The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-24
THE MISSION CONFERENCE.
The EcumenicnI Council Holds It's
First Business Session

| FIRST business Session.
NEW YORK. April 23.-The EcumenicaI
| Council on Foreign Missions got down 10
business today and meetings were held all
day long. The day wound UP with meet
ing in Carnegie Hail. which was packed
until at o'clock the hall was 50 crowded
that the officials Of the fire department
complained and II was said that they sent
| word to the management that some of the
people must be sent out. President A. V.
! V. Raymond of Union College, as presiding
officer, called on the Rev. DIR. wiilingham.
OF Richmond. Va. to make a prayer.
| The first speaker was Mr.. Eugene Stock.
Oh London, editorial secretary Of the
Church Mission Society, who delivered a
| country
MI Stock was followed by DIR. A.
Schreiber. oLe of the German delegates
| and by the Rev. James s. Dennis who was
| TO present Centennial Statistics to the
| conference.
The last address OF the evening session
was made by the Rev. DR.. Arthur T. Pier
son. The most remarkable thing he said
was that to his mind this ecumenical
conference was the most significant as
semblage that had been held anywhere in
the world since the Ascension of Christ
number OF overflow meetings were
held.
1t was crowd generous in its applause
that gathered at Carnegie Music Hall to
attend the first business session of the
conference in the morning. The programme
provided for half hour of devotional
service previous to the beginning of the
days work. and that was conducted by
Walter B. Sloan. Secretary of the Inland
Mission of China.
The Rev. Augustus H. Strong was in
troduced as the first speaker of the con-
ference, and his subject was the Authority
and Purposes Of Foreign Missions
The chairman then announced that the
next speaker had come more than 10 900
miles to attend the conference and he in
troduced the Rev. ]. Hudson Taylor, super
intendent OF missions in Central China.
The last address of the morning
meeting was made by Robert E. Speer.
Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions
OF the Presbyterian Church of America.
In the afternoon the delegates took a
survey of mission fields" The idea was.
according to the programme. to consider
the past history and present condition of
each field, together with the chief problems
involved in the effort to evangelize each
country and the demands for the coming
century. The survey embraced Japan and
Korea, China Assam, Burmah. and Siam,
India and Ceylon. oceanica. Mohammedan
lands. Africa, North and South America.
The meetings were held In eight different
churches and in the Chamber Music Hall |
of the Carnegie Hall at the same hour.
The South African war added interest 20 |
the African meeting at the Union Method |
list Church. in Forty-eighth Street. near |
Broadway. Bishop Turner, who is Ill. was |
represented by the Rev. A. A. Whitman. a |
mulatto. from Georgia. who was born in |
slavery. DR.. Charles Phillips. of Johannes
burg. one of the speakers. said that his |
work had been among the 300 900 half |
castles in South Africa, who were the OFF, |
spring of the Beers and the native slave |
women IF there were no war there now, |
should speak more freely than | shall |
about the treatment of those people. They |
have been most shamefuliy abused. There |
is no equality in the Transvaai. The |
negro and the half-caste are not allowed |
in church or on the sidepaths or in the |
streets; they may not engage In trade; no.
not even to the extent of buying basket |
of fruit and selling in along the streets"
At the meeting devoted to work in No
hammedan lands, President Washbur1, of |
Roberts College. referred to the presen.
negotiations in which this coun-
try and Turkey are involved. He said |
that the United States policy with regard |
to missionaries was perfectly satisfactory
TO the missionaries. 1t had best been ex-
pressed by Secretary Blaine, when he said |
that to afford protection to a missionary
that would not be afforded to a merchant
would be unjust and out of the question
and to afford protection to merchant
that would not be afforded to missionary
was even more than unjust.
DR.. Grace Kimball. who went through
the Armenian massacre and was intro
duced by DIR. Schauffier as the heroine OF
that episode. said that there was a quez-
ton in her mind as to Shether the in
1emnity which the United States was row
pressing was worth the trouble it would
cause to the missionaries in the field by
stirring In official antapnrisrn |