Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-05-22
MISSIONARY MATTEna


 IH BurmAh, seventy years ago, thoee was not single Christian. Nov thexe are not far from 1o0, 900. The Baptists alone have 800 churches and nearly 80,- 900 communicants.
 MICRoNEsIA saw her first Christian baptism but a little over Q quarter of . century ago. Now there are forty-seven self-supporting churches and about 5, ,OO0 church members.
 THE Friendly Islands fifty years ago had not native Christian. Now there are more than 0,0O0 church members, who give annually from their scanty store SIS, 900 for religious objects.
 PoMARIs, tho South Sea Island Queen, died at the age of seventy years. At her birth the first missionaries were just landing; at her death, 300 of the South Sea Islands had become Chris tianixed!
 THE Sandwich Islands in 1890 were peopled by naked savages, living in the surf, eating raw flesh. and praoticing human sacrifice. In fifty years they were regarded as Christianized. AL ready these native churches have trained up more than seventy-dve for eign missionaries to be sent to the isl ands boyondl
 CH1NA's pioneer missionary, Robert Morrison, began work in 1907. In 1s4s only six Christians could be found in the Empire. Now there are 89, 1000 church members who gave last year moro than Sss 900 for the support of the Gospel. There are at present thirty eight socie- ties at work in China, employing more
  are from 1S6, oo0 to 15O, 600 adherents.
 THE Fiji Islands ffty-hve years ago had never seen Q missionary, and were peopled by ferocious cannibals. In 1879 Sir Arthur Gordon, the first British Governor, said on his return to London; ''Out of population of about l9O, GOO, 10s, ,o0o arc now regular worshipers in the churches, which number 800, all we'll built and completed. In every family there is morning and evening worship"
 JAPAN had but ten Christian converts in 1872, According to statistics just now published there arc now 31 1S1, of whom 6,642 were received into tho churches last year. Twenty-six mission ary societies are at work in the Empire, and already there are no less than four teen theological seminaries with nearly 800 native students for the ministry, The Buddhist priests have dwindled from 244,ooO to 50, ,OOo-a most significant fact.
 1r Is not yet seventy-five years slnoe the first convert was gained in Poly nesia. Now the converts number 75O, 900. A band of 1e0 young men and It <h- islands are going forth as evangeiists to other benighted tribes. Of all these na tive workers not one, 1t Is said, has ever proved recreant or faithless. Yet these are the cannibals of less than 8 century ago who had lost all idea of any God save that of somo strange, tyran- nical despot
 AFRICA now has at work within her borders ten American, twelve British and thirteen continental missionary so- cieties. There are more than 700 or dained missionaries, and more than 1000 native preachers. It Is estimated that there are, both white and native. about 175, ,000 communicants and 800, ,OOo adherents. Tho Congo region, SO re- gently opened, now has 0 chain of mis- sion stations extending almost from the mouth of the river to the equator, and five large steamers arc engaged in mis- sion work on the Upper Congo.
 MADAGASCAR, early in the century, was nation of fierce idolaters. The first missionaries were told that they might as well try to convert cattle. The most inhuman cruelties were practiced upon the first converts, and as late as 1857, 2,OOO wero put to death for their faith. But the church that went under the cloud with a flow hundred souls and Gods Word in their hands came out a host of S7,OO0! Now the London Society alone has moro than 6O, ,OOO church mem bers and about 23O, ,OOO adherents. Six ty-f1ve years ago not native of the island could read, now BOG, ,OOo can read. Madagascar has more than 5000