Evening star., 1925-01-26
$500 DELEGATES ARE LISTED
FOR CONFERENCE ON MISSIONS
Protestant Churches of U. S. and Canada to Open
Convention. in Washington Wednesday for Dis.
cussion of Conditions in Foreign Fields.

are mistakes that we need not repeat.
There are new methods that obviously
we may now adopt. The task is i'm
mense. but at least we can survey Its
inlmensity. We can, as it were, plot
IL out on the map.
When machinery was first intro
duced in America and in Britain. there
were grave abuses, and they still
exist. Employees in factories were
treated as mere hands. Wages were
a pittance and children or tender
years had 70 work for II hours or
more a day Where these wrongs
have been righted II is because the
Will Of Christ has been applied. in
some measure at any rate, to indus
trial conditions.
Industrial Dangers Seen.
"In Japan. in India, in Africa and
in China, there are the same indus
trial dangers to be overcome. And il
is the MISSIONARY whose influence is
beyond all value. Faced by evils like
red rubber Portuguese peonage,
Abyssinian slavery, cruel uSuTy prac-
ticed in India, opium in< China and
drink in Africa, the missionary has
| ever been the independent tribune
| OF his adopted people. And at thse
| convention, this moral force Will be,
as it were. modified and concen-
tional righteousness
"a hundred years go We were per
| haps too apparent to think that all the
deviltry in the world was due 70
| heath endom. We now know that
| there is deviltry also in our so-called
| Christian 6ilivization. and at the con
vention we shall be able to take stock
| Of our position. How far are we
! helping? How far are we hindering
| the cause Of Christ throughout the
| world?
They who watched the Washing
| ton conference four years ago were
| conscious that the nations there rep
| resented were divided by conflicting
| interests 1t was in order TO reconcile
| those conflicting interests that the
Washington conference was called
| And no task could have been better
| worth an effort.
| Unite for One Objective.
| But at the foreign missions con
vention they will be united for one
| objective-the true happiness of all
| mankind. II will not be a case Of arbi-
| trating international disputes be
| tween nations. Through foreign mis-
| sions we propose to create the viii 10
| peace on earth-good will 10 men
| The convention will honor men who
| have shown how peace may be substi-
| tuted for war, how faith may be sub
| stituted for force, cooperation for
competition, and health for disease.
| and knowledge for ignorance, and
| good for evil. Its ultimate or only
rule is the golden rule. Its dominant
| will is the will TO peace.
MEMS minds will be diverted from
| that selishness which results in
slaughter to that sacrifice which at
| tains to salvation. And by the great
| work, salvation, is meant the sal
vaging OF individuals and of society
by the power. the wisdom and the
love of Christ the Redeemer.
! Hitherto. some nations have acted
| on the assumption that commerce
| leads to war. A good market must
be an exclusive market. The mis-
sionary sets forth a. broader and d
| saner philosophy. He sees that true
| commerce means peace. The world,
! which he knows. as a rule, more in
| timately than it is known by any
| others, is suffeTing-so he finds-from
underuourishment. Food is wanted
! Water is wanted. Health is wanted
Sight is wanted. In all countries
| there is trade for all countries. and
such trade means peace
Build all the bridges that are
needed and there will be no need of
steel for battleships. Equip all the
hospitals that are needed, and our
| laboratories will not be specializing
on poison gas. Adequately staff all
the missions that are needed, and the
| world will take a fresh start eco
nomically. Foreign missions con
tinually help to turn swords into the
ploughshares and the spears into the
pruning hooks.
Appeal Made TO Churches.
"At the convention there will meet
the men and women who are respon-
sible to the churches for the continu-
ance Of our foreign missions. And
they recognize. humbly and in peni-
tence, that as yet the churches have
fallen short OF the call of Christ to
this worldwide crusade. 1t is a
fact. not to be evaded, that today
the Protestant Churches are main
tanning only about $4,000 ambassa-
dors of Christ in the foreign field,
with 1000 native comrades, while
the annual income of approximately
s35 100000 is less than the cost of a
battleship: on this slender force and
this inadequate expenditure depends
a three-fold service of preaching
teaching and healing throughout the
non-Christian world
yet in the United States alone, the
number OF clergy. teachers and doc
tors and assistants is more than a
million. We have one OF these serv-
ants Of the community for every hun
dred of our citizens. In proportion
that would mean 100000 such cru
saders against sin and pain for In
dia: 100000 for China and 100000
for Africa.
airy force OF carefully chosen and
trained men and women who will
inspire the citizens of other countries
| themselves TO undertake their own
missions for Christ. How to
| strengthen indigenous churches in
non Christian lands is among the
problems to be discussed at the
| Washington convention.
Confronted by Serious Task.
"To obtain the men and worneu
best fitted to be the pioneers is thus
in itself n serious task There must
| he the clear call of God for such
| service. There must be the requisite
health. There must be training. in
tellectual and even manual. There
| must be the placing Of missionaries
| where they are best fitted to do the
best work. Like Christ, the mis-
sionary may have to be a carpenter
who builds. Like James. he may have
| TO show his faith by his works
There was a. time when foreign mis-
sions were supposed TO be dull To-
day their variety is bewildering in
| its fascination and it's drama.
| THE missionary is a practical man
He alone begins by recognizing that
| equality includes human needs. II is
just as big a task to educate
Tibetan as 1t is to educate an Amer
lean. It is at best as hard TO cure
| Mongol of some disease as it IS TO
cure a Pennsylvania. Seventy years
ago school of European science
| committed itself to the pagan doc