Foreign Mission Journal, December 1877

l>ubl(Hlu-d МопвЫу by (he 1'orcipi MIkmIow Board of llic Soulbem Ttaptlrt Conrcntloii. -ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AMD IN EARTH. GO YE , THEREFORE , AND TEACH ALL NATIONS."- Vol. fl. — New Series. RICHMOND, VA., DECEMBER, 1877. No. i). — Whole No. <93 FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL KATES PER ANNUM: Oct; co(>y . . . «I els, Hyu or того copies, to оно jH'i sou . 40 " н copy. Twenty оттого copies, to one person . .10 “ '• Kitty or morn ro]lle«, to one person,. . ■ " " Ati-l*J (4ute romtl by Draft, I’u«tnl Oriter, or 111 HefiMoreil Letter. iUWrfeoi, FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL, Richmond, Va. FOREIGN MISSION BOARD or THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, LOCATED AT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. PBEaronsT-J. I,. M. CURRY. ’ Yies-PitKAiDEKre.— Hiram Woods, Md., J. A. Hackctt, Miss.. F. Courtney, Lit., J. 11. Jeter, Vu., II. 11. McOallum, 'Fin., W. nL WliiKitte, N. O.. J. J,. Harrows, Ky., S. Hen¬ derson. Alabama, W. l'opo Yeainao, Mo., .Г. H. I. Ink. Texas, H. H, Tucker, On., J. C. Kunnan, ,S. V., Malt, illllsm.-m, Tern.. J. H. Hoono, Ark. OoiqiBsrokDlso Вкспетлкг— 1Г. A. TUI’PKR. Tiuiai'IiElt— .1. O. WILLIAMS. RwoitDivfl SKcnuTAUY— W. II. GWATHMEY. Auuitok— JOSEPH E. COTTRELL. Ikunn or MANAdKUS.— E. W. Warren, J. П. Watkins. II. K. EUyecn, W. K. Hatcher, E. Wortham. Henry McDonald, W. Ooddia, II. 1Г. Harris, Л. E. Dickinson, J. W. Joaes, A. It. Clarke, J. II. Winston, T. J. Клипе, О. H. Winston, J. R. O-arllCK. _ S3T‘AU communication!! in reference to the business of this Hoard should he addressed to H. Л. Тсггкк, (jorraspond ing Secretary, Richmond, Va. FORM OF BEQUEBT. “I hereby give and bequeath unto the Southern Baptist Convention, formed in Augusta, Georgia, in tbe montli of May, 1 8-10, and eliartered by tho Legislature of the State of Georgia, by an act pas-sod. and approved December 29tli, 18-15, {here insert, the . amount, if, in ’moneyj' or subject,' if ' other property, either real or personal,) for Foreign M'hhIoub.” A WORD ABOUT THE JOURNAL. * When the Board bad decided to resume Lite, pub¬ lication of tills paper, certain circumstances de¬ layed its, issue until April, by which time tho. annual tide of interest itt missions was beginning to ebb. It- started without any subscription list, and with a lack of confidence, engendered by its previous .sus¬ pension. The year has been one of unparalleled financial depression. Vet the Journal bns lived, has paid expenses of publication, and lias secured a very respectable circulation. We bavo not of course obtained yet the circula¬ tion which we desired. expected and (may we add?) deserved, but an examination of our mailing-book is on the whole quite gratifying. We note with much pleasure that tho Journal has a oordlul home endorsement. The church nearest to our ofilce takes one-fourth as many papers as it has members on its roll, which wo judge, gives a copy to every family. The churches of Richmond average a copy for every ten members, which is better titan in any other city except possibly Greenville, S. C. In the State, of Virginia we have nearly twice ns 'many subscribers as in anj* other Stnto. These facts, ns testimonials from those who know us best, we highly appreciate. Next to our own State, in number of subscribers, stands South Carolina, for which, in large part, our thanks arc due and are hereby tendered to the editors of the Baptist Cou¬ rier, who have kindly noticed the Journal almost every month. But we feel better satisfied with our circulation in Mississippi than any where else. In making up a mailing-book we allotted to each Southern State a space proportioned rudely to the number of post-offices and the number of Bap¬ tiste therein. All through the book is an array of empty pages, but the space assigned to Mississippi is nearly full already. For this we have to thank the Indefatigable exertions of brother Simmons, and the valuable aid of the Southern Baptist , which copies freely from the Journal and gives due credit. But enough on this line— we have spoken of what has been done only to show what can be done by proper cllort. To call forth that effort, we oiler a prize to every reader. It is this. By all confession the Journal is too entail. We frequently have to leave out interesting letters for want of space, we feel constantly cramped hi our own attempts to write, while for a monthly summary of missionary intelligence, and the cream of our exchanges, wc have had absolutely no room. We feel, therefore, very anxious to double the size of tho paper from and after next April, and propose if possible to do so, without any increase of price, but we cannot safely do this without an addition of at least twenty-Jiee hundred names to our list. Shall we have them? It can be done easily by our present readers, it can be done only by them. If each one will secure another, either by personal application to a neigh¬ bor or by writing to a friend, who does not now subscribe, it will be done very speedily. Fit: use, then, for