Foreign Mission Journal, November 1887

Journal PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY TII13 FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. C ’i “ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS.” Vol. 19 — New Series. RICHMOND, VA., NOVEMBER, 1887. No. 4 — Whole No. 232 [Esttred at the Pott nt Richmond, Va., м eecond-clfte* matter.] Foreign Mission Journal. RATES PER ANNUM: I. For paper* separately addreesed, either to same or to different post odlces : One copy . 35 cts. Three copies @ *l,or . ЗЗИ cte. apiece. II. For packages sent to ono person, who shall he responsible for their distribution : Four copies for *1, or more at . 25cts. apiece. Twenty-five copies for lift, or more at . 20 cte. apiece. Onollundred copies for»15, ormoront..iseu apiece. «Э remit by Draft, I’ostal Order, or In ПекП- tered I.etter, and notify us piiomi-tly of any chance In address. Address, FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL, Richmond. Va. ADVERTISING RATES. SPACE. 1 Month. 3 Months 0 Months 12 Months 1 23 3 43 U Л0 12 <>o Two Inches. . . . .... t 40 0 43 12 50 22 Б0 Three Inchon . 3 /0 0 20 19 OO .42 00 Quarter column... Half column. ........ . One column . 4 7Г. 9 23 IS 00 13 00 26 2A on 00 25 00 48 CO A2 M 4G CO 00 00 17S 00 FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE 80UTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, Located at RICHMOND. VIRGINIA. PnEsrocxT— II. II. JlAnais. Vice- PnEeiDEXTS.— Joshua Levering, Md.,C. W. Tomkles. I,a.. J. I,, narrows, Va.. N. A. Halley, Fla.. Theo. Whitfield, N. O., o, F. Ilngbv, Ky.,J. J. V. Ren- froe, Alabama. J. P. Greene, Mo., It. II. Carroll, Texas, W, L. Kilpatrick, Oa„ Chas. Manly, S. O., J. M. Senter, Tenn.. J, II. Senrcy, Ark., George Whlifield, Mies., W. F, Attklsion, TV. Va. OOItltE8PONDIXQ SECnETARY — II. A. T UPPER. Тпеавсиеп— J. O. WILLIAMS. Recoedixo SECXETAny— А. П. CLARKE Auditob— H. O. BURNETT. ВОАПО or МляАОЕПв,— II. К. Ellyson. J. B. Win¬ ston. С. II. Winston, W. E. Hatcher, J. Pollard, Jr., S. O. O, onion, .1. П. Hutson. W. D. Thomas, W. W. Landrum, TV. J. Shipman, Geo. Cooper. O.H, Hyland, II. C, Burnell, T, P, Mathews, R. H. Pm, T, I\ Bell. StijrAll communications in reference to the business of this Board should be addressed to H. A. Tupper, Corresponding Secretary, Richmond, Va. NEW MISSIONARIES. At their last meeting; the Board ap¬ pointed Mrs. J. L. Sanford, of San Fran¬ cisco, Cal., a missionary to Canton, China. Mrs. Sanford has been in the mind of the Board since 1SS0, when she proposed to give her life to this work. It will be re¬ membered that -Mrs. Sanford is the widow of the late Rev. Mr. Sanford, who laid down his devoted young; life at Corinth, Miss., and the daughter of that noble and now sainted man of God of the same State, General Lowry. Airs. Sanford was to sail for China on Thursday, 20th October; and probably did so. .Miss Florence Doty, also of Mississippi, was appointed at the same time to some field in Alexico, the exart location to be determined hereafter. Miss Doty has the highest testimonials as to her qualifica¬ tions, and indeed, has been known by the Board for several years as an intelligent and earnest missionary worker. Good work is expected from her in Alexico. Let the prayers of God’s people ascend for these newly commissioned workers for Jesus, MISSIONS A BLESSING TO CHURCHES. There are many ways in which the work of missions has proved a blessing to the churches engaging in it. Some of these will readily occur to any careful observer. Our mind has been specially directed to one of the ways in which the blessing has come, viz: that this work lias afforded worthy objects on which all the energies which are to be found in a church of Christ tan expend themselves. No church has enough to do in itself to employ and exhaust all the energies that are stirring in its mem¬ bership. Unless good objects are found on which these energies can be expended; un¬ less scope is given them in which to ope- rate, one of l wo results must follow. Either, being pent up, they will stagnate, breed spiritual corruption and produce death, or finding no worthy object on which to ex¬ pend themselves, they will be directed to¬ wards other and unworthy objects, and Produce controversies, church difficulties, pd a thousand other evils, only too preva¬ lent in many churches. It is very much with a church as with a boy. Full of life and life energies, these must be well-di¬ rected or they will ill-direct themselves. This fact— we believe it to be a fact— is often insisted unon by older anil more ex¬ perienced pastors, when they tell their younger brethren that if they want to keep their churches in good condition they must give their members something to do. What does that mean, but that they must pro¬ vide some means by which these energies that exist in that membership can be ex¬ pended in the doing of good and not of evil ? Pent up living waters must be given s.uch outlet as will enable them to carry life and power to the fields or factories around, else they will break forth, carrying destruction in their path. The life and energies of a church full of living members