The Wilmington morning star., 1947-06-15
BY w. w. REID

Or. John W. Harley, Sf Ashe-
VILE. missionary of the Methodist
cburch at Ganta, Liberia, the
rrost inland mission station in
That republic, has been appointed
~coqsultant to the United Safes.
public Health Mission in Liberia.
This mission is studying medical
and public health conditions in
the country, and cooperating with
The Liberian government, the Unit
sd States Army, and with private
MISSIONARY and medical agencies
in planning to wipe out tropical
and other diseases.
Directors of religious educat-
ron from hundreds of churches
NJ all denominations in the United
STATES and Canada, will confer on
local church problems in their
field. al Lake Forest College, IL
1inojs. August IS to %, under the
suspices CT the International Coun-
Gil Of Religious Education. DR..
Frank Grebe, OF Buffalo, N. Y,
will be dean of the "Worship and
eonference': and other instruc-
tors will include: DR.. Wesner Fall
law. of Newton Center, Mass;
DR.. Harry c. Monroe, of Chicago;
DR.. Clarence Seidenspinner, Of
Racine, Wis.,; Miss Dorothy B.
Fritz, of Philadelphia; and Miss
Louise c. Drew, of RaWaii.
According to the National Fire
Protection Association, of Boston,
Mass, church fire losses in the
past year totalled 81, 800, 900 and
TROUBLE spots in churches can
still be found" The association
urges that each church be equip
pea win an automatic fire alarm
system, outmoded electrical equip
ment should be replaced, heating
plants should be within f~ire-resis-
tant structures, and good house.
keeping should be shown in the
organ loft. the basement, and 9TH
er possible danger spots.
Or. Merle Davis, of New York.
long known for his economic-re.
ligious and Social-religious re-
search foc the International Mis-
s;onary Council, is now engaged
in the study Of tribal marriage
customs IN their bearing upon
church and government laws in
Bantu, Africa. Missionary groups
Tor many years have been puzzled
as to whether or not Africans with
more than one wife should put
away all but n before being
admitted into Christian church
membership; this is only n OF
many questions DR.. Davis will in
vestigate. The study is under the
joint auspices of the International
Missionary Council and the Inter
national African Institute, and with
the collaboration of the British
Colonial Office and of research
foundations.
Between World War I and World
War II. the northern area of
~TanganyiIa CORNER German col.
onY), East Africa, was a mission
field Of the Leipzig, Germany
Mission Of the Lutheran church.
In 1889 there were SIS missionaries
serving there, and the African
commandments numbered 80, 600
with extensive educational and
medical work. Came the war, and
the missionaries were informed.
But in 1910 the British govern
ment permitted DR.. Richard
ReuSch, of the Augustana Synod
lutheran, U.S.A.) to assume
charge Of evangelical church work;
DR.. 0. A. Olson to open dispen-
s%aries; and the Rev. Neville Lang
ford-Smith to reopen the Marangu
Teachers Training school. At no
time during the years since has
the missionary staff exceed eight,
including wives. But the records
show that during these seven
years the church membership has
grown from &c. 900 to 0.000; that
there are six new African pastors,
ana Is more in training; that the
schools enroll 1000 boys and
girls; 29 rev stone churches have
been built; Sc new stone schools