggressively mission- nothing and all our missionary ary, or they will die. enthusiasm is powerless, is only Dr. Kraemer bases his state- kindled by faith and prayer born ment of the Christian faith on of Divine Love that burns in the the Bible as the revelation from Heart of the universe, and which God, and on Jesus Christ as the became incarnated in Jesus incarnation of God. He sees Christ, our Lord.
Christianity, not as one of the world's religions, but as the one Paul, a Christian Financier. By Her- bert E. Blair. Christian Literature clear revelation sent from God, Society, Seoul, Korea. 63 pp, $.50. in contrast to human attempts to United Stewardship Council, 156 understand and approach God. Fifth Ave., New York City. 1937.
In this connection the author Out of many years of prac- states the positions of Barth and tical experience on the foreign Brunner, and looks into various field, promoting systematic giv- non-Christian religions. He de- ing and putting Church fi- scribes, too, the changes that nances on a Scriptural as well have taken place in non-Chris- as a business basis, has come tian lands and their response to this little study of the Apostle Any of the books noted in these columns will be sent by the REvmw publishers on receipt of price.
[382 ]
OUR MISSIONARY BOOKSHELF
Paul as a pioneer in Church and Mission Boards join definitely City and Church in Transition. By missionary finance. Murray H. LeHfer. 8vo. 301 pages. in the promotion of stewardship $2.50. Willett, Clark and Company, Mr. Blair has been a mission- Chicago. 1938. ary of the Presbyterian Church plans on the various fields in in the U. S. A. in Korea for Professor Leiffer's book is thirty-four years. His leader- which they have work. Indi- based upon certain case studies ship in the work of promoting Christian finance has been rec- viduals are already doing this in of medium sized cities (called ognized by the Korean Church a mediopolis) ranging in popuand year after year he has been several countries but there is lation from 50,000 to 150,000. continued in the official position The author's most notable servof developing a Scriptural sys- need of coordinated effort and ice is in describing the patter:n tem of Church and personal of the mediopolis and its varifinance and stewardship. This cooperation. He suggests also ants. He properly places embooklet develops the proposition phasis on the commercial city that the Apostle Paul was God's that the International Missionchosen instrument to inaugurate as the typical American city. a system of Christian finance ary Council might well take the and stewardship to supersede Prof. Leiffer's treatment of and to be an advance upon the lead in developing a stewardship the industrial city and the in- Levitical tithing system of Ju- dustrial suburb is admirable. daism and that the basis of and systematic benevolence pro- He points out that both have Paul's system is both implied been influenced in their ecoand explicitly stated in the in- gram for the benefit of the nomic and cultural life by the spired instructions of 1 Corin- near-by metropolis. Moreover thians 16: 2. younger national church groups. "the industrial suburbs· of the The Apostle Paul met condi- Instruction in these inspired, nation will be found chiefly in tions in his foreign mission enterprise' that required the de- authoritative, Pauline principles the vicinity of such cities as velopment of a system of self- Boston, New York, Philadelsupport for local churches as of individual giving and church phi a, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, well as for the support of evangelistic itineration and contribu- finance w 0 u I d benefit the Detroit, Chicago and Los Antions for the relief of the poor. geles." He brings in a new note in his churches in every land and proelaboration of the thesis that in We feel that the analysis of raising funds for "the saints" mote self-support in fields where the residential suburbs is not as Paul was not merely helping the comprehensive in its scope as his poor in Jerusalem who were the national churches are still study of other variants of the suffering, presumably from a mediopolis. His statement that famine already nine years past, weak and in financial difficulties. "relatively few come direct to but was in reality conducting a the suburb from the hinterland" carefully audited and supervised This book, arising as it does is not true of New York city's international financial campaign many suburbs nor is his statefor the furtherance of the Gos- from intimate experience with ment that "a residential suburb pel work. never springs suddenly into problems of stewardship and being," true of Long Island. His Among other practical sug- generalization regarding the c h u r c h finance in a young gestions the author points out child population of the suburbs c h u r chon the foreign field, and the relative size of Sunday the possible Scriptural basis for schools in the old city and in the should be read by all who are suburbs has many exceptions. the use of a "three years average" income in making up an interested in s t e war d s hip, Professor Leiffer's analysis of "resort cities" and the dilemma estimate of the individual's re- church support and missionary of the church is especially pen- etrating. He says: "It is not sponsibility in systematic stew- administration. . surprising that in such a setting ardship giving, and its value in WALTER C. ERDMAN. the Church is confronted by al- most insuperable obstacles in its circumstances where there is The Missionary Education of Adults. effort to develop a Christian wide fluctuation of incomes due By John Leslie Lobingier. 182 pp. community. The institutions of to local conditions. $1.00. Missionary Education Move- religion, always influenced by the way in which people earn He urges the extension of in- ment, New York. 1938. terdenominational, international their living, are more affected promotion of the stewardship In every church there are by the economic life of the reidea by the various Stewardship sort city than by that of any Councils and the World Stew- those who have a genuine con- other urban center." ardship Union, and suggests that cern for humanity, whether in The author makes abundantly clear that "Every factor shaping China, Chicago or Chile. The the life of man also influences his church. The dominance of interest of another group is "in inverse ratio to the square of the distance" ; their religion is looked upon as a personal pos- session – something to enjoy rather than to spread. Thus the author, one of the Board of Managers of the Missionary Education Movement, states the divergent viewpoints.
In the ten chapters of this book he not only shows the im- portance of impressing the latter class of church members with a "sense of missions", and points out how missions are bound up with world affairs, but he out- lines methods for stirring Chris- tians to greater interest. Every leader of a mission study class will find this book of practical value. H. H. F.
manufacturing in the suburbs neglected to see, emphasize or the spirit. Unity denies sin, ties the church closely to the whole industrial process. Where apply. But most, if not all, of sickness and death and teaches wages are low, social institutions, the church included, suf- them are false philosophies and that "in his true estate man is fer. When unemployment stalks the streets additional problems mislead their devotees in some the Christ, the Head of the are laid on the church's doorstep, while its ability to meet important respects. Mr. Van body." these increased demands is restricted by shortage of funds. Baalen has performed a real Most of the cults either are … The intensity and strain resulting from high-speed indus- service in his careful review of naturalistic and deny the supertrial production, the feeling of ten different modern cults, more human (supernatural)-as in e con 0 m i c insecurity which hovers over nearly every wage or less related to Christian Mormonism-; or they hold that earner, the omnipresent, smokebelching factory, produce in teachings. These cults include everything is spiritual – as in people social and psychic reactions of which the church must Spiritism, theosophy, Christian Christian Science. Mr. Van be cognizant." Science, Unity, Baha'ism, Mor- Baalen emphasizes the need of a In his prophecy regarding the futur~ significance of the medi- monism, Seventh Day Advent- world-wide revival in evangeliopolis, Professor Leiffer appears to lose sight of the intimate re- ism, Russellism, "Buchmanism,'~_ cal Christianity as the best antirelation between industrial sub- and Unitarianism with Modern- . dote to error in faith and life. urbs and residential suburbs that constitute a considerable ism. These are not by any means He calls for clear-cut, sound, exproportion of these cities and of great metropolitan co:mmu- all in the same class, except that pository teaching of Biblical nities. The growth in the population of cities from 50,000 they differ in some more or less truth, producing a sense of sin to 100,000 for the last census decade was 20.5 <70, if located important respects from what is and acceptance of Jesus Christ within metropolitan districts, while only 11 <70 if located out- generally accepted as "ortho- as Lord and Saviour. This is a side these districts. dox" Christianity. day when many are turning CITY AND CHURCH IN TRANS- ITION should be read by adult The author bases his own es- aside to fables and will not enstudents of the background of American history, by specialists timate of each cult on its har- dure sound doctrine. Many false in church administration, Home Mission executives who are en- mony with the teachings and teachers and philosophies are deavoring to equalize religious privilege in America, and by spirit of Christ as revealed in abroad and deceive, if possible, pastors and students of the world mission of the Church. the New Testament. He has the very elect. This book should Part Two will be of particular interest to ministers who are in evidently read widely and gives help many to avoid the pitfalls search of new techniques. an excellent selected bibliogra- that lie in the path of those who CHARLES HATCH SEARS. phy, including books on both depart from the clear teaching The Chaos of Cults. By J. K. Van Baalen. 8 vo. 227 pages. $2.00. sides of each subject. He en- of Christ and the Bible. Wm. B. Erdmans Pub. Co. Grand Rapids, Mich. 1938. deavors to be intelligent and Educational Missions at Work. Ed- fair in his presentations, giving ited by H. P. Thompson. 128 pp. Many Christians are confused Illus. 186d. S. P. G. London. 1938. today because of the various the history of each movement, cults that have arisen to inter- and describing its strong points This brief sketch of the educapret or apply Christian teach- and its errors in teaching and ing, or to dispute the claims of the results. Here is a book that tional work of the Society for Christ and the teachings of the ministers and teachers should Bible. There is some good, some read in order to guide and guard the Propagation of the Gospel in truth, in all of these cults-often those who are in danger of besome truth that Christians have ing led astray. India, Burma and Malaya, South "Unity," for example, appeals Africa and the Far East shows to many because of its emphasis on health, happiness, peace and conditions under which Chris- love. Mr. Van Baalen shows its relation to mesmerism, Chris- tian education is being given and tian Sci e n c e and "N e w Thought." Unity emphasizes the problems and difficulties that certain phases of truth-such as must be faced, illustrated by de- aVbidance of anxiety and fear. scriptions of a few typical But Unity seeks to spiritualize everything and fails to face schools. The nine chapters make facts. Jesus is called "the Su- it clear that it has been the edu- preme Ego" that rises in the cational work of the Christian Church that has kept civilization alive; and that in these turbu- lent times it is the privilege of Christian schools to make this civilization a blessing to the world. H. H. F.
subconscious mind as a Star in' The House on the Island. By Grace the East (or occult realism) and Pettman. 181 pp. Is. 6d. Picker- grows in our consciousness – ing & Inglis, London. 1937.
as the Wise Men came nearer A wholesome story for girls their goal-until the soul re- of 'teen age, recounting the ex- ceives this "Supreme Ego." periences in an English board- Galilee is said to "represent the ing school of a girl unfamiliar life activity or soul energy of with school routine, but who man acting in conjunction with knew the Great Teacher, and substance." God is pantheisti- made her influence felt. A touch cally conceived and Jesus, the of mystery holds the reader's at- man, is separated from Christ, tention.
Boole. The Heart of the Levant. J. McKee The Kingdom of God and
Adams. 163 pp. 40 cents. South- .H. G. Wood. 216 pp. 78. 6el. Allen The Church Takes Root in India. ern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. & Unwin. London. 1938. Basil Matthews. 197 pp. $1.00. Richmond, Va. Friendship Press. New York. 1938. Church and Community. K. S. La- The Process of Change in the Otto- tourette. 259 pp. 88. 6el. Allen & Who Is tne Holy Spirit? Henry W. man Empire. Wilbur W. White. Unwin. London. 1938. Frost. 124. pp. $1.25. Fleming H. 315 pp. $3.50. Cambridge Univer- Revell. New York. 1938. sity Press. London. 1937. The Universal Church and the World of Nations. Marquess of Lothian. Seeing Prophecy Fulfilled in Pales- Congo, Past and Present. Alfred R. 325 pp. 88. 6d. Allen & Unwin. tine. George T. B. Davis. 127 pp. Stonelake. 202 pp. $1.25. World London. 1938. lB. Pickering & Inglis. London. Dominion Press. New York. 1937. 1988. The Industrialization of the African: Children of the Veld: Bantu Vig- Memorandum Prepared by Thirty Business Men of the Bible. James nettes. Robert H. W. Shepherd. Persons with expert knowledge of C. Muir. 110 pp. National Pub- 194 pp. 68. James Clarke. London. African Affairs. 22 pp. 6el. Anti- lishing Co. Philadelphia. 1988. 1937. Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society. London. 1987. S. J. W. Clark. Roland Allen. 170 Religion in Central America. Ken- pp. 28. 6d. World Dominion Press. neth G. Grubb. 146 np. 58._"World The Thousand 'Years of Uncertainty. London. 1938. Dominion Press. London. 1987. By K. S. Latourette. 492 pp. $3.50. Harper Bros. 1938. Impending Great Events. John The Romantic Isles. John Levo. 88 Ritchie. 192 pp. 28. 6el. Pickering pp. lB. S. P. G. London. 1938. City and Church in Transition. By & Inglis. London. 1938. Murray H. Leiffer. 302 pp. $2.50. On Both Sides of the Equator. F. Willett Clark & Co., Chicago. 1988. Outline History of the Christian Braun and C. V. Sheatsley. 284 pp. Church. Dorothea J. Stephen. 92 $1.00. Lutheran Book Concern. My Community, My Church and pp. Madras. S. P. C. K. Columbus, O. 1937. Me. By Wilbur C. Hallenbeck. 62 pp. 35 cents. Friendship Press, The American Chfistian Missionary World Chaos or World Christianity. New York. 1938. Society and the Disciples of Christ. Henry Smith Leiper. 181 pp. Grant K. Lewis. 216 pp. $1.50. $1.50. Willett, Clark. Chicago. City Shadows. By Robert W. Searle. Christian Board of Publication. St. 1937. 165 pp. $1.00. Friendship Press, Louis. 1937. New York. 1938. Missionaries' Who's Who. (Bi- The Sixth Decade of the Woman's lingual.) 578 pp. National Chris- Devotees of Christ. By D. S. Batley. Board of Foreign Missions. S. T. tian Council. Tokyo, Japan. 1938. 147 pp. 28. Church of England Winkel. 111 pp. 40 cents. Wom- Zenana Missionary Society, Lon- an's Board, 1937. Reformed Church Adventures in the Campaign for Lit- don. in America. New York City. 1938. eracy in India and Africa. F. C. Laubach. 22 pp. World Literacy Dinabandhu. By Ruth' Isabel Sea- Japan Over Asia. W. H. Chamber- Committee, 156 Fifth Ave., New bury. 182 pp. $1.00. Friendship lain. 395 pp. $3.50. Little, Brown. York. 1937. Press, New York. 1938. Boston. 1938. Religious Education in the Method- Francisco Fulgencio Soren. By L. Japan Defies the World. J. A. N. ist Church of Mexico. 100 pp. M. Brachter. 224 pp. $1.25. Broad- Scherer. 311 pp. $2.50. Bobbs Free on application. Joint Commit- man Press, Nashville. 1938. Merrill. Indianapolis. 1937. tee of Relij!l'ious Education, 740 Rush St., ChIcago. 1937. Following in His Train. By Ethlene Chinese Women. Florence Ayscough. B. Cox. 217 pp. 60 cents. Broad- 324 pp. 128. 6d. Cape. London. Devotees of Christ: Some Women man Press, Nashville. 1938. Pioneers of the Indian Church. D. S. Batley. 147 pp. 28. Church W orId Treasure Trails. V01. II. Thirty Years in China. Story of the of England Zenana Missionary So- India. By Ethel E. Ward. 127 pp. Augustana Synod as Told by Mis- ciety. London. 1938. $1.00. Women's Missionary Society, sionaries. Edited by G. Carlberg. Free Methodist Church, Winona 230 pp. $1.50. Board of Foreign The Cost of Reunion. Edwin James Lake, Indiana. 1938. Missions. Augustana Synod. St. Peter, Minn. 1937. Palmer. 22 pp. 4a. Student To Be Continued. By L. B. Thomas. 66 pp. 25 cents. Broadman Press, With Christ in Indo-China. E. F. Christian Movement. Lon don. Nashville, Tenn. 1938. Irwin. 164 pp. $1.00. Christian 1937. Publications, Inc. Harrisburg,· Pa. The Living Word. The Church Mis- 1937. Toward a World Christian Fellow- sionary Society's Review for 1937- ship. K. S. Latourette. 64 pp. 50 38. 56 pp. 6d. C. M. S. London. Inside India. Halide Edib. 378 pp. cents. Association Press. New 108. 6a. Allen & Unwin. London. York. 1938. Steps Toward the World Council. 1938. By Charles S. McFarland. 128 pp. Missions and Unity. W. J. Noble. $1.25. Fleming H. Revell, New Christ's Way to India's Heart. J. 23 pp. 4el. World's Evangelical York. 1938. Wascom Pickett. 117 pp. 28. Alliance. London. 1938. United Society for Christian Litera- Victory Through Youth. By Luther ture. London. 1987. The Secret of the African. E. W. J. Holcomb. 83 pp. 25 cents. Smith. 142 pp. 28. 6a. United Broadman Press. Nashville. 1938. Better Villages. F. L. Brayne. 304 Society for Christian Literature. pp. 38. Oxford University Press. London. 1938. Voices of Twelve Hebrew Prophets. London. 1938. By G. Campbell Morgan. 60 pp. The National Faith of Japan. D. C. 28 6el. Pickering & Inglis. London. Moving Millions. Introduction by Holton. 829 pp. 158. Kegan Paul. 1938. Robert E. Speer. $1.00. Central London. 1938. Committee on United Study of For- Seventy Less Known Bible Stories. eign Missions. 1938. The Nestorian Documents and Relics Br George Goodman. 331 pp. 38. in China. P. Y. Saeki. 645 pp. PIckering & Inglis, London. 1938. The Challenge of the Northwest 408. Toho Bunkwa Gakuin. Tokyo. Frontier (India). C. F. Andrews. 1987. The Approaching Advent of Christ. 208 pp. 38. 6a. Allen & Unwin. By Alexander Reese. 327 pp. 68. London. 1937. Revolutionary Religion: Christian- Marshall, Morgan & Scott, London. ity, Fascism and Communism. 192 Tibet and Her Neighbors. E. T. Wil- pp. 58.. Student Christian Move- Weare not confronted with the Iiams. 40 pp. 50 cents. University ment Press. London. 1938. problem of a spiritual church facing of California Press. Berkeley. a secular world, but rather with the 1937. The Christian Understanding of Man. problem of a secular church in a sec- T. J. Jessop. 268 pp. 88. 6el. Allen ular world. – T. Z. Koo, Shangltmi, & Unwin. London. 1938. China.
/)0. NotMtu THE MOSLEM
PUBUSHED BY THE HARTFORD SEMINARY FOUNDATION Edit:ors: SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, EDWIN E. CALVERLEY SOME ARTICLES IN THE JULY NUMBER Islam. a Sevenfold Problem Samuel M. Zwemer Some Libraries of Cairo William M. Randall Islam in Sumatra Ra,mond L. Archer Allah Before Islam. F. V. Winnett AI Kumail: Companion of the Secret Dwight M.Donaldson The Moslem Antagonist Robert S. Darbishire Sins and Their Punishment in Islam Francis T. Cooke Church and State in the Near East Alford Carleton A Theological Poem J. Lowrie Anderson Book Reviews–Current Topics Survey of Periodicals Sue Molleson Foster -.-~~ SUBSCRIBE NOW ~II(-_.
50 Cents a Copy. $2.00 a Year (postpaid) In combination with THE MOSLEM WORLD THE MISSIONARY REVIEW OF THE WORLD 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City $3.50 a Year. (Foreign Postage, 50 Cents.) British Agents: MARSHALL, MORGAN & SCOTT, 12 Paternoster Buildings, London, E. C. Price in Great Britain, Eight Shillings a Year, net THE LIFE OF GEORGE BOWEN, OF BOMBAY By ROBERT E. SPEER This is the biography of a very remarkable Christian missionary to India and for twenty years the inBuential and able editor of the Bombay Guardian. Dr. J. Sumner Stone called him, "The White Yogi."
When George Bowen died in 1888 there was call for a worthy biography but its preparation was delayed. Later all the biographical material-including his diaries, letters, reminiscences, and the books and pamphlets of which he was author-was turned over to Dr. Speer. This material has now been put into shape for publication and the result is a frank and stimulating picture of the man,-his experiences, unique character, forceful views and methods of work. Here is a life story that is of absorbing interest and will richly reward the thoughtful reader. The book is now ready for delivery.
CONTENTS I. Family of George Bowen. XI. A Decisive Year, 1849. II. Boyhood and Youth. XII. From 1850 to 1855. III. Three Years Abroad. XIII. Ten Years of Independent Work. IV. Life in New York, 1840-1844. XIV. The Bombay Guardian. V. Illumination of a Hopeless Love. XV. Relations with the American Board. VI. Conversion to Christianity. XVI. Association with the Methodist Church. VII. At Union Theological Seminary. XVII. Bowen as a Writer. VIII. His Missionary Appointment. XVIII. Correspondence with Henry W. Rankin. IX. The Voyage to India, 1847. XIX. Closing Testimony. X. Beginning Missionary Work.
This latest work by Dr. Speer may be ordered at $2.50 per copy from THE MISSIONARY REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY 156 Fifth Avenue, New York
The Missionary Review of the World — June 1938
1938
The Modern City Number Christ at the Center of City Life Aubrey S. Moore Meeting the Modem City Problems Herbert E. Eberhardt. The Youth Problem in the City What Church Federations Can Do Robert V. Russell God and Company……Unlimited Walter R. Mee Serving Christ in Crowded Streets M. W. Pullen Preaching the Gospel to City Folk Putting the Gospel to the Test Robert A. McKibben Contacts with Industrial Workers Harry A. Ironside When a Policeman Is Transformed J. F. Harrison The Inner and the Outer City A. J. Muste A United Church Project Paul Buffa What a Suburban Church Can Do Best Books on the City Problem Ernest G. Guthrie G. R. Larson 25 Cents a Copy Frank A. Fitt Charles H. Sears $2.50 a Year '
to Remember September 21-28 – General Council, PARENTS~ ••
United Church of Canada, Toronto, June 2-General Synod, Reformed Canada. In the Foreign Mission Field Church in America, Asbury Park, N. J. October 5-12 – United L u the ran Endorse Calvert: School Church in America, Biennial Con- Home Study Courses June 2-Fiftieth Anniversary of the vention, Baltimore, Md. Women's Missionary Society, Gen- Eor Childrel!l eral Synod of the Evangelical and October 14-20 – American Lutheran Reformed Church, Akron, Ohio. Church, Biennial Convention, San- Calvert School, through its Home Instruc- dU!lky, Ohio. tion Department, will give your child a superior elementary education ••• by mail, June 7-27-Indian Workers Confer- regardless of where you may live. Modences. Four Regional Conferences ern, approved courses from this famous of the National Fellowship of In- , Personal Items school are being used by parents allover dian Workers. (1) The Oklahoma the world with outstanding success. Conference, to be held at Dwight Mr. Robert L. Latimer for 45 years Training School, Marble City, Okla., treasurer of the Board of Foreign Give your children the advantages of these June 7-9. (2) The Southwest Re- Missions of the United Presbyterian interesting lessons, carefully chosen books, gional Conference, at the Navajo Church has retired and his place has and attractive materials. Instruction is Methodist School, Farmington,N.M., , been fill~d by Dr. R. W. Caldwell, Fi-, under the personal guidance of teachers in June 14-16. (3) Pacific Northwest nancial Secretary of the Board. Calvert's prominent and successful private Regional Conference, at the Nez day school in Baltimore. Perces Camp Meeting Grounds, *** Craigmont, Idaho, June 20-22. (4) Write today for booklet of complete in- The Midwest Regional Conference, Dr. Mills J. Taylor, Associate Sec- formation. Costs are low. at the College of Agriculture, Uni- retary of the United Presbyterian versity of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., Board of Foreign Missions plans to CALVERT SCHOOL , June 24-27. These Conferences are visit the mission fields, leaving Ameropen to all friends of the Indians. ica about May first, with Mrs. Taylor ISOW. Tuscany Road ' and returning in January, 1939. Baltimor. + Maryland June 8-Synod of Christian Reformed *** United States. At Amarillo, Texas, Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 6,500 persons heard the Gipsy, and Dr. Paul J. Braisted, General Sec- many more were unable to get into the June 9-15-Norwegian Lutheran retary of the Student Volunteer Move- auditorium. Synod Convention, Mankato, Min- ment, has been elected Campus Sec- retary for the University Christian Sir Wilfred *T. *Gr*enfell, who has nesota. Mission to succeed the Rev. J. Max- served 45 years as a voluntary med- June 15-22-General Council of Con- well Adams. Dr. Braisted will give ical missionary in Newfoundland and gregational and Christian Churches, only a portion of his time to his new Labrador, recently celebrated his 73d office. birthday on an island off the coast of Beloit, Wisconsin. Georgia. Because of a chronic heart *** ailment, he may never be able 'to re- June 16-24 – Winona School of Mis- turn to Labrador, where hospitals, sions, Winona Lake, Indiana. Mrs. . Bi~op Henry,W. Hobson, of Cin- schools and nursing stations bear his Wm. Eckert, 1612 South 11th St., CinnatI, has been elected president of Maywood, Illinois. the "Movement for World Christi- name. anity," an interdenominational organ- June 18-25 ~ Geneva Summer School ization created in 1934, as a result of Obituary Notel for Missionary Education, Geneva the Laymen's Commission Report on Lake, Wisconsin. Write for infor- Foreign Missions. Bishop Hobson has The Rev. Dr. Eddy H. Greeley, for mation to Mrs. Paul H. Wezaman, attracted wide interest by literally fifty years a missionary of the Meth- 177 So. Humphrey Ave., Oak Park, carrying the church to the people in a odist Episcopal Church in Liberia and specially constructed trailer, called Rhodesia, died on April 8, at; Old Ill. Umtali, Rhodesia, at the age of 80 years. He was born at Owakonna, June 22-29 – General Synod, Evan- "St. Paul's Wayside Cathedral," re- Minnesota, in 1857, and was a cousin gelical and Reformed Churches, placing the cathedral in downtown of Horace Greeley. After graduation Columbus, Ohio. Cincinnati, as reported in the REVIEW from Hamblein University, St. Paul, he sailed for Liberia in 1888. He June 25-27-National Council of Fed- for April. *** introduced new plant life into Old erated Church Women, Eagles Umtali to add to the variety of native Mrs. J. P. White, editor of the foods. He was known especially as a Mere, Pa. Women's Missionary Magazine of the hymnodist and translator and for United Presbyterian Church. who has some years wrote the Sunday school June 25-July 2-Mt. Hermon Feder- been touring the foreign field of the lessons for missionaries and teachers. ated School of Missions, Mt. Her- Church, arrived in America on April mon, Cal. 14. Miss Anna A. Milligan, former C. Luther Fr*y, P*h.D* ., who did con- Educational Secretary of the United June 26-July 1- Church Conference Presbyterian Board of Foreign Mis- siderable work on the census of re- of Social Workers, Seattle, Wash- ligious bodies in the United States ington. and for five years was professor of Sociology in the University of Roch- June 28-July 3 – International Con- sions. who has spent the winter in ester, died on April 12, after a brief vention of Christian Endeavor, Egypt, will make a wider visit of for- illness. From 1922 to 1933 Dr. Fry Columbus, Ohio. eign ,missions before returning to was Director of the Bureau of Stand- ards of the Institute of Social and Re- July 11-19 – Northfield Missionary America. ** ligious Research of New York. He Conference, Northfield, Mass. Miss H*. was the author of "American Vil- Corona Rayle Cook, 16 Farnham Dr. James Rushbrooke, Execu- lagers," "The United States Looks tive Secretary of the Baptist World at Its Churches," and other volumes. St., Portland, Maine. Alliance, went to Bucharest to study He was born in Philadelphia, the'son the situation faced by Baptists in July 12-August 17 – Winona Lake Roumania, ana was granted an inter- (Concluded on 3d cO'IJer.) School of Theology, Winona Lake, view by King Carol and the Rou- Indiana. manian premier. The difficulties now seem to be under control. August 23-29-World Conference on International Friendship Through the Churches, Larvik, Norway. Evangelist G*ips*y *Smith. now 77 September 6-20 – World's You n g years old, declares that he has never Women's Gh r i s t ian Association, addressed greater crowds or more Canada. , September 11-16-International Con- eager young people, and has never vention of the Disciples of Christ, seen greater results of presenting the Gospel than in his latest tour of the Denver, Colo.
MISSIONARY I want to express a word of appre- Malwa-the Great
REVIEW OF THE WORLD ciation for the REVIEW and what it means in the program of missions. When Ihe good wOl'k VOL. LXI JUNE, 1938 No.6 Leaders in our missionary societies and groups throughout the country p.o calls yo. Basi … sail Publication and Business omc_ subscribe to it regularly. During our Third and Reily Sts., Harrlsburc, Pa. annual convention in June, when our This year marks a full century of P & 0 new program of missions is inaugu- service to the lands beyond Suez! When- Editorial and Executive omc_ rated, special prominence is given to ever you are called to the other side of the 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. the place that the REVIEW has in help- world, choose this traditional route. Cross Entered as second-class matter at ing to create effective missionary pro- to England by Cunard White Star … and grams. It is our sincere wish that the then embark in a great liner of the P & 0 Post Omce, Harrlsburc, P•., under REVIEW will continue to hold this im- and British India fleets, led by the new Act of March 3, 1879. portant place in the program of mis- 23,500-ton Stratheden and Strathallan, sions. featuring air-conditioned dining saloons 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. in first class, hot and cold running water Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. ADAM W. MILLER, throughout, built-in out-of-door swimming Published monthly, except August. Secretary of the Missionary pools, children'.s playrooms! Regular ser- All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1937. vice to Egypt, Sudan, Persian Gulf, India, British agents – Marshall, Morgan Board of the Church of Burma, Ceylon, Straits Settlements, China, and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, God. Japan, Australia, East and South Africa, London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, Mauritius. Special reductions and gener- 10 shillings • year. *** ous baggage allowance for missionaries.
MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- I have been reading the February Convenient through bookings can be ar- LISHING CO., INC. REVIEW today. Have greatly enjoyed rangedbyyourtravelagentoranyoffice of it. It is filled with material that helps BOARD OF DIRECTORS the missionary hope and spirit. The CUNARD WHITE STU UNE ROBE'RT E. SPEBR, Pre••dent articles are helpful and discerning. A. L. WABN8HUl8, Vice-Prerident "The World-Wide Outlook" pages are General Agents W ALTBR McDOUGALL, Treasurer especially helpful. The Moslem Num- DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Secr8tarll ber has also been very useful to mis- 25 Broadway and 638 Fifth Avenue, N. Y. sionary groups. PAUL J. BRAl8TBD SAMUEL McCruu. CAVlIBT REV. STEPHEN J. COREY, D.D., Secretary of the United Christip,n D. J. FANT )lR8. ORRIN R. JUDD Missionary Socie·ty, Indianapo- WM. B. LIPPHABD lis, Ind. ERIC M. NORTH SAMUEL M. ZWEMII1I *** Editorial Chat I read THE REVIEW with great in- terest and profit and wish you all suc- "We have the honor to present"- cess in the conduct of this fine magaour City Mission Study Number of the zine. REVIEW. As usual, more papers came in than one issue–even a larger one H. D. DAVIES, –can accommodate. But it is a large Chicago Regional Secretary, Misand important subject, and worthy of careful study. Other articles on the sions Council of the Congrega- City and the Church will appear in tional and Christian Churches. the July and September numbers. They are some of the best-do not THE PRESBYTERIAn miss them. See the list of held-over articles mentioned on our back cover. -:- The only weekly in the Presbyterian Church. Previous spec*ial *mis*sion study num- .:- Its message is based upon bers have been in great demand, and the Revealed Word of God. some have been sold out before late orders could be filled. Order early. .:- Goes into every state in the Uni6n, U. S. possessions *** and many foreign countries.
The following are some unsolicited Subscription rate – $2.50 comments on the REVIEW recently re- Ministerial rate – – $2.00 ceived: SOc. exfra–Canadian postage *** $1.S0 extra– Foreign postage I follow the articles published in THE PRESBYTERIAn the REVIEW with great interest. Last week I wrote up a note for the Evan- 121 7 Market Street gelical and Reformed Messenger Philadelphia, Pa. recommending the REVIEW to our pastors and general readers. Nothing [257 ] would please me more than to learn that it had won new subscribers.
F. A. GOETSCH, Associate Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions,Evangeli- cal Synod of N. A.
*** The REVIEW is so valuable to us in our Mission Study that we are turning to you for help in planning our program for next year.
MRS. W. J. GOODWIN. Louisville, Kentucky.
Aerial Surveys
THE MODERN CITY – LOWER NEW YORK – AND ITS TOWERS (One building may accommodate 15,000 tenants and employees) Wide World Photo HUMANITY IN A MODE,RN CITY – TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK, ON NEW YEAR'S EVE RPVIB ORLD VOLUME LXI AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 6 JUNE, 1938 Topics of the Times CHRIST AND THE MODERN CITY their parks, or with their night life; with their Two American cities (New York and Chicago) commercial activity and culture or with suffering each has a population larger than the whole of humanity; with their magnificent houses or with the United States in 1780. Fourteen of our cities their slums; with their educational institutions contain more people than the estimated popula- or their jails; with their rapid transit or their tion of the whole Roman Empire in Europe at rapid moral decline; with their churches or their saloons and brothels? We know how He dealt the time of Christ. New York City has a larger with Jerusalem, the Royal City. He came there population than Central America, or Arabia, or the whole of Australia (which has nearly the area to teach and to heal, to rebuke and to warn; He wept over the sin and hardness of heart of the of the United States). people; He suffered indignities at the hands of There are ninety-six cities in the United States the chief rulers in Church and State, but He de- with over 100,000 each and 500 cities each with lighted in the children; He loved even His eneover 15,000. These cities represent not only a mies and gave His life to save them from sin and great mass of humanity but here we find, in al- death. Would Jesus look differently on the cities most any large city, men of all races and lan- of today with their mixed multitudes? guages, in all degrees of poverty and wealth, of ignorance and culture; almost every type of reli- 1. If Jesus Christ came to America today, we gious faith and superstition is represented- know that He would first of all look on our city voodooism and theosophy, spiritism and demon- with clear discernment. He would delight in true worship, Islam and Hinduism, Shinto and Confu- beauty but would distinguish between the tawdry cianism, as well as every kind of Christian sect. material things that pass away, and the beauty of life and character that abide. He would see What elements of good and evil are contend- clearly the difference between the wealth that ing for the mastery in these centers of population men seek after and the riches that abide; between -banditry and honest business, commercialized the power that politicians and magnates crave vice and purity, selfish capitalism and philan- and the power that brings life out of death. He thropy, self-seeking labor and sacrificial service, would distinguish between the churches that can anti-God activity and Christian missions! boast only of wealth and social prestige, with What a field for Christian witness and activity beautiful equipment and elaborate ritual, and is presented in the modern city! How would Jesus those churches that may be worshiping only in a Christ look on our American cities if He should transformed saloon but where Christ is exalted, visit them in the flesh today? We know how God where the Gospel is preached and where men, looked on Sodom and its wickedness, and on Baby- women and children are being born anew through lon, the "mother of harlots," in spite of its pal- the power of the Spirit of God. He would disaces and hanging gardens; on Nineveh with its tinguish between empty eloquence and the quiet godlessness and ignorance; on Jerusalem, the testimony of some obscure saint. backsliding city over which Christ wept. How would He look today on New York, Chicago, De- 2. Jesus Christ, today, if He visited our city, troit, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, would look on the multitudes with compassion as He did in ancient Palestine. He would weep with New Orleans, Los Angeles? Would He be most those who weep and rejoice with those who have ~1JlJ?ress~d. w~th ~heir skfline and the beauty of true cause for jOf. H;e would s~I!athiz~ wit.l1.
~ 259 ~
the sufferers and with those who are oppressed lowering standards in morals and in legislation, by money-getters or political bosses. He would the mad rush to increase armaments and growing distinguish between those who are sinned against, threats of international wars-all these and other and those who lead others astray; between the troubles tend to make men so fearful and full of "bandit" who has had little chance to know a bet- self-pity that many of us are tempted to forget ter way of life, and the honored "bandit" in high the more critical condition of others. As a result places who sins against light. He would denounce we neglect to help them in their hour of need. the hypocrites of all names and stations, and Many appeals have been made to bring help to would say to the misled and underprivileged, "Go, the suffering Chinese in this devastating, unjust sin no more." and cruel war that has been thrust upon them. The Red Cross and other philanthropic and mis- 3. Jesus Christ today would come to our city to sionary agencies are appealing for help for the give instruction and encouragement where they millions of Chi1tese sufferers-the vast hordes of are most needed. He would cheer the struggling wounded, the famine stricken because of war, pastor and the troubled parents. Where the truth those suffering from venereal disease (due largely of God is proclaimed and the love of God is mani- to the invading soldiers), and from cholera and fested' His presence would give light in darkness other epidemics. Doctors, nurses and funds are so that people would flock again to His standard. sorely needed to care for these wounded and dis- He would give hope to the faithful who are eased, to supply ambulances, medicines, bandages, tempted to discouragement, and would point out food and general hospitalization. The need is the way of victory through sacrifice. He would greater than ever and yet the response from make clear again the spiritual forces by which America has been smaller than in any previous He will overcome the world, and would call men crisis. Only about one-third of the $1,000,000 for to "leave all and follow" Him. which appeal was made, has been given. There is need for $5,000,000 from America. Chinese We have every reason to believe that if Jesus doctors and nurses and missionary forces are do- Christ came to our city today-unless He came ing their utmost, but they are hindered by lack In power to wipe out all evil and to establish His of supplies. Relief funds are now practically ex- Kingdom-He would look with compassion on the city and its inhabitants, and would preach and hausted.* The accompanying map shows how teach and work to make the Father known, and to bring new life and godliness to fruition as widespread is the area of conflict and how gener- He did nineteen hundred years ago. Would we ally the missionaries have remained at their posts receive Him differently than men received Him to minister to sufferers, in spite of personal disthen? tress and danger.
But if Jesus Christ is God and meant what He The Chinese Christians are also doing their utsaid then He is here today-not only in our city most. The following extracts from a letter from but in every city; not only in our cities, but in a Chinese Christian, Rev. Andrew Gih of the ,our towns and villages; He is in every home and Bethel Mission, Shanghai, shows how the work of church, every shop and factory, every school and Christ goes on, in spite of difficulties. Mr. Gih office, and in every individual where He is re- writes: ceived and is given the right of way. Today, as then, "to as many as receive Him" to them does When the war broke out in Shanghai, our people (of He give the right to become Children of God- Bethel Mission) had to flee to the International Concesfrom every class and tongue and nation. Would sions for safety. The hospital staff (in four hospitals) He offer any other remedy for sin and misery to- went right on with their work for wounded soldiers and day than He offered in the first century? Would our Christian nurses had the joy of serving and witness· He not tell His followers today in our cities to ing to the wounded; our evangelists were also busily enfollow Him and to make known the Way of Life gaged in preaching in many of the 200 refugee camps. to others by teaching men in private and in pub- The largest of these camps had fifteen thousand refugees, lic to know Him and to observe all the things He the smallest several hundred. Many broken hearts were has commanded us? Only when Christ is recog- bound up with the healing Gospel of Christ. We could nized and received by all the multitudes in our not carry on our schools as the section where our Bethel cities, will they truly become cities of God. What Compound is located -was badly bombarded, our Orphanage are we doing to help fulfil the purpose of God and was burned, and other buildings were damaged. All our the command of Christ to make known the Good belongings were looted and the Japanese still occupy our News and the power that He came to proclaim? beautiful Compound. The Hospital workers are still car- rying on in our branch Hospital in Shanghai but our OUR RESPONSE TO CHINA'S NEED Orphanage, Publishing Department, Bible Seminary and Evangelistic Bands have all been moved to Hongkong. • Rising taxes, increased cost of living, unemploy- ment, strikes in industry, depression in business, We thank God that He has preserved all our lives and we are able to carryon the work. Some evangelists are now preaching in the interior; one Band in Yunnan, another in Szechuan and others in Kwangsi, Kweichow • Contributions should be sent to mission boards having work In China. or the National Red Cross. Washington. D. C.
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
There is only one way to overcome evil, and that is with positive good. There is only one truly good and that is God. Love is the only remedy for hate; life is the only effective antidote to death. Jesus Christ is the only salvation for in- dividuals and for the world. Therefore mission- aries go into all the world to spread the truth, the love, the life of God. as these are made known in Jesus Christ.
• .N _' JEWRY IN DISTRESS! WHAT OF IT?
, ;HE~~I ' …, American Jews, 4,500,000 in number, are out . .. . .. .. . ,—",""–. to raise $9,600,000 in 1938. This vast sum is for . –. ,-) relief of os,tracized and persecuted Jews in Europe and to aid in their settlement in Palestine or else- .. . " where, as circum.stances permit. -"~' -.: .: ~…~ The tidal wave of anti-Semitism has spread to Ii.~- Germany, Austria, Poland, Roumania and begins even to inundate Great Britain and America. The 'QR zons (8'-4"") OF CHlM essential cause of this widespread anti-Semitism is the economic distress in the world today. In UIlLOCUIOIOPAJIIIIllW prosperous times anti-Semitism rarely occurs. Hitler's racial ideology is another factor, as is the PROf'IstAJlftllS8101SWIOlS unfortunate behavior of some individual Jews. Business shrewdness, and in some cases dishon- kebdot "'p""e1Ittaoit,. esty, are other factors, but who persecutes all wtth_o…….. p"rlUU>ellt Gentiles because of shrewdness or personal dis- honesty? =:::~~"tl::~:nt In Poland there are 3,500,000 Jews, of whom .~. . .NU) …U.t …rIt. 1,000,000 are starving, who are involved. Rou- mania has 1,000,000 Jews while Germany has WHERE JAPANESE AND MISSIONARIES ARE OPERATING- only 350,000 and Austria about 200,000. All these DIFFERENTLY are menaced and for them American Jews are seeking to raise $9,600,000 this year. Incidentally and Chehkiang Provinces. They have been facing danger!; since 1914 American Jews have provided $87,- from air raids, but all witness to the power of the Holy 000,000 for the relief of European Jews. Spirit in changing many lives. Owing to the abnormal conditions, the traveling is difficult, so that it took sixteen In Germany, in addition to the Jews, there are days to reach the place of the first campaign in Kweichow. about 1,000,000 non-Aryans, and in Austria 600,- Another Band is going to Hunan and the fourth to the 000 or more. Any man, woman or child with at northern part of Kwangtung Province. We do not know least one Jewish grandparent, or one who is marhow long we will be allowed to preach unmolested. We ried to a Jew is classed as a non-Aryan and theremust spread the Good News before it is too late. The fore receives the same treatment as a Jew. Japanese give no liberty to the Chinese preachers in occupied territories. Pray that God will grant peace in the Thus there are approximately 7,000,000 folk in Far East and pray for those who are lifting up Christ Europe who, because of Jewish ancestry near or among the Chinese. There are wonderful opportunities, remote, are unwanted by their fellow citizens. especially in the interior of China. People are receptive And partly because of anti-Jewish sentiment, but to the Gospel and they realize life is uncertain and prop- more largely because of unemployment crises, erty is not dependable. Thank God "we know whom we they are not wanted anywhere else. Even in Palhave believed and we are persuaded that He is able to estine the number actually able to enter there in keep that which we have committed unto Him against one year has been reduced from 61,000 in 1935 that day." to less than 10,000 in 1937. Moreover, the Jew- Arab conflict in Palestine, coupled with the British It is more and more evident that it is impos- Partition proposals, has served to arouse the Mossible to carry out any isolation policy-either lem world and to increase the anti-Semitic sentinational or individual. War in one country will ment there. involve other nations, however much we may strive to prevent it. Famine and economic The net result of all this is a growing fearfultroubles in one land affect others. Disease will ness, uncertainty and insecurity in the hearts and spread in spite of sanitary measures. Immoral- minds of Jewry throughout the world. ity, selfish ambition and false philosophy cannot be confined within any national boundaries. Irreligion and anti-Christian, or anti-Jewish, propaganda spreads from party to party, from class to class, and from country to country, when not checked by positive faith and by the dissemination of God's truth.
Why should Christians be concerned with the ous in providing hospitality to these victims of fate of Jewish and non-Aryan victims of anti- a present day cruel autocracy? We especially need Semitism; why should we take upon ourselves to be on guard lest this unchristian racial dis- the responsibility of caring for these non-Aryans? crimination gains a foothold here. Propaganda is First of all because we are Christians and many a vicious thing and is powerful in formulating of these non-Aryans are Christians by faith. J ew- public opinion. We should strenuously oppose the ry is aiding admirably and sacrificially the Jewish anti-Jewish propaganda in America; we should victims, and has even helped non-Aryan victims, pray for persecuted Jewry and for a change of though the latter are definitely Christendom's re- heart in their persecutors. Here is a great op- sponsibility. But up-to-date, Christendom has not portunity to show the spirit of Christ and to do, been as generous as Jewry. The result is grievous individually and collectively everything we can distress and suffering among the Jewish, non- to combat the causes and consequences of anti- Aryan and Christian refugees. What right have Semitism. Tli'e-se are inescapable responsibilities Christians in America to protest against anti- of all who claim to be Christian.
Semlitism in Europe while we do nothing effective- CONRAD HOFFMANN, JR. ly to aid the victims of such racial discrimination?
We need to be reminded of the good Samaritan as weU as of the Levite and the priest in our Lord's FOURTEEN POINTS FOR FOREIGN parable. There is an American Committee* to aid MISSIONS Christian refugees from Germany and this committee needs financial help to meet the growing 1. Every book in the New Testament was writdistress. A few instances of the flotsam and jet- ten by a foreign missionary. sam of human wreckage in the wake of the present tidal wave of anti-Semitism, are the fol- 2. Every letter in the New Testament that was lowing: written to an individual was written to a convert of a foreign missionary. 1. Mr. F- is a pharmacist, non-Aryan, but a Christian by faith having won the Iron Cross, the Front Trench 3. Every epistle in the New Testament that was Fighter's, and the wounded-in-service medals. As a non- writteB to a church was written to a for- Aryan he was no longer allowed to run his private phar- eign missionary church. macy in Germany, and was forcibly compelled to sublet. Now he is in America looking for work and hopes later 4. Every book in the New Testament that was to be joined by his wife and two sons as soon as he is written to a community of believers was able to support them. Before he could leave Germany he written to a general group of foreign mishad to pay 81% of his funds as a "flight tax." sionary churches.
5. The one book of prophecy in the New Testa- 2. Mrs. U- was a Christian Gentile woman, married ment was written to the seven foreign misto a Jew in Vienna; her husband is no longer allowed to sionary churches in Asia. work. She is a teacher of Germanics, but being married 6. The only authoritative history of the early to a Jew she, too, is not allowed to work. Christian Church is a foreign missionary journal. 3. Mr. T- was a government expert on Social Security 7. The disciples were called Christians first in and Socialized Medicine; a non-Aryan Christian, and a a foreign missionary community. member of the German Confessional Church group of which Dr. Niemoller is the leader. Now he is in America 8. The language of the books of the New Testaas a transient but hopes soon to be admitted on the quota ment is the missionary language. and then to find work. 9. The map of the early Christian world is the 4. Rev. F- was a non-Aryan Protestant clergyman in tracing of the journeys of the first mis- Germany. Not being allowed to preach there, on the advice of his pastoral colleagues, he went to Vienna to work for a Swedish Society and did remarkably well. sionaries.
Since Hitler's annexation of Austria, this pastor has been 10. Of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, every compelled to flee to Prague and then to Sweden. apostle except one became a missionary.
We might go on and cite case after case of 11. The only man among the twelve apostles who people who need help, financially and above all did not become a missionary became a spiritually. In New York City, the Jews have traitor.
established a reception service and a center for 12. The problems which arose in the early Church Jewish refugees, but nothing of the kind has yet were largely questions of missionary pro- been done by the Christians for the Christian cedure.
refugees. 13. Only a foreign missionary could write an Should not Christians of America, the: strong- everlasting gospel.
hold of liberty, equality and democracy be gener- 14. According to the apostles, missionary service is the highest expression of Christian life.
• Mr. Frank Ritchie. Secretary, American Commlttl'le fOr German WILLIAM ADAMS BROWN. Refugees. 287 Fourtli Ave.. New York City,
at the Center of City
By AUBREY S. MOORE, Chicago Superintendent of Chicago Home Missionary Society, Methodist Episcopal Church A YOUNG man, a college and theological ent languages. The first church has a fine build- school graduate just beginning his minis- jng with more than fifty rooms, including a large try in the city, came to discuss his work. gymnasium, a swimming pool, a cafeteria, an as- As he sat in my office, looking out across the roofs sembly hall that will accommodate more than one of the buildings, and yet seeing not the buildings thousand people and a beautiful chapel. This but the streets filled with boys and girls and men building is filled afternoons .and evenings. More and women, he said with something of compas- than one hundred and forty classes, club meetings sion in his voice as well as in his gaze, "The Peo- and group meetings, exclusive of devotional meetpIe! The People!" jngs, are held each week. The total registered at- tendance for March, this year, was 10,623. The I instinctively turned to a picture which hangs program includes classes in sewing, cooking, on my office wall-the picture of another young printing, dramatics, bookkeeping, stenography, man looking across a valley at another city more vocational guidance, knitting, playing the harthan two thousand years ago. As this other monica, first aid, etc. These boys and girls are Young Man looks at the city He weeps and says: kept off the streets, which of itself is worth while, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this and at the same time they are learning something thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" of value under leaders who know the importance I breathed a prayer that this other young man, of character development in the lives of young with his splendid preparation for service might people. be held steady, that his vision might be kept clear, his heart be kept pure, and that his enthusiasm In some Institutional and Community Churches, might be inseparably joined to the purpose of that one finds a program that is broad enough in scope other Young Man who will ever weep over the and sufficiently varied in character to appeal to city until it shall become like unto "the Holy Jeru- all age groups. Last summer one pastor gave a salem, descending out of Heaven from God." series of open-air Gospel addresses with a stereop- ticon. He reported an attendance of over 8,000 "Home Mission Work in a City" seeks to place per week. Early in March one church office re- Jesus Christ at the center of the City's life. Home ported twenty-two baseball teams already regismissionaries are not primarily interested in any tered for the coming season-one of the sure signs particular creed, but rather in making Christ of Spring. dominant in the lives of individuals and groupsthe determining factor in their conduct. The task The city is becoming disturbed over the alarmwill not be completed until politics, industry, so- jng increase in Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile cial life, and religious life shall acknowledge Him Crime. Two weeki; ago, in one issue of a daily as Lord and Master and seek to do His will. paper, there were the names of forty boys, with the average age under sixteen years, who were There are certain types of work in the city to arrested for crimes all the way from petty theft which those who are in any way responsible for to murder. It has been estimated that six thou- Mission Work today must of necessity give sand six hundred Protestant boys and girls will thought. appear before the Juvenile Court of Chicago in 1938, and that of this number more than two The Institutional Church is perhaps the most thousand will be there for the first time. In conwidely known agency of the Church in the con- ference with a Probation Officer a few days ago gested centers of the great city. One such typical I was told of the attempts being made to save church, with a seven-day and seven-evening pro- these boys and girls from the careers towards gram every week, is located in the midst of a which they seem to be moving so rapidly. By the group of many thousands of people among whom time many of these boys come before the Juvenile more than twenty different languages are spoken. Court it may be too late to do much for them. Another typical church is said to be the only Eng- The difficulty is farther back. lish-speaking church in a community of more than 250,000 people speaking more than thirty differ- [263]
The first evidence of a wrong tendency in the to perpetuate the use of any language other than boy or girl that comes to the attention of the au- the English language in churches that must ulti- thorities outside of the home is truancy. This is mately minister to English-speaking American said to begin at seven years and reach its "highest citizens.
incidence" at thirteen or fourteen. Truancy! Among the problems which we face is that of Delinquency! Crime! This is the order. The the slowly dying church in the downtown or nearone leads naturally to the other. In a careful downtown district. In one denomination in a study, covering a period of several years, it was typical city more than twenty churches have been found that more than half of the Juvenile Crim- either closed outright or merged with other inals had been truants. In an effort to get to the churches during the past twenty years. The root of the matter students are finding themselves merger plan is frequently resorted to as a faceface to face with home situations and community environment. A Protestant representative at the saving devic~t It has its appeal. However, in so Juvenile Court and at the Juvenile Detention far as the merged church is concerned the results Home, a highly trained, consecrated young are about the same. A 'group of members are transferred to the strengthened organization but woman, follows the cases assigned to her to the many scatter and find new homes, if at all, elsehomes and to the communities from which they where. The churches at the heart of the city die come in an attempt to cleanse the fountain at its first. And then slowly but surely the circle is source. Case after case could be presented that enlarged until in due season one can scarcely find would bear eloquent testimony to the effectiveness a "going" concern among the few remaining of this program of Mission Work in a great City. churches in or near the downtown section. And No longer do immigrants fill the already con- this is true in spite of the fact that the population gested centers of our cities. With the decrease in in the neighborhood of these churches may have immigration that problem is giving us less con- doubled or tripled or even quadrupled in the meancern, although in some of our largest cities more time. It can all be explained, but to explain it is than seventy percent of the people are either foreign born or the children of foreign-born parents. not to solve the problem. The "mixing bowl" is at work but its task has not been completed. The children of these foreign- Thirty years ago a certain large church in the born parents attend our public schools, they play near downtown section of a great city was packed in our streets, and breathe the atmosphere of our to the doors-gallery and all. The city authori- American cities until their very freedom creates ties were said to have stationed policemen at the an unhappy situation. In some localities our mis- doors to prevent dangerous overcrowding. This sion worker's chief task seems to be that of a church included among its members men and mediator who seeks to enable these alert children women from every walk in life-railroad executo adjust themselves to the demands of their for- tives, financiers and men prominent in the busieign-born parents and to assist the parents, with ness and professional life of the city. Today a an "old country" background, to understand their mere handful of good but discouraged people own children as they react to their new environ- carryon in a building that is rapidly deteriorat- ing; and yet there are more people per square ment. mile in that neighborhood today than ever before. The families of wealth have moved to the suburbs Lost Moorings and the local group can no longer support a resi- Many thousands in these groups, if they ever dent pastor. This church would be pronounced had a vital religious faith, have broken from their near dead. And this is but an extreme example religious moorings and are helplessly afloat, dere- of what one finds all too often in our large cities.
lict fashion, or are openly disregarding all moral What had really happened in this case? Slowly and religious claims upon their lives. Work but surely the people who had supported this in- among these people is fascinating. The young stitution died or moved from the downtown sec- people form a most inviting and responsive group, tion to the less crowded areas or to the suburbs.
while a right approach to the adults will assure a As the older group moved out another crowded in.
heartening measure of success. For many years But this new group was made up of renters and it seemed to be necessary to provide a foreign- roomers who were incapable of carrying the finan- born leader for these people. Today, however, cial burden if they had been willing to do so. So with few if any immigrants to deal with, and with with the steady decrease in support came a cor- an increasing number of young people, American responding retrenchment in the program until to- born and trained in our public schools, it is be- day there is none. Had it been possible for the coming less and less necessary to present a bi- members of this church in the heyday of its pros- lingual program. The day has come when many perity to have created an endowment, and thereby believe it to be not only unnecessary but unwise made possible an income sufficient to provide a
CHRIST AT THE CENTER OF CITY LIFE
continuously effective program, might there not The Social agencies are doing excellent: work. have been a different story to tell today? Or, sup- In our own city there are said to be twenty-two pose there had been funds available from the districts with a population of 50,000 to the square Mission Boards to supplement and stabilize the mile in which the environment is detrimental to decreasing income of this church, what would the best interests of the· growing boy and girl. have been the result? Community projects under the guidance of the de- partment of Research Sociology of the Institute We must face our responsibility for these down- for Juvenile Research have been located in three town areas. Just so long as there is a constituency of these districts and in each of the three truancy, for which we are clearly responsible in any com- delinquency and crime have steadily decreased. munity, just so long must we remain in the community adapting our program to the needs of the The Christian Church has ever pioneered in people whom we seek to serve. And in order to needy fields until an awakened Social conscience do this it becomes equally clear that funds in in- came to recognize the responsibility of the comcreasing amounts must be available from outside munityas a whole. But after the city, through its sources to supplement the decreasing incomes of various agencies, has done its best will there not these churches until, if possible, a local supporting remain for the Church the task of evangelizing constituency can once again be developed. successive generations? This, after all, we may find is its primary function. Indeed the chief In our thinking of Mission Work in a City, at- task of the Church seems to be to work itself out tention is often fixed upon the so-called blighted of a job. In the Seer's vision of the Holy City areas or areas of deterioration which are usually there was no temple. It was no longer needed. the truancy and crime centers.' Frequently too However, that day in the modern city seems to be little attention is focused upon the Boulevards. a great way off. "The Kingdoms of this world Slum minds are not all confined to so-called slum are" not yet "become the Kingdoms of our Lord, areas. The "certain rich man" of the parable and of his Christ." Until that takes place there was farther from the Kingdom of God than Laz- will continue to be a place for "Home Mission arus. We have also a mission to the Boulevard Work in a City." sections of our cities. Many Boulevard dwellers are heart-hungry for a little disinterested friend- PERCENTAGE RURAL AND liness and for a sane interpretation of the Word of God. A surprising number of them would be URBAN POPULATION willing to render a high order of sacrificial service for their Lord and Master if given an opportunity. 8Y 10 YEAR PERIODS We have no more right to neglect them than we have to neglect any other group. Jesus was per- 1c!&O – 1930 fectly willing to have "the Rich Young Ruler" use his money to aid the poor. Is it not reasonable to '''Dr. 5H 4167. suppose that the wealth of Boulevard friends would be acceptable to Him if given in the proper 1900 13LO 1.9Z0 1.9"0 spirit? The consecrated wealth of the Boulevards could be used to transform the slums. RURAL In the field of Social Service and Charity uBB"50? 514 56.2. changes are rapidly taking place. Community Chests and Community Funds are used to support l~OO J6.90 1900 1910 1920 H30 the more elaborate rather than the less highly organized forms of ministry. These funds are URBAN usually not available for religious work or for programs too closely connected with the religious activities of the church. The tendency appears to be to divorce social and charity work from the religious program and to place it under the direction of trained social workers who are responsible to their own organization. If social agencies and civic organizations are to assume responsibility for the physical and economic well-being and for the social adjustment of the underprivileged, what is to be the future of Christian Mission Work in the City? Will it mean that the churches must withdraw or confine their efforts to a technically spiritual ministry?
Modern City
By REV. HERBERT E. EBERHARDT, B.D., Indianapolis, Indiana President of the International Union of Gospel Missions DISTANCE lends enchantment, even in mis- product of tlte groups to be considered later. It sion fields. When we hear of poverty, of is to these youth that the city missionary must squalid homes and dirty children, of dis- appeal, by games, playgrounds, picnics, singing, ease and sin in India, many feel a peculiar thrill! class work, vacation schools and summer camps. Describe the same conditions in India-napolis and we shudder; we draw our skirts about us and A mission visitor in Rochester, N. Y., calling are tempted to "pass by on the other side" as we on underprivileged homes, invited a girl to the cry, "Unclean!" How oft we have heard it said, mission Sunday School. The child asked, "What "Well, they don't need to live that way," or "They kind of a show is it?" In that she typifies thouought to know better," or perhaps, "If they had sands of other children. But she came, and to saved as I have"! the surprise of all, won first place in the vacation Bible school. That may be true, but the conditions are here and we must face them. Every great city fur- Ira Smith, superintendent of the Children's nishes a real missionary field, one that most di- Gospel Mission of Newark, N. J., led a child to rectly affects all of us. We have often said of the Christ in an open-air park service. That child crowd of transients in our city missions, "If we later brought the entire family into the mission don't take care of these men, they'll take care of and in time the mother, of foreign descent, was us." At the mourner's bench of one of our rescue employed by a large church as its city missionary. missions a penitent surrendered a loaded revolver, confessing that he was on his way to commit a A New England Methodist pastor, graduate of robbery when arrested by the music! Most mis- Union Seminary, came to Christ in the Wheeler sions have in their "museums" guns, billy clubs, Mission at Indianapolis when a small boy, the blackjacks, whiskey bottles, dope and what not, first of an entire family.
There probably is no field so promising and so productive as this among the boys and girls whom as evidence of the direct bearing which city mis- the church often cannot reach except through the sion work has on the lives of all of us. city missions.
These home-mission groups are varied, and Some Problem Homes much larger than one might suppose. Let us consider briefly six such groups. They represent Closely related is the American problem home, more than one half of our population, when we the result of poverty or heredity, divorce, irreconsider that the total church membership of the ligion, sin and unbelief. No prayer, no Bible United States includes only about one half. Many reading, no worship – God's Name used only in an election has been "swung" by a minority group profanity! This is becoming an increasing probholding the balance of power. Skilled politicians lem. It is known that many of the boys on the know the importance of winning the colored vote road today are the direct result of broken homes. -many times enough in itself to secure a victory Social workers hear over and over again, "Dad in election. This same principle applies in the and Mother separated." Some one has aptly said field of missionary service. Special populations, that we ought to sing, "Where is my wandering large or small, may vitally influence the welfare mother tonight?" of the entire community. The city missionary has an entree into these The Non-Churched Children homes, sometimes through death, or arrests or a child in the vacation Bible school. A social We consider first the thousands of children and service contact, such as is made possible by the youth in our cities who are not under the influence Council of Federated Church Women of Indian- of the church and do not attend Sunday School. apolis which employs its own representative in a In them lies the future of our cities; they are the city mission, often proves an open sesame to an seed-bed of our future problems, and hence should otherwise impregnable heart or home. A table or be considered first. They are also the direct by- chair, or garments, or a friendly visit may inspire [266 ] confidence and awaken interest, when all else employed, always welcome and specially well fails. "I was hungry and ye fed me." These treated, the mission says, "The church does care, people are not dressed for church; they have no we are interested in you, Christ has a place in money to give; they are not concerned; often His program for you." This attitude is of practhey do not feel wanted. The writer was once tical value in that it proves its faith by its works -meals, beds, clothes, free service of many kinds.
There is no better preventive of radicalism and atheistic Communism in America than this quiet, Christ-like influence of our Gospel missions and other Christian social service. It is unob- trusive, not heralded with banners, but no one can estimate the amount of preventive work ac- complished. A lighthouse is not only to be cred- ited for rescues made, but for the many more wrecks prevented. Every city mission is a veritable and effective lighthouse.
It is a known fact, demonstrated repeatedly, that there are far fewer arrests or calls for police aid (if any at all) in mission shelters than in gov- ernment or purely charitable shelters. The unem- ployed respect and respond to the kindly attitude of a Christian. .The "cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple" has more than one reward!
The Drink Evil in Our Cities Social workers know that repeal of the Eight- eenth Amendment has brought marked increases WHICH WAY ARE THEY HEADED? PhDtography by H. E. Gray. Waifs-not in India but in Indianapolis. THE OLD DOOR AND THE NEW pastor of a city church where considerable ob- The mission stands on the spot where stood the old saloon. jection was felt because these folks were coming into the church as the result of a schoolhouse mission service.
If the home is the foundation of our nation, then surely here is worth-while missionary service. We remember that Jesus accepted an invitation to the Pharisee's house, and that the Scribes said, "This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them." He knew the importance of such work.
Among the Unemployed This group, numbering several millions, possibly 12,000,000 today, has been too much neglected, and is potentially the most dangerous, forming a natural hotbed for radicalism. Any failure on the part of our missionary program here may prove disastrous. When the priest and the Levite "go by on the other side" and an anti- Christian Samaritan proves the true neighbor, the results are not so good.
For many years the only agencies caring for these unfortunate classes were those with a religious motive or impulse, particularly our Christian rescue missions, which Bishop Freeman once termed, "The Church in Overalls." To the un-
in the inevitable results of liquor; prohibition Has the church cared? Has she prepared worktimes at their worst were remarkably better than ers for this special field? Has she offered youth under license; the evils of the old saloon are back a vocation here? The Church Federation of Cinwith multiplied dangers, supported by radio, auto- cinnati maintains a prison chaplain, a unique mobile, the modern press, lowered moral stand- work. The Indianapolis Federation supports a ards, and the changed status of women. full-time Christian social worker for court service.
The tavern, the dance hall, the "new deal" Above all, the Gospel provides the needed and gambling mania, the false concept of morals, all only remedy. But preparatory to that, kindly tend to produce a tremendous challenge to the guidance, appreciated letters, sympathetic parole, wisest and most intense missionary program- changed environment, medical and psychiatric missionary, because the power of Christ, and not treatment, fellowship groups, all have a curative reform or legislation, is the ultimate solution. as well as :q!,eventive value. A survey might re- veal two thuigs: that most missions are engaged Beginning 65 years ago with the establishment in some form of prison service, and that most by Jerry McAuley, himself a twice-born man, of prison services, in and out of prison, are conthe now famous McAuley Water Street Mission in ducted by gospel missions. New York City, much of the work of rescue missions has been made necessary by liquor and its Transients in Our Cities naturally attendant evils. When a man has been A great army, thousands of them, men, boys, of "beaten and robbed" where else can he go? When all ages – not tramps – are wandering over this no one else cares, when he has no funds, where country. Many are seasonal laborers traveling to can he go but to a Gospel mission? If he does not go there, what is his future? A MISSIONARY LEADING A SERVICE IN A CITY JAIL But, thank God, when he goes, often a miracle find the next temporary job. Many are the prodtakes place and a new man is born. "If any man uct of the divorce evil-increasingly so! Most of be in Christ, he is a new creature," and indeed them are unemployed. Mission records show he is. Recently we met a man who has been an among them college graduates, business men, proactive member of a Methodist church for forty- fessional men, and all classes and types. The dethree years. He staggered into a small rescue pression has greatly increased their number. mission hall some years ago. Now, seventeen years later, he is a Sunday School superintendent. There have been three stages in their treatment. There are thousands like him-once drunkards, First, the care offered solely by missions, the Salor worse, who are now ministers, evangelists, song vation Army, the Volunteers, and other Christian directors, honored laymen, mission superintend- agencies, for many years. They have been fed, ents, missionaries. "Oh, say but I'm glad," and housed, clothed, but above all, evangelized, with many other Gospel hymns have come from the marty happy results. fervent pen of such a twice-born man! Here surely is a field for missionary specialists-and Second, the strictly social or community shelter how productive! "I was sick and ye visited me," of recent yeirs, often with no religion, but with said Jesus, our Lord. boxing, movies, games, and other diversions. This has proved expensive and nonproductive. The Prison Population Third, and more recent, the Transient Pro- J. Edgar Hoover's recent figures as to the num- gram of the United States Government, the first ber of men and women incarcerated in the United national effort to solve this problem. It only in- States are staggering. Even worse are the records creased the problem, however, and was abanof potential criminals, paroled men,· and affiliates doned. Thousands of men, particularly young now on our streets. But we are thinking here of men and boys, welcomed the opportunity of beanother larger group whom we mission folks know all too well-the families of these men and women form a much, much larger group. They comprise a larges~'tion of our population but they obviously tryt6 conceal their identity. They are out of touch with and probably beyond the reach of the church.
To neglect them is to fail Christ and to endanger ourselves. "I was in; prison and ye came unto me" still carries promise. of reward. At such a time hardened hearts are often tender; homes are lonely and open to a kindly word. Here is a rich and ready field for Christian service.
MEETING MODERN CITY PROBLEMS
coming the guests of Uncle Sam. The complete people from every state in the Union may be lack of any religious program also proved de- touched in a short period in one locality. "A moralizing. stranger and ye took me in" becomes a reality here. They literally come from "the highways Now we are in a fourth stage wherein the tran- and the hedges," often to receive more than the sient problem is again being handled, in most proverbial "pie-in-the-sky," the knight-of-the-road cases, by the Christian agencies with the coopera- slang for religion. THE UNION CITY MISSION BUILDING, MINNEAPOLIS We have enumerated briefly six of the most tion of Central Registration Bureaus to avoid needy and most promising of special populaduplication of effort. There seems to be no ulti- tions in our key cities. There are others, of mate solution of the transient problem, but there course, but seventeen years of direct contact, are certain desirable steps that may be effective- handling more than 100 men each day, toa careful case-work program, the outlawing of gether with hundreds of problem families, hitchhiking, a thorough work program, and the have indicated that these fields are probably correction of social conditions which create tran- the most neglected and yet perhaps the most siency. But most promising of all is a strong productive. The city missions that specialize evangelistic approach, with the belief that chang- with these groups have been rightfully termed ing the man himself is the surest way of changing "The Churches at Work Downtown." Their conditions. This has been proven in sixty-five interdenominational character, practical apyears of mission services, where it is believed that proach,city-wide appeal, and combination of "placing a new man in the suit is better than relief plus, offers the Christian church an placing a new suit on the man." Here is a great immediate and most vital open door for anmissionary field for the church, with most unex- swering the age-long question of the Old Tespected possibilities. Take at random, for example, tament, "Am I my brother's keeper?" and of a few cases in one Middle-West mission. Among the New, "Who is my neighbor?" the thousands of men apply.ing for aid we find a Perhaps this rapid survey will at least be sugminister's son who had "hot-footed" from a col- gestive and will stimulate a new interest in anlege where his father was formerly treasurer; a other phase of "home missions." Study groups college professor who had formerly taught one of the directors of the mission; the brother of a very JM ' THE JERRY MCAULEY ' ,MISSION, NEW YORK CITY prominent social worker; the black sheep of a f~mi1y whose name appears on a county court- maybe led to seek further knowledge of the facts house cornerstone; the son of.a member of a state and some day there may be a mission study course legislature; .the son of a form'er American consul on this specialized field. The possibilities of direct at Bremen; an escaped convict who voluntarily Gospel preaching and witnessing may be carried returned to a state's prison; a former pastor, an back to the church with a fresh emphasis. Epworth League president. The field for service is unlimited and the opportunities are amazing;
Youth Problem of the
By REV. ROBERT V. RUSSELL, New York Director of Religious Education, Baptist City Societies THE youth who lives in a modern city is never because they are overwhelmed they tend to turn entirely free from congestion. He is subject to the more sltperficial, the more obvious things,. to a kind of machine-gun rat-a-tat-tat of ap- Into the midst of all this is set the Christian" peals-to pleasure, to material gain, to various Gospel, mediated to youth of the city in various groups or enterprises in the body politic. In his ways. Set down in the midst of his community world he is always at the edge of – or possibly is a church. It may be a big city church with under-a kind of smoke-pall of futility, emanating more edifice than program or itll~y be a center from the slow-burning fires of disillusionment or of activity under Christian auspic~s 'with a seventhe ashes of cynicism. day-a-week program crying. <;>u.f for adequate He needs room, psychological room, for his self equipment. Or it may lie somewhere between to expand, his soul to grow. He needs criteria for these two. But the church represents the voice his choosing, a norm for living amid changing of the Christian Evangel, however weak or stam- codes and conflicting standards. He needs a cause mering it may be in the midst of the city clamor.
(oh, how he needs a cause!) that is not restricted Those who know the life of the city are likely to to one arc of life, but which gathers up all of life say, "If that were only true, but are there not when he gives himself to it, that integrates all great stretches in the city, where the message of the phases of living for him in one resolve, that Christ is needed most, that are practically un- answers youth's question, "What am I to live churched?" This is so-and even more than this for?" -for according to delinquency maps the areas of Moreover, today's youth lives in a not-normal highest incidence of juvenile delinquency are world. Not that it is abnormal or crazy; nor is often shown to be those areas from which the it necessary to hope for "back-to-normal," but churches have most consistently moved away.
to the young pe'rson from fifteen to twenty-four But this is not all of the answer, for church socie- years of age, things do not seem to be what he is ties and city mission societies have made it pos- told they once were. Half of the people seem to sible to maintain churches in places where the be wishing for the return of something that once community itself could not possibly support a was, and the other half seem to be looking for- minister and staff to carryon the type of pro- ward, with varying degrees of eagerness, to some- gram that is needed.
thing that is to be. Youth wonders. One phase of the youth problem is this matter Asked about his outlook upon life recently one of communities of special need. One cannot look of these young people said, to the writer: "Well, upon the city without recognizing that in most the future is not clear because things seem to be cases the distance between streets that are proudly all changed around. We hear about the days of shown to visitors and areas that are shamefully prosperity-high wages, plenty of jobs-but we below the standard in living conditions is only a do not know about that by experience. Most of matter of a few blocks. Neither can one look the friends that I had in high school are looking upon the youth of the city as all set in a one-tone for some kind of a job, or are working at any pattern. They constitute a variegated design- kind of a job for very low wages. We wonder a kind of kaleidoscope of interrelated back- what the prospects are ahead." grounds, national, racial and cultural. In New "Youth of the city," according to another speak- York City, for example (where probably this is ing as a member of a discussion panel, "is looking more pronounced), a study of the 1930 census for a good time (considering it as a birthright); figures shows that of the youth living in the five looking for a job; and looking for something to boroughs who are between the ages of fifteen and believe in." twenty-four, 73.2% are either themselves foreign A denominational adult leader of youth re- born or one or both of their parents come from marked recently that the youth of today are over- oth_er lands. In the Bronx the percentage is 82.6 whelmed by the complexities and the difficulties and in Brooklyn 78.8, while in Manhattan, alwhen they try to look objectively at their world; though the percentage is somewhat lower (63.3ro) [270 ] another element is introduced in the 12.2% of tional. One of those whom the writer has ques- Negro youth in this borough. What varieties of tioned regarding this problem replied that he felt social heritage, national customs and behaviour that youth's most acute need was for a meaningpatterns are represented by figures like these! ful fellowship in which his own individual life There is also the youth who come from "the may count for something. It was the opinon of this man, a youth leader, that youth are not able farm," which gave up 40 % of its youth (in the to feel always the sense of this larger fellowship in their own church. It may be because the youth group from ten to twenty years) to the city in group in the church is quite small or it may be the decade between 1920 and 1930. In New York because the adult members of the church do not City again the religious pattern is varied. The appear to give sufficient place to youth in the life Welfare Council reports in its publication, Better of the church and the management of its affairs. Times, of April 5, 1937, a study in which it was Every field worker in the area of youth activities found (by visiting each hundredth residential ad- is familiar with the complaint of the young people, dress in the city and questioning the youth from after they have had an experience in a city-wide sixteen to twenty-four years of age), that 49% re- fellowship or camp or summer conference, that when they return to their own local church they ported themselves as Roman Catholics, 31 % as do not seem to be able to make the church people understand their desire or to comprehend their Jewish and 1870 as Protestant. No doubt these situation. It is here that the city-wide or regional figures would be different for other cities but it is groupings of young people function from time to obvious that for any city of significant size there time, in youth councils, week-end conferences, or may need to be a considerable revision of former larger gatherings. The smaller groups of youth assumptions as to religious majorities. realize that they are part of a larger fellowship; they meet youth of other churches or of other de- Here again, the Church Society or the City Mis- nominations; they are inspired by a leadership sion Society has been the carrier of the Christian that it may not be possible for the local church to message. Many immigrant groups have colonized provide, and they meet and plan with leaders who are in constant touch with youth, know their probin areas consistent with the economic limitations lems, and "speak their language." There is a placed upon them, and it is almost impossible to growing fellowship-growing somewhat slowly it picture the conditions of physical congestion and must be said-around the United Youth Program spiritual depression under which the children projected by the Christian Youth Council of North grow into their youth. Here is set down the bi- America. This is related to the International lingual church under the ministry of a foreign- Council of Religious Education representing a speaking pastor, oft-times with a staff of one or large number of denominational groups and remore workers trained in religious education and lating itself to the major Christian youth orsocial service. A dramatic illustration of the re- ganizations. sults of this kind of work was given at a recent dinner meeting of the Baptist Social Union and Youth and the Local Church New York City Baptist Mission Society when some forty young people, both men and women, Of course the most effective and most direct representing a dozen different national groups work with youth will be done in the local church, from these by-lingual churches, sat upon the platform. Five young people gave responses to the especially in the suburbs or semi-suburban areas. theme of the evening; one of them (Czechoslovak) For while the suburban youth is not city-bred in was engaged in banking; one (Italian) was a the truest sense, neither is he rural- far, far teacher in a city high school and the others were from it! He has been infected with the cynicism, either studying or held positions in business es- disillusionment and unrealities of urban philosotablishments. All had found opportunity for phies without knowing personally so much about growth – psychological room – in a Christian the conditions of city life whch have given rise to church supported by a city-wide organization. these attitudes. This type of youth must be caught The writer knows of one instance in which a by an attractively presented, intelligently con- "gang" of what some might call "hoodlum" youth, ceived and largely youth-directed set of activities was invited by the pastor of the neighborhood which leads him to recognize the church as the church to transfer its activities from the street best place for him to spend a good share of his (where it was causing some annoyance) to the leisure time. A typical program of this type is inside of the church building. Subsequently this being followed in one of the churches in New group became one of the "clubs" of the church York City. A Sunday evening program consists and some of its members found places of service of a supper, a chapel service, and interest groups. in the program of the church itself.
Another phase of the youth problem is being attacked from another angle – that of youth fellowships, both denominational and interdenomina-
The terminology is that of the sea with "courses" There is also an imperious demand for a listed which may be "charted" under the direction changed philosophy of human relationships-ecoof a "crew" of leaders and with "cruises" begin- nomic and social. The survival of the fittest thening on certain dates, continuing for a number of ory when applied to human relations is untenable. weeks, and then terminating, to be followed within A disturbing phase of the life of the city youth is a week or two by another "cruise" with a different the seeming tendency to forget one's idealism set of interest groups. One virtue of this program when one begins to prosper materially or is reis that the interests are selected by a group of the ceiving some special recognition. Jesus met it in young people of the church and are built around the Rich Young Ruler. Here was a personable, their own suggestions. There are such topics as : "successful" young man, confronted with the "Choosing One's Life Work"; "Social Problems charge of disregard of his social obligations. At of Our City"; "Love, Courtship and Marriage"; the close of the interview the young man "went "How Can I Find God?"; "Boy and Girl Relation- away sorrowf-ul." One wonders whether he was ships"; "Science and Religion"; "The Art of not saying also in his heart, "The man must think Praying." Each interest is carried for a few I'm a fool!" weeks and the young people are invited to remain each Sunday evening as long as there is a hot-spot This insidious thing that we might perhaps call of interest to hold them. This church is a magnet a personal-prosperity-inspired unconcern is apt of centripetal force every Sunday evening for to become a part of the maturing process of the from one hundred to one hundred and forty young most promising individuals among city youth and people. youth will respond to a program in which it must be recognized not only as a characteristic they have a part with informed, dynamic leaders. of the urban psychology but also as a moral chal- lenge which, if it is not met adequately, becomes One of the most acute needs of youth is for en- a spiritual defeat. One of the most decisive op~ terprises in which they may have the opportunity portunities of the Christian church is the inspirfor the practice .of democracy-in which they may ing of the youth of the city by helping them to feel themselves factors. Unfortunately in many share the comradeship of adults who are themchurches this is what they do not find. selves successful-"men among men"-but who are also Christ-inspired persons, engaged in a mu- If it is true that youth is "looking for something tual quest for the highest realization of the "statto believe in," then the church stands on the thres- ure of the fullness of Christ"-not for themselves hold of an oportunity – the opportunity to con- alone, but also for the other-the "forgotten"- vince youth that here is a democracy in microcosm man. in which he can have a part, a cause to which he may dedicate himself, a Master who will not let What is this if it is not the missionary motive, him down. the witnessing urge, the continuing determination of those who have "been with Jesus" to share that Two or three things need to be emphasized in which we know. The youth problem in the city Christian work with city youth. There must be is a challenge to the Christian forces for the dea larger place for youth in the program of the velopment of a spiritually adequate leadership. church. It is a truism to say that the church can- "The blind cannot lead the blind," for to those not live unless it can succeed in holding its youth, who "study to show themselves approved," God yet it seems to be recognized generally that one opens many doors. of the church's outstanding problems is its youth problem. On the other hand churches that are Youth time is decision time. Through the home, most successful in work with youth are those who give to youth a voice in the councils of the church the Sunday School and the communicant's class, and present an interpretation of the objectives of the church in terms that youth can understand this important work of teaching and winning and claim for himself. must go on perennially. In one large city of New There is need also for a comprehending and sympathetic adult leader·ship for youth. It is a York State, which is an important educational question whether youth comes more in contact with the minister, trained and consecrated to his center, an interview program is being carried on work, or with an adult lay leadership which has not been trained and whose consecration may this winter in behalf of youth. Over nineteen leave considerable to be desired. In spite of what has been said for the larger recognition and par- hundred written applications were sent in by ticipation of youth in its own program the youth problem will never be solved by youth themselves. youth within thirty days after the plan was in- The most serious aspect of the youth problem is an adult problem. augurated, requesting interviews with some Christian person – pastor or teacher – to help them with personal problems. These interviews are being conducted on Saturdays and Sundays by a group of devoted individuals who know the prob- lems of youth. When we work with childhood and youth we are not "saving the lost but saving from loss." JESSE M. BADER.
CLERGYMEN LOOKING INTO INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS AT CARNEGIE-ILLINOIS STEEL CO
What Church Federations Can Do By WALTER R. MEE, Chicago, Illinois Executive Secretary of the Chicago Church Federation THE story of one great American city is, in of labor relations, strikes and struggles for power its general phases, the story of every large between labor and capital. metropolitan center in the country. Rapid growth, expanding industry, improved transpor- These are some of the city's characteristics tation have all combined to produce, in the last which confront the modern church. These are a five decades, characteristics in every American few of the practical problems upon which the city which challenge the Church and confront its church must strive to bring its Christian influministry. ence, while, at the same time, discharging its su- preme responsibility for the Christian life and There is in every large city the tendency of spiritual growth of city men and women. populations to shift .rapidly as more prosperous families move out to finer residential areas or sub- To Christian leaders faced with such changing, urban districts. Into the abandoned central wards ever-troubled and needy communities, there has of the city there come, on the other hand, great become increasingly evident the conviction that numbers of foreign-born, with large families of individual churches or even individual denominalower economic status, seeking the city's cheapest tions cannot make any great and lasting impreshousing. In complex,conglomerate patterns they sion on such city problems. Here is a need that settle close to the business district; later they too can be adequately met only by programs of cooppush outward into adjacent areas as soon as their eration uniting the resources, the ideals and the economic fortunes permit. Thus population tides energies of every church, every denomination, of a city constantly ebb and flow. The result is within the city's limits. Where the Christian community disintegration, deteriorating housing, church is most staunch and where its program is delinquency and racial conflicts, as central areas most effective today, we find a strong Federation of the city lose their more substantial members of the city's churches, maintaining a widespread and receive newcomer groups. program under a single leadership, unitedly doing the work of Christ in the city. . There are the political aspects of a great city, with the apparently inevitable tendency in every In Chicago one finds these characteristics of the urban center toward political corruption, ineffi- large city in some of their most pronounced ciency and vice in greater or less degree. stages. Here is a Federation of Protestant churches that effectively illustrates wh,fltchurch There is the vast industrial life which all cities Federations can do to save the city. The Chicago have in common, with its ever-present problems Church Federation was org.anized in 1907 and [273 ]
4~; I[I[!rt·~; (I) ;t3;11 ~ I] ~:l?1 i e,l ~ II 77 WEST WASHINGTON STREET 18 DENOMINATIONS 1049 CHURCHES Denominations which are Members of the Chica80 Church Federation BAPTIST CHURCHES North LUTHERAN REFORMED CHURCH IN AMI CHURCH Of THE BRETHREN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES AFRICAN METHODIST [PISCOPAL REfORMED EPISCOPAL DISCIPLES Of CHRIST AmlCAN MEntODI5T [PIS. ZION REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH METHODIST PROTESTANT 'UNITED BRETHREN I EVANGElICAlSt REFORMED PRESBYT£RlAN CHURCH INU5.A UNITED PRESBYTERIAN fRIENDS The purpose offhis organization is founile IJewrious branches of the Christian churches in Chicd80 and vicinitv in d continuous co-operative endeavor to bring the Gospel to all the people and to promote the application of the law of Christ in every relation of life ,——-~ – -, I OF"F"lCE:RS I I BOARD of TRUSTEES I I OF"F"ICE fTAF"F" I I EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 1 • DEPARTMENTS I CHRISTIAN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WOMANS DEPARTMENT "I"SocIALRELATIONS COMMITTEES Co-ordinating DIVISIONS COMMITTEES Ludership Traininll Vacation Schools -!1jviHes inthe Field Missionary Rtli~ious 'I15tructiOll W"kdaySchools Education Drama, Recreation Social Service and Interracia I – – – – DIVISIONS Welfare Children Social Action. BeHerFilms YounS People …. r -. — – — Adult meetmg. delegates from churche .Metropolitan Chicagos onlq Month/I} of '.Innttehredefnieoldm.mofa.CtlOhrnisatliaonr8Eadmu.czaa.ttiloonn. Workers – Boys Parental School Park Ridge School for Girls Criminal 'Court – fide/is Inn COMMISSIONS I • -. I I WORLD F"RIENDSHIP I I I 1 I R~~~~,T,NS I I~TEELRATRIAOCNJ~L I I PUBLICITY I I I I I I 1 I L I • CI.HNUDRUCSHTRAYND COMITY EVANGELISM MINISTRY IN THEd STANDING.COMMITTEE: I PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS Armistice Day J M• •t l n i i '
STANDING CQt:1t:1ITTEE~: Outdoor Evangelism Emploljed Workers:- county Jail FiElds Foreign Origin Groups and Lenten Noon-day Meetings Bridewell Communih" service Geneva School for Girls Unified Evangelistic- Juvenile Court Strategy Program Juvenile Detention Home -Survey Oak Forest Infirmary -Chaplains City Council MeetingsI–… Hines Memorial Hospital ….. Undenominational Churches …..BOY~Rdo~rhter Institutions -=– COMMITTEES l I CHURCH I FINANCE 1 1 I PROTEST AND APPROVAL DIRECTORY .
I ENDORSEMENTS I . I UNION MINISTERS MEETING 1 C.H.KETCHt.
HOW AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH FEDERATION IS ORGANIZED
WHAT CHURCH FEDERATIONS CAN DO
today is directing a program involving the inter- More directly related to the task of "saving the ests and assistance of 1,049 churches of eighteen city" from its own evils and destructive tendencies denominations, representing a membership roll are other aspects of the Federation's program. of 750,000. It is a program carried on by over The annual report of 1937 records enlargement 500 religious workers serving gratuitously on and development of a new department of Social eighteen commissions and committees. The board Service with a paid staff to correlate the work of of trustees consists of 110 influential religious and Federation committees and commissions in this social leaders of the city. field and to relate more closely the churches of Chicago with the social service and medical agen- The work of this Federation shows how closely cies of the city. Under the leadership of this dethe organization is matching the stride of the partment the Federation has maintained for some church to the growth of Chicago. To undergird years a supervision service in the Boys' Court of its work with factual knowledge, and to direct Chicago. By means of this service hundreds of more intelligently its comity program which boys brought into the court are placed under the strives to eliminate competition and duplication care of the Federation's case workers instead of receiving jail sentences. A FI L IPINO COMMUNITY CHURCH GROU P , CHICAGO One of the activities sponsor ed by the Ch icago Church Federa tion. The second major concern of the Federation is the friendly, constructive, religiously-motivated among churches while seeing to it that no area service rendered by chaplains and other paid goes unchurched, the Chicago Church Federation workers in the public institutions of Chicago. has for some years maintained a United Religious This has been a significant ministry to the inmates Survey. The survey attempts to bring together of hospitals, jails, prisons, courts, the county data of a statistical, sociological, economic and farm and other institutions for the destitute, the religious nature about each sector of the city. Against this background the Comity Commission sick and the erring. has analyzed the history, the program and the fu- What of the many human problems and civic ture service of the Protestant churches in each area in order that such information may enable dangers which arise from the racial composition denominational leaders to eliminate more intelli- of large cities, from its labor crises, from its gently competition between churches while better political complexities and its immoral influences? adapting programs of stronger institutions to the Here, too, the church must have a militant, united particular needs of their communities as indicated voice. In Chicago active departments, commisby the surveys. sions and committees of the Chicago Church Fed- eration bring to a focus the concern of ministers For the first time in history a group of metro- and members of all denominations, providing politan churches is basing its effort to "save" a media for investigation and dissemination of incity not alone on spiritual fervor and theological formation to every church, and offering a recogtechnique, but on a careful study of the facts con- nized organ through which protest or approval of cerning the life about them, replacing a policy of the city's churchmen may be expressed in effeccompetitive drift with one of cooperative inten- tive manner to city officials and law enforcement tion. The Chicago Church Federation is combining, it has been said by a prominent denomina- agencies. tionalleader, "the method of the scientist and the An annual city-wide observance of Race RelaviaiQn of the prophet." tions Sunday, including an interchange of pulpits between scores of white and colored ministers, and numerous meetings throughout the year, in- crease the understanding and brotherhood that must ultimately prevail between all men, regard- less of color or nationality.
A special commission of the Federation closely studies industrial problems and the role the church should take in industrial conflicts. In many instances the standards and practices of Christianity have influenced the trend of the city's industrial life and affairs, outside of the tradi- tional vista of the community church. Frequently the City Federation of a large urban center, in behalf of hundreds of city churches, can speak challengingly and vigorously for arbitration, for the privileges of labor or the rights of capital, for the improvement of working conditions and the passage of satisfactQry laws.
Through letters, conferences, interviews with thousands of human souls living in its congested city and state officials and by means of the city's neighborhoods. In the end it will be the building newspapers, the Federation may lead strenuous of more religious cities which will ultimately prove fights upon undesirable elements of city life. Last to be the most valuable contribution of Church year the Federation led in the movement to repeal Federations. an ordinance licensing gambling establishments, to close offensive theatrical productions, to stim- Surely, in the fields of evangelism, of Christian ulate more aggressive citizenship, and to protect education, and of spiritual life, the value of coopthe honesty of public elections and the security of eration between evangelical denominations by the ballot box. means of central leadership becomes clear; for the city presents a tangled, sharp animosity to the Because the school system of Chicago-with its practice and teachings of Christ. apparent political influences, the tendencies of its curriculum, and some of the standards of its op- When individual churches unite, when denomeration – recently became a civic issue, it was inational lead'ership cooperates in city-wide relicharacteristic of Protestant leadership in this city gious mass meetings, in interdenominational days that the united denominations s,hould turn atten- of prayer, in downtown Lenten worship services, tion to this phase of urban life. A committee on in far-reaching Preaching Missions and Schools Public Education was organized to provide a of Christian Living, in radio broadcasts and clearing house for churches which take public edu- young people's conferences, as is true in Chicago, cation seriously, and to point out channels through then our Christianity assumes a dramatic appeal, which both churches and individuals may render a magnitude and a forcefulness which enable it to useful s'ervice. arouse the indifferent city.
In addition to these activities, which some may In these two phases of city life-its practical, consider as' "extra-curricular" tasks of the church everyday problems and its great s,piritual needin its work in the great city, there remain the City Federations of churches continue to provide fundamental religious needs of thousands and effective leadership and dramatic techniques to save American cities of this generation.
"God. & Company, Unlimited"
By MILTON W. PULLEN, New York City Pastor of the Central Park Baptist Church, New York CAN you imagine a business house that would ten lepers who asked for cleansing "Only those of bar the door to its neighbors, or a com- you who have been baptized are eligible for heal- mercial firm that would insist that all of its ing." The only credentials the dying thief on the customers become members of the company? The cross presented were in the form of a prayer and Church, which is the biggest business in the on the strength of it Jesus promised him "Paraworld, is doing exactly that. The Founder of the dise." Church proclaimed "My House shall be called the House of Prayer for all people." Too often this In any great city a local church in a community has been changed to read: "Accept our creed and of homes may consider itself the center of a posyou will be welcome in our church." sible "100,000 customers." So long as human hearts are incurably religious and so long as men "God & Company, UnIt'd." needs to be written and women and children sin and suffer and seek in large letters over the doorway to every church -just so long the Church has a responsibility to building. After 1,900 years the vision of the every person within reach of its doors. Founder of the Company has been lost. Hospitals do not require patients to "belong" Jesus did not require a certificate of church before they may be admitted to the Operating membership from the 5,000 before they could Room. The simple fact that a man is sick opens share in partaking of the loaves and fishes. The every door and puts at his disposal the skill of the Sermon on the Mount was preached to the dis- surgeons and the facilities of the institution, often ciples, but we hear no protest from the Great without money and without price. A hospital con- Preacher when the multitude listened in. It siders itself, and is considered by the community, would be difficult to imagine Jesus saying to the a health Mecca for folk of all races, creeds and
"GOD & COMPANY, UNLIMITED"
cultures. On the other hand, a church in the neighbors, many of whom are neither Protestant same block is usually considered the personal nor Christian. The attitude of the neighborhood property of the Methodists, or the Baptists, or the originally was one of apathy and of suspicion. Catholics or of some other proprietory group. It Our problem at first was to build good will; to does not take the 100,000 possible customers long that end we set about getting acquainted with the to learn that their need is not necessarily a guar- folk round about us. We visited every store withantee of help. The Church seeks to make new in a radius of several blocks, but we did not ask members who will become regular "sitters" at the business people for anything except their worship services and regular contributors to the friendship. We offered to give them the names budget; consequently, the average Pastor gen- and addresses of our Church Members and sugerally must busy himself with the routine matters gested that they circularize these church neighinvolved in keeping the church solvent and suc- bors of theirs by mail as often as they liked. We cessful. This too often means just one thing- joined the local Chamber of Commerce and atperpetuating an institution largely for the sake of tended meetings regularly. Officials of the the institution. Chamber were used occasionally as special Speak- ers at Church Suppers, club affairs, etc. We ac- Many a conscientious minister rebels and longs cepted an invitation to sit on the dais between the to be the Pastor of the whole community. He Mayor and a United States Senator at a testiloves the people outside his church about whom monial dinner to a local politician and we are inno one else seems to care. The tragedy is that in clined to think that it was our presence that made too many cases the Church no longer exists for the dais the only table in the hotel dining-room the community-rather, the community must that was not drenched with liquor. "support the Church." The problem is too largely "Come, Get Acquainted" one of money since churches have bills to pay, repairs to make and salaries to meet. Many a An approach to the rank and file of the neighpastor is placed in the embarrassing position of borhood was made through the distribution of feeling obliged to spend much of his time and attractive cards with a "Come Get Acquainted" energy in raising money. A rich old vestryman invitation. We sent out members of the Church with a grouch thus often has first claim on the who went from door to door with a smile and a pastor, rather than a gang of street boys shooting friendly invitation that was seldom rebuffed. "craps" on the church steps. When there was a death near the church, we An increasing number of ministers are rising went to express sympathy, and upon the invitato protest against the old order – young fellows tion of the family we remained to conduct a brief just out of Seminary, middle-aged rebels of ex- funeral service. When a fee was offered, we gave perience, and old veterans with vision-are say- it back saying, "We want no money for help and ing to the churches of America, "The Church was sympathy in times of death." The news spread made for Man, not Man for the Church." They that here was a church that did not have its hand are insisting that the raising of money is inci- out for money and that only wished to be friendly. dental, while a ministry to the sick and the suffering and the seeking is the real work of the Church. Our next approach was to the children. This is They are insisting "Open wide the door and say a prolific neighborhood and the coming generation with Jesus 'Whosoever will, let him come' even is everywhere under foot. We built a gymnasium though he comes only for what he can get and may with shower and locker-rooms and said to the never join or give the Church a nickel." "But," children, "Come in and play." When they dissome official of the church may say, "this is sui- covered that a Jew and a Catholic and an Unbecide. What about the money we need for local ex- liever were as welcome as any of our own Sunday penses and for our Missionary Budget?" As a School children, they literally laid siege to the matter of fact, if the Church has done its work church pleading for a club and a Leader. We well it will have fewer financial worries. A Chris- advised them to ask permission at home and at tian who is thoroughly Christian is a generous church to join a club in our building and we urged Christian, but an unregenerate Church Member them to make it clear that, although every club who can "take his religion or leave it" must be would be led by a Christian Leader and would feaeternally urged to give to the Church and its work. ture a brief period of worship at each session, no Or a church may have a top-heavy budget. boy or girl now attending another church would be asked to join this church. Next we purchased The church I serve is attempting to render a a moving picture machine and once more circularcommunity service to its 100,000 possible cus- ized the neighborhood with news of the "Chiltomers. Located on the congested East Side of dren's Hour," with the two-cent Movies each Manhattan Island in an area of deterioration, this Thursday from 6: 30 to 8: 00 p. m. From 250 to church is the center of· much of the life of its 300 children come to this activity each week.
They sing lustily patriotic and religious songs, A Library is maintained where decent books listen to the Bible or hero story, bow reverently are loaned. Sunday School, Sunday morning and during the prayer and laugh uproariously during evening Worship Services, Church Prayer Serv- the four reels of motion pictures. At intermis- ices, Apartment Prayer Services, and all kinds of sions invitations are given to the children to at- religious meetings are regular weekly activities, tend Sunday School and to join various clubs. and everyone who comes into the building is in- When they leave, the children are given a letter, vited to attend.
signed by the Pastor, inviting the parents to vari- Why did this church, twenty years ago, attempt ous church meetings and activities if they do not this sort of an approach to its neighbors? Partly attend another church. We send home also "Hello, because its Leaders believed the church possessed Neighbor" cards inviting the parents to come to a treasure too valuable to be selfishly hoarded the neighborhood meetings in the Church Audi- within its walls for the benefit of its Members torium each Sunday night, with moving pictures only; partly~-because of a small Spanish boy and as the attraction and a twenty-minute worship his gang who were trouble makers. They almost service and sermonette as a feature. always found the church door locked and so they Young people were invited to join dramatic pounded on it, threw rocks at it and even cut their initials in it. They found a can of paint and covclubs. The girls were organized into cooking ered the front door with specimens of futuristic classes, sewing classes, singing classes; children art. Decidedly out of patience, the church-worker were put into children's choirs, a week-day school in charge hid just inside the church and, when the of religious education and, during the summer, a gang returned again to the fray, the worker gave Daily Vacation Bible School. Down through the chase. After running a block he caught the years many have shown themselves ready to join leader, a Spanish lad of about ten, and brought instruction classes in preparation for Church him back to the church in righteous wrath and Membership. virtuous triumph. "Now," he chortled, "now we will deal with this gang of rowdies." He was just Women have been organized into Mother's calling Police Headquarters when he thought to Clubs, Bible study groups, and a White Cross ask the boy his name and why he and his gang Sewing Circle. The men are invited to join a hated the Church. The boy replied tearfully,"My Men's Club and have fitted up the Tower Room name is Emanuel Jesus. We do not hate the of the church with fresh paint, new furniture, a Church. We come to play on the church steps bepool table, checkers and chess and a radio. The cause there are no playgrounds and we find exciteroom can scarcely accommodate the growing ment pounding on the locked church door." The group of neighborhood men. worker was stricken to the heart. Suddenly he saw a great light-it was not the gang of boys Young people, with no possible privacy in their who was guilty, rather the church that kept its "railroad fiats," have enthusiastically painted and door locked against the neighborhood. He realfurnished a "parlor," just inside the front door ized that he had kept "Emanuel Jesus" loc~ed outwhere they enjoy clean social contacts, and where side the Church of the original Jesus who once upon occasion they may even do their courting. said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and Dozens of them have gravitated to the three Sun- forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of day-night Societies. Here, under competent Chris- Heaven." tian leaders, they spend an hour in worship and in the discussion of topics vitally interesting to them. Some of these topics follow: "Is War a Necessary Evil?"
"Can Crime and Poverty be Cured?"
"What Has the Church to Offer to Youth?" The ninety-six metropolitan districts of 1930 "Is a Lie Ever Justifiable?" contained almost 801'0 of the total urban popula- "Who Is My Neighbor?" tion. "What Is the Value of a College Education?"
"Is Jesus the Answer to World Confusion?" In view of the nearly 301'0 increase of urban "What of Love, E'ngagement, Marriage and Divorce?" population during the last census decade (from The charm of these meetings is their frank and 54,305,000 in 1920 to 68,955,000 in 1930 or a gain unrepressed discussion. in urban population of 26.91'0) and in view of We also set ourselves to find jobs for the job- the American assumption that all cities grow, one less, so far as possible to feed the hungry, to give is quite unprepared to learn that many cities fared friendly help to the juvenile delinquent and to se- badly during the decade. Nearly one-half of cities cure scholarships for young people interested in with 10,000 population or over-354 out of 746- a college education. Everyone with a problem or failed to keep up with the population increase of a heartache is encouraged to talk it over with the the nation as a whole, while 512 cities from 25,000 workers. For years the Pastor's Office has been population to 100,000, actually lost population in- thronged by lines of troubled folk. cluding four cities in the 100,000 group.
Christ in Crowded
By DR. ROBERT A. McKIBBEN, . Los Angeles, California Superintendent of "All Nations Foundation"
I F JESUS were to walk the streets in the neigh- laundry workers were started, a girls' club, a borhood of "All Nations" in Los Angeles, he boysl club, and a small library to make possible a would find forty thousand people crowded into closer acquaintance with those less fortunate. one square mile, descendants of almost every race As new needs were revealed, new opportunities on the face of the globe; these include thousands were recognized. With Christian faith and intelof unattached transient men, ten to fifteen oc- ligence, a ministry was begun to that community cupying a room built for two; young women which outgrew the buildings and facilities of the forced to ply their trade as prostitutes or prefer- church. The old property was sold and two apartring that manner of livelihood to other personal- ment buildings and a play area were purchased. ity-destroying trades; mothers seeking to protect A "Church of All Nations" was started, and by their daughters amid conditions of vice and crime; those who disapproved it was called "The Church residents who have sought this area hoping to of All Notions." hide themselves in such surroundings; aged persons barely eking out an existence; children try- The need for additional workers and for new ing to play Indian or tag and barely escaping buildings became apparent. The site selected was death as they dodge in and out among trucks and justified when later studies revealed that more autos; youth wondering how they are to get a boys and girls per thousand population were gostart so as to marry. ing to the juvenile court from this area than from any other in the entire city. After Dr. and Mrs. In this part of the city, Christ would discover Oxnam had completed ten years of Christian minno house built in the last forty years, no home istry in this area, and had successfully led in a with less than two persons. per room (including campaign to build, equip and staff a Christian kitchen or dining room), no lawns or parks, no service station in the heart of the city, he was playgrounds other than one connected with a called to the Episcopacy of his church. small school. He would find one liquor establishment on the average to every two hundred and Today the All Nations Foundation includes the seventy of the population; here the theaters Church of All Nations, the All Nations Boys' Club, schedule "strip-tease dancers" for the benefit of the All Nations Community House, the All Naunattached men; here are quack doctors and heal- tions Clinic, Hollenbeck Center and Sunset Center, ers, night missions that deal out bread and soup and the All Nations Camp. All of these are owned as, bait not only for those whose souls need sal- and operated by the Methodist Episcopal Church, vaging but for those whose money support such some units being supported by the Community proje~ts. Jesus wept over the City of Jerusalem Chest, Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs, and and He would have just cause to weep over this women's organizations. Service is rendered with- "City of the Angels." The church in the city out regard to class, creed, or color. today must fight and fight hard alongside other organizations if the many degrading influences af- The second ten years has now been added to the fecting the life of individuals are to be overcome, record of service. Houses are twenty years older; if conditions are to be altered, and if the city the population is transient; the problems of unbeautiful is to be created where there may be life adapted men, prostitution and liquor have inabundant. creased with population; play area has lessened by incoming warehous-es and industry. These Twenty years ago a young minister, the Rev- hardly indicate progress but in this neighborhood, erend G. Bromley Oxnam, later a Bishop of the where juvenile delinquency was at its worst, the Methodist Episcopal Church, came fresh from the Judge of the Juvenile Court has said, "All Naseminary and, with his wife was assigned to the tions is spoiling my business." area described. His church was rapidly being deserted by "We Americans" as they moved into After the completion of the new buildings and better communities. Noonday luncheons for the equipping and staffing for the larger program, the public school authorities noticed a decided change for the better on the part of the youth who [279 ]
were participants in the activities at All Nations. for folk from our neighborhood to adjust to new There was a change for the better in attitudes and communities and to life in a new church. Their habits of the children and in personality traits. habits and attitudes are not readily accepted by A study under the Department of Sociology at the the new group; they are not given social status University of Southern California revealed that and there is often a lack of warmth in the wel- in five years time juvenile delinquency was re- come accorded them. Thus much that has been duced 65% within a mile radius of "All Nations." gained may be lost, but there have been gains for A View of All Nations the Master individually and socially. It is recog- nized that one can point out individuals about The work at All Nations was registering effec- whom a thrilling story can be told-ignoring the tively in the area of life with which Jesus was hundreds with whom we have failed. There have most concerned and upon which he placed the been failures, particularly among the adults. All greatest value, the personal life and character of Nations has,been more concerned with youth. In an individual. The All Nations Foundation is one of our offices there is being accumulated "be- community rather than institutionally centered. fore and after" pictures. Boys and girls are seen Its program aims at the individual and his needs as they have come into activities – with their rather than the mass ap.proach. A glance at All clothes in tatters, dirty, physically retarded in Nations as an organization may most clearly de- school and dwarfed in outlook on life; somehow scribe how its work is carried on. they have caught something best described by the Each of the seven units of service has its, own word "spirit" that has changed their personality executive board which is responsible to the board and purpose as they have grown with us. The of trustees for devising programs and activities, "before and after" pictures show something of recommending its personnel and its budget. The what has taken place. The Gospel of Jesus and Church of All Nations is a completely organized the Spirit of Christ have registered outwardly as church which seeks to link individuals and fam- well as inwardly in the life of the individuals.
ilies to the church of their own choice. If that is Some time ago an anonymous donor made not possible and there is no choice, then every ef- available $40,000 to make a -scientific and thor- fort is made to link them with this Church of All oughgoing study of the youth of our community.
Nations'. Because of the transient population the The first 200 youth studied revealed that they had church membership will always be small and no 1,154 problems – mental, physical, social, spir- stable membership can be built up. itual. We at All Nations, the school authorities, The Boys' Club and Girls' Club each has a three- the family, and other organizations who might be story separate building to house their activities. serving the family, recognized less than 20% of Hollenbeck and Sunset Centers are located two those problems. In other words, the youth of our miles from the main buildings, while the moun- community were facing an 80'10 handicap.
tain camp is ninety miles away. About two hun- For instance, there was a young Japanese lad dred volunteers serve in varying capacities in the who never participated in the normal group or several units and there are twenty full-time paid club life other than merely attending. He was staff members and twenty part-time staff. Dur- never elected to office and could not even read a ing the past ten years there has been an increase verse out of the Bible. Now that nationality is in the budget-from $35,000 to $65,000 a year. in no wise retarded mentally. As we studied this During the past five years a $20,000 camp has youth we tried from every angle to discover what been constructed. These facts are further evi- was wrong. Finally a very simple test was given dence that this type of approach to anti-Christian which revealed a slight speech defect. Six months and anti-social life is not only recognized by in a university speech clinic eliminated that de- church members but by non-church members an~ fect in a lad who had been retarded four years in folk of other faith, who do not hesitate to con- school. Another lad who was rapidly developing tribute to its support. There has been no financial an inferiority complex eagerly entered into life drive nor is anyone in the field for finances. The within his own age range, was elected an officer program and its results in terms of Christian per- in his club, and was one of the first to request a sonality is its own credential. high school young people's organization. The Christ would not find in this area a large num- simple defect might have wrecked the personality ber of persons connected with the church within of this youth, but his growth was advanced by a this organization. As soon as a family begins to slight Christian service.
show promise of reconstruction, we urge them to Another youth, a half-breed from Texas, was move out of the coinmunity. It is not a good place kicked out of his home at the age of nine, and to raise their children, thus we cannot build up arrived in San Diego via a box car, determined to a large church membership. We find it difficult become a newsboy. Finding that the only way to
SERVING CHRIST IN CROWDED STREETS
occupy the most remunerative corner was by fight- bully leader finally turned in a gangster's revolver ing his way to the top, after twenty-three battles which he had stolen from an automobile. These in twenty-eight days he occupied that corner. two groups of youth pledged us that they would Then he moved to Los Angeles to "conquer a call off the gang warfare. Finally, as the five larger world." He was so successful as a fighter older fellows were about to leave, the boys' leader that the prize-fight ring offered him a contract. suggested that when they arrived at the high On his way to the eastern part of the city to sign school tomorrow somone would probably slip up a contract, he dropped in to our Boys' Club and behind them and call them "yellow." They disbecame interested in talking with the Director. cussed such a situation rather thoroughly. To He stayed on as a member, finally became a volun- this same bully, who professed to be a Christian, teer leader and later a part-time staff member. we suggested that here was a place where the He decided to enter the field of Christian service Master would help him. That was four years ago to youth and began an uphill fight to educate him- and not one act of hatred has been observed in self. Graduating from high school at twenty-five, these four years between these two groups, as he then went to the university, and for two years they have met one another on the street and in was young people's director in one of the city school. This former "bully gangster" last year churches. Upon graduation he became assistant served as president of his high school student head of one of the large boys' agencies and today body, winning a univerity scholarship, and today is a prominent and successful Christian leader. is studying for the Christian ministry.
There was a time when we were bothered The old Seventh Street Gang, with some fifteen with petty stealing and finally discovered that "Frenchy," one of our boys, was being used by a members, was one of the worst gangs in police clever pickpocket and thieving gang. When anything was stolen all we needed was to tell him history. They robbed, stole and were accredited things must be brought back and then more was returned than we had missed. Three years' mem- with burning down one of the school buildings in bership in the activities of this human service station brought about a transformation in the life of the neighborhood. A young lad was forced to this young man. One day he approached me, saying, "You know, I'm different." There was a new move into the neighborhood because of the famspirit in that youngster. When his club was offered a very elaborate Thanksgiving dinner he ily's financial difficulties. Like most boys he was the one who led in the movement to see that wanted company and went out into the street to what was to be provided for him and his pals, find it. Without knowing it, he became a member should be given to those who needed food much of this old Seventh Street Gang. He had never more. As chairman of the committee after he robbed or stolen before. He was a natural, norcame back from his first jaunt out into human mal boy wanting excitement and he got it. So helpfulness his remark was, "That's the first kind able was he that he became the leader of this old deed I've ever done." Seventh Street Gang. One day he dropped in at the All Nations playground and laughed and Some time ago we became aware of a feud or sneered at what was going on. He came again gang warfare among some of the youth. It grew another day and still another. Finally he joined to rather serious proportions before we discovered in the activities and soon brought one of the memwhat it was all about. A bully, an older boy, had bers of the gang with him. He too laughed and been mistreating three younger boys until they sneered and refused to participate but it was not finally determined they would stand it no longer. long until the appeal of fun got the best of him One evening they ganged up on him in the alley and he followed the leader. All fifteen of that gang joined All Nations and were later baptized. and when he came out of the hospital he decided That leader of the Seventh Street Gang became to retaliate and formed a gang with the help of a member of the board of trustees governing All four other fellows. The three youngsters, discov- Nations. ering this, organized a gang Qf ten. We called the boys in singly and collectively, even summon- These are evidences of a change in attitude, a ing the parents in most cases. When we were change in habit, and a change in personality which through, on the desk of the boys' leader there were we believe that Jesus Christ would recognize as deposited pieces of pipe a foot long, nicely taped a part of the Kingdom of God movement which he on one end in order that it might not slip while sought to create in this old world. being used, brass knuckles, pieces of steel that would fit into the palm of a hand and knives. The The Church is most effective as it translates the Gospel of Jesus Christ into practical forms of hu- man helpfulness. Such evidences of Christian love and understanding eventually find a response in the hearts of those who reside "on the other side of Main Street."
the Gospel in a City
By H. A. IRONSIDE, Litt.D.
Pastor of the Moody Memorial Church, Chicago THE new dispensation was ushered in on the wide to welcome people to hear the Gospel and to day of Pentecost in a city, and that the enjoy Christiftn fellowship. The main auditorium guiltiest city in the entire world. John Bun- has seats for 4,040 people and there are some yan has well used the term "a Jerusalem sinner" seventeen other halls and rooms used every Sun- for the very worst kind of an offender. In Jeru- day (many of them much more frequently) for salem, Ghrist had demonstrated His deity by Sunday School work, young people's meetings and many marvelous works. There He had proclaimed other 'gatherings of various kinds. It has never His wondrous message of grace. Even the chil- been found necessary to use unscriptural methods dren had welcomed Him enthusiastically and in order to draw people. From 3,000 to 4,500 many joined with them as they cried, "Hosanna people are found in this church twice every Sun- to the King that cometh in the name of the Lord." day, listening to plain, simple, Bible preaching.
Yet it was in the same city a few days later that In the morning service we endeavor to expound He was rejected, and outside the gate of that city the Word for the building up of the people of God, he was nailed to a cross. But when he appeared going through book after book of the Bible and to His disciples as the Risen One, he commanded finding constant interest in this method of presentthem to go into the entire world, beginning at ing the truth. The Sunday night meetings are Jerusalem, and to preach to all men the Good evangelistic gatherings where the Gospel is pro- News of remission of sins through faith in Him. claimed with no uncertain sound. The three R's And so the first great revival took place in that are continually insisted on: man's Ruin by sin, very city where fifty days before He had been so the necessity of Regeneration by the Holy Spirit, cruelly and wickedly crucified. and Redemption by the precious. blood of Christ; T.oday the grace of God is as truly sufficient for almost invariably there is definite response in the the city as for the rural community. In spite of way of anxious souls coming to the inquiry room, the varied attractions which the average metrop- seeking for light and help. It is my firm convic- olis provides – its theaters, its cinemas, its tav- tion that wherever these methods are followed, ems, dance halls and kindred places where every under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people will possible appeal is made to the lust of the flesh, the find their way to the church that refuses to know lust of the eye and the pride of life-the Gospel anything among men "save Jesus Christ and Him is still the power of God unto salvation to every- crucified." one that believeth, in the city as elsewhere. Eight Not for a moment do I mean to imply that we years in the largest evangelistic center of the City should ignore men's social and economic needs. A of Chicago have demonstrated this beyond a department for ministering to those in financial doubt. There is abundant proof that men will tr.ouble is maintained in this church, and through still come to hear the Gospel and will respond to it many poor, distressed .ones have been helped that Gospel if it be preached in dependence on and numbers have been won to Christ.
God, in simplicity and in the power of the Holy Personal evangelism is emphasized and it is Spirit. Dwight L. Moody began his work in this doubtful if there are many wh.o make public pro- great city more than seventy-five years ago. His fession in this church who have not been spoken little church was largely made up of poor, neg- to personally by some friend, inviting them to the lected people wh.o had been won for Christ by meetings and trying to lead them to Christ.
Moody's faithful testimony and kindly interest; The Sunday School work has a pr.ominent place, today there stands in close proximity t.o the city's for we believe that the instruction of boys and great business district, a massive temple erected girls in the Word of God, even before they have in memory of the evangelist and to the glory of definitely decided for Christ, is like setting every- the Christ he preached. The Moody Memorial thing in order for a fire in the stove or furnace.
Church is a building which, as we often announce, Then the match of evangelism often starts the has over three hundred doors and all swinging flame which burns brightly unto eternal life.
