Foreign Mission Journal, October 1887

Foreign' . M i s s ion ~ Jo urnal PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY ТИЕ FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. v.Y- ‘ALL, POWER'lS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS. Vol. 19 — New Series. RICHMOND, VA., OCTOBER, 1887. No. 3 — Whole No. 231 (Entered nt the Post-Office at Illchmond, Va., ns second-class matter.] Foreign Mission Journal RATES PER ANNUM: I. For papers separately addressed, either to same от to different poet offices t One copy . . . ЗА eta. Three copies @ #1, or . . . . 33 X eta. apiece. II. Forwickaeos sent to one person, who shall be responsible for their distribution: Four copies for #1, or того at . 25cts. apiece. Twenty-five copies for #3. or more at . 20 cts. apiece. One Hundred copies for #10» or more at., loots apiece. **“Plenee remit by Draft. Postal Order, or In He*ls- t*re<l Letter, and notify us thomi-tly of any change In address. Address. FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL, Richmond, Va. ADVERTISING RATES. SPACE. 1 Month. 3 Months о Months 12 Months One Inch . 1 23 Я 45 8 АО 12 Ml Two inches . 2 to 8 43 12 50 22 50 Three Indie® . 3 60 » 20 1» 00 32 (*> Quarter column... 4 73 1Я (К» 25 Си) 48 ПО Half column . 8 23 23 23 48 W) 00 оо Ono column . IS 00 АО 00 02 АО 17Я СЮ FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, boc.TXD at IUClir, ION», VIRGINIA. FRBSIDXKT— И. II. KAnRIS. Ylc*-PnE8iDKNT8 — Jo.hun Leverlnx, Md.,C. W. Tornklc», La.. J. J,. Burrow», Va.. N. A. Halley. Fla., TUeo. Whitfield, N.O., U, F, Ungby.Ky., J. J. tl. lien- froe, Alabama. J. P. Greene, Mo.. II. II. Carroll, Texn«, tv. I,. Kllpairlclr.ua., Ohne. Manly, S. O., J. M. Senler, Tenn.. J. II. Searcy, Ark., Qeorfc-e Whitfield, Mies., W. F. AltklMOn. W. Va. OonatsroNDiKO SKCnkTAnv— H. A. TUPPER. ТПХА80ПЯП— J. O. WII.I.IAMS. Biconoiiro S ecu eta а T — А. Ii. CLARKE. Acditor-H. C. 11URNKTT. Полно or ЛТАНАОКВ6 —II. K. EUyson, J. H. Win- .ton, С. II. Win, ton. W. E. Hatcher, J. Pollard, Jr., Я. О. О opion. II. Hntion. W. I>. Thomas, W. W. Landrum, W J, Shipman, Gen. Cooper. 11. II. Hyland. И, C. Burnell, T. P.Maihews, It. II. Pill, T. P. Hell. DOT ЛИ communications in reference to the business of this Board should be addressed to H. A. Tupi-er, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond. Va. There is truth well put in the above sentences of Dr. Ashmore’s. We are re¬ minded by them of a remark once made to us by a not-overpaid pastor in one of our Southern cities. This city is notgd for the number of beggars who infest its streets and invade its houses. They are esteemed a nuisance by the citizens and by visitors. Sitting one day with the pastor in his study, the door-bell rang, and he went out. " A beggar,” he said, on returning to the room. "Do you know,” he continued, "I used to think those people were nuisances ; but of late I've begun to thank God for them. They are a means of grace to me — keeping my iieart open. It is easy to give five or ten dollars on some special occasion, when a collection is being taken fnr a be¬ nevolent object, but hard to give out little sums very often. Hut this latter way is belter— it keeps the heart open all the time. These beggars have been a blessing to me. I always give them something— not always money, but something." Regular, cvery-Sunday, or better still, every-day giving of small sums to the Lord's work proven blessing to any Chris¬ tian, especially to the one who finds it hard to do. All in-come and no out-go, or in¬ adequate out-go, inevitably produces stag¬ nation, and stagnation means death. Some one has beautifully illustrated this by con¬ trasting the Dead Sea and the Lake of Galilee. The one receives the inflowing Jordan, but gives out no water. It is a place of death, The other receives only to give out again, and is living and life-giving. BAPTISTS SNUBBED IN MEXICO, Brother Powell sends us a "Programme of the General Assembly of Evangelical Missions " in Mexico. This, according to a letter of invitation to the Corresponding in increaSing quan- becretary of our Hoard, ,s a “ General Mis- , an advancillJ, work. So ,onK ns the sionary Convention, lobe held in the city | ш„г1. of mission board remains about GIVING TO ADVANCING WORK. In The Missionary, the organ of the Southern Presbyterian Mission Hoard, we find the following: Among our brethren of the Presbyterian church. North, are some men of noble enterprise. One of them in sending to the Hoard of Foreign Missions a check for $10,000 for himself and his church, said : "If you will advance with your work, if you will advance, you shall have $10,000 next year.” Another who $4,000 for advance work in Japan, now for six native evangelists as his special charges. This illustrates a truth of which we have long been convinced, and of which the conviction grows upon us every day. That is, that Christian people are always ready of the Bible both at home and abroad. That Society greatly helps our own work, by liberal grants both of books and money, and our people ought to give it hearty sup¬ port. 2. Since last year “Sunbeams" have begun their shining, and we are anxious to have "Sunbeam” societies in all our Sunday-schools, and have all the children join in the good work of these societies, So it is proposed that " Cousin George,” who lias been, with so much energy and skill directing this Sunbeam