The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-03-23
CONFERENCE WORK GETS
INTO REGULAR SWING
Continued From Page Three

ditions improved in our large cities
through the establishment OF atronS
missions among needy peoples.
Churches in the home field have been
stimulated to great giving SO tnat
gifts by the Board of Home Missions
of two millions dollars to assist var
ious church enterprises resulted IN
the giving of ten million dollars IN
addition by local constituencies.
In the foreign field schools and
colleges have been greatly improved,
churches have been erected, two hun
dred sixty seven new missionaries
sent out in one year, host of ma
tive workers added and marvellous
results achieved in strategic centers
throughout the world.
Moreover, the Centenary has
stimulated the churches in evangel1-
cation. During the last ten years
the average annual net increase IN
membership has been 10000, and
this years report of evangelism Will
far exceed those of last year. In other
words, wherever there has been gen
erous Centenary giving, there has al
SO been a rising tide of evangelism.
Investigations in several areas shows
that where there has been the most
generous giving, evangelism has pro-
duced the greatest results.
However, while those achieve
ments have been gratifying, YET
there is one phrase which is some
what dfsheartening. Some have not
paid their subscriptions. If the full
amount which was due from the
churches on the basis of subscriptions
had been paid, the results would
have been vastly greater. In the
foreign and home lands motive and
local churches have more than met
their pledges. Japan has exceeded
it's Centenary apportionment by sew
eral thousand dollars, China and In
dia have done likewise, but because
of the indisposition on the part OF
some of our giVers at home, we have
not been able to match the gifts IT
many foreign constituencies. The
same is true of mission fields in the
home land.
Nevertheless, in spite of this, it
is well for US to consider what might
have happened if we had not had the
Centenary. The Board of Education
assures US that if it had not been
for the money which has come from
the Centenary, many of our colleges
would have been in serious financial
straits during this period in which
all expenses have increased. The
Board of Education for Negroes firm
~ believe that nearly every one of
our Negro Institutions would have
been obliged to close or else accumu-
late a destructive deficit.
he have
been necessary to close churches and
absolutely prevent any expansion OF
our work. Some of our great city
enterprises would have ceased func-
tioning because of increased eXpens-
es and decreased income.
I'm the foreign field it would have
been necessary to recall many mis-
sionaries and discontinue hundreds
of native workers. instead, there is
advance and not retreat-victory and
not defeat.
Notwithstanding the tremendous
advance which has been made by the
= ethedist- Church, there are insist
ent calls at home and abroad which
must be met quickly if Christianity
is to be victorious and triumphant
in the life of the world.
From three to eight percent of
the population of the ten largest
cities in the United States is Protest
ant which is largely due to the great
influx of foreign-speaking people. In
the city of New York alone, four out
of every five people are foreign born
or of foreign born parentage, leav-
ing only one-ffth of the population
pure American. IF Christianity Is to
win, the cities of our nation must be
captured for Christ.
I'm addition to the needs of our
cities there is need to heal the
wounds that have been caused by
racial strife. AS ten percent of our
population is negro, and these peo-
pie are becoming more widely dis
tributed throughout the nation be-
cause of the northward migration
during the last four or five years,
the need for patience and Christian
justice becomes more evident be-
cause of incidents like Washington,
Chicago and Tulsa during the last
few years. Here is a problem in
Christian brotherhood that must be
solved and the Methodist Church
with it's large following of Negro
Christians must strengthen it's work
speedily if it is to help in mitigating
racial strife.
while our advance has been re
markable in non-Christian lands. yet
we must consider some of the work
that is undone China has a popu-
lation of four hundred millions.
Eighty millions should be in the pub
lie schools. Few more than three
million are in the public schools. If
the Far East is to be saved from be-
coming the world battle-ground, the
Chinese must be educated. Alone,
they are unable to provide money and
trained leadership. The Methodist
Church must continue to make its
contributions to its Christian schools
and colleges in China. The need is
impe1 alive. We must go forward
South and Central America with
their twenty-republics are our south
ern neighbors. Among those re-
publics there is an illiteracy of from
thirty-fivc to eighty-fiye per cent.
with more than twenty million pagan
Indiana in the hinterland. These
republics have almost unlimited re-
sources. Migration in the future
will largely be attracted there be-
cause the countries are all sparsely
populated. The question arises;
what shall be the future civilization
of these republics? Shall we let
them alone or shall we help them to
prepare trained Christian leadership?
A similar situation confronts us in
Mexico.
Everywhere the world is beckon-
ing us for help. Shall we be true to
the Spirit of Jesus, or shall we let
the world alone? This is no time
for pessimism. This is the strategic
hour The world is in turmoil.
There is no positive leadership This
is the opportunity for Christian
statemenship, backed by the benevo-
lent Christian Spirit. Today is the
accepted hour. Let Methodism con-
solidato her gains and advance.
"a record Of vigorous campaign
ing for better schools, trained teach