[282 ] DR. IRONSIDE AND AN AUDIENCE IN THE MOODY MEMIORIAL CHURCH, CHICAGO Moody himself began as a Sunday School worker their courtesy the Moody Church uses this station and the Moody Sunday School today is an out- to broadcast the Sunday morning services which standing testimony to the value of his methods in thus carry the message into places we could otherdealing with young and old. wise never contact. The Christian Business Men's Committee uses another station, and so reaches In many cities, since the advent of the automo- many more. bile, open-air meetings have become alinost taboo. It is difficult to gather people together to hear the In the neighboring town of Cicero there is a message on the streets when parking space is at a splendid work of evangelism carried on from the premium and it is well nigh impossible to find a Cicero Bible Church. In fact, time would fail me place where a crowd can be gathered. But for to tell all that God is doing through many of the years every summer, open-air testimony has been independent tabernacles, as well as recognized given in various places where it is possible to over- evangelical churches and Gospel halls, the Salvacome these obstacles. Many a wanderer has been tion Army and other groups, who are constantly reached in this way. at it, not only reaching the submerged classes, but the higher-ups as well, with the glad, glorious mes- In this great city there have been other remark- sage of God's free salvation for sinful men. able movements throughout the years, and God has owned them in a marvelous way. Downtown One thing is very striking. When some in the heart of the loop, theater meetings have churches close their doors for the summer, or give been carried on by a Christian Business Men's up any attempt to hold a Sunday night meeting, Committee at the noon hour for nearly eight the churches that stand for a full, clear Gospel years, with the exception of the hot summer find that the crowds will come,and that there is months when outdoor meetings take their place. no occasion whatever to relax their activities in These meetings have resulted in the conversion of the sumWIer months. In many"instances they remany, numbers of whom return from time to time double them. to bear testimony to the reality of the change in their lives. As a result of an experience of nearly fifty years preaching Christ I have no note of pessimism to Radio ministry has proven to be a great help sound. I do not find, as some insist, that there is in giving the Gospel to the city. The Moody Bible a decrease of interest in spiritual realities. On Institute maintains its own station WMBI, carry- the contrary, I can say honestly that there has ing on a continuous evangelistic testimony, which never been a time, excepting during the special reaches tens of thousands of homes. Through great awakenings which have occurred at dif-
ferent intervals in our history as a nation, when drunkard out of the slums, get him to sign the people were so ready to listen to the Gospel, if pre7 pledge and if possible to keep it, clean him up and sented in a kindly and gracious manner by men give him a good suit of clothes, remove him and and women filled with the Holy Spirit, who have his family to a nice, little home in the suburbs, no axes of their own to grind, but who are seeking give him gainful employment, and then let him to make Christ known to those who need Him. die and go to hell unsaved-really, it is not worth while, and I for one would not attempt it." These As to the social gospel-this term which is so are serious words that we may well take to heart. widely used today is, to say the least, extra-scrip- Our great business should be preparing men for tural, and often means "putting the cart before eternity, and when they close with Christ, their the horse." Our Lord Jesus did not say to his dis- outward circumstances will soon undergo a marciples, "Go ye into all the world and seek to clean velous change. Our Lord's words are still apup the slums, to introduce better sanitary condi- plicable, "Seeks.-ye first the Kingdom of God and tions, to improve the environment of the poor and his righteousness and all these things shall be relieve the wants of the needy, to build hospitals added unto you." and endow schools and universities." He did say, "Go'ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to Let me add a word as to Christian education. every creature." But wherever that Gpspel goes, The term "Religious Education" is one that I it proves to be not only the power of God unto abominate. It savors too much of a carnal con- Salvation to everyone that believeth, but it brings ception of religiousness, as fitting a man for untold temporal blessing in its train. The best heaven, in place of emphasizing the importance social work is that which is definitely linked with of a new birth. But Christian education, if really evangelistic testimony. It is true that it would be that, is of great importance. To start with the folly to preach the Gospel to a starving man when youngest children and seek to bring them up in it is possible first to provide him with a good meal, the nurture and admonition of the Lord, ever inbut, unfortunately, the great danger is that phi- sisting on the importance of their own definite lanthropists will be satisfied with giving him the acceptance of Christ, but making them acquainted meal and forget that the need of his soul is far from their earliest days with the great outstandgreater than that of his body. I remember hear- ing truths of the Word of God, will go far toward ing old General William Booth of the Salvation building a substantial Christian constituency in Army talking to a large group of officers when their later years. The danger comes, however, lecturing on "the submerged tenth" in connection if Bible knowledge and catechetical instruction is with his "Darkest England" project. I can see substituted for a definite work of the Holy Spirit the flash in his eye and hear that powerful voice of God, producing conviction and leading the soul yet, as he exclaimed, "Take a poverty-stricken to personal decision for Christ.
Putting the Gospel to the Test By REV. J. F. HARRISON Director of Practical Work, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago HERE are some of the many experiences of large for his age, eleven, with a serious little face those who are putting the Gospel to the and quiet, dignified manner. Just as the meeting was to be closed with prayer Robert said, "I'd like test in our cities. to have Jesus for my Saviour but I've never heard In the Bible class in homes-At the close of the this story and I don't quite understand it all." Bible story the teacher gave, as usual, the invitation to any child present to open his heart and He was asked to stay and talk it over after the ask the Lord Jesus to come in. Several in the others had left. As the other children were obclass of twenty-five expressed the desire. While taining their assortment of caps, coats, mufflers, the other children bowed their heads and closed mittens and galoshes, Robert and the teacher went their eyes, those wishing to accept Christ stood up, into the kitchen to be alone. There Robert told her confessed their sins and their need of a Saviour. that his mother and father were separated and One boy, Robert, there for the first time, seemed he had been sent to a home for unfortunate chiltouched but he did not express a desire. He was dren. "The worst of it is," he said, "that Daddy
PUTTING THE GOSPEL TO THE TEXT
MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE STUDENTS STARTING OUT TO CARRY THE GOSPEL TO THE CITY and Mummy seemto have forgotten me. I haven't In the jail-The following is from a letter writeven heard from either of them in over three months." Robert's big brown eyes filled with ten by an ex-convict: tears and lips tried hard not to tremble. "I have just returned from the South and There was unspeakable joy in telling Robert that God has said: "When thy mother and thy thought I had better answer your letter. I was father forsake thee, then the Lord will take thee up." He learned that God, the Heavenly Father, over at the Institute on Sunday and I heard a very wanted him to be .His little boy; that God so loved him (Robert) that He sent His only begotten Son helpful service. I am now a very devoted reader that if Robert would believe in Him he should never perish but have a loving Father in Heaven of the Testament which you so kindly gave me. watching over him day and night. He listened so eagerly as he was told how he might be taken into lt gives me great strength and courage to carry the family of God. He asked Jesus to take away all his sins and to adopt him for His own little boy on. forever. "You were a great comfort to me while I was in In the mission–One evening during the testimony meeting a man came forward to say that he prison. God bless you for helping me find the wanted to take Christ as his Saviour. He was a typical bum, intoxicated and filthy. At first the Light. My entire life and way of living have been leader thought he was a "moocher" (one of the kind that profess to accept Christ and then ask changed and I praise Him daily and pray cQnfor a dime to buy a drink) but after taking him into the back room and praying with him we tinually for further guidance and comfort. I hope found that he was sincere. you will always remember me in your prayers. He had spent twenty-three years of his life in a peniteritiary and had been out only a few Sometime I should like to have you make arrangemonths. He was lonely and despondent. As he passed the mission he heard the singing and came ments for me to be baptized." in. He felt that he needed God and accepted Jesus as his Saviour, giving his testimony publicly. In the .hospital-On a Sunday afternoon as I was visiting in the Hospital I stopped beside .the bed of a Jew. After speaking with him for a few minutes I offered him a tract. I never saw a man change so suddenly. He cursed me and he cursed God and Jesus Christ. I opened my Bible and started to read from the Old Testa- ment certain things pertaining to the Jews. He listened until I referred to Jesus Christ. After he had agreed to the fact of God, the truth of the Old Testament, and to the laws and ordinances of the Old Testament, I asked him if he ever took a lamb or a bullock to the priest for a sacrifice for his sins. Of course he had not. I read to him from the Gospel of Matthew without telling him
where I was reading. He agreed to the truth of sands of dollars in intoxicating liquor. For some the portions that I read and when I told him they days he had been under conviction of sin and this were from the New Testament he would not be- night, in desperation, he had been walking the lieve me. I left a Gospel of John and some tracts, streets seeking God. He passed a mission, and telling him I would call again in a few days. going in, explained his desires. They prayed with him but he received the idea that until he could When I returned he had read the Gospel of either speak in tongues or prophesy he was un- John and said that he believed it was true. To saved. make sure that he understood, I went back through the Bible, showing him that Jesus Christ was "the For the greater part of an hour we stood behind Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the a schoolhouse near a street lamp where we were world," and that He was the eternal sacrifice. The undisturbed, and here this man found the Light. man finally prayed and wept for joy that he had He has been a gangster, and had associated with found the Messiah. some of the bi~est politicians in Chicago, and had a great battle to fight. Later I brought hjm aNew Testament with the Psalms, and he took them as ,a man grasping for One Sunday afternoon I walked up to his apart- a life line. He fairly "ate the Word" and in three ment and found him in a very low frame of mind. weeks his Bible was almost worn out. The remedy prescribed was the confession of Jesus Christ before his associates. In the open air-One evening, after a prayer service, we drove to our district and scouted The next Wednesday evening he came to see me around for a good location. We decided that the and the first thing he said was: "Well, I have Lord wanted us to speak on a corner in a neighbor- done it. I have burned every bridge I had." After hood where Germans, Poles, Russians, Serbians, two days of thinking and praying and reading the Italians and Roumanians reside. We started with Word of God he had come to the conclusion that the song service and in a few minutes over 125 it had to be a clean break. Wednesday morning people had gathered from all directions. Three he went out to the gangsters' headquarters where special songs followed and then the message was he requested that his name be taken off the list. given and those who desired further information The men thought at first he was drunk; then, that and help were asked to step out from the crowd. he was crazy. He was offered whiskey and money About two thirds did so and personal work lasted which he refused, telling them that all the money for half an hour. We knew that the Lord had he got from them was fools' money. He then told given a special blessing and we were jubilant. them of the step he had made and that he was all We found that 63 people had been dealt with and through with them and the kind of life they led. 38 had professed conversion. Nearly four hun- dred tracts had been distributed and people had After convincing them of his sincerity he went taken twenty-one Gospels of John. Other names to several places where he owed bills, paid them . were taken and Gospels were mailed later. so as to have nothing to draw him into the temp- tation of his former life. When he had made the In the street-One evening I had a feeling that slate clean he had ten cents left which he used I must go for a walk. After about twenty minutes in calling up a former friend. I turned the corner to go to my ,apartment, but felt that I should cross the street. As I stepped "Broke but happier than in years," he said and up on the walk a man passed me and I held out a felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoul- tract which he took. After walking about twenty ders. Without a job and no connections, he faced steps he turned and said, "May I talk with you?" life with more confidence than he had ever known. This man has since been sorely tried as he has His first question was: "Must I speak in sought work. However, God has now graciously tongues to be saved, or believe in any other of provided his need. these things, such as prophesying or healing?" Does the gospel work today? Moody Bible In- I learned that this man had drunk down thou- stitute students say, "Yes."
Why cannot the young people's groups and the church congregations, unite to meet the common task of taking the Gospel to the whole community without disturbing the forms and the confessions of the individual church and the individual denomination? If we do not do this and do it quickly, how can we hope to make our city part of the kingdom of God? .
Let these be our three objectives: 1. To minister as Christian individuals in so far as possible to all whose condition is a challenge to Chris- tian friendliness. 2. To bring the common conscience of the church to bear upon community conditions that are unjust and that degrade life. 3. To carry the preaching and the teaching functions of the church out to those who are at present unreached. ROBERT W. SEARLE.
with the Industrial
By REV. A. J. MUSTE Director of Labor Temple, New York I GNAZIO SILONE is the foremost Italian nov- quisitive, pseudo-scientific, materialistic indus- elist of today. Being an anti-Fascist he does trialism which has been the "respectable religion." not reside in Italy. A few years ago he at- But none of these faiths is meeting the world's tained fame with a novel entitled "Fontamara" needs; on the contrary, under their leadership (Bitter Stream) which pictures village life under and amid their clashing, the world is headed for Fascism. Later he published another novel, catastrophe. "Bread and Wine," which is his portrayal of how Fascism may be overcome. The hero of the book The basic reason why these rival faiths are failwas in the secular revolutionary movement in ing to meet the world's needs and are leading it Italy before Mussolini came to power. Now, ac- to catastrophe is that they are built upon rotten cording to the story, he is back in Italy working moral and spiritual foundations; they deny some in the underground movement for a free regime, of the most fundamental concepts of the Christian but with a very different approach and methods view of the world and of man. from those previously employed. Here are some typical utterances which Silone puts in the mouth We briefly mention three points at which Chrisof his hero: tianity stands in opposition to materialistic indus- trialism, Fascism and Communism. First, the The dictator's henchman must be opposed not with other three systems all hold degraded and degrading henchmen who merely spoke differently, but with men who conceptions as to the nature of the individual, in lived and acted differently…. The evil I see around me contradistinction to the Christian view that the is deeper than politics. It is a canker. . . . There is the human being is spiritual, a child of God, having class-struggle, the struggle between the town and the moral dignity and worth. Let us illustrate. To country, but underlying all these things there is man, a the pseudo-scientific world-view of the pre-war poor, weak, terrified animal. The canker has penetrated period which saw everything in terms of mechanto his marrow. . . . All that remained alive and inde- ism, the human being is "a highly temporary structible of Christianity in me was revived: a Chris- chemical episode on a most petty planet" or "a tianity that neither abdicates in the face of Mammon, nor tiny lump of impure carbon and water." To a proposes concordats with Pontius Pilate, nor offers easy certain kind of industrialism, man is a mere cog careers to the ambitious, but rather leads to prison, seeing in a machine. Henry Ford once said, in effect, that crucifixion is no longer practised. that it is the duty of management to take the load off the worker's back and put it on the machine, For anyone who is acquainted with the modern and to take the load off the worker's mind and literature, especially that of "the Left," which has put it on the office. From the spiritual and moral influenced the thinking of industrial workers in point of view, what is left that is human in a the western world even though not many of them creature with nothing on its back and nothing on . read it, these sentences sound a startlingly new its mind? And practically, of course, this creanote. Yet dozens of quotations could be cited from ture ends on the scrapheap of industry, lucky if recent essays, poems and novels of such impor- the state adopts him as a ward. tant figures as Aldous Huxley, Edmund Wilson, John Dos Passos, Sidney Hook, Josephine John- In Fascism the human being is degraded to a son, W. H. Auden, Andre Gide, Eugene Lyons mere pawn in the hands of the totalitarian State. and others in which the same approach is implicit In Communism the proletariat, idealized in the if not quite so explicit as in Silone's book. People abstract, is in the concrete subjected to the dicin this mood are likely to be much more receptive tatorship of an absolutist Party, and in the Party to the Christian message and philosophy than the member is a pawn: if the Party says that a they have been until recently. man must steal, lie, spy upon and betray his What has brought about this new trend in mod- closest friend, he has no alternative. ern thought? We may put it in this way. The Second, all of these systems, as might be inthree modern faiths which have been rivals to Christianity on the soil of Christendom itself are ferred, regard the system rather than the indi- Fascism, Communism and the get-rich-quick, ac- vidual as important. "Keep this system, with all our marvelous inventions and progress, just as it [287 ]
is, and all will be well; we shall progress auto- man is a part. For obviously, man is a dependent, matically and forever"-is or was the naIve faith a contingent being. We did not create ourselves. of a materialistic capitalism. "Smash it all and Weare the product, the creation of something- put another system in its place and all our prob- Some One. lems will be solved"-is the equally naIve faith of the secularist Marxist. Christianity knows that Of what, then? Of whom? Creatures of mat- any "system" is only human beings living in cer- ter? "Tiny lumps of impure carbon and water"? tain relationships; unless something happens in How then can we, out of "mere matter," produce the human being, nothing has happened at all. creatures who can make moral decisions and re- spect themselves? Or is man the product of some Third, all of these systems believe in power and vast cosmic mechanism? How shall he then be- domination. They reject and despise gentleness, come more than a cog in that impersonal machine? meekness, love. They believe that "the end justi- fies the means." They think that the world can No, if our problem is what so many are coming somehow, by violence, ruthlessness, repression, again to see, what "high religion" has always _ dictatorship, reach the goal of peace and democ- known it to be, then must we not conclude that racy and brotherhood. The civilized, capitalistic there is no salvation for us from suicide, indi- world believed this doctrine so firmly that twenty vidual and collective, no means of maintaining or years ago it spent directly and indirectly thirty recovering the self-respect without which man million human lives and four hundred billion dol- cannot go on living, unless man can know him- lars' worth of wealth in a war that was to make self as the creation of Spirit, living in a universe the world finally "safe for democracy" and put which is somehow governed by moral and spir- an end to war. Having observed the results, this itual law? Is there then any escape from "the capitalistic world cannot yet make up its mind to gods many and lords many" who rule this age save renounce the method of war, even though that too in "the one God, the Father," whose very nature involves a bit of risk, any more than Russia is it is to produce sons and daughters who can re- prepared to renounce the method of dictatorship, spect themselves and love each other? Can there chekas, espionage and repression, though all it be then any Lord save the "one Lord, Jesus seems to lead to is more dictatorship, chew, Christ," who thus saw man and God and lived in espionage and repression. the light and power of that vision?
Obviously on the terms of any of these systems How else, furthermore, shall we find the dy- life becomes meaningless at last; human beings namic for building a sane and brotherly world? cannot respect themselves; they cannot make It is a question of dynamic. "Never higher than moral decisions because they do not think there in our time were the vital advantages." The vis- is such a thing as morality apart from expediency. ion of a new order has never been clearer; the Men who really think thus of themselves do not material resources are at hand. But confusion, worship God, do not create great art, do not build cynicism, ruthlessness, oppression, terror stalk democratic societies. To do these things we have the earth. "When hatred promised an immediate to believe in the dignity and moral worth of man. dividend all of us hated." We have to understand that the basic question is the nature and quality of the human being. We, who stand on Christian ground and who share the Christian experience, are alone able to The Christian message may again receive a speak with confidence to the "Wise Men" of our hearing which it has not had for some time, since day and to the industrial masses who have been 'a growing number of important writers, particu- under their influence; as Paul spoke to the men larly writers of "the Left," are beginning to pro- of Athens: "I observe, wherever I turn, that you claim again the great human and Christian truth are a most religious people. As I passed along that we must know whether human beings are and scanned your objects of worship, I actually creatures of spirit and so are capable of building came upon an altar with the inscription and living in a free fellowship; changing systems is not enough; the means that men use inevitably TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. determine the ends they achieve. I proclaim to you this God whom you worship in If we really become desperately concerned about your ignorance." the nature and quality of the human being; if we are convinced that we cannot build a new world The Church of Christ today is confronted, as merely by changes in external arrangements, that in its first days, with dictatorship, absolutisms, we must have first of all people capable of making modern Cresarisms – persecuted and hounded by moral decisions and living in a free society, then them. It will probably become increasingly diffi- inevitably the argument will have to be pushed a cult in all lands for the Church to meet the de- step farther back. We have to ask what is the mands of the State for an absolute allegiance and nature and character of the universe of which .retain its own soul. The Church may well be put again in the position of a small minority spiritual fellowship in a hostile world, driven to carryon
A POLICEMAN TRANSFORMED
its worship in the catacombs, "in deserts and Christian evangelism to the industrial worker mountains and caves, and the holes of the earth." must meet him in the arena of his intellect. It On the other hand men everywhere are sensing must prove itself competent to demonstrate the that such a world is doomed and are raising their inadequacy and falsehood of materialistic indusvoices again in the cry for the help which is to trialism, F,ascism and Marxism. It must meet be found only in the Eternal Word of God's re- the worker in the arena of his needs as a cog in deeming love, which by grace is ours. the machine of industry. It must be the voice of a church which does not attempt to defend, much A church which is not prepared to undergo the less to identify its own fate with that of a selfish terrific intellectual and theological labor involved economic order, based on acquisitiveness and in translating its Gospel into the language and strife or with a political order based on violence thought-forms of our day-as Paul, John, Origen, and dictatorship. It must be a church which Augustine, Luther and Calvin did for their day brings the economic order under the judgment of -will not be able to "speak to the condition" of Christ and must insist that in all relationships His these people. A church which, like the Russian spirit and teaching shall be the standard. On church under the Czars, becomes a mere bulwark these terms the Church will also be able to proof the existing order, deaf to human needs, bless- claim to the workers the prophetic truth that they ing or condoning the war-system, a mere tool of will reap nothing but disillusionment and despair the Cresars and the economic and political Cresar- if they seek to achieve freedom and peace and ism of our day-such a church will not be able to brotherhood by the way of dictatorship and vio- "speak to the condition" of troubled and seeking lence and hate. modern men. But a church which is prepared to think through and state the Christian faith in the Modern Christian evangelism must also prolanguage of the present age; a church that is claim to industrial workers the personal Gospelready to be indeed an international fellowship, the eternal message that each man must settle his animated by and obedient to the spirit of Jesus, own account with God; he can by no means pass ready to break loose from entangling alliances on to ,another the responsibility of his own sin or with the Cresars and Cresarism of today, and eager to "society" or "the system"; nevertheless he canto seek to realize the will of God on earth as it is not himself settle that account nor carry that in Heaven – such a church is in a position to burden; God himself by grace wipes out the accall upon modern "Wise Men" and masses alike count and takes upon His own redemptive love the to follow Christ and not Barabbas. This church burden, and so sets man, His child, free and makes will call today with more likelihood of being him a member of the church – the fellowship of heeded than for many decades past. the Redeemed.
A Policeman Transformed By PAUL L. BUFFA, New York City A CERTAIN Christian worker has taken ad- Meadows, where the new Exposition Grounds are vantage of the dearth of candidates in all being landscaped, the policeman drove his car off Fraternal Orders and made it part of his the road and stopped it on an ash dump. To his astonished companion he began to speak of his responsibility to give some of his time to large own spiritual problem. After being confirmed in his mother's church, he never entered a church. groups of men who are always looking for inter- He had tried to live a clean, upright life; he was esting speakers. He has found that the plain happy in his family life, his mother making a story of God's redeeming love, told without an- home for him. Being ambitious and capable, he thropomorphic "gaucheries," without mythology was studying with a view to advancement and and ecclesiastical trappings, always secures the therefore had not yet given thought to getting rapt attention of many rather sophisticated audi- married. He was popular with the "boys" with ences. whom he worked but, said he, "I am not popular with myself. I wish I could become different. I On one such errand, during the first week of am not at rest when I am alone with myself." last November, after he had delivered his message and while putting on his overcoat in the ante- The police officer stated he had talked with sevroom, dismally considering the long street car and eral clergymen-"all very nice men; but some subway journey from Brooklyn to the Bronx, he were too learned for me and said things which was approached by a tall man in a police officer's sounded lovely but did not mean anything to me. uniform who offered to take him home in his car.
While the two were crossing the Flushing
Others treated me like a Bowery tramp and ex- she had gained hope and that the Holy Spirit was horted me to give up my 'wickedness' ; others gave at work in her heart. me easy assurances that I was all right and all I needed was to join their particular church." He New Year's Eve came around and with it the was neither learned, wicked nor desirous of Watch-night service in the Christian worker's church membership, but he was hungry and parish. It was a Candle Lighting Service and, thirsty for new incentives and new motivations after everyone had gone home, he made his cusand a new drive. tomary rounds to make sure all was right in the building. At about one o'clock in the morning, The Christian worker, who does not believe in there was a terrific pounding on the main door of argumentation but in the unfailing power of the the church. The worker opened it and was sur- Word of God when "fitly spoken," quietly asked prised by the sight of his policeman friend accomhis heavenly Father for guidance and was led to panied by over a dozen of the toughest and shadquote (Ezekiel 36: 26), "A new heart also will I iest characters,;irom his neighborhood, together give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; with a generous sprinkling of the "caulyflowered and I will take away the stony heart out of your ear," punch drunk "punks" who love to be conflesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." sidered dangerous, without being really criminal at heart. The policeman apologized for the late- Having slowly repeated this word of promise ness of the hour but he had to finish his day's three times, he felt compelled to silence. For sev- work. He had received the Pastor's circular aneral minutes an atmosphere of tenseness and ex- nouncing the Candle Lighting Service and had depectancy pervaded the car. Then the policeman cided to come and place his candle on the Altar. spoke: He had conceived the plan of inviting the hangers- on, who, at night, are always loafing in front of a "It may be inconvenient to kneel in this car; certain saloon in the vicinity. He remarked: but I feel there should be prayer here. If I stick "They were not in a position to say no; so here my knees in your eyes, just forgive me; my legs we are!" are rather long." Having lit a candle and placed it in the proper He then asked the Christian worker to pray. place he turned to the motley crew who, in the The worker told him to pray for himself. An- penumbra of the church, looked like some of other silence followed, when there took place the Dore's damned; he told them the laws of man most beautiful thing which can happen on earth had touched many of them but evidently had -that which causes the Angels in Heaven to re- helped them very little. He asked if, like himself, JOIce. In simple, sincere language, the young any of them would give the Saviour a chance. policeman started groping for the hand of the Father, which was stretched out to him in his Three of those boys have since come to the darkness. Before the two arose from their knees, Christian worker for spiritual guidance. this valiant young man had taken his oath of allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. To the verse quoted in the car on the Flushing Meadows, the worker now would add the marvel- Thanksgiving Day came around and with it ous words of Ezekiel 36: 29. joy was brought to many, and silent, bitter sor- "And I will call for the corn and I will increase row to others. Our police friend was cruising in it." a Radio Car with his Irish partner, when the screams of women and children from the windows "The greatest church in all the land, of a tenement drew their attention; upon inves- With wealth and power in its control, tigation, it was found that a young mother had tried to commit suicide by inhaling gas and to Holds naught but ashes in its hand, asphyxiate also her little children. The Irish Unless it guards the city's soul. officer went for the telephone while our policeman proceeded to administer first aid. He succeeded in What means this stately granite pile, reviving the woman when, in a hysterical fit she To Christian worship set apart, badly bit his finger, cursing him for bringing her back to life. When he saw her physical life re- If crowded streets, mile upon mile, turning he felt immediately concerned for her Feel not the throbbing of its heart? spiritual life and, disregarding his own hurt, he raised his heart in prayer to God on her behalf. "Respond, 0 church! these myriad calls After completing his day's duty, tired and hungry, Appealing, come from street and mart, the officer, before even taking food, made it a point to pick up the Christian worker and take Where every man whom sin enthralls, him to see the woman who had been snatched from Expects a welcome to thy heart. such untimely end. He found that, in her despair, Reach out, 0 church! this is the hour To make thy ministry complete!
God waits, to furnish thee with power, To lift the city to his feet."
A SKETCH OF THE CONCENTRATION
THE GOODS AND ILLS OF . URBAN LIFE / INNER CITY AREA OUTER CITY AREA RESIDENTIAL SUBURB~ " FOREIGN BORN MINGLING OF NATIONALITIES NATIVE AMERICAN POOR HOUSING APARTMENTS-HIGH RENT SPACIOUS RESIDENCES —……… ~ Af~ POOR HOME FURNISHINGS LOW RATE OF HOME OWNERSHIP LOW AATEOF HOME OWNERSHIP1HIGH RATE OF HOMEOWNERSHI! , DOWNTOWN MUNICIPAL COMFORTABLE FURNISHINGS 'f/<-P~.~ ~ . CROWDING LIMITED SPACE MUCH SPACE PER PERSON POOR LIGHT AND AIR LESS SMOKE AND DIRT PURER AIR BUILDINCS (:)", ('" POOR PLA'1 FACILITIES LIM1TED PLAY FACiliTIES GOOD PLAV FACILITIES LIBRARIES .~.~, – MUSEUMS NO TREES AND GRASS FEW TREES-SMALL VAROS TREES AND CRASS 0~ DIRTV STREET~AlLEYS CLEAN STREETS THEATRES ~ti;E§~<~:_:> IHIGHHIDHGEIHAGTHHINRFBAATIRENTBTYHDTUREBAAETTREHCURLOASTISE I BIG STORES LOW BIRTH RATE lOW BIRTH RATE LOW INFANT DEATH RATE OFFICE BUILDING CENTRAL BANKS LOW DEATH flATE BY TUBERCULOSIS TRANSPDRTATIO CENTRE ~~ ~'yZ HIGH DELINQUENCV RATE JINCREASING DELINQUENCY RATE, LOW DElINQUENCV RATE -' ~'~~~,,»'/INADEQUATE FOOD AND CLOTHING/ADEQUATE FOOD AND CLOTHING / PLENTY OF FOOD AND CLOTHING/ I MUCH UNEMPLOYMENT I I LITTLE UNEMPLOVMENT ;/ I I I MEDIUM RELIEF ~ATES ~ HIGH REUEF RATES LOW RELIEF RATES LOW WAGE II I MODERATE INCOME HIGH INCOME I I '"' "OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF' LEADERSHIP RAPID MOVEMENT FROM / LOW "MOBILITY RATE CONCENTRATION OF -ILLS" PLACE TO PLACE / ICONCENTRATION OF "GOODS"j The Inner and the Outer City By REV. ERNEST GRAHAM GUTHRIE, D.D., LL.D.
General Director of the Chicago Congregational Union I T IS impossible to describe a Modern American ulation, an accumulation of problems of poverty, City in terms that would be true of all, for they delinquency, and crime. So hostile is this environ- differ widely in what they do to and with hu- ment to human life that, no matter what racial man life. Nor is it easy to describe in general group takes up its aoode in these areas, no matter terms. the varied relationships of the Christian how good the stock from which they have come, Church to these differing patterns of life. We sooner or later the same signs of deterioration becan, however, recognize certain facts that create come starkly revealed. And yet out of these very one of the major problems with which the Church areas have come some of the best life we have, has to deal. There is a flight of human life to- rising on ladders visible and invisible to high wards the suburbs, under the drive of the home- place in industry and commerce, in the arts and making instinct, carrying with it many of the religion, in the public life of the city and the naablest citizens, and much of the wealth and other tion. The outer area of the city, with singular resource that was formerly available for the In- exceptions, in industrial suburbs, and even "subner City. The ultimate result is, that the city has urban slums," is marked by the power of wealth, two sharply contrasted areas. The one is marked the advantages of education and superior trainby poor housing, suffocating densities of pop- ing, and, often by a" deep ignorance of, and de- [291 ]
tachment from, the massed disadvantages to is never primary, although often it grows with human life in the central area from which they the growth of all the rest. This means that every have escaped. suburban church has one such relationship to an The resources of the Christian Church have in institution of the Inner City, and the strongest the main followed the course of this economic and churches may have four or five. On the other social drive. The great churches of the suburbs hand, every institution in the Inner City has, in are, in the first instance, the products of this turn, some three to six suburban churches as an movement, and it would not be difficult to substan- inner circle of dynamic fellowship. This Plan is tiate the thesis that these churches have not only fostered within the general organization of the been built up at the expense of the old mother church for the whole city, and is guided constantly churches of the Inner City, but are still dependent by a Cooperating Committee of eighteen repre- upon them for much of their best Christian lead- sentatives of the suburban churches, but the point ership. This movement of the Church life leaves is that these relationships are direct. They grow behind it a situation that is tragically familiar. at both ends through deepening understanding The older fortresses of the faith and service are, and knowledge, and above all by mutual respect with outstanding exceptions, being constantly de- and mutual service, as common participants in pleted, not only in financial resources but in the one faith and one Christian trust.
character of their ministerial and lay leadership, The various strands of this fellowship are all at the very moment when they are facing new important and for different reasons: and often alien populations and the vast complexity of human problems that are the result of the (1) The local boards of the Inner City institubasic movement referred to above. The total re- tions are drawn from the several churches to sult is that the Christian Church is weaKest, in which they are related, and are so carefully chosen every form of resource, in the very area of the that it is not too much to say that many of these most bitter and complex human need. institutions have a calibre of Christian men and women directing them that is, on the average, But that the Christian Church is not satisfied higher than that of anyone of the suburban to leave this situation as it stands, that it is seek- churches related to them. Nor are these men and ing a way and is finding a way to return in the women concerned with finances and bills alone. power of its faith and service into the Inner City Here is one powerful enough to change the whole there is abundant evidence. It is the purpose of attitude of the police to a foreign group the instithis article to briefly indicate some of the ways tution serves. Another caused even a Judge of a in which this is being, and can be increasingly court to be disciplined for unseemly reference to done by a si.ngle communion, by a united Prot- the race for which the Center was maintained. A estantism, and by the still more comprehensive third reaches into the City government, to correct action of the religious leadership of the city as a the menace to health of open drains and sewers. whole. Still others, of the right training and gifts, help the institution to evolve from simply doing am- The Strategy of a Single Communion The first necessity is for any given communion bulance work for those wounded by hardship and to establish an adequate stake of its own life and evil into a powerful center of thought and action, service in the Inner City. If we leave aside, for striking constructively to eliminate the sources of the moment, the older original churches, this stake misery at their origin.
is represented by a group of institutions that (2) A second and a golden strand is the stream range all the way from Rescue Missions and For- of volunteer assistance in the service of these in- eign-Speaking Churches, to Neighborhood Houses, stitutions. The original settlement movement was which are the Church's forms of the Settlement an effort to give to the blighted areas of our cities Movement, and smaller churches of the conven- the kind of intelligence, high moral character, and tional type. One of the vexed questions within trained service and leadership for education, several of our communions at the present time is recreation, and community reconstruction, of to determine in what proportions its resources which these areas had been depleted. To the set- should be divided between churches that build the tlements of London came some of the best life of fellowship and institutions whose ministry is Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In these poured forth, without hope of any kind of return, training grounds were created some of the great out of the chalice of a self-forgetting service. Proconsuls of the empire who, like Milner in Af- Our problem is to create a vital sense of fellow- rica, however highly placed, never forgot how the ship between these two arms of the Church's serv- other half lived and the high trust they held for ice. In one communion what is known as the Fel- that other half. 'From these suburban churches lowship Plan binds these two groups together in have come volunteers, equaling and sometimes a multitude of strands of which the financial bond surpassing in number, the regular staffs of these
THE INNER AND THE OUTER CITY
MEXICAN BOYS AND GIRLS ENACTING THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN FIRMAN HOUSE, CHICAGO institutions, who have given their talents freely ways consciously and wisely kept subordinate, to communities which yesterday they did not even nevertheless grows in a myriad ways. Equipment arrives, from baseball bats to an organ, for the know existed. institution; boys and girls are given opportunities (3) A third important strand is the leadership to recover their health; scholarships are founded by which the more talented may climb towards at both ends of the relationship. The fellowship high careers; golden ladders are let down into the is conceived to be mutual, and it is increasingly darkness, not one, but many. And when any great becoming so. The business of the leader of the single undertaking for some desperate need of a Inner City institution is to enlarge the social con:" single community is set before the communion as sciousness and quicken the social conscience of a whole, it is not the four or five suburban the suburban church; and, where the leader of churches that are its inner circle of fellowship the suburban church rightly uses his opportunity, alone, that respond, but the entire fellowship of his church, at meeting after meeting, in group churches, rising in a single year to contributions after group, is exposed to the cruel pressure and amounting to $75,000, beyond all that is given by the disfiguring results of the city's pitiless forces, the central organization of the Church. As one on other neighborhoods. But always these tragic of the active leaders in this plan has said, "Its scenes are depicted by a leader who offers through basis is found in the fact that fundamentally each his own institution an arm of Christian service one of us regards himself as a part of this great and power that day in and day out is battling city and the city a part of himself." against these evils for human life. As a consequence, many of these churches are beginning to We turn, for a 'moment, to the old mother ask for surveys of the neighborhoods in which churches in the heart of the city. Some of these their related institutions work to go beyond vague are still strong in membership, in resource and impressions and face directly the bitter facts. influence. They have maintained themselves, amidst the currents and the tides that have swept (4) We can hardly wonder that, where these, others into weakness or oblivion. They are susand other strands, of direct fellowship are grow- tained by the loyalty of members who live in the ing in strength, the financial exchange between these two arms of Christ's service, which is al-
suburbs, but whose spiritual home is in the heart bankruptcy and moral and spiritual treason that of the city. And how greatly some of these old it is? Are no great spiritual questions being churches are maintained, a center of tranquility asked,if not in the churches of the suburbs, then amidst the increasing perturbation, full of deep in the souls of suburban men and women as they and great ministries to myriads of lives otherwise drop off, at their quiet stations in the evening, without close human ties, sanctuaries of all forms and pass, through long avenues of beauty to their and moods of worship, on whose altar, as one of homes, or as, in the morning, their train stops their ministers has said, "will burri unobtrusively for a moment to give them a close sight of the but perpetually, a flame symbolizing the everlast- blighted areas of the great city's life?" ing presence of a Friendly God." Perhaps there is no greater service rendered by the suburbs to In one of our great cities the united religious the Inner City than by those who maintain such leadership has set itself to analyze the forces that loyalties, as long as life lasts, and who are sup- make and mar the city, to give a synoptic picture ported in their loyalty by the approval of minis- of the vast orga'frism, as a whole, and this picture ters and churches in the suburbs who look not at is being painted by economists, by industrialists, their own things alone. by politicians, mid all that great company who know how the segment of its mighty life with On the other hand, is' there anything more which they are familiar came to be, what exactly tragic, and, in a great sense, more unnecessary, are the sources of its evils, and from which directhan the dying back of these great centers of wor- tion its salvation must come. ship for lack of support? One by one they perish within their own little denominational fellowships It is only as the organic wholeness of the city that can no longer maintain them. Will the day slowly forms itself in the minds and hearts and never come when these things will be counted challenges the wills of the total leadership of the among the scandals and the high crimes of our Church, in all its branches, and in all its locations, divided Protestantism? Is there not sufficient that the great Kingdom of cooperative life, topower, despite the tribal spirit that still infects wards which the true Church ever lives and them, working with the rising tide of protest serves, will come to pass. In Elizabeth Goudge's against their divided and composite futility, for "A City of Bells," it is said of the old Canon of the Protestant churches to take their stand on the Cathedral, as he moved, one Christmas eve, this at least, and determine that, no matter who through the slums of that Cathedral city: "He comes or who goes, as long as human life inhabits hated segregation, inevitable though he knew it these inner areas, there shall be enough great to be. He hated the barriers of time and age and churches to give a united witness, a united serv- class and language. He longed for the time when ice, and enduring expression to the high resolve all the different lights carried by man in the pagthat, under God, it will not let the heart of the eantry of life should grow into one." city go. No greater service could the churches of the suburbs, as a whole, of every and all commun- Enough has been said above of the active and ions, render than to take an unbroken stand that serving church in the city to show that those diftheir gifts shall not be made to the Inner City ferent lights have grown into one, wherever privexcept under the high policy and technique of, a ilege has shared with those who lack it, wherever United Church. love has found the way to blend life's myriad lights together, in the fellowship that is of, in, Different Lights Grow Into One and through Christ. But these things, of which we dream, and for which we work, in the great- But these are at best but superficial movements ness of our hope, will never come to pass until the towards the greater solidarity of life, that must power of God in Christ so invests His Church be realized in the Modern City. The church in the that we shall learn anew what the Church is and suburbs must delve deeper into its owngonscience can be when it becomes in reality "the act of God and ask, of those who can answer it, "How came in Christ in the midst of time." these things to be?" What industry was it that enticed these 200,000 Negroes from their cabins There are churches which say to their people in the Southland and hurled them, helpless, into the great maelstrom of the city? By whose mor- that one of the requirements of Christian fellowtal and human enactment do both Church and City have on their hands, this multitude of ap- ship is service for which no material reward is parently insoluble problems? paid. One church has, in addition to those who "By whose retreat from citizenship of the great city into the toy citizenship of the beautiful sub- give service in its own program, nearly one hunurban village, does municipal government become the combination of graft and cloaked crime of dred and fifty members who regularly each week are working in the community as volunteers in Christ's name. They are teaching the blind, work- ing in hospitals, calling on the aged, leading groups in boys' and girls' clubs, helping out in other churches. ROBERT W. SEARLE.
A United Church
By the REV. GORDON R. LAHRSON, New York Minister of the Henry Street United Church I NTERDENOMINATIONALISM has often been greener pastures. Why move as long as the com- an interesting subject for speculation and de- munity is filled with human beings whom the bate. The recent conferences in Oxford and Church of Christ is supposed to serve, regardless Edinburgh indicate certain avenues of cooperative of their social or economic rating? effort upon which all Protestant groups may travel. Too frequently, however, the much-ado These two churches have had a flexible minisabout denominations getting together has been try which has sought to interpret the message of like Mark Twain's observation concerning the Christ in light of the human problems and condiweather, it is a subject of much talk but nothing tions in the community. No church can long exist is done about it. While a feeling of helplessness in Manhattan with a static program. Traditional may be justified in the attempt to bring about practices must often yield to newer methods; and ecclesiastical union between certain denominations, church union is being successfully attempted yet, is not the glory of a rich tradition for any .inon the common ground of Christian service. stitution a ministry of service with enough viSIOn Two of the oldest churches in Manhattan, the and understanding to adapt itself to the deepest Mariners'Temple (Baptist) and the Sea and Land needs of men? (Presbyterian), have now joined forces in a united Christian program. The ministers and Mariners' Temple was built in 1795 as the workers in the two churches have been brought Oliver Street Baptist Church and is the oldest together and a coordination of activities has been Baptist edifice in New York City. It was rebuilt affected. While each church maintains its eccle- in 1844, and since that time has been known as siastical identity, all worship and service enter- Mariners' Temple. It is frequently referred to prises have been combined under one adminis- as the "Mother of Churches," several Baptist churches in the city having sprung from it– tration. American, Chinese, Danish, Italian, Norwegian, In evaluating this significant step of church Lettish, Swedish and Russian. Baptist work in Sweden, Norway and Denmark was begun by seaunion, one must recognize the drastic changes men who were members of Mariners' Temple. which have taken place in downtown New York, During the pioneer days, other members of the affecting every aspect of community life. With "Mother Church" were instrumental in organizing the shifting of Anglo-Saxon populations away churches in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. A very from the downtown area, the vast majority of impressive work was carried on among seamen in churches have joined in the exodus. This commu- the early days and from this ministry came the nity upheaval, however, has not resulted in a name by which the church has been popularly dearth of human beings. Great masses are forced known. The daily and nightly ministry to hometo live in these congested areas, in a setting which less men has been an outstanding feature of the lacks many cultural and spiritual advantages. work, and throughout its history this church has People with small incomes must dwell in these opened its doors to people of high and low degree. deteriorated, tenement districts. The same has been true of the Church of the Only a few of the old churches have been able Sea and Land. The present building goes back to to remain to interpret Christ's way of life to the the year 1817. It has had a dramatic history. throngs of human souls who must live in these Frederick Bruckbauer's book, "The Kirk on "haunts of wretchedness and need." Among the Rutgers Farm," portrays the thrilling story of few the Mariners' Temple and the Church of Sea this church up to the year 1919. George Alexand'Land are outstanding examples. Facing the ander, in his introduction to the book, made this social changes of more than a hundred years in revealing observation: the lower east side, these churches have stayed on the job, adapting their ministry to meet the needs In its first half century it sheltered a worshipping conof the changing population. They did not run gregation of staid Knickerbocker type, which, though blest away when their leading members moved to with a ministry of extraordinary ability and spiritual power, succumbed to its unfriendly environment and per- ished.
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In its second half-century it became the home of a flock who come for aid. A large number have been of God, poor in this world's goods, but rich in faith, to whom the environment even when changing from bad to given a new hold on life through this work. worse, was a challenge to faith and valiant service. ("The The week is filled with many activities, includ- Kirk on Rutgers Farm," Frederick Bruckbauer, page 5.) ing movies for children, Weekday Church School, The Sea and Land has carried on work not only Boys' and Girls' Clubs, Greek Service, Spanish for English-speaking peoples but for Italians, Service, meetings of Italian groups, Women's So- Greeks, Russians, Spaniards and Jews. At pres- cieties, Gymnasium Classes and Socials. ent, the Italian congregation ranks as one of the strong, foreign-speaking Protestant groups in the The work with children and young people is one city. For many years Sea and Land also had an of the most challenging aspects of the program, important work with seamen when such a minis- for the building of Christian character in childtry was vitally needed. Always the purpose has hood and adolescence constitute a major function been to serve the people of the community. Mr. of every Christian church. Bruckbauer fittingly expressed the spirit of the church. The lower ea~ side is rapidly changing. The new Knickerbocker Village, with its 1,600 fam- ilies, has already made a difference. It is like a lovely oasis in the midst of a desert. The Henry Never has this been a selfish, self-contained organism, Street United Church is providing a place in its but a living, throbbing influence that went out beyond the program of worship and service for the unshadow of its gray walls, prodigal in giving to others the churched people who live there. At present, good things of the gospel that were fostered there. Many scores of old tenement buildings are being torn a church at home and abroad has cause to bless Market Street for the men and women that she brought up in the down, and a re-zoning of the entire district is benurture and admonition of the Lord. ("The Kirk on ing proposed, making it predominantly residential. Rutgers Farm," Bruckbauer, page 105.) If these plans are carried out, a new community Today, the Henry Street United Church brings will come into being. Whatever the changes, together these famous institutions. Once again, Henry Street United Church will once more seek they have met the need of a change which means to adapt its ministry to meet the needs of the more effective service. Each group discovered people.
that it was seeking to do alone that which could be Many hope that there will be enough social accomplished more effectively in a cooperative imagination to provide the kind of housing that enterprise. There has not been the disposition on will be decent and respectable and at the same the part of either church to bemoan the loss of de- time within the economic means of families now nominational glory. Rather, there is a sense of living in the tenements. Those who work in pride in being a part of a denominationalism that underprivileged areas are keenly aware that has the glory of an interdenominational spirit and Christianity must do more than extend the hand a cooperative movement for the common good of of personal kindness. These people need also a the community. social and economic environment with the kind of This Union has made possible stronger leader- soil in which the seeds of personal character can ship and the interchanging of ideas and the fel- grow. When such conditions are provided, the lowship under a united staff of workers. Both beauty and power of the Christian life will find buildings are used: Mariners' Temple (at 3 Henry the best opportunity for expression. Then the Street) and the Sea and Land (at 61 Henry missionary efforts of the church will count for the Street) are only one block apart and the two most. "Men do not gather grapes of thorns or buildings provide adequate equipment for the figs of thistles." Truly this principle applies to work. The Sunday program includes Church social as well as to personal living.
School, Morning Worship, Italian Service in the The vision and support of this united enterprise afternoon, Young People's Meeting and Evening come from the New York City Baptist Mission Worship. Society, the Church Extension Committee of the The ministry of the United Church to homeless New York Presbytery and the New York City men is unique. A Service is held for them every Mission (interdenominational). The work of the night in Hubbell Hall of Mariners' Temple. Food Henry Street United Church is indicative of the and free lodging are provided daily for as large a indispensable part which City Societies have in number as can be accommodated. During the win- bringing the Christian message to our crowded ter as many as 200 men are kept for a single night. urban communities. The splendid way in which Friendly counsel is given to individuals as young these societies have been working together in and old pour out their heart-breaking stories of sponsoring the work reveals a significant phase misfortune. The purpose of this ministry is to of interdenominational cooperation. We have dis- aid in the rehabilitation of manhood. Frequently covered that such church union is a great success men of fine education and culture are among those when expressed in terms of Christian service.
"What Can a Suburban Church Do?"
By the REV. FRANK FlIT, D.D.
The Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan T HIS church is situated three miles from the applies to all of life across the whole world, the official limits and nine miles from the chief groundwork is laid for a vital and intelligent serv- shopping center of the fourth largest city in ice to the multitudes who live in the near-by city.
the United States. It stands on the rim of a half- The condition of the world since 1914 has been circle of twenty square miles containing nearly compelling us to loosen and to thrust away our two million people. Within that half-circle are theological strait-jackets. Now, in this year gathered races and religions from all the world. 1938, as all of us are compelled to gaze at the very We have almost a thousand adult members, per- pit of hell by the terrible course of events, we see haps fifteen per cent of whom would be reckoned clearly, as never before, the true meaning of in the well-to-do class. A similar proportion Christ's message of salvation to mankind. That would be counted at the other end of the economic message means redemption for a man's nature, scale. The remaining seventy per cent of the for his home, for his school, for his shop and members belong to the middle-class group, neither store 'and factory and for his local and state and rich, nor poor. All local groups are represented, national government. It is a message for a man take part in the services and sit on the official and for the society in which he lives. It is for the boards. We have a very adequate church house individual and for all men. This is the conviction in which a program is carried on seven days a by which we Christians truly live and serve. week. In its tradition and opportunity there is nothing in what this particular church may offer Bonds of Service and Understanding to the near-by city which cannot be offered by al- Such a conception of the Christian Gospel is most any of the thousands of Protestant suburban certain to bear fruit in a process of education and churches surrounding the ninety-four cities of the service between the suburban church and the city. United States which in the 1930 census had a pop- It is quite incredible that such a Gospel should be ulation of over one hundred thousand. Some proclaimed and accepted without a constantly inchurches, more favored by resources and per- creasing interchange of information and effort. sonnel and opportunity, can offer more, and some Like other churches this church has its regular churches, less favored, can offer less. services of prayer and praise and instruction.
Th~ First Essential Here are some sample speeches addressed to groups in the interests of the city in recent weeks. Surely the first essential of such a church in its In their aggregate they were heard by the maoffering to the city is that the Christian Gospel jority of the adult members of the church. proclaimed from its pulpit, believed in by its members and assumed in its program from begin- "Making a Department Store a Civic Institution," by ning to end, is as broad and deep as human life the publicity director of a large department store; and its varied needs. Although the Grosse Pointe Farms church must of necessity bear certain "Mosaic or Melting Pot," by a member of the Detroit labels, in the sense that it is Presbyterian in its Council of Social Agencies; connection and witnesses to evangelical Christianity, there is nothing denominational in its offering "Life in a Settlement House," by the director of a setto the city. We believe that the Christian Gospel tlement; is greater than anyone parish or any single denomination, and that the flow of a redeeming and "Security amidst Uncertainty," by the special supertransforming Divine Grace can come down all visor of the Detroit Edison Company; channels that minister truly to mankind in the name of Christ. When such a conception of the "Cooperatives in Michigan," by an authority on coop- Gospel is proclaimed and believed, when the as- eratives; sumption of the entire parish is that the Gospel "The Church and Youth Delinquency," by a member of the Social Service Department of the Detroit Council of Churches; "The Negro of Detroit," by an authority; "Human Interest in Industry," by the personnel director of a large automobile company; "Bargaining between Employer and Employee," by an official in a large industry; [ 297]
"The Christian Approach to the Jew," by a Christian perance organization. Again the list might be minister, formerly Jewish; considerably extended. Almost every man and woman who holds an official position within the "Detroit's Challenge to the Churches," by the director membership also holds some official position in of the Church Extension Board, given before the the agencies which minister to Detroit's need, and Sunday morning congregation. many other men and women in the membership, holding no special responsibility within the parish, In the yearly program of activities there are are giving hours of their time each week to some many carefully planned service projects. The var- outside service. ious groups within the parish are brought into contact with the city needs and institutions. Some Two decades ago a distinguished English samples of this in recent weeks are listed. preacher who exercised a remarkable ministry on New York's Fifth Avenue is reported to have said The Married People's Class visited the Florence that one of his major problems was that he did Crittenton Home on a Sunday afternoon; not have sufficient tasks to offer to his people. That can only be true if the tasks are limited to The Women's Association visited a Community the local church organization. After all, there are House in an underprivileged district directed only a limited number of services within the local by our denomination; church, and the larger the parish the less is the proportion who can serve. But outside the church, A Professional Women's Club sponsored a Sun- particularly if that church be in or near a city, day night story hour at a Protestant Chil- there is no limit upon the opportunity for service. dren's Home; The mission Sunday Schools, the hospital boards, the settlement houses, the Y. W. C. A., and the Sunday School classes visited Negro churches, Y: M. C. A.-there is almost no end to the open- hospitals, old peoples' homes, settlements, ings. Heroic workers among the underprivileged bringing toys, clothing, etc. are sighing for the active personal assistance of the men and women of the churches. Let it be The list could be made much longer. Through- understood that every church member is expected out the year numerous organized trips take place. to serve his fellows by attaching himself to some The effort is made to give every member of the agency which ministers to human need. church a chance to become acquainted with the needy phases of Detroit's life and to appreciate The Offering in Money the methods by which the Christian forces are meeting those needs. It is safe to claim that no The question of the financial responsibility of adult member of the parish has any excuse for the suburban church is left to the last. That is pleading ignorance of the open sores of civiliza- where it belongs. First must come the proclamation in the city so close at hand. tion of the Christian message and the obligation to shoulder the responsibility. Then must come The Offering in Personnel the education in vivid terms of the proportions of the responsibility. Then must come the actual When such a Gospel is proclaimed, and when working amid the need. Then, last of all and with such an inter-related program of education is af- this careful preparation, is the' basis laid which forded, it is to be expected that earnest-minded makes the financial appeal compelling. Convicand devoted men and women within the church tion, education, participation, giving-those are membership will offer themselves for service and the four steps in the full rich contact between the accept positions of responsibility in those religious suburban church and the city. And the methods and philanthropic organizations which minister by which the money will be collected will be nudirectly to the needs of the city. A trustee and merous. Who can chart them? In the local treasurer of our church is the active head and church there is the official treasurer of benevoldirector of the Detroit Community Fund under ences. There are the gifts from Sunday School which some eighty agencies minister to the life classes and other groups. There are the appeals of the city, many of them under Christian aus- from the agencies outside the church. There is pices. The president of the trustees is also presi- the Community Fund through which most givers dent of a leading hospital board, and a former in these days prefer to donate their largest subpresident of the trustees is president of another scriptions. In addition, there are the ,anonymous hospital board. The teacher of a woman's class offerings which keep coming in, the private exin our Sunday School is president of the Detroit pressions of an earnest generosity which the giver Y. W. C. A. The president of our Women's Asso- would reveal only to God. Who can measure all ciation is also president of Detroit's Women's City of these? After all, it is not the method, but the Club and a former president of our Association motive behind it, which counts. is president of Detroit's Colony Club. A woman member of the church is president of Detroit's Protestant Children's Home. Another member is treasurer of the same institution. Still another member is president of the Allied Youth, a tem-
It would be quite impossible, even if it were de- of the evicted family into their new home. After sirable, to reckon up the giving in money to the that he slipped away without even stopping to tell needs of Detroit by the members of this parish. his name. Adding together amounts that are known, through the church treasurers, through the Detroit Com- Just as there is courage and practical kindness munity Fund and through other channels, it would so, too, there is happiness and love. But the handequal several times the budget of the local church. icaps are too great-the blight and misery and In all probability it should be much greater than waste of life are tragic. it is. There are few among us who really give away money to the point where it means personal The people whom you have met in the foregodeprivation. Let us be grateful for the number, ing pages are not creatures of the imaginationfound among rich and moderately circumstanced they are actual human beings. In some instances and poor, who really give to the point of sacrifice the details of their stories have been somewhat and set the standard for the rest of us. altered. In no instance has a story been exagger- ated. And they are not all dwellers in one city. This is a brief report of what one suburban Moreover, their counterparts may be found in any church is attempting to accomplish in the direc- one of the 6'06 communities in the United States tion of the great city on the border of which it having a population of 1'0,'0'0'0 or more-part of an stands. Undoubtedly other suburban churches are aggregate population of more than 64,'0'0'0,'0'00. doing more. Some suburban churches, because of limitations beyond their control, are not able to Has not every city its lonely aged, its physicaldo as much. The point is that every suburban ly, socially, and economically handicapped, its negchurch must do what it can. The order and lected and delinquent children? Are there not in method of procedure, as it has been found fruitful nearly every city one or more groups which suffer in at least one such church, has been pointed out. from prejudice and discrimination? It has been The Christian Gospel, wide, deep and high, in its said that "every American community has its New Testament power and glory, for every aspect slums or substandard area." And every city has of human need; the carefully planned, educational its impoverished families whose income is less connection between the agencies of the church and than the amount necessary for the maintenance of the agencies of the city; the going forth of con- healthy life. secrated men and women within the church to minister where they are needed, offering their These then are neighbors to us all! varied talents to the varied opportunities; and lastly, and as a natural result, the giving of money MARK A. DAWBER. to support the good causes. Surely this is what any suburban church can do for any city. What we Christians have to give is Christ and NEIGHBORS IN THE SLUMS what we have to tell to this urban world is the It is well to remember that there is probably story of Christ. We want to give to the present more courage to the square foot in the slums than on the avenues. And there is abounding kind- world once again the teaching of Christ. One of ness among the poor. Dickens said, "What the poor mean to the poor only God and the poor the reasons why some of the strong and powerful know." people in our big or little communities have been I remember a man who, coming home after a fruitless quest for work, found an unknown neigh- so hesitant with respect to what their duties are bor's goods upon the sidewalk. The evicted family were just sitting there, dejected and helpless. in a modern world, with its constantly demanding The returning job seeker took the situation in at a glance, rolled a barrel to the middle of the side- social changes, is that they have not paid adequate walk, placed a pan upon it, and appealed to everyone who came along the street. When money attention to the teaching of Jesus Christ. The enough had been secured he searched the neighberhood until he found an available fiat, paid a most sure approach we have to make to the people month's rent in advance, and then recruited a gang of men who moved the household possessions in our churches, when we wish to impress upon them the real significance of what is called the social gospel, is what Jesus himself taught. We begin with the assumption that when the Lord Jesus spoke He knew that He was speaking with authority. We are having to begin to present that argument all over again. I heard one person, who was engaged in the marvelous task of religious education, teaching the Christian religion to chil- dren and young people; one of the first things he told them was that they "should not assume that what Jesus said was right," but that they must hear Him critically. It is a help to me to know that Jesus was right, that He really spoke with authority. J. V. MOLDENHAWER.
MONEY IS MYSELF – IS IT MINE? * How can we raise a generation of men and women who will understand the truth about the stewardship of money? Here is a financial creed for Christians who wish to be good stew- ards: 1. Money is not "filthy lucre"; it is not the "devil's coin"; it is stored-up power. Money is much more than a standard medium of exchange. Money represents coined manhood. The five or ten dollars or more paid me for a day's work represents so much toil of my hand and brain. Through money I can also employ men to toil for me. Thus it sets me free from the limits of place so that I can heal the sick in China, or teach the children of India, or light up the dark places of Africa.
2. My money is mine only in trust; it belongs to God, sinc~I myself belong to Him. He created me, and created wealth. Christ redeemed me-purchased me with His own life- blood.
3. God is expecting me to use this money-this stored-up power-to build His churches and preach His gospel, to train His workers and send them out to teach and heal, and to save His children and help establish His rule of righteousness and brotherhood and peace.
4. To use my income aright so as to please God is one of my first responsibilities as a Chris- tian. Until I make up my mind to do this, my prayers and confessions and claims will be like saying "Lord, Lord," while not doing the will of my Father.
5. God tells me to set aside a definite proportion of my income for His work. By this I acknowledge my debt to God and His sovereignty over all my possessions. By acting on this principle, I also guard against selfishness. Giving away money on impulse and without prayer and regularity is not in harmony with the importance of God's work.
6. The proportion of my income set aside for God's purposes should be not less than one- tenth and may be much more, according to the standard given in the Old Testament. I am re- ceiving far more from God than did the ancient Hebrews or the men of any former generation, and God expects me to give not less than one-tenth and more if I am able, for my debt is great and the need is great.
7. I should seek to use money for God as carefully as I use my resources in my ordinary business. I should study the needs of the Church and the world-wide work of Christ so that I will give wisely. If I give systematically and pray with my giving, God will multiply my gift and bless the results.
8. But money is not only a means of service, it may also be a dangerous weapon. It com- mands so many things that men often forget the real values which it can never purchase: the riches of righteousness, love, happiness, a clear conscience and fellowship with God. Three rich men stand forth in prominence in the Gospel pages. One was a fool who bartered his soul for barns and acres; one was a man hard of heart and blind, who saw neither God nor his beggar brother at his door. The third lacked the courage to leave his wealth and choose the higher good by following Jesus.
9. Money spells opportunity. Today, when money offers men so many chances for self- indulgence, it also brings great opportunities for loving service. Never were doors, at home and abroad, so wide open and so appealing. Never were the forces for education and evan- gelism and Christian service so well organized. Never were there so many men and women waiting to be put into service through the use of money.
10. Money also spells obligation. Not only are the Church and Jesus Christ saying this, but the State is saying it, and so are conscience and common sense. Christian faith and loyal- ty are not shown by those who leave large gifts to heirs who have not earned it, who do not need it, and who cannot be trusted to administer it wisely. But the greatest responsibility is not in leaving money behind when we can no longer use it; the greatest obligation is in the use if it while we live. What a tremendous obligation rests upon the man who has been entrusted with wealth or the ability to get wealth. The war against poverty and suffering and igno- rance and sin is with us all the time; money is one great weapon against these, when entrust- ed to wise heads and loving hearts. It is a powerful means by which my life may be given to God and made more fruitful and beneficial to mankind.
• Adapted from the United Ohurch Reoord.
Ways of
'fested Met1wds for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MRS. ESTELLA S. AITCHISON, GRANVILLE, OHIO NEW HOME MISSION women will have a part in writing the reading up on the subject will BUILDING MATERIAL programs for the eleven meetings of convince you of its significance the year. .. . Mrs. Dan Brummitt, and its possibilities. Program The Department Editor is national vice-president, will plan the handicapped, as always at this lessons and point out "The Skyline of builders will be interested in the City." Bridges in History and Legend, time of the year, by the fact that "Widening Horizons" will be a two- by W. J. and S. R. Watson, a book brimful of poems, stories, the program builders to whom months' study of the fields and projshe usually turns for "Effective quotations, etc. Ask for it at Ways of Working" have not yet ects of the women's missionary enter- your public library." (Suggested prise of the M. E. Church:. this 'U!i~l include both home and !oretgn actwt- had opportunity to familiarize ties. for reference only.) themselves with the new study "New Horizons in Christian Relabooks and incorporate them into "The function of bridges may workable plans in time for the tiohs" will be a two-months' study of be described as the starting of a June issue, copy for which must the missionary work of the women of stream of human traffic hitherto be sent weeks in advance of pub- the M. E. Church South and the Meth- impossible; the surmounting of lication. Some of the denomina- odist Protestant Church. This is to a barrier, the linking up of two tional magazines ann 0 u n c e give understanding and preparation worlds divided by a gulf." (Enfrankly that "While information for future relationships with all the cyclopredia. ) as to themes and titles of text- women of United Methodism. books can be furnished, the "There can be little doubt that study courses cannot be ready An Achievements Poster upon which in many ways the story of bridge earlier than June." Hence it goals accomplished may be marked building is the story of civilizawill be necessary to supplement will again be included in the study tion." (Franklin D. Roosevelt.) 'our material on the Home Mis- course. sion topic, "The City," with Most of these programs verify other timeless plans which can Bridges the theme in that they disregard be adapted to any program pres- the invidious distinction between entation, and await the harvest This has been chosen for the the "home" and the "foreign" from summer conferences for theme of the women of the sections of the world-field and more specific outlines. Northern Baptist Convention present a blended and unified for 1938-39. It is a particularly theme. Much abbreviated, they "Forward Looking Plans" fertile and adaptable one. run as follows: Under this title Woman's The builder who first bridged Ni- THE INTER-BOROUGH BRIDGE Home Missions says: agara's gorge, The Bridge which Connects Our Before he swung his cable shore to City with God's City shore, "A Prayer for the City," from Sent out across the gulf his venturing kite Bearing a slender cord for unseen hands To grasp upon a farther cliff and draw The ,Forward Looking Committee A greater cord, and then a greater Prayers of the Social Awakenfelt that the task they faced this year yet; ing, by Rauschenbusch. was somewhat different from that of former committees. Naturally, they Till' at last across the chasm swung Ten-minute Talk, "The City" should be forward looking in offering The cable-then the mighty bridge in (its growth in the last decades, plans for the year's study in methods its importance in our civilization and achievement. They should also air. today. The sociology teacher in cultivate a spirit of readiness for new So we may send our little timid near-by high school or college adjustments that would help every would have material for rewoman to look farther in her own mis- thought sponse. See "City Man," chapsionary service and relationship than Across the void, out to God's reaching ters 1 and 2). she has ever done before. "New Horizons" therefore was the theme chosen hands, Ten-minute Talk, "What Our for the coming year. Send out our love and faith to thread Church Can Do for the City" (t h r 0 ugh establishing new Mrs. Merle English, secretary of the deep, churches, through the Christian Wesleyan Service Guild and a mem- Thought after thought until the little ber of the "Spiritual Life Committee cord Has greatened to a chain no chance can break, And-we are anchored to the Infinite!
EDWIN MARKHAM.
will write the devotional book, "New "If on first thought 'Bridges' Center, by helping our bilingual Horizons in Worship." Conference women, missionaries, seems an unusual theme for mis- neighborhood church. If you sionary programs, even a hasty live in a city secure a map and national officers and local auxiliary [301 ]
locate the projects of its city means the professors as well. every woman into the church, in mission work). Education must be evangelized." friendship, getting our neigh- Ten-minute devotional. (The Bible begins in a garden but (E. Stanley Jones.) bors, in evangelism, getting the soon drives man out. It then tells about cities. It ends with Panel Discussion: Why Is strength of united effort in orthe City of God coming down out of heaven. Gen. 1: 1-5, 27-31. Education a Legitimate Interest ganized missionary work, to get Amos 5: 4-24. Rev. 2'1: 1-7. Pray that our cities may become of a MissionarySociety? (Choose power for all in Jesus Christ God's cities.) at least five intelligent persons (the devotional). THE PEACE BRIDGE seated around a table discussing ON THE BRIDGE The Bible in Many Languages this question. They might con- Missionaries, reaching the sider (1) need of trained work- This program is on the responpeople, had to become the philologists and translators of the ers in local churches, (2) train- sibility of each individual for world, in order to supply the Bible. Thus they built the lexi- ing of future lay readers in our Christian Citizenship. It lends cons and grammars and translated the Bible into over 100 lan- home mission fields, (3) need of itself especially well to another guages in Africa and more than a score in India-more than 600 trained native leaders in the for-'" consideration of "The City." A living languages the world over today. Thus they surmounted eign field, (4) our contribution round table discussion on "The the lingual barriers and built bridges of intercommunication as (insert name of the denomina- Needs of Your Community" is and possible understanding. tion) to denominational schools suggested, with sub-topics as Through the printed word, inclusive of magazines and papers, in America, our educational follows: we are helping to build the foundations for Christian literature work abroad, to union Christian (1) The Temperance Advocatein lands where reading will be colleges. Other suggestions are What is being done in temperance one of the chief methods of edu- (1) a reception to the graduates education, the number of local places cation. Acts 2: 5-12. Psalm 19: 1-4. Dan. 7: 13, 14. in the local church, (2) presenta- dispensing liquor, etc. t I·On f the work f th e IocaI st u- Ar(e2)thTehekinMd ootifonpicPtiucrteusreshSowcnouitn- Five-minute talks on (a) the your community the kind you want American Indian Bible, (b) the 0 0 young people to see? etc. Spanish Bible, (c) the Burmese Bible, (d) Bible translations into dent counsellor, (3) arousing the language of India. interest in some near-by denom- Review the work of the Com- inational college.) (3) The Reporter on Gamblingmittee on Christian Literature Closing prayer for youth What is being done to obliterate it for Women and Children in Mission Fields, as this is the project around the world. This program locally? for the World Day of Prayer. Iends 1·tseIf to theCl·ty t heme. you(4r ) grTohuep, Pyeoaucer cPormompaugnaitnyd,istta-kinIgs In advance, ask the member- THE SILVER BRIDGE part in the study of international reship to bring Bibles in other lan- This is a meeting for exhibi- lations? In the Peace Movement? guages. tion of White Cross gifts (for mission hospital work) , and (5) The Member of the League of THE BRIDGE IN BUILDING Women Voters-The voter's obliga- tion in community and national af- Our Students suggests that they be arranged fairs. "The Christian Church must set· its own house in order and as for a shower, with ribbon tied THE OLD COVERED BRIDGE get ready for the greatest crisis to each hidden gift. Give each in history. . . . It must win the Village Work in India students. The students have member a ribbon and let her changed. Never have they been hunt for the "shower gift." On With masses of India crossing more open and responsive than each gift has been fastened a tag the bridge from ignorance and now to a message that is sincere, containing a fact or two about superstition to new life, the topic real and adequate. . We must the missionary for whom it is in- symbolizes the old ways giving launch a" nation-wide movement tended, the tags to be taken home place to the new. to win the high school, the college, the university students to as souvenirs. When all packages 1. Describe life in villages of India. have been found, group them ac- 2. Review work of our Christian centhe Christian Way. And this cording to their destination ready for presentation by the ters in that country. president to the guests of honor 3. Ten-minute discussion of the values (impersonated by members of of Christian centers in rural com- the society), each such "guest" munities. responding with an account of 4. Moving picture or stereoptic·on lec- her work and the joy the gifts ture on "Village Life in India." 5. Base devotionals on the villages in which Christ lived and worked.
will bring. A summer Christ- THE TOWER BRIDGE mas tree or an umbrella ar- ranged like a tree with gifts tied The Ministry of Healing a Tower on may be substituted. of Strength to All Nations Prayer that the gifts may Arrange program specific to bridge the distance and carry the medical mission work of the love of Jesus to those receiv- your denominaton, having "A ing the articles. Consultation of Doctors in In- dia," contrasting hospital work THE SWING BRIDGE used by missionary pioneers and ours today, impersonating actual HTo-geth-er-to-get-her"
This may consist of five-min- medical missionaries nQW Qn ute talks in regard to getting their felds.. etc.
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
THE FOOT BRIDGE books, to be hunted for and read "I also knew a Methodist; He couldn't sing, he said. It Connects Our Neighbor's when all are found. He'd holler 'glory' loud enough, Home with Ours The missions end of the en- To almost raise the dead. "Seeing You r Neighbor," velope tells the story of life But as to his apportionment, "Loving Your Neighbor," "The Neighbor's Response," might be abundant or its lack. Though his barns were waxtopics under which to consider Stewardship ought not to be ing fat, this theme, the last being by women in the old-world costume thought of primarily in terms of His s h 0 uti n g wasn't loud and the new. enough possessions. Neither can it be thought of apart from posses- To ever help raise that!
sions. Charity that begins at home, THE TOLL BRIDGE and stays. at home, dies of close "God bends from heaven above confinement. . A Visualization.of the Budget and says: MARION LAWRANCE. 'I gave thee the gift of Life; On a map of the world mark *** Art thou not blessed in many your location and church, then William Allen White, in mak- ways?
from this take bright ribbons to ing a magnificent gift to human- Are my heaven and earth at the countries in which your home ity, said that there are three strife?
and foreign missionaries are la- kicks in every dollars: one kick I gave thee of my seed to sow; boring, giving number of mis- when you earn it; one when you Bring thou Me thy hundredsionaries in each country, the save it; and one when you give fold.' high lights of their work, etc., it away. *** Can I look up with face aglow closing with a meditation on And answer, 'Father, here is "Are We Faithful Stewards." Give more if you would have gold?' " Opening of gift boxes. more, Spend less and you will want *** THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE Time: A recent Sunday morn- less, "Christ – the Invisible Bridge Keep all and you will lose all. ing. Place: A near-by drug store. that Leads from Earth MAE ROTHROCK. Customer: "Give me change for a dime, please." to Heaven" *** Clerk: "Certainly, and I hope Reading of Longfellow's poem One of the biggest and short- you enjoy the sermon!" on "Follow Me." est sermons ever preached was *** Solo, "Were You There When that by Dean Swift on an occa- They Crucified My Lord ?" sion when a special appeal was Dramatization-"The Proces- being made for funds. The The Miser: sion of the Ages," covering wom- Bishop of London had been in- "Pity that poor old man whose en of Christ's day, saints of the vited to give the sermon of the golden store, middle ages, frontier women, occasion, but when he failed to If stacked, were high as foreign-speaking neighbors in appear, Dean Swift was called yonder minaret; America today, women of other upon. He mounted the pulpit Yea, pity him; he covets lands, women of the Church to- and said, "My text is, 'He that more and moreday, etc. (This is to be secured giveth to the poor lendeth to the His soul has never had a from Baptist state promotion Lord.' Those who believe in the birthday yet." offices, but could readily be im- security, down with the cash!" *** -From "The Window of provised as desired by those out- Y. W. A."
side the denomination.) "We can do more than we've The Secret of Power The suggestion is made that ever done, this meeting be held in the form And not feel a whit the The secret of Christianity is of a Spring Breakfast, asking worse; that you can have Power if you women to respond briefly to the Loving never emptied a heart, are willing to accept Jesus Christ topics of Love, Joy, Peace, Go- Nor did giving empty a as a Lord and yield the absolute ing, Coming, Getting, the last purse." allegiance to him. Do you think talk being on "Christ." Each *** St. Francis or Luther or Carey woman lights a candle in a "Once I knew a Baptist; or Wesley did what they did in seven-branched candlestick as He had a pious look, their own power? These men she finishes, the central candle He had been wholly im- were certain that they did not. representing Christ. mersed- And so were Moody and Philips Sayings on the Subject Except his pocketbook. Brooks. So in fact are all those of Giving He'd put a nickel on the plate who really produce abiding re- And then with might and sults. One and all, they say, "It Arrange the s e attractively main is God who worketh in us." And and let members of the circle He'd sing, 'When we asunder God will work in you if you de- read them. They may be in a part sire to have him.
basket, on flowers, or hidden in It gives us inward pain.' ROBERT W. SEARLE.
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BULLETIN Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, Nmv YORK, N. Y.
——-~·-.–I~ THE CITY AND OLD face the inevitable and do all in ting acquainted. The Indian our power to help in the adjust-" school and the missionaries could AMERICANS ments which must be made. help by letting city churches know where their people "go There is much discussion re- Although the majority of the garding "minority g r 0 ups." into town" to live; then be will- Who are they? A Mashpee Indian young men and women ing to go nine-tenths of the way. (American) ,Indian boy on Cape from the schools return to their The Indians are reserved and Cod was refused work recently home communities or take posibecause he was an alien. An fear they are not wanted. Give Oneida woman in Milwaukee tions in the government service them a place in the church and was asked how long it was since there are many who are seeking a share in its work. Do not treat her people came to this country. education, professional or busi- them as novelties. They make She answered, "several years"; ness training or work in the not wishing, she told me, to em- true and loyal friends and it is barrass those kind white ladies towns and cities near or far worth much effort to secure this by telling them who she really from the reservations. In some loyalty and friendship for our- s tat e s, Oklahoma especially, selves and our churches. was! many Indian families live in the "But how do they happen to As proof of what can be done towns which have grown up on we can look at the clubs of Inbe in the cities?" is a question their former reservations. They dian girls in City Y. W. C. A.'s. often asked. And the next one are at home and yet are pracis, "Are there any in my town?" The oldest club in the Oakland, For many years some of us have tically strangers in these new California, Association is the had countless opportunities of communities. Children are en- Four Winds Club. Reno, Neintroducing our friends to the tering into all phases of public aliens among whom they as a vada, has two clubs, the newest minority group have come to school life but few of them have one for the Indian girls in public find work and to live in the found their pIa c e in the school. The Los Angeles Club is strange new world which has churches. grown up on old camp grounds perhaps the oldest. It was where the deer and the buffalo Studies of various kinds and around 25 years ago that Cynare no more. Why do they come? in various cities have been made thia Big Tree was president. regarding their Indian citizens Years ago I asked Miss Julia Her husband posed for the Lathrop what we could do to and transient dwellers. The statue, "The End of the Trail," keep Indian young people from most complete is that made by but as he had short hair, Cynthia going to the cities. "Nothing," Mr. G. E. E. Lindquist, of the posed for the long braids. They she answered quickly, "Why Society for the Propagation of should they differ from any were beautiful as she presided at young people in feeling the lure the Gospel, of Oklahoma City, the club meetings. Syracuse, of the city?" This was even be- with the cooperation of the Min- New York, has the most eastern fore the movies were as wide- isterial Alliance, the Y. M. C. A., spread as they are now, with of these clubs, which are to be their pictures of the wealth and the Y. W. C. A., and the Indian found in many cities east, west, wonders of the city, and before Service Employment officers. It north and south. Then there drouth and dust bowls and grass- is impossible to give even a sum- are the cities in which the Inhoppers were driving all before mary of the report in this arthem. dian girls have become so much ticle, but it shows that other a part of the community and the Miss Lathrop did not mean cities should be studied in the Association that they join clubs that we should not make every same manner, and ways opened effort to keep Indian Youth from and classes with girls of all races the economic struggle to which by which the churches can serve and no longer feel happier in they were wholly unaccustomed, this group. It was found that segregating themselves. but she did mean that we must the majority of the Indians in Oklahoma City were members of This transition from segrega- the Mission churches at their tion to complete friendliness homes-the very missions prob- with all, is taking place in the ably to which these city churches public schools and should con- were contributing. tinue and increase. But most of What can be done about it? all it should be encouraged and First, look about you-a scien- fostered in our town and city tific study or just a friendly get- churches. There are few reser- [304 ]
BULLETIN: COUNCIL OF WOMEN FOR HOME MISSIONS
vations left; the number of "full and an appeal from an American opposite a great school center. blood" Indians will continue to citizen brought action. Then, I Disquieting rumors of events godecrease. They are fellow citi- ing on in the school were conzens, fellow Christians with all found that the property was stantly brought to the men and our church people. Let us do owned by one of the large women of the community. Peoour part in making them feel ple spoke of the high school and that all are one in Christ. schools in the East-a Christian shook their heads. Some of the college which sounds a fine mes- leading officers of the church Prepared by Miss Edith M. Dabb, member sage of social reform; I found, sent their boys away to acadof the Committee on Indian Work of the too, that this was one of the emies. But what about poorer Home Missions Council and the Council of school's investments which had families who could not afford W'omen for Home Missions. never paid. There are other private schools? Had the' church any obligation for these chil- Making Your City God's City problems in connection with bet- dren? In our country with its ter housing. Recently elaborate separation of church and state, Did you ever think what housing programs in many cities has the church performed its your city would be like if it were have replaced slums with large full duty to the school by its God's City? Sunday services in the commu- spacious buildings, but have they nity? John, the Apostle, had such a ministered to the need of poor vision on a Sunday afternoon people, or made a little more God's city will be a city of long ago-a vision not alone of comfort for families of the mid- neighborliness. Many an urban his city but of all the world. dle class? Is Italy making more dweller of today might ask the "The kingdoms of this world are progress in housing than Amer- age-old question of the lawyerbecome the kingdoms of our "and who is my neighbor?" I Lord and of his Christ, and he ica? What must your city do to live in a community of 5,000 peoshall reign forever and forever." house its people in a way com- ple, housed in two blocks. After It was a distraught world that six months there, I am ac- John faced. His own city, mensurate with abundant liv- quainted with only two of the Ephesus, was rich and beautiful. ing? 5,000 people, and I have met It contained one of the greatest them in connections outside the libraries in the world and a uni- If your city is to be God's city, community. In earlier days oldversity which was a famed cen- it must have every provision to fashioned neighborliness solved ter of Greek culture. But John many relief and health problems. knew also of the distressing need make sick people well and to Are our substitutes today as efof its poor people, of the many keep well people from getting fectual? youth in that city who had no sick. What wonderful things opportunity for abundant life. God's city will be a city of Was he thinking of his city on philanthropists and doctors have that Sunday afternoon when in done for the poor of our genera- w 0 r s hip. We do not lack a vision he saw "The new Jeru- tion! What fine laws we have salem, coming down from God, to help maintain health! But churches in our cities.. If you out of heaven, made ready as a even yet the middle-class man bride adorned for her husband" ; who cannot lay claim to a free will look out of the window as and when he heard voices say- hospital bed must spend in a ing, "The tabernacle of God is few months of illness the earn- you ride along on the train, you with men, and he shall dwell ings of a lifetime-his security with them and they shall be his will be surprised how often on peoples"? Have you, a Chris- for old age. tian of today, any such vision of the skyline, the steeple or the your city becoming God's city? God's city must be a place of economic justice. First Avenue, tower of a church may be seen. In God's city abundant life must be possible for everyone. with its lines of miserable tene- Exquisite in architecture are Can that be true in the housing ments leans heavily against the the churches in our cities. But conditions of your city? "You beautiful modern buildings of what proportion of the people in can kill a man as easily with a the city attend those churches on house as with a pistol, only the Second Avenue. anyone Sunday? How far does process is longer and more pain- There are other forms· of jus- the influence of the Master reach ful," someone has said. A few outside the walls of those years ago, in calling among some tice in the city of God: political churches to the children playing Italian friends, I found them liv- justice, legal justice. Does your on the streets, to the brokening in a tenement the sanitary hearted or distraught cooped up condition of which was so un- city boast of these? What a in apartments near by? It is wholesome that it was affecting dream Israel had when the peo- not more churches or more beauthe health of all the families liv- ple believed that their God might tiful buildi~gs that we need, for ing there. Intensely disturbed be their king, and that their worship, but more of the spirit by the dreadful condition, I ap- prophet who guided their actions of the Christ. "And I, if I be pealed to the Board of Health, on earth might be God's repre- lifted up, will draw all men unto me." How can you make your sentative. Will we ever have city God's city? political justice until some of that conception comes to Amer- Prepared by Miss Alice W . .s. Brimson, ican cities? member of the Executive Committee of the If your city is to be God's city, Council of Women for Home Missions.
it will be a community where education is carried on in a way to lead young lives into rich, in- telligent social living. In a cer- tain city, a large church was just
r OUJM!n?:~~;sp';!~:cu5?t~~Ok
~~~J~.I~,===============–==E=D=IT=E=D=B=Y==M=R=S'=H==EN=R=I=ET=T=A=H=='_F=ER=G=U=S=ON_,_X==EN=I=A_,_O=H=IO==================~ AFRICA when the waiting room is full at an end by the Italian conquest, Medical Work in Morocco 7: 30 in the morning. a party of the workers were Conquest by Healing tells the "Each morning w hen the '. able to take up their quarters story of the beginnings of med- women have gathered we have a in Khartoum with a view to ical work for women and chil- short service of prayer, gospel starting fresh work in an entire- dren in Fez. In 1888, Miss teaching and hymn-singing. The ly new field on the Ethiopian women generally listen well; we border, in the Anglo-Egyptian Emma Herdman, of the North know that some of them come Sudan.
Africa Mission came to Fez to only to hear the teaching, and A considerable delay has oc- start work. There were no make the need of medicine an curred before any effective work roads, 0 n I y cam e I or mule excuse for coming. After this can be done, but now, after the little service we take about twen- necessary negotiations h a v e tracks; no inns or hotels. Trav- ty-five women into the dispen- been concluded, permission has elers were obliged to car r y sary and attend to their ail- been given by the Sudan Gov- ments. Teaching and hymn-sing- ernment for a station to be everything they required. Miss ing goes on in the waiting room opened in the Maban tribe, at a Herdman and her two compan- with those who are left behind place called Boin. The area ions had to consent to being accompanied by a Moorish soldier, till the first lot have passed out north of this is dominated by as a sign of authority for the by a second door. There are not Mohammedanism, and permis- great results to be seen from all sion has not been given to beundertaking. He was so old and this fifty years' work; but we gin work there. Permission is infirm that the ladies had to believe that the old Indian Mo- being sought to open a mission help him mount his horse, but hammedan was right when he for the K 0 mat rib e. The said, 'In the Day of Resurrec- Maban and Koma people have he served as notice to all they might meet that they were un- tion many Christians will arise much in common. They are pader protection of the government. from Moslem graves.' " gan, wholly uninfluenced by Mo- When they arrived in Fez, Unusual Methods hammedanism. they found that no one would The difficulties that have to be rent them a house, so they had to put up with a caravanserai. Here is the way one foreign overcome are the cost of maih- Later, the Sultan let it he known missionary in Africa obtains a taining a base so far from civithat anyone who wished to rent hearing for the Gospel message. lization, the hardships of travel, them a house had nothing to fear the home building problem and from the government. S 0 0 n The natives were timid, and not learning the unwritten lanafter that Miss Herdman and easily approached, so when mis- guages.-The Christian. her fellow workers opened a dis- sionaries trek softly through the pensary, which is still going on. For several years, two days were jungle to a cluster of huts there Uganda After Sixty Years given to men; now, there is only is usually a quick exodus of the Women's Dispensary. Miss S. M. Denison has this to say women and children in panic at Prebendary W. Wilson Cash, of the work: sight of a white face. Cupping Secretary of the Church Mis- sionary Society, closed an evan- "There are now s eve r a I his hands over his mouth the gelistic mission in Uganda with French Government Dispensa- missionary shouts after them; a sermon in the great Namirries and two Hospitals for na- "Have you heard the goo d embe Cathedral, with over 2,000 tives in the city, but this has news?" Fern i n i n e curiosity reverent Africans pre sen t. not lessened the numbers of causes them to halt cautiously, Looking down from the pulpit those who come to us. We still and the speaker adds, "About have from 800 to 1,000 patients God's Son?" This has often he saw, in review, the work of each month. There would be proved to be the beginning of a sixty years of the Uganda Mismore if we could manage to at- new group of believers.-Alli- sion. Here are some of his imtend to a greater number; each ance Weekly. pressions: day people are turned away New Field of Work (1) Every tribe in Uganda was represented at the service, When the promising work of tribes that for hundreds of years the Sudan Interior Mission in had been incessantly at war. Ethiopia was rudely brought to (2) All the people present [306 ]
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
were free, men and women. man was referring to a solar great family, and cook their Forty chiefs had liberated every eclipse of a few years before. meals around the same fires. slave because they were fellow- This proved to be the case, and Often a patient comes with his Christians. he was greatly interested in the whole family, that he may have scientific explanation. The mis- company along the way. (3) Many in the congregation sionary then went on to say that had formerly been haunted by he had come to tell him of the At the larger hospitals are superstition, had tried to propi- true God, who made the sun, training schools for nurses, and tiate evil spirits by human sac- and the moon (which they call here the mission has an imporrifices; now they all worshiped the sun's wife); as well as the tant part to play. If a native God as revealed in Christ. stars, the world, trees and nurse has not been brought up rivers; the God who, in His under the influence of the mis- (4) This self-supporting and love, had given His Son for our sion and learned to know Jesus self-governing c h u r c h raises salvation. A young man who Christ, the chances are that he more than 9,000 pounds every had listened intently, said: "The will degenerate into a practitionyear for the maintenance and old men in this country would er, doing things not much differextension of its work. greatly rejoice if you would ex- ent from the old witch-doctors. plain this affair to them. It Christianity has indeed taken would be well for you to tell us -Congo Mission News. root in Uganda, and church about the true God." members are reaching out in all Greater Freedom in Angola directions to witness for Christ. Medicine in the Bush They have carried the Gospel His Excellency, the Governor not only to all parts of Uganda, Modern medicine in the Con- General of Angola, in reply to but members are serving as mis- go is being practiced along sev- an appeal by the missions for a sionaries in the Sudan, the Bel- eral lines. There are the hospi- ruling on the question of evangian Congo, the Pigmy Forest, tals in large centers, for the na- gelism, in which work they have in Ruanda and Urundi. Recent- tive as well as for the white been hindered by officials in ly, some men walked 300 miles population; the bush station certain parts of Angola, has sent to appeal for more missionaries. hospitals; the rural dispensa- the following communication: They were not thinking of white ries and the visits of doctors and men but of Africans as mission- sanitary agents in the villages. "Doubts have arisen as to aries for their fellow-Africans. whether foreign missionaries The large hospitals compare may do evangelistic work out- -C. M. S. Outlook. quite favorably with the average side of mission stations journey- hospital in Europe; and the ing through the native villages. When God Died rural dispensaries where native It is understood that as evangel- nurses are in charge might be ism is the way in which mis- R. V. Reynolds, a writer for compared with first-aid stations. sionaries propagate their reli- World Dominion, visited the The bush station hospital serves gion, they may, as many as are Marakwet tribe in Kenya, a as a sort of approach in reach- competent for such work, carry region which, so far as he knew, ing the native sick. These latter on such among natives in their had not previously been visited are usually in the charge of mis- settlements." by' any missionary. An old man sion doctors, and are carried on said to him: "I am very much as regular missionary w 0 r k; This permISSIOn does not puzzled over God's death." Al- and while the greater part of mea n that missionaries may most as much puzzled as the old the work is done for the natives, build, or own houses for evanman, Mr. Reynolds asked, "Did there is always a certain amount gelistic work in the villages. God really die?" "Oh, yes," was to be done for other mission- That would require special authe answer, "several seasons ago a r i e s, and occasionally for thorization. at the second hour of the day white traders. At these bush God became very ill and died." hospitals, the x-ray, special lab- -World Dominion Press. As he said this he indicated the oratory procedures, all the modtime by pointing where the sun ern mechanical appliances and Education of Women would be at eight o'clock in the sometimes even electric lights morning. He was then asked are in most cases things to be "Educate a man you educate whether God remained dead. desired, but not obtained. an individual, but educate a "No," said he, "after a while he woman and you educate a famgot better and came to life A bush hospital is a very ily." This axiom governs the again; but I am overcome to democratic p I ace. Here are Native Administration Commisknow about this affair. It is a gather.ed· people of many tribes sion in regard to the education bad thing when God dies; so and languages. Knowing that of women in South Africa. The many things go wrong. Locusts they may have to stay some time Commission urges a more thorcome, and famine." at the hospital, they bring with ough training of women teach- them things to work with, such ers, the establishment of more Remembering that this tribe as the making of mats, baskets, primary schools, the opening up has an undue reverence for the etc. They live together as one of secondary education to girls, sun, amounting almost to sun- the training of nurses and teachworship, it occurred to the mis- ers of domestic science; also, sionary that possibly the old the thorough teaching of domes- tic arts in all schools for girls.
However, the Commission turns tiniest village may have a place American missionary organizathe cold shoulder to the idea of of meeting. co-education, in spite of the suc- tions are at work there, the cess of the Church of Scotland Here is an extract from a let- largest single cultural and reli- School in Kikuyu. ter of one of Mr. Gale's con- gious investment being the Jeru- -South African Outlook. verts: salem Y. M. C. A.
The Malagasy Church "We think of the work of the The fact that the work in Gospel achieved here by our fa- Who Are the Alaouites? Madagascar continues to progress in spite of the fewness of ther. More than a hundred A sect of Islam, followers of European workers there indicates that the Malagasy have de- churches he has built in our Ali, are known as Alaouites. veloped considerably of late in the matter of self-control and land, and year by year each of They are illiterate, and under self-support. these churches beheld his face the bondage of powerful over- The 14th of August last was and heard ~rom his own lips the lords. From these people came the centenary of the death of Word of LIfe. W~er~ver. there . patients to the Kennedy Memo- Rasalama, the first Malagasy Christian martyr. The whole of was a human habItatIOn In the '> rial Hospital in Tripoli, and to the Malagasy Protestant Church remembered this great event in Marofotsy land.. even to the them went evangelists to follow the i r church history. About 40,000 people gathered on the smallest hut bUIlt of grass and up the contacts made in the hoss pot w her e Rasalama was speared to death, remembering leaves, the;re he stooped to.enter pital. Young women from the with gratitude her faith and all that it had meant to them; and that. he mIght lead our trIbe to Junior College tried for several at the same time proving that her death had not been in vain. ChrIst. He showed l?ve to the summers to raise the social level The task of the Malagasy most debased, and kIndness to of the women in a needy Alaou- Church is one of the first mag- those who ,oppose<l: the Gospel, ite village. Throughout the ennitude. A spirit of materialism and nationalism is affecting the that. he mIght brIng them to tire district colporteurs toured, life and outlook of the people, C~rIst. ~ar G,od se.nd us a man giving out portions of the Scripand additional w 0 r k e r s are WIth a spIrIt lIke ,hIS. M,ay the tures, and proclaiming Christ. greatly needed. work of redempb?n wh~ch he Pastors worked from two cen- be.gal!, be accomplIshed. I~ our ters, and later the British Syria Friends Service C.ounsel. trIbe. -World Domtnwn. Mission sent a nurse evangelist, Church Planting in WESTERN ASIA and a young convert from Islam. Madagascar Following all this seed-sowing, W. Kendall Gale after leading Hard Pressed Palestine the Presbyterian Mission has some of the Malagasy people, opened a new center in Massyaf, step by step, to a realization of Writing in the New York Sun a government center to which sin, and from that to a Saviour on "The Truth About Palestine," Alaouites come to transact their from sin, asks: "Would you like Mr. Phelps Adams says that business. Except for the family to have a church and learn more four opposing elements are in of the evangelist, not a single about God and this Jesus; to the unfortunate clash in the Christian lived in this town of know what is really sin that you Holy Land, One is the pressure 3,000. may not be wrong before Him, of 16,000,000 Jews seeking to and about the way of salvation make Palestine their national Within two months the evanand eternal life?" home; another, the 100,000,000 gelist had made amazingprog- Arabs who know that the coun- ress. He had gained the friend- An eager "Yes" is the usual try is too small to accommodate ship of the best people and of response, for these are strange all the oppressed Jews in the government officials. His wife things they have heard and they world today; the third, the had enlightened the women in wish to know more. Then out British Empire, which finds Pal- various phases of family welcomes a sheet of paper; every estine essential as a military fare. Already, there is marked name is taken down, with age base in the eastern Mediterra- improvement in behavior, cleanand name of village. French law nean and fourth, the expanding liness and a spirit of helpfulpermits worship in a hut, if ten Italian Empire. The situation ness. Here is pioneer evangeladult si2'natures are secured (or is complicated by the ambiguous ism that promises large returns. crosses in lieu of signatures). promises made to both Jews and Eighty signatures assures the -Syria News Quarterly. erection of a church, so that the Arabs. In return for Arab aid Christianity in Iran to the Allied cause, the British promised to recognize Arab in- Rev. H. H. Riggs, accompa- dependence; while to the Jews nied by representatives of the they promised to establish for Near East Christian Council, them a national home in Pales- the British and Foreign Bible tine. Thus the final fate of Pal- Society, World's Sunday School estine depends upon reconciling Association and some other or- these two promises, or the vic- ganizations, made a visit to the tory of one of these four oppos- missions of Iran, and has record- ing forces. ed some of their impressions.
About 10,000 Americans are First in importance was the living in Palestine, of whom unity of s p i r it noticeable 9,000 are American Jews. Eight throughout the country between
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
the missionaries and members There is ready sale for the Bible, good. Women from the four of the local c h u r-c he s; also and small groups of people are corners of India came to the among the different elements of meeting regularly to study it in latest session in Nagpur. The the Iranian Churches. An evi- many places. resolutions dealt with primary dence of this unity was seen in The Bishop of Iran gives a education, the main emphasis a communion service attended typical incident. being for free and compulsory by the group. The five elders "About two years ago nine education throughout the land, were an Assyrian, a Kurd, an people came to an important and that these primary schools American, an Armenian and a town and were accepted by the be open to both boys and girls Hebrew Christian. The same church council the r e as in- of every caste and religion. Res- spirit was seen in many of the quirers. Last autumn a colpor- olutions on soc i a I questions churches visited. In some of teur visited the place, to find formed another large group.
these the majority of the mem- about twenty men who all con- Subjects dealt wit h included bers of the church are converts fessed .to their faith in Christ. rural uplift, condition of women from non-Christian religions of They said that no one had been in jails, prohibition, d rug s, Iran, but in perfect fellowship out to visit them, and that they cruelty to animals, equal rights with them are others whose an- had not been able to get teach- for women, age of marriage and cestors have for centuries been ing; and so they had decided to many other things.
Christians. While in some places appoint one of themselves as a The conference stands square- differences of language have led leader, and to obtain a sp€cial ly for prohibition and for peace.
to separate churches, act u a I place, to which they could in- Here is a message from Nagpur union in some others and the co- vite new inquirers." for American women: "We are operation of all these different The newspaper Iran reports a convinced that increasing armaelements everywhere, are proof great advance in adult educa- ments of warfare by land, sea of the strength of the Christian tion. In June last there were and air, and the harnessing of movement in Iran. 1,597 classes and an enrolment the knowledge of science for the Another striking fact in the of 93,371. The Institute of purpose of destruction are not Preaching and Public Speaking going to bring peace to a strickchurch situation in Iran is an received 4'00 students. Primary en world. We feel that it is element of both strength and school enrolment also increased through the weapons of love weakness. Relatively few of the by 15,255, and that of middle alone that a new order can be churches have full-time ordained schools by 3,271. Teheran Uni- ushered in. Standing on the ministers; but the leadership of versity enrolled 1,549 students, the Church is nevertheless Iran- of whom 86 were girls. Boy threshold of another year we ian as to administration, and Scouts are popular and number dedicate ourselves to non-viomuch of the preaching is being 18,354. lence in thought, word and deed, and appeal to women throughout done by laymen who feel that the world to join hands with us, the responsibility rests upon INDIA, BURMA, SIAM for we are confident that this them. doctrine alone can quell the de- sire for possession, can save the The visitors were also im- All-India Women's Conference nations from racial jealousies pressed by the fact that while and communal strife, and pro- Thirteen years ago the Di- tect humanity from oppression some converts had been cast off rector of Public Instruction in and exploitation." by family and friends, for others Bengal called on the women of the acceptance of Christianity India to "tell us with one voice -World Call. had not necessitated a break of what they want, and keep on family ties; and few seemed to telling it until they get it." This Woman's Place question the right of any indi- challenge led to the formation of the All-India Women's Con- Woman's place is not in the vidual to choose the religion he ference, which has from its be- home in rural India; it is in the thought to be the true one.
Inquiring. Minds in Iran ginning concerned itself with field, to supplement the family education and social reform. income. In the rainy season Better roads, more rap i d Political activity is taboo. The when field work is impossible, transit, increasing number of Conference has been laughed at she has her only chance to break schools, a wider outlook through and called futile, but has accom- the monotony of her life by gosnewspapers and new freedom plished a great deal. No one can siping with her neighbors. "Cotfor women, all are having their estimate how much it has helped tag~ Industries" seemed to be influence in opening the minds to shape public opinion. the answer. A special fund proof Iranian villagers. With these There are now 118 branches vided by three rural missions changes has come a spirit of in- scattered over India. The an- paid for the training of a teachquiry, followed by a readiness nual meetings of these branches er and she in turn taught three to listen to the Gospel. Public have d eve lop e d leadership g i r I s what she herself had preaching is not permitted ex- among women, trained them in learned. Two of them, with a cept in the few villages where public speaking and in service. Bible woman, went to a near-by there is a church, but Iranian Women of all religions plan and village to teach the women some Christians may teach their faith. work together for the common simple crafts, while the third
stayed at home to teach her the depressed classes, and social that one of its number has been neighbors. At the end of the six reforms on many other lines. appointed as Chairman. He has weeks' experiment a number of long been recognized as an able women not only had tangible re- The thought of educated peo- and responsible statesman. His sults of their efforts in handi- ple is arrested, and centers for wife has also been honored by work, but passed a creditable the cultivation of deeper spir- being chosen President of the examination on the Gospel of ituality are multiplying. There All-India Christian Association. Mark, which had been taught are multitudes of followers who them as they sat weaving. The are reading the Bible and other -The Indian Witness. whole project turned out to be a Christian literature who do not "seven days wonder" to the com- call themselves Christian, but Industrial Project at Cossipors munity. who are influenced by His life and teaching. The India Industrial Mission -Presbyterian Board News. Beautiful churches, 0 f ten at Cossipors, which is training Century's Work for Girls somewhat adapted to Indian ar- chitecture, are r i sin g every- ~elf-supporting evangelists, has An ancient Ahmednagar prov- where. Many congregations are erb said: "A woman's wisdom seated on the floor in Indian sent out a traveling workshop should not extend beyond the style, and use Indian music and oven"; and an Indian gentleman Indian forms. Christian gather- wit h f 0 u r trained mechanic was heard to remark: "To teach ings are notable for order, cleana donkey is just as possible as to liness and attractiveness of ap- preachers. It undertakes to reteach a woman." The refuta- parel, especially notable among tion of this idea can be seen in the women. Many village wom- pair metal work, overhaul mathe 76 girls who have just en come to meetings with bright passed their examination at colored or clean white saris. The chinery, do general repairs in Ahmednagar Girls' High School, men and boys show commendaas well as in the happy homes ble care in their appearance and the line of cement, wood and presided over by girls trained in clothing. Followers of 0 the r India's Christian schools. The faiths, attracted by such gath- paint work. This is done during secret lies in the fact that conse- erings, are increasingly attencrated educators have passed on tive, respectful and approacha- the day. Evenings and Sundays to the women of India the story ble, undoubtedly impressed by of Christ's redeeming love, dur- the influence Christianity' is are devoted to evangelism. ing this School's hundred years' having upon the masses, and history in training several thou- seeking to know the reasons for A second-hand Ford van and sand Indian girls. it. The cumulative effect of a century or more of intensive trailer were fitted up with living -Dnyanodaya. evangelization is manifest to ob- servers who are able to look be- accommodations, tools and weld- Christianity's Growing low the surface. Influence ing p I ant. The preacher-me- Two Reforms Undertaken "One cannot travel widely chanics work on various repairs throughout India and Burma in The United Provinces Govthese days without being im- ernment is undertaking two spe- along the way, in order that pressed by the enormous sweep cial reforms w h i c h have the of Christianity in one way or support of all the better ele- they may be entirely self-sup· an 0 the r," says a Methodist ments of the country. A prohi- Board Secretary, who recently bition program is being worked porting. Excellent results are made a visit there. He found out, and is in the experimental strong, well-equipped central stage in a number of districts. reported. -So S. Times. churches, colleges, high schools, It should be noted that the liquor middle and primary schools, evil has not yet gained the hold Sangli Movable School theological and other training on the general population that it schools, hospitals, dispensaries, has in occidental countries. Having seen the Booker T. asylums for the treatment of Was hi n g ton "Agricultural leprosy and tuberculosis, centers The other proposed reform is School on Wheels" actually at for the reclamation of criminal the abolition of bribery among work in a small village, Dr. J. L. tribes. Christianity has been government officials. This vice the leading force in rural and has a very deep hold, and little Goheen was moved to secure a agricultural experimentation, in or no effort has heretofore been similar one for the Sangli In· village reconstruction, in special made either to create public dustrial and Agricultural School forms of work for women and sentiment against it or to pass with which he is connected; and children, in the production of laws to eradicate it. An Anti- this hope was realized in 1931. literature, in the attack on illit- Corruption Committee is to be It is not an exact duplicate of eracy, the relief and uplift of appointed, and the Christian Washington's School, but in the community rejoices in the fact main, the idea is the same. It has been fitted up so as to be of special use in the way of prac- tical teaching and demonstra· tion to the people of village In· dia, through the use of charts, posters and pictures on all kinds of subjects pertaining to village life. It carries samples of seeds of improved and tested varieties of field and garden crops and specimens of potatoes and sweet potatoes, groundnuts, wool, cot- ton, etc. There are books on ag- ricultural and similar subjects in Marathi and English as a ref· erence library, and there are simple and useful books on many subjects for sale. There is a medicine chest with much need·
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
ed remedies, a gramophone and limit the number admitted. The us. What our inherent powers a magic lantern and cinema total enrolment of the entire of endurance, philosophy and paprojector with small special elec- School was 328 at the close of tience have enabled us to do in tric generating unit. last year. Most of the appro- the past they will fortify us to priations from the Board went do in the present, as well as in The school will stop from 30 into scholarships for children the future." to 45 days in any given place, from out-villages, and sixty boys this depending on the size of the and girls w ere helped, who The Church and War Relief place and interest shown. otherwise would not have been able to attend school. Even with The National Christian Coun- -Indian Witness. this help, parents are required cil, representing sixteen Protes- to pay something toward the ex- tant denominations in China, has Medical Outposts penses. The chief problem is to been ever since the recent Sino- secure sufficient funds to main- Japan war began, a clearing- On the northwestern frontier, tain the kind of school that can house for information both in five hospitals guard as many successfully compete with the securing news from almost all mountain passes, and receive pa- government schools. parts of China and in forwardtients from countries which, for ing news. It has constantly rethe most part, do not acknowl- -Siam Outlook. ceived detailed information reedge Christ and where Chris- garding conditions in the war tianity may not be preached. CHINA area, such as has not come to any Most of these patients, if they other agency in China. It has embraced Christianity, would Spiritual Mobilization sifted this material and prepared meet death upon their return. for publication in the foreign Slowly but surely, medical treat- In an address made on March daily press in China as well as ment and the kind atmosphere 15, Madame Chiang Kai-shek in a considerable number of Chiof a Christian hospital are work- said spiritual mobilization is of nese church papers. ing changes. Suspicion is giv- the most vital consequence to ing way to friendliness, sullen- China, and announced a move- In addition to its work of pubness to smiles, until the patients ment to stimulate public interest lication, it has conducted a leave with a new outlook on life. and active participation in three weekly broadcast both in Eng- Sometimes patients are entirely major national requirements: lish and in Chinese since Sepchanged even in a week, and for the practical application of the tember 5, to support the morale such results these frontier mis- tenets of the New Life Move- of the Christian Church. When sion medical centers are worth ment; the continuance of reso- news of indiscriminate aeroplane while. lute and unfaltering resistance bombing b e cam e generally against the Japanese invaders, known, there was panic in many Chiengrai Christian School and the planning of realistic church centers, and these broad- measures for reconstruction and casts helped many Christian Definite progress has bee n rehabilitation in the vast areas groups to stay at their posts, made in improving the standing that have been deliberately laid especially when associated with of this School during the past waste by the Japanese. hospital and refugee work. year. The English and Bible departments have had the help of Here are a few extracts from Perhaps the one Christian ora teacher who spent five years her address: ganization in China with the in the Philippines preparing for greatest difficulties to face is the such leadership. It is difficult to "Our barbaric enemies have Y. M. C. A. This is because of include much religious teaching boasted that they intend to beat the hatred of the Japanese army during regular school hours, be- us to our knees and break our toward Chinese students. All cause of strict rules laid down spirit. We shall show these the big patriotic movements and by the government, but in the enemies, as we shall show our disturbances in China have been boarding department and the friends, that in the blood of our initiated by students. A large Christian Endeavor Soc i e t y fellow men and the ashes of our number of schools and universimuch of such teaching is worked burned homes has flowered a ties in the occupied areas have in. All the teachers are active new national spirit. suffered damage or complete dein the religious work of the com- struction, and several of the munity, and many of them help "We shall show them that the leading institutions have moved in the out-village churches on new China that was in the mak- far into the interior. Sunday. The School furnished ing, before war was invoked to the superintendent and several destroy it, is still marching on- Southern Methodists Lose teachers in the Sunday School, wiser, more patriotic, and un- Heavily officers of the King's Daughters a!raid. We Chinese, .in our long and Christian Endeavor leaders. hIstory, have survived great nat- Before the outbreak of hostili- Thus, the School might be called ural and political calamities; we ties last August, the Southern the backbone of the church in have triumphed over prolonged Methodist Episcopal Mis s ion Chiengrai. adversity, and we have carried maintained 60 churches, over 30 our culture and civilization and chapels, three large hospitals, There is also a kindergarten, our nat ion a I entity safely one un i ve r sit y, ten middle which has become so popular through the ages, no matter that it was found necessary to what nations rose or fell about
schools and more than 30 pri- that last year in two places the looked about for ways to cause mary schools in the populous Band left behind groups of from his houses and lands to be con- Shanghai – Nanking – Hangchow thirty to forty inquirers, and fiscated on the ground that he area. Today, as a result of Ja- this year in another place a had no legal right to them since pan's invasion, all but one of the group of some twenty-five. Of he became a Christian. A few churches, all but two of the edu- these a few already have been of the leading Buddhists in the cational institutions, and all baptized. Foster states that he country went so far as to say three hospitals, which had taken is particularly impressed by the that they would rather a whole 89 years, considerable sums of extensiveness and thoroughness village became Christian than money, and the enthusiasm of a of the Band's house-to-house vis- that one of his rank should re- large number of American mis- itation. Their presence has been nounce the faith of his father. sionaries and Chinese to build an inspiration. Still, this intelligent and cul- -The King's Business. tured young man with two years up, have been either completely destroyed or partially damaged Outlook in Tibet '>of Christian experience tells his by shell-fire and aerial bombs. fellow Christians that when he Material losses alone, accord- In spite of a relatively slow was suffering the intrigues and ing to a conservative estimate, rate of progress and many dis- persecution of his erstwhile relareach the figure of over $300,- appointments, the Superintend- tions and friends, his greatest 000. All enterprises, religious, ent of the Moravian Mission in support were the words of the medical and educational, under- Tibet reports that the outlook is text he had chosen: "Rej oice taken by the American Southern bright, and work among the in the Lord alway: and again I Methodists in this region are at Tibetans exceedingly w 0 r t h say rejoice." present at a standstill. It will while. One most encouraging -Moravian Missions.
take several decades to restore feature is the sense of responsithe losses sustained. JAPAN-CHOSEN bility that has developed in the organized churches, with their Thirteen Commandments "Spreading Light Mountain" ordained native ministers, evan- Japanese leaders, threatened The Biola Evangelistic Bands gelists and elders. by fascism and distressed by the are groups of from six to ten Tibetan evangelists are mani- continuance of the war which was expected to speedily reach a men, trained at Hunan Bible In- festing greater readiness for victorious end, have formed a stitute (which is the China self-sacrifice. Two have recently "Central Federation of General branch of Los Angeles Bible In- Spiritual Mobilization," and this stitute). Many have questioned left their homes to serve in has promulgated the following lonely places; one to open up thirteen "commandments": whether these bands are still at new work and the other to take work during the present strug- charge of a difficult field when 1. Every morning give prayers to gle. Dr. Frank A. Keller, of the missionary goes home on the Imperial Grand Shrine and pray Changsha, writes that five of for the safety of the Imperial Family. furlough. Another wishes to these bands are now at work in learn rock carving, so that he 2. Hoist the National Flag properly peace and safety. Small self- may carve wayside pulpits. At on holidays. supporting churches are being Leh, all the Christians from var- 3. Worship the deities and endeavor formed in districts where the ious stations assembled to con- for the harmony of the family. Gospel was unknown previously. fess their shortcomings, and to Band number 4 began work in pray for renewed spiritual life. 4. Live on a budget, pay cash, save October from Liu Kuang Ling regularly, and buy National bonds. -The Indian Witness. 5. Wear simple clothes and avoid foreign-style hair-dressing. as a center, the name meaning Tibetan's Maiden Sermon 6. Observe wedding, funeral and "Spreading Light Mountain"- a prophetic name, for in eleven Not long ago a member of one other home affair!! simply but sol- emnly. weeks the Gospel story was told of the oldest and most aristo- 7. Reform the mad custom of late to bed and late to rise. in 4,265 homes where it had cratic families in Western Tibet 8. Economize on metal, wool, cotton, never been heard before. Fifty conducted the Sunday service in inquirers came to a definite de- the small church at Leh, Ladak. paper and fuel and utilize wasted and His text, "Rejoice in the Lord other buried things. cision; two sorcerers were con- 9. Endeavor to prevent fire and prepare for air raids. verted and two homes were alway; and again I say rejoice," cleared of idols. Before the seemed paradoxical for most of 10. Rear the children to be strong band left, a little self-supportng his experiences were of the sort in mind and body. to make o.ne weep rather than church was established. A well- 11. Have bodily exercise every day to train the mind and body.
to-do convert is supplying a rej oice. Two years ago he be- 12. Economize in drinking sake. 13. Be friendly to neighbors and room for the services. came a Christian and his Bud- help one another. Reports from other bands are dhist relatives contrived to equally gratifying. Their work involve him in a charge of em- This may be regarded as pav- is appreciated by missionaries, bezzling state funds. The fact ing the way for making the sacas well as by the Chinese. Rev. that he was acquitted only served rifices the government expects J. N. Foster, the superintendent to make them more determined to demand. -Christian Advocate. of the Yiyang Circuit, reports to bring about his ruin, so they
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Urged to Keep Silent a building that will head up the work satisfactorily become A Japanese writes to Amer- Christian Endeavor, Y. M. C. A. voluntary leaders in the local ican friends: and Junior Boys' work, and also village churches from which serve a-s office space for mission- they come. Under the auspices "I would urge you to use the aries and nationals in the vari- of one Mission alone-the Amerutmost caution as regards what ous other activities of the ican Presbyterian – nine such you say or do concerning this Church. It will be operated schools are held each year. One crisis. At this juncture Japan under the management of the for girls reached its high water is taking action at the peril of Bible Institute, so there will be mark last year, with an attend- her future destiny, according to no competition and fullest coop- ance of 67 for the five weeks'
whether she succeeds or fails. eration, especially in educational work. It is not surprising that As a matter of course, the whole facilities. in numbers and spiritual force nation is aroused. Without this the Korean Church is one of the feeling of intensity Japan could Education in Korea strongest.
not fight the war, though our The Evangelistic Farmers' AUSTRALIA AND government does not declare it School at Masan, Korea, has THE ISLANDS a war. The whole of Japan is bought ten acres of very rich soil now resorting to a procedure for experimental farming; the New Field Opening unanimously supported by our income is to be applied to the people, and not a single soul is maintenance of the S c h 0 0 1. The decision of an Australian suffered to protest. If anyone Buildings to be erected will be of you feel inclined to protest according to Korean rural style. firm to search for oil in Papua against this course there may be no other way than for you to re- Since there are more than ten has made possible a considerable main silent. At any rate, I do churches in this vicinity, the stuheartily request you to remain dents will have opportunity to do extension of the work of the completely silent. religious educational work. The Unevangelized Fields Mission "On the other hand, if you ob- School will also send out wellject to this course, you may ex- trained farmers whose influence there. This company will shortly press your attitude on the will do much to improve farm ground that you are a foreigner, send out a large number of men but please bear in mind that life. such liberty of speech, if exer- The only Christian college for to prospect, and their equipment cised by you, will not be acceptable nor will it be recognized in women in all Korea is Ewha Col- will include six large launches; this country. Still I hope that lege. At present, it fairly brisnothing unhappy will come and where prospectors go, the about between you and our peo- tles with great ambitions from ple. It is our urgent prayer that within and great expectations missionaries can go. Hitherto in our relations to each other we may get along smoothly and with from without. Graduates are they have been greatly hindered the utmost friendliness, without expected to enter the field of any ill will and with no mis- church and community service because of poor means of transunderstanding until the present trouble is ended." or rural welfare. This calls for port – small and dangerous an extension center for commu- -Bulletin of English Meth- nity work; also, a course in canoes. -Life of Faith. odist Mission, Canton. nursing and public health. Em- C. E. Convention in Melbourne phasis must be placed more upon the Christian nature of the The first Christian Endeavor School, since the secular and hos- Society in Australia was founded tile forces continually multiply. in 1888, resulting directly from a Christian Endeavor Constitu- -Korea Mission Field. tion which a sailor from New- buryport, Mass., had carried in his pocket. In 1893, the United Society of C. E. was formed in Australia, and a year later a World C. E. Union. In 1894, Coordinated Effort Korea Sets Example Australian Christian Endeav- orers had launched their mis- A missionary in Taiku, Korea, In the creation of its Bible sionary program in a most pracwrites that one of the most hope- Schools, the Manchurian Church tical form, when a society was ful projects of the past year has has followed the example of organized among the Aborigines been the effort to consolidate the Korea, a Church which in pro- at LePerouse, New South Wales.
