I‘ul>Ii»!ic<l Montlily by the Foreign JBIhwi.
Hoard
о
i tbc Southern Itnptint Couventio
"ALL 1'0)VER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH .
GO YE , THEREFORE , AND
ТЕАСП
ALL NATIONS
.»
Vol. 12. — New Series.
[Enteml :it tlw
1*оя1-ОГПсо
nt lllchmoiul, Vn., n« second-
class matter.]
FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL
HATES
РКП
ANNUM:
One copy . 50 cts
four copies and over, to
оно
mid roes, ouch . 25 cte,
48-I'lea*» remit by Draft, 1’ostnl Order, or In Registered
belter, and uotlfy na piiomptly of iniy clntngo In address.
Address, FOREIGN MISSION .TOURNAh,
Richmond, Va.
FOREIGN MISSION BOARD
OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION,
Located at RIUHMOND, VIKOINU,
PiiKKlDBNT
L. M. CURRY.
YicK'PitKSlliKKTM.— Hiram Woods, Md., J. A. Hackett,
I.a,, \V. II. Kirk, Va., II. II, McCnlluin, Fla., T. II. I’rltcli-
anl, N. U„ J. la. Harrows, Ky„ S. Hemlerson, Alabama,
W. Poiw Yeaman, Mo., .7. II. Link, Texas, W. L. Kilpatrick,
(la., J. U. Furman, S. 0.. Matt. Hllleman, Tenn., T. I‘.
K»|iy. Ark.. 31. P. Lowry, Miss.
OoiinitsiajNiiiNO Skcuktauy— II. A. TUPI’ER.
Тнклниавп-чТ.
U. WILLIAMS.
Kkcoiidihu SaciiKTAitY— W. II. OWATIIMEY.
AUDiTOU— JOSEPH F. COTTRELL.
ROAHDorMANAiiKiib _ J. II. Hawlhome. J, H. Watkins, H.
K. Elly son, W. E. Hatcher. E. Wortham, Henry McDonald,
W. Goddlu, II. II. Harris, J. Pollard, Jr., J. W. Jones,
Л. П
Clarke, J. R. Winston, T. J. Evans, U. II. Winston, S. C.
Olopton. _
ИГ Л
ll communication* in reference to the business
of this Hoard should be addressed to 11.
Л. Торге*,
O>rrcspondin<; Secretary, Richmond, Va.
PLEASE PRESERVE THIS.
History repents itself. Several years ago we were
much perplexed by Societies demanding that their
contributions should lie sent directly to the objects
for which the contributions were made. Many let¬
ters of explanation were written, and many para¬
graphs were penned in the Journal. The matter
seemed, then, fully understood and finally settled,
lint, with this increase of Societies, or the change
of olliccrs, the subject revives. Again explanatory
letters have been written ; and now we republish
ait article which appeared lit the JOURNAL of No¬
vember, 1878, with the particular request that it be
preserved and occasionally read by our Missionary
Societies :
CONTRIP.UTTONS FOR SPECIAL ODJECTS.
Particulars interest more than general subjects.
Persons are more influential, with the masses of
people, than principles. This Is illustrated in the
fact, that when our friends send little moneys for
missions, they rarely say, “This is for the perish¬
ing heathen, ” but “1 send the enclosed for Miss
Moon, or Mrs. Yates, orMiss Whlidcn ; ” or, “This
money is for the toucher Wong Ping San, or the
pupil ICwang Tsinig Kai." The name, the photo¬
graph, the personality, interests; the fact of its
being a man, or a woman, or u child, givesa reality
to the object, and enables the contributor to realize,
as we say, that lie is doing some dellnito work.
This is perfectly natural. It will continue to be
so. Hut this is not the most elevated state of the
missionary spirit. It is not the missionary who
should be regarded so much as the heathen ; and
not so much llio heathen as the Lord Jesus among
tlie nations. This broad view we do not hope to
have entertained by the great body of the people.
We are liappy to have them to do something for
the cause, in whatever way, and under whatever
views they may adopt. Under these circumstances
RICHMOND, VA., OCTOBER, 1880.
there should be a perfect understanding between
tlie contributors and the Hoard and the mission¬
aries, with respect to this subject. The manner of
communicating tlie offerings of donors to tlie objects
of tlie donation is so obvious that we may not have
been siillleiently careful to make it plain to ail of
our contributors. That young lady, for instance,
who sent to us seven dollars and llfty cents for a
certain school in Chinn, and then a month or two
after, wrote to know If her seven dollars and a half
hiul been sent to China, clearly did not understand
tlie matter. Neither did that Association, which
gave twenty dollars for one of our missionaries,
and required that a receipt for twenty dollars from
tlie missionary should be returned to tlie Associa¬
tion. The Hoard makes an annual appropriation
to each mission, which covers all expenses of the
missions, and witli tlie exception of one mission,
tlie missions draw on tlie Hoard, anil are thus paid
tlie amount of the appropriation. Tho contribu¬
tions come in from tlie various sources, and thus
our Treasurer is furnished with the means to pay
tlie drafts of tho missions ; or, to make remittances
to tlie mission which does not draw. Now when
that young lady sends her seven dollars and a half
quarterly, it is not, of course, sent to tlie school in
China, because tlie whole year’s appropriation lias
been, or will be sent by tho Treasurer, or drawn
for by tlie missionary, at tlie proper time. If our
Treasurer pays thirty dollars annually to tlie school,
is it not the same ns if tlie young lady’s seven dol¬
lars and llfty cents were sent each quarter? To
make tlie matter very plain for our young contrib¬
utors, a little girl wants to buy with her owii money
a wax doll in New York, for next Christmas, which
will cost ten dollars, and she can send to iter Aunt
there one dollar and twenty-live cents a week.
