The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-13
MONEY FOR MISSIONS.
DR.. Simpson Makes a
Raise of $42,O58.
Christian Alliance Camp Meeting
at an End.
The Annual Collection
at Old Orchard
Chinese Trouble Part Of Gods
Great Plan.
GaPncrAn TO THE rRzss.1

Simpson anu MS OnIlSOlaU Alliance
elders, today raised S42, 05s for foreign
missions. They did it in about three
hours, half Of that time being taken from
the forenoon service and the other sand
wiched into the afternoon.
OF this amount not more than $500 or
$500 was in cash, but DR.. Simpson has
repeatedly said that the pledges which
were received at Old Orchard from year
to year are, with very few exceptions,
paid in full. The printed contribution
card reads: I'm dependence upon Gcd,
1 VIII endeayor to pay, y etc., and foot
note states that the person signing it will
never be dunned, as it is his own per-
sonal Offering to God.
In some respects the scenes and moi
dents attending the taking of today s
collection differed from past experience.
In previous years contributions of jew
elry and other articles have been So
liclted and a regular exchange of iron
watches for gold ones carried on through
an Alliance member delegated for that
purpose, but today nothing was said
about watches and jewelry. The only
articles other than cash and pledges, con-
tributed were a ring and little gold
locket.
Instead Of starting the collection with
the announcement OF a big pledge, as
has sometimes been done, today col
lection began with the contribution of
cent, by woman whose payment, yes
terday of her S25 pledge Of the previous
year had taken all else she possessed.
The total amount Of the collection,
added to the S95oO contributed last week
for the relief Of the II Swedish mission
aries who had escaped from China, across
the desert to Russian soil nearly equaIcd
the sum raised a year ago on the Old
Orchard camp ground.
The weather was delightful and the
great amphitheatre was denseIy thronged
at every service. Rev. DR.. Simpson, the
Alliance leader, preached the morning
sermon. 1t was powerful missionary
discourse, IN which he outlined the
Alliance work in foreign fields, and
dwelt upon the new opportunities opened
for missionary work in many lands Re-
ferring to the suffering and privation of
the missionaries in China, he said :
"God work never gets to the height
of Calvary till somebody has suffered.
We have heard that II OF our Swedish
missionaries in China have reached Rus
sian soil, chased by assassins hunting
for thsir lives. Today or tomorrow they
Will receive the $4,000 we cabled them.
The 20 other missionaries of the Alliance,
doubt not, are hurrying across the
sands of Manchuria. Surely it calls for
something on our part, when we consider
the sacrifices made by those who count
their lives for 50 little.'
2 He added that the uprising In China
and the alIying of the other nations is
but working out Of Gods great plan
towards an evangelization of the world,
''Ihe battle is on, said DR.. Simpson,
"and it is Gods battle, not ours, We
should follow close behind our Lord of
Hosts. We want to get the plan and
orders of our God before we begin our
campaign In his service. We shouldn't
run off at venture, but should be sure
we are right before we proceed. / used
to believe that every body was to be con.
verified, but God long ago stopped me In
attempting to carry out that plan. 1t
is we'll he did, for should by this time
have been heartbroken. The birth rate
alone would defeat that plan, for there
are more people born in the world every
year than are converted.
'Our mission is to gather out from
among the nations of the earth the peo-
pie OF God, those whose hearts have re-
sponded to His Invitation, and to pre-
sent them at tho throne as the first
fruits of the harvest When we nave
found such people, who can join hands
around the world and say they are
ready for his coming, then will Christ
again appear upon earth, and the next
chapter will be begun, and after that
the millennium. If we are not working
up to His plan, we are not working with
God"
DR.. Simpson said that the signs Of the
times all point toward a speedy coming
of Christ. and that the sound of the
marching hosts is already to be heard in
the branches Of the mulberry trees.
$50 much good win come out Of the
Chinese war, )" said he, "that some day
all the civilized nations of the earth
will thank God for permitting the OUT
break Of the Boxers.
He pictured the missionaries In China
fleeing across the desert, bounded by as
IL 4