Foreign Mission Journal, May 1883

FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL. 1 iiIiIInIiciI Monthly by tlie Foreign Mission Board of tlio Southern Baptist Convention. “ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS.» Vol. 14 — New Series. RICHMOND. VA„ MAY, 1888. No. 10.— Whole No. 166. I Entered ut th»» l’OHt-OMWtj at Jllchmoi.U, Vn., ne second-cine.* matter.] Foreign Mission Journal RATES PER ANNUM: One copy , separately folded and addressed . f 50 Tliieccojdcs, addressed to one person . 1 00 Ten copies, addressed (o one person . 3 Forty copies, addressed to one person . 10 One hundred copies, addressed to one person . 30 ДГВ- 'lease remit by Draft, Postal Order, or Jn Regis¬ tered Letter, and notify 11ч promptly of any change in address. Address, FOR li ION MISSION JOURNAL. Richmond, Va. FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. hOCATXD at RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. I’hcsident— J. I,. M. OURRY. Vicz-I'iuieiDSNTe.— Hiram Woodi.MU., J. A. Hack- elt. La., J. L. Ilurrows, Va., I'. 1*. ItMiop, Fla.. О У. Gregory, N. О., llobart Itylaml, Ky„ .1. .1. I). Ken- fro.-, Alabama. It. S. Duncan, Mo., O. W. I'ickeit Texas, W. I„ Kilpatrick. Я».. Olms. Manly, S. O., Matt. Illllsman, T«nn„ W. D. Maylleld, Ark,, Oeoree Whitfield, Ml»».. M. KllDon, W. Va, COUHr.RrVXVlNII SZCKRTAH Y— H. A. TIH’PEK. TnKAfibn Eli— .1. O. WILLIAMS. lUconmno SZCRKTAIIY— W. H. GWATHMEV AuDiToa — JOSEPH P. ООТТЯКЫ.. Полпп or MAKAomie _ J. II. Hawthorn», J. II. Wat- kln», H. K. Klly.on, W. K. Hatcher, E. Wortham, W. I). Thomae, W. Goddln. И. H. Harris, J. Pollard. .Tr., J. W. .топе». Л. H. Clarke, .T. It. Wine ton, J. It. Hut- eon, О II. Wluston, N. O, Cloplon. ter AU communciations in refertnee to the business of this Hoard should be addressed to H. Л. TuppKlt, Corresjinndiny Secretary, Richmond, Va The Convention will have great cause for thanksgiving. The report of the Foreign Hoard is one of the most encouraging ever presented. Equally cheering, from all that we can gather, will be the report of the Home Hoard. The two together have re¬ ceived during the year about flOO.OOP which is a gratifying advance over any previous year, and is an appreciable fraction, perhaps a tenth, of what Southern baptists ought to give for the evangelization of the world. Let us he encouraged to attempt more for the coming year, and let us all begin at once. OUR PUN OF REMITTING. Near the close of the financial year each mission makes its annual report of work and of expenditures, and therewith an itemized estimate of what Will probably be needed to carry on the work for another year. Upon these estimates the board bases its appro¬ priations, covering all the items if possible, curtailing, if necessary. The treasurers of the several missions are thereupon informed of tlie amounts appropriated, and authorized to draw accordingly quarterly in advance. Their drafts p.ro cashed by tlie bankers in Shanghai, Koine, Lagos, &c., forwarded through the regular commercial channels, and must be paid when they reach ourTreas- urer in Richmond. If during the year any considerable alteration in the working force at a mission should occur, the appropriation is correspondingly altered. ЛИ this lias been fully explained hereto¬ fore. We recur to it now to answer some questions that have been asked, and to add some remarks on its practical working. Tlie Missionary Review lias been for months past discussing witli great vigor the different plans of “sending money to mis¬ sionaries,” and while justly finding fault with some methods as unsafe and expensive, has commended ours (adopted also by tlie Southern Methodists and tlie Lutherans) as worthy of more general use, In tlie March- April No. tlie Review asks: “How comes it that our Foreign Mission boards here at tlie North, much the oldest and largest in tlie country, have been paying commission and interest to the bankers, in thousands* of dol¬ lars, all these years, while the three denomi¬ nations mentioned (and some otliers, we pre¬ sume,) have saved all this commission and interest for their mission work, by tlie usage they have adopted, authorizing their mis¬ sionaries to make and sell their own drafts? We would gladly know if tlie mission officers of these three branches of tlie church adopted their present usage from tlie first beginning of their foreign work, or lias it arisen from experience and tlie trial of va¬ rious methods?" Many years ago our Treasurer used to gather a store of Mexican dollars, pack them in kegs, and ship to our missionaries in Chinn by tlie slow-sailing vessels of tlie day. For this was gradually substituted tlie fashion of transmitting funds through a London banker, the plan still used by most of the boards, and liable to tlie grave objections urged by tlie Review. The present plan had been oc¬ casionally employed before, but was adopted as tlie regular policy of tlie board by the ad¬ vice of tlie present Corrcsponding.Secretary soon after his entrance upon tlie office— that is to say, about ten years ago. Whether tlie other two denominations preceded or have followed us in this matter we do not know. The Review