..umamiSKiaftHaiM 8V BARNES LIBRARY ANARFI TAYI nR HftlJ- BARNES HALL LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS THE PROPERTY OF THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION ITHACA, NEW YORK Date Due PRINTED IN U. 5, A. (OJ NO. 23333 BV2390.S93"l89f ""''""'^ "iflKiii'illiil.'ilLf,'''** International Conven 3 1924 008 533 105 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924008533105 iiM i M i aiinu; i .i I: REPORT FIRST International Convention Student Volunteer Movement FOREIGN MISSIONS, HBLD AT CLEVELAND, OHIO, U. S. A., FEBRUARY 26, 27, 28, AND MARCH 1, 1891. 9'' 1891 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Alrica ' 13, 14, 137, 140, 156 Achievements of the Student Voliinteer Movement . . . 26, 163 Application to Missionary Societies . • 33, 51, 54, 166 Brazil . : . 95, 96, 103, 127 Burmah . . . . .... 14, 102 China . . . . . 98, 140, 151, 158 China Inland Mission . .... 49 Classification of Volunteers ... 28, 36 Contributions to Missions . 77, 82, 104, 164 Corea . . ; . . ... 154 Delegates, List of 191 , Editorial Work in Foreign Missions . . . . 96 Educational Phase of Missionary Work 62, 91, 147 Evangelistic Work on the Mission Field 68, 98, 151 Evangelization of the World in this Generation, The . 73, 81, 160 Extension of the Student Volunteer Movement . , 22, 163 Farewell Meeting . . . . 174 Hindered Volunteers . 37, 38, 164 History of the Student Volunteer Movement .... -21, 161 Holy Spirit in Missions, The . . . 7, 47, 172 Immediate Sailing of Volunteers . . . . ... . . . . 42 India 61, 95, 113, 147 Industrial Work on the Mission Field ; 65 Information, The Aooumulating^and Disseminating of Missionary . 107 Japan . . . . .94, 175 Literature, Missionary .... . . . 108, 206 Medical Work on the Mission Field ... 66, 89 Missionary Pastors ....... . . 45, 70 Nugget Meeting ... : ... . 146 Officers of Convention . . 6 Officers of the Student Volunteer Movement ... . . 5, 24 Organization of the Student Volunteer Movement . . . .23, 163 Perils and Privileges of the Student Volunteer Movement 161 Phases of Missionai?y Work . . 89, 91, 93, 96, 98 Policy of the Student Volunteer Movement . 31 Prayer and Missions . . . 100, 105, 113, 152, 174 Prefatory Note 3 Present Status of the Student Volunteer Movement , Qualifications for Missionary Work Eeport of the Executive Committee . Representatives of Missionary Societies Requirements of the Missionary Boards Returned Missionaries Securing Volunteers Self-Support . . . Shanghai Conference . Simultaneous Meetings Spiritual Claims of the Orient, The Spiritual Crisis in the Occident, The . Study of Missions . . Turkey . ... ... ... Volunteer Band, The Volunteer Life in Individual Institutions, The Volunteer Pledge, The .... . . Volunteer Preparation, The ... Volunteer's Work among the Churches. . ... Women's Work in Foreign Missions ; Young Men's Christian Association in Foreign Lands . . 28 . 45, 111, 116, 126, 159 . . 21 188, 189 45, 49 . . 190 . 106, 170 44, 90, 155 18, 154, 158 60, 125 134 . . 127 • 40, 107, 120 102, 147 31, 40 39 . . , 33 . 116, 118, 122, 126, 169 26, 41, 104, 108, 164, 171 63, 110, 113 REPORT First international Convention Student Volunteer Movement FOREIGN MISSIONS, HELD AT CLEVELAND, OHIO, U. S. A., FEBRUARY 26, 27, 28, AND MARCH 1, 1891. "The Evangelization of the World in this Generation." Press of T. O. Metcalf & Co., BOSTON, MASS. ^7^ IkJ 'fomA PREFATORY NOTE. The first International Convention of the Student Volunteer Move- ment for Foreign Missions was held February 26 to March 1, 1891. Since the inception of the Movement, five years ago, at Mt. Hermon, there had never be*n held a student convention for volunteers, — there had never been even a rallying point for any considerable number of the 6,000 men and women enrolled upon our lists. The rapidly increasing- membership and consequent establishment of mission bands in numerous educational institutions which are geographically too widely separated to be in touch with one another, or to receive help from the central organization, made it desirable that a large number of representative volunteers assemble in conference. The key-note of the Convention was the key-note of the Move- ment : " The Evangelization of the World in this Generation." The object of the Convention was : 1. To afford an opportunity for the free discussion of many problems confronting the Movement. 2. To secure for the volunteers the advantages coming from intimate contact with Missionary Board secretaries and returned foreign mission- aries. 3. To enlighten Board secretaries and others in regard to methods and aims of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. 4. By a closer union in prayer and purpose on the part of volunteers, secretaries, and missionaries, to give a new impetus to the great cause of world-wide evangelization in the present generation. Cleveland, Ohio, was selected as the place of meeting, because geographically the center of the volunteer population of the United States and the Dominion of Canada. The new and commodious build- ing of the Young Men's Christian Association was thrown open for this purpose from February 26 to March 1. It was feared that the selection of time — in the midst of a college term's work — would prevent a good attendance. But, contrary to the most sanguine expectations, a larger student body assembled in Cleveland, Ohio, than ever assembled on a similar occasion in the world's history of foreign missionary effort. Every State east of the Missouri River and north of the Gulf Une of States, save one, was represented. In all, 558 students, representing 151 educational insti- tutions, were present, besides 32 Board representatives and 31 returned foreign missionaries. Fully 20 denominations were represented. The results of the Cleveland Convention have been well marked, abundant, and blessed. A more intimate and intelligent relation has been estabhshed between volunteers and denominational Boards than ever before existed. Hundreds of students have gained enthusiasm and devotion in the purpose to evangelize the world in this generation ; in many instances dispirited or half-hearted volunteers have been moved to resolve to go to their chosen fields as soon as the way opens ; one secretary alone received 17 applications at Cleveland for appoint- ment to the foreign work. In order that the pamphlet be of proper length and not too bulky, the editors have been obliged to condense freely, and in some instances to omit entire addresses. This has been done with reluctance, since many topics treated in an able and helpful way have had to be spared. God's presence was manifested in so real and extraordinary a man- ner at the sessions of the Convention that the hope is cherished that the record of the sessions of the Convention, may in some degree bring to others the abundant blessings enjoyed by the privileged ones who were in attendance. OKKICERS OF THE STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS. Executioe Comrii Ittee. John R. Mott, College Young Men's Christian Association. Miss Nettie Dunn, College Young Women's Christian Association. RoBEET P. WiLDBE, American Inter-Seminary Missionary Alliance and the Canadian Intercollegiate Missionary Alliance. Advisory Committee. Rev. Geo. Alexander, D.D. Bishop M. S. Baldwin, D.D. Miss Abbib B. Child. Pres. Meeeill E. Gates. Rev. A. J. Goedon, D.D. Rev. A. T. PiEESON, D.D. Secretaries. William H. Cossum, ) _, ,. ,,. ^ _, _ y Traveling. Miss Lucy E. Guinness, ) Max Wood Mooehead, Editorial. Waltbe J. Claek, Corresponding, and Treasurer, 97 Bible House, New York City. Corresponding Members of the Executive Committee. Robeet F. Lennington, Jacksonville. Ieving N. Meeeifield, Morgan Park Beet L. Lee, Feed J. Towee, Aechibald C. IIaete, Robeet E. Speee, William L. Beat, Feed S. Retan, North Carolina, R. Lee McNaie, Illinois Michigan Missouri New England New Jersey New York Olivet. Parkville. Middletown, Conn. Princeton. Ithaca. Hamilton. Davidson College. Ohio William Reed Newell, Wooster. Tennessee . Flbtchek S. Brockman, Nashville. Virginia Cambeon Johnson, Hampden- Sidney. John G. Scott, University of Virginia. Vermont Geoege F. Pitkin, Burlington. Wisconsin J. S. Hotten, 619 Francis St., Madison. OFFICERS OF THE CONVENTION. John R. Mott Walter J. Claek Moderator. Secretary. Assistant Secretaries. HoEACE T. Pitkin, Yale. Alfred L. Shapleigh, Harvard. Musical Director. Aethue J. Smith. Chas. L. Potter J. C. White W. W. Smith R. J. Kellogg Frank H. Wood Chairman Committee on Entertainment. Chairman Business Committee. Chairman Committee on Book Exhibit. Chairman Committee on Chart Exhibit. Chairman Committee on Usherii;ig. FIRST DAY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26. Evening Session. The Convention was called to order by Mr. John R. Mott, Chair- man. Mr. Robert P. Wilder conducted a brief devotional exercise, speaking from Haggai ii. Mr. J. L. Taylor, President of the Young Men's Christian Association of Cleveland, welcomed the delegates as follows : — " I amjvery glad to be able to be before you to-night, because I want to tell the delegates and volunteer missionaries, and other workers in the work of the Lord, if I can, how much I appreciate the honor con- ferred in having you with us. We are glad to welcome you in such a magnificent hall as this, for we feel justly proud of our new building. But we feel a pride far beyond that, in welcoming you in this our new hall, — you who are going forth to carry the Gospel as a witness unto all nations, — thus dedicating our hall to the work of the Lord. And we trust that we, the Christian people of the city of Cleveland, as many days as you are with us, can, by our prayers and by all that lies in our power, help you to glorify Him, in whose name we are gathered to- gether to-night. And while many of us young men in this city may not see our way clear to go forth to the work in the regions beyond, we hope that the Lord will lay it upon our hearts to consecrate what He has given us to help send you to take the Gospel to foreign lands. And so I bid you a most hearty welcome, not only to our new buUding, but, as a citizen of Cleveland, I welcome you to our city. Again, I want to say that we deeply appreciate the honor of entertaining those of you who are intending to carry out the Master's last command by going to preach the Gospel to all nations." An account of the extension of the movement and its present status was given by Mr. Mott. The facts stated will be found in the Report of the Executive Committee, which was presented the next morning. The Holt Spieit in Missions. The Rev. A. J. Gordon, D.D., of Boston, Mass., said: — " It is one of the great principles of Christianity," says Pascal, " that whatever happened to Jesus Christ should come to pass in the soul and body of every believer." Jesus Christ was the first Great Foreign Missionary. But if He has called us by His Spirit to be missionaries, we are missionaries of the same school as Himself; for He said, "As the Father hath sent me into the world, so have I sent you into the world." And yet I desire to remind you that He did not enter upon His mission until He had Himself sought and obtained the special gracious anointing of the Holy Ghost for His work ; and that all through His missions and His ministry He depended upon the Holy Spirit, just as He requires and commands that we should. If we were to ask Him how He cast out devils, we hear Him answer, " I by the Spirit of God do cast out devils." If we ask Him how it was possible that He had power to lay down His life and power to take it up again, that He could yield Himself up to God as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, we read the answer in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that He through the eternal Spirit offered Himself up without spot unto God. And after He rose from the dead, we read, in the opening verses of the Acts of the Apostles, that " He was taken uj), after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandment unto His apostles whom He had chosen." Thus, from the beginning to the very end of His ministry, from His baptism to His ascension. He wrote and spoke and acted under the power and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. I am sure, therefore, it will be very obvious that if He needed the Spirit much more do we need Him. And that is the subject about which I am to speak to-night. Now, if the sentence I quoted in the beginning be true, that every- thing which happened to Him is to come to pass in His disciples, we can study this subject no more intelligently than by tracing Jesus Christ's relation to the Holy Spirit, and then see how the same things are predicted and said of us who are to be His missionary co-laborers. Let us begin with the wonderful scene recorded in Luke ui. 21. Jesus had come with the multitude to John the Baptist, to be baptized of him, and now we read that " when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened." I wonder how many of us ever noticed that word " praying." Though He were the Son of God, yet " He learned obe- dience by the things which He suffered ; " and though He were the Son of God, He Himself prayed, presuming nothing in regard to His rela- tion to the Father. What is He praying about ? Most clearly He is asking for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Is there any promise that He can plead ? for the New Testament Scriptures had not yet been written. I think I may say almost without hesitation that I can put my finger upon the promise He would most naturally use ; it is recorded in the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, the first verse : " And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." 