The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-27
MISSIONARIES MAY NOT
Be PERMITTED TO LABOR
AMONG THE THIbETANS
British Government Not Inclined
to Open a Strange Land to
Christian Workers.
EFFORTS OF A WOMAN
Miss Taylor's Journey to the Gates
Of LhasSa and HardShipS
Afterward.
BIBLE IS TRANSLATED
And Missionaries Have Learned
the Thibetan Tongue Proba-
bly, All in Vain.
EFFORTS OF A WOMAN
BIBLE IS TRANSLATED
Special to tho indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK. Dec. 26.-The missionary So
cieties learn that the British government is
not inclined to facilitate the ingress of
Christian workers into Thibet as part of
the expedition now seeking admittance into
that lOcked-up country. One of these sOcie-
ties is an American Lutheran one, although
it is, in spirit, more Norwegian and Swedish,
than American, and gets its initiative
chiefly from Norway and Sweden. Pathetic
and heroic have been the efforts, covering
the last sixty years of Christian mission
aries to get into Thibet. When the British
expedition was announced the hopes or
these missionaries were high. The first OF
these missionaries were Moravians, who es-
tablished themselves on the northwest con-
fines of India, at the limit of Cashmere,
and in the very heart of the Hlmalayan
mountains, where there is principal pass
into Thibet. Here they studied the Ian
guages, translated the Scriptures and
preached to traders going in and coming
out. One missionary spent forty years IN
this bleak spot, and with his wife completed
his life translating the New Testament into
Thibetan. Miss Annie Taylor, of the China
Inland Mission, has spent her life in al
most incredible hardship. trying to get into
Thibet.
1t was Miss Taylor who made the famous
journey to the very gates of Lhassa. She
first spent two years in the independent ter
ritory of Sikkim. Finding entrance denied
her, she retraced her work, went almost
all the way around the country, and was
able to begin her journey into the interior,
during which she suffered almost incredible
hardships. Undaunted, she went to England
and raised up a band of men. which she
escorted to the Chinese borders of Thibet,
only to see it scattered, and more than half
the members OF it killed Finally. when the
l.. .ssnl
treaty which 1t now seeks to compel Thibet
TO keep, Miss Taylor secured permission TO
locate as a trader at a station called va
tong. For years she has been in that wild
spot. the only European there, dispensing
medicine to the sick and preaching the gos-
pei and distributing the Scriptures TO trad
ers as they pass. The Scandinavian Ali
ance Mission, which is the. name OF the
American organization which is sending
workers into Thibet, dates from 1892 The
Headquarters of this mission Is a place
called Ghoom, near Dar)eelng' occupied q, al
most entirely by people from Thibet. Here
a printing press has been set up, from which
revised editions of the New Testament are
printed in Thbetan.
: =
Missionaries are scattered along the Dor
der of the country, many of them living in
the most frugal manner. AS they are able,
they make journeys into the interior, and
begin their work with distractions on weav-
ing Solely that they might gain ingress In
this manner, they have gone TO China and
there learned methods of weaving that are
vastly superior TO methods found In Thibet
To these Chinese methods they have added
European ingenuity and thus equipped they
are slowly getting footholds. When the
British expedition was announced these
Christian workers took new heart Now
their hopes are dashed. But they are not
giving up. They have the Scriptures TO ofIer
in the Thibetan tongue, they know well the
manners of the country. and they are thor
oughly acquainted with such mechanical
industries as Thibet possesses Thus pro-
vided, they announce that they Will not stop
even If the British government compels
them to leave their company on the march
into Thibet.
The amount of money raised by Christian
missionary societies in America and in Eu-
rope. and expended in so-called heather
lands during the year now ending is s1S,-
1884. OF this sum Great Britain and Ire
States is a close second, with $7,176.S45. The
continental societies, chiefly Lutheran,
raised s2,O51.5S2. and the societies in Canada
gave 1888, 74S The great foreign work socie
ties of the world are, in order of amount Of
money handled: The Church Missionary Of
England. 81. 765, SIS; the Methodist North. in
the United States, S1,749,000 the Presby-
terrain Foreign Board, s1,049O00; the London
Missionary, Congregational 1896, 900; the So
ciety for the Propagation Of the Gospel,
Church of England, $4,000; the Baptist
American Board of Boston. $780, the
Wesleyan Methodist, of London, 1891, 900;
the Episcopal, in the United States $677. 900,
and the United Free Church of Scotland,
Presbyterian, $4,000. The largest growth
on the part of any single society was the
Methodist in this country, which in amount
of income Is rapidly overtaking the Church
Missionary Society of London, long the
largest in the world. Last year the Metho-
dist Society came within $4,000 of the great
London society. although 1T should be stated
hot fho &c TVS xxyoc lOx
one, while the Methodist year was high
water mark.