The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-08-27
EFFECTS or WAR
ON METH0DISM
Board of Foreign Missions Tells
of Results to the Church

The board Of foreign missions of the
Methodist Episcopal church, with
headquarters In New York, has ad-
dessed an open letter to the pastors
and members OF the church i'm the
United States. Copies have been re-
ceived yesterday by copper country
preachers. The letter is as follows:
1t is impossible for war to break
out in any part of the world without
affecting the interests of the Method
list Episcopal church, for Methodism
has become world Parish
Area Directly Affected by the War;
Methodist churches and people arc
found among the Germans and the
French. the Russians and the Austro-
Hungarians. Methodist missions are
established in the neighboring lands
of Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Italy,
Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Methodist missionaries toll under the
Belgian, British, French and Portu-
gucsc llags in America, and under the
Japanese flag in the Orient
In Germany the Methodist theolog-
ical seminary at Frankfort will be tenn
porarily closed the students and some
Of the professors will go 10 the front.
Methodist men will march to battle
and will conscientiously give their
lives in the defense of home and coun-
try. Methodists will march with every
army to bivouac and battlefield, caring
for the wounded. praying with the dy-
ing. Others will stay by the homes of
death and desolation to bind up the
broken-hearted
Property will be reduced to ruins;
churches and institutions will be inn
poverished. Official boards will be dis
banded; congregations without leader
ship will be scattered. Self-help will
be curtailed under the pressure of war
prices and by the absence OF bread
winners Last year European Method
ism contributed $453,212 for self-sup-
port and various benevolent and mis-
sionary purposes. This will inevitably
suffer serious shrinkage under the pre-
vailing conditions. In northern Eur
ope the Methodist Episcopal church
has four great hospitals with over six |
hunded trained nurses. The facilities
of these institutions will be taxed to
the utmost.
Indirect Effects of the War.
"The war is already affecting trans
portation systems and steamer sched-
ules all over the world. Bishop Nuel-
son is i'm Switzerland, unable to reach |
parts of his European field where his
presence is urgently needed Bishop
Hartzeh and Bishop Anderson are un-
able to proceed to Africa under pres
ent conditions; Bishop Hamilton has
abandoned the attempt to go to In
dia DIR. North, who has been directed
by the board to go to eastern ana
southern Asia, has had to revise his
plans so as to leave out southern Asia.
international exchange is being
radically affected. Bishops Warne
and Robinson have cabled that 16 per
cent exchange is now charged upon
our drafts cashed in India. This ini-
tia discount of salaries together with
the lessened purchasing power due to
rise in prices will result in serious pri-
vations for many missionaries. Metho-
dist missionaries in North Africa are
cut off from funds, and the board is
unable to transmit by cable as the
banks have provided no facilities.
Missionaries journeying to their
fields of labor have been stranded eth
er in America, in Europe, or in Great
Britain. Sailing schedules by way OF
the Pacific are being discontinued on