must flow out into active benevolence, carrying life to others, or else they will break forth into evil, destroying even those in whom they are found. Now the work of missions, in all their varied forms, affords ample scope for the exercise of all Christian life and power, and furnishes objects worthy of the best ener¬ gies of Christian hands and hearts. So do missions minister to the life and well-being of the churches themselves. Would that all our churches could realize this. THE TEXAS CONVENTION. It was our privilege to attend the late meeting of the Texas Baptist Convention, held in the city of Dallas; and while it is not our purpose to give any detailed ac¬ count of the meeting, we yield to the im¬ pulse to jot down n few impressions. It was our first visit to this body, and one thing that impressed us was the size of it. The 11 meeting-house ” of the First church could not hold the crowds that came together, and a large hall was used— the "Armory Hall.” This is quite a large building, and proved none too large for the comfortable seating of the people, at the night services especially. Brother Hanks, the pastor of the church, said that there were over five hundred delegates and visitors present. Others came in after¬ wards. From the piney woods of eastern Texas, where the lands are comparatively poor in soil, but exceedingly rich in tim¬ ber; from the prairies of the west, where the soil is surpassingly rich, and there is no limber ; from the north, where crops were fair, and from the south, where there were none ; from all over this great empire came up men and women to take counsel together about the Lord’s work. A second impression was made by the earnestness and enthusiasm with which the brethren went about their work. A large, a very large part of the State has been visited by a severe drought, lasting in many sections over two years. Vet from these very regions brethren came, giving the drought as a reason for not having done more in the past year, but apparently not thinking of pleading it as an excuse for doing less in the coming year. No idea of curtailing their work seems to have en¬ tered their heads, but one and all say •' forward.” And truly the Texas Baptists have an enormous work before them in their own State. “They are contending for an empire,” brother ]. B. Gambrcll, of Mississippi, remarked as we were returning home, and were talking with him about the convention. And this expresses but the fact. Just think of it; for fifteen hun¬ dred miles their western frontier extends, and as yet but two stations are occupied by Baptist missionaries. These are over six hundred miles apart. Just now Baptists have exceptional advantages for taking this land, inasmuch as during the drought other denominations withdrew their mis¬ sionaries and left Baptists alone. And the people have considered this. God prosper our brethren in their efforts to take this great State for the Lord. A third impression left on our mind was that along with their intense interest in and enthusiasm for their home work, there is also a strong foreign mission spirit dwelling in the hearts of the Texas Bap¬ tists, which needs only to be quickened into activity by judicious effort and appeal to bring forth rich gifts to the work of the Lord in heathen lands. The Texas Bap¬ tists have money, and are ready to give it, when the cause needing it is properly pre¬ sented to them, and they are made to sec and fee 1 its claims. The ready and cheerful response made to our appeal on the last night of the meeting was indicative of a deep interest in the cause. By active effort on the part of many brethren there, Texas can easily come up to her quota. Will they put forth that effort? A pleasing incident in connection with the foreign mission collection at the Con- vention was the gift by a young lady of her gold watch, which readily brought <100. It was given on condition that her name should not be known. Space forbids our speaking of the large hospitality of the people of Dallas, and in¬ deed of many other tilings tvhicli we would gladly notice. Suffice it to say, we have been to the Texas Convention, and we want to go again. IMPRISONMENT OF BROTHER POWELL, On the 6th of October brother Powell wrote us from Alonterey, Alexico, that he was about to start in " brother Wcstrup's sulky” with Sinor Trevino for the town of Camargo, in the State of Tamaulipas, to preach and baptize. On the 15th instant the following telegram was received ; Ceralvo, AIex., Oct. 15th. Rev. H.A. Tupper, D. J)., Richmond, Va.: " Quietly pursuing my mission yesterday fanatical customs officials cruelly impris¬ oned me, saying maliciously that vehicle is contraband because I am Protestant and American. Demand immediate release and damages.” W. D. Powell. The following dispatch was returned by the Corresponding Secretary of our Board: October i6, 1SS7. Rev. T. M. IVcstrup, Monterey, Mex. : Powell telegraphs from Ceralvo that he is imprisoned. See about it, at our expense, and telegraph if anything is to be done iiere dr in Washington. SeeCardenas and Governor Madero if necessary. Reply. H. A. Tupper. No answer being received the Board, on