Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-19
MISSIONARY
TALKS Of WORK
TO BRETHREN
Dunkards HaveNight
Meeting
Preachers Work in Mission Field In
India Hampered by Dirt, Drink
and Debt-PersonaI
Notes

IF there is any place that the devil
is loose and free for attack 1t Is in
the mission field,' said Elder S. N.
Mccain, missionary from India, last
night at the first night session of the
Dunkards' convention. IF the devil
would show his horns and the scales on
his body it would be some heroism to
meet him, but when he comes IN
thousand little ways 1t takes out the
enthusiasm and the missionary real
ICES that he has the devil to meet IN
himself and in those around him."
Delegates from all parts continued to
arrive yesterday and the main audi
torium was filled with members OF the
denomination and friends last night.
The women removed their bonnets only
to show the peculiar and becoming lace
coverings which they wear in church
services. The auditorium and galleries
were filled with people The great or
gan was silent and the vast assem-
blage sang their hymns without IN
strumental accompaniment.
At o'clock in the morning Chris
tian workers meeting was held in
choral. hall, followed by Bible study
conference. In the afternoon meet
ing of the district mission boards was
held in which topics of interest to the
denomination were discussed.
FITSI SGnGTdi mCSliHS
Last night the first general meeting
was held in the auditorium, at which
Elder McCann preached the Sermon
following a half hour song service.
Elder Mccain is one of the well
known missionaries of the denomina-
ton and won wide fame and praise in
remaining in India during the plague
and ministering to the people when all
other foreigners fled. The elder said
in part:
1.-The missionaries go out for one
and the same purpose that Christ
came to the world for sinful man.
Jesus came to the world to reveal the
fountain to make the true source of
life known to men that they might be
saved and might be made children of
God and joint heirs with Christ. This
purpose is that of the missionary and
every minister and it should be the
motive of every processing Christian
that our fellow men might be saved.
1.-THE devil is the missionary's ad-
versary together with dirt, debt and
drink, which he uses as his artillery
with ignorance, superstition and re-
| ligion.
Dirt BuIwark of the Devil
"Dirt is one of the bulwarks of the
devil, especially in India. The little
pests are the agents of the devil. Dis
eases there are not a few and the mis-
sionary is never free from exposure.
! The missionary who is afraid of the
plague, cholera or smallpox will not
| do much work. I can't remember a
time when one of these diseases has
not been prevalent in our community.
Many noble missionaries have laid
down their lives, but the Lord has
| been gracious to our little band.
"Dirt there is erywhere-narrow
I,ti1f
rooms, people living in the dark and
bad sewerage would make you wonder
how the people could live at ALL
debt is one of the plaques of India.
The people will go into debt; they will
borrow money and will mortgage every
thing they have, their crops and all.
The money lender of India loans upon
such canditions, though he does not ex-
pect to get back his principal, it is a
paying thing. Soon the money lender
owns everything. The individual who
is in debt has no hope. In India the
child inherits debts of his father at his
DEATH The debt goes down for time
immemorable. Many people are born
hopelessly in debt. This makes the
presentation of the gospel almost
hopeless matter. 1t will take time and
teaching to get the people independent,
Drink Curse in India
Drink is one of the strong bulwarks
of the devil. Drink is so cheap and
made so easily that people who only
earn or 5 cents day drink mucn.
The poorer they are the more they seem
to spend for drink. The date palm and
cocoanut trees furnish sweet juice
that soon ferments into rum. 1 have
seen more drunkenness in one night in
India than in my whole life in the
TTt,tf Gtnf Tn, i,,e h.
working people must go to the saloons
to get their pay and are. told that they
must take much of their pay in drink.
Some of those whom we had Christian
ized would not drink the liquor, but had
to take it in part pay, and when we
asked them what they did with it they
said that they took it home and gave it
to the children. Opium is bad habit
that is growing into an awful curse in
India.
"Christianity cannot we'll succeed
without scattering away darkness and
ignorance. One of the curses of India
is that the people seek to keep the
women in ignorance. TheS low caste
Indian men have the privilege of at
tending school-but they must sit out
side. The teacher will not go close to
them or touch them, and the others will
have nothing to do with them. Under
Sucn conQltlOnS not many would become
scholars. Jungle people do not take
easily to school work.
Superstition is against the work of
Christ in India. The people are a re-
ligious people, but their religion is of
darkness, full of ignorance and super
stition. You find affairs and shrines
everywhere, before which they bow and
worship to religion of darkness"
Sessions Today
This morning at $3.50 a Sunday school
session will be held in the Auditorium.
At IL o'clock 1. B. Trout will preach in
Choral hall. At 2SO D. m. Galen B.
Roger will preach in the main aud
itorium, and in the evening religious
services will be held both in the aud
itorium and in the Choral hall. The
Temple Baptist church will hold no
services today, and it is expected that
many of that church will attend the
services.
Elder Hutchison
Elder A. Hutchison of Mcpherson.
Kas., entered the ministry in 1860 and
the bishopric in 1870, and has been in
evangelistic work the past seventeen
years. He is called the "Walking BIZ |
BILE" by the brethren. He said yester-
daV. "T travel all over the Tinted |