Christian activities of that city, portion to its size is the most This being Australia's na- especially among the young peo- vigorous in the Orient. For tional jubilee year, dating from ple. A man with both univer- years the Korean Church has the first settlement of this com- sity and seminary training was made it a practice to send work- monwealth, it is fitting that the secured to organize this work, ers to its annual schools for spe- fiftieth birthday of Australian and permission was secured cial training. Usually, these C. E. should be observed by en- from the Board to use the Bible schools last six weeks,and stu- tertaining the tenth World Institute compound as a center dents are expected to attend Christian Convention. This is from which to work. Earnest them for two or three years in to be held in Melbourne, August efforts are being made to erect succession. Those who complete 2-8 of this year.
New Hebrides Mission LATIN AMERICA Negro Missionaries to Indians The New Hebridean of today Evangelizing the Firemen Negro missionaries are workis a different person from his forefathers, who murdered the Doors do not open easily for ing among the aboriginal Inpioneer missionaries, John Wil- the Gospel in Mexico, but Mr. F. dians of Central America, the liams and James Harris in 1839. J. Huegel writes of one that Valiente tribes, who live in the His environment and manner of forests of Panama. There are living have altered, largely opened in Mexico City when he about 10,000 of these, and their through outside forces; some became acquainted with the fire mode of living is hardly changed have been for the better, but chief, with four stations and 250 sin c e Christopher Columbus others have been disastrous. landed on their coast in 150l. Depopulation has gone on stead- men under his charge. He is Mr. E. S. Alphonse is a Methily, until no longer do crowds eager for his men to have the odist pioneer among these peoline the beaches when a vessel ,.ple. When he first went there arrives. But amid changing con- Gospel. In all four of these sta- twenty-one years ago, the Inditions, the upbuilding of Chris- tions systematic Bible study has tian character goes on. The begun. Says Mr. Huegel: missionary has a two-fold task; first, to bring Christ into the "One afternoon in the hall at dians called him a crow, because hearts; and second, to stand as Santa Julia just as I came to the of his black skin, and were suspithe natives' friend against harm- close of the message and was cious of him. Now there is a ful outside influences. If it were about to make a call for the men Christian community of 500, and not for these influences it would to accept Christ as their Saviour, a number of Christian schools. be possible for native Christian the fire alarm rang. You can Mr. Alphonse was the first to leaders to hold their people in the imagine my feelings, for nat- study their language and reduce Way of Life. These natives very urally every man leaped for his it to writing. A grammar, sevquickly learn foreign ways- boots and helmet and before I eral books of the Bible, a hymn whether they be right or wrong. could catch my breath, was gone. book and a catechism have been They had gone to put out a fire produced in the Valiente tongue. -United Church Record. and I had come to kindle one. -The Life of Faith. Filipinos Seek Union "Some 200 Testaments have Last February Philippine been given out and the eagerness Opening Doors Christians made another significant advance on the road of co- of the men for study promises a In Colombia, a number of facoperation and union by forming tors are contributing to wider the Philippine Federation of harvest of souls for the Kingdom opening doors than ever before Evangelical Churches. This is the third in a series of three or- of God." -World Call. ganizations set up since 1901 to guide the Christian movement in Santo Domingo on the Air to the entrance of the Gospel. the way of unity and peace. The Improved methods of transporfirst was the Evangelical Union. It grew into the National Chris- For two and a half years the tation, especially the building of tian Council organized in 1929. Now the federation marks a still Evangelical Church of the Do- highways, are making many new further growth and the pros- minican Republic has been regions accessible. Fanaticism pects of comparatively early preaching the Gospel over the is gradually giving way, even in organic union of all major denominations are hopeful. air. In all this time, except for the isolated areas; and the new The object of the federation is two nights when the government constitution adopted in 1936 as- "to unite various Christian bodies and agencies in the Philip- shut off all the radios in Tru- sures liberty of conscience in the pines for the twofold purpose of securing comity, cooperation and jillo City, the capital, the weekly matter of religion. Two selfeffectiveness in their operation, and searching out possible bases program has gone on. From supporting and self-governing for organic union with the view to bringing the churches to such Venezuela, Colombia, Central churches were organized last union in due time." America, Cuba, Porto Rico, even year in the state of Tolima. -Christian Century. from the United States and as Missionaries and national far away as Maine, have come workers are constantly meeting requests for special hymns. new problems. There is a greatly Worship groups meet in the awakened interest in education homes, and follow that broad- on the part of the people in gen- cast; one group in Venezuela eral; parents are pathetically writes that this broadcast is the eager for their children to have only worship service they have. the opportunities which they did A group of Cuban Christians not have. Parent-teacher meet- who lost their church building in ings, enlarged libraries, im- a hurricane meet for this serv- proved equipment of schools and ice, and a restaurant proprietor philanthropic projects sponsor~d in Porto Rico sent a small con- by students all indicate a pro- tribution from his patrons who gressive trend.
listen to the restaurant radio. Two new buses added to mis- He is confident that there has sion equipment will greatly aid been at least one definite decision in evangelistic work, and the for Christ as a result of the pro- Spanish publication Evangelista gram. Colombiano will bring the Gos-
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
pel to many living in isolated "To study the possibilities of the simpler and more efficient the areas. The bookstore has in- foundation of a daily newspaper and working of the Federation. creased its stock, and doubled its a press association; These plans for a greater meascirculation. ure of cooperation have yet to be "To prepare a worship manual; approved by the churches con- -Colombian Clippings. "To promote a revised translation of cerned. When this approval has the Bible; been given the Federation will Indian Ohurch in Peru "To study social problems in the enter on a new era of usefulness light of the Gospel, and to the whole evangelical cause in Such a work has been estab- "To disseminate information con- Brazil. lished among the Indians of cerning the work done by the intersouthern Peru, after seven years national movements. -World D.ominion Press. of progressive evangelism. In 1931, these people had never MIGUEL RIZZO, JR." NORTH AMERIOA heard the Gospel message; today, there are 500 Christians in Gospel Boat on Amazon A Return to Ohrist? twelve communities, eight of which are properly organized Medical relief w 0 r k has An Episcopal Bishop of Chichurches, with their own leaders, proved to be a valuable entering cago sees, in the recent unpreceelders and deacons, conducted wedge for the Gospel message in dented church attendance during quite independently by the na- Brazil. A Seventh Day Advent- Lent, a return to religion to face tionals. In spite of the fact that ist missionary writes: the challenge of the present day. 95 per cent of the people are Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyteilliterate, the converts have "During the flood season the rian, Baptist and other churches manifested a steady spiritual Amazon and its tributaries rise are also reported to have had growth. This the missionaries about fifty feet above normal, larger congregations than in attribute to three factors: the and when these waters subside many years, with a marked deepvital prayer life of the churches; each year, there is an epidemic ening of reverence and earnestthe persecution through which, of fever. This year the govern- ness. as individuals and as communi- ment furnished us with $1,000 ties, they have had to pass; and worth of medicine, and in a five- Said the Chicago Bishop: the very high standard of con- month period we were able to duct, supported by strict disci- treat 5,800 sufferers. We have It looks as if the great religious pline, which prevails in the an electric light plant on our awakening for which the Christian churches.-Life of Faith. boat and every night we hold Church has been praying to meet the services somewhere along the spread of paganism and the defeat of The Ohristian Task in Brazil river. The light attracts the na- worldliness, is at hand. Worshipers tives for miles around. In one are revealing a new earnestness, a The Evangelical Congress of village where we were stoned new devotion to their faith which Brazil which met in Sao Paulo in six years ago we this year bap- comes only from a sense of frustra- December, 1936, was composed tized twenty-five people. tion and helplessness. It has often of official commissions from six been that man's extremity is God's different denominations. The "These Christians along the opportunity. declarations of the Congress are river believe in the 'Win One' proof of the attitude of the movement. Three of our boys I believe the hour has struck. This churches toward the ideal of co- go out each Friday night to a Lenten season should bring joy to the operation am 0 n g Christians. neighboring village where they hearts of all true Christians every- Here they are: "The situations have organized a Sabbath school, where, because God is again being enof the Brazilian Protestants, di- and the latest report received throned in human hearts. vided in various churches, is a from them tells of thirty-nine problem to be solved. It is neces- members being present." -Living Church. sary to make an effort in favor of the union of the churches Evangelical Federation Why Honor Ingersoll? through an ample formula Progress which respects principles and In March, 1937, a resolution established practices. The Con- The Evangelical Federation of was introduced in the House of gress committed to the Federa- Brazil has drawn up a modus Representatives proposing the tion the following tasks: vivendi for the churches and erection in Washington, D. C., of missions which are affiliated a monument in memory of Rob- "To investigate what is the religious with it. This has been prepared ert G. Ingersoll, the famous insituation of the zones occupied by the by a special committee in order fidel lecturer. The First Baptist churches; to solve problems arising from Church of Paso Robles, Cali- over-occupation of some fields, fornia, protests to the Govern- "To organize a general plan of evan- to ensure the adequate occupa- ment that since the plan is gelization; and to organize the pro- tion of regions not yet reached, sponsored by an atheist organigrams for teaching religion in the and to eliminate friction in inter- zation, and that organization has public schools; denominational relations. At alleged affiliations with the In- the same time, certain Articles ternational Freethought Union "To promote the Qrganization of the of the Constitution of the Evan- of Europe, and that the monuyoung people; gelical Federation of Brazil have ment is proposed as a "recogni- tion of Robert G. Ingersoll's been modified so as to make most noteworthy contribution to the emancipation of mankind
from religious superstition," A New York Church "The colony will be a place where more than 1,000 homes, they are unalterably opposed to "Resolves" built in the Moorish style of architecture, will be set up in the any legislation of that character. Christ Church, New York, very near future. Land in the Further reasons for their objec- Dr. R. W. Sockman, pastor, is Gardens Heights section has altion are expressed in these discussing world topics at the ready been purchased with mid-week services; and the con- funds representing contributions words: sensus of opinion is gathered to- to the Moorish Science Temple gether in a set of resolutions. of America, and construction on "That we recognize the impor- Sometimes these are transmitted some of the houses was begun tance of Christian faith and to the groups concerned. Some about a month ago. We feel that practice in regard to the safety of the topics already discussed the colony we are anticipating and well-being of democracy. are the religious situation in ,will provide better housing con- That we believe the enemies of Mexico; the boycott of Japanese ditions for the persons in this .Christianity seek to express goods, and more recently the De- country of Moorish descent, and their contempt for God, the pressed Classes in India. The will permit them to practice the Bible and our Christ by the erec- resolutions adopted in this in- customs and religious tenets of tion of· this glorification of Rob- stance were: Morocco. It will establish a defiert G. Ingersoll. That it is our nite religious center for us." opinion that this would encour- WHEREAS, The outcaste millions of age the youth of our land in India for centuries have been disfran- New Church for Hoopa Indians atheism, materialism, radical- chised by the Hindu religion of their ism and revolt against God and rightful position as "sons of God and The Hoopa Indian Reservation established government." in California has a population of approximately 2,000; 1,100 of -Christianity Today. joint heirs with Christ"; and these are children between the WHEREAS, 3,000,000 or more of the ages of 6 and 18. About 3,000 acres are under cultivation, but Religious Education Council outcaste people have responded to the the average per capita income of Gospel as presented by Christian mis- these Indians is only about $120 The 20th Session of the Inter- sionaries and have accepted the Chris- a year. national Council of Religious tian faith; and Education is to assemble in In the Hoopa Presbyterian Columbus, Ohio, June 28-July 3. WHEREAS, Christianity has brought Church there are 83 members, The theme for this convention is to these hope instead of despair, free- with 115 in the Sunday School. "The Christian Challenge to the dom instead of endless slavery, knowl- There are two outstations, the edge in place of ignorance, self-respect most promising of which is instead of self-degradation; and Weitchpec, where the interest has been growing steadily, espe- WHEREAS, Leaders of the outcaste cially during the past two years. A fine constituency has been de- Modern World," and eight out- classes seeing these changes have veloped and upwards of forty . urged their 60,000,000 fellow outcastes church members are enrolled. comes are hoped for as a result to abandon Hinduism and seek a new They are ready to effect a forof the deliberations: religion; and mal church organization. Mrs. Nellie Masten, a devoted Chris- 1. An improved a t m 0 s p her e WHEREAS, It is our belief that such tian Indian, has deeded the Board a site for a church, and throughout North America in which a reconstruction of the social order money is available to put up the building. The Indians will take to carry out a steady and continuous can only be carried through on the care of practically all the labor involved. program of Christian education. lines of Christ's teachings and that any other possibilities seem to be di- Alaskan Leaders All 2. A clearer understanding of the nature of Christian education and its rectly in the line of revolution or civil Graduates of Sheldon Jackson responsibilities. strife; therefore, be it School in Sitka qualify for posi- tions that call for excellent train- 3. An increased recognition of the Resolved, That we, the members of ing. One of them is responsible existence of many practical steps Christ Church, New York City, up- for organizing cooperatives in which may be taken by lay and pro- hold and support our missionaries and Alaskan villages; two are nurses fessional church workers in fulfilling their work in India in their self-sacri- in government hospitals; three the Christian challenge through Chris- ficing labors for these· needy and re- are teachers in government tian education. sponsive people, millions of whom will schools. Others are in mission undoubtedly turn to Christianity for work; one is the minister at 4. Help on specific problems which release from their present captivity each delegate faces back home which into the new liberty of the Gospel of will put new zest into the work of the Christ; and be it further churches from which they come. Resolved, That we send a letter to 5. A deepening of the religious ex- the bishops of our church in India asperience of every delegate which will suring them of our sympathy and inprovide the dynamic without which all terest in these inspiring days. of our efforts will be in vain. -Indian Witness. 6. A great stimulus to the work of Christian education in every part of the North American continent through Moorish Colony in America the publicity, before, during and after Plans are under way for the the convention.
7. Greater unity and closer coopera- establishment of a Moorish Coltion of Christian forces. ony at Yaphank, L. 1., which is 8. Delegates to the convention will to serve as a mecca for the 20,- return to their local communities to 000 Moors in Greater New York and surrounding area. The form an informed nucleus of local Grand Seik Turner-EI, spokes- leaders who understand more fully and definitely the basic principles and outreach of Christian education. man for the Moorish Council, -Advance. explains the plan:
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Wainwright Pre s b y t e ria n in two or three decades. When and Work, issues this warning; Church, another is nurse at reminded that thousands of no protest should be made on a Sheldon Jackson School. The gatherings of Christians were political basis because this would two native organizations, the being held throughout Germany, increase the danger in which Alaska Native Brotherhood and with no interference from au- Pastor Niemoller stands. It is the Alaska Native Sisterhood, thorities, Dr. Barth explained important that churches should whose objectives are competent that at such meetings the only state clearly that the reason for Christian citizenship, have al- message allowed was one which their protest is that he has taken ways been under the leadership Hitler considered "harmless." A his stand entirely on the basis of of former students of Sheldon spiritual gospel is permitted, but the rig h t of the Christian Jackson School. only so far as it does not affect Church to proclaim the Word of the actions of men on earth. God. Expressions of sympathy -Monday Morning. There is no toleration at all for on any other basis would only the teaching of real Christian increase his danger. The Ger- EUROPE ethics, which mean something in man Government should be in- the present situation in Ger- formed in no uncertain terms Something Alive in Denmark many-for example, "race wor- that concern for Pastor NiemOl- ship," anti-Semitism, the cult of ler is very widely felt. Here are some characteristics hatred, etc. of student Christian work in Dr. Henriod also calls atten-. Denmark: -Religious N eW8 Service. tion to the gravity of the present world situation, manifested by (1) The emphasis of instruc- Fascist Youth Niemoller's continued imprisontion is upon the awakening of ment after being cleared in a the spirit rather than upon the There is something ominous trial. Christian churches should acquiring of knowledge or skill. in the official report that Ger- be awake to the danger at the (2) The method of instruction many's juvenile crime record has root of such a situation in its stresses the "living word." increased 40 per cent in the past religious and ethical implica- (3) The historical approach three years. In the depression tions. characterizes a 11 instruction, years of 1931 and 1932 there was even the sciences, and history is a rise in juvenile thefts, but then Pastor Niemoller's spirit rea living subject. (4) The sub- they were driven to crime by mains unbroken, as is shown by ject matter is confined largely to poverty and hunger. Today, the the following extract from one those subjects which are useful record shows that less than 10 of his letters to his wife: to the average man in his per- per cent are motivated in lawsonal or civic life. (5) There lessness by poverty. Somehow in these last six months are no grades, credits, degrees or the ship of the Church has got afloat examinations. The primary em- Brutality has been the pop- again. The color is dimmed, the masts phasis is upon instruction and ular word of Nazi leaders, and are broken, the whole appearance is not on competition among stu- violence their approved method. not handsome; but the Lord Christ dents. (6) The fact of a group German youth follow their lead- still sits at the helm, and the ship of students living together is ers. Two or three afternoons moves forward. . . . utilized as a fundamental edu- and Sunday belong to the Hitler cational medium. The teachers You t h, irrespective of the And I think my imprisonment also utilize this opportunity by living schools. During this period they belongs to the holy humor of God. with the students and using their are trained in Nazi ideals, which First the mocking laughter: "Now influence to create a cooperative include the "instinct of freedom" we've got that fellow" and then the community. (7) The schools are against the school and the fam- imprisonment; and what are the conalso dominated by a high ethical ily. The result is now evident. sequences? Full churches, a praying purpose. They seek to give the Only the more serious crimes community. student the opportunity to know ever come before the courts. himself, and to supply him with The report says that moral of- To get bitter about such things the motivation to exert a con- fenses increased over 150 per would be shameful ingratitude. structive influence in all rela- cent, and that all crime is most tionships of life. flagrant among college students. Anti-Alcohol Museum Thus Fascism bears its fruit. -Intercollegian and Far With all the fanfare the Poles Horizons. -The Churchman. like so much, the Minister for Social Welfare recently opened German Youth and the Church Pastor Niemoller's the Anti-Alcohol Museum in Imprisonment Warsaw, one of the first of its Dr. Karl Barth, addressing a kind in the world. There are group of church leaders in Lon- In regard to the petitions pre- twenty-four departments dealdon, said that it is Hitler's inten- sented to the German Govern- ing with as many phases of the tion to cut German youth off ment on behalf of Pastor Nie- alcohol problem. Arresting disfrom all church connection, so moller, Dr. Henry L. Henriod, plays trace the history of the that the Church, becoming a so- general secretary of the Univer- battle against alcohol. Photociety of old people, will die with- sal Christian Council for Life graphs and diagrams show how alcoholism is treated. The tech- nical use of alcohol is described. The discoveries of science about alcohol are set forth. The value
of propaganda for and against disturbed by the Soviet order are where there are no 'Keep Out' alcohol is assessed. The problem of alcoholism in art and among the church members. signs against the inquisitive and caricature is presented, with abundant illustration. There is questioning mind. Disinterested a display of non-alcoholic drinks. Some fourteen departments in MISCELLANEOUS research cannot survive in an the museum are given to exhibits Good Will Commandments atmosphere of compulsion and on alcoholism in relation to repression. Particularly in the health, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, child welfare, school Dr. Walter W. Van Kirk of broad range of subjects covered life, the family, suicide, acci- the Federal Council has pro- by the social sciences, and in the dents at work, sports, business posed "Ten Commandments of humanities as well, the world and many other interests. Ap- Good Will." They reflect a spirit has recently witnessed in several propriately enough, there is a sorely needed in the present countries the progressive disinfrank appraisal of alcohol as a tegration of creative scholarmeans of raising national and world crisis: municipal revenues. ship." 1. I will respect all men and women '" -The Christian Advocate. -Christian Advocate. regardless of their race or religion.
Christians Resist Soviet 2. I will protect and defend my Pressure neighbor and my neighbor's children Salvation Army Year Book against the ravages of racial or reli- Moscow has opened a new gious bigotry. This Year Book for 1938 indrive to curb the churches. The arrests of clerymen during the 3. I will exemplify in my own life cludes a list of outstanding Salpast year, culminating in the arrest of twenty-five on Russian the spirit of goodwill and understand- vation Army events of 1937, Easter on treason charges, fo- ing. with much interesting informacused attention once more on the tion as to nationalities among status of religion in the Soviet 4. I will challenge the philosophy which the Army works, the lan- Union. It would be hard to of racial superiority by whomsoever parallel in modern times the per- it may be proclaimed, whether by guages in which it preaches and secution the Church in Russia has had to endure during the kings, dictators or demagogues. twenty years of the Bolshevik regime, yet one finds religion 5. I will not be misled by the lying a glossary of Army terIns. holding on with amazing te- propaganda of those who seek to set nacity-both holding and carry- race against race or nation against Under the heading, "Signs and ing on. According to a despatch nation. Wonders," M a j 0 r Reginald to the New York Times, great Woods, of International Headnumbers of young people still at- 6. I will refuse to support any or- quarters, describes the begintend church, as was strikingly ganization that has for its purpose evidenced by the overflowing churches on Easter Sunday. the spreading of anti-Semitism, anti- ning, in London, of work among Catholicism or anti-Protestantism. the deaf. There were 120 peo- Factors in the renewed activi- ple present at the first meeting. ties against religion are the un- 7. I will establish comradeship with Similar endeavors have, for expected stubbornness of the all those who seek to exalt the spirit many years, been a feature of people, and the signs of progress of love and reconciliation throughout in the Church. The Soviet gov- the world. ernment now frowns upon the anti-religious excesses of earlier 8. I will attribute to those who dif- the activities in Sweden, Noryears. Freedom of religion is fer from me the same degree of singuaranteed by the constitution, cerity that I claim for myself. way, Finland, Denmark and the but in actual practice the Soviet Near East. can close any church it sees fit 9. I will uphold the civil rights and on the grounds that the building religious liberties of all citizens and The Home League, a work is needed by the State. Widening of the streets has caused groups whether I agree with them or among women with 100,000 many prominent churches to be not. demolished. Recent arrests are members in the British Isles, is based on alleged plots against 10. I will do more than live and let the government. The code for live; I will live and help live. described. U n d e r the title, treason is broad and loose, so "From Fetish. W 0 r s hip to that the greater number of those New Barriers Christ," Col. Ethelbert Grimes tells of fourteen years' work in Rockefeller Foundation is West Africa, where there are finding them. Operating in fifty- 20,000 Salvationists, located in two countries, from Norway to 350 centers. An article on "Mi- the Fiji Islands, the Rockefeller gration and Settlement" reveals Foundation has been encounter- that more than 200,000 persons ing difficulties as it has tried to have been taken from over- spend something over $9,500,000 crowded areas to lands overseas a year in the dissemination of since this department of the knowledge. In some fields where work was started. It is said that they formerly went it is now fewer than 1 per cent have useless to go because the search proved failures.
for truth has been made impos- -The Christian.
sible by local conditions. While the Foundation works without Said the Robin to the Sparrow, 'I regard to political doctrines, should really like to know creeds or sects, it has become Why these anxious human beings harder and harder to follow this rush about and worry so?'
ideal. Says Dr. Raymond B. Said the Sparrow to the Robin, Fosdick: "Objective scholarship 'Friend, I think that it must be is possible only where thought is That they have no heavenly Father free t and fr~edQm ~IHl ~{CJst onl~ such as qare}) for you and w,e.,' "
Missionary
Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information BOOKS ON THE CITY AND THE CITY CHURCH RECOMMENDED BY THE REV. CHARLES H. SEARS, D.D.
Foremost among these books The Crowded Ways. By Charles sions. (Home Missions Council, are those announced by the Mis- Hatch Sears and The City's Church, New York City, 25 cents.) sionary Education Movement of By H. Paul Douglass. Two book'! the United States and Canada, published by the M. E. M. in 1929. City, The. Robert E. Park, Ernest designed particularly for mission W. Burgess and Roderick D. Mcstlldy courses. We list in the The Movement announces Kenzie. Chicago, University of order given by the Movement; manuals to assist in the study Chicago Press, 1925. $2.00. they may be secured from of the major books, guides for Friendship Press, 150 Fifth community and church surveys, Our Cities. Their role in the Nation- Avenue, New York City. and other helpful materials. al Economy. June, 1937. Report of the Urbanism Committee to The The American City and Its Church. It is possible for any group National Resources Committee. The basic study for adults. By Sam- to greatly extend its study of Washington, U. S. Government uel C. Kincheloe, is a careful analy- the city by use of biographies Printing Office, 1937. 50 cents. sis of city environment and adap- and autobiographies such as (Especially useful in this study be- tation of the program of the church "The Story of a Varied Life," cause of its striking maps and to this environment. Both from !:tis by W. S. Rainsford, (Double- charts.) academic and practical approach day, Doran & Company). "Ed- Dr. Kincheloe speaks with author- ward Judson, Interpreter of City Church, The. H. Paul Doug- ity. God," (Judson Press). Dr. H. lass. New York, Friendship Press, Paul Douglass' books remain of 1929. Cloth, 50 cents; paper, 25 City Man. By Charles Hatch Sears. permanent value, "The City cents. A new imprint edition, recently Church," "How to Study the published by Harpers. This is a City Church," "1000 City Church City Planning. Charles Hatch study of the intensive form of ur- C h u r c h e s," and particular Sears, editor. Philadelphia, The ban development, the metropolitan church surveys, Springfield and Judson Press, 1928. $1.25. community, with particular empha- St. Louis notable, (Harper & sis upon the eife<:!t of this environ- Brothers) . We call particular Suggestions to Leaders of Study ment upon the city man himself. attention to Dr. Wilbur C. Hal- Classes using "The American City (M. E. M. 75 cents.) lenbeck's study of Church City and Its Church"; by Kenneth D. Societies "Urban Organization Miller. Paper 15 cents. City Shadows. By Robert W. Searle. of Protestantism." Finally, ev- For the senior high school age, ery student of the city should My Community, My Church, and Me I equally valu,able for others, here is secure a copy of "Our Cities, by Wilbur C. Hallenbeck (Study a revealing series of true stories of Their Role in the National Econ- and Action Series). Paper 35 cents. city life. omy," a publication of the Na- tional Resources Committee, for Urban Scene, by Margueritte Har- Street Corners. By Harold B. Hunt- sale by the Superintendent of mon Bro. (A pictorial book for all ing. As a source book for juniors, Documents, Washington, D. C., youth and adult grades.) Paper this is particularly valuable for its at fifty cents a copy. 25 cents. portrayal of the work of churches arid social agencies. OTHER BOOKS ON THE CITY A Course for Young People on the Church in the City, by Owen Geer. All . Around the City. By Esther City Challenges the Church. Ad- Paper 25 cents. Freivogel. For primary children. dresses made at an Interdenomina- A story of how two children from tional Conference on the City A Course for Seniors on the Church the country find friendly places and Church, January 13 and 14, 1937. in the City, by Donald Gordon Stew- friendly faces in the city. Under the auspices of the Commit- art. Paper 25 cents. tee on City and New Americans of City and Church in Transition. By the Home Missions Council and the The City I Would Build, by Emily Murray H. Leiifer, published by Council of Women for Home Mis- Gaither. For intermediates. Paper Willett, Clark & Co. The book is a 35 cents. (A work book for both in- definite outgrowth of the request termediates and their leaders.) made by the Committee on City and New Americans for a study of A Junior Teacher's Guide for study- the medium-sized city. It summa- ing the Church in the City, by Nina rizes results of a four-year study of Millen. For elementary grades. Pa- 140 cities which have a population per 25 cents. of from 50 to 150,000. A Primary Teacher's Guide for Studying the Church in the City, by Esther Freivogel. Paper 25 cents.
Any of the books noted in these columns will be sent by the REVIEW publishers on receipt of price.
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OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Joe Lives in the City, bv Jeanette tions, substitutions and correc- make a modern village; he in- Perkins Brown. (A picture book tion of the text are not always troduced the bicycle into Borneo for primary children.) Paper 25 easily grasped. Dr. Jeffery of and organized river fleets and cents. Cairo is preparing a critical edi- little holding companies to keep tion of the Koran text, which alive the commercial life of the (Above publications obtainable from when completed will be of great community. At the same time Missionary Education Movement, value to all missionaries to Mos- he was winning them to God, New York.) lems. It will facilitate their task spreading the Gospel of Christ of interpreting the Gospel to farther and farther into the Churching the Small City, by Wil- those who have, in their own Dyak-head-hunter filled jungles. bur C. HaIlenbeck. (A method of sacred book, countless stumbling Finally in 1935 in Sarawak, at study and survey of a smaIler city.) blocks against a' right under- the age of 63 he passed into the Paper 25 cents. Home Missions standing of the Holy Scriptures. greater Glory Beyond, but not Council, New York. 'ttntil he had seen a large part of S. M. ZWEMER. his ambitious plans mature and The Qur'an. By Richard BeIl, B.D., bear fruits. D.D. Volume 1. pp. 343, $6.00. T. Tuan Hoover of Borneo. By Frank & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1937. T. Cartwright; 186 pp. $1.75. Ab- Dr. Cartwright, the Secretary ingdon Press, New York, 1937. of the Methodist Episcopal There is no lack of English Board of Foreign Missions, was translations of the Koran. Those The work of the Christian himself a missionary for eleven by Sale, Palmer, Rodwell are missionary has never been easy, years in China. His personal well known, and each is distin- but even so, unusual difficulties contacts with Hoover left many guished for special points of val- were encountered by Jam e s memories which are brought out ue. In addition, we have had in Matthews Hoover, the stalwart in glowing, moving biography recent years four translations bearer of the Gospel into the that depicts true Christian adby Mohammedans. Nevertheless, steaming jungles of Malaya. venture as well as inspirational this is the first t.t~anslation with achievement. a critical rearrangement of the "Tuan Hoover," a Pennsylcontents of the chapters and it vania village boy, shortly after MARSHALL R. HALL. therefore fills a gap. One cannot the turn of the present century, state more clearly the justifica- heard the call to the foreign Ship East-Ship West. By Elizabeth tion for this piece of scholarly field; he obeyed and spent thirty Miller Lobingier. 87 pp. $1.00 work and its character than by years as a real pioneer mission- Friendship Press, New York. 1937. quoting from the preface: ary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Blest with an un- This is a children's book with The translation goes frankly on the usually rugged physique and a definite purpose-to train the assumption that the Qur'an was in ability to withstand hardship, he youthful mind in the way of written form when the redactors was the ideal type for the par- peace among nations. In six difstarted their work, whether actuaIly ticular work he was called upon ferent stories, children are told written by Muhammad himself, as I to do. How well he did it, and that nations need not fight when personally believe, or by others at his how enduring are the results he they have disputes to settle. War dictation. This conclusion also has left behind must stand as a is shown to be foolish, and in been forced upon me in the course of monument which all Christians summing up a list of war's evils my work. The translation itself must may well admire. is contrasted with the blessings furnish the proof. If, by the hypoth- of peace. The book deserves a esis that the present form of the Mr. Hoover began his work wide reading among our chil- QUr'an rests upon a careful repro- in Malaya with only a moderate dren, seeing how important it is duction of a confusion of written doc- preparation, but it was soon de- that right ideals should be conuments, that confusion has been in termined that he was the man stantly set before them. any considerable number of passages to take over the difficult task of cleared up, the hypothesis will have carrying the Gospel to the Chi- Little Talks to Little Folks. By C. justified itself. All the possibilities nese immigrants from Foochow A. Puncker. 92 pp. Is. Pickering of confusion in written documents who were settled in Borneo. He & Inglis, London. 1937. have had to be considered-correc- accepted the challenge and went tions, interlinear additions, additions to work among them-on a The author has given chilon the margins, deletions and substi- crocodile-filled river in the ma- dren's talks for over 25 years, tutions, pieces cut off from a passage laria rid den jungle. Here he and the stories in this volume and wrongly placed, passages written found them, miserable, afraid are the ones that seemed to im- on the back of others and then read and alone, overwhelmed with press his small hearers most. continuously, front and back foIlowing home-sickness for their home- Realizing that the only way to each other. It is to this, rather than land. get the children's attention is to to textual defects, or to confusion in interest them, he introduces a Muhammad's own thought and style With all the strength of his va r i e t y of subjects – ants, that the dreary welter of the Qur'an huge body and stout heart he set watches, escalators, and for the so often deplored by Western writers to work. Among the material cur i 0 u s – "bent sunbeams." is due. advantages he brought to them These talks are a practical help were electricity, an ice plant, to those who would lead the Dr. Bell of the Edinburgh lights and other conveniences to "lambs into the fold." University has unraveled many of the puzzles that confront the reader, but he has also left un- solved a still larger number. His translation is accurate but not always literal, as we have in Palmer's translation. The de- vices used to indicate altera-
Book. Cbe. Upper
Church Comity. A Study of Cooper- July, August, Now READY FOR DISTRIBUTION ative Church Extension in Ameri- can Cities. H. Paul Douglass. Se tember The Daily Devotional Guide Garden City, N. Y., DoubledaYi of 1,000,000 People – Issued Doran & Co., for Institute of Socia Quarterly in English, Spanish, and Religious Research, 1929. (Out and Roman Urdu of print.) THE UPPER ROOM is beinq distributed in 25,000 churches. Church in the Changing City. Case representing every evangelical denomination. We have evi- Studies Illustrating Adaptation. dence of thousands of family altars beinq established and New York, George H. Doran Co., daily devotions in the home beinq conducted. with the aid of for Institute of Social and Religious THE UPPER ROOM as a devotional quide. The best help Research, 1927. (Out of print.) available for individual devotions.
Community Survey in Relation to Church Efficiency, The. Charles E. Carroll. New York, Abingdon Press, 1915.
Negro Problems in the Cities. Subscription price, 30 cents per year" postpaid. Pastors may secure ten or Thomas Jackson Woofter, Jr. New more copies on consignment to be paid for, when sold at 5 cents per copy. York, Institute of Social andRe- ligious Research, 1928. (Out of Send all orders to THE UPPER ROOM, Doctors' Bldg., Nashville, Tenn. print.) 1000 City Churches. Phases of Adaptation to Urban Environment. H. Paul Douglass. New York, George H. Doran Co., for Institute of So- Types from City Streets. By Hutch- troduced the pension plan of the cial and Religious Research, 1926. ins, Hapgood, New York, 1910. (Harper & Brothers. $2.50.) • • Presbyterian Church. Redemption of the City. Charles Christian Message in a Non-Chris- Hatch Sears. Philadelphia, The tian World. Hendrik Kraemer. • Griffith & Rowland Press, ,1911. 455 pp. $3.00. Harper Bros. New Cloth, 50 cents; paper, 35 cents. York. 1938. Dr. George B. Winton, missionary, , Social Characteristics of Cities. editor and educator" died March 11, William F. Ogburn. Chicago, Inter- Fun and Festival from India. Rose in Nashville, Tenn., in his 78th year. Wright. 48 pp.' 25 cents. Friend- Soon after entering the ministry of ship Press. New York. the Methodist Church, South, he went to Mexico, where he served as pastor, national City Managers' Associa- president of the theological school in San Luis Potosi, and as editor of tion, 850 E. 58th Street, Chicago, Obituary Not.. E1JQ,ngelista Me:mcana,. From 1926 Ill., 1937. Paper, $1.00. until his death he wrote regularly the (Concluded from 2d cover.) "Watch Tower" column of the No,sh- ~trategy of City Church .Planning. 'ViUe Christian Advocate. Ross W. Sanderson. New York, . . '. a of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. L.Fry and Institute of Social and Religious Rev. Harry *Co.m'p.ton, one of the Research, 1932. (Out of print.) was graduated from Muhlenberg Col- The Shame of Our Cities. By lin- lege in 1916. earliest educational evangelists in coln Steffins. South America, died December 30, in Mr. Cecil Henry Polhill, member Delaware, Ohio. He had been on the of the original "Cambridge Seven," retired list since 1919. He first served died at his, home at Hempstead, Eng- in Chile, then in Montevideo, and land, March 9. Two other members of later was president of Quito CoIIege, .!,mn~ this "Cambridge Seven" are still liv- ing, Sir Montague Beauchamp and D. in Ecuador. • * • E. Hoste of the China Inland Mission. of tbe Mr. Polhill was educated at Eaton Miss Emily L. Peterson, Presby- School and was converted and led to terian missionary in India since 1913, €bri~tian offer his life to Christian service where she was principal of the Girls' through the late Dwight L. Moody. Middle School in Saharanpur, died in He sailed for China in 1885 and served India, March 17,at the age of 58. as a missionary in Shensi, Kansu and Miss Peterson worked in the New Szchwan, where he did effective work York City Mission for five years be- fore going to India. There, in addi- lLift among the Tibetans on the western tion to directing the Indian faculty and aQout 150 students, she spent cA BOOK of worship in song, com- border of China. He retired from many hours visiting in homes, going China in 1902 but continued to give into areas where cholera and small himself and his means to promote the pox were raging in order to bring work of the China Inland Mission. comfort to the suffering; helping in community projects and working for •• • the better .education of women. Rev. Charles Scott Deming, an American Methodist missionary in •• • bining a hymnal for general Mrs. Isabel Edgar McFarland, wife church use, and a song book for evan- of Rev. A. J. McFarland, D.D., passed to the Heaven Home, in February in e;elistic purposes. Oitly songs sOund Latakia, Syria. Here they began their m the faith and inspirationaf in char- work on the Mission Field in 1906, acter included–.emphasizing Evan~el at Mersine, and at Latakia after the war. Mr. and Mrs. McFarland were ism, Missions, and the Deeper Life. Manchuria and Korea for thirty- among that band of veteran mission- Many of the new—the best of the old. three years, died in a Brookyln hos- aries of the Reformed Presbyterian pital on March 15. For a number of Church. Dr. McFarland is retiring 504 Songs Responsive Readings years he was an officer of the Chris- and returning to America this sum- tian Literature Society of Korea, and mer. Topical Index Gold Embossed Published in round notes and Roxite cloth had translated several theological edition only at $65.00 per lOO-an especially books into Korean. He returned from low price. Single copy, SSc postpaid. Manchuria on furlough last December. Writ<! today f<rr ~etumable sample copy ••• CHRISTIAN PUBLICATIONS, Inc. Dr. W. Courtland Robinson, for- mer editor of The Presbytrian, died in 1502 NORTH THIRD STREET HARRISBURG, PA. Delhi, New York, Marc:h 15. I!e w:as chairman of the commIttee whIch In-
LIFE OF GEORGE BOWEN, OF
By ROBERT E. SPEER This is the biography of a very remarkable Christian missionary to India and for twenty years the inBuential and able editor of the Bombay Guardian. Dr. J. Sumner Stone called him, "The White Yogi."
When George Bowen died in 1888 there was call for a worthy biography but its preparation was delayed. Later all the biographical material-including his diaries, letters, reminiscences, and the books and pamphlets of which he was author-was turned over to Dr. Speer. This material has now been put into shape for publication and the result is a frank and stimulating picture of the man,-his experiences, unique character, forceful views and methods of work. Here is a life story that is of absorbing interest and will richly reward the thoughtful reader. The book is now ready for delivery. .
CONTENTS I. Family of George Bowen. XI. A Decisive Year, 1849. II. Boyhood and Youth. XII. III. Three Years Abroad. XIII. From 1850 to 1855. IV. Life in New York, 1840·1844. XIV. V. Illumination of a Hopeless Love. XV. TenYears of Independent Work. VI. Conversion to Christianity. XVI. VII. At Union Theological Seminary. XVII. The Bombay Guardian. VIII. ftisMissionary Appointment. XVIII. IX. The Voyage to India, 1847. XIX. Relations with the American Board. X. Beginning Missionary Work. Association with the Methodist Church.
Bowen as a Writer.
Correspondence with Henry W. Rankin.
Closing Testimony. • This latest work by Dr. Speer may be ordered at $2.50 per copy from THE MISSIONARY REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY IS6 Fifth Avenue. New York MORE ABOUT THE MODERN CITY and HOW THE CHURCH CAN MEET ITS PROBLEMS Coming in the July and September Numbers The Church Challenges the City Dwight J. Bradley Looking to the City Tomorrow Charles H. Sears Religious Problems of a Mid-West City L. Merle Rymph What a Downtown Church Can Do The Privileged Helping the Underprivileged Frederick B. Fisher A Charge Rather Than a Retreat Samuel E. West Responsibility for a Whole Community What Does Outdoor Evangelism Accomplish Richard E. Scully WiUiam C. Munds . J. Arthur Springer ORDER COPIES OF THESE NUMBERS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR SOCIETY 25 cents a copy $20 a hundred $2.50 a year THE MISSIONARY REVIEW OF THE WORLD Third and Reily Streets, Harrilburg, Pa.
ROBERT E. SPEER, President DELAVAN L PIERSON, Editor
The Missionary Review of the World — April 1938
1938
How the Indian Church Reads the Bible Marguerite Grove Modak A Cathedral on Wheels in Ohio Norman R. Sturgis Mansur Sang.-.-.-Christian Dervish J. Christy Wilson The Holy Cities of Islam in Iraq Calvin K. Staudt Black and White in South Africa Kenneth G. Grubb The Pastor and Missionary Education Jesse H. Arnup 2S Cents a Copy $2.50 a Yea,.
D.te. to Remember PLAN NOW to Spend Next Summer's Vacation with
ica's Greatest Theological Teachers. April 28-General Conference, Meth- odist Episcop·al Church, South, Bir- Winona Lake School of Theology, Winona Lake, Indiana mingham, Ala. For Ministers, Teachers, Missionaries, Sunday School Worker. and Laymen May 12-16-Southern Baptist Conven- tion, Richmond, Va. Courses leading to Regular Theological Degrees • Cost Reasonable 50 July 12 to August 17- Two Terms 15 Days Each· Interdenominational May 18-22-General Missionary Con- Free ference of the Woman's Missionary Evangelical Faith and High Scholarship Combined Rooms Union of Friends in America, Whit- tier, California. Mrs. Virginia Dr. W. E. BiederwoU, Director (Asic: for free Prospectus) Dr. J. A. Haffmu. Doaa Peelle, Wilmington, Ohio, President. nal at 24, and was private secretary to deeply interested in the Y. M. C. A. May 19-General Assembly, Presby- and Y. W. C. A. and in THE MISSION- terian Church in U. S., Meridian, President Benjamin Harrison in 1889, Miss. died at Leonia, New Jersey, on Feb- ARY REVIEW.
May 22-Rural Life Sunday. ruary 27th, at the age of 95. George Foste*r P*eab*ody, noted phi- May 25-General Assembly, United Colonel Halford was very active in lanthropist and churchman, died at Presbyterian Church of North Pine Glade, Warm Springs, Ga., on America, Cleveland, Ohio. church work and in the Y. M. C. A., March 4th. He was 85 years of age. and was a memb~r of the Board of May 26-General Assembly, Presby~ Foreign Missions of the Methodist Mr. Peabody had a keen interest in terian Church in U. S. A., Philadel- the welfare of the Negro. He gave phia, Pa. Episcopal Church. time, attention, and money to various He was born in Nottingham, Eng- organized efforts for the advancement May 31-June 4-Triennial Conven- of the Colored people. For many tion, and 50th Anniversary, Wom- land, in 1843, and was brought to the years, he was a trustee of the Amer- an's Missionary Society of the ican Church Institute for Negroes. General Synod, Evangelical and United States in 1848. He was a Reformed Church, Akron, Ohio. delightful personality and was deeply Mr. Peabody was born in Columbus, Ga., on July 27, 1852, the son of June 2 – General Synod, Reformed interested in Christian work. For George Henry Peabody. Church in America, Asbury Park, N.J. s·ome years he was active in the Amer- He often said that he was grad- uated from the Y. M. C. A., declaring June 15-22-General Council of Con- ican Mission to Lepers. he obtained the equivalent of a college gregational and Christian Churches, education in its libraries and lecture Beloit, Wisconsin. *** rooms.
June 18-25-Geneva Summer School Dr. John R. Fleming, emeritus sec- *** for Missionary Education. For in- formation address Mrs. Paul H. retary of the Alliance of Presbyterian Amy Blanche Greene, Director of Wezeman, 1177 S. Humphrey Ave., and Reformed Churches, died suddenly Young People's Work for the Greater Oak Park, Ill. New York Federation of Churches in London, December 28, at nearly 80 since 1933, died on March 2, in New June 25-July 2-Interdenominational York. She was a graduate of Miami Conference of Missions, Eagles years of age. Dr. Fleming was born University, the Chi c ago Divinity Mere, Pa. School and Union Theological Sem- in Fifeshire, Scotland, and was edu- inary. June 28-July 3 – Twentieth Interna- tional Convention on Christian Edu- cated in Edinburgh. He was one of cation, Columbus, Ohio. the first Scottish supporters of the July 12-August 17 – Winona Lake School of Theology, Winona Lake, Christian Endeavor Movement, and in Ind. 1902 was elected its national presi- dent. Among his books are The Burn- September – General Com mit tee, ing Bush and History of the Church World's Student Christian Federa- tion, Japan. in Scotland. *** December 13-30 – International Mis- sionary Council, Madras, India. Rev. Levi B. Salmans, M.D., first Obituary Notes medical missionary to found a hospital The Rev. Dr. J. Sumner Stone, a in Mexico, died in Pasadena, January Methodist Episcopal clergyman and missionary for more than fifty years, 29, aged 83. He had retired in 1927, died in New Rochelle, New York, on February 18th at the age of eighty- after 42 years of medical-evangelistic I SERVICE I two. work. *** A native of Wheeling, W. Va., Dr. Stone studied medicine at the Univer- , Mrs. Nora Jones Bowen, wife of sity of Pennsylvania and, after his graduation in 1879, he went to Cal- the former President of Nanking Uni- IF YOU are considering the cutta, India, as a missionary for eight years. He then returned to the United versity, died January 14, in Altadena, States and did mission work in New York before assuming his first pas- California. She had gone as a mistorate. sionary under the Methodist Board in publication of a book, He retired nine years ago after having served nine churches. He was 1897, retiring in 1930. pamphlet, or tract, why not for a time the president of the International Missionary Union. *** let us make it for you? Our *** James H. Post, one of the most facilities are most modern, generous givers that America has ever Lieut. Col. Elijah Walker Halford, known, died on March 5th, at his home and our location is at the who rose from "printer's devil" to be- in Brooklyn, N. Y. Mr. Post had lived come editor of The Indianapolis Jour- an abundant life of Christian service, "heart of distribution." Esti- both in personal ways and in move- ments for the welfare of his fellows mates on your particular re- and for the evangelization of the world. He had given largely to many quirements, with expert missionary enterprises, notably the Laymen's Missionary Movement. Mr. counsel, will be gladly fur- Post and his wife, Louisa Wells Post, a daughter of the Rev. John D. Wells, nished on request. I'li D.D., a former president of the Pres- byterian Board of Foreign Missions, e~ B06Iu have generously cooperated in the p~ undertakings in home and foreign lands. They founded the John D. ~FF~CTIVE PRINTING AT Wells School in Seoul, Chosen, and the ECONOMICAL PRIC~S John D. Wells School in Siangtan, Hunan, China, and aided substantial- The Evangelical Press ly MacKenzie College, in Brazil, and many other undertakings in various Printers of missions. Mr. and Mrs. Post were The Missionary Review of the World Third and Reily Streets Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
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REVIEW OF THE WORLD Twain once received a letter from a every speed record to and from subscriber complaining that he had the Orient. 10 days direct to DBLAVAN L. PIBRSON, lfditor found a spider in his paper and ask- Yokohama by Empress of Asia ing the meaning of it. The editor or Empress of Russia. Or only VOL. LXI APRIL, 1938 No. 4 replied: "Dear old subscriber: Find- three days more via Hawaii by ing a spider in your newspaper was Empress of Japan, largest and Publication and Business Ollie&– neither good luck nor bad luck for fastest on the Pacific, or Empress Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. you. The spider was merely looking of Canada. Connect at Honolulu over your paper to see which mer- from California ports. Editorial and Executive Ollie&– chant is not advertising so he can go From Vancouver and Victoria 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. to that store, spin his web over the to Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, Entered as second-class matter at door and lead a life of undisturbed Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila. peace ever afterward." Details from YOUR TRAVEL Post Oftlce, Harrisburg, Pa., under AGENT or Canadian Pacific·: Act of March 3, 1879. *** 41 offices in U. S. and Canada.
25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. Readers of THE REVIEW are awake Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. to present-day conditions and needs at Published monthly, except August. home and abroad. They have pur- All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1937. chasing power and giving ability, and British agents – Marshall, Morgan the will to make use of them. They and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, appreciate both material and spiritual London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, needs-their own and those of other 10 shillings a year. men and women.
MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- *** LISHING CO., INC. A reader in Kansas recently wrote BOARD OF DIRECTORS to the Editor: "The first time I ever ROBE'RT E. SPBER, Pre8ident looked into your magazine was today. A. L. WARNSHUIS, VicfI-Pre8ident I was glad to see the stand you took WALTER MCDoUGALL, Treasurer concerning your conviction that Christ DELAVAN L. PIBRSON, Secretary deals primarily with the spiritual needs of the world." PAUL J. BRAIBTED SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT *** D. J. FANT This is true for Christ sees that the spiritual needs underlie and per- MRS. ORRIN R. JUDD meate all others. He is also concerned WM. B. LIPPHARD for man's material needs, as He showed when He was on earth, for Emc M. NORTH the supply of these needs has much to do with man's character and wel- SAMUEL M. ZWEMEB fare and his efficiency in the service of God and man. Editorial Chat *** The annual meeting of The Missionary Review Publishing Co. was Another reader writes: held at the Parkside Hotel, New York, at 1 p. m., March 28, 1938. At this "I have always had an intense inmeeting reports for 1937 were given, terest in mission work and missionary directors were elected for the coming problems. Only recently, however, year and the future plans for THE has your publication come to my at- REVIEW carefully considered. Matters tention. I assure you that I am glad of vital interest concerning THE RE- to have discovered it. The articles I VIEW were given much thought and find definitely interesting. The secthoroughly considered. tion entitled "Our World Outlook" is particularly instructive and enlight- *** ening. It covers such vast ground that one cannot but realize how well The June number of THE REVIEW the idea of Christ has gotten to the will be devoted to the Home Mission remotest corners." study topic-"The City." Articles are planned to show the great need of the JULIUS S. MILLER, modern city for the Gospel of Christ, Dillard University. the various agencies that are seeking to solve the problems – especially New Orleans, La. those that touch spiritual needs, and the results of such work in the transformation of individuals, homes and communities. Send in your order now in advance – 25 cents a copy, $20 a hundred.
USED IN OVER ONE MILLION CHRISTIAN HOMES HURLBUT'S STORY OF THE BIBLE By.JESSE LYMAN HURLBUT. D.O. Recommended by all denominations for Its freshness and accuracy, for its simplicity of language,for itsfreedomfrom doctrinal discussion.
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RELIGIONS OF THE
The .twelve leading religions of the world which have persisted through a succession of centuries are, in the order of their origin: Animism, Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto, Zoroastrian- ism, Taoism, J ainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism.
Numerically, Christianity has the largest following of any religion, with more than twice as many adherents as Confucianism, the next largest. .
The 1937 World Almanac gives the following statistics: Christianity, 682 million; Confucianism and Taoism, 351 million (about 43 million of these are Taoists) ; Hinduism, 230 million; Islam, 209 million (most authorities give 240 million, placing Islam third in the list) ; Buddhism, 150 million; Animism, 136 million; Shinto, 25 million; Judaism, 15 million. The number of adherents of th~ three religions not listed by the World Almanac are commonly estimated as: Sikhism, 3 million; J ainism, 1 million; Zoroastrianism, one hundred thousand.
Islam is the only r.eIi~on which started in opposition to Chri~tianity.
Only three of these religions claim to have a universal claim on mankind – Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. Islam excludes its women, approximately half its adult followers, from full participation in its privileges and responsibilities.
Four religions are strictly monotheistic: Islam, Sikhism, Judaism and Christianity. Only Christianity presents a loving deity who actively seeks the redemption of the world and who is represented in human history by a Person of the same high moral character and purpose.
Four non-Christian religions claim in some form supernatural birth for their founders: Buddhism, Taoism, J ainism all(~ Zoroastrianism.
All the living religions, except Animism, have sacred scriptures: Hinduism, the Vedas; Judaism, The Law, The Prophets and The Sacred Writings; Shinto, Ko-ji-ki (The Records of Ancient-Matters) and Nihon-gi (The Chronicles of Japan); Zoroastrianism, Avesta; Taoism, Tao:"Teh-King (The Canon of Reason and Virtue); Jainism, the Angas; Buddhism, Tripitaka (Three Baskets) ; Confucianism, The Five Classics, and The Four Books; Christianity, the Bible; Islam, the Koran; Sikhism, the Granth.
All report some miraculous happenings of religious import in connection with the life of the founders.
Seven religions have teachings approximating the Golden Rule as teaching right relations with others.
Hinduism: "Do naught to others which, if done to thee, would cause thee pain: this is the sum of duty."
Buddhism: "In five ways should a clansman minister to his friends and familiars by treating them as he treats himself."
Confucianism: "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others."
Taoism: "To those who are good to me, I am good; and to those who are not good to me, I am also good. And thus all get to be good."
Zoroastrianism: "That nature only is good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self."
Judaism: "Whatsoever thou wouldest that men should not do unto thee, do not do that to them."
Christianity: "All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them."
There is a like precept in Greek philosophy: "Do not do to others what you would not wish to suffer yourself.'" …
All living religions hold some belief concerning a future existence, though they differ widely as to its character and even concerning its desirability.
Dr. R. E. Hume, in summing up the essential features of Christianity which are not paralleled among all the religions of the world, states three distinct characteristics in terms of the Christian belief concerning God: (1) In God there is something eternal (God as the creator and universal, loving Father); (2) In God there is something historic (the incarnation of God in the Son, Jesus Christ); (3) In God there is something progressive (the continuing, available, transforming presence, known as "The Holy Spirit") .-World Call.
[162 ] REVIB ORLD VOLUME LXI AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 4 APRIL, 1938 Topics of the Times THE ONLY NAME – IN INDIA them th3it are bruised.' He gave the invitation, 'Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy "The problem of the uniqueness of Christ may laden and I will give you rest.' . . . His Sermon perhaps have only an academic interest for those on the Mount is a unique enunciation of eternal who were born in a society where the people en- ethics.
joy their elementary birthrights of the equality of 5. "He is unique in His claims to divine author- man. But to us Indians, it is one like the new dis- ity and power. (See John 8: 51; 14: 6; 11: 25; covery of a great treasure of Itornugthcetnhtautrlh·eas" s. been Ma6t.t."2H4e: 3is5.u) nique in His claims to be one with hidden away in the earth f or These are the opening sentences of an article God. (John 10: 30; 14: 9; 15: 23; 5: 21; Matt.
on "The Uniqueness of Christ" by Bhagat Ram 10: 37 ; J 0 hn 5 : 25.) in The Indian Witness of January 20, 1938. He 7. "He is unique in healing the wounds of the says: "In Christ this writer, who has been long brU.lsed. (Matt. 11 : 28 ; J 0 hn 6 : 35 ; 2 Cor.5: 17.) walking in darkness, has seen a great light." He 8. "He was unique in changing the world for then proceeds to set fOllth thirteen aspects of womanhood..,. ~ He regarded women equally Christ's uniqueness. with men, as capable of full intellectual and spir- 1. "His life and teachings are unique in that itual apprehension, as responsible for the exercise they are of a different order from the world's de- of the highest intellectual and spiritual faculties.
batable theories and ideals. . . . In a complex .. . . This message of His brought a liberty that world He gave us simple, basic truths upon which made available to her such service in the home and life is founded. society as has accomplished great things for the 2. "The central place He occupies in the history world.
of mankind. . . . Christ is the central figure of 9. "He is unique in finding the great spiritual the universe. Christmas, the day of His advent value in child life. (Matt. 8: 3.) in this world, has come to be recognized as the 10. "He was unique in bringing a new concep- universal day of exchanging joyful greetings of tion of fitness for leadership. (Mark 10: 43.) good will and peace. 11. "He is unique in that He rose again from 3. "The unique purpose with which He came the tomb and is ever alive.
into the world. . . . Christ brought a new dy- 12. "His unique character.
namic of love. . . . My Hindu brethren tell us 13. "Christ is' unique in His influence on the that Lord Krishna came 'for the destruction of world tod'ay."
the wicked and the preservation of the good.' But And the writer concludes: "Now, of the evi- Jesus Christ came to turn the wicked into good; dence from His disciples, His life, His teaching, to give them both the desire and the power to His regenerating power in' individuals, and even conquer sin. from the evidence of the avowed enemies of His 4. "He set forth His unique mission to the world mission, any rationatbeing with a brain to think as follows: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and a heart to throb in his heart of hearts must because He has anointed me to preach the gospel conclude that Jesus Christ is God as the one Man.
to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken Very hard indeed must be the person who is not hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and attracted and captivated by the story of His life recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty and death."
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This is a voice from within the Christian com- Lord, can form a regenerated world and bring muni,ty in India. The same voice speaks from universal peace and righteousness, with a release within the Hindu community. The Statesman of from selfishness and fear.
India recently published a two-column article en- The latest overturning in Europe is but another titled "Jesus Christ, the Saviour," written by illustration of the failure of human diplomacy and Swami Apurvananda at the Rama Krishna Mis- the inability of any League of Nations to guarsion, a Hindu ascetic monk, in which he declared antee peace or the "self-determination" of weaker of Jesus, "He is the golden link to bridge the nations. Austria, formerly united to Germany hiatus between this mortal world and the King- but for over one hundred and thirty years an indom of Heaven. . . . We worship Jesus of Naz- dependent nation, was taken over by Hitler's Nazi areth as God incarnated on earth to save human- forces on March 12th and without a battle has ity. . . . There is nothing in history so sublime, been made a part of Germany. Thus the German so majestic. He stands there above all as the nation, that was stlpposed to have been made in- King of mankind, the Son of God, the Lord Him- capable of defying Europe, has defied the world self, beckoning all, with bleeding hand, towards by force of arms and selfish "self-determination." Heaven." European governments are now waiting anxiously Indian literature is full today of testimonies to to see what will be Germany's ne~t move. Will Jesus. One more may be quoted. It is from a Czechoslovakia and Danzig, with their large Gerlittle book, "India's Response to Christ," by P. K. man populations, be absorbed by the Reich? Will Sen, a Hindu of Calcutta, who writes: "I believe Italy also attempt to absorb more coveted terriin my heart of hearts that India cannot escape tory in order to increase Mussolini's prestige? At Christ. No one can escape Christ. So has it been any rate, the map of Europe continues to change with me. The hostility to Christ that made itself .-and will change until the kingdoms of this manifest in the first clash of East and West has world become the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus disappeared. Years have passed and Christ has Christ. slowly and silently entered the hearts of the thinking section of the people. Slowly and surely He What have the unrest, the wars, and thechangwill enter the hearts of all. For Christ is such an ing governments in Europe and Asia to do with one as cannot but be accepted. . . . One sees Him Christians and the Christian program ? Naturally and simply cannot escape Him." every Christian is disturbed, saddened and aroused by the sufferings of those affected by .Every such sign is welcome, but Christ's day is war, greed and injustice – whether in Asia, Eustill not come. There is still no answer in these rope, Africa or America. The two hundred thousigns to Narayan Tibah's question: sand Jews in Austria will suffer, like those in When shall these longings be sufficed Germany, and can find no peace out of Christ. That stir my spirit night and day? True followers of Christ in Europe will suffer for When shall I see my country lay their uncompromising loyalty as the Evangelicals are suffering today in Germany and in Korea. Her homage at the feet of Christ?
Yea, now behold that blissful day There may come still more bitter persecution When all her prophets' mystic lore from those who are opposed to the sovereignty And all her ancient wisdom's store of God and the Spirit of Christ. All this is pre- dicted in the New Testament. Evangelical mission- Shall own His consummating sway. ary work is naturally being hindered by the forces ROBERT E. SPEER.
CHRISTIANS AND THE TURMOIL of unrighteousness but Christians are being chas- IN EUROPE tened and tested and their testimony will not be silenced.
Unrest, uncertainty and fear characterize the What then shall be the attitude of Christians in situation in Europe. Statesmen who thought that these days of change, turmoil and trial? "When the "Peace of Versailles" would bring peace if not the foundations are destroyed, what can the right- good will among men have been sadly disap- eous do 1" They can still be loyal tc, Christ; they pointed. Those students who expressed the con- can refuse to compromise; they can suffer for viction thirtY,or forty years ago that the Kingdom righteousness sake; they can help the needy and of God and the reign of Christ was already estab- afflicted and encourage the faint-hearted; they lished on earth and would prevail by the gradual can witness to God's love and supremacy by their dissemination of His spirit and teachings, find words and their Christ-like lives; they can trust that neither the Bible nor history confirm their and not be afraid. Jesus Christ and His disciples expectations. It becomes clearer every day that in the early days were not disturbed by political only truly regenerated men and women, and the turmoil and by changing human governments in universal acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Judea and Galilee. They submitted to their
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
L'TBtlAN7A'~~ R U S S I A . i,i . ~~~, .;.J • MOSCOW· • , ._.'~L" ,…..~ ~."'.-…
i uK RAIN.E Scale of Miles 100 31,0. 30, 0 40$0 THE THEATER OF TURMOIL IN EUROPE TODAY A Herald-Tribune map showing the German absorption of Austria and the position of surrounding "interested observers"
earthly rulers but were controlled only by the claims of Jesus to be the true revelation of God, supreme sovereignty of God. The same principles the Father. The Scribes and Pharisees, the Sadwill guide true Christians .today. The nations ducees and Herodians, may have had different may rage and rulers take council against God and reasons for opposing the teachings and claims of against His Anointed, but "the Lord will have Jesus but they were all united in opposition by them in derision." He who rules the universe pride in their intellectual acumen, by their desire must ultimately prevail and His people will share for personal honor and by consciousness of what in .the victory. Is there anything for Christians acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah must cost to do in the present time of testing other than to them. They therefore rejected Him and influenced be loyal and unafraid, to live lovingly, righteously the Jewish people to rej ect Him on the ostensible and godly in this present world and to continue to ground that He came from obscure Galilee, that witness by word and deed to the saving, directing He mingled with despised Publicans and sinners, and keeping power of God? that He did not conform to their interpretation of the Old Testament prophets, tha.t none of the THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CRITICS Jewish rulers followed Him, that He did not suffi- ciently respect the temple or the laws and cus- When Jesus Christ came into the world, He toms of the Hebrew writers and tha.t He claimed came to His own people, but they did not receive that God was His Father. The immediate result Him. At first the multitudes crowded around, was Jesus' rejection by the multitudes, His final even going out into the desert and hillside to listen condemnation by the Jewish and Roman courts to His teaching. Why then did they not receive and His death on the cross. Jesus' self-appointed Him and accept what He offered? The respon- critics were humanly responsible for the fact that sibility rested largely on the shoulders of Christ's severe critics, the Jewish leaders. They set them- Jewish multitudes did not receive Him. selves up as interpreters of the Jewish law, as intellectually superior and able to decide on the Is not a similar situation found today, both in America and in other lands? A missionary to
Moslems in Central Africa, A. R. Pittway, writes OPPORTUNITIES IN IRAN of the difficulties put in the way of the acceptance of Christ by Moslems. Self-appointed critics- Rev. William M. Miller, Presbyterian missionnot only Moslems but also some who claim to ary in Iran, writes in the Presbyterian Tribune: be Christians and who take to themselves the role of rationalistic judges – hinder many from ac- I accompanied a group of Meshed evangelists cepting the authority of the Word of God or the to a village in the mountains where the people are claims of Christ and faith in His redemptive extremely friendly, and where a Christian Church work. Mr. Pittway says: will soon be established. The first person to carry the Gospel to these people was Mansur Sang, the Obviously in our approach to Islam there are many diffi- Christian dervish. (See page 182.) We were inculties. Among them are some which are of our own mak- vited into Christian homes for meals; they always ing. For instance one finds, in a study of Islamic litera- asked for hymns and a talk, and we had the opture published in England and elsewhere for educated portunity of giving our message to the family and Moslems, that the attack upon the Bible is mainly based to forty or fifty nei~hbors as well. At night they upon the written and verbal statements of professing would come to our tents, and our singing and Christian leaders, whose theology is of a rationalistic na- preaching would continue as long as we had a ture. Again and again Moslem leaders have brought such voice left. How they did sing the hymns! statements to me with the question, "Are not these men the leaders of the Christian Church? Are they not your Everywhere these days it is possible to tell the teachers? Do not their statements show that your Scrip- Good News. In one town I was called to the police tures are not trustworthy?" Our rationalistic theologians office because I gave a few tracts to a man by the have, by their declared attitude towards the Bible, made a wayside. I was detained for three days while the difficult task still more difficult. matter was referred to the Capital, and I was examined at length by the officers in charge. This Then again, there is abroad among many Moslems, a gave me an excellent opportunity to give my mesconception concerning the doctrine of the Trinity which is sage to them. One of them listened with deep inentirely false, but one for which that section of the Chris- terest, and after my return to Teheran I received tian Church is to blame, which calls Mary the "Mother of several letters from him in which he expressed a God." I have been told many times by Moslems that the desire to give himself to Christ. Trinity in which we believe and which we worship is the Father, the Mother (Mary), and the Son (Jesus) I-a In October, I saw for the first time the famous thoroughly heathen conception; but who is to blame? mosques of Isfahan. A few years ago it would Surely the responsibility rests on the Christian Church have been impossible for a non-Moslem to set foot which allows such false teaching to be propagated by its inside them, for Iranian Moslems consider all representatives. non-Moslems unclean. But they have now been taken over by the Governmen.t and repaired, and There must be a recognition of the fact that the battle they are to be kept as specimens of the best is a spiritual battle. "If our Gospel is hid, it is hid to Islamic architecture. Three of us, a convert from them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath Judaism, a convert from Islam, and I, went toblinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light gether from one lovely structure to another, and of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, as we entered one large room which much reshould shine unto them." sembled the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem one idea came into the minds of all three of us- The Bible, the claims of Christ and the disciples "What a. wonderful place for a Church!" "Let's of Christ need not fear any honest, unprejudiced, see whether the acoustics are good or not," said constructive criticism. All-important claims the preacher, and going to the far end of the room should be carefully examined but heavy respon- he repeated in Persian the best beloved verse in sibility rests on those whose desire for leadership, the Bible, "For God so loved the world." "We intellectual· pride or false standards cause them heard you perfectly," said the other two, "and that not only to reject Christ and the Word of God for was the first time those words were ever spoken themselves, but who raise barriers that cause in this building." others to reject those just claims. THE SECRET OF SUCCESS IN MISSIONS The credentials of the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God, and the claims of Jesus Missions are the special work of the Holy Spirit. No Christ as the Son of God and only Saviour for sinful men, are so well set forth in their very one may expect to be filled with the Spirit if he is not nature and in Christian experience, that openminded, intelligent and honest investigation re- willing to be used for missions. No one who wishes to moves doubt. This has been proved through twenty centuries. On the other hand does not work or pray for missions need fear his feebleness or povany leader who awakens doubt and hinders any man's acceptance of Christ, assume tremendous erty: the Holy Spirit is the power that can fit him to take responsibility and fall under the condemnation of Christ for preventing others from entering the his divinely appointed place in the work. Let everyone Kingdom of God? who prays for missions and longs for more of a mission- ary spirit in the Church, pray first and most that in every believer personally, and in the Church and all its work and worship, the power of the indwelling Spirit may have full sway. ANDREW MURRAY.
THE BIBLE
How an Indian Church Read the Bible Through in One Day A Christian Adaptation of an Indian Custom By MARGUERITE GROVE MODAK,* Ahmednagar, India "IN THE beginning, God,,-uThe Spirit and the Pride filled me but now I am humbled, Bride say, Come." Thy disciple, thy humblest, I. . The opening words began on Wednesday mornmg and the closing triumphant invitation Pride deceived, parting me from thee; was given on Saturday night. The reading had Now slave of Thy name am I. not stopped during the whole day, except for a moment while one reader after another took his Void I am of strength, thought, knowledge. place before the open Bible. Thou, 0 Thou alone art my refuge, 0 Christ.
A low platform was placed under the Cross in Men took the leading part in the Saptaha as the prayer-room of the Hume Memorial Church they do in Indian churches, but many women of Ahmednagar, India; a silk rug was spread came and a few took their turn in the reading. over it, the platform and a small table six inches Leaders were appointed for two-hour periods; high was placed at the front to hold the Bible. they chose three helpers and these four kept the Incense was kept burning according to the Indian reading continuous. Never were there less than custom; flowers were placed beside it by the peo- twelve people present even during the hours after ple who came to hear the reading, a fresh garland midnight. High school boys prepared tea during of flowers was hung over the Cross each morning. the night and saw that no one monopolized the The people sat on the floor, a few following the reading. reading in their own Bibles. Each reader closed his reading by starting the singing of one of the The closing three hours were highly impressive. best loved hymns: Two hundred people collected, sitting on the floor in silence and in rapt attention. The pastor, who From this time henceforth, 0 Lord, I cling to thy feet had read the first five chapters of Genesis, read alone. the last five of Revelation. His voice was full of triumphant emotion as he read those magnificent A waste, barren waste, my life 'til now. words: * Mrs. Marguerite Grove Modak Is the American wife of the Behold I am come quickly; and my reward is with me To render to each man according as his work is. Indian pastor of the Hume Memorial Church, Ahmednagar.
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I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the loved the foreign hymns they had been taught End. from childhood. Indianization was not appre- ciated by the mass of the Indian Church. Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the Tree of Life, Not many missionaries can do more toward put- ting the church in its national setting. than by And may enter in by the Gates of the City. showing their willingness to cooperate in what- ever way the Christians of the land choose'to do it. With the last words, "Amen and Amen," he closed Being a Westerner, I did not warm to th~:Saptaha the Bible. A tremulous sigh of satisfaction was as proposed by the Ahmednagar Churyh. What heard to pass through the crowd. The pastor good could come from reading the geneologies and raised his hands to his face for prayer, and the some of the chapters in which moral delinquency people bowed their heads to the floor. Then one is portrayed? But God gave me the grace to reof the elders came forward with a final garland frain from e~pressing my objections and I folfor the Cross, one for the pastor and others for lowed the Saptaha through, attending four to six retired ,pastors. Here and there people rose and hours a day. I read through in my English Bible came forward, dropping a few flowers on the as I grew tired of following the Marathi, from Bible or placing baskets of sweetmeats before it. Genesis through the Songs of Solomon. Several When all the gifts had been presented the pastor of ,the books were not highly edifying but I got a presented them to God in a dedicatory prayer. telescopic picture of the Hebrew people which I One by one the people came forward, held out had never had before. What Bible student ever their hands, and received a piece of sweetmeat- reads these books through in so short a space of prasad it is called, "the gift of God," a peace of- time? It was a useful event in the life of the fering given to Him and returned by Him to the church and it was gratifying to see so many peopeople, doubly blessed. After the benediction the ple, young and old, listening to the Word of God people retired to the church auditorium to listen and to see the spirit of fellowship engendered in to a bhujan – admonitions and stories sung by the group as they united in this eighty-four-hour one man, accompanied by an orchestra of boys. project.
This is a genuine Indian ceremony adopted for Further, it was a project in Indianization in the Christian purposes in the church. It was adapted people's own way. The form of the Saptaha could from the Hindu practice called Saptaha or "seven have followed more closely the Hindu manner of days of continuous religious exercises." It is cele- having the scriptures expounded verse by verse brated in many ways. Sometimes the people or by singing the scriptures in kirtan where a gather in the dry bed of the river during the hot whole book is sung by one man. season, thousands of them, only repeating the name of the god "Ram" for seven days and nights. There is the matter of hymns in the church- At other times they gather in temples for eight or when one is thinking of Indianization. Any nine hours during seven days to read certain sec- hymn singing is a western innovation in Indian tions of their sacred scriptures as the books are worship. Congregational singing is a special featoo voluminous to be read entire. On these occa- ture of socialized religion. The first hymns used sions usually one man reads a small portion, fol- in India were necessarily translations of western lowed by an explanation. Whatever the form of words with western tunes. Latterly there has been the Saptaha it is followed by Prasad, a gift to God a movement by missionaries to discard them for returned to the people. They feel exalted as they purely Indian compositions. However if the peoeat, even as Christians feel uplifted upon receiv- ple prefer to sing western hymns why should they ing Holy Communion. not do so? It is difficult, if not impossible, to ex- press some qualities of the Christian life by In- A few years ago "Indianization of the Christian dian rhythms and similes; qualities which are Church" was on every missionaries' lips, and 'was peculiar to the Christian heritage, expressing echoed with various degrees of intelligence by such great central truths as distinguish Chris- Indian leaders. Few had very concrete ideas as tianity from the eastern religions, namely, the to how this was to be carried into practice but vicarious suffering of Christ, God's loving Fatherthere was much talk about Indian music and In- hood, forgiveness for sin, the Resurrection, vicdian-composed hymns, about Indianizing church torious faith and the work of the Holy Spirit: architecture. Some carried this to an extreme, the mission of the Church. Indian rhythms and one group of missionaries going so far as to build similes do not express these concepts. "A mighty a small Hindu temple for the worship of God. fortress is our God" – can you imagine those These early attempts of the occidentals to put the words set to any Indian music or that concept put Christian religion in its national setting were not into an Indian simile? And yet American and understood by many Indians. Some older Chris- British Christians would experience a sense of tians felt that they were being led back to Hinduism from which they had recently escaped; others
HOW AN INDIAN CHURCH READ THE BIBLE THROUGH IN ONE DAY
loss if we could not sing it for fear of insulting sionaries, he read a book throughout the service. our nationality! But there are other thought- Finally he withdrew entirely to the great relief of forms that are better expressed in Indian con- his Indian brethren to whom that book was a concepts and rhythms than in English. For ex- stant insult. ample, the hymn, already quoted, badly translated as it is. , An account of the Saptaha was listened to by one missionary with sad shaking of the head The Christian Church in India will ultimately which was equally insulting. "If the reading of settle itself into its national setting as missionary the Bible had been followed by Bible study," he control and influence recede. There was a time said, "it might have been worth while, but what when I believed that missionaries should become good is it merely to read the Bible without undermembers of the Indian churches and take a nor- standing it." Such criticisms of the efforts of the mal part in the church work but since I have church give no encouragement to go on to somejoined the Indian Community I have come to feel thing better. They are sources of great irritation that many churches are not on their own feet suf- to the Indian churches. ficiently to make this either helpful or advisable. There may be more stages in church development Indian employees of the mission naturally find than we had thought. Perhaps there is a stage it difficult to express opinions contrary to those where missionaries should withdraw even from of their employers. A few days ago this comment membership on governing bodies to avoid embar- was made by an Indian clergyman : "The Bishop rassment to Indian church membership. Indian is calling a meeting of his clergy next week but it members must learn to govern their churches as will be the same old experience we always have. they wish. When churches are composed of He sets before us high ideals of service and we sit mostly second- and third-generation Christians quiet and unresponsive. How can we discuss who are rising in the social scale they are ready these things with him? If we tell him that our to carry on their own affairs, even though their people cannot live up to the ideals he expects, he way may not satisfy the western standards of will say that we are not faithful and will soon lose highly trained and privileged missionaries. In his faith in us; then what about our jobs?" This one church where the preaching did not satisfy the fear for the safety of their daily food is one of intellectual and spiritual needs of one of the mis- the greatest hindrances in the way of Indianiza- tion of the church.
A TESTIMONY FROM FOREIGN WAR VETERANS The following is a letter recently sent by the Walter G. Allen Post No. 743, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, to the Rev. R. Park Johnson, of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, on the occasion of the pastor's departure to take up missionary work in Teheran, Iran. These Veterans, who are often considered militaristic, nationalistic, and irreligious, show appreciation of things truly Christian. The letter reads, in part: "As you sail forth to your new field of Christian work, in Teheran, we wish to herein convey to you the earnest wish of every member of this Post that you and your family may have a pleasant and safe journey. We admire your courage in carrying the message of Christ to distant fields and know your efforts will be productive of good, also, that it is a most important mission. The sooner the whole world embraces, truly, the vital principles and intents of the doctrines of Christ the sooner will peace come. Noone yearns for peace more than the Veteran who has been through the heat of modern battle. And, it is our genuine belief that peace treaties, conferences, and diplomatic delegates thereto, are not the answer or the media to realize it – but rather by the every-day living of the teachings of Christ. It is claimed that, irregardless of races, the blood of all is inherently the same, but there is some virus in the blood stream which causes hatreds and stri.fe; this can only be eliminated by the renovation of the individual. When man treats man like his own brother and follows the Golden Rule of Christ and adopts the attitude of the Maker, in the parable of the Vineyard, respecting the labor of man's hands, will a better understanding come in the world.
"It is needed sorely in every nation, and the good old U.S.A. is not excluded. So you see we place more importance in your mission that we do in some Peace Conference delegates and hence speak for you health, power and fruitful effort in the service of Christ. . . .
"Sincerely yours, "J. R. MORGAN, Commander."
PAUL'S WAYSIDE CATHE'DRAL ON
A Cathedral On Wheels in Ohio 11 By NORMAN R. STURGIS, A.I.A., R.A. II~ THE Episcopal Church of Southern Ohio is should spend or where the Cathedral should be fairly typical of most dioceses in the Middle placed. It would be very difficult to select a si,te West in that the population is very largely which 50 years. from now would be sure to be still suburban, widely scattered in small towns and the proper one for the Cathedral. villages, and the parishes are comparatively small and poor. In Southern Ohio, the Diocese is led by The Bishop conceived the idea of a movable Cathedral which would make itself felt by visiting a Bishop with youthful enthusiasm and with quali- the outlying parishes and make them feel that ties of leadership and vision. they were part of a great organization vitally interested in their welfare. The Diocesan Con- The Cathedral in Cincinnati, bunt shortly after vention in Columbus in April, 1937, most enthuthe Civil War, was not only poor in design, but siastically received this proposal in spite of the was becoming expensive to maintain on account of its age. That part of Cincinnati which it served unique implications. The Aerocar Company was has changed considerably during the past twenty- commissioned to build the trailer along standard five years, with the result that the number of lines structurally similar to the fuselage of an communicants has been steadily declining as the airplane. It is towed by a coupe, into the rear outlying suburban parishes increased. In other deck of which the nose of the trailer is fastened words, the Cathedral, in the Bishop's opinion, had so that all road shocks are cushioned on air. The outlived its usefulness. exterior is sheet steel with a backing of Masonite.
The natural solution tOo this problem might have The interior fittings were installed by the been the abandonment of the present Cathedral oldest woodwork manufacturing company in the and the building of a new one in a better location. United States. The walls are covered with walnut This would have meant the raising of a large veneer. The trailer will seat about 25 people, building fund, and even if this had been possible, some accommodated on the seat which runs the Bishop would not have known hOoW much he across the trailer at the front end, and others on [170 ]
A CATHEDRAL ON WHEELS IN OHIO
pews which fold, when not in use, into recesses "This Wayside Cathedral is a symbol of the under the automobile windows. missionary spirit of this Diocese," Bishop Hob- son explained. The sanctuary is at the rear end. The rest of the space on both sides is taken up by storage cup- "Just as this Wayside Cathedral is dedicated to a program of seeking those living without Christ, boards, bookcases, and a hot air heater. The altar and bringing them into His fold, so the Diocese is is movable and for outdoor servkes can be re- ready, through prayers and pledges, to aid the versed in order to face outward through the missionary program of the Church throughout the double rear doors. The carved front panel of the world." altar is removable in order to provide storage space for a Hammond organ console, which can INTERIOR OF THE WAYSIDE CATHEDRAL be wheeled out into the body of the .coach. A One of the Cathedral projects, sound movies, portable standard mkrophone is carried. received special praise at the various meetings. Provisions are made in the forward end for the This use of sound movies in the missionary pro- gram marks a forward movement in the Church's storage of a moving picture projector, and for this plan to strengthen missionary and religious eduand the organ 110 vol,t outlets are available which cation through visual education. can be connected to any available current source Outdoor services preceded the regional meetthrough an extension cable. The circuit also feeds ings, and demonstrated there was a great opporindirect tubular lamps installed in the cove of the tunity of reaching persons in this way that other- wise would not have been touched by the Church. cornice. The coach can be lighted by six-volt ceiling fixtures fed by an auxiliary battery carried in the deck of the tow car.
Ordinarily the Cathedral is accompanied by a clergyman in general charge and two or three as- sistants representing missions, religious educa- tion, social service, and evangelism. Exhibits of the activities of all diocesan departments will be carried in the storage space provided.
All the windows are plain glass with the excep- tion of two small fixed openings closest to the altar which are filled with stained glass panels.
One of these depicts St. Paul as a teacher, and the other St. Paul as a preacher. .
Every effort has been made to make the Cathedral primarily an efficient and" dignified expression of what Bishop Hobson feels is a new trend in the Episcopal Church. It is not so much a church on wheels as it is a mobile headquarters designed for modern needs.
"St. Paul's Wayside Cathedral" completed its first missionary tour in Southern Ohio and indi- cations are that this new Christian adventure will be decidedly successful. With the Wayside Cathedral went a team of missionary speakers to four regions of Southern Ohio as a follow-up to the recent General Convention.
"God's love puts a new face on this weary old world, in which we dwell as pagans and enemies too long. . . . Love will accomplish, by imperceptible methods – being its own ful- crum, lever and power – that which force could never achieve. Have you not seen in the woods, on a late autumn morning, a plant without any solidity – one that seemed nothing but a soft jelly – by its constant and gentle pushing manage to break its way up through the frosty ground, and actually to lift hard crust on its head? This is the symbol of the power of loving kindness. Once or twice in history love has been tried in illustrious instances, with signal success. Our great overgrown dead Christendom still keeps alive at least the name of a love of mankind. If men will become true lovers of God and of their fellow men, then every calamity will be dissolved in the universal sunshine of God's love."
Missions in a Realistic
By REV. HOWELL D. DAVIES, Chicago, Illinois Regional Secretary, Missions Council of the Congregational and Christian Churches Secularism of its frontier work in terms of what it will have .to do with these same new forces: Scientific ag- T HE life that now is, existence on earth, is the nosticism, mater1alistic determinism, political all-absorbing interest of most men individ- Fascism, and moral iconoclasm." ually and nationally. The market is dull for the chief commodities of missions-God and per- The effect on missions is deadly. If this ma- terial life is all, then only fools will do anything sonality values. but labor for mammon! All programs not in line A ruthless realism is upon us-even in missions with a selfish struggle for existence will seem both itself, for some would cut off all support to any futile and wrong as not in harmony with so-called enterprise that cannot attain self-support on "nature." To help the weak, to serve the under- schedule time. (1) Science is "pope." Facts, privileged, to enlighten the ignorant, to raise the their classification, physical forces and their ap- status of those whom nature has placed low, to plication are paramount – all for a program of spread love and tender consideration and to recogphysical enrichment, good enough in itself. Air.;. nize personality constitute an unlawful insurrec- conditioning has it all over soul conditioning. tion against the Brahmin order of material privi- (2) Biological necessity, with survival of the lege and rebellion against the God of things as fittest, is the cry. The first article in the new they are. Congregational creed is larger Congregational How do missions meet this challenge of secular- families. Horace Bushnell's thesis of the outpop- ism? The basis of Christian missionary work is ulating power of the Christian stock is taken from wholly different-personality and God-not mat- the attic, dusted off and put on the mantel for ter. Property rights are secondary to personal consideration. Thus are super-men and super- welfare and our relation to God. Persons are imnations developed. Put your money on blooded portant everywhere and must be recognized and stock in the struggle against all scrub stock. developed. Human individuals are creation's goal (3) It is felt futile to interfere with the work- and crown. The world can only be more and more ing of natural forces. Let them have their way. a madhouse as this is progressively forgotten.
What must be will be. At bottom more people Therefore, children have the right to be well-born are fatalists than we imagine. The world turns to physical, mental and spiritual development the on its physical axis, its instinct axis, its psycho- world over, not less in India than in America.
logical axis, and its social axis, and what can we Women have equal personal rights with men. do about it? (4) Marxian dialetical materialism Men of humble estate are entitled to respect and is widespread – even outside of Russia, though not to be exploited for the enrichment of the more otherwise labeled. History is the story of the powerful; none are to be regimented as subinterplay of material forces – nothing else. (5) personal units for the glorification and so-called There is precious little apocalypticism or other- success of any State, political system or social worldliness today. Heaven as a compensation, an scheme. Christ's mission was to turn the world escape or a model is little known. "Henceforth upside down so that it may be right-side up.
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness" Every crown and throne must perish until perand "Father into thy hands I commend my spirit" sonalityas such "wears the purple." Missions is are but the pallid straw-grasping op.timism of ,the symbol of the assurance that the world will beaten souls. (6) The material world itself has finally be adjudged sane. become spiritual. Atoms are miniature solar sys- The goal of missionary work is to create Christtems or whirligigs of electrons around protons. like manhood and character, the ethical and spir- Electricity has become the father of our spirits. itual completion of the unfinished personality. So, what shall we do to be saved? Plainly, become Characters, self-controlled, right-motived and electrically minded. A Christian Chinese profes- well-willed are .the chief ends rather than their sor wrote Robert E. Speer: "Christianity must economic or social rights. Being, not having, ignore the incapacitated ethnic religions and think with Jesus Christ as exemplar, is the goal.
[172 ] This work is based on love as the ultimate cording to the blueprints of the future, while sec- arbiter and dynamic, not biological warfare. We ularism still follows the plans of the primitive see scant hope in the loveless socialism of Russia man of the past. Missions believes a better man as it makes for class war. The best hope is an can be built in India, in Africa, in China and in order where the Christ-like impulse is to share the uttermost part of the earth.
rather than grabbing one's share, individually, or ,-Secularism prolongs selfishness. Missions pro- groupwise. When a delegate at the Conference motes the highest and the most needed unselfish- at Lake Geneva defended the American Legion ness-world neighborliness, fully as important as and said, "We live in a world of reality," the home neighborliness.
speaker replied: "The basic reality of the world Secularism sees no forces at work but the secis not fear and hate but love." Christian love is a ular, the common instincts of man, cultured aspower. Love is wise. Love can help the weak piration and imitation, the general increase in without weakening society. It can direct strength knowledge, the occasional shocking into new realfrom destructive to constructive ways. izations, the continual working of expediency, Secularism is selfish and deteriorating. F. W. action and reaction, thesis, antithesis and synthe- Robertson, of Brighton, in his Advent sermon on sis, etc. This is humanism. Missions witnesses the Roman as the secular type, says: to the working of an outside force. It perceives And whatsoever is only of this earth is destined to de- something beyond natural evolution at work. It cay. The soul of the Roman, bent on this world's affairs, notes redemptive evolution. Missions does not became secularized, then animalized, and so at last, when wait for the untouchables to have a remote chance there was little left to do, pleasure became his aim, as it to drift upward but takes them by the hand and had been the Grecian's. Then came ruin swiftly. by the Power of Christ gives them a certain lift If the things of this world are our only posses- upward here and now. How long would it have sion, we will naturally pursue them avidly, hold taken the Fiji Islanders to rise naturally from them tenaciously and release them reluctantly- ciimibalism? In the New Hebrides, John G.
so reluctantly that war may issue. It is increas- Paton, as an agent of redemptive regeneration, ingly dangerous to be worldly as the unappro- led savages upward. "Missions" implies being priated part of the world becomes smaller. If sent and also a sending Person. This brings in all having is all, then the "have-nots" will ever those empowerings from outside that go with a scheme to be among the "haves" and the "haves" soul attachment to Jesus Christ in the effort to will ever scheme to hold. We blame much the ac- be like Him. Japanese secularism makes the la- quisitive instinct, but it will be strengthened boring man a hopeless slave. Kagawa, as a Chris- rather than otherwise by a continuing secularistic tian redemptive force, entered upon the scene and philosophy. The central idea of missions is shar- organized the labor movement. Likewise good ing what God has given, rather than shearing, and Christian women applied redemptive love to the giving rather than getting. This is based on the white slaves of Japan. "Christianity lives and idea that there are spiritual values greater than thrives only as long as its apostles and ministers the secular. It is more important to be just than are heroic adventurers," says E. Stanley Jones.
to get one's just share, to be sainted than to be The challenge of secularism is particularly stim- sated, to be inspired than to be amused, to be Ulating because it comes from the Christian scien- great rather than to be comfortable, to be bound tific countries. Let us keep our churches from to a cause rather than to be free from all obliga- opportunism and secularism by making them tion, "to be a miserable man than a happy pig," centers of "redemptive love."
to feel restive over the precariousness of other Social Emphasis in Missions lives than to feel rested in the midst of one's own security, to have an outgoing hear,t rather than an "Rugged individualism" in religion, as in com- ingrowing provincialism, to work for the future munity life, is discounted. This bears on mis- good of all rather than to grasp all possible pres- sions. Is the missionary movement to be over- ent good for oneself alone. shadowed by the general social program? Is Secularism studies a great textbook, "Material sociology to supplant evangelism? Is the world Nature," but neglects the higher post-graduate to be saved simply by spreading the cooperative study of human nature in its deeper aspects, and movement? Shall we concentrate on peace, race especially its deepest aspects as found in Jesus relations and economic justice and consider the Christ. Missions inquires of the mind – not of winning of men to Christ and His program an the cave man, the Demas-man, the Epicurean man outdated program?
or the Cresar-man, but of the mind of Christ in Missionary work has always had a social em- casting its horoscope of the future man. Christian phasis. William Carey, who went to India in missions would build more stately mansions ac- 1793, fought suttee with all his might, and the proclamation abolishing it was issued in 1829. trial and economic order, and revolutionize it, Alexander Duff founded educational missions. humanize it, Christianize it. To the expansion of Livingstone was a medical missionary and threw Missions is now added this intensification. Mishis might against the slave trade. Social work sionaries, as naturally alert, sense all this. They became an early necessity of every pioneer mis- helped end the Belgian Congo injustices, are worksion, for it was obviously impossible to "save" the ing on rural reconstruction, adult education, and ignorant, the diseased, the destitute, by mere welfare work. Emphasis is being laid less on evangelism. Dr. Peter Parker opened China to ameliorative work and more on rebuilding the sothe Gospel at the point of his lancet in 1834. cial fabric. But more is needed and quickly. And Joseph H. Neesima established the Doshisha Uni- Dr. D. J. Fleming warns, "when it comes to speversity in Japan in 1874-the year after the edicts cific programs of social and economic reconstrucforbidding Christianity were removed. Alex- tion the missionary enterprise in the church can ander Mackay was a great mechanic missionary, scarcely go furthe;r than the church itself." So it engineer, builder, physician and surgeon under is the church at home that decides how much so- King Mtesa in Uganda. Cyrus Hamlin, in Turkey, cial action can be done on the mission field. invented the modern washing-machine, with a revolving beer-barrel, to launder the vermin-in- There is also need of developing our home fested clothing of British soldiers in Crimea when churches socially. A 50% church cannot send a the washerwomen of Constantinople would not 10070 Gospel abroad. A church without a social touch them. The three volumes by Dr. Alfred passion has a lame enterprise that cannot walk. Dennis on "Christian Missions and Social Prog- This does not mean that the church must be comress" are an encyclopedic account of how mis- mitted to a particular economic theory, especially sions have been working on all social fronts since if untried, though it should unhesitatingly conthe beginning. This is going on today. Note demn all that is unbrotherly in social relations and Wolsted's farmers' cooperatives in India, Higgin- insist on that order which is plainly Christian. bottam's silo system for famines, Laubach's lit- There is need of developing a new type of indieracy campaign, Ray Phillips' social work among vidual Christian. There may be debate as to how the Bantu, and Mt. Silinda Industrial Mission, much social action the church as an organization medical missions, Kagawa's cooperatives, schools should undertake, but there can be none as to the everywhere. Modern missionary work promotes greater socialization of the individual member by community enterprise. enlarging his horizons, reducing his provincial- ism, getting his mind off himself more and de- The social emphasis is a part of the Gospel of veloping his imaginative capacity to put himself China. "Bear ye one another's burdens." The in the place of others so that he can better pracbook of James is against a selfish, individualistic tice the Golden Rule. Gospel. The four Gospels are full of social implications. And there is call for newer applications "We Preach not America but Christ" of them to newly industrialized centers on the mission fields. Slums, exploitation, wages and So pressing is the social question that we are working conditions, are vital questions. The Gos- told that we had better make America more Chrispel should everywhere befriend the oppressed, tian before trying to convert India and China; seek to promote justice and to provide all privi- that our race prejudice, economic injustice and leges implied in men's status as children of God. militarism and imperialism invite the taunt, "Phy- The Jerusalem Council of 1928 urged "the neces- sician, heal thyself" and hamstring our efforts sity of a comprehensive program for those larger abroad. On this principle of making the sending sections of the population in any country who country thoroughly Christian first the Gospel labor for mankind in field or factory and who . . . would never have left Judea and Galilee where are without many of the conditions necessary for there were all of the evils that afflict America. that abundant life which our God and Father de- Noland at any time can be fully Christian. Moresires for all His children." The National Chris- over, it is provincial and egotistical to assume that tian Council of China has for 10 years had an America's example can settle all world affairs. active committee on Christianizing economic rela- An educated East Indian who objected to lynchtions. The National Christian Council of India, ing was asked if he would became a Christian if Burma and Ceylon resolved as far back as 1924 it were abolished, and replied, "Never. What you to inaugurate "a study of industrial conditions in do with the Negroes in America is your own prob- India with a view to creating a more vigorous lem. We shall have to solve ours along our own public opinion and advancing Christian standards lines. The genius of our country lies in some kind in regard to industrial reform." A leading Jap- of caste organization. We shall stick to that." anese missionary says the missionaries are chal- War cannot cease in America until it ceases all lenged "to come to grips with the existing indus- over the world. We preach not America but Christ to people everywhere. America will not show itself Christian until it helps other nations. Prince Albert and stove-pipe hat preaching the It is simply not true that the Gospel is not mak- creation of the world in six literal days to nearing progress in the Orient because of the sins of nudist natives who are skeptical because they the West. The church in India made a 32.5 '1'0 could not make even a canoe in less than two gain in a decade, 20 '1'0 being from other faiths. weeks. Over against all such we can put the judg- ment of first-hand able observers. The missions cause is helped by the Christian social emphasis. The more the church at home is Robert Louis Stevenson said, "I suppose I am concerned to bring about social righteousness in in the position of many persons. I had conceived America the more welcome will its representatives a great prejudice against missions in the South be in India and among all nationals working for Seas. I had no sooner come there than that prejuthe betterment of their own country. The more dice was reduced, and then at last annihilated." socially minded we are, the more missionary He regarded James Chalmers of N~w Guinea as minded we will be, for the missionary program "a man that took one fairly by storm for the most is surcharged with the social emphasis. World attractive, simple, brave and interesting man in friendship will be furthered by every form of na- the whole Pacific"! tional brotherhood. The fact is that in social emphasis' the church at home has yet to catch up When Darwin saw the work among the Indians with the missionary cause. And, too, the social of Tierra del Fuego, he said, "I certainly should action enthusiasts can find plenty of outlets and have predicted that not all the missionaries in the channels for their energies through any estab- world could have done what has been done." lished missionary society. On the other side, the social emphasis can enrich the program of the Ex-President Taft could not praise too highly missionary society and thereby interest more local the missionary work he observed in ,the Philipchurch people in it. Social justice is one of the pines when he was governor. first outcomes of the missionary message. E. Alexander Powell (author and traveler) But with all the social emphasis we do not for- said: "I have observed the results of their labors get that the fundamental objective of missions is in every great field of evangelistic endeavor and to extend faith and devotion to Christ and the fel- it angers me to hear missionaries and their work lowship among Christians in all the world. condemned."
Criticism of Missions The Governor of Bengal reported: "In my judgment the Christian missions have done more This is nothing new. It is naive to suppose that lasting good to the people of India than all other all went swimmingly until the "Laymen's Inquiry" agencies combined." was launched. The East India Company refused passage to missionaries and stigmatized missions Chas. A. Selden says: "After 30,000 miles of as the most fantastic and lunatic idea that ever en- travel and something like 300 interviews, my tered the human mind. Ridicule was common. prejudices gave way to great respect for the mis- Typical was the attitude of the early Massachu- sionaries and their work." setts senator who said: "Here you propose to export religion, whereas there is none to spare at Wm. Boyd, Advertising Manager of the Curtis home." A list of objections a century back is Publishing Co., wrote: "I believe that every dolalmost identical with what is heard today, inti- lar invested in foreign missions has produced mating that we have so many needs at home, that greater returns than any dollar invested in any we should not interfere with the religions of human enterprise." others, and that their own religion is best suited to them; that missions are paternalistic and pau- 2. There are criticisms of ardent nationalists, perizing; that foreign peoples should help them- like Gandhi who object to proselyting. Should selves; that we shouldn't meddle and disturb courtesy keep us from offering the Gospel, therethose already contented; that they do not want fore, in India? No, for it can be offered without us anyway; that missionaries cause trouble; that objectionable proselyting. Moreover, the Gospel they destroy native culture; that they are all is not one culture displacing another and it beagents of American imperialism. longs no more to America, England, or France than to India itself. The Gospel has no less right We can classify criticisms. 1. There are those of way than science, commerce or education. It hostile to Christianity itself. People who see no will help India's true nationalism in the higher value in the Gospel will see no value in missions. sense. It is doubtful if many, if any, Hindus re- Such a playas "Rain" and such articles as those gard their religion as for others. in the American Mercury ridiculing missions in the South Seas are only caricatures like that of (3) Those ignorant of the whole idea. All ob- Jack London who pictures a missionary in a jections based on misconceptions are invalid. On any such theory all life would stop, for there is nothing against which objections based on igno- rance are not directed. Both Democrats and Re- publicans will tell you this. Prejudice being the thing that begins where your information leaves off, no enterprise should halt for just that. Pre- verdict was: "The mission must go on and there sumably it is those who take the Gospel and those is enough in its program to bankrupt Christendom who receive it who are most competent to judge if we try to do all that is, calling to be done." of it. None apparently are dissatisfied with the article sold them and want to return it. Rather In brief, most negative criticisms of missions they recommend it to their friends as something are, at bottom, ratio.nalizations of prejudice, ignosuperior to what they have had before. The Jap- rance or selfishness. Mission work welcomes inanese list six points of superiority of Christianity vestigation, knowing this means vindication and to Buddhism. God, as personal. God seeking men. interest. Worse than to be criticized is to. be The sense of personality. Practical, convenient ignored, and most of all to be ignored by church Scriptures. A superlative ethical sense. Social people. But it may be safely said that missions justice and service. cannot and will not be ignored by those who know the God who is the God of all the earth and not (4) There are the criticisms of those who judge the God of a tribe., whether it be a family tribe, a everything by a single unfortunate detail, such as community tribe or a national tribe. an ignorant o.r tactless missio.nary, an unwise local policy, a bungled program, a wasted dollar. Pessimism and Optimism Judged by this standard, "Who or what, 0 Lord, shall stand anywhere"? One poor farmer is not There is doubtless some on the mission field itsufficient to condemn agriculture, a poor preacher self, where difficulties are o.bstinate and results the ministry, a fake mining scheme the whole min- are slow. But this is nothing new. Moriso.n, ing enterprise, a poor student flunk all education, waiting 7 years for the first convert, said, "0 nor a quack doctor the whole medical profession. rock, when wilt thou break?" Livingstone was appalled at the prospect of trying to. heal the open (5) The lawsez-faire objections of those who sore of the world. Henry Martyn said that if a want things left alone-all forces and factors, to high caste Hindu were ever converted, it Wo.uld work out themselves. But laissez-faire never be as great a miracle as if one were to rise from built a school, founded a hospital, or developed a the dead. Yet the rock did break, the sore is belighting plant and water system at a conference ing healed, and the dead do rise. But the pescamp. The consistent laissez-faire critic will simism on the field is small. recognize Christianity as a force with the same rights as any other force. There is too often pessimism at ho.me (1) among church leaders who see receipts fall over (6) The cro.ss-fire based on the idea that we 50% and, worse, who see anti- or non-missionary have only a social Gospel to offer and that nearly pastors; (2) among pastors who face hostile, proevery effort is o.f a political scheming sort, gate- vincial church officers and callous unimaginative crashing and imperialistic, the work of reactio.n- members; (3) among lay leaders of heart and ary, self-centered or even villainous denomina- visio.n who vainly attempt education, organization tional Boards. The answer is that the motive and and appeal; (4) among men, especially, who are movement o.f missions are lo.ve and friendship, crushed by the belligerent, caustic, cynical o.Pposihowever inadequate be the channels through tion of their fellows. which it flows. The earthen vessel is only too apparent but in it is the treasure o.f divine redemp- Pessimism is not so bad if it sends us to God, tion. and if, Moses-like, it feels the support of the Aaron o.f truth on the one side and of the Hur o.f love on (7) The criticisms o.f uninformed and selfish the other. There is an eternal difference between church people. Education, persistent and kindly, the discouragement of those who. yearn and toil can help the former and more Christian grace the for the Kingdom and that of the quitters who latter. The trouble is to connect information and have given it all up. If we must abide in the love with these parties. All that can be said for shadow, it is better to abide in the shadow of the the Gospel itself can be said for missions, and cross of crucified love than in that of the palace shall it not be said? There is a sufficient answer of a selfish, materialistic, disillusioned, cynical to every criticism honestly and sincerely proffered. Cresar. But better than all answering of objections is an infusion of Christlike love. Our great need is to Missionary work finds much to encourage: make mo.re church members into Christians. (1) The Gospel is spreading o.ver all the world, (8) The criticisms of sincere friends of the so. that nearly o.ne-third of the people of the world cause. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." All constructive criticism can do only good. The are at least nominally Christian with every proscause most to be pitied is the o.ne that has lost the capacity to criticize itself. The church of the 16th pect of continuance. On the foreign field it has century was saved by the self-criticism of Prot- had a perio.d of remarkable expansion in this cenestantism. And this goes for missions too. The tury. Between 1907 and 1925 the number of mis- sionaries increased from 12,000 to 20,000, the number of communicants from 1,800,000 to. 3,000,- 000, and the total Christian community from 4,000,000 to 8,000,000. There are doubtless cycles one denomination more is contributed by native in missions and we now see a slowing up. This Christians abroad than by all living donors at may be good by diverting us from superficial sta- home. The China Inland Mission called for 200 tistical missions and compelling us to go deeper new missionaries and got them and the money to before we go further and getting the church in other lands to strike its roots deeper both in the send them. spiritual life of its individual members and in its (3) A great ally is the spread of the cooperatransforming power in its local community. Prof. Schermerhorn, of Evanston, says, "Christianity's tive idea. Truly some of it is on the low plane of growth is characterized by periodicity, with ex- cooperating for cost reductions, but much of it is pansion and arrest. Now is a ,time for a mora- for helping the needy. torium on statistics and attention to inner life rather than outward expansion." (4) Jesus of Nazareth is today gripping the heart of youth and of new groups everywhere. (2) The work is holding up well despite the de- His Gospel is seen as the practical need of the pression, benevolences falling little more (54'1'0 to world. He is the great Social Engineer who can 40 %) than current expense. Total giving to For- reverse the stream of life from selfishness to shareign Missions in North America fell only from ing and service. $Z8,523,939 in 1929 to $27,164,572 in 1931. In (5) This is God's program; Christ Jesus has promised to be with us in the enterprise and He cannot and will not fail.
Is Islam Awakening?
By the REV. SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, D.D., Princeton, New Jersey Editor of "The Moslem World"
T HERE is "in the Arabic-speaking Near East truths of Christianity will in the long run even a strong religious, ethical, and social revival there prevail." Such judgment may be prophetic of Islam," says Dr. Kampfmeyer, "and this but it is undoubtedly premature.
revived Islam is taken to be the basis of a renewed Islam faces a crisis in the lands where once it national life." His conclusion is that "the conver- was dominant. Its efforts in India and Africa sion of an Islamic community to the Christian "remind one of those sparse green twigs some- faith is now impossible." The conclusions of Dr. times still appearing at the extreme ends of half- Kampfmeyer have been challenged, however, by dried-up boughs in trees whose core has for long Dr. Arthur Jeffrey, a leading Christian Oriental- been decaying from old age." ist in Cairo who states that "his picture is entirely out of perspective and omits all the important fac- In Turkey Islam suffers by being viola.ted in its tors." Last year's report of the Board of Foreign own bosom; in Russia from Soviet persecution; Missions of the Presbyterian Church says: "There and in Persia from a revolt against the Arabic is now abundant evidence that the religion of language and tradition. Mustapha Kemal raised Islam is slowly disintegrating." . . . great expectations, but Ataturk turned out a bit- ter disappointment for all Moslems. The disen- The collapse of the caliphate and the failure of chantment was cruel but complete. The high all attempts to revive it would lead to the conclu- hopes fixed on Ibn Saud to revive the caliphate sion that Pan-Islamism is dead. The policy of the were blasted. The Moslem World Conference new government in Turkey and the complete sec- proved a failure and none of the resolutions was ularization of the republic points in the same di- carried out. Professor C. C. Berg speaks of "derection. The Turkish press utters severe judgment structive forces that are at work against Islam on Islam and its Prophet, while one by one the old all over the world." sanctions and customs of religion are publicly dis- carded. A few years ago a British official of high The geographical expansion of Islam in Africa standing actually wrote to me: "Islam as we once has been exaggerated and the latest statistical sur- knew it is dead in Turkey, it is dying in Persia, it vey shows a smaller proportion of Moslems to has ceased to carry real weight in Egypt, it may nearly every area in North-central Africa. Dr.
survive some generations in Arabia, but the basic Deaville Walker wrote recently: "Within a comparatively short time, we pictured of Ramadhan is being less and less faithfully kept. great pagan populations being rapidly Islamized. Are the uniting forces that remain, the Arabic I am convinced that the position is wholly differ- language and culture, the sense of brotherhood, ent today. Careful personal investigation in the press and Al Azhar of Egypt-are these forces Sierra Leone and Mendeland, the Gold Coast and strong enough to counteract the disintegrating Ashanti, Nigeria, and in the French ·colonies and factors? Will the progressive secularization of protectorates of Dahomey, Togo,and the Ivory Moslem life rob all life from the religion of Islam? Coast, have made it very clear to me that the ad- Will .the waning of the Dervish orders and their vance of Islam is being definitely checked, and suppression, as in Turkey, continue? that today we are winning far more Africans to the faith of Chris·t than the Moslems are winning A careful study of all these questions leads to for their Prophet. Startling as this may sound, the belief that, as a cultural and even as a political force, there is yet a future for Islam, but as a I believe it to be absolutely true." religious force the future does not look promising. Islam has been severely wounded in the house of What elements in Islam are today resurgent-:: its friends. The younger Egyptian modernists, Does Mohammedan law or jurisprudence any instead of building carefully on the foundations longer prevail under the new nationalism and the of reform laid by Jamal-al Din-al Afghani and new state? Or has the purely Islamic-governed the great Mohammed 'Abdu, have ruthlessly state disappeared even in Arabia and Afghani- undermined what remained intact. Mansur stan? Fahmi, in his doctor's thesis, proved that Islam was progressively responsible for the degradation Has the social structure of Islam withstood the of womanhood. Dr. Taha Housain raised a storm feminist movement and female education any- of hostility by a book proving that much of early where? Can we seriously speak of "resurgent Islamic literature was a forgery fabricated to prop forces" as regards polygamy, slavery, concubi- up the Koran and tradition. The story of Abranage, and the seclusion of womanhood? Was the ham and Ishmael building the Kaaba is all fiction. suppression of the age-old Moharram celebrations in Persia a sign of vitality in Islam? Is the reli- When ,the best thinkers in Islam accept an hongion of Islam showing a new vitality when three est historical research of all her spiritual property of its "five pillars" are crumbling? The daily it will mean a revelation of bankruptcy. "When prayers are no longer observed as they were ten the foundations are destroyed, what can the rightyears ago. The number of pilgrims to Mecca, in eous do? Only the real gold, the theistic spiritual spite of new facilities by motor-bus and steam- values of Islam, will be able to withstand the heat ships, has dwindled from 250,000 to 80,000. of this inevitable furnace. Mecca is losing its importance and the annual fast The Movement for World Christianity -'-e!ill By PROF. JULIUS RICHTER, D.D., Berlin, Germany 1l!Jt-·- THE "Foreign Missions Inquiry" of 1932 in friends if I, as an outsider who for fifty years has two directions has aroused a far-reaching eagerly watched the missionary movement in interest. On one side there has been a defi- Europe and America, present my objective estinite division of opinions with regard to the doc- mate of the situation. trinal points developed in the first four chapters of "Re-Thinking Missions." They have been re- After a nation-wide propaganda for their manigarded as a manifesto of liberal Christianity or of festo, "Re-Thinking Missions," our modernist a new modern type of foreign missions. The well friends, in May, 1935, started a "Modern Missions established conservative Christian leaders have in Movement." As this first start was not too sucdecisive terms declined to follow this new move. cessful, perhaps in connection with some awkward This clarion call of the conservative group was a criticisms on both sides, they changed their leadchallenge to the liberals to develop their views. ing committee and now call themselves "The This has gone on actively for the last four years. Movement for World Christianity." They pub- It may be of some interest to my American lish a quarterly, "World Christianity," in the form of a digest. Two other periodicals, the Christian
THE MOVEMENT FOR WORLD CHRISTIANITY
Century and Christendom, are opening their files cognition and on feeling; they are the positive to statements of their views. The foreign secre- attachments which the soul must win toward what tary of the Congregational Foreign Boards, Hugh is supersensible and real; 'they are its hold on Vernon White, has also written "A Theology for God. And enter, this conscious demand-which Christian Missions" to lay a broad theological specifies an active historical church as an organ foundation for such modern concepts. For their of individual religion-marks a difference between Executive Committee they have a panel of leaders Christianity and any other of the great religions. like Dr. Douglas Horton, Dr. E. C. Lobenstine, Bishop William Scarlett, Dean Luther Weigle and We do not enter into a theological discussion of Miss Ruth Woodsmall. The various theological the merits or demerits of these and similar points views of this group renders an objective survey of view. We only state that though Dr. White of the situation difficult. No very clear line of and Prof. Hocking acknowledge at least the superdemarcation in the theological camp is now vis- sensible God and Jesus Christ as His interpreter, ible. Yet there is a strong group of theological they leave out many points which we of the conliberals whose views are expressed in Prof. Archi- servative group would regard as indispensable and bald Baker's "Christian Missions and a New fundamental-the self-revelation of Almighty God World Culture," Dr. Hugh Vernon White's "A in the continuous scheme of redemption; Jesus Theology of Christian Missions," and Prof. Wil- Christ as God's only begotten Son and not only liam E. Hocking's "Evangelism." our teacher and companion but our Lord; the atonement through His death on the cross; His Professor Baker's view of the "world in two bodily resurrection and our hope of a similar flats" – a transcendant superworld above our resurrection; the objective reality of the Spirit sense-world-is out of question. There is here no of God and His work within the Church; the two room for the self-revelation of Almighty God. sacraments as pledges of divine grace; the glori- He believes in a continuous process of creative ous consummation of the Kingdom of God in the evolution. We as Christians are convinced that parusia of the Lord. It is of no use to enter into we have in Jesus Christ the highest form of reli- a discussion about them; we do not share them gion, and claim the right to share this with other by theological or philosophical principle. Yet it nations. Prof. Baker claims that the old form of is very important, perhaps decisive, to keep in missions is passed and that now we must exchange mind that not all members of the "Movement for contributions with other religions. World Christianity" share such radical theologi- cal views. Dr. White states that modern missions began a theological point of view which has now been radi- We have had in Holland as well as, in Germany cally transformed. He raises the question: Is a similar wave of liberal missionary movements, there truth in the realm of religion? And says in the Netherlands in the midst of last century, that the answer can no longer be made in terms in Germany fifty years ago. For both cases the of an alleged divine revelation, or of the authori- overwhelming mass of missionary people have detative word of a Church. It must be found in the clined the neology and. those societies and boards nature of religion itself and in the interpretation which stood fast for the Biblical Gospel came out of religious experience. He believes. that the victorious from the contest. We are deeply conquestion is not, therefore, whether truth is to be vinced that at the end the same result will be apfound only in Christianity, but whether Christian- parent in America, too. But in a curious way at ity has some fundamental truth which will be present in the U. S., the question of modernism in found adequate and which is not in any other re- missions is closely connected with a thorough-goligion. He conceives this truth to be that the ing change in the missionary background at home life of active trust in God and love for all men is and abroad. There are four important factors eternally right and represents the purpose of God which more or less deeply influence the missionary for mankind. That truth Jesus lived and is and activities of the ch.urches. The first is the dethis life pattern Christian missionaries are seek- plorable dwindling of the income of the foreign ing to implant in men. mission boards. The American Missionary Con- ference is publishing regularly in its year-book a Prof. Hocking stresses the view that our mod- financial survey. From living donors these boards ern evangelism must be modern and embody the in 1930-that is in the first year of the disastrous abiding essence of Christianity contained in the depression – received $33,131,245; in 1935 this four words: repent, believe, love, enter. Repent income had dwindled to $18,543,329. This shrinkthat is – bow decisively and whole-heartedly to ing is even more evident if we look at some of the God instead of worshipping a false God, placing greatest foreign boards: some creature (such as science) in the place of the Creator. Believe and love, these two demands From living donors the Methodist Episcopal go together; they are the requirements placed on Foreign Board and the closely connected Women's
Board received $4,945,987 in 1930 and $2,483,771 the younger churches. They want and in many in 1935. The Presbyterian Church, North, re- cases need full autonomy. And the old churches ceived $3,339,918 and $2',030,967 in those same are quite willing to give them all they want. Yet years. So it is more or less with all foreign mis- after all the membership of these younger sion boards, a loss of from 30 to 45 per cent of the churches is representing only from five to one income they could command eight years ago. The per cent or even only one per mille of the non- Presbyterian Board, North, in 1929, had an in- Christian population. The baptized constituency come of $7,527,079, and in 1935 hardly more than of the Protestant Churches may be between four two million dollars. It is evident that that neces- and six hundred million souls against one billion sitates a thorough-going reduction of the expense, four hundred million non-Christans, so that there and the inability to send out necessary recruits, is the danger of their reabsorption, and their miscrippling of the budgets of one mission after an- sionary vigor, in spite of such wonderful achieveother, perhaps giving up whole fields. Of course ments as the Kin~om of God Campaign in Japan it needs the most careful deliberations in every and the Five-Year Movement in China, is lacking missionary committee how best to adjust to this or intermittent. changed condition, and to prevent the life nerves of the missionary enterprise from being damaged How, then, shall the Prote~tant missionary or ruined. movement go on? What ways and methods of cooperation between the older and the younger The second fact is the radically changing en- churches should and can be developed? vironment of the missionary movement. In the nineteenth century foreign missions were advanc- There is no question that the younger genera- tion in almost all countries is not in agreement ing on the crest wave of a rising tide. There was and sympathy with the traditional lines of Church a general culture hunger in the non-Christian work either at home or abroad. In Germany and countries. They were eager to assimilate as thor- in some other countries a glowing nationalism has oughly and as fast as possible the achievements got hold of them and is sweeping the millions in of Europe and America. The missionaries were its flowing ardor. In Russia communism has been able to generate a similar enthusiasm for social regarded as the most appropriate and the most justice. In America, men like the President of welcome teachers of the new era. Christianity Princeton University, who are able to feel the was rightly or wrongly regarded as the richest pulse of the younger generation, tell me that there exponent of that highly developed modern civ- is a good deal of real and sound enthusiasm, but ilization. This situation, as everybody knows, is it is not in line with traditional churchism and radically changed. In the old "Christian" coun- with the slogans of the missionary movement a tries, secularism is raising its ugly head. In generation ago. Dr. Charles' Fahs writes: "To Russia, atheism is the watchword of the day. In be sure, certain of those of the post war, and now Germany, one non-Christian school or philosophy specially of the depression, generations do not is emerging after another. In France, govern- really know or seemingly greatly care what is ment and masses were estranged from the Church happening of vital significance in missions or anylong ago. Science in almost all branches simply where else. . . . Economic cooperation? Yes. is' glorying in its complete independence from Interracial justice? Yes. International forth- Christian influence. The non-Christian world rightness and fellowship? Yes. World peace? knows this situation. Opposition against real or Yes. Foreign missions? No sure note in the reapparent imperialism of European or American plies now." This changing outlook of the younger powers, intensified race feeling of nations which generation, of course, is of the utmost significance more or less' feel injured or exploited by EurQpe and importance. It must be carefully studied and or America, a revival of the traditional non-Chris- pondered over. New ways of approach must be tian religions, a definite reassertion of national discovered. On a higher place of theological and pride and superiority feeling, all combine to force philosophical thinking these currents of mind the missionary movement into the background, to must be integrated into a real and living Christian slow down its advance, to hinder the free activity consciousness', as Christianity for two thousand of one agency after the other. Of course, that years has been able to assimilate and integrate means a very careful deliberation again as to what the highest aspirations of different nations. ways and means are at disposal-if methods effective or at least useful a generation ago are ad- Of course, these four facts are not overlooked visable under these changed conditions or if new by the foreign mission boards; there has been for methods have been discovered, perhaps by the years much heart-searching and praying over rapidly advancing electrical technique, such as them. Yet after all, if a new group with a good radio and navy. knowledge of the facts, a vivid interest in the mis- sionary movement, and a burning zeal for the A third fact is the growing independence of
Kingdom of God is taking them up we shall only men, out of their penetrating thinking and their be grateful for any and every contribution they deep insight, have to say. It is the common cause may be able to supply, only that not theological of all Christians in whatever camp, and it is the modernism may confuse the issue. We are fairly clarion call: "Onward, Christian soldiers." We sure that a missionary theology, like that of Dr. must remember our Lord's commission: "Ye shall White, is not furthering the cause. Yet we shall be witnesses unto me unto the utmost part of the always respectfully listen to what whole-hearted earth."
