Foreign Mission Journal, February 1890

Foreign Mission Journal: PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE FOREIGN MISSION ВОЛШ* OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. -<<Y ■«ALL POWER IS MB IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS.» Vol. 2i— New Series. ~ ^ RICHMOND, VA.f FEBRUARY, 1890. No. 7 — Whole No. 259. (Entered at the РоеЮШо* at Ittchmond, Та.. a> »econd-ciaM matter,} Foreign Mission Journal. RATES PER ANNUM ; I. For papers separately addreeeed, either to same or to different poet otHoee i . ~.M си. . «.S3 Ней. apiece. One copy........... . Three copies & 11, or— . U. For packages sent lo one person, who shall be rseronalble for their distribution i Four copies for $1, or more at. . 28cte. apiece. Twenty-flve copies for 93. or more at . 30 cts. apiece. One Hundred copies for 913, or more at.. 13 си. apiece. «-Please remit by !)rnft, Postal Order, or Inltegls- ureJ Letter, and notify ns rnoupTLY of any change m adetreee. Address, FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL, RlCHMOKD, Va. ADVERTISING RATES. i 3 в 13 ВГАОВ. Month. Monthe Months Month, One loch...., . 1 26 8 45 Л АП 13 00 Two inchea . 1 «0 3 43 12 60 22 60 Thieelnohee . 3 so 9 20 is do 83 00 Quarter column.,. 4 73 13 00 16 00 43 00 ll&lf column . им 9 26 28 23 48 00 90 00 One column . 18 00 60 00 92 60 178 00 FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, LCCATIP AT BIOHMONP, TIRO INI A tied "Necessity for Prompt and Liberal Action,” and the question will be answer¬ ed, The Board has gone as far ahead of the churches as it dares to do, and must now wait until these come up. NECESSITY FOR PROMPT AND LIBERAL ACTION, Eight months of the conventional year have passed, and we think it well to let the brethren generally know exactly how the Hoard stands financially. At the end of December the receipts from all sources amounted to 149,410.35. The expenditures had been, in round num¬ bers, *75,000. This leaves the Hoard with a deficit of some $26,000. This deficit is no larger than we have had once before at this time of year, and lienee some of our readers may be inclined to say, " Oh, well, the Hoard will come out as it did before.” We hope so, but if it does, there will have to be some liberal giving on the part of our people. While the Hoard has, it is true, been as far behind at some previous time, it is also to be borne in mind vast multitudes of the common people who gladly hear of him who came to seek and to save the lost, who came to call not righteous men but sinners to repentance. Let us give the gospel to these— not for¬ getting those also— and, as has been the case oftentimes before, by God’s blessing, the nation at large can be made Christian, while the few are dallying with false and foolish doctrines aifd devices of men’s minds. Now is the time for Christians to work for Japan. SADDER THAN DEATH. Many hearts will be saddened by the news from North Africa concerning Rev. C. L. Powell, contained in the extract be¬ low, taken from the Richmond Dispatch of January 5th. It will perhaps be remembered by many ol our readers that our Board was earnest¬ ly urged, some years ago, to begin work in North Africa, and Bro. Powell was very _ _ _ _ _ anxious to go as one of our missionararies. that never before have the expe'nsVs'to be | The Coardi af‘?r W?ful inquiry as to the met between January and May been nearly I cot fiP ft lie wav ПР9Г tr» pni so heavy as (hey will be this year, All new missionaries who went r- Pbusidiht— II. H. Нмчч». TlOk-PnESinsirTS;— .>05«IO\ 'amllwi. *.».( Л. B. Owe a, Y> tl . L. White, О „а. у. >•' .. W. A.) — Aiatinma, J. * -ngby, Ky., V,. ... „,<u " . Greene, Mo., И. H. Carroll ...pntrlclr, On., A. J. S. Tbomne, S. O. am, Tenn., J. II. Searcy, Ark., George s., W. F. Attkleeon, W. To. T: eoe, Mrt.,0. W, Halley. Fla.. W. O. Bled laoanjat •fekne £..