the xjth, instructed the Secretary to pro¬ ceed to Washington city and lay the case before the United States Government. This will be done if no satisfactory news comes from Alexico in a few hours. The Board is resolved that ils missionaries shall have all the protection guaranteed by the laws of our Sister Republic. The information about the imprisonment, however, is very meagre at this writing. P. S. Brother Powell telegraphed from Alonterey: Prisoner brought here and released. No cause for arrest. WHY SHOULD I GIVE TO MISSIONS ? J. C. Ill DEN, D, D, 1. Because, if Christianity is true, we are bound to feel interested in the well being of every human creature. When the author of our religion was illustrating the meaning of the word “ neighbor," lie told a story in which a Jew and a Samaritan figure as the most prominent characters. The Jews and Samaritans were on the worst possible terms. For generations they had been trained in hereditary hatred. Now the parable of the " Good Samaritan” gets much of its point from this hereditary hatred. The humane Samaritan traveller felt the claims of a brother man who was in sore need of help, and thus he behaved in a neighborly way. Dr. Thos. H. Skinner, of Raleigh, N. C., is said to have approached a man, and asked him for a contribution to Foreign Missions. "No,” said the man, “I have enough to do to help my neighbors." “Well,” said Dr. Skinner, “who are your neighbors ?” “The people who join lands with me,” said the farmer. "Very well,’’ said Dr. Skinner, “ and how far down does your land extend ?” “ To the centre of the earth, I suppose.” “All right. Now the man who joins lands with you on the other side of the globe is living in heathenism, and 1 want you to give me something to help to send him the gospel.” Christianity teaches that every man who needs your help is your neighbor. 2. Because it will help my own soul. This is not n selfish, but a thoroughly Christian motive. Any thing that will broaden our souls, and open them, and expand within them the purer and more unselfish instincts of our nature, is a good thing for us to do. "Charity” docs not "begin at home." The comfort, con¬ venience and happiness of your own house¬ hold are so much a part of your own per¬ sonal happiness, that "charity" is really never thought of when you pay for your wife's new shoes, or your daughter's new piano. But when you put your hand in your pocket to help 'a man who has no claim upon you, except that he is a human being, then you are doing a charitable act ; and it is by training ourselves to sacrifices of this kind that a really broad and Chris- tian charity is built up within us. If it is ever to be worth much to us, or to the world, it must be a growth ; and this growth requires careful, pains-taking cultivation. If this is not true, why should Paul have taken the trouble to write such a passage as the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians? 3. Because Christ commands It. “How shall they hear without a preacher ?” and “ how shall they preacli except they be sent?” These questions are arguments, made by one of the closest of all reasoners, and based upon the assumption that the spread of the gospel is a part of tiie gospel ; that the good news must be circulated. The life of Christ, as given by the evan¬ gelists, was really a missionary tour. The Acts of the Apostles is a missionary maga¬ zine, containing little but missionary in¬ telligence. The Epistles are mostly letters written by missionaries to the mission churches they had founded. The Apoca¬ lypse, (“ Revelation,”) is full of instruction and warning to mission churches. The whole New Testament is a mission docu¬ ment. Can you be an intelligent, con¬ scientious Christian, and not help missions ? [The following “Appeal" was ac¬ companied by a letter which in itself was such an appeal that we give a part of it along with the article, hoping the writer will excuse us for so doing.— Ed.] Dear Brother Bell: I have been tempted to write the en¬ closed “ appeal " for the Journal by many experiences, trying and discouraging, in my efforts to push forward our woman's work. It is true I have much to encourage me, as I have succeeded in organizing and bringing to life about 20 societies ; but it has been hard work to get the ladies in¬ terested, and now it seems that I must con¬ tinue my work in order to keep up the in¬ terest of those organized. Not that I weary of it. Oh, no indeed ! I love it better each time I write to a society ;#I can only wonder that all do not feel more interest. I cannot understand how any one profess¬ ing to love Christ can help feeling a deep interest in such a grand work as saving souls. I only regret that I cannot carry on my work more thoroughly, but my " home- duties " are really almost as much as I can attend to. I had so much hoped to be able to devote my time this winter to my society work, and to writing, but pecuniary mis¬ fortunes have again called me into the school-room, yet there are some spare mo¬ ments that I shall joyfully devote to it. Now I am not the least bit sensitive, and shall not feel at all hurt if you find no room for my little “appeal,” except in the waste basket. 