The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-30

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to 90 into all the world and preach the Gospel
to every creature has always inspired some
men more thoroughly than others, and they
have gone forth like their apostolic predeces-
sors to carry the message Of salvation to dying
men in the remotest quarters of the globe.
Long before missionary associations and
boards were thought of modern Christianity
had raised up scores of individual missionaries
and sent them forth attired in all the panoply
of the Gospel of Christ and equipped for the
fight. For long time prejudice ex-
listed in the mind of the general
Church against foreign missions. The
heather were deemed to be so deeply
sunk in idolatry and superstition that it was
considered folly and madness to attempt to
turn them from their idols to the living and
true God. But the success of the independent
missionaries, partial though it was, and beset
with great and numerous difficulties, neverthe-
less inspired the Church with the idea of doing
something for the debased millions Of heathen-
| dom. Hence missionary boards and societies
were organized, and through these for more
than half century the work of missionary
evaugelization at home and abroad has been
carried on most effectually. There is hardly
a Christian denomination in the world to-day
that has not its missions in Asia, Africa,
Europe and South America and among the
islands of the sea and though sceptics may
success, there is real gain and advancement
made every year by conversions from heathen-
ism to Christianity. Who has not heard of
the magnificent success of the American
| Baptist missions in Burmah and of the English
| and American Methodsts in India and China
and Western Africa; of the Presbyterians in
| Africa, Asia Minor and parts of Europe, and
of the Episcopalians in Southern Africa?
In 1918 the Rev. DR.. Judson, a most cody,
Christian man, established the Baptist mis-
self and DR.. Mason began their labors among
the Karen mountaineers of that empire. Per-
secutions fierce and long awaited them, but in
spite of all they held fast to their work and to
their faith, and to-day two hemispheres bless
their names and memory. They lighted fire
in that dark land which will never die out.
There does not exist in Europe or America
more simple and cody people than the Karens
OF Burmah, along whose roads, the mission
aries declare, a man may travel in any given
direction for six hundred miles and lodge
every night in Christian home. Most of the
three hundred and eighty-two churches
founded among them are self-supporting, and
some of them have become strong enough to
send out missions to others. And this is but
the first fruits of the mission work of one de-
nomination of American Christians among the
heathen-a result in less than twenty years so
magnificent as to be the wonder of Christen-
DOM
When the American Methodists started
teen or twenty years ago, they had very little
| success. Rev. DR.. Maclay, superintendent of
! missions in Foochow, China, was in that dis
trct for nine years before he could point to the
first convert. But when the first fruit came he
proved to be just the man for the time and the
place, although a ''rough" of the Reddy the
Blacksmith grade. He was enough to revive
the faintng spirits of the American mission
aries, and they labored with increased dill
gence and zeal, and God has blessed their
labors 80 abundantly that they have now
an annual conference Of eighty -four missiona-
res, native and American, and membership
of more than fifteen hundred, besides large
numbers under instruction and on probation,
together with Sunday and day schools, Or
phanages and other Christian adjuncts. And
this conference, at its session toward the
close Of 1870, began mission career for it
self by sending native minister of their num-
Der to labor among his countrymen in San
Francisco. In India, with a force Of thirty
| four missionaries, the numerical success is
| even greater. The membership numbers
above 1000, besides 1900 scholars taught
| in thirty-ive Sunday schools and 4, 443 in one
| hundred and thirteen day schools. During q
recent visit of Rev. William L. Taylor (form-
erly of the California Conference, but now an
| Evangelist to the different charges Of this
mission very remarkable revival was started
| by which, in the early part of January, eighty
| three professed faith in Christ in Lucknow,
twenty in Cawnpore; in Shahjehanpore, Barely
| and Budaon forty, and in Moradabad twenty
two. In Liberia, Africa, the Methodists have
eleven effective men, four supplies, and four
preachers on native stations eleven common
schools, five teachers of native schools, and
| thirty native youths educating for the minis
try. They have an annual conference there
also and colored missionary bishop to su-
nerintend the affairs of the mission.
| The FIRST missionary society was organized
| in England in l7O1 there are now twenty
| five such in that realm. The Professionals of
France have one, the Germans and Swiss
eleven, the Dutch two, the Norwegians and