Evening star., 1900-04-26
Exercises at Ecumenical Conference
in New York Today.
MISSION WORK UNDER DISCUSSION
Dr. Sutherland Warns His Hearers
Against Waste of Effort.
CLOSER UNION ADVOCATED

NEW YORK. April 2s.-This. the fourth
day of the ecumenical conference, is known
as "woman's day" While the men held
exercises in Carnegie Hall and the Central
Presbyterian Church, the feature Of the
day was the great women's mass meeting
in Carnegie Hall in the afternoon and the
great public meeting in the same place in
the evening.
At the morning session in Carnegie Hall
Spirit and Limitations of Missionary
Comfy" was discussed by DR.. H NJ. King,
chairman executive committee American
Baptist Missionary Union; Union and
Cooperation Practicable and Desirable" by
the Rev. DR.. T. NJ. Lindsay of Free Church
of Scotland, Glasgow, and "A General Sum-
mary by the Rev. Dr. Alexander Suther-
land, secretary Missionary Society, Meth
odist Church in Canada. discussion OF
the papers followed.
DIR. SutherInnd's Remarks.
DR.. Sutherland. who followed DIR. King.
said:
I'm the rapid development now taking
place and that may be expected in the
future it is quite possible that mistakes
made in the home fields may be repeated
on a large scale abroad, resulting in waste
of money. waste of effort, the retarding of
self-support and the creation of jealousies
and antagonfsms among missionaries of dif-
ferent boards The conviction is evidently
growing that time has come when these
possibilities should be honestly faced, and
such mutual unders- anding reached as VIII
obviate the overlapping of work and the
unnecessary multiplication of agencies in
fields that fairly we'll supplied that
destitute fields may be more quickly
reached and occupied. There are strong
reasons why at least churches holding the
same general system Of doctrine and
aIrr,-T -l,nt1
closer or even organic union would not
be in the interest of the work of God among
the heather.
The comparatively recent union of five
Methodist bodies in Canada and Of tho
Presbyterian churches in both Canada and
Japan are illustrations of what may be ac-
ccmplished in this direction, If only there
be, first of all, willing mind"
Fiye-minute discussions followed the ad-
dress. Bishop 9. c. Pennick of the Protest.
ant Episcopal West African mission made
the suggestion that all the denominations
contribute to the maintenance OF a great
central bureau to be conducted the
operative plan. This bureau was TO be one
of Information, for all interested could be
collected and classified. He deemed this
proposition of great importance and said he
would have a pigeon hole Large enough to
hold the American eagle and the British
lion"
Criticism of DIR Knox.
Rev. DIR. George w. Knox Of the Union
Theological Seminary then took up the dis
cussion. He deemed the present methods
of the missionary system wasteful in the
extreme. He said that in the four semi
naries in Toxic, Japan, there were not
enough students to keep one faculty busy.
The efforts of the various denominations.
he said, to go everywhere make 1t impos-
sible for them to perform all their duties
satisfactorily everywhere. The fault of this
lay, he thought, not much with the mis-
sonaries with the people at home
Rev. DR.. Johnson Presbyterian minis
ter of London, Ont, created diversian
at this point by rising and protesting
against the great map which hangs in the
rear of the stage. He pointed out that
Canada was represented in the same color
as central Africa. He protested, even by
implication or inference, that Canada was
a pagan country and declared vehemently
that it Christian from to sea and
from north to south.
Several other delegates spoke along the
same lines, and the morning session was
closed with benediction.
At the Central Presbyterian Church the
women had charge of the exercises and
woman's work, etc.
Women Were in Charge.
The women had charge of the exercises.
and woman's work in foreign missions was
discussed. Mrs. Judson Smith of Boston
acted as chairman.
Reports from sectional meetings were
made. Miss Belle H. Bennett of Richmond,
Ky, discussed work Among young No-
men and Children Mrs. Moses Smith of
Chicago had as her topic Giving" Miss
Abbie B. Child of Boston discoursed on
Literature" Mrs. H. c. Campbell of AL
legheny City, Pa, Medical Work." Miss
Francis B. Hawley, New York city, 'Edu-
cational Work" Mrs. ]. Farley DAILY of
Glasgow delivered an address. "Evangel-
istic Work. was the subject of Mrs. F. s.
Strachan of Hamilton. Ont. Miss Corinna
Shattuck of Turkey delivered an address.
also did Mrs. ]. Howard Taylor of
China.