Foreign Mission Journal, February 1887

FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL. I'ul)llnlie<l monthly by tlio Foreign Mission Hoard of tlio Southern Baptist Convention. “all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, go ye, therefore, and teaoh ALL NATIONS." Vol. 18— New Series. RICHMOND. VA„ FEBRUARY, 1887. No. 7.— Whole No. 222- f&nterftl at tho I’ost-OfTlce at Richmond, Vo., «econd-cltuie mailer.] Foreign Mission Journal RATES PER ANNUM : I. For papers eeparately addressed, either to same or to different j»oet ofllces : One copy . . . . . . . Л5 cts. Three topics « «I, or . -33H cU. apiece. II. For packages sent to one person, who shall be respomlble for their distribution t Four copies for ♦!, or more nt . 25 cts. apiece. Twenty-live copies for $Л. or more at . 2u cts. apiece. One Hundred cyples for $16, or more at.. 16 cts apiece* .f^-Please remit by Draft, Postal Order, or In Regis¬ tered better, and notify ue promptly of any change la address. Address. FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL. Richmond. Va. FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN ВЛРТ18Т CONVENTION, Located А т RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. PRESIDENT— II. II. 11ЛПШ9. Vice-Presidents _ Joshua I.evcrlnc, Mil., O. W. TomklM. La., О. II. Win» ton, . Va., N. A. IlaUey, {■la., Th«. WlilldelJ, N.O., a. I . RnRby.Ky., J. J. ll. Ron- Iroe. Alabama. I!. S. Duncan, Mo., II II. Carroll, T.IOJ, W. I., kllpalrlck, Oa„ Ohae. Manly, b. 0„ J. M. S.nU-r, Tenn.. J. II. Searcy, Ark., Пеогце WhlllltlU. Ml.»., W. I'. AUkU.on, W. Ta. GonnasroMDiNO Secretary— II. A. TOPPER. Treasurer— J. O. WILLIAMS RECORDING SECRETARY— A. H. CLARKE. Auditor— JOSEPH F. COTTRELL. НОЛППОГ Managers.— It. <C. ЕПУ10П..Т. Н. We¬ ston. W. E. Hatcher. I. W. Jonee, J. Pollard. Jr., S. O. (Renton. ,T II. Hutton, W. 0. Thomne, W, W. Landrum, W J. Shipman. Geo. ({roper R. w. Power., II. H. Hyland, И. V llarr.elt, T. I". Mathew». HOT All communications in reference to the business of this Jioaril should be addressed to H. A. Tuppek, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond . Va. EACH ONE DOING HIS BEST For the Lord’s work, How would it pros¬ per? I sit, looking with my mind’s eye over the membership of a church— one out of the thousands of churches that dot our great Southern land. I wonder, as I look, what would he the result iT each one of these members was doing his or her best for the cause of that Lord who did Ids best for them. What would they raise for the exten¬ sion of his kingdom? Not a member too poor to give one dollar a year to the Lord's cause. A score who spend on folly and pleasure more than one hundred dollars a year. A dozen who could give, and not feel the outgo, one or two hundred dollars. A few who could give one thousand, and only temporarily diminish tltelt hank accounts, or the amounts loaned or invested. Not a comfort less, not a luxury less— only so much less for a time, owned. If each one in that one church would for one year do his or her best, they could easily support seve¬ ral missionaries. How few do their well for Christ's cause. How few do better . Do any o( us do our best f Do you, dear reader? HOW TO SUPPORT MISSIONS WITHOUT MONEY, This is a subject which the Southern Bap¬ tists have given to their Foreign Mission Board to consider, and that not as an ab¬ stract question. A glance at the figures given below will show in what a practical way the subject has been presented to the Board, #100,000 is required to carry on the Foreign Mission work of the Convention. To assist in raising this amount the Board divided it out among the several States, assigning to eaclt its quota. At the end of eight months of the conventional year the account stands as follows : Alaiiama.— Quota for year, 5,00000; for eight months, 85,333.33. Amount paid, eight months, $2,518.75; amount due for year, $2,481,25. Deficit in eight months, $814.58. , Arkansas.— Quota for year, $1,500.00; for eight months, $1,000.00. Amount paid, eight months, $717.87; amount due for year, $782.13. Deficit in eight months, $282.13. Florida.— Quota for year, $1,500.00; for eight months, #t,oco.oo. Amount paid, eight months, $271.90; amount due for year, $1.228.10, Deficit in eight months, $728.10. Georgia.— Quota for year, $12,500.00 ; for eight months, $8,333.33, Amount paid, eight months, $6,235.49; amount due for year, $6,264.51. Deficit in eight months. $2,097.84. Kentucky.— Quota for year, $12,500.00; for eight months, $8,333.33. Amount paid, eight months, $4,301.98; amount due for year, #8,198.02. Deficit in eight months, $4.°3t.3S- Louisiana.— Quota for ycar,$ 1,500.00; for eight months, $1,000.00. Amount paid, eight months, $183.70; amount due for year $1,316.30. Deficit in eight months, #816.30. Maryland.— Quota for year, $4,000 00; for eight months, $2,666,66. Amount paid, eight months, $1,780.00; amount due for year, $2,220.00. Deficit in eight months, $SS6.66. Mississippi.