9 He has come, He is here. Now what is the promise? "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understand- ing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." Have you observed that this is a seven-fold Spirit. Turn to the book of Revelation : John says, he saw Him as a Lamb having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God ; in other words, the complete and full manifestation of the Spirit in Jesus Christ, the fullness of the Holy Ghost. So He was prajdng for the Holy ( Ihost in His seven-fold power, because God giveth not His Sjiirit by measure unto His Son. And while He prays He is heard, and the heavens open, and the Spirit descends like a dove and rests upon Him. You remember how ISToah sent forth the dove out of the ark and it could find no resting place for the soles of its feet, and flew at last wearily back for shelter in the ark. And so I have often thought the dove of the Holy Sphit had gone forth from the ark in heaven and had hovered over laany a head of our great human race, but never before had found a single spot where He could alight and rest the soles of His feet, until Jesus emerged from the Jordan, and the Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon Him, and the promise was literally fulfilled. " And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God." Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.'' He had the Holy Ghost in His fullness, coming no longer in casual contact, but to abide with Him ; henceforth He is the one that baptizeth Mnth the Holy Ghost. Now observe that when the disciples on the day of Pentecost came together to pray, they had the definite promise also. They were told to " wait for the promise of the Father which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized withVater, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." And they pleaded the promise, and the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they were all baptized with the Holy Ghost, and began to sjjeak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. But somebody says : " That was the early church. Does Pentecost need to be repeated ?" Certainly not. In one sense, just as at Jesus' birth the second person of the Trinity became incar- nate in human flesh, so, on the day of Pentecost, the thii-d person of the Trinity became incarnate in the body of the Church, which is the whole body of believers in all generations — in that sense Pentecost cannot be repeated, because the Holy Ghost had now come to be in ofiice and abide forever. Nevertheless, we observe that when the Gentiles had heard the word the same thing was repeated in a certain sense, because the Holy Ghost descended upon them. And so we be- lieve, down to the present time, if we are to go forth as missionaries of the cross, we need the same thing. 10 And wliat promise shall we plead in these days ? I think here is one that we may take now and plead, just as Christ had a promise and the first disciples had a promise. This is ours : "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent ? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion ? If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ? " That is our promise. Has it not been fulfilled again and again in our day ? When I take up a book on the Holy Spirit, my first question is, does the wiiter of this book speak of any personal experience ? On the cars coming to Cleveland I read an admirable little book by Pastor Topfel, of Geneva, on "The Holy Spirit in Missions." On the 52d page I read this passage, which I repeat from memory : " Not far from the place where I am now writing, many years ago, a teacher had a class gathered about him and was discoursing upon the Holy Spirit, when he came to that memorable promise : 'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ? ' he paused and said, - Young gentlemen, it is right that you should take this promise to yourselves, that you should believe it, that you should look to the instant fulfillment of that promise.' One at least that heard that exhortation went away and sought with all diligence the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and very soon the Spirit of God came into him. That young man has now become the teacher and a pastor, but he never reads owe passage in the Scripture without the deepest emotion, because that passage records what is the most vital experience of his Ufe. ' How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.' " Three weeks ago I read a little book on " The Holy Spirit," by Professor Moule, of Cambridge, a man wonderfully endeared to the students and to the Christian public generally in England for his remarkable spirituality and great tenderness and beauty and simplicity of Christian life. He is now the principal trainer of young men for the ministry in the Established Church of England at Cambridge, England. He writes : " There was a time subsequent to my conver- sion when I was brought into such relation with the Holy Spirit that for the first time I knew Him as a personal friend and intimate helper. And from that day He has been so wonderfully with me that I cannot describe the constant joy and untroubled peace which I have enjoyed since that day when I was brought into intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit." Many years since I met George Mueller, of Bristol, for the first time, having read with great interest the story of his life, and I greatly 11 desired to have a few moments' conversation with him, which was granted. My first question was, " Mr. Mueller, will you kindly tell me when you were converted ? " " If you ask when I was born again, it was in such a year, while I was a student in the University of Halle ; but if you want to know when I became out and out for God, it was such a year," mentioning a later day. And he went on to tell me how, having lived a barren and fruitless Christian life for many years, he, with a few intimate friends, met together in a room and began to pray that they might receive the gift of the Spirit. " He came to us with such power that at some times it was almost impossible for me to leave Him, His power was so sweet and so entrancing ; and I knew what it meant to be baptized with the Holy Ghost." I have given you these three illustrations from eminent lives to show that we are talking not about something far away and theoretical, but something near at hand and practical. As Jesus Christ prayed that the Holy Ghost might come and He came, so it is our privilege here to-night, in the same way, to ask and to believe, that we may be anointed for the great service of preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to which God has called us. I read in the fourth chapter of Luke, the first verse : " And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan." Mark the expression, "being full of the Holy Ghost." Then I turned to the story of the Day of Pentecost and I read : " And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost," — exactly the same statement. And then I turned to Ephesians and I read : " Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess ; but be filled with the Spirit ; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." That is a wonderful metaphor — •- Be not drunk with wine." You have seen how an intoxicated man, when he is filled with strong drink, speaks out that which the spirit with- in him inspires. Well, says the apostle, be like that man; only, instead of the spiiit of wine, let it be the Spirit of One that shall con- trol you to speak out what He inspires. Here is something that is given as a direct duty — " Be ye filled with the Spirit." How can I ? some one asks. The answer is often made. You must empty yourself before you can be filled with the Holy Ghost. But who is sufiioient to empty himself ? I believe God's way is rather the expulsive power of a new affection, throwing off and casting away the old, of which we cannot rid ourselves. There are two ways of emptying a tumbler of water : you can turn it up-side down, or you may drop quicksilver into it drop by drop until all the water will have gone out. Suppose you begin in the same way to seek the Holy Spirit, and see if, in that way, — getting filled with the Holy Ghost, — that which you desire to have cast out is not cast out ! The 12 Spirit of the Lord witliin us is adequate to cast out the evil spirit that still desires to hold sway. How was it with the great Apostle ? He was told that he was a chosen vessel to bear Christ's name far hence among the Gentiles. How was that vessel prepared? God suddenly, after he had been con- verted, poured the Holy Sj^irit into him. Ananias was sent to pray for him aiid lay his hands ujjon him, that he might receive the Holy Ghost ; and immediately, we have it stated, that being full of ^the Holy Ghost he said thus and did thus. Now what do we want, according to that Scripture ? You know that memorable phrase used by Novalis about Spinoza, " He is a God- intoxicated man." God wants that kind of men to-day, — men inebri- ated with the Holy Ghost ; men that may be counted insane sometimes because of the tremendous earnestness of their fire and zeal. You remember that Zinzendorf started one of the most remarkable movements of the Christian era, — that movement which has its center at Herrnhut. There was a time when he came and laid his fortune, his honors, his titles, his property, himself, upon the altar, and said, " Lord I surrender it all up." Immediately after, he said, " I have but one passion — it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field, and the field is the world ; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Chiist.'' Then came temptation and obloquy, and scorn and hatred from those who said, " He is beside himself." And he said, " The Spirit of God so came upon me after that consecration that it seemed to me, as I went about my missionary service, that rather than walking on earth I was simply swimming in an atmosphere of love and joy." I think the most sacred spot my feet have ever stood upon was in that little island of lona on the coast of Scotland. There, one after- noon, with my friend. Dr. Pierson, I looked across to the green banks and fields of Scotland that were visible to the eye, and I was filled with wonder and astonishment that one man in the sixth century, known in history as St. Columba, stormed the whole of Scotland from this little island and won it for Christ, — he had two or three associates, but prac- tically did it alone, — from Inverness on the north to Edinburgh on the south. And if to-day the question were asked who was the greatest of the benefactors of Scotland, it would be answered, St. Columba, who planted the Gospel, and John Knox, who reformed the Church. And as I stood on that spot and thought of what that one man wrought, I wondered if there was any secret that would show where his power lay. I picked up later a history of this man, and found it stated there : " He never spent one hour without study, or writing, or some other holy occupation, so incessantly was he engaged in devotions. Not a 13 day but the burden of his communion seemed almost beyond the endur- ance of the human soul. But how he was loved by all ! For a holy joy ever was beaming from his face, revealing the joy and gladness with which the Holy Ghost filled his inmost soul." So one wrote who associated with him, and who often looked into his face. Is there any wonder that St. Columba alone, single-handed, conquered Scotland for Christ ? There is a missionary whom Dr. Smith, a famous writer on missions, declares in his belief to have been a greater missionary than St. Francis Xavier. I do not speak of Xavier for the results of his work, but for the zeal which he manifested, which was beyond all degree greater than that evinced by any other man. I speak of Raymund Lull. Two hundi'ed years before Columbus discovered America, in 1292, he started to plant the Gospel among the Mohametans of North Africa. What was the certain fate he was to meet ? Death was the penalty of making a single convert. But he would go, and when friends pleaded with him he said this : " He who loves not, lives not ; he who lives by the Life cannot die. Let me go." And he went, and when he had won his first convert, was stoned to death, counting it all joy that he was permitted to suffer martyrdom for Christ. These are men who, like theii" Master, knew what it was to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Now let us go on just a step farther. In the passage which we have just been reading, we have this phrase : " And he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." I turn to the Epistles and find : " If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law ; " and, " as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." In other words, that is the Christian's prerogative, to be led by the Spirit. To me it is one of the most charming and deeply interesting studies to observe in the Acts of the Apostles the familiarity with which the early disciples speak of the Holy Ghost as an actual, present friend. In that council at Jerusalem, when the question of the new converts is brought in, we hear Peter say : " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us," as though he had said, " James and Peter and John and Paul were there, but there was another person there, and it seemed good to us and to Him." When Ananias and Sapphira committed the sin for which they were struck dead, see how he spoke : " Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ? " And then we go on and read how, when he hears an inquirer in a chariot, the Spii'it said to Philip, " Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." See how perfectly they were under the guidance of the Spirit ! And again, " The Holy Ghost said. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." " So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleuoia." And in the sixteenth chapter of Acts they were forbidden 14 by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, — now sent and now held back, now told to go and now that they must not go. " They assayed to go into Bithynia ; but the Spirit suffered them not." All through the Acts of the Apostles we see this. Has there been anything like it to-day, you say ? If we had an inspii'ed account of the modern missions as of the early missions of the Church, we should find that the Spirit of God is acting in the same way, constantly sending and constantly restraining. Where did William Carey first propose to go, when he marked out that map in his shop on sole leather, studying the geography of the world ? To a very insignificant point, and yet his heart was set on it, — Otaheite. But the Spirit said to William Carey that he must not go there. He was wanted in India, with his wonderful linguistic powers ; and he, India's first and greatest missionary, went to the home of ancient lan- guage and to the very center of that home. The Spirit would not let him go where he proposed to go. Where did Livingstone propose to go when he was studying divinity and medicine in Edinburgh ? His ambition was to be a medical missionary to China. But God said no : the Holy Spirit permitted him not to gp to China, because He wanted him to go to Africa, that there he might undertake the work of healing the open sore of the world. Where did Adoniram Judson propose to go ? His heart was set on India. He landed at Calcutta, but by the jealousy of the East India Company was not permitted to preach the Gospel there, and went to the Isle of France. But he went back, and once more attempted in India to preach the Gospel, and was again driven out to Rangoon. Why did the Holy Ghost send him to Ran- goon ? Because there was one tribe of the Karens who had a tradition that a white man should come and bring them back to God, and God wanted him among the Karens ; and he began his work, and now one- third of the Karens are nominal Christians. And not only are there Christians there of the most consecrated type, but two or three years ago we found that Massachusetts stood first in our contributions for missions, N"ew York second, the Karen Christians third. And only two years after this — this was in 1813, if I remember rightly — there was a man by the name of Shaw who went to South Africa that he might preach the Gospel in a chosen spot. Through the jealousy of the Dutch settlers he was not allowed to preach the Gospel. With an almost broken heart he took what money he had and bought a yoke of oxen and a new cart, and put his wife and his goods into the cart, and headed the cattle who drew it for the heart of Africa, not knowing whither they should go. You remember once the ark of God was put on a cart. He and his wife started for the interior, and journeyed 300 miles, a journey of 37 15 days, straight on. At the end of that time they camped near a com- pany of Hottentots, who sent over to inquire who they were. They made inquiry also as to who the Hottentots were, and found that they were a delegation sent by their people down to the coast to get a missionary, and they had found just the missionary they wanted. "If I had been half an hour earlier," he said, " or they half an hour later, we should not have met." And that after a journey of 300 miles into the heart of Africa ! Are not these illustrations of the Spirit of God saying go and go not. Then I take up that instance about which we speak with such gratitude and astonishment. I take you to a little hill overlooking a vast country, yet sunken in ignorance and spiritual death. It had been proposed to give up that mission because of its unproductiveness. But an old man went upon the hilltop where he could look down, and spent the day in prayer that the Lord would not allow the mission to be given up. That is one side of the story. Then a young man comes and asks to be sent to that field. He has not a theological education, and the committee hesitated about sending him. He had not the qualifications, it would seem, that would fit him for that special work. He said : " God's Spirit has called me to that particular field." He had been a civil engineer on the western prairies. After considerable deliberation they sent this young man to the field. Now how remark- able it is that the whole success of that young man turned upon the fact that he was a civil engineer ! There came on a great famine. Thousands were dying. He went to the government and said, " I am a civil engineer. I want the contract to construct a canal." It was given him. He sent out invitations : five thousand men came to work on this canal. Night after night he preached the Gospel to them, and to the relays of men who took their places at the work. And when the famine was ended they began to come from all directions, seeking baptism. You, who are familiar with that wonderful work among the Telugus, know the story, — how the first day they baptized they had two thousand converts, and before the year was out, ten thousand professing faith in Jesus Christ in that field that a little while before was about to be given up. O brethren, if we are under the sway of God's Spirit, how He places His workers, — puts one here, restrains one from going there ! It is His prerogative not only to send whom He will but to send them where He will. And if there is anything wanted in the Church of Christ to-day, in its great missionary affairs, it is a realization of the personal divine guidance of the Holy Ghost into the fields which God sees with His all-embracing and all-surveying eye. Jesus Christ was led of the Spirit. 16 Then we come to this statement in this same chapter : " And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit." I pause upon this ; I bid you remember that this is the word which our Lord used : " Te shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." And I go back into Luke's Gospel and read : « Tarry ye in the city of Jeru- salem until ye be endued with power from on high." It is the source from which it springs that gives such mighty momentum to this power. The higher the head, the mightier the impetus-power from on high. I believe that, just as certain as wind is the power that drives ships, just as certain as water is the power that moves the ponderous wheels of the great manufactories on the Merrimac and Connecticut Rivers, just as surely as steam is the power that makes the mighty steamship plow the great deep, so explicitly, by divine appointment, the Lloly Ghost is the power that moves the Church. But if there is anything that needs to be dwelt upon at this present time, and emphasized, it is this fact ; because the Church of Jesus Christ is turning away from its true power, to rest upon paltry expedients to make the Gospel succeed, when God has ,put the power in the Church itself — power from on high. What was the one phrase with which Peter described the preach- ing of the Gospel ? '' We have preached the Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." He does not mention a single other fact about his preaching than that. And when I say " sent down from heaven " what do I mean ? Just as in your city here I see it to-night. I see cars vdthout any apparent motor. But I have only to look under the foundations of the street to see that beneath the street there is an endless chain moving back and forward all day long ; and what these cars have to do is simply to grip on to that power and be swept on. I believe it is exactly so with the Holy Ghost. It is an endless wire between heaven and earth, bringing down blessing, carrying up prayer ; bringing down the might of God, carrying up our confessions of weak- ness and inability ; bearing down the strength of God, moving ever- more. And what we, as believers and workers for Jesus Christ, need to do is to grip on to that power. We have not to beseech the Holy Ghost to do anything, but what is wanted is simply that we should grip to Him by faith. Now, Jesus Christ returned in the power of the Holy Ghost. Then, the last thing, we find Him going into the synagogue, taking down the prophecy of Isaiah and reading : " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor ; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliver- ance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the 17 Lord." " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me," — in other words. He claims the fulfillment of this wonderful prophecy. He was anointed with the Holy Ghost, not for Himself alone, but for us. Now, if you turn to the one hundred and thirty-third Psalm, you will read these familiar words : " Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ; that went down to the skii'ts of his garments." And what does the psalmist refer to ? You read in Exodus of that wonderfully compounded oil which men were forbidden to make, so sacred it was, and which was forbidden to be applied to any but Aaron and his sons, a symbol of the Holy Ghost, which is not to be bought with money, applied only to those whom God ordains for His work. And we are told how this was applied. When the leper was to be cleansed the oil was put on his right ear, his right thumb, and his right foot. But when Aaron was consecrated this oil was poured upon his head, and ran down upon his beard and his garments and his feet. Herein was a type of Christ. He was anointed not for Himself, but for others ; our true Aaron is up there. He is the one that is anointed not for HimseK, but for His whole Church ; and the Spirit poured upon His head runs down upon the whole body down to the latest generation, down to the last man that needs the gracious influence of the Spirit. Now, dear friends, this brings me to this practical thought, that all missionary success, at home or abroad, depends upon the Holy Ghost. I say it deliberately : the personal preparation of the Holy Spirit is the greatest need in our ministry in this country and in foreign fields. Here is a book that I think you will say when you glance at it that it looks as though it had been handled. I want to say that I have read that book more than any other book in all my library. If I have read it once I have read it twenty times. If ever I want spiritual quicken- ing I take down that book and read it. What is the history of that book ? It is a journal of an early missionary, David Brainerd. He kept it only for his own comfort or remembrance, as we would keep a daily journal. When he died, at thirty years of age, he asked Jona- than Edwards to destroy this journal, because he said it was sacred, and not to be seen by any other eyes but his. Edwards turned over the leaves and said: "The Church cannot spare that. In spite of ray half uttered pledge to him, I will take the responsibility to pub- lish it." It was that book that made Carey a missionary, that sent Heniy Martyn to Persia, and that led Murray McCheyne to consecrate him- self to the work of foreign missions ; that led Dr. Payson to cry out, 18 ' Since I read that book, I have been a new man." Why is it a won- derful book ? It is the only book that I know of where you see the two things side by side, the closet and the field. There are the records of how the days were spent in prayer for the power of the Holy Ghost ; then the story of what was accomplished as he went out and preached to those barbarous Indians. I know nothing like it since the day of Pentecost. He preaches the Gospel to them, after these days spent with God, and these men literally fall like grass by the mower's scythe. Among all the many days he spent alone in the woods in prayer, of which he gives an account in his diary, there is scarcely an instance of one which was not either attended or soon followed with manifest blessings and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Shortly before his death, he said to his brother : " We ministers feel these special gracious influences of the Spirit in our hearts ; and it wonderfully assists us to come at the consciences of men, and, as it were, to handle those consciences with hands ; whereas, without the influences of the Spirit, whatever reason and oratory we make use of, we do but make use of stumps instead of hands." These were the dying words of Brainerd : " Whatever else you fail of, do not fail of the influences of the Holy Spirit ; that is the only way you can handle the consciences of men." Oh, how precious is such an experience as that ! How much the Church owes to it ! I am sorry the American Tract Society has allowed that book to go out of print ; but it has been re-edited and published by Funk & Wagnalls* ; and if you want one book worth keeping by a missionary as long as he lives, don't fail to get this Life of David Brainerd. And so I might go on giving illustrations. I take this, which I read with great interest, from the journal of another eminent mission- ary of our own time. Rev. Grifiith John, of Hangkow, China. In a report of the recent Shanghai Conference he wiites, speaking of a certain date of his ministry in a native church : " Feeling my lack of spiritual power, I spent the whole of a Saturday in earnest prayer for a baptism of the Holy Ghost. On the following morning I preached on this subject. At the close of the service I proposed that we should meet for an hour on every day of the ensuing week to pray for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. From fifty to seventy native converts met day by day, confessing their sins, and pleading with tears for the outpouring of the Spirit upon their hearts. And the native church at Hangkow received an impulse from this week, the force of which con- tinues to this day. From that week the Holy Ghost became a living reality in that church. The whole tone and character of the church » See " List of Missionary Books," at end of this Report. 