The Portland daily press., 1891-01-29
AN INTERESTING MISSIONARY RALLY.
The Ministers Of the Cumberland
Congregational Conference
Listen to Words Of encouragement
and Strength.
A Strong Resolution Endorsing the
Work OF the Sheriff.

ed, and the scribe OF the conference, REV. u.
NJ. Cousins, acted rs secretary.
In view Of the lively interest through the
churches In missionary operations. the COM
mittee of arrangements being assured that
this would be heartily approved. decided to |
make this session entirely a missionary oc-
casion, TO which should be invited all the
churches Of western Maine. The wisdom
and liberality Of the Second Parish In the
arrangements for the meeting was highly ap-
prsciated by the conference.
At the beginning Of the morning session,
at $50 a. m. after the preliminary devotion
al service. the very full and rich programme
reported by the committee for the day and
evening was cordially adopted BY the con-
and conservation, In which many took part,
preceded the addresses Of the session.
The opening address Of the day was made
by the Rev. Judson Smith. ID. D., Of Boston,
secretary Of the American Board.
Secretary Smith said that the present
phase Of missionary effort and interest Is by
no means the first In the history Of the
church, which. from the first days Of Christ's
Kingdom, has been busy In going out, start
| ing from Jerusalem. to bless and lift up the
nations. But the last link In this chain Of
Christian effort Is the work Of today, the
work we are called to do. Never was the
work more clearly providentlal. marked by
more open doors, or grace1 and made grand
bv greater dignity. sweep and promise.
No one doubts the existence and the deeds
Of the heather, really such, In our own land.
bat for the few in the home fields are to be
counted the thousand millions OF foreign
lands. All the more forcible considerations
which urge us to care for the needy Of our
land, and for these we ought to care. push
all the more strongly when we look at the
| foreign work.
| No one questions the remarkable success
| Of the missions Of the American Board as
among the sisterhood Of great national mis-
sionary societies its special mark. Look at
the field; the success gained; the obligation
| Of duty; the ripe grain In the waiting field.
| These are adequate to stir enthusiasm and
| fire the churches In the new zeal.
The call Is q great one; the great need Is
| of additional resources; but IL each church
member would give two cents week more
| than Is now given, 1t would amply meet the
demand for more laborers and grander fields.
Great interest was manifested In the ad
dress Of Rev. g. II. Gutterson of India. The
modern missionary finds his work along all
| the lines Of society and civilization. Ap-
Piled Christianity to build character. to
| build social systems. to build up all institu-
tions according to the rule and measure Of
Christ's gospel. This is the missionary
work Of our day.
England has done great things for India
| for discount English administration there
| as you will 1t has been benefcent and Chris
| tlan.
| The obstacles to the evangelizatlon of In
dia to the building Of true character there
are serious, with all England and Christen-
dom are doing. The religious and spiritual
| Indifference Is material and decided hin
| drauce. Caste, hateful, inhuman thing
anywhere, Is hundred fold more hateful.
horrible, unchristian In India, the home OF
Caste. This Is an obstacle which up to to-
day is barrier and obstacle evil, and only
evil, yet fixed powerful and well nigh insur-
mountable.
staele greater than we, In Christian lands,
can conceive. The grossness. corruption
aud degradation of Hindooism are such that
no one can venture. So describe them. This
corrupting religion is everywhere poisoning
| the very air and sending its material malig-
nancy all through society.
But In spite Of these and other obstacles
| the gospel, the power of Goo, Is sufficient TO
/ cope with the darkness, the sin and all the
manifold powers Of evil which are arrayed
| In India. The situation In India Is not hope
less and the kingdom Of God, gaining victo-
i ries there every day, Is to be eventually tri-
umphant over that great magnificent land.
Rev. G. A. Wilder Of Africa, spoke with
i el0quence and force Of the people Of South
Africa and missionary operations there.
These people, the Zulus especially, are In
| tellectually gifted, brave In wal, capable OF
cultivation. They honor their parents, they
have affection one toward ware anotnsf in tney ioys
dicted to drink. with no gods but no end OF
degrading superstitions.
they are hopeful type Of people. as are
| many more nati0nRlities In the Dark C0nti-
nent, and the leaven Of Christian truth has
told already among them. and the prospect IL
| full Of hope. Mr.. Wilder read and then sang
In Zulu hymn composed by Mrs. Tyler, a
former missionary In t1at land.
The morning session closed with prayer
and the benediction by DIR. Judson Smith.
Afternoon Meeting.
In the afternoon. following the devotional
service. Rev. Daniel March, d. D., gave a
stirring address on the people Of the East.
especially of India. their peculiar customs.
capacity Of Improvement and religious nerds.
He said that In the best law Of the heather
lands, he mad often asked cultivated men IL
they would advise him to buy such an idol
as they worshipped and bring home to Amer
should not 20 back and teach his nation to
| believe In Buddha or Gautauma, but he never
found an instance whore they would recon-
mend their religion for America. They do
not repose confidence fully In their own re-
ligion
Christianity Is able to cope with the tre-
| mendous power Of heathenism. Or. March
| said we might be assured that the superb
missionary workers from our land are doing
| are on pagen soil, and that we shall make nc
mistake In giving them our heartiest sup
| port.
can Boar0, remark that he had net enjoyed
good nights sleep since the appropriations
were made for the year 1891. Tne rstrench-
ments imperatively called for In the mission
| airy work gave him continual concern.
There Is now, indeed, crisis In missione,
particularly in the operations Of the Board
| There Is an urgency and supremacy Of de
mand, such as have never been matched, and
| we ought not to send out word that we can
not send into the field those who are thi,
moment waiting to go out into the harvest.
The friends Of Christianity are now urged
10 90 forward and possess the fruits Of victo
ry. Now Is the time, Of all epochs since
missionary work commenced, for swift aud
| | large effort. Never was the risk OF loss from
curtailing effort so great To stay, to hal
just when all things are ready for US to gaiI
and possess the land, would be unwisdOm a
, | well as failure In duty. The fields white TO
the harvest should inspire the workers aut
also fire the churches who ale to support tn
| missionaries.
An appeal Of more pathos and power L
seldom heard.
: A part OF the programme which proved o
: great interest consisted Of questions relatinI
TO the missions with answers by DIR. Judsoi
> | Smith.
Secretary Smith said In these answers tina
J the death of the late King OF Hawaii re
moves a great obstacle to the full Work o
the Christian religion In the Sandwich Isl
ands.
2 The call for increased resources Is on ac
4 count Of the splendor Of the work and th
Z UNPARALLELED present opportunities. Tn
embarrassment now felt Is that which success
brings. ,
cally chosen with wisdom. This matter
7 carefully looked TO. The great strategi
point Of China Is Pekin, and several othe
hat int L..