your own sakes as well as for the sake of the cause, help us to make the Journal larger and better, and more useful. Send on .the names ■and money as rapidly as you can. SYSTEMATIC GIVING. We print elsewhere two different plans of rais¬ ing money for missions, which we commend to the careful consideration of our readers. While we in¬ sist that every church ought to adopt some system, wc beg leave to add two cautionary remarks. First, no plan will work spontaneously. The steam en¬ gine, without heat, is an inert mass ; in the hands of a careless manager it is terribly mischievous. So any system ol church finance needs both the im¬ pelling power oi ardent Christian zeal and the constant guidance of Christian tact. Secondly, please take care In adopting a financial scheme, not to violate the fundamental law of the land. All systems, worthy of the name, are Intended to pre¬ vent, not to pay, debts and deficiencies. When adopted at the close of a financial year, just to cover up derelictions, they are clearly ел post facto. Make now the contribution due for the current year, and adopt your plan for next year’s work. шве LOTTIE MOON. I From a long letter written at San Francisco, Oc¬ tober «list, we clip the following paragraphs. Does it not seem strange that one leaving home and country' to live, perhaps to die, in a far-otf heathen land, should be so cheerful? She writes : ‘•I could not but think to-day of the passage, * Cast thy bread Upon the waters, and thou «halt find it after many days.’ About twenty years ago Dr. Francis [now of Oakland, Cal.] was a t ravel - ling missionary or agent In Virginia. lie and his nephew came' to my mother’s, remained there a j week or ten days, and were treated with the old- fashioned hospitality of those times. Hearing of j my -being here, he called yesterday, and at once j took charge of my business affairs. To-day he cs- I corted me to the Bank of California, where, after arranging everything for Mr. Hartwell’s children, I bought an order on Shanghai for' Mexican dollars. So I have nothing to do but enjoy myself till the steamer sails, Saturday, Nov. 3d. “When I was in New York the ladies of the Woman’s Missionary Union treated me not only witli the greatest attention; but with the, utmost kindness. ' My own sisters could not have done more. “I never enjoyed the overland journey' as much before. From Chicago, nearly to Omaha, we’ hail the very pleasant addition to our party of Ker. Dr. Humphreys, District Secretary of the American Board. As 1 knew a number of the missionaries of I that Board in Japan and China, wc were soon on the easy footing of old acquaintances. | “ I have had a very pleasant time here — a nurn- ! her of calls and several invitations out. Yesterday J we spent tiie day with an old schoolmate of acmt- ' slit of mine. She saw my name in the list of arri¬ vals, and called promptly. It is all Alabama fami¬ ly, and we had a delightful day. The lady was once a 'student at It. F. Institute, I think iq Dr. Manly’s time. They told' us marvels about. Chi? land, the extravagance of its magnates, tlie size of its vegetables, fruits, Ac. Wearchwitedtogo out to¬ morrow to Brooklyn, about nine miles from the city, and stay till Saturday. Miss Pitman, who has already been there, says if there i? a Parudl.se ou earth. It i= that spot. “There will be eleven missionaries on the stear By last steamer seventeen went out.” WORTHY OF IMITATION. A good brother writes to Dr. Tapper : “ 1 send you for missions twenty-one dollars and. fifty cents, the tenth of what the Lord lias recently given me.” Another says : “Enclosed find $22.70 in P. O. order. May the Lord direct it through your hands to the accom¬ plishment of good for God’s cause and the salva¬ tion of some poor heathen. Be assured that our prayers will go up for their conversion, and that our small pittance, with others, may be an instrumen¬ tality In God’s hands to turn them from tbe wor¬ ship of idols to that of the true God.” er. PERSONALITIES. Our November number had less editorial matter than usual, and yet Rev. J. F. Kemper says it was “better than ever.” Dr. B. Manly, in ordering an additional supply says, “I told some of the folks if they would read that little, article on the ‘Morning Glory** and think it over well, and then tell me they were sorry they had taken the paper, I would pay for it myself.” A good lady wrote that article. Miss - , of N. f\, writes: “Rev. Dr. Hartwell lias visited us, and we are determined to do more for missions than ever before. Please send me specimen of Foreign Mission Journal, I wish to get up a club.” Mrs. - writes from Rupidan Station, Va.: “Wc have just organ¬ ized in our church, Crooked Run, a Woman’s Mis¬ sionary Society, and our first work is to make tip (i club for the Journal.” Samuel M. Harden, son of our late missionary to Liberia, came to America a few months ago and is now at the Richmond Institute, preparing him¬ self, under the instruction of Dr. Corey, for work in Africa. Brother W. J, David continues to improve. At last accounts he was in London, trying to forward the interests of African Missions.