Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-18
bible in The BALKANS.
Missionaries Have Been Active in Countries Over
Which War Clouds Hang--Fear for Great
Interests There.

Samokov. for IL is through IL that the
work OF the missionaries has been made
to count for something. 1t has been tho
one great evangeliZing agency OF the
American board. and has trained preach
ers who have spread all over the country
to continue the fine work started at the
school. Up to 1881 its course of study
was four years. but the growth OF the
Bulgarian system OF education inspired
by the Americans made II necessary to
lengthen the work to five years. and
then add q sixth for those who intended
to follow the ministry.
The institute is the one thing that gives
the Americans a hold on the nation. The
clergy Of the country admit that they are
powerless to cope with the situation. and
yet they do all they can to keep the
people from Christian life. Many OF
the school teachers are infidels and MEN,
bers Of the church for state reasons only.
Many are socialists or Tolstoyists, and IL.
is against these that the missionaries have
to labor hardest, for they pick out those
who seem most likely to adopt the Prot
estant religion and lead them away from
the church.
There has been. however a marked de-
cline in the fanaticism that was formerly
manifested against the Americans. The
town people patronize the schools when
ever they can and even show some fear
that the work may fail through the gov
shall have university education. some
thing which Is out Of the question unless
| the mission funds shall be sufficiently enc
larged to pay higher salaries. 1t is a
crisis which Is worrying the American
board.
Another source of trouble is the disin-
clination of the government to recognize
the rights of the missions. The law
says: Scholars finishing theological SEM
inaries and other youth with theological
education who desire to devote them
selves to spiritual vocation are exempt
from military service If by the twenty
seventh year OF their age they are Or
dained." One OF the preachers was drafted
into the army and every effort made to
get him out failed. The Americans Were
notified that the church they represented
had not the official recognition of the
government, and yet its buildings have all
ways been exempt from taxation. its
ministers perform marriages that are
legal and their baptisms are regarded in
the same light. They learned that they
were to be recognized only when 1t suited
the purposes of the government.
The Presbyterians and the Reformed
Church do some work in the vicinity of
Bulgaria. but the other principal forces
! are those of the American Tract Society
and the American Bible Society. both of
which limit their efforts only to the
amount that is appropriated for sending
| literature among a people that seem al
ways to be glad to receive the kind OF
| light reading that is sent to them by
| these two organizations. why a Boy
Should Be a Christian by Rev. H w.
Pope. and "Quit You Like Men by
Capt. A. L. Mahan of the United States
Navy are two of the favorites. and there
are constant calls for them. small
Bulsarian-English and English Bulgarian
dictionary published in 1850 by Rev. c. F,
Morse has long been out of print and not
enough money can be raised TO furnish
more copies, so that the missionaries
have been forced to study the language
as best they could and save the funds
that really should have gone into the
dictionary. There has been such a large
exodus Of Bugarians into America in
| recent yearS that II is possible that they
may find IL needful to have the diction-
airy. and thus the money will be found. .
The American Bible Society has found
| its funds SO scanty that it has been
| obliged to withdraw several Of its COL
porteurs. but the Scriptures in Greek,
| Bulgarian and Turkish have been sent
] TO many places.