Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-01-15
Now. connect with this extension of

NOW, COuHcCI Will tIllb cAVcnSiOu VI
the work the agency employed.
There are now $500 ordained mis-
sionaries and twice that number of
lay assistant missionaries scattered
over these vast territories, proclaim
ing far and near the good tidings Of
salvation.
In addition to this body Of foreign
laborers, there are ut least 1850 ma
tive laborers engaged as teachers
and colporters and Bible readers, nc
lively promoting the same great
cause.
There are now 100000 native
youths connected with the schools of
these various missions, and it is fair
to calculate that In five years from
the present time one-fourth Of these,
or 10000, will be brought into active
work in the advance of Christianity,
and according to this ratio, by the
end of the present century, there
will be more than 10000 ordained
missionaries and not less than l00,-
600 native workers.
Look at the matter from another
point Of view. The Bible, in whole
or IN part, has been translated and
circulated in $50 Of the principal Ian
guages and dialects of the unevangel-
lied peoples, the greater number of
which had never been reduced to
writing till done by modern mission
aries.
Within the last twenty-five years,
there have been circulated about
$50, 900, 900 copies of the Bible, which
is an average Of one copy to every
ten persons on the face of the globe.
The world is to-day in possession of
copies of the Bible than was in the
world from Noses time down to the
beginning Of the present century.
Agencies are now at work ts put q
Bible into every family, and the time
is not far distant when every man on
the globe will have a Bible or hare to
refuse to take it.
The exact amount raised for pro-
pagating the Gospel among the heath
ems cannot be known, but it is known
that about 81, 100000 is expended an
nually. And all this labor and all
these means are by voluntary contri-
buttons.
1t is impossible at present to es
innate results, as much of the work
is only preliminary, and the full har-
vest will not be ;reaped for ages to
come, but it is known that at the
present time more than o million and
q half of converted heathens are re-
joicing in the hope of Immortality
through faith in a crucifed Saviour.
This much has been accomplished
against many difficulties; the Ian
guages of the people had to be learn
ed, the prejudices of the people had
to be overcome, their characters and
habits had to be studied and under
stood, all means had to be transport
ed a great distance and with bad
facilities, etc, etc. IS
Now, look at another feature of
church work: The Sunday School
which is, also, an enterprise of the
present century. 81
In 1880, there were no Sunday
schools connected with the church
work. The little seed that was plant
ed at Gloucester, one hunded years
ago, has grown to be banyan tree,
under the shade Of which tens of
thousands sit with great delight.
! give a condensed statement of
the Sunday school work, as obtained
by the indefatigable labors of Mr.. E.
Payson Porter, of Philadelphia, who
has given more attention to the sub
.ject than any other man. g., ...
Within the bounds of Protestant
Christianity there are over twelve
and a half millions Of children in the
Sunday school.
The United States and Canada have
100000 scholars and nearly mil
lion of teachers. ....
These schools are found every
where. They are the pride of our
strongest metropolitan churches, and
in the far far West thev rothar .hout