The sun., 1900-04-24
MISSION TALK BEGINS.
Inaugural Address by Rey. DR.. Au-
gustus Il. Strong Of Rochester.
CARNEGIE HALL CROWDED.
Financial Committee of the Ecu
menicaI Conference Reports That
$4,000 Is Yet Required to Meet
gatherings Expenses.

New York, April 24.-After a short
deVotional service in each place the
work OF the ecumenical conference on
foreign missions Was commenced in Car
negie hall and in the Seventh Avenue
central Presbyterian church. The prayer
meeting in Carnegie hall was led by Mr..
waiter d. Sloan, secretary of the China
inland mission. In the Central Presby-
terrain church the leader was the Rev.
James Cunningham, minister of the Me-
mortal Presbyterian church, Wansworth,
London.
Following the prayer service in Carne-
gle hall, the Rev. DR. Augustus FL.
Strong, president of the Rochester Theo-
logical seminary, read paper on the al1-
thority and purpose of foreign missions.
Addresses We're made also by the Rev.
j. Hudson Taylor of the China inland
mission; Robert Il. Spcer secretary OF
the Presbyterian board of foreign mis-
sioiis. and the Rev. William Perkins of
London, secretary of the Wesleyan Mis-
Sionary society.
In the Central Presbyterian church the
speakers were the Rev. DIR. Herrick
johnson, the Rev. Henry 4. Chapman,
the Rev. Paul de Schweinitz and the
Rev. Henry G. Mabie.
All the seats were filled in Carnegie
hall. Many persons were turned away
and went to attend the overflow meeting
in the Central Presbyterian church. Dr.
Strong. who made the inaugural address
at the main meeting, is president of the
Rochester Theological seminary.
A Notable Audience.
A good sized crowd was waiting outside
when the doors of the large auditorium,
where the meetings are held, were thrown
open, and long before the time announced
for the beginning of the exercises the
seats near the front and within good
hearing distance Of the platform were
occupied. The audience was one well
worth close inspection. By far the
majority Of those who composed it were
Americans, but here and there were dele
gates whose dress showed that they were
natives of distant lands. In one row
were half dozen Japanese, in another
was group of men who said that they
had come direct from Constantinople to
attend the conference, and not far away
were several women said to have come
from Egypt. Women made UP the great
er part of the audience, but men were
not lacking by any means. The men
occupied seats all over the hall, and over
hundred were grouped on the speakers
platform.
1t was announced that about $500
delegates were in attendance and that
every great missionary society in the
world was represented. When those
who have made the plans for the con
ference found weeks ago that the at
tendance would be so large as to make it
impossible for every one to gain admit
tance to Carnegie hall, they arranged for
other meetings in various churches. The
programme as completed calls for Ga
meetings during the eight days of the
conference, and arrangements for others
may be made later in the week
The finance committee of the ecumcn-
ical missionary conference reports that
$1,000 is vet required to meet expenses.
The budget as originally estimated was
S4O,OO0. but it now appears that mt least
S41 900 will be required. The deficiency
must be made uD mt once