19 was changed from that week on." Now, why should I dwell longer upon these experiences, that confirm and illustrate the word of God? But, my friends, let me now bring this matter to a serious close. Professor Beck, of Tubingen, says, to a class of students : " Young men, listen to this word. Theology! Theology! Let me remind you that theology without the Holy Spirit is not only a cold stone, but absolute poison." Why is it that from many very exalted professorial chairs such poison is exhaling to-day, so that many minds are feeling it all over this country ? Why is it that this poison is emanating from the most learned theology of our times ? Before I answer that ques- tion I wUl ask and answer another : Why is it that in the last decade of this nineteenth century the Church of Jesus Christ exhibits such deplorable weakness, — that our daily papers are crowded with adver- tisements of what is to be done and carried on in our churches week after week to draw the people in ? Have we forgotten that there is a Holy Ghost, that we must insist upon walking upon crutches when we might fly ? What is our power in the Church ? Let us re-assert it ; we know what it is. As to theology, what does the word of God say? ■■ For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him ? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." All the learning of the world will turn theology into poison if theology is not sanctified in its teaching by the Holy Ghost. When ttie great Methodist movement had taken place. Lady Hunt- ingdon proposed to endow a training school for ministers. Fletcher, of Madeley, was selected to preside over that school. One who studied under him says : " Fletcher was an admirable teacher. We had our Hebrew and our Greek and our theology. Then he would close the book and say : ' Young men, Hebrew, Greek, theology are very impor- tant. We have attended fully to these things for two hours. Now, those of you who want to seek the power of the Holy Ghost, follow me.' " And he would lead out that whole class into another room, where, says this pupil, " We would often stay for three hours wrestling in prayer for the Holy Ghost, after being told that all other learning was powerless without this." That is the secret of that movement. Most of the educated leaders in that movement had been preachers of the Gospel, some of them ten or fifteen years, utterly without power, until, under this great movement, the Spirit of God seized them and they became burning and shining lights. One of them said : " Ten years I had been preaching. I had spent vast time on my ser- mons, and yet they were powerless as stones thrown among the people. But when by contact with these brethren I learned the secret of the Holy Ghost, such a change came over me that I can only describe the difference between these two periods as the difference between shoot- 20 ing with a bow and shooting with a rifle. In the one case all the force of the arrow depends on the strength of the muscle ; but in the other case the power is in the force of the powder that is behind the ball, and it only requires the touch of the finger to liberate it. That is the difference between preaching with the Holy Ghost and with- out it." May God give us that which our hearts are moved to ask even now ! Let us go back to the experience of that admirable writer whom I quoted in the beginning. He says : " This promise is for us. It is right that we should claim it. It is proper that we should plead it now. It is right that we should look for the fulfillment of it immediately." How difficult to present such a theme ! God knows the very great difficulty I have in undertaking it. The Holy Spirit Himself must speak. But if after all that I have said the impression is left in your minds that you desire above all things else to have the power of the Holy Spirit resting upon you, may God lead you to seek that power to-night. SECOND DAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27. Morning Session. The devotional exercises were led by Miss Nettie Dunn, Interna- tional Secretary of the Young Women's Christian Association. The Report of the Executive Committee was then presented by Mr. John R. Mott. Report of the Executive Committee. As this is the first Convention of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, it seems best to review its history, and to set forth its present condition. I. ORIGIN OF THE MOVEMENT. In July, 1886, a memorable conference of college students was held at Mt. Hermon, Massachusetts. 251 young men from 89 colleges of the United States and Canada had come together, at the invitation of Mr. D. L. Moody, to spend four weeks in Bible study. Nearly two weeks passed before the subject of missions was even mentioned in the sessions of the Conference. But one of the young men from Prince- ton College had come, after weeks of prayer, with the deep conviction that God would call from that large gathering of college men, a few, at least, who would consecrate themselves to the foreign mission service. At an early day he called together all the young men who were think- ing seriously of spending their lives in the foreign field. 21 students answered to this call, although several of them had not definitely decided the question. This little group of consecrated men began to pray that the spirit of missions might pervade the Conference, and that the Lord would separate many men unto this great work. In a few days they were to see their faith rewarded far more than they had dared to claim. On the evening of July 16 a special mass meeting was held, at which Dr. Arthur T. Pierson gave a thrilling addi-ess on missions. He supported, by most convincing argument, the proposition that " all should go, and go to all." This was the key-note which set many men to thinking and praying. A week passed. On Saturday night, July 24, another meeting was held, which may occupy as significant a place in the history of the Christian Church as the Williams Hay Stack Meeting. It is known as the " meeting of the ten nations." It was addressed by sons of mis- 22 sionaries in China, India, Persia, and by seven young men of different nationalities — an Armenian, a Japanese, a Siamese, a German, a Dane, a Norwegian, and an American Indian. Tlie addresses were not more than three minutes in length, and consisted of appeals for more workers. Near the close, each speaker repeated in the language of his country the words, "God is Love." Then came a season of silent and audible prayer, which will never be forgotten by those present. The burning appeals of this meeting came with peculiar force to all. From this night on to the close of the Conference the missionary- interest became more and more intense. One by one the men, alone in the woods and rooms with theii- Bibles and God, fought out the battle with self, and were led by the Spirit to decide to forsake all, and carry the Gospel " unto the uttermost part of the earth." Dr. Ash- more, who had just returned from China, added fuel to the flame by his ringing appeal to Christians to look upon "missions as a war of conquest, and not as a mere wrecking expedition." Only eight days elapsed between the " meeting of the ten nations " and the closing session of the Conference. During that time the num- ber of volunteers increased from 21 to exactly 100 who signified that they were " willing and desirous, God permitting, to become foreign missionaries." Several of the remaining 151 delegates became volun- teers later, after months of study and prayer. II. EXTENSION. On the last day of the Conference the volunteers held a meeting, in which there was a unanimous expression that the missionary spiiit, which had manifested itself with such power at Mt. Hermon, should be com- municated in some way to thousands of students throughout the coun- try who had not been privileged to come in contact with it at its source. It was their conviction that the reasons which had led the Mt. Hermon hundred to decide would influence hundreds of other college men, if those reasons were once presented to them in a faithful, intelligent, and prayerful manner. Naturally, they thought of the " Cambridge Band " and its wonderful influence among the universi- ties of Great Britain, and decided to adopt a similar plan. Accord- ingly, a deputation of four students were selected to represent the Mt. Hermon Conference, and to visit during the year as many institutions as possible. Of the four selected, only one was able to undertake the mission, Mr. Robert P. Wilder, of Princeton College. Mr. John N. Forman, a graduate of the same institution, was induced to join Mr. Wilder in his tour. During the year 167 institutions were visited. They touched many of the leading colleges and seminaries in the United States and 23 Canada. Sometimes they would visit a college together ; again, in order to reach more institutions, they would separate. Wherever they went their straightforward, forcible, scriptural presentation came with convincing power to the minds and hearts of the students. In some colleges as many as sixty volunteers were secured. Not an institution was visited in which they did not quicken the missionary interest. By the close of the year 2,200 young men and women had taken the volunteer pledge. During the college year 1887-88 the Movement was left without any particular leadership and oversight. Notwithstanding this fact, over 600 new volunteers were added during the year, very largely the result of the personal work of the old volunteers. In the follo'WT.ng year, 1888-89, Mr. Wilder, on his second tour, enrolled 600 volunteers in 93 institutions. At least 25 of these institu- tions had not been touched previously by the Movement. Mr. R. E. Speer, also a graduate of Princeton, during the year 1889-90 visited 110 institution, adding 1,100 volunteers to the Move- ment. He reached many new institutions, especially in the South and Southeast. Thus far in the year 1890-91 Mr. W. H. Cossum, of Colgate Uni- versity, has added nearly 300 to the roll of volunteers, and has ex- tended the movement to the Maritime Provinces. Miss Lucy E. Guin- ness, of London, Eng., has spent nearly three months among the women of oui- colleges. The outcome of her work was at least 285 volunteers. Other volunteers have added several hundreds to those secui-ed by regular workers. The number of names on the volunteer roll now stands at 6,200, scattered throughout the United States and Canada in 350 institutions. III. OEGANIZATIOX. About 50 volunteers came together at the Northfield Conference in July, 1888, to pray and plan for the Movement. When the reports were presented, showing the condition of the Movement in all parts of the country, it was found that three dangerous tendencies were begin- ning to manifest themselves : (1) A tendency in the Movement at some points to lose its unity. All sorts of missionary societies and bands — with different purposes, methods of work, and forms of pledge and con- stitution — were springing up. It was plain that it would lose much of its power should its unity be destroyed. (2) A tendency to a decline in some colleges. Because not properly guarded and developed, some bands of volunteeers had grown cold. (3) A tendency to conflict with existing agencies appeared in a very few places. All of these tenden- cies were decidedly out of harmony with the original spu-it and purpose 24 of the Volunteer Movement ; accordingly, the volunteers at lirorthfield