The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-02-12
PASTOR RICE SAYS THE
MISSIONARY CAUSE
IS ON THE BLINK

The Rev. B. w. Rice has written a
letter to the Springfield, Mass, Re-
publican pointing out that the Euro
pean war has played havoc with the
missionary cause in the west. Mr..
Rice also depicts present conditions.
His letter in full follows:
The hardest hit industry of seven
western states is the missionary cause.
Everywhere a reduction has been
made in salaries of the missionaries.
Where this reduction rendered it i'm
possible for the missionary to re-
main and get along on his meager
allowance, he left and the field was
usually abandoned for the time being
Idaho feels keenly this wholesale
slaughter of its religious workers.
, In every field where it could possibly
be done the home forces have rallied
with one herculean effort to hold its
religious footing, but this is only a
drop in the bucket to the whole.
The result is that spirit of CONSOLE
dation is everywhere present. Those
who have formerly quarreled about
baptism and the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and those who SHE'D at in
FAINT baptism, and those who held ten
aciously to the thought that no dancer
could ever sing i'll their choir, are tax
ing water and quoting down. Those
of one talent and those of two talents
and those Of three talents have settled
down on the same limb of the bush
and are now talking over the parable
of the talents.
The war news in Europe has been
used by headquarters to cut expenses
throughout the missionary region, and
the way it has worked is no dream.
Missionary churches in the West that
have been getting help from the East
for many years, until it looked like a
two-year-old calf sucking its mother
III the field, will hereafter have hard
time to ever get back to the place
where the major part OF its running
expenses comes by check from the
eastern treasurer.
Idaho has caught the spirit of CON
solidatcd evangelism. 1t is not pre-
cisely the union evangelistic meeting
with which the East is so familiar,
but is sort of cousin to it. Several
of the larger cities in the state have
planned their winter campaign on this
basis. For weeks the various pastors
organize, district, urge and lead the
entire city i'll the direction of what is
hoped will later be whirlwind cam
paign. The consolidated evangelist
troupe then comes on the field, col
lects the travelling expenses, is as
signed to its lodging and then begins
the warfare, the troupe at the con-
clusion of the meeting silently fold
ing its tent to steal away with what
ever coin the people are willing to
freely give. There is, of course, a
splendid system thought out by some
of the troupe, and at the psychologist
cal moment it falls into use.
Hard times are compelling the
churches to get together 1t is get.
ting desperately unpopular in Idaho to
go about harping on ones demonina-
tion. The least an eastern evangelist
says about his church the better il
will be for him. The western man
does not need this pointer, for he
has just enough mustang hood in him
to know it by intuition. Here and
there, at some crossroad rural church
a few men are still preaching denomi-
national sectarianism to little bands
of serious folk who wall away on some
forlorn hymn between times, sand,
wiching the dirges in between
Missionaries have been called upon
to work half-time on half salaries
others have had their full time salar.
les greatly reduced and still other
fields have been entirely abandoned
Practically no new work is being
opened up. The temperance force.
that are working day and night tc
make the state dry will feel sac
shock when the vote is counted il
the outlying and remote fields where
missionaries have been called off.
The first five years existence on ;
new farm in an irrigated region i!
not paradise at all. 1t is not ever
purgatory. There are people who viii
even go SO far as to claim it is tn,
other place outright. Here is where
missionary money is worth its weigh
in gold. A church planted in the frs
days of the toll and sweat of one o
these regions, grows up with it an,
has its sympathy and support i'll late
years. 1t has trained the children
married its young men and younl
women and has buried its dead. there
fore it is at the very foundation. Now
when for the want of funds thcs
churches must be discouraged il nc
killed outright, it puts a damper o
the religious fervor for years to com
and in some instances is going to b
the utter strangulation and death o
once brilliant hope All radiant wit
prospect, numerous little works mus
now die.
There are people bold enough undo
this pressure of war news and II
consequential hazard to stand out io
consolidation of every missionary CT
terpriSe in the state 1t is elaine
that one piece OF administration ma
chinery is sufficient. one general othc
in the headquarters. town The none
thus saved would be used in actu;
work out upon the field Little ham