commends the safety and economy of this method, but intimates “one possible ground of danger”— viz., that some missionary might overdraw, and tlie Treas¬ urer might be unable or unwilling to pay, and so bring discredit on all drafts. Our safeguard is in the character of tlie seven men— three in China, one in Italy, one in Africa, one in brazil, and one in Mexico— who as treasurers of the missions are au¬ thorized to draw. The responsibility laid upon them makes them all tlie more trust¬ worthy. It would, indeed, be ruinous to the credit of tlie board to allow any properdrnft from one of them to be protested for non¬ payment; but the refusal to pay an unau¬ thorized draft would ruin tlie credit only of tlie drawer. Tlie advantages of tlie plquare numerous. First and most important it relieves the lonely toilers on foreign shores from tlie harassment of waiting for remittances, and allows them to “ continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” Embarrassment for want of funds (here may lie, and unfortunately is every year, but it falls on the board rather than on tlie mis¬ sionaries. Secondly, it is entirely safe — the money having been paid to the mission¬ ary several weeks or even months before it leaves the hands of our Treasurer, cannot lie lost in transmission. It is also, we think, economical for two reasons: Rates of ex¬ change vary according to theshiftings of tlie “ balance of trade,” tlie sensible mission treasurer will draw a few weeks earlier or later to secure belter rates; then, again, he draws, say May 1st, for money which lie will be expending from that time to the last of July; tlie banker with whom lie keeps his funds on deposit can afford to casli his draft on the most liberal terms. There is still another advantage most im¬ portant in its reflex influence, and to this we ask tlie special attention of our readers. When it conies to be generally understood that drafts for tlie bodily sustenance of our MEXICO. The annual reports Лот brethren Powell and Flournoy came to hand after tlie report of tlie board, based on previous communi¬ cations, was already in type. We are thereby enabled to add some further details. brother Powell, in about six months of service, hns put in circulation, by sale and gift, 37 bibles, -10 Testaments, о I other books, and 3,BOO pages of tracts; lie lias held 38 prayer-meetings, preached -IS sermons, made 5!) addresses, and 116 religious visits; he has baptized 10 persons, and organized 1 church and 2 Sunday-schools. Mrs. Powell and Miss Mayberry “have done some effective work in house-to-house visitation;” tlie latter opened her school January 1st., with eleven pupils. Tlie only native assistant employed here lias been sister Renteria, one of the first converts in Mexico. Her salary lias been paid by tlie church at Saltillo, with the assis¬ tance of the churches of Rev. A. S. bunting, of Texas. The brethren are now engaged in raising means to build a house of worship in Saltillo, and hope their efforts will be seconded by friends elsewhere, so that they may go on at once, save rents, and be pre¬ pared for more effective work. brother Flournoy has disposed of 18 bibles and Testaments, and of 3,001) pages of tracts ; has given 120 days to school work, held 00 prayer-meetings, preached 132 sermons, and paid 197 visits. His preaching places arc at Progreso. Juarez, Sabinas, and Muzqucz, (four towns, with a combined pop¬ ulation of nearly 10,000,) in the State of Coalntiln, and at I.ampazosand bustamente, (with a combined population of over 8,000,) in the State of Nuevo Leon. He lias bap¬ tized three persons ; otliers are awaiting bap¬ tism. He counts church-members, »5 ; scho¬ lars in Sunday-school, -17 ; in day-school, 70. At Progreso lie iias recently rented a suit¬ able hall, and fitted it up with scats, lamps, and a baptistery. At other points services are held in private houses. contrast afforded by certain native officials, who made themselves ricli while disbursing the Government funds to their starving fel¬ low-countrymen, spoke volumes for Chris¬ tianity. “And now the question remains, not whether China shall be converted, but, what part shall we take in her evangelization? What we sow, that shall we assuredly reap. Missionaries from England, Continental Europe, and tlie United States, are going over by almost every steamer. Millions of dollars are contributed annually to send these laborers into the vineyard. Our South¬ ern baptists lag behind in their contributions, not because they are fewer in number or poorer in means, but because they have not yet taken hold in earnest. Well did Dr. Tichenor say at Greenville last May, 1 We are playing at Foreign Missions; we have never yet really taken hold.’ “ In so vast a work one is apt to think, ‘What can 1 do to be of any perceptible ef¬ fect? My little contribution of five, ten, fifty cents, one or two dollars, will never make any appreciable difference, if given or withheld.’ Remember it is nil made up by these little sums, just as tlie drops of water make tlie ocean, and tlie grains of sand tlie mountains. What we need is organized, systematic effort to contribute each his own mite, and try by all possible exertion to in¬ duce others to do so, accompanying it with prayer and faith.” The pamphlet is sold at 10 cents per copy, $1 a dozen, or }ti a hundred. We cordially recommend it for distribution by mission¬ ary societies. Singularly enough the title page of the copy sent us contains no inti¬ mation as to who prints it or lias it for sale. We learn that it can be gotten by address¬ ing Rev. Dr. S. H. Ford, of the Christian Repository , St. Louis, Mo. missionaries are drawn as regularly as tlie seasons roll around, that every day there is one or another from some quarter of tlie globe speeding in silence over sen or land towards tlie treasury, and that when it comes it must be paid, our brethren will feel, as some of them have not always done, tlie necessity for system and regularity in supplying the means. And this, so far as it may help to lift our churches from the low plane of spasmodic efforts on the impulse of the moment, to the higher ground of Chris¬ tian principle, working in accordance with inspired directions, will result in strengthen ing us for ” every good word and work.” OUR WORK IN CHINA. One of the most interesting and valuable documents that we have seen of late is a pamphlet of 20 pp., by Mrs. M. F. Crawford, entitled “Discouragements and Encourage¬ ments of the Missionary Situation in Chinn.” Under the former head our esteemed sister discusses, with tlie thoughtfulness of a phi¬ losopher and the freshness of an eye-witness, political opposition, the self-conceit of tlie Chinese, their social customs, their religion, their conservatism, and the debasing effects of ages of heathenism; under the latter she presents their fondness for discussing, their filial reverence, their respect for literature, tlie fitness of the gospel, the promise of God, and the progress already made. We copy the closing paragraphs : “ Chinn is watching with interest tlie pres¬ ent progress of events in Japan. She is be¬ ginning to see that tlie introduction of rail¬ roads, telegraph lines, steamers, a well or¬ ganized postal system and otiier western im¬ provements, has not damaged the prosperity or integrity of that sprightly little nation, and surely, if slowly, will she follow in tlie wake. ’ Young China,’ accustomed from in¬ fancy to tlie presence of tlie foreigner, already takes his presence as a matter of course, and adjusts himself accordingly. ” Missionaries may now reside in any part of China, and more than six hundred are availing themselves of tlie privilege. Tlie majority locate at important centres and cul¬ tivate tlie surrounding region, while some spend their time in travelling the length and breadth of tlie land, preaching and distribut¬ ing books as they go. Their lives, in con¬ nection with their teaching, are accomplish¬ ing no doubtful result. In tlie great famine f 1877 nearly three hundred thousand dol¬ lars were contributed by Europeans for tlie relief of the sufferers, and this was carefully, wisely, faithfully distributed in detail by a few missionaries, several of whom fell I martyrs to the ‘famine fever.’ The marked A BEQUEST. Tlie dentil of Mrs. Mary G. Harley, of South Carolina, was widely felt. She had been unusually active in every good cause. Ilut her influence by no means ceased at the end of her earthly life. Already arrange¬ ments have been made to appoint a mission¬ ary who shall bear her name, and in addi¬ tion the executor of her last will lias paid over to our Treasurer the sum of JS10.33. This money, since it does not come through the Corresponding Secretary's hands, is not included in tlie receipts published in this paper, but only in the Treasurer’s report. Press of otiier work prevented us front mailing promptly oil the Ifitli of April nil of tlie twenty copies of Dr. Topper's History of our Missions, promised to those who should seem to have been most active in promoting the circulation of tlie Journal. They will be sent in a few days. We have a few more copies left and shall tie pleased to mail one to any friend who will send us tlie names and money for twenty separate subscribers. Tut; Baptist Hymnal, just issued by tlie American Baptist Publication Society, con¬ tains about 700 of the best hymns, selected by Drs. Rowland, Henson, and Hornberger, acting after consultation with a large number of prominent pastors North and South, and set to good, solid music, selected and ar¬ ranged by W. Howard Doanc and E. H. Johnson, D. I). We have been delighted to find so many old favorites among the tunes, and with them the best of recent composi¬ tion. In typographical execution, arrange¬ ment, ami indexes, it is all that could be de¬ sired. We cordially commend it as in our judgment much better, though somewhat smaller, and we presume less costly, than the Baptist Hymn and Tune Book — nay, as the very best book that can be had for Baptist churches. Bmui Societies and the Baptists is a tract of 13G IGrao. pages, compiled from published documents by Dr. С. C. Bitting, and issued by tlie American liaptist Publi¬ cation Society. A most timely and valuable contribution to tlie vexed question now so troubling our brotherhood.