Misery Among Migrant Workers By the REV. MARK A. DAWBER, D.D., New York Executive Secretary of the Home Missions Council The migrant labor situation is getting worse Texas, also from the dust bowl and drought secevery year. Time was when this was for the most tions of the Dakotas and western Kansas are pourpart a problem of a few foreign-speaking groups, ing into California at an alarming rate and are Mexicans and Filipinos being the major nationali- creating a terrific .problem for the relief agencies. ties. But now it is a general problem, including Most of these migratory families are ineligible for all races and with an increasing number of Ne- local aid because they are unable to meet the regroes, also white farmers who have lost their quirements imposed by state, county, and local farms; or agricultural laborers who until recently authorities. were working regularly on established farms and who themselves had a settled abode. Many factors are contributing to this develop- ing migrant problem, such as the increase in The tragedy of the new migrant movement is farm machinery; the rising tenantry in agriculthat it now includes a large numb~r of persons ture; the continuing drought and dust in the who were accustomed to a home of their own, or middle west. But the chief thing is the movea settled residence; who were home-lovers and ment of certain types of agriculture from the also were citizens of a definite community which southeast and the south to the west. Gerald W. they were helping to build. Thousands of these Johnson, in his recent book, "The Wasted Land," families are now transient, moving around from paints a sordid picture. "It is assuming no great place to place, glad to. get any opportunity that risk of prophecy to say that the end of another ten presents itself for occasional work in the fruit, years will see cotton farming so precarious and vegetable or cotton sections of the West. unprofitable that only victims of due necessity will undertake it." He is writing of the south- California, Oregon and Washington are the east and the south where some twenty-two million states where these migrants are found in the acres of cotton land have been destroyed by wind greatest numbers. A recent survey reveals that and water erosion and by a system of agriculture some fifty thousand people from Arkansas alone that has been recklessly prodigal with the natural moved into California in a year. These are mostly resources, and in particular, the soil. As this tide "share-croppers" who are no longer assured even of soil erosion has developed, so human erosion the precarious existence that "share-cropping" has accompanied it, and the further loss of huhitherto provided in their own state. man resources by migration to the west.
Social conditions among these groups are such The federal and state authorities are doing that the federal authorities are alarmed. Dr. something to improve conditions in the camps and Owen Mills, regional economist for the Farm Se- to make possible a minimum of education and socurity Administration, has just completed an in- cial care for the children of migrants. With the tensive field study in California and reports "a present influx, a greatly enlarged program and large number of families living in miserable leadership is necessary and it is now necessary squatter camps consisting of dirty, torn tents and to arouse the Christian forces in the territory makeshift shacks in a sea of mud." He reports where these migrant problems exist and to solicit also alarming conditions of hunger, privation and the cooperation of pastors and churches to minmisery among the farm workers in the San J oa- ister to these neglected people. Their spiritual quin Valley and other agricultural districts of destitution is even greater than their economic California. extremity.
New migrants from Arkansas, Oklahoma and
Sang-A Christian Dervish*
I 1)1- -e( By the REV. J. CHRISTY',WILSON, D.D., Tabriz, Iran M ANSUR SANG'S life story is unusual. He Teheran. His wife finally left him and Mansur did not know the date of his birth, but it Sang journeyed to Resht as a trader in small was probably a little before 1870. His articles. He got into touch with Christians there father kept sheep and goats, and sold hay and and wished to be~ome a member of the church.
grain in the city of Meshed. His mother was a Before his probation time had elapsed he left Kurd, a descendant of those who were moved by Resht, returned to Teher.an, and later went to Nadir Shah from the western frontier of Iran to Meshed.
the Meshed region. Mansur Sang often said that In the city of his birth Mansur came into touch the blood of Iranian Moslems, Kurds, Zoroas- with the Christian church and with missionaries.
trians, and Arabs ran in his veins. Receiving further instruction, he was finally bap- As a boy he was apprenticed to a butcher and tized and began his career as .a "Christian deralso worked for a time with a gold- and silver- vish." This calling took him on foot or by any smith. At the age of twenty-five he went to transportation he could get, over deserts and Russia where he worked as a day laborer. He mountains, and into almost every part of Ir.an. fell in with Bahais in Bokhara and Samarkand We can give here only a few interesting details and finally went on a pilgrimage to Acca, where of his career.
he remained for two years. He was at last per- How little Mansur cared for the ordinary comsuaded that there was no hope of salvation or forts of life is illustrated by a story he told me. peace in Bahaism, so he returned on foot to Iran. "I had been traveling through the forests and vil- Again he visited Russia, and in a Trans-Caspian lages of Mazanderan, down near the Caspian Sea, city made the chance acquaintance of Benjamin and decided to go back over the mountains to Badal. This great Christian colporteur told him Teheran to see my friends there. I was climbing the story of Christ and sold him a Testament in up a steep mountain pass when I lost conscious- Persian. In that chance interview Mansur Sang ness and fell beside the road. I do not know how saw the first spiritual light that his soul had ever long I lay there, but finally I was awakened by known, and he longed for a clearer vision. cool rain falling on my face. I began to think when I had last eaten and then remembered that The young man could not read, but he kept the I had had nothing that day nor the day before. Testament and at times had others read it to him. I went on and soon came to a tea-house where I He became especially fond of the verses: "The ate some bread and drank tea. It is true that Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath man shall not live by bread alone, but we should annointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; not try to get along on spiritual food alone either." He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering At one time Mansur invited one of the missionof sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that aries to lunch with him. Among other things he are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the had locusts and noticed that the missionary did Lord." not seem anxious to partake of this particular viand. Mansur said, "If locusts were good enough In Teheran, about 1915, Mansur came in touch for John the Baptist are they not good enough for with American missionaries to whom he told of you ?" He was a great admirer of John and his the little light he had found and was further in- desert life and never ceased to wonder at the fact structed. He later confessed Christ, but his bap- that although John was such a great prophet yet tism was put off, principally because of family the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than troubles. Mansur was married and had several he. Mansur used to say: "The word for prophet, children. A boy and a girl died, leaving one pegambar, means !One who carries a message' daughter who attended the mission school in and I am that." And indeed he did carry God's * Some time ago a letter from a c(}Ueague in Teheran brought this Message to hundreds of places where no Christian news: "Mansur Sang died quietly and in faith, in our h(}spital a evangelist had been before him. ,.
few days ago. He Was ready to g(} and had n(} fear of death. Poor old man, he had suffered much, may his reward be great." Thus Although Mansur could not read, village people has passed a most extraordinary character-the Christian dervish. d'd no t d!' Scover t he f act I' N(}w that he has gone to be with Christ the Church shJo.ulCd. kWn.ow for he could open the more of his llnllslIal story.
[182 ] MANSUR SANG, THE CHRISTIAN DERVISH, EXPLAINS THE GOSPEL TO AN IRANIAN STUDENT AND A BEARDED MOSLE'M DERVISH New Testament and quote from memory the pas- 'distributing his tracts and Gospels among the wild sage he wished to teach. He carried with him on tribesmen. Someone started the rumor that these his tours a few simple medicines and made his were books of the foreigners, against whom there living, largely by pulling teeth. He became adept was high feeling at the time. All the Scripture at this with his fingers, but if a stubborn molar portions were gathered and burned. Mansur reresisted his efforts, or if he wished to make an ceived news of what had been done, and pushing impression as to his professional ability, he would his way through the crowd, put out his hands over produce a rusty pair of forceps given him by one the ashes and prayed in a voice that all could hear, of the missionary doctors. Like the Canadian "0 God, forgive these people for having burned mounted police, "He always got his man." One thy Holy Word. In their ignorance they have of the English missionaries in southern Iran, who committed this great sin." The wild men of the accompanied him on a village trip, saw him ex- tribes stood about in silence, awed by his courage tract eighty-seven aching teeth in a single day. when he J<new that at any moment they might But always most important was the "Seed" he treat him as they had his books. But no hand carried-a pack of Scripture tracts and Gospels. was raised against him. He was so zealous an evangelist that a missionary was heard to say, "I am sure Mansur Sang has On his return journey, Mansur met a refugee brought the message of Christ to more people in from Russia. It was cold and the stranger had Khorasan this past year than all the members of no coat. The dervish gave the refugee his large our station." sheepskin coat, or pustin, which served him as bed and bedding as well as protection from the At one time Mansur met, in the village where cold. He slept for some time without any coverhe happened to be touring, the missionary who ing and later became seriously ill, probably from had baptized him. After their greetings, the this exposure. He recovered and started off on friend noticed that from long travel in the villages the road again for southern Iran where it was the shirt the Christian dervish was wearing had become rather soiled. After some admonitions as warmer. to Christian cleanliness, the missionary volun- Our Christian dervish was visiting a certain teered to purchase a new shirt for his friend. Later Mansur returned, very pleased, and wear- village in the south. He wished to sell a man a ing the new garment. The missionary was also Bible, but the latter said: "No, I have a much pleased, until by chance he found that the dervish finer book than this, with a wonderful leather still wore the old shirt underneath. binding and an illuminated title page. It has come down to me from my father and grand- Mansur Sang was traveling along the border of father." Mansur replied: Afghanistan during the revolution there, and was "Yes, I know, the book is a Koran and no doubt its decoration is wonderful. I will tell you a
story. I knew a man who had two daughters. sionary friend came from Shiraz and found Man- One was most beautiful and the other was ex- sur working among the patients in the Isfahan ceedingly plain. He had the homely daughter hospital, lustily singing. The missionary repaint her lips and cheeks, blacken her eyebrows marked, and fix herself all up, but he couldn't get anyone to marry her. He did not need to decorate the "Why Mansur, you don't sound married." other girl at all and could hardly keep the suitors "N0," he replied, "you see it was like this. I away from his door. Now this Bible I offer you said to the lady, get your things packed so that is the truly beautiful daughter. It needs no fine we can be married and start out on a tour of the cover or decoration. It is the Word of God." villages. But she objected that she couldn't pos- sibly leave Isfahan. I couldn't possibly stay in In another village Mansur was stoned and one place, so we parted the best of friends." beaten because of his open witness for Christ. Many times the Christian dervish was put in An old blind man who had been a leader in start- jail for his faith;lohut as one prison keeper said: ing the trouble was beating the air with his stick, since he could not see the dervish to hit him. "It does no good to put that fellow in jail. He When the latter saw the situation he pushed the is just as happy inside as out, and he starts trying others aside, saying, "You are all selfish indeed, to make Christians of all the prisoners." give this old man a chance to ease his wrath." So the evangelist took the stick and laid it on his In one large city a police officer, who was a own head, saying, "There is my head, brother, member of the Bahai sect, thought he would have beat it until your feelings are relieved." some fun with Mansur. Calling him from his cell, he took a small book out of the pack that had been In one village the quaint evangelist was again taken from the dervish, and asked: beaten and stoned and the old women ran after him to spit upon him. He said later, "I don't mind "What book is this and how much do you sell being beaten, it is a wonderful thing to have fel- it for?" lowship in the sufferings of Christ, but I don't like to see the old ladies spit. I don't think it is "That is the Gospel according to Matthew," polite, do you?" . Mansur replied, "and I sell it for four shais" (about two cents). In another place where he was preaching and was ·continually hackled by his hearers, one strap- The officer laughed and said: ping young man well over six feet tall, was im- "Yes, you are right. Your so-called 'Gospel' is pressed and bought a Gospel. Reading it that only worth two cents. You have put the right nighj;, he was convicted of sin, saddled his horse value on it." early in the morning, and hurried on to the next Then he picked up a small tract and asked what village. There he found Mansur and constrained that was and its price. him to return with him to his village and later "That is Christ's Sermon on the Mount," the take.him to the missionary in the city. There he prisoner answered. "I distribute that free." confessed, "I have been a highwayman and have The officer, almost convulsed with laughter, rerobbed and stolen and wounded people and beaten marked: them, but thank God, this man with the words of Christ found me before I had killed anyone." He "Correct you are, you yourself admit that these confessed faith in Christ and went back to his books you distribute are worthless-you give them village but could not live there. He took up life away. Perfectly right, you ought to do so since among the roving Kashgai tribes, went on with they are worth nothing. If you wanted to get a his study and was later baptized. The former copy of our holy book you would have to pay five highway robber is now a radiantly happy Chris- or ten dollars for it. It is valuable." tian. He referred to the Aqdas, copies of which are Mansur used to walk in the streets and public rare. gardens swinging his walking stick from side to side, saying, "Sword, a sword." Someone would "I beg pardon, sir," Mansur replied "but what say, "Why man, that's not a sword, it's only a is that above your desk?" cane." He would immediately produce the New Testament and say, "No, that is not a sword, but "That is an electric light," the officer answered. here is the Sword of the Spirit." "Does it cost money to burn that?" the dervish asked. At one time the Christian dervish confided to "Why of course," the man said with a smile, some friends that he had found a Christian woman "that is a good thing. It's worth while and we -or rather she had found him-and they intended are glad to pay for it." to be married. Sometime later a very close mis- Mansur pointed out the window of the office and asked: "What is that up there 7" "Why that's the sun," answered the officer. Mansur pointed his finger at him in a character- istic jesture, when in deadly earnest, and said:
THE HOLY MOSLEM CITIES OF IRAQ
"Yes, that electric light is like your book. Man He always magnified his office and was ready made, and you have to pay for it. That sun out to witness anywhere to Christ, his Lord. there is a gift of God, it is free, just like His Word." Much more might be t()ld of the Christian der- vish, but the incidents related show his character. On one occasion Mansur Sang visited us for He has gone Home, but his influence will live several weeks, at the end of that time I went with long. He was unique in the Christian Church in him to request a police permit for him to leave the Iran. He could not sign his name, but he carried city. He was asked a number of questions and a small seal, in the center of which was a cross, when the query came as to his business, imagine and around this was engraved, "Mansur Sang, the surprise of the desk sergeant when he replied, slave of Christ." There is great need of more such Christian dervishes in every Moslem land. "I am an amb!;tssador of the Lord of Glory."
THE MOST SACRED MOS'QUES OF THE SHIAS IN WHICH ARE VALUABLE TRE'ASURES-AT NAJAF The Holy Moslem Cities of Iraq )5t- -tE{ I By the REV. CALVIN K. STAUDT, Baghdad, Iraq THE, most interesting, the most formidable, The Shiah religion forbids its followers to have the most wicked and the most fanatical places any dealings with "unbelievers" and if an "in- in Iraq are the four Holy Cities of the Shiah fidel" drinks or eats from a vessel it becomes Moslems. In each one of these cities (Kadhemain, polluted and must at once be broken and thrown Samarra, Kerbala and Najaf) there is a golden- away. domed mosque to an Imam (Holy Man) who is supposed to be buried there. Boys have come from Kerbala is surrounded by gardens and palms two of these cities to the American School in and as there is much water, the situation is very Baghdad. beautiful; real Persian gardens have a profusion and variety of flowers. The shops are interesting,
having all kinds of tempting things for the pil- sages in some cases that run into the desert outgrims. side of the city. Sometimes there are three or four surdabs (cellars), one below the other, and The city is built around the golden-domed in these are subterranean wells, which are also mosque of Hussein, the son of Ali. Another connected all over the city and through which curmosque, with a golden dome and golden minaret~, rents of cool air pass, making living possible underground. These communicating cellars and cisterns offer illimitable opportunity for plotters and criminals to meet and escape capture. The wickedness of Najaf is like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, and is very degrading; lust, murder and all the crude sins that flow from avarice. Najaf;" encourages "temporary mar- riages," mostly for pilgrims; they may be for an hour or for months. Children born from these unions are distinguished by wearing a single ear ring, a custom that undoubtedly goes back to Babylonian times when temple girls were em· ployed in the temples.
The fabulous treasures of Naj af are said to sur- pass the wealth of Croesus. The rich jewels and robes of crowned heads in Europe are insignifi- cant compared to those in the storerooms of the mosque. At a visit of Nasreddin Shah, many cen- turies ago, the treasures of Kerbala and Najaf were opened and it was reported that the silver and gold alone weighed seven tons – besides the precious stones and silks. Every Shiah, whether THE ENTRANCE TO THE MOSQUE AT KERBALA rich or poor, makes a contribution to this sacred shrine.
is the mosque of Abbas, Hussein's half-brother. If Sayyid Abbas, the keeper of the treasures, with a Shiah swears by Abbas he will never violate his whom I stayed in Najaf, is a typical Moslem poli- oath; it is said that a man once swore falsely and immediately his head flew off and embedded itself in the ceiling where it is still seen!
The drive from Kerbala to Najaf is over the smooth desert. The city, with its high wall and .golden minarets and dome, looms up out of the golden sand. Najaf stands isolated in the desert with not a green thing in sight; a formidable wall protects its treasures rakher than its people. It is the most fanatical and the most wicked city in Iraq-a city where only Shiahs live and where no Christian is supposed to enter. It containscthe shrine of Ali, who was mortally wounded in the mosque at Kufa, a town seven miles away. The story is that Ali, when wounded, was put on a camel and here is where the body was later found and buried. This is the cause for the building of this city in the desert. It now has a teeming pop- ulation of 45,000 crowded inside a wall, the cir- A STREET SCENE IN KERBALA cumference of which is not more than three miles. What must this dty be like on feast days when tician who knows how to keep the flow of treasthe population swells to 150,000? ures coming to Najaf. Because of this flow the Iranian government forbade its pilgrims to come No one knows Najaf unless he has seen the to Iraq. He has two wives and a home for each. underground city where the people dwell in summer to escape the unbearable heat of the burning Najaf is the center of Shiaism and the seat of desert. It is a net work of catacombs, with pas- the Mujtahid who is like the Roman Popes who
A PASTOR AND MISSIONARY EDUCATION
enjoyed temporal and spiritual authority. He is tive religions, there is slight connection between chosen because of his learning, rather than be- religion and morality. A religion which is devoid cause of his spirituality. He interprets the Ko- of morality is a poor sort of a religion. ranic and traditional law and also makes new laws. To disobey him is believed to result in The transformation of these Holy Cities will be eternal damnation. through the slow and silent process of Christian education. Boys going to Christian schools from The Shiah fanaticism is breaking down. Mrs. these cities will be the leveling influence. Staudt and I could walk the streets of Najaf, look into the mosque as we passed by the gate, be enter- Kerbala and Najaf are shrines that are symtained by the Killidar, who is next to the Mujti- Bolic of vicarious suffering. Both Hussein and had. This we could not have done a few years ago Ali died in behalf of a cause. Tradition has it and live to tell the tale. Now the people do not that Hussein, before setting out from Kufa, always obey the Mujtihads. prayed to Allah: "I am going forth to die for Thy (God) people." Is it not possible to bring These Holy Cities thrive on religion. The reli- byr tact and patience, and through Christian edugious standards for the Shiah world comes from cation to the Shiahs, the news of a Mediator, bet- Najaf. They are very religious, but like in primi- ter and truer than the one whom they know?
A Pastor and Missionary Education By JESSE H. ARNUP, ll..,D., Toronto, Canada Missionary Secretary of the United Church of Canada THE missionary impulse is first of all a reli- recently aroused religious feeling, arose the world gious impulse; missionary endeavor is the movement of modern missions. Similarly, during outward projection of heart-felt love for God a period of expanding settlement on the American and man. The logical end of a religious revival continent great religious revivals issued in nais the beginning of a missionary campaign. In tion-wide expansion of home mission effort in the the sequence of church history great missionary United S,tates and Oanada. movements have arisen out of creative periods in the life of the home church. Any course of mis- With these facts in mind we can see how a pubsionary education which fails to take account of lic school lesson in geography or history, in so far this central fact will lack the primary impulse to as it helps to produce a world view, may make a missionary service, the spiri,tual glow without valuable contribution to missionary education: which no missionary enterprise can hope to suc- Here, also, we find justification for a program of ceed. Conversely, every quickening of Christian missionary information and education, both inlife or strengthening of religious purpose in an side and outside the curricula of organized reliindividual or a congregation provides a fresh op- gious education. The church which has set herportunity for successful missionary education. self to make this a Christ-like world must accept it as a primary duty to let her membership know For the religious impulse must needs be fer- what the world is like today. Details of the pictilized by the missionary idea if it is to bear fruit ture must be filled in so that real understanding in missionary service and suppor.t. Sometimes may produce sympathy and fellowship between that idea seems to lie inherent in the circum- the Christian church and all communiUes, peoples stances of the hour. The eighteenth century re- and areas of life that are without Christ. vival went flaming through England at the very time when the British Empire, through her sol- Two other elements in the missionary equation diers and sailors, was reaching out to the ends of exactly match each other: they are the purpose the earth. The new Gospel message was literally of God and the needs of man. Ultimately, the carried around the world on the wings of the wind claim of Christian missions rests down upon the and the waves of the sea. Explorers like Captain unity of God and his eternal purpose for the world Cook became indirectly servants of the Gospel, of men. Over against that purpose lies the need pointing the way to its world-wide application. of our common humanity. The answer to that Out of these numerous world contacts, acting upon need can be summed up in the one word, redemp- tion. It is impossible to think of God as divided:
He is the one Father of us all. Jesus Christ like- fundamental social proces'ses have 'been set in mo- wise spoke always of His own revelation in terms tion which when complete will bring about condi- that applied to the whole world. These two fea- tions more nearly resembling the rule of God in tures provide the missionary message of the Bible: human life.
the universality of God and Christ's sufficiency The meaning of all this for the Christian min- ister, and its application to his efforts on behalf to meet the universal needs of men. Take the mis-. of missionary education, are not far to seek. What we have outlined is op, one hand the unisionary message out of the Old Testament and you have taken out the heart and meaning of it. The New Testament is from first to last a missionary versal message of the Gospel and on the other it book. Leave out its missionary message and its is the practical program of the Christian minister implications and what you have left has lost its in the interests of the world of men. On what power and appeal. So it is with the Church. foundation rests the minister's claim to authentic Rob it of its missionary purpose and passion and proclamation and eff~tive appeal to his own conyou remove both its right and its power to carry gregation if not on his knowledge of the eternal on. Regarding the experience of the individual pu~pose of Almighty God? What other salvation Christian one has recently written, "The ultimate dare he offer to mortals than that of a univers1al in individual self-fulfilment is found in s·haring the Saviour, whose provision reaches to the uttermost divine self-giving." In the words of Henry van of human need? In a world which is rapidly be- Dyke, "We are chosen, we are called, not to die coming a unit how can he hope for solution of any and be saved, but to live and save others." God's ,major human problem on anything less than a eternal purpose finds expres·sion by way of indi- world basis,? Whatever may be said of men in vidual human experience and missionary devotion. other relations, the Christian minister is inextri- The needs of men are of infinite variety but cably involved. in the presentation of the world even the least of them is included in the loving mission of Christianity and the missionary effort provision which God has made for His children. of the Christian church. The issue of success and The operation of sharing Christ with others in- failure, in the ultimate meaning of those terms, will rest upon his faithfulness and efficiency in volves the sharing of all those blessings which fitting to local conditions the larger setting of a world-wide and age.J.ong undertaking. For, takhave come to us through the effect of His life and ing it by and large, the progress of the average congregation in spiritual sympathy with the world teaching upon the conditions and standards of enterprise of Christ, in intelligent understanding of the operations of the Church and in response to human living. Missions are more than a philan- the material needs of the world, will be measured thropy but they form the most important philan- by the vision and intelligence and faithfulness of thropic effort in the world. It is written of Jesus the minister. that "He went about doing good." Lord Irwin, late Viceroy of India, has this to say of His modern representatives in that land: "Among outcastes and lepers, among criminal tribes or aborig- inal dwellers in jungle tracts, I have seen men Prayer for Missions and women s·laving devotedly to translate the message of Christ into the practical language of Him One of the greatest opportunities of serving the who went about doing good. They are doing work missionary cause comes to a minister through of quite incalculable value in India and their most public prayer. Probably the congregation forms powerful sermons are their lives." its idea of what is vital in a preacher's life and ministry quite as much from his- prayers as from It was ever thus. The Good News includes re- his sermons. What a man habitually carries on lease from all forms of captivity. The emancipa- his heart will come out in his prayer. What he tion of women throughout the world has alone really cares about sooner or later will have a place been worth all the money and all the labor spent in his petitions. Yet how many prayers in the on the missionary enterprise since its beginning. congregation are concerned with no one outside If you seek a verdict, ask the women of non-Christian lands whether Christian missions are worth the four walls of the church and touch no interest while. Slavery has been fought ever since Living- beyond the confines of the parish! The usual peti- stone cried out, "I call down Heaven's blessing on tion in the mid-week service is entirely local. If anyone, be he Englishman, American or Turk, a pastor really desires his congregation to catch who will help heal this open sore of the world." a world vision and yield themselves to it in loving The practice of witchcraft in its varied forms· is service he will lead them in prayer to the Cross yielding to the light of the Gospel and the influence of One who died for the whole world. For the of the Christian school. Among primitive folk world purpose of Christ is, still unrealized and He new arts ,and industries have been introduced; still is straitened until the object of His suffering the tumult of tribal warfare has been stilled and and death be accomplished. Our prayers, both
BLACK AND WHITE IN SOUTH AFRICA
public and private, should somehow reflect that that the missionary thinking of the Church has attitude of the Master's mind and heart. fallen far behind the present-day operations and objectives of the missionary movement at home Every minister can keep himself and his congre- and abroad. For that reason we have lost to some gation informed about the progress of Christian extent the interest of our young people and espemissions, both as a world movement and as an cially of students. These young idealists have enterprise of his own Church. The Gospel lends given themselves in thought and purpose to such itself to missionary illustration and application. objectives as the elimination of war, the improve- Many ministers habitually enliven and enrich ment of race relations, and the reconstruction of their preaching by frequent reference to the diffi- our social and economic order. Ministers can take culties and successes of the Gospel in the mission advantage of this enthusiasm by showing the relefields. It pas'ses comprehension why some of the vance of the Gospel in its application to these "teaching elders" of the Church should labor so problems. How else dare we assert that our hard to master the details of church history in Christ is sufficient for all the needs of men? past ages and neglect the church history of equal or greater s'ignificance that is being made in vari- The missionary question thus assumes a vital ous places round the world in their own time. relation to the success of the home church. It is said that we live in an age of transition. A period But preaching, though always of the utmost of transition is, usually a period of confusion, but importance, is only one means of missionary edu- it may also become a period of new creation. In cation. The minister who desires to have his con- this hour when the Christian Church stands at the gregation intelligent in matters affecting the crossroads, leading to world succes's or universal world-wide work of Christ will foster missionary defeat, shall it be said of us that, unaware of the education in all the organizations of his church. significance of the issue, we sought to explain and Outstanding opportunities' are presented through extenuate our apathy to the great purpose of our the Church School, the Young People's Society, Lord by the lame apology, "The missionary enterthe Men's Club and the various organizations of prise doesn't seem to make the appeal it used to the women. Among young people and adults it will make." We have no such poor opinion of the be the peculiar function of the minister to show ministers of the Christian churches in the United the importance of the missionary enterprise to the States and Canada. life of the world in our day. It is our conviction Black and White in South Africa The Responsibility of the Christian Community By KENNETH G. GRUBB,* London 1r )1- Of the World Dominion Movement ~==========================~ C LIMATE and the course of history have at times injected into the relations between these ordained that the most numerous and most two peoples, so different in language, general in- active Christian population in Africa terests, political attitudes, and, in their types of should be the European community of the Union Christian culture. Nevertheless, it may be of South Africa, numbering two millions. It can- doubted if so strong a European community could not, therefore, be altogether a waste of time to ever have existed and maintained its position note its relation to the evangelization of the na- without a degree of tension which has produced tive peoples, not only in the Union but also in a virile character, and has created a powerfully Africa as a whole. assertive type of European civilization, which owes its very strength to a variety of outlooks The European community in South Africa is and habits. composed of two different national stocks, the Dutch and the British. The tension between them The effect of this is seen in the religious sphere. has been acute at times, culminating in the Anglo- There is a strong religious life among the Euro- Boer war; even today an element of bitterness is peans, particularly among the Afrikander folk; while among the British, the Church of the Prov- • Mr. Grubb has recently returned from an extensive visit to ince of South Africa (Anglican), the Methodists South Afrlca.-EDITOR.
and other "Free Churches" command a popular dan. Apart from these Dutch churches are two following. This active religious life has enabled others: the "Hervormde" Church, the official these people in some measure to resist the fatal Church of the old South African Republic; and temptations and allurements of the prosperity in- the "Dopper" or "Gereformeerde" Church. But to which the gold-mining industry has dragged even these organizations, which have traditionally many families. Of recent years the religious ten- represented the most rigid racial views, have unsion has been increased by the rapid advance of dertaken at least some mission work. The Dutch Roman Catholicism, by its progress in native mis- churches, notwithstanding their well-known racial sions especially in Basutoland, and by the increase attitude, have undertaken mission work both within its already considerable provision of high-class in and outside the Union of South Africa. educational institutions for European children. The most powerful church in the British com- In face of this situation the problem before munity is the (Anglican) Church of the Province those interested in missions is therefore: How of South Africa>~ The first bishop of this church can the religious energy that results from this had been strongly influenced by the Oxford Movetension be used for a more earnest and thorough ment, and the church, although it contains some evangelization of the Africans? Second: How evangelical parishes, is a good exponent of Anglocan those who have lapsed among the European Catholicism at its best. It still receives substan- Christians best be reclaimed? Finally, how can tial assistance from England, and is therefore by the prayer of our Lord for spiritual unity among no means so fully rooted in the country as are the His people be answered in South Africa. Dutch churches; neither is its hold over its peo- ple as firm. But this church has developed a re- Foreign mission work (American, Scandinavi- markable native mission work with a vast number an, French, German and Swiss), cannot be ex- of outstations, and some excellent educational and pected to remain in South Africa indefinitely. medical centers. Much of this work is in the Many have very considerable responsibilities in hands of the Anglican religious orders, such as Asia where there is no immigrant European the Mirfield Fathers, the Society of the Sacred Christian community of any size in proportion to Mission and others. the total population. On the other hand, so long as South Africa remains a land of white men as The Methodist Church of South Africa also carwell as black, the Bantu Church will need the ries on a very extensive native mission work, cooperation of the indigenous European churches. which is now almost entirely independent of any It is, therefore, the European Christian commu- grants from Great Britain. It is the church which nity that must prove their willingness to play a has the most numerous following among the Banvital part in the evangelization of the Africans. tu population, and the quality of its native min- istry is such as to command respect. The whole The most important European churches are the church is permeated by a keen evangelistic spirit, Dutch Reformed. They are the most closely iden- and certain of its missions, such as that on the tified with the general development of the country; Rand, furnish a good example of the response of they command, to a remarkable extent, the loyal- the native population to the Gospel. Many other ty of their people; and they have developed types South African churches carryon evangelistic of religious life which admirably suit the aspira- work, although on a smaller scale, among natives. tions of their Christian community. There are four European Dutch churches in the Union, These two churches, the Methodist and the namely the four synodal churches in the provinces Church of the Province, contrast strongly with of the Cape, Natal, Orange Free State and Trans- the Dutch churches in their organization and the vaal. These churches are for Europeans only, and nature of their religious appeal. The differences they delegate only certain very limited powers to between the Dutch churches and the Church of a Federal Council. It is, therefore, not strictly the Province are especially noticeable and from correct to speak of the Dutch Reformed Church some points of view are regrettable. It is of the of South Africa. Corresponding to these four utmost importance for the Christian future of European churches there are three "mission South Africa that there should be a clear underchurches": that in the Cape is a church among standing between the Dutch churches and the Colored folk, with a Christian community of over Church of the Province. This situation offers a 120,000; those in Transvaal and the Orange Free real problem for the newly formed Christian State are native churches. These "mission Council of South Africa, but it is one which will churches" are entirely independent, although they be solved more by personal contact and spiritual receive subsidies from the European churches. interchange than by organization. Each European synod has a permanent committee on missions, and through these committees an ex- When we consider the attitude of the Church tensive work is maintained in Nyasaland and to the racial problem, the contrast remains be- Southern Rhodesia, and a smaller one in the Su- tween the Dutch and the other leading Christian churches. The Dutch do not permit Black to wor-
ship with White in the same place; in fact, they senting to the native a wholly barbaric and lustful are opposed to any form of equality between Black picture. It is they who have mitigated the threatand White either in Church or State. The prob- enrngs of war by the message of the Prince of lem is, of course, by no means confined to South Peace. Dispense with their labors, and it is Africa, but the numerical relation of the commu- doubtful whether the native of today would have nities there, where Black outnumbers White by any educated leaders at all. In modern times more than three to one, makes it singularly acute. when, under the influence of close contact with The question has been repeatedly debated from a European civilization, the ancient sanctions of score of different angles, and it is unnecessary to native life are being swept away, the Message of recapitUlate the arguments here. An extreme the Gospel has taken fruit in the realization of a policy of geographical segregation is no solution Christian community, a form of spiritual fellowto a problem which is fundamentally one of ship and cohesion that, amidst the confusion of the inner attitude rather than geographical position. times, offers salvation to the bewildered African Neither hatred nor love are created or removed by from his heart's long torment and the anarchy of distance alonli. Rather, the churches of South his own desires. Africa, whatever be their actual machinery of organization for dealing with the racial problem, But the old paths are being broken up in South will be increasingly driven to echo the conviction Africa as elsewhere; the old order is passing of Shelley: away. The mines, the farms, and the towns all bring White and Black into constant contact. In- We – are we not formed, as notes of music are, creasingly it will become evident that although For one another, though dissimilar; color may be made the basis of an aesthetic judg- Such difference without discord, as can make ment, it cannot be the foundation of a religious Those sweetest sounds, in which all spirits shake one. If six~and-a-half million Bantu are in con- Like trembling leaves in a continuous air? tact with two million Europeans and remain in any large part non-Christians, it can only be be- The point to emphasize here is that the racial cause the latter are in large part non-Christians problem of South Africa, in its implications for themselves. There are two million potential misthe Christian community, is not so much a prob- sionaries in South Africa. In face of this fact we lem for the foreign missions, as for the indigenous have to ask whether, through the testimony of European churches of the land. The missionary European Christianity, the native community is can never view such a problem with the same feel- to be won for Christ or repelled from Him. If it ings as he whose whole past is bound up with local is not won, then the future will witness the traditions, whose father or grandfather was per- mingling of two paganisms to form one neopaganhaps slain, or may be saved from death, by a na- ism. The cynical indifference of the civilized tive warrior, and whose land was once occupied European, who has no reverence and no fear, no by a primitive or warlike tribe. These things be- purpose, no convictions and no religious beliefs, long to history, but their effect remains. The will mingle with the secularized native who has present with all its difficulties has been molded cast adrift from the old moorings and is afloat on and created by the past, and only those, the roots the sea of uncertainty. Of these two paganisms of whose life are in the soil of South Africa, and the second, being the paganism of ignorance, is to whom all other shores are foreign strands, can the more pardonable. determine these issues. To answer the questions we have raised we The contribution which foreign missions are have first of all to pray for a revival of true faith called upon to make is, therefore, to create the in God and true devotion to Jesus Christ among Christian community among the native peoples. the two million persons of European descent, Racial questions, and all questions affecting the nearly all of them nominally Christians, in South relations between Black and White, will be Africa. We may then expect that in their inbrought vastly nearer solution when they can be evitable contact with the native peoples, by the treated as problems between fellow Christians. day-to-day testimony of a Christ-controlled life, They will then be transferred to the sphere of the the Gospel will receive an impetus which the la- Church: that will not, of course, mean that they bors of missionaries alone could never bring. will be automatically solved, but their solution Finally, in order to eliminate useless strife and will be brought sensibly nearer, in so far as they wasteful competition among those who call themare handled by men who are consciously led by the selves disciples of our one Lord, there is a great Spirit of God. work of fellowship and cooperation to be patiently and carefully undertaken. Two years ago the South Africa owes much to the devoted labors Christian Council of South Africa was organized of missionaries. Through their presence and la- and should bring about helpful cooperation. It bors the harsh asperities of the pioneer age of is evident that the field is lying open before it. occupation have been sensibly mollified. It is they who have saved European civilization from pre-
Ways of
'Tested Metlwds for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MRS. ESTELLA S. AITCHISON, GRANVILLE, OHIO MISSIONARY TOURS joining "tent" (room) a typical day from noon till the evening Arabian luncheon was served, ';' assembly, with guides and inter- "Tours of Moslem Lands," the cost being covered by an of- preters in each ,.room. Notewith costumed impersonations fering. The same plan was worthy were the exhibits of and characteristic luncheons, used in all of the programs. the Episcopal Church activities have been featured in four Details of costumes and lunch- throughout the world, shown at monthly visualizations by mem- eons will be furnished for a the Chicago World's Fair; the bers of the Presbyterian church, stamped and addressed envelope, miniature replicas of the Amer- Quincy, Illinois. Arranged by by writing ,to Mr. Githens, 318 ican Mission to Lepers; the Harry W. Githens, the church's So. 4 St. Complete programs Centennial exhibits of the Pres- Dramatic Director, the pro- will be typed for a fee of $1.00. byterian Board; appealing photograms were sponsored by the graphs from the Baptists; the Women's Missionary Society and the Christian Endeavor Society, A WORLD'S FAIR Chinese exhibits of the Methodin an effort to reach a larger OF MISSIONS ists, .and the lighted panels and group in studying the current By GRACE H. HONDELINK posters of the Reformed Church Boards. Daily missionary motheme. Missionary-minded persons from other .churches also The World's Fair of Missions tion pictures drew large groups held in Salem Evangelical and were invited. The programs be- to the room devoted to this feagan at 5 p. m. on Sunday eve- Reformed church, Rochester, ning, and averaged about two N. Y., January 19 to 23, was the ture. most comprehensive and com- First of the ten sessions of the hours each, so there was no con- pelling missionary review ever flict with other services after 7 projected in western New York. Fair was a luncheon on Wednes- Sponsored by the Rochester day noon, attended by over 500 o'clock. women. The speaker was Dr. Mary Ely Lyman, on the theme, Sailing on the Steamer "Mis- Council of Church Women and "Thy Kingdom Come." Another sions," a worship service was assisted by the Rochester Fed- social event was the Women's conducted by the pastor, Rev. eration of Churches, the Federa- International Dinner on Thurs- W. N. Dewar, as Chaplain. The tion of Men's Bible Classes, and day evening, with hostesses and first country visited was Arabia, the Monroe County Youth Fed- tables gay in costumes and dec- "Land of Romance." The next eration, nearly 200 churches of orations of many nations. About three visits were to Syria, "The thirteen denominations shared 400 women listened to the speak- Land Where Jesus Lived"; Iraq, in this project for bringing fresh ers, from China and Japan. A "The Cradle of Civilization"; enthusiasm for missions to all somewhat smaller group at the and Iran, "Land of the Lion and church members. men's dinner on the same eve- the Sun." En route to these Eight rOOInS of the spacious ning heard a past president of three countries the worship serv- church plant were given up to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, ice was supposed to be on either exhibits grouped according to on "A Business Man Looks at a Desert Bus or a Railway train. countries, with two rooms filled Missions." The president of Arriving in Arabia the tour- with materials appealing to chil- Colgate – Rochester D i v i nit y ists went immediately to the dren and their leaders. Home School, just returned from a "tent" of Sheik Ilderim (which and foreign mission boards gen- round-the-world trip, gave latest had been erected from brown erously lent their best in the news from the mission field. burlap, in another room) where way of pictures, literature, pos- Afternoon teas on Thursday missionaries and native students ters, banners and curios; the and Friday gave opportunity for (the latter in costume) pre- Rochester Museum of Arts and fellowship with missionaries and sented an interesting program Sciences loaned large contribu- acquaintances, as did the buffet which told of the historical, geo- tions from its collections, and supper on Friday night. graphical, economic, and reli- many friends in Rochester of- Inspiring music was furnished gious conditions, with a vocal fered their art objects for the for the various meetings by talsolo by the Sheik host as ,a spe- week of the Fair. ented soloists, a Negro baritone, cial feature. Then, in an ad- The exhibits were open each a quartette from the German [192 ]
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
Baptist Theological Seminary, modate the crowds of interested FROM ONE BOOK-END the mixed chorus of Jefferson listeners. TO ANOTHER High School, an Antiphonal Friday evening's forum on The following combination of Choir of 400 voices, and the choir "World Christianity and Human monologue and dialogue has of Salem Evangelical-Reformed been prepared to give publicity Church. The high point musi- Needs" was led by the President to the Interdenominational Concally, however, was the presenta- of the Rochester Federation of tion of Mendelssohn's "Elijah," Churches. There were four ference of Missions to be held at in the dramatic adaptation ar- speakers, each one followed by the Hotel Raymond, Eagles ranged by Rev. Phillips E. Os- discussion from the floor. An Mere, Pennsylvania, June 25 good, D.D. This was given by Episcopalian bishop spoke on the fifty-voice Rochester Chapel "The Church's Need of World to JUly 2, 1938. The same type Choir. The sanctuary of the Vision" ; a missionary from of sketch may be used ,to angreat church proved utterly in- nounce any other conference, or adequate for the throngs that China, on "The World's Need of wished to enter. Christian Education"; a gifted to present mission study book woman from India, on "The Re- reviews. The group adapting Stirring addresses were given sults of World Christianity"; on Thursday, Home Missions the idea may prepare the book Day, by an Alaskan (Aleut) and an exchange student at Waminister and an Indian mission- seda University, Japan, on "The reviews. ary. The eminent pastor of a Challenge of World Christianity The idea is to give the effect Negro church gave readings from the works of James Weldon on the Threshold of Service." of a row of books held in place Johnson and Paul Lawrence . by book-ends. The "book-ends" Dunbar. Home missionaries introduced to the audience included are two girls, sitting in identical workers among the Indians, On Children's Day, Saturday, positions, one at each end. Southern Mountaineers, in city children in convenient groups missions, and on the far western were conducted through differ- First Book-End is dressed as frontier. ent rooms, where they were in- a girl of an American city. troduced in turn to story-telling, Friday afternoon, Foreign games, folk songs, costumes and Second Book-End wears a col- Missions Day, brought speak- customs of missionary countries, orful sari of India. If a sari is ers from Chosen, the Women's finally gathering in a large as- not available, use seven yards of Christian Union Colleges of In- sembly for a drama centering bright-colored material draped dia, and Nellore, South India. around the picture, "The Hope as follows: Hold one end in left The Missionary Commission was of the World." hand at waistline in front. Pass given by Mrs. Laura Hyde goods tightly around hips in Foote, 81 years old, pioneer med- Saturday evening was Youth front. Tie upper corner in firm ical missionary, who appeared Night. A most impressive dra- knot to upper edge of goods held on the p I a t for m with her matic devotional service, fea- in right hand. Bring cloth daughter and granddaughter, turing a processional and pleas snugly around body once, then representing the tradition of of the nations, and an antiphonal lay the long line in pleats to generation after generation in Youth Chorus, were followed by within three or four yards of the missionary service. an address by a speaker from end. Tuck these pleats in over Iran, on "New Horizons." the knot in the middle of the Hymn singing was led by the front. Pass the loose end of City-wide Missionary Sunday cloth on over the left hip, up former pastor of the Union was observed with missionary under right arm and over left addresses by missionaries, board shoulder, bringing it up over the Church, Kobe, Japan. Over a secretaries or the pastors in head and letting it fall over the score of foreign missionaries, practically all of the Protestant right shoulder. A plain waist garbed in the costumes of their churches of Rochester and vicin- with short sleeves may be worn underneath sari. The Books are adopted countries; some mem- ity. At Sunday afternoon's ves- girls holding in front of them bers of foreign mission boards, per service, the former executive long narrow posters lettered to secretary of ;the Rochester Fed- imitate the backs of books. As and several mothers and sisters each girl speaks she may step eration of Churches brought the challenge of personal responsi- upon a hassock so that her head bility, and a local pastor con- appears above the poster. ducted the closing devotional of missionaries now on the field, 'Service. were presented in a recognition The World's Fair of Missions *** Girl of India: (After sitting service. The meeting closed was the culmination of many still long enough for audience to with the Lord's Prayer, re- months of work by some 150 get the effect, moves about rest- peated, "each in his own women, serving on various com- lessly, then stretches arms wide) (adopted) tongue." These after- mittees. The outstanding suc- Ah-h-h! (Yawns, peeps around noon meetings had been sched- cess of the venture, both in corner at her neighbor at the uled for the Bible class room, numbers attending and in the other end, who does the same.) seating 300, but it was found spiritual tone of all the meetings, Oh, how stiff I am! I wonder necessary tg move to the church argues well for the future of what would happen if I -should auditorium, in order to accom- missionary interest in Rochester. move. (Leans forward; end
book immediately leans too) Oh, ing on a vacatio.n? They sound way to solve all problems, dear, no! They can't stand up, very serious-minded to me. whether of the East or the West, poor things, without me. But I What sort of place is Eagles is the same, by following the One am stiff! Mere? who came out of Nazareth to be City Girl: Stiff! I'm b,o.red City Girl: Look, here's one the whole world's Saviour.
stiff! I like books well enough, called "The Good Times Book." Girl o.f India: Hark, I hear but this thing of just sitting be- Give it a tap and see what it has someone coming. We'll have to to say. go back to our places. (Resumes side them all this time- (Peep- position as at first, very deing at her neighbor again). Oh, The Goo.d Times Bo.o.k: I mure.) you're from India! I know it by can't keep quiet any longer. Where have you been that you City Girl: Goodbye for the your beautiful dress. (Rises, don't know Eagles Mere is just present. Let's try to get toholding one hand against nearest the most beautiful mountain re- gether at Eagles Mere, when book to support it, looks at Girl sort in Pennsylvania? these neighbors of ours won't of India.) have to be in a stiff row all the Girl o.f India: (Apologeti- time. (Waves hand and takes Girl o.f India: Yes, I'm from cally) I've been in India. position as at first.) India, but (also rises, same ac- The Bo.o.k (somewhat molli- JANE GILBERT, tion as City Girl) I've seen fied) We-ell, of course, you American girls like you travel- might not hear about it in India. Member o.f Co.nference ing in my country. I wonder Co.mmittee. City Girl: I live in New York. why these books are standing in SUGGESTIONS FOR a row like this. (Gazes at The Bo.o.k: (Sniffs) Oh, New INVITATIONS books.) York! They are always so superior! Well, anyway if you Picture of drum and sticks, City Girl: (Same action) I flew over Pennsylvania and saw with the inscription, "Drum up a lake right on top of a lovely a crowd for" (time, place and heard someone say they were all mountain, like a sapphire sur- title of meeting) . going on a vacation together, to rounded by emeralds- A mirror on the bulletin board a place called Eagles Mere. City Girl: (Whispers across Girl o.f India: (Touching to Girl of India) Guide-book nearest book) This one is called with cover drawn over its face "Moving Millions," but it doesn't move a bit while I hold it. City Girl: I wish one of them stuff ! The Bo.o.k: (Ignoring inter- and the words: "Look inside would speak. ("Moving Millions" speaks ruption) You might think a bit and you will see the picture of of the sky had got stranded someone invited to the next briefly, then disappears.) Girl o.f India: That's a book I there, but when you came down meeting of" (society, place and must read for myself. There're to see, you'd find Eagles Mere! date) . things in it I probably don't And when you came closer, you'd Large sketch of finger ring, know even though I live in In- find rubies and rose quartz here with diamond, and the words: dia. It seems several people and there in the emerald setting, "You are engaged to . . ." or, wrote it. for the laurel and rhododendron "Your engagement is announced City Girl: Here is another grow close to the edge of the with the Young People's Misbook about India. "The Church lake. And the fun you can have sionary Society for" (date and Takes Root in India" by Basil in the lake! Then there are all place). Mathews. sorts of hikes through the woods, and of course tennis and golf- Sealed o.rders-Sketch of large ("The Church Takes Root in well, a week won't be nearly hand with tiny envelope held be- India" speaks.) long enough to enjoy all the good tween thumb and firs,t finger times to be had at Eagles Mere. (through slit in paper). Inside Girl o.f India: That's interest- the envelope place the names of ing. But I'd like to hear some- (City Girl and Girl o.f India two women to be won for the thing about your country. What stand in same position, looking next missionary gathering by is this next one? (Leans over up at the book after the head has the recipient of these "orders." to read title) Oh, yes, (reads disappeared, and then the W o.rtitle) perhaps it will speak too. ship Bo.o.k speaks.) Personal invitations written on outline sketches of the state (First book on The City Wo.rship Bo.o.k: Of course, or states whose Home-missionspeaks.) there's another book that every- ary work is to be studied, and one will take to Eagles Mere leaflets enclosed with them. City Girl: Dear me, I live in which is not on our shelf. the city but I believe there are Everyone will study the Bible Sketch of heart with words: still some things for me to learn. every day. There will be lead- "Take this invitation to heart" Wait, here's another one about ers who know the Bible and (add information). to make remarks. Sketch of a girl sitting at a (Second book on The City know how to make it real and telephone apparently calling up speaks.) living to young and old. When recipient; the accompanying de- Girl o.f India: (Doubtfully) these other books spoke, did you tails of the invitation should be Are you sure these books are go- notice, they reminded us that the in telephonic terms.
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BULLETIN Council of Women for Home Missions EDITED BY MISS EDITH E. LOWRY, 297 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.
~,=-=================~ INTRODUCING While in Paris she was also erend Cornelius P. Trowbridge President of the Woman's Guild is the Canon of St. Paul's Cathe- Mrs. Augustus Trowbridge, of the American Cathedral. dral Church in Boston. President of the Council of Women for Home Missions During the war she was ac- Under her leadership the tive in Red Cross work and Council of Women for Home The Council of Women for served a term as Chairman of Missions looks forward to con- Home Missions is honored to in- the Red Cross Committee in tinued opportunities for usefultroduce to the readers of this Princeton. The New Jersey ness and deeper dedication to Bulletin, its newly elected Presi- Church Mission of Health has the cause of Unity in Christian dent, Mrs. Augustus Trow- claimed her attention and en- service for all church women. bridge. Elected in Annual Meet- thusiastic support for many ing, January 9-12, 1938, in New years. As a member of the MAY LUNCHEON York City, she succeeds Mrs. Board, and for a time its chair- Millard L. Robinson, retiring man, she has worked for the re- Tuesday, May 3, 1938 President. Mrs. Trowbridge has claiming as useful citizens young been a stimulating member of girls who, as unmarried mothers "UNITY IN CHRISTIAN SERVICE" the Council's committees, taking found themselves in need of active part in the Migrant work much sympathetic guidance. For years the Council of and peace work of the Council, Women for Home Missions has and for the past year as Second In 1937, she attended the announced in these columns in Vice-President assisting in the twelfth Conference on the Cause April plans for the May Lunchformulation of policy and fur- and Cure of War, in Chicago, as eon held annually under its austhering the meaning of home proxy for Mrs. Millard Robin- pices for closer fellowship of mission work through the Coun- son, President of the Council of church women of its twentycil of Women for Home Missions. Women for Home Missions, and three constituent denominations, her appraisal of the Conference and better acquaintance with A member of the Episcopal called forth praise from church their common tasks. Last year, church, Mrs. Trowbridge has women of many denominations you may remember, marked a participated in the work of the and challenged church women to definite advance in fellowship in Woman's Auxiliary wherever strengthen the spiritual ties of that other national church orshe has lived. Her interest in women round the world building ganizations joined with us and peace and among young people for peace. sponsored this luncheon at the brought her into service as a Biltmore Hotel, in New York member of the Board of the Stu- Her connection with the City. It was a signal success dents International Union where Young Women's Conference at and the succeeding months have she retains active membership. Northfield, and at one time been spent in planning how to F'or many years she made her chairman of its Program Com- extend the enthusiasm and inhome in Princeton, New Jersey, mittee, has kept her in close spiration of such meetings to where her husband was a mem- touch with the thinking and ac- church women all over the counber of the faculty of Princeton tivities of young people. try. It is with a sure knowledge University, the last four years of therefore of what similar gathhis life serving as Dean of its A woman of keen insight, in- erings of church women in all Graduate ColI e g e. For five terested in all that goes to make of the communities of the counyears she made her home in for universal Christian brother- try may mean to those commu- Paris, where her husband was hood in a confused and material nities that the Committee on Director for Science (in Eu- world, Mrs..Trowbridge says of Women's Work of the Foreign rope) of the Rockefeller Foun- herself that her "chief inter- Missions Conference, the Nadation. It was at this time that ests have always been in church tional Council of Federated she became very much interested work and minor positions in the Church Women, and the Council in the International Migration church." This is evidenced by of Women for Home Missions Service and she is now a mem- the fact that her two sons are under the banner of "National ber of its New York Committee. both ministers: the Reverend Council of Church Women" urge George A. Trowbridge is the the holding of interdenomina- Rector of All Angels' Church in New York City, and the Rev- [195 ]
tionalluncheons, simultaneously, close the meetings in Riverside Council of Women for Home in all communities on Tuesday, Church. The"A d v e n t u r e Missions. May 3, 1938, to consider together through the Years" depicted the Unity in Christian Service. development of the home mis- The topics discussed during sion enterprise. The pageant the business sessions of each day Those who attended the con- provides admirable material for included such themes as "Social ferences in Oxford and Edin- use as a whole or in part by Frontiers," "Child Labor," "Juburgh last summer have already church groups. venile Delinquency," and the a vision of what may be accom- "Underprivileged Migratory Laplished by church women in all On Monday, the two Councils, borers," indicative of the larger parts of the country, in similar meeting in Marble Collegiate implications of the missionary gatherings, and at the same church, held separate executive enterprise in the complicated sotime, earnestly thinking together sessions until the evening. Then cial structure of the present day. of their relation to the affairs of a panel discussion of the eco- The problems of the city as the church, the nation, and the nomic and spiritual needs of the viewed from the chair of the world, and of ways in which we migratory laborers presented to 'liayor of New York City were can jointly attack those prob- the j oint session of the Councils admirably presented by Mayor lems. It is suggested that all the complexities of the migrant Fiorello H. La Guardia. In this groups hold to the same theme problem. Participants in the single metropolis is concentrated for the luncheon programs and panel included Mr. Courtenay a population greater than that make them as uniform as pos- Dinwiddie, Executive Secretary in anyone state, yet its form of sible. An outline program is be- of the National Child Labor government is similar to that ing prepared that will be sent Committee, Mrs. Petricha E. for a city of 10,000 to 100,000. free on receipt of a stamped and Manchester, Executive Secretary addressed envelope (size 5"x of the Consumers' League of The memorable days came to 10") to the National Committee Delaware, Miss Barbara Stokes a climax with the Anniversary of Church Women, Room 63, 297 and Mr. Leon Dickinson, two dinner. Three remarkable ad- Fourth Avenue, New York City. student workers in Migrant Cen- dresses comprised the program. Will you encourage friends in ters who related their experience Dr. Robert W. Searle, Execuother communities in your and recorded the gratitude of tive Secretary of the New York county to plan such luncheons in migrant families for the inter- City Federation of Churches, their communities? Aim to est demonstrated on their behalf. speaking on the question "What have an inter – denominational Miss Edith E. Lowry, Executive Constitutes a Mission Field?" church women's luncheon on Secretary of the Council of made an impassioned plea on be- May 3rd in every city, town and Women for Home Missions, half of the city for home mission village in your county. Send proved the problem to be one of service. Mrs. Millard L. Robearly for the outline program. national proportions and of in- inson, the beloved president of creasing magnitude, and stressed the Council of Women for Home THIRTY YEARS OF COOP- the gratifying response of the Missions, reviewed the "Thirty ERATION IN HOME Council of Women for Home Years of Working Together MISSIONS Missions to the call of need in through the Councils." The clos- the increase from seven centers ing address by Dr. Charles E. The annual meetings of the in three states to the present pro- Schaeffer, former president of Home Missions Councils (the gram in fifty centers in thirteen the Home Missions Council, paid Home Missions Council and the states.. tribute to the outstanding lead- Council of Women for Home ers, each of whom by character, Missions) held January 9-12, The inter-relation of the Coun- personality and devotion had 1938, in New York City, cele- cil of Women for Home Missions shaped the service of the Counbrated the thirtieth anniversary with other bodies was forcefully cil. He closed with a ringing since their organization in 1908. shown in the annual report of challenge to advance in the spirit Miss Lowry. Almost without of the founders, ever pioneering, The meetings of Sunday were exception, the program com- striving, straining toward the held in Riverside Church. A mittees for the year 1937 were goal of making our country conference for young people joint or cooperating with some God's country. and their denominational leaders other national religious organsought for solutions to the baf- ization. The effectiveness of the The Council of Women regretfling questions of the "Social Council's work among migratory fully released its president, Mrs. Frontiers," as illustrated in the families received recognition in Millard L. Robinson, who, havproblems of the Negro, the In- a resolution of the Inter-Council ing given two years of devoted dian, the Mountaineer, the Mi- Field Committee which repre- service felt compelled to retire. gratory Laborer. sents seven national interdenom- Mrs. Augustus Trowbridge was inational organizations, which elected to serve as president. A worshipful pageant pre- called upon ,their field units to She enters upon her office with pared and directed by Miss direct that all such work under- assurance of support of her as- Nancy Longenecker of the First taken by religious agencies be sociates in the Council. Presbyterian Church in Brook- done in cooperation with the lyn, New York, brought to a MRS. ORRIN R. JUDD, First Vice-President.
World–wide
A Missionary Newspaper of Current Events EDITED BY MRS. HENRIETTA H. FERGUSON, XENIA, OHIO INDIA-BURMA-OEYLON of the Mission to Lepers in In- cure are usually convincing; dia, over 700 children have, since even more so is the demonstra- Women Leaders Ask Reforms it was founded, been rescued tion of Christian living by "un- from leprosy, and have gone out touchables." This is so genuine Now that India's Parliaments to take their places in the healthy that caste people who knew them community. In one place there before are coming to the Bishop include over 50 women members, is a self-supporting village of of Dornakal and his clergy in one may expect to see some Christian families, who are de- hundreds for instruction for greatly needed reforms for the scendants of those who them- baptism. "The Indian Church selves were the rescued children will have to extend itself to the benefit of women and children. of lepers. limit of its powers in order to One woman reformer recently do its duty by the host of illiterurged that for every five square -The Chronicle (L. M. S.). ates now streaming into it- 7,000 every month," says The miles there should be one ma- "Band of the Oross" Untouchables' Quest. The s e ternity home. When women are amazing results have come dur- The Sialkot Convention of ing a time of world depression seriously ill, men say that God 1937, held at the United Presby- when the supplies of men and is able to cure them; but when terian Mission Compound, was money have been inadequate. marked by clear evidence of the men have even an ordinary ail- work of God's Spirit. A revival, A further result has been the ment they run for doctors. The which took place some months birth of a new sense of responsicondition of women in purdah is ago in the Christian village of bility by individual Christians much worse. Martinpur, contributed much to and congregations to witness by this result. The situation in this word as well as by life. Another Indian woman legis- village, often discouraging from lator has been drawing attention a spiritual viewpoint, underwent -The Open Door. a marked change last summer to the problems of Hindu wid- under the influence of Mr. Bakht Girls and the Best Seats ows. The appalling situation is Singh Chhabra,the Punjabi illustrated by the following fig- evangelist, who s e preaching, It is the Bible period for a prayers and faith, were re- girls' class in Forman School. ures from the 1931 Census Re- warded by many changed lives Those who have the best seats port: and relationships. Under his want to keep them, and a situa- leadership a group of about tion develops that calls for a Ages No. of Widows sixty men and boys, calling demonstration of Christ's prin- themselves the Salibi Jatha, ciples for an age-old problem. 0-1 1,515 "Band of the Cross," left Mar- Mrs. J. M. Benade writes: "We tinpur ten days before and have a spirited discussion. 1-2 1,785 marched 130 miles to be present Those who have the good seats at the convention, preaching, say, 'We got them first, we have 2-3 3,485 praying and singing God's praise a right to them.' Then we talk as they went. about cooperation; we talk about 3-4 9,076 India's national aspirations; we At the close of the Convention, talk about 'in honor preferring 4-5 ……………. 15,018 this Band continued this pro- one another' and then as frankly gram on the march home, carry- and as powerfully as I know 5-10 ……………. 105,449 ing the Gospel message to all how, once more I try to present 10-15 ……………. 183,998 they met, Christians and non- Jesus and why I believe that 15-20 ……………. 514,394 Christians. only His way of life can help es- tablish justice in our midst- 20-25 ……………. 846,959 -Christian Union Herald. whether in school or in the na- tion. As I talk I feel a new atti- Saving Leper Ohildren "Living Epistles" tude creeping over the group. Soon, one who has been defend- Increasing attention is being Advertisements which picture given to treatment of children "before and after" effects of a who have incipient leprosy. Christian missions are in a posi- [197 ] tion to render valuable service in mission homes and through mission work in the villages of Asia and Africa. The success that has followed the rescue of healthy children of lepers from leprosy in India is outstanding.
It was a woman worker of the London Missionary Society who, sixty years ago, suggested this work, and gave a practical example of it in her own work in North India. At one home alone,
ing her right to a good seat, preparing for the crucifixion, the need for prompt aid is imspeaks up, 'Let the other girls soldiers came and rescued him. measurably great. Millions of have our seats.' I ask, 'Do you people have fled from their say this just because you think After the death of Thra Nga homes. Great cities and towns I am insisting on your giving up Lay, his son, Thra Ya Loo, was and villages over large areas your places?' She replies, 'No, the pastor until he died. Then have been depopulated, and these but when one's heart bears wit- his son, Thra Han Bo, was their multitudes are without food, ness that a certain action is pastor. His son, Thra Hla clothing and shelter in a cold right, then one must do it.' " Gyaw, is the present pastor. The winter. He expressed the ear- former pastors would have been nest hope that a great wave of Eventually, a committee was deeply impressed, could they real sympathy and Christian formed to work out a way to give have seen the 5,000 Christians love would bring a response to everyone a chance at the good at the Centennial, singing the the Red Cross appeal that would seats. "We will settle it all our- hymns they love, without fear of ex:ceed the President's expectaselves," laughingly agreed the the Burmans. -Missions. tion several fold. A recent regirls. port from an authoritative CHINA American committee in Shang- Handicaps in Ceylon hai has asked for not less than Ministry to Refugees $3,000,000. Such a gift from In Ceylon, the general attitude America can be efficiently adof the government is undergoing Chinese Christians have main- ministered by existing organizaa change which is not altogether tained milk stations in three tions in China. favorable to Christian institu- chapels in Peiping for refugee tions. Amendments to the Code children. The "milk" is a soy Christian Education Goes of Educational Policy give less bean product, with the same Forward and less opportunity for work food value as cow's milk-a rare among non-Christian children, article in China. Between three China has never before exparticularly in the field of reli- and four hundred children have perienced such a national congious education. Two-fifths of been fed each day. A relief com- sciousness as has been brought the children enrolled in Sunday mittee, composed of Chinese and about by the Japanese invasion. schools are of non-Christian foreigners, follows up neighbor- Dr. C. S. Miao, of the National parents, and the Sunday school hood cases and brings in under- Committee for Christian Educais one of the few avenues open nourished children. tion, is seeking to utilize this to reach non-Christian children growing spirit of unity to offset in Ceylon. The Ceylon S. S. Another valued service is ren- the interference which military Union publishes three Sunday dered by the China Travel Bu- operations has brought. As a school journals in Singhalese reau – a department where all result, literature sales have inevery three months, with lesson refugees can register their creased. Materials for parent helps for each Sunday. names and addresses, in order education, including "Standards that relatives and friends who for Christian Homes," have been In Burma-100 Years have lost track of one another published and two additional may regain contact. Thousands units are in course of publica- The Karen Baptist Church, at of refugees from war-torn dis- tion. Four numbers of the Re- Thay-ghay-ko, Bur m a, cele- tricts have been pouring into the ligious Education Quarterly have brated its centennial last year. Wuhan area, and in the confu- been issued. It is sent to every During these one hundred years sion numerous missing persons member of the Religious Educathe church has had only four have thus been found. tion Fellowship, of which there pastors. are several hundred, and per- In Shanghai, more than 100,- haps as many other subscribers The church was organized in 000 children in 181 refugee are receiving the magazine. troublous times. When the Bur- camps of the city are nowattend- There has been among the mans heard that the Karens ing school two hours daily. churches an awakening interest were accepting the new religion, Plans have also been made for in the vital necessity for Christhey used every opportunity to mass education among the 137,- tian education, and this new persecute them. Meetings had 000 adults in the refugee centers. quarterly has been seized upon to be held in the jungle, with The Salvation Army and the Chi- as the best medium of commuwatchers on guard. Should any nese Y. M. C. A. camps are hold- nication. of the men on watch see or hear ing adult classes, and movies are a Burman, he would coo like a being shown to the refugees Position of Missionaries dove and all the people would through the cooperation of the scatter. Educational Movies Association. The Anking correspondent of the L i v in g C h u r c h writes: Burmans kidnapped the first Appeal to Aid Distress "When China was in the first pastor, Thra Nga Lay, and car- throes of nationalism in 1927, ried him off, bound hand and Dr. A. L. Warnshuis, one of she was inclined to protest the foot. They planned to crucify the secretaries of the Internahim if he would not give up his tional Missionary Council, says faith in Christ. While they were that reports from wen-informed missionaries in China show that
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
domination of outside influences; Will Tibet Be Open? worded statements prepared in recent months by the churches and missionaries, as representa- The Dalai Lama, temporal tives of an alien power, were head of Tibet, who died in 1933, and the National Christian persona non grata. It was then has not yet been replaced. The Council show the Japanese the part of wisdom to turn over Panchen Lama, spiritual head of Christians to be not onl~ pamission property to the care of triotic and loyal but ChrIstIan Chinese Christians, who were the land died last November. in their attitudes with respect to thus enabled to assert them~elves He had been in exile for some the present situation. as both Christian and natIOnal- years, and as his recognition of ist. the reincarnation of the succes- The present crisis is demon- sor of the Dalai Lama was thus strating the strongly developed "Today, the situation, is re- unavailable, it was impossible versed. Missionary leaders:- humanitarian side of Japanese clergy, doctors, teac.hers, by VIr- to choose one should he be found. Christianity. Recruits for ~he tue of their educatIOn and pro- Tibetan history records no pre- army represent a cross-sectIOn gressive leadership, are in most vious case when the death of of Japanese life; they are taken danger from a power that wishes both these important characters to set the clock back, and bring from every rank of society, from China to her knees. The revival left the country of some three the farm, the shop, the stor~, the of Confucianism is a means to millions with no official head. professional office, the busmess this end. . . . It may develop office the faculties of schools. that leadership in the Church, so A missionary on the Tibetan No church, no school, no family, ably carried by Chinese Chris- border says (in the New York tians, may have to be returned to Times) that rites are being held but can count by the dozen its the missionary." to determine a ruler and that a friends who have gone to the boy, in whom it is claim~d the front. The welfare of these Dalai Lama has been remcar- men, the care of the families left nated, may be accepted. In this at home, the comfort of the be- Persecution in Yunnan event, there would be a renewal reaved-such matters have been a primary concern of the church of the conflict between age-old in the crisis.
Word comes to the World Do- exclusiveness and a measure of -Japan Christian Quarminion Press that in the extreme modernization, which a "Young terly.
southwest of Yunnan terrible Tibet party" is 3:dvocating. .It Korean Mission Schools is an opportune tIme for ChrI~- persecution is going. on a~ai~st . tian missions to press theIr The latest statistics of the the American BaptIst MIss~on claim. Federal Council in Korea, which Christians among the Wa trIbe include the figures for the six near the border of Burma. The JAPAN-CHOSEN Chinese soldiers seem in~ent on destroying every vestIge of Open Doors Not Lacking constituent Missions and the two Christianity in that tribe. Re~ National Churches (Presbyteresentations through the AmerI- The "Omi Brotherhood" becan Consul have proved worse lieves that in spite of the politi- rian and Methodist), indic3:te than fruitless. This is not, how- cal turmoil throughout t~e that there is a total of 768 mISever, typical of the attitu~e of world or perhaps because of It, sion schools with an enrolment the Chinese Government, eIth.er there 'is no lack of openings for of 86,552 pupils of all ages an? civil or military, towards mIS- grades. Of these, 340 are prIsion work in Yunnan, for in al- spiritual service, or of responmost every place there is tolera- siveness to religious work. The mary schools, up to .the 6th tion and even friendliness. Many Province of Omi, after long ef- forts· on the part of Christians garreade~enw'ist h 47,500 pupIls; two of the officials are either Chris- and social-minded leaders, has at colleges with about tians themselves, or friendly to last voted to abolish licensed Christian propaganda. prostitution; all brothels I?u~t 500 pupils, and one is a wome~'s be liquidated by 1940. ThIS IS It is probable that Yunnan has perhaps the biggest forward step college with about 300 pupIls. more aboriginal Christians than in more than 30 years' work of all other provinces together. T~e the Brotherhood. It is, no doubt, a safe estimate American Baptists alone m southwest Yunnan have baptized A large number of baptisms to say that there are a thousand about 28,000 aborigines, and and additions by letter to the many other missions have con- church in Omi-Hachiman are schools of all grades and kinds also reported in the Omi Mussiderable work among them; for tard Seed. in Korea giving education under instance, the English Method~st Christian auspices to about 100,- 000 pupils annually.
sMioisnsiothn~ the China Inland MIS- Japanese Christians in Then there are the hundreds Pentecostal Missionary the Crisis of pupils in the other priva~e and the government schools m Japanese Christians, although Korea who constitute a chal- lenge to the Christian Church and offer an opportunity to it.
tUhneibSn~etdhieshAFssreemebMlieisssioofn Gao~dd, These students are rapidly inthe German Vandsburgher MIS- Christian, are Japanese. A creasing both in numbers and sion. -Baptist Review. study made of the carefully importance. What they are d?- ing and thinking, a~d what ~s being done for and WIth them IS
of great concern to both the Mission Schools to be Closed work, for it was at Somosomo church and the state. Whatever happens to these schools in the According to the Korea Mis- that pioneers faced their severest future, we shall be grateful for trials. It was the first place in the wonderful opportunities dur- sion Field, official applications Fiji to have a mission burial ing the past fifty years and for the fruitage of those years. for closing Soongui Girls' School grounds. Near the church is a -ROSCOE C. COEN, in The and Soong Sil Academy, Pyeng- small mound that might pass Korea Mission Field. yang (Heijo) were made on Oc- for a flower bed, but is a most Student Evangelistic Bands tober 29, and application was historic spot. It has been called The younger people of the Korean church have not fallen made for closing the Union "the mustard seed," for it marks behind their elders in their zeal to make Christ known to their Christian College in the same the actual site of the first Misfellow young people and students in the church schools have set city on account of the "shrine" sion House at Somo.somo. Early the pace for others. question.. The Presbyterian missionaries explained to the na- In the Northern Presbyterian tChuh.usrch~loIsIIestheedUu~.ah~o. nAal. Mission, evangelistic bands have (PN) tives that the work they were dogone out during summer vaca- work ,.jng might not appear to be of tions and sometimes during the WhICh It ha~ CarrIe? on for over much importance, but in God's winter vacations from the fifty years III the CIty of Pyeng- good time it would grow and Chosen Christian College, the Union Christian College, the yLaeneg.ChoAngKm~onre!anwlhaoymfaonrm, eMrlry. transform Fiji. This prophecy Soong Sil Academy in Pyeng- has been fulfilled, for a number yang and from the Sinsung Academy (boys) and. the Po- gave half a mIlho? yen for rural of important achievements had sung Academy (girls) in Syen- dona~e their beginnings at the very chun. These schools have also work, has promIsed to me~ s done a large work in the Daily 1,200,00.0 yen to star.t a spot known as the mustard seed. Vacation Bible Schools. college III Pyengyang, of a dIf- -The Missionary Review fer~nt . type than the college (Australia). These bands consist of from WhICh IS to be closed. Two other two to six people. In the larger bands there are two or three for Korean Christians have an- T. h preaching, two or three for nounced that they would sponsor Where Christianity rlUmp s music, and one for work with children. Their trips last about a new boys' school and a girls' The island world of the Neththree or four weeks, usually higher common school in the erlands Indies has a total popwith only one day at a church, city. but sometimes three or four ulation of more than 60,000,000, days. Usually they go to the smaller churches located in some 42,000,000 of whom live on out-of-the-way places and in ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC .the island of Java and the small mountain regions sometimes separated from each other by Stirrings in the Philippines contiguous island of Madura. distances of twenty to seventy or eighty li, which must be trav- Considerably over a year ago About one-half of the total Chieled by foot and often in the an evangelistic program was nese population of 1,250,000 also rainy season. launched in Filipino churches with a fourfold aim, listed in live on these two islands. These The members of the men's the order of urgency: to awaken tropic lands have become one of bands spend an hour or two in individuals, churches, communi- the most important meeting the evenings calling at the ties, and the nation. houses of the villages within a places of Christianity, Islam and radius of four or five li from the There has been a general feel- paganism in the world. church giving out tracts and in- ing of ineffectiveness among viting the people to church. Christian workers in the face of Paganism progressively crum- Usually the attendance is sev- such a stupendous four-year eral times more than the task. But Dr. E. Stanley Jones bles before the advance of churches have at their regular has stirred the nation with his Christianity and Islam, and now services. life and message. He touched maintains itself chiefly on the all classes of people who are now -E. M. MOWRY, in The Ko- ready to go further in the way small islands of Bali, Lombok, rea Mission Field. of evangelism and social and Soemba, Soembawa and Timor, economic reform. With the in- spiration received from him, it also in the interiors of the is expected that local churches larger islands of Sumatra, Bor- will go forward in an aggressive neo, Celebes and New Guinea. and creative evangelistic effort The triumph of Christianity is reaching all classes of people, using every member of the everywhere apparent. Aft e r church, and adapting all legiti- little more than a century of mate methods of evangelism to Protestant missionary effort, make the movement successful. nearly 1,500,000 native Chris- tians have been won. One of its hardest tasks was on the island of Java, whose people are en- tirely Moslem, and here it has displayed one of its greatest tri- umphs. More than 40,000 Jav- anese, all Moslem converts of The Mustard Seed in Fiji the last eighty or ninety years, are Protestant Christians, and Somosomo, capital of Taveuni, in addition Roman Catholic mis- Fiji Islands, is referred to in sions claim more than 27,000 every account of early mission converts on the island. Every
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
year the number of Javanese It is hoped that attention may The financial objective is $10,- Christians by conversion from be focused on the vital problems 000,000, to be raised from indi- Islam is increasing by many of the day, and that both enthu- viduals and not from churches, hundreds, and the rate may be siasm and inspiration will come as the Board is anxious not to expected to increase. with the knowledge that so many interfere with the normal pro- -World Dominion Press. in all parts of the country are gram of the General Assembly.
simultaneously gathering for NORTH AMERIOA earnest thought of their relation Lutheran Ohurch in Sound The Great Delusion Picture to the affairs of the Church, the nation and the world.
The Evening Standard of Lon- To the Lutheran Church of don says that the people of the Reformed Ohurch Oentennial America goes the credit of pro- United States in 1937 purchased 1,000,000 more cases of Scotch The Board of Foreign Mis- ducing the first religious sound whiskey than they did in 1936. sions of the Reformed Church film ever presented in this coun- So great is the demand that Brit- will celebrate its Centennial this try by a Protestant denominaish shippers cannot sat is f y year. Plans for its observance tion. This production documents America's requirements. Ac- are grouped around four topics: the history of their church from cordingly it has been decided to education, finances, missionary Luther to the present day. Four commence this season's distill- day and other meetings. By edu- more films are planned and it is ing in Scotland much earlier cation is meant preparing for hoped they will equal, if not surthan in former years. the observance, and of first im- pass, the present one. The spirit portance is prayer; next, study of a crusading church runs American beer drinkers, says for which the Board expects to throughout the film. an Associated Press despatch issue a book giving a complete from Berlin, consumed 597,088 record of the Church's mission- -Presbyterian Tribune. gallons of German beer imported ary work. into the United States in 1937, Needy Mining Oommunities as compared with 56,126 gallons The slogan for the Centennial in 1934, an increase of more offering is "A Cent a Year for a Rural mmmg communities than 1,000 per cent. A still Hundred Years." In other present the most difficult of all higher record is predicted for words, a dollar a member for the home mission tasks, and are the this year. whole Church. This is the most needy. They have all the amount of the Foreign Mission disadvantages of both city and Advocates of repeal assured apportionment. It is hoped that country, without the advantages the American people that the many will want to contribute a of either. Taking H a r I a n legalization of liquor would hundred nickels or a hundred County, Kentucky, as an exbring prosperity to the United dimes or a hundred half dollars, ample, we see a community that States. The fact is, vast sums or more. has for years bled with strife. of American money are being Here the Congregational Church sent to Europe to make Scotch The Board of Foreign Mis- and the Methodist Episcopal distillers and German brewers sions was organized in the First Church, after two years of planprosper. Church in Lancaster, Pa., on or ning, have joined in a coopera- about the 29th of September, tive parish. Mine owners, man- Women to Oonsider Present 1838, and the Centennial cele- agers and leaders of the local bration service will be held there unions, join hands with the Problems at that time this year. Other Church and other social and wel- meetings will be held in various fare agencies in this organiza- Three national church wom- church centers, with outstanding tion, pledging their support and en's organizations-the Commit- missionary speakers. expressing their interest. tee on Women's Work of the Foreign Missions Conference, the Council of Women for Home Sesquicentennial Fund A similar development is go- Missions and the National Coun- ing forward at Van Hornesville, cil of Federated Church Women American Presbyterians gave N. Y., where Baptists and Meth- -are uniting in an appeal to the Foreign Missions Centennial odists, with the cooperation of church women in all the commu- Fund the right of way in 1937, Mr. Owen D. Young, whose innities of the country, said to deferring the Sesquicentennial terest in this community has number 77,000, to hold similar Fund for Christian Education, g a i ned national recognition, interdenominational luncheons approved by the 1936 General have pooled their interests and on Tuesday, May 3, 1938, to con- Assembly, until the years 1938, resources in the employment of sider together "Unity in Chris- 1939 and 1940. This Fund will a special worker in religious edutian Service." This is in accord- be used to stabilize the finances cation. Miss Elizabeth Harris, ance with a custom of the last of Presbyterian Colleges. It a well-prepared teacher in the few years in New York City, will furnish an opportunity to field of religious education, is when a May Day luncheon has strengthen Christian education giving her whole time to the been held for Protestant church which may not recur for a gen- boys and girls of this commuwomen. eration. nity.-Home Missions Council.
Largest Church School place in that regard also. The country districts by v a rio u S Baylor University, Baptist in- program for young people has means of travel, and has had unstitution at Waco, Texas, is credited with being the largest in the also advanced, including contin- usual acceptance from all classes world under church direction. It attracts students from seven ued emphasis on the conference of society. foreign countries and twentynine states. Its enrolment is program and the preparation of The work of translation of the more than 2,100. China has sent a delegation of six, Japan two, materials for young people's Scriptures into the languages of and Hawaii two Japanese. These students have been quite sociable classes and activities in local the indigenous populations has despite the warfare of their relatives in the homeland. Six of the churches. A magazine for young been continued and, in the case seven Puerto Ricans transferred people, Adelante, which means of some books of the Bible, has from the University of Madrid, Spain, from which they were "Forward," follows the world- been completed. This type of driven by the Spanish Civil War. There are three students from wide Christian Endeavor topics work among the native Indians Brazil, four from Mexico, and two from India. and gives regularly short, pithy of Central America has unusual -Watchman-Examiner. articles dealing with young peo- significance. pIe's problems. It is applicable " Student Manifesto to all Spanish-speaking coun- Colombia-Important At a recent meeting of pres- tries. -W. S. S. A. News. "About fifty per cent of the byteryof the United Church of Canada, in Edmonton, B. C., a In Mexico missionary force in Colombia group of students from St. serve towns which together con- Stephen's Theological College One of the accomplishments tain about 10 per cent of the presented a manifesto calling of the Cardenas' regime in Mex- population. There are 52: 'muupon the Church to take its ico has been the opening of Christian profession seriously. nearly 6,000 new rural schools, nicipalities' in the country, with They based their statements a 75 per cent increase in three between 20,000 and 100,000 popupon the following quotation years, with nearly 750,000 chilfrom Dean Inge: dren. There are still 1,500,000 ulation in each, but in some children of school age for whom thirty or more of these there is "Religion embodied in institu- there are no educational facili- no evangelical witness at all. In tions is like those chemical sub- ties, while secondary schools and this nation of nearly nine milstances which are never found the university are beyond the pure. . . . The religion now reach of all but a handful of the lion souls there are under 2,000 identified with the institution very well-to-do. Sixty per cent evangelical communicants, after mixes itself with certain forms of the population is illiterate. eighty years of endeavor. Much of belief and traditional modes of worship; it finds room for of the existing work is 011' a primitive superstitions and hal- small scale with weak resources, lowed traditions . . . it is often and in some instances efforts entangled with the tortuous policy of a hierarchy greedy for Infant mortality is nearly have been abandoned after a power and pelf; it is drawn into secular policies and identified three times as high as in the promlsmg opening. There is with non-religious interests." United States, and disease is evidence that Colombia is today The students felt that this has happened to the teachings of far too common. Even in Mex- ready to respond to the Gospel Christ. ico City, two-thirds of its mil- in a greater measure than ever -Christian Union Herald. lion people live in sub-human before. Probably three-quarters LATIN AMERICA conditions, preyed upon by tu- of the population are beyond the Puerto Rico's Many Children berculosis, typhoid, typhus and reach of the present provision Puerto Rico has the largest Sunday school enrolment of any rickets. It is obvious that much for evangelization, and the coun- Spanish-speaking country in the world, and with the growth of work remains to be done by try is still the most important the Daily Vacation Bible School movement will soon take first Christian churches. unevangelized field south of -Episcopal News. Panama." -Kenneth G. Grubb.
Advance in Guatemala Campa Indians, Peru In spite of many problems, very real advance has been made Of all the Indian tribes that in the Guatemala Mission dur- live in the Peruvian jungle, the ing the past year. A wide ener- Campa is the largest and most getic evangelistic campaign has savage. The jungle provides the been maintained, and, through Indian with everything he needs the Synod, the Mission has been for his daily life, except Christ, able to cooperate in various ways and He is not there. Perhaps with other Christian organiza- one may "find God in nature,"
tions. Schools have registered but while no one lives closer to the usual full attendance. Fu- nature than these wild savage ture evangelists are being pre- Indians of the jungle, no one is pared, and m e d i c a I work, more absolutely without God and centered in the Hospital in more ignorant of Him than they.
Guatemala City and including Campa Indians live in sin and the training of nurses, has been degradation, knowing nothing of carried on both in city and God, and unaware of their need
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
of Him. It would be difficult to Voice of the Andes in the Flemish posts of Ichfind a people more ignorant of teghem and Genck-where chilall spiritual values. "The Voice of the Andes," dren of Protestant parents had evangelical radio station, is con- been refused admission to the -Inland S. A. Union. tinuing with a full, and valuable public schools. Equipment and program. Each morning there funds for these day schools are Religious Freedom in Brazil is a fifteen-minute devotional coming from Dutch Christians reading, every week-day there is and from the parents of the chil- Although centralized author- an open forum and on Sunday dren themselves. ity is the keynote of the new con- there are two Gospel services. stitution of Brazil, President Regular listeners in Peru, Co- A Christian literature depot Vargas assures the continuance lombia and Central America has been opened at Eupen, where of religious freedom. Article 32 have expressed appreciation of the open Bible in a display winof the constitution reads: these messages. dow attracts much attention.
"It is prohibited that the Perhaps the most valuable Christian Union in Holland Union, the States or the munici- part of the program is the open pal authorities . . . should es- forum. An office has been Holland Christians are feeling tablish, support or hinder the opened in the center of Quito, keenly the danger which conexercise of religious worship." Ecuador, to which listeners are fronts the churches on the Con- Article 122, section 4, adds to invited to come for discussion tinent, and are expressing their this statement: "All individuals and personal instruction. Dis- desire for more unity in visible and religious. sects can exercise cussion groups have been formed ways. A recent example was the their beliefs publicly and freely, which have included professional great assembly for a united serv- I forming associations for this men and members of the Gov- ice in the Cathedral of Utrecht. purpose, and may acquire prop- ernment, the subject being the The service was conducted erty, in accordance with the person and work of Christ. jointly by an Old Catholic and a common right and the demands Protestant. The sermon was of public order and good cus- Newspaper evangelism is preached by a representative of toms." closely tied up with this; three the Dutch Reformed Church and daily papers in the three main dealt with the service of the As for religious teaching in towns of Ecuador have signed Christian Church in the modern the schools, it is stated that this contracts to publish Gospel arti- world. A later address dealt shall be regarded as part of the cles on alternate days. Wireless with the specific tasks of unity. curriculum of all primary, nor- sets are being lent to Christian The Dutch newspapers record mal and secondary schools, but families, in order that they may more interest in this expression that attendance shall not be com- gather their friends together in of ecumenical Christianity than pulsory. their own homes to hear the Gos- on any previous occasion. pel, and colporteurs are sent out – World Dominion Press. with sets to relay the messages -Advance. in villages. North Brazil Itinerary Waldensian Church Alive -World D.ominion Press. A worker of the Evangelical February 17 marked the nine- EUROPE tieth anniversary of the estab- Union of South America, as- lishment of freedom of worship "After Many Days" for the Waldensian Church of sisted by a native evangelist, has Italy. Today, the church is very Gospel plantings are coming much alive. There is standing undertaken an itinerant work in up in Belgium. One of the Di- room only at their services, and rectors of the Belgian Gospel in congregational singing fora North Brazilian field, consist- Mission, John C. Winston, re- eign visitors find them superior ports coming across early con- to any church in Christendom. ing of ten cities, sixty villages, verts of Ralph C. Norton every Their ministry as a group are now and then. Mission workers, the best trained, hardest workand "hamlets and other small as they go from house to house ing and lowest paid of all evan- and village to village, are find- gelical preachers. Most of their districts without number," with ing those who received the word theological students have had during the war, or before, and one or more terms of study a total population of more than have since come into newness of abroad, chiefly in Edinburgh. life. Just before his death, Mr. Their younger ministers as a 280,000. Ralph C. Norton had the joy of rule hold the degrees of Doctor leading a man to Christ to whom of Letters or Doctor of Laws Initial meetings on the border he had once given a New Testa- from one of the Italian universi- ment in an army camp eighteen ties. They are making worthof Pernambuco were most suc- years before. while contributions to the cul- tural life of the Italian people cessful, and about 300 people at- Last fall evangelical day schools were opened for children tended; but on the third evening the parish priest gathered a crowd, and tried to break up the meeting, without success, since most of the listeners were in sympathy with the missionaries.
At another point, intensely Cath- olic, ignorant and lethargic, there was no response. Work in other centers has been opened, and two families have been con- verted. -Life .of Faith.
through original work in poetry, Cairo, Helen J. Martin, presi- arated from the support of famusic, history and philosophy. natical believers. Perhaps a dent. passing trader, qua:r:tered in the They are faithful pastors and In the religious instruction neighborhood for a time, had visit regularly in the houses of turned them to Islam. It may be their parishioners, though their which has a central place in the that they know little Arabic; people are widely scattered. As curriculum, Christ the Saviour, they cannot read; they are far for the laity, many of them hold from a sheik or religious leader. high positions in Italian life as as well as Christ the teacher and These do not offer as strong opjudges, university professors, guide, is made known to the stu- position to the claims of Chrisphysicians, teachers, Govern- dents. The following is an tianity as do their more active and educated sectarians. Such ment officials, officers in the analysis of the student body by are the Mohammedans of Ethioarmy and navy, nurses, bankers, religions and nationalities: -pia. A conservative estimate of manufacturers and business their number would be between men. Everywhere in Italy they Religions Nationalities one and two million. They are ,are eminent for their trust- not well organized or educated; 245 Moslems 383 Egyptians for the most part, without effecworthy Christian character. 43 Protestants 20 Syrians tive leadership. 'They are pioneers in modern 15 Greek Ortho- 14 Armenians 12 Italians Many of them mix strange l>hilanthropy in Italy. Further- dox 9 Greeks pagan beliefs with their Mohammore, their religious education 99 Copts 8 Turkish medanism to such an extent that program, coupled with home 13 Armenians 3 Trakian they are really closer to the training, is establishing the 31 Jews 2 French pagans. Before Italian occupa- 9 Roman Cath- 2 Palestinian tion, Christianity was making young people in Christian atti- 8 Hegazi great inroads among the Mohamtudes and a working knowledge olics (Arabian) medans in Ethiopia. The govof the Bible. 3 Syrian Or- 2 Zanzibar ernment was Christian; modern education was Christian; the -Robert W. Anthony. thodox 1 Persian missionaries were Christian; the 1 Bahaist 1 Roumanian hospital and other philanthropic 1 Christian 1 American institutions w ere Christian. Christian pressure came from Scientist every side.
Total……………. 460 -Women's Missionary Magazine. -Christian Union Herald. Ethiopian Refugees in Kenya Russia Orders Religious Sudanese Young Men Census Permission has been granted As one outcome of the visit of the Bible Churchmen's Mission- From behind the thick screen Dr. John R. Mott to the Sudan ary Society to commence work last year the Unity of Fellow- among Ethiopian refugees in 'of Russian propaganda comes a ship, which includes men of all Kenya. About 8,000 of these Christian communions except refugees have made their way most significant story. It has to the Roman Catholic, has started across the border into Kenya, monthly meetings for young men and they have been accommo- ,do with the much publicized in Khartoum and vicinity. About dated by the British Government 200 assembled for the first meet- -at Isiolo, where the District census which was to have been ing. They are looking forward Commissioner resides. to having a Young Men's Chris- 'completed and announced re- Mr. David Stokes was leader tian Association. of the Society's former work in 'cently. But suddenly it was In North Sudan the churches Addis Ababa, and he has under- taken this new responsibility. abandoned and a new one or- are undertaking responsibility for sending evangelists to cities -The Life of Faith. -dered. Why? It seems obvi- of the Sudan who have no Prot- estant Church. It is the plan Walls Cut Away to Admit ously because it revealed some that the pastors of the five Crowd churches will take turns, so that very uncomfortable facts. It a monthly visit is made to some When World-Wide Commun- of these centers. These trips ion Sunday was observed by all showed, for example, that, trust- are financed by special offerings Presbyterians on October 29, taken in the churches, and the those present at Abong Mbang ing in the promise of religious Women's Missionary Society of (West Africa) Church num- the K h art 0 u m Evangelical bered nearly 1,200. Long befreedom, supposed to be assured Church has contributed money to make one trip possible. in the new Constitution, so many -Christian Union Herald. millions of citizens recorded themselves as believers that the government could not afford to have the failure of its anti-reli- gious work so definitely estab- lished. One careful estimate puts the number of believers at about one hundred million- more than one half of the popula- tion. Uprooting religious faith is not so simple a ma,tter as was supposed. -Advance.
AFRICA Islam in Ethiopia Many Races in Student Body A United Presbyterian mis- sionary to Ethiopia, C. F. Ken- Fourteen different nationali- neweg, differentiates between ties, professing ten different reli- entrenched strongholds of Islam gions, are to be found in the and its outlying fringes, where student body of the American its nominal followers are sep- Mission College for Girls, of
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
fore the service began elders ran relatives and friends that he was turned away from our boarding· to the missionary saying: "What going to die, saying that God schools. One of us took a truck shall we do? The house is packed had told him so. When his rela- load of girls to the nearest town' and the second drum has not tives wept he said: 'Why do you so they could scatter out to their· sounded. Shall we cut away the cry? If I am going a journey homes, as they had come withoutside walls?" In a thatched to visit my earthly father you out first making arrangements. church this is a simple matter, would not cry, you would say and not all could possibly be acand all went to work with a will. Kwenda muzuri (good jour- commodated. We wish the work After serving the required ney); and now that I am going could always be lasting, but we: three years of preparation, 20 to my heavenly F'ather you cannot use the word "always." were admitted to membership; should do the same.' He sang But twenty fine young men and 60 were passed into the "second- hymn after hymn on the day of women were graduated from the year class" and 183 enrolled in his death, and exhorted all the Training School, most of whom people to make their peace with have caught the vision of servthe first year. -Monday Morning. God." ice. Two girls have been sent In Nasir Land out as Bible women, making five Training the Children Lottie M. Adair, United Pres- now at work. Their program in- byterian missionary in Nasir, The women's session of the cludes class meetings, children's Congo Native Council, held at Sudan, tries to make her home Leopoldville, Belgian Congo, was a center of servi~e. After being meetings, Sunday-school classes entirely in the hands of native away for seventeen months, she Christian women. One of the returns to find evidences of and teaching Bible in day findings of this session was: Christian growth in the lives of schools. Some assist in the day, "We must teach our children the people, with a deepened sense to pray to God. A mother can of responsibility for the spiritual schools. All of them, as far as. start teaching her child when it life of their neighbors. "But cannot even talk, by praying at they are able to find materials, bedtime and at meals. We can many still doubt the missionary's tell them stories of the childhood motives," she says. "When we have sewing classes. of Jesus and other Bible stories urge village schools most of the that are suited to them." parents still think that it is a "Their religious meetings are -Watchman-Examiner. scheme to get their boys away quieter, not so much demonstra- from them. Others do not want Stories from the Congo to take orders or work for any tion and more depth. Meetings Here are a few sidelights from white person, either for cash or throughout the year were much the Belgian Congo, showing how for cows. One father whose son the Gospel is entering hearts of was a boarder encouraged his helped by the ministration of black men: son in irregularity. He said to him, 'We do not need anything Bishop Springer who is also an "I found an old man sitting in the doorway of his hut and he of whites, we are not a poor fam- evangelist. At Chiduku he slept said, 'I have heard your news ily. Why should you go to often and often, and I have been in a grass hut with a pile of watching, and everything you school?' Others question, 'What people say comes to pass, so we grass for his bed, but that was know that you are people of will we get out of it?' truth.' Then he burst out, nothing, as he had more than 'Madamo, I want Life; I want "Our educational program inthese things of which you are cludes not only reading, writing thirty years of that before he telling me.' and arithmetic, but an apprecia- became a Bishop. Weare enter·. "I met a woman while going tion of such useful arts as they through a stretch of forest, to already have, and their enlarge- ing the new year with faith and whom I explained the Way of ment. Agriculture, as they in a courage." ' Life. As I started to move on, she said, 'I am not going to limited way practice it, is being WESTERN ASIA move. I am going to stand right improved slowly, but steadily, here while you tell me more. I through the work they are ac- Handicaps in Hospital Work want to know what this Heaven tually doing under supervision. We emphasize the dignity of The Syrian idea of a hospita} is death's ante-room. This is one labor. We also have a health of the missionary's most dis- program, which goes contrary to heartening problems, for not infrequently a patient prefers; their age-old ideas." remaining at home for certain death, rather than trust the haz- -Christian Union Herald. ards of a hospital. For the most part, the hospital physician is of which you are speaking.' " never sees the disease in its, "Two evangelists went down early stages.
Mrs. Glenn Rost, R.N., of Aleppo, gives a concrete example of this in Aboud, an eleven-year- old boy, whose parents brought him "three days walking" to see Crowded Schools at Umtali the American doctor. This lad presented a very severe infecto Bomili district for a month. Pearl Mullikin, of the Meth- tion of the left foot and leg, rap- On their way they stopped at the odist's Umtali Mission, sends a idly extending. When the fam- village of a Christian and found review of last year's work. ily were offered surgery (free of him very ill. He had told all his "Great crowds are being charge) the parents refusedI
When told that the boy should for their Lord they are often renewed interest in Jesus Christ be hospitalized, they refused. crucifying Him anew, and very on the part of the Jews. As one Likewise when offered the free nearly denying Him. One such of the evidences he cites an aruse of the hostel on the com- rare Christian is Vartuhi, which ticle in the December, 1937, Atpound, hoping thus to be able to is Armenian for Rose. When lantic M 0 nth 1y, entitled "An control his care in a measure, it missionaries first came to Kir- Epistle to the Jews," writen by was refused and they took the kuk, her town, she said: "For one John Cournos, a Jew. Again, boy home to an inevitable and two years I pray to God to send Rabbi Isserman, of St. Louis, rapidly approaching termination missionary to Kirkuk, and when speaking before the Chicago -death. The only value gained I hear you have come I say, Sunday evening Club, stressed by such a trip seemed to be the Glory to God." the necessity of the Jews' remeager advice one could give to- claiming Jesus. In New York, ward his care at home. This widow of an Armenian Rabbi Rosenbloom spoke in a pastor and mother-in-law of the similar vein, though he was bit- However, once they make up man who was later to become an terly attacked by another rabbi. their mind to enter the hospital evangelist had been holding In all these references, the emthey give themselves completely weekly prayer meetings for phasis is on Jesus as a great and trustingly into the care of women. prophet of Israel, but in no sense the doctors and nurses, and for a Redeemer. the most part are very coopera- Her chief ministry is visiting tive. On several occasions when the sick and troubled. With -Monday Morning. asked: "Would you like to get feeble step she gets into every up?" a patient has replied, "If corner of Kii·kuk and never The Second Hundred Years you want me to." misses anyone in need of en- couragement and prayer. Often We are told that "the first Mourning Technique in she takes a group of church hundred years are the hardest." Near East women to the sick room, to sing Dr. J. Ross Stevenson, President- the hymns, read the Scripture emeritus of Princeton Seminary, The same perfunctory wailing lesson and review the message lists several reasons why, in the follows the "Great Reaper" in from the morning service, no case of foreign missions, the secthe Near East as one reads about matter what the race or creed of ond hundred years will be the in the Gospel story of J airus' the person visited. hardest: a vast, unevangelized daughter. It is always carried population in every mission on by the women. There are A year and a half ago she was field; a growing spirit of nationthose who make it a profession, hit by an automobile in Baghdad alism seeking to establish a state and can be hired to lead the and received a bad fracture of religion subservient to civil and weeping and swell the volume. the upper left arm. Owing to military authority, but tran- The ceremony is put on with her weak heart the doctors at scending all other faiths; a desuch abandon as to leave the par- the government hospital feared cline in the prestige that ticipants completely worn out. to subject her to the operation Christian nations have had, and They work themselves into a necessary for the proper repair a consequent loss in moral infrenzy, tear their hair and beat of the splintered bone. During fluence; secularized education their breasts for perhaps ten her· suffering she continually which antagonizes or ignores reminutes, and then can be heard read her Bible and prayed. Once ligion; a rejuvenized paganism talking naturally as they walk when the pain became unbear- that directly attacks the Chris- .about. able she asked the nurse for tian faith. relief and the nurse angrily re- This procedure is the standard plied, "Oh, pray to your God and "Mary Reed Day" for Lepers ,custom; it would be considered let Him heal you." Soon after .sacrilege to omit it. The mourn- that they brought her home to Mary Reed, pioneer in leper ing is carried on for three days Kirkuk where purely by the work, who has devoted nearly and at the end of that time the grace of God she did recover and fifty years to that service in Inwomen of the household are ex- what is more, has the use of her dia, under the Methodist Womhausted, to say nothing of the arm and hand again. She is an's Foreign Missionary Society, little children who have wit- filling an important place in celebrated her eighty-third birthnessed the proceedings, often in Kirkuk in this voluntary service. day on December 4. Churches in great terror. her home city, McConnellville, -Outlook of Missions. Ohio, celebrated the occasion. -PresbyterianBoard News. MISOELLANEOUS Despite her age, Mary Reed is Faithful Witness in Iraq still at Chandag Heights, India, Jews Renew Interest in Ohrist continuing her ministrations to It is rare to find a faithful, the lepers. Rev. George C. witnessing Christian among the Dr. Conrad Hoffman, secre- Southwell suggests the annual Armenians of Iraq. Persecution tary for Jewish Work under the observance of "Mary Reed Day," .and massacre have either made Presbyterian Board of National on the Sunday nearest her birththem bitter or so filled them with Missions, has written the mem- day. fear, that far from witnessing bers of his advisory committee that there are many evidences of
Missionary
Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information "Goforth of China." By his wife. or social service might be. He lics are popUlated by a mixed lIlus, 8vo. Price, $1.50. The Zon- had a divine passion for souls population of Indians, Negroes dervan Publishing House, Grand and was persuaded that the only and Mestizos or Ladinos. Social Rapids, Michigan. 1937. means of salvation is the cruci- fied and regnant Christ. He conditions are low and religion It is not often that the con- would go into heathen areas and is largely superstition. amongst men of dense prejudice, tents of a book may be antici- superstition and opposition, and The maps in this volume are pated by its cov~r. But,it i~ so proclaim the Saviour as .if his clear and informing, showing all in this case, for Its covermg IS a listeners knew all about Him, or, the principle mission stations of if not this, must know all about parable, the meaning of which is Him. God confirmed his faith some twenty societies. The and daring, for rich and poor, Protestant or E van gel i c a I clear. The jet black cloth sug- high and low, were saved, and a Churches number 108,600, of gests the dark!less ~f heath~n multitude of Christian churches whom 41,188 are communicant ism; and the bright gIlt lettermg were organized in China and Manchuria. He thus taught the members. They comprise about of the title proclaims the glory missionary body a great lesson, one in every 78 of the popula- and one which God's servants tion. of God, such as surrounded will do well to take to heart. There are general chapters the earthly life of Dr. Goforth Mrs. Goforth has not written covering all the republics and of herself, but between the lines and now enshrines his Heavenly we can perceive that her life has others dealing with each of the been as devoted and beautiful as six separately. The appendices life. This is an arresting qual- that of her husband. and diagrams deal with statistics ity of the volume and it becomes H. W. FROST. that show the work and fields of each mission, the converts, and a constraint to the one who holds Religion in Central America. By adherents, medical and educa- tional work and the languages it to read its pages eagerly and Kenneth G. Grubb. Illus. 8vo. used. There is a good index and the pictures show the people, the carefully. . 147 pp. 5sh. World Dominion It is a daring thing for a wIfe Press. London. 1937. attractiveness of the scenery and to write the life of her husband, Here is another valuable sur- vey volume, with chapters, for one is likely either to write maps, diagrams and statistics that show the past progress, the too frankly or not frankly present situation and the pros- pects for Christian missions in enough. But Mrs. Goforth has the six republics of Central A meri.ca. been guided by the Spirit into a The history of this part of middle course. She adored her America goes back to the Maya PARENTS … husband and greatly admired his civilization nearly two thousand missionary zeal', but she saw his yeals ago. The Maya architec- In the Foreign Mission Field faults and speaks honestly 0f ture and SC.lent·Ific achl'evements Endorse Calvert: School them. Her portrayals, therefore, still awaken admiration. These are sincere and true, with the re- people worshiped the gods of Home St:udy Courses suIt that she presents a man who earth and sky, with temples and I'S definl'tely human. Thl's I'S well, elaborate ritual. Then came the For Children retrogression which Rom a n for we humans are most in- Catholics from Europe did not I fluenced by the example of other overcome. Today the six repubhumans. But we want the hu- tCioanlveDret pSacrhtomo~lntt,hrowuigllh giit,s:eHoymouer cnhsitlrdu,ca- superior elementary education ',' • by mall, man, whoever he is, to be in- regardless of where you may live. Moddwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Dr. Goforth, as de- escrnh~olapaprreovbeedingcouusrseeds bfyropmaretnhtiss aflal moovuesr scribed by his wife, becomes more than an example " he is an the world with outstanding success.
inspiration. Give your children the advantages of these The paramount lesson of the interesting lessons, carefully chosen ~ook~, book is the necessity and worth of direct evangelism. Dr. Go- and attractive materials. Instruction ,IS forth never allowed himself to uCnadlveer rtth'se ppreormsoinnaelngt uainddanscueccoefsstfeualchperi:vsaItne be turned aside from the simple day school in Baltimore. preaching of the Gospel, however tempting educational work Write today for booklet of complete in- formation. Costs are low.
, CALVE~T SCHOOL 180W. Tuscany Road '
Baltimore + Maryland Any of the books noted In these columns will be sent by the REVIEW publishers on receipt of price, [207 ]
some results of mISSIOn work. The Open Door in China. A Spir- istic theories as to the origin and Everyone interested in the itual Interpretation of Missions, by development of all religion, illusevangelization of Central Amer- Martin A. Hopkins. (Paper.) Re- trated in the history of the ica will find this new survey of ligious Tract Society, Hankow, world's chief religious beliefs. real value. China. 1937. He briefly surveys man's search for truth in Babylonia, Egypt, For the Mountains. An Autobiog- These furlough addresses, raphy by William Goodell Frost. With Introduction by Albert Bush- given at various conferences, Greece, Rome, India, Persia, nell Hart. Illustrated. Indexed. 352 pp. $3.00. Fleming H. Revell. deal with the Open-Door policy China, and Arabia, and as it is New York, London, Edinburgh. for a Lost World, The Real Rea- seen in Modernism.
1937. son for Foreign Missions, The From the treatment here one A former president of Berea Premillenial Hope and Missions, might easily get the idea that gives here the whole story of his life, which to him has been char- T.he Bible as the Basis for a .R.e- different civilizations produced acterized by a marked unity. In vIval, ??rayer, The Holy SPIrIt, the various great religions, so far as any eager spirit is ever ~alvat~on by G~ace, The Church .•.whereas, as Dr. G. M. Grant, of satisfied, he views his earlier m Chma, Go~ s. Ideal Servl;tnt Queens University, Canada, has years with satisfaction. Of his and The AfflIctIons of qhr~st. pointed out, "Every systematized youth he could sincerely say, These. addre.sses ~re. co~vm~mg religion has given birth to a civwith Wordsworth, "Fair seed- an~ stImulatmg, ~Ibh~al m Vl~W- ilization." It would have been time had my soul"; and his p.omt and practIcal I~ apphca- more satisfactory to deal directly young manhood is to him both a tIon. They. are well Illustrat~d with the different theories of the happy flowering of :the seed and promise for the time of full fruit. fro!ll experIence at home and m origin of religion, and draw il- Then follows in detail the account of the later twenty-eight Chma. lustrations from the great reliyears when he was largely instrumental in bringing Appala- The Story of Topsy. By Mildred gions of the world. chian America into recognition, Cable and Francesca French. Iland in opening that section to lustrated. 8vo. 212 pp. 5 sh. net. Unfortunately the author's education through Berea College. zeal for truth inclines him to Hodder and Stoughton, London. The story is one of intense ac- occasional acrimonious exprestivity, often under difficulties, 1937. that involved weariness and dis- sions such as are too often found appointment. Tremendous zest is seen in Dr. Frost's manner of Miss Cable and Miss French in discussions involving differwriting: in rapid-running sen- are already well known for their ences of religious opinion. Aptences, with their frequent fascinating books of missionary parently the proofs were careinitial "ands"; in unwearied de- adventure in the Gobi desert and lessly read, as various sentences tail and comment. "Such ex- Central Asia; also for their "The are incomplete. periences push into forgetfulness all pains and hardships," says Making of a Pioneer" and "Am- Dr. Whiteley has included the author, but really, says the bassadors for Christ." The lat- much that is worth while, both reader, into their own place in a ter is an unusually fine book for in information and criticism. life felt to be good. Dr. Frost missionary volunteers. Now Perhaps his most valuable point enjoyed it all greatly. His cen- comes a story for young people, is his emphasis on the fact that tral achievement was creative. one with the same charm, the monotheism was not the result Possessed of traditions in educa- same evidence of Christian love of an evolutionary process, betion but not bound by them, he and courage and fidelity to ginning with the most primitive freely combined and adapted his Christ, as we have found in the superstitions; but that the origmaterials; the result was orig- missionary pioneering narra- inal religion was monotheistic. inal. tives. It is the story of a young He calls attention to the now begger girl, deaf and dumb in growing view that belief in one The book has documentary her early years, rescued from Supreme Being preceded polysignificance other than auto- abuse and poverty, won to theism, a view supported by evibiographic. Those interested in Christ and lead out into a beau- dence quite apart from the Berea College will find here ma- tiful Christian life. There is testimony of divine revelation. terial previously scattered, not also much interesting light on The author also stresses the widely accessible, or not in print. the life and customs of Central fact that the nearer we approach Here are Berea's background, Asia. It is an especially inter- the origin of any religion the early history, and .development esting book for young girls. until Dr. Frost's retirement less corrupt it appears, this fact from its presidency in 1920. in itself pointing to a pure foun- MARY B. SMITH. Reaching Upward, or Man's Age- tain as its source, and con- long Search for Truth. By Charles D. Whiteley, D.D., Pastor, 'First versely.
Presbyterian Church, Albemarle, Even with the limitations in- N. C. 182 pp. $1.50. Zondervan dicated, there is a large amount Publishing House, Grand Rapids, of historical information in this Mich. 1937. modest volume, as well as sug- Here is an excellent plan in- gestions for special Bible studies differently carried out. The au- and study courses. Although the thor seeks to show the contrast book is not well documented, between Christianity, the one there are numerous quotations. revealed faith, and the natural- ROBERT M. KURTZ.
Books TI-IE IDEAL GIFT AT ALL
Bible Problems Solved. George H. GOD'S MINUTE ••• A. Spiritual Gudebrod. 385 pp. $2.75. Put- thoughtJor nams. New York. Here is a marvelous collection of 365 Daily Prayers, every day each 60 seconds long, written by 365 of the most emi- George Bowen of Bombay. Robert nent preachers and laymen in the world. Cloth. 60 • E. Speer. 366 pp. $2.50. Mission- cents; Limp Leatherette. $1.00; Art Leather. $1.50. ary Review Pub. Co. New York. A. daily GOD'S MESSAGE •• reminderoJ Five Minutes to Twelve. Adolph Keller. $1.00. 125 pp. Cokesbury 365 prominent clergymen have chosen their favorite the giver Press. Nashville. Scripture passage, and, with this as a text, have written a Message that quickens faith. brings comfort. Cloth, How Tbey Live in Congoland. W. F. 60 cents; Limp Leatherette. $1.00; Art Leather. $1.50. P. Burton. 159 pp. 2s. Pickering & Inglis, London. THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO., Winston Bldg., Phlla.
Mission Memoirs. R. Petter. 79 pp. latest news of the work of Pres- For next day's trip-at dawn the call Mrs. R. Petter, Lame Deer, Mont. byterian missionaries and Chris- ,arouses, tian nationals? They are printed The Qur'an. Volume I-Surahs on the field and mailed direct to When all you want to do is to lie 1-XXIV. Richard Bell. $6.00. 343 the subscriber. They are: Co- still. pp. Chas. Scribners, New York, lombian Clippings, The Drum and T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh. Call (Africa), Guatemala News, If you can take a school of little chil- Korean Mission Field, Mexican dren, The Rapture of Saints. Dr. Herbert Moments, Philippine Presbyte- Lockyer. 126 pp. ls. Pickering & rian, Siam Outlook, Syria News And train their minds and teach of Inglis. London. Quarterly and West India Mis- Jesus too, sion Notes. Gambia. John Laughton. 36 pp. And watch them grow as they con- S. P. G. London. "If"-A Missionary Version fess the Saviour, Studies in the Book of Daniel. Sec- If you can rise up early in the morn- And bring to other children the ond Series. Robert Dick Wilson. ing, good news too. 286 pp. $2.50. Revell. New York. To hear the sound from front and If you can take your work with all its Moga – Training School for Village back porch too failures, Teachers. 1. M. and A. E. Harper. 163 pp. 25 cents. Publicity Dept., Of little girls and boys, with needs too The task unfinished -leave with Presbyterian Board of Foreign Mis- numerous, Jesus too, sions, New York. For soap and salt and books and Yours is a peace and satisfaction, but Poison Peddlers. Dan Gilbert. 102 clothing too. what is more, pp. 35 cents. Zondervan Pub. House. Grand Rapids. If you can then sit down and eat your You know the joy that missionaries breakfast do. Prophecy and the Tottering Nations. Keith L. Brooks. 100 pp. $1.00. With mind upon a dozen things -MAY F. TAYLOR-With apol- Zondervan Pub. House. New York. outside, ogies to Kipling.
Long Suffering Love. Paul M. Of school palavers and disputes to Personal Item. Tharp. 144 pp. 35 cents, paper; settle, 75 cents, cloth. Fundamental Truth Rev. M. E. Dodd, First Baptist Publishers. Findlay, Ohio. Needing the wisdom of Solomon to Church, Shreveport, La., is on an air- decide. plane tour of South American Baptist Educational Missions at Work. mission stations. He will report his Edited by H. P. Thompson. 128 If you can then start out to the dis- findings to the Southern Baptist Con- pp. ls. 6d. S. P. G. in F. P. pens'ry vention. London. Where sick and suffering await you Dr. Arthur H*. C*omp*ton, 1937 Nobel Magazines Printed on the Field at the door, prize winner and co-chairman with How many know that there And search your mind to know how Dr. John H. Finley of the laymen's are nine foreign countries in you may help them, committee of the $10,000,000 Presbywhich monthly or quarterly mag- terian Sesquicentennial Fund for azines are published giving the Praying you will not kill off one or Christian Education, has succeeded more. the late Newton D. Baker as Prot- FEATURES: estant co-chairman of the National Introduction, by George Shaw, B.D. If you can hurry back to find an Conference of Jews and Christians. The Lesson Verse by Verse, byD.J. Fant,Jr. orphan, Le..ontfromtheLesson, byl.E. David,Ph.D. President Ha*ch*iro *Yuasa, of Do- The Beginners J Class, by E. M. Jones. "The mother died and what are we The Primory Class, by S. M. Rudy. to do?" shisha University, Japan, recently The Junior Class, by A. M. Frencb. tendered his resignation to the Board The Intermediate Class, by M. E. MacPhee. And ask yourself, as tempted .to re- of Trustees. It is reported that the The Les.on IUustrated, by A. M. French. ject it, resignation has no connection with the difficulties from reactionary elements Soad "Now if He were here, just what which have beset the path of the would Jesus do?" president since his assumption of office. The trustees of Doshisha re- If you can take a trip to Nanga- gretfullyaccepted the resignation. EbOko . The Rev. G. *W.*Bo*uldin, D.D., the With school girls and porters not a few, former president of the Seinan Col- lege in Fukuoka, Japan (Southern And go from town to town and give Baptist), has returned to take the the gospel, pastorate of the Yokohama Union Church, which ministers to the for- And climb the hills and wade the eign community of the city. rivers too.
