The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-12

This meeting, held In Panama, Feb
ruarys 1920, was called a congress, be-
cause In Spanish the word conferences
(conferencia) does not CONVEY p-i-
marily the Idea Of a gathering, but Of
= public address. There WINS a GER
tain appropriateness In the word COM
gress "a coming together, even in
English. though the word ID one which
has become rather technical In its
meaning.
1t was in fact a great gathering
Latin America means all .f America
south of the Rio Grande. with most
1t is huge territory, the major part
of the Western Hemisphere, with n
population Of about 100000 II Ii
called Latin" because 1t was coionized
by the people of Southern Europa
and its two official Languages, Span
ish and Portuguese, are .win sisters,
daughters of the Classic Latin. OF
the sixty-five millions of people II IL
true that fifteen millions or moro of
Indians still speak their aboriginal dia-
leet- These native languages, how
ever. have no official recognition or
status. the policy of the several gov
ernments being to teach only tne Of
| ficial language. OF the two, Spanish
is the more widely used, Portuguese
, being confined to one great republic.
Brazil. This circumstance, IL may be
said In passing. is due to a papai de-
cree issued soon after America was
discovered. The dispute between the
Portuguese and Spanish monarchs was
growing warm over their rights in the
lands that were being discovered by
their adventurous subjects. Nobody
then (14s5-15oo) had any proper con-
cephon of the new world. II was gen.
orally thought of as a group Of islands.
So the Pope designed an imaginary line
running north and south SO many
miles west OF the Azores. and assigned
all land. discovered or to be discovered
on the east of 1t toePortugai. and all
on the west to Spain. Ths document
he issued In curious one. 1t In vir-
tualfy a deed. I'm which a. vicegerent
OF heaven. assuming unducstioned SOW
erignty over all unknown lands and
people, he made title of the same.
specifically including the people. to his
sons the most Christian monarchs"
OF Portugal and spain. This gavs the
projecting coast Of what is now Bra
I'll TO Portugal. and the remainder
of<Latin America to Spain.
Composition OF the Congress
The congress was made up of about
three hundred delegates and official
visitors from abroad. and about one
hundred and seventy five local men,
bers, residents chiefly Of the Canal
Zone. OF the visiting members. about
half came from the United States,
Canada and Europe: the other half
from Latin America. OF the latter
somewhat less than half were native
workers: the rest missionaries OF
missionaries secretaries. etc. there
were present Representatives of t9en-
ty-one mission agencies. a few Of them
independent or Observation-Disclosures.
! did not learn the exact number Ut
churches represented. e
cussion and study fit made no. At
than by throwing light on them, This
was done first by means OF eight COM
mission reports. which had been pre-
pared beforehand and printed I'm ten
tatlve proof form. The holding of
such n meeting was suggested by the
success of the World Conference at
Edinburgh In 1910. and by the fact
that on that occasion all discussion OF
missions in Catholic lands was omit
ted. This was In Difference 20 the
desires OF the Anglican church peo-.
pie. some OF whom object TO such
missions. Preparation for the con-
gress was made possibly by the exist
ence Of an Observation-Disclosures conf
mittee on Corporation in Latin
America This COMMITTEES, organized
a few years ago, In q by-product OF
the Conference Of Mission Boards of
the United States and Canada. a body
which, made up mostly OF the mis-
sionary secretaries Of various boards.
has been in existence and holding an
aaal meetings -seT-ahoat- fifteen years.
Bishop Iambuth, the missionary Sec
rotary OF our own church. had a hand
In organizing 1t.
The Graund Covered.
The Committee on Cooperation in
Latin America. of which Mr.. Robert
E. Speer is chairman. with the ad
vice and consent of the boards con-
carned. took all preliminary steps for
holding the congress. Eight com
missions. made up OF twenty or morol
members each. were appointed to re-
port on various matters 70 come be-
fore the Congress The subjects as
signed them were as follows:
/. Survey and Occupation; 2. Mes
sage and Method: 3. Education; 4.
Literature: e woman's Work: . The
Church on the Field; I. The Home
Base: S. Cooperation. The chairman
chip Of two of tho eight commissions
fell to our church; Miss Belle Ben
nett headed the Commission on Wo-
mans Work. and Professor Andres
Osuna that on Literature.
The eight working days of the con-
rress were given 10 the confederation
Of these commission rsporta with sss-]
sions morning and afternoon. At
night there were public meetings with
addresses on germane themes. The
congress held its meetings in the ball
room of the Tiyoii Hotel. This hotel
stands on the crown OF little hill.
Just over the line from the city OIL
Panama, within the Canal Zone. III
looks out eastward over the edge OF
the old city, ecross the Bay OF Pana-
ma Although 1t is on the west coast.
Panama faces eastward. and the sun
rises out of tho Pacific. This Is due
to the goose neck form OF the isthmus
at this point The canal itself. run