Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-04
CARE Of CHILDREN
How They Are Fed, Clothed
and Educated.
WORK OF MISSIONARIES
Theme Of Lecture by o. P. Austin
Before National Geographic So
ciety Last Night.

Every time the clock ticks child is
added to the worlds population: every
time the second hand moves around the
little dial on your watch. 100 children are
born. In a week the population has been
increased by a million.
These striking figures were presented by
o. p Austin, chief Of the bureau Of sta
tistics Of the Department of Commerce
and Labor. in a lecture before the Ma
tiona! Geographic Society last night. His
subject was Children Of Many Lands. -
How are the 100000 OF children born
every year, and who are soon to be par
Elephants in the worlds activities. being
fed. clothed. and. above all, educated and
fitted for lifes problems? This was the
question which Mr.. Austin undertook at
the beginning Of his lecture to answer. He
devoted the greater part of the time to a
consideration of the educational systems
in the several countries.
Work Of Missionaries.
4 vast and important work, he said, is
being done by the Christian missionaries
in those lands where free education has
not vet been provided.
1.-The Protestant missionaries alone" he
said, maintain throughout the nom
Christian world 25,0Oo schools. ranging
from kindergarten to college, with mil
lion and a quarter pupils Of both sexes.
Their hospitals and dispensaries number
over 1000 and furnish treatment to $780,
600 people year, large number OF them
children. These Protestant missionary
organizations are represented in the field
by 10000 European and American work
ers and $1,000 natives, and while the de-
tails of missionary and educational work
of the Catholic organizations are less
readily available. the magnitude of their
work is indicated by recent authorize
tive statement that 1.-The whole army of
the Catholic missionaries, men and wom-
en-, now numbers 10000 and few areas OF
heathendom remain unvisited by them.
Education has, in late years, become
an especially important field of mission
airy work. The experience Of the first
half century Of mission life showed that
schools. hospitals and medical attendance
were important adjuncts to the primary
objects of the mission, and the educa-
cations has not only benefited those
whom they personally served. but at the
same time had it's influence in develop
ing the new governmental system OF edu-
cation and progress more recently es-
tablished in e various countries of the
nom Chr stan world Available statistics
regarding the sums devoted to mission
work, chiefly in Asia. Africa and Oceania,
indicate that the total expenditures for
work of this character approximate $50
100000 per annum, of which probably
more than half is devoted to educational
work.
Methods Among Mahammedans.
Among the Mofammedans. whose re-
ligion and influence extend over large
areas in northern and eastern Africa,
Turkey in Europe and Asia. Persia and
parts of India and China, the educational
methods are still those Of that period Of
history in which education was chiefly in
charge of the prYestly class. The schools
are largely conducted at the mosques and
under direction OF the clergy, and con-
s,sts of. the memorizing Of extracts from
the Koran, with limited. instruction in
reading, writing, arithmetic and geo.
graphy.
I'm many of the tropical countries the
native schools are conducted in the open
air. by the roadside or under the shade
Of some friendly tree-or, at the best, in
rude sheds constructed of leaves and
thatch. The master sits on the ground
or mat, and the pupils, seated about
him, write their lessons In the sand or on
palm or plantain leaves.
In the Mohammedan countries the
teacher and pupils sit on mats In the
mosque or some adjoining building, or
sometimes on the roof Of some struc-
ture used for residence or business pur-
poses
In the orient the pupils study their les
sons aloud, and their schoolroom thus
becomes veritable babel, quite in con-
trast with the silence which characterizes
the well ordered places Of instruction In
our own land"