The Aunt buys at once tlie doll for ten dollars, and
receives the ono dollar and twenty-live cents week¬
ly. Now is not that exactly tlie same tiling as, and
butter than, if the one dollar and a quarter were
taken weekly to tlie store where tlie doll is bought?
Гп
tlie case of our work it is not only better for
the Hoard to pay tlie missionaries statedly, and tlie
people supply tlie money as they can, hut it is the
only way that tlie business, under tlie present cir¬
cumstances, can possibly be conducted. And we
have been surprised to see that some contributors
ilo not realize that their responsibility ends when
they receive the receipt of the Board for the money
they have donated. Then the responsibility of the
Hoard begins, which responsibility they deeply
realize, and seek to discharge, as under tlie eye of
Him to whom they must give an account.
Hut tho question may arise : Suppose the quar¬
terly contributions of a particular person or soci¬
ety for a special object should aggregate more than
the annual appropriation of tlie Hoard to that ob¬
ject? Tho balance would, of course, go over to
the credit of tlie object, and to make up tho appro¬
priation of tlie next year. This is distinctly stated
In tlie “Rules for special contributions,” which
are printed in every issue of tlie Journal. But,
this question is really one of no practical impor¬
tance. In tlie whole course of our experience with
missions, we have never known but one instance
where the contributions during tho year, for a
epecillc work, exceeded tlie annual appropriation
No. 7.— Whole No. 127.
of tlie Hoard. Almost invariably tlio contributions
for special objects fall short of the appropriation.
In the single instance above stated tlie intelligent
representative of the contributions directed that
tlie excess might go to tlie general fund of tlie
Board. Hut suppose tho Board makes no appro¬
priation for tlie object for which funds are sent?
There arc no such objects, except an occasional
building, and Tract atid Bible distributions, to
which, of course, are most sacredly applied the
exact amounts donated for them. The whole
work of the missionaries, for which funds are re¬
ceived by the Hoard, Is covered by tho appropriation.
Tilts also is distinctly stated In tlie monthly published
“Rules for special contributions.” If lands are
sent directly to our missionaries for work, which is
not recognized as tlie work of tho Southern Bap¬
tist Convention, that is a matter between tlie mis¬
sionaries and their private patrons. It is not our
affair. Tho Hoard has no responsibility, and makes
no objection. Hut tlie Hoard, let it be understood,
receives no funds for regular missionary work,
which is not covered by their annual appropriation.
And we hope that all future missionaries of tlie
Board will understand that the contributions for
them are not independent oi but auxiliary to tlie
appropriations of tlie Board. The business men of
tlie cluircbcs should explain tills to tlie societies,
and especially to the young people, while they
must not discourage those who will only con¬
tribute to some specific object or person. On tills
tiiere may be absolute reliance that every mission¬
ary, or missionary object, under tlie Board, re¬
ceives in our annual appropriation all, and com¬
monly more than all, that contributors send for
that missionary or missionary object. Tills cleurly
understood might save some anxiety on tlie part
of contributors and no little annoyance on tlie part
of the Board.
Some time ago wc published the action of the
American Miss. Union on tills subject. It is so ap¬
propriate to our present line of thought that it will
boar to be repeated. It was a part of a report pre¬
sented by Dr. Moss, and adopted at Cleveland, O.
Resolved , That contributions to the Missionary
Union should, as a rule, be for its general work
and not designated for special uses. Tlie compre¬
hensive knowledge of the whole foreign field by
tlie Executive Committee, their impartial interest
in every part, and their conscious responsibility to
the churches at home and tlie missions abroad,
make them wiser and better distributors of tlie
bounty of tlie churches than tlie donors them¬
selves can be. District Secretaries and other agents
are urged not to make special appeals for special
objects, but for the one great work as a whole, and
missionaries arc respectfully desired not to ask
their friends or tho churches for money for partic¬
ular points or particular enterprises, unless those
requests are formally approved by the Executive
Committee. Only embarrassment, hlnderance and
injustice can come, as they have so often come in
tlie past, from tho designation of contributions by
tho contributors to narrow and special purposes.
But, while tlie best way may be not to hamper
Boards by such conditions and specification, if that
is not tlie most pleasant way for our contributors
to give, let them give as they will. Tlie great thing
is for them to give. These lines are written on
hearing that certain choice members of an admira¬
ble little society did not understand why their little
but highly appreciated funds could not be sent di¬
rectly and immediately to a special object, which
had been fully paid for by the Board.
