Evening star., 1914-11-15
The Wars Effect Upon
Foreign Missions.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

ll By Frederic j. Haskin. Nj
The chief responsibility for the for
leigh mission work of the Christian
world rests now upon the United
States. The European countries which
have been doing missionary work have
such urgent need of philanthropy
within their own boundaries that.
aside from their difficulties in trans
mitting funds. they cannot be expected
Ito send money away from home. The
church people of this country were
quick to realize this. so that every
denomination is formulating plans for
meeting the emergency in the foreign
mission field.
At the 105th annual meeting OF the
/ American board of commissioners for
loreign missions of the Congregational
Church, held in Detroit week nefore re
the presence upon the platform during
one meeting of five returned mission
aries, whose combined terms of serv.
ice in the foreign fields aggregated zoo
years. They were followed by five
young missionaries on the way to en-.
ter the service these veterans had MEG
so faithfully. The young men were 1ulI
| of enthusiasm, which even the war
conditions could not daunt.
| An important matter brought forward
at this meeting was the tercentenary
celebration of the landing of the Pill
grim fathers at Plymouth Rock Ihis
celebration will take place in 1920. The
| landing of the Pilgrims Is popularly
regarded as the beginning of the Con-
gregational Church in America. One
| feature of the celebration decided upon
includes the raising of large me-
mortal missionary endowment, the in
come to be devoted to new work. The
sum of S6,O00,000 first had been fixed
upon. The enthusiasm of the Detroit
| meeting aroused by the vivid presenta-
| ton of the needs in foreign fields re-
suited in increasing the proposed me-
mortal endowment to $10,000,0O0, to be
raised in the next five years, in addl-
tion to the regular annual contr1bu-
tions to missionary work.
4
Last week a meeting was held in New
York of the committee of council and
reference of the
Work to Be Pushed foreign mission
More Earnestly. America ] to con-
slider the questions affecting foreign
mission work developed by the war.
Invitations were also extended to rep
resentatives of the Church Peace Union
and the commission of the Federal
Council of Churches. 1t was unanimous
ly agreed by all in attendance that the
work in foreign missions should not be
retrenched in any way because of the
war, but should be forwarded more
earnestly than ever by the churches of
America.
The committee representing all of the
foreign missionary societies OF this
mi
tion to the churches, in which empha-
sis is laid upon the necessity of main
laining the missionary work at its full
strength 1t denies the statement that
the war will lessen the effect of for
eign missionary work, since many of
The strongest missionary societies in
the world have had their greatest
growth in times of war. The largest
English societies developed during the
French revolution and Napoleonic
wars. The Baptist Society of Great
Britain made it's greatest advances at
intervals of a half-century during the
Crimean and Boer wars. The darkest
days of the civil war developed one of
the greatest foreign missionary socie-
lies in the United States. The contri-
| buttons to several of the northern So
| cieties decreased during that war, bu.
afterward became more generous than
| ever before.
| The transmission of funds seemed to
be the most pressing difficulty to over
| come. This has bee referred to a
| .inance committee, consisting of DR..
George NJ. Fowler of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. w. H. Van Steen-
Church, Walter Roberts of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church Robert L. Lat
timer of the United Presbyterian
| Church. Ernest S. Butler of the Baptist
Missionary Society ana Frank w
Wiggin of the Congregational board
| Of missions.
Last year more than s15,0Oo,0O0 was
contributed by the churches of the
Necessary to Raise States for
$20,00o,O0O This Year. I, orei ,gn gn
work. 1t has been generally agreed
that, at least $40, 100000 must be raised
this year to offset the failure of money
usually contributed by the nations now
directly involved in war. This means
an increase of one-third over the con-
| tributions Of last year.
| Germany has supported a number of
| foreign missionaries in various parts
of the world. In China $50 German
| missionaries have had their support
| cut off. because there was no means of
getting money to them. Germany has
| also 500 missionaries in other fields.
| including Africa and India. The other
| missionaries in China are making up
| subscriptions from their own slender
| allowances to aid their German asso-
| ciates. but the burden of supplying this
deficiency must inevitably fall upon
| this country.
The English missionary societies
have not yet suspended their work and
| probably will not do so for the present
| but the suffering at home will tend to
lessen the contributions to foreign
fields. English missionaries have re-
ceived cabled orders to cease all
| building operations and to use the
| available money temporarily in con-
| When this money is exhausted much
| doned, unless American aid is forth
coming.
| The physical effect of the war in non
Christian countries has been most
Difficulty Is Found in the diff
in Forwarding Funds. ,sl es
enced in the transmission of funds The
missionaries in certain parts of Africa
are known to have suffered keena1(
privationS and Il number have yet to be
| heard from. Those stationed in Lii
IBERIA have had no means of communi-
| "a tba ict