The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-07
EVANGELIZE THE WORLD
STUDENTS VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT
HAS A GIGANTIC TASK.
Delegates to the Cleveland COnven-
ton Give Report of the Pro-
ceedings There.


organization has set for itself. Delegates to
the quadrennial convention at Cleve-
land a week ago told about the
movement and its chances for &C.
comprising the task it mas set for itself
at rally at the First Baptist Church yes
terday afternoon. Miss Elizabeth NJ. Wish
ard and Miss Caroline L. Palmer, general
secretary of the Young Women's Christian
Association. conducted the meeting, calling
various delegates who had attended to
discuss particular features of the conven-
ton that had impressed them.
Miss Wishard said she had been greatly
surprised on her return from the conven-
ton to find so many people who knew alb
solutely nothing of the movement and it's
purposes. She suggested that it would be
well for the various churches to have spe-
cial meetings, when their own delegates
might explain the undertaking.
The idea originated ten years ago and has
in that time grown to be an immense power
in evangelizing the world, she said. The
movement has fourfold purpose-to in
terest college students in missionary work.
to enroll enough volunteer missionaries
each year to provide all that can be sent by
the various missionary boards (sixty-one
were represented at the convention), to pre-
pare the Volunteers for the work by specia,
study and to impress upon those who re-
main at home their responsibility to aid
those who are abroad The executive COM
mittee has on it representative Of the
International Y. M. G. A, the Y. w. c. A.,
and the international Missionary Alliance.
Last year there were five travelling secre-
taries visiting the colleges of the world for
the purpose Of presenting and organizing
the work among Christian students. 1t is
the purpose to have hereafter seven traV-
cling secretaries, four to visit the colleges
and universities, one to visit the seminaries,
one the women's educational institutions
and one the medical schools. Miss Wishard
told of the great opening meeting, when
an hour-and-a-half service was conducted
by Rev. F.. B. Meyer, of London, who
preached from the text, "Be We clean that
bear the vessels" He impressed on the
convention the necessity of personal ex-
animation before entering on the great
work before it, saying that the hearts OF
the delegates must be clean in habit, ap-
petite free from worldly alliance, worldly
ambitions and worldly pleasures, free from
sensational or emotional religion. 1t was
necessary to search out what habit sepa-
rated from Christ Be right with Christ,
right before Christ. was his plea: Miss
Wishard said that the delegates had never
in their lives been so impressed as they
were then, looking within their own hearts.
PROGRESS IN PAGAN LANDS.
Mr.. Morgan told Of the discussion in the
convention of comparative religion, when
returned missionaries from the East told Of
the problems that confronted them. Two
things were found of an encouraging nature
in Mohammedan countries. These countries
are no longer a unit, but are divided in
their ideas and worship. While the Sultan
is still the religious head of Mohammedan
countries, he has civil sway now over but
portion Of them. With the substitution of
Christian government must come growth
of the Christian religion. In China the fol-
lowers Of Confuscius are characterized by
colossal ignorance and colossal concelt in
the greatness and beauty of their own re-
Hgion. Their ideas of God and sin and
their relation to man are entirely at fault.
With the advent of civilized methods of.
commerce their eyes are being opened to
the fact that their country and their re-
igion are not so great as they have been
taught to believe, and there is a growing
chance for the substitution of Christianity.
Mrs. 70. h. Stacy told of the discussion Of
the money problem in the convention, when
one speaker said a young man who re-
ceived salary of $40 week and put the
money in his pocket was storing away part
of himself, part of his own power. AS in
stored electricity so in stored personal
power, there were different ways of dis
tributing and applying that power. Where
to apply that power is the question. A
man might spend $4,000 of himself for
picture, another might send a dozen mis-
sionaries or build a hospital and yet an
other might spend his power in riotous
living, committing moral suicide. A man
told how he served God twenty-four hours
a day. He served God himself twelve hours
day and supported missionary in China
who, served God the other twelve. One
third OF the world knows nothing and cares
nothing of missions, she said, another third
knows little and cares nothing and yet an
other third knows much and cares much,
but the duty of this class does not end
there 1t must open the eyes and stimulate
the others to action.
DR.. Clark told of the Importance of the
work OF medical missionaries, recounting
stories told to illustrate this point by men
returned from the Congo, China, India and
other pagan sections. The natives have pro-
found faith in the medical men and travel
as far as two hundred miles to ask for
treatment. There is but one medical man to
10000 patients, A native came to one with
stomach trouble. He had been taking
pounded stone at the advice Of a native
physician and naturally grew no better.
The MEDICAL missionary substituted SIM
pie remedy, curing the patient, who was
| thus more easily reached and had more
fa1tn in the Christian teachings
Harriet n Wishard w The idea much by dWa If
on at the convention was that those who
expect to do Christ's work abroad must be
worker told how he had been converted by
| the unobtrusive, persistent efforts of a
| travelling man who came one day to see
| him on business. He was about to dine at
the club, where he and three friends ate
and drank together. The travelling man
made another appointment and gave him
| a booklet, which he promised to read. Ar
| irving at the club he found it was a little
essay on temperance. He had promised to
read and kept his promise, reading to his
| friends, who commented hippantly on the
! subject. AT another time the travelling man
| gave him little tract on profanity, and
| on third trip asked him to put his name
| down in a book where were recorded names
| Of those the travelling man was praying for.
| On another occasion the travelling man led
| the conversation round to discussion of his
| mother, a subject that touched his heart
| and finally led to his conversion, the sell
| ing OF his business and devotion of his life
| to foreign fields there is work here the
work of sending those who can and will go.
THE MORNING WATCH.
1.-THE Morning Watch" was tho subject
Of one of the greatest discourses at the
convention. Mrs. Morgan told how i'm
pressed the delegates were when one Of the
speakers said that too much Importance
could not be attached to the habit of spend
ing the first hour of each day alone with
God in preparation for the days battle with
the world, sin and self. He had found 212
young men in one school observing the
morning hour.
Miss Helming, of Butler College, spoke of
the impression that was made by the young
men in the convention, who were Sacrihc1ng
everything, prospects of future success in
for the sake of spreading the gospel. The
KEYNOTE of the convention was love, eX-