If you can then sit down in small bark houses, And visit with the people, dispense pills.
/)0. NotMU4 THE MOSLEM
PUBLISHED BY THE HARTFORD SEMINARY FOUNDATION Editors: SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, EDWIN E. CALVERLEY SOME ARTICLES IN THE APRIL NUMBER "With All Boldness" Samuel M. Zwemer Islam in the Chanson d'Antioch Robert S. Darbishire Ethiopia: Moslem or Christian? • Paul Simpson McElroy The Nubians of Today S. J. Enderlin Woman's Status in Islam Begum Sultan Mir Amiruddin The Moslem Convert and Polygamy Gerrit J. Pennings The Prophet of Islam Arthur Jeffery Dr. Alphonse Mongana C. P. Groves Pakistan: The Rebirth of a Nation G. L. $chanzlin Book Reviews~~~Current Topics Survey of Periodicals Sue Molleson Foster :. ~ SUBSCRIBE NOW ;fi .: 50 Cents a Copy. $2.00 a Year (postpaid) In combination with __ THE MOSLEM WORLD THE MISSIONARY REVIEW OF fHE WORLD 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City $3.50 a Year. (Foreign Postage, 50 Cents.) British Agents: MARSHALL, MORGAN & SCOTT, 12 Paternoster Buildings, London, E. C. Price in Great Britain, Eight Shillings a Year, net THE LIFE OF GEORGE BOWEN! OF BOMBAY By ROBERT E. SPEER This is the biography of a very remarkable Christian missionary to India and for twenty years the influential and able editor of the Bombay Guardian. Dr. J. Sumner Stone called him, "The White Yogi."
When George Bowen died in 1888 there was call for a worthy biography but its preparation was delayed. Later all the biographical material-including his diaries, letters, reminiscences, and the books and pamphlets of which he was author-was turned over to Dr. Speer. This material has now been put into shape for publication and the result is a frank and stimulating picture of the man,-his experiences, unique character, forceful views and methods of work. Here is a life story that is of absorbing interest and will richly reward the thoughtful reader. The book is now ready for delivery.
CONTENTS I. Family of George Bowen. XI. A Decisive Year, 1849. II. Boyhood and Youth. XII. From 1850 to 1855. III. Three Years Abroad. XIII. Ten Years of Independent Work. IV. Life in New York, 1840-1844. XIV. The Bombay Guardian. V. Illumination of a Hopeless Love. XV. Relations with the American Board. VI. Conversion to Christianity. XVI. Association with the Methodist Church. VII. At Union Theological Seminary. XVII. Bowen as a Writer. VIII. His Missionary Appointment. XVIII. Correspondence with Henry W. Rankin. IX. The Voyage to India, 1847. XIX. Closing Testimony. X. Beginning Missionary Work.
This latest work by Dr. Speer may be ordered at $2.50 per copy from THE MISSIONARY REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY 166 Fifth Avenue, New York
The Missionary Review of the World — November 1937
1937
The Effect of Islam on Childhood Charlotte E. Young Christian Villages in Mozambique Julian S. Rea A Korean Missionary Gives Thanks Mrs. George H. Winn The Passion of Raymund Lull Kenneth G. Grubb Early Work Among the Indians G. E. E. Lindquist Christians and the New Life Movement Madame Chiang Kai–shek Fruit from Seed–Sowing in China Orpha B. Gould 25 Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
D.tes to Remember AKEEN PARENTS ••• That
possession is November 7-11-lnternational Good- In the Foreign Mission Field within YOUT Will Congress. Boston. Endorse Calvert: School November 19-American Sec t ion, Home Study Courses MEMORY reach! Follow Universal Christian Council for For Children the simple, sen~ Life and Work, New York. sible rules in Calvert School, through its Home Instruc- November 22-Annual M: e e tin g , tion Department, will give your child a United Stewardship Council, Phila- superior elementary education ••• by mail, delphia, Pa. . regardless of where you may live. Mod- "HOW TO MEMORIZE" ern, approved courses from this famous By Dr. William Evans November 22-23-United Stewardship school are being used by parents all over Council Meeting. Philadelphia, Pa. the world with outstanding success. The Possibilities of the Memory, December 12-Universal Bible Sun- Give your children the advantages of these Principles of Memory Training, and 'interesting lessons, carefully chosen books, day. and attractive materials. Instruction is step by step instruction on the fun~ under the personal guidance of teachers in NATIONAL PREACHING MIS- damentals of application. . SION Many gladly paid $5.00 for this October 31-November 3-Cincinnati, Calvert's prominent and successful private material in a correspondence course. Ohio. day school in Baltimore. Now compiled in a single volume bound in handsome cloth covers, November 4-7-Richmond, Va. Write today for booklet of complete in- gilt stamping, 95 pages, complete Novenl.ber 7-IO-Nashville, Tenn. formation. Costs are low. for 75c. and 6c. postage. November 11-I4–ShrevepQrt, La. CALVERT SCHOOL , BIBLE INSTITUTE COLPORTAGE ASS'N November 14-17-Tulsa, Okla. November 18-21-Wichita, -Kans. 180 E. Tuscany Road 848 N. Wells St. Chicago, Illinois November 21-24–Quincy, Ill. Baltimore oQo Maryland December 2-5–Jacksonville, Fla. Wooster College and Princeton Sem- inary, and has been a navy chaplain . since 1915. II If you use Personal Items *** PRINTING Mrs. Orrin R. Judd, one of the Rev. A. J. Muste, after several YOU will profit from an ac- Board of Directors of THE REVIEW, quaintanceship with us. We is the new president of the Woman's years as leader of radical social do the job complete in our own American Baptist Home Mission So- groups, has returned to the Presby- plant, whether it be large or ciety. From 1920 to 1921 she served terian ministry and has become Di- small. as treasurer of the Board and'for the rector of Labor Temple, New York past six years as 1st vice-president. City, succeeding Dr. Edmund B. Chaf- While our specialty is Books, Ten years ago Mrs. Judd wrote "Fifty fee who died in 1936. – Mr. Muste Mag~ines and Pamphlets, yet Golden Years," the history of the understands the labor movement and we have a vlilriety of modern Woman's Home Mission Society. She says that their materialistic objectives equipment to meet all the re.- would be unsatisfying, even if attain- able.
is a former president of the Council Obituary Notes of Women for Home Missions.
*** Hugh R. Monro, LL.D., of Mont- Dr. F. E. Dilley, medical mission- quirements of your particular clair, New Jersey, Vice-President of ary to China, died in Cleveland, Ohio, job. You will find our service the Niagara Lithograph Company, Aug. 9, 1937. He was in Peiping prompt, careful and courteous. has been elected President of the American Tract 'Society, to succeed from 1907 till 1920, where he served Will you allow us to estimate the late William Phillips Hall. on the staff of the An Ting Hospital for men and was a professor in the on your next printing ? We be- ••• Union Medical College. In 1921 he lieve you will be delighted with Rev. Dirk Lay, D.D., after twentyseven years of successful service as was transferred to Temple Hill Hos- our product, price and service. the "Apostle to the, Pimas," is to be- pital in Chefoo. come supervisor of' Presbyterian mis- *** sion work among the Dakatah Indians Dr. William Isaac Chamberlain, The EVANGELICAL PRESS on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The work of Dr. Lay Ph.D., who retired in 1935 as corre- Print…. of among the Pimas forms one of the most dramatic episodes in the annals sponding secretary of the Board of The Missionary Rewew of the World of missionary service among Indian tribes. He has succeeded in develop- Foreign Missions of the Reformed PLANT AND MAIN OFFICE ing strong congregations among them, Church in America, died in New York Third and Reily Str••ts Han'''''', P.. each with its own house of worship City on September 28th. He would and native pastor, trained to render have been seventy-five years old on efficient service. He has also been their successful advocate in their ap- October 10th. a native of Pittsburgh. He was gJ"adpeal to the Government for irrigation Dr. Chamberlain had been secretary uated frQm the University of Pittsfrom the Coolidge dam. burgh, in 1889, and from Union of the Reformed Church Board since Theological Seminary in 1892. Dur- *** 1909. He was also a member of some ing his service in Korea Mr. M:iller twenty other boards and societies. -organized Bible institutes, served Capt. Robert. D.! Workman has be- (See Editorial on page 517.) come Chief of Chaplains in the U. S. Navy, to succeed Edward A. Duff, *** churches as pastor and managed Roman Catholic. He is a graduate of The Rev. Frederick Sheibler Mil- evangelistic campaigns. He was au- ler, Presbyterian missionary in Cho- thor of several books on Korea pub- sen, Korea, from 1892 until his retire- lished in America.
ment last December, died in that city, His widow, Mrs. Mary Lillian Dean recently. Miller, also a missionary, survives Mr. Miller was 70 years old and him.
MISSIONARY A t left is one of the
REVIEW OF THE WORLD A.S.S.U. cotton camp Union Sunday Schools. Below is a DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Editor plank chapel in which numer- ous evangelistic meetings are VOL. LX Nov., 1937 No. 11 conducted and many cort~ versions have occurred. Our "Cotton Camp Evangelist" solicited the funds. and did nearly all the ·work himself.
Publication and Business Office– The Tallest Cotton- Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. OF the United States-do you realize that The Arizona cotton camps are Editorial and Executive Office– it grows in arid Arizona? And do you know that the but one instance where wide- 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. tallest men and women spiritually may grow from awake A.S.S.V. missionaries Entered as second-class matter at the boys and girls of the cotton camp section if we are entering opening doors. reach them soon with the Word of God? The youth of unreached rural Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under America is. our chosen field. Act of March 3, 1879. About eight years ago, Buckeye Valley was Evangelical in purpose. non- sectarian in method. and true 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. reclaimed by irrigation from a dry cactus desert and to the Word of God, for more Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. became one of the most fertile cotton-growing sections than a century we have car- Published monthly, except August. of the Southwest. Here hundreds of cotton picking ried on this aggressive and All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1937. families migrate from eastern cotton states, many of needed evangelism. Our or- British agentll- Marshall, Morgan them remaining the year round. They live in tents and ganization covers the nation. and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, shacks. At nearly every little cross-roads store liquor Heaven alone will reveal the London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, is sold and single men and women of immoral tenden- tremendous results in eternal 10 shillings a year. cies are a menace to the boys and girls of these camps. values.
MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- Through its district superintendent, the Your church or Sunday School LISHING CO., INC. class could choose no nobler A.S.S.V. has established cotton camp evangelism. missionary project. $12.50 BOARD OF DIREC'l'ORS Tents and chapel buildings in some instances have . annually establishes a class, ROBERT E. SPEER, President been provided by the cotton growers. Many conver- $25.00 maintains a Sunday A. L. WARNSHUIS, Vice-President sions have taken place among the young and some School, $50.00 annually sup- WALTER McDOUGALL, Treasurer needed relief work is going forward. ports work in an unreached DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Secretary community, and $100.00 in a county. $1200.00 annually SAMUJIlL MCCREA CAVERT .supports an active A.S.S.U. D. J. FANT missionary. For full informa- Mas. ORRIN R. JUDD tion, address- WM. B. LIPPHARD AMERI DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONS, Dept. R1137 ERIC M. NORTH 1816 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia:, Pennsylvania. Sunday SAMUEL M. ZWEMER School I wish to sponsor the work of the A. S. S. U. with the Union unreached millions of Rura~ America. Editorial Chat 5 Enclosed find $ ___ to be used foc _______ _ The October number of the REVIEW ESTABLISHED 1817 -on Moslem lands-has had a very ) Send your quarterly Field Magazine – "The Sunenthusiastic reception. About 1,000 day School Missionary" special advance orders were received and many leaders are using them in ( ) Mail your Booklet on Annuities. their study classes. More valuable articles on the same subject appear in ( ) Send Sample Sunday School Literature. this issue-and more are to follow. Name ___________________ .___ _ *** Address _____________________ _ The Home Missions number on City ______________ State ______ _ "Rural America" (June) has had a large circulation-about two thou- CHRIST ALONG THE OLD BACK ROAD sand extra copies having been sold up PIONEER SUNDAY SCHOOL ORGANIZATION OF THE USA to September 1st. wrong one used as a frontispiece for versity of Nanking Hospital is the *** the September REVIEW. The picture only large hospital open in that city. intended for insertion was one of na- Cabled appeals for help to meet the Readers still continue to express tives in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in situation come with the endorsement their high appreciation of the work the midst of picturesque rocks of the of the American Ambassador in China. the REVIEW is doing. Dr. William desert. The picture used was a plate At least $6,000 are needed for anti- Bancroft Hill, of Vassar College, in loaned for another purpose by the Re- tetanus and typhoid vaccines, as the ordering a quantity for distribution, view and Herald, of Washington, supply in Nanking is now exhauste·d. writes: D. C., and represents a camp meeting with 5,000 present in Iboland, Nigeria. There is also need for funds for an "Your October number on the Mos- These people are connected with the ambulance. Dr. Robert E. Speer, for lems is a most able and satisfactory Seventh Day Adventist Mission. twenty-five years President of the presentation of the subject." Board of Trustees of the University *** of Nanking, is now Honorary Presi- *** dent. The Presbyterian, Methodist, APPEAL FOR THE UNIVERSITY Baptist, Disciples, and Congregational Another reader says: OF NANKING HOSPITAL Churches cooperate in the work of "I wish to express my sincere ap- the University, the American office of preciation of this most companionable, Since the Chinese Government interesting and instructive mission- (Central) Hospital in Nanking has which is at 150 Fifth Avenue, New ary magazine, as well as for its in- been bombed and closed, the Uni- York City. spiration and encouragement. It is the only missionary magazine I am re- [ 513 ] ceiving here in the heart of Africa. The Articles concerning the "Bush" especially appeal to me as I am also working in the "Bush."
MRS. LILLIAN WASHER, French Equatorial Africa.
*** A CORRECTION-EGYPTIAN SUDAN By some unaccountable error, two plates were interchanged and the
A SCENE IN THE CHRISTIAN VILLAGE OF MALATE
NAZTALI MBANZI, A TEACHER, PLAYING AN VILLAGE EVANGELISTS IN PORTUGUESE AFRICAN PIANO EAST AFRICA (See article on page 524)
NARY
REVIB ORLD VOLUME LX AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER, 1937 Topics of the Times "IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS" here also great reasons for national and personal thanksgi ving. At times this seems to be difficult, if not impossible. In spite of many dark days, King Da- There is, first of all, the certainty that God, the vid took up praise for a life work, saying: "As Almighty and loving Heavenly Father, lives and long as I live I will praise thee." Again he said: rules; His will must be triumphant, even though "Thy praise shall continually be in my mouth." ignorant and self-seeking men rebel.
There is the encouraging fact that men are not In the midst of personal sorrow and troubles, satisfied with evil. Ninety percent of humanity in national distress and in world-wide conflicts, condemns selfish wars of aggression, such as there are still reasons to give thanks to God. The Japan is conducting in China and as Italy con- Prophet Habbakuk lived in a time of great trou- ducted in Ethiopia. There is encouragement in ble. There were material desolations, national the desire of many other leaders for peace and judgments, signs of devilish activity on every justice, as is revealed in the League of Nations side; wrong-doing was rampant in Judea-vio- and in the Hague Court, even though these bodies lence, perverseness, lawlessness, immorality, in- are too selfish, too weak, too fearful, or too much justice, strife, international warfare. divided to act together to promote peace.
God seemed strangely inactive and silent and Great trials are offset by God's mercies that yet the prophet could utter a wonderful prayer of offer reasons for thanksgiving. There are spiritpraise because God still ruled and His glory cov- ual compensations that come with suffering; the ered the heavens; even in wrath He remembered discipline of faith is promoted through trial; mercy; the earth also was full of His praise. He troubled souls are drawn into closer fellowship concluded with words that Daniel Webster pro- with God; disciples are weaned from love of the nounced among the most sublime in all literature, material world; the failure of temporal things to declaring, even in the midst of disasters and dis- give happiness often leads to the transfer of life's tress, "I will rejoice in Jehovah; I will joy in the affections from self to God. God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord is my strength" (Habbakuk 3: 17, 18). The coming Thanksgiving season does not offer any occasion for self-satisfaction or for rejoicing Stalin, and others who foolishly fight against in increase of material wealth; nor are there en- God in Russia, know nothing of the psalmist's, the couraging signs of a new reign of peace and goodprophet's and the Christian's secret of peace and will among men. But a knowledge of the signs of joy; the Japanese military leaders are ignorant God's working in the world will cause every Chrisof the God of Love; Hitler, in his determination tian heart to give thanks. There are multitudes to rule the Church and to obliterate God's de- of enterprises effectively carrying on the work of crees, overlooks the power of the omnipotent Christ-the churches, missions, hospitals, schools; Ruler; Mussolini thinks only of temporal progress the Christian homes, the work for youth; the puband material force; Spaniards, in their fratricidal lication and distribution of the Bible and other strife, have little conception of the mercy and Christian literature; the men and women who peace of God; at the same time millions in Amer- stand true to Christ in difficult and dangerous ica are seeking political control and economic im- places-as in Germany, Russia, Spain, China, provement for personal gain; and yet there are India, Korea and Moslem lands. We give thanks [ 515]
for little children, so ready to love and be loved; Braisted is a son-in-law of Dr. Robert P. Wilder, we praise God for earnest, forward looking youth one of the founders and first traveling secretary and for teachers who unselfishly give time to Sun- of the S. V. M.The new secretary was for some day school work; we give thanks for the conse- years a Baptist missionary in India and Burma crated money dedicated to God's service and for and has been especially active in evangelistic the hundreds of thousands of men, women and work and Bible teaching among students. At a children who are responding to the Gospel and are dinner, recently given in New York to welcome receiving eternal life through Christ in our city the secretary, Dr. Braisted showed his missionary streets, and in prisons and penitentiaries, in home vision and his grasp of the situation in a truly mission territory, in many of the dark places of statesmanlike address. He expressed the conthe earth. viction that the students of America today, as never before, are awake to the need of the world Every circumstance of life, where God is hon- for a radical change in ideals, and for new spiritored, not only teaches lessons in faith and fidelity, ual power. He said in part: but suggests new causes for thanksgiving and praise. "In everything give thanks." "(1) As we approach students we must find the way of leading them to experience the reality REVIVING THE STUDENT VOLUNTEERS of faith and fellowship with the living God. They need a vital experience of the power of Christ in Even a superficial glance at the present world their own lives. situation gives clear evidence that the missionary task of the Christian Church is very far from "(2) We must be stirred by the fact that, in completed. There are more non-Christians in the Christ, God is revealed and we must present a world than there were one hundred and fifty years fully rounded life as a challenge to students and ago; many more than when our Lord gave His to all mankind. disciples the commission to evangelize the world. While the attitude of men toward Jesus Himself, "(3) We must speak frankly of the rugged deas shown by millions in non-Christian lands, is mands that Christ makes of His followers for a much more sympathetic than it was even fifty life of rectitude, for temperance and self-denial years ago, at the same time the anti-Christian at- and for sacrificial service. titude of misguided leaders in what have been nominally Christian lands-such as Russia and "(4) We must seek to give students a truly Germany-has become vastly more aggressive. Christian world-vision and to enlist them in a world-wide fellowship. In spite of great advance in the Christian missionary enterprise on the mission fields, for vari- "(5) The immediate task of the Movement is ous reasons the coldness and indifference of very to find new, consecrated and qualified leaders in many professing Christians in America and Eu- the Church at home and in the foreign fields. rope has increased in the last fifteen years. Clearly there is great need to arouse the Christian "(6) We must interpret anew to students the Church to new enthusiasm and sacrifice, in order elementary and fundamental facts in regard to that we may push the campaign to win a sympa- Christian missions. thetic hearingand·an acceptance of the Gospel of Christ-with all its implications-both at home "(7) We must bring living, spirit-filled misand abroad. sionaries into touch with students so that they may understand the opportunities, the obligations, Fifty-one years ago the Student Volunteer the requirements and the rewards of missionary Movement was founded for this ideal-to evan- service. gelize the world in this generation. It has been signally blessed and wonderfully effective in en- "(8) We must look ahead and discover the new listing volunteers, in arousing the Church and in types of missionaries that will be needed to carry gaining friends and supporters for the cause. on the work under changing conditions ten years Recently the financial and spiritual depression at from now. home, and complications abroad, have caused the Movement to lose ground. There has been even "(9) We must associate in the Movement, able some talk of abandoning its active work or of Christian leaders of the churches on each field so changing its purpose and program. Lowering of that we at home may work with them for the ideals in some cases, changes in leadership and evangelization and education of their people. loss of support, have hindered progress. "(10) We must seek to win commercial, politi- Now, however, with the coming of a new sec- cal and other representatives in foreign lands to retary, Dr. Paul J. Braisted, there is promise of Christ so that they will have the conviction that new life and power in the Movement. Dr. every Christian should be a lay missionary and should enjoy fellowship with other disciples of Christ.
"In this and other ways we must layout a pro- gram and seek spiritual power to promote Chris-
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
tian unity, harmony and cooperation throughout and Mental Philosophy in the college. For many the world." years he was a trustee of Rutgers-always active in its affairs. As an undergraduate he played on Dr. John R. Mott, one of the earliest Student the college football team, and every interest of Volunteers, and for many years chairman of the the college, especially all its religious interests, Movement, made a powerful appeal for new co- were of concern to him. operation, whole-hearted support and an adequate program to help evangelize unoccupied fields, to After his seminary course he returned to India study the great world problems, and to present in 1887 as a missionary of the Reformed Church Christ as the only One who can solve these prob- in America. His complete mastery of the verlems and meet the greatest needs of all mankind. naculars, which was one of his mother tongues, his extraordinary intellectual ability, his warmth The Student Volunteer Movement has a new of character and his personal charm made him an opportunity today. The secret of new life and ideal missionary. He found a mission almost effective service must be found in a clear vision of Christ's objectives, in new emphasis on the essence of the Gospel, in Spirit-filled leadership, and in devoted, sacrificial service, both at home and abroad. May God guide and bless Dr. Paul J. Braisted and his fellow workers.
WILLIAM I. CHAMBERLAIN One of the most competent, trusted and beloved WILLIAM 1. CHAMBERLAIN missionary leaders of the generation passed away in the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, ideally organized for its work. The evangelistic on September 28th, in the death of the Rev. Wil- itinerating circuits were laid out with greatest liam I. Chamberlain, D.D., Secretary of the Board care and steady and conservative policies were of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church in pursued with a view to the building up of living, America for twenty-four years, from 1909 until self-supporting churches. his retirement in 1935. In addition to his full share of direct evangelis- Dr. Chamberlain was born into missionary tic work he gave himself to the training of an leadership. His father was Dr. Jacob Chamber- educated, Christian leadership. He established lain, one of the early missionaries to India of the Voorhees College at Vellore in 1898 and served as Reformed Church and one of the most capable and its president until 1905. picturesque missionaries and missionary advocates of the last century. He was one of the He was recognized as a full member of the Inspeakers at the Student Conference at Mount dian community, enjoying the respect and con- Hermon, Mass., when the Student Volunteer fidence of all classes, serving by election on the Movement originated and his addresses and Municipal Council and as Mayor of Vellore. He power were among the inspiring influences which was a living refutation of the type of critic produced the Movement. Some of the missionary which regards missionaries as intruders, unwelstories became classics.
William Chamberlain was born in Madras on Oct. 10, 1862 and from his childhood absorbed the missionary spirit. The Arcot Mission, to which his father belonged and of which he was one of the greatest leaders, was an extraordinarily efficient and well organized mission, conservative and educational, but at the same time animated through and through with the spirit and purpose of rich and thorough evangelization.
William came back to America for his education and was graduated from Rutgers College in 1882 and from the New Brunswick Theological Seminary four years later. He was always a devoted Rutgers alumnus and his college gave him the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1912. In 1917-8 he was president of the New York Association of Rutgers Alumni. For three years after his return from India he occupied the Chair of Logic
come to the people and aloof from their common ciates. The dominant note of his character was the heroism of his faith. life. He concerned himself with all that affected To the missionaries William 1. Chamberlain the well-being and happiness of the people-sani- was not only a wise counselor, a statesman of broad vision and a friend in every hour of trial tation, taxation, honest government, education. or disappointment; he was a man whose deep reli- gious convictions, in an age of compromise and But above all and through all he was a minister doubt, were like a rock in a weary land. In one of his great missionary addresses on "The Fact of Christ, preaching the Gospel and building the of Christ" he made this memorable statement: "This greatest Master of religion was differen- Church. Under Lord Curzon's vice-royalty he tiated from all other teachers. Others claim to be the messengers of truth; He is the Message. was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind medal, first class, Others claim to be light-bearers; He is the Light. Others claim to point to the truth; He is the for his service to India. Truth. All the data for Christianity are found in the one phenomenon-the fact of Christ." He returned from India in 1905 and after his Dr. Chamberlain's philosophical mind found its service for three years at Rutgers, accepted the center and rest in the evangelical faith of which he was never ashamed and for which, on the platsecretaryship of the Board of Foreign Missions form and in missionary councils, he fought many a good fight. On the far-flung field of Christian of his church. Here for twenty-six years he ad- enterprise in India and the Far East, in the lonely places of the Moslem world many hearts have ministered the missions with wisdom and devo- been strengthened by his sturdy outspoken witness to the sufficiency of the Gospel. tion, combining careful and conservative views lie was one of the organizers of the American with faith and courage. He possessed the confi- Christian Literature Society for Moslems and was its president for many years. In his unceasing dence of hi$ Church, was president of the Gen- labors for the Arabian Mission of the Reformed Church, and the United Mission in Iraq, he knew eral Synod in 1908-09 and again and again carried the burden of Islam and the "patience of unan- swered prayer." The archers of criticism someprogressive policies with the trust of the Church. times sorely grieved him and shot at the enter- prise he loved, but his bow abode in strength and He was looked to as leader on all special occasions his arms and hands were made strong by the mighty God of Jacob. In his picture of the Alpine and .he gave his Church a position of honor in shepherds, as a type of the missionary at his task, he spoke words that are prophetic of the Alleluias the Christian world by the quality of his rl:!pre- in which he now has part: sentation of it. In 1923-24 he was president of When the sun is just setting and the peaks of the eternal snow become tinted by its dying beams, the shepherd who the Alliance of the Reformed Churches and in the is highest up the mountains takes his horn and sounds through it a few simple but melodious notes signifying, field of foreign missions he was Chairman of the "Glory be to God." Far and wide in the pure air floats the sound. The nearest shepherd hears and replies and Annual Conference of ,the Foreign Mission from man to man, over the illimitable deserts of a hun- dred hills, passes on the sound of the worship. Then there Boards of North America and of its Committee is a silence, a deep dead silence, during which every head is uncovered and every knee bowed while from the stillness of Reference and Council. In 1916 and 1920 he of the solitude rises the voice of supplication heard by God alone. visited the missions of his Board and his interest Again the highest shepherd sounds through his horn, took in them all. He had a very special interest in "Thanks be to God"; again is the sound taken up and passed on from man to man along the mountains until, the United Mission in Mesopotamia, a union mis- lost in the twilight, the shepherd betakes himself to his repose." sion of the Presbyterian in the U. S. A., the Re- So do we give thanks to God and glorify Him formed Church in ··A,:ijlerica and the Reformed for the inspiration that has come from this life of this true under-Shepherd of Christ's sheep. Church in the U. S.' When he visited Mesopo- s. M. Z. tamia he was deeply moved by the plight of the Assyrian refugees. He was president of the Board of Trustees of Fukien Christian University and a trustee of the American University at Cairo.
Dr. Chamqerlain was married to Mary Eleanor Anable of New Brunswick, N. J., in 1891. She died in 1929, leaving a daughter, Mrs. Alma Chamberlain Anderson.
Dr. Chamberlain was a Christian man through and through. There was in him no darkness at all.
Always courteous and careful, he was neverthe- less firm as a rock in all righteousness and clear as daylight in his convictions and their expres- sion. There was a singular purity of nature in him that stood out as a quality of childlikeness and simplicity. He was one who commanded al- ways and everywhere all men's trust, and who always and everywhere enlisted without effort their deepest affection. For years he was a di- rector of this REVIEW and those who were thus intimately associated with him place on record their testimony to an able, devoted, noble Chris- tian man. R. E. S.
*** This man of God was versatile in his talents, steadfast in his life and beloved of all his asso-
Effect of Islam on
By CHARLOTTE E. YOUNG, Teheran, Iran -.~ Missionary of the Presbyterian Church,. Teacher in Alborz College MILLIONS of chilren are born every year scholastic standards that have come from widen- into Moslem homes, within earshot of the ing contacts with the Christian world-where muezzin call. From babyhood, through such a large place is given to the child-they are the formative years of childhood, until early mar- still held back, imbedded and writhing in the mesh riage perpetuates the cycle of Moslem traditions, of superstition and the hampering effects of evil customs, and superstitions, Islam is part of their social customs that center in Islam itself. everyday life. The ideal character for those who are brought up in this atmosphere is Mohammed; Murray Titus in his book, "The Young Moslem Looks at Life," says: "Everyone of the undesir- the standards which he has put forth in the able elements in Islam is something that is rooted Koran, as God's revealed will for mankind, are in the religion. They are all lawful-polygamy, the guiding factors in their lives. child marriage, easy divorce, the keeping of con- cubines, slavery." Mohammed participated in One sees God-given spontaneous joy and the sunshine of childhood among the beggar young- each one. There is not one of these outstanding sters in the streets of Moslem cities. One recognizes the laughter and chatter of carefree hap- piness as the children skip and play in the walled harem gardens, or gayly trot along on their tiny donkeys to a garden picnic. And this same child- ish happiness is found in homes where the proud mother asks a manly little son or a demure daugh- ter to pass the sweets to her guests, or where the doting father calls on his sons to entertain the company by reciting poetry.
All this one recognizes as a child's natural response to those God-given human qualities of parental-love-that elemental passion for children that brings with it the desire to shelter, protect and give security to the limit of the parent's knowledge and ability. The response of the child is as elemental as the love of the parent.
Alonzo Bunker has a different explanation for bright faces among Moslem children but recog- YOUNG MOSLEM READING THE KORAN nizes that there are such. "The attractiveness of childhood among all races sometimes seems to be practices within the social system that does not accentuated among less intelligent peoples; so reflect sorrow upon the life of a child.
that, before the fogs of sin and ignorance have From so much in current literature, in maga- blurred the image of God in which they were zines, in novels, in psychological stUdies of childcreated, they show a strength and brightness more hood there comes to us the effect of unhappiness marked than in their more favored brothers and to children resulting from divorce, which seems sisters in enlightened lands . . . one remembers to us least of the above-mentioned evils. A conthat of these too it may be said, 'Trailing clouds crete example taken from modern life in Moslem of glory do they come.' " lands will serve to illustrate conditions all too But from their earliest years children of Mos- common resulting from these customs. lem countries enter into the inheritance of their S- comes to us with her story-a girl who religion, and their religion is their handicap. In had received the highest degree in education that spite of modern methods of Western education women of her country could acquire. She is an taken up by their governments, in spite of higher only daughter, devoted to her widowed mother [ 519 ]
who in turn gave much. Her years of schooling- but who longed to serve her sisters. In one letter freedom to come and go among school friends of she writes: her own choosing-is much in the life of a Moslem girl. But there were limits; on the day when The Mohammedan law allows a man to have four wives she and others of her classmates graduated un- at the same time. And though it be a thousand times over veiled before the large mixed audience and gave no sin according to Mohammedan law and doctrine, I shall their orations, S-, in deference to her mother's forever call it a sin. I call all things sin which bring wishes, delivered her oration from behind the misery to a fellow creature. . . . veil. Her subject was, "The Care and Education of Children." In the audience, a gentleman of There was a woman who became wife number two of a some standing in the educational world, was im- native official. The first wife, who was not quite right in pressed. He sought her hand in marriage- her mind, after a little went away from him, leaving bethrough the medium of the family as was the cus- hind a whole troop of children. Number two oecame his tom. But, protested S-, "he already has a wife official wife and was a painstaking, loving mother to her and children." Very well, divorce could be ar- stepchildren; she was very diligent and worked hard to ranged if that was an obj ection. The mother was save something from the income of her husband so that insistent-it was time that S- should marry. later they would be able to educate his children. And She had had many offers but none from so promi- it was thanks to her that the sons turned out so well. nent and respected a man. And so, much against Now I come to the thanks. Once when her husband had her own wishes, the union was effected. gone to the city he came home late at night and called his wife outside. A guest had come with him for whom she "And are you not happy," I enquired, "Is your must care and make ready a room. The guest was a husband not kind to you?" young woman, and when her husband told her that the guest was his wife and that she, his older wife, must "Oh, yes; it's not that, he is kind, I have a henceforth share everything with her, she was at first pleasant home; enough servants and all that, but stunned, for she did not understand. She only stood and he married me because he wanted me to bring up looked at him. But when the frightful truth penetrated his children. He didn't think their mother was to her brain, she sank without a single word to the ground. doing it well. The children all live with us." Ellsworth Huntington draws the contrast so "But," said I, "isn't that a wonderful opportu- clearly that we take the liberty of quoting from nity-you can put your theories into practice." his book, "The Pulse of Asia": "It is quite impossible," she replied, and there Mohammedanism, as everyone knows, inculcates the was bitterness in the girl's reply. "Apart from the seclusion of women, and makes of her nothing but a fact that their early training has been all wrong, stupid drudge to do man's work, or a light plaything for and a complete reconditioning of many habits is his pleasure. Wherever people of Moslem faith gather in necessary, they are allowed each week to visit towns and cities, as I have seen them in Turkey, India, their own mother, who lives with the grand- Persia, Asiatic Russia, and Chinese Turkestan, this ideal mother. There they are taught to despise me, prevails. In the crowded villages and cities women can quite naturally; when they come back, and for do their work behind high mud walls, and can be conseveral days after each visit, they call me names fined to certain unseen rooms when male guests visit the -not of course in their father's hearing. They house. The support of the family does not depend upon say it is not necessary to obey me, since I am not them, and their activities are almost wholly dependent on their mother. It becomes unbearable. My pa- the will of their husbands. It is rarely necessary that tience cannot endure it. My husband only half they should leave the house, and when they do, there is understands for he is away all day and cannot usually no work to be- done and it is easy to keep their know what I endure. I could love the children, faces covered. Even the peasant women, who must work I could help them; but there is no chance." in the fields, keep aloof, and come in contact with men but little. Only the very poor, or those who are confessedly Our sympathies are with this charming young immoral, go about in public with uncovered faces. The woman; but what of the effect on the lives of that evil effect of all this has been often described and needs boy and girl so patently not responsible for their no comment. conduct? Dr. Richter, in summing up the causes of decay Christian missions to Moslems have centered in Islam, puts the chief emphasis on the moral upon the uplift of the position of women even deterioration due to polygamy and the low ideals more than upon improving the condition of child- of home life. He says: "Sound family life is imhood; and with good reason for, with a higher possible. The children grow up in the poisonous standard of motherhood, many of the sad effects atmosphere of intrigue, fleshly lust, bad language, upon childhood can be eliminated. In "Mecca and and shameless licentiousness. They are polluted Beyond," by Dr. and Mrs. Edward M. Dodd, we from youth up." read of the Javanese Princess, Raden Adjung Kartini who grew up in obscurity and seclusion In "The Arab .at Home," by Dr. Paul W. Har- rison, we find the following: The boy grows up in an ntmosphere of intrigue and suspicion, the furtherest possible remove from any idea of cooperation and brotherly love. The whole environ- ment is charged with exaggerated sex desires, and at the age of twelve, he wants to get married. It is better that he should, for so worse evils are averted. He has no in-
THE EFFECT OF ISLAM ON CHILDHOOD
terest in education, nor have his parents any great in- the creed of Islam in this connection. Mr. Murray terest in it for him. He may learn to read the Koran Titus has outlined it for us in "The Young Mosand if he is especially fortunate he may go on to learn lem Looks at Life" : to write as well. But the home as we know it simply does not exist, and until it does, all hope for solid progress is I believe: futile. That there is no god but Allah; One must remember that Moslem childhood I believe: does not last long. As a matter of fact, according In his angels; to Moslem law, the child has no period of adoles- In his books; cence. B.oys and girls goO directly from infancy In his apostles, and that Mohammed is the last of into manhood and womanhood, and the age of them; childh.ood is limited only by physical development. In the Last Day; and There is no thought .of the immaturity .of the In the predestination by Allah of good and evil. mind. At the first signs of puberty childhood ceases and manhood and womanhood have be- There is no question about the majestic idea of gun. the unity of God found in Islam. Though he is often on the lips of the faithful as "The Merciful, Among educated M.oslems, and there are of The Kind," there is never any idea .of a nearness course an increasing number in every country where Islam is strong, it is gratifying to know CHILDREN NEAR DAMASCUS that child-marriage is one of the first of the social evils to be attacked. The illiteracy of the masses to his creatures, shown in the spirit of fatherhood, remains, and will remain for years, a challenge or in love and sacrifice for his children. Much is to the enlightened people of these lands, as well lost from the spiritual life .of childh.ood when we as to us who are their brothers in Christ. Even take from the idea of God that of a loving, heavenso, the illiterate children will be benefited in this ly Father who cares just as much for a little child respect because of the laws of their governments as for a king or queen. Our Christian children are concerning child-marriage-compulsory education made to realize this blessing as they are taught to and slavery. These laws have come not because come directly to their Father in simple prayer life. of a reinterpretati.on of the Koran or the life of Moslem children must memorize a ritual in a Mohammed-(though that has had to be done by language which, except for those in Arabia, is a few of the faithful in order to rationalize the quite unknown to them. There is reverence for present order), but because of the influence of the the ritual but never any reverence .or respect for spirit of Christ working through the social system the name of Allah. The effect upon the converof even nominal Christian governments. sation .of children, who have never considered the Third C.ommandment, is often shocking to those A New York State high school boy in reading who have been taught to revere the name .of God. some of the latest mission literature, written for the study of the Moslem World, recently remarked to his teacher: "Of course, I didn't know much about Islam before but it really isn't such a bad religion, is it?"
"Not such a bad one," replded the teacher, "but is there a better? Have you as a Christian child profited by being born a Christian? Are there things you would have missed had you been born in a Moslem country? I don't mean material things, but spiritual things that have contributed to your happiness, just because they are Christian .?"
"That goes without saying," said the boy, "and of course we have Christ for our standard-but the rules for a religious life that Mohammed gave his people were not so bad, were they?"
The teacher directed the lad's attention to the traditional Moslem creed and the Moslem ritual and asked him to study and compare the effect of that creed and ritual upon life and conduct with the effect of the Christian faith and standards.
Because of its very definite effect upon the child life of the Moslem world, it is well to consider
With the establishment of government schools pillar, held it under the old man's nose. At the the old "maktab" is disappearing. This "maktab" first whiff the old man threw his head back in years gone by was the only type of education. quickly and of course hit it against the pillar. It was run by the priest, with the Koran as the Being entirely unaware of the real cause of all textbook; but in the Moslem world today it no that happened, he believed to his dying day that longer is an influence upon youth. There is left he had been the victim of some jinn. nothing that is being done specifically for the child by way of religious education. Compare this with These jinn are said to inhabit wells, bath houses, the time, effort and funds spent throughout Chris- abandoned dwellings and certain secluded regions. tendom, not only for the religious education of The Koran says that the jinn were interested auchildren, but also for their joy and happiness and ditors of Mohammed's preaching, and that a comfellowship in the life of the church, and we real- pany of them was converted to Islam. When a ize the results of the love of Jesus for little chil- Moslem declares his belief in jinn, as real beings, dren. We believe in God, the Almighty, as does he means it literally. the Moslem; but our creed gives us also "The Father, and Jesus Christ, His only Son, our It is the rare Moslem child who does not wear a Lord"; because of Him, and the guidance of the talisman of some sort. Many of these are small Holy Spirit, we are led on to probe and to prove metal cases, bound to the arm or ankle, containing the length and breadth, the heights and the depths a sura from the Koran. It is common knowledge of the love of God for His children. that the chapters from the Koran which are most often selected for use as amulets, and put in small Ar,ound the Moslem statements, "I believe in cases, are Surahs 1, 6, 18, 36, 44, 55, 67, and 78. his angels" and "I believe in his books," has grown There are five verses in the Koran, called the up that great cult of magic against which every verses of protection, Ayat-el-Hifdh, which are Moslem child has to fight as he acquires a knowl- most powerful to defend from evil. They read edge of modern science and more civilized forms as follows: of living. The preservation of heaven and earth is no burden unto A modern child psychologist could write vol- Him. umes on the effect upon children of the everpresent talisman that is worn to keep off "the God is the .best protector. evil eye." One never forgets the fear in the eyes They guard him by the command of God. of children, and of educated parents too, as they We guard him from every stoned devil. tell tales of jinn and of the different kinds of A protection from every rebellious devil. devils and angels. Think of the effect on Moslem children who Jinn, the genii of "The Arabian Nights," are study physiology and chemistry in modern schools a sort of intermediate species between men and and at the same time are taught to believe in and angels. There are both good and bad jinn, and reverence amulets and charms. Ordinarily the they are created from fire. They assume various ink used for writing amulets is saffron water, rose shapes, grow large and small at will, attack un- water, orange water, the juice of onions, water suspecting human beings, and are the cause of from the sacred well of Zemzen, and sometimes unending fear in the hearts of multitudes of Mos- even human blood! The one who writes the amulems who believe in their power over men. The let must be a holy man, in the Moslem sense of average Moslem in Arabia, India, Iran or North that word. Arabic books on the subject (and Africa is amply prepared to verify the old tales these books are printed by the thousands) , explain· of the jinn with chapters out of his own expe- as follows: rience. The diet of the one who prepares charms depends on Murray Titus tells how, in Calcutta, an old the kind of names of God which he intends to write or Moslem servant threw up his job of pulling the recite. If they are the terrible attributes of Allah, then fan, or punkah, which was worked by hand be- he must refrain from the use of meat, fish, eggs, honey, fore the days of electricity. The reason he gave and musk. If they are His amiable attributes, he must was that on the previous night a jinn had hit him abstain from butter, curds, vinegar, salt, and ambergris. a terrible blow on the back of his head; he would stay there no longer. The truth was that as he By believing in the "Books," a Moslem also inwas sitting with his back against a brick pillar cludes the istikhara (the cutting of the Koran), he fell asleep, and the person for whom he was especially when it comes to matters of health and pulling the punkah awoke in a great perspiration, concerning medical treatment. This often is the for the night was terribly hot. Since this was means of deciding plans for business, or in connot the first time the old man had stopped pulling, sidering whether to accept employment, to form his master rose from his bed, took a bottle of partnerships, or make journeys. Mrs. Dwight smelling salts and, quietly stealing up behind the McDonaldson tells the following story which illus- trates this point.
A child is brought to a doctor and his case is diagnosed as one needing an operation. The
parent is so advised and arrangements are made of courtesy, of hospitality-beautiful and com- for the child to enter the hospital. However, ex- mendable characteristics that are attributable to cuses are made at the last minute; the doctor is the fact that they are Orientals, as well as that assured that the child will be brought the next they are Moslems. Islam has fostered reverence day. He does not return. Days, or maybe weeks, for an Almighty Holy God, a basis from which later the child is brought for the operation. The Christians may lead on to teach that larger con· story is that the istikhara repeatedly came out ception of the Father who desires all His children against the operation and that the child could not to live in peace, and to grow in grace and in the be brought until there was a favorable result. knowledge of their Lord and Master, Jesus This belief in istikhara is part of the belief in Christ.
the predestination by Allah of good and evil. This naturally breeds a spirit of fatalism and has per- GROWING INTEREST IN PERSIA haps, more than any other one thing, accounted By Dr. S. M. Jordan of Teheran for the stagnation and backwardness of Moslem countries. It accounts in large measure for the About thirty years ago a sermon by W. St. Clair high death rate among children. Eighty-five per Tisdall was printed in Persia and almost created cent of the children born in Iran die before the a riot. Today Christian literature is distributed age of twelve, according to mission doctors. If a and causes no disturbance. It is calculated to child becomes sick, it is God's will. If there is no appeal to the young men of Persia. doctor to be had, it is "Kismet"-a word constantly on the lips of Moslems. A former student of the American mission col- lege at Teheran, after serving six or eight months A common custom in Iran among the illiterate as an officer in the Army, was asked: "Was there is to take a child to the public bath as soon after any discrimination against you, because you are a its birth as the mother is able, a matter of from Christian ?" one to three days. If one remonstrates that the infant may catch cold the answer will be-"God "No," replied the young man. "In fact it gave us the child, He will take care of it." If the seemed the other way. My officers often invited child dies of exposure, they say: "God did not me to tea and, after we conversed on things, asked me: 'How do you come to think that any religion desire it to live." is necessary and why have you adopted Christian- An intelligent young Iranian teacher, only a ity?' That gives me a fine chance to explain how few months ago, was talking with a group of Boy I came to be a Christian. There are only a few of Scouts who had just won second honors for their my friends who seem to have real faith in Islam.
group in a competitive exhibition. Said he: Five or six are Christians."
"Now, you young gentlemen know that had all The first time that I suggested we have a Mos- of our troop' been here on time, we would have lem, who had become a Christian, preach in the won first place by a great margin. Is it not too church at Teheran, my associates said it would bad that the dilatoriness of some kept the group cause a riot. Finally Dr. Sa'eed Kurdistani was from realizing its ambition?" asked to preach the next Sunday. "It will cause a "Oh, sir," came the reply, and it was imme- riot," he answered.
diate and characteristic: "but it would have made "You are a Christian ; why should you not no difference; God did not decree our winning cause a little excitement?" I asked.
first place, so why discuss it?" "I will consult the King," he answered, meaning This attitude of mind, bred in children from in- the heavenly King.
fancy, cannot fail to work against those interested Next morning he accepted the invitation, say- in real progress. It is a stumbling block in the ing, "If it is God's will that I should preach next pathway of youth and a weight upon their feet Sunday morning, I will do my best." He preached that tends to drag them down into century-old on Naaman, the Syrian, and the "leprosy of sin."
ruts. The sermon was printed and for years has been Those who have lived with children and youth giving a message of peace and conviction to the in Moslem countries are always unanimously sure multitudes of Persia. Since then eight different that, in the physical world, the law of the survival Christians who were Mohammedans have preach- of the fittest is outstandingly at work. It is true ed to congregations made up almost entirely of also in the psychological world. Christian leaders Moslems. Two or three years ago we elected a from the West must constantly bear this fact in converted Mohammedan as Moderator of the mind and be patient and sympathetic because Church. During Easter week eight evangelistic of it. services were held in Teheran. In the police de- The children of Islam learn from their environ- partment there is one baptized Christian and he ment deep and fundamental qualities of patience, was assigned to be present at our meetings.
Villages in Mozambique*
By the REV. JULIAN S. REA, Portuguese East Africa Missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church EVEN among African missionaries we find that read the Testament and to study its meaning; the the term "Christian Village" needs explana- rest of the time he witnessed the sin and degrada- tion. Angola, in Portuguese West Africa, tion of a polygamous and spirit-ridden, drunken has Christian villages; also the other large Portu- home. He chose the Christian way. He had just guese colony of Mozambique. We will deal with been received as a probationer in the village such villages in the Inhambane country in Mozam- church when the Government called him for mili- bique, also known as Portuguese East Africa. tary service and sent him to faraway Portuguese Christian villages began to spring up about Macao in China. Through all the temptations of fifty· years ago and each year new ones appear. such a life he remained true to his Christian vows.
Some have dropped out and few remain in the I· first met Rafael when he returned to his fasame location for more than five or ten years. ther's house, married the girl they had arranged But there are now more than two hundred in the for him, and was trying to teach her and a small Methodist Episcopal Mission, besides a large num- group of friends and relatives. Each morning or ber of Free Methodist, Nazarene, Swiss Presby- evening they assembled under a tree or in Rafael's terian, Anglican, English Methodist and American house for prayer and on Sunday went to the Chris- Board villages and also some from Ethiopian tian village where he had first learned of Jesus.
movements. We were happy that Rafael and his friends should Look at some of these villages. There is Malate. be witnessing in that heathen kraal. Some meetit is Sunday morning, and classes are grouped ings were held with his old father and his father's outside for the lesson study period. The neat little wives. The missionary was satisfied, but Rafael church is just out of the picture, but the pastor's was not. He went to his village pastor-advisor home shows at the left. The houses of two other with his problem, saying, "We do not want to village families show in the background. In all move into any existing Christian village, for we there are ten families in this village and others like our own Ximangani country, bu.t our children come to the services from near-by kraals. This is are in constant danger in my father's village. a young, growing village. About January, 1933, .They see the vile dances and hear the teachings four of us, one a missionary, knelt in the shade of concerning witchcraft and spirits. Even our a tree about where that pastor's house is now, and wives are only nominal Christians. They obey us prayed for God's blessing on the spot chosen for a when we tell them to come to church, but if the new village. Two of the men were leaders of Government should call us away again or we near-by villages. The fourth was Elias who had should have to leave to find work how could they asked permission to start this new place. Within follow the Christian way here? Will you let us six months the village was well started and a go and build together in a new place away from church of mud, poles, and grass was built and all our heathen friends and relatives?" So pastor dedicated. James Manyiki went and set the matter before his Elias had lived in another village where the missionary. Now, there are six other families as- leader had fallen into sin and had been expelled. sociated with Rafael, and he is installed as the Often in such cases the people will stand by their evangelist of the village.
leader, but Elias asked to be permitted to move Simoni is a cripple who liv.ed in a well estabwith his family from the village which the other lished Christian village. One day the request was man's sin had destroyed and to start a new made to allow Simoni to go and help the people in village. a section south of Manjowu where he lived. A Portuguese farmer owned a huge strip of land in Rafael had quite a different experience. He that area, as much as an American county, but had never lived within a Christian group, but. as would not allow any Christians to assemble in his a boy had attended one of the schools in a Chris- domain. Simoni said that he had found a small tian village. Part of the day he was learning to • See Frontispiece Jor illustrations. section in the centre of this vast property which [524 ] was owned by a Moslem Indian. This man, al- own fields. So today a large village, to say noth- though a follower of Mohammed, said that he ing of a large Christian village, is unique; some of would be glad to allow Simoni to live on his land them have as many as sixty or seventy families.
and teach or preach Christianity. Our advice Naturally these compact, ideal units have been was: seized upon by the European mission leader with his bent for organization. The village of Chris- "Do not go with the idea of building a Christian tian families is the real unit of the church organvillage, but go and live as a witness; teach and ization, support, and government. Eight to thirty preach to all who will hear. Do not draw the at- villages make up a circuit traveled by an ordained tention of the Government to yourself by starting African elder. But the real spiritual nurture is a village, or incur the enmity of the white land- given by the evangelist of each village. If small, owner by drawing his people away to build in a a village is constituted a"class" in the true Wesley village with you." sense. If large, several clases will be organized. The regular class dues and special offerings of the But the fact is, Simoni has allowed families to villagers provide about half the church budget. build with him, and the place is called a new vil- Mission funds are now only given to supplement lage, although officially it is only a "class." these local funds, all to be administered by the finance committee of the circuit. Most matters of These are three of the smallest and newest of the 200 villages in our mission. The native Christian leaders have attempted to insist that all church members must live in one of these villages.
The missionary has not always stood for such a regulation but sometimes the Government has found it convenient to favor it. The thing which the missionary has done is to back the village elders in all attempts to discipline wayward vil- lagers. Usually the offence is a concrete sin, such as drinking, smoking, adultery, attendance on heathen ceremonies or calling in witch doctors.
Any act that the evangelist and his committee feels to be contrary to Christian behavior and the vows of a· Believer may end in a church trial.
Usually the governmental or tribal authority can be appealed to to support actual expulsion when necessary.
One cannot generalize on the attitude of the Government toward these Protestant villages. A HAT FACTORY IN MOZAMBIQUE There has been persecution and some seemingly impossible and unfair regulations as to the edu- discipline and regulations are settled by the vilcational qualifications of the evangelist. On the lage elders who are elected locally and are apother hand, some administrators have been proud proved by the quarterly Conference. A very of these better villages and have used them as serious matter goes to the circuit elders and may show places, fruits of their own good Government. eventually call for missionary judgment. Such officials aid the Christian village leaders and The evangelistic, educational, and even the medhave even helped them secure grants of land to ical program of the mission, has benefited greatly assure permanency. Often they have urged the by this Christian village set-up. Morning and most able evangelists to become voters as regular evening prayers, as a village gathering, have citizens. Still, there has always been a tendency proved a wonderfully effective way of bringing to limit the extension of Protestant villages, espe- people, slightly removed from heathenism, into cially in new areas. This may be because of out- an understanding of what Christianity is and can side pressure. There are a few Roman Catholic .be. There have been phenomenal conversions, but villages, but almost always a village of Believers the miracle of these African Christian vUIages is is made up of Protestants. the slow solid growth of men, women and children In most of the Inhambane country, when more in the Christ-way of life. We do not infer that than three or four families have built together, the villages always live up to their name, or are especially if the houses are white, neat, and laid as the villagers wish, but we are glad that the out in rows, it is a Church village. The old tribal early missionaries had vision enough to encour- system, with its habits and customs, was so com- age this unique African development.
pletely destroyed that the villages were dissolved A more ideal educational unit could hardly be and people scattered to live each family near its imagined. Even today the people of the Christian
villages are called "learners" more often than nurse, has actually been called to take maternity "Believers." If an old man wants to excuse him- cases in heathen kraals. Naturally he had to do self for not heeding the Gospel he will invariably and be something more than ordinary in the say, "I am too old to learn." Boys and girls by Xikokotsa village before such an unusual call the thousands have learned to read their Testa- could corne. ments in these village schools. Educators might scorn the methods and ridicule the equipment, yet Samson, trained leader in an Inharrime village, the great essential "something" is there which has been asked by the old chief to layout rice plots modern universities may lack. for all of his people along the river and to show them how to plant and care for the rice. Some Remarkable Happenings A big paramount chief looked to Danieli to Nothing gives better proof of the significance of teach him and his people to stack peanuts. these villages than the fact that most of the institutional work of the mission has fitted into that One government official asked the missionary mould. The village leaders and their families that about releasing several Kambini trained evanhave corne in for training at the Central Training gelists to work under him in a program of gen- School live in a village which is in itself both a eral and economic uplift. laboratory and experiment station. Even the boys chosen by the various village councils and sent to There are a few definite things we are trying the boarding school live in family groups organ- to do through and within these Christian villages. ized into a school village. The school girls also But it must be remembered that this is by no live and work under an excellent village system means a Utopian set-up or an ideal organization that delights teachers, girls, and visitQrs. The projected by the missionary or African leaders two leper camps, iFl which all the missions coop- onto native life. Better houses was one of the first erate, have house groups with the village set-up. things, and is still a marked characteristic of a They govern themselves and life goes on pretty Christian village. To make the place beautiful much as in a normal Christian village. has been slower, perhaps because of a difference in beauty concepts. One who has had no dealings with Christian villages can hardly realize the significance and To a missionary some of these Christian vilimportance of the "evangelist family." Often lages have had a barren cleanliness, less pleasing their only qualification was zeal and Christian con- to the eye than the picturesque clutter of the viction. They may have understood little of the- heathen kraal. But the problem which has caused ology or doctrine, and been able to read only halt- most concern is idleness among the Christians. ingly the New Testament, yet many have not only That is a kinder name than the white man usually ministered faithfully to their villages, but have uses for the break that comes in an African's acsent out spiritual sons and daughters to start new tivities when he switches over from the old to villages. some new way of life. Talk only seemed to pro- voke more talk. Lectures on industry might set In our training we attempt to preserve all the a hundred Africans to work producing similar lecold zeal and devotion, but to set it ablaze with a tures to their friends and neighbors on the need deeper understanding of the Christian faith and a of industry. Agricultural demonstratiorIJS, with knowledge of God's Word. And as these families teaching, have been much more successful. Gengo back into their villages this faith and knowl- erally the Christian villager has better gardens edge is bearing fruit in many ways. Most sig- than his heathen kraal neighbor. Some have livenificant is the better horne life. The old evan- stock, but that has been a serious problem; many gelist told his wife that she was to be a Christian; Africans have gone back to heathenism because she obeyed her lord and master. This new man of village quarrels over goats or chickens. In has a consecrated partner as eager and intelligent some parts of the country a new type of village as himself. His attitude toward his people is layout is helping and makes for improvement in changed; he is a good shepherd now, instead of sanitation and other lines. a petty chief. The New Type of Village The Christian village was often merely nonheathen, with only certain negative teachings to There are many arguments, especially from the distinguish it. The religious meetings and the evangelists, against spreading the villages out, school were the only positive contributions to the but the change is inevitable. The people want surrounding neighborhood. Recently some re- cattle for plowing and need space for goats and markable things have happened. Only three chickens. The majority of the men in that section samples follow. of Africa depend on work in the Johannesburg mines in order that they may get together any Tinoce, an evangelist with the training of a large sum of money such as is needed to pay for a bride, to buy European clothes, cattle or a plow.
A KOREAN MISSIONARY GIVES THANKS
The missionaries have long contended that this The stressing of better agriculture and hand- dependence on the gold mines is detrimental to work to bring economic security, music and play character. It has fostered the idleness that has to add to social enjoyment, village nurses and seemed to us to mark the Christian more than the clinics to improve health, do not mean that wor- heathen. But arguments seldom affect a change. ship is being given a minor place. The villages The little village exhibits of the past three years were mostly started to facilitate group prayer, have done more than talk to get the village people worship and religious instruction.
to pick up again their own arts and crafts. They A great deal of study has been given at Kam- are going back to the excellent African habit of bini to the problem of daily worship and adequate always having a little basket weaving or whittling religious instruction. Perhaps the most signifi- to do. The first sorry little collection of crooked cant help has come through the development of pots, rickety chairs, and a few wooden dishes, worship for special occasions. The "seed consecra- spoons, baskets, sewing and tools, might have de- tion service" at the beginning and the "harvest lighted an anthropologist, but did not speak well festival" at the end of the agricultura~ season for the results of fifty years of Christian influence have made worship a much more integral part of and missionary training. But each year the all village life and far more understandable to the Christian villagers understand better what the kraal people who flock in for these special meet- exhibits are for and a real pride in good work- ings. An act of worship at the time of a mother's manship and display is developing. "coming out" has come as a natural adaptation of It may hardly seem necessary to worry about something good in their old customs. Home and play in a community where you are trying to per- village dedications have been developed into sig- suade people to do more work. But, especially in nificant Christian ceremonies to replace older ones the larger villages, this is the case. Music and that hada good idea but included much evil asso- drama have been introduced to fill an evident gap. ciation with witchcraft, drinking, and licentious- The most progress has been made through en- ness.
couraging African action songs with the smaller Of all village events the most exciting and children. Story-telling is another African art pleasant are, perhaps, the "big meetings" when which is being revived. Hymn singing was about one village acts as host to all the other Christian all that was allowed at one time in the villages villages of that circuit. Then for two or three but now, with this new use of the old songs, musi- days no one lacks for work, social life, or enthu- '
cal instruments are again finding a place. The siastic, joyous worship. One of our villages is best is their xilophone, or African piano. seen at its best in one of these big meetings.
A Korean Missionary Gives Thanks By MRS. GEORGE H. WINN, Seoul, Chosen Missionary of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.
T HANK the Lord for more intimate contacts when doing the washing they sing "What a Won- with non-Christians in Seoul City – in fac- derful Saviour Is Jesus, My Jesus"; when iron- tory, at wedding feasts, in homes of non- ing, "Wonderful Words of Life"; while patting a Christian friends, and in my own home. baby to sleep, "Moment by Moment"; when at Thank the Lord for his gift of faith to our chil- the interminable task of sorting and ripping the dren, that gift which we cannot bestow and which cotton-lined clothing for the laundry, "I Must Tell fits for any circumstance which may befall, and Jesus All of My Troubles."
gives us a freedom that we could not otherwise Thank the Lord for the various folk contacted have in giving strength to others. . on the ship as we returned from seeing our sons Thank the Lord for word received recently that and daughter off for America. There was the Mrs. Archibald Campbell, of Kankhai, though tied middle-aged man with a wife and five stairstep down by the care of an invalid father, and no for- children, the eldest twelve, on their way to Tibet, eign doctor in residence, went each evening to whither they felt called of the Lord. Whatever lead the women of a Bible class of a hundred then any narrow human opinion as to the probabilities in session in a song service. She suggested that of return at all commensurate with the investment
involved, thank the Lord for that man's hearty on furlough. While we were gone, on account of "We've got a great God and He is able" when on poor· food and doing too much (had she not had every side folks tried to turn him back. food and a good rest in the hospital!) she devel- oped a hump and she still dislikes going about by Thank the Lord for the existence in the world day in the streets because she is so apt to meet today of a couple willing to start out for a place some old acquaintances of hers or her family'S five weeks' slow journey overland even after go- who have not seen her as she now is. This time ing as far as they can up the Yangtse, a destina- her errand was to tell me with smiling delight of tion as far from Hongkong, to which place only the Lord's goodness in that her mother had been they had money to take them, as Hongkong was baptized the previous Sunday. from the Minnesota farm they had sold to help meet their expenses to Hongkong. The man was Thank the Lord for those who coming to our not impractical. Being a German he could speak door on business, assisting us in stores and other several languages and was skilled in handcraft of places in very different walks of life have acdifferent sorts and could play several instruments. cepted, with apparent pleasure, illustrated copies There is little doubt that he can obtain employ- of the Gospel of Mark in Japanese, and copies of ment in a port city should they be in difficulty. In the Gospel of John and simple books with pictures the depths of a life wrong in every way he had telling the Gospel stories, and many copies of the been converted in the streets of Chicago, after Japanese tracts, "How to Overcome Poverty" and that was married, and they are not without evan- "How to Overcome Failure," and Korean leaflets gelistic experience since for the last twelve years on the "Treatments of Colds" and on "How to traveling in a truck they have spent the larger "Pray." par.t of their time trying to go to places in the West where people have no opportunity for a Thank the Lord for much literature of very church service unless they travel many miles. many kinds gladly received in the Licensed Vice District, where we were much distressed to find Thank the Lord for seeing a hard..,boiled, plas- houses which had been for rent a few years ago tic-surgery faced World War veteran, who said rebuilt and reoccupied and new buildings being he did nothing but travel in the South Seas and erected and more building material being brought other places, going back to America to accumulate in. some more pension when his money was exhausted, his conversation a line that made us Thank the Lord for pleasure given to little chilwince, twice return from shore trips with toys for dren being brought up in such surroundings by those children, that poor face all transformed by the clean Christian picture cards sent us from the change in his eyes as he became a child with America. The children hold out their tiny hands them, and gave himself to making them happy. for something and we cannot bear to give out other literature, to be torn up perhaps if the child Thank the Lord for letting me see the table is too young. steward, an Oriental, and even the cook the other side of the window, stand at attention and the Thank the Lord for the words of one of the veteran bow his head as those children in their Korean guests at our Thanksgiving dinner which childish trebles sang twice through before each was followed by a little circle of testimony. He meal their thanks to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. expressed his gratitude not only for the unex- The redeemed of the Lord were saying so. pected opportunity of keeping Thanksgiving which he had observed for so many years in Thank the Lord for the sixteen callers who America, where he became a Christian, but for came that first day after our return to this empty the opportunity of meeting a whole roomful of home, even though some of them came with the people whom he had never before seen who were difficult question, "What do you do when all of trying to live for Christ. It was interesting to your grain is gone and you're going to have no hear him say, in reference to the five months' harvest this fall and over and above that the flood old son of the Severance Hospital Evangelist has obliterated the field you expected to plant in whom his parents had brought with them to dinthe spring." ner-"Nobody could beat that baby in disposition or appearance-his mother knows how." Thank the Lord that my disappointment in not getting to the November station meeting was His We thank God for the testimony at that same appointment because a young hunchback had time, so frank and humble, of another fine young taken that particular evening for walking the man as to God's goodness in restoring him to a· painful steps from her house to mine. Some years childlike faith, after philosophical questionings. ago she fell backward from a seesaw, knocking a vertebra out of place. After months in a cast Weare thankful for Field Day at the mission under Dr. Y. S. Lee's care her first real walk was school of 400 lads and for the marvelously better to attend the farewell service for us when we left physiques we see on all sides, than could be seen twenty-eight years ago when we came.
THE PASSION OF RAYMUND LULL
Weare grateful for the fine meeting of the dis- of a white-faced neighbor because, not having trict committee and their enjoyment of the dinner mountains to ascend like his grandfather, he had provided for them, and exceedingly grateful to climbed a long flight of outside steps in pursuit them and their families for a thousand kindnesses of a cat! shown Mr. Winn when he is in the country. There is perhaps a lesson in a poem written Man man kamsa hawita (literally ten thousand from the midst of the worst of Japan's slums by times ten thousand)-boundless thanks that, as one, whose severest critics rarely go where such I looked down the path for my husband nearly two things may be seen, as he dwells among them hours late for his committee meeting, my gaze with his family in one roomwas finally rewarded. In two inches of newly fallen snow the bus in which he was riding and Penniless another one from Seoul skidded just as they were A while passing each other, escaping a terrible compact with breathtaking narrowness. Another time it I can foodless· live; just missed crashing into a house in the endeavor But it breaks my heart to avoid a sli:ling truck. Next day as he went back he saw an auto which had skidded with 'To know disaster. I CANNOT GIVE.
What is worse than an itinerating husband? Penniless Recently our grandson who seems at 17 months I can wrap in rags to be manifesting his maternal grandfather's itinerating proclivities returned from the end of But Ithe block looking innocent and hugging a wet I cannot bear to hear paint sign, and next day was returned i~ the arms STARVED CHILDREN CRY.
Penniless And rain falls . But trust is true Helpless I wait to see WHAT GOD WILL DO.
The Passion of Raymund Lull By KENNETH G. GRUBB, London, England Joint author of "Religion in the Republic of Spain"
N EARLY seven centuries have passed since Seven centuries then have passed by since this Raymund Lull, the first Christian mission- Apostle to Islam was born in Palma, the capital ary to the Moslems, set out on his lonely quest. The world, as seen in the light of mission- of Majorca.* It is difficult for us to picture what ary endeavor, has greatly changed since then. Printing has been discovered; the Renaissance, life in the Middle Ages must have been. Since the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation that time a new continent has arisen out of the have followed one another in close succession. Western Seas and men have been lured to new The Roman Catholic empire of Spain has faded, adventure by the sound of breaking of Southern and the power of Protestant nations has arisen Seas. The boundaries of heaven, inlaid with to preeminence. Kingdoms have given place to stars, have sunk back into illimitable space; and republics and republics to dictatorships. No all forms of thought and ways of life have passed longer does the Moor hold the great cities of through lasting changes. In the aisles of dark southern Spain. The sea-route to India has churches, where silent knight and abbot sleep in linked east and west, and by canals, dug by men stone, and in the sound of medireval church bells with their machinery, the continents have been we catch something of those men of yesterday, brought together. Where Don John of Austria but they cannot come to us, nor can we go to them. gathered his fleet against the Turk, tourist steam- But we know, through the lives of such as Lull, ers ritle at anchor today. But still the challenge that the problems of the human heart were fundawhich Raymund Lull gave his life to face remains menta:lly the same, that the figure of Jesus evoked unsolved. The Moslem world is still in very large then as now the same response from consecrated part solidly resistant to the power of Christian hearts, and that, strangely enough, one of the love and the penetration of the Christian message. • There is some dispute about the exact date, but the Lullian Society of Majorca agreed t.o celebrat.e the Seventh Centenary In 1935.
great problems of world evangelization, the Is~ with the defence and exposition of the Christian lamic challenge, was essentially the same. faith, and current medireval knowledge. Between October 1313 and May 1314 he prepared over A few years before LuH's birth Majorca itself thirty treatises setting out his views. of Chrishad been reconquered from the Moors. His fa~ tianity. He wrote poetry, "contemplative" works, ther, in fact, was one of the knights that accom~ and "romances of Christian evidences." His panied James I of Aragon in the Reconquest. magnum opus is the vast "Book of Contempla- Palma was at that time one of the most active and tion," an encyclopredia of medireval philosophy, busiest ports of the Mediterranean, and shipping theology and natural science, as well as a lively from all the coasts of southern Europe and north~ description of Catalan society of his time. This ern Africa mingled in the harbor. The beautiful book of nearly a million words also contains an si'gnorial residences of the town today, its mag~ extended apologia for his choice of a missionary nificent cathedral, and its Lonja, or exchange, career. For centuries after his death his reputabear witness to its prosperity. Here, where Mos~ tion was supreme, and it even survived the lem and Christian mingled in the streets with the Renaissance. His followers credited him with betolerance that was characteristic of that age in ing the inventor of nitric acid, the discoverer of Spain before the Inquisition, Raymund spent his the Great Elixir, and the foreshadower of the disearly life. It was that of a profligate and sinful coveries of Columbus! young man who cared nothing for the restraint of his religion. The story of his conversion relates But the outstanding characteristic of Lull's long that he was in love with a beautiful lady of Palma, life, and one which will forever commend him to the memory of his fellow Christians, was his dewas and while he was composing verses to her there votion. Whatever the cause which engaged his granted to him a mystical vision of the suffer- attention, the pursuit of knowledge, the attainings of our Lord. "Suddenly," says the most ment of the mystic's union with God, the convermodern and the ablest of his Anglo-Saxon biog- sion of the Moslem, or the preparation of other raphers,t "when his whole understanding was en- missionaries, he pursued it with unceasing congaged and occupied in the composition of his vain secration. He had no time either for the careless song, he chanced to look up," and ther.e, at his or the learned trifler. He moved toward his goal, side, was "the figure of our Lord Jesus Christ whatever it was, without pause and without rehanging upon the Cross." He himself writes in gret. This is a characteristic devoutly to be deone of his poems- sired today, when a thousand conflicting interests are apt to distract the attention and divert the But Jesus Christ, by His great clemency judgment. Lull possessed devotion in a remark- Five times upon the Cross appeared to me, able degree, and for this reason his name will be That I might think upon Him lovingly, remembered when those of others of his age are And cause His Name proclaimed abroad to be, lost in the records of the past. Through all the world. Two aspects of Lull's life are of special interest: The undisputed fact is that while stiU compara- one is his labor for the conversion of Islam, and tively a young man, he abandoned the world and the other his pursuit of the mystical path of union took the habit of a Franciscan friar. with his Lord. In these are well illustrated the man's weakness and his· strength. For the con- From this time onwards Lull became a Knight- version of Moslems he relied particularly, and in errant both of faith and knowledge. In the course accord with the spirit of the age, on a process of of his journeys he visited France, Italy, Cyprus, intellectual conviction. His Ars Magna was a Armenia and Mrica in His Master's Service. He compendious guide to all truth, a restatement, made use of these travels to gather information, analysis and defence of the Christian faith, which, to enrich his writings and to deepen his own re- as he himself thought, set forth Christianity in so ligious life. But his real object was to make incontrovertible a manner as to serve as an inknown his Ars Magna, or method of converting fallible instrument for the conversion of the Moslems, either in disputations with Moslems world. From this Ars he compiled a vast numthemselves, or else among Christians whom he ber of simpler expositions for the use of the unsought to stir up to zeal in this holy cause. His learned. He expresses his confidence in this long life, passed in one of the romantic centuries method in his own naIve lines: of the Dark Ages, was spent in ceaseless activity until he met his death by martyrdom at Bougu A science I have found that's new, in North Africa, in 1314, at nearly eighty years Whereby comes knowledge of the true, of age. And falsehood's followers grow few. Infidels now their creeds will rue- Lull's energy was prodigious. He is said to Tartar and Saracen and J ewhave been the author of over 500 works, which For God therewith did me imbue. cover a vast number of subjects, but deal mainly t Mr. A11!son Peers.
The history of Christian missions to the Mos- tian disciple was brought inside a life of passion lem is sufficient to show the error of this mis- and enthusiasm, of suffering and glory, for the placed confidence. The will wears more impene- expression of which words did not suffice, but only tJ·able armor than the intellect, and cannot be a body broken and blood poured out. Love, to taken into captivity except by the use of more Lull, was life in its ultimate purpose; it possessed spiritual weapons, by much prayer, by sacrifice, the irresistible power of a physical force; it was by the way of humility and love. Lull did not by a sharing of the "cup" by which alone the triumph any means overlook the use of these hidden hut could be shared. It was natural that love should powerful weapons, but he regarded his Ars as the desire a reward, but to love-that was in itself special means through which the great end which the highest reward. So, through ecstasy in he sought, must be accomplished. After com- prayer, through trials in service, love passes on pleting this weighty compilation he reascended to the life union and the lover goes unto his Be- Mount Randa, where he had received his original loved. "divine illumination," to pray day and night for Lull's whole life, and the reverence in which his four months that it might be used "to the honor memory is held today, are a testimony to the treof God and to the profit of the Holy Catholic mendous moral force which is generated by com- plete self-surrender to God. He was not free to faith." More interesting and significant perhaps today choose whether he would confer the benefits of his was his attempt to train missionaries to carry on outstanding intellectual and spiritual powers upon his work. On the cliffs of his lovely island, at the other men; it was his duty, and necessity was laid spot known as Miramar, he founded a missionary upon him. His attributes of character were gifts college, where he gathered thirteen Franciscan from God, and anything which he had to give was friars. Day by day they gathered round to talk not in the nature of benevolence but atonement, with their teacher, or wandered with him through atonement for the bitternesses of the age, for the the pines and among the tortuous stony paths. hostility between Christian and Moor. His great Far below them, the lisping of the blue waves adventure of love began and ended in his sense of among the old grey rocks made pleasant music in the profound obligation to be among men as one their ears, and called them across the seas to those that serveth. lands which, like their own, had known both Cross The all-compelIing nature of this motive is eviand Crescent, but unlike theirs, had never been dent in all his thought on his great mission to the Moslem world about him. "I see many Knights," reconquered for the Cross. he says, "going to the Holy Land ,beyond the seas As a pioneer of the inner life Lull holds a unique and thinking that they can acquire it by force of place. This mystical quality in his thought and arms; but in the end all are destroyed before they devotion finds its highest expression in the little attain that which they think to have. Whence it "Book of the Lover and the Beloved," Lull's one undoubted masterpiece. Though nearly the small- seems to me that the conquest of the Holy Land ought not to be attempted except in the way in est it is undoubtedly the greatest of the author's which Thou and Thine apostles acquired it, many works, and it contains in comparatively few namely, by love and prayers, and the pouring out pages, the essence of his religious experience. It is the most widely known of all his writings and of blood and tears." can be read today in six languages. In general Many of Lull's deepest meditations were formed tone and depth of feeling it reminds the reader during his wanderings in his own native island of of the Gospel of St. John, and it must take rank Majorca. Indeed. it would have been difficult for among the more profound documents recording him to find, in the lands bordering the Mediterthe Christian view and practice of the mystic way. ranean, a spot which by history and environment On every page it is concerned with a truer under- was more suited to such a purpose. Islands, many standing of the ideal of union with God as the goal a time, have given to the world pioneers of of the spiritual life; its description of love as "the thought or action. Here in his native Majorca, desire for the Beloved as being the end of the with the tinkling of sheep-bells among the bushes will," is both comprehensive and satisfying. It and rocks, with the quiet splash of friendly waters stretches the use of language to the full in its in the little caves, with the pervasive odor of the boldness of expression, but its words are the southern pines, and the company of a boat or two words of one who himself put to the proof the fishing in the bay; here, when the afternoon sun power of love, and spurned the lower way of self- declined over the sea and lit the towering peaks above, bare in summer, snow-touched in the preservation and self-protection. This book shows clearly that the real motive winter, or when the light itself both molded stark that constrained Lull to a long life of service and outlines and created radiant backgrounds as it devotion was the love of Christ. By it the Chris- fell on the islets and stretching promontories, this
pioneer would walk, and meditate on those themes which realizes that it must maintain morale and which by his treatment have enriched the common build for the future. spiritual heritage of mankind. Behind all his dreams was the tireless beating of the waves, the Hospitals, especially, are urged to keep open. soft but eternal murmur calling him again to There are 297 foreign doctors and 207 foreign launch forth on the knightly quest for men and nurses in the 232 mission hospitals, half of whom God. And around him was a solemn silence, a are American. These hospitals cared last year sil~nce which could be felt, like the silence of for over 200,000 in-patients and about 3,000,000 Horeb or of Calvary, or of all places where God out-patients. The Seventh Day Adventist Medical is present and flesh is subdued. Center in Shanghai has been destroyed. St. Luke's in Hongkew has moved its staff and equipment THE WAR AND MISSIONS IN CHINA into the International Settlement. Margaret Wil- liamson Hospital had to be evacuated. Japanese The effect of the present armed conflict upon airplanes bombed the Mission Hospital of the Dismissions and Christian institutions in China has ciples' Mission at Nantungchow, 50 miles northbeen shattering, especially in some areas. Educa- west of Shanghai, killing two Chinese doctors, tional institutions have been the first to suffer. thr.ee nurses, eight other workers and five pa- Out of a total of 499 educational and cultural in- tients, and demolishing the hospital. All hospitals stitutions, research institutes, libraries, museums near the war areas are crowded with wounded and observatories, 84 per cent are in the coastal soldiers and civilians and the Chinese Medical Asprovinces, including 17 out of 21 American sup- sociation, which includes in its membership pracported colleges and universities. Seventy-eight of tically all western-trained doctors in China, is the 105 colleges and universities, with enrollment cooperating with the government in the supply of of over 50,000 students, are in war areas and 23 doctors. are in Japanese occupied territory. Seven of these have been wholly or partly destroyed by Japanese The work of the Church is naturally much afbombing, including Nankai University, Women's fected. Shanghai, the nerve center of Christian Normal School and Hopei Technical Institute in organizations in China, is now to a great extent Tientsin, National Central University in Nanking, cut off from the rest of the country and it is diffiand Chung Shan University in Canton. Che Chih, cult to send funds to the interior. Tung Chi and Fu Tan Universities in Shanghai are completely destroyed. The University of Thousands of churches not in areas of fighting Shanghai, founded by the Northern and Southern will be affected by troop movements and bomb- Baptist missions, with property value of $800,000 ings, by diminished sources of native support, by U. S., has suffered from large shell holes in the restrictions upon activities and by the general main buildings and from looting of faculty resi- strain of war. But reports indicate that most dences by Japanese troops. Chinese workers are facing the situation cour- ageously and that there is a revival of faith and In the Peiping and Tientsin area of north China of the spirit of prayer in many sections. In larger most schools are attempting to reopen under seri- cities interdenominational committees for relief ous difficulties because of Japanese restrictions work are being formed. Sian, Taiyuan, Chengtu, upon educational freedom and the arrests of cer- Changsha, Anking, Wuhu and Wenchow have retain teachers and students. ported that Christian work is being continued without interruption. The American Branch of In Shanghai, where fierce fighting still goes on, the China Inland Mission, which has the largest educators are doing their best to conserve the in- number of missionaries in interior provinces, restitutional work that is left. The University of ceived a cable (September 16) saying "Inland all Shanghai has found temporary quarters in the In- safe." Many churches in north China are caring ternational Settlement. Medhurst College of the for refugees from war zones. London Mission, schools of the Southern Baptist Mission, in addition to many government and pri- The general feeling in China among missionvate schools, are in the war area. St. John's aries is that this is not the time to desert their University, founded by the American Episcopal Chinese friends and fellow-workers. This atti- Mission, is near the fighting lines. The policy of tude is being supported by most missionary sociecontinuing educational work during the crisis has ties, in America and in England. Dr. E. E. Brown the strong support of the Chinese government of Wuhu General Hospital writes, "We share our work in peace times with Chinese colleagues; why' should we not share in time of danger?"
FRANK W. PRICE.
Work Among the
One Hundred and Fifty Years of Service Among Native Americans By G. E. E. LINDQUIST, Lawrence, Kansas – . For ten years Missionary-at-Large, Society for Propagating )J.- the Gospel Among the Indians and Others in North America O N NOVEMBER 19th this year the oldest school in the wilderness to the support of the col- incorporated missionary society in Amer- lege" (for example, Samson Occom and the found- ica celebrates its sesquicentennial. Or- ing of Dartmouth), were but a few of the activiganized in the days when no restrictions were ties promoted by this Puritan Society which had placed on long titles, it has been known through- its roots in Mother England. out its 150 years as "The Society for Propagating the Gospel Among the Indians and Others in The American Revolution naturally meant the North Amellica." Brought into being as a mis- virtual cessation of English effort in behalf of sionary unit within a few months after the Amer- aboriginees in the new republic. Nor had the ican Constitution was adopted, it seems to have distractions of war (French and Indian as well been imbued with something of the youthful vi- as the Revolution) tended toward the promotion tality and commendable daring of that memorable of Christian missions. Wars never do. True, as document. It has thus an honorable place among early as 1762, sporadic efforts had been made to the early undertakings in the newly established establish a missionary society on New England nation. The spirit of independence had been born among a people "no longer subjects in a Province, but citizens in a Nation."
A Pioneer Spirit A pioneer spirit antedated this organization in THREE CHEROKEE CHIEFS WHO VISITED LONDON IN 1762 sending the Gospel to "the heathen of New England," as is evidenced in the somewhat sporadic soil. A considerable fund was collected and a attempts of sundry individuals and societies charter obtained from the Colonial government; whose activities have come down to us in such but when "the act of their incorporation was sent quaint reports as those contained in "New Eng- to England for allowance, the Archbishop of land's First Fruits" (1643), and "The Day Break- Canterbury, jealous lest this should interfere with ing if not the Sun Rising of the Gospel with the the society established in Great Britain, or per- Indians (1647)." It must be remembered that in haps unwilling that persons not well affected to the 147th and the early part of the 18th centuries espiscopacy should obtain a new influence and missionary societies, supported by churches as we power by this means, obtained from the King a know them today, were not in existence. Mis- negative on the incorporating bill." sions were either sponsored by the Government, coincident with Colonial expansion, or by indi- The zeal of "the Christian gentlemen of 1762" viduals possessed of Christian and humanitarian was greatly abated at this rebuff, and the Revoluzeal for those "sitting in darkness and in the tion occupied their attention later, so it was not shadow of death." Thus "amid the stir in thought until 1787 that another attempt at organization and deed at the rise of the English Common- was made. The immediate occasion for this revival wealth" there came into being the corporation known as "The President and Society for Propagation of the Gospel in New England" (1649). History records the work of John Eliot, "the first apostle to the Indians," as well as other pioneers who were representatives of Puritan devotion and missionary zeal. "From physic for the body to medicine for the soul, from aid to the primary [533 ]
seems to have been due to Scottish influence. Dr. een in the District of Maine and two on the Isles Peter Thacher, historian for the Society in 1798, of Shoals. The original benefactor, Col. Alford, describes it in the following graphic manner: had been concerned with "the dark, benighted "In the year 1787, a commission from the society parts of the land," especially the destitute parts in Scotland, for propagating Christian knowledge, of Maine. Consequently, until 1836 the Society was received by a number of gentlemen in Boston helped to support missionaries and preachers in and its vicinity, to superintend the funds of the the frontier settlements of that state and on the society which were devoted to Christianizing the Isles of Shoals "where the inhabitants could not aboriginal natives of America. Ashamed that alone maintain the regular institutions of reli- more solicitude for this object should be discov- gion."
ered by foreigners than by themselves, these gen- Aside from "the free preaching of the Gospel tlemen revived the former plan, and associated to the poor and the destitute," the early missionfor the purpose of forming a society similar to aries were charged with the distribution of "usethat in Scotland. They petitioned the General ful, human literature." Accordingly, the chroni- Assembly for a charter, which was granted them, cler of 1804 was able to report: "In prosecution with the adequate powers, at the close of the same of these salutary purposes, the Society since the year, 1787." year 1787 have purchased and distributed (except A Colonel and a Governor a few remaining in hand for the same purpose) 607 Bibles, 1,151 Testaments, 1,649 Spelling Whether this new society would have survived Books, 801 Psalters, 2,310 Primers, 140 Watt's the financial depression of post-Revolution days Psalms and Hymns, 768 of Doddridge's Rise and without the substantial aid of an army colonel is Progress of Religion in the Soul and 9,898 other not easy to determine at this distance. However, books, mostly pamphlets, but many large and val- Col. John Alford of Charleston, who was desirous uable treatises, making in the whole (if .we in- that the "Aboriginals should be both civilized and clude what were given to the Indians) 17,324."
Christianized," had set aside a considerable part Schools in the Wilderness of his estate for this purpose. Richard Cary, his executor, writing to the members of the Society It has been well said that the early-day misin 1789, says: "Having honored me with his sionary advanced into the bounding wilderness power to act, I have often heard him speak with with the Bible in one hand and the textbook in the concern of the state of"the Indians; how gentle- .other. A task of immediate concern, therefore, men in England were at great expense in having was the establishment and support of schools, the Gospel propagated among them (the Indians), especially "in those towns where there were but while we, in this country, were inattentive to this few inhabitants, and those few not in circumimportanf concern." It developed that Col. AI- stances to support a teacher." The instructors ford's bequest amounted to $10,675.18 in "real were "men of piety, experience and other qualidollars." (rather than "nominal dollars").* fications, to lead in religious services on the Lord's Among other most generous early .contributors day; that so parents and children may derive to the funds of the Society was Hon. James Bow- benefit from their labours."
doin, "afterward Governor of the Commonwealth" All efforts in this direction were not eminently (whose name is perpetuated by Bowdoin College). successful, as is evident from the daily journal of Thus, sixteen years after its establishment, twelve the first missionary teacher (Mr. Little) s~nt to benefactors had given $17,514.51. By 1803 the Penobscot Bay in Maine. He speaks of opening total funds were $23,417.35, and its income $1,- "a free English school," near the borders of In- 145.83. That some "contract relationship" with dian Old Town, and after inviting the Indians· the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must have and getting in touch with the chief Sachem, a obtained in those early days is evident from the French priest arrived on the scene. This reprehistorian of that period who states that "for many sentative of religion, however, was evidently not years" an annual grant was received from the in favor of "free English schools" among his con- Legislature. It is not indicated what these grants stituents, for after conducting a council with involved in dollars and cents, nor when the grants them, the results were reported to Mr. Little as were discontinued. follows: "That ajlmall part of them were desirous to have their children taught the language and In the first Iieriod of its existence the Society manners of the English, but all of them were apsupported four missionaries among the Indians prehensive that their religion would be in danger; (Cape Cod region and Martha's Vineyard), eight- • It Is Interesting to note in this connection that Col. Alford also (they also) wished to know why their children endowed a new professorship at Harvard College of "Natural Re- could not be taught to read and write by a master ligion, Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity," called by the name of of their own religious persuasion." Mr. Little, "Alford's Professor."
EARLY WORK AMONG THE INDIANS
finding the object of his free school "clouded by these missionaries were not to go unrewarded is unforeseen occurrences and events," withdrew evident from a number of items in the annual re- "down the river" where his services were more ports. The truth of the old saying that where certain conditions are fulfilled certain inevitable acceptable. * results will follow, was repeatedly verified. Per- haps no better illustration need be cited than that These ambassadors and propagators of the of Rev. John Sargeant's work among the Oneidas Gospel were "rugged individualists" in an origi- where one-third of the tribe "were determined to nal sense and may aptly be called "prophets of join his congregation at the commencement of the the long road," the sobriquet attached to Francis year" (1805). In his report to the secretary he Asbury of Methodist pioneer fame. Perhaps we "expresses strong hope, by the blessing of God, may apply to them the words used to describe that the two parties (Pagan and Christian) may Methodism's first bishop: "They sat at the feet of some of life's greatest teachers, such as pain, hunger, cold, opportunity, a vast wilderness and a few great books. God, nature and solitude were among their instructors." Far and wide they traveled, often afoot, eager to bring the Good News to Red Men and White Men alike in the scattered settlements. Thus we read of Mr. Oliver (Report of 1805), who during six months spent in the service of the Society, "traveled about 1,200 miles, preached 133 sermons, visited 196 families, and baptized 7 children."
Instructions to Missionaries SAMSON OCCUM, KNOWN AS THE " PIOUS MOHEGAN"
Very specific were the instructions to mission- be united, both in civil and religious views. If ary candidates. Imbued with the urgency of their these prospects are realized, it will rejoice the mission as "propagators" of the Gospel, they were hearts of all, who wish well to the poor, benighted to spend as little time as possible among those heathen of our country." "already enjoying the ordinances of religion." There was to be no duplication or overlapping of The founders and directors of the Society were effort. They were not to abide in the cities but interested in ameliorating the "civil conditions of rather were to seek out the rural folk. Further- the Ind~ans" at a time when strong pressure was more, the Gospel was to be preached freely, with- being brought to bear on the Government for their out "any reward" from those to whom they min- western removal. Rev. Jedidiah Morse (Secreistered, excepting necessary support. They were tary 1802-1810) conceived a plan for "Education not to "attempt the purchase of lands" or engage Families" which were to constitute groups of Inin any secular business, lest the people should dians living under a community economy and unsuppose them to be governed by interested' mo- der the guidance of Christian leadership which tives. Many instances of "entangling alliances" might have been avoided in the mission field if similar counsel had been consistently followed from that day to this! No large salaries were received and none were expected. The laborer was to be worthy of his hire-nothing more, nothing less.
In the face of these practical suggestions the missionaries were not sent forth blindly on their tasks. Consequently, the secretary could with propriety incorporate in an annual report the following: "They may have erred in their judgments, but we know that their intentions have been pure." This is not an unworthy tribute and would not be out of place in a modern personnel report.
That the consecrated and untiring labors of • Indians still residing at Old Town, Maine, are taught by Roman Catholics who have no doubt continued In succession from the time of Mr, Little's first visit until the present, •
should gradually develop their capacity for indi- indirectly at least, as a result of the impetus fur- vidualism. nished for the conversion of the North American Indians. He stated that he used the term "Education Families," rather than "Mission" so as not to offend the opposers of While the primary concern of the Society was missions and because the phrase "Education Families" the evangelization of the Indians, notable efforts well described the purpose of these associations. He was were also directed to the "benighted dwellers in wise in his generation. Morse sought assistance from the the wilderness" of Anglo-Saxon and even Nordic Federal Government from the appropriation of $10,000, heritage. In 1840 when, according to the Annual first made available in 1819, for aid to private schools en- Report, the Society was already styled "ancient gaged in Indian education. Morse's project did not in- and venerable," missionary work was prosecuted volve removal on any extensive scale but did require that as far west as Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Of Chicago it was thought necessary to describe INDIAN YOUTH-NURSERY SCHOOL, MONTANA the location as "in the north part of the State of Illinois." This might give present-day Chicago- individuals and families gather at certain points where ans something to think about. they could cultivate land· sufficiently fertile to afford a living for the groups in which the educational work was The membership of the Society was limited to to be carried out. A certain amount of segregation from fifty members, "who were to have perpetual suc- the whites was considered essential to the success of the cession," according to the charter and was made proposed educational program. Each community was to up of representatives from various denominations. have its own school and church and even a central school No sectarian restrictions have ever been placed on of higher education· comparable to a college was planned. the missionaries, save that they should be "men Morse even suggested in a report to the president the ulti- of the Protestant religion, of reputed piety, loy- mate foundation of an Indian state which should be self- alty, prudence, knowledge and literature, and of other Christian and necessary qualifications suited governing. * to their respective stations."
Contemporary records of the Society do not In the membership roll we find names familiar to stu- record what success attended Dr. Morse's efforts. dents of American, political and ecclesiastical history. . Perhaps the country was not ready for a consist- Among those who have served as presidents are: Han. ent carry-through of the experiment. Oliver Wendell (1787-93); His Excellency James Sulli- van (1800-06); Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw (1837-61); Rev. S. K. Lothrop (1878-85); Rev. A. P. Peabody, who served at the time of the Centennial year (1887). Those who have served as members and directors include Rev.
"Provoking Others to Love and Good Works" INDIAN WOOD CHOPPERS AT DWIGHT MISSION The Society may with apparent justice lay Nathaniel Emmons, Rev. Eliphalet Porter, Rev. Jedidiah claim to be a forerunner of missionary organiza- Morse, Rev. David Tappan, Samuel Parkman, Esq., Rev. tions, established in the early part of the 19th William E. Chamling, Han. Daniel Webster, Rev. Francis' century (several of which have celebrated their Parkman, Hon. Roger Wolcott, Hon. James P. Melledge, centennial in recent years). Rev. Eliphalet Porter, Rev. Phillips Brooks, Rev. Francis G. Peabody, and Rev. pastor of the First Church in Roxbury, mentions George A. Gordon. For many years Dr. Charles W. Eliot, this in his "Discourse," delivered November 5, former president of Harvard University, was the honored 1807: "We have been the probable occasion of head while his son, Rev. Samuel A. Eliot, has served for provoking others to love and good works, to the years as a member of the Board of Managers and is still charitable contribution of their worldly substance, an active member. and to the forming of associations for the purpose of promoting the common salvation." In fact, the modern missionary movement came into being, • Extract from "A Continent Lost-A Civi1!zation Won," by J. P. Kinney, p. 50.
Naturally the early efforts of the Society were may be moving around him in a vertiable whirlilargely restricted to New England; but as the gig. Whenever a group of Indians are rushed into Indians moved (or were moved) westward the a new course of action, or when something is put Society continued its activities among them. Thus over them in a hurry, there is invariably an unthe Cherokees (Dwight Mission in what is now favorable reaction. This is true of sudden legis- Oklahoma) were helped, the Oneidas in New lative action, of abrupt and sudden changes in York and later in Wisconsin, the Ojibways in their mode of living. Witness, for example, the building of commodious frame houses among the INDIAN LEADERS RETREAT AT LAKE TAHOE Apaches, to replace their crude wickiups. The casual traveler on a visit to the reservation finds Michigan, the Onondagas, Senecas and St. Regis a number of these houses boarded up and abanin New York, the Ottawas, Potawatomies, Dela- doned. He learns that a death has occurred and wares and other groups, loosely designated at that the "ghost fears" are at work. The house buildtime as "western Indians." Included in "the oth- ing program was well intentioned but premature ers" were struggling churches and pioneer insti- and did not take into consideration the superstitutions in "the regions beyond." The centennial tions still prevalent among those people. Numerhistorian mentions, for instance, the Wesleyan ous other examples could be given-the change Seminary and Albion Seminary, in Michigan, from the carefree camp life to the static condi- Lawrence University, Wisconsin, Scandinavian tions of reservation life, from buffalo hunters to Mission in the same state, the Canada Missionary agriculturists, from trapping to truck gardening, Society, Drury College, Missouri, and the Riggs from boarding schools to day schools, from no- madic life to community life. How can one ac- Institute, South Dakota* count for the present chaotic conditions among the Navajos and elsewhere except on the basis of "New Times, New Duties" sudden changes, promises lightly made under the influence of high pressure campaigns by neo- phytes, eager to put across "new deals" but ut- terly ignorant of Indian psychology, history and backgrounds?
A Cooperative Approach In the Indian missionary field, as well as in any other, the time for a narrow partisanship and bigoted sectarianism is past. The present day calls for a cooperative spirit and approach. This With the advent of other mission schools and the organization of denominational Home Mis- sionary societies, it soon became apparent that a shift in the main emphasis of the work might wisely be stressed. Intead, therefore, ·of sending'
itinerant missionaries to the outposts of civiliza- tion or using the Society's funds toward aiding already existing institutions, it was determined (beginning with the work of Rev. Arthur P.
Wedge in 1911) that one field representative be designated to cooperate actively with missionary and governmental agencies in promoting a better understanding of the Indian people, especially in INDIAN CHURCH ON ROSEBUD RESERVATION view of the period of adjustment and assimilation through which they are now passing. Society, in view of its long and continuous history, Anyone who knows the American Indian is its traditions and achievements, has an increas- well aware that he moves slowly, although things ingly unique opportunity to further every effort looking toward cooperative work among our In- • A limited work for Negroes was also promoted, principally car- dian brothers. ried on through aid to such institutions as: Wilberforce University, The task is not· an easy one. Any program, no Ohio, the African Methodist Episcopal Missionary Society, Howard Free School for Colored Persons, National Theological Institute for matter how constructive and enlightened· it may Colored, Washington, D. C.; Hampton Institute, Hampton, Va.; be, is bound to meet with opposition. A brief Lincoln Institute for Colored Persons, Missouri; Woodville Farm School, Georgia, and CIal'lin University. South Carolina.
quotation from the minutes prepared by Peter forward on a mission of service to share their Thacher, secretary of the Society (January, own best vision. 1198), will serve to emphasize that the original purpose and program must still be the spirit in On the seal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony which we address ourselves to the new and chal- there is engraved the figure of an Indian, standing lenging tasks of today. on the New England shore in an attitude of wait- ing, saying, "Come over and help us." His need Notwithstanding the discouragements which have at- was real and vital. On the seal of the Society for tended almost all the attempts to Christianize the Indians, Propagating the Gospel among the Indians and the Society feel it to be their duty still to continue them. others in North America there is engraved a cup Their funds will not admit of sending missionaries into which may very well represent "the cup of salvadistant parts of the continent, or to seek out those nations tion." Inscribed on that second seal are the imof Indians who are wholly unconnected with the white in- mortal words of Zechariah 4: 6, "Not by might, habitants. Their attempts are confined to those tribes nor power, but by my Spirit." In the providence of interspersed among the white inhabitants, or in their God, and through the medium of this Society, the neighborhood. The wish of the Society is to propagate cup of salvation has been offered to the American and cherish the spirit of Christianity in the minds of Indians. Today many of our Red brothers who those people~ and, as their means and opportunity will have tasted that cup rejoice in the life-giving admit, gradually to disseminate Christian knowledge Gospel. It is a most precious gift for it does not among more distant tribes. perish with the taking. They too have come to realize, and have so expressed it to the writer, What of the Future? that the greatest gift which their White brother has brought them is that of the Gospel of Jesus The Society's centennial historian, Henry F. Christ. It has not come "by might, nor by power." Hunnewell, records his impressions in the follow- Often frail human emissaries have been the visiing language: "Already the history of corpora- ble means. It is 'not merely accidental that Intions in this country is showing that age, even dians speak of God as "The Great Spirit." With of a century, not only does not impair usefulness, increasing understanding they follow the poet but can add strength and give promise of a future who speaks their language: with increased means and extended operations." This would seem to be the only justification for Speak to Him thou for He heareth, endowments and foundations-that they go "from And spirit with Spirit can meet; strength to strength," not being content to rest on their laurels but ever seeking new avenues of Closer is He than breathing, approach, accepting new and challenging situa- Nearer than hands and feet. tions, and with renewed youth and vitality going Why I Like to Work for the Board of Foreign Missions _~I.:.I====_B_Y_O_n_e=of=th_e=c_le_r_ic_a_l_S_ta_ff=at=1_56====~III~ PEOPLE in general seem to have a very currency, checks, stocks, bonds and real estate. – peculiar idea of what we do here in the offices Although not in the treasurer's department, in my of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Pres- own department I have an opportunity to learn byterian Church in the U. S. A. Frequently have how money is handled, since we must carefully I heard the remark, "Your work must be very in- account for these millions of dollars and show teresting. But you don't get much business ex- how they are expended. They must be budgeted, perience, do you?" not only in United States currency, but also in the currency of the sixteen different countries where One of the many reasons why I like the work our work is conducted. As the money is used for is because of the very varied experience. To be- salaries of missionaries, evangelists, teachers, docgin with, our work covers an annual business of tors, nurses, and native workers; for the buying $3,000,000. These millions are received from and repairing of properties; for the running exhundreds of thousands of people, individually or penses of churches, schools and hospitals, I learn in groups, by legacy or annuity, in the form of
WHY I LIKE TO WORK FOR THE BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS
about the many phases of our work. Besides this, ·history of that nation; the coming generation will office correspondence covers almost infinite details have a different outlook, as their moral, ethical relating to the welfare and work of 1,400 mission- and mental life is influenced through the stand- aries and their families, such as travel to and from ards of the greatest teacher of all, the Christ.
the fields, finding homes and schools for those on I do not need to read books written by travelers furlough, advising study courses for children and who skim over a country in a few weeks. Many adults, making purchases and shipping them to of our missionaries are famous writers, educators, various points throughout the world, arranging scientists. Their books and reports make fasci- for medical examinations and medical care. nating and authentic reading for, since our reli- What ordinary "business" office can offer such gion cannot be explained to a people without a an experience covering currency, budgeting, real knowledge of that people's own background, our estate, stocks and bonds, law, building construc- missionaries must thoroughly study that people's tion, agriculture, medicine, education, purchasing own religion, mode of living, customs and psy- and shipping, publicity, and their many coordi- chology. They must know their language, their nated lines of work? history, their thought processes, as well as the Besides this, I like to work for the Board be- physical land and its influence. At this end of cause I receive a liberal education through my the line, through their correspondence, reports, daily tasks, and by contacts with those who have and books, I get a cross-section of it all, a rapid traveled widely, studied deeply, and accomplished digest of their many years of intense labor and much. For example, through our regular routine, study.
I can get a broad vision of the political, social, I like to work for the Board because I not only economic, educational and religious life of many receive a wide business experience, and a liberal nations, not to mention their geography and phi- education, but even more because my employers losophy. This one Mission Board has work in help me to learn how to meet life in a finer way, sixteen different countries, and contacts with and in the last analysis, that is the most important practically every part of the globe. Anyone, by thing that can be done for us. Outside the office reading newspapers and magazines, can gain a my life is irrevocably bound up with that in the general idea of the situation in foreign countries office. I do not need to shut my desk at night as -provided the newspaper reporters are expert so many of my friends do, with the thought, historians and statesmen, writing with unbiased "Thank goodness, I can forget this until tomor- eye, and also provided that the foreign corre- row." I do not want to forget it, and I couldn't spondents are not hampered by government cen- if I would.
sorship! But how much more information, de- All business offices have their financial difficultailed and truthful, do we receive from our mis- ties, since the business of business is to bring in sionaries who are in the midst of events in those financial profit. We, too, need money to carryon countries, and in consultation with native leaders. our world enterprises. The depression did not These leaders know they can frankly discuss their pass by the churches nor the church members. affairs with no fear of political intervention and But during these past years, I have seen courage embroilment, but with the assurance that the ad- and faith that has made my heart sing. Disapvice given is in the best interests of their own pointment? Of course! Our leaders are human, people, sound, and free from ulterior motives. but their faith in the supreme Leader has made Where but in these offices could I have access to the attitude and atmosphere of our offices during the past and present histories of movements such these extremely difficult years a very different as the Japanese-Korean situation, the Spanish thing from that of the many business offices I have civil war, the status of the Camerouns, the evo- visited. lution of Iran, the new freedom for Turkish And the little things about the office-what of women, the changes in China and India, the Mex- them? After all, I spend the major part of my ican totalitarian state? And all this, not by doing life here. Why should not, therefore, the little library research, but simply through daily corre- things be as important here as in my home-the spondence and contacts with Americans and na- courtesy, the efforts for our comfort; the thoughttives who have been in the thick of these events. fulness, and the realization that our superior offi- In this same way I learn of the educational ad- cers consider us human. When salaries were cut, vance of other nations, the fight against illiteracy, I knew that it was not done, as in so many places, what the government is doing towards compulsory to take advantage of the economic crisis, and I education in rural sections and in cities. If those was confident that when conditions permitted, governments are using mission schools as models every effort would be made to restore them. If I for their own work, employing our teachers as make a mistake in my work, the air is not blue staff supervisors, there will be a change in the with profanity. Neither is it blue with smoke!
Into every office, death comes at some time,. system based on length of service and salary. Aleither to a worker or in a worker's family. In though there are only about 60 of us, we have a our office, where we are in personal touch not only Clerical Staff Organization which has charge of with the executive and clerical staffs and their all matters touching our welfare. Requests and families but with 1,400 missionaries living in haz- complaints go through a clerical staff committee, ardous places, news of death comes perhaps more which in turn brings them before a committee of frequently. The heartbreak of cables announcing the Board, where they are carefully and conscienthe loss of some loved one half way across the tiously discussed, and the answers are reported world, an accident to a child sent home to school, back to us. Salaries are scaled according to posiearthquake and famine and dread disease, as well tion and years of service. Vacations vary with as the perils by land and sea-all this we know. length of service, to a maximum of four weeks. But the way sorrow and tragedy are met, in the We have the privilege of consulting the Medical strength and comfort brought down from On High Secretary, and he helps us secure necessary aid -this is not seen in every office. And when it through private physicians or hospitals. We have comes our turn to face trials, can we fail to apply a pleasant lunch room with all necessary kitchen what we have seen and learned, to our own lives? equipment, a delightful rest room, the use of the missions library. We are not stinted on light or All have difficult problems to meet, but here heat. Almost every office has its growing plants, almost every letter brings with it a personal prob- and is as cheery as an office can possibly be. lem, a call for advice. Our leaders, through years of experience in the daily solving of such prob- We have an annual dinner for executives and lems, have gained great wisdom, sympathy and clerical staff, Christmas parties, department getunderstanding. When my own problems arise, togethers, special lectures and addresses, and the and they have been legion these past years, I fol- privilege of extended vacations for travel. low their methods as best I can; and if more mature advice is needed, I can always discuss my Our fifteen-minute noon-time prayer meeting is problem with them, in the certainty that thought- not taken out of our lunch hour, but it is our ful consideration will be given it, and all their privilege to attend. This is not only a pleasant experience placed at my disposal. break in the day, but a refreshing of soul and spirit that has its favorable reaction upon our Above all, I like the spirit of cooperation among physical bodies and on our work. the executives themselves, as well as between executives and clerical staff. Things are done in Summing all this up, I like to work for the committee, not individually. The minority knows Board of Foreign Missions because I am treated how to yield, and all are willing to be guided. as a co-worker and friend, because I receive not only a tangible salary but great value in intangible All these are intangible things. But I like to things, and because, since my employers command work for the Board because of their fair treat- my highest respect and the Cause for which we ment along tangible lines. Long before the New work has my deepest love, I can give to them and Deal and its Social Security Act, we had a pension it my unstinted loyalty.
Christians and the New Life Movement By MADAME CHIANG KAI-SHEK The Leading Woman in China A LETTER from the Church of Christ in morning as they arise. On the first day of issue China has reminded me how much respon- sibility we Christians should carry in two fathers bought cards for each member of the bringing New Life to the people around us. Let me quote: "The Bible Women's Association of family so that the children might form the habit Canton has issued a prayer card with the design of the New Life Movement and the Cross. Their of praying daily for China." . aim is to have a League of Prayer of at least a thousand who promise to pray for China each The cross in the background of the New Life Movement! It has always been there, and the subject fascinates me. Praying daily for China!
That is something that we can all do. One man in government service told me that he uses the
CHRISTIANS AND THE NEW LIFE MOVEMENT
three minutes of silence, observed in the regular conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by Monday morning Memorial Service, to pray for the renewing of your mind." I always want to the nation's leaders. add, and in so doing transform society until we mould it nearer to our heart's desire. Not long ago, in the Officers' Moral Endeavor *** Association at Nanking, a friend came face to face with a painting of Christ that vividly revealed George W. Shepherd writes: General Chiang the crown of thorns. Drops of blood could be seen Kai-shek has issued an official invitation to Chrison the forehead and chest, and the visitor threw tian churches to coqperate with the Movement, up his hands and said: "What a sad picture!" particularly in the field of social service. Some To my husband and myself the cross means not Christian groups have since expressed themselves sadness, but triumph. Without it there could not as feeling that these regulations might eventually possibly be New Life for any of us. If you read lead to some local New Life Movement Associacarefully through the public addresses that the tion assuming that it could exercise control over Generalissimo has delivered during the past three the life of the church.
years, you will notice that sacrifice, blood, and the Significant changes have been taking place. sweat of labor, are referred to frequently as the These changes may be summarized as follows: only way out for individuals and the nation. The 1. The New Life Movement shall not become a political cross is the centre of his life, hence his appeal to instrument in the hands of any party or clique. It the churches and the Christians throughout the belongs solely to the people.
nation to take responsibifity in living the New 2. The staff at New Life Movement Headquarters and in Life and passing it on to others. the local associations have no official rank. They After hI·S return from Sian, the Generalissimo have no authority to issue documents and regulations other than those which come from the President. decided to give more and more time to the de- 3. The chief emphasis of the Movement is to be upon the velopment of character through the New Life development of character through living the prin- Movement. It is with this in mind that he under- ciples of Li, I, Lien, Chih. "New Life is not sometook to organize the Headquarters at Nanking. thing to promote, but a life to be lived." There was a time when some thought they might make a political instrument out of the New Life 4. The New Life Movement is distinctly a Movement and not an organization primarily concerned with estab- Movement, but this can never be. It must for- lishing and perpetuating itself as a permanent instiever remain a movement within the hearts and tution. The Movement will cooperate with and assist lives of the people encouraging them toward fuller all agencies at work on improving the social life of the people.
cooperation in the tasks that face us as a nation, It should be very clear from the foregoing that and slowly but surely building character that will the New Life Movement is not a rival of the stand the test of time, and that will never again church and cannot do the spiritual work that only allow us to stoop to the evils that have afflicted the church is qualified to do. At one time, friends society so long. If we Christians should be busy of the Movement suggested that it solicit members about any task, surely it is this. who would pledge themselves to carry out its The mystical element.m religion must have principles, but the President replied that every value for some, otherwise so many great people citizen of China is automatically a member of the in history would not have followed its gleam. To Movement. The living of New Life principles is me, however, religion is just life as it must be hence the obligation of every citizen. It cannot lived by ordinary mortals, but with the humdrum draw circles of inclusion or exclusion unless it tasks of every day being performed with greater draws a circle around the whole of China. cheerfulness because of an inner faith in God. It There has been an awakening on the part of is the daily renewing of our faith, our courage, • Chinese Christians in their responsibilities towatd our vision, the better to grapple with what the the State. The development of a modern govern- day may bring forth. ment in which they can place their confidence has The organization of the Kiangsi Christian had much to do with it. The attitude of local officials in inviting the cooperation of the church Rural Service Union, slightly over three years in rural reconstruction and in health work has ago, appeared to some as a strange and new step also contributed toward good will and created an for the church. To the Generalissimo and to me atmosphere in which Christians are more at home. it seemed the natural thing for Christians to do. Prayer services for national leaders, and for the A very great responsibility rests upon us so long nation, in times of crisis, have also fostered the as the farmers and workers of many provinces interest of the rank and file of Christians in the have little opportunity to secure the bare essen- welfare of their country. Undoubtedly the New tials of life. Life Movement in its bold stand for righteousness, Christians throughout China should cooperate justice, and honesty, has greatly encouraged many in living and extending its principles. "Be not
a despondent Christian, and given him a distinct It has an odor of formality and external author- feeling of self-respect. Now thousands of Chris- ity. I do not say that they are not helpful, but tians are praying daily that God will deliver China they are not enough. New Life must come from out of all her troubles. the changing of hearts. That is not to be accom- Work by Christian groups in prisons, military plished by posters and addresses only.
hospitals, orphanages, and settlements, is all very As Christians, we must do our best to help the much appreciated by New Life Movement Head- cause of the New Life Movement. It has many in- quarters, and reports on progress and problems teresting and instructive points. Then when we will receive careful attention. Social service by realize the perspective, we ought to contribute to Christian groups everywhere is highly desirable, it the unique teaching and message of Chris- particularly where New Life may be born from tianity. The thing that the New Life Movement within. "Except a man be born again" he oannot lacks is spiritual force. It gives us a lot of plati- see New Life. After all the genius of the church tudes: but it has no technique for the attainment is to give men a spiritual rebirth and send them of spirituality.
out to fight life's battles equipped with the whole Then the Movement lacks a central personality.
armor of God. Others can do many of the obvious We worship Jesus Christ. The New Life Move- things that need to be done, only the church can ment has no concrete example to follow, it seems give spiritual life. The church must not become to be a collection of teachings. It is high time so busy about other things that it runs the danger for us Christians to preach Jesus Christ and his of neglecting its main business of remaking men. Gospel.
The New Life Movement gives the church a We must not merely preach the Gospel, we must large place in Chinese ,society, and a standing that live it out ourselves, especially those of us who has not been previously so frankly acknowledged, are supposed to be leaders in church or public life.
but it grants this status believing that the church If we do not shine for Christ, who will? God has and its institutions have spiritual vitality. The wonderfully used some of us, and has given us New Life Movement does not mistake the church power too. Why not demonstrate to the nation for 'a mere social service agency. It knows that that only a Christian Movement can really save within Christianity there is a life of both quality China? This seems to me the biggest challenge.
and quantity, for it can J?e passed on to the For some concrete suggestions, I mention the masses. following. We can help the cause of the New Life *** Movement by linking it to our Christian message Z. K. Zia, a Chinese Christian, writes: The in the Christian Broadcasting Station, or in our New Life Movement has made an impression on Christian magazines, or even in our churches. Do officialdom as well as on the people of China. all we can to make the New Life Movement a suc- How deep is the impression? cess. When it is properly broadcasted and linked The New Life Movement, as it is, comes from up with Christ, I believe that its moral and spir- the higher authority down to the rank and file. itual standard will be lifted.-Chinese Recorder.