— Quota for year, SS.ooo.oo; for eight months, 5-333-33- Amount paid, eight months, $1,711.02; amount due for year, $6,288.98. Deficit in eight months #3,622.31. Missouri.— Quota for year, #8,000.00; for eight months, 5,333.33 Amount paid, eight months, #3,53-1.75! amount due for year, #4,465.25. Deficit in eight months, #1,798.58. North CARot.tNA.-Quota for year,#S, 000.00; for eight months, #5.333.33. Amount paid, eight months, 4,141.87; amount due for year, $3,858 '3- Deficit in eight months, $1,151.46. South CARouNA.-Quota for year, $8,oco 00; for eight months, $5,333.33. Amount paid, eight months, $3,430.45; amount due for year, $4,569.55. Deficit in eight months, 81.902.SS. Tennessee.— Quota for year, $5,000.00; for eight months, $3.333.33. Amount paid, eight months, $1,225.81; amount due for year, $3, 774,i9, Deficit in eight months, $2,107,52. Texas. — Quota for year, $11,500.00; for eight months, $7,666.66. Amount paid, eight months, $3,362.52; amount due for year, $8,137.48. Deficit in eight months, $4,304.14. Virginia.— Quota for year, $12,500.00 ; for eight months, $8,333.3 3, Amount paid, eight months, $4,751.55; amount due for year, $7,74S 45. Deficit in eight months, $3,581.78. West Virginia.— Quota for year, #500.00 ; for eight months, $333.33. Amount paid, eight months, $77.65 ; amount due for year, $422.35. Deficit in eight months, 8255.6s. From these figures it will be seen — 1. That whereas the churches ought to have paid into the treasury in eight months, $66,666.66, they have paid in only 83S.245.3t. 2. This leaves, for eight months, a deficit of $28,428.35, a large part of which the Board lias had to obtain in some way, so as not to let the missionaries suffer. Into the banks it has had to go and borrow. 3. From January 1st to May 1st, the Board must receive about $61,000, or report a debt to tbe Convention. What are you going to do about it ? medium-sized State. The outlook is sad beyond measure. But we are not prepared to accept these statements as all true. There is an element of truth in them, but an element of untruth as well. Certainly if our people had more religion, they would do more for the cause of Christ. But it is not true that what they are doing in the way of giving money is the measure of their religious life. Other things enter in and determine, or, at least, influence their giving. Enlightenment on the subject of their duty, for instance. How many pas¬ tors fail to enlighten their people ns to the duty of giving liberally to the spread of the gospel. How often do we hear pastors, in¬ stead of urging the people to the duty of large giving, rather making excuses for them, talking about hard times, &c.— actually put¬ ting excuses into the mouths of the people. How seldom is this duty pressed home upon our churches as a duty equally binding with that of being baptized, or of partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Again, the supplying or withholding of information determines to a large extent the giving of the people. Considering how lit¬ tle our people, many of them, at least, know about ourmissions and missionaries, we are sometimes amazed to see how much they give. They give it blindly, trusting to the pastor's say-so, that it is needed for the spread of the gospel. How few of our pas¬ tors know anything much about our mission work. A prominent pastor in one of our best developed States recently begged us to excuse him from writing a short paper on one of onr mission fields, because, as he said, lie did not know the facts, not having kept up with them for a year or two. It would surprise many of us, if we were in a position where we could each week read the religious journals of our land, to find out how little missionary information many of them contain. We close this article with an extract from a private note from brother J. H. Eager, of Rome : “ Inform, inform, inform is the word Oh, how I wish every pastor in the South could be induced to take one or two good missionary papers, and read them, and then rend some good book on missions.” Instruct and inform, and our people have religion enough to make them give. uttermost part of the eartli and longs for the farthermost heathen to be brought to iiis loving and saving service. So he bade; his disciples go, be witnesses of him "unto- the uttermost part of the earth,” that there,, too. tbe sinful and rebellious ones might know his love and grace, and give their hearts to him in loyal service. Reader, do you sympathize with your Lord) . in his desire? Are you helping him to ac¬ complish it ? Are you witnessing for him ini the " uttermost part of the earth ? ” IS IT TRUE? Two or three times of late we have heard such remarks as the following made by speakers at our annual gatherings: "The reason we don't give is because we hav’nt enough religion,” ” If we could get enough religion into our people there would be no lack of funds for carrying on