The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-07
FOREIGN MISSION
WORK IS TAKEN Up
Methodist General Committee
Meets In St. Louis
OVER A MILLION SET ASIDE
DIR. Leonard's Report on corea Says
That That Country Is Ripper Than
Any Other for Christian
Evaneelization.
OVER A MILLION SET ASIDE

! st. Louis, November 1.-THE general
committee of foreign missions of thu
Methodist Episcopal church at its ses-
sion here this afternoon began the work
| of itemizing the appropriations for the
year 1909 after voting to appropriate a
total of $1,O6O57S.
A spirited debate took place over the
first item on the appropriation, that OF
general expenses 1t was urged that
the amount allotted for publicity pur-
poses in America be reduced and in spite
! of some opposition this suggestion was
adopted
The amount allowed for this purpose
next year was fixed at $4,000 a reduction
of $4,000 from the appropriation last
year.
For the general expenses in the for
| eign mission field including the support
of missionary bishops, emergencies. etc,
total of $17705O was appropriated, leav-
ing s107,75O for general expenses in Amer
lea.
For the support of actual missionary
work for the ensuing year $oS5,78 re-
mains, practically the same as last year.
Tomorrow the general committee will
begin the actual work of dividing the
appropriation among the various foreign
fields.
The report of DIR. A b. Leonard, cor
responding secretary Of the board of
Foreign missions, after giving resume
of the mission work or the year 1908, re-
fers to conditions in Corea, saying:
In no pagan country have We hal
the same success in the same length
of time as in Corea and perhaps there
is no pagan country In the world that
is so ripe for Christian evangeization.
The growth of the work has been phe-
nomenal and has far exceeded our abil-
ity to give it financial support.
1T is not extraYagant to declare that
within ten years we will have a milIio |
Methodists in Corea if the work is ade-
quately supported.
From every field and from every de-
partment of our work there comes tho
cry for more money and more mission
aries If the church will furnish the
money we will find the men and women
who will gladly 60"
DIR. Homer c. Stuntz, first assistant
corresponding secretary of the board of
| foreign missions, in his report re-
viewed the work In China and Russia
| for the current year. He said in part:
1.-THE work of the board in China has
gone forward throughout the year with
every mark of the continued favor of
God. The schools are crowded to their
limits Some of them cannot receive
| one-half of those who apply. The
| spirit of revival fingers, and literally
hundreds of young men converted in
the great REVEALS of last year have
dedicated their lives to the work Of
preaching Christ to their fellow coun-
trymen.
I'm Russia the field that opens be-
fore us is illimitable.
mo hindrance has been placed in the
way of our superintendent in opening
his work, whether in st. Petersburg
or in outlying cities"
Dr. Homer Eaton of New York read
the treasurer's report showing COM
bined receipts of $1,342,S96 and dis
bursements of s1,397,621.
The debt of the treasury on Novem-
Der /, 1908, was $4,000 as compared
with a debt of $60,S61 a year ago. The
difference of s51 339 represents the ex-
cess of regular disbursements over re-
ceipts, the former being s1,111 ,917, and
the latter $1,060,678. The special gift
account showed a balance on hand on
November l, 1907, of $4,000, and re-
ceipts during the year of S2S1,758, the
total being $3.50 ,767. The disbursements
on this account were s2S5,705, leaving
a balance on November l, 1908, of $45,-
062