Fruit from Seed–Sowing in China Extracts from a recent letter of ORPHA B. GOULD Missionary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, Paotingfu, North China Y OU should see the smile on the face of Miss family, her father being a provincial official. She Tso Shou Chen, the latest arrival in my was formerly_strongly anti-Christian and anti- home. She left a good position in Shanghai foreign. Now, like the Apostle Paul, she calls because she believed that God told her to come to herself the "chief of sinner," because she had Paotingfu. The superintendent of the Shanghai berated and even cursed the name of Jesus. At school wrote to tell me what a blessing she had one time she recalls saying to a friend, "You wor- . been, and how God had marvelously used her ship Jesus; you might better worship me." there. During her third year at Yenching University This young woman is from a wealthy Buddhist she was converted and left immediately for the
FRUIT FROM SEED-SOWING IN CHINA
Bible School in Nanking. She was graduated last and later several other believers were added to spring, and now has no other aim in life than to the Lord. While we were at this village, a mardo the will of Him who has called her to go forth ried daughter came home for a visit and heard with the glorious message of salvation. She is a about Jesus for the first time. She went back to beautiful, talented and refined young woman and her village, and the next day a man came earnestly her messages are tender, wooing, cutting, straight entreating us to come to their village. We went to the point. She turns down all offers ofa sal- there the following day and the people listened ary. Since her conversion, she has won most of earnestly to the Message, inviting us to come and her family to Christ. Her great aim is to reflect live in their village. We returned six weeks later the glory of the Lord and to be changed into His and found that five homes had torn down their i~age (2 Corinthians 3: 18). idols before we arrived, pledging themselves to believe in the true God. The day we arrived, al- *** though it was sleeping, no room was large enough to hold the crowd that came. They stood in a shed A Chinese evangelist, Mr. Pan,at our retreat all afternoon and evening and listened hungrily to last fall, led the main meetings, his face and his the Message. Several families decided to become message and his prayers all witnessed to his lov- Christians and have held services every Sunday ing, vital touch with his Lord and Master. He since. spoke of Life, with a capital L straight up and down with God, and then across to others,1 with At the next village we visited, the Christianspower that went straight home to the heart. all poor farmers – had built a. chapel with two rooms. Every detail of the chapel told of the time, We went to the Man Ch'eng district to hold a effort, and thought they had put into the work. three days' retreat for the Christian leaders from Fifteen to twenty were present at the early mornthe surrounding villages. Thirty to forty were ing prayer meeting and the evangelistic meeting present and all expenses of food and travel were was packed; many stayed over for the evening joyously cared for by the Christians in that dis- Bible class. One day, at a street meeting in Tsang trict. Not one cent came from the mission. Ts'un, a lady came up saying, "I want to believe in Jesus." She had been a sun worshiper and Later we started on our eleven weeks' evan- then had turned to idols, to the moon and stars, gelistic trip. We stopped at eleven centers and vis- but could find no peace and had come to the conited forty-nine different villages, where we gave clusion that they were not God. Eagerly she at least one Gospel message, handing out tracts listened to the Gospel, made her decision, and or posters to those who could read. On every side went away rejoicing in her new-found Saviour. we were met with the plea, "Come to our village; this is the truth. We want to understand!" In one district, one of our evangelists met an elderly man, and asked him if he had heard of the One morning, at the village of Lu Chia K'ou, true God and His Son, Jesus. The old man said, an old man of sixty came to tell us how the Lord "This doctrine is the truth. Two years ago, a had blessed him. He had gone home the evening man handed me a tract about Jesus and every day, before, called the family together, knelt on the before reading it, I was my hands." He asked us k'ang and had led them in prayer, confessing their how to pray and was very ready for instruction. sins. Then they tore down their idols. His heart was filled with the joy the Master had promised THE GOSPEL FOR JAPAN Takeshi Muto, formerly a professor in Aoyama Gakuin, and now pastor of an influential Methodist student church in Tokyo, express his views as to "The Christian Message in Relation to Japanese Thought" in the Japan Christian Quarterly. Both capitalism and communism have failed in Japan, he says, because of their lack of social justice and inability to bring economic improvement. Both have disregarded Japanese ideals and history. All Japanese thought has been greatly influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity, for the Japanese are inclined to adopt and adapt any new ideas or inventions that they find helpful. They need the Christian message-especially in the following aspects: 1. Japan must learn the Christian idea of a living, loving God, the Father of all mankind -not merely a national God.
2. Christians must preach the ideal of universal peace. We must fight militarism. 3. The Christian message is Christ Himself. Japan needs, not theological dogma, but Christ Himself, incarnation of God's fatherly redemptive love. Christ gave Himself for us; that is the whole of our religion. Japan needs the living Christ. When we receive Him other benefits follow as a matter of course. II Effective Ways of Working 'Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home EDITED BY MRS. ESTELLA S. AITCHISON, GRANVILLE, OHIO ~=I= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A Day in Scandinavia wegian and Danish baked goods, Wanted: Adventurous Mis- of which the proceeds went to sionary Material As one of a series of World Friendship projects, the Girls' the Scandinavian churches. A In view of the appetite for League for Service of Grove Re- stirring ideas, among children formed Church, North Bergen, Brooklyn importing firm sent N. J., recently sponsored a "Day from nine to fourteen years of in Scandinavia" at the church hundreds of samples of the thin, age, I have often deplored the house. Main reliance in getting up an authentic exhibit and pro- crisp Swedish rye bread, which fact that there is so little adgram was placed on near-by venturous missionary material Swedish Lutheran and Norwe- found ready takers. gian Lutheran churches. There available. In talking to this age had been no previous contacts The display of articles loaned group not long since I gave the between the Grove Church and the Swedish congregation, but by the Scandinavians was aug- story of a friend in India who the Norwegian and the Grove had a bowing acquaintance mented by some brought back had shot a tiger that attacked a through several Sunday evening girl in her school; when Miss union services. Part of the plan by teachers in the community Fales arrived on the scene, the was to cement new friendships. who had traveled in northern animal had the girl on the The Swedish friends furnished ground with his mouth at her the afternoon program and the Europe. throat. The missionary drove Norwegians the evening; the exhibit was open continuously At four o'clock, a group of him away with a huge stick but from three until eleven p. m. knew she would have to get him Ranged on counters, extending boys and girls of Swedish dethe length of the church hall and later or he would return and do draped over screens behind scent, in costume, sang several more damage. Laying part of them, were fine pieces of Hardanger needlework, homespun folk songs, closing with the na- a lamb as a decoy, Miss Fales woolens, color f u I tapestries which the Scandinavian owners tional anthem, as the whole au- sat outside the compound late at generously stripped from their night until the beast returned, beds, windows and walls when dience stood. At eight-thirty, whereupon she killed him with they caught the idea we were trying to convey-the artistic an octette of men from the Nor- one shot from her rifle. The and cultural contributions their children listened to this story peoples make at home and over wereagl iasonngcsonagrceagpapteiollna, sang sev- with the keenest interest, espehere. They loaned treasured and a soold gold and silver tableware, cially when they learned that the copper coffee sets and teakettles, prano gave solos by Grieg and brave missionary was alone with handturned candlesticks, a spin- 60 children in an area about the ning wheel over 200 years old, o the r Norwegian composers. etc. Each article was labelled with the name of the owner and Motion pictures, borrowed from its history. Wearing native costumes, several women stood be- the Norwegian and Swedish hind the counters explaining the different articles. There was a steamship lines, were shown, brisk sale of Swedish cookies and of several varieties of Nor- these being furnished without cost, as were a number of color- ful travel posters that decorated the hall.
About 300 people attended size of Indiana. during the day. A cafeteria This year we are studying sold coffee, tea, cocoa and home- Africa; and as the leader of a made cake at five cents an item. children's group knew of my Admission to program and ex- conviction that we should first hibit was 15 cents. About interest the pupils in the people $50.00 was cleared; the closer and country, bringing in mis- acquaintance with the Scandina- sionary ideas only casually, then vians in our towns and the fra- make the appeal in the name of ternal feeling generated be- the Gospel later, she asked me tween Christian congregations to give a map talk on Africa. I hitherto almost strangers could used the June, 1935, issue of not be bought for many times_ The National Geographic Maga- . that sum.-FLORENCE GORDON, zine, inclusive of its excellent Weehawken, N. J. map, telling stories gleaned from (In an early issue descriptions of a series reading two of the Martin J ohn- of public Nationality Nights in the Interests of World Friendship will be given. Note s.on books. The children were Miss Gordon's statement regarding the free so absorbed that they listened use of moving pictures from the various with open mouths.' I said a steamship lines. Some of the best pictures great deal about the animals, may be obtained by churches in this way, without expense.) [544 ]
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
such as that telegraph wires Is Not Easy," and "To Be Continued." belle Hirt-booklet interpreting to must be strung on very high l5c adolescents the meaning of sex in poles else giraffes will run into terms of plant and animal propagathem; why lions are thickest in "We Can Change the WorId" tion. l5c the tall grass; the diseases the (Swain), built on Mathews' "Shaping natives get from ticks and the the Future": "Can Crusaders Change "Lenten Week of Prayer Packets" tsetse fly, etc. That led up to the World?" "The World We Face," -five good daily program sheets and the need for missionary doctors "Revolts and Realignments," "Revo- one of suggestions for leaders, for use and the suggestion that some of lution for Christ" and "That's a in Week of Prayer meetings or my hearers might be called to Dream." l5c among shut-ins. 30c become medical missionaries. I have tried hard to find more of "Opening Windows on the Chris- "Friends in Everyland"-setof 12 this human interest material. tian World of Tomorrow" (Swain)- large pictures for juniors, with stories I am hoping THE REVIEW- six programs on "Missions Tomor- and activity suggestions on reverse from which I have learned so row," by Latourette: "Our World To- side. 25c much this past year-may be day," "Our World and Christian Misable to fill the void. *-MRS. sions" (two programs), "Why and *** GRACE W. BENHAM, 1308 La- How Is This New World?" "Does the fayette Ave., Columbus, Indiana. World Need Christ Today?" and Women's Board of Missions of the Re- "How to Meet the Challenge." l5c formed Church in America, 25 E. New "Tools in Type" 22nd St., N. Y. *** In view of many requests for "Spiritual Adventuring," a manual programs and devotional exer- The United Christian Missionary So- of worship for missionary societiescises, as well as auxiliary pro- ciety, 222 Downey Ave., Indian- six complete worship programs on gram material, the Department apolis, Ind. "Source of Power," "Spirit of Love," Editor has examined the new "Spirit of Service," "Stewardship of publications sent in from vari- "School Bells Ringing 'Round the Life," "Stewardship of Money," ous sources and can recommend World"-study and program packet "Prayer and Our Missionaries," with as available for general use the for young people and seniors in the series of choice prayers at close. 10c following, which either have no Young People's World Friendship denominational references or an Project: informational and story "Lamps of India" and "China's amount easily elided: leaflets, plays and other dramatiza- Gateways"-good dramatic exercises. tions and impersonations, problem 10c each Baptist Board of Missionary Educa- and panel discussions, original para- tion, 152 Madison Ave., N. Y. bles, poster suggestions, etc.-a wealth "Talking Pictures of Japan"-se- of ready-to-use material well adapted ries of word pictures concerning its "Four-Point Project Program based to the age interests. 50c history, the place of Japanese women on Missionary Heroes. Course No.1," in the development of Christianity, covering actual hand projects in Map- *** etc. 10c making (Livingstone), Life-saving (James Chalmers), Boating (Gren- Board of Foreign Missions of the *** fell), Handicraft (Mackaye) and Presbyterian Church in America, eight other hero-biography projects, 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. Woman's Home Mission Society of the with full directions. Invaluable for M. E. Church, 420 Plum St., Cinboys. 25c "Friends Far Away," by Charlotte cinnati, O. C. Hudnut—outline for 10 sessions as "Six Worship Services Based on supplemental to graded S. S. courses, "The Book Beautiful," a year's wor- 'The Way of the Witnesses,'" pre- vacation Bible schools or as inde- ship services for young people, prepared by Margaret Holley Tuck. l5c pendent program material and includ- pared by Lillian Vogel and covering: ing studies of heroes, Mexicans, Jap- "Beauty and Strength," "Beauty and "Christian's Progress" (also on anese, Chinese, Siamese, Hindus, Sy- the Greatest Artists," "The Beauty of "The Way of the Witnesses")-five rians, Africans and a final Friendship Thankfulness," "The Beauty of programs by Anna Canada Swain and Ribbon Demonstration. Ex cell e n t Peace," "The Beauty of Silent Snow," adapted for women's societies and story and dramatic material for jun- "The Beauty of Wisdom," "The senior young people: "The Mission- iors. 10c Beauty of the Changed and Unary Pattern," "To All the World," changed," "The Beauty of the Lilies," "The Missionary Motive," "The Way Free catalogue of "Motion Pictures "The Beauty of May Day Hap- for Church Use," furnished by The piness," "Beauty in a Garden," and • The Department Editor happens to be Westminster Press, 925 Witherspoon "Beauty and Recreation." Well familiar with "The Missionary Heroes Bldg., Phila., Pa. adapted to the interests of youth. l5c Course" which is put out by the Baptist Board of Missionary Education and is in *** "Modern Missionary Journeys Prothree grades or sections. It is replete with gram Book," including not only the just the material Mrs. Benham wants. In- The United Lutheran Missionary So- studies on the home mission topic quire of that BDard at 152 Madison Ave., ciety, 1228 Spruce St., Phila., Pa. mentioned in September but also civ- New YDrk, and receive catalDgue list and in- ics and Christian citizenship, a peace structions as tD expense and where to send "Six Programs on Stewardship for program for Christmas, a Lenten orders. Several books are published by J. Boys and Girls," by Emma Gerberd- service, stories of youth, health B. LippincDtt, Philadelphia, such as: "Ro- ing Lipphard"-each complete in it- through mission hospitals and an exmance of Missionary Heroism"; "Heroes of self with talks and stories, activity cellent mite box program. 50c Missionary Adventure," etc. Tbe books by suggestions, poster outlines, projects, JacDb Chamberlain, "In the Tiger Jungle," list of stewardship stories, leaflets, "Early Missionary Journeys Woretc., and the lives of such African mission- playlets, hymns, responsive readings, ship Services," by Marie Wells Clapp aries as Hannington, Mackay, Livingstone, etc., but the six forming a construc- -a real study of the main events of and Mary Slessor, furnish abundant mate- tive series calculated to make the Paul's life. l5c rial. See alBo the lives of South Sea mission- child feel his responsibility to God. aries–John G. Paton, James Chalmers and Excellently adapted to the age inter- *** Charles W. Abel. ests. 20c "Ship East, Ship West" ($1.00 and Can anyone else tell the inquirer, by writ- "Where It Will Do the Most Good" 50c) and its guide book (lOc), both ing her direct, what further is available? -world-wide missionary playlet by by Elizabeth Miller Lobengier and in- Laura Scherer Copenhaver. 6 char- tended for primary and junior chil- acters. 10c dlen, cannot be too highly praised as a peace study, Subject matter, type, "To Live and Grow," dramatic In- illustrations all of the highest order. dian Lace Day presentation, with im- A number of denominations have sub- personations of Thread, Hook, Doi- mitted it as one of their outstanding lies, Vines, etc. 5c studies. Order through your denomi- national literature department or "The Story of Life," by Zoe Isa- from The Friendship Press, 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y.
A Live Project in "Rebuilding study. At the same time 400 families be served at end of D. V. B. S. were provided with garden seed pur- representation if desired. For Rural America" chased at cost, enabling them to sup- activation, pack box of crayons, ply themselves with fresh vetegables paper, pictures, scrapbooks, scis- One of the outstanding needs for several months. sors and such like to send to some denominational hospital or revealed in our current home The Dillonvale Project has spread country Sunday school. mission study is that of aban- beyond the campus and beyond Grandoned mining regions. Dr. Le- ville. Ohio Wesleyan and Miami Uni- For "Our Mountain Missions," versity students have joined in the draw on blackboard or poster land J. Gordon, Professor of work. A group of public school stu- some mountains and cut out Economics in Denison Univer- dents in Minneapolis sent clothing church, school, hospital, etc., etc., sity, Granville, Ohio, felt the and toys for the Christmas party and and arrange against the backneed of bringing home to his another group of Hi-Y boys in Co- ground, printing name under lumbus shared their contributions. each. Cut out overall boys and students the stark realities back The project is bigger and more vital sunbonnet girls, men and wom- en, some of latter with babies in of the statistics which meant so now than ever before. It has become arms, and arrange them as if little to upper – income – class . a Denison tradition. . . . Noone as- going to school or church. Sing young folk. So he conducted a "God Bless Our Native Land." sociated with the project is under any seri.es of trips to the coal mining illusion as to its importance. All Read selection from Sermon on reglOns of Southeastern Ohio realize too keenly that it is merely the Mount, or tell Annie Fellows where men were in utter de- scratching the surface. But having Johnston's beautiful story, "Joel, spair- seen the need, everyone returns with a Boy of Galilee." Tell stories a profound conviction that whatever of mountain work and pack box Unemployed men, unemployable can be done, no matter how small, for some mission with toys, must be done. At the same time clothes, crayons, etc. Little girls men maimed and mutilated while everybody associated with the work wearing sunbonnets made of sees the larger problems of organized bright crepe paper and little boys mining coal for us to warm our state relief and elimination of under- in overalls may give an attrac- lying causes. Increasing emphasis is tive exercise, "A Mountain homes; heartsick and weary mothers being placed on attempts to secure School," with older girl as struggling to keep the appearance of for these people the puolic relief to teacher. Spelling class learn a which they are entitled. And more few words appropriate to this a home; gaunt faces of sickly, under- effective study of the economic prob- subject; reading class have lems involved in seeking not only to simple selections about mountain nourished, barefoot children unac- remedy such conditions but to make missions; geography class locate them impossible, follows active par- some mountain mission stations customed to the taste of milk or meat ticipation in the work. on map; sewing class start -sights of utter misery and destitu- In the final analysis probably the squares of patchwork that may ones who gain the greatest benefit are be finished at home and made tion which the students could not not the ones who receive but those into a quilt for a mountain or- who give help. They catch a new phanage; and the singing class stand. What had been a crowd of meaning of Christian service and may give "There Is a Green Hill brotherhood in their field work in Far Away" or a hymn about carefree students in holiday spirit be- ec.onomics. Perhaps their generation mountains. Small baskets of wIll learn to meet these economic cookies may be served at "recame a silent group on the homeward problems with more wisdom and real cess." An exhibit of woven and journey, completely overwhelmed by Christianity than have the genera- patchwork quilts, baskets and tions preceding them. pottery is effective. the human tragedy they had seen. The foregoing excerpts, quoted ANNYE ALLISON. The trip had changed their whole out- from an article by Dr. Gordon Richmond, Va. look on life. . . . Upon their return appearing in The Denison Alumni Bulletin, indicate how that small group told their story and faulty is an economic system others caught their spirit. In answer with such sore spots as these, and how both students and comto an invitation, 70 men and womenten per cent of the student body-met munities may be led to take hold of temporary alleviation with a on the top floor of Doane Hall to or- view to study means for permaganize their plans. That was the beg~nning of the Dillonvale Project. nent cure. This is real home mission work which will enlist Since that time nearly 10t0owsntsupdeeonptls~ those who are indifferent to faculty members and have gone to Dillonvale, providing food, clothing, garden seed and enter- tainment, while many times that num- ber . have I?articipated indirectly, sending clothmg and cash contributions ranging from five to twenty- five dollars. The girls have voted to eliminate desserts at certain meals so that their dessert money could be used ts9oo..cbi~au.ly.shmearisvlkibcfeeoercnogmtrhomewi.itltneegaedciohnfigltdhgreernoY.u.pTwhine. InItIating and carrying out this plan.
They set up a workshop for the reno- vation .of clothing and toys. They *** have gIVen benefit dances and sold evangelistic work-or who think The Christian who begins to they are until they come up tithe will have at least five surdoughnuts at football games to raise against the basic needs. prises: At the amount of money funds. They have given the children he has for the Lord's work; at Rural Missions for Primary of Dillonvale Christmas and Hallow- een parties and shared in a Thanksgiving party which provided bread and meat to 500 families who other- Children – the deepening of his own spiritwise would have had little or nothing to eat. (Concluded from the October ual life; at the ease in meeting During the summer of 1933, Wilfred REVIEW.) his own obligations with the Eatough conducted a daily school for Dramatizations may be infor- nine-tenths; at the preparation seven weeks, supported by funds mal or have added charm of that tithing gives to be a wise raised largely by Denison students. Seventy boys and girls attended the simple costumes such as aprons, steward over the remainder of school, learning something about sunbonnets, overalls, straw hats, his income; at himself that he woodwork, needlecraft and nature etc. Lemonade and cookies may did not adopt the plan sooner. The Council of Women for Home Missions EDITH E. LOWRY, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, 105 EAST TWENTY-SECOND STREET, NEW YORK We Give Thanks Prepared by CHARLOTTE MARY BURNHAM Prelude: With voices united our praises we and teach us to walk together in offer, the laws of Thy commandments "Praise to God and Thanks and in the ways of human We Bring." To Thee, great Jehovah, glad anthems friendship and true brotherhood. we raise. Can to Worship: Response: Teach us to give Thy -strong arm will guide us, our honor where honor is due, re- DAKOTA OR SIOUX HYMN God is beside us, gardless of race, color or creed, following what our inmost heart Many and great, 0 God, are Thy To Thee, our great Redeemer, forever tells us to be Thy will. Deepen things, be praise. Amen. our respect for unlikeness and Julia Bulkley Cady. our eagerness to understand one Maker of earth and sky. another, that we may transcend Thy hands have set the heavens with RESPONSIVE READING: our differences. May we gladly share the resources of Thy world stars, Leader: Thy beauty, 0 God, with all Thy children, working Thy fingers spread the mountains and is upon us; Autumn splendor together to build Thy City upon everywhere! Days lucid with earth. plains. vision, or dim with mist, haze Lo, at Thy word the waters were and smothered sunshine. Leader: We thank Thee most of all for Thy gift of the Holy formed; Response: We thank Thee for Spirit which makes men care Deep seas obey Thy voice. Thy gift of the Autumn, for the for one another, for the power beauty of the world and the joy of Thy love that drives out that Grant unto us communion with Thee, of the harvest. which is greedy and mean in hu- Thou star-abiding One; man hearts. We are grateful for Come unto us and dwell with us, Leader: Thou hast made our those who are working all over With Thee are found the gifts of life. life a summer sowing, an au- the world to bring peace and a Bless us with life that has no end, tumn harvest, too short for hate, more abundant life to Thy chil- Eternal life with Thee. and only long enough for the dren everywhere. Strengthen love that lifts the load we all our hearts and our hands to Paraphrased by Rev. Philip must bear. help them in their great task.
Frazier 0/ the Dakotas. Response: Yet we know that Response: Solo – When Thy there are men with hate in their Heart, with Joy O'erfiowing. HY1nn: "We Praise Thee, 0 hearts; there are armies that God, Our Redeemer." make men enemies instead of Tune-Bullinger 8, 5, 8, 8. brothers; there are nations that Tune-Kremser, 12, 11, 12, 11. in pride and arrogance defy Thy When my heart, with joy o'ertlowing, laws in the world. There are Sings a thankful prayer, We praise Thee, 0 God, our Redeemer, many in our own land that suffer Creator, from injustice, greed and pov- In thy joy, 0 let thy brother erty. With thee share. In grateful devotion our tribute we bring. Leader: Forgive us, 0 God, When the harvest sheaves in-gathered the envies, suspicion and misun- Fill thy barns with store We lay it before thee, we kneel and derstandings which have blinded adore thee, men and nations and thrust them asunder. Purify our hearts We bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing. [547] We worship Thee, God of our fathers, we bless Thee; Through life's storm and tempest our .Guide hast Thou been.
When perils o'ertake us, escape Thou wilt make us, And with Thy help, 0 Lord, our battles we win. To thy God and to thy brother Christian leadership, but help- and girls. She knows the ministers Give the more. ing these young people, caught in the town near by and has good between two civilizations,to un- contacts. She has been to the district If thy soul with prayer uplifted derstand and work out new ad- Young People's Conference with a Yearn for glorious deed j ustments in every area of life. number of her Indian girls, had a number of church groups from .town Give thy strength to serve thy brother Indian youth presents a chal- at times on the campus. . . . com- In his need. lenge to us today. They have munion by town ministers, joint meet- potentialities and opportunities ings with town groups, clubs for girls Share with him thy bread of blessing, for good or for evil that are far and boys, and other activities. . . . Sorrow's burden share; greater than has been possible for other generations of Indian All directors are doing splen- When thy heart enfolds a brother, youth. They, too, will have a did work in carrying the Chris- God is there. part in Rebuilding Rural Amer- tian message and way of life to Theodore Chickering Williams. ica. these young Indian Americans.
The Prayer of an Indian Girl Just how are our interdenomi- Is it worth while? Let us national workers trying to meet read some other reports: Help us, 0 God, as people these problems in the schools in from all countries to live to- which they are stationed? Let Last fall our Indian Girl Reserves gether in this great world- us look through some of their Club and Arts and Crafts Club girls nation. May we forget differ- reports. From the Pacific Coast made paper caps and dressed pencils to ence in color and language, and comes this one: sell at our Benefit. Later on they made work for the ideals of freedom baby clothes, small children's dresses and brotherhood. School started yesterday with an and quilts for their Christmas boxes. increase of fifty in the student body, A few girls are working on curtains Thou art our Father, we are making about 450 in all, about a third for certain rooms in the chapel. The Thy children; show us that our of them trachoma patients and many Christmas boxes were sent to the hopes and fears and aspirations of them grade school youngsters. A Migrants in the cotton fields. The are one. Forgive the suspicions separate dormitory has been opened boys as well as the girls helped to and misunderstandings which for them. . . . There are many more make toys for these boxes. Another have blinded us; teach us to full-bloods than I have ever seen be- box was sent out to the Navajos, to walk together in Thy command- fore and quite a number of Alaskan one of their former schoolmates to ments, and in the ways of hu- students. . . . My program is to in- distribute. . . . The young people man friendship. Amen. clude a girl's and boy's club, a story have put on a program at the county hour for the youngest ones, and Sun- hospital about five times dUring the At Work in Government In- day School classes for all ages. We year. They have taken four old men dian Schools will use the older students in the at the hospital as their Sunshine Teacher Training Class which was Friends. Thousands of Indian Ameri- started last year, for teachers for the can young people are in govern- younger children. Then I have asked We have many reports like the ment boarding schools, many of for a choir practice evening, one for following, showing the fine work them far from home, friends Young People's Societies, one for many former students are doand pastor; several thousand Teacher Training, and a social eve- ing: are studying in secondary and ning once a month. I am looking forvocational schools to become the ward to a better year with the stu- Leadership Training Classes-I feel Indian leaders of tomorrow- dent Y. M. and Y. W. groups. We that it was the most successful activteachers, nurses, clerks, cattle- hope to have a cabinet retreat at the ity we conducted during the year…. men, agriculturists, tradesmen, Log Cabin this Friday evening to work Have just learned of two loyal memhousewives. Some will go on to out our programs for all the young bers of the class, who, dUring the college and become lawyers, doc- people's groups. . . . The superin- summer, helped to start and lead at tors, ministers, teachers, social tendent asked me if I would have the their reservation station among the workers, etc. Hundreds are ill trachoma patients for chapel Sunday Navajos, an Indian Young People's with trachoma and have been evenings and I said I would be glad Society, giving very able support and sent to boarding schools where to. You see we have a school chapel help to the missionaries in carrying they may receive medical care which is really a school assembly each on the work." and an education; others' are Sunday evening in the auditorium at orphans or from broken homes. seven o'clock. . . . He feels that the Another at his Pueblo home coop- little folks should not be out so late erated with the missionary in con- The Joint Indian Committee . . . and his plan is to have their ducting a "returned student's" proof the Council of Women for chapel at 5: 30. It will be both Ca- gram, being one of the speakers. Home Missions and Home Mis- tholic and Protestant children. sions Council ministers to thou- Still another, a Navajo who says he sands of these young people This young woman, a gradu- wants to be a missionary to his peothrough the interdenominational ate of one of the best schools of ple some day, got in touch with miswork carried on by trained Di- religious education, has worked sionaries at his home immediately and rectors of Religious Work who for three years in this governare placed in these schools to be- ment boarding school under the- has served a: part of the summer as come the friends, teachers and Joint Indian Committee. Of her guides of these children, not only work one member of the Com- interpreter and helper to two misgiving them a thorough religious mittee who visited her recently sionaries. . . . Am anxious to hear education and training for writes: from some of the others.
She has won the real respect of the Fifteen National Home Mis- superintendent, the faculty, and the sions Boards unite in program confidence and esteem of both boys and financial responsibility for this interdenominational Chris-' tian education and leadership. Through offerings on the annual World Day of Prayer, church people share in maintaining and increasing this home missions work.
i OUJM~~r~~:sp':~~:cu~t~~~ok
~~~~~~~~~~~~=E=D=I=T=ED~B=Y~M=R=S=.=H=EN~R=I=E=TT=A~H=.~F=ER=G=U=S=O=N=,=X~EN~IA=,=O~H=IO~~~~~~~~~==-~ LATIN AMERIOA but after hearing the Gospel, she tant villages and in crowded towns. The wonder is not that Fetishism in Haiti said through an interpreter, Mexico has fallen so far short of its hopes, but that considerable A Bible distributor in Haiti "This touches my heart. I feel gains have been won. The Mexwrites: ican treasury is poor-the total it is the truth, and I long to national budget is less than many Here we are always face to face a second-line American city. with devil worship, known as Voodoo, understand better." Trained teachers are few. There or Z'ange', and we praise God for is steady opposition from the many conversions from this evil cult. Among recent converts is a Catholic Church. Priests and laymen join in denouncing the One day, about six weeks ago, a strict Catholic, who wanted to public school as atheistic and man came to my home, his face deeply corrupting. lined with trouble. He had lost all know why she had been taught his .children but one, and said that the Mexico is also fighting child demons were after that one. He so many false doctrines, and who labor, and starvation wages. begged me to go to his home and destroy all his fetishes. asked the missionary to answer -Hubert C. Herring.
On my arrival I found the man him- many questions about the Word Opportunities in Ohile self busy with a hoe, trying to locate things that the Voodoo priest had of God. Another said, "This is William M. Strong, of the buried in his garden several years be- Soldiers' Gospel Mission of South fore. He had been working since be- the first time I have ever heard America, writes of what promfore dawn and had dug a large hole, ises to develop into a new relibut there was no sign of the objects. the Gospel. Could I be saved gious movement in the Chilean When he had worked until noon he army. gave up the search and together we now?" -Life of Faith. went to the little house that he had "Several soldiers in a 'Charabuilt for the demons. He had gath- House to House Bible Work buco' regiment in Concepcion ered together a pile of fetishes, in- have banded together to pray for cluding eight earthenware water jars, Bible distribution in Mexico their comrades' salvation in a three pairs of bowls used in worship, reports progress. One of the series of meetings that we prosix china covered mugs, and a small workers writes: pose holding next month in a black stone which was supposed to be little Gospel Hall near the regivery powerful. After singing a Chris- We have now covered the capital ment. The meetings will be only tian hymn, I took a hammer and com- of this state, Michoacan – which is for sodiers of the two regiments menced to smash the jars. It was a Morelia, a city of about 40,000 inhabi- in Concepcion. Our regular milisight to see the man's face clear as we tants. There was much praYer in ad- tary Gospel meetings are held broke the last of the fetishes and he vance, in which all our Fellowship inside the barracks, but this is realized that the "ower that had held Group joined, and we were overjoyed a new thing we are trying in him all his life in bondage was at last to see how God opened doors in that order to establish a more pershattered. fanatical city, torn between Romanism manent work among the soldiers and Radicalism. About 3,500 Gospels themselves during our absence, The Power of Testimony were placed in the homes, 300 New as we are only able to reach each Testaments were sold, and about 25 regiment once a year. The testimony of Christian persons manifested their desire to rewomen in Buenos Aires is prov- ceive Biblical literature. "Another opportunity has ing the most effective means of arisen in the same city among winning other women to Christ. One woman, when offered the Word the English business men who An Argentine who had seen her of God, said, "No. I don't want to have invited the writer to give a Christian neighbor under great have anything to do with that book. series of Bible talks in the Engstrain and provocation mar- It is not authorized by the Church." lish club. We have already given velled at her patience and calm; But as she listened to the worker tell the first of these talks and it has this awakened her to a realiza- how God had lifted him, tears began apparently aroused a good deal tion of her own lack of peace, to flow and finally she said: "Oh, if of interest." and she sought to know the Lord that book can do that for you, per- Jesus Christ. haps it can give my husband and me new life. Come on Sunday and talk Another Christian brought to us together." her neighbor to talk to the missionaries at the close of a meet- Another instance was that of an old ing. The woman was an Italian, woman in Santa Ana who said: "This who understood little Spanish, is the book I have needed. I never have heard such words, and I know for a fact that the Lord Himself is speaking by means of this little vol- ume."
Mexico and Her Ohildren For the first time in Mexican history, a sustained effort is be- iug made to provide schools for all the children. It is not easy to create a national educational system, to place schools in dis- [549 ]
Gift and Prayer "gossiped the good news of sal- problems of injustice, poverty, A young native Christian vation," bringing their families crime and war must be faced. worker of Central America had -Dnyanodaya. gone into an exceedingly needy and friends to hear the Word of A Belgian Centenary God. -The Christian.
district, without the slightest EUROPE A century ago there were only promise of support. A friend became burdened with a desire Among the Hop Pickers eight Protestant churches in Belto have a bit of financial fellow- gium. Four of these had a memship with this self-sacrificing England has a Hop Pickers' bership of for e i g n e r s only. young man. The idea seized Mission. From Kent, chief hop- Through the influence of an upon this friend to keep before growing county, comes the 68th himself a small bank in which he annual report of this mission agent of the British and Foreign would daily deposit ten cents containing many incidents con- Bible Society the Christian Misthrough denying himself some- nected with last year's work, sionary Church of Belgium was thing he otherwise would have which indicate that many conpurchased, and when putting in versions have resulted. The mis- formed, known as the Belgian the money, to send up a definite sion had six medical centers in Evangelical Society. This moveprayer for the recipient of it, use. These were visited by ment has grown until today there and for the work he is doing. nearly 2,000 patients, most of whom were children. are forty-six churches and mis- This little plan accumulates sion stations in the cities and $3.00 per month, and at the same The Church of England Tem- country districts. At the centime serves as a reminder for perance Soc i e t y commenced tenary celebration more than thirty times each month, lifting work among Kentish hop pickers the heart in prayer to God for more than half a century ago. 3,000 members of the church the phase of work in which the Seventy-five camps in East Kent gathered from all parts of Beldonor may be interested. are regularly visited by the gium. About thirty representa- tives of Protestant churches in other countries addressed the gathering. -Alliance Weekly.
South America's Three Classes workers; about twenty dispen- Children's Mission in France saries are in use, five of which Mr. Alexander Jardine divides travel about wherever they are France has a "Children's Spethe people to be evangelized in needed; Sunday schools and lan- cial Service Mission," with its South A mer i c a into three tern services are held, while so- center at Sumene. The work is classes: First, the forest In- cial work is carried on on sound, carried on in collaboration with dians, living on the banks of the practical lines. The committee churches of all denominations, rivers and in the vast and dense is anxious to develop its dispen- and organizations for young tropical forests, many of them sary work. people are increasing considerhostile to civilization. Second, ably. Five camps were held last are the educated residents of Other hop-picking areas have summer, and follow-up work in- Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, workers who visit the pickers at cludes the formation of Scripand other cities and villages. their work, and hold Gospel ture Union branches. Several For these, house-to-house visita- meetings among them in the eve- hundred boys and girls between tion and the printed page are nings. Their ministry is much ten and fifteen years of age have appreciated. -The Christian. found their Saviour.
used. British Colleges and Religion Similar groups have been or- The third class consists of In- ganized in India; m e m b e r s dians living in the highlands of Churches in Great Britain promise to endeavor to win South America, Peru, Ecuador have begun to feel more respon- others. Sikh, Moslem, Parsee and Bolivia. For years work sibility for the student world, and Hindu girls have been had been carried on among the and in addition to the "Group reached, and the student life of people with very meagre results. Movement" there are now in India is increasingly b e i n g It had been said they were too many universities and colleges, brought into touch with the ignorant, stupid, downtrodden denominational societies estab- claims of the Gospel. In one and poverty-stricken, after four lished with the idea of caring week-end camp, over 100 men centuries of oppression from the for their own church members and women students gathered to white man and the Church of who have come to study. Stu- discuss problems of the Christian Rome, to be reached by the Gos- dents themselves, such as have life. pel message. At the beginning church affiliation, are becoming In the Kikuyu country in Afof the work, missionaries had more conscious of their member– rica the Gospel message has been . been looked upon as mere white ship. conveyed to children by means people come to exploit and lead The gulf between those who of lantern lectures. -The Christian. the Indians astray. After a call themselves Christians, and time, however, little groups be- those who do not, seems to be Liberty Promised by Franco gan to spring up here and there, widening, and the position of the the Church became evangelistic, doubter to be becoming more and Word comes from London that a missionary church, and people more untenable in a world where complete toleration of religious
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
practice and education is prom- to save the world from the ene- Militant Godless Activity ised to Protestants in Spain, if mies of Christianity. In a re- General Franco can make this cent issue of Austria's leading Russia's League of Militant regime effective. It is also stated clerical daily, The Reichspast, Godless has recently been atthat the Protestant school and were two articles, one from a tacked by the Kremlin for negchurch in Salamanca, in Nation- Protestant pastor, the other from lecting its job. A recent decree alist territory, have been handed a Catholic priest, both pleading demands the "uncovering of back to Protestant hands, and for cooperation. The editor, an counter – revolutionary machinacomplete liberty of action ex- aggressive champion of Roman tions of priests and sectarians tended to the Protestants in carried on under cover of using charge. -The Living Church. Catholicism, after referring to their legal rights as guaranteed an appeal of Sir Henry Lunn for by the new constitution." It Crisis in German Missions the creation of a united Chris- further states that "only patient tian front against "the coercive explanation of the contradictions Such are the restrictions im- dechristianizing of E u r 0 p e," of science and religion, and the posed by the Nazi Government reactionary role of religion and on the export of money that the quoted a letter to the London the church, and daily political work of German Protestant Mis- Times in which Archbishop work among believers can oversions in India, Burma and Ceylon Hensley states that Pope Pius come religious faith." is seriously threatened. Only XI had already urged all besufficient support is allowed to The apparent imminence of a be sent from Germany to main- lievers to aid one another in de- genuine religious revival has tain German Nationals, with the fense against the storm of god- produced this counter-offensive. result that all grants from home for the support of native work- lessness. AFRICA ers have ceased. The Gossner The Protestant contributor, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bible Society in Ethiopia Chota Nagpur, and the Jaypore Dr. Ernest Koch, says: "Respect Evangelical Lutheran Church in For more than a century, the Orissa, have had to close schools for each other and love toward British and Foreign Bible Soand cut drastically the already one another is the only possible ciety has been interested in the meagre salaries of Indian work- conduct for Christians. We are publication of the Scriptures in ers. responsible for one another and the various languages and dia- supplement each other, whether lects of Ethiopia. Although the The National Christian Coun- Bible House in Addis Ababa was cil is bringing the facts to the or not we are conscious of it. looted just before the Italian ocnotice of Protestant churches in We belong together. Therefore, cupation in May last year, the Europe and America. work has been carried on with clear-seeing men on both sides unusual success since that time. It appears that the Confes- are calling: 'Hands across the Seventeen thousand volumes of sional Church has r e c e n t I y trenches.' We owe that to each Scripture were circulated last handed Hitler a strongly worded year. The agent, Mr. Bevan, protest regarding the Nazi at- other for the sake of our nation was given to understand that he tacks on Christianity. It re- and especially for the sake of the might remain to continue the minds him that their solemn Church. Our enemies are trying work he has carried on for the warning of 1936 has gone un- to make the chasm between con- past sixteen years, but suddenly heeded, and demands the imme- he was ordered by Italian audiate rem 0 val of restraints fessions as deep as possible so as thorities to leave, and given only against the Christian youth to beat us, one at a time." three weeks in which to wind up work, lifting of the prohibitions his affairs. against gatherings such as the -The Christian Century. Evangelical Weeks, and release A Bible School had been esof the hundred pastors now in Anti-Semitism in Poland tablished in Ethiopia, to train prison. students in the Bible, and to The persecution of Jews in teach them to work with their As originally planned the pro- hands that they might be selftest was to contain an ultimatum Poland continues to be far worse supporting evangelists to their to the effect that the text of the own people. That work also is factual protest would be printed than that in Germany, though ended. in booklet form and distributed throughout Germany. It is not not as much publicized. In 1936, Before the expulsion of the known whether the ultimatum missionaries by the Italian Govwas actually sent, but as yet the more than 1,000 Jews were in- ernment, every member of the Church has had no reply. native missionary society and jured in riots and persecutions every student of the Bible School Seeking a Common Front had been arrested and thrown in Poland, the country which has into prison; many have since In Austria, Protestant and been shot, others deported, but Catholic forces are joining hands the largest percentage of Jewish not one had been set free, and population of any land in the world. In some towns there has been a wholesale destruction of property designed to make it im- possible for the Jews to live.
For the first time in the history of Poland, Jews have been branded officially as being ra- cially inferior. In Lithuania the press is claiming that the coun- try is too poor to support all its population. The remedy sug- gested is the expulsion of the Jews. -Revelation.
those who are in prison are ex- quite foreign to the native mind member of the other Christian pecting death at any moment. to be solicitous for the ulcers of body; there are no denomina- one's own family, let alone of tional differences. Where a Advance in the Sudan other people's. I honestly be- native convert sees different lieve that he does it as an ex- methods of administering the Last year the Sudan Interior pression of the change that Jesus sacraments, he learns that there Mission opened more stations has made in his life." are different modes, but one sigthan ever before; more converts nificance, and when he sees a were won than at any previous Lastly, there are three "pupil- body of missionaries from all time. A little group of workers nurses." Their keenness is over the Congo enjoying the felare still in Ethiopia, and have shown by the fact that whereas lowship of the Lord's Supper tonot given up hope of providing they only receive food and cloth- gether, he begins to understand that land with the Gospel. It is ing and a small "bonus" at the the universality of the body of said that native converts in end of each year they spend in Christ. Ethiopia are increasing more the hospital, they might have and more. Nigeria has opened been earning good wages else- The constant exchange of namore widely than ever; this will where. tive teachers and missionaries afford a field for many workers between the different missions expelled by the Italians. Quite unknown to Dr. Price, is of value in teaching that we the three of them have been are indivisible in Christ. War in Spanish Guinea gathering for family prayers at the end of their day's work, tak- -Christian Observer. Spanish Guinea has had an ing it in turn to lead in prayer. echo of the conflict in Spain and WESTERN ASIA the Christian workers, huddled -Life of Faith. in the interior, have heard the Turkey Needs God sound of flight and pursuit on Success Calls for Education the road at the base of the hill Turkey stands in great peril near where they were, have been Dr. Albert I. Good, Cameroun today. She does not see the threatened with the closing of pioneer, says: "No mission can relevance of God to life. In the their public assemblies, have be successful in such a country first flush of national revival she been watched for any sign of as Africa without education." thinks she has done and can do their taking sides, but they have The Presbyterian West Africa all that is necessary to maintain been kept from harm. This, the Mission today has approximately her own life. smallest colony in Africa, has a 35,000 boys and girls attending total area of 10,036 square miles 1,200 mission schools. Some She seems to be impressed where live about 90,000 people. have to walk five or more miles with the Western effort to dis- There are eight 0 r g ani zed to and from school daily. miss God and religion from life churches, 989 church members, and thought. Her official attitwo African pastors, forty out- There was a time when, be- tude toward religion is nonposts and twenty-five village cause of native fear of the white committal. schools. At present, only two man's medicine and trust in the missionaries and their wives are witch doctor, infant mortality "Islamic faith and culture at work there. claimed more than 50 per cent have failed. Let's try secular- of Africa's babies. ism," she is saying. -United Church Review. Since 1894 there has been The Turk's will to live and Pimu Hospital Nurses gradual transition, from the learn, and his drive toward de- binding fear of the witch doc- mocracy have stamped Turkish Work in a Baptist Mission tor's power to faith in Christian achievements of the last fifteen Hospital at Pimu, Belgian Congo, medicine; from hesitation about years with the mark of authentic would not be possible without the seeking help from the white doc- vitality. But democracy is not help of six "boys" of the same tor to the present crowding of enough. Self-respect is not tribe as most of the patients. hospitals and dispensaries with e n 0 ugh. Patriotism is not Two are trained nurses, de- those sick in body and soul; with enough. E d u cat ion is not scribed as "the mainstay of the nearly 45,000 coming annually enough. God alone is sufficient. tremendous amount of work that for treatment and to hear the has to be done day by day." In Gospel. Turkey is tempted by bitter addition to in-patients' work and experience to say that every naemergency operations, these two Unity in the Congo tion must fend for itself and let have given an average of 120 the devil take the hindmost. injections a day. Another at- Rev. 'John Morrison, of Luebo, tends to the ulcer dressings each worker of the Southern Presby- "Turkey faces West," as Haday. "This is a job which never terian Board, sees as one of the- lide Hanum says. It is not ceases to call forth my admira- fine things of Congo work the Western religion that she seeks" tion," writes Dr. Price, the hos- fact that a Christian Church, but Western science. Thereare pital head. "For one thing it is loyal to Christ alone, is being those within the Turkish nation built up. If a native leaves the who recognize the fact that a territory of one mission and goes thoroughgoing revival of Turk- to another, his membership card ish national life demands spir- is sufficient to admit him as a itual as well as political, eco- nomic, and social rebirth.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
The world community needs a The diocese of Dornakal has A few months ago while I was go- ing aJout in Jalna I met a Hindu strong and beneficent Turkey. a population of over two million, sadhu or holy man, belonging to the Her influence has already set a mostly Hindu. The Bishop's Mahar castle. He was from a village new tradition of peace in the Church people, coming into the about 18 miles from Jalna and was on Balkans. Her national rebirth Church in large numbers, are his way to a sacred place, Paithan, on the banks of the Godavari. This sadhu has helped to restore faith in simple villagers; his clergy, was a constant pilgrim to sacred our common humanity after the mostly Indian with a small for- places, such as Pandharpur in the years of harrowing war. eign staff, have thickly populated Sholapur district and to Paithan. When I met him, I had a long talk The very strategic geograph- fields to cover and are handi- with him on the merits of Christianity, ical position of Turkey makes capped not only by numbers but but he remained perfectly silent. her a potential bridge between by lack of education among the After some days he returned from the East and the West. village people, and lack of equip- Paithan and I again met him. He It is more suggestive to think ment for their lit tIe mud asked me to tell him about Jesus. I of her as the hub of the Near churches. told him about the life of our Lord East. An amazing number of beginning from His birth to the Resurnew ideas radiate from her in all With such humble circum- rection. He listened to it all most directions – to the B a I k a n s, stances as a realistic basis, the attentively and after I had ended ex- Bishop's interests and his in- claimed, "Now I have heard every- Egypt, Syria, P a I est i n e and fluence have grown church-wide thing and I feel satisfied." After that Arabia, Iran, Central Asia and in India, and world-wide. Pas- he visited me several times. Once he even Russia. said, "Really, my life has been spent toral care and training, the de- in vain. Now I know that Jesus. is the The Turk belongs to our hu- velopment of a truly Indian true Saviour." He then broke the man family; he has tested branch of the Anglican commun- rosary or string of beads round his capacity for leadership; he ion with native Indian forms of neck and purchased a copy of the worship, the betterment of vil- New Testament. Since then he has stands a dominant figure at one lage life, the constructive guid- ceased to attend Pandharpur, and is important crossroads of the now an earnest student of the New world; and he faces a great ing of Christian thought in India Testament and a seeker after Truth. crisis in his own inner life. How throughout the maze of politics can he be won for God and to and nationalism, church unity in Telugu Women to the Rescue the things that make a people truly great and strong? The India and in the world-for all Telugu Baptist women raised people of Turkey have never had this he is constantly laboring. Rs. 400 toward keeping the hosa clear vision of Christ. His pital at Sooriapet open and propreal face can be disclosed by lov- Keeping the Masses Ignorant erly staffed. Otherwise, it would ing kindness and sincerity and have been obliged to close its disinterestedness, to make God Political propaganda fills the doors. Dr. John S. Carman in Christ a reality. ignorant minds of India with the writes from the Hanumakonda belief that there are no poor peo- Hospital that this tragic possi- -Fred Field Goodsell. ple in England, since "all the bility was stopped by "one of the money is taken from India to most hopeful forward steps that INDIA feed them, leaving Indian people has been made by our Indian with no clothes on their backs." Christians during the first year Bishop Azariah of Dornakal Mr. Banks illustrates this by the of the new century of Kingdom following story in the United progress among the Telugus." Bishop Azariah, who sails for Church Review: England, November 3d, after -Watchman-Examiner. two months in the United States, As I was watching the fireworks in is the first native Indian bishop connection with the Coronation, a lad Third Moslem City of the Church of England. There of aoout sixteen dressed in the hand- woven cloth which Mr. Gandhi advoare now two others. Rt. Rev. cates, accosted me. "Why have you Hyderabad is the third Mos- not gone to England for the Corona- Vedanayakam Samuel Azariah tion?" he asked. When I said I could lem city in the world. It is equal was consecrated Bishop of Dor- not afford to do so, he replied, "You to Madras in size. With its can travel for nothing, so why did you great Osmania University it atnakal in 1912. He was a dele- not go?" He was convinced that peo- tracts students from every part gate to the World Missionary ple could travel in England without Conference of 1910 in Edin- paying railway fares, and would of India. burgh, out of which grew the scarcely believe me when I told him it Australian Anglicans have a World Conference on Faith and was only railway officials who have free passes. He was astonished to mission there; a part of this Order. Bishop Azariah visited work is St. George's Grammar Australia last year for the cen- learn that I had not seen King George School, where 300 boys and 200 tennial celebration of the first VI. "Why not? can't you go and see Anglican bishop's consecration him whenever you like?" girls are being trained for lead- ership. This school is a base there. He attended the two Truth-Seeking Sadhu from which the aristocracy,offichurch conferences of the past cials and students in the towns, summer in Oxford and Edin- Rev. C. G. Navalkar sends this who are all M 0 s Ie m s, are burgh. Cambridge University incident, reported by a colpor- reached. An Indian clergyman awarded him the LL.D. degree teur of the British and Foreign has been specially trained for in 1920. Bible Society: evangelistic work among Mos-
lems. A book room has been and Chinese to simple exhorta- from an inferiority complex; the opened where the educated Mos- tions to bear the trials and trib- lem can read Christian literature ulations of the war bravely. A Chinese have found themselves. and discuss it. few churches closest to war As to the Christian program, areas were closed. -C. M. S. Gleaner. Mr. Paul says that Christianity Missionary Possibilities Salvation Army Converts plays such a small part in the Rev. C. Darby Fulton, Execu- life of the country that it is diffi- The Government of India has tive Secretary of the Southern marked its appreciation of a re- Presbyterian Board of Foreign cult to say how much of a con- markable work of the Salvation Missions, in commenting on the tribution Christian ethics is Army in the Andaman Penal situation in the Far East says making to the uplift of China. Settlements, by the award of the that the present trouble there, However, many of the leaders in Kaiser-i-Hind medals in gold while accompanied by many ele- all walks of life have in some and silver to their officers, Ma- ments of danger, need not neces- way been touched by Christian jor and Mrs. Sheard. Six hun- sarily retard the progress of dred brutal outlaws, 120 of missionary work. It is conceiv- institutions, whether it be the whom were convicted of fifty able that in some ways the effect church, schools or hospitals. For murders and of robberies total- may be just the 0 p p 0 sit e. the most part, the church pro- ing £22,500 worth of goods have Through newspapers and other gram relates itself to the needs become a law abiding, thrifty sources it is reported that there of the community. Mr. Paul be- and prosperous community. is a vast turning of the people of Some of the more desperate Shanghai and other stricken dis- lieves that western materialism characters were the personal tricts to the consolation of Chris- is permeating China more rap- servants of the officers. Many tianity in this emergency. Then, idly than Christianity. former murderers have become again, missionaries are having a Sunday school teachers and Gos- superb opportunity to prove to -World Call. pel preachers. the Chinese people their genuine sympathy, friendship and devo- Christianity in China -World Dominion Press. tion. One of the field directors of the Literacy in Siam He points out that in Japan vast millions of the population China Inland Mission firmly be- Siam has a higher literacy are out of sympathy with the im- percentage than India, Burma perialistic policies of the mili- lieves that the Church of Christ or China. Compulsory education tary regime. This has been for the first six years is being proven two or three times by the has been so firmly established in made effective all over the king- overwhelming majority of anti- dom as rapidly as possible. A government representatives that China that even if all mission- system of vocational schools is have been returned to seats in projected, and there is a grow- the Imperial Diet. In this op- aries had to be withdrawn, the ing interest in physical edu- position to militarism and agcation. A national stadium is gression, the relatively small but work of evangelization would go being erected in Bangkok; and influential Christian constitu- .Siam, never before represented ency in Japan is a strong nu- forward. Missionary activity in the Olympic games, expects cleus. Letters from our misto send a strong contingent to sionaries reveal that despite the has been seriously handicapped Japan in 1940. national crisis Japan is facing, the spiritual hunger of the peo- during the past ten years by -Christian Century. ple is evident, and there are un- told opportunities for reaching Communist influence. There has CHINA men and women with the Gospel. been general lawlessness. War Brings Revival -Christian Observer. Another worker in China It is reported that foreign and No More Inferiority Complex Chinese C h r i s t ian s packed draws attention to the fact that churches of all denominations in Rev. Alexander Paul, Execuwar-wrecked Shanghai during tive Secretary for Oriental Mis, the past two or three years have the rain of shells, giving evidence sions, United Christian Misof unprecedented religious re- sionary Society, writes from been the most encouraging in the vival. Pastors shortened their mid-Pacific, bewildered at what services to minimize danger to he saw in China, although war China Inland Mission's history, parishioners fro m unexpected had not yet broken out when he bombardments. The peril of left. One of the transformations and suggested that the devil was ever-recurring air raids was con- he noted was the emergence sidered so great that preachers angry at the progress which had reduced their sermons in English been made. Thus behind the earthly conflict was the spiritual, and there was urgent need for prayer. Every great advance of the Kingdom of God in China, he said, had been born out of ap- parent tragedy, and the present setback may well be the prepara- tion for another great step for- ward. -The Christian.
Interdenominational Mission Society The Chinese Missionary So- ciety, organized in 1918, now has 15,000 subscribing members and has become nation-wide. Once in three years its General Conference meets which elects the Board of Directors of twen- ty-one members. The last meet-
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
ing of the General Conference Shanghai; Hackett Medical Col- has been made during the last five attended by sixty-six delegates, lege, Canton, and Woman's years. was in August, 1936, at which Christian M e d i c a I College, time the following three-year Shanghai. That there is a rapidly growing enplan was adopted: The number of trained Chi- thusiasm for modern medicine in Double the workers in the nese physicians and surgeons is field. less than 5,000. They are serv- China at present, both in the Govern- ing t~roughout every part of the Open a Bible school in Yun- Chinese Republic, and are ren- ment and among the people. During nan. dering an incalculable service to their people. They are manning the last twelve months the Govern- Open work in Tibet. Christian hospitals, entering Open more day schools. government medical service, go- ment has spent two million dollars in ing into private practice, and For the Bible school a princi- teaching in medical schools. But erecting new hospitals alone, and pal has been secured and a build- their number is far too small, ing is under construction. Three for China has only one physician many millions in subsidizing and pro- with modern training for every candidates have applied to be 95,000 people, whereas the Unit- moting medical work. ., sent to Tibet where work will ed States has one physician for That in some of the larger cltIes the soon be opened. every 785 people. inevitable competition between gov- From 1918 to 1931 work was -Presbyterian Survey. conducted in two missions, Yun- ernment and mission hospitals is benan and HeiIingkiang, Manchu- Hospital Inspection ria; but during the last five ginning to be felt. Nearly all mission years missions have been opened Recently a group of sixteen hospitals are handicapped by sm~ll in Szechwan and Mongolia, thus hospital administrators, from almaking three missions now un- most as many provinces, under- poorly-paid staffs and the necesslty der this society. During the took, under the auspices of the nineteen years of the society's Ministry of Education, a trip of being self-supporting, while govwork forty missionaries have t h r 0 ugh North and Central been sent out. At present there China to inspect outstanding ernment institutions at present are are thirty-seven missionaries of hospitals. The Commis-sion whom seventeen have gone out traveled for six weeks through coasting along on large subsidies. from Shanghai, twelve are local eight provinces, making a study paid workers and eight are of about 45 hospitals. The pur- No "Rice Ohristians" These workers without salary. Among poses were to make a start in the matter of setting up mini- The history of missions in these are five doctors and seven mum hospital standards for China has shown that it requires teachers working in their respec- China, and to offer individual more time to convert a Chinese tive fields. members of the Commission, to Christianity than some other some of whom were from iso- Asiatics, but that when he is con- -Chinese Recorder. lated centers, the stimulus of a verted he holds to his new faith fairly comprehensive view of th.e with a tenacity which persecu- Medical Education rapid advance of modern medI- tion seldom shakes. While it cine in China. was to be expected that some The general trend of medical would fall away, the behavior of The inspection included 15 Chinese Christians under the Protestant Mission Hospitals. baptism of blood and fire in th.e Government hospitals are all Boxer uprising eloquently testI- relatively new. Some impres- fied to the genuineness of their sions of a member of the group faith. The uneducated peasant are: was not behind his cultivated countrymen in devotion to duty. That there is a distinct and deliber- Of the hundreds of Christians ate trend in China toward state medi- who were taken inside the Brit- cine and government control of ap ish Legation in Peking, not one teaching and practice of both medl- proved false to their benefactors. cine and nursing. -Watchman-Examiner. That the government is facing the education thus far in the twen- problem of J:tealth f?r th,e people of China conscIOus of ltS dlfficulty and tieth century has been in the di- magnitude, but determined to assu,me JAPAN -OHOSEN responsibility for it and do somethmg rection of concentrating this about it. The broad lines of its na- University Religion tion-wide program, along lines of curawork in a smaller number of tive medicine, public health and med- ical education, have been laid down, centers, and giving greater and a surprising amount of progress Five thousand students at the strength to each of these. Medi- Imperial University in Tokyo, cal education in China, has re- one of the best equipped educa- ceived support from t h r e e tional institutions in the world, sources in addition to that from when questioned as to their r~li mission boards: (1) the Rocke- gfaioctn~ : revealed the followmg Confucianists, 6; Shinfeller Foundation; (2) philan- thropically – minded individuals toists, 8; Christians, 60; Bud- in North America and Great dhists, 300; Atheists, 1,500; Britain; (3) the Chinese people Agnostics, 3,000. Of 30,000. stu- and government. dents in the government UnIver- At the present time medical sities, 27,500 are reported as education is being carried on having no religion.
under Christian auspices at six -Japan Christian Quarterly.
centers in China. In addition to the Peiping Union Medical Col- Are the Japanese Peace- Minded? lCehgee~lothoesUeniavreersaitsy,foTlloswisn: At an; Sir Herbert Marler was for- merly Canadian envoy at Tokyo, West China University, Cheng- tu; St. J 0 h n 's University,
and is now Canada's representa- maintained by his Japanese col- often reaching 1,400. It is worth tive at Washington. In a recent league, Rev. M. Murao, under a going far to hear Korean Chrisinterview with Lady Marler her Board of Directors of the Jap- tians pray. They bow with their testimony to Japan's love for anese Church and the Church faces to the floor and pour out peace strikes a strange note, but Missionary Society. There are praise, confession and supplicashe asserted she found the ma- now three major dailies (and tion as those who know what it jority of the Japanese people several smaller papers) which is to have daily audience with "peace – minded." She c 0 m- publish daily religious articles. God. -Monday Morning. mended the marked influence of It is considered more eff'ective Christian missionaries in Japan, to publish news, rather than ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC stating that while many of the views. News about Christian ac- Japanese who attend Christian tivities has greater weight than Island Problems schools may not formally adopt essays upon Christianity. Christianity, they learn Chris- About 100 delegates, repretian principles and are regular -Life of Faith. senting major mission enterchurch attendants. Christian- prises (except Roman Catholic) ity to the Japanese is a definitely Scholarships at Chosen attended a Pacific Missionary living thing, with a message for Christian College Conference in Sydney, Australia. the individual, which is not Emphasis was placed upon the found in their native religions. Last April, Chosen Christian need for indigenous churches, Lady Marler also praised the College received 153 new stu- undivided by denominational difwork of the Women's Peace As- dents, 84 in the Commercial De- ferences. Said one speaker: sociation in Japan, with a mem- partment, 42 in the Literary De- "We are not concerned only with bership of about 250,000. partment, and 27 in the Science establishing small Christian com- Department. Of these, 60;/0 are munities here and there, linked -Presbyterian Tribune. Christians. Many of these, as with the Church of the West, well as students already in col- and retaining forms and worship "Forward-Day by Day" lege, are barely able to find the and Christian practice peculiar money necessary to get an edu- to the West. We must reorgan- While Japanese and Chinese cation. Many work, some few ize the Island Societies of the soldiers are killing each other, have had scholarships provided Pacific on a Christian basis, and Japanese and Chinese Christians by friends in America and by integrate them into one great are uniting in strengthening the Korean friends. A gift made by Christian fellowship." witness of the Church. Plans for Mr.. C. S. Kim of Seoul last winpublication of Forward-Day by ter will provide four scholar- With regard to education, it Day, the Forward Movement ships. On March 21, Mr. S. K. was agreed that it is the ultimate manual of Bible readings and Cho announced that he would responsibility of the governmeditations, in Chinese are give 20,000 yen each to Chosen ments concerned to educate their under way. Two students at Christian College, to the Sever- citizens. As governments take Central China College are help- ance Medical College and to the over this task, missions must ing in the task of translating the Korean Posung College. The fol- withdraw, but taking care that manuals from English to Chi- lowing day he paid half this sum religious teaching and influence nese. The Chinese are finding to each of the institutions con- are adequately safeguarded, es- Japanese translations of For- cerned, promising to pay the pecially by insuring the Chrisward Movement literature help- remainder in May. With addi- tian character of the teachers. ful in the work, as many of the tional help contributed, the col- Japanese characters are pure lege expects to be able to supply -Pacific Island's Monthly. Chinese characters. 36 scholarships. South Seas Martyrs The Rev. Charles F. Wiston, Mr. Cho's gift is the largest of Central China College, is in which the college has ever re- Lawe~ College takes its name communication with Prof. Paul ceived from Korean sources. from a great pioneer missionary Rusch of St. Paul's University, Coming from a young man who of the London Missionary So- Tokyo,who is aiding with the is not himself a Christian, it ciety in Papua. Here Papuans Japanese publications. More shows something of the esteem are trained as tea.chers, preachthan 55,000 copies of the Jap- in which this college and the ers and handworkers. They live anese Forward – Day by Day Severance Medical College are in neat cottages and raise their have been placed in the hands of held by the Korean people in own food. Their wive,' too, are Japanese families. For war d general. -H. H. Underwood. – preparing to preach as well as to Movement efforts to reach the teach. There is a beautiful little millions of rural inhabitants in One Thousand at Prayer college chapel in which are two Japan a're meeting with success. Meeting stained glass windows, memori- als to Dr. James Chalmers and -The Churchman. Midweek prayer meeting in Oliver Tomkins, who suffered Pyengyang has probably the death by martyrdom at the same News, Not Views world's largest at ten dan c e, time. Above the communion rarely falling below 1,000 and table is another memorial win- Newspaper evangelism, start- dow. It contains four tablets with ed by W. H. Murray Walton, is
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
the names of eighty-two Samoan united Christian forces can bring "Farther With Ohrist" Mission and South Sea missionaries who to the local church in undertakdied in the service of Christ in ing its task. The Evangelical Church has Papua between 1871 and 1899. launched a "F art her With Some of these missionaries, Four basic areas of human re- C h r i s t" Mission. Beginning themselves not long removed lationships are recognized: September 19 a group of bishops from primitive savagery, were Christian Family Life; The began a tour of nearly thirty clubbed or speared to death, some Church and Its Program; Com- strategic Evangelical centers in died from fever or pestilence. munity Issues Calling for Chris- the United States and Canada. If this memorial were brought tian Action; and The Mission of The next step in the mission will up to date, the number would Christianity in the Mod ern be in the local churches. It will probably be twice as great. World. be an attempt to enrich the spir- itual life of the whole church Preaching Mission in the The necessity of a d.eep pe~ through ministers and lay lead- Philippines sonal religious experIence IS ers. The women of the church stressed. This is done through are asked to take part; and The Philippine Commission on common worship experiences, young people who have thought Evangelism is working on plans through addresses, and through clearly about life and its probfor a Preaching Mission to be a continuous recognition by all lems, and who earnestly desire conducted in a similar manner to leaders that personal religious to give themselves to making the the National Preaching Mission experience underlies effective world more Christian are asked in America. Included in the participation in Christian living to join in these meetings. plans is a visit from Dr. Stanley in social relationships. Jones in February, or earlier. -Evangelical-Messenger. His contribution to such an en- A Manual on the National deavor will be invaluable, espe- Teaching Mission explains the Unusual Oountry Parish cially since he was one of the details of a School in Christian outstanding leaders of the move- Living as conducted on either a Rev. and Mrs. L. A. Zimmerment in America. His visit to community or a local church man, graduates of Kansas Agrithe larger centers in the Islands basis. For information, write cultural College, twenty years will stimulate the four-year pro- the International Council of Re- ago, started a ministry of pulpit gram of evangelism, began last ligious Education, 203 N. Wa- and farm at Cedar Cliff, N. C., year. -N. C. C. Bulletin. bash Ave., Chicago. and the result has been start- lingly fruitful. They bought a Honolulu's Missionary Home Moody Institute Expands farm on credit, started living in a log cabin, with only muscle and Hundreds of missionaries pass It is fitting that in this year brain as equipment. Little by through Honolulu, and many of of international commemoration little the debt was lifted, a new them may be interested in know- of the birth of Dwight L. Moody, and attractive house was built. ing of the establiJshment of a founder of Moody Bible Insti- Bible Institute and Missionary tute, Chicago, that a new and During these years of hard Home. The Bible Institute is to more suitable building be erected work on the farm, the ministry be interdenominational and in- to house the Institute's activities. to the people has been in four terracial. The Missionary Home A number of old buildings on La centers, and in two of these four Staff desires to meet every Salle Street that served the In- new meeting houses have been steamer and "take all the mis- stitute in Chicago for twoscore built, erected by the efforts of sionaries and their restless chil- years as dormitories, have been the people and their minister. dren for the day, part of it to be torn down and a twelve-story Two services each Sunday and spent on the sands at Waikiki, Administration Building has three prayer meetings each week and a part in a drive to the Pali, been begun. The needs of an at distances of from four to six and for some a quiet rest in the enlarging student body have miles from the home are held. In Missionary Home." Those inter- made expansion necessary. the special services held, more ested may write to E. B. Turner, accessions have been received 2436 Oahu Avenue, Honolulu. Administrative activities,here- than is the average of the church tofore scattered among thirty- in general. A program of Vaca- NORTH AMERIOA eight buildings, will now be tion Bible Schools is maintained, gathered into a compact arrange- beside socials and entertain- Preaching Mission Follow-Up ment that will make for economy ments. Standards have been and efficiency. Besides numerous raised and the minister's home is . Schools in Christian Living business offices, and lecture and a much frequented center. are under way as a follow-up of reception halls, there will be a the National Preaching Mission. spacious library and reading The Tennessee Valley Author- They seek to provide, not a com- rooms. A completely equipped ity made an aerial survey of the munity substitute for the local printing plant will occupy a part mountains and a short time later church's program, but the most of the basement, which will also one of their agents from Norris competent assistance w hi c h provide additional dining room Dam drove up to the farm and space. Radio equipment has asked what those strips on the been modernized so as to double land meant. They had noticed its service area. it on the map. A new kind of
farming for the mountains had campaign are to make "enrolled" guidance, their success in represent- and "active" membership syn- ing the Lord Christ, even in what been tried – strip farming; a onymous by reenlisting lapsed seems impossible situations. members, and to achieve a great strip of corn twenty-five feet expansion of its program of serv- Let us pray for our fellow Chris- ice through increased support. tians in China and Japan. Many of and a strip of grass to avoid ero- Lutheran Church leaders char- them have been led to the Saviour by acterize this movement as "an the missionaries whom we have sent sion of the land. To terrace the answer to the challenge of that to them. They are the children of spirit of 'defeatism' which was the Church. They are confronted by land would be too costly, but born amid the depression." It possible suffering and by temptations is also an answer to widely pub- subtle and powerful. Let us pray these strips attained the same licized claims that the Church that they may be led and strengthened has ceased to be a potent factor by the Holy Spirit in bearing their result. So impressed was the in American life. In order to witness to Christ, in finding the right present the plan effectively a course for them as Christians to pur- Authority that it asked our schedule of regional meetmgs sue, and in being faithful to the end. has been arranged. preacher-farmer to visit the uni- Let us pray for the rulers, the lead- Current Periodical Trends ers and the people of Japan and China. versity and explain it to the If ever men needed to be taught of The Sunday Sch.ool Times has God what pathway to follow, it is now. classes. W. E. FINLEY. made an analysis of the attitude War, whatever its outcome, will not of this nation's popular maga- assure the peace and the progress of Georgia Buys Bibles zines toward religion, and finds the Orient. Only as China and Japan that the percentage of articles attain some common standing-ground The State of Georgia, through indicating an approving attitude of genuine good will, of mutual respect its board of education, will pur- towards Christianity has defi- and mutual helpfulness, will there be chase 800,000 Bibles for school nitely declined since 1900. It any solution of the problem of the Far children of Georgia as a means appears obvious that Christian- East. Let us pray in humility and of inculcating religious prin- ity has "dropped into a state of after self-examination, for these lands, ciples and offsetting commu- being severely criticised and op- that they may come, albeit through posed." This is especially true bitter experience, to that better undernistic tendencies. in the so-called intellectual type standing which will prepare the way . The motion for the purchase of magazine. for a glorious future-a golden age of freedom and justice and peace, which of the Bibles came from Gov- The magazines whose contents is none other than the kingdom of ernor Rivers, who stressed the reveal such a trend are ones God. need for Bibles in the schools of whose names are familiar to al- Georgia, saying: most every reading household, Also, a group of missionary and whose circulation totals executives in New York in con- "The growth of Communism many millions of copies. They sultation regarding problems reis a menace we of Georgia have are considered to be the best sulting from the Sino-Japanese got to watch, and the best available current periodical lit- struggle made the following weapon with which to combat it erature. It is inevitable that to recommendations: is the Bible. Com m u n ism some extent the nation's thinkteaches Godlessness. Our form ing will be molded by these We are united in our realization of of government contemplates the periodicals. Perhaps no more the need of prayer. We write, thereworship of God as a religion and effective antidote could be sug- fore, urging that through all the deas an act of citizenship." gested than to urge the placing nominational channels there go forth in every home a well-edited a call to prayer for China and Japan, It is reported that each mem- Christian paper. so that at this time of grave crisi.s a ber of the new 10-man board great volume of intercessory prayer arose and indorsed "1009'0" the MISCELLANEOUS may come before the throne of God suggestion and motion of the from the Christians of America. governor. Let Us Pray! Planning a World General It was the governor's sugges- Dr. Ralph E. Diffendorfer, of Assembly tion that the Bible be furnished the Methodist Board of Foreign to all school children in the state, Missions, has issued the follow- Arrangements for a conferfrom the first grade through ing call to prayer in view of the ence to be held in Holland were high school, and the Bible so bitter struggle in the Orient. initiated by a "Committee of furnished to become the prop- Fourteen," appointed by Oxford erty of the child and to remain Let us pray for our missionaries in and Edinburgh, at a meeting in in his possession throughout his Japan and China. Some are in im- Lon don, August 19, which school life. -Living Church. minent peril. Some are in isolation elected the Archbishop of York and bewilderment. All are faced by as chairman, and Dr. Samuel Lutheran Intensive Drive unexpected problems and difficulties. McCrea Cavert and Can 0 n Let us pray for their safety, their Leonard Hodgson as secretaries. A campaign for new members which leaders believe is more The World Council plan concomprehensive than any similar templates a General Assembly of· program ever undertaken by a church in the United States was about 200 representatives of initiated on September 7 by the cooperating churches meeting United Lutheran Church in every five years, and a General America. .Full responsibility for Assembly executive committee plans, which have required ten of about· 60 representatives months' intensive work, are in meeting every year. the hands of Dr. F. H. Knubel, of New York City.
The announced purposes of the Our Missionary Bookshelf Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information ~===========I~ Christendom and Islam. By W. Wil- Romanism usually fares better taught it with scholarship and son Cash. 205 pp. $2.00. Harper and Brothers, New York. 1937. at the hands of Protestant Lib- skill and sympathy to the new eralism than does Fundamental- generations. He has been a sin- Prebendary Cash was for- ism. It is refreshing to find a cere and devoted Christian man, merlya missionary in the Near tolerant Liberal who does not be- who practiced and taught the East and has studied Islam for lieve that all Fundamentalists reality of prayer. He has been over thirty years. He has writ- are bigots, who appreciates the no cloistered student but has ten several volumes on the sub- greatness of the conservative taken his full part and more in ject and these chapters were theology, and who does not cari- the practical work of the Church given as the Haskell Lectures at cature its noble features. in missions, in true evangelism, Oberlin School of Theology in The reading of the book left in cooperation, in national and 1936-7. He naturally writes of the distinct impression that the social service. These essays de- Islam from a Christian stand- weakest chapter is the last, in scribe the fields of Dr. Brown's point. It is one of the best books which the author presents the interest and work and tell a liton the subject in recent years Liberal view and therefore tle, but only a part, of his effecand gives a vast amount of in- speaks for his own faith. It is tive and fruitful service. In a formation about Mohammed, his plain that his opinions have been time of uncertainty and fear Dr. religion, his followers and the colored by a rather full accept- Brown has been a rich influence results of Christian missions. ance of radical Biblical criti- of stability and courage and Read especially the chapter on cism. His view of the Old Tes- hope. And now in his ripe age "The Christian Answer to the tament is naturalistic, while his he is one of the open-minded Moslem Quest." view of the Lord Jesus has defi- and forward-looking advocates Three Typical Beliefs. By Theo- nite unitarian and humanistic of the larger unity and' wider dore Gerald Soares. 111 pages and leanings. But he sets forth his index. $1.50. The University of opinions with tolerance, grace, service of the Christian Church, building on the past a yet great- Chicago Press, Chicago. 1937. and considerable balance. er future.
This little book is of consider- One's response to a discussion R. E. S.
able beauty, both in its format such as this is necessarily col- Dr. Bob Hockman, A Surgeon of the and in its style. The author, ored by the faith that he holds. Cross. By Kathleen Hockman who is Professor of Ethics at Friederichsen. 102 pp. 50 cents. To the conservative reader at Zondervan Publishing House, Grand the California Institute of Tech- least the presentation of Liber- Rapids. 1937. nology and minister of the alism will be far less convincing than that of either Roman Ca- As one who knew intimately Neighborhood Church in Pasa- Dr. Bob Hockman and who had tholicism or Fundamentalism. dena, is a member of the Board FRANK E. GAEBELEIN. much to do with him in the Red of Preachers of Harvard Uni- Cross during his last months on versity. The "Three Typical Be- The Church Through Half a Century. earth in Ethiopia, I heartily liefs" which he discusses are Essays in honor of William Adams Roman Catholicism, Fundamen- Brown by former students. $3.00. commend this life story to every talism, and Liberalism; and the 426 pp. Charles Scribner's Sons, young person seeking to follow book, therefore, has just three New York. Jesus Christ.
divisions, each dealing with the This composite volume was is- Mrs. Friederichsen brings out beliefs of the particular faith sued in Dr. Brown's honor on the interesting fact that in early the occasion of his retirement life he was not a good student under discussion.
This is the only treatise of from active service in Union but that the jolt he received by liberal authorship the reviewer Theological Seminary, New York failing in an e x ami nat ion has ever seen that discusses City. He well deserves every brought out his determination to :Fundamentalism with true tol- word of appreciation and praise succeed. He ended his course at erance and genuine respect. which it contains. He has been the head of his class in the medi- The same thing, to a lesser de- a theological teacher who held cal college. This is encouraging gree, is true for the treatment of fast the great catholic, evangeli- for those who are inclined to be Roman Catholicism, although cal faith of the Church and discouraged. A few months be- Any of the books noted in these columns will be sent by the REVIEW publishers on receipt of price.
[559 ] fore the invasion of Ethiopia by conditions and in foreign rela- Probably no one is better in- Italy, at a consultation of ten of tions. The Japanese military formed on "Latin America and the best known doctors in Addis aggressive program is strongly Its Place in World Life." Ababa over a puzzling case that criticized. The movements to- Dr. Inman has given us a resisted treatment and an oper- ward Church union and edu- monumental work as a result of ation, Bob gave a summing up cational trends are presented in his study, observation and exof the evidence and medical valuable surveys. perience. He first, in Book One, probabilities that was really The Japanese Christians are describes Latin Americans and following the flag of the empire briefly reviews their history; in masterful. Mrs. F r i e d e ric h sen has by taking the Gospel to the Books Two and Three he debrought out Dr. Hockman's es- South Seas (Caroline Islands), scribes the new forces at work sential manliness and sweet to South America, the Philip- in labor circles, among students, temper as well as his devotion to pines and Manchuria. The book Communists, and Evangelical duty. What a wonderful com- is not as valuable in the vitality missions. He looks into the fubination, and one that com- of topics treated as are many ture in an attempt to discover mends our Lord Jesus Christ to previous volumes. Several types the outcome of the revolution in young people who are so quick of work and organizations pre- Mexico and Uruguay. to see sham. The name of Bob sented are only indirectly mis- There is a list of important Hockman is entitled to stand sionary-such as the Mutual Aid historical dates, some explanaamongst the heroes of faith of and Fire Protection Association. tory notes and useful annotated all ages. His life reminds us of The obituaries and directories bibliographies on each section. Ralph Tidrick, another mission- occupy 77 pages-one fifth of the The index occupies eight pages. ary hero of the United Presby- volume. The statistics show that Probably to those interested terian Church, who was in many there are now working in Japan in Evangelical missions the least ways like Dr. Bob and who 54 societies, and 986 Protestant satisfactory portions of the book met death by being mauled by a missionaries (232 ordained and are those dealing directly with wounded lion. Heroic death en- 481 in evangelistic work). There this subject. Considerable space courages others to heroic life. are about 1,750 organized is devoted to Communism and There are a number of mis- churches of which 950 are self- its growing strength, less to spelled proper names and tech- supporting. Protestant Church Roman Catholicism and its nical terms in this book and members are rep 0 r ted at moral and spiritual weaknesses. some statistics that should be re- 230,000. It seems an over-statement to vised. The "poetry" is not of The story of work in Formosa, say that in "countries like Brazil, sufficieptly high quality to merit where there has been a revival Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico inclusion in such a noble record. movement, is of particular in- the churches begun by mission- TOM A. LAMBIE. terest. aries have now become independ- Japan Today. Edited by T. T. Brum- C. T. Studd, Athlete and Pioneer. By ent of foreign control, electing baugh. 500 pp. Kyo Bun Kwan. Norman P. Grubb. Illus. 8vo. Ginza, Tokyo. 1937. 266 pp. Zondervan Pub. House. their own bishops and other Grand Rapids, Mich. 1937. ecclesiastical authorities, and Here is the thirty-fifth issue working out their own proof the Japan and Formosa Chris- This stimulating biography of grams." This seems to give the tian Movement Year Book. It the famous British Cambridge has been published under the cricketer and missionary to Af- impression that this independauspices of the National Chris- rica has already been reviewed ence and self-support has been tian Council and is now issued in these pages (April, 1934). It attained in all these and other by the Fellowship of Christian is worth reading as a story of countries. Missionaries. This year book courage, faith and sacrificial deals with Christian missions service. For a general picture of the and religion in Japan and also present situation, for informawith the political and social prob- Latin America. By Samuel Guy In- tion on politics, economics and lems, economic conditions and man. 8vo. 462 pp. $3.75. Willet, the factors that influence the fuintellectual life and thought and Clark & Co. Chicago. 1937. ture of Latin American lands, education. There are statistics this volume by Dr. Inman will and lists of missionaries and Dr. Inman has been a student their stations. The authors of of Latin American affairs for prove most useful, but there is various sections include eight over thirty years. He has little direct information on Latin worked as a missionary of the America's spiritual need or mis- sionary work and the Evan- gelical outlook.
leading Japanese and thirteen Disciples Church in Mexico, has "None Other Gods." By W. A. Vismissionaries. Naturally the vol- been secretary of the Committee ser't Hooft. 185 pp. Harper Bros.
ume says little about Japan's on Cooperation in Latin America New York. 1937.
campaign against China but the for twenty years, has traveled This little but vel'v wortheditor deals' briefly with Man- frequently in Mexico, Central while book was writte"n by one churia and Japan's withdrawal America, the West Indies and of the clearest-minded leaders of from the League of Nations. South America and has written the younger student generation There is a crisis both in domestic many books on the subject. who is also a man of positive
faith. He writes for a in the new world
contemporary mood. There are perhaps far more young people efforts in the colonies prior to this time had been undertaken in America than he recognizes only by societies or congregawho hold fast to the historic tions in Europe. catholic faith of the Evangelical Bishop Levin Theodore Reich- ………"""~ churches without any great dis- eI, in his manuscript entitled, turbance of mind, and there are, "The Early His tor y of the alas, many at the other extreme Church of the United Brethren, commonly called Moravians, in with whom such a valid presen- North America, A. D. 1734- !!!!: COUISE 1M BIBLE EVIDEICES tation as this brief book contains 1748," in an enumeration of the will be in vain: Between these sources of revenue to meet the Ii. Scriptural Study Each Week–52 Lesson•• groups, however, there are many various expenses of the time, Part I. Internal Evidences of the Inspiration in our colleges and universities of the Bible. Part IL The Testimony of History, Science, and li.rchaeolojty.
Send 1& in stamps for eunen! issue.
who, e i the r thoughtfully or wrote: "A third source of in- HRISTIAN PUBLICATIONS. INC: thoughtlessly, are swayed by the come was the Society for the Furtherance of the G 0 s pel, 1502 N. 3d St., Harrisburg, Pa. mass tendency which Visser't Hooft describes, who need just founded by Bishop Spangenberg and consisting mostly of friends American Tract Society. New such a trenchant, penetrating of the Brethren. From August York. 13, 1745 to December 31, 1747, Stand Up and Preach. Ambrose message as is provided here.' this Society collected for mis- Moody Bailey. $1.50. 142 pp. One might appropriately call it sionarypurposes £454. 13s.5d., Round Table Press. New York. . a convincing argument, but the a not inconsiderable sum for White and Black in Australia. J. S. those times." Needham. 174 pp. S. P. C. K. author's conception of the Chris- London. tian mission is that it is a mission not of argument or of ~pology, but of witness and of The late Bishop Edmund de Mann of the Border. D. Emmet witness ,to great facts, the fact Schweinitz, in his "Historical Alter. 188 pp. $1.00. Wm. B. Sketch of the Society for Propa- Eerdmans Pub. Co. Grand Rapids, of God's historic revelation in gating the Gospel Among the Mich. Christ and His present availabil- Heathen, 1787 to 1887," says: ity in grace. This book is such Yesteryears. Hallie Paxson Wins- borough. 224 pp. 50 cents paper, 75 cents cloth. Committee on a witness and one could wish "There existed a society founded W 0 man's Work, Presbyterian that it might be honestly pon- much earlier by Bishop Spang- Church in the U. S. Atlanta, Ga. dered by the present student enberg in August, 1754. It orig- Hadramaut-Its dhallenge. W. H. generation throughout the world. inally numbered thirty members Storm. 8 pp. 2d. World Domin- .. R. E. SPEER. ion Press. London and New York. but many more were added in the course of time, representing Golden Grain Diary. (Vest Pocket all, or nearly all, the American and Standard Editions.) 18 to 68 THE. FIRST MORAVIAN MIS- churches of the Brethren."–J. 6d. Pickering & Inglis. London. SiONARY SOCIETY IN M. Levering, in "The Mora- Glorious Living. Informal Sketches AMERICA vian." of Seven Women Missionaries of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. The Sesqui-Centennial celebration of the re-organization of Compiled by Hallie Paxson Winsthe Society for Propagating the borough and edited by Sarah Lee Gospel Among the Heathen New Books Vinson Timmons. 318 pp. Com- . (Moravian) is to be observed by a service in the Central Across Africa in a Lorry. W. B. mittee on Woman's Work, Presby- Church, Bethlehem, Pa., Novem- Redmayne. 128 pp. $1.40. Zon- terian Church, U. S. Atlanta, Ga. ber 7. The address will be de- dervan Pub. Co. Grand Rapids, livered by John R. Mott, LL.D., Mich. The Great Commission. Robert P. Chairman of the International Wilder. 116 pp. 28. Oliphants. Missionary Council. The self- Aflame for God. Story of Pioneer- London. sacrificing devotion of the early ing Amongst Cannibals. Eva Brethren "for the Saviour's Stuart Watt. 125 pp. 40 cents. An Ambassador in Bonds-The Story sake, and the salvation of poor Marshall, Morgan & Scott. Lon- of William Henry Jackson, the souls" has made possible "WorId don. Blind Priest of Burma. Mary C. Wide Moravian Missions." The Purser. 64 pp. 6d. S. P. G. Lonfirst missionary society of the Child's Bible in Bible Words. Nina don. Moravian Church in America Kayser. Illus. 266 pp. A. J. Holwas founded on August 19, 1745, man Co. Philadelphia. Japan Christian Year Book-1937. called "The Society for the Fur- 500 pp. Committee of Reference therance of the Gospel" and was Church Planting in Madagascar•. W. and Council. New York. fully organized November 28, Kendall Gale. 88 pp. 18. World 1754. No earlier record has Dominion Press. London and New The Two Ways. A Play for Any been produced of any such mis- York. Season of the Church's Year. A. L. sionary society formed elsewhere E. Williams. 53 pp. S. P. G. Keswick Convention Report. 1937. London. 28. 6d. paper, 48. cloth. 300 pp. Pickering & Inglis. London. The Nestorian'Churches. R. Aubrey Vine. 224 pp. 68. Independent Latin America, Its Place in World Press, London. Life.. Samuel Guy Inman. $3.75. Willett, Clark & Co. Chicago. Early Japanese History. 2 vols. R. K. Reischauer. $7.50. University A Mighty Winner of Souls-Life of Press, Princeton, N. J. Charles G. Finney. Frank Gren- ville Beardsley. 192 pp. $1.50. Lectures on Japan. Inazo Nitabe. 405 pp. 78. 6d. Benn, London.
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The Missionary Review of the World — October 1937
1937
Mohammedan World Number The Moslem World Today Dwight M. Donaldson Some Trends in the Moslem World Edward M. Dodd Influence of Moslem Superstitions Davida M. Finney Why Preach Christ to Moslems? Samuel M. Zwemer The Christian Approach to Moslems W. Wilson Cash Moslem Reactions to the Gospel James Haldane Educating Moslems for Christ John Van Ess A Christian Doctor Among Moslems Paul W. Harrison The Power of the Printed Page Mabel H. Erdman My Experience with Moslems Frank C. Laubach Moslem Views of "Those Nazarenes" J. Lowrie Anderson Christian and Moslem Homes Eleanor T. Calverley How to Interest Christians in Moslems Estella S. Aitchison Best Books on Moslems and Missions Samuel M. Zwemet'
25 Cents a Copy $2.50 a Year
to Remember WORLD DOMINION SURVEY
September 27 – October 1 – Dallas, SURVEYING THE WORLD Texas. Pres., Mrs. E. R. Alderson, 561 Goodwin St., Dallas, Texas. Here is a series of real missionary sur- veys, scientific and evangelical, written with September 27 – October 1 – Houston, a grasp and definiteness of fact, a perspec- Texas. Dean, Mrs. A. B. Haynes, tive of view and a passion which makes 618 Highland Ave., Houston, Texas. them comparable to a military reconnais- sance. One after another the great fields October 2-6 – Triennial Convention. of missionary endeavof afe being covered Women's Missionary Society of the with topogf~phical accuracy from a stand- United Lutheran Church. Buffalo. point vitally evangelical and entirely non- denominational. The books come from the October 3-Presbyterian World Com- munion Sunday. press bound like government monographs, in big type and made vivid by splendid maps.
October 5-6 – Southern Mountain Catalogue on Application Mention The Missionary Ret'iew Child Service Conference; under auspices of Save the Children Fund WORLD DOMINION OFFICES of America, Inc. Hotel McAlpin, New York. 156 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK CITY October 5-6 – Warren, Ohio. Mrs. The Rev. George S. McCune, D.D., ceived an honorary doctorate degree George Konold, 314 Scott St., N. E., LL.D., for about 30 years a Presby- from Yale in June. At a meeting of Warren, Ohio. terian missionary in Korea and presi- the Associated Boards for Christian dent of the Union Christian College Colleges in China, he made a clear October 6-12-Annual Meeting, Wom- of Pyengyang has joined the admin- statement of his Christian faith, and an's Home Missionary Society, istrative staff of the Moody Bible In- of the part that that faith had in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Se- stitute of Chicago, and will also teach release of the Generalissimo last attle, Wash. and assist in the evangelistic pro- Christmas. gram. Dr. McCune was also for a October 14-15 — Interracial Confer- time president of Huron College, '" * .. ences. Asbury Park, N. J. South Dakota, and brings real talents, Dr. Raymond C. Walker, pastor of October 21- Baltimore, Md. Mrs. experience and spiritual strength to the Market Square Presbyterian David D. Baker, 410 N. Calhoun the service of the Institute. Church of Harrisburg, Pa., was win- St., Baltimore, Md. ner of the $150 prize offered by the * … '" Presbyterian Board of Foreign Mis- October 24-31-Presbyterian Centen- sions for the best missionary sermon nial Week. Mr. Dugald Campbell, agent of the preached in connection with the cele- bration of the Board's centennial. November 7-11-International Good- National Bible Society of Scotland, is Dr. Walker's subject was: "These Are Will Congress. Boston. retiring as agent for Northern Africa the Great Days of God." Other prizes since he can no longer undertake the went to Dr. George E. Sweazey, of Your Missionary Activities long pioneer journeys on the fringes Danville, Ky., Dr. George Johnson of of the Sahara Desert, and other parts Lincoln University, and Dr. Paul F. Should begin at home. Get a of Africa, as he has done for many supply of our years. He hopes to spend the re- .. . Barackman, of Brookly.n.. . New York. mainder of his days in Johannesburg, GOSPEL TRACTS James Hardy Dillard, eighty-year- .. South Africa. old president of the Jeanes Fund for Sound, attractive, convincing the Improvement of Negro Education, '" '" has received the Theodore Roosevelt Sample package, 250. medal for 1937. This medal is given Mr. Arthur T. Upson, formerly of annually for human achievement or FAITH, PRAYER and TRACT LEAGUE the Nile Mission Press, has returned the development of American char- to Palestine from England. He will acter. Dr. Dillard receives the award Dept.R.W. Muskegon Heights, Mich. be at Mt. Carmel until December 10, "in recognition of sixty years of wise and subsequently at Fairhaven, Alex- and devoted work in behalf of the Personal Items andria, Egypt. He plans to do mis- American Negro, and the creation of sionary work and to give Bible read- a better understanding between the Dr. Iran Lee Holt, minister of St. ings in various places to help weaker white race and the black."
John's Methodist Episcopal Church, Christians. … '" … ~Obituary Note'S South, St. Louis, Mo., and a former General Evangeline Booth left Rev. William Milne, a Presbyterian London on September 22 for a tour missionary stationed on the Island of president of the Federal Council of of the United States and Canada. Nguna, New Hebrides, was killed by Churches, has been appointed chair- After conducting the Salvation a native April 27. Army's annual Congress in Atlanta, man of the Federal Council's new New York, and Chicago, she will go The native was the son of the chief to Winnipeg, returning to New York of the village near the mission sta- Commission for the Study of Chris- tion, and he had seemed demented. by way of Montreal. He attacked several natives who ran tian Unity. The commission is to be- to the mission station, where Mr. and * * '" Mrs. Nottage, missionaries from angin its work when sufficient financial other island, were present on a visit. Dr. H. H. Kung, the Minister of support for it has been secured. Finance in the National Government The madman rushed at the mission- of China, and vice-president of the aries with an axe and struck Mr. Dr. and Mrs. '"Ern'"est'" Lyons, veteran Executive Yuan (vice-premier in the Milne with the axe. Government), has recently visited Methodist missionaries to the Philip- America. He is an earnest Christian Then the village chief commanded and stands next to the Premier, one of his men to shoot his son. pines, have retired from active serv- Generalissimo Chiang Kaj-shek, in responsibilities and authority in the Rev. William Veitch Milne had ice. They went to Manila in 1903 Government. Dr. Kung is a 75th de- served as a missionary in the New from Singapore, and have seen in scendent of Confucius, but in his life Hebrides for over 20 years. His fa- and work he has repeatedly testified their thirty-four years of residence to his faith in Christ and has taken (Continued on pag6 449.) his stand for Christian principles. in the Philippines a most phenomenal Dr. Kung, as a representative of his growth of the evangelical Christian Government, attended the Coronation ceremonies of King George and ramovement. In 1913 Dr. Lyons took the bar examination, thereby saving the church thousands of pesos for legal expenses, as well as enabling him to serve as advisor in critical sit- .. .. . uations.
Dr. Charles Stelzle has been ap- pointed executive director of the "Good Neighbor League" in place of Dr. Stanley High, resigned.
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REVIEW OF THE WORLD In the Foreign Mission Field Fast Days Endorse Calvert School DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Editor Home Study Courses TO TBE VOL. LX OCTOBER, 1937 No. 10 For Children ORIENT Publication and Business Office– Calvert School, through its Home Instruc- Third and Reily Sts., Harrisburg, Pa. tion Department, will give your child a superior elementary education ••. by mail, Editorial and Executive Office– regardless of where you may live. Mod- 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. ern, approved courses from this famous Entered as second-class matter at school are being used by parents all over the world with outstanding success. Post Office, Harrisburg, Pa., under Act of March 3, 1879. Give your children the advantages of these interesting lessons, carefully chosen books, 25 cents a copy-$2.50 a year. and attractive materials. Instruction is Foreign Postage, 50 cents a year. under the personal guidance of teachers in Published monthly, except August. Calvert's prominent and successful private All rights reserved. Copyrighted 1937. British agents – Marshall, Morgan , day school in Baltimore. and Scott, 12 Paternoster Buildings, London, E. C. 1 shilling per copy, Write today for booklet of complete in- 10 shillings a year. formation. Costs are low.
MISSIONARY REVIEW PUB- CALVERT SCHOOL LISHING CO., INC. 180 E. Tuscany Road BOARD OF DIRECTORS Baltimore ol> Maryland ROBERT E. SPEER, President Obituary Notes Empress of Japan-holder of A. L. WARNSHUIS, Vice-President the Pacific Blue Ribbon WALTER MCDOUGALL, Treasurer (Continued from 2nd Cover.) DELAVAN L. PIERSON, Secretary • ther, Rev. Peter Milne, was one of SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT the pioneer missionaries in the New Go direct fromVancouverand Victoria in 10 days by Em- WILLIAM I. CHAMBERLAIN Hebrides. press of Asia or Empress of D. J. FANT Russia. Only 3 more days via MRS. ORRIN R. JUDD *** Hawaii by Empress of Japan WM. B. LIPPHARD (fastest ship on the Pacific) Dr. Claire H. Denman, who served or Empress of Canada. Con- ERIC M. NORTH as medical missionary in Siam for nect at Honolulu from Cali- SAMUEL M. ZWEMER twelve years, died recently in Berk- fornia ports. Low round-trip eley, California. He was first located fares include passage from Editorial Chat at Chiengmai and later established and and to Seattle. built the first hospital in Chiengmai. This number of THE REVIEW is de- He was also editor of The Laos News, ~fi+ voted to the study of the Moslems of which later became The Siwm Outlook. For rates and sailings, see the world-their distribution, char- Being an ordained minister as well acteristics, influence and the extent as doctor, he made numerous tours YOUR TRAVEL AGENT or Cana- and results of Christian work among into the interior with both foreign Mohammedans. It is an interesting dian PSaacnifiFc:raNnceiwscYo,o3r8k~tChheir- subject and will be studied by thou- and Siamese evangelists. cago, sands of Christians in America this year. The articles we present are by *** cities in U. S. and Canada. experts-men and women who have spent years of service in Moslem The Rev. Dr. Frank Rawlinson, lands. Other equally fine articles, Editor of the Chinese Recorder, was crowded out of this issue, will appear accidentally killed by the explosion of in November. Look for them. a bomb in Shanghai on August 14. He was at the time with his wife and Moslem Women and Children- daughter but they were uninjured. Mrs. Herrick Young. Dr. Rawlinson went to China under the auspices of the American Baptist Encouragements in the Work- Foreign Mission Society in 1902 and Geo. Swan. later became associated with the American Board (Congregational). Testimonies of Converts from He showed great ability in his edi- Islam. torial work and in his understanding of the Chinese. His death is a real Sermon by a Former Moslem- loss to the cause of Christ in China Sa'eed Kurdistani. and one of the tragedies of the con- flict between the Japanese and The Story of Sa'eed Kurdistani- Chinese. Christie Wilson. Ambrose Sw*ase*y, *prominent Bap- New and Old in Moslem Lands- A. T. Upson. tist and trustee of many educational and missionary enterprises, died in *** Cleveland, Ohio, recently, at the age of ninety. He was one of the world's The following shows the esteem in leading scientists, having constructed which THE REVIEW is held by readers the giant telescopes for the Lick Ob- who use it for their own personal in- servatory, the United States Observ- formation and in church work. atory at Washington and the Yerkes Observatory at the University of Chi- *** cago. He was also a generous sup- porter of interdenominational mission- "I think the Rural Number of THE ary work. REVIEW is a very fine contribution to ,the cause. I am receiving a great (Concluded on 3rd Cover.) deal of help and enjoyment as I read the various articles."-Dr. Ellsworth [449 ] M. Smith, Field Representative, American Baptist Hom.e Mission So- ciety.
*** "THE REVIEW means much to me in my work with the women of our church."-Emma H. Mills, Santa Cruz, California. MOSLEM WORLD R op SOUTH INDIAN ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN H· REVIB ORLD VOLUME LX AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE CHRISTIAN PROGRESS NUMBER 10 OCTOBER, 1937 Topics of the Times WHY THIS INTEREST IN MOSLEMS? many other points in common with the Christian Few people on earth are as difficult to lead to faith. This too is a challenge. There is a foun- Christ as are the Moslems, and yet this year thou- dation on which to build. sands of Christians in America and England will 3. They are people of strong character. They be reading and studying about the countries take their religion and its obligations seriously. where the followers of Mohammed are most nu-. They are willing to fight for their convictions, to merous, and about the work that is being done make sacrifices and even to die for their faith. to win them to Christ. Multitudes of earnest They are not easily led to abandon their beliefs prayers will be offered for their conversion and large sums will be given to support missions or obligations as they conceive them and are diliamong them. Why? gent in teaching their children to follow their Prophet. Apostasy is considered an unpardonable It is not because of any personal gain to mis- sin and in Moslem law it is a crime punishable sionaries, or any desire for political, economic or with death. These facts constitute a challenge to ecclesiastical advantage. It is not because the Christians; they may be transmuted into Chriswork is producing large results or because the tian graces when touched by the Holy Spirit.
Church of Christ is moved by a spirit of imperial- 4. Moslems exert a great influence on the world ism for world conquest. There are at least seven reasons why every true follower of Christ should for good or for evil. They constitute a real probtake a deep and practical interest in Moslems and Christian work in their behalf to the extent of lem in Egypt and Turkey, in Iran and Syria, in earnest prayer and sacrifice. Arabia and India. In lands where they are in 1. The number of Moslems in the world and their wide distribution are challenging. At least power they offer great obstacles to progress of one in every ten of the population of the earth is a Moslem. There are between 200 and 250 mil- Christianity and to the promotion of peace and lion of these people scattered over the globe. Nort~ Africa, Egypt, the Sudan, Turkey, Syria, good will among all classes. They believe in a ArabIa, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Beluchistan, Java and Sumatra are almost solidly Mohamme- totalitarian Moslem state and in government condan. Millions more live in Central Africa, India, Central Asia, China, the Philippines, South trol by force of arms. Their influence might be Africa, Russia and Bulgaria. Many are found in other parts of Europe and in North and South turned to the advancement of the cause of Christ America. These multitudes cannot be ignored. and for the principles for which He stands. 2. They are people with positive and strong faith in God, as the one eternal, omnipotent 5. More potent than any of these reasons is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. They believe fact that Christ died for Moslems; He died that He might give tliem the life of God. They are sinners and know it, though they have wrong ideas of sin and its expiation. MthoereGoovse~reloutor Lord's command to "Go, preach every creature" certainly includes the Moham- medans today, even though there were none in existence when He first gave the command. There is no other way for Moslems to be saved than by Christ and the acceptance of His gift of Life.
in Christ as a unique prophet and in the authority 6. Another great reason is the obligation that of the Old and New Testaments. They believe in Christians have to Moslems because the contact prayer, in almsgiving, in immortality, and have of Arabians with 'a weak and distorted form of [451 ] Christianity was what led Mohammed to estab- and evidently thinks herself able to defy the publish his new form of religion. If Mohammed had lic opinion of the world. Her military party is been truly and intelligently converted to Christ ambitious to carry out its program, without in his youth what a difference that would have much regard for justice. It is reported on good made to the world ! We owe Moslems a debt, both authority that ninety per cent of the Japanese for the temporal things we have received from are opposed to the invasion of China, but the peothem and for spiritual truth we have failed to ple are kept in ignorance of the real situation share with them. by very strict censorship of the war news. J a- panese Christians, and others with more enlight- 7. A final reason for the support of Christian ened and pacific ideals, are greatly disturbed over work among Moslems is the encouraging results the aggressive policies of the military party that that have come in the conversion of Moslems to now rules Japan. These policies destroy the bene- Christ. Some outstanding trophies have been won ficial effects of the friendly advances made by in Syria and Egypt, in Iran and India. Every such Japanese Christian leaders as Dr. Toyohiko Moslem is supposed to be a missionary and, when Kagawa and Miss Michi Kawai. Apparently Jawon to Christ, should have the same zeal to ex- panese military leaders feared that China was tend their faith, in spite of persecution. What a growing in strength and was becoming united wonderful example is Dr. Sa'eed Kurdistani, the under the able Christian leadership of General- Kurdish Moslem who has become a great Chris- issimo Chiang Kai-shek and so determined to tian physician in Iran. Others are Kamil of strike while there was more likelihood of being Arabia and Michael Mansur of Egypt. There are able to achieve their purpose. multitudes more whose lights shine in narrower circles-but they are known to God. In Sumatra The modern war machine of Japan is much and other parts of the Dutch East Indies there more perfect and complete than that of China. are fifty thousand Christians who formerly were Airplanes· make it possible to carry destruction Moslems. They have their own schools and large far inland, and there seems little effort on the self-supporting churches. The influence of Christ part of the. Japanese to limit destruction to is permeating Iran, the Philippines, Africa, India, enemy fortifications and military forces. Already and many other lands to break down prejudice many thousands of noncombatants have been and build up an intelligent faith in Jesus Christ killed and wounded and peaceful villages have as the true revelation of God and the only Saviour been destroyed by ruthless Japanese airplane atfrom sin and its consequences. tacks. Foreigners and foreign enterprises have also suffered. In the north Japanese forces have Truly we as Christians have reason to preach occupied Peiping and Tientsin and are pushing the Gospel of Christ to Moslems, to carryon the their campaign north to the Great Wall and south work sacrificially and to expect that God will to the Yellow River. Without any declaration of honor our fulfilment of His will, by bringing Mo- war, Shanghai has been attacked with warships, hammedans into the fold of Christ. airplanes and cannon. Even the International Settlement has suffered and many educational THE TRAGEDY IN CHINA and missionary institutions have been bombed. The Chinese troops have offered brave and deter- Apparently the Japanese have determined to mined resistance in spite of their inferior equipgain control of China or of the northern prov- ment. They have now retired to their second line inces. Impartial observers who have followed the of defense on the west of Shanghai. events that led up to the present conflict can see no justification for Japan's invasion of China. What will be the outcome of this invasion of The excuse offered is the Japanese desire for eco- China, no one can foresee. China is too great a nomic development, their determination to sup- nation and too large a territory to be conquered press anti-Japanese feeling, and. a desire to com- in a short time. The Japanese attacks have bat the communistic influence of Russia. They united Chinese as never before, even communists have taken a strange method for accomplishing offering their service to the Nanking Government. these purposes. The first end might have been China is fighting for her life and for the pringained by friendly agreement and cooperation; ciples set forth by Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the father the second aim is thwarted and made more im- of the Chinese Republic. possible by each new invasion of China's territory and by utter disregard of China's sovereign The warfare is naturally affecting the missionrights. The third aim-to destroy communistic ary work in China. Reports come that the people influence in China-can scarcely be achieved by in war areas are filled with fear and that there methods that stir up the spirit of communism and are signs of religious revival in many places. seem to give reason for its promotion. Christians meet to worship, in spite of danger, and pray earnestly for the guidance and strength- Japan feels conscious of her military strength
TOPICS OF THE TIMES
ening of their rulers. The Protestant community meantime we can all work for greater unity numbers over one million and Roman Catholics re- through the guidance of the Spirit and through port 2,702,000 on their church rolls. Foreigners loving cooperation in the work He has given His in China number about 10,000, of whom over one- Church to carry forward. There is no room for half are Protestant missionaries. Many of these jealousy, for a desire to rule or for personal am- have left China on furlough; women and chil- bition, rivalry, suspicion and selfishness in such dren have been taken with other refugees to the unity. Philippines; missionaries on furlough are being kept home and others are being advised to leave Mr. Erling C. Olson, a New York business man, the danger zones. Probably by November first recently broadcasted over a network of stations the number of missionaries on the field will be re- some very helpful meditations on "Christian duced to 2,500, but most of these will elect to Unity," based on the one hundred and thirtystand by their flocks and to suffer and die with them if necessary. The missionary work most third Psalm. He said in part: * affected is in the area of Peiping, Tientsin, Shangh:;d and Nanking, although Japanese bombing The New Testament principle of fellowship and complanes have carried their attacks as far as Han- munion was beautifully expressed by our Lord, when He kow in the west and Canton in the south. said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." One would nat- The Christians in America and England can do urally assume, therefore, that when any body of Christians most by upholding their missionaries and the meets together they would experience this delightful comforces of righteousness by prayer. Much suffer- munion which the Psalmist so wonderfully portrayed, ing of innocent Chinese can be allayed through when he said, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is missionary and Red Cross ministrations. Gifts for brethren to dwell together in unity!" No one takes to meet present emergencies should be sent exception to this principle. It is good for capital and through the mission boards working in China. labor to dwell together in unity. It is good for any in- dividual to enjoy the fellowship of other members of his THE BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY group and preserve a spirit of unity. Such being the case, what an indictment it is against the Christian fam- Many movements are on foot for church union ily when there are petty squabbles and when the spirit of -on mission fields, in England and in America. discord and consequent disruption are present, as has been Some of these are to unite denominational fam- evident, particularly in recent years, even among men ilies, as in the Methodist, Baptist, Congregation- and women who actually have been born again by the al, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Reformed bodies. operation of the Spirit of God and the Word of God. I Some unions have already been effected, while am not talking about Christendom as we know it today. others are still being agitated. Other union move- I am not talking about the vast body of Christians and ments, as in Canada, include different denomina- non-Christians gathered together in one great melting pot. tional groups, while still other communions, like I refer to the body of Christ; to those who know that their the Protestant Episcopal Church eagerly advocate sins are forgiven, who know that they have eternal life a united church but can conceive of it only on the through faith in Jesus Christ, who know that they have basis of the acceptance of ecclesiastical ordination passed out of death and into life and therefore know that in harmony with their belief in the "historic epis- the Lord Jesus Christ is their Saviour and have acknowlcopate." edged Him as their Lord.
All true and intelligent followers of Christ ac- It is no wonder that the Church appears so impotent cept unity as the Christian ideal for which our before the world when the members of the Church are at Lord prayed three times in his high-priestly variance with one another. prayer: "That all may be one, as thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they may be one as in There can be no united Church except on a solid foundaus"-they are given eternal life in order that they tion. I do not think it is possible to have unity between may know God and be sanctified, kept, perfected. two groups of people, one of whom believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the other believes that He is The recent conferences at Oxford and Edinburgh a mere man; or to have unity between a group that looks have again emphasized the ideal for unity and upon the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross as a divine union among Christians, but seem to have found transaction, wherein God made 'atonement for sin, and a no new basis in which to realize such union. Hu- group that looks on the Cross and the death of Jesus man individuality, with differences of personal Christ as that of a martyr or a good man who died for a interpretations, tastes and methods of operation, cause. There can be no real fellowship between such must be recognized and respected until we all real- groups-but there can be unity between every member of ize that union with Christ that can find full ex- the body of Christ whose feet rest solidly upon the fact of pression in the harmony of faith, love and service the deity of Christ and upon the death which He died upon only as we realize perfect union in Him. In the the Cross.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says, "I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuifering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to' keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
In the 16th chapter of his letter to the Romans, the Apostle gives a similar injunction: "Now I beseech you, • Quoted by permission.
brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences tion. In Java and Sumatra alone, where the contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid Dutch Christian influence predominates, there them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus are over 50,000 converts from Islam. Christ, but their own belly . . ." That is a strange expression. Mark those men and avoid them, for they do There is the challenge of Jewry-not a popular not serve the Lord. They serve their own selves in their challenge but one we must face as Christians conlust for preeminence, or their appetite for power. cerned with the spiritual welfare of the youth of the world. The key to the Jewish problem every- Again, our Lord Jesus Christ, the fountain-head of all where is the recognition of Jesus Christ as divine truth, in His great high-priestly prayer, recorded in the Lord and Saviour of all mankind. Fifteen million 17th chapter of John's Gospel, said, "Neither pray I for Jews are without the knowledge of the saving these alone, (that is, the apostles gathered around Him) grace of Jesus Christ, and yet what do we owe but for them also which shall believe on me through their to the Chosen People of God for the preservation word; (that means us) that they all may be one; as of the Old Testament, and the knowledge of Christ thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may and His Way of Life. be one in us: that the world 11WIJJ believe that thou hast sent me." What a terrific responsibility rests upon each The challenge embraces many non-Christian member of the body of Christ to observe a spirit of unity, lands such as India and China. There is the mass in order that the world may know that our Lord Jesus movement in India towards 6hristianity; whole Christ is the Son of God and sent by Him to die for us! communities are pressing forward to become Christians. The immediate need there is for When brethren dwell in unity we will determine that, Christian education and the greater development instead of causing divisions, we will endeavor to keep the of indigenous leadership. China is plastic to new unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The Holy Spirit impressions and the greatest hope of the Chrisalways makes for unity amongst believers in Christ, for tians of China is their vision of a Chinese in- He dwells in them. digenous movement adapted to meet the religious needs of the people, and effective in arousing in * SOME PRESENT-DAY CHALLENGES Chinese Christians the sense of responsibility for the extension of the Kingdom of God. Weare living in a world which is more or less in a broken state, when even the bravest are apt There is also the challenge of unreached areas to grow despondent. The difficulties and problems in Central Africa, in South America, the Islands are of many kinds-political upheavals and mass of the Pacific and other unevangelized fields. movements are ruthless in their disregard of Christianity; nations are dissatisfied with what Then there is the challenge of Europe today. they have seen of modern civilization, and are In Central and Southeastern Europe Protestantfilled with bitterness and antagonism. But a new ism is fighting for its life. Nationalism and Comproblem is becoming the most serious menace to munism are seeking to capture youth with teach- Christianity, namely, a refined heathenism. Also, ing, much of which is subversive to the ideals of in their very antagonism to Western civilization, Christ and the best interests of humanity. some non-Christian religions are absorbing the principles of the Gospel of Christ. While thus The needs of this weary, war-torn, restless refining their own religion they still stand in ab- world and the great opportunities that confront us solute antagonism to the Christian faith. In the constitute a challenge to every Christian. God is early days of the Christian Church, they, too, more concerned about the needs of the world than found that a purified paganism was more insid- we are; the Christian teaching and training of ious and powerful even than an antagonistic bar- youth is a great burden oli His heart even more barism. than on ours. One of the greatest words in Chris- tian literature is "Immanuel" – God is with us. We believe that these problems are not per- Here we find the motive and the power for Chrismanent, nor even paramount; they are passing tian education. God loved, and when He loved, phases; to followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, He served, and when He served, He sacrificed they constitute, not reasons for fears and misgiv- His best. There is but one service which is the ings, but a challenge. service of the Kingdom of God; one race, and one Cross; one world of men, and one Kingdom; and First, there is the challenge of Islam. Moham- one glorious, peerless, Saviour for the whole medanism is conscious of a solidarity and unity world. which does not exist to such an extent in any other religion. They have their sects and their divi- This world is not going to be won except by sions, but they are conscious of a brotherhood great sacrifice. We must have the spirit which wherever they are. Today the Mohammedan recognizes that only by entire dedication of ourworld is restless, but it is more responsive to the selves and all our resources can we truly serve message of Christ than it has ever been. Per- Christ. As Hudson Taylor once said, "Christ secution and opposition exist, but nothing so must be Lord of all or He is not Lord at all." clearly proves the power of the Gospel as opposi- • From an address at the World's Sunday School Convention, Oslo, by Dr. James Kelly.
