Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-18
METHOD|STS RAISE,
$1,060,0O0 FUND
With This They Expect to do
Much Missionary Work
in the Far East.

One million and sixty thousand dollars
have been raised in the last II months for
mission work in India, IN connection with
the centenary of the Board of Foreign
Missions of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.
In March, 1917. the India Mass Move
mcnt Commission began the task of
raising 81 100000 TO care for what Is
known as the India Mass Movement. The
nlan called for tho raising and expenditure
of S2O0,OO0 a wear for a period on five
years. On tho first of February this year,
I months later. the commission reports
that 81 O60, 600 have been subscribed for
this purpose. The plan at first was that n
League of One Thousand should be en-
listed, each member contributing 81 900
on the frst-year basis, but as the work
proceeded other sources of income wero
uncovered and notifications in the
methods were found To be expedient.
However. the main object of the COM
mission has been more than accomplished
\ large share of the money was raised
upon the original plan OF 81 900 from each
grver. but this could not prevent other
gifts Of different amounts, and they h ave
come IN from n onc-dollar grocnback to
snccial gifts of S250OO0, whereby the
whole sum has been underwritten. The
FIRST wears installment has already been
pald and Is at work on the field in India.
SINCE the commission was established
the Missionary Centenary Movement has
hccn inaug,Iratcd whereby the interests of
al of the mission fields of the church are
10 bc cared for upon hvc-vcar basis. In
this program the needs of India will he
IN cVceSS of S5.0o0,00O. Tho million dol
lars undcrwrittcn through the Mass Move
mcnt commission was 20 take care of mn
mediate necessities arising out OF existing
conditions that could not wait for proc sscs
of the centenary to be worked out. The
commission will now cooperate as part
uf the Centenary Commission. and the
81 600 900 il has secured will be regarded
as hut the first fruits of the larger cam
paign.
SURVEY Or INDIA.
nr Frrd H. Fisher chairman OF the
Mas Movement Commission, has just
returned from careful survey ot
Methodist Episcopal responsibilities for
missionary work among the "untouch-
lhlc~ oi India who. numbering 0OOO,-
u00. form the body Of these mass move
mcnts lie reports that the Methodist
missionaries have been compelled TO re-
fuse baptism annually 10 10000 con-
Vert~ becauSr with the present staff and
missionary equipment u is impossible TO
give these applicants proper instruction
pr care
These outCaSts arc coming 10 the mis-
.IonariCs bv villages and demanding that
they he admitted into the church. This
iund of Sl.00O,000 will make 1t possible
"a haptizc a thousand converts a week for
the next five ycarS and to provide these
converts with limited amount Of spiritual
Tho
mcnt grants heavy subsidies 10 the mis-
,lonsrlcs for the support Of their schools
These outcast peoples are the aborlgl-
nal inhabitants Of the land who have been
crowded down with each wave OF IN
vlSion from the north So that now their
lot Is verN miserable While outside the
caste system oi Ia duiSm they are subject
Fl IN It's rules and really compose the
lowest strata IN the system. They arc
~cavcrgcrs and sweeps They are scgre-
1atoa on the outskirts Of villages. and are
l,pt even permitted 10 use the same streets
~ paths as the Brahmins and higher
castcs The irahmins. although com
paslng ouly per cent OF the population
hold 40 per cent of the offices IN the
government Ii is this situation which
comnlicatcs the present demand for home
ulc in India. Because, today, home rule
would mean Brahmin rule. and further
IntensIhcation Of the caste system. The
outcast has no illusions about what
Rrahmins rul, Vould mean for him
The mas movement has brought 10
these millions of the depressed classes the
first raw OF hope Ia centuries For the
missionaries carry with them 10 the people
4 india not only conversion 10 Chris
tlanltv. hut opportunities for education,
and IN spite Of the tremendous prejudice,
= parish who has gone out from the mis-
-ionary schools in India, to take higher
degrees IN the universities OF England and
he continent. Is able to return bone and
hold ms own among the Brahmins
DIR Fisher quotes tor instance the case
af Fennel Jacob He was born IN a pig
stVe on the outskirts of his village | nv
self have seen hls mother picking up refuse
m the streets outside the village. to use
i for fuel He learned in our mission
schools about how Abraham Lincoln used
% he on the floor IN front Of has log cabin
fireplace as a boy and study by the light
of burning pune knots, and OF how that
little bov became President TO the nited
states And jacob applied the lesson.
lie went on TO Edinburgh University and
took an NJ ID. degree there, and now he
II back. as a member Of the Royal SAM
tauon Commission Of India, sitting in
ihe same chars, passing the same pieces
of paper from hand to hand with Brah-
nuns What becomes of the caste system
when the mission schools can accomplish
such icat~ ~ this