1 so much longed to reach the hearts of my sisters that I could hardly help writing it. If it is true that an "appeal from the heart can hardly fail to touch some heart,” then this will succeed. AN APPEAL TO OUR WOMEN, BY ONE OF THEM. AH over the land is being made an effort to interest our women more effectually in this great work of saving the world— of rescuing the souls of those who lie fettered in chains of ignorance and sin. Many are answering the demands, which they realize are made upon them, not only by their sense of the greater privileges they enjoy, and of their duty to those less favored, but by Christ himself. But there are still, in the homes of wealth and luxury which fill our cities and towns, as in the cozy farm cottages where want is unknown— many, who have yet to realize that the command “Go ye into all the world ” was as much intended for them, as for their husbands and brothers. “Ah, well,” they say when appealed to, " I realize that this missionary work is very important, but I have my hetne duties to at¬ tend to. I consider home the sphere of woman's work. Mr. A. gives largely to missions, and gives for both. I do not trouble myself about it.” Down, down, through the ages is wafted a voice, breath¬ ing words which may meet her at heaven’s gate ; “ Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me." It will be too late then for her to feel that “ye” meant all redeemed by Christ’s blood, botli male and female ; and that neither home nor social duties, neither duties to the " church at home,” nor duties to the " heathen at our door,” exempt us from the sacred and binding duty of send¬ ing salvation to the iieathen— to those of “ the uttermost parts of the earth,” who have been promised to Christ for 11 His in¬ heritance,” and who arc to be won to Him by our individual efforts. How many of us are willing to substitute the work of others for our own work, and ,to do by proxy what should be done in person. Not that all can in person carry the blessed words of life to the millions that day by day are being ushered into eternity without a hope of salvation ; but is there one who cannot, by a little sacrifice, give more than she does? and give it,. too, in¬ dependently of “Air. A.” Is there one who cannot find time1 from her home duties to aid in organizing a'mls- sionary society in her midst? Even if by so doing she must give up some cherished plan ? That, doubtless, was for self; this is for Christ. Above all, is there one who, realizing what Christ lias done for her, cannot find time each day to offer one earnest prayer for tlie 250,000,000 of women who are de¬ pending for their salvation upon the women of America ? Ah, we can do it, and do' it easily, and we will find it true in this as in all efforts to live for Christ and the salva¬ tion of the world; a refiex blessing' will flow into our own hearts. It will become a joy to give to him that: which at first may have cost us a severe struggle. Other women are doing nobly In this work, why may not we, the women of the South, do equally well? Above all, why should we, who are members of the smaller churches in the town or country be satisfied to leave all this work to the city churches? We must not. Ours may be but the miles, yet Christ looked approvingly upon one of these "mites” and if by our efforts one precious soul may be brought to him, we will have something to add to our eternal joy and his glory. Shall we not then, henceforth, resolve to do our very best for Christ? Let us, from the very depths of our hearts, say, and then carry into prac¬ tice these beautiful lines, so suggestive .of the higher and nobler type of Christian life: “ I would not bring thee what is lame, Unseemly, torn, what cost me .naught ; But, by thy patient grace besought, Would mark by best witli thy dear name.” THE OCTOBER JOURNAL. We owe an apology to many friends to whom we could not furnish the October number of our paper. Though the edi¬ tion was as large as usual, it was entirely exhausted by our list of subscribers, which has greatly increased recently. We hope not to be caught so again. Send for papers, as samples, and send on the names ofsub- scribers, and the Journal will be promptly supplied. Our subscription list should be doubled by the next meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. The best investment of thirty-five cents for mis¬ sions is to subscribe to the Foreign Mis¬ sion Journal. TRY IT. Seventy-five thousand dollars from Sun¬ day-school children! That seems like a very large amount to ask the little folks to raise. And yet that is just what the North¬ ern Presbyterian Board has asked the Sun¬ day-schools to raise this year. And it is probable that they will do it. Last year they gave £51.009, and each year they are increasing their gifts. If our pastors and superintendents wilt take hold of the Sunbeam movement the Baptist children in the South would soon be giving tens of thousands of dollars to mission work. Try It, brethren and sisters. Brother Geo. B. Taylor, of Chapel Hill, N. C., will gladly'furnlsb you with constltu-J thins, programmes for meetings, &c. *