movement, shall prepare a Sunbeam pro¬ gramme for Christmas day, which comes on Sunday, and furnish it to all schools that will use it. Will it not be a beautiful and appropriate tiling for the children in all our schools on this the reputed birth-day of Jesus, to give something for the preaching cf his gospel among the heathen ? On that day let all children become like the angels who visited the shepherds, heralds ofjasus, announcing unto those that know him not, "unto you is born a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Rev. Geo. Braxton Taylor, (“ Cousin George,”) whose post-office is now Chapel Hill, N. C., instead of University of Va., will prepare the programme very soon, and will supply copies to all superintendents and friends who desire to observe Christ¬ mas day, as mentioned above. No matter whether you have a Sunbeam society or not, send on your name and the programme will be sent as soon as it is prepared, which will be not later than the first of November. TWO WAYS OF REACHING SION ARIES. OUR MIS- of Mexico, next year, i. e., from January jist to February 3d.” The Secretary of the committee having charge of this meet¬ ing says : “ As this will be the first time that the Protestant missions of Mexico have counseled together, and matters of > j the same year by year, the contributions of the people will be about the same. But when such board ventures forward, in- its force of workers prudently, new fields, and then calls for in¬ gifts front the people to meet the vital import to all arc to be considered, as . jncreased „peildilllres made necessary by you may see by the enclosed programme. Ithbadvance of wo,k. the people will re- we are confidently expecting an occasion of great interest.” We have examined the programme, and j find that although " matters of vital import | to all ” tiie missions are to be con- 1 sidered, not a Baptist has been put oil to discuss a question. On the programme are twenty sermons, essays and subjects for discussion, with a twenty-first exercise— an address to the assembly on its breaking tip. The sermons, essays and topics for discussion are all assigned to Pedobaptists as follows: seven to Presbyteiians, one to a Congregationalist, nine to Methodists, one to a Friend, one to a Bible Society agent, one to all Episcopalian; while brother Powell is asked to pronounce the benediction. This last is an insult. We hope the Baptists will let this thing alone, and go on and do their work as they have always had to do it — alone. Of course they will be abused for their nar¬ rowness; but they are used to'thatand can well stand it. As long as the Lord Is with them it matters little that they are ignored by men. THE BETTER WAY OF GIVING, “Fifty-two short sentences of prayer, ‘O Lord, accept and bless this offering,' are better than one petition half an hour long at the end of the year. Fifty-two gentle touches of a man’s heart-strings are more efficacious of permanent results than one eloquent appeal nt the end of the sea¬ son. Fifty-two gentle pulls on a man's purse-strings are more promotive of liealthy liberality than one convulsive jerk on the ‘annual Sunday."’ spond. A striking instance of this has been afforded by the action of the Ameri¬ can Baptist Missionary Union. One by one, new, and in many cases very expensive fields, have been opened to this body, such j as the Congo, upper Burma, and now, pro bably, Armenia. Though, when "We have two ways to reach our repre¬ sentatives in foreign lands. One is through the channels of commerce; the other through the gateway of heaven. But mark it, you cannot use one without using both. Your gold and your silver are but dross, unless they are winged on their errand by fervent prayer. Your prayers are but 'mockery, unless they are backed up with giving of your means.” The above extract from a speech on foreign missions, made at the Goshen As¬ sociation, in Virginia, by Prof. H. H. Harris deserves a wide circulation, and the thoughtful consideration of every Chris¬ tian. How many of our people think they have done all they can and ought to do for our missionaries when they have dropped a piece of money into the plate as the col¬ lection is being taken for missions. Away they go, to think no more of the toilers in heathen lands, until the pastor makes some mention of them in his sermon or prayer. No prayer for these, our representatives in heathendom, ever ascends from closet or family altar. A little money given, and missionaries and mission cause are dis¬ missed from mind and heart. In fact very many pastors forget to pray for the missionaries— even pastors who do train their people to give to the cause. We once sal for several months under the ministry of a popular pastor whose church FROM THE HOME FIELD. A brother writes : "In the confusion of our (fitting, I pause to send you a check for $— for tlie Foreign Mission treasury. $— is from a little mite box Into which from time to time I have put odd small change, and the balance is money which has come to me that I never expected to get. Accept the total as a little extra contribution. How easy, did our people think so, could thousands of such rills flow in to you.” Ever so. But too many of our people are too eager to apply all such amounts to the solving of the question, "What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, and where withal shall we be clothed ? " to think of