decided that immediate steps should be taken toward a wise organi- zation. Another consideration helped to influence them in this decision, and that was a desire to extend the Movement. Not more than one-fifth of the higher educational institutions of America had been touched thus far. A committee was appointed to organize the Volunteer Movement. That committee, after long and prayerful consideration, decided that the Movement should be confined to students. It was therefore named the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. It was also noted that practically all of the volunteers were members of some one of the three great inter-denominational student organizations ; namely, the College Young Men's Christian Association, the College Young "Women's Christian Association, and the Inter- Seminary Missionary AlUance. This suggested the plan of placing at the head of the Move- ment a permanent Executive Committee of three, one to be appointed by each of the three organizations, which should have power to develop and facilitate the Movement in harmony with the spirit and constitu- tions of these three organizations. The plan was first submitted to the College Committee of the International Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association, and was heartily approved. They appointed as their representative Mr. J. R. Mott. The plan was also fully approved by the International Committee of the Young Women's Christian Asso- ciation, and Miss Nettie Dunn was chosen to represent them. The Executive Committee of the Inter- Seminary Missionary Alliance en- dorsed the plan, and named Mr. Wilder as their representative. The Canadian Intercollegiate Missionary Alliance, which includes some institutions not connected with the above three student organizations, has also authorized Mr. Wilder to represent them. The new Executive Committee began its work in January, 1889. They soon perfected a plan of organization which has commended itself to leading men of the different denominations to whom it has been sub- mitted. The plan of organization may be briefly outlined, as follows : — 1 . The Executive Committee (described above) has general super- vision and direction of the Movement. It has met on an average of once each month. 2. The Committee has three regular secretaries : Traveling, Cor- responding, and Editorial. (a) The work of the Traveling Secretaiy consists in organizing, educating, developing, quickening, and setting at work the volunteers in the different institutions ; and in extending the Movement not only among previously visited institutions, but also among those as yet 25 untouched. The first Traveling Secretary appointed by the Committee was Mr. R. E. Speer, who held the position for one year. Mr. W. H. Cossum holds this ofiice at present. During a part of this year Miss Lucy E. Guinness traveled in the interest of the Movement. (b) The Corresponding Secretary has charge of all the office work of the Movement. He also acts as Treasurer. The work of the office embraces the enrollment and classification of volunteers, the tabulation of statistics, the distribution of printed matter, and an extensive cor- respondence with several hundred institutions. Mr. William H. Han- num held this position until shortly before he sailed for India in 1890. Since then Mr. Walter J. Clark has filled this office. (c) The Editorial Secretary aims to keep the Movement before the churches and the volunteers. He corresponds regularly -with the Missionary Review of the Worlds The Intercollegian, The Evangel, and Tlie Missionary Echo. Occasional articles are sent to the denom- inational papers. Messrs. R. S. Miller, Jr., and E. W. Rand have each held the position. Mr. Max Wood Moorhead now occupies it. 3. There is an Advisory Committee, composed at present of the following : Rev. Geo. Alexander, D.D., Bishop M. S. Baldwin, D.D., Miss Abbie B. Child, Pres. Merrill E. Gates, Rev. A. J. Gordon, D.D., Rev. A. T. Pierson, D.D. The Executive Committee is to confer with them about every important step in the development of the Movement, in order that nothing may be done which shall justify unfavorable criticism. 4. The Executive Committee, through their Traveling Secretary, are unable to touch more than one-fifth of the colleges and theological seminaries during the year. They therefore aim to have a Correspond- ing Member in every State and Province in which the extent and condition of the Movement demand it. This Corresponding Member carries out their policy ; namely, to conserve and extend the Movement in that State or Province. In States where it is thought to be advisable there is a Corresponding Committee instead of a Corresponding Mem- ber. The following States have Corresponding Members : Maine, Southern New England, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri. In New York and Illinois there is a Corresponding Committee. 5. In each institution the volunteers are united in what is known as the Volunteer Band. In the colleges this is organized as the Mis- sionary Department of the College Association. In theological semi- naries the Band is made a part of the regular missionary society. These Bands hold regular meetings for prayer and for systematic study of missions. Moreover, they seek to spread missionary intelligence, to secure new volunteers, to kindle missionary spirit in churches and 26 young people's societies, and to stimulate intelligent and systematic giving to the cause of missions. IV. ACHIEVEMENTS. The Holy Spirit has worked mightily both in and through this Movement during its short history of less than five years. Among the many things which have been accomplished under His guidance and in His strength, we gratefully record the following : — 1. Fully 6,000 young men and women have been led to take the advanced step of consecration expressed in these words: "We are willing and desirous, God permitting, to become foreign missionaries." It is firmly beUeved that this step has been taken conscientiously and intelligently in the vast majority of cases. Well may Dr. McCosh ask : "Has any such offering of living young men and women been pre- sented in our age, in our country, in any age, or in any country, since the day of Pentecost?" 2. At least 320 of these volunteers have already gone to the for- eign field under the various missionary agencies. A noted foreign missionary recently said that not more than two per cent, of those who volunteered in a missionary revival ever sailed. But already over five per cent, of the members of this Movement have sailed ; and fully ten per cent, of the Canadian contingent. A very large majority of the volunteers are still in the various stages of preparation. 3. This Movement has promoted the plan for colleges and theo- logical seminaries to support their own missionaries under their respec- tive Boards. At least 40 colleges and 32 seminaries have adopted the plan either wholly or in part, and in a majority of cases are pushing it with a high degree of success. It is estimated that at least $30,000 have been contributed within the last two years by institutions over and above what they were previously giving. 4. It may be truthfully said that the Volunteer Movement has done more than all other agencies combined to emphasize the idea that each church should support its own missionary. Volunteers have elaborated the plan, and have also printed and circulated a pamphlet clearly setting it forth. Moreover, they have actually introduced it in many churches of different denominations with the most gratifying results. A large number of strong testimonials have been collected. The following, given by the secretaries of the Foreign Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., is a striking recognition of the importance of this work : — We have before us a long list of testimonials from pastors who have ti-ied the experiment with most gratifying results ; and we are assured that if this method should become general throughout the churches, it would mark a new 27 era of progress in foreign missions, while, by its reflex influence at home, it would bring one of the greatest blessings that the Church has experienced in a generation. * * * We gladly recognize the influence which has been exerted along these lines by the Student Volunteer Movement in our colleges and theological seminaries. * * * And we recognize, with equal clearness and satisfaction, the large part which this Movement has had in arousing Churches, Young Men's Christian Associations, Christian Endeavor Societies, etc., to a new interest and to a more adequate contribution of means. * * * The interest which they (the volunteers) create and the funds which they raise are a clear gain. » * * So far as Presbyterian churches are concerned, we most heartily commend the work. F. F. Ellinwood, Arthur Mitchell, Jno. Gillespib, Secretaries. William Dulles, Jr., Treasurer. New ¥ork, Nov. 6, 1890. 5. By means of this Movement, missionary intelligence, enthusi- asm, and consecration, have been carried into over 200 colleges on this continent in which there was comparatively no interest in missions five years ago. It has made the missionary department of the College Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations one of the most advanced and influential departments in their entire scheme of work. At least one-fifth of the officers of these associations are vol- unteers. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that every volunteer won means more than simply one missionary. He stands for a large constituency who are interested in the work because he goes. Who can measure the importance of thus enlisting the intelligent sympathy and co-operation of thousands who are to remain at home in the great missionary operations of the Church ? 6. The missionary interest has been intensified in the theological seminaries. Exhaustive study of the seminary problem has been made, and invaluable statistics have been compiled. These show that the number of prospective missionaries has been greatly increased dur- ing the past few years over any previous period. Over eleven per cent, of the under-graduates have volunteered for foreign service. The amount of money contributed has been more than trebled ; and a more comprehensive study of missions is being undertaken by seminary men. During the past year, especially, the Movement has endeavored to strengthen the missionary spirit in divinity schools by recommending the formation of five District Alliances, and the inauguration of depu- tation work. The American Inter- Seminary Missionary Alliance, at its last convention (October, 1890), passed resolutions favoring our recommendations. Many seminary volunteers have been led to urge systematically upon home churches a more intelligent interest in mis- 28 sions, and far more generous contributions. It is also a striking fact that the men in these seminaries who are to enter the home pastorate are realizing, as never before, their special responsibility to the world field. 7. The success of the Volunteer Movement in the United States and Canada has been so marked that its influence has already been strongly felt in British and Continental universities through the repre- sentatives of these institutions who have come from year to year to the intercollegiate meetings at ISTorthfield. 8. Taking as its key-note the evangelization of the world in this generation, the Movement has emphasized the apostolic idea, so that thousands of Christians have realized its significance as never before. They not only find it suggested throughout the New Testament, but also hear it from the lips of missionaries of all evangelical denomina- tions to-day. The volunteers ask the question : If they at the front bearing the brunt of the conflict sound the battle-cry, ought not we to re-echo it with equal conviction and enthusiasm ? V. PEESENT STATUS. During the past six months an extensive correspondence has been instituted with the volunteers for the purpose of receiving information for statistics. A large proportion of the volunteers have responded, and the following figures are based upon the returns, and are consid- ered safe estimates. 1. Distribution of volunteers, according to section where enrolled : Canada 335 New Brunswick 10 Nova Scotia . 25 Ontario 210 Quebec 90 New En-gland States 570 Connecticut 100 Maine 65 Massachusetts 340 New Hampshire 25 Rhode Island 25 Vermont 15 Middle Atlantic States . . 1260 Maryland 50 New Jersey . . 340 New York 560 Pennsylvania 310 SoiTTHBEN States 695 Georgia . 20 Kentucky 150 North Carolina . 70 South Carolina . 30 Tennessee . ... 140 Texas 15 Virginia .... , 240 West Virginia 30 29 Central States . . . . 1975 Illinois . . 600 Indiana .... . . 175 Michigan . . . 340 Ohio . . 660 Wisconsin . 200 Western States . 1365 Iowa . 375 Kansas , . 375 Minnesota 175 Missouri . 275 Nebraska 150 South Dakota . . 15 Total number of volunteers .... 6,200 2. Distribution of volunteers according to stages of preparation : (1 ) In institutions of learning . .... . . 2600 ' Academies] 500 Colleges . 1200 Normal Schools 175 Medical Colleges . 125 Theological Seminaries,500 Training Schools . 100 (2) Out of institutions (owing to state of health, insufficient means, etc.) . 