The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-02
A MISSIONARY CONFERENCE.
Aims and Purposes of Meeting to b
Held I'm April.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
NEW YORK. March 1-Five millions of
dollars go out of the United States each
year to help the cause of Christ. Great
Britain sends out seven millions more, and
the rest of the world three millions, max
ing something above fifteen millions of dol
lars annually. Were a lot of people spend
ing $4,000 900 a year at making locomotives.
building and sailing ships, maintaining
football or polo teams, their leading men
would be getting together every little while
to talk matters over. But here are people,
earnest as few business men are, who have
been spending millions and have rarely
conferred one with another. One organiza-
ton. the senior American one engaged in
foreign work, has spent above $31,OOO,00O
since 1t began. No wonder, with such vast
interests, that conference should be
called at the end of one century and the
beginning of another, to see what progress
has been made. and how $l5OOo.OOO a year
may. perhaps, be made to accomplish more
than it now does.
This conference is to take place next
April, in New York. Carnegie Hall. in that
city, has been engaged, and mission work
ers from all over the world. including those
on the fields. in the offices at home, who
do the managing, and the generous con-
tributors who give the money-all these
have promised to come. For the time they
have agreed to drop their distinctive titles
their UNCONVENTIONAL names. and to be
simply Christians. To do this they have
less difficulty than they might have had a
hundred. or even fifty years ego. Sectarian-
ism. I'm its narrow sense, is dying out.
III there have not been ecumenical con-
ferences in the past there has been a great
missions than
business men imagine. and missionaries
play part In political and commercial
history which Is ungenerously forgotten
Missionaries made the war I'm South Africa
possible, and whether British or Boer whip,
they are TO be. early I'm the century to
which shall make Africa what Europe and
America now are BY reflex action, too, for
cnS gl'eF Is always rewsrded above the re
into Christian continent is going to do
wonders for the moral and the spiritual up
h ,iit OF the oioer comments. Africa may be
will be more blessed, and in ALL the larg-
est single agency. the sower and the reap
er, will have been the missionary.
Men who did not want to give to mis-
sions used to say that IL took dollar to
get penny to the heather. The saying
was always an invention, an excuse. Self
supporting churches are quite possible A
whole day of the conference is to be given
up TO a discussion how there may be more
OF them. Self-supporting schools are also
possible. Native Christians in scores of
fields give amounts proportionate to their
incomes ss that ought to put christians at
porting themselves, church people at home
will not be relieved from further giving
Live mission , boards a Nil always be reach
cannot at first be seDf-supporting IT may
be that, away off in the year 24O0 or per-
haps, later, some Alexander of a secretary
may sigh for more fields to send mission
aries into, but there will be time before
that day for good many conferences on
Another topic to be taken up at this New
York conference is medical work. People
who have not read up on the subject little
realize to what extent medicine and sur
gerry have been employed as the handmade
OF the gospel-the gospel, indeed, only in
another form than a tract And while all
praise Is due men. more than that. If such
were possible, is due women who have
taken medical courses at home and have
gone TO Persia, to India. TO Korea, TO Chi
ma, to teach their sisters the care of the
body. All of these women have been noble
Of mind and soul, as well as OF medical
have preached the gospel We busy souls
here at home. up to our eyes In bonds and
bills. in this get-rich scheme and that, we
time to wonder. If the age OF heroism had
gone by. Like the shippers in the cheese
we have been thinking IL had. But bless
midst of an age OF chivairy beside which
that of the Richard Occur de Icons were
the veriest veneer. To send carefully
1oitfcus iSHiy-tuucdleu, larger hearted
Christian women to heal the bodies OF
other women, and TO do so as a means
or leading these women to Jesus Christ
what nobler task could the one support or
1 the other undertake.
This missionary conference is TO be on
| foreign missions, not because home mis-
sfons are not considered important but
because the proper expenditure of SIS 600. ooo
year Is quite enough TO discuss at one
conference. Home missions spend another
$3.50 600. rather more. There are problems
enough for another conference. But this
conference. while Its sessions Will be held
In New York. Is to embrace all OF the
are reading up on missions In order better
to understand addresses Of these workers