Sidebilder
PDF
ePub
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

The Bible Society in Great Straits

The Bible Society
Record tells us that

for the first time in a quarter of a century the American Bible Society finds itself in debt. Its reserve surplus is entirely used up. During the last four years it has drawn upon this surplus on an average $30,000 a year, in order that its far-reaching missionary work at home and abroad might not be suddenly crippled. Now this surplus is exhausted, and legacies, formerly so large and constant, have ceased to be a dependable source of income. The present annual contributions from life members, donors, churches and auxiliaries, together with the income from trust funds,

[blocks in formation]

most casily to the denominations which have the most ritual. Many Indians who have become genuinely devout confess that they first joined the Church because it made up in a way for the dance-music denied them by the government. It is only fair to state that these same Indians would now be the first to denounce these dances, because their keynote is the fervor of an idolator. As is so often the case among newly Christianized peoples, to the shame of older Christendom, the Sioux Indians far surpass the white people in their gifts. The former warriors of the plains now support missionaries in China and Africa.

A Society The American Miswith a sionary Association Manifold Mission knows no distinction of race or color

or previous condition, except that it would recognize the obligations to serve most faithfully those who are the least favored in privilege and opportunity. The work of this society extends to 8 different races, one of which has been adopted during the past year, and it touches the extreme limits of our American domain. On the west, aid is sent across the sea to the Hawaiian Islands; on the east, missionaries go to our new island dependency of Porto Rico; on the mainland, from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, the backward races among us, those most unprivileged and most difficult of assimilation-Asiatic, African, and aboriginal American-receives through it Christian institutions.

[blocks in formation]

Moslems have each 5,000,000 adher- God's consecrated cobbler, the founder

ents.

Italy, with 31,000,000, as well as Spain and Portugal with 25,000,000, are almost wholly Catholic. Belgium, with 6,000,000, is papal about twelve to one. In France, out of 39,000,000 less than a million are Protestants. Austria contains some 37,000,000 inhabitants, of whom 12,000,000 are non-Catholic. In Switzerland, nearly two-thirds of the 3,000,000 accept the Reformed faith. The German Empire holds 30,250,000 Protestants in a total of 48,000,000. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands, with a combined population of 13,500,000, are almost solid against Rome, the latter being overwhelmingly Presbyterian, and the others Lutheran. Great Britain and Ireland are Protestant by 29,620,000 against 5,640,000. Of the Catholics, 1,370,000 are found in England and Wales, and but 330,000 in Scotland. In Ireland are found 1,155,000 Protestants and about 4,000,000 Catholics. Russia and Greece have a population of 100,000,000, of which two-thirds belong to the Greek Church. Mohammedans comprise about one-half of Turkey's 5,000,000.

The Work of a According to the last

Scottish

Bible Society

annual report of the National Bible Society of Scotland, tho two years ago the annual circulation of its publications amounted only to 1,000,000, it has now reached a total of 1,526.813 copies, and these mostly sold.

Nearly one-fifth of these were disposed of in Roman Catholic countries, but the largest part was in nonChristian lands. Nearly three-fourths were distributed in India and China. In India, with 224 colporteurs, nearly 201,000 Scriptures were sold.

In

China the difficulty was not so much to find purchasers as to find the means sufficient to meet the extraordinary and growing demand for the books. A little over one-half of the entire issues last year were in Chinese, and there seems no reason why they may not reach the round million during the current year.

When Carey Rev. Herbert AnderSailed and Now son, of Calcutta, recently wrote: "A few days ago I was in Northamptonshire, and visited Hackleton. I was taken to the dilapidated shed in which

of modern missions, saw his first visions and dreamed his first dreams. As I stood on that historic site I could not but think of the marvelous change we have lived to see in the estimate of both the Church and the world of forThen the eign missionary work. world sneered, the Church was apathetic, while the Christian government of Great Britain was antagonistic. To-day this enterprise holds an influential place as one great factor in the moving life of the civilized world. To-day the Church admits that the best and brightest of her past history lies in that sphere of her activities. To-day she slowly awakes to the conviction that the very ground of her existence is bound up with a world-wide proclamation of the Gospel of God's love."

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Bibles by the Million Made and Distributed

The
report of the
British and Foreign

Bible Society shows that the issues for the last year were as follows: Bibles, 942,024: New Testaments, 1,366,674; portions. 3.548.947: total, 5,857,645. The totals of issues since 1803 are 192,537.746 copies of the Scriptures, complete or in parts. Of these more than 77,000,000 have been in English. To carry them far and wide, and to offer them from door to door, the society society employed 950 colporteurs throughout last year, at a cost of about $225,000. They sold over 2,250,000

[blocks in formation]

The General

Founded in 1884, the Evangelical General Protestant Protestant M. S. Missionary Society, with headquarters in Berlin, celebrated its twenty-first anniversary at Eisenbach, on September 27th. Japan and China are the fields. where its missionaries are laboring. In Japan the Gospel is preached in 2 stations and 2 out-stations, and there are employed 3 ordained European and 3 ordained native missionaries, 2 native evangelists, 2 native Bible women, and 3 native lady teachers. The theological school at Tokio was attended by only 3 students, but the missionary schools were well attended. The missionaries of the society look carefully after the small congregations of Germans in Japan.