giving them to send the bread of life to the starving heathen. "So easy," yet it is not done. Another brother writes thus: "After reading your card in this week’s Courier, I send herewith a mite for your board. I tell yon the fault is with the pastors. They do not talk about missions, much less preacli it. The people are ready, but they must be invited to give. If the pastors would come right down to the practical part of their work, and let the lay members know what was wanted, I tell you it would swell the contributions. I speak whereof 1 know. Of course there are exceptions Our pastor, as well as others I know, fails to have collections taken in the churches. Is it because they are fearful they won't be paid as well ? Write a few shots at negligent pastors." We prefer to publish this shot. It comes from a liberal layman ; one who does not wait for his pastor, but sends “once and again" to relieve the necessities of the missionaries. This is a serious charge which he brings against the pastors. And this comes from Soutli Carolina, where there is certainly as deep and general an interest in missions as in any State in the South. If the charge be true— and who can repute it ?— it indicates a sad state of things in our churches. A new and peculiar danger threatens Christianity in Japan just now. In their eagerness to adopt Western Ideas and cus¬ toms, many natives are seeking to join Christian churches, without any true knowledge of what real Christianity is. Young people are urged by some news¬ papers to join Christian churches, to be¬ come nominal Christians. One very im¬ portant work devolving upon missionaries there will be keeping people out of the churches. No easy task. gave largely to missions, and during those ' ! months we seldom, if ever, heard him al- иашу, /vnucm». ® • hide in his prayers to the missionaries and fields opened, the Union was just able ap- . ... ~ r .1 . ,1 „ „their labors. One way of reaching the parently to carry on the work already in 1 hand, it, in each Instance, heartily laid hold on the new work, trusting in God and the people of God for the money. And their trust has not been misplaced. The people of the Lord, moved by his Spirit and stim¬ ulated by an advancing work, have re¬ sponded to the calls made upon them, and j ^g forTem" tiles' furnished the means for carrying it on. 1 b , A holy boldness on the part of mission 1 ?recf u' J. ? g- , 1 uij uuiui c r in South Carolina who, when appointed to boards is surely good policy. do sQ wou,d )lreach an exceJ,enti sou|. - *** j stirring sermon on missions ; would pray SUNBEAMS ON CHRISTMAS. I most earnestly for the spread of the truth; Children’s Day ” (or ! but it was noticed by his brethren that his missionaries was used, the other was not. And how large a proportion of our people are willing to use the other way alone. They pray " thy kingdom come," they add a hearty " amen " to any prayer for the mis¬ sionaries, perhaps say regular prayers for them themselves, yet when it comes to e one-way Christians We know a preacher Last year we had Foreign Missions in November, and we were very much pleased with the results, a goodly sum of money having been raised by the little folks on that day. Inquiries have been made of us as to whether or not we were going to have a similar “ Day ’’ during the present year. We have decided not to do so for two j reasons. 1. The American Baptist Publi- 1 cation Society has its " Children’s Day ” or “ Bible Day ” in November, and we do not wish in anywise to interfere with that. We hope every Sunday-school in the South will respond to Dr. Bitting’s appeal, observe “ Bible Day ’’ and send a liberal contribu¬ tion to him for the printing and distributing churches did little or nothing for the cause, and the members of those churches when questioned, said that the pastor did not ask them to give. He evidently taught his people that the one way of reaching the missionaries was by prayer — the other way was neglected. Alas! how many church members neglect both ways. Reader, remember these words : " Your gold and your silver are but dross, unless they are winged on their errand by fervent prayer. Your prayers are but mockery, unless they are backed up witli giving of your means." Write these words where you can see them often. The Karen mission of the American Bap¬ tist Missionary Union has suffered a seem¬ ingly irreparable loss in the death of Dr. J. B. Vinton. Dr. Vinton was born in Burma, spoke the Karen language with a native's freedom, and possessed almost boundless influence over this people. His efforts in their behalf during the late troubles in Burma overtaxed bis strength, and while they intensified the love of the people for him, led to his death. Rev. С. H. Harvey, of the Congo Mis¬ sion, gives the bright side of a residence. In Central Africa. He would almost persuade some of us to emigrate when he speaks., of taxes and water rents : " . On the other hand, if we had to make out a list of special advantages, we could say a good deal. To begin with, we know nothing of frost, snow, or sleet; we never have hurricanes or cyclones, nothing worse than a tornado, as a rule not strong enough to do more than blow a little thatch from your roof. Although wc .have lightning, and plenty of it in the hot season, very, very seldom is even a tree damaged by it. The weather as a rule is fine— bad excep¬ tionally. We