Moslem World
-"if By the REV. DWIGHT M. DONALDSON, D.D., Ph.D., Meshed, Iran )Bt– Missionary of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., 1915- I T SHOULD never be forgotten that when the maintain this political and military authority, it armies of Islam were victorious in Syria and has come to be a matter of policy for Western in Persia, they took over the authority of the governments to have strict regard for the cultural old Persian Empire. This ancient empire, under and religious preferences of their Mohammedan the Achremenide'S, had been the scene of the far- subjects. Whatever criticisms may be voiced flung adventures of Xenophon and the Ten Thou- against this Western domination, it will not be sand; under the Parthians had held the haughty claimed by intelligent Mohammedan leaders that Romans at bay for more than two centuries; the Christian faith and practice are being forced upon same empire, under the Sassanidre, was forced to them. give place to the conquering Arabs. Afterwards, when this famous empire of the East became Mo- There is now no longer a Caliph in Islam, since hammedan, much of its culture and prestige sur- the Sultan of Turkey was compelled by his own vived to adorn the courts of the new rulers. Noble people to abdicate in order to open the way for the Persian families, some of them Zoroastrian and Turkish Republic. Of the entire Mohammedan some of them Christian, furnished viziers and population of the world, about 240 millions, there treasurers for the Caliphs, and scholars and trans- are nearly one hundred millions who are living lators for the libraries. under the authority and protection of the British crown and forty millions ruled by the Netherlands It is customary to ascribe the failure of the Cru- in the Dutch East Indies. Of the remaining 100 sades to a lack of effective cooperation among the millions, there are about thirty-two millions in the leaders of the Christian nations. No doubt real French colonies and protectorates, sixteen milunity in Christendom during the tenth, eleventh lions under the iron hand of the Soviet Republic, and twelfth centuries would have produced a dif- fifteen millions in China, and some four millions ferent situation. As a matter of fact unity of ac- in the Philippine Islands, in Japanese possessions, tion among the Mohammedans was but sporadic and in Europe. There remain to be accounted for and short-lived; they too had repeated failures only about thirty-three millions, who live in the that were primarily due to dissensions among five self-governing Mohammedan countries, twelve themselves. Time after time a new attack from millions in Turkey, eight millions in Iran (Perthe Christians would serve to bring them together. sia), three millions in Iraq, six millions in Af- In the course of the Crusades, each generation ghanistan, and four millions in Arabia. seemed to feel that the East and the West were, through some necessity, fighting again. On each H. R. H. Amir Saoud, the son of King Abdul side religion was part of the war propaganda. Aziz, remarked recently that "it is not easy for Now that many hundred years have passed, we independent countries to enter into a thorough look back upon those long continued conflicts and federation with countries that are only partially see how they served but one fatal purpose in world independent." When he was asked about his opinhistory. Their one abiding result was to hand ion in regalld to the suggested Middle Eastern bloc down to succeeding generations a heritage of between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, he hatred, suspicion and fanaticism. In their atti- said that "this would be a welcome development tude towards each other East anq West, for the and would certainly receive our blessing," (Great most part, have shared this heritage. Britain and the East, July 8,1937).* While today there is no longer a great Moham- In any effort to classify and describe the vast medan EmpI·re, as l·n th.e day.s of the Crusades when the actual dominion of the Caliph extended • counAtriceosncmisaey sbtaetefmouenndt oinf tWhe. Def.foSrctsheorfmCerhhroisrtnia'sn rmeciesnsitonbsooikn, t"hTehsee from the Indus to the Atlantic, yet Mohammedan CsthimriSutliaatningMisssuiorvne. yinotfhethJefodwehronleWporrolbdl"em(choafptmeris1si0on);s atondMaohmaoms-t medans is given in Dr. S. M. Zwemer's "Across the World of Islam." civilization has continued to prevail in vast areas Attention should also be called to an article in the July number of The Moslem World, which publishes "A Statistical Survey," by that have come under the political and military Carlo Gasbarri. This article has been translated from the Italian authority of Western peoples. In order to help by Phlllip T. Blackwood and it is probably the most up to date ~~fli~!S ;~r~~ question of the distribution of Mohammedans through- [455 ]
group of mankind that make up the Mohammedan with pious cant and hypocrisy, that boy may come world, divided as they are into many sects and to regard as genuine the open honesty and fairscattered in many countries, it is easy to make play that he sees in some Christian college. In serious mistakes. Aside from the fact that ac- such a case there is much for which to be thankful. curate census reports are not to be had in some of The lad acquires the habit of the conscientious these countries, a numerical survey of the adher- quest of truth for its own sake. But something ents to any religion is apt to be misleading. There further is needed. New eagerness to learn what are millions of Mohammedans whom the puritani- is true mus,t be directed into the spiritual realm as cal Wahabis in Arabia and Iraq would not recog- well, and this must be done by those whose ways nize as true believers. Likewise the self-satisfied of living he has come to admire. Here is an op- Shi'ites of Iran and India can see little hope for portunity for the possible coordination of the boy's those who rejected and dishonored their Imams. new life with the direct evangelistic work of the The modern reformers in India have suffered mission, or better still, with the agencies of the agony of soul when they realized the ignorance indigenous Church. and superstition of thousands upon thousands of their own religious community, whose systematic Another young man may show more interest veneration of fetishes and saints they regard as and ability in social life rather than as a scholar. sheer idolatry. And orthodox groups in Egypt, He may attend a Christian wedding in a beautiful who adhere to the Koran ,and the Traditions as garden in India. There he will see Christian interpreted by the four recognized schools of law, young ladies moving about modestly but graare indignant at the man-made movements of the ciously, animated with gay hospitality, and talking Moslem "modernists." From any of these varie- freely with both ladies and gentlemen. When he ties of believers you may easily find a friend who returns to his dormitory room he may voice a prowill assure you, "In these modern times it is hard test, as I once heard such a man do, against the to say who is a Mohammedan." unreasonable restrictions of Mohammedan so- ciety, and ask, "How long will it be until we can Objections to Christianity have the same clean and natural and loyal family life the Christians have?" Notwithstanding these inherent difficulties, whether a missionary go to Cairo or to Constan- Here also is a point of contact for some discerntinople, to Beirut or to Teheran, to Baghdad or to ing Christian friend to show him, in the right way Lucknow, he will hear certain uniform objections and time and place, that it is not what comes from to Christianity for example, that it has three gods, the West but what comes from Jesus Christ that or that the true Gospel that Jesus brought down makes the big difference. This, however, will not from Heaven is no longer extant. These objec- be accomplished by mere assertion. A careful tions are usually met best indirectly, in the course study together of the pre-Christian social standof calm and patient teaching and explanation of ards of some of the modern Christian peoples may the New Testament. But almost everywhere we be necessary. The missionary's objective is not to discover also that Westernization, in the form of suggest that one social culture be abandoned for secularism and nationalism, is making serious in- another, but rather that the culture of every naroads on Islam. And if we read again the opinion tion be submitted to the transforming power of of one of our foremost American orientalists, Dr. the will of God as revealed by Jesus Christ. D. B. Macdonald, (Aspects of Islam, p. 12), we realize that what required discerning insight a In such circumstances a program of Westernizafew years ago is now written in the Islamic social tion only would be hazal'dous and inadequate. structure so that one who runs may read: And what has been said with reference to schools and colleges applies with equal force to mission Islam as a religion is not holding its own against the dispensaries and hospitals. In this field also getunbelief that is flooding in from the European civilization. ting somewhere from the Christian point of view Young men are growing up into crass and material forms means getting beyond mere Westernization. There of atheism; forms that the best intellectual life of Europe is something fine and noble in a Christian doctor's has itself thrown off. And as education spreads and attitude toward his patients that witnesses to the deepens, as history vindicates for itself its place, as the spirit of Christ. It is this that enables him to work moral feeling becomes more watchful and sensitive, so the with patience and sympathy with people who are legend of Muhammad will crumble and his character be often unreasonable and exasperating. He has seen in its true light. It is, then, for the Christian schools something else than the discipline of his profesand preachers to save these peoples, not only for Chris- sion, something that has for its purpose, not the tianity, but for any religion at all; to vindicate to them white man's supremacy, not national honor, not the claims upon their lives of religion in the broadest sense. personal distinction, but a deeply laid desire for the dominion of the healing love of God in the But Westernization cannot be depended upon to hearts and bodies of suffering mankind. produce Christians. When perchance a Mohammedan youth has a father who disgusts his son
THE MOSLEM WORLD TODAY
As we think of many famous cities in the Islamic ary epistles in the New Testament, in their salutaworld where missionaries are now working pa- tions, exhortations and farewells. tiently and devotedly as true knights of the Cross, it is a sobering thought to realize over what a These national Christians also work with the wide area they are scattered. We rejoice also in missionaries in adapting Christian teaching to the strategic advantages they now have in this meet what has been called "the new Moslem apolgreat crusade for the peaceful penetration of the ogetic and polemic." In their candid social and love of God in Jesus Christ. Important and fa- intellectual relations with Mohammedans of the miliar cities in which they are witnessing, cities present day, missionaries find that many are not of more than 100,000 population according to the as dogmatic as they used to be. Things have been last issue of The Statesm.,an's Yearbook, may well happening to give them a broader background. be mentioned: They are inquisitive and receptive in the fields of history, of science, and of philosophy; and their Calcutta ………………………….. 1,485,582 opposition to Christianity is apt to be less bitter Constantinople ……………………… 740,805 and fanatical. Bombay …………………………… Cairo …………………………….. 1,161,383 On the other hand, if Moslems are irritated into Madras …………………………… 1,064,567 explosively proclaiming their objections to Chris- Hyderabad ………….. ,"""",',…. tianity, they may say things that are palpably Alexandria …………… ,………….. 647,230 specious and superficial. They may maint;:tin that Teheran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466,894 the Christian Scriptures teach that the blind and Lucknow ………………………….. 573,063 leprous are impure and that Solomon was an Rangoon ………………… , …. '….. 360,000 idolater. As the Mohammedan takes for granted Damascus …………………………. 274,659 the dogma that the prophets were sinless, they will Delhi …………………………….. 400,415 insist that the Bible is in gross error in saying Lahore …………… , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193,912 that David became a prey to temptations and that Smyrna ………………… , ……… ,. 447,442 Aaron joined in the worship of the calf because of Cawnpore …………………………. 429,747 fear of the people of Israel. Like the Jews of old Agra …………………………….. 170,546 Moslems still exclaim that it is blasphemy to say Ahmadaoad .'……………………… 243,755 that Jesus is the Son of God, that it is directly Tabriz ……………………………. 229,764 contrary to the Koran to say that one person can Allahabad …………………………. 313,789 bear the sin of others, that it is immoral and fool- Tunis …………………………….. 219,000 ish to say that "the Law is a curse," and naively Amritsar … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183,914 anthropomorphic to speak of God as being "tired" Howrah …………………………… 202,405 or "repentant." Poona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264,840 Soerabaya ….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224,873 To counteract the considerable influence of Baghdad ………………………….. 250,187 Christian teaching among the students in the Diwaniya ………… '……………… 146,944 schools and colleges of India, the Ahmadi sect Fez ……………………. " . . . . . . . . . . . 353,840 make such allegations as these against Jesus: Patna ……….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341,068 Aleppo ……………………………. 106,838 That He was given to drunkenness. Karachi ……. ,……………………. 159,690 That He exceeded all bounds in vulgar abuse of the Jews. Meshed …………………………… 177,313 That He was a coward and afraid to face death. Beirut ……………………………. ' 263,565 That He was disrespectful to His mother. Ankara …………………………… 139,000 That He was friendly with women of questionable char- Isfahan …………………………… 134,655 123,699 acter. 100,000 That His teachings were too idealistic and impracticable. That He grew angry and lost His temper. Some of the most gratifying work for Christ is That He was provincial, and that His message was only done in towns and rural districts that lie across the plains or in the mountain valleys beyond the for the Jews. cities. It is from these regions that hundreds and That He was weak and helpless. hundreds of patients come to mission hospitals; That His mission was a failure. and country boys and girls come to attend mission That Jesus did not die on the Cross, and that there was schools. National Christians, sometimes accompanied by missionaries, go out and tour from town no Resurrection. to town, or from village to village, having their part in modern apostolic witnessing. The fellow- But as a rule Mohammedan readers put a disship of believers is beautifully shown when these tinction between the Gospels and Chri.stian propamen and women, often themselves converts from ganda literature. Many of them are able and Islam, are able to be in the same little place for a ready to refute superficial and hostile objections while with some isolated Christian family, or to to the character of Jesus. They feel too much of have a series of meetings with some struggling the significance of His life and teaching to let His little group of new Christians. And when letters character be smirched "by the pen of an enemy." are exchanged afterwards, it is interesting to see that they write after the manner of the mission- "It cannot be," as Dr. Murray T. Titus has ob- served in his book on Indian Islam, "that honest
truth-seeking Moslems will continue indefinitely ulation, with sharp differences between the varito refuse to face all the facts, and pursue a policy of evasion of the real issues of history and life, ous region; in the Northeast they reach 82%, in even though such investigation leads to the questioning and study of the very sources of revelation the East 8 %, in the West 32 %, in the center 470, itself. . . . The sum of it all is, that the highest revelation of God to man is through a living per- and in the South only 2%. sonality. That the modern Moslem apologist is becoming more and more conscious of the funda- Percentage mental importance of this truth is revealed in the Moslems of population fact that he is emphasizing the personality and character of Mohammed as the means by which Morocco ………………. 5,215,000 97 God's grace was shed upon the world, and as the fact of central importance in Islam. The problem, Algeria ……………….. 5,174,872 82 therefore, for the Moslem as for the Christian investigator, is to apply the same honest and fear- Tunisia ……………….. 1,932,184 93 less critical methods to the study of Mohammed and his revelation as have been applied to Jesus Egypt ………………… 11,658,148 91 and the Bible," ("Indian Islam," Murray T. Titus, 1930). . Libya …………………. 1,205,000 94 For missionaries among Mohammedans, as for Anglo-Egyptian Sudan …… 2,800,000 66 their supporters in the homeland, and for their colleagues from the national Christians in Moslem Mauritania …………….. 254,000 99 countries, the issue is clearly drawn; our purpose is "to ,give the light of the knowledge of the glory Senegal ……………….. 915,000 75 of God in the face of Jesus Christ." French Sudan ………….. 1,061,000 42 Eritrea ……………….. 225,000 56 French Somaliland ………. 210,000 100 British Somaliland ………. 300,000 100 Italian Somaliland ………. 1,500,000 99 Ethiopia ………………. 2,500,000 37 French Guinea …………. 1,045,000 66 North Nigeria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,889,000 64 South Nigeria …………. 1,940,0000 25 Chad …………………. 925,000 72 Cameroons …………….. 500,000 25 Nyasaland …………….. 160,000 10 Kenya ………………… 1,000,000 40 Uganda ……………….. 600,000 20 Tanganyika ……………. 400,000 10 A STATISTICAL SURVEY OF ISLAM* By far the largest Islamic country in Africa is Egypt where, as in West Africa, the Moslem prob- Every good Moslem is, and in fact must be, a lems are of particular interest.
"missionary." In 1900 the Moslem world had at Since 1930 Moslem missionaries from the el-Azhar University in Cairo have been diffusing its disposal two hundred printing presses; today culture and orthodox doctrine among the Moslems of various countries. An American observes that it has eight hundred and eighty. Out of a world the "Christians are talking about converting Af- rica, and the Moslems are doing it." Roman Cathpopulation of 2,053,600,000, we can accept 240,- olic missionaries state that the Moslems succeed in making propagandists among their converts, 000,000 as a figure for Islam. while the Catholics cannot succeed even in in- structing their catechumens. Moslems in A'sia are most numerous and in- Islam constitutes about two one-hundreths of clude 17.970 of the population. one per cent of the population of North America, and one-eighth of one per cent of South and Cen- Percentage tral America, with a total of scarcely 135,583 Moslems of plYpulation members.
Turkey ……………….. 12,600,000 92 In Europe and Soviet Russia Moslems represent 2% of the total population. They include 584,000 Syria …………………. 2,159,259 77 in Albania, 1,337,000 in Jugoslavia, 690,000 in Bulgaria, and 2,400,000 in Russia. Palestine ………… . . . . . . . 557,649 70 There are no general organizations for all Islam Transjordania ………….. 2,850,000 92 with a purely missionary scope, and the attempt to create an Association for the Defense of Islam Arabia ………………… 4,000,000 100 is a failure. The only organization of the kind, which will perhaps soon become international Iraq ………………….. 2,640,700 96 through increasing growth, is the Association of Moslem Youth, with headquarters in Cairo. An Iran ………………….. 8,830,000 95 international movement has developed from heret- ical Moslem sects, principally from the Ahma- Siberia, Kirghiztan, etc. ….. 16,462,442 80 diyah of Qadian and Lahore (British India), and from the Bahai sect, of Persian origin. Afghanistan …………… 6,380,500 100 British India …………… 78,000,000 21 French Indies ………….. 15,000 5 British East Indies ……… 2,025,000 47 Dutch East Indies ………. 43,000,000 86 Philippine Islands ………. 443,037 4 China …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,000,000 5 Chinese Turkestan ………. 1,200,000 48 The leading Moslem country in Asia is India. Moslems in Africa number about 37% of the pop- *eondensed from The Moslem World (July, 1937), New York; translated from an article by Carlo Casfarri in Il Pensiero Mis- sionwrw (Rome), December, 1936, by Philip T. Blackwood of Princeton, N. J.
Trends in the Moslem
By EDWARD M. DODD, M.D., New York Author of "To Mecca and Beyond"; Formerly a Missionary of the Presbyterian Church in Iran A GENERATION ago the world of Islam was As one surveys the wide reaches of the Moslem still predominantly a unit. Though living scene, and ponders the changes taking place, there under diverse national and political condi- appear to be four fairly well defined trends of the tions, Moslems had a strong sense of their solidar- day. This observation applies chiefly to leaders, ity. Except for certain well established heresies to urban centers and to youth. The vast rural or minor offshoots, and allowing for the begin- bulk of Islam is still conservative, orthodox and nings of revised and modernized thinking which relatively little changed. But where the city goes affected a relatively small group of intelligentsia, now the village will go presently, especially with there were no outstanding .divergencies in the the radio and the automobile and the printed page Moslem road, or deep rifts in the Moslem front. arriving everywhere. We are here concerned with In the main the religious road of Sunnis in India, these lead-trends to the future.
Turkey or North Africa, for example, ran parallel, 1. In the first place we have the conservative or rather they loyally converged on Mecca. The status quo plus the "Puritan" revival in Arabia. Sultan-Caliph was still on the Constantinople Externally or mechanically Arabia is being gradthrone; and the faithful from Morocco to the ually modernized but religiously it remains ortho- Philippines, and from Bokhara to CapeTown, dox, with the re-emphasis of the Wahabi Moverecognized and revered him as their head. It ment. The tale which at once illustrates the point, was still not wholly fantastic to talk of a general as well as the consummate skill of Ibn Saoud, has Mohammedan Holy war; indeed Turkey made an been told more than once. When it was proposed abortive attempt at this as late as the closing year to install a telephone system in Riadh, the desert of the World War. Moslems had not yet trans- capital of Saoudi Arabia, the conservative relilated the Koran out of Arabic. The veiled and re- gious leaders protested. The thing was not of the pressed status of women was still universal. Even Koran and therefore not lawful. Ibn Saoud put in heretical Shiite Persia the Old Order was not the matter to the religious test. He suggested visibly disturbed. that a Mullah read the Koran into the telephone at one end of an experimental line and another But what have we now? Shocks from without Mullah listen at the other end. If the apparatus and revolutionary transformations from within, conveyed the sacred words, surely the thing was accentuated by the WorId War but largely repre- of Allah and lawful. How could one object to that? senting the influx of the modern age, have shaken Needless to say, Riadh now has telephones. Yet and confused the House of Islam. Turkey has the ecclesiastical hierarchy is intact. One wongone secular and modern, while Arabia is Puritan ders how long this intellectual straddle can hold Wahabi. The Caliphate has been summarily abol- up, for Islam tends to give way or to be revised ished, and there are no significant efforts afoot to as it is exposed to the modern impact. re-establish it. Egypt has developed theological modernism; and Azhar University, the intellec- North Africa, west of Egypt, shares with tual nerve-center of Islam, has been made over on Arabia the characteristic of Mohammedan conmodernized lines. The Koran has been translated servatism, even though in the social externals of for the use of Moslems into Turkish and is being life it is also becoming Europeanized. translated into other languages. The veil has been largely discarded in Turkey and is officially banned In Central Asia we have the complicated situain Iran. The Turkish National Assembly has now tion of conservative religious leadership, assaulted a number of women delegates; Egypt has a vig- by the socially radical and religiously atheistic orous feminist movement. Turkey and Iran are Soviet government and also facing a considerable busily harking back to their Turanian and Iranian feminist movement. The prospects are that the origins, and are turning away from the Arabic- religious old order will be overpowered by the Islamic culture. In the Near East generally, ex- social new order. A real battle is on. cept for Arabia, there is considerable disintegration in Islam. 2. There is another group which we might call the reform or revision states, conspicuously illus- [459 ]
trated by India and Egypt, each in its own way. be called the drifters. The drifting away from They are formulating definite philosophies, which Islam is a part of what is going on all over the have been developing and spreading for a number world-the drift away from all religion. In these of years, and which are changing and diversifying Moslem countries the dominant interest is political the religious picture. The outstanding contribu- and nationalistic. Nationalism is becoming the tion of India is the Ahmadiya movement. The net new religion rather than Islam: the ardors of result in India, according to Mr. Murray Titus is loyalty, the mass demonstrations, the allegiances reinvigoration. He concludes that in spite of di- of youth-these are now channelled largely into visions and weaknesses, "Islam in India today is nationalism. There is a wholesale drift of youth better organized, better educated, more progres- away from the old religion. Outward observances sive, more reasonable and tolerant toward its may still be maintained, though many of these are neighbors than ever before in its history. Of weakening, but the inner conviction is crumbling Egyptian thought, Dr. Charles C. Adams of the away. The movie theatre is found to be much American Mission says: more exciting than the Mosque; the radio broad- "Mohammedan modernism in Egypt may be cast is more intriguing to the younger generation said to have taken form as a definite movement than the call to prayer. Inert fatalism, the resig- during the last quarter of the preceding century, nation of Islam, has a hard time surviving the under the leadership of the late Grand Mufti of automobile and modern medicine.
Egypt, Sheikh Myhammad Abduh, who died in . The Iranian Shah has made it unmistakably and 1905. It constitutes an attempt to free the reli- dramatically clear fuat progressive nationalism, gion of Islam from the shackles of a too rigid embodied in himself, rules, and not Islam. But orthodoxy, and to accomplish reforms which will there has been no official disestablishment of the render it adaptable to the complex demands of latter. The youth of Iraq says that Mohammed modern life. Its prevailing character is that of was well enough for his day, but that he is now a religious reform; it is inspired and dominated back-number; let the religious hierarchy die in chiefly by theological considerations. It differs in peace; they no longer count. But no official overt this respect from the reforms instituted by the change has been made. Syria's consuming na- Indian group of nationalist reformers, who aim tional interest is in the new political situation cre- primarily at a cultural movement, and the adjust- ated by the transition from French mandate to ment of Islam to the conditions of modern Euro- independence. The races and religions in this pean civilization. The fundamental assumption, polyglot country increasingly unite on the basis of however, that Islam is a world religion, suitable Arab nationalism, which tends more and more to for all peoples, all times, and all cultural condi- transcend religious and racial lines.
tions, is common to both movements." Similarly in far~off Java, one of the largest In both countries there are strong social move- Moslem units of the world, there is a well-devel- ments among women, which are attacking prob- oped movement to return to the pre-Islamic Na- lems of health and well-being, of polygamy, di- tional culture. There is a strong nationalistic vorce and prostitution. All of this is within the movement, which is of far more vital interest to frame-work of the established religion. the younger generation than any religion. With These two groups, the orthodox and the revised, them Islam is increasingly under criticism and in give no evidence of breaking away from Islam. the discard.
They are making their social and theological adap- 4. Finally there is the radical state, Turkey, tations from within. The state or the community which alone has turned squarely away from Islam is still a "church" state or a "church" community. as an official institution. It has not turned against ("Church" is of course used as the nearest intel- Islam, nor is it antireligious in general, but it has ligible counterpart – not because Islam has a decided that, in order to become a modern and pro- church in the Christian sense.) gressive country, it cannot brook the inhibitions, Both of these groups are strongly missionary. interference, and frustrations of the old Moslem The Ahmadiya movement is very active and the order. Kemal Ataturk has therefore set up a sec- Azhar is still a powerful propaganda center, with, ular state which, in itself, is a repudiation of basic Africa as its chief missionary field. In India the Mohammedanism, because the Mohammedan sys- new situation created by the Outcast movement tem has hitherto claimed the whole stage. A away from Hinduism, and the Ambedkar an- typical indepenuent Moslem country was ipso nouncement of their readiness to consider some facto a religious government – a "church" state; other religion, appeals tremendously to this funda- the only law was the Moslem law; there was no mental missionary urge of Islam, as well as hav- concept of a separate civil law.
ing its important political hearings. This radical national departure, coming from 3. Other predominantly Moslem lands, like the country which had so long been the seat of the Iraq, Iran, and Syria, as well as Malaysia, might Caliphate, the spear-head of the whole Moslem
INFLUENCE OF MOSLEM SUPERSTITIONS
World, struck a body blow at world Islam. India hardly be water-tight compartments. There is and Egypt and the far isles of the Pacific rever- bound to be mingling and overflowing in this day berated with the shock. Turkey was branded as a of interchange and questioning and remolding. renegade and apostate, but the fulminations were It is an intriguing question as to which if anyone futile. Turkey went serenely and successfully on of these trends will prevail to any general extent. her way, and nothing has come of the scattered efforts to revive the Caliphate. It is, of course, incumbent upon the Christian enterprise to understand these trends, and the The course which Turkey has pursued has also varied fronts which they present. It is one thing had its admirers in other lands. Iran, for ex- to deal with a zealous, intolerant Wahabi Bedouin ample, is very apt to follow the same patterns as of the far desert reaches and another thing to talk her neighbor on her western boundary. There are with an indifferent, agreeable, irreligious young not wanting those, among the younger generation government clerk in Iran, or Syria; it is still anelsewhere, who think that Turkey has really other thing to sympathize with an active woman shown the way to do the thing. social reformer of Egypt, who also presents the new Moslem apologetic; and again another thing The patterns of national development, though to be a strictly inhibited missionary in Turkey. distinctively represented by national units, can Influence of Moslem Superstitions By DAVIDA M. FINNEY, Ramleh, Egypt II ~. – Missionary of the United Presbyterian Church '~==========================~I O NE of my earliest recollections as a child is Nurses and mothers frighten their erring children of a Moslem sheikh who came to call upon with, "Be good or the bu' bu' will catch you." my father. He sat alone in our drawing- room, waiting for father's return. I did not know Only about ten years ago I was dining with a he was there, and was wandering, rather discon- number of Egyptian college students about to re- . solately, down the hall when suddenly I was star- ceive the baccalaureate certificate. Turning to the tled by a flurry of robes, quick breathing, and one on my right, I asked: looked up to see the sheikh in full flight from the drawing-room door. When he saw me, he stopped "What did you think the bu' bu' was when you precipitately, and muttered, were a child?"
"An afreet! He blew down the chimney!" Then "A negro giant," he told me, "with flashing eyes he continued more calmly, "Let me, if you please, and a red mouth." sit outside here in the hall." At once the group around us was adding detail I remember glancing into the room, astonished upon detail. A discussion of afreet followed. Made at his fright and yet wondering if after all my a little uneasy by the vividness of descriptions mother might be wrong about afreet, and my na- given, I finally remarked: tive nurse right, and that I might now catch a glimpse of one. The sunny room lay silent and "Isn't it a fine thing that today we need no empty, however. No grinning afreet perched any- longer fear the bu' bu' and the afreetl" where, not even on the little iron stove. Faith in my mother returning in a comforting wave, I There was instant silence, and then the man on murmured loftily: my right said, "Pray be seated." "But you are a Westerner. We of the East know." This incident was my first introduction to the fact that learned men as well as my nurse were "But have you ever seen'an afreet?" I asked in- afraid of spirits. credulously.
In conversation with many Egyptians, I have To my amazement he nodded. found one word an open sesame to a common "One day," he said, "I was walking across a bit ground of experience, and eventually to a feeling of waste land. Suddenly I saw an afreet approach- of intimate friendliness. We discuss the bu' bu'. ing, very tall, clothed all in white. I looked to right and left, hunting for a place of concealment, but there was none. So I cowered down and hid my face until he had passed. One must always do that with an afreet; it is death to oppose him. Once a friend of mine, who happened to be armed,
met an a/reet and in his fright fired at it. The weaned her child. Women threatened with harm a/reet disappeared, but in a short time my friend may protect themselves by wearing a bit of palm was dead. If you oppose an a/reet, within a year stalk (gareeda). you die." No bride should be approached by a person just Over and over again in conversation with all circumcized. A woman who has just lost a child sorts of Egyptians one is reminded .of the fact that or a qati/ should not enter a house where there even today, for the mass of the population, ginn is a weaning child or one with sore eyes. If she and a/reet are real, a daily concern, terrifying. does, it will become blind. My friend, Mr. Khaleel Modern education, the radio, the cinema, closer Armanios, the blind evangelist of Alexandria, has contacts with Europe, a constantly increasing use often been asked if he was blinded by a qati/. of newspapers, these factors and many others are rapidly modifying superstiti.ous beliefs. Yet in Just after shaving a man must not approach a fairness one must remember that these educative bride, a pregnant, nursing .or weaning mother, if influences reach .only the minority in any country he has not previously met them, lest they become where literacy is low. Even in educated folk, barren or lose their milk. Evil consequences may brought up by superstitious parents, such belief be avoided if the WDman enters the room of meetis instinctive and dies hard. ing and walks around the man seven times. On the .other hand, if he shaves in his own house with A few years ago the editor of a fairly well- the woman close beside him no harm is done. Or known daily, then being published in Cairo, de- the woman may take the razor used, soak it in scribed to me his visit to an old convent. water, and .on a Friday when she bathes, pour the water over her body. Should her well-being be "I went alone," he told me, "although the place threatened by a qati/, or some other woman, she was full of a/reet. But," with quiet pride he con- may escape harm by securing some blood from the tinued, "J was not afraid." other WDman and placing it in her bath on Friday.
It is the modern educated youth who more Mr. Khaleel told me of a family of his acquaintnearly achieve freedom from fear. I am not writ- ance who had a bitter quarrel with a neighboring ing of Christians and well-traveled and well-read family. One of the women had weaned a child Moslems who for years have been unconsciDus of but had not yet seen the new moon. Forgetting such fear. I write rather of the general mass, not this fact, when her neighbor gave birth to a son the small group. she went to call upon the rejoicing mother. In a short time the child died, and, even worse, at the The women and girls with whom we come much end of a year the mother was still barren. After in contact are dominated by fear of el Mushohira much consultation and thought, the neighbor's (literally, to be monthed), the Ain (the Evil Eye) visit was remembered. She was apprDached and magic, and spirits. These spirits may be El Zar agreed to do what she could to repair the damage. (the Visitor), El Ginn, or El A/reet. The masses They took some blood from her hand, and the believe in certain charms to be said or used to mother placed it in her bath on Friday. No good counteract these evil influences. They think that resulting, again the neighbor was approached and .one must be quick to observe, and punctilious in again gave blood, this time from her foot. Still performing such rites, if one wishes to avoid no good resulting, .once more she was approached, injury. and asked to contribute blood from some other part of her body. This she indignantly refused t.o The Mushohira gets its name, as far as I am do, claiming that if she were the cause of the curse, able to discover its root, from shahr, month. The blood from one part of her body would be as effiidea in its use is that escape from harm depends caci.ous as from any other. Rapidly the quarrel on seeing the new moon. The evil effects of the grew, and for three years neither family has Mushohira fall upon certain groups of people and spoken t.o the other. are brought about by certain people. Those most commonly recognized Mushohira, bringing evil, There are other unlucky deeds by which one perare: a mother weaning her child, called El Qati/; son may bring evil upon another. If one crosses a a man who has just shaved; a person just cir- river in boat or train and then at .once enters cumcized; one who is ill or with sore eyes; and a where there is a bride, a sick person, a pregnant bride when she meets another bride. Those who or weaning mot!ler, injury will result. To avoid suffer from such individuals are brides, pregnant bringing injury, this person should remain in anwomen or mothers weaning a child, and the sick. other room until the woman enters where the new- The Mushohira is caused by other means, but less comer is and circles him seven times. Mr. Khaleel frequently. called recently in the home of a woman who once was visited by s.omeone just after crossing the If a Qati/ approaches a bride ora pregnant river. In a few days the woman became blind. woman, she becomes barren; if she approaches To remove the curse, her br.other took her in a another Qati/, the milk will be stopped. To rid herself of this baneful power, the Qati/ must see the new moon as soon as she has completely
boat to cross and recross the river. He was told not speak to or interfere with them. If a person that at once her eyesight was restored. Constantly accidentally stumbles or falls to the ground there one comes across the effects of the Mushohira. is grave danger that he has injured some of these spirits. The only way to appease them is to The Ain is injury brought about by admiring sprinkle the spot with salt, water, or even sugar something not your own. This admiration is prob- and bread. Last week a woman stumbled in ably envious and therefore brings evil conse- alighting from a street-car. She hastened to a quences. It is considered much more proper and friend's house, borrowed salt, sugar and water, considerate not to praise at all, but if impelled to returned to the spot and silently sprinkled it. To do so one should preface the remark with "Yikhzi maintain silence is essential if the rite is to be el Ain" (May God put the eye to shame), or "Aini efficacious. aleykum barda" (My eye is cold upon you). People are especially liable to be possessed by One man may say to another, "Aini barda, but spirits at certain times; at marriages, perhaps you seem to be in excellent health." Then all is because at that time they are concerned about well. It is difficult to remember this instinctive their appearance and frequently look in a mirror; shrinking from praise of anything a man holds when bathing, because they may inadvertantly addear. Nor is it easy to hold a baby in your arms mire their bodies; when sleeping alone, as spirits and make no admiring comment. If your eyes are always infest a solitary place; when going to bed blue, better far not even to look your pleasure. in a worried or angry frame of mind, as the spirits find access easy at that time. To be freed from the evil consequences of the Ain, it is thought necessary to secure a piece of Should one become possessed by a spirit one garment worn by the envious one, or some dregs must appease him and remove the cause of his from his coffee cup. No offense must be given, so anger. This is done by the holding of a Zar. one must not let him know that he is suspected of There are special women thought able to reconcile having done injury. If it is impossible to secure the spirits. The one possessed gives such a woman a bit of his clothing surreptitiously, often it is an article of her wearing apparel. She places it possible to secure a bit through a bribed servant beneath her pillow; during the night the offended or a sympathetic friend. Sometimes people are spirit tells her the cause of his anger and also startled to find a small piece gone from some val- what gift will satisfy him. Next morning the ued garment. This snippet is burned and the woman tells the possessed person what the spirit smoke passed over the child. Coffee dregs are wants – jewelry, a sheep, a new dress, or some boiled and the steam is passed over the child. piece of furniture. Many women take advantage of this custom to secure for themselves things they As for vengeful spirits, the ginn and zar are cannot otherwise obtain. considered always present. The ginn live usually in kitchens and bathrooms or in lofts where sup- The Sarukh (the cry), is brought about through plies are kept. The loft of a house in which Mr. an unnatural death. If a man is murdered, the Khaleel once lived was infested with rats. Neigh- spirits which live in his blood, continue to cry bors visiting in the house heard scurryings and aloud for vengeance from the spot where his blood squeakings and were firmly convinced that ginn was shed. There is no fear of evil consequences to the house if he dies away from home, otherwise it haunted the house. becomes infested with his afreet. In the case of A little Mohammedan girl once stayed in our any violent or accidental death, the spot where death occurs remains a place of danger to all home for some time. One day she went into the passers-by. kitchen to get some water but came out hastily without it. When asked what was the matter, she These are some of the superstitions with which one comes in contact day by day in schools, homes, said, and in one's travels. Many sheikhs studying in "There's an afreet in the pot on the stove." the Azhar University are today electing the course Looking in, I saw the lid of the tea-kettle rat- in modern education, similar to that given by the Ministry of Education. Such men will not fly pretling furiously as the water boiled. When taking cipitately from a room when the wind blows down a bath, if suddenly startled or frightened, one may the chimney. A new day has dawned in Egypt, a be sure that a ginn has taken possession of one's fact which is being felt even in EI Azhar Univer- sity. Yet those who visit in homes aU over the body. country, who deal intimately with men, women, Besides the ginn, the earth is believed to be in- and children, are forced to realize more and more clearly each year how great is the hold that superhabited by other spirits. These are divided into stition still has upon masses of the population in three main divisions; El Sitt (the woman), El any Mohammedan country. Seed (the master), and El Abd (the slave). They are found everywhere, but especially in any open or waste piece of land. Here they busy themselves with their own affairs. If one is forced to cross such a piece of land alone, one may see and hear them. To avoid injury by them, one should
Preach Christ to Moslems?
By the REV. SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, D.D., F.R.G.S., –..g{ Princeton, New Jersey }Sc-.- Editor of "The Moslem World"
"IF YOU will only organize Christian missions lidity and necessity of Christian missions to to the heathen in my province, instead of at- Moslems? tempting to convert Mohammedans, I will do 1. If ,the Gospel of Christ in its simplest form everything in my power to further and support (which is also its deepest mystery) includes the them, but I cannot approve or allow, at any rate Incarnation, the Atonement and the Resurrection at present, the opening of a mission to the Mo- then the world of Islam certainly needs our meshammedans." So said the governor of Nigeria, sage for it is news and offers Good News to every about thirty years ago. This policy was that of Moslem. Islam is not a Christian sect or a Chris- Lord Kitchener in the Sudan, of the British in the tian heresy. It is an eclipse of the Christ as re- Malay States, and is not yet abandoned every- vealed in the Gospel. It is an Arabian palimpsest where. superinscribed over the message of Jesus by an- The validity and the necessity of carrying the other hand. Its categorical denial of the deity of Gospel message to Mohammedans have been ques- Christ, of the crucifixion, of the finality of Jesus tioned in times past and are being questioned Christ as God's messenger and of His way of life today! The late Professor G. Kampffmeyer of through regeneration is evident from the Koran the University of Berlin in "Whither Islam?" itself.
deals with the subject in the same attitude; his The analogy of Paul's attitude toward Jew and conclusion is that missions in the Near East among Gentile holds today as regards missions to Mos- Moslems are as dangerous as they are futile and, lems and to other non-Christians. It was because for the good"of humanity, should be discontinued. the Jew had so much that was true and noble and yet needed the Gospel that Paul preached every- Dr. Hugh Vernon White, a secretary of the where to the Jew first. Their theism, their knowl- American Board, in the magazine called Chris- edge of the Old Testament, their zeal for God, tendom, plainly states that "Christian efforts to their passion for the Law did not invalidate their evangelize the Moslem have met with signal and need of the Gospel but emphasized it. This imconsistent failure. The response to such efforts plication would hold also for those Moslems of today is negligible and there is little likelihood of China, Africa and India who live in the midst of any marked change in the near future. . . . The paganism or polytheistic ethnic faiths. Christian Church ought to quit trying to make proselytes of Mohammedans. It should bring the In the Near East and North Africa, we have an best works of Christian service to the Moslem additional argument. There we are not merely world in a spirit of ecclesiastical and theological trying to lead Moslems to Christ, but rather to disinterestedness. " lead them back to Christ. Here we have the argu- ment of church history; the inspiration of the Father T. Bennerth, writing in a Roman Cath- cloud of witnesses, the apostles and martyrs of the olic missionary magazine for April 1930 says: faith; and the very stones of ruined churches and "As the conversion of the great bloc of Islamic monasteries would cry out if we were silent. nations to the Christian faith is not to be expected in our century " . . it is of the highest value that The Great Unoccupied Moslem Fields Islam at least maintains the belief in God in puri- fied forms. If this refuge of belief in God should 2. The missionary forces have hitherto moved vanish, then Western Christianity will be threat- across or around this great Moslem bloc. The fol- ened by a new seat of danger." lowing areas, or. countries in which the popula- When we compare these statements with the tion is wholly or predominantly Moslem, are still verdict of the Roman Catholic Conference, held in practically unoccupied. The missionary confer- Louvain in 1930, we find that ,there also the entire ences of Cairo, Edinburgh, Lucknow, and Jeruworld of Islam is labeled "le bloc inconvertisable." salem successively laid them all before the Church, In view of such opinions and statements, what but with little result-Afghanistan; the provinces satisfactory reasons can be advanced for the va- of Hejaz, Asir, Nejd, and Hadramaut in Arabia; [464 ] Russian Turkestan; parts of Siberia, Bokhara; blasted. The Moslem World Conference held at the eastern part of the Malay Peninsula; Socotra Mecca, and afterwards in Europe, proved a failand the Moslem populations of Madagascar, Rus- ure; none of the resolutions was carried out. sia in Europe, British and French Somali-land, Tripoli in North Africa, the French Sudan; the The Dutch Orientalist, Dr. Van der Meulen, who Great Aures Mountains, the Saharan Atlas spent many years in the diplomatic service at ranges, the central populous mountain regions of Jiddah, asks, "Are we standing at the eve of a re- Morocco, and the vast Sahara itself. These un- vival, a renaissance of Islam? No, the phenomena occupied fields have a total population of approxi- do not point this way. Except for the Wahhabi mately thirty-six million. How can we speak or movement in Central Arabia, it has all been a sing of evangelizing the whole world and leave all question of self-defense and resistance," (Moslem this outside of the program of occupation for World, October, 1936). Christ? Regarding the enormous area and population of Disintegration and Decay of Islam Indonesia, Professor C. C. Berg speaks of "de- structive forces that are at work against Islam all 3. A religion that once was the hope and glory over the world." Of the favorable factors he says of millions shows signs of breaking up. Old sanc- that they "might possibly result only in the long tions are disappearing. Their anchor-ground has run in a decrease in the rate of decay," ("Whither proved insufficient in the rising tide of material- Islam?" pp. 306-311). ism and atheism. Some tell us that there are signs of a resurgent Islam and of revival of faith in The geographical expansion of Islam in Africa Mohammed. But all signs point in the opposite has often been exaggerated. The latest statistical direction. This years report of the Board of For- survey shows a smaller proportion of Moslems in eign Missions of the Presbyterian Church states: nearly every area in North-central Africa (Mos- "There is now abundant evidence that the religion lern World, April, 1936). Dr. Deaville Walker of Islam is slowly disintegrating." wrote a few years ago: The collapse of the caliphate, and the failure of Within a comparatively short time, we pictured great all attempts to revive it, would lead to the conclu- pagan populations being rapidly Islamised. I am consion that Pan-Islamism is dead. The policy of the vinced that the position is wholly different today. Careful new government in Turkey and the complete sec- personal investigation in Sierra Leone and Mendeland, ularization of that republic points in the same the Gold Coast and Ashanti, Nigeria, and in the French direction. The Turkish press utters severe judg- colonies and protectorates of Dahomey, Togo, and the ment on Islam and its Prophet, while one by one Ivory Coast,· have made it very clear to me that the adthe old sanctions and customs of religion are pub- vance of Islam is being definitely checked, and that today licly discarded. A few years ago a British official we are winning far more Africans to the faith of Christ of high standing actually wrote to me: "Islam as than the Moslems are winning for their Prophet. Startling we once knew it is dead in Turkey; it is dying in as this may sound, I believe it to be absolutely true. Persia; it has ceClJ8ed to carry real weight in Egypt; it may survive some generations in What elements in Islam are today resurgent? Arabia; but the basic truths of Christianity will Does the old Mohammedan law or jurisprudence in the long run even there prevail." Such judg- any longer prevail under the new nationalism and ment is undoubtedly somewhat premature but it the new state? Or has the purely -Islamic-govis prophetic. erned state disappeared even in Arabia and Afghanistan? Islam faces a crisis in the lands where once it was dominant. Its efforts at propagandism in Has the social structure of Islam withstood the India and Africa "remind one of those sparse feminist movement and female education anygreen twigs sometimes still appearing at the ex- where? Can we seriously speak of "resurgent treme ends of half-dried-up boughs in trees whose forces" as regards polygamy, slavery, concubicore has for long been decaying from old age." nage, and the seclusion of womanhood? Was the Islam suffers because it feels itself under the suppression of the age-old Moharram celebrations tutelage of the West. In Turkey it suffers by be- in Persia a sign of vitality in Islam? Is the reli'- ing violated in its own bosom; in Russia from gion of Islam showing a new vitality when three Soviet persecution; and in Persia from a revolt of its "five pillars" are crumbling? The daily against the Arabic language and tradition. Mus- prayers are no longer observed as they were ten tapha Kemal Ataturk of Turkey raised great ex- years ago. The number of pilgrims to Mecca, in pectations, but he has turned out a bitter disap- spite of new facilities by motorbus and steampointment for all Moslems. The disenchantment ships, has dwindled from 250,000 to 80,000. was cruel but complete. The high hopes fixed on Mecca is losing its importance. Are the uniting Ibn Saood of Arabia to revive the caliphate were forces that remain, the Arabic language and cul- ture, the sense of brotherhood, the press and Al Azhar of Egypt-are these forces strong enough to counteract the disintegrating factors? Or will the progressive secularization of Moslem life rob
all life from the religion of Islam? Will the wan- Hospital in Northwest China, reports that Moslem ing of the Dervish orders and their suppression, as in Turkey, continue? patients crowd the doors, kiss the feet of the The fact is that Islam has been severely Christian physicians, listen eagerly to the meswounded in the house of its friends. The younger Egyptian modernists, instead of building care- sage, and that some at least find new life in Christ. fully on the foundations of reform laid by Jamalal-Dinal Afghani and the great Mohammed'Abdu, More and more thousands of Moslem youth are have ruthlessly undermined what remained intact. Mansur Fahmi, in his doctor's thesis, proved that sitting at the feet of Christian teachers in every Islam was progressively responsible for the degradation of womanhood. Dr. Taha Housain raised land. Day schools, boarding schools, colleges, and a storm of hostility by a book proving that much of early Islamic literature was a forgery, ·fabri- universities tell of an increasing number of Moscated to prop up the Koran and tradition. "The story of Abraham and Ishmael building the Kaaba lem pupils and of the leavening power of Chrisis all fiction." Ali Abd al Razik went even further, and in his book, "Islam and the Fundamentals of tian education that reaches far beyond the cur- Authority," advocated the abolition of the caliphate, "which has always been a misfortune." riculum and the campus area. Everyone should Moreover, he proposed the complete separation of Church and State, and the abandonment of the know that the emancipation of Moslem girlhood vast body of canon law. (Adams, "Islam and Modernism in Egypt," pp. 254-265.) and womanhood began in mission schools. It is When the best thinkers in Islam accept an hon- not only unkind but ungrateful and unhistoric to est historical research of all her spiritual property, it will mean a revelation of bankruptcy. trace these modern movements to hybrid sources. When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Only the real gold, the theistic Christ alone removes the veil because He demands spiritual values of Islam, will be able to withstand the heat of this inevitable furnace. A careful and imparts purity of heart. Moslems themselves study of the whole question leads to the conclusion that as a cultural and even as a political force have testified to this fact. there is yet a future for Islam, but as a religious force the future does not look promising-except The great Christian literature societies and comin Christ and His Gospel for Moslems. mittees in Cairo, Constantinople, Teheran, Shang- The Response to the Gospel Message hai, across India, and in the Dutch East Indies are 4. This great response, as we see it today, should not surprise those who believe God's prom- producing and distributing ten times as much litises and who have experienced the final fruitage that follows the "patience of unanswered prayer." erature as they did a decade ago. Illiteracy is de- Others have labored, since the days of Henry Martyn, and now we are entered into their labors. creasing. Education is becoming compulsory. Others have knocked long and loud and waited patiently before locked doors-now those very doors The stigma of disapproval now rests on old superare nailed open. Eastern Arabia, Hadhramaut, and the cities of Meshed, Iran, and Riadh in Cen- stitions that once had religious sanction. tral Arabia, are outstanding examples. There are public baptisms in places where for- The Bible has been translated into all the great languages of the world of Islam. It is the best merly the "law of apostasy" would have adminprinted of all books and has an ever-increasing circulation. One has only to read the annual re- istered public ostracism or private vengeance. In ports of the two great Bible societies to realize the miracles of grace accomplished every year by the Java alone there are 75,000 Moslem converts gathprinted Word. ered into Christian churches. In North India Every hospital and dispensary across the map from Tangier, Morocco, to the Borden Memorial there are other thousands and in Persia we can truly speak of an indigenous church-weak still in numbers, but strong in the spirit of sacrifice and boldness of witness.
Those who challenge the validity and success of work among Moslems need to remember the lines of Arthur H. Clough: .
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking, Seem here no painful inch to gain, Far back through creeks and inlets making, Comes silent, flooding in, the main.
For not iJy eastern windows only When daylight comes, comes in the light; In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly! But westward, look, the land is bright.
While for years Christians have been battering against an impregnable position in North Africa, Islam has been steadily sweeping south and pagan tribes have become followers of the Prophet and have been lost to Christ. Suppose the Church had concentrated its efforts on these tribes in the rear of the Moslem position, and had flung a barrier of Christian churches across Africa, would Islam have made the progress it has southward? Might not the Church have found in Christian Africans, the allies who would have won far greater success than white foreigners can hope to achieve?
A. S. McNAIRN.
Christian Approach to
By PREBENDERY W. WILSON CASH, London I Secretary of the Church Missionary Society I~ ~==============================~ H AS Christianity anything to offer Islam? disappointed, goes forward with undimmed faith In answer to this question, one group of and courage, proclaiming Christ and Him cruci- people fall back upon the threadbare argu- fied as the only Hope of the world.
ment that "Islam is good enough for the Arabs." This difficult situation makes us pause and study They do not think, however, that is good enough afresh the task before us. First of all, nothing in for themselves. this past hundred years in any way invalidates the The question is sometimes put in a different way Gospel of Christ. Men of many nations and races -What is there in Christianity that is not found have found a new eternal and abounding life in Islam? through Christ, the living Saviour. The experi- The Moslem himself approaches the issue from ence of men converted in evangelistic campaigns a very different angle. He is certain that Islam in Europe or America is duplicated in the lives has much to offer to the Christian world, and par- of Africans, Indians, Chinese, and many others. ticularly just now when international affairs are Revival sweeps through parts of India and Africa so tangled and difficult. and tens of thousands find peace with God. But The missionary meets the point by a bold and the Moslem world still stands like some impreg- frank presentation of the Gospel of Christ as the nable rock, almost unshaken, and as a rule undis- only adequate religion for all the world. turbed by missionary witness. The reasons for A missionary recruit, going out to a Moslem this are many; some of them must be briefly field for the first time, is shocked to find that the stated. When the Moslem armies invaded the Moslem is just as eager to convert him to Islam countries from Syria to the Sudan and North as he is to win the Moslem for Christ. This is Africa they found a responsive body of nominally only the first of a series of shocks. As he settles Christian men ready to join their ranks and to to his work he discovers for himself what he had fight for them. The armies of the prophet were always heard, that the Moslem is about the most increased daily by many who saw in Mohammed a difficult man in all the world to bring under the deliverer from the hated Byzantine rule. The Em- influence of the Gospel. peror used the Church as an imperial tool, and in A survey of the past hundred years of mission- the minds of most people Church and State were ary work among Moslems does not reveal appre- one.
ciable progress in most areas. In one or two coun- There were alsothe divisions within the Church tries there have been remarkable results, notably and the disruptive elements in its own ranks. The in the Dutch East Indies; but against this suc- Roman and the Greek churches were separated cess must be set the inroads of Islam into the and the Greek and the Coptic churches were no Christian Church in the Near East. In Egypt it is longer in communion with each other. The ornate estimated that from 500 to 800 Copts annually ritual of the Eastern churches was contrasted become Moslems. The history of Islam is one of with the simple forms of mosque worship. The ceaseless encroachments on'Christendom, until pictures and images in churches gave the impres- now we speak of Bible lands, which were once sion of polytheism, and the abstruse theological Christian, as Moslem lands. The large propor- controversies still further weakened the spiritual tion of the peoples of Syria, Palestine and Egypt life of the Church. The fact is that the Christian are Moslems today. The Christian Church of faith was so badly misrepresented by the Church North Africa has been blotted out. The formerly of the day that people could not see Christ through Christian areas of the Sudan are now solidly Mos- the maze of ritual and ceremonial, the selfish am- lem. And still the Church sends missionaries to bitions of prelates and the secular encroachments Moslems and many are willing to give their lives upon the community. Race superiority was re- to Moslem evangelization, in an effort to remove sponsible for a good deal. The Roman or Greek the reproach which lies at the door of the Church. pattern was stamped upon the churches every- And still the missionary, though often baffled and where. There seems to have been nothing in- [467 ]
digenous in the Church of North Africa; and in into a new environment, utterly foreign to him.
Arabia there does not appear to have been any The strain of this social upheaval upon a young translation into the vernacular, either of the convert is so great that it develops any idiosyn- Scriptures or the Christian liturgies. In Rome cracies and oddities in him and in the end drives people worshipped in Latin and, therefore, they him back to his old surroundings.
had to worship in Latin in all North Africa; sim- The history of Christian expansion down the ilarly, because in Constantinople the liturgical centuries does not show that the nineteenth censervices were all in Greek, they had to be in Greek tury policy was adopted in other periods. In also in the Arabic-speaking world. Any approach earlier days people moved towards the Christian to Islam by the Christian must take account of faith by communities, by families, and tribes. In such facts. They are not dead matters of history doing so they became Christian without having but living issues today, and a study of them will had to suffer a catastrophic upheaval in their sohelp us in our evangelistic work. cial life. Instead of being uprooted from their The Gospel, it is true, needs no vindication. natural environment their social heritage was Once it is given a chance in the lives of men it Christianized, while they lived in the same homes proves itself, and its validity is recognized, but as before, carried on the same occupations, and the method of presentng the Gospel is a very dif- met much the same people, yet things were differ- ferent matter; after the experience of the past ent. The homes were transformed, they worked hundred years it is surely evident that we must from different motives, and their relationships to all face anew how we are to preach the Gospel in others were new; a different standard of life came Moslem lands. into the community through the coming of Christ.
The Nineteenth Century missionary expansion While such people found by personal conversion was marked by a strong emphasis on individual- the way to God, yet they moved together, families ism. Personal conversion was the note struck; were baptized, and communities received into the evangelistic missions sought to pluck men as faith.
brands from the burning. No one who knows This contrast requires careful and detailed in- Christ as his Saviour and Lord would' wish to vestigation. Is the cause of unsatisfactory con- weaken the appeal for personal conversion, but it verts in Moslem lands due to the break up of their must be admitted that there are other factors to be social environment? If so, may it not be equally considered. Moslem converts in many cases have true that a wrong method has hindered the whole proved to be utterly unsatisfactory. Curiously progress of the Gospel. Some years ago in a vil- enough a normal Moslem often became an eccen- lage in the Near East a large number of Moslem tric Christian. Missionaries labored to win that . families asked for baptism. When I met them it convert and when he was baptized disillusionment was obvious that some were thinking of Chris- set in. Instead of fitting into his new surround- tianity in terms of "loaves and fishes," but others ings, often he proved to be restless and required seemed to be genuinely sincere. Once the news a great deal of nursing. When discipline was even leaked out great pressure was brought to bear by mildly applied he would fling off in a temper, re- the Moslems to prevent these men from becoming nounce Christianity and go back to Islam. Most Christians. Large bribes were offered if they missionaries in the Near East have had this ex- would remain Moslems. In the end .some went perience; but they have pegged away through back to Islam, but others accepted Christ. Now heart-breaking disappointments always hoping the point of this is that while the missionaries did that things would change and that a better type emphasize personal conversion the converts came of convert would appear, as in fact he did from forward as families. They lived on as before in time to time. their own village and tilled their land. They were The problem is not due to any failure of the sufficiently numerous to remain as a community Gospel, nor indeed to lack of faithfulness in the in the village. Instead of being driven from house missionaries. The Message has been honestly pre- and hQme, ostracized and disinherited, they con- tinued in their old homes which now became sented to Moslems. A certain number have be- Christian. Here the difficulties experienced so come Christians but many were failures. These often, of abnormal converts, did not appear beare the facts. What is the answer? A survey of cause in becoming Christian they still preserved the Moslem world shows that in the Dutch East Indies, and to a certain extent in Persia, this un- their social heritage.
satisfactory result does not obtain. If we examine This line of argument raises several still bigger the social environment of the converts, I believe issues. The old method of missionary work was that we shall find that, through the process of con- mainly an attack upon Islam as wrong and on the version, we have uprooted the Moslem, torn him prophet as false in his claims, and by comparison from hi'! QWn. ~pciftl Jif~ aIld transplanted him a pre~~nt~tioJl Qf Chri~t as th~ only true Saviour,
THE CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO MOSLEMS
The second half of this is all right. We believe similar experiences that Moslems claim to have. Christ to be the only Saviour, but by contrasting This may be illustrated frQm the eighth century Mohammed with Christ missionaries have created in Khurasan, where a young prince had a remarkin Moslem minds an antagonism to Christ. Instead able vision. He was out hunting one day when he of a Moslem agreeing that Christ was superior he heard a heavenly voice calling him from the purrather felt a kind of suppressed grievance against suit of pleasure to the service of God. This vision Him. Thus a wrong impression was created and came to him three times and at the third appeara missionary found himself in the prejudiced at- ance he fell to the ground and gave his life to mosphere, which frequently led to a heated debate. God's service. He then walked across to a shep- As the situation hardened the controversial herd near by and exchanged his clothes and horse method became a very common 'One in missionary for the shepherd's woolen garments; without propaganda. Argument led to counter argument, funds or material resources he set out on pilgrimand attack to counter attack, until the atmosphere age to Mecca. was so strained that it was impossible to sit down quietly and to explain the Christian message with- Missionaries need to study more the meaning out at once being involved in a bitter wrangle. of Islam because the root idea of complete sur- render to God contains a truth no Christian can lIo~ VVin nlosleDls? afford to neglect. Moslem mystics glory in the will of God and the strength of their position is How can I approach the Moslem without an- this acceptance of whatever God sends as right. tagonizing him? First, I must understand his Too often we have used the Koran simply for purpoint of view, his spiritual aspirations, and what poses of controversy, forgetting that it does conreligion means to him. We often hear it said that tain the spiritual pilgrimage of one who started Moslem prayers are a matter of words and for- with undoubted sincerity and who wrought a refmula because certain prayers are memorized and ormation in his own land such as no one either repeated five times a day. If therefore, as a Chris- before or since has ever been able to accomplish. tian, I talk about prayer to a Moslem and at the The strength of Mohammed was not merely milisame time believe that he has no real prayer life, tary prowess. He hammered out in the desert a I start from a prejudice and an assumption which conception of God that carried the Arabs to will make fellowship with Moslems impossible. I heights previously unattained, as he described God have heard Moslems pray extemporaneously, with as the Eternal, the Great, the Glorious. He drew no set form, with every evidence of intensity and men to religion by saying, "Whichever way ye reality. Here is what one Moslem lays down as a turn there is the face of God." He said: "All on rule about prayer: earth shall pass away, but the face of thy God shall abide resplendent with majesty and glory." Before the time of prayer comes the servant must be in a state of meditation and recollection, free from wander- Whatever may be our attitude toward Islam, we ing thoughts and considerations, and the remembrance of cannot help a Moslem unless we are really honest aught save God alone. Those who enter thus upon prayer in our approach. If we trade upon his ignorance from the heart, intent only upon God, will proceed from of either his or our faith, if we fail to see the eleprayer to prayer in that same state of recollection, and ments of truth and reality in his religion, if we will remain therein long after they have ceased to pray. condemn him and his faith when we do not know it enough to pass judgment upon it, we are not There is here a depth of insight into the meaning of prayer that could at once form common honest. ground between Christians and Moslems for a There is a Christian way of approach to the sharing of mutual experiences in prayer. Why should not our approach to the Moslem be by the Moslem which is noncontroversial, where we value road of prayer, by beginning with quiet and medi- all that is good in his faith and appreciate the tation, by a remembrance of the name of God, so spiritual values it contains. We need not give up that there may be between us a spiritual affinity any Christian convictions, nor need we deny our which would make discussion easy. own faith to recognize a value in his. We can well begin by learning from the Moslems, by shar- Again can we not appreciate more the teaching ing our spiritual experiences with them in such a of Islam on spiritual things? The Sufis have much way as to enable them to share their experiences in their writings that is curiously like parts of the with us. We may find much common ground in New Testament. One writer says, "The Sufi is our prayer lives, in our worship and in our conone whose heart is pure toward God"; another ceptions of God. How surprised many of us misaffirms that "Sufism is enmity to the world and sionaries would be if, when preaching about the love to the Lord." indwelling of Christ in our hearts, we heard some- one say, "I gazed into my own heart. There I As Christians we rightly place great importance saw Him. He was nowhere else." upon the need of a personal spiritual experience of God. It would help us to study more carefully Yet this comes from a Moslem. Often when we
get closer to the mystic we find a religious toler- earnest Moslems let us not forget that the witness ance that puts some Christians to shame. There of the Spirit ultimately always leads to Christ.
is a saying: "0 Lord, none but Thyself can No man can say, "Jesus Christ is Lord," but by fathom Thee; yet every mosque and church doth the Spirit. If we depend more upon the Spirit, harbour Thee." and realize that God is at work in the Moslem Where 9.oes all this lead us? Not to any form world, we shall see our task in new proportions.
of syncretism, but to a new sense of the values of We shall be content to let our lives be as living all truth, even where that is found in another seed. ,We shall not fret if converts are few at the . faith. It leads us ultimately to Christ who, in the moment. We shall not worry if men call Mo- end, must be the Crown of Islam. We lose nothing hammed, prophet. We shall see Christ supreme by recognizing broken lights of Him who is the and alive, seeking to break through in spiritual Light of the World. We do not diminish Christ's revelation and power into the lives of men. As glory when we see how God illumines every man the living truth works in the hearts, we shall see coming into the world. It is true, as St. Paul hasl men and women discovering a new meaning to said, "God has not left Himself without witness." life, as they learn that Islam must involve not only If we see evidence of the witness of the Spirit in surrender to God, but to God revealed in Jesus some of the teaching of Islam and in the lives of Christ.
A FEW FAOTS ABOUT ISLAM Islam, more than most religions, reflects the personality of its founder, Mohammed. He was born in Mecca, near the western coast of Arabia, about 570 A. D. When he was about forty years of age, he had a series of experiences which he interpreted as visions from God.
These ordered him to attack the idolatry and worldliness of his fellow citizens, and to proclaim one supreme God and a day of judgment. Converts at first gathered slowly, and they were subject to persecution.
In 622 A. D., the Hijrah, or Flight to Medina, took place, from which the Moslem calendar came to be reckoned. In Medina, Mohammed soon became head of the community and ruler as well as prophet. At the time of his death, in 632 A. D., not only Medina, but Mecca and practically the whole of Arabia, had accepted his doctrines.
The sayings of Mohammed, which are believed to have been dictated word for word to him by the Angel Gabriel, were later gathered together and they constitute the Koran. This scrIp- ture is divided into Suras, or chapters, arranged roughly according to length rather than in any chronological order. The Koran is the Bible of Islam, considered verbally infallible. Since it is often obscure, and since it failed to prescribe conduct or attitudes to be observed in subse- quent situations that arose, it was early supplemented by Traditions as to what Mohammed said or did under various circumstances. These rules of conduct were, in time, codified into legal systems.
The five principal observances of Islam are: (1) the recitation of the creed-"There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his Prophet"; (2) worship, the set forms of prayer which are to be performed five times a day; (3) alms, a certain proportion of the income being pre- scribed from those of means for the benefit of the poor; (4) fasting from sunrise to sunset during the Ramadan; (5) malting the Haj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca once in a lifetime by those who are able.
Among various prohibitions are intoxicants, usury, making of images, and games of chance. On the other hand, Mohammed's relations with women led him to permit four legal wives as well as concubines, and to recommend the seclusion of women. The Jihad, or war against countries controlled by unbelievers, has always been considered a duty. As in other religions, these observances have been much relaxed in practice.
In the first century of its existence Islam split into two principal sects, the Sunni, which is in the majority in most Moslem countries, and the Shia, containing the bulk of Persians, about half of Iraq, and smaller communities in other lands. In addition to these, there have been many other sects. _ Moslem theology has emphasized the unity and power of God, and has been especially severe on anything that seemed like polytheism or idolatry. At the same time saint worship has been quite general; there is also much superstition, together with mystical or emotional exercises.-Quoted from "The Moslem Faces the Future," by T. H. P. Sailer.
Reactions to the
By JAMES HALDANE, Mazagan, Morocco -.•~ Southern Morocco Mission; Author of "Missionary Romance in Morocco," "Morocco in Mufti," etc.
W HEN we present the Gospel of Christ to tion and have the means at their disposal to carry individual Moslems we find them reacting the effort to a climax.
to our message in a variety of attitudes Jeremiah, and other Hebrew prophets, acted and tempers. When the reaction is born of fa- sometimes in' strange manner with a view to exnaticism the man allows you the utterance of only citing their audience into a listening mood, and a few sentences, after which there is a manifesta- employed what we might call a sanctified guile to tion of petulence, rising to passion and finding its grip hearts which could not be reached by ordiclimax in vociferation and whirling gestures. The man's mind is infested with vitiated religious sentiments which, when stirred by an element that opposes them, make the body a medium for their manifestation and produce a condition akin to madness. In the presence of such a man the missionary is confronted with the question of what means he must employ to exercise these exorbitant religious notions from the mind where they are lodged.
Let it be said with emphasis that, whatever A MOSLEM "HOLY MAN'S" HABITATION IN MOROCCO attitude we take towards the fanatic, whatever means we employ to deal with such malady, it nary means. Let me give an instance – one of must be based on sympathy. A display of irrita- many used in my work among Moors-to illustrate tion, an exhibition of caustic temper or rancor, the method. far from mitigating the evil, will aggravate it. A movement from the basis of sympathy to attack I was dealing with a small group of men while religious enormities and delusions, as manifested a number of others, who were merely spectators, by the fanatic, does not imply an unsteady tread sat beside us. There was a wild scene in which suggestive of fear and helplessness. It means reason was caged and rowdyism became rampant. that we are approaching with love and under- I tried everything within the range of ordinary standing a victim who has been born and reared methods used to calm them into a listening attiunder the glare of superstition and religious in- tude but all in vain. I was faced with the alternafatuations, one who has come under the impact of tive of doing something unusual to overcome this a single idea which drives him past all other con- devastating display of fanaticism, or abandoning siderations. these men as hopeless material. I decided to imi- In deaJing with such men it may be necessary to adopt an attitude of silence, at least until some of their fierceness has subsided. In some instances one may detect, seeping through the crevices of a disordered mind, an occasional show of intelligence which casts a passing gleam upon the countenance. Just at that moment one may be able to shoot in a word like an arrow that will find its mark, touch the reason and stimulate it to accept the challenge of a new line of thought. And on occasion fanaticism may be countered by cajolery. But this experiment should not be tried by any but those who, through long contact with the peopIe among whom they labor, understand the situa- [471 ]
tate the Hebrew prophets. Taking off my boot, as if he were afraid that the usual tone of voice ignoring my audience as if it did not exist, I filled would be an interruption. With this show of init with stones. These I shook inside the boot, tense earnestness he lures the preacher on, and emptied them out and filled the boot again. With just at the moment when we are ready to urge his a show of much earnestness this process was kept surrender to Christ he riSes up, draws his fingers up for sometime. Their interest was directed into through his beard, shakes the dust from his gara new channel; they could not understand what I ments, exclaims in a loud voice, "There is no God was doing and were astonished that I had so easily but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet," and tripped away from a serious theological discus- strides away with an air of triumph. sion into the trivial business of shaking stones inside a boot. Their curiosity mounted until it could In some of our meetings, within doors and in no longer be curbed: the open, we have an audience that has come to- gether by consent to extract some pleasurable ex- "Whatever are you doing?" they asked. citement by engaging the foreign preacher in argument. On one occasion a number of young A VISIT TO MOSLEM BEDOUIN fellows came tumbling into my meeting for this purpose. As clearly as if the words had been "You are all acting like madmen and I deter- chiselled on their foreheads I read, "Weare here mined to help you ollt,~' T replied. for fun." I put away my Bible, erected the black- board, put down a sum in addition and invited This had the desired effect for it suddenly struck anyone in the company to come forward, take the them that their vociferation and whirling move- chalk and do the sum. Several came forward and ments were, in the circumstances, as foolish and attempted to add the figures but no one added futile as shaking stones in a boot. Then at my them correctly. invitation they squatted on the ground and together we examined calmly the message of Jesus. "If ever you are to rise above being water car- riers and laborers you must learn to count," I said. Another type we meet is the man who reacts to our message with a cunning camouflage, whose So we continued the exercise until they became aim is to humiliate the missionary. He makes a greatly interested and some could add up figures show of much earnestness and on occasion will before we finished. I invited them to return the sway his body to emphasize his concern for his following week to learn subtraction. soul. At the mention of forgiveness through Jesus Christ he will stare with the surprise of one who "This is the way into an office and a good job," has just made a great discovery. And as the I heard them say as they talked among themselves. story unfolds he will say in a whisper, "Proceed," They were so pleased with their progress that they all shook hands with me before taking their de- parture.
The following week they walked into my meet- ing, some of them with copy books and pencils. We put simple subtraction problems on the board. Interest reached a climax when some of the more intelligent ones were able to find the solution to what I had put down. At this juncture I wrote on the board: ADD TOGETHER: FORMAL PRAYERS, FASTS, LUST, LOVE OF THE WORLD.
SUBTRACT: DEATH.
RESULT: NOTHING.
What a discovery this was! Addition and sub- traction could be applied to theology.
Again this problem: ADD TOGETHER: SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
SUBTRACT: – THE REDEMPTION OF JESUS'
CHRIST.
RESULT: FORGIVENESS AND ETERNAL LIFE.
This proved to be the beginning of an interest- ing work among those young fellows, some of
MOSLEM REACTIONS TO THE GOSPEL
whom continued· to attend my Bible class for that, if he gives Christianity a trial and it does not years. fulfil expectations, he may find the doors of the Then there is the polite man, the person who fold he has left barred against him. He wants to wishes to be courteous and who would treat an make an experiment with a new faith, for he is outburst of antagonism from any religious quar- deeply conscious of the inadequacy of Islam to ter as an outrage against good manners. When provide the assurance of pardon that he seeks.
we introduce our Gospel to this type there is no He is like a man who, dissatisfied with the job he display of opposition and almost no evidence of interest. He simply allows you to talk on, and says, "Yes," to everything. He is like a man who, busy with his own thoughts, will occasionally make a remark to the child that chatters by his side just to show that he is not displeased at its interrup- tions, although he finds nothing in its chatter to be cherished as valuable information. When we have given our Message and ask this man what he thinks of it, and what attitude he is going to take towards Jesus, he skirts the issue by inviting us to drink tea, or by diverting attention in some way calculated to close the subject.
What are we to do with that sort of man? Va- rious methods may be employed in an effort to awaken real interest in him. I give one example: "Well, let's go inside and drink tea now," said my Moslem friend after I had made a serious en- deavor to point him to Christ. We sat down to sip tea and I put this question to him: "I'm interested in Islam; what steps would I be required to take if I decided to become a Mos- lem ?"
The question gripped him and he began to teach me with much solemnity. He had gone far when I injected extraneous matter.
"Are your shoes made of leather or cloth?" I inquired.
He talked on and every now and then I inter- jected some trivial question and gazed around me indifferently. He became annoyed and said: "You are not listening."
"It doesn't matter, just go on," I replied. There was a spell of silence and then I asked: "Do you consider me a bad listener?"
"You certainly are," came the quiet reply.
"Do you know who taught me to listen badly?"
"Say who?"
"The gentleman who sat with me outside the A MOSLEM FANATIC IN MOROCCO door a little time ago." has, would fain go out and search for another, but "So you are taking revenge?" he said with a is afraid that should his quest fail his present em- ployer might not take him back. grin. "N0, only trying to teach you a lesson."
A more interesting, as well as more hopeful, In dealing with this type, which is common type is the man who has a real interest in spiritual enough, rush tactics do not succeed. In exalting matters and who is willing to make some real sac- the capital doctrine of the agency of the Holy rifice to reach the assurance that there is a way Spirit in dealing with such men we must not over- to obtain God's forgiveness, an offer of Eternal look the means of patience and instruction from Life. But there are difficulties in the way. The the missionary's side. To expect such a man, man is encumbered by an imaginative ignorance whose mind is sodden with superstition and that dogs his steps the moment he steps out to cramped from bold thinking by ignorance, to take meet Christ. He is embarrassed with the fear one long stride towards the objective we place be-
fore him is rather too much. He states his need, types enumerated above, gathered in a meeting shows interest in the Gospel message, but shies at where the Gospel is to be preached with a view to the suggestion that he should pass immediately their conversion. Our aim is to gain a hearing over the chasm that separates Islam and Chris- from them all. It would simplify matters if one tianity. Every time the man is forced forward could separate them according to their class, and he reacts with caution. present the Gospel in a manner calculated to meet the particular needs of each section, but this is HIGHIDR CLASS MOSLIDMS OF MOROCCO rarely possible. We must take the audience as we find it. In an effort to arouse the indifferent from their torpor we may say something that will un- sheath the passions of the fanatic and so have a tumult before the meeting is well begun. Or if we stress the finality of the cross of Christ as a means of taking away sin we are likely to hear the muffled rumblings of some who consider it is their duty to counter this teaching by repetitions of Islam's creed. These cross-currents will in turn disturb the polite section of our meeting whose only desire is to conduct themselves in a proper manner, and who would probably rise up and go out if there was any sign of rowdyism.
To place such a meeting in the hands of an in- experienced missionary is to do an injustice to our cause. Some will say: "Preach the Gospel and leave it at that. Let them all have the pure Gospel: there our responsibility ends."
The fact is one considers the Gospel to be such a blessed thing, and such consequences hang upon its presentation, that it is felt to be a kind of sacrilege to offer it to a rabble.
In a meeting of the type I am describing there are two factors which determine what results will be produced. In the first place there is the factor of atmosphere; the missionary's first business is to create one that will harmonize with the exalted theme he desires to present. This cannot be One more type is the man who meets all our – approaches with deadly indifference. In extreme cases we are almost made to feel that we are A HILARIOUS GROUP INTERVIEWING A MISSIONARY speaking to a corpse! The man can be turned from one position to another, rolled over from achieved by a process of shouting and pounding. one doctrine to another, without showing interest What means, then, must we use to create an ator resistance. There was a half silly man who mosphere worthy of a serious undertaking such as lived in our village in the days of my boyhood. presenting the issues of life and death as con- We used to tease him. He had enough sense to tained in the message of the New Testament? look after a cow but little more.
"Ah, Geordi," we would say, "did you give the cow a drink?" "Yes," he replied. Of course there would not be any water in the pail. We would continue. "No," he would reply naively. That silly teasing comes back to my mind almost every time I meet the Moslem type I am now dealing with. He answers "yes" and "no," according as we suggest, no matter how contradictory the replies may be.
Now think of fifty Moslems, a mixture of the
The answer is: a vigorous and proper use of The second factor is, motive. I have not space the native tongue of one's audience. There is no to develop this point. The most ignorant audience, substitute for this. Accent is not a serious handi- not to speak of those on a higher level, is concerned cap, but to flounder about in a sea of foreign words with the motive of the preacher. This concern is is simply to tickle or irritate an audience accord- born, not of analysis but of instinct. There is an ing to its mood. An easy flow of language, studied instinctive feeling of enquiry in every audience and correct, has a tremendous effect. If one can we face as to the motive of our preaching. That is prove to the listeners that he has not only an easy why many missionaries will not develop any phase flow of their language, but also an understanding of work where money comes into play. Mercenary of its underlying significance and subtleties, the motives may easily be attributed, by primitive chances are in his favor for getting a good hear- people, to money transactions accompanying Gos-' ing. Sale points out in his introduction to the pel services. (See the New Testament on this Koran that the success of that book is due in no subject.) small measure to the jingle of its words. The opening chapter of the Koran, when well read, My aim here is to show that natives are consounds like the jingling of bells. If, then, we find stantly watching our motives, and unless we can the atmosphere in a meeting unsuited to our mes- convince them that all our work springs from the sage, we must not imagine that we are false to our motive of love, we labor in vain. That is why a mission if we introduce some extraneous matter warning about sin and its consequences, a referfor the purpose of getting the proper conditions ence to the futility of Islam or an exposure of its established. Here is a method I have employed contradictions should never be carried out with times without number when faced with a meeting any show of triumph, lest we give the impression difficult to handle: that our aim is to score points. Even when en- gaged in disputation, as must sometimes happen, The audience is a mixed multitude-antagon- our words should be the breathing of love. Livism, hilarity, indifference and suspicion surge ingstone's achievements among primitive Afrithrough the atmosphere, and one detects an effort cans were due, almost solely, to this fact: he conon the part of some to scuttle the meeting. To in- vinced them, not merely that he was an honest troduce Jesus Christ in this atmosphere would be man or a good man, but that he loved Africa and to give them the very opportunity they desire to its people intensely. wreck the meeting, for it would present the object for attack. Much to their surprise the preacher With these two factors-a suitable atmosphere, claims only that there is one God and He has no and divine love in our hearts to supply the impetus partners. The next step is to show that all the for all our work-we may say, even when statistics good things we receive in this life are from His deny their support, the faithful missionary of hand. A sense of reverence asserts itself, for this Christ "shall doubtless come again rejoicing is what they all believe. The next step is to show bringing his sheaves with him." that many of the boons that reach us, coming from God, do so through the medium of our own DISTRIBUTION OF MOSLEMS labors, as for instance when we plough. "That," we say, "is why it is a good thing to have a trade." By GOVERNMENTS We then introduce lines from one of their own poets. This creates interest. There is now an Total Moslems in the world-about ……. . 240,000,000 atmosphere of reverence and interest. We quote Moslems under British rule (including Egypt) 94,000,000 the lines again and again: Moslems under other Western Governments ., 94,000,000 Moslems under MQslem Governments ……. . 38,000,000 Mal jiddeen A parent's legacy Moslems under other Eastern Governments ., 14,400,000 Yiteem; Will finish hastily; DISTRIBUTION-BY CONTINENTS Ma yibka All will fade Khir snaa Except the trade America-North and South …………… . 130,000 Australia and Islands ……………….. . 1,030,000 Yideen. You handle daily. Europe and Soviet Russia …………….. . 12,000,000 Africa ……………………………. . 53,000,000 It may be said that there is no Gospel in this. Asia and Malaysia ………………….. . 154,000,000 True; and there is no Gospel in a banner, a bell or a band. Yet these are constantly in use in INTERESTING HISTORICAL DATA Christian work for the purpose of creating interest and a proper atmosphere preliminary to intro- Birth of Mohammed, 570 A. D. Death of Mohammed, ducing the Gospel. I have a whole collection of 632 A.D. Moslem poems, proverbs and stories which I use almost daily in my meetings, for the same purpose Hejira (Mohammed's flight from Mecca), 622 A. D. as I use low gear in my automobile; that is, to get Battle of Tours (defeat in West Europe), 732 A. D. Moslems driven from Spain (by Ferdinand II), 1492. a start. Capture of Constantinople by the Turks-1453 A. D. Young Turks proclaim new Constitution-1908 A. D. End Qf the Caliphate (Turkey), 1924 A. D. Religious freedom in Iran (Persia), 1925 A. D.
Moslems for
By REV. JOHN VAN ESS, D.D., Basrah, Iraq Missionary of the Reformed Church in America THE objective of missionary work is to bring With this as my creed, I go back tomorrow to Moslems to a saving knowledge of Christ. my school. It is the last week of my twenty-fifth But what is "a saving knowledge"? Is bap- year as a teacher of Arabs. For twenty years this tism of converts the criterion of success? Christian school was on the crest of a wave of popularity. Being the first in this region, it has Salvation is assuredly not merely a "ticket into educated or at least vitally touched about three the ark," so to speak. To "accept Christ" is not thousand young Arabs. Each of these has met merely to assent to the formula "Christ died for Cl).rist or heard His message in the vernacular my sins." Our Lord's constant emphasis on the from my own lips, months and years on end, in Kingdom implies a King and an organization, with systematic and progressive Bible study. Hundreds laws, implied strife and victory. This Kingdom of these young men have been absorbed into the begins on earth but will be an eternal Kingdom as political and economic life of the land, and you its King is eternal. When a man is saved, there- can count on the fingers of two hands those who fore, he is saved not so much "from" as "unto"- have definitely gone bad. I can explain it only on unto Life, unto obedience, to fruitfulness, to har- the assumption that the light of Christ has somemony, to eventual and complete adjustment to how produced a change on the film of their heart God. The Cross is not merely a tragic drama on and thought life. Calvary on a Friday afternoon in a city in Palestine. We read of the "Lamb slain from the foun- And now has come nationalism. The Iraq Govdation of the world," of the Word that was in the ernment, in its youthful exuberance, is establishbeginning with God, that was God. The Cross was ing schools of all grades everywhere. They are eternally in the heart of God; Calvary was its good schools, well equipped and staffed. They tragic demonstration in time. The Atonement has have behind them all the prestige and resources of a gigantic sweep, far wider than the salvation of the Government. There are many respects in a confessed minority. The Atonement is a process which, pedagogically speaking, I do not agree with of divine dimensions, a process that began with the system. But the Government has the right to God's eternal purpose of good, reached its supreme decide its own objective and to formulate its own demonstration on Golgotha, and was consummated method. In a missionary school I cannot compete on Easter morning. "If Christ be not raised, ye with the Government on its own ground, nor are yet in your sins." should 1. Two summers ago, driving along a coun- try road in Michigan, I asked a farmer, "Where So I do not visualize myself as standing on a does this road go?" He replied, "Stranger, if you dock with a boat-hook, desperately grasping at follow it long enough, this road will lead you to the souls that come rushing by. According to my the cemetery." As Christians we are often in Lord's precept and example I work for individuals, danger of going up the road to a mental cemetery, but all the time I am conscious that those whom I where lie the dead bones of dead controversies. may miss do not "drift beyond His love and care." As missionaries we are in danger of going up the Above the din and clatter of my clumsy efforts I road to a cemetery of method, if not of message. hear Christ say "I have overcome the world"- The famous Dr. Abraham Kuyper of Amsterdam the cosmos. And so I visualize the world, the said, "The fault of the Church is not that she made whole cosmic order, the whole social, economic, creeds, but that she stopped making creeds." political, as well as the religious set-up, as being brought into obedience unto Him. Anything else As a missionary educator, I am closing a chap- is defeatism and defeatism is treason. Pro rege is ter of twenty-five years, with no regrets, and with. the device on my banner. pleasantest memories, grateful that it has been my privilege to be a pathfinder, and looking around Physical death, then, can no longer be a cri- for new fields to enter and new paths to open. I terion of anything either to me or the Moslem. am deliberately cutting out the top of my tree, so My missionary work is only a beginning, and in- to speak, gradually eliminating the high school deed will never stop. Christ promised a Life that grades, and concentrating on the depressed classes now is and spoke of death that ceases to be.
[476 ] who comprise about two-thirds of the population. outside of myself, illuminating the whole and shed- They do not come within the perimeter of the offi- ding its power over myself and my pupils. But cial vision, and will not do so for a generation. there is the phenomenon. They are desperately poor but they are desperately in earnest. Their economic condition does not For years and years I had tried to present allow them to remain in school more than six years Christ to the Arab boys: His life, His Cross, His at the most, after which they must return to their salvation. A young American, fresh from college, villages or to their former economic plane, equip- with the light of heaven in his eye and the smile ped, we trust, to lift up that plane to a higher level. of God on his face, came to join me for a short Any higher education I leave to the government term. For fifteen months he taught the boys, lived schools which admittedly qualify only for govern- with them, played with them, brothered them. ment jobs and already have reached the point of Then, by an accident, God took him. The boys besupersaturation. Out of the morass of this little' gan to come to me and say, "Sir, now we underproblem I leave the government to struggle as best stand what you have been trying to teach us about it may. God; how He made Himself visible, and lived among us, and suffered with us, and died for us. And so, after a quarter of a century, I stand We have seen it in Mr. Raymond. That is what again where I stood at the beginning. I am again God did." I awoke to the fact that we cannot teaching small boys in simple subjects, and am make men hear the Atonement; we must make back in the daily irritations of discipline and routine. One of my former colleagues, a man of wide men see it. reputation, said to me: "Van Ess, I thought you had it in you to put up a college in Iraq." To I am quite unruffled by government competition which I replied, "I am really prouder of the fact and by decreased appropriations. Indeed, the dethat I had it in me not to put up a college in Iraq." With the rise of nationalism, missionary colleges pression and the consequent cuts have made me are being forced to the wall. India may be an ex- cut out a lot of underbrush, so that I can now see ception, though in the new constitution lurk the path more plainly. Even the casual remarks ominous obstacles. That they have done a splen- of well-meaning friends that the school seems to did service is undoubtedly true but how much be going backward, does not sting anymore. As room there remains for them is a serious question. But there remains a great deal of room at the a matter of fact, there is a far greater percentage bottom. This to my mind is the great challenge of Moslems in the school than ever before, and all to missionary educators today. The greatest con- available space is filled. "Why are most of your tribution we missionary educators can make is not boys barefoot?" asked a government inspector. in the doing of big things in a comparatively small "Why do all the barefoot boys come to me 7" I way, but in the doing of little things in a big way. answered. For that task we need all the mentality, and all the education and all the experience, and all the Where now does all this fit into my pretentious manhood, and all the linguistic ability, and all the creed? Next door to my house is an electric powerhumility, and all the spiritual equipment we can station. Into one end is fed the crude oil; out of command. When the world's proletariat awakes, the other end comes that strange, invisible, potent within the next generation, as it inevitably must, fluid called electricity. The cause is not at all will men, by that time, be familiar with us and commensurate with the result. The only function our message and our Lord, or will they, as in of the crude oil has been to be consumed. Some- Russia, revolt against Christianity that has cham- where along the line, in the dynamo in fact, it has pioned the rights of the privileged classes? If been transformed into energy. It is carried miles one great truth of the Cross of Christ is, in Jesus' away to the wharves where it raises heavy burown words, "I have power to lay down my life dens and lights dark streets and houses. I cannot, and I have power to take it again," surely we dis- and we cannot by education or any other method, ciples can best preach that Cross in our own daily change the world. But we can be consumed, willhumiliation. I, for one, wish to bear witness to ingly, humbly, gladly, for our efforts are made dythe compensation that comes from a humble effort namic in the Cross. "I fill up on my part that in that direction. which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh." During the past year I have had a daily experience, which you may explain as you like but which Anyone who knew Turkey before the World is, none-the-Iess, intensely real. As I teach the War knows that there was not one ray of light Gospel lessons to class after class, lessons which I on the horizon of missionary work among Moshave taught literally hundreds of times, a shaft of lems. In five short years, what happened? The light seems to come from somewhere, certainly Caliphate was abrogated, the Sultan was expelled, and a republic was established; Islam was dis- established, womanhood was emancipated, suf- frage was made universal. The Turkish revolution came like a bolt from the blue. I have heard
famous professors of international affairs confess innovations, which seemed impossible a decade or their inability to explain it. It seems plain to me, two ago, are rapidly being realized. however. For eighty years the American missionaries had been working in Turkey, and prayers, Another innovation, the lawfulness of which the tears, the sighs, the labors, the gifts of God's has been hotly contested, is the translation of the people were consumed for Turkey. They were Koran into English. After a lengthy debate in the made dynamic in the eternal Cross of Christ; the secular press, the Government and the leaders of energy was banked up behind the barrage of God's reform have gotten round the difficulty by affirmpurpose until in His own time He let it loose on ing that while the Koran can never be translated Turkey, and something more had to happen. into any other language, what is now being at- tempted is to translate the teaching of the Book A couple of generations ago a young Chinese especially for the benefit of the English-speaking lad named Sun Yat Sen learned in a mission school peoples. The large increase of religious articles in Honolulu the three uniquely Christian prin- and debates in the secular press, both Arabic and ciples: Liberty, Democracy, Social Justice; today English, is another noticeable development, and if China is in the throes of a new birth. And so it to this we add the broadcasting of the chanting of is in India, and I believe in Russia. To me the the Koran several times a day, while Christians great and humiliating fact about Russia is that the are not allowed to broadcast even a reading of the Church has let Communism steal her thunder of Scripture, we get an idea of the strength of the demanding social justice. propaganda that is being daily carried on.
From the segment of a circle we can tell from The remarkable growth in Egypt of Moslem rethe degree of curvature, not only how big the ligious societies to further the teaching of Islam circle is but where the center is. And everywhere from every aspect impresses itself upon Christian in the round world today we can see the segments residents. The most active of these is the Young being filled in, all centering in Christ, a gigantic Men's Moslem Association. It is a regular centre sweep, a stupendous Kingdom of Divine dimen- of political and religious intrigue. The same sions. spread is also noticeable in the Islamic periodicals and magazines, which are distributed far· and So I go back to my little school tomorrow, con- wide, even in the remotest villages. This new fident of contributing a small but none the less a movement has even reached the neglected southern real part to one segment, and overwhelmed by a European Moslems, and very recently these held sense of unutterable privilege. How many bap- a Moslem conference in Geneva, so that they tisms? A greater missionary than any of us said: should not be left behind in the reforms. Needless "Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach." to say, Islam is being interpreted now-a-days in terms of Christian doctrine. MODERN REFORMS IN ISLAM The agitation of the Feminist Movement against The disintegration of Islam is true only in a plurality of marriage, the prevalence of divorce very qualified sense. The old and primitive type (at present 47 per cent), and the neglect of chilof Islam is giving way to a new form of teaching dren is but like a voice crying in the wilderness, and to an interpretation in line with modern which soon dies in the arid air of Islam. The Western ideas and philosophy. This new move- greatest hindrance to Arab advance and the ment carries with it the vitality and momentum of spread of Islam has been hitherto the wide diveryouth, accompanied with the zeal, if not fanati- gence of views and the animosities among the difcism, of the old Islam, so that, in a very real sense, ferent states, but the Alliance recently signed there is revival in Islam. among all the Arab states and with Egypt joining them, presents a united Islamic front. This revival is most in evidence in Egypt, which is taking the lead among Moslem countries. It Islam is essentially a primitive religion, a fact has actually carried along with it the great centre of which all the leaders boast -and emphasize on of Islamic learning, the Azhar University, that all occasions; no wonder if we see it breaking immobile institution which has for the last thou- down under the demands of modern progress and sand years defied any scheme of reform. The cur- civilization; they are trying to reconstruct it riculum of the University now demands the study along modern lines. It will remain to be seen of science along European lines, and of modern whether such external reforms will prove the relanguages. Promising students have even been vival or the death of Islam.–Condensed from an sent to European universities, and other startling article by an Egyptian Christian in Egypt, "Gen- eral M-vssion News," 1936.
PATIENTS AT A WAYSIDE DISPENSARY IN
A Christian Doctor Among Moslems By PAUL HARRISON, M.D., Muscat, Arabia Missionary of the Reformed Church in America ~~N0. ' I DO NOT believe in forcing religion with God. I have never met a missionary who was down people's throats. I believe in med- foolish enough to suppose that a man could be ical missions though." forced into Christian faith, nor wicked enough to More mistakes it would be hard to put into two attempt it.
sentences. Ordinary missionaries force religion And if any have illusions as to the redemptive upon the sensitive innocence of the unprotected, capacity of Atebrin pills, and Elastoplast band- whereas the medical missionary who has re- ages, and Davis and Geck sutures, the medical mis- nounced the Devil and all his works, redeems them sionary has none. Men with their hernias skill- with pills, plasters, and catgut sutures. fully repaired, stab their neighbors just as fero- Neither the minister nor his medical colleague ciously in the bazaar, and marry their fourth wife, is so foolish. None of us try to force anything on a baby of twelve, with just as animal a glitter in anybody. Those who are willing, we introduce to their eyes, as they did before. None watch the Jesus Christ, with as deep and discriminating an dreadful pageant of human ignorance, and sin and introduction as desire anct background make pos- suffering, with quite so deep and terrible an under- sible. Christ's contact with them depends even standing as the doctor, none know so well as he, more on the depth of our surrender to Him, and that the wages of sin is death, and before it is the radiance of our daily walk in His company. death, it is disease.
In the affairs of the spirit coercion is poison. Be- And so the medical missionary thanks God with fore us always is the beauty of Christ's example, all his heart that he is as other men are; i. e., an as He led free men into a redeeming fellowship evangelist whose life object is to bring Christ to 479
those who need Him. Ignorance has crippled the afternoon, in the hospital courtyard, and on weekmen whom Mohammed captured so many years day evenings they saw Christ on the Cross through ago. Sin has overcome them. Their diseases the stereopticon. Smooth sailing? Not always. come from sin. So does their poverty which is A month ago our outlying dispensary in Nuchl, 75 almost worse than disease in these terrible areas. miles from Muscat, was summarily closed, and we So, also, that emptiness of soul which makes the ejected. But the people there want us to return, inner poverty of the rich, worse many times, than and it will be only a short time probably, before the outer poverty of the poor. If only Christ can we are back. fill some of these souls with the radiance of His Eternal life, they will be a light for the entire There are many areas in the world where the community, just as He promised. Yes,. and in medical missionary is still a pioneer in the simplest sense of that word. No missionary except he. can AN ARAB CHIEF, WITH DR. HARRISON WHOM HE INVITED enter. Central Arabia is such an area. Sois TO VISIT HIS TRIBES IN INLAND ARABIA Afghanistan, and Tibet, and parts of Northwest China. Often even he can go only by special invithat radiant group, Christ Himself will find the tation, and very infrequently. Sometimes he can one joy and happiness that men are capable of take his evangelistic colleague with him. On~e I giving Him. heard of a consecrated music teacher finding an entrance when even the Doctor was shut out. But What part have the medical missionaries played the brunt of this campaign is carried by the docin the great Eternal enterprise of carrying Christ tors. They visit such places on medical tours, to the Mohammedans? A genuine part and an treat those who need medical help, present Christ honorable one. We go where no one else can. to those who will listen, make many friends. Harold Storm made a trip two years ago which included pretty well the whole southern coast of On occasion theYl;re driven out, but they re~ Arabia. With trifling exceptions, that whole sec- turn.. and eventually tlieMission is invited to come tion can be reached only by the medical mission- in and establish a permanent station. Such a staary. And can the Gospel be preached on such a tion may begin with only the medical missionary tour? It can. Last year in Sur, a wild and fanati- in residence. Eventually he is joined by his evancal place, men listened to the Gospel every Sunday gelistic colleague.
It is a great step in advance when a permanent mission station is established. Then the impact of Christian family life is felt, and that is by far the heaviest piece of artillery that we have. The difference between the Christian and the Moham- medan family is an apologetic which admits of no answer. But in this station too, the active medical work of the mission hospital has a great part to play. Dozens and scores and hundreds come to the dispensary. They do not become Christians, but they do become friends. And in the hospital itself men listen to the Christian message with a more friendly ear than elsewhere, and during their days of comfortable convalescence, the same mes- sage can be repeated many times, until some de- gree of comprehension is reached. Christ walks up and down the aisles of these primitive mission- ary hospitals, and the doctor succeeds in making Him visible to some of those who are his guests.
Abdullah was such a patient. He came with the largest ulcer of the year, and we have many ulcers by no means small. His measured six by four inches. Only the swollen condition of the foot made such dimensions possible. After three months he is nearly healed. Abdullah is one of' those fine, sincere, gentle souls, who show that Christ is indeed the light that lighteth every man. The Gospel story was water to his thirsty soul. Abdullah is one of the fortunate few who can read. For weeks he was a hospital fixture, with his leg
A CHRISTIAN DOCTOR AMONG MOSLEMS
stretched out so it could lie in the sun, while he emerging medical profession in these new states earnestly studied the New Testament. He follows can reach full growth. In the meantime the med- Christ now, with deep sincerity, and just ahead is ical missionary can take under his wing these newthe realization that Christ and Mohammed do not fledged doctors, and to their science add ethics, walk the same road. Abdullah returned home two and to their ethics compassion, and to their comweeks ago. May God keep him. passion, freedom from the love of money, and if when he has finished with some of them, these Young men of the community make up the hos- things be in them and abound, he will have made pital staff. They are chosen after much elimina- a very great contribution indeed. And the most tion of inferior material, because they have unusual deftness of hand, and kindliness of soul. PATIElNTS AT THE MISSION HOSPITAL They are not Christians when they enter the hospital service. No such material is available. But important members of this group which he trains, some of these boys come to see Christ as He walks will be the Christian doctors who become under beside them, ministering to men and women who his hands, pillars in the church, and ornaments of suffer. Mobarrek is such a convert. The whole the Kingdom of God. town of Muttreh has been lit up by the beauty and simplicity of his Christian confession. Two of his The medical missionary is a member of the comrades in the hospital have already followed his great eternal succession, through which from example, and the Sultan himself has listened to Abraham to Hudson Taylor, God has unfolded His his testimony. program of Divine power and salvation. The Church of Christ has been set up in the Moham- The medical missionary is a missionary in his medan world. In Iran she has reached the magown right. He is also a member of a mission sta- nificent virility of youth. Even in Arabia the intion where team work is very important. The fant church has been born. Thus does the last evangelistic impact of such a team can be very citadel of human error and sin slowly open to the great. Only a small part of the preaching can be love of Christ. The medical missionary's heart done by the doctor. Proclaiming the truth of is filled with gratitude that in this great adventure Christ is the evangelist's task, illustrating the of the Divine Will, he has been permitted to have grace of Christ is the doctor's (though to be sure a share, and at times to carry the flag. the evangelist does that too). The intelligent and effective mercy of the hospital is a Christian les- ISLAM AS A RELIGION son of the first order. It is the hospital which makes the Christian Gospel intelligible. Moreover Moslem Creed: "There is no God but God and Mohammed there are Christian lessons of no mean order in is the prophet of God." Includes pantheism and scientific medicine per se. Truth is one thing, and animism. error something else. Noone who assists at surgical operations doubts that for very long. The Jesus is regarded as a human prophet inferior to Mopatients believe it too. Ignorance is one thing and hammed. discriminating knowledge something else, and no one knows that quite so wen as the patient to Materialistic and sensual Paradise. whom an accurate diagnosis brings relief after Five supreme duties-witnessing, saying prayers (five many disappointments. Cleanliness is different times a day), almsgiving, the Fast of Ramadhan, pilfrom filth, a rule that holds in the realm of the grimage to Mecca. (Also Holy War.) spirit as well as in the world of bacteria. There Weakness or Islwm-formalism, fatalism, militarism, senis no antidote to superstition like the microscope. sualism, stagnation, polygamy, slavery, blind adher- A louse there, looks far more dangerous than the ence to tradition. evil eye itself. St?'ength of Islamr-belief in one supreme imnipotent God, loyalty to their faith, people of one sacred book, ag- The function of the medical missionary is a tem- gressive in witnessing, courageous. porary function. He understands that. We do not send medical missionaries to Japan. Medical schools are making their appearance in nearly all of the Moslem countries. There is such a school in Teheran, Iran. There is another in Baghdad. They will give first class medical training. In such a country the medical missionary faces a new problem, and new problems mean new opportunities, if only we can see them with God's eyes. The place and the need for the medical missionary are passing away, but it will be years before the
Power of the Printed
By MABEL H. ERDMAN, Beirut, Syria i Missionary of the Presbyterian Church, U. s. A. 1Jie– I .l"". "/ LITTLE old man with greying beard and than all else I was impressed by the beauty and kindly, smiling hazel eyes sits in a wheel the purity of Christ's teaching and character. chair on the veranda of a Home for the "Suddenly I was covered with confusion. This Aged in a near East city. His face is lined, but thing which I considered beautiful, this story the Tines are those of a thinker. He is talking to which was written in my own sacred tongue, was his Moslem neighbor – a thin, time-scarred old a despised Christian thing, a false book which they gentleman whose bed has been pulled out on the dared to set up in comparison with the holy balcony. The first old man is telling something Koran! Hastily I hid it lest I be detected.
of his early life. A missionary friend listens while "Days slipped by, during which I condemned the tale is told. myself on the one hand and indulged my curiosity "Years ago I lived in the Holy City where I was on the other. Finally I decided that there was no a keeper in a large mosque. I was a devout Mos- harm in carrying the book about with me. After lem, wearing the green turban to which I was en- all, my devotion to Islam could not be questioned.
titled as a direct descendant of the Prophet. Five I managed to read all of the Gospel of Mark, and times a day when the muezzin called, I prayed then, still firm in my own faith, I made bold to with the faithful. One of my duties was to clean visit the foreign lady again and ask for other and fill the many ornate lamps which hung in that books of the same sort. I do not know what im- mosque. I was also expected to collect the rents pression I made upon her, but she received me due from houses owned by the mosque. In these kindly and without question gave me three other houses lived all manner of people, the better apart- Gospels.
ments being let to foreigners from whom we could "In a short time I had read all four Gospels and demand a high rental. One of these tenants was then I secured the Book of Acts. It was not long a lady who lived alone. I wondered why she had then before I had to acknowledge that Jesus the left her far-away home to live among strangers, Christ had won me as he had Paul of Tarsus, who, to judge by myself, loved her little. though my own conversion was much less dra- "One day, quite accidentally, I learned why she matico I was filled with a great longing to serve had come. When she gave me her rent money she my Saviour and Friend, who had revealed God to handed me a small book. I suspected at once that me in a new light-as a loving Father to whom I it must be an accursed book of the Christians, and was precious.
had it not been for the precious money and the "So strong was my new faith, so compelling His courtesy due a tenant of the holy mosque, I should plea to leave all and follow Him, that I knew I have dropped the hated thing which seemed to must make open declaration. The great mosque burn into my hand. As soon as possible I bowed became an intolerable place; the copies of the politely and left the foreign lady. sacred Koran, the shining lamps, the very rugs "There were other collections to be made that leered at me.
day, and lacking opportunity" to do otherwise, I "I knew that I must turn my back on all this.
slipped the small book into my pocket. I forgot My parents would disown me and disinherit me; about it until later in the day when I sat alone in a my friends would seek to destroy me; my wife shadowed corn~r of the great mosque. Curiosity would have to do as her parents and mine decreed, overcame my fear and I opened the book sur- and I should have to leave her and the children.
reptitiously. "Weeks and months slipped by as I hesitated.
"Many years have gone by now, but never shall My life was comfortable, even luxurious. I was I forget my first impression of the beauty of that loved, respected, trusted. In giving up Islam I '
story. It was the Gospel according to Saint Mark, should be giving up all security and respectability and as by some outer force I was impelled 'to read as I knew them. But while I debated about this through the verses which described John the Bap- other Prophet and compared His life with that of tist, Christ's Baptism, His temptation and the Mohammed, I knew what I must do; and at last calling of some of the disciples. Perhaps more I did it.
[482 ] "The result was all that I had anticipated, but Dark tales were whispered over backgammon though my suffering was great, I felt no sorrow boards and between sips of thick, sweet coffee- nor regret. There were many new friends now tales of clever thefts, of quick, sure fingers on to replace the old, whom I loved with a greater knife and trigger, of amazing feats of horseman- love than ever and forgave wholeheartedly when ship and of unbelievable endurance.
they persecuted me. Penniless, I left my home city J-'s quiet, pale Armenian wife, whom he had with all of its dear associations, and traveled taken from a refugee camp just after the World northward. Everywhere Christians who had War, had borne him a son and a daughter; but for heard of me welcomed me, but whenever I encoun- him there was no united family life; it had never tered those of myoId faith, they reviled me merci- occurred to him that such was necessary or de- lessly. I was refused shelter in every Moslem sirable. His own mother had often sent him as a home; I was shamefully cursed and ejected from boy to carry supplies of money and food, to her restaurants and all public places where I was father's home, against the inevitable day when her known. husband should tire of her. Many a day on the "For a time doubt assailed me. I wondered road he had met other boys, his friends, going on whether God had forgotten me. Things were the same sort of secret errand. Home for J – strange as I traveled away from home; I did not meant shelter from rain and cold, even from ene- slip easily into the new customs and religious mies to some extent, but little else.
practices. I missed my loved ones, particularly It happened one day that J-, natty in his well- my sons, who would now grow up considering fitting uniform, passed a meeting house in the their father a renegade, an infidel, a betrayer of center of his home town and saw a crowd of peo- the faith. Perhaps these were the hardest hours ple assembled. Curious, he looked in and saw his of my life. wife and children there. Upon questioning some "But when my sorrow was deepest, when the bystanders he learned that an evangelist had come outlook seemed blackest, God made Himself known from the far west to help the harassed Armenian to me, and I was able to rise up and follow Him refugees to return to their ancient faith in God with renewed strength and vision. and His Prophet Jesus Christ. J- was amused, "Now after all these years I can testify that and leaning against the rear wall of the building, He has never forsaken me at any time and that listened while the foreigner read a story which He is worthy of every sacrifice made for His sake. seemed to be all about a new way of Life. The I would not go back to the old IHe, with all of its preacher then talked simply about repentance and security and material comfort, for all that the salvation. It was all so easy to understand, so world has to offer. I have tried to witness to straightforward, that J – was amazed. The meet": Him, to tell others of His love and beauty, and as ings continued for several days, and J- attended life's shadows lengthen around me, I realize that all of them, hearing little more than the simple I must work harder that no time be lost." Gospel story told in none-too-perfect Turkish.
Thus the fascinating tale came to a close. When- That story was enough to change his life. From ever he can do so, this truly converted believer that time on J – knew that his old ways were not reads from his "Beautiful Book" to his compan- in keeping with God's will. To his astounded asions, and if we were there to see, we should note sociates he declared his new faith as openly as he that many a face is softened, that new light comes had boasted of his heinous deeds. He resigned his into hard, cold eyes which have seen much bitter- position with the gendarmerie, and rearranged his ness and disappointment, for the Prince of Peace whole life. There was little he could do to earn an hovers near. honest living, but he did what his hands could find to do, often enough working as a day laborer. *** After their first amusement at J-'s new A few years ago a gay young man rode daily "stunt," his former friends and associates began through the crowded streets of the northern towns to persecu~e him. Finding that he paid little heed of Syria, cursing and jostling the shepherds and to them, they spat upon him, kicked and reviled other traders who came in from the desert to sell him; caused him to be thrown into prison. They their produce. His bright, dark eyes sparkled as were humbled and astounded the more when he he drew rein, for he knew his power and his repu- turned the other cheek. He who had once been so tation for cruel justice. His uniform indicated quick to retaliate now bore the harshest treatment that he was one of the gendarmerie, and well was without reproach. His former powerful char- he known in village and town and out in the far- acteristics were changed and beautified. His rest- away places of the desert. No danger was too less energy led him on to greater and greater tasks great for him to face, no journey too distant for and sacrifices; his splendid physique enabled him his strength. Bold, winsome, rash, J – was at to endure great suffering and deprivation without once the terror and the pride of his associates. apparent harm.
In quiet moments J- sadly counted the years of Before long a crowd gathered, and J- took his life which had been spent in wickedness and occasion to tell his story of Jesus and to distribute riotous living, the blood-stained deeds of his im- tracts. The Sheikh listened as attentively as the petuous youth, and he longed to recall them and others, and when J- had finished he stood up and dedicate them to God. told an amazing story himself. J-Iater recounted this story to us in detail. Some years have passed during which -he has grown steadily in grace. He is tireless in his task About three years ago the Sheikh went to the of spreading the Gospel, his journeyings covering dyeing establishment of an Armenian Christian. the breadth and the length of his native land. On the table in the small shop lay an open book. The bitterest of his enemies are being won over, one by one, for the old charm of J – coupled with "What book is that?" asked the Sheikh, using this new, compelling love, is irresistible. Now and Turkish as readily as his native tongue, Arabic. then there is one who still distrusts, even persecutes him, but to no avail. Into prisons, among "A Bible,!' answered the Armenian. castaways of all faiths, he takes Bibles and Gos- "Is it the good book of which the Koran pel portions and religious tracts. At the doors of speaks?" mosques, in the homes of rich and powerful "Yes," answered the Armenian, a bit on his sheikhs he preaches Christ and distributes lit- guard with so staunch a Moslem leader. The Arerature. menian, though fearless in his faith, had experi- enced something from the fanaticism of Moslems. Recently he was visiting some of the scattered "Tell me about it," persisted the Sheikh with hamlets on the edge of the north Syria desert genuine interest. when he met a man whom he had not seen for "Let me read from it," answered the dyer; "it some years. At sight of that man J- thanked tells its own story better than I can." God and said, He picked up the Book and read some chapters in Genesis. As he read the Sheikh received a new "Brother, do you remember me?" vision of the greatness and the power and the majesty of God as compared with the sinfulness "Yes, indeed," responded the lean shepherd, his of man. The Armenian saw that the effect was keen eyes narrowed in his weather-beaten face, real and read on. "you used to be in the gendarmerie. I have not Later his customer returned and begged to borseen you lately, but I remember you well." row the Book. The dyer volunteered to secure for him an Arabic version, and with this copy in his "Do you remember that once a goat was stolen hands the Sheikh began at the first chapter of from you?" Genesis and read through all of the books of the Old and New Testaments. When he reached the "Ap, my friend," laughed the shepherd, "a goat last verse of Revelation he began again and read is often stolen from a shepherd in these parts. as before. What can I do? The poor have no rights." After that second reading he was convinced that "I stole a goat from you once,and I thought I the only way of salvation is through Jesus Christ. was clever to do it without being caught. My Then one night he dreamed that his city was being friends and I had a fine feast." destroyed because of the wickedness of the people, as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Great "You?" grinned the shepherd in mock surprise. was his grief and helplessness when he turned "I cannot believe it." away from the awful scene-and there he beheld Jesus upon the cross. He dreamed that he rose "But yes, I did," averred J- in all seriousness. up, threw his arms about the bleeding feet and "And now I wish to pay for that goat, and to ask wept for his sins and those of his people. your forgiveness. Here is the money." So it happened that when J- came to this town Overcome, the poor man who seldom sees even the Sheikh took courage openly to declare himself paper money, for he trades in kind and is always a Christian. "Do not call me 'Sheikh' any more; in debt to the money-lenders, exclaimed, "Is it I am a Chris-tian, a follower of Jesus Christ," he possible that one steals a goat, is not caught, and declared to the crowd. then comes back to pay for it?" The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than "Yes; it is possible," responded his companion, any two-edged sword. Hebrews 4: 12. "if one steals while he is in darkness and sin and then learns to know Jesus Christ." My Word shall not return unto Me void. Isaiah 55: 11.
What better sermon could have been preached Surely the Word of God is a powerful witness to that poor, ignorant Bedouin of the desert? to Christ and can be used to achieve great results if we can but put it into the hands of men and Leaving the desert, J- went to one of the larger women everywhere. towns and was invited to meet the head man who owns more than three-fourths of the town's land and houses. He bears the important title of Sheikh and is a man of great influence.
Experience with
By REV. FRANK LAUBACH, Ph.D., Mindanao, Philippines Missionary of the American Board C. F. M.
FOR four centuries the Moros of Mindanao pealed to the supreme court, entering a plea of fought the same relentless war with the Span- self-defense. Our case was so well prepared that iards and Filipino Christians that the Moros Pambaya was ~cquitte!i. He is now my/fast friend (Moors) of Africa had fought in Spain during the and will be yours if I introduce him to you." five centuries before Columbus discovered America. The annual war in the Philippines would So this man .]?ambaya, who so nearly spent commence as soon as the winds were favorable for twenty years in,i'Irrison, became my friend, taught the Moro vintas to sail northward, or for the me the .Maranaw language, and has been our Spanish galleons to sail southward. strongesfhulw3;rk ever since. He has toiled with us for cOU)ltless. hours in building up a Maranaw When the United States took over the Philip- dictionary, haS'-helped in the translation of the Old pines in 1898, we inherited this endless war with Testament stories and the Gospel of Luke, and has the Moros. American soldiers, with their greatly ~ided in the preparation of many other books.
.superior weapons, broke the power of the Moros But his chief function is to keep his ear to the and instilled in them a sense of fear and respect, ground for signs of opposition and to make friends though outlaws have hidden in the forests and Qut of potential enemies. No missionary in a performed exploits of murder and robbery every Moslem country can get on very well without some year up to the present day. man of that type.
In the year 1915 my wife and I visited Lanao for the first time, hoping to establish a mission for the Moros. We found the air tense, the nerves of the officials taut, the Moros sullen, and rumors of impending attacks being whispered from ear to ear. We were told plainly that no Christian missionary effort would be tolerated as it would certainly add to the fanatical fury of the Moros.
We left Lanao to work in other parts of the Philip- pines, awaiting a more propitious day.
It was not until 1929 that we felt the time had arrived. A large percentage of the trouble makers had been imprisoned or killed, and the Province had become comparatively quiet. Because there MORO GI1,;LS'l'H:tNK;iTH:EY WILL DIE U' THEIR PICTURE· IS was no school suitable for the education of our 'l'AJ(;EN,BUT 'fHEY Tf.:KE A CHANCE TO son, and also because we were not sure how safe pLlllASE THE; MISSIONARy Lanao would be for women and children of missionaries, I left my wife and son in· the northern Tclie first :rno.n~~,be:fo.:re I had found Pambaya, wer¢, among the hardest Of my life. I did not seem part of the Philippines, and entered Lanao alone. to be able to get the right beginning. I climbed The officials still expressed misgivings about any Signal Hill, back of my cottage, night after night, religious work being attempted, and permitted me with no companion but my dog Tip, and remained to begin my work on the understanding that it until long ·after dark while the finger of God would be educational and social, and not contro- painted marvelous colors against the western sky.
versial. I was a missionary of Christ, with my I recall the heartaches and the yearnings with lips practically sealed~ which my eyes roved around the lake below me, I asked a big-hearted American, Lieutenant where the Moros had their villages. The deepest Cramer, whether he knew a Moro whom I could spiritual experiences are born of pain, if one lets trust. Cramer replied: that pain drive him to God. Out of the loneliness "There is a Moro who was convicted of murder of Lanao came some of the most precious soul ex- and sentenced to serve for twenty years. Feeling periences of my whole life. During one of these that this sentence was too heavy, some of us ap- sunset trysts I was telling God aloud that He must [485 ]
guide my pathway, for the obstacles were like a sinless man to be crucified. That would not be mountains. I spoke aloud, for nobody could hear justice." He snatched Jesus out of Gethsemane, me but God and Tip. Then my lips began to sp.eak and then changed Judas into the appearance of to myself, voicing a new light which had come Jesus, and allowed the Jews to crucify Judas, as into my mind: he deserved. The Koran teaches that Jesus now sits on the right hand of God interceding for men If you want these Moros to be fair to your religion, be -more kindlihearted than the Moslem God. In fair to theirs. Study their Koran with them. Medina there are four graves: that of Mo- hammed; that of Fatima his daughter; that of I told some of the Mohammedan priests that I Omar, the greatest Moslem missionary, and an wanted to study the Koran, and the next day my empty grave. Tradition says that Jesus will re- turn, will reign a thousand years, will die, and MORO POET WHO WON A CONTEST will be buried in that fourth grave.
house was full of priests and hadjis with their What broke down the wans between the Moros Korans, all of them bent upon making a Moham- and myself more than anything else was a pammedan out of me. We found to our delight that phlet published by the Moslem Propaganda Society there was much in common in our religions. Islam of India. This pamphlet was brought to me to has about seventy-two prophets, of whom we show me how to become a good Moslem. To my found the names of sixty in our Bible. delight I was able to translate into Moro, before all the priests in my house, these important facts: Those who do not know the Koran will be surprised to find how it exalts Jesus. He was born of Islam has four holy books: a virgin, according to Moslem tradition, but he (1) Torah, or the books of Moses; was not crucified. In the Garden of Gethsemane, (2) Jabur, Qr the Psalms of David; so the tradition goes, God said: "I will not permit (3) Kita.J Injil, or the Life of Jesus; (4) The Koran of Mohammed.
"I have studied these first three sacred books many years," I told my Moslem friends, "and will tell you all I know, while you tell me all you know about the Koran."
Two or three of the men studying the Koran knew English and so acted as interpreters for the others and for me. They began to ask for a class to teach them to read English.
"Our constant warfare with the Christians has left us far· behind the rest of the Islands," they told me, "and we want to catch up."
The Moros had burned down fifty school build- ings in the years just preceding my arrival, and were for the most part unfriendly to the schools. Yet they began to realize that they were harming themselves and nobody else by this attitude. I knew that for these adults the mastery of English would be a very long process, so I said: "Suppose you learn to read your own language first with English letters. Then it will be easier to learn to read English."
This sounded reasonable, so we began to pre- pare lessons in the Maranaw language with Eng- lish letters.. Nothing had ever been printed in their language up to that time. We had to decide upon an alphabet. Fortunately the Philippine languages have adopted perfectly phonetic alpha- bets, and we followed these in all but one letter. We needed but sixteen letters in all.