700 (3) Graduates (post graduates, special students, etc.) 600 (4) Ready to go . . 100 (5) Appointed (not including class of 1891) 20 (6) Hindered . . . 250 (7) Unknown (large majority of these lost trace of before the Movement was organized) . 450 (8) Rejected by Boards . . 50 (9) Renounced 450 (10) Deceased . . 60 (11) Sailed . 320 (12) Not students when enrolled 600 3. Distribution of volunteers according to age : Under 20 years 14 per cent. Over 20 years and under 25 years 46 " Over 25 years and under 30 years 20 " Over 30 years 11 « 4. Distribution of volunteers according to sex : Male, 4,340 . .... 70 per cent. Female, 1,860 . . 30 " 30 6. Distribution of volunteers according to denomination : Presbyterian 27 per ( Methodist 24 Baptist . 17 Congregational 17 Lutheran . 3 Episcopal . 2 Friends H Other denominations H 6. Distribution of volunteers who have sailed according to fields Apkica East Africa 2 I^orth Africa 2 South Africa 3 West Africa 22 Unlocated 4 Asia Arabia . 1 Burmah 18 China 69 Corea 7 India 49 Japan 46 Persia . 9 Siam and Laos 7 Syria 8 Turkey . 15 Europe Bulgaria 4 Italy . 1 IvToETH Ambeica Central America 2 Mexico . 11 South America Brazil 10 ChiU . . 1 33 229 13 12 i. . . . 1 United States of Columbia 1 South Sea Islands . . 6 Miscellaneous . . 7 Location not Dbeinitblt Known 16 Total 321 VI. financial statement. During the first three years the expenses were borne entirely by a friend of the Movement. Since then $4,852 have been received from individuals, parlor conferences. Young Men's Christian Associations, churches, and from the sale of volunteer pamphlets. Of these amounts, $4,651 have been expended. This includes the expenses of Traveling, Corresponding, and Editorial Secretaries, printing, office furniture, etc. 31 There are at present $201 in the treasury. Since the inception of this Movement no salaries have been paid. Over 110,000 would have been expended in salaries had the secretaries of the Committee received what is usually paid to men of their ability. $3,000 at the lowest estimate will be needed during the coming year to meet the increasing demands made upon the Committee by the growth of the Movement. VII. POLICY. The Executive Committee have marked out the following policy, concerning which they invite the friendly criticism and counsel, and the earnest prayers of the members of this Convention : — 1. This Movement seeks to enroll volunteers in sufficient numbers to meet all the demands made upon it by the different missionary agencies of the day ; and, more than that, sufficient to make possible the evangelization of the world in this generation. 2. The Movement should be judiciously extended to those institu- tions which have not yet felt its touch. Among them we would espe- cially note the colleges of the, South and Southwest, the colleges of Colorado and the Pacific Slope, and the medical schools of our great cities. 3. It is our duty to guard and develop the volunteers as long as they are connected with our institutions. To this end there must be more and better State organizations ; more studying, praying, and working on the part of Volunteer Bands ; closer ties established between the volunteers and their respective church boards. Recognizing the importance and critical position held by the theological seminaries, it is urgent that far more attention be given to establishing and developing the Movement in them. The Executive Committee realize the futility of securing volunteers in colleges unless we succeed in holding them in theological seminaries, because a large number of them must pass through divinity schools prior to sailing. No one can overestimate the importance of influencing the divinity men who are to become the lead- ers of the Church at home and abroad. 4. It is our aim to do all within our power to assist the missionary societies and boards in securing candidates, in raising money, and in other ways suggested to us. To better accomplish this, it is j^roposed to come into more intimate and frequent contact with the secretaries of the societies. We shall also try to induce many more capable vol- unteers to work among the churches during their vacations. Wherever possible,— in colleges, seminaries, churches, young people's societies, — we shall continue to urge the introduction of the plan for supporting their own missionary. 32 5. Recognizing the wonderful possibilities of the various young people's societies of the day, the Volunteer Movement shall seek to spread the missionary spirit among them. It is believed that these two movements are destined to sustain a very important relation to each other. 6. During the coming year the Committee proposes to employ a Corresponding Secretary who shall give his entire time to the work which centers at the office. This office will, to a limited extent, at least, become a clearing house between the volunteers and the societies. A bureau of information will be established. The best missionary books, tracts, periodicals, maps, and charts will also be supplied to volunteers at cost. It shall be our endeavor to introduce a missionary library into every institution where there are volunteers. Additions will be made to the volunteer series of pamphlets as occasion demands. 7. Invitation has repeatedly come to the Committee from students in Great Britain and Scandinavia, requesting us to send a representa- tive to introduce and organize the Movement among their universities. It is hoped that during the present year we shall be able to enter this most important door. If the students of the Protestant world are linked together by the power of the Spirit in this Movement, it will greatly hasten the establishment of Christ's Kingdom throughout the world. John R. Mott, intebcollegiatb t. m. c. a. Miss Nettie Dunk, intercollegiate y. w. c. a. R. P. Wilder, American Intek-Sem. Miss. Alliance, and Canadian iNTERcoLLEaiATE Missionary Alliaijce. Executive Committee. 33 After the announcement of the committees of the Convention by the moderator, Mr. Robert P. Wilder spoke upon "The Volunteer Pledge," using the arguments for its existence and the continuance of its use which are found in his pamphlet upon that subject, issued in Student Volunteer Series, No. 3. Mr. Wilder then led in the dis- cussion. Question. What does renouncing the pledge mean ? Answer. It cannot be applied to those who are providentially pre- vented from becoming foreign missionaries. If God does not permit their going they are exempt, for the pledge reads, " We are willing and desirous, God permitting,^'' etc. It should be applied to those who, though having no valid excuse for remaining in America, have renounced all thoughts of becoming foreign missionaries. What is a valid excuse ? This must be settled by each volunteer with God. But if after prayer he be convinced of his unfitness to go, he owes it to himself and to the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions that this unfitness be demonstrated; otherwise, he will be regarded as one who, "having put his hand to the plough," has looked back. To avoid the appearance of evil, he should apply to the Board of Foreign Missions of some evangelical denomination. The examination of candidates by these Boards is most thorough. One unqualified for the work rarely, if ever, passes muster, since the re- quirements are most rigid. The candidate need not fear confiding in the secretaries, who can appreciate heart as well as head difficulties. If, after squarely facing the issue, the Board reject him, he is exempt before our Movement, since the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions co-operates with the missionary societies, and abides by their decision. But such exemption by no means proves that he is exempt before God. Missionary organizations are fallible. One of Africa's best missionaries was rejected by three Boards. like William Carey, he felt, " Go I must, or guilt will rest on my soul." As long as a volunteer purposes applying eventually to some For- eign Missionary Board, we keep his name on our list ; but if he has not applied to any society, and does not intend to do so, we must regard him as no longer a volunteer. We must erase his name, lest by continuing in our ranks he imperil the steadfastness of others. " What man is fearful and faint hearted ? Let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart." Q. How would you deal with a man who thinks that he is not called to the foreign field ? A. I should tell him that there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that a man needs more of a call to take him to Africa than to Dakota. " The field is the worW There are no boundary lines in our work. 34 If a man can labor in Texas without a " special call," is it right to oppose his crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico unless he receives a " special call " ? Q. What course would you take with a man whose desire to go abroad is not as great as when he first signed the pledge ? A. Fu-st, pray for him. Second, set him on fire with the facts. One says : " If disciples do not wish to flame with missionary zeal, they must avoid contact and converse with the facts and the heroic souls who are the living factors of missions. It is dangerous business to trifle with the combustible material, unless you are quite sure that there is not even a spark of life or love in your soul." Q. Could not the pledge be made stronger by changing its wording ? A. (From Mr. Wilder by another question). How change it? A. By substituting the word " purpose " for the word " desirous." A. (Mr. Wilder). I think that the word "desirous" should be kept for the following reasons : 1. Because it harmonizes with the central thought of our Move- ment — the thought expressed in the word " volunteer." We want no drafted troops, but men whose hearts stir them up. There is a true ring about the word " desire." It implies eagerness. It means, " To long for the enjoyment or possession of ; to feel the want of ; to wish ; to mourn the loss of." A drafted soldier may " purpose " to enter the field without having any eagerness to do so. But there is a warmth, a glow, an element of spontaneity about the word " desire." " Purpose " is purely a matter of the will. " Desire " is a matter of will and heart. Definition of the noun desire : " The natural longing that is excited by the enjoyment or thought of any good, and impels to action or effort for its continuance or possession." 2. The home contingent of hindered volunteers can truthfully keep the pledge as it now reads. They are still wilUng and desirous to go to the foreign field. Can they say we purpose going if their path is absolutely blocked ? These hindered volunteers can be of great service to our Movement as missionary pastors and workers at home. It is essential that we keep their names on our list of volunteers. We need their sympathy and help. The present pledge is applicable to both classes of volunteers. We cannot have one pledge for the hindered and another for those who are going abroad ; the existence of two pledges would obviously invalidate the unity of the Movement. 3. Substituting the word " purpose," even though the pledge seem more rigid in statement, it would not be more rigid in spirit. The 35 pledge as it now reads means only one thing ; that is, a determination to go, God mlling. What else can it mean ? If it be misunderstood by the signer, the fault lies with him, or the one who uses the pledge. 4. The word " desire " is approved by many outsiders whom " pur- pose " might alienate. It is necessary for our field Secretary to gain an entrance to institutions of learning. Often the mere mention of a pledge has led teachers to shake their heads. I remember a ladies' seminary where the principal would not allow our pledge to be pre- sented. In a college there was a strong objection to the pledge be- cause of its binding character (little thought had I then that any one would regard the pledge as too weak). In a leading theological seminary I was notified by the faculty that they did not wish me to pass the pledge. If we make the wording more rigid in appearance, still greater opposition would be met, and the doors of some institu- tions would be shut in our faces. 5. I do not believe that the suggested change would enable the pledge to hold any more of our wavering volunteers than the present pledge is holding. If men want to renounce their expressed determin- ation to become foreign missionaries the words " God permitting " will furnish them an avenue for escape. The word " desirous " does not present as large a loop-hole as " God permitting." Mr. Wilder then closed the discussion with the following argu- ments against any alteration of the pledge : — 1. Historical argument. The pledge in its present form is signed by 6,000 volunteers. 