The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-28
MISSION FRUITS .
IN FOREIGN LANDS.
REPORTS SHOW ADVANCE IN
MOST ITEMS THIS YEAR.
American Board Has Issued Summary
Of all Protestant Foreign Missions
With Its Annual Review of Its Own
Work. y3

The report of the American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
made this month by the editorial sec
rotary, Rev. e. E. Strong, D. d., con-
tains a summary of Protestant foreign
missions that will interest all denomin-
atoms. In most of the items there is
shown to be an advance over the re-,
ports of the preceding, year. The in
come OF societies in the United States
and Great Britain alone shows an in
crease Of over 100000 over the pre-
vious year. The statistics are as fol-
lows: Stations, 5,771; outstations, 49,
1854; total missionaries, 1858; native;
workers, 1881; communicates in
churches, 1,397,O42; pupils under in
struction, 1,127,S53. The total native
constituency is 9,613,391. There are.
Jews. having sis workers and 22S5
stations. $"E=Tas7-5.7
The United States is represented by
6,991 stations and outstations; l, SIT:
men, 1888 women; 2O,9O1 native lab
orers: 506,606 communicates: 43,723
added last year; 259,537 under in
struction; the income Of the societies
reported is $7,176,S45.
There are now on the rolls Of the
American board 191 men and 1858
women. making total Of 544- Ten
years ago the total number was 557,
Of whom 201 were men and 356 were
women. While within this decade the
laborers from the United States have
decreased the native laborers have in
creased from 2,741 to 1919. In 1903
the board expended in it's missi onary
work nearly $27, 900 less than"in 1902.
! Notwithstanding this. decrease in the
| number of missionaries and*In eXpen-
| ditures, the progress on the field & is
| most marked, not only in the increase
of native laborers, but in the number
of churches and their membership
From the beginning there have been
received to the churches now con-
nected with the board 169,169 persons.
The total amount received from the
beginning in 1910 until now is $34,-
431,255. The missionary work at the
! Hawaiian islands having been as
sumed by the churches at the islands,
that mission disappears this year from
/ added-that to the Philippines--so
| that the number Of missions is still
twenty, connected with which there
are 101 stations and 1928 xoutstations:
f In the Chinese misions&of the
American board there are more
| church members by SS5 than before
| the Boxer outbreak, while the native
| laborers have increased nearly three
fold. The Bible agents, have been
remarkably successful in scattering
I the Bible, the people being eager. to
secure copies. There are said to be
now $4,000 members Of Protestant
churches within the Chinese empire
China is the great missionary fe1d#of
the present day. The, missions of the
American board in China report that
to their seventy-five churches they
have received 1, 17s members on con
fession Of faith. The membership OF
the churches in South China, has in.
creased more than SO per cent within
the year. -~s.r
can board in Turkey more than one
third Of it's missionary force is EN-.
ployed. With the 176 organized
churches in these missions, there are
connected just one quarterSpart Of
the commandments enrolled in twenty
such interests y Within the Turkish
empire. @% A
A brighter report than has beer
possible in any recent year can now
be given from India. Protestant com
missions. No other, organization has
!; ly doubled, the increase being from
$4,000 to s.35S,O00. The total O.
Christian adherents, including Prot
estants and Catholics, IS now 1923,
, 241. j. sc ~
!, :. The outlook for> the Christian faith
in Japan was never more suspicious
than at present. The people are ready
to investigate the claims Of the Chris.
tian religion. There is "a disposition
, to study the Scriptures and to inquire
into the foundations Of the Christian
faith. Into the churches connected
with the American board s26- persons
were added on confession of theil
j, faith the past year. The presen
membership in the Kumi-ai, or Con
gregational churches which are co
G operating with the American board
is 1858. These churches number
e seventy-eight, of which thirty-siX arr
entirely independent and self-support
j, ing, While there are connected will
them 2l6 other places Where statet
;, worship is conducted. The Protestan
: Christian organizations laboring il
Japan number @thiftyst Iree,.zt ]1ayins
757 missionaries. There are. 558 or
: ganized churches, having a 1nembeE
ship Of 42,451.
i The total number of foreign mis-
sionaries in Africa is 3,051 laboring il
6.83S stations and Outstations, will
274,65O communicates in the nativ,
churches. This is a great advanc,
within recent years. The American
board has three missions in Africa
the oldest being among the Zulus il
: the colony of Natal established sew
| enty years ago. 1t has thirty-One mis-
n sionaries, male and female, and tn
: tWenty-three churches have nearl.
4.300 members. The special featur
p Of this mission is the great number Q
e native evangelists and preachers who
without aid from the mission, ar
preaching not only in Natal, but ii
other regions, where the Zulu Ian
guage is understood. The principle o
self support-in mission churches j
), exemplified in this mission in re
: marka BILE degree, no one of thes
! twenty-three churches receiving an
aid from the mission treasury.
the kinds they have tested contain oil