Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-07
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
Significance Of the Haystack Centen-
NAL.

From the Literary Digest.
The celebration this month at North
Adams and Williamstown. Mass, as well
as in London, Shanghai and Bombay, Of
the hundredth anniversary of the famous
"haystack prayer meeting serves again to
focus attention upon the work of Amer.
lean foreign missions. The event thus
commemorated was fully described in the
Literary Digest of April Z, and 1t Is enough
to repeat that a. chance gathering Of five
Williams College students for shelter during
thunder storm resulted shortly in the for
nation of the American Board of Commits
sioners for Foreign Missions, which means
practically the inception of the foreign
missionary movement in this country. The
site of the haystack is marked by monu-
ment which desisnates it 1.-The birthplace
of American foreign MISSIONS" and records
the names of the five students-Samuel J..
Mills, James Richards, Francis L. Rob-
bins, Harvey Loomis and Byram Green.
Dr. Edward Warren Capen. writing in the
Bibliotheca Sacra (Oberlin), describes the
original "haystack meeting as focal
event. Thus:
I'm that group of young men converged
the light of nearly two centuries of inter-
est in missions, while from it have come
the rays Of the brilliant missionary achieve
ments of the century just closing. Behind
1t were the desultory labors Of the mission
airy workers of the whole colonial period,
anu the opening years Oh the national
period: before it were the systematic la
bors of the well-organized and efficient
| leaders of the American missionary move
ment."
OF the principles and methods of these
early missionary leaders DIR. Capen says:
ITO be sure, their theology is not that
which is popular in these days. There was
sense of the awfulness of sin and of
been largely lost. They preached the doc
trine of eternal suffering in a way which
sounds strange In our ears. They were
sticklers for dogma beyond us moderns
They believed non-Christian religions to be
the work of the evil one. At least many
Of the missionaries themselves thus agreed
with the prevailing. theology of their day
rather than with that of ours. At the
and breadth of sympathy upon the part
Of the officials and leading missionaries
which well-nigh amaze us.
I'VE have been wont to believe that this
Is the day Of federation and union of
churches, and that a hundred years ago
sectarianism was rife. The fact is that in
the early years of the last century denomf-
national lines were drawn less sharply than
they have been since. There was a close
ness of cooperation between Congregation-
alist and Presbyterian, between Congrega-
tionalist and Baptist, at least in eastern
Massa chusetts, which we little appreciate.
That was the day Of interdenominational
movements. such as the Bible, education
and Sunday school societies.
We learn further that the board instruct
ed its missionaries, In their relations with
the heather. Ito preserve yourselves from
all fastidiousness of feeling and of deport-
ment to avoid every occasion of unneces-
sary offense, or disgust to those among
whom you may sojourn; and in regard to
all matters of Indifference, or in which con-
science is not concerned, to make your
selves easy and agreeable to them" I'm
teaching the Gentiles," they were further
cautioned, lit will be your business, not
tn Ia
stitions, but. in the meekness and gentle
ness of Christ, to bring them as directly as
possible to the knowledge of divine truth"
The recent celebration in Massachusetts
was under the auspices of the American
board Of commissioners. Secretary Barton.
discussing the present situation in the mis-
sion field, stated that the most serious no
litical conditions faced by any of the mis-
sions Of the board at present are in. South
Africa, where the so-called Ethiopian
movement has stirred up the native Zulus.
The Rev. DR.. Arthur Judson Brown of
New York. in his address, called attention
to a new factor in missionary work. AS
reported in the Springfield Republican he
spoke in part as follows:
I'VE must recognize the part that the
growing native church ought to have in the
work of direct CHARACTERIZATION. In the past
the typical missionary has been primarily
an evangelist to the heather. He had to
be, for his was often the only voice from
whom the message could be heard and his
work was necessarily individualistic. The
missionary has been paramount The mis-
sion and the board have been expected to
run everything. If anything was wanted.
the board was asked for it. But as the re-
suit of faithful evangelism native church
has now been created, and from now on we
must concede Its proper share of RESPONSE
bility for making the Gospel known, and
more and more definitely our missionary
policy should emphasize the training of a
native ministry for this purpose. We
should avoid as far as possible Identifying
Christianity with questions on which Chris
tians disagree. And In the matter of the
creed and government Of the native church
we must more clearly recognize the right
of each autonomous body Of Christians to
determine certain things for ITSELF"