The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-14

the increased number of churches that give to foreign and home missions than by the increase In churches organized. But the fault is not altogether with the churches, for we cannot resist the con clusion, that proper presentation of the case to these churches by those in charge of them would lead to decided change. There are among our city churches some which give mere pit tance, out of their abundance, for mis- sions; and which care so little for the great mission work of our denomina- tion that they refuse even to listen to an appeal from the secretaries or rep resentatives of home or foreign mission boards, We cannot believe the fault here is with the churches altogether. What such churches need is leaders who believe that the world is lost with out Christ, and that the special work of the Christian church is to evangelize the world through its representative mission boards.
 Another cause of the lack of interest and funds, is the lack of information as to the misison fields. We give to what we are interested in. We cannot be interested in what we know little or nothing about. And the lack of mis- sionary intelligence to-day among church members is one of the leading reasons for the decline of interest in foreign mission work.
 The woman's boards have done and are doing through their auxiliaries a work of intestimable value to foreign p,,tcc i, erfx to the instruction of the young in the literature of missions. This lack of in formation among church members as to mission work has come largely be- cause of failure to sustain the mis- sionary concert. If we want an exam pie of the effect of zealous observance of the missionary concert, look at the Clarendon street Baptist church, Bos- ton, Rev. A. J. Gordon, D. D., late pastor. By no means a wealthy church, but a church permeated through and through by an intense missionary spirit, a longing to save the world. Dr. Gordon's successor has not yet been found, but the tidal wave of that mans spirit still pervades every household in that parish and that church is one of the largest givers to foreign missions in this country. Would that q similar spirit actuated all our ministry and churches!
 We place as one Of the chief reasons of the present financial condition of our missionary boards lack of mis- sionary intelligence and a decadence of the missionary spirit, as indicated by a failure to sustain or even think of the meeting of prayer and conference for missions. What an impetus to the spiritual life of the church comes from the Week of Prayer! What results might come if all the churches of our denomination once a month observed one evening for prayer and conference for missions. Let an earnest appeal go our from this meeting of the American board for a new departure" in this respect.
 | It is possible that another cause of lack of interest in some quarters is the fact that the prudential committee have not carried out the desires of some rath- CT overzealous friends of the board that no reduction or retrenchment be made i in the work Every year when it is suggested that some curtailment of the work will be necessary unless largei gifts come to the treasury, motion is put that the prudential committee be directed to make no retrenchment in the work, and amid applause and sing ing the "Doxology' 1t is carried. Now brethren, this emotional method oi dealing with definite and serious finan cial problems does not and will not ap. peal to the judgment of conservative men to whom the work is committed If the work is to be continued to its full capacity. something more substan tial than such resolutions must be pro vided; and we believe the churches ant Individuals contributing to this worl will, by large majority, approve O this position. The work has alread, been reduced, but only because we wer, forced to do it. It has now reached tn, danger line. The crisis of missions il |plainly in view!
 One more reason which has in tn, minds of many thoughtful, observan persons, friends of the board, operated to check enthusiasm and create some what critical spirit, and so affect thei Interest in the work is the serious prob Hem that the prudential committee hay,
 been unable thus far satisfactorily t, solve. How far is the board warranted in continuing the support of well-estab llished and long-continued missions Several of our missions have been es tablished for over seventy-five years The question is fair one. It involve
 some radical changes in the principle of the mission work as at present con Iducted by the board. But it should b fairly considered. Your committee rec
 ognize the force of the claim made b,
 some of the most valued constituenc,
 of the board, that if after sixty year
 and more of work in and support of
 mission, during which at least two gen
 erations have been graduated from tn
 schools, seminaries and colleges of tn
 board the mission is not capable thei
 of taking care of itself, under such su
 pervision as St. Paul gave ill his mis
 sion tours, then there is something tha
 needs careful revision and correction
 It is fair question, will the time eve
 come when the missions of the boar
 will become self-supporting and self
 propagating? That. certainly was tn
 idea on which they were founded. It i
 what should be looked forward to a
 the logical and scriptural result of we
 established and properly conducte
 mission work.
 In 1870 the cooperation of the Pres byterians and ConpregatjonaliS lists in th