Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-08-26
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
Beginning Aug. 80, 1908.


Beginning Aug. 80, 1908.
BY REV. s. H. DOYLE
Topic.-Fofeign missions. Cyrus Ham
lin and missions in Turkey.--I Cor. H.
1873.
Turkey. or the Ottoman empire, is
an extensive kingdom. consisting Of
territories Of large dimensions in Asia,
Europe and Africa. The social condi-
tons of the people vary largely. ac-
cording to the part of the empire in
which they live 1t includes many of
the forms of life. from the tent life
Of the Kurds to the life of the city,
which is generally patterned after the
life of Europe. The government of
the empire is autocratic and is often
caliph, is the absolute head of the
state as well as of the Turkish
church, which is Mohammedan.
To set forth in anything like detail
the religious conditions in Turkey
would require volume. In general
way it may be said that the people
OF Turkey are either Mohammedan or
III tlliS CilipilG thC
three great forms of Christianity are
representative Greek. the Roman
Catholic and the Protestant. The
Professionalism of Turkey resembles
very nearly that Of England and
America The supreme doctrine EN-
phasized is Luther's great dogma
justification by faith. The form of
worship is simple and nonliturgical.
This is due to the opinions of the mis-
sionaries and also to the repugnance
of converts to forms. which before
their conversion had given them no
soul satisfaction.
The territory of Turkey is well COW
cred by missionary societies. The en-
pire is divided among goodly num-
Der of the great Protestant denomina-
lions, and thus there is no interior
ence or overlapping, and the work is
more successfully done. Among these
are the Presbyterians, Methodists and
the Reformed Presbyterians. OF all
the A. B. c. F. NJ, the oldest in the
field, occupies the largest territory.
Turkey needs Christ badly. and We
should do our part through our de-
nominations to send Him to it.
Cyrus Hamlin was one of the con-
spicuous individual workers in Tur-
key, especially along educational lines
In Constantinople. He was born nelr
Waterford, Me-, Jan. 5, 1911. and died
in Lexington. Mass. His autobiogrl-
ply, entitled My Life and Times"
should be read by every Endeavorer.
When but an infant his father died.
His mother was very poor, and later
on he began to learn the jewelry
trade. But. discovering later love
for books, he gave up his trade and
with money earned by himself alone
graduated from Bowdoin college and
Bangor Theological, another illustra-
ton Of what American boys can do
who are persistent and persevering.
In 1888 as a missionary he sailed for
Turkey. and from that year until 1878
he labored in Constantinople. the
Turkish capital. In 1854 an Eng
lish clergyman travelling in the east
was deeply interested in Hamlin's
educational work Hamlin was a hard
student and soon mastered Armenian,
Turkish and modern Greek. In the
face Of almost insurmountable DIM
culties he established a theological
seminary. His other and his enduring
educational work was the building Of
Robert college at Constantinople.
Christopher Robert furnished the
money for the college, but Hamlin
built 1t and became its first president
when it was opened in 1868. In 1878
he returned to the United States and
became professor at Bangor sem
inary, having given nearly half cen
fury of labor to educational missions
in Constantinople.
DIBLE READINGS.
lisa. xxxv, LIZ; lii, II; xii. 6-12;
Nah. i, Is; Ps. xcvi, $40: Acts |, Is;
xvii, IL; Rom. <. IA, Is; Acts xiii, 1-3;
Rev. xxi. II.