The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-11

offering of $500. 600? Let this special
fund BIZ placed in a common treasury,
under the care of chosen committee. to
be dlstri buted by some pro rata method.
The prime object should he the removal
of every debt and the lifting of heavy
burdens.
SURVEY OF THE WORK.
The annual survey of the work OF the
American Board, 1894, by the retiring
foreign secretary, Rev. N. G. Clark, d.
D., was presented at the opening session
in the afternoon. 1t said:
1t is with great satisfaction that we
are permitted to report marked progress
IN the missionary work at nearly every
point in the great missionary field.
There have been hindrances from I'M
friendly governments, but none such as
TO seriously iniure the work save the
damage to our high schools and colleges
in the Turkish Empire. Thoughtful
observers at home and abroad are inn
pressed with the changes evidently going
on in the popular mind. preparing India
for the reception of the gospel.
This change has thus far made itself
felt more strongly in some of the miss
ions of other Boards than in those con-
nected with the American Board. It
would seem that theshigher classes are
being reached as never before. Many of
the young men educated in the higher
schools and colleges are organizing into
societies which practically erect idolatry
and are accepting theism. 1t is recog-
milton OF the fact that the old supersti
tions and the idolatry connected with
them no longer suffice for thinking
minds. The same thought is more or
less recognized by the common people,
and many villages are renouncing their
ldolatry and begging for Christian in
structiOn. The one great want OF India
at this time is native agency, we'll
trained in the gospel, and means to sup
port them in making it know to these
waiting multitudes. Never before have
so many villages been reported as apply
ing to the missionaries for INSTRUCTION in
the gospel, and never before have mis-
sionarles been so muchtried on account
of their inability to improve the .remak-
able opportunities presented to them.
Reference was made to the work of
Kew. 5. v karmarer, who at the Montreal
Endeavor Convention in 1893, made
remark which nearly caused a riot.
The report said? One new enterprise
may property be referred to that of Rev.
S.V. karmarer and wife, who after some
years in this country have returned TO
take charge of what is practically a sta
tion at Bassein, in India. Mrs. Karmaker
has s.had a course in medicine and re-
turns in the hope of large influence in
the practice of her profession, Mr.. Kar-
marer has had experience already as
native agent, aud returns with fresh
courage and hope, after completing in
this country a course of study of special
value in it's reference to the future.
In the Madura mission, one very strik-
ing feature is the act that the additions
to the churches come from thirty differ
nr,f prtn e-l,r ,1o..
OF the gospel, ana giving the greatest
promise of reaching the entire population
at an early date. The fact that there
are now over 1000 comunicants scattered
throughout the entire population of
about 100000 shows preparation for
eyangelization that may we'll prompt to
enlarged and vigorous effort in in behalf
of this people. Through the special
work of the Misses Leitch, formerly of
the Ceylon mission, the medical work
has been put on good basis and thor
oughly competent physicians secured to
have charge of it, not only in connection
with the mission of the board, but also
for an English society with which the
Misses Leitch are connected. This mis-
sion has been exposed to peculiar trials
and difficulties from anti-evangelical
agencies such as have heset no other
mission of the Board. No field has pre-
sented such d conflict between the oppos-
ing forces of truth and error. 1t is be-
lieved, however, that the WORST is past,
and that the siftilg process through
which the churches are passing will be
wholesome i'll the end. Taking into
view the peculiar circumstances Of this
field, it is much that go new mem bers
have been added to the churches during
the year, that the Christian university,
known as thu Doshisha, and the College
for Women and other educational insti-
buttons, including training school for
women and Kindergarten for the child
rem, have been SO we'll sustained. The
war tnatis now raging between China
and Japan cannot. of course, fail to dis
tract the popular mind and absorb gen.
eral interest but, il it should end in Sc
curing to japan her true place among
the civilized nations of the world and
the recognition of just treaty rights,
the gain TO Christian civilization may
brighter future for the gospel be opened
to Japan.
The annual survey by Rev. Secretary
Judson Smith. D. D., was presented.
Secretary Smith has charge of IL missions
Those in Micronesia and the Hawaiian
Islands, four in the Chinese Empire, three
in Africa and three in Asiatic Turkey.
In~these fields, embracing highly civil
lied peoples on the one hand, and people
of the simplest manners and develop
ment on the other, 34l missionaries are
employed, of whom. 80 have gone out
this year for the first time. The native
agency numbers $4,000, pastors, preach
ers, teachers and other helpers, and at
least sixty millions of souls are accessible
to Christian instruction. In the Gilbert
Islands of the Pacific Ocean, British
jurisdiction, upon the whole, is found to
be favorable to the peaceful and effective
prosecution of missionary work
If the all problems of first growth
connected with missionary work
Chinese empire remain still to be solved
and some new perplexities have been
added during the current year. It was
inevitable that at some time the self
satisfaction of the Chinese Empire and
its rigid conservatism SHOULD come into
more or less violent collision with the
new spirit and movement that are abroad
among the nations. No one. could have
foreseen from what source this distur J.
ing influence would arise and it is not
at all strange that the ne ghporing EN-
pire, which has SO quickly responded to
Western influences should have been the
occasion of stirring to its depths the
stagnant life of this greatest of the
Oriental powers. 1t has ever been the
case that missionary interests have been