*'• 41. t»r~ „agbani _lfield, Ml», ОовчжбГОЯотаЗкСПкТАпт— H.A. ТТТРРЕП. Assistant Skcbktary, T. P. BELL. Tbmasitbbr— J. O. WILLIAMS. ItBCOnniNO Sbcbbtabt— А. B. CLARK». Auditor— H> O, BURNETT. HOAbdot МАЯАаквв,— H. K. Ellyeon.O. H. Win- moo. W. E. Hatcher, J. Pollard, IT., S. O. OIod- (on, J. II. nution. W. n. Thomas. W. W. LAhdrnm, Ore. Cooper. О. H. Hyland. H. C. Barnett, T. P. Mathew#. II. H. Pitt. It. S. . . ’ Thee. Whitfield. . Ilosher, J. L. M. rnrrr. t№~ All communications t'n ref степсе to the business of this Board should be addressed to H. A. Tuppkr, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond, Va. N0 MORE MISSIONARIES AT PRESENT WHY? "The Committee on New Missions and Missionaries beg to express the opinion that, while there are a number of appli¬ cants for missionary work who might do good service, the Board is not prepared, at present, to make any further appointments.” Such was the report of the Committee of the Board whose duty it is to consider all applications for appointment to foreign fields, made to the Board at its meeting, January 6th. They so reported, not because there are not urgent calls for workers coming from the fields. The Mexican Association beg hard for at least one man to help Bro. Wil¬ son in tile growing work at Gaudalajara and the surrounding territory. So much is he needed there, that the brethren in Mexico have asked that if a new man can¬ not be sent, they be allowed to choose one from Coahuila, and send him, though this mission needs every man it has. From Brazil come earnest pleas for helpers— from Bagby, at Rio. where a now rapidly growing work over-taxes the strength of this one worker; from Taylor, at Bahia, who finds it impossible to rightly sup¬ ply Bahia and supervise the growing work in a field four hundred and fifty miles long and two hundred and fifty broad; from Daniel, in the province of Minas Geraes, a territory as large as Texas. From North China, Miss Loilie Moon pleads for some more men to reap where she has sown, and so save the converts for our mission. Dr. Graves begs for at least one well-prepared man to aid him in his literary work, and to be ready to take it up and carry it on when he goes to receive his crown. Africa’s cry is constant, and ought to be answered. Nor did this Committee so report be¬ cause no suitable men and women were of¬ fering themselves for work. There are numbers of them, among them men of whom Seminary professors say that they are among their very best graduate* or students. Then why does this Committee so re¬ port? Read the aiticle on this page enti- L ..,e are now on their I)*»-* -'■‘t in lSS9 ^ full salaries f-- -*» and wi>l all draw fund''*' .urn now until then. Special - mat have been given in the last two years to church buildings 011 some of our fields are being called for, and the Board must meet the call. To complete the work that ought to be done this year, the Board will need the full amount asked for, *150,- 000. Of this amount *49,410.25 had been given in eight months. In the four months yet remaining, f100.5S9.75 ought to be raised, and can be, if our people will con¬ sider and act. UNITARIANISM FOR JAPAN. In a little tract which we recently wrote on Japan, we made the statement that in the decay of Buddhism in that empire, three principal forces would be found struggling for the control of the Japanese mind and heart— infidelity, Unitariar.ism and evangelical Christianity. These three are now on the field. In the second, Uni- tarianism, there lies great danger to the Jap anese, and the recent active interest taken by its friends and followers in this country in propagating its soul-destroying princi pies in Japan, should not only sadden the hearts of the followers of Christ, but stim¬ ulate them to greater zeal in giving their Lord's truth to these people. So little change would have to be made in a Budd¬ hist’s faith in becoming a Christian that the transition would be easy, while the adoption of the new system would give to the Japanese the much-coveted name of Christian, and tend, in so far, to have his nation ranked with Christian nations. Some time since the Rev. Mr. Knapp, a Unitarian from the United States, went to Japan to spy out the land. He was much pleased with the prospects, not of bringing any new truth to the Japanese, but of per¬ suading them that they have the truth, and that that truth is the same as held by the Unitarians of this land. So he tells them that he conies to them not as a missionary, but as an “ambassador of religion,” to help them solve the religious problem of the future, by bringing to their knowledge cer¬ tain “liberal religious sentiments " held by his co-religionists in America. He tells them that they possess a type of morality far superior in many respects to that of the West, and that of a religion built on their foundations none need be ashamed. Budd¬ hism and Unitarianism are sister systems, and their advocates would join forces. Be¬ fore an assembly of Unitarian-, in Boston, a cultivated Japanese gentleman asked the question, “What is the difference