The Portland daily press., 1895-10-18
MISSION WORK.
Proceedings Of the American Board
at Brooklyn
TURKEY LACKS RESPECT FOR OUR
GOVERNMENT.

For this Reason Our Missionaries Are
| Given Poor Protection-The Admins
tration's Weak Foreign Policy-Ihe
Situation of Missions in Bulgaria.
Brooklyn, n Y, October 1.-THE
American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions of the Congregational
| Church resumed its sessions at the
Academy of Music. this city, ao O'Clock
this morning Rev. Richard :. Storrs,
president of the board, presided. The
session was opened by IL business meeting
during which various committees made
reports concerning the financial condition
of the board Several missionaries who
have recently returned from foreign
countries then addressed the session. An
interesting report was read by DR. Ward.
editor OF the New York Independent on
| the progress made during the year in
missions in all parts Of the world. He
said that the political situation III nearly
every missionary country is so complex
as to call for very intelligent action.
SIT UATICN IN TURKEY.
| An address was delivered by the Rev.
| W. A. Farnsworth on the situation in
Turkey, where he has spent forty years.
He said that the recent indignities to
American missionaries We're largely due
to the lack of respect which the Turkish
government had for the United States.
| This he said. was due principally to tine
fact that our governments plan OF
| in, & f1nifV
American ministers, he believed, should
be subjected tic some sort of civil service
| examination.
ssThe protection of our mission is large
| ly due,'' he continued, "to Great Britain
The word British before any declaration
at once challenges the respect OF the
| Turkish government. Missionaries should
be entitled to the same protection as
merchants; Bibles should be as carefully
protected as opium. Ii our chief magls-
trate is not brave enough to take hrn
stand on this question he is not loyal to
his oath of office.
| The Rev. DR.. Palmer introduced long
resolution calling Oh the churches to in
crease their subscriptions and to CO.
operate more earnestly with the board. 1t
concluded by asking that committee OF
nine be appointed to collect money TO
defray the debts Of the board, the money
promised for the purpose to be payable on
March /. and conditioned on the raising
| of Sl15, 600 altogether. Ii this sum be thus
raised, the resolution said, a friend of the
board, whose name was withheld, had
agreed to give it $25, 900 to be applied on
its debts
MISSIONS IN BULGARIA.
Rev. J. f. Clarke, D. D, who was mis-
sionary TO Bulgaria for thirtysix years
almost from the beginning of the work
here-gave a vivid description of that
country, supplemented with maps and en-
cravings. He told how the gospel had
gradually spread throughout the country,
and of the hardships undergone by the
earlier missionaries. He narrated the
story of the first printing of the New
Testament in the Bulgarian language,
which was bought up eagerly by the
people, not because it was the Word of
God, but because it was Bulgarian book.
One young man said to the speaker at the
time: 1.-The words were sweet to me be-
calse it was the language which my
mothe used" AT that time there seemed
to be no spiritual knowledge of gospel
truth, and the Virgin Mary was the chief
object of worship. By donation of 800
sion school for boys was soon established
in Philippopolis and for girls in Eski
Zaghra The girls school has prepared
many efficient Bible workers, teachers,
wives of pastors and preachers. The
boys school now developed into the Col
legiate and Theological Institute has fur
nished all the educated Christian workers
but one for the mission of the American
Board, and has had far greater influence
for good in the nation than any other
agency except the direct preaching of the
gospel. The institute should now be
placed on a more permanent basis by
seeking an endowment.
God brought out missionaries to Bull
garia at time when they could aid those
suffering from war and massacre. l have
in hand printed list of so places, over
80 of which | have visited, which con-
tanned nearly II, 900 houses, of which more
than half were destroyed by Turks in
1876 and about j, 900 persons massacred
many of them with the greatest barbarity
and torture.
The speaker said there were in Bulgaria
25 missionaries, male and female, 10 pas
tors and 13 other preachers as we'll as rs
Bulgarian workers and AZ regular preach
ing places. The people have built most
of their churches except III the larger
places without aid from the board. The
church edifice in Pnilippopolis has be-
come too small ana pastor anu people are
working hard to secure some means to
build another, but they much need ex-
ternal aid.
At the evening session Rev. Dr.. How
land presid ent of Jaffa college, Ceylon,
spoke of the needs of miss ons at that
place. Rev. DR.. Storrs made an address.
He said mission work was the greatest
work enlightened people could be engaged
in.
The election of officers for 1856 result
ed as follows: President, Rev. DIR.
Richard Storrs; vice PRESIDENT, Elipalet
W. Blatchford prudential committee
for three years, Rev. DR.. E. Holr, Rev
W. W. Jordan. Rev. DR.. N. Boynton,
q. A. Hopkins; corresponding secre-
taries, Rev. DIR. Judson Smith, Rev. DIR.
c. H Daniels, Rev. DR. James Barton
editorial secretary, Rev. DIR. E. e.
Strong; recording secretary, Rev. DR..
Simpson; assistant treasurer, Frank W.
Wiggin; auditors, Samuel johnson,
Richard H. Stearns and Edard H. Baker
The new corporate members elected in
lude for Maine, E. R. Burpee of Bangor.
At the woinan's meeting this afternoon,
Mrs. Judson Smith of Boston presided