2. The present pledge is satisfactory. Whatever defection there is is very small. A noted foreign missionary said that not more than two per cent, of those who volunteered in a missionary revival ever saUed. But five per cent, of the members of our Movement in the United States have already sailed, and ten per cent, of the Canadian volunteers. Most of the defection has been due to the fact that the Student Volunteer Movement was not thoroughly organized during the first two years and a half of its existence. During those years the same efforts were not made to conserve the interest of volunteers as are now being made. 3. Changing the pledge would necessitate losing our hold upon the signers of the present pledge. Let us suppose that " purpose " is substituted for " desirous." If the word " purpose " means the same thing as " desirous," what is the reason for a change in the wording ? If the two words are not synonymous, using " purpose " for " desir- ous " means that the new pledge has no claims upon the 6,000 who signed the old pledge. 36 Who shall sign the pledge ? 1. All theological students who desire to sign it, since they are taking a course of study expected to prepare them for service at home or abroad. 2. In colleges the active members of the Young Women's Chris- tian Association and the Young Men's Christian Association may sign. The various departments of Association work furnish the training needed by candidates for foreign service. If a student be faithful in studying the Bible and missions, in personal and neighborhood work, you need not hesitate to let him volunteer. But do not allow those who are not Association members to sign until you are convinced of their fitness to take this step. 3. In educational institutions where there are no Young Men's or Young Women's Christian Associations, also in churches, do not per- mit any to sign until you are satisfied that they possess the requisite qualifications for foreign service. Mr. Walter J. Clark, Corresponding Secretary of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, introduced the discussion of the topic — The Classification of Volunteers. From the inception of the Movement there has been occasion for classification of volunteers. Only a few weeks after the Movement began, letters began coming to the leaders of the Movement stating that the persons who had signed for various reasons felt that they must renounce their pledge. Because of the unorganized condition of the Movement during the first two years and a half, and the great pressure of work that fell upon the Traveling Secretary, it was im- possible to keep a thorough record of these communications. In the past two years an effort has been made to classify the correspondence and to follow the requests received. The results have been presented to you this morning in the report of the Executive Committee ; and that we may thoroughly understand what these twelve classes indicate, it has seemed best that I should explain them in a few words. It was customary until recently to make only two classes of volun- teers — those who intend to go, and those who have renounced. But it became evident from the large correspondence that came to the ofiSce that there were many detained at home who had a strong pur- pose to go to the foreign field, and whose hearts were in the work. These we could not say had renounced, and their co-operation was very essential to us as a Movement, and we could not cut them off. This classification has been prepared that we may have a view of the present condition of the Volunteer Movement. 37 The first class embraces all who at present are pursuing their regu- lar courses of study. We find this number to be about 2,600, distributed among the following institutions in about the number given here : in academies, 500 ; in normal schools, 175 ; in colleges and universities, 1,200 ; medical colleges, 125 ; theological seminaries, 500 ; training schools of various kinds, 100. Those who are connected with our normal schools, are expected in some States to teach for two years after they have received their edu- cation. And others who are supporting themselves must be absent, at least for a time, to secure the means for their education. And so at present there are out of school, of those who intend to finish their edu- cation, but for various reasons are compelled to absent themselves, at least 700. The next class is composed of graduates. Here we classify those who have finished their course of study but are uncertain as to their professional course, and those who are taking special professional courses as post graduates. The class of graduates amounts at present to 600. The number of those who are ready to go, but have not yet received their appointment, is about 100. The next class contains only 20. It consists of those who have been appointed a year or more, and does not include those who are in theological or medical schools and who have received appointments and wiU sail in the coming summer. Passing over the class of "hindered," we come to another class, "unknown" — those of whom we' have lost all trace. The records were not kept for over two years, and as students are somewhat migra- tory, it has been difficult to find all of the earlier volunteers. And so we have about 450 names in this class. About 50 have been rejected by Boards on account of ill health and for other reasons. We classify as " renounced " every individual who has signed the pledge but has willfully given up his intention to become a foreign missionary. In some cases religious convictions have been surrendered. This class embraces about 450. Those whom God has taken to Himself for His work above number at least 60 : we have 56 names. Those who have reached the foreign field have been repeatedly mentioned. They num- ber at least 320. When our Traveling Secretaries have addressed audiences of students, there have often been persons in the audience who were not students, and so there has been an enrollment of at least 600 of this class. I return to the class omitted — "hindered volunteers." First, who are the volunteers ? Those who intend to go to the foreign field, God permitting. Hindered volunteers are those who have had their way blocked by providential circumstances. These must serve as a reserve 38 corps of the Volunteer Movement. They cannot come to the front, but still in the rear they can provide the means and the prayer that will bear on this work. The circumstances which hinder volunteers are often of a private character. The difficulty of dealing in correspond- ence with persons to whom I am an entire stranger — the difficulty of gathering from their letters just what they mean, unless they are very explicit as to their hinderances, has made this class a little indefinite. Yet I believe there are scores of them who are in such poor health that they cannot go. There are others who have the support of parents and dependent brothers and sisters, and who for the present cannot go. Now, what is their relation to the Volunteer Movement. They are first a part of it. We cannot cut them off : we cut off the renounced, though we keep their names for om- own good, as well as hoping that some day they may change their minds. The hindered volunteers are a part of the Movement, and we must keep them as such. Their rela- tion to the Movement is a vital one ; because they are to advance the Movement in their way and in their place. Let me indicate four things they can do to help the Movement. 1. They can go when the Lord opens the door. I know many a volunteer who has written to me saying, " the Lord has blocked the way, it is impossible for me to go ; " and yet, in some instances, the Lord has in a few weeks removed the obstruction, and made possible the departure of the volunteer by so severe a trial as the death of a friend. 2. They can send others. It has been pointed out to you this morning the influence which one who has set his face to the foreign field can wield m getting others to go. 3. He can interest others in the work. The amount of ignorance in our churches, among the young people and older people, is enormous. 4. He can offer prayer constantly for those who have sailed and those who are preparing. Mr. Richard C. Morse, of New York City : — I was asked to say something upon this subject, and it occurs to me to state first, concerning the hindered volunteer, that there are some of these hindered volunteers, as Mr. Clark has said, who go. Mr. Forman was a hindered volunteer for a year, — hindered in the best interests of the foreign mission work. Mr. Wilder is a hindered volunteer. There are hindered volunteers that either have gone or are very sure to go, and whose detention has been due to the very best interests of the foreign mission work itself. Mr. Wishard was a hin- dered volunteer. Thirteen, years ago he came to me ready to go to South America, to form with some of his classmates a band of mission- aries there. But he felt that in the college department of the Young Men's Christian Association he could serve his Master upon the foreign field. And I was in familiar intercourse with him when he became 39 represented on that field by at least a score of men, and before he went to labor in the land which he loves so well. Now, the hindered volunteer can do just as much as the unhin- dered while they are together here, and we want to conserve that element. I believe that in the last 50 years the hindered volunteers have been a potential element in the sustentation and carrying on of the foreign mission movement as it stands to-day. Thousands of the men rescued in the name of Christ on the foreign field owe that rescue as much to the prayers and efforts of hindered volunteers in this coun- try during the last 50 years as to some of the men who have gone on the field. The hindered volunteer has an immense work that he can do in keeping the conscience of the Church right on this subject at home, for that is a most important thing, a most necessary, essential, fundamental thing in connection vsdth this Movement. Robert E. Speer, of Princeton Theological Seminary, then ad- di-essed the Convention upon the topic of — The Voluntebe Life in the Individual Institutions. I think we all believe in the reality of this volunteer life, both from the nature of the work and from observation of the volunteers. I presume there is one question that arises in our minds as we begin to think about this subject, and that is, as to the relation between the volunteer life, as we call it, and the Christian life of the institution. It seems to me that the relation is just this : that the volunteer life should be the Christian life ; that the first work of the volunteer in each institution is not with regard to foreign missions, is not to arouse interest in foreign missions in the Church outside, but is earnestly to claim each student in his institution for Jesus Christ. And so the volunteer life, when we speak of it as a whole, is not so much a life lived with regard to the foreign field as with regard to the community in which it finds itself placed. The volunteer life in each institution should be relatively what that volunteer life should be when it is put on the foreign field. In addition to living the real Christian life before his fellows, the volunteer should strive, feo far as he has any time apart from general Christian work, to make his life tell on the great work in all the world. Now, just a word about the expression of this volunteer life. It seems to me that of course it will be twofold : Fii-st, in the life of every individual volunteer. He should be above everything else the best Christian in his institution. He should be the best personal worker, the best Bible student ; as far as possible, the best student in every way to be found in that place. But, in addition to this, each 40 individual life should burn also witli a zeal that cannot be quenched, and with an intelligent zeal for spreading the Gospel in all the world. Second, to this end the individual lives will gather themselves con- stantly into the life of Volunteer Bands. First, then, with regard to the position of such a Band. In its rela- tion to the Student Volunteer Movement, it is simply the expression of that Movement in any one institution. Whatever the Movement is for all the colleges of the land, the Band must be for the institution in which it is placed. The Band should be an extension of the missionary activities of the Christian Associations, where such Associations exist. It should not be anything independent from them ; they all of them have their missionary committees, or ought to have them. If they have not, the Bands ought to introduce them. Each Band should be a large missionary committee for its institution. In regard to the work of the Band : 1. It seems to me natural that they will have meetings to nourish the volunteer life and to keep in view the object for which that life was brought into existence. Something will certainly have to be done in these meetings, and I suppose most of us have our own ideas of what things are best to be done. Of com-se we are going to learn all about the world that we can. We will study missionary subjects, taking up the fields, biographies, and general questions in missions. The Bible is the special book, above all other missionary books, that we are to study. We will endeavor to find out aU about the Missionary Boards, their methods, their work, their conception of the missionary problem. We will take up the missionary magazines and find out what each one is teaching from month to month. In addition to all this, we will make these meetings places where we shall become so acquainted with the Bible that it shall be to us an exceedingly famiUar book long before we ever set our feet on a foreign missionary field. So much for the work of the Band in the meeting. Beyond that, secondly, it must be the work of each Band to acquaint each volunteer with the best missionary literature available to that Band ; and much more Uterature is available than we have ever imagined. A third work of the Band is to keep each volunteer the kind of volunteer he ought to be, and as soon as his feet go out of the institution, not to let him wander away from his expressed purpose until he has been put under the guiding influence of the Missionary Board. And, lastly, Volunteer Bands should be training schools of prayer. 