The Nome nugget., 1901-09-10
COST OF "SAVlNG THE HEATHEN."

Magazines which have recently come to hand in- dcate that of late there has been considerable dis cusson the usefulness ot foreign missions in the
 saving of souls" writer points out interesting facts that Lave been published in London with reference to the annual outlay for foreign missionary labor in contrast with the results achieved, and the dis crepancy ought to make the alms-giver grieve.
 The four principal societies of England-the Episcopalian, Baptist, Wesly yean and Presbyterian dispense, in round numbers, some $4,5QOOOO annually, of which about 10 per cent goes to the payment of rents salaries and other office expenses before the real work hand is entered upon Some of the foreign secretaries paid salaries of $4OOO year, with additional allowances for house rent. taxes, rates, maintenance of children, etc. In such the inference to be drawn from the statistics is that to be a member of foreign mission board is to have good thing.
 To offset this, the figures show that there are in India today less than 3G 900 nominal Christians for whose benefit there employed some $500 agents Most of these converts known 'rce Christians" flood converts" who are willing to be enrolled as members of mission church for the sake of material benefits. The addition to their numbers, except in times of scarcity or famine, the infant hldren born in the small community, that. according to the tatistcan who prepared the report it costs $565 900 and the labor of two missionary agents to gain an average of one baby convert year.
 In China the missionaries betake themselves beyond treaty limits, to the point where they call on their countries for gunboats. Much stress is laid by them on the large distribution of Bibles amongst the seemingly apprecative converts According to the statistcan, the explanation lies in the simple fact that whole districts depend this free raw material in book form to supply them the wherewithal for the manufacture of boot soles fire crackers and papier mache articles"
 In Africa the native Christians are generally con- ceded to be beso'ted and degraded beyond their heather contemporaries. In the meantime, in all portions of the civilized globe from which con- trbutions pour in for the support of foreign missions there thousands of neglected children and i'm poverished adults, who in dire need of instruction and assistance.
 And this leads to ask: Cannot the millions that are sent abroad every year to save the souls "heathens" who do not want to be "saved" be more proftably employed in home missionary work
 Colonel A. J. Bethen ed,tor-in- chief of the Seattle Times, writing to friend in Nome, says: "Your letter of August 12 arrived the Roanoke the same steamer which brought Judge Moves to this city, and IS sat reading the same could not help laughing at the interview which Judge Moves had in the P.I and which had already been published whe,, your letter came. For your amusement enclose the pag of the P-l and the stories told by Moves If Moves tells the truth, you have got the worst pack of liars Whelps and cutthroats up Cape Nome that ever
 Sted in a pretended civilized country. But do
 teve word he says for know him of old." reservation