between Buddhism in its highest state and Unita¬ rianism?” and without contradiction from his audience, answered his own question, “They are just the same.” But for all that, the Unitarians are sending out more "ambassadors,” and seeking to win Japan to their views. Blind leaders of others similarly blinded with themselves— surely both shall fall into the ditch, unless he shall be made known to them who has power to open blinded eyes. While the learned and the great of Japan are listening to the Unitarian, and welcom¬ ing him as a brother of like faith, there are see its way clear to enter bn V.ork there, and when it so informed bro¬ ther Powell, he decided to go as an inde¬ pendent missionary, leaving the question of Ills suppport to God and those of his brethren who might feel Inclined to assist therein. He was always an enthusiastic friend of foreign missions, and to it gave literally his all. He worked in Africa as few men work, and from several sources came, from time to time, testimony that- his work was accomplishing good. While the Board has never seen any reason to doubt the correctness of its judgment in the matter of beginning work there, it always rejoiced in every evidence of the success of brother Powell’s work, and now mourns its sad termination. Others will carry on what he so nobly began and so' earnestly prosecuted. May God’s blessing be upon him and his deeply afllicted family: Raleigii, N, C., January 4.— Rev. C. L. Powell, a Baptist preacher, went a few years ago as an independent missionary from North Carolina to Algiers, North Africa. The sad news has been received here that he has lost his mind and killed his daughter by cutting her throat with a pocket-knife. His daughter was six years old. He also made an attack upon his wife, who fled, and thus saved herself. He is now in an insane asylum in Algiers. His family, consisting of a wife and four chil¬ dren, desire to get home. Rev. Mr. Pow¬ ell’s mind was affected some years ago, and he spent a month in the insane asylum at Raleigh. He had been in an asylum at Algiers, but having improved, was allowed to go home, and soon after made the mur¬ derous attack. SCRAPS PICKED UP. The struggle of the Arabs in Eastern and Central Africa is a death struggle. They this as they see the English, Ger- and French blockading the coast to the transporting of slaves, and the increasing number of trading stations being opened by Europeans, while the Congo Free State limits their power on the West. . The missionaries on the Congo seem to think Bishop Taylor's colonization scheme a failure. Those in his colonies who support themselves find little or no time for missionary work. One writes that nearly all the members of his mission have either died, gone home, or connected them¬ selves with other missions . "A reac¬ tion is taking place; but, excepting in a few instances, it is not towards the religion of the Bible. The great trend is towards infidelity and indifferentism.” So writes a missionary from Chile. The same sad story comes from all countries where Cath¬ olicism has long held sway . Along the valley of the Nile, from Alexandria to the first cataract, are 79 mission stations, 70 Sabbath-schools, with 4,017 scholars; 6,651 copies of the Bible have been sold, with 8,933 other religious works . Five hun¬ dred missions, 20,000 mission stations, 40,- 000 missionaries, 500,000 Sunday-school scholars, 1,000,000 native communicants, 2,000,000 native adherents — these approx¬ imately tell the story of Protestant mission work in heathen countries Five Pro¬ testant journals are published in Brazil . Our people ought to pray that the recent political movement in Brazil may be used of God for the furtherance of his work. A VOICE FROM MEXICO. nv ii. p. McCormick. Bare ever n mleerlr heart withstand The rending cry of this nclshhor Innd ? The mute nppenl or her outstretched hand t Dare ever n frozen heart sny •‘Not" Or a coldly pitiless glance bestow On our suppliant sister, Mexico? • Ah I to break the bonds of this Papal slave, And lift her out of her deep-dug grave, And fell her the power of Jesus to sn«c— T here were never a blood-bouglit licnrt, I trow, unwilling to send, or unready to go, To the succor of blinded Mexico I Oh I haste tbcc.dcnr Lord I Restore her her eight I At the gleam of thy Crows will vanish her night, And a touch of thine hand will banish her blight. And graciously on us thy Spirit bestow, That thy servant*, О Christ, may faithfully