The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-02-19
eHRlsTIANIzINe THE woe,

~
appears at a PRAYER maot;ru -,
november Is, 1906, in New yoTl, anS
winch within a little more tbon 49,
; ears spread throughout this corr+r,.
ana Canada. from ocean to ocean hos
crossed over TO England scotIapd
i'idild' Germany and Austria. and has
reached the northwest
This week a Minnesota corfououoo
Is being held which will bring topatb-
er' II Is expected. 1900 ranraeanta.
yves Of Protestant churches Of diff
'ereht denominations and from every
county in the state.
A similar conference for fourteen
counties of southern Wisconsin was
heid last week, and another is TO he
Ieid at Des Moines in March. % be
ioHo"ed by one in Missouri.
Before the year is out. conferences
VIII nave been held in practically ev-
cry state in the union.
II is apparent that the movement is
mighty one, and well it needs to
be. for it has for its purpose the stu
pendous undertaking of evangeiizing
the non-Christian world within this
generation.
is II practical-can it be done?
This is a question well worthy of
careful consideration. even bv those
not actively interested in church
work.
Ii is great humanitarian problem.
not necessarily to be considered from
the religious standpoint alone.
Christianizing the darkened ma
tons of the Orient means enlighten-
ment and education for them: the es-
adjustment of standard of morality
that will be worldwide, affecting even
business relations.
The missionary takes with him the
school book, the orphanage, the hos
pital, the freeing of women and chill
dren from oppression. the science of
right living, and the flag of his coun-
try.
| Directly or indirectly, through him,
pressure may be brought upon gov
ernments to make their foreign poll.
cies accord with the altruistic mis-
siOnary spirit.
However this may be, the spread OF
the laymen's movement impresses the
thought that it may be ultimately
successful because of the business
like way i'm which is being fronted the
staggering problem of insuring that
every living being readable shall
have a chance at an intelligent hear
ing of the cardinal truths of Chris
tianity.
In the first place. the laymen ap
pear to have done what was never
done before-they proceeded TO in
form themselves on the work before
them.
Some sixty of them have personal
ly made trips around the world, study
ing conditions in the Orient, not 81
much with an eye to what has beer
done as to what can be done.
Next they have apportiOned the la
Dor among the churches without dis
turbing the work of any of The church
missionary boards.
They have had estimates made al
To what share of the great work eacf
can be called upon to perform.
The estimate must of necessity bt
a general one but can be based Will
some certainty on what is being &C
complished by the 10000 experienced
men and women at work toda!
throughout heather countries, wht
have Joined to themselves 100000 ma
tive preachers.
The last step has been to get thu
churches to unite in a common effort
and in this there has been a success
which indicates how well directed tn
movement has been.
Great conferences have brought to
gatber thousands of church worker
from every part Of entire states-no
the women and youth, who in the pas
have largely borne the burden OF mis-
siouary support. but men OF affair
and Influence i'm business and the pro
fessions.
In this way. for the first time.
,ation's missionary responsibility l
baing submitted to the men OF tn
whole nation.
Financial support has been great
increased. and what promises eve
= more for results, has been the adol
J. ito, Of more direct and systemau
methods than in the past, when eac
church has been working with tn
o view of making converts simply
t Il sown particular notion.
There is much more to be conslue
e ad in the prospect, too. Missionar