In China the General Evangelical Protestant Missionary Society employs, in 3 stations, 3 ordained European missionaries, 1 physician, I deaconess, 15 native teachers, and 2 native medical assistants. The GermanChinese Seminary at Tsingtan and the other missionary schools were well attended, and the 3 hospitals proved most valuable auxiliaries in preaching the Gospel. The income of the society was $33,385; the expenses were $41,

057, so that a deficit of $7,672 was created.

Second German Three years ago the Colonial Congress first German Colonial Congress met in Berlin, and brought together a most rep-` resentative gathering of Germans interested in the welfare of the African

possessions of the empire. It was then considered an important fact that 3 of the large number of addresses dealt with missionary problems. The second German Colonial Congress met in Berlin, October 5th to 7th, and showed a marked progress over the first. About 2,000 members were present, and 87 colonial clubs were represented. But, best of all, 12 of the 73 addresses dealt with the problem of missionary work in German Africa. Rev. Dr. Buchner, missionary president of the Moravians, spoke on the oft-discussed theme, "The aid of the missionary in educating the natives to work." It was delivered before an assembly of princes and princesses. high officials of the government and high officers of the army, representatives of science and of commerce, and prominent missionary workers of the German Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Pastor Paul Lorenzkirch gave a review of the evangelical missions in the German colonies, where there are 148 stations, 900 outstations, 223 ordained missionaries, 73 lay workers, 48 sisters, 192 native pastors, and 1,635 native helpers: 75.816 native Christians; 30 high schools, 1,083 common schools, and 43,390 scholars. Speaker after speaker referred to the evil influence of the often immoral Europeans who live in the German colonies in Africa, and asked that only Christian men should be employed in official positions there.

The following remarkable resolution was unanimously passed by the congress:

Recognizing the great value of missionary work for science and civilization, we recommend that all friends of our Colonies give their full moral support to missionary work and thus cause greater union of civilizing effort.

A significant fact of the congress was the kind feeling of the representatives of Protestant and Roman Catholic missions to each other, which found frequent expression in the addresses, and led even to a brief friendly meeting of the representatives of both

missions.

The Turk as a Hinderer

ASIA

The Syria Mission shares the embarrassments common to all mission work in the Turkish Empire. The government appears more and more determined to restrict American Protestant missionary work in every practicable way. Exactions most trying in their character and in express violation of treaty rights are constantly being imposed. The effort that is being made by the government of the United States to secure for American Protestant enterprises in Turkey the privileges which the sultan has conceded to the missionaries of several European governments, notably the French and the Russians, has been continued, but thus far without results, and the failure is causing a still further loss of American prestige and is encouraging the Turkish officials to believe that they can treat Americans as they please. The Moslem populace is quick to take its cue from those in authority, and the missionaries and the property which they occupy is respected, but the native Christians have to suffer much.—Assembly Herald.

[blocks in formation]

there in the last few years-nearly double the number that returned with Zerubbabel.

The Moravian Leper Home in Jerusalum

This asylum, which

is doing such a noble work on behalf of these outcasts, is greatly in need of financial help. In spite of the strictest economy, the income is not sufficient to support the work. Surely those who are giving their lives to care for these in "living death" should be amply supported by Christians at home.

A Decade's According to Rev. J. Growth in L. Humphrey, of the Indian Missions Methodist North India Conference, the last ten years have witnessed a marked advance of Christianity in India. He says:

There

Careful analysis of census reports and missionary statistics show a total in 1901, of 3,337 foreign missionaries, including wives. Native ordained pastors, 1,100; native unordained preachers, 7.719. were 5.362 organized congregations, 6,888 Sunday-schools, enrolling 274,402 scholars; with 8,285 day-schools and 342,114 pupils. The schools of higher grade number 376, with 24,255 students. The native Christians numbered 2,036,590 in 1891, but rose to 2,664,313 in 1901. Protestants advanced in the decade from 474.909 to 865.985. The general increase of the whole population of India from 1891 to 1901 was 2.4 per cent. The Mohammedans increased 9 per cent., the Roman Catholics 16 per cent., while the Protestants increased during this peroid 82 per cent.

A Celebration in The twenty-third anColombo, Ceylon niversary of the Young Men's Christian Association in Ceylon was marked by the opening of a new association building. The ceremony was marked by addresses, by many prominent missionaries, by an athletic festival, and other events.

Systematic Giving The Christian women in Ceylon of Ceylon, in the matter of giving, are nothing if not original. The mother in each home, as she measures out the rice for the evening meal, takes at least a handful and puts it in the

« ForrigeFortsett »