sow The seed of thy Word In Mexico. And we’ll water with tears this sowing of love. Till down from the wimlowB of heaven above Wc welcome, with Joy, the peace-bringing Dove. Then you who stay, ami we who go, Together ehall sing, with heart all nglow, The "Harvest Home" of Mexico. Aj;e, together we’ll sing— on that harvest day, Midst the golden sheaves— the victor’s lay O'er the crumbling ruins of Idolatrous away ; Together wc’ll sing of the overthrow Of the crowned shame, of the sceptred woe. That reeks and ruins In Mexico. And the river of God, with rushing tide, will bear 011 the crest of Its waters wide The story of Jesus, the cruolfied. And with the warmth of Ite holy flow Will bid tlic flowers of Eden blow— JVcn midst the wastes of Mexico. , u-i New Year's greeting— To my dear and revered frithd, fellow- worker and brother, Dr. H. A, TUfiper— praying God that he may lie more blessed in heart, mind and CDul, and more useful in life, during iS$jCj than ever before. H. P. McCormick. y.acaiecas, Mexico, Dec., j8Sq. HOOKS. From the American Baptist Publication Society, 1420 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, we have received the following: Commentarv on the Epistle to the Heerews. By Dr. A. C. Kendrick. Price *1.75. Another volume of the excellent "Amer¬ ican Commentary on the New Testament,” for which all Bible students have to thank this great Society. Saturday Afternoon. ByWayland Hoyt, D. D. Selections from Saturday afternoon conversations on the Christian life. Price, *roo. Pedoraftism. Is it from Heaven or of Men? By J. M. Erost. This is a re-publication of the excellent little work of Dr. Frost, which every pastor would do well to have on hand to lend to enquirers for the more perfect way of the Lord. Price 75 cents. Walter Harlf.v’s Conquest. By E. L. S. E. Price *1.00. Brookside Lirrary. Ten stories for lit¬ tle folks, by Mrs. R. M. Wilbur. Ten volumes, price *3.00. Rio Janeiro, January 8.— An official de¬ cree just promulgated proclaims a separa¬ tion of Chu-ch and State, guarantees reli¬ gious liberty and equality, and continues the life stipends granted under the mon¬ archy. The prayers of the missionaries in Brazil have been answered in the decree men¬ tioned above. Now is the time to press our work in Brazil. Good men are anxious to go. Read the article on this page entitled “ No More Missionaries at Present— Why ?” and see why they are not sent. THE PERVERSIONS OF ROME. Rev. Dr. Jacob Chamberlain, of the Arcot Mission, writes to the Mission Field of a sad sight witnessed by him in May last as he was upon the I’ulney mountains near to our Mission Sanitarium at Kodaikanal. He had heard of a feast to be celebrated in that vicinity, and supposed that it was a heathen festival, and was not surprised at the tooting of horns, the beating of tom¬ toms, and the boom of cannon, it was on Sabbath day, and on his way to our mission church he saw the crowds thronging the booths, where brisk sales were going on. The whole scene was purely heathen in its character, but to Dr. Chamberlain’s aston¬ ishment he saw a Roman Catholic church near by, and on asking a Hindu what it all meant, he was answered, "Oh, this is the feast of St. Mary, the mother of God." Later he saw pagodas and canopies borne on the shoulders by men. Under one of the canopies was the figure of an angel, under another a figure of the Virgin Mary, some four feet high, dressed in silk and •satin, while the third canopy contained St. Joseph, with the infant Jesus In his arms. These images were borne into the street amid the clanging of the heathen orches¬ tra. whilo the people threw rice and pulse and other light grains over the canopies. This travesty of the religion of Jesus was a close Imitation of the ceremonies of the heathen festivals. The worshippers were as thoroughly heathen as ever, though their idols bore Christian names. It was a sad illustration of what Romanism can do.— Missionary Herald. Theses, ion of missionaries wearini question of missionaries wearing the f the people among whom they labor •n much discussed. Some good peo- dress of ...v K,.v, has been much discussed.” Some good peo^ pie have advocated It vehemently on gene¬ ral principles, while others have as strongly, opposed it on the same grounds. The question has never been settled, and prob- ably never will be. But if an attentive con¬ sideration of the discussions, without prac¬ tical experience on the, mission field. Is worth anything, we may be permitted to express the opinion that this question is “K 1 nau larF? <;las? ,of Problems In wh ch neither side is right or wrong, but' which ought to be decided according to ne.z.r54!