El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-13
Controversy STARTS OVER LEAD OF
UNITED STATES IN FOREIGN MISSIONS
Contributions From This Countdy Exceed Those of Any
Other Nation; Statement of Figures Is Criticised;
Mission Leaders to Hold Get To
gether Meeting in New York City

The United States leads the world
in money gifts to foreign missions
That much is settled. But differences
exist between the foreign mission en-
thusiasts and the eminent statistieian,
Rev DR.. Louis Meyer, who has for
many years compiled and published
the figures. So serious are the differ
ences that the enthusiasts announce
their intention to issue their own sta
tiStics and TO do so next week when
they meet in annual session in New
York. The trouble has been brewing
for q year and in part is said to grow
out of a determination to justify the
Laymen'S Missionary movement, Its
large expenditures and its claims for
results So strong are the criticisms,
and so influential those who make
them, that the Missionary Review of
the World" which has Just published
the figures OF Rev. Dr.. Meyer, an
nOunceS with these figures many
changes IN manner of compilation and
omits comparisons with previous years.
The figures which are said not TO
satisfy the enthusiasts put the gifts
of Christian people Of North America,
Europe, South Africa and Australia to
missions in Asia, Africa and the nom
Christian world last year OF $50 400, O0O
The year before the same authority
put them at S25, 100000, a gain of So
100000 in even figures, and of which
gain the United States furnished al
most exactly a half, as against all the
same Statistician finds the Christian
people Of the United states TO have
given last year S14242,050, as against
$12,3O0,000 the year previous. He
states that he has compiled his data
on new lines so new that he makes
no comparison with previous years. 1t
is known, however, that of the $780,
000 increase last year $1,000 600 to ST.
100000 is in the Presbyterian church
alone. This Jump in amount came
fro Tnr 1ae n nd
that enabled one society to show al
most 100 percent growth in a single
year This legacy was exceptional, OF
course, and it is already known that
next year general figures win fall off
unless helped up from other causes
Leaders among the critics OF these
official figures, or those heretofore
recognized as such, named a commit
tee of which Rev. DR.. r. P. Haggard
Of Boston is chairman, and instructed
such committee to report its figures
to the foreign missions conference,
which meets at Garden City, Long
Island, on January Il. It is known
that this committee has been asking
home mission societies to include ex-
peuditureS made by them in Porto
Rico, Hawaii, the Philippines and Cuba,
on the plea that such work was really
foreign. Most of the home societies
declined so to do, it is said. replying
that they would not be part of efforts
openly aimed at the boosting of data
The committee refuses to give out its
figures until presented TO its confer
ence, but it is said by those in posi-
ton to know that the enthusiasts viii
make Americas figures $2O,0O0,0O0 or
more, or S5,00O,000 more than those
heretofore claimed.
According to the figures until now
REGARDED as reliable the United States
both leads the world in money gifts
to foreign missions and has the largest
single society devoted to foreign mis-
siOns. As against our $4,000. 600 Great
Britain gave last year S9,SSS, 000 and
the continent Of Europe S3.727,000. The
largest single society is that of the
Presbyterian North of this country,
with S2,877,0 600, but this figure includes
100000 OF the Kennedy legacy, which
was altogether exceptional. Next year
its total Will hardly exceed $4,000, O00-
The second largest, and heretofore the
largest, is the MethOdists North, with
a total of S2,48O,00O. Only two other
societies exceed S1,000,00 and they
do so by only a few thousands. They
are the Baptists of the North and the
COngregatiOnalists, through their
American board. In England the two
societies of the established church lead
all others, with incomes of s1,s0O,00O
England reaches the $1,000, 900 figure,
nor do any on the continent
As porducts of all of this expendi-
ture Of Christian money the societies
themselves claim 2,644,000 actual Pro-
teStant communicates in the So-called
heather lands of the world, and last
year they claim to have added to their
number 225 600. They say there are
many adherents in addition, and that
great care is exercised not to receive
people who have not been tested. Be
sides the actual members there are, of
course, many colleges, hospitals, Sun
day schools and other evidences of
Christian activity as known at home