have delightful moonlight and starlight nights; in fact Congo would be a very fine country for astronomers. }Ve have 110 rates or taxes to pay, rent-day is nothing to us. The native sense of pro¬ priety is not outraged if we appear inmuch less than full dress; we need not trouble ourselves about collars, neckties, cuffs, starched shirt-fronts, etc. We are num¬ bered with the aristocracy and plutocracy of the country. A nobody I11 .Europe and America is the honored guest of kings out here, if he have but a white face. We have not to contend for a position as teachers, as It Is very readily accorded to us. But above all these advantages is the privilege of preaching Christ where he has not. been named, and helping in some small degree to establish the kingdom of Christ in some of the very last footholds and strongholds of Satan. After all. are wa not, greatly privileged? — Rap. Missionary Magazine. Infulelsin this Christian land are con¬ stantly asserting that Christianity is a failure, and predicting its overthrow. The most intelligent among the heathen think otherwise, as they look upon the evidences of Its power. An educated Hindu, not a Christian, said recently In an address de¬ livered in Bombay: Cast your eyes around, and takea survey of the nations abroad ? What has made England great ? Christianity I What has made the other nations of Europe great? Christianity! What hasstarted our present religious Sompjas all over India? Contact with Christian missionaries I Who began female education in Bombay? The good old Dr. Wilson and Mrs. Wilson, of beloved and honored memory. Christians again I Christianity has not only been the saviour of man’s soul, but the regeneration of man's habitation on earth. Many people, while rejoicing in the work of grace reported from the Congo Mission, have yet had grave doubts as to the genu¬ ineness of that work and the permanency of its results. Rev. Mr. Richards, who has been the instrument in God's hands forac- complishing this work, judging by die fruits thereof, has no fears on that subject. He says : Many people of no color were sceptical respecting the reality of the work, but no one seems to question the radical change now, though they cannot understand it. One white man wrote for an explanation, and I had an opportunity of explaining to him before his face. Another sitting at the table said to me, " What a change civiliza¬ tion makes in the expression I The people here have such a mild, subdued expres sion.” “Ah," I said, "something more than civilization ; it’s deeper, it’s a change of heart." Yes, 1 believe civilization is an abomination to Africa. Let us give the people the gospel. Such incidents as the following, given by Mrs. Thomas, of the Karen Mission, might' well lead some Christians at home to won-, der if Jhey know what consecration means: Consecration. — Knowing that Jacob is a poor man, needing all be can earn. I offered to pav him for the week he spent in' Koladan. He refused to take'anything, saying, "I will do this for Jesus’ sake." Afterwards, when lie came to bid me good* by, on board the steamer, he surprised me by putting five rupees in my.hand, while he said, "I wish this money to be used for mission work among the wild tribes of Northern-Arakan.” I know that the gift was a very large one for him, and I know that with it go his sympathies and prayers. I accept Jacob's offering as an earnest that the money needed fortfie Northern-Arakan work will be provided. Rev, Dr. Bunker, of the Karen .mission, says of a visit to the English Commissioner: I was received most cordially, both by the Chief Commissioner and his Secretary, and had several hours conference with them. They said that our mission had been of great aid to Government in keep ing tlie frontier (Toiingoo) quiet at little1 cost to Government, and seemed much sur- . prised that we were able to do so; thought the Ningyan mission would be of great benefit to Government politically, and promised ail help they could give. This from the representative of the gov¬ ernment that refused Judson permission to remain in its territory. A movement toward the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ has started among the Jews of Western Siberia, under the lead of acob Zebl Schienmann. It is similar to the movement at Kichnev under Rabino- witz, but independent of it. Dr. Delitzsch’s Hebrew translation of the New Testament is largely called for at the repositoty of the British and Foreign Bible Society at Tomsk. Dr. McKay, of the Presbyterian mission in Formosa, reports that since the late wave of persecution passed over that island, in which the churches were de¬ stroyed by mobs, a reaction has' taken Eilace, and a stone cliurch Is now to be seen n place of every wooden edifice pulled down by the mobs. Over every one of these rebuilt churches has been placed the image of the “Burning Bush.” The natives of Formosa understand the allusion. The men of the world may well turn aside, as did Moses, “and see this great sight, -why the bush is not burned." — Ex. The governor of Formosa, in starting a college, has chosen amissionary to inaugu¬ rate and organize the institution. Such, a iuld have been regarded as a mint-; в generation ago. It is another proof, to the many' others, that. the cause of: _ 1 missions is conquering prejudice: and subsidizing kings andi princesqni thei prosecution of its work. . . • , e