Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-30
TALKED TOVOLUNTEERS
BISHOP JAMES M. THOBUHN AT
Y. M G.. A.

You ought to be thankful that you are
alive now; it is the period of greatest OPP
portunities.' was the striking expression
used yesterday by Bishop James NJ. Tho
burn, missionary In India, to about 100
young men who attended the meeting Of
the Volunteer League of the Y. M. c. A.
held in the dining room Of the new build
ing last evening.
The regular Sunday meeting of the asso-
citation was addressed by Bishop II. w.
Warren the senior bishop of the Meth
odist Church, who is attending the meeting
of bishops being held here. The other mis-
sionary meeting followed this regular
meeting. and was accompanied by lunch
served to all those present.
Bishop Thoburn interested the hearers
greatly by his many striking illustrations
of the conditions in India and other parts
of Asia. For over fortysix years Mr.. Tho
burn has labored in India in his chosen
work, which has been very successful His
long experience especially qualified him for
speaking on the subject of missionary
work. He is now in this country arranging
for jubilee celebration to be 4.eld in India
next year to mark the fiftieth anniversary
of the work of the Christian churches in
that country. He began his remarks with
an expression of appreciation of the large
number present, which seemed host COM
pared with the usual audiences which
He continued:
Il believe much in inspirations Back in
1865, | think, l remember going to Alfalfa
bad from Lucknow to attend meeting Of
the Presbyterian missionaries. While there
a man from Lucknow was converted. When
we went back to Lucknow his wife object
ed strenuously to her husbands change in
belief, and he sent word for me to come
around and explain the matter to her. Some
neighbors heard 1 was coming and they
came to listen. AS result of that call
the wife withdrew her objections and a
neighbor was interested. This neighbor in
vited me and l made a similar call there
with the result of the conversion of both
wife and husband. After that second call
| could not sleep. felt an inspiration, and
l knew that there was a great future for
India And l have never lost faith.
Only Two Total Abstainers.
when 1 went to India there were only
two total abstainers in the country Ex-
cept those two all the missionaries believed
that they could not live without drinking
alcohol. Finally DR.. Scutter, medical mis-
sionary, advised his followers that they
could give 1t UP. and they did so. And fit
teen years afterward 1t was found that the
greatest longevity was among thoss follow
ers of DR.. Scutter. Since that time all the
missionaries are total abstainers
English will be the great universal mis-
sionary language. The natives in India
missionaries that are sent over. So, "a
young missionary can begin work at once
The speaking of English is spreading
LAS example of how the world Is
moving, one should study the migrations
of the Chinese. They are invading Central
Africa; in Borneo they have taken possess
sion of much of the rich land and there
are five self-supporting churches on the
island, to which only Cinnamon belong and
in which their language is spoken; in the
Malay peninsula, the greatest tin-mining
center In the world there are many Chinese
colonies; and SO with Java Sumatra
and other islands, the chinese are
getting in. In Singapore you will find the
greatest Chinese mission school In the
world. One Chinaman subscribed 1880
for a new building for the work there and
another built four-story dormitory The
Chinese have done much, and we like
them.
Every ten years the situation in India
changes for the better. The progress which
l have seen in that country is marvellous
much beyond the hopes and dreams which
l had twenty five years ago. And I expect
progress in the next twenty-five years
which l cannot imagine now. This is the
period of greatest opportunity, and soon
the whole wide world will awake to the fact
that Christ lives