£s,?nces in each particular case.— Baptist Missionary Magazine. Just the position taken by our Board on this question. The Individual missionary Is the best judge of such matters, and should not be hampered by any rules on the sub- ect. THE CALL TO MISSION SERVICE. 1 HEV. it. C. DUBOSE, SOOCIIOtV, CHINA- The call to a foreign field comes not to the young man as a great light suddenly shining from heaven round about him, or with audible words spoken from the great throne, but often with a still small voice, “ What doest thou here I” — here, in a gos¬ pel landaboundingin Bibles and preachers; here, where flows the water of life so freely j here, where whosoever will may be saved, A desire to obey the command of Christ Is My the mainspring of action in this It is a longing to do good even as "went about doing good,” or, as the man said, “Withhold not good from to whom it is due, when it is in tho powerof thine hand todo h." It is a yearn¬ ing to lead the most useful life possible du¬ ring our few years upon this earth. It is the burning of the heart within to preach the glad tidings to those who are without. Sometimes the call comes in the day. but oftener during the silent hours of darkness, as when the apostle was at ancient Troy, a vision appeared to him at night. “There stood a man,” on the opposite shore, "and prajed him, saying, come over into Mace¬ donia and help us.” A hungering and thirsting to preach to- the heathen is the prime element in a call ; just as an aged min¬ ister said to me when I was at the Seminary, " If tiie Lord puts it into your heai t to go, wbv, go.” The lines written by Rev. Dr. Nathan Brown find an echo in many a heart. The only time it was the writer’s privilege to meet him was at a social prayer meeting at his house in Japan, and the stranger, invited to speak, mentioned how widely the " Mis¬ sionary’s Call ” had been copied, and placed it beside Bishop Heber’s From Greenland's Icy Mountains, as a part of the missionary heritage. Dr, Brown was asked by one present to give the history of the poem, and he said it was the first time he had ever been requested to do so. Written at the age of nineteen, when he was at college, it was sent to a newspaper, but hearing nothing from it he was discour¬ aged from further attempts to reach the heathen field, and went to the printer’s trade, Afterwards lie saw it copied in a Princeton magazine, and this held out some hope. After a lapse of time it was printed in the Baptist papers, and (though he did not say so) the Society sought him out. He lived three times nineteen years to preach in Assam and Japan : My *oul Is not nt rcHt; there соте* a strange And secret whisper to my spirit, like A dream at night, which tells me X am on linchantcd ground. Why live I here? The vow* Of God arc on me, and X may not stop To piny with rhndows, or pluck early flowere, TUI I iny work have done and rendered up Account. The voice of my departed I.ortl, "Go teach all nations,” from the eastern world. Сошен on the night air and awakes my ear. And I will go. I may no longer doubt To give up friends and home und Idle hope*. And every tender tic that binds m.v heart To thee, ray country. Why should I regard Ibirth's little store of borrowed sweets? . Never wan it his design Who placed me here that I should live at case. Or drink at pleasurc’sfountaln. Henceforth, tbep. It matters not if storm onmnshlnc be My earthly lot, bitter or sweet my cup; I only pray God lit me for the work. God make me holy, and my spirit nerve For the stem hour of strife. Let me but know There Is an arm unseen that bolds me up, An eve that kindly watches nil my path. Till I my weary pilgrimage have done; Let me but know I have n friend that wait» To welcome me to glpry, and X Joy To trend the dark nnd death-fraught wilderne*». The most important qualification for mission work is the anointing of ’the Holy Spirit. Just as at the first missionary meet- ing at Antioch, when the apostles and eld¬ ers were assembled together, “ as they min¬ istered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whercuu to. I have called them.” May it be said of many и young man who reads, “ For he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentl'cs, and kings, and the children of Isre-jr.;'’— ТЛ* Missionary, ■ '