The Washington herald., 1915-02-14

country has been declining in effec-
tiveness. He proposes that during the
week beginning February "A spc-
cial rally be made on what will be
called Go to Prayer Meeting Night ."
As there is no evening or the week
upon which all our churches unite for
| their mid-week service the actual
| date for this simultaneous and con-
centrated effort is left open Since
| Ash Wednesday occurs OH February
Il and is an appropriate time for the
renewal of spiritual activities, he
suggests that wherever II can be en-
ployed without conflict with other re-
ligious engagements II be utilized for
this most desirable end. AS IL is the
beginning of the Lenten season, per-
sons who have been negligent of the
weekly prayer service may be in
duCed to continue throughout the
seven weeks of that sacred period in
the church calendar, and thus be in
fluenced to form the habit of regular
attendance which is so devoutly 10 be
sought.
DR.. 4. W. Halsey, OF the Presby-
terian Assembly's Board of Foreign
Missions. writes in a private letter:
After all my study of missions the
past thirty years, l have never known
such tragedies as we are now wit
Messing on the mission field. 1t is ap-
paIIing to read of the distress in
Syria, the poverty of the people. the
oppression which all classes are suf-
fering from the government, and the
outlook, which is almost hopeless.
You will recall that I have spoken
once or twice on our great work in
Africa. The last year was the best
year the African mission has ever
had. 1t is really astonishing what that
mission has done, but the sad part is,
now that war is going on in Kane
run, the Germans have armed the
Bulu, the French have armed the
Fang, and these representatives of So
called Christian nations are leading
the poor heathen into battle as fierce
and sanguinary as any the worst can
nibals have waged in the darkest part
Of Dark Africa. l believe our native
Christians will stand firm, but is IT
not dreadful that they should be COM
PEELED TO witness Christian nations
carrying on barbarous warfare"
The outstanding features of the
annual conference of foreign missions
boards held in Garden City, Long Is
land last month, as reported by the
Cong.Ggationalist and Christian
World. were: John r. Motifs report
upon his recent conferences with re-
ligious leaders in England, France,
Holland and Germany, over the effect
of the war upon missionary work; the
discussion of the native church-its
autonomy and activity-by Rev. D. J.
Fleming, of India, recently made pro-
fessor of missions in Union Theologi-
cal Seminary; first steps taken toward
unifying the production and distribu-
tion of literature on the foreign field:
and the formal election Of Dr. Frank
X. Sanders as secretary of the Board
of Missionary Preparation. 1t was the
twenty-second meeting of the confer
ence, and il demonstrated effectively
how potent this institution is in the
matter of unlfying and standa rdizing
the forty or more boards. working
from North America as base. Some
zoo delegates were present, making an
impressive body. The fellowship ripen-
ing through a score of years is a
marked 'eature of the meetings and
helps promote 4 warm spiritual atmos-
phcrc. The devotional sessions were eX-
Ceedinzly good.
DR.. Motifs report was soIemnly i'm
pressive-the more so as IL was con-
fdentiaI in tone. He met with a cor
dial welcome in all the countries at
war. but expressed himself over
whelmed by the sights that met his
eyes. The long railroad trains loaded
with the wounded he spoke of as
streams of pain" The saddest thing
he saw was the hall in Berlin where
the lists of the killed and wounded
are first posted, and whittier women
and children flock daily. DR.. Mott is
preparing. in behalf of1the conference
and the Edinburgh continuation COM
mittee an appeal for the European
missionaries in Asia, Africa and the