The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-01-15
Ihe saessss Of Foreign Missions.

Inc saessss Of Foreign Missions.
It is very csapon impression,
among those not Wsilsread in the
history of missions, thatstheir sun.
port is a very doubtful fads,o1
charity-that much Of what is giver
never reaches the foreign field
being swallowed up in the salaries
Of agents and officers, rents, ex.
change, etc, little being left fol-
direct mission work. Pertinent to
this impression is the sarcasm oi
one who being asked fora donation,
said, "Here is dollar foEthe heath.
en- and four to get it to them
The following statement from
Es'he Handbook of Foreign Mis-
sions," published by the Presbyteri-
an Board of Foreign Missions, is a
definite and sufficient answer for
all such objections: s'During the
first seventeen years of it's history,
The Board expended in its admins
tration III per cent; for the next
seventeen years Il per cent; for
the last four years 4 per cent
Our Missionary Boards will not
suffer in comparison with any other
charitable or commercial financial
management in our land; and if
put in comparison with some of
our popular commercial institutions,
they will command unlimited con-
idence for their financial sagacity,
prudence and economy.
Again, there is common i'm
preston that very little has been
done by our missionaries that they
work under great discouragements,
and are to be praised for the con-
stancy of a cheerful hope. rather
than for the abundant fruits and
success of their labor. A few facts
will correct this false impression.
The foreign field for the past ten
years has yielded more converts in
proportion to the labor expended,
than the home field.
The number added to the Pres
byterian Church in our land in 1870,
on profession of faith, compared
with the whole membership, was 6
per cent; the gain Of Foreign Mis-
sions as a whole, IL per cent; gain
of the A. B. G. F. Mas whole,
14per cent; gain of the Presbyte-
rian Missions in India, 16per cent. !;
gain of the A. B. G. F. M. in Feast
ern Turkey, Is per cent; gain of
the Presbyterian Missions in China,
25 per cent.
This statement shows a heavy
preponderance in favor Of CONVEX
sions on the foreign field. In the
Sandwich Islands alone, "the num-
Der of persons received into church
fellowship on profession of faith, is
more than equal to the present
population over four years Of age,
amounting in all to $1,000, or on
an average about 1400 to each or
dained missionary" "The number
received into twenty churches in
the twenty-six years following 1887,
was 49,713, which is an annual
average Of about 1900"
Not much less than 100000
Christian converts in communities
having renounced heathenism, and
numbering 1,151,721, testify to the
eminent success of Christian mis-.
sions. Over $1,000 Christian la
borers are to-day in the field of the
world. More than $4,000 youth
are in Christian schools. In India
and Burmah there are Z, ,480 mission
aries, native preachers and cate
chists; nearly 5000 stations and
out-stations; 70,857 communicates;
137, 1926 youth in schools, and 1854
pious boys being educated for a life
of Christian labor" The Baptists
have made the Karens Of Burmah a
Christian people; the American
Board have done the same for the
Sandwich Islands; the Moravians
for Greenland; the Wesleyans for
the Feegee and Friendly Isles, and
the independents for Madagascar.
Extensive self.supporting churches,
and even whole conferences, have
been organized in Australia, East
ern British America, Canada,
France, Siberia, Sandwich Isles
and Oceanica, all of which were
once emissions" and are now not
only self:supporting, but even aiding
the parent church in their evangel-
ling efforts, or else supporting
missions of their own.
In more than three hundred
Islands of the Pacific, in Northern
Turkey, in Persia, in Hindoostan,
in Burmah, i'll China, in Madagas,
car, South Africa, Liberia and
Sierra Leone, a great multitude
have been won to Christ. The
largest church in the world, mum:
bering 4,5OO members, is in Hilo,
on the island of Hawaii, not fifty
years removed from the most de.
based savageism. Over 10000
Feegeeans gather regularly fol
Sabbath worship. who, within
score of years, teasted on human