The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-04

A much larger per cent OF conversions
have been reported from the foreign fields.
notably from Korea, China and Mexico.
Wonderful REVEALS have characterized
these countries both among the adult
natives and the pupils of our schools. Fiji
teen additional missionaries have been
sent out, and only a comparatively few
have retired. New school property has
been acquired in Korea. China and Brazil
and the property on the Mexican border
which was destroyed by cyclone in
April last has been adequately restored.
Collections during the past four years
amount to $494,s7169 There are sixty eight
missionaries who, with helpers, native and
foreign, do school work and evangelistie
work, carrying the gospel into the native
homes, and training the young for God $
service. The periodicals issued are more
and more priced by the women of the or
ganization. The Woman's Missionary Ad-
voeate is more than self-supporting. be-
cause of the incfeased circulation and the
Little Worker Is doing much for the
children. The demand for missionary lit
erature was never before as great. Study
circles multiply, and an eagerness to
know Is marked Many societies support
individual missionaries, and the demand
for such specials grows.
Woman's Home Mission Society.
The Woman's Home Mission society has
had quadrennium of phenomenal sue
cess. The membership has more than dou-
bled and the income has increased full
threefold. The parsOnages helped by the
conference societies and the general board
have exceeded In number and amounts
any previous period of the societys help
full history.
The Home Mission Society now cares
for fifteen educational eenters, ranging
from ind fal 10, aaaI upha
a puplage of more than five thousand
night school and day school for Italians
at Tampa are among the new institutions
of the quadrennium.
On the Pacific coast the struggling night
schools for Japanese have been housed,
and at present there are three homes for
these foreigners. conducted ON the CO.
operative basis They touch more than
two hundred of the Japanese annually
who come from the provinces of Japan.
where the general board has established
missions. AS direct result of these
homes and schools two regular Japanese
churches have been established with
membership something like forty who
have learned to know of our Christ either
through Methodist mission schools in ia
pan or in the night schools here. Work
done by the society for negro women at
Paine institute Augusta, Ga, has GER
gious betterment.
The society has twenty-three city mis-
sion boards in active operation, employing
twenty-siX trained workers, forty salaried
workers, and "A voluntary force of more
than two hundred. These voluntary work
ers come from the rank and file of the
church. who are able to give one evening
week to a reading club. a mothers
club, or some other phase of work that
t.,,,. f,,I, hot
ment. The growth in this department
has exceeded that of any other, due, no
doubt, to the fact that our church women
are more and more aroused by the knowi-
edge of social and industrial conditions
about us, and also to a growing sense of
responsibility
The deaconess movement has perhaps
caused wider interest than any other
one department in charge of this board.
The whole development of the work was
committed to the Womans Home Mission
society by the general conference. with
no provision for the funds necessary to
prosecute It, Plans had to be made for
its government and printed matter calling
the attention of the church, especially of
young women, to this means devised to
bear the cost of any who might be willing
to become deaconesses.
During the quadrennium the Home Mis-
sion society has been the recipient of
several generous donations. Among these
were the Homer Toberman Deaconess
home at Los Angeles. Call. valued at
$4,000 the Rebecca Sparks Deaconess
home at Waco, Tex, worth $500, and the
Vashti Blassingame home at Thomasville.
Ga, valued at $4,000; also a donation of
$4,000 from Mr.. and Mrs. J n. Nc
Eachern of Atlanta. Ga, upon condition
that the children of the church will raise
a lilsn SIM, for a doaconpSS hOSDital
Church Extension.
Substantial and gratifying progress has
been made during the quadrennium in
the work of church extension. As shown
by the report of the board, which Will
be submitted to you the congregational
collections have considerably increased. the
loan funds have been widely administered
and the comparative number of new
church buildings enlarged. We have built
one new church for every sixteen hours
during the past four years. The board
has also become an educator of taste
and style in church architecture. The
character and appointments of houses of
worship have vastly improved.
The Importance of this great organiza-
ton cannot easily be overestimated. 1t is
vital TO our largest success. AS has been
aptly said, mo city except the heavenly,
is safe without temple"
We call attention to the Importance of
erecting tasteful and representative church
buildings in college communities. In
some places. they contrast very unfavor-
ably with the stately structures built for
a cademic purposes, and afford little attrac-
ton to students gathered from a wide
area.
In recent years the board has enlarged
its plans, and is giving timely and lib
eral aid to our cause in the great mission
fields. Church buildings are absolutely
necessary to any permanent success OF
the gospel in heather lands. People, alien
ated from their ancestral faiths and heath
en- shrines, must be properly provided
with temples in which to worship the true
God Open-air preaching may arrest at
tention, but church homes are necessary
for instruction and spiritual edification.
A memorial from the Baltimore annual
conference in behalf of a representative
church building in Washington. d. c., is
endorsed by this board and has our hear
tiest commentator. A few days ago, at
the close of his second quadrennium as
the efficient secretary of this board, the
Rev. D. II. Whisner, ID. d., entered into
repose. An able preacher, modest re-
fined, Christian gentleman. and con-
scientious, generous. tolsome servant Of
his Lord. the church has sustained
great loss in his death.
Sunday Schools.
The Sunday school department con-
tinues to grow with the growing needs
of the times and the imperial demands
of the kingdom of Christ. The re-
markable success achieved is its own
careful consideration.
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