At first we used the ordinary sentence method of teaching, but this seemed unnecessarily long for learning sixteen simple letters; so the Moros joined me in seeking a method better adapted to their own language. Month after month they
MY EXPERIENCE WITH MOSLEMS
toiled with me, making positively exciting prog- are you going to get· your money back? Our ress. As the course became easier the numbers imams will not teach us the Koran unless we pay who desired to learn increased, until at last hun- them in advance." dreds came to the large old building we had purchased. Thus began the first of those literacy This gives us our opportunity to tell the religion campaigns based on the principle of "each one which under other circumstances they would be teach five more" which have since spread to many unwilling to consider: parts of Malaysia, India, Africa, and Latin America. "I have studied the wonderful life of Nabi Isa. From the time he awoke in the morning until he The second year the highest Chieftain in south- closed his eyes at night he spent every minute of ern Lanao asked me to attend a three-day feast the day helping people. He was always teaching which he was holding in celebration of the opening of his school for adults. He had moved out of DOCTOR LAUBACH AND PAMBAYA, A MORO FRIEND his largest house and turned it into a school building. The day I arrived was Friday. Kakai Daga- or encouraging, or defending or healing or saving langit, for this was the chieftain's name, asked me somebody. That is a wonderful way to live. If to accompany him to the mosque, and I accepted. everybody in Lanao lived like that we would have I washed my hands and feet as is the Moro cus- a paradise. The climate is perfect, but the people tom, and followed the chief into his mosque. He hate and fight and defraud one another. Because took me to the front prayer rug, placed a black I see everybody must help everybody else, I am hat-far too small for me-on my head, and said trying to teach all I can. And I have discovered I was a "Christian pandita." By this brilliant the secret of happiness! When I was looking for name he hoped that Islam and Christianity might happiness I could not find it. It escapes like the be reconciled. He returned my courtesy by at- rainbow. And when I harm people I feel mean tending our Christian church, dressed in a magnificent shining satin coat and trousers. Since inside. But when i spend my day teaching peothat time I have accepted the invitations of many of the highest chieftains to attend their mosques. ple, my heart sings. Go out and teach others and do not take a cent for it, and see how your heart Kakai Dagalangit has one of the most brilliant will sing!" minds I have ever met. He asked me endless searching questions and told me the populations of all the principal countries of Europe – some army captain had told him what they are. This chieftain also made a contribution to education which may have very far-reaching effects.
When the depression came I had to call all my teachers and the leading chieftains of Lanao together and announce that the little money I had left would permit me to retain only three out of nineteen teachers. Kakai Dagalangit arose and said, with his usual brevity: "This campaign is the most important thing that ever came to Lanao. It shall not stop. Every person who learns must teach five others. I will see that they do."
This is how it happened that we began the "each one teach five" idea, which proved a great success in Lanao, and has proven a cheap and effective method of reaching adults in their homes throughout the Philippines and indeed in every country I have since visited.
A literacy campaign along these lines has proven to be a very fine way to make friends. If you sit beside an illiterate and teach him with patience and real love in your heart, he grows more and more surprised at this new experience, and at last interrupts the lesson to ask: "Why are you teaching me without pay? When
Thus we introduce Jesus at the point where He so tenderly, so perfectly as in the face of Jesus. is most irresistable-His great burning heart and Until men have known Jesus they have not known His loving service. We help people to act like the best fact about God, that He is, that any being, Christians long before they think of becoming even God, can be as good as Jesus! Christian in name. Arabs are poor slipshod business men. Jews There was equal eagerness on the part of stu- and Christians can beat them in business with the dents from Irak studying in the American Univer- utmost ease-:-and do! Mohammed· met Christians sity in Beirut, and Iraneans whom we met in who told him wonderful stories about the lovely Turkey. Now as I write from Dar es Salaam in Jesus-and then proceeded to take advantage of East Africa, I am having one of the most thrilling him in their business transactions. The result experiences of my whole life preparing lessons was that Mohammed, one of the supreme religious and teaching Moslem men every morning, and geniuses of all time, loved Christ and hated Christeaching Moslem illiterate women every afternoon. tians! If Christians had lived what Christ taught A leading African Mohammedan imam is collect- and lived, Mohammed might have become the ing the illiterates. With the memories of thou- greatest Christian since Paul. So ten thousand sands of Mohammedans who have looked at me times over this planet one runs across instances and held my hand in loving appreciation, I feel deeply as well as believe profoundly, that the day TEACHING MORO ADULTS IN THE MARKET PLACE for embittering controversy is past.. For centuries it was the fashion for the two religions to expose of the fact that Christ's chief enemies are Christhe worst features they could find or imagine about tians who betray Christ in their lives and their one another. The time has come to call a truce to business relations. this, and for these two religionS to appreciate one another. We ought to be fair to Islam, for we need to ask mercy in judging Christianity. We have failed so There is much Christians may learn from Islam tragically that we are asking the world to believe if they will look for it. For example a good Mos- that "Christianity has never yet really been tried." lem prays five times a day. Of course Christians We ask others to begin to try it, though Christian are supposed to pray oftener than that-but how nations have never tried it themselves. many of us do? For Moslems the one overwhelming fact is the will of God. We who have come I often hear Christians in Asia and Africa say: into contact with Islam have been reminded that "You can't trust any of them." I dare not tell the one imperative duty of a Christian is to find that Moslem what I think of him, but I will tell and carry out the full will of God in every detail you. What he means to say is: "You cannot trust -,-but how many of us do? Every Moslem is sup- any of them to allow you to despise them, outwit posed to regard every other Moslem as a brother, them, underpay them, ostracize them, and browregardless of race, nationality, wealth, or social beat them." No,he is right, you cannot. Moslems , condition. Moslems do not need to be introduced are mirrors, giving back love for love, hatred for in order to speak to one another! The Arabs inter- hatred, suspicion for suspicion, trust for trust. marry with the Africans and thus make Moslems But so are all the people of the world-mirrors! of them. Christian whites compel Africans to And the majority of ~very nation are responsible live in segregated sections of the African cities. if one treats them decently. The Christian teaching is exactly like the Moslem teaching on the point of brotherhood-but how Nobody can appreciate how valuable it is for many Christians practice it? On the other hand Christians and Moslems to cooperate in some such the Moslems are in tragic need of a vital contact campaign as this, unless he has gone through the with the Christ whom they hold in high esteem, experience. Our experience in Lanao while seekbut about whom they know so little. The more ing the best method of teaching Maranaw, was generously we appreciate their merits the more particularly fortunate. Letters began to reach us readily they will accept the Christian experience of Christ. In a very real sense therefore, we can speak of sharing with Islam.
Some people fear that words like these will paralyze missionary giving. But any person who stops giving for this reason does not need to read more ugly pictures about other religions; what he needs isa fresh experience of Christ. Those of us who have touched other religions know that never in any religion have men seen God so winsomely,
MOSLEM VIEWS OF "THOSE NAZARENES"
fromaH parts of the world inquiring about our Only by some such sharing can one discover campaign. These letters were read to the Moros, what wonderful and zealous friends the Moslems who boasted inordinately about showing the world can be, and how "Christian" many of them are in how to become literate. Some of the young men spirit. Whenever we told Mohammedans about prepared a large map of the world, and ran green our Lanao friends they worked with tireless enlines out to the countries from which letters were thusiasm in preparing lessons in other languages. received. When three years ago we announced A dozen young Moslems and two missionaries our plan of visiting other countries, all Lanao worked almost night and day preparing Malay wanted to go along! Hundreds of datos came down charts in Malacca. In VeIlore India, the Printo the seacoast, a distance of twenty-five miles, to cipal of the Mohammedan Government School and bid us farewell. They crowded the deck of the his faculty struggled and toiled and sometimes steamer, making highly exaggerated but wholly nearly fought over the difficult Urdu. The Presisincere speeches. Then they selected the leading dent of the Arabic College in Madras gathered the imam to pray while they held out their hands great lights of Urdu in a most inspiring meeting, turning their palms alternately upward and down- staged a successful demonstration, put fragrant ward as they responded to the prayer. Mingling flowers around my neck and made such speeches Maranaw with Arabic the imam asked that this as I have not heard, no, not in all ChristenQom. American friend, who had cooperated with them in making the easiest lessons in the world, should When the students of the Lahore Government have the blessing of Allah as he introduced their Training College heard the story of the Lanao method to other countries. They kissed me fare- Moslems, several Mohammedan students followed well, with their long Arab whiskers, and the me home and would not permit me to eat my lunch imams said: before taking the train. One of them wept as he begged me to change my program and visit Jind "We will pray for you in every mosque in this State at once! Two others hung on me resolutely province, while you carry our method to the until I promised to go to Afghanistan. They said world." they would write at once for the government to issue an invitation. I was as excited as they, for Then the Mohammedans stood in silent rever- few foreigners and no missionaries enter Afghanence while the Christians prayed and sang: "God istan. be with you till we meet again."
Moslem Views of "Those N azarenes"
By J. LOWRIE ANDERSON United Presbyterian Missionary in the Egyptian Sudan W HAT a member of one religious sect thinks a man here know or care about the elections in of those of a different faith depends upon America? I thought.) the prejudices in which he grew up, on his temperament and critical faculties, on his second- "But why?" I asked. hand knowledge, and on the members of the other "Because Hoover was against liquor, and the group with whom he is acquainted. other fellow is for it. I am sorry that America turned its back on Hoover and prohibition." (In- The average Moslem knows little or nothing toxicants are prohibited by Moslem law.) about the Christians of America. Only once did I In the French consulate in London, awaiting a find interest in a moral issue in America, and that, viise to our passport, we met a young Turk who strangely enough, in a small city where no Euro- had been a student in Paris and London, and was pean or American lived. We were on an evan- returning to his native land. He was interested gelistic journey in 1934 and visited a town three that we were going for the first time as missiondays' journey from the nearest railroad. Discov- aries to a Moslem land. ering that some in the party were from America, "In recent years," he said, "Moslem countries a stranger sought us out to question us about our have retrogressed. That is because Islam, our country. In the conversation he said, faith, has been weakened. Our great days of power were the great days of faith. When Mos- "I am sorry that America rejected Hoover and lems closely adhered to their religion they were took this other fellow." (What in the world does
the leaders of the world. When faith decayed, so The man of the street in the Sudan has become did their political power and intellectual leader- interested in one report that has reached him, ship. namely, that Islam is spreading in Europe and America. Where the report started I know not, "In Christianity it is just the opposite. It is but in every corner of the Moslem Sudan it has the nations who have abandoned the attempt to gained credence. In many different cities I have follow their religion that are at the forefront. been asked if I knew that all Germany had aban- France and England pay only lip service to their doned Christianity and gone over bodily to Islam. religion. They do not follow the ideals of Jesus. This is probably how the news of the rise of Nazi- And because they have left these out, they have ism and the Neo-pagan Movement in Germany has become great. This is always true." finally filtered into the broadcasting agencies of these simple people. I was at a loss to account In the Sudan, years later, I heard a strange for the origin of the report that in the United variant to that same theme. The spokesman was States five millions have declared themselves Mosnot a graduate student, as the first had been, one lem. Any attempt to deny the statement would be who had traveled in Europe and was learned in useless. Perhaps the Sudanese had heard about the branches of Western science. He was a poor the recent movement among the Negroes in Amer- Sudanese black, who had traveled little if any out- ica to claim that they are not Negroes, but Moors, side hi!,! native region, and who knew how to read with a history not of slavery, but of conquest. Arabic, but no other language. Our colporteur When such Negroes dress in Arab costume and pointed him out, sitting in the shade by the side wear fezzes, worship Allah, and go through forms of the road, and said: of worship, these things have no relation to Islam. But when we realize that they have done this to "That man I believe to be a Christian. He has get away from the stigma white Christians have read the New Testament many times, and he has put upon their race and color, we need to be bought some other books. He knows about Chris- ashamed. Jesus quoted with approval the saying, tianity, although he will not confess Christ." "My house shall be called a hous!'! of prayer for all peoples." But it is hard to find a church in Amer- We walked over and sat down on the log beside ica without the color bar. No wonder Negroes the black man. After introductions were over, the prefer to be considered "Moors" and to profess old man turned to me and said: Islam, rather than Christianity.
"You Christians are the queerest people in the Although the Moslem in the Sudan knows and world?" cares little about the Christians of the West, he has known his Christian neighbors. In Greece, "Why do you say that, Uncle?" Syria and Egypt the ancient Eastern churches "I have read your books. I have read the Gos- still exist and their members can be found in every pel through many times. I find that Jesus section of the Sudan. From these Christians the preaches peace. He tells his followers if they are Sudanese buy their sugar and cotton cloth, and to smitten on one cheek to turn the other. He com- them they often sell cattle or dates. mands that when a man asks for your coat you shall give your cloak too. He says to forgive each "Drunk as a Christian" is a metaphor that was other, and to love your enemies, and to pray for not coined from imagination. The great Christian them. Is that not true?" festivals of Christmas and Easter have too often "Very true, Uncle." been largely drunken orgies in the East. A Mos- "Before you Christians came to the Sudan, we lem funeral is marked with dignity and solemnity. thought we knew something about fighting. All "This is Allah's will," the mourners say, "and as our men le~rned how to use the sword and the His creatures we submit to it." But shrieking and spear and the javelin. Some of them knew also wailing, cursing God for having taken the loved how to shoot a rifle. But that was nothing to what one, and every sign of grief and desolation mark you Christians have shown us how to do. You the death of a Christian. No (me would ever befight with machine guns that kill people, not one lieve that they are followers of One who is the at a time, but by the scores. You bombard towns Resurrection and the Life. Often for years the with cannons fired from many miles away. You Christians display the outward marks of grief and fight not only on land, but on the water, and under priests fatten on the superstitions of the people. the water, and under the land. Nowadays you He alone can intercede effectively for the sins of even fight from the air. Yet you claim to be fol- the people, and only when his palm is crossed. lowers of Jesus, who preached love to all men." The keys of the future life are in his hand, and only gold will give him strength to turn that key. Acknowledging inconsistency of professing This the Moslem knows, and thanks Allah that he Christians, I tried to show the man my own conviction that nothing of Western civilization built on force will endure but that the teachings of Jesus are the only sure foundations for abiding life, in the East or in the West.
needs no intercessor as he comes to God. For this the Gospel in the Apostolic Era. Moslems who reason he further despises the Christian. have become acquainted with them have a better conception of what Christians are like than if they Moreover, the Moslem usually knows little about did not know any Christians. the religIon of the Christian, and what little he knows usually repels. Religious pictures, and the Conversation with Moslem converts has concandles that burn before them, leads him to think firmed my own observation. A convert who had the Christian little better than an idolator. Many learned to hate Christians, found those he met in Moslems believe that the Trinity consists of God school to be little different from Moslem boys, exthe Father, Mary the Mother, and Jesus the Son. cept that they had a better spirit of mutual coop- They reject this suggestion as vile and puerile. eration. Eighty years ago in the Sudan, Arab All are sure that the doctrine at least betrays mud- slave raiders attacked a native village and took dled thinking. Nor has the witness of Christians the women and children as slaves. Among the to their own faith usually been strong. In the group was the son of the chieftain, a twelve-year- Sudan, because they are in the minority few have old naked savage, brighter than the rest. The been willing even to discuss with Moslems the Arabs called him Ibrahim. He attributes his conthings they believe. Thousands of Moslems would version to Christ to a conversation he had while die for their religion, and in the days of the Mahdi still a slave with an untutored Copt in a small vilproved it by courting martyrdom. But when the lage in upper Egypt. In half an hour the Copt same Mahdi ordered all Christians to turn Mos- explained to the inquiring black youth the myslems on pain of death, they scurried like fright- teries of the Incarnation and the Trinity. The ened rabbits into the folds of Islam. Many re- young man's heart went out to Christ who became mained Christians secretly, and when the power flesh and tabernacled among men. His conversion of the Mahdi's sway was broken, confessed it was real, as is proved by Ibrahim's years of faithopenly again. It is the blood of martyrs, not the ful service as a colporteur and evangelist in Egypt saving of life by apostasy, that is the seed of the and the Sudan. Church. Sudanese hold to their faith so strongly, and count death so lightly, that they have no re- In recent years there has grown up a small Protspect for people who change their religion as they estant community in the Sudan. Their interest in do their cloak, when they meet the fierce wind of evangelism has thrown them into contact with the persecution. But the influence of the Eastern Moslem majority and their emphasis on the ap- Christian churches on Islam is not all negative or plication of the teachings and spirit of Christ to detrimental to Christian progress. My experience daily life has not only given them a higher standin the Sudan has caused me to moderate my own ing with the Moslems, but has influenced the memviews on this subject. The presence of the Chris- bers of the older Eastern churches. Moslems of tian in the Sudan, though he be worldly, is a the Sudan are thus having the opportunity to constant reminder to the Sudanese of the presence judge Christianity on its real merits more than of this other faith. Moreover he sees the Chris- ever before, as they see persons who seek to lead tian, not as the vile and wicked monster some- the Christ-life in their daily conduct. times portrayed in their tales, but as a man in many ways similar to himself – with the same "Never have I had a superior like this one," needs and aspirations, the same passions and said a Moslem doorman at the Government office temptations, much the same likes and dislikes, where a Prot,;)stant held a high position. "He is hope and fears. Moreover, he knows Christians always polite, always considerate, and I believe to be people of "The Book," and that interests him that he takes a personal interest in me." more in the religion of Christ. Very uncertainly at times, but on the whole effectively, the Chris- "The best loved in all Wad Medani is Mr. tian has raised the standard of monogamy in the Toobia," said a Moslem to me concerning our Sudan, which many Moslems are coming to recog- Christian pastor. He is probably the most unnize as superior to their own polygamy and easy selfish man in all the district-a man whose face divorce. Christians have many faults and the and life are stamped with the marks of the Lord Christianity they profess is often a caricature of Jesus. the real thing. That their standard of. religion and morals is far from that of the apostolic days. The Church Mission hospital in Omdurman, The Moslem of the street despises them, and not where Christian doctors give freely of time and without cause, yet, all in all they have been an strength and of their own souls to serve their Mosasset to the Gospel, and their scattering through- lem brothers,.has given many a new conception of out the cities and towns of the Moslem Sudan is a what true Christians are. Perhaps the day is not preparation for the Gospel, even as the Dispersion far distant when the Moslem will say not that a of the despised Jews was a help to the spread of certain Christian "is good enough to be a Moslem" -their highest compliment today – but that un- selfishness in a Moslem is one of the marks of a Christian. S~irit-filled Christians can bring that change about.
and Moslem
By ELEANOR T. CALVERLEY, M.D., Hartford, Conn.
Formerly a Missionary in Arabia A MEENA rocks her baby in an Arab cradle baby of her own. The Saviour Divine to whom .r-.. made of date~sticks just as the Moslem her faith looked up during those days and nights of danger and suffering at the beginning of her mother in the next mat hut rocks her little widowhood is the One of whom her neighbors hear one. Next door the mother chants softly to put her sing. Yes, Ameena means the words. Christ her child to sleep. is her saviour in a very real and tangible way. She knows from what He has saved her and she "La ilah il allah knows from what He has saved her tiny daughter La ilah il allah." who sleeps so peacefully without benefit of Mos- lem charm or amulet. Her little one is perhaps Over and over again from the first day of his life the only native child in the whole town and for the Arab child hears these sacred words of the many hundreds of miles around who will enjoy Moslem creed. "There is no god but Allah." For all Islam no other lullaby could compare with this the advantages of a Christian home. in beauty or in soothing power.
The song which Ameena sings as she rocks her little daughter is a Christian hymn. Her neighbors are beginning to learn the words which they have heard so often.
My faith looks up to Thee Thou Lamb of Calvary Saviour Divine.
Does Ameena think of the meaning of those words? Does her faith really look up as she sings to her baby girl? Does her faith lift her above the level of the sordid life with its filth and misery and wickedness which is all about her little home? THREE ARAB BOYS AND A GIRL IN KUWAIT Does it make her home different; more lovely and more happy than the homes of her Moslem neigh- Few towns in Arabia have the example of a bors? Is Christ her saviour in a really practical home like that of Ameena. She and her husband sense? If so from what has he saved Ameena? are of slave descent, and for that reason are more independent than members of Arab families. Eight years ago Ameena's first husband died. Under the prevalent patriarchal system it would It was he who had taught the young wife to become with him a follower of Christ. Gently and with great patience year after year as he and Ameena lived together among neighbors who thought them traitors and infidels because they were no longer Moslems the husband shared with be. difficult for the son of a family with social his wife the knowledge which meant so much to standing in a Moslem town to become a Christian. him. She was very shy and slow to learn but Even though a young man might be willing to live when her husband died she proved that his teach- as simply as does the husband of Ameena, for him ing had not been in vain. Although the whole to take a wife of his own choice and establish an Moslem community seemed determined to force independent home where his bride could enjoy the her to return to her former religion and accept a privilege!'! of Christian womanhood would seem to husband of their choice, Ameena stood her ground. most Arabs an impossibility. For this reason, in ' Even when death threatened, with back to the wall Arabia at least, the only Christian homes with she persisted, never wavering in her witness for which most Moslems can compare their own are.
Christ her Saviour. the homes of foreigners.
Years have passed and Ameena has another In Kuwait on the eastern coast of Arabia where Christian husband now. At last hftr arms hold a it was our good fortune to make our home for [492 ] eighteen years, the missionary family was always uttering three times the words, "You are dian object of much interest and curiosity to the vorced." His wife however has no similar right. women of the town. For two years we lived in Concubinage is taken for granted; slaves are both rented houses. These were built like other native Negroes and white women from countries farther houses with blank outside walls designed to pro- north. Women who live in the town, when in pubtect women occupants from the gaze of men. The lic must cover the entire face with a layer of black rooms surrounded a central courtyard which was cheese-cloth through which they can see dimly open to the sky. When our new home was built although their features are not visible to others. with outside windows admitting sunshine and A black cloak called an "aba" envelops their whole fresh air to every room many women visitors came to see the house whose arrangement seemed to ARAB WOMAN AT EN'ImANCE TO AN ARABIAN TOWN them so strange. person from crown of head to feet, when on the "Which is your room?" they asked the mission- street, excepting only one cheese-cloth-covered eye. ary mother, thinking that she like themselves would have but one room to call her own. Few Arab women can read and fewer still are permitted to learn to write. Fatalism restrains "The rooms are all mine; you see the family any desire for progress or for change. What is shares them all. This where we now are is the "written" on one's forehead must be endured. living room where we sit together and visit with Marriage and motherhood, especially the motherour friends." hood of sons are practically the only aim of exist- ence for these women. "You mean the reception room for men." "No, for both men and women." It is not fair to generalize about the home life "Surely you don't mean that men and women of all Islam from conditions in a backward sit together in the room!" country like Arabia. Great changes are tak- "Certainly they do." ing place in many Moslem lands. In Turkey, for "And this," continued the hostess, leading her instance, almost overnight through the adoption friends into the dining room, "is where we eat. With us, the mother sits at one end of the table and the father at the other end while the children sit at the sides." "You cannot mean that you and your husband eat together!" "Yes we do." That was hard for the guests to accept, for in their homes the men are served first and the women have their meal afterward. "They tell us," persevered the callers, "that your children are all girls. Is that true?" "Yes it is true." "Won't your husband divorce you because you have no son?" "No, he will not divorce me."
"Well then, won't he take another wife on your head?"
"No, in our country a man would be arrested for having two wives at a time. But I am thankful to say my husband does not even wish to take another wife."
"Oh! how fortunate you are!" exclaimed the visitors; and then, more wistfully, "How we wish that we were like you!"
Eas,tern Arabia is very conservative and is little affected by Western ways. The laws formulated in the Koran are still the rule for life. Polygamy is usual for those who can afford more than one wife and is also practiced by many who are poor. Early marriage of girls, not infrequently at the age of nine but more often between the ages of twelve and fourteen, is the established custom.
A man may divorce bis wife at will by simply
of the Swiss code and the separation of Church sionaries' home in order that they may become and State Turkish women were released, in theory accustomed to the association of men and women at least, from many of the restrictions we have in social intercourse and may learn to feel at ease mentioned. Legally, polygamy, the veil and un- in acting as hostess in their own homes.
equal divorce laws have all disappeared. As a Surprisingly enough the most violent opposition Turkish woman discussing modern social prob- to changes proposed by feminists in the status of lems said,* "What was moral in my grandmother's women in the home often comes from women day is now taboo, for instance polygamy; whereas themselves, especially from women of the older the perfectly normal social relations of young peo- generation. There is something not only indecent ple today would have formerly been considered but traitorous they feel in the new-fangled ideas immoral." of their sons. Virtuous women of Islam through In Egypt, Syria and India groups less radical all the centuries since Mohammed have gloried in than the Nationalists who are in power in Turkey submission to what they felt was Allah's will.
"We know the 'kind of life you Westerners live,"
said some Arab women returning from a visit in India, to a fellow passenger who talked with them on the ship. "We have seen life in your country pictured in the movies at Bombay." Then they described indecorous behavior of men and women together as they had seen it pictured on the screen.
That sort of thing would be to their minds the inevitable result of discarding the veil and giving to women a position similar to that enjoyed by men.
That freedom has its perils cannot be denied.
BAHREIN GIRLS' SCHOOL MADE OF DATE' STICKS When the veil is taken from the face of women a veil of character to shield the heart becomes imare endeavoring to secure social justice for women perative. Western civilization, nationalism and by reinterpreting Islam. Laws set down in the feminism must all have their part in bringing so- Koran to meet seventh century conditions need cial justice into Moslem homes; but all of these not be followed literally in the twentieth century together could not do for Ameena and her home they believe. And so, although more slowly than what Christ has done-that Saviour of whom she in Turkey, the status of women is beginning to be sings. raised in many Moslem countries.
In speaking of the effect of Islam on home life THE OHALLENGE OF ISLAM it is usual to consider principally the injustices imposed upon women. Educated Moslems are be- To win Moslems for Christ is a task of supreme ginning to realize that in the system of polygamy difficulty and many Christians regard it as one and in seclusion and lack of education for women, from which practically no results are to be exmen also suffer loss. In the face of opposition from pected. his superstitious and hysterical women-folk a man is helpless to apply the discoveries of modern Let it be admitted that it is the Evil-one's counscience to the care of his children. After losing terblast to the Gospel in the Eastern world. These child after chUd, in Arabia.where the infant mor- very facts make the conversion of a Moslem to tality is appalling, I have heard Moslem fathers Christ one of the most signal illustrations of the exclaim in despair, "What can I do? The women power and grace of God. In Moslem lands there are like cows!" Moreover, when men become edu- are today many men who once recited, five times cated in the Western sense as is happening more a day, with passionate conviction, the Moslem and more frequently in Iraq, for instance, they creed, but who now, with equal sincerity, are desire wives with whom they can enjoy compan- preaching Christ. In Morocco alone there are ionship. Sons frequently refuse to accept their little assemblies of believing and baptized natives, parents' choice of uneducated girls to be their who manifest the gifts and graces of the Spirit. brides. This fact perhaps more than any other Such instances are a clearer proof of the triinduces fathers to send their girls to school. umphant POWel' of the Gospel than the conver-· sion of hundreds of those, who, for various pre- Men students in Iran, I was told by the wife of disposing causes, are eagerly stretching out their an American professor in that country, are begin- hands for the Word of Life.-Condensed from a ning to bring their young wives to call in the mis- letter by Rev. E. J. Poole-Connor of the "North Africa Mission," printed in "The Christian" * Quoted from "Moslem Women Enter a New World," by Wood- (London).
small.
Ways of
'Tested Methods for Increasing Interest at Home s. EDITED BY MRS. ESTELLA AITCHISON, GRANVILLE, OHIO "New Roads in Ancient Islam" but rather mentioned as they ap- "The People of the Mosque," by L. pear in the outlines for work and Bevan Jones-a scholarly and detailed "To the majority of our church study sent in to this Department study of Islam and a challenge to members, the Moslem World is an un- by various denominations. In Christianity (cloth, $2.00). known sphere and therefore holds little this no discriminations have interest. To us as leaders is given been made. Leaders in any com- "Voices from the Near East"-writthe opportunity of opening up this munion have only to submit their ten by Christian nationals (50¢ and fascinating and most challenging prob- materials for the Editor's exam- 25¢) . lem facing the world mission of the ination, whereupon they will be Christian Church today." given attention and publicity in "Young Islam on Trek," by Basil the interests of the common Mathews (25¢). "Glimpses of the Moslem World good. show us that change is the order of "Islam Awakens," by Herrick B. the day. Whether it be a surge of The Source Material Young – a course for senior high nationalism here, a welling up of re- school groups (25¢). ligious fervor there, a zigzag course The main study book is, of of progress and reaction elsewhere, or course, "Mecca and Beyond," by "Masoud the Bedouin," by Alfreda just an unheralded drift from the old Dr. and Mrs. Edward M. Dodd, Post Carharlr-stories of Bedouin life moorings, there is something going on priced at 50¢ and $1.00. One of (25¢) . which is unprecedented in extent and the most excellent "How to Use" scope in all the thirteen centuries booklets (15¢) the writer has "Tales from Moslem Lands," edited since Mohammed. Modern civilization ever seen furnishes the plans for by William W. Reid (50¢). is flooding un on the world of Islam young folks and adults, men and and changing the face of that world. women alike. In addition to pro- "Christian Adventures in Moslem . . . The great question is, 'Whither, gram outlines of the subject mat- Lands," by Winifred Hulberlr-a study Islam?'" (From "How to Use," ter, complete worship services, for intermediate groups (25¢). Mecca and Beyond.) poems and the like, there are suggestions for invitations in- "Doorways," by Mary Entwistle- Our foreign mission theme is clusive of 0 utI in e picture stories for juniors (75¢ and 50¢). so rich in subject matter, so col- sketches, two complete dramaorful in plans for pres.entation, tizations and plans for a variety "Musa: a Son of Egypt," by Perkso dynamic in possibilities that of others, plans for use of life ins and Entwistle-a primary course it would be wasteful to give stories taken from the book, im- (25¢). space to prefatory remarks. personations, imaginary broad- Sampling the main study book casts, airplane trips, etc., a rib- "The Story of Musa," by Entwistle or any of its supplementary vol- bon demonstration, a candle (25¢) . umes, or of the articles in the lighting service, a "convers'abody of this magazine, may well tion" between a Moslem and a "Esa: a Little Boy of Nazareth," be trusted to win students with- Christian, a "pageant of antiq- by E. Mildred Neville-for beginners out explanatory "sales talk." uity," a new "Riddle of the (25¢) . The potentialities bound up in Sphinx," matching and other the theme, "The Moslem World," "tests," an "impersonation of the A variety of others may be readi.ly are explosive enough to rend pyramids," questions for prac- located from the listings of Boards of Christendom, or powerful enough tical discussions and many other Missionary Education, or denominato furnish motive power for devices for making topics attrac- tional publishing houses. building the King's Highway tive and forceful. "Effective Ways of Working" through the Orient. So whether Supplementary books: with the Study Topics making this an entire unit of study or merely incorporating it "What Is This Moslem World?" by The Central Committee on into some addresses and pro- Charles R. Watson ($1.00 and 60¢). United Study of Foreign Misgrams, our readers cannot afford sions, 186 Massachusetts Ave., to turn it down because not rep- "The Young Moslem Looks at Life," Boston, MMS.: resenting a field of endeavor in by Murray T. Titus ($1.00 and 60¢). their own denominational work. Miss M. H. Leavis, its secretary, "The Christian Approach to Mos- states that she has had great difficulty As in last month's citation of lems," by T. H. P. Sailer – a study in securing the illustrative curios helps for the home theme, ma- with teaching aids for adults (25¢). such as enlivened our study of Africa terials are not all listed under last year, receiving either nothing or their many publication sources, [495 ] novelties in too small quantities to be because of our space limitations, advertised, but that she is ready to furnish the following aids, in mim- eographed form: Life stories of the authors of "Mecca and Beyond"-Dr. and Mrs. Dodd ………………. 5¢ Story-"He Sent the Comforter" (to be read and questioned upon) ……..•…………. 51/'
Poem-"Desert Thirst," by Mary W. Vassar (Moslem woman's dream of God) ………….. 31/'
Poem – "Our Moslem Sisters" (communion story on "Has Any One Been Missed?") ……… 3¢
Poem-"The Tapestry Weavers". 3¢ saw. She asks, "What if we could The United Christian Mission- Plays- see all around the world through win- ary Society, Missions Bldg., 222 dows in all countries? Would you like "My Baby Is Sick," by Mary to try it? Which countries would you Downey Ave., Indianapolis, Ind.: Vassar – two women and a like to see? Can you think of any doll. . . …. . . . . . . .. . . . … .. 5¢ friends you would like to meet?" A Has no work in Mpslem lan_ds but game is then played in which the chil- "Yesterday – Today," by M;ary dren in the circle represent different expects to devote two months to the Vassar – mother and daugh- nations and the child in the center study topics and will use materials ter dialogue …………… 5¢ chooses from whatever nation she pre- to be mentioned later in the year. fers, the old tune, "Go in and out the Their catalogue mentions "Moslem "Persian Proverbs and Wise Say- Windows" to be used with words be- Children"-pictures at 50¢ per set, ings" •…………………. 3¢ ginning, "Go round and round the and a "Cut-out Sheet of Moslem "The Experiences of a Moham- nations." Types" at 15¢. medan in Christian America," "What We See First through Open by Mrs. F. G. Platt. . . . . . . . . . 3¢ Baptist Board of Missionary Windows" shows a picture of Christ Place cards – picture of "Mecca and the children of all races. Leader Education, 152 Madison Ave., and Beyond" on green card with directs conversation to the idea of N. Y.: . space for name ………. each 1¢ God's garden with differently colored flowers, these being the children of all The graded missionary materials ar- A Window Transparency-the lands. "Weare going to visit this ranged by this board are for use in camels and the star (directions garden and enjoy these flowers." A Sunday schools or organized groups of for making) ……………. 3¢ song, "His Garden," is then sung. It corresponding age interests. In order- is suggested that Friendship Paper ing the publications listed, note that "The Mecca Certificate"-a beauti- Dolls be used in this connection (four all materials marked (*) should come ful reproduction in a series of four dolls eight inches high, like real chil- from the board headquarters as cited plates (9x22in.) of the certificate dren of various oriental countries, above, but books and other helps (ingiven to every Mohammedan who price 25¢ a set). clusive of publications of other demakes the pilgrimage to Mecca. The nominations) are to be obtained from art work is fine and intricate. Ex- Succeeding lessons emphasize the the American Baptist Publication Soplanation and translation accompanies needs we see through open windows, ciety, 1701 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, certificate. 10¢. ourselves through open window, "The Pa., or its various bookstores. World Looks through Our Windows- Cash must accompany all orders for And What Does It See?" etc. Beginners: the foregoing materials. Auxiliary materials suggested and "Esa: a Little Boy of Nazareth" Women's Missionary Society which may be ordered through the furnishes the main story material. of United Lutheran Church, 723 For visualizations, use "Friends in Muhlenberg Bldg., Philadelphia, Lutheran headquarters are: Everyland"-12 pictures with story Pa.: on back of each, including "A Moslem Picture Sheets in "Child Life of Friend in India" and "A Friend in "Zahia" – dialogue between Mo- the World" ………….. each 25¢ Turkey," 25¢ (listed elsewhere by its hammedan bride and school- publishers, the Women's Society of the mate ………….. 3¢ or 6 for 10¢ Lutheran Picture Sheets on Af- United Lutheran Church); "Posters rica, India and Japan …. each 5¢ of Moslem Children," 25¢; and hand- Special Program Helps to Use work such as "Arabian Village Cut- with "Open Windows" ……. 15¢ Picture Maps of Africa, India .. out"-eight cardboard sheets with di- ……………………. each 50¢ rections for coloring, 50¢; "Desert This pamphlet is especially helpful Life Panel Posters"-four brown sepia in presenting the book to children. Picture, "The Hope of the World" panels, 12×36, with colored cut-outs to Its keynote is in the opening para- (Christ and the children) …. be pasted on, 50¢; "Near East Paintgraph: "Through open windows that ………… postcard size, 5¢; ing Book"-seven pictures with colorlook out into the world, we see boys sepia, 35¢; large size in colors, 60¢ ing instructions, 10¢. Other stories and girls in China and India, in Af- recommended are "Just Like You" by rica and Egypt, in Japan and Borneo. Picture games – I n d i a, Africa, Lucy W. Peabody-a book of stories The stories of their lives and adven- China ………………. each 20¢ from many lands, 25¢; "A First Book tures are told so vividly that it is not of World Friendship," by the same hard to feel that we really see them Pictures through Magic Windows author-a collection of "Just Like You through the open windows. The leader -18 Bible pictures and verses Stories" in six little books, $1.50. may also reverse the idea so that the in attractive form ……….. 75¢ boys and girls realize that children of Primary: other countries are watching us also. "Friends in Everyland"-12 sto- The book contains ten stories. Each ries with large picture ……. 25¢ The stories are found in "Missionmay be told separately or some of the ary Stories to Tell," which contains material may be combined and used Teaching Pictures on Rural Life two short stories from Moslem lands. for six or more programs. The lead- around the World ………… 50¢ $1.00 and 50¢; "Our Little Friends of er's aim is to open the windows of a the Arabian Desert" (illustrated) child's heart and help him to make Presbyterian Board of Na- which takes us to visit the children of friends with all people who pass by." tional Missions, Central Distrib- a Bedouin sheik, $1.00; "The Story of uting Department, 156 Fifth Musa," by Entwistle-eight illustrated The ensuing pamphlet suggests Ave., N. Y. (Checks payable to narratives, 25¢; "Graded Foreign ways for leaders to carry out the fore- Central Distributing Department Mission Stories" (*), to be ready in going ideal, furnishes an outline guide December, 15¢. for each program, hymns, prayers, of the Mission Boards) : Scripture, a long list of excellent The visualizations and handwork group activities in the way of poster In addition to the study books listed are "Children from Manv Lands"- making, dramatizations and construc- previously, with their respective teach- portfolio posters of children of 10 tion work, outline illustrations of ing helps, "Fun and Festival from countries, llx14 in., in colors, with posters, directions for making an in- Moslem Lands" (25¢); "Primary Pic- verse for each picture, $1.00; "Life ternational house or village, map in Moslem Lands"-21 pictures with work, plans for scrap books, etc. ture Stories – M 0 s I e m Children" descriptive titles, 25¢, and all the ma- (25¢); and a moving picture, "Islam terials listed for the beginners. A sample of some of the preliminary in Egypt" are listed. Special attenplans will furnish an idea of the tion is called to this last valuable item, Juniors: method employed: which is a one-reel film taking ap- proximately 15 minutes to show. The The Stories are "Doorways," 75¢ Introducing the idea of theme, the rental price is $1.25 in 16mm. and $2.00 and 50¢; "Graded Foreign Mission leader has the children-individually in 35mm., plus transportation charges. or in groups-look through the largest ordering from Visual Aids Division of window near them, then tell what they The Westminster Press, 925 Wither- spoon Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa.
"Living Water" is a play taking 20 minutes, 13 women, 2 children (5¢).
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF WORKING
Stories on Missions and World Peace" "Hostess Hints," covering menus Oriental music suitable for Moslem (*), 15¢; material from the primary and recipes for Arab cookery, 10¢. studies includes "Where My Caravan section. Has Rested," "Till the Sands of the "Traceaole Sketches" – outlines of Desert Grow Cold," "Bedouin Love Visualizations and handwork include flags, suggestions for place cards, Song" and "Kashmiri Song," with a picture map of the world-art map fruits, human figures, etc., which may other selections from collections of 30×50 in. with 23 small pictures to be readily be copied by tracing and used Oriental Music by Amy Woodfordepasted on, 50¢ "Cut-out Sheets of in a variety of social ways, 10¢. Finden. Inquire of any music dealer. Moslem Types"-20 outline sketches with directions for coloring, 10¢; "Islam," a dramatization with nar- The Religious Motion Picture "Friends of the Caravan Trails"- rator and 14 characters – outstand- Foundation has now merged its intersuggestions for handwork on pp. 21- ingly informing and worthful, 15¢. ests with those of another concern and 24, also sketches in insert sheet, 25¢; should now be addressed as Departmaterials listed under primary section. Sketches, "Mohammed" (4¢), and ment of Visualization, Harmon Founda- "Mohammedanism" (3¢). tion, 140 Nassau St., New York. It Intermediate and Young People: has a large number of religious and Story, "The Forgotten Words," 5¢. educational moving picture films in Story telling from "Tales from Leaflet (easily dramatized), "A stock, and each year additional ones Moslem Lands"-illustrated adventure Kabyle Wedding," 4¢. on the current study topics are prestories, 50¢; "M,asoud the Bedouin," Young women have a course on pared with the heln of an interde- 25¢; "The Beloved Physician of Te- "Highways and Skyways in Minaret nominational committee. heran," $1.00; "The Moslem World" Lands," including the textbook, for -a book of facts about foreign mis- 60¢. Some Rural Programs sions (*), 15rb. For Standard Bearers (of junior age), "Moslem Adventures on the By ANNYE ALLISON Visualizations and handwork include Magic Carpet of Imagination" con- "Christian Adventures in Moslem tains all necessary materials for a For primary pupils, make Lands" – suggestions for handwork, program of strong appeal to young 25¢ ; Set of Twelve Charts with folks, $1.00. poster headed "Win Rural Amergraphs for blackboard work or poster "Doorways" (50¢) and its "How to ica for Christ," showing church, making, 50¢ per set; Maps of the Use" (10¢) are recommended for the Sunday school, daily vacation Moslem World, to be colored and wired younger groups, along with materials Bible school, young people's for project purposes-wall map 30×46 listed elsewhere in this Department. meeting, hospital, orphanage, in., 60¢; large outline map, 28×32 in., 25¢; small outline map, llx14 in., 25¢ Woman's Board of Foreign colporteur, etc. Dramatize some per dozen; and some of the materials Missions, Reformed Church in features. Have group of chilfor the younger groups. America, 25 East 22d St., New dren pretending to fish or pick York: berries, and let lady enter and There is one stereopticon lecture on invite them to the D. V. B. S. the Moslem World, revised by Dr. "Camel Bells"-complete programs which is to begin the next day. Zwemer, entitled "The Spread of including semi-dramatic and easily When children arrive, seat them Islam." It rents for $2.00 and car- dramatized material, under the topics in circle with lady in center to riage both ways. Address the Vis- "Letters from a Saddle Bag," "Cara- tell a good religious story. Pass ualization Department, Council on van Trails," "Oases" and "Behind the paper and crayons and have chil- Finance and Promotion, 152 Madison Lattice," 10¢. dren draw pictures to illustrate Ave., N. Y. "God's Good Gifts" or "God's "Playmates in Mission Lands"-at- Beautiful World." Hymn, "Jesus Plays: "Black Tents" -life among tractive illustrated primer booklet on Loves the Little Children of the Bedouins in Syria; 4 boys, 3 girls, A, B, C plan, for very young children, World" ; the Lord's Prayer; 20 minutes, 25¢; "Tara Finds the and including Arabian features. simple Bible verse such as "God Door to Happiness"-life of Moslem is love," "Suffer the Little Chilwomen and girls in India; 2 women, "Under Many Flags," 5¢. dren," etc., following with the 7 girls, 2 boys, 30 minutes, 25¢. "Silhouettes," 5¢. circle talk and another hymn. "True-False Test on Arabia," 1¢ "The School of Missions"-a hand- each sheet. The brighter side of the hosbook of information on setting up a "Cross Word Puzzle on Arabia," 2¢ pital theme may be dramatized school, by William A. Hill, free (*). each sheet. by having a child who has been "Fun and Festival from Moslem cured waiting for his mother to Woman's Foreign Missionary Lands," 25¢. take him home. Nurse wearing Society, M ethodiJst Episcopal Wall Map of Moslem World (60¢) white dress, cap and apron and Church, 581 Boylston St., Bos- and Outline Maps of Moslem World arm band with red cross on it is ton, Mass.: (large size, 25¢; small, 25¢ per with him and teaches him a Bible dozen) . verse. Child presently runs to "Complete Program Outlines for "Spiritual Adventuring" is a very meet mother telling how good Auxiliaries" (woman's societies), giv- worthful manual of worship for mis- people have been to him, about ing suggestions and plans for a year's sionary societies, giving complete out- the cards, Bible verses, hymns, work, 25¢. This begins with a beau- lines, including poems and prayers, etc., which he will repeat when tiful installation service for the offi- for a year's meetings, 10¢. he gets home. At nurse's call the cers and continues through Moham- doctor enters and mother pours medan studies including "The Moslem Additional Helps and out her gratitude for a denomand His World," "North of the Sa- Suggestions inational hospital to which counhara," "Christmas and the Christ's try people with very little money Land," "Behind the Bourka," "The Further missionary dramatics, ob- can send their sick children. Sword of the Moslem." Additional tainable from sources whose addresses programs of universal application have already been given herein are: [CONTINUED IN NOVEMBER.] (omitting one specific to Methodist "An Afternoon in Arabia"-10 young plans) are on "Christian College Stu- women and girls, taking about 10 dents around the World," "World minutes-5¢ (W. B. F. M. of Reformed Citizenship," and "On the Road to Church) . Hangchow." May be used by groups in any denomination. "Christ or Mahomet – Which?" 4 scenes, 12 characters, 15 minutes-10¢ Excellent coordinated materials are: (W. F. M. S. of M. E. Church).
"Go Ye," a year's devotional out- "Kasim"-modern life in Persia, 5 lines, 15¢. men, 5 women, 1 hour-25¢ (Mission- ary Education Movement, 150 Fifth Ave., N. Y.). The Council of Women for Home Missions EDITH E. LOWRY, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, 105 EAST TWENTY-SECOND STREET, NEW YORK Over half of the population of the United States is rural. Under what conditions do they live? What are their problems? What groups have special needs?
How should they be met? Is the church meeting the needs of Rural America? What must we do to Rebuild Rural America that it may be a part of a great Christian nation of which we can be proud? What lessons can Rural America teach us today? The contribution of Rural Amer- ica to urban life and the develop- fllent of the nation has been great, as has been its contribu- tion to the Christian Church, which has its roots in rural life.
CHARLOTTE M. BURNHAM.
STUDY BOOKS For Adulbs Rebuilding Rural America, by Mark A. Dawber.
A PRAYER THE CHURCH AND RURAL Dr. Dawber has for years trav- eled the whole United States as Teach me, Father how to go AMERICA a leader in rural church work. Softly as the grasses grow; He reports graphically what is Hush my soul to meet the shock This is the month when many happening to,rural America, and Of the wild world as a rock; of the women's societies will take describes rural people and con- But my spirit, propt with power, up their studies of the home mis- structive enterprises that the Make as simple as a flower. sions theme for 1937-38. The churches are undertaking. A books this year are not only in- chapter is given to groups with Let the dry heart fill its cup, tensely interesting and challeng- special needs as the Migratory Like a poppy looking up; ing, but are vitally related to our Worker, the Southern High- Let life lightly wear her crown national life and the critical pe- lander, and the American In- Like a poppy looking down, riod in which we are living. As dian. Cloth, $1.00.. paper, 60 When its heart is filled with dew many of the speakers at the Mis- cent8. And its life begins anew. sions Institutes this summer have pointed out, we can no longer The Church and American Rural Our Father, help us to root expect to hide our own family Life, by Benson Y. Landis. our lives as deeply as Thy trees, skeletons from the world, and which grow so grandly; to rise unchristian conditions in our- A leader's guide based on Restraight and true as Thy grasses, own country, and unchristian building Rural America, conwhich grow so simply; to make behavior toward other countries, taining many helpful suggestions the results of our living as-beaU- prove a stumbling block to the for study groups for city and tiful as Thy flowers. Amen. foreign missionary as well to rural churches. Paper, 25 cent8. those at home who are trying to "Sorvices fr>r th.e Open." spread the Gospel of Jesus. Migrant Laborers. They Starve T hat We May Eat.
Two million migratory workers ' on the road, in the fields and at the canneries; a challenging problem in the rural field with a description of a challenging program of action for the church. . This composite study has been written by authorities in the church and secular field [498 ]
BULLETIN OF THE COUNCIL OF WOMEN FOR HOME MISSIONS
and edited by Edith E. Lowry, joyed to learn that I was to go School Methods, Adult Educa- Executive Secretary and na- to Lisle, New York, for a set- tion Methods, Round-Table Dis- tional Director of Migrant ting-up conference. cussions on Work with Young Work. Paper, 35 cents. People, Handicraft, Health Pro- Nearly fifty migrant workers gram, Infant Care, Nutrition, For Young People who are to serve in the Eastern Methods in Work with Children, Migrant camps this summer ar- Methods in Recreation, First Aid Highland Heritage, by Edwin E. rived in Lisle, a typical, peace- and Camp Sanitation, and a dis- White. ful, happy, country community, cussion on our relationship to and were welcomed most gra- the community, the employer The book has literary charm and ciously by our host and hostess, and the migrant. the task of the churches in rural Dr. and Mrs. Richard Edwards. America is vividly illustrated by [This little community has a By the third day, many doubts what is happening as new high- population of three hundred and had come to my mind. Can I do ways and power lines are driven our conference, plus a young all that these other people have through the isolated valleys of people's conference, swelled the done before me and can I put in the "horseback country." Cloth, number to four hundred. You these long hours each day? $1.00; paper, 60 cents. may well see that we overflowed the Inn, the conference rooms For the last vesper service on Rural America Challenges Chris- and the village homes.] Saturday evening, we climbed up to the highest point in this local- tian Youth, by Edwin E. White. PICNIC LUNCH AT A MIGRANT CENTER ity where we seemed to be on the top of the world. I felt, almost A leader's guide based on High- The first evening we met for instantly, a great sense of peace land Heritage containing sug- vespers on a near-by hillside steal over me. My doubts seemed gestions. for youth groups as an looking out over the valley be- to vanish during this vesper approach to the study of the low. This experience instilled service and I felt a sense of re- church in rural America. Paper, in me a sense of quiet and in- newed strength to carryon in 25 cents. spired courage for the many this chosen work. "May I prove hard days ahead. Later that my mettle and may I bring these For Children evening, former migrant work- people the ideals and under- ers gave us a bird's-eye view of standing that will enable them Missionary Stories to Tell. the work and their experiences to come to a greater feeling of in the migrant centers. These fellowship with God and an Thirty-eight of the best mission- girls had worked very hard, had understanding of the meaning of ary stories to tell to primary and experienced many hard, long Christian fellowship that will junior children. Cloth, $1.00; hours that must be put in in any lead them into a more meaning- paper, 50 cents. center, and still were ready and fullife"-this was my prayer. happy to go forward into another Lifting Today Above Its Past, by year. How cheering this was One thing that Dr. Eric Grace McGavran. for me! Thomsen said in one of his talks with us shall always remain with An interesting and challenging Along about the second day a me. "If you suffer without suc- course on life in the country suspicion came into my mind ceeding, then some one after you places of America. This unit of that, perhaps, Miss Lowry was will succeed without suffering work for intermediate groups breaking us into this migrant and if you succeed without suf- contains selected oackground ma- work here at Lisle. We arose at fering, then some one before you terial and can be given without 6: 30 in order to arrive in time has suffered without succeed- additional sources, although use- for breakfast at 7: 30 and were ing." This seems to sum up in ful references are cited. Paper, kept busy each and every minute my mind our work. Will we suc- 35 cents. until 10: 30 at night. During ceed now in our endeavors with these hours, we had the oppor- these people, or will we pave the Ship East-Ship West, by Eliza:- tunity of a varied program way for some one after us to beth Miller Lobingier. which included staff conferences, courses in R u r a I Sociology, succeed? This first volume of a new series Kindergarten Methods, Nursery I cannot stop here without of source books for primary chil- dren introduces them to the sub- saying that I arrived at Whites- ject of world peace through bog, New Jersey, twelve days stories and simple facts. Mrs. ago and have worked as I have Lobingier is a skilled teacher never before for such a long and the author of Stories of stretch of time, seven days every Shepherd Life and other vol- week. I find these people to be umes. Illustrated. Cloth, $1.00; a happy, friendly, courageous, paper, 50 cents. hard-working race who seem as little children in so many ways For Reading List refer to the June number and who need our guidance and of THE MISSIONARY REVIEW OF THE WORLD, understanding. pages 334-335. HARRIET CLOSTER. THE SETTING-UP CON- FERENCE AT LISLE, NEW YORK July 23 to July 27, 1937 After making my decision to devote my summer to working among the Migrants, the feeling came over me many times that I was going into this man-sized job with little knowledge of previous conditions, methods or results and was, therefore, over-
AND SIAM to save that which is lost." In India launched on its first voyage
dedicated for its work of minis- Toward Greater Efficiency Christianity is everything to the De- try. It is chiefly to the workers At Montgomerywala in the pressed Classes, It is with them in in the rice lands that this float- Punjab, a church committee is ing dispensary is sent, and their forming itself into small groups, their work, in their homes, in their need is great indeed, as they are each of which will tackle some entirely without medical help. particular need. For instance, fields. It has "found" them. Then Many of their homes are quite three or four members are to form a hygiene committee to see Christianity has found the criminal inaccessible except by boat, and that the village is kept clean and during the monsoon flood time to teach the people to realize the tribes-men who were regarded as alneed of sufficient light and air in thousands more are cut off; even their houses; another committee most lower than the beasts, men who food must be brought from great i's to find out special cases of pov- distances by boat. During two erty resulting from illness or were guilty of unheard-of evil. I saw months of the monsoon no work some other cause, and to report them to the church committee; these same men giving all their power can be done in the rice fields, and and a third group will teach the people the privilege of giving, to help each other. I heard them sing, which few have learned. and saw men whom I had been told The women are also assuming more responsibility. A Zenana would never work, working for the Committee, some· of them quite illiterate, take care of a weekly sheer joy of doing that which was usemeeting, where one leads the devotionals, another reads the les- ful. – The Chru.stw' n. son, and a third gives a talk. Once a month there is a witness A Practical Experiment meeting, when any who have received special help witness to In the Punjab a different cen- the people of the backwaters are what God has done for them. faced with terrible want. No ter is chosen each month, and all work means no money and no -C. M. S. Outlook. the congregations of the C. M. S. food. They borrow-and pledge Mission, within a radius of eight The Salvation Army away the whole of the next har- miles, assemble. The men and vest to keep themselves alive till Lord Willingdon, former vice- boys form a procession which roy of India, pays tribute to the marches around the village sing- that harvest can be sown. work of the Salvation Army in that part of the Empire. He says ing psalms and hymns. Mean- The voyage of the new boat is he has watched this work for 16 years, and declares there is not while the women and girls gath- carefully planned. There are a public official who would not er in the courtyard and sing. three "ports of call" to be visited express gratitude for such as- Then they are seated in an open each month. The boat is tied up, sistance as the Army is giving in space outside the village, which the stores and medicines are prohumanizing, Christianizing and duced and patients begin to arcivilizing those who are thought is decorated with colored paper rive. A clinic under the trees is to be beyond the reach of good flags, texts and mottoes such as: influence. "Do not get into debt," "Learn held each day for ten days, then Speaking of her visit to India. General Evangeline Booth says': to read," "Be sober." By this the boat is moved to another I never knew until I undertook this time the congregation has been place, not to return for a year. journey the meaning of the words, "The Son of man is come to seek and swelled by a good number of Thousands of people, for whom non-Christians. There is more medical help is available only singing, an opening address ex- from the two floating dispensa- plaining the obj ect of the meet- ries, are ministered to for less ing, and touching on the broth- than a month, then have to erhood of mankind through the be left "as sheep having no Fatherhood of God, addresses by shepherd."
two or three of the manads on -C. M. S. Outlook.
the causes, effects and remedies of debts, illiteracy, poverty, and Festival of Lights a closing address, giving the defi- While there are many unlove- nite Christian message. -C. M. S. Outlook. ly features attached to India's popular festivals, some of them Travancore's Floating _ have beauty and value. At Das- Dispensary ahara time children may be seen· in the evening going about car- Early this year the second rying various colored lights floating dispensary which is to which from a distance have the ply up and down the backwaters appearance of being lanterns so of Travancore, bringing help arranged as throw out light and relief to so many, was through odd openings. An inves- [500 ]
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
tigation discloses the contriv- Bangkok Christian College CHINA ance to be simple enough. A Bangkok Christian College is The Challenge in China small earthen vessel has been looking forward to the day when their plant will be moved to the made wIth openings cut in the new site. Ten years ago new Dr. Charles T. Leber and Dr. property was purchased between side in fanciful designs. Over Bangkok and Paknam at a loca- J. L. Dodds, new secretaries of tion that seemed very remote. this is pasted colored paper and Today, with government high- the Presbyterian Board of For- way improvement, the new site the little oil lamp placed on the is only fifteen minutes distant eign Missions, recently com- from Bangkok, by motor car. inside turns this crude lantern pleted a tour of the mission The staff now includes sixteen into something quite fantastic. Siamese and three foreign teach- fields. Of China, Dr. Leber says: ers on duty, with a few others It is the custom for" children, es- on furlough. "The country is magnificent pecially of the servant class, to When the Educational Com- in its possibilities and presents mittee of the Siam Mission put go with these lights to the houses on a Teachers' Institute at the a tremendous challenge to Chris- beginning of the year, seventy of their masters and others from Christian teachers from mission tianity. The lives of Christian schools of three denominations whom they expect gifts at Das- were in attendance. faith and sacrifice that have ahara time. These children run- Nearly four hundred boys are been put into this land are bear- ning about from house to house ing fruit. The whole nation is in the darkness with these lights progressing but I have been es- make a very striking feature of pecially impressed with the rise the Dasahara festival. The chil- of Christianity. . . . It is in- dren themselves greatly enjoy spiring to see how the Chinese the part which they play, and leaders are re~ching out into the even aside from the gifts which areas of evangelism, Christian they receive, think the occasion education, young people's work one of great importance. Why and social welfare. . .. – not? -Indian Witness. "Mr. Arthur Rugh, formerly Begging for the Gospel in enrolled this year and classes are with the Y. M. C. A., but now Ceylon overcrowded. The government working independently among curriculum for the lower grades the students at Yenching, made does not permit the teaching of A Five-Year Plan of Evan- a survey of student thinking at gelism is being carried out in Bible in the regular schedule, so Yenching. He held personal in- C e y lon, all the Protestant Churches cooperating. Recent- that subject is now taught be- terviews with two hundred of ly, a long closed door unex- the students and is amazed at pectedly opened in Eheliyagoda. fore the opening of the official the thinking they are doing along A man came there from another district, bringing with him a Bi- day in the first six classes. In the lines of religion. They are ble and a very limited knowledge even asking why no greater pOSIof Christianity, but the little he the upper division there has knew he passed on. The people tive Christian approach has been been no need to make this made to them, though most of -Siam Outlook. them are not Christian. A list change. was made of 500 questions which Siam Cares for Lepers of Eheliyagoda are low caste, The Siamese Government has students are asking about reliand were at once attracted to a been watching with interest the gion. A group of educators are religion where all men are equal, chain of 23 leper clinics, laid out considering the possibilities of and were quick to see that Chris- by Dr. J. H. McKean, Presbyte- religious instruction being pertianity would bring them social rian missionary; and now pro- mitted in the schools. At a conuplift as well. So they asked to poses a plan to establish self- ference of' Christian middle be taught. One group of evan- supporting government colonies school principals in Shanghai gelists went from house to in several sections of the coun- the Mayor of Shanghai arose house; another held an open air try, with the same type of organ- and gave testimony as to his meeting. New Testaments were ization as now exists in mission Christian faith. He charged the eagerly bought. At these meet- clinics. The first step will be to principals that their duty as ings, which continued, there train government doctors and Christian principals was to make would be two or three simple assistants at the Chiengmai col- their schools Christian. One addresses, including one to the ony. Then a special leprosy of- trembles to realize what a tragchildren, who are always present ficer and committee will be ap- edy it will be if the Christian in large numbers. Between ad- pointed to make a survey, do forces do not unite and do not dresses the people would ask propaganda work among the move forward to meet the chalquestions or explain their diffi- people, and establish, as the first lenge of this present opportuculties. At the end, the village of the series, a large farm col- nity." headman would select points ony with up-to-date treatment. from the various addresses and If this plan renders mission War Against Opium compare them with Buddhist clinics unnecessary, they will at China seems determined to doctrines, pointing out the ad- least have served to stimulate wipe out the opium curse. On vantages of Christianity. the government to recognize and the eve of the New Year, before -L. M. S. Chronicle. accept its own responsibility. a large crowd at the famous Con-
fucius temple in Nanking, huge ciety," interdenominational, is JAPAN-CHOSEN quantities of opium, and para- putting into operation a plan to phernalia of opium addicts were send forth evangelistic bands of Church Worship burned. Long before this meet- trained men and women to the ing, placards were distributed market towns, let them locate Church service in Japan has and posted on the doors of every there for about two weeks and so me interesting differences house and shop, and slogans from that as a center, visit every from American customs. The written on white streamers home in all the surrounding vil- tray for offerings is always were displayed everywhere an- lages, and freely give the people passed to the minister as well as nouncing: the Word of God. They will also to the congregation. If the ush- do personal work and preach on er fails to do this, the minister 1. Beginning Jan. 1, 1937, hopeless the streets of every village. They will walk from the pulpit and narcotic addicts will be executed. will return to the market towns deposit his money. The sexes arc in the evening, where special separated in all church services: 2. Beginning Jan. 1, 1937, first-time meetings are held in halls, tel!l- men on one side and women on opium smokers will be heavily pun- pIes, schools or homes. the other. This was the custom ished; after being arrested three in America a hundred years ago. times, they will be shot. These bands have already For thirty years Japanese Chris- gone to sixty-four market towns tians have used a common hym- 3. Narcotic addicts who desire to and, as they have worked out nal. Methodists, Presbyterians, escape these penalties should surren- from those centers, 3,482 villages Baptists and Congregationalists der themselves to the city clinics for have been finished. In these vil- all use the same songs of wortreatment on or before Dec. 31, 1936. lages there have been 390,049 ship. -Missionary Herald. homes with a population of near- Parades, depicting opium addicts be- ly two million people. In the Pastors Discuss Religious ing dragged to the g;:tllows with the 3,947 meetings held there have Topics wailing families trailing behind, were been some 691,657 people who also witnessed in the cities. heard the Gospel, besides having The Church of Christ in Ja- received 571,123 tracts and Gos- pan held a Pastors' Conference The regulation, control, pur- pels. As a direct result of this at its theological seminary in chase and sale of narcotic drugs work, 12,906 of those who were Tokyo August 30 to September for legitimate purposes in the dealt and prayed with, sought 4 as a part of the celebration of country were placed in charge Christ as their Saviour. the fiftieth anniversary of the of Division of Narcotics, newly church. Leading pastors and created bureau. Immediately -0. M. S. Standard. teachers lectured on the followthe following measures were put ing subjects: into effect: (1) It restricted the Bible Exhibit issuance of certificates for the The Creed of the Church of Christ importation of narcotic drugs; An exhibition of Bibles in in Japan. (2) it prepared an estimate of Peiping this year evidenced kinds and quantities of narcotic China's interest in the Christian The History of the Church During drugs for the nation's medical Scriptures. There were 300 en- the Meiji Era. and scientific use for 1936; and tries, representing 69 languages (3) it drafted measures for the and dialects, of which 17 were Protestant Credal Views of the Bicontrol of sales of narcotic Chinese. Among the Bibles were ble. drugs. some of a costly character, and others of priceless historical val- The Differences Between Catholi- In order to check recultivation ue. The volumes were lent by cism and Protestantism as a Means of of poppy in areas where poppy libraries, universities, individ- Understanding the Gospel. cultivation existed before but uals and various mission groups. has now been absolutely prohib- The British and Foreign Bible The Main Currents and Problems of ited, the "Measures for General Society lent the famous Morri- Contemporary Theology. Detection and Suppression of son Bible of 1823 and the Morri- Poppy Cultivation" were issued. son New Testament of that same The Thought of the Old Testament date, printed from wooden Prophets. -China Weekly Review. blocks made 10 years earlier. There was also the first Protes- The Church and Culture. Market Town Campaign tant Chinese version to be pub- The Fundamental Principles of the lished. Protestant Reformation. Generally speaking, China's vas t population is grouped No V'olume, however, attracted_ Open discussions were conaround market towns. It is esti- as much attention as the Manda- ducted on The Pulpit and the mated that there are some 40,- rin Bible loaned by Generalis- Church; The Sunday School 000 market towns in China, and simo Chiang Kai-shek-the one and the Church; The Pastor and that an average of about twenty- he used during his imprisonment His Readings, and The Church five surrounding villages are fed at the time of the Sian revolt in and Society. by each market town. On mar- December, 1936. ket days, held every third day, -Translated from Fukuin the people of these villages flock -Monday Morning. Shimpo. to the market towns to do theIr buying, selling and "neighbor- Kagawa Fellowship ing." The Kagawa Fellowship in Ja- The "Oriental Missionary So- pan is an informal organization of about 150 Occidental friends of Dr. Kagawa living in Japan, whose purpose is to share with
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Kagawa in the rich experience missionaries were sent to the Manchuria, and helping to send that God has given him; to study Chinese in East Shantung, them to China and elsewhere. his program for the extension of China. This work has been the Kingdom of God, and as far maintained for 25 years and the The Australian Mission as possible to cooperate with him Korean missionaries there are in achieving this program. The ministering to 25 churches and South Kyengsang, in which fellowship assists Dr. Kagawa in groups in which are enrolled the Australian Presbyterian the translation of his writings 1,500 professing Chinese Chris- Mission has work, is the third into English, gives information tians. smallest of the thirteen provabroad and in Japan about his inces of Korea. It is the most work, and endeavors to get The Korean churches are in- densely populated, the nearest whatever financial support for digenous, self-propagating, self- to Japan and according to stahis program it can. supporting, but need more mis- tistics it consumes per capita sionaries to help in the evangel- the largest amount of beer. Effort is being made to obtain ization of 22,000,000 Koreans in These three circumstances presupport for the promising Medi- Korea, a million in Manchukuo sent their own problems. cal Cooperative Society in To- and 500,000 in Japan proper. kyo, an interesting pro j e c t In 1914, when the mission of started by Kagawa. More than -Korea Mission Field. the Presbyterian Church, U. S. seven thousand people are mem- A., handed over this province to bers of it. The society has a hos- Protestant Christian the Australian mission there pital with fifty-one beds as well were 101 churches, 1887 bapas conducting a clinic, dispen- Membership tized members and 3,816 adhersary and visiting nurse service. ents. Just now money is being raised Of 410,000 enrolled Protesto erect a residence for the tant Christians in Korea, 78 per Comparing these statistics nurses; the building will be cent are Presbyterians, 14 per with those of 1936, we find that called the Nitobe Memorial in cent Methodists and eight per now there are: churches 313, remembrance of Dr. Inazo Ni- cent of other denominations. Of baptized members 7,941, adhertobe. -Christian Observer. the total number 210,000 are ents 26,955. either baptized or members on "God Shelf" for Kitchens probation. The remaining 200,- Each of the five stations has 000 are enrolled as professing some form of institutional work. One of the large department Christians and are regular at- The Harper Memorial High stores of Kyoto is displaying a tendants. School for Girls, near Fusanmod e 1 Japanese kit c hen, chin, trains Christian leaders equipped with electric icebox, With 3,880 churches and for church and school. The Vogas stove, kitchen cabinet, and groups, the average sized con- cational Farm School for Womso on. On the walls hang an gregation numbers about 100. en seeks and saves those in morelectric clock, a thermometer, The largest congregation in Ko- al danger and destitution, and and a small, but complete "god- rea is in the city of Sin Euiju the Paton Memorial Hospital ill shelf" for the spirit of the deity with 4,000 adherents. The Sun- Chinju cares for the sick, espethat presides over kitchens. The day school enrolment of 316,000 cially the sick poor. There are shelf is complete and up-to-date in the Presbyterian and Method- also Men's and Women's Lower with miniature lanterns and ist churches in Korea is about Bible Schools. dishes for the food offerings. the same as the total number of professing Christians. Method- -Korea Mission Field. -Living Church. ist and Presbyterian mission- aries in Korea number a little ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC Korean Christianity more than 400. Many mission lands have a less number of mis- About the Philippines Of the first seven Koreans to sionaries in proportion to the be ordained to the ministry in population, but none h a v e Did you know that there are the Presbyterian Church, one yielded a better return for the three classes of people on the was sent as a home missionary expenditure of time and money. islands, each of a different colto the island of Quelpart. That or? That the Chinese have been church is now supporting 500 -Presbyterian Banner. coming to the island for years, evangelists to unevangelized dis- thus solving the employment tricts in Korea and to Koreans On Their Own problem, since a Filipino will in Manchukuo, Peiping, Shang- not work until the money he has hai and Japan proper. The A Presbyterian church in on hand is all gone? That 10,000 Methodist Church is also carry- Wiju, Korea, has a membership converts were received within ing on an extensive home mis- of 3,000. Not a cent of Ameri- ten years? That there are nine sion work among Koreans in can money has gone into the flourishing mission stations now Manchukuo. When the Korean work of that district for 20 in operation? That there are Presbyterian General Assembly years; no missionary lives witn- 7,000 Americans on the islands? was organized in 1912, three in 20 miles of it. The people That before American occupa- have erected and financed their tion funeral arrangements were own church and are sending mis- always made before calling in a sionaries across the border into physician? That only one and
one-eighth per cent of the popu- ments. In ten years they have and the imminent consummation lation are classed as Frotestant not only banded themselves into of union with the Methodist Christians? effective intelligent groups for Church of France. Nearer home, -Monday Morning. mutual improvement, but they the Alliance welcomed a new have transformed their village member in the Evangelical and Club Women in Polynesia life.-London Chronicle. Reformed Church. The Re- formed Church of the U. S. A., The Polynesians have been NORTH AMERICA recently united with the Evan- evangelized by Samoan Chris- Coordinated Missions gelical Church, was already a tians, who themselves received member.
the Gospel a hundred years ago. The International Foreign The International Women's Mission Association of North Council of Women's Missionary While the men folk have fishing America (composed of inde- Societies was recognized as the for excitement, the women have pendent undenominational mis- women's section of the Alliance, no activities which give interest sions) brings together for coun- with a provision that a certain and variety to island life. Miss E. sel sixteen mission enterprises, quota of del ega t e s shall be A. Downs, principal of the Girls'
School at Puapua, Samoa, sug- under which some 2,231 mis- chosen from the women, with au- sionaries are sent out. They ad- thority to hold sessions during gested that they form Women's the meeting of the council. Sim- Clubs, and that they should work minister over a million dollars ilar action was taken with retogether for the general uplift of annually, and go into many of gard to a youth section of those under 30 years of age, the deletheir village life, for the applica- the out-of-the-way corners of the gates of this group being authortion of simple laws of health and world. The doctrinal basis of hygiene, for mothercraft and in- all these missions is: (1) The fant welfare work, for the pres- plenary inspiration and divine ized to bring to the notice of council matters of deep concern ervation of native arts and authority of the Scripture; (2) to youth. crafts, for social intercourse and the Trinity, including the deity religious expression. They de- of Christ and the personality of -The Christian Century.
cided to call their club "The the Holy Spirit; (3) the fall of Women's Committee," and on man, his moral depravity, and Lutheran Church Leaguers each island the pastor's wife was his need of regeneration; (4) Interest in the education of made the leader. the atonement through the sub- youth tow a r d international Returning to visit the islands, stitutionary death of Christ; peace and continued support of Miss Downs found the women no (5) justification by faith in mission work through a special longer apathetic, but eager to Christ, apart from works; (6) project were the outstanding show what they were trying to the bodily resurrection of Christ, features of the twenty-first bien- do. In Nanumea they had re.- and also of the saved and the un- nial convention of the Luther vived their art of making beauti- saved; (7) the unending life of League of America at Spring- ful fans decorated with seabirds' the saved and the unending pun- field, Ohio, in July. The sessions feathers; in Nui the women were ishment of the unsaved; (8) the brought together between six making mats with patterns of personal, bodily and visible re- and seven hundred young people secret native dyes. In Nanu- turn of Christ. and leaders from the United maga there was a new taro plan- Lutheran churches throughout tation w h i c h their Women's Presbyterians in World the United States and Canada.
Committee had made in the face Council Climaxing the mISSIOnary of a good deal of jeering from Last June Montreal, most project for the past biennium the men; the women had grown Catholic of any large city in this much-valued food product North America, entertained the with a gift of more than $11,000 by dividing the swamp into General Council of the "Re- for a community center building workable sections with walls of formed Churches throughout the at T'ai Tung Chen in the foreign coral from the reef, and in them World Holding the Presbyterian mission field in Chi n a, the making soil from rubbish and System." The central theme Luther League of Arne ric a rotting vegetation; Nanumaga was "The Church in Modern adopted another $10,000 project had in the past been one of the Life." for the coming biennium. This poorest islands,. and liable to time the objective will be the famine, but here was a source of An advance was made in the complete furnishing of a medical prosperity. The women of Niu- unification of Reformed Chris- center established at Konnarock, tao were especially interested in tians. The Reformed Church of Virginia, for southern mounmaking soap from caustic soda. Denmark was admitted to mem- _taineers. bership in the Alliance, now Last year, the triennial church comprehending more than two The Convention of 1939 will conference saw women delegates hundred church groups through- be held at Long Beach, Cali- fornia.
for the first time, eager to ex- out the world. The Reformed Bible Teaching in Kansas change ideas and report achieve- Church of France announced the ments, and to draw up a list of completion of union among all Kansas City, Kansas, has comproposals for future develop- Reformed Churches in France, pleted thirteen years of religious
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
education of its school children. many new people have been seek- sacrifices, without ever obtain- The Council of Religious Educa- ing association with the church ing healing for my poor chiltion, representing all denomina- during recent months that he dren. When my second child betions, sponsors this work. The has been completely "snowed came dangerously ill, I went to Jews are interested but as yet under." Throughout the spring consult a witch doctor and asked not participating. and early summer season every him if he could heal my child. service has been conducted in a He assured me that he could, There are 74 church schools, packed church, and with the provided that I would give him enrolling 91 per cent of public coming of fall the pastor believes thirty dollars. I offered him scholil pupils. The courses are it may become necessary to con- twenty dollars, which he acplanned to correlate with the duct two morning services. cepted. I paid him half the sum work of each grade in public on the spot. But on my way school from October to the end LATIN AMERICA back to get the balance of the of April. Classroom work in- money, a messenger came to tell cludes Bible memorizing, Bible Liquor Ban in Mexico me that the child was dead. I reading, Biblical and character- saw that I was being deceived by building stories and dramatiza- Within ten years statesmen the devil. As a respected antion, notebook and expressional below the Rio Grande, led by cestor of my family was a Chriswork. President Cardenas, hope to tian, I had often heard him speak complete the prohibition of alco- of God, so I told my wife I was -Women's Missionary holic beverages. Governors of going to Port-de-Paix to find out Magazine. all states have helped by order- about Him. ing municipalities to cease issu- Texas Wars on Evil ing licenses for saloons, to cut At a service held by the Hai- down the production of alcohol tian Gospel Mission at Port-de- Texas legislators are out to gradually but none the less Paix I first heard the Gospel. "clean up." In special session surely, and to trim the sales they have outlawed pari-mutuel through higher and higher taxes. After attending services for gambling on horse races, pro- The governor of Coahuila has some time, one Sunday my wife hibited the operation of bookies, gone even farther. He has acted said to me, "Wait for me, I am abolished dog races and insti- to stop the vending of liquor on going also." Since then, not only tuted such an anti-gambling cru- all trains passing through tl}e has God in His mercy saved my sade as has seldom been seen state. The main line of the Na- wife and myself, but He has also anywhere in the whole country. tional Railways of Mexico, healed my child who was para- The Texas supreme court has carrying many passengers be- lyzed from birth. definitely ruled out lotteries. tween Laredo, Tex., and Mexico The Dallas News, the Houston City, is affected, for the route -Haitian Gospel News. Post, and other leading dailies for many miles lies through have ceased the publication of Coahuila, with a stop at Saltillo, Religious Census in Venezuela racing results. In nearly all of the capital of the state. The govthe several counties voting by ernor gives this explanation for The Government of Venezuela local option recently, liquor has his order: vendors from pass- is making a survey and census been outlawed. Anti-vice squads ing trains have sold intoxicants of all religious work and workare also being called into action. to the villagers along the way, ers in the country, collecting full checking the good work that was data regarding the work of both -Christian Century. being accomplished by means of Catholics and Evangelicals. The prohibition in the country towns. purpose is to decide on some "Church of the Lighted Since the government now con- policy regarding the admission Window" trols the railways, this order of foreign religious workers. should be easy to enforce. No disposition to oppose the The Lutheran Church of the work is indicated, but it is pro- Redeemer in Atlanta, Ga., is -Christian Advocate. posed to fix the number of those gaining state-wide recognition who may be admitted, and when as "The Church of the Lighted From Darkness to Light that n u m b e r is established, Window." It is the custom each others will be admitted only night to light up the large color- A convert from heathenism in when some of those at present in ful front window. The effect of Haiti gave the following testi- the country leave for furlough the window is so unusual that it mony on the occasion of his bap- or other reasons. has attracted the attention of tism: "From my earliest life I people throughout that section. put myself under the protection In view of the tremendous A recent monthly publication of of demons. I built a small house, need, it is hoped that new misthe Georgia Power Company, and furnished it expressly for sionaries may be admitted, espewhich lights the window, car- their reception. I had two sick cially those who are accepted ried front-cover pictures of the children one of which had never and waiting to enter. church with particular reference walked from birth. I spent to its beauty and the unique cus- everything I possessed in pay- -Moody Institute Monthly. tom of lighting the window. ment to the witch doctor and in "Voice of the Andes" The pastor reports that so Senor Manuel Aldama was born in the Basque Province of
Spain, trained for the priest- then asked, "Will you read the they can understand, they are hood, became Professor in the University of Santander, was book if I give to to you?" surprised by songs of deliver- converted to evangelical Chris- tianity in 1925, and after in- "Gladly," said the gentleman, as ance, victory and blessed assur- struction in the Bible Training Institute, Glasgow, was accepted he rose to leave the bus. ance ; they are moved by the by the Evangelical Union of South America, for work in When he had gone, the work- words of sympathy expressed by Lima, Peru. Here he took up the ing man said, "It is a funny the pastor, and cannot believe editorial work of the Mission thing, but that text was my their eyes when they see him press and the translation of the mother's favorite, too. I have mourn with the bereaved fam- Sunday school lessons. His gone a long way on the wrong ily. Thus it is that a Protestant mastery of Spanish and his fa- funeral service conducted in a miliarity with Romanism en- road since those days." The Roman Catholic country is a abled him to contribute largely woman gave him a Gospel of St. great opportunity to put the to the development of the Evan- John, which he promised to read, truth of the Gospel before the gelical Church of Peru. and went on her way praying people.
Recently, a call has come to that both might be touched by About 2,000 people assembled him to full-time cooperation in the Word that giveth Light." the only Evangelical broadcast- ing station in South America, La -Life of Faith. for the funeral of a young Voz de los Andes (The Voice of mother, whose last words were, the Andes). This Voice of the Andes operates from Qui t 0, The Gospel in Spain "Whether I die or live, I am the Ecuador, and was established Lord's." The Mayor, the Town some five years ago by an inde- Opinion is divided as to the Council, the teaching staff of the pendent worker from Chicago. religious outlook in Spain. Some high school with their 400 chil- believe that opportunity for Gos- dren, and many notables had The Board of the Evangelical pel teaching will be assured if gathered to pay homage to the Union of South America is set- the government wins, while deceased. The first meeting be- ting Sr. Aldama free for this others are convinced that the gan at the home; another meet- special service. He will combine government is not only anti- ing followed at the Mission Hall, with this ministry some service clerical, but anti-Christian. Rep- and the last one took place in for the British and Foreign resentatives of Anglican and Bible Society throughout the Re- Free Churches of Great Britain the cemetery. At each place the public of Ecuador. went to Spain recently to gain Gospel was listened to by thou- first-hand information. They sands who had followed the pro- -The Christian. were given full liberty of move- ceedings from half-past one till ment, and upon returning to five o'clock in the afternoon. As EUROPE England reported as follows: a result, the evangelist had many requests for interviews. . "The Entrance of Thy Word" We found no evidence of an organ- -Belgian Gospel Mission. A member of the Pocket Tes- ized "Godless" propaganda such as tament League was riding in an exists in Soviet Russia. We were un- Paul's Speech on Mars Hill English bus with two other pas- able on inquiry to hear of any carica- sengers – an elderly business Unlike the ancients, tourists man and a working man. The tures of God, of Christ, or of the who go to Athens are not search- business man leaned across the Virgin and Saints, such as have been ing for "some new thing," but bus and asked the woman, features of "anti-God" propaganda in for things associated with the "Would you like to read my other countries. On the other hand, past. With this in view, one of paper?" "Thank you," she said. members of our party found copies of Mr. Rockefeller's projects has "Would you like to read my the Scriptures offered freely for sale been the restoration of the Par- book," holding out the New Tes- on street bookstalls. The situation in thenon; and because it is fitting tament. He took it, and after regard to religion in Spain was that something far more signifi- glancing at the page said, "Why summed up to us by a very acute cant than the friezes of Praxit- did you give me this?" "Why English observer of dispassionate eles should be remembered, Mrs. did you give me the paper?" she views, one who knows Spain well and Josephine Demas, daughter of countered. "Because the news is is himself a practicing Catholic, in the one of the most famous archi- interesting this morning," he following terms :-"There is a strong said. "My book is interesting anti-clerical movement but no anti- every morning." He looked God movement in Spain." again at the book. "This is my mother's favorite text, John -The Christian. 5: 24. It is years since I have read it." The P. T. L. member Evangelizing at Funerals tects in Athens, has urged upon the municipality the enshrining Great is the astonishment of of Paul's speech in the rock of Catholics in Belgium when they Mars Hill. T~e press an~ a attend their first Protestant number of emment Athemans funeral. They are familiar with – have. backed the proposal ~nd the pomp and ceremonies of the dIrector of.the A~cheologlCal their own funerals, the mo- Bureau has gIven hIS endorse- notonous recital of the Latin ment. He says that £350 to £400 liturgy, the gestures of the offi- is ne.e~ed,. and h.e hopes .that t~e ciating priest and his apparent ~umc}pahtr ~Il~ prOVIde ~~IS indifference to grief. At a Prot- relatIvely mSIgmficant sum.
estant funeral they hear things -Christian Advocate.
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
Paid Persecutors in Galicia Church has extended its serv- while Pravda laments the inac- ice and the social side of the tivity of the "Godless League." The National Lutheran Coun- Church as a colony center has cil is authority for the report not been neglected. Spiritually, This new life is particularly that agitators in Poland are be- there are the regular services noticeable in the country. Heads ing paid approximately 120 zloty the Church Festival6bservances' of collective farms even conduct per month to persecute members and th?se on national holidays; Church Councils, and other colof the Lutheran Church and MemOrIal Day, Fourth of July lective farms permit Bible readcompel them to return to the Thanksgiving Day and the like: ing, ch?ir singing, and evening Catholic Church from which The names of Ambassador W. entertam~nts. It is also anthey originally came. In a re- E. Dodd and Consul-General nounced that the number of cent legal process it was re- General Jenkins are on the members of the Militant Godless vealed that one such agitator Church Council roll. League has decreased from was offered a bonus of 50 zloty 5,000,000 in 1933 to less than for every person he succeeded in -Lutheran News. 2,000,000. Five anti-religious intimidating to return. But even though there are constant Religious Freedom in Russia museums in the provinces have difficulties and hardships the been closed. A correspondent Ukrainian peasants are firmly The much-heralded religious in another paper notes that the steadfast, and manifest an ever- freedom promised by the new jeering at religion has largely increasing interest in the Gospel constitution of Soviet Russia gone. turns out to be a disappointof Jesus Christ. ment. Four conditions must be AFRICA Christian Convention in Italy a~op:pvrocvleosd~d,be.if~oorepenaendy. Tchheurpcoh~ Student Alliance in Alexandria The Director of Spezia Mis- htIcal rehabIlIty of the petition- as Young Emgaytpetriiaanlissttiucdaenndtsiarrree~ ers "must be above suspicion." a rule, sion writes: "Those who can go The church must be more than 15 minutes' walk from a school ligious; their education is of the freely to Christian conferences the condition of the building must be above criticism, there sort to make them vain, shallow, and share the fellowship of kin- must be no protest from the local organization of the godless. selfish. For this reason Chrisdred minds know little of the tian work among them advances According to official Soviet grave difficulties to be sur- figures, 14,000 churches and slowly. But a young men's club chapels were closed in 1935 and mounted, the severe testing of 3,700 priests, preachers' and known as the "Christian Alliance other servers of the churches of Young Men," reports some faith, the patience, and the condemned, twenty-nine of them to death. prayers involved in accomplish- progress. On the other hand a renewal mg such a gathering in Italy. of spiritual life is appearing. In Two Bible classes and other the province of Swerdlovsk the prayer – meetings are h e I d But God worked what seemed to population have requested that at~eist propaganda be stopped. us miracles indeed, in breaking ThIS movement began in the in- weekly; Copts, Moslems and dustrial districts, where almost Jews sing hymns together and down obstacles." the whole population consisted of factory workers. Collections Representatives cam e from are held among the workers to study God's Word; the numbers restore the churches and rebuild far and near, and the organizers them. A Czech correspondent are increasing. Two young men wr!tes that !Ie found a newly !Iad their hands full, in arrang- bUIlt church m almost every vil- have been converted recently lage in the neighborhood of Mosmg for the accommodation and cow. In some of the collective one a Copt, one a Greek. ' farms, club buildings are being the meals for those to whom they set up to get the church free The members of this Alliance once more. gave so warm a welcome. are asked to sign a basis stating Religious Interest in Russia T~e supreme point of the Con- that they are uniting with other It seems unquestioned that reventIOn was the service in the ligion is reviving in Russia to a young men who know the Lord degree disturhing to commu- Church of Casa Alberto, which nists. W 0 r l d Evangelization as Saviour, and desire to bring mentions a town of 4,500 which was crowded,-a long and won- has 30 religious organizations, others into the Kingdom. Twelve derful service. It included the baptism of groups of those who members have signed. -Life of Faith. at La Spezia and at Leghorn'
had recently tfhoeuncdelCebhrraitsit~nanodf Medical Service to Felahe'en ended with Dr. Harpur of the Church the Lord's Supper. Missionary Society founded a hospital in Old Cairo 48 years -Life of Faith. ago which is still known 'to Egyptians, especially the fela- American Church in Berlin heen, as "Harmel," a corruption of Dr. Harpur's name. The Despite the fact that the felaheen are a lovable and Ame~ICan Colony in Berlin is friendly people, though ignorant and superstitious; it is from growmg. smaller, the American this class that the majority of Church m that city is growing the patients are drawn. They ~tronger both financially and in are almost overcome by the mfluence. Truly American is strangeness of being put into the "Ladies Aid Society" in the form ?f an active Sewing Guild. The hbrary connected with the
beds with sheets and blankets, favor the Westernization of the ing developments, avoiding un- instead of lying in a dark and country. There is a movement necessary risk and exposure of dirty corner, surrounded with in the Egyptian University to missionaries, and at the same noise and clatter, the talking of introduce compulsory Moslem time gradually reducing ex- relatives and neighbors, and the religious equcation and to abol- penditures in view of the uncer- noise of animals and chickens. ish coeducation. The Dean of tainties of the future.
Arabic texts are painted in red Arts in the University thinks The Italian Minister of For- on the white walls, giving a there is nothing in the Koran eign Affairs has informed the touch of brightness t~ the whole; against coeducation, while the American Ambassador at Rome instead of being thought too Rector of EI-Azhar University is that "The Italian Government much bother to be looked after, against it. has decided not to entrust to for- the patients are treated kindly The Westernizing faction ig- eigners whatever may be the re- by the Egyptian staff of nurses. nores the Ramazan Fast, neg- ligion they profess, the work of Biblewomen and evangelists lects the study of the Koran, establishing schools in terri- have prayers for half an hour in seldom prays in the Masjids and tories of Ethiopia." The com- the mornings in the out-patient encourages their women to dis- munication also states: "Should departments; for those in the card the veil. An article in a pro- foreign missionaries wish to con- wards prayers twice each day. Moslem paper declares that tinue their other humanitarian Recently some of the Egyptian "Most Egyptian households, es- and philanthropic activities, out- men nurses have been singing pecially those in high life, have side the field of education, their hymns and giving a talk on Sun- no prayer-carpet, and no copy requests for permission will be day evenings to the patients in of the Koran, and do not know considered in due time and after the men's hospital. what these are." de jure recognition of the Italian -Life of Faith. -World Dominion Press. empire is an accomplished fact."
Missionaries can scarcely see Faith and Freedom Times of Trial how evangelistic and medical The February number of Protestant missions are rapid- work can be carried on success- Faith and Freedom calls atten- fully without at least some type tion to the new constitution of ly disappearing from Ethiopia. of educational institution. the Soviet Union, in which many Mussolini's own paper, the Gior'- nale d' ltalia, has carried a front -United Presbyterian.
have seen the end of the struggle page story predicting the end of Liberia's Hinterland against church and worship; Protestant work. The Swedish for protection of religious con- missionaries and three Ameri- The native population of Liviction is expressly guaranteed can independent mlSSlOnaries beria, divided into many tribes, in the new project. This in no have been expelled, and the prop- is about 1,000,000 of good, virile erty of the Sudan Interior Mis- stock. The Liberians, who are sense means that a change has sion has been requisitioned. the descendants of liberated Necome about in the attitude of offi- groes brought to Africa by the cial circles towards church and The pastor of the Swedish United States and Great Britain religion, or that the time of per- church in Addis Ababa, Kes Ba- about 120 years ago, now numsecution is past. The Soviet at- dima, has grown old and gray ber about 12,000, and are the titude remains the same. The in the service of his Lord, and ruling group of the country. new policy means that those re- knows what it is to be chained sponsible must carryon with the and driven from place to place The Methodist C h u r c h of eradication of church and reli- for his faith. His son was killed America has been active in gious life, though they must not during the riots. He spoke often spreading the Christian mesthereby injure too greatly the of the keeping power of God, sage, and churches now number religious conviction of the peo- and of his longing for the day 102. The great need is to peneple. Stalin has said, "Why when his earthly pilgrimage trate the thick bush country of should one be actively unmerci- would be ended. He told count- the interior, where live most of ful? One must explain the harm- less people how God had judged the natives who have been pracfulness of religion to the young Ethiopia, and warned the-:n tically unreached with the Goswith patience, and supply them against the final judgment. He pel. A pioneer mission penewith propaganda for a material- encouraged those who were trated for 200 miles to Ganta istic outlook as the only scientific weak, gave liberally to the poor, and there organized a station a one !" Communist patience will and not even the great slaughter few years ago, and a road for 80 in future be set against Chris- of February shook his faith in miles of this distance has been tian and religious patience; but the least. -Alliance Weekly. _ made. For three years a doctor the extirpation of church and and his wife have labored here, religion is still the purpose. Ethiopian Situation then sleeping sickness claimed them and forced them back to The V nit e d Presbyterian Modernism in Islam Board has not been willing to the States. A similar effort by abandon established work in another doctor and his wife was A conflict is going on in Egypt made three years ago to reach between those who would revive Ethiopia unless obliged to do so. the tribes in the hinterland of interest in Islam and those who They have been watchfully wait- Barclayville, sit u ate d in the
OUR WORLD-WIDE OUTLOOK
southeastern corner of Liberia. ble and Prayer Circle, a move- 'the blood of martyrs is the seed Sickness again defeated a fine ment which has grown out of of the Church," for not long aftwork, and the workers have been the evangelistic ministry of Mr. er Rasalama's execution church compelled to return to the States. G. A. Gush, a colporteur-evan- membership increased tenfold, gelist who was at one time a and the adherents twentyfold. The Firestone Rubber Com- farmer, and who was converted pany have cleared 70,000 acres during a mission conducted by -The Chronicle. of jungle and planted it with Gipsy Smith in South Africa, rubber trees, 15,000 acres of about thirty-three years ago. Call for Protestant Unity which are now bearing. This has Those who found Christ through greatly increased prosperity in Mr. Gush are to be found all Dr. Daniel A. Poling, inter- Liberia. over South Africa today; and national president of Christian there are hundreds, especially Endeavor, told a group of hear- -World Dominion Press. among the European population ers in Grand Rapids, Mich., re- of the eastern Cape Province, cently that Protestant Christian- Angola Leper Work where the Prayer Circle has been ity, instead of being in a posi- the result of a hunger for deep- tion to conduct a successful of- A large part of the work con- er spiritual life. fensive against the powerful nected with the Camundong~ forces opposing the Church, Leper Colony, Angola, South Af- The Prayer Circle is an unde- might be unable to maintain its rica, is undertaken by the lepers nominational body made up of own position. Among these opthemselves. It was considered many praying bands in cities, posing forces he cited militant impracticable to send nurses or towns and villages. The differ- Shintoism in Japan; a united orderlies from the station to the ent bands meet on different eve- Hinduism in India, Burma and villages; the more intelligent nings~ and each has its own Siam; a united, world Bud- Christian lepers were therefore method and procedure; but dhism; Mohammedanism, shaktaught to use the hypodermic twice a year there is a large ing off its age-old superstitions; syringe, and to administer chaul- gathering in a central place. the German Neo-pagan movemoogra oil treatment. Only ment, and Communism. Christians, and those who can -Life of Faith. read the Bible and preach the Under the slogan "Christ for Gospel, are sent out. Dlalagasy Centenary the Crisis," Christian Endeavor has adopted a program of ob- Christian lepers have also en- Among this year's centenaries jectives that have to do with gaged in evangelistic work. Re- is that of the martyrdom of Ras- world peace, cooperation in the cently a party, many of them alama, Malagasy Christian, in enactment and enforcement of advanced cases, set out on a the reign of Ranavalona I, "ty- law support for Christian mismission of testimony, traveling rant queen of Madagascar." sions at home and abroad, the from village to village, telling During her reign of thirty-three furtherance of economic justice what had been done for them, years from sixty to eighty pro- and racial good will, and the and preaching the Gospel. This fessing Christians were publicly fight against alcohol and narcombined medical and evangel- put to death; s 0 m e were cotics. istic work is meeting with great speared, others burnt, and many response. -Life of Faith. stoned. Later, 500 died from -Presbyterian Tribune. the poison ordeal. Of those who Congo Prayers voluntarily confessed the i r Interesting Documents Christian faith, 400 officers were A missionary has w r itt e n reduced in rank and 2,000 were The Life of Faith reports that down some of the prayers of fined, while an unknown number half a million private journals men and women in the Congo. suffered privation and under- and letters sent home by mis- Here are two of them. mined health as they hid away sionaries in Africa, India, China in mountain fastnesses, or up and the West Indies, during the We have two hands each full of to their necks in rice bogs. last 140 years are to be reclassiseeds, seeds of goodness and seeds of fied by experts and preserved in evil. Day by day we scatter thfs8 Rasalama, 39 years of age, fireproof rooms at Livingstone seeds. Father in lieaven, help us to sang cheerfully most of the way House, Westminster, England. fill both hands with good seeds. Daily to her execution, and when This task will take two years. I seem to scatter evil seeds, and as reaching the spot where she was The documents include letters yet I am not worthy to go and tdi to be martyred, she asked per- from the first missionaries to others of Jesus. mission to kneel in prayer, and reach Tahiti, in 1797; from Dr. in that posture she was speared John Philip, who defended the * ** to death. rights of the Kaffirs in South Africa; Robert Moffat, during As the charcoal burns in the fire of Today, Rasalama's cottage his pioneer days in Southern the village smithy, and is consumed as still stands as she left it. There Rhodesia; David Livingstone; it makes the iron hot, so let me burn is a strong church here under Robert Morrison, the first transout in Thy service, 0 God, my King the London Missionary Society, lator of the Bible in Chinese; and Lord. and Christians can worship W. G. Lawes and James Chal- without fear of consequences. mers, of Papua; and from many -Wonderlands. It has been literally true that others.
Young People's Prayer Circle Between 500 and 600 people attended the fifteenth rally of the United Young People's Bi-
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Our Missionary Bookshelf Books Briefly Reviewed for the Readers' Information I ~i==============–=-=~ TWENTY-FIVE "BEST BOOKS" IN THE STUDY OF MISSIONS TO MOSLEMS PREPARED BY THE REV. SAMUEL M. ZWEMER, D.D.
Editor of "The Moslem World"; author of "Arabia, the Cradle of Islam," etc., etc.
Shortly after the World War 3. The Origin of Islam in Its signon's Annuaire du Monde a German scholar, Gus t a v Christian Environment. By Musulman. Paris. 1934. Pfannmuller compiled a Hand- Richard Bell. $3.50. Macbook of Literature on Islam and Millan, New York. 1926. 8. Christendom and IrSlam. By missions to Moslems. It com- W. W. Cash. $2.00. Harpprised over four hundred pages The writer gives the back- ers, New York. 1937. and over two thousand titles. ground of the new religion in Since that survey appeared, in- Arabia and indicates the sources A succinct account of the conterest in Islam as a world prob- of its strength and vigor. . tacts between Christendom and lem, and in missions, has not de- Islam and the influence for good creased. For one who has him- 4. Islam: Beliefs and Institu- and ill mutually exerted by Cruself written more than twenty- tions. By H. Lammens. sades and conquests. five books on Islam and Missions 8's. 6d. Methuen, London. to be asked to select twenty-five 1929. 9. An Eastern Palimpsest. By "best" books is therefore some- O. Wyon. 2s. 6d. World what an embarrassing task. A careful analysis of the creed Dominion Press, New York. New books (like new art, new and practice in Islam. Full of 1928. wine, or new violins) are not information and accurate in all always better than the old. Yet its statements. A brief account of missions in the latest view may be the only the Near East with maps and true picture of a scene that has *5. The Legacy of Islam. By statistics. witnessed kaleidoscopic changes. Sir Thomas Arnold and We have therefore selected some Others. Oxford. 1931. *10. Moslem Women Enter a new and some old volumes, while New World. By Ruth scores of others here omitted are A compendium of what the F ran c e s Woodsmall. "best" in their own field. The West owes to Islam in literature, $3.00. R 0 u n d Table titles marked with an asterisk art, architecture, science, phi- Press, New York. 1936. are popular and suitable for losophy and culture. No other younger readers also. book contains such fascinating The most recent book on the material on the "glory of Islam." subject and gives the brighter r. MOHAMMED AND ISLAM: side of the picture. Needs to be 6. The Koran (translated). By supplemented by present-day re- 1. Mohammed the Man and His E. H. Palmer. 80 cents. ports of women – missionaries Faith. By Tor Andrae. Pocket edition. Oxford Uni- who live close to the illiterate Scribners, New Y 0 r k. versity Press, New York. masses. 19.36. 1929. 11. The Moslem World of To- The latest attempt to evaluate The most idiomatic transla- day. Edited by John R. Mohammed's character. It is tion of the Koran with valuable Mott. $2.50. Doran, New fair and discriminating. Shows introduction and good index. York. 1926. how much Mohammed owed to Nestorian Christianity. II. EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF This consists of a series of monographs by missionaries and THE MOSLEM WORLD: orientalists on present-day as- pects of the problem, education, *7. Across the World of Islam. the press, medical work, etc. By S. M. Zwemer. $3.00.
2. Mohammed and the Rise of Revell & Co., New York. III. MISSIONS TO MOSLEMS: Islam. By D. S. Margo- 1929. liouth. $2.50. Putnam, THEIR VALIDITY, HIS- New York. 1905. A statistical and political sur- vey of the Moslem world and its TORY AND CHARACTER. The best brief life story of the missionary opportunity. Lacks Prophet; fully documented from a clJ,apter on the Near East and *12. Henry Martyn, Confessor original sources. should be supplemented by Mas- of the Faith. By Con- stance E. Padwick. S. C. M., London. 1922.
Any of the books noted in these columns will be sent by the R~IllW publishers on receipt of price.
[510 ]
OUR MISSIONARY BOOKSHELF
The best life of the first mod- it deserves special mention. Full They teach a lesson without the ern missionary to Islam. of inspiration. necessity of pointing a moral. Children, parents and teachers 13. Modern Movements Among 21. The Arab at Home. By Paul will find these tales delightful Moslems. By S. G. Wil- and helpful. son. $1.50. Revell, New W. H a r r i son. $3.50. York. 1916. Africa and Christianity. By Diedrich Crowell, New York. 1924. Westermann. 221 pp. $2.25. Ox- Excellent, especially on Iran, ford University Press. New York. but not quite up-to-date. One of the best books for the 1937.
*14. The Persian Journey of the study of the Arab mind and soul Dr. Westermann of Berlin, Rev. Ash ley Wishard, the author of "Africa Today," is etc. By Elgin Grosclose. by one who has lived close to this one of the best-informed and $2.50. Bobbs – Merrill, people and loves them. . most interesting writers on Af- Indianapolis. 1937. rica from a Christian point of *22. The Expansion of Islam. view. He is professor of African A novel full of missionary ap- By W. W. Cash. 38.6d. languages at the University of peal and interest. Edinburgh House Press, Berlin and the material here London. 1929. presented was given in the Duff 15. History of the Arabian Mis- Lectures in Scotland in 1935. sion. By Mason & Barney, An excellent, popular general The author dwells on aspects of 25 East 22d Street, New survey. missionary work in Africa and York. the change this work is bringing 23. The Eclipse of Christianity about in the character, culture An account of thirty years' in Asia. By L. E. Browne. and condition of the people. He pioneer effort in the hardest of $3.50. Cambridge Uni- shows the old and new standards Moslem lands. versity Pre s s, London. and ideals in family and commu- 1935. nity life; the influence of Euro- 16. Vital Forces of Christianity pean commerce and control; the and Islam. 3s. 6d. Oli- Here is the history of Islam's changes in religious faith and phant, Anderson & Fer- penetration and spiritual con- practice-from superstition, ig- rier, London. 1915. quest of those lands in Asia norance, fear, to belief in God as where the Crescent has super- presented by missionaries. Dr. Six studies by missionaries to seded the Cross. Scholarly yet Westermann includes a chapter Moslems on Method of approach most interestingly written. on Christianity vs. Competition to the Moslem heart. with sects, with Islam and with 24. The Crescent in Northwest secularism-not c h e e r i n g to 17. Indian Islam. By Murray China. By G. Findley An- read; the growth of the Church; T. Titus. 12s. 6d. Ox- drews. China Inland Mis- and the production of Christian ford Press, New York. sion, London. 1922. literature. He does not hesitate 1930. to criticize missions construc- Sketch of Missions in North- tively as a friend. A scholarly survey of the his- west China. tory, character and peculiarities The information is general of Islam in India, its distribu- 25. A Desert Journal. By Evan- rather than specific for Africa is tion, and its present-day in- geline French & Mildred too large a continent to be sucfluence. Cable. $3.00. China In- cessfully dealt with in one short land Mis s ion, German- volume. For a general view, 18. Temple Gairdner of Cairo. town. 1934. however, this volume is highly By Constance E. Padwick. commended. It shows the prob- $3.00. Macmillan, New This book is a type of many lems and the progress noted in York. 1929. that tell of the daily life of Mos- two centuries of modern mis- lems and their attitude toward sions in Africa; also the forces The life of a versatile, schol- Christians in the great unoccu- for and against Christ and the arly and devoted missionary by pied areas. Church, forces that must largely one who is herself doing work determine the future of this for Moslems in all lands through OTHER RECENT BOOKS great continent. Christian literature. Stocking Tales. A Book of Stories Ablaze for God. By Mary W. Dunn 19. The Reproach of Islam. By for Children. By J. T. Stocking. Pattison. 317 pp. 38. 6d. Japan Temple Gairdner. C. M. Illustrated by Winifred Bromhall. Evangelistic Band, London. 1937. S., London. 119 pp. $1.25. Pilgrim Press. Boston. 1937. This is the biography of Paget There is no better textbook for Wilkes written by his sister. all who desire to know Islam as Dr. Stocking is a prince of Wilkes was born in Suffolk in it is and Christianity as it ought story-tellers, with lit era r y 1871, was educated at Oxford to be in witnessing for Christ. charm, a truly Christlike spirit, with Temple Gairdner, J. H. Not a lukewarm book, but full of imagination and a love for chilfire. dren. He fascinates adults and young people as well. His death *20. Young Islam on Trek. By has brought a great loss as his Basil Mathews. 25 cents. life was a great blessing to Friendship Press, New many. These stories are a mix- York. 1926. ture of fairy tale and parable.
This earlier textbook for mission study is so well written that
Oldham and Stuart Holden and the Plan of Union between Pres- meet are not so ready to be led." went to Japan to work with Bar- byterianism and Congregational- Doubtless Dr. Wilson has also clay Brocton in 1897. Later he ism and the controversy growing met many utterly indifferent to became the leader of the Japan out of it. the Word of God, who needed to Evangelistic Band, an undenom- be a wakened to a sense of sin. inational movement which em- Part Two is made up of docu- This is probably a selection of phasized direct evangelism and ments illustrating the frontier certain experience.'3 that show the "Second blessing." He was work of the Pre s b y t e ria n the great truth to be presented a man of great ability and of churches-an immense wealth of in Bible words to sinners, namepure devotion, whose motto source material. It is of course ly the way of justification and might well have been Henry ·only a fraction of what is avail- peace through the atoning death Martyn's "Now let me burn out able and a vast deal is of neces- of Christ. These true sketches for God." He mastered the Jap- sity omitted, many times as are very informing because they anese language and he inspired much as could be included; one show how thousands of people his associates, both Japanese and would rather have some of the who have gone to church and foreign, with his own zeal, and omitted material than that which have read the Bible for years, his consecration and sacrifice is included, some, for example, have never really understood the were a stimulus to many in the from the records of the old Penn- Gospel that Christ died for the missions of the British and sylvania presbyteries and from remission of sin, and that we American churches. At home, the period and area covered in are not saved by our own goodin England or in Canada or in Waddell's "Annals of Augusta ness, but by faith in Jesus South Africa, he conducted mis- County, Virginia, from 1726 to Christ. That is the one thing sions for the conversion of non- 1871." But we are grateful for that stands out in this book. We Christians and for the deeper the mass of old documents which must add this also that readers life of Christians. He was a Dr. Sweet has presented. They will be convinced that most Church of England evangelical enable us to enter intelligently Christians do not sufficiently and was a notable illustration of into the religious atmosphere of recognize the sinfulness of sin, the great body of British Chris- our country a century, and a cen- and the necessity of the shedding tians who move out on their own tury and a half ago, to realize of Jesus' blood; therefore they lines beyond the bounds of de- the social and cultural conditions do not feel impelled to seek the nominational action. He had the of that early time and, by such salvation of others. Finally, this Keswick mind, with a turn of a term of comparison, to see how book shows that Christians his own, and he served his Mas- far on we have come in true re- ought to know their Bibles and ter with his whole heart and ligion and Christian charity. be able to diagnose a soul's need mind and soul and strength. T9 and offer the remedy. We should read such a life is to have one's ROBERT E. SPEER. definitely study the book with own lethargy and reticence :r:e- this in mind. We may well note buked and to feel the glow of the The Romance of a Doctor's Visits. the Scripture passages used. New Testament discipleship at By Dr. Walter L. Wilson. 128 pp. Dull is the conscience of the work amid the conditions of our Is. Pickering & In~lis. London. Christian, either at home or on own day. 1937. the mission field, that will not be moved to personal work by read- Religion on the American Frontier. This small, easy-reading vol- ing this book. Vol. II, The Presbyterians, 1783- ume is one of the "World-Wide 1840. By William Warren Sweet. Library of Famous G 0 s pel FRANK LUKENS. 939 pp. $3.50. Harper & Brothers, Books." The author is a physi- New York and London. 1936. cian of some years' experience Consider Him. By Vance Havner. who but devotes much of his $1.00. American Bible Conference This volume by Dr. Sweet of time to Christian ministry. For Association. Philadelphia, Pa. 1937. the University of Chicago is the a number of years he regularly broadcast the morning Bible les- For those that like a "stimsecond in a series dealing with son over the radio station of the ulus" in Bible study and meditathe different denominations on Kansas City Star, and was said tion and desire a greater fellow- to have an audience of a million ship with the Spirit of God, this the early American frontier. people. book will be of great help. In it we find one hundred medita- The first volume dealt with the Here are twenty-eight short tions on some of the great pas- Baptists and the third is to deal pen-pictures of different persons sages of the Bible. These mediwit h the Congregationalists. seeking salvation whom he led tations were gathered by a Part One (125 pages of this to assured faith by use of Bible pastor from his everyday "walk volume) deals generally with passages. The cases represent and talk" with the Master and American Presbyterianism at all sorts and conditions of life, with his people in the parish. the close of the Revolution, the but the need and the solution In a book form they will inspire Presbyterians and Westward are practically the same in all. a much greater parish. To min- Expansion, the cultural and edu- The first impression on the read- isters they will serve as seeds of cational influence of the Presby- er is that everyone of these peo- thoughts for sermons. terians in the Early West, re- ple were seekers, conscious of vivalism and Presbyterian con- their sin, and wanting peace. A. H. PERPETUO. troversy, and the operation of Some may say, "The people I
Books Obituary Notes The
Across Africa in a Lorry. W. B. Red- (Concluded from page 449.) A weekly religious newspaper in mayne. 128 pp. $1.40. Zondervan. Grand Rapids. Dr. Edward M. Poteat, prominent its lo6th year of continuous pub- in Baptist work both North and South Books for the Traveler or Sojourner for two generations, died June 26, at Iication under the same name. in China. Harriet Hardison Rob- Raleigh, N. C. After a period of son. 24 pp. 25 cents. American years as preacher, college president, It is conservative and evangel- Council, Institute of Pacific Rela- and denominational worker, he went tions. New York. to China to be a professor in Shang- ical, gets its news by telegraph hai College. His son, Gordon Poteat, is Burmese Brothers. Story Lessons professor in Shanghai College; an- and keeps abreast of the times. for Little Children. Eleanor Mar- other son, Edwin M. Poteat, Jr., is a tin. 42 pp. 6d. S. P. G. London. prominent pastor in Raleigh. It goes into every state of the Union, the District of Columbia, Fun, Fear and Faith. The Story of *** the Church in Burma. Ruth Hen- and U. S. possessions. rich. 91 pp. 18. S. P. G. London. Dr. Danjo Ebina, Professor Emer- itus of Doshisha University, died in It goes to Asia and AFrica, South Cycle of Prayer and Praise, 19'37-38. Tokyo, on May 22. He first learned 100 pp. 68. S. P. G. London. about Christ from Gapt. L. L. Janes, America, Canada and New Zealand and afterwards was a member of the Christ of the Countryside. Malcolm first graduating class of Doshisha in and into twelve countries of Eu- Dana. 128 pp. $1.00. Cokesbury. 1879. He founded the Hongo Congre- Nashville. gational Church in Tokyo, was its rope. pastor until 1920 when he became Communism. John Horsch. 30 pp. university president. He was the Subscription Price, – 15 cents. B. I. C. Assn. Chicago. author of many books on Christianity. Ministerial Rate, The Land of Umbrellas. Lessons on *** the Church in Burma. Ruth Hen- 50c. extra—Canadian postage rich. 92 pp. Is. S. P. G. London. Emile Doumergue, for 66 years the leader of the French conservative $1.00 extra—foreign postage Flaming Milestone. Report of the theological group, died recently in World's Conference of the World France at the age of ninety-three. He THE PRESBYTERIAN Alliance of the Y. M. C. A.'s. 115 was the author of the Life of Calvin pp. World's Committee, Y. M. C. A. in seven volumes, and contributed 1217 Mark..t: Str….t, Philad..lphia, Pa. Geneva. editorially to the leading journal of Protestantism in France. He was not ciety, and president of the Bible Highland Heritage. Edwin E. White. in favor of church union for the sake League of North America. 196 pp. $1.00, cloth; 60 cents, of union. His was the phrase: "Fu- paper. Friendship Press. New sion without proper evangelical basis *** York. is nothing but confusion." Sir J. Charles Clegg, president of Is Not This a Brand? Percy Rush. *** the British Temperance League for 96 pp. Is. Pickering & Inglis. sixty-three years, died at Sheffield, London. Mrs. Elizabeth Murdoch Poage England, June 26. His most recent entered into rest at her home in Co- efforts in the cause of temperance was An Introduction to the New Testa- lusa, California, on July 4, at the age the preparation of a booklet, "Out to ment. Edgar J. Goodspeed. 362 of sixty–one. For forty years Mrs. Win." pp. $2.50. University of Chicago Poage had been an officer of the Press. Chicago. Sacramento Presbyterial and for nine *** years was president. The loss of her Little Talks to Little Folks. Charles service is keenly felt for she had been John T. Underwood, founder of the A. Puncker. 92 pp. Is. Pickering faithful in the performance of re- Underwood Typewriter Co., and & Inglis. London. sponsibilities both little and great. brother of Dr. Horace G. Underwood of Korea, died July 2. Mr. Under- Lessons in Soul Winning. Will H. Dr. Frederick H'" . W* ri*ght, who ren- wood was a former member of the Houghton. 23 pp. Free. Moody Presbyterian Board of Foreign Mis- Bible Institute. Chicago. dered effective service in both the sions, president of the Buckhorn As- heme and foreign work of the Metho- sociation of Kentucky, and a generous Medical Missions at Work. H. P. dit<: Episcopal Church, died June 11 supporter of work in Korea. Thompson. 82 pp. Is. S. P. G. in Ocean Grove, N. J., aged seventy- London. eight. He served as past)!· of the Gifts during his lifetime were con- Methodist Church in Rome from 1899 tinued in numerous bequests, among More Sources of Power in Famous to 1905. Some years later he becama them: $50,000 each to the Buckhorn Lives. Walter C. Erdman. 160 superintendent of the Italian Mission Association and to Chosen Christian pp. $1.00. Cokesbury Press. Nash- Conference under the Board of Home College; $20,000 to the Orphan ville. Missions and Church Extension. Asylum Society of Brooklyn; $10,000 each to the Lafayette Avenue Presby- Work of the Chaplain in the Civilian Mrs. Thomas *E. * Ba*rber, former terian Church of Brooklyn, the Pres- Conversation Corps. Col. Alva J. byterian Board of Foreign Missions, Brasted. 48 pp. Command & Gen- missionary in the Columbia Mission, the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities and eral Staff School Press. Ft. Leaven- Presbvterian, U. S. A., died in the the Brooklyn Museum. worth, Kansas. Pasad"ena Hospital, Pasadena, Cali- fornia on June 2. Most of Mrs. Bar- *** Women of the New Testament. ber's time during her 25 years on the Abraham Kuyper. $1.00, cloth; 65 field was spent in educational and Rev. Wilhelm Zoellner, D.D., for- cents, paper. 95 pp. Zondervan evangelistic work at Barranquilla, Bo- mer head of the Church Affairs De- Pub. Co. Grand Rapids. gota and Medellin. partment of the Nazi government and one-time leader in the ecumenical The West Indies. H. P. Thompson. *** movements of Stockholm and Lau- 70 pp. 18. S. P. G. London. sanne, died at Duesseldorf, July 17. Mr. William Philips Hall, for 26 The World, the Church and You. years president of the American Tract When, in December, 1936, Hitler Outlines for Group Study. 34 pp. Society, died on August 14 at Walling- ,rarned Nazi leaders to cease their at- 3d. Edinburgh House Press. Lon- ford, Conn., in his seventy-third year. tacks upon Christianity, part of the don. Mr. Hall was born at Stamford, credit was given to Dr. Zoellner, who Conn., on February 1, 1864. He was was reported to have warned the gov- Yahrbuch Der Ostasien Mission. 96 the founder and for many years the ernment that its anti-Church program pp. Allgemeiner Evangelische-Pro- president of the Hall Signal Co., vice- had gone too far. tantische Missionsverein. Berlin, president of the American Bible So- Germany.
The Man that Changed the World. Frederick B. Fisher. 208 pp. $2.00. Cokesbury Press. Nashville.
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