our work.” "The need of the people is not more infor¬ mation, but more religion.” We have won¬ dered if these things are so. Is it true that the smallness of the gifts of our people is the outcome of low religious life? Can we measure the religious life of our people by their contributions ? If so, tlie religious life of the Southern Baptists must be at a very low ebb. The salt has not much savor. Judged by this standard the Baptists of the South have not much more than enough religion for one THE LAST WORDS. According to Acts 1:8, the last words that fell from the lips of the unascended Christ were “ uttermost part of the earth.” It was as if the last thought of Jesus, as he was about to ascend to Ids place at God’s right hand, went out in loving reacli after tlie farthest-off sinner of tbe earth. Before his death and resurrection he had been sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, though he had found and rescued some scat¬ tering sheep of the house of the Gentiles. Hitherto his light had shone for Israel, though some stray beams had fallen upon heathen eyes and given them sight. Hith¬ erto lie had been a good physician to Abra¬ ham’s fleshly seed, even though the healing truth had restored some few of the alien family. But now every tiling local disap¬ pears from his view. Israel's shepherd has become tlie world's shepherd, seeking, that he might save, the lost sheep of every house. Israel’s light has been transformed into the light of the world, to give sight to tlie blind of every nation and tribe and people, to lighten every man that sitteth in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death. Is¬ rael’s physician is now the world's healer and helper. Israel's king ii king of Israel alone no longer, but the heathen have been “given to him for an inheritance, and the uttermost part of the earth for a possession,” and he. longs for his possession. He looks to the MARRIAGE OF REV. H. P. McCORMICK. Rev. Hugh P. McCormick, of the Zacate¬ cas mission, Mexico, was married in Marion^ Ala., on the 16th of December; to Miss Arne,,. P. Perry, of that city. A correspondent in- the Marion Standard speaks thus of the- bride : "The writer has for nearly ten years- had tlie honor of claiming the bride as bis ■ friend, and he cannot refrain from saying : that he has never had a truer friend or known 1 a more exemplary, a nobler or purer woman 1 than she has always been, and no man can .* claim a more worthy helpmate than Mr.. McCormick." He says of Bro. McCormick: " Rev. H. P. McCormick, while professor 01 Howard College, won an enviable name as- a Christian gentleman and a scholar." It is pleasant to read such good -tilings- about our brotherand his bride. We extend them our congratulations, and pray God’s- blessing upon them in the new relation into- which they, have entered, trusting that they* may be abundantly useful in their mission, field at Zacatecas. The Missionary Review has a tabic of “Statistics of Woman’s Boards," from which we extract the following: There are in Great Britain, Canada and the United States 35 Boards. These have a total of 17,763 auxiliaries, and 3,534 bands (children). They have in the field 886 missionaries, witli 1,644 Bible readers and teachers. Their schools number 2.091, in which are 54,609 scholars. Their income last year was $1,167,078, a gain- of $42,924 over the year'preceding. Of these,. American societies have 16,395 auxiliaries,. 3,534 bands, 594 missionaries, 790 readers- and teachers, 1,142 schools, and 15,155 scho¬ lars. They contribute $803,95:. These sta¬ tistics do not include the work done by so¬ cieties which work only through the regular denominational boards, as is the case with, our own Southern societies. The Northern Presbyterian Board, in its-- ■ annual report for 18S6 shows, as compared • with 18S5, n gain of i mission, a loss of 1 ordained missionary, a gain of 6 lay mission¬ aries and 10 women, witli 5 ordained natives. . But strange to say, it reports a loss of 82 helpers and teachers, 757 communicants,., and 1,125 scholars. In Mexico alone they- report a loss of 2,713 communicants! What" does this mean ? Can Bro. Powell explain it?/ The American Baptist Missionary Union has among the Burmese 20 churches, with a membership of 1,481. This statement has reference to churches composed of Burmese, not including Karens and othersubject tribes. It has been only of late that any considera¬ ble success has attended the labors of mis- sionaries'among the Burmese proper. r 4 A missionary writing in the Review notes- the fact that from Great Britain go out as. missionaries quite a number of persons of wealth, who support themselves— thus giving, their wealth pins themselves to the mission¬ ary work." He says, " they are among the - best workers in the mission field,” and asks,., “why is it that no young men or- women in America, with private fortunes, ever appear 1 in the Foreign Mission field ?" Why is it ?