Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-15
The Meeting d the A. 3. c. :. u.

AT union meeting Of the two Congrega-
tional churches, Sunday evening, Rev. DIR.
Brastow gave an interesting account of the
meeting of the American Board of Mis-
sions at Lowell. last week
Mr. Brastow sadthe meeting was the largest
ever held by the American Board the great
jubilee meeting of twenty wears ago in Bos-
ton possibly excepted ami N spite Of serious
drawbacks from the noisy location of the
railroad hall, IN which the sessions were held,
and other circumstances, anil from the ora
torical DEFICIENCIES of most American speak
| ers, it was an inspiring meeting, source OF
| ennobling and purifying influences. 1t show
ed in a marked degree the interest in the
cause of missions felt by the Christians Of
| Massachusetts, State which sends more
missionaries and has more invested in mis-
sions than all the rest of New England. The
meeting at Providence two years ago was
memorable for the lifting of the debt of the
Board That year ago, at Syracuse, was
| one of devout praise, in view of the Otis
| bequest of over u million dollars. This
meeting was made memorable by the
enlargement of the work. Of the Otis
| legacy, $50, 900 has already been de
voted to such enlargement OF this,
$50, 900 has been allotted to the establish
ment of mission stations in Central Africa
| SOC, 900 to enlargement of the educational
work in Japan and China; $50 ,000, to Armen-
ianl schools and colleges and other appro-
pratiOns for new preaching stations in Tur-
key. Greece and elsewhere. The receipts of
the board for the year were between $780,
900 and S500, 900, exceeding by S64, 900 the
receipts of the previous year. Over $780,
900 was received from the Women's Board
of Missions, much more than ever before.
| The year closes with debt of about Slj, 900
| on the Board.
The meeting brought TO view some points
of great interest First, the religious pros
perity of the missions. In several there have
been extensive revivals, notably in Northern
China. The whole of China Is now open to
missionary work Some of the missions are
now approaching the point Of self-suppOrt.
No more men will be sent to the Armenia
missions In Central Turkey the members
of the mission churches now contribute
yearly an average of SIS Ter member for
religious purposes.
| Second, the call for men, for the work.
| Two hundred men are needed to-day for the
work in Northern China Indeed one of the
missionaries there says that a thousand new
men could be employed there. We have in
our denomination one minister to every 153
church members. In China there is but one
missionary TO each million of people. More
men are wanted for Africa, and for other
missions If the churches cannot supply
men, when thus called for, it indicates de
cay. WHO supply the missionaries? The
statistics show that they 90 forth from piOus
homes. Out of l40, there were 122 who had
pious fathers and mothers, and but six,
neither OF whose parents was a Christian.
The missionaries come largely from New
England. Massachusetts supplies GS, YER
mont o, Maine Z. There are 139 college
graduates, of which Amherst and Williams
send out third, and Western colleges an
other third. Harvard College in 70 years
has sent out 4. There are $50 graduates of
theological seminaries; one third of these are
from AndOver the Chicago Seminary send
ing its men mainly to the home missions
The missionaries come largely from country
homes The wealthy and cultivated homes
of the cities do not seem to cultivate the mis-
siOnary spirit. One in seven of our people
are members of evangelical churches, and
one in every 700 is Christian minister. One
in every fifty of our church members is a
minister but only one IN l COO is mission
airy and hut one missionary for a million
heather. \ convention of delegates from
the theological seminaries is soon to meet to
consider the question why the semiuaries do
not send out more missionaries and no more
important convention will meet in this year
of conventions
DIR. Brastow alluded to some of the points
presented in Secretary Clarke's paper on The
Changed Relations of the Mission Work, =
the great increase of our knowledge of the
heather world the accessibility of heather
countries; the amazing spread of the
Bible, which is now printed in 1873
differen. languages and dialects, so that
three fourths of the people on the globe
might read it in their own tongues;-the Won
derful opening for women's work the
shame that attaches to the Christian church,
in that it lags behind science and commerce
in penetrating to the dark corners of the
earth.
He alluded also to DIR. Manning's sermon; to
the speeches of President Hopkins, of DR..
Hanuay of London and DIR. Stevens of
Montreal to the Lords Supper, the COM
muncants filling three large churches and
to the farewell meeting. when the mission
aries, about to go forth, were brought before
the meeting and told what was in their
hearts. All in all it was grand, significant,
characteristic religious convention. There
is no gathering of the people involving such
power, such work in the interest of men as
this.