2. The second work of the Volunteer Band is outside of itself, among the other students of the institution ; and it too should be four- fold. (1.) To hold meetings of such a character that students in gen- eral shall be led to take a deep interest in the foreign missionary work. 41 And these meetings should be made of all meetings the most interesting ones that are held in that institution ; and they should be so frequent that each meeting shall come before the memory of the last shall have passed altogether away. (2.) It should be the object of the Band to lead each institution that is capable of doing it to support a missionary in jthe foreign field. And where it is absolutely impossible for an institution to do that of itself, let it combine with a church, a Sabbath School, a Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, or with some other educational institution. We have our leagues among the colleges to do other things. Why may we not have them also to support our representatives in the fields abroad ? (3.) Its third work among students should be to interest every student in the foreign work. We ought not to let a single student pass out of the walls of our institutions without having thoroughly familiarized bim with the work of foreign missions and with the work of the Board under whose influence he will come, and with the needs of the field, so that he will be an intelligent giver and an intercessor in prayer when he gets out among the churches. And, lastly, the effort should be made constantly to secure from among the students more volunteers. 3. The third [work of the Band should be among the Sabbath Schools and Christian Endeavor Societies. In a Methodist institution it should be to spread the knowledge of the work of the Methodist Board among all the Methodist Churches and Epworth Leagues. But it should go outside of the mission work of the Methodist Church and inform itself about other fields. And let it, of course, as far as it is possible, as has been suggested this morning, ally each church with the foreign field by its own living link in that field. 4. Lastly, the work of the Volunteer Band in each institution will be the development of its relations to other institutions, to the Student Volunteer Movement, and to the Boards. Let it get Board secretaries into the institution if possible ; come in contact with them ; learn about the Boards from their representatives. Go to the city where the Board oflices are : let them get acquainted with you, and consult with them. So much then for the work. May I add just a word about the importance of it ? If we get the importance of it in our minds, the methods of the work will take care of themselves. It is important to the individual volunteer. Go where you will in this land to-day, in all our institutions where there are not Volunteer Bands, and you will find that the life of the individual volunteer, so far as it is a missionary life, is slowly dying away. He does not have interest enough, after the first breath of inspiration has gone, in most cases, to keep informing himself about the foreign field, as he must if his interest is to keep intel- ligent and to grow. It is important, secondly, for the institution's sake. 42 The most spiritual institutions in our country to-day are those that have been most touched by the missionary spirit. It is of the greatest importance to the institution to which we as volunteers belong that we should make the volunteer life an active life for the institution's sake. Then it is important for the Church's sake. The Church must draw on these volunteers for help in the foreign field. Should their interest die away the Church will have to do the work over again. And then, lastly, it is important for this world's sake. If we are going to spread the Gospel within the reach of every part of the world in this generation, we must not only, in the first place, rouse men's minds and hearts with the desire to go, but, having done that, we must gather them into this life in each institution and keep them there until the time when then- faces are parted from us. And if they do not go into the missionaryjfield, they will have received such an impress that they cannot carry on any other work without making it resemble the missionary life they lived in seminary or college. It seems to me we can get inspiration enough for this life in the watchword we have taken, and in the fact that, if we do not perpetuate the Band in each institution, it will probably not be perpetuated. The fact that when we go out from college we may leave a Band in our place, or another volunteer to stand where we stood, is inspiration enough to make the life that we are living now the volunteer life that it ought to be. But then, of course, we get our deepest inspiration from that child's school, where I trust we will all go and enter our names for the tuition that the Great Teacher has to give as we sit down at His feet to learn how to pray. And there we shall catch more of that needed faith in Him, whom having not seen we have learned to love so well, who is the Lord of this Volunteer Movement as much as He is the Lord of each volunteer's life. Mr. William H. Cossum, Travelling Secretary of the Student Vol- unteer Movement for Foreign Missions, presented the topic — Immediate Sailing : Its Advantages, and Hovst Secured. Some one said, as he stood on the wharf seeing a party of mission- aries set sail, that ships were made to carry missionaries in. It was an inspired utterance. And it is only as we keep these ships busy that the Student Volunteer Movement reaches its true objective point and has its true reactionary influence on the Church. 6,200 names are not what we are after. Our object is to evangelize the world in this gen- eration ; and it is not until the missionaries pledged are on board ships aiming towards fields that this Movement reaches it true objective point. 43 Touching the advantages of early sailing, there will be : First, an advantage to the volunteer himself. The sooner you get into contact with your field and become adjusted to your environment, the sooner you can begin your life work. You have a climate to be- come accustomed to, possibly a different language to acquire, and these ought to be gotten out of the way as soon as possible. And then again your own heart will be satisfied best by coming to the field. Remember you have chosen this work yourself, and your own heart, if true to that consecration, will be best satisfied by your getting to the field as soon as possible. And so, do not defer your sailing, but go. Then it will save you another heart struggle. The man who says, " I want to get a little experience in this country, and take up some diffi- cult phase of work here," that man will find himself tied to that work, and he will have to go through a new struggle. He will say, " Here is work enough for me ; " and that is the penny which, held before his vision, hides the sun. The man who gets tied up to the local field will have to go through a strong struggle to tear himself loose. Don't tie yourselves to work here. I know, as a matter of fact, that there are men who have expected to be volunteers, who are now laboring on fields in this country and are settled down there permanently. Be consistent to your pledge, and go to the foreign field immediately. The evangelization of the world in this generation is our key-note. The honor of the Student Volunteer Movement demands that we reach our fields at the earliest date possible. Here are critics, friendly and unfriendly, who are watching this Movement. Men in our colleges want to know whether we mean business or not. And it is only when they see the volunteers sailing when they finish their course that they feel we are living true to our watchword. So, for the sake of the honor of the Movement itself, we want to reach the fields as soon as possible. Again, such a course is necessary in order to increase the acquisi- tions to the Volunteer Movement from the best men in our colleges. Conservative men do not want to sign a pledge which they may be in danger of renouncing. Here are 6,200 volunteers enrolled, and 320 on the field. They do not take into consideration all the facts that keep these other men here ; and hence show hesitancy with reference to enrolling themselves as volunteers. When they begin to see the number of those on the field increasing each year, they will have more confidence in the Movement, and we will have acquisitions to our Movement from the strong conservative men in our colleges. Then again, the missionary department in the work of the Asso- ciations will be strengthened by the departure of volunteers in large numbers. The reactionary influence exerted by men on the field will 44 qviioken them. It will strengthen the appeals of the representatives of the Student Volunteer Movement to the churches. If we can say we have a large number of men on the field, we will have a more practical basis of appeal to the churches for the necessary funds to send them. Going to the foreign field is bringing bread to starving men and Ught to the man who is stumbling and liable to fall into the ditch. If these people need help at all they need it immediately. Dear fellow volunteers, we must go into this field as fast as we can. The starving man must have bread at once ; the man who is sinking beneath the waves needs a helping hand now, or he will go down. They need you over there ; they need me. Don't stay in this country theorizing, when a hundred thousand heathens a day are dying without hope because we are not there teaching the Gospel to them. Get to them as soon as you can, dear friends. How shall it be secured ? I say first and most important of all, the immediate sailing of volunteers shall be secured by having our heart so tied to those fields that when the time comes for you to finish your course, nothing but absolute duty very clearly defined will keep you. Absolute duty is the only thing that ought to keep us here. And the only way we can have our hearts tied to these fields is to make our- selves thoroughly intelligent with reference to the concrete needs of these fields. Study the missionary field you have chosen. Find out the habits of life and the individual needs of these people ; and then, if you are really a ChristUke man, you will want to depart as soon as you can. Above all things else, be prayerful, morning, noon, and night. Pray that God may use your life with reference to this work, and the result will be that you wiU speedily reach the field of your choice. A delegate said : — Something has been said about working one's passage over. I have been there. I was converted in India, and I saw no way to be sent over to this country for an education. I went down to the harbor and asked at six different steamers, and finally found a good opportunity of working my passage over by painting the inside of a big vessel. And I say to the strong men here that it was a delightful time to me. I had some blisters on my fingers, but I always painted, " All for Jesus," one way, and " All for Christ," the other way. If there are young men here that wish to go out, let them beUeve that God will take care of them. 45 Afternoon Session. A brief song song service was conducted by Mr. Arthur J. Smith. The representatives of the foreign missionary societies were invited to take seats on the platform ; after which the Convention took up the subject, " The volunteer between graduation and going." The Rev. J. N. Murdock, D.D., of the American Baptist Mission- ary Union, addressed the Convention on the first topic : — The Requiebmbnts of Missionaet Societies. Mr. Chairman, brethren and sisters of the Convention, I cannot express the sense of gratification I feel in being permitted to look into your faces, to drink in your spirit, and to listen to the earnest, sober, and wise words that I heard from you this morning. There was no need of my coming to you to speak of the requirements of Missionary Boards, or of any other question pertaining to the details of missionary work, for you have been making these things a study for years. I re- joice in the results which have been achieved, and I should be glad to contribute anything in my power to your enlightenment and the quickening of your zeal. We want men : we want every person who is eligible from your great body of student volunteers. You need not expect that all of them will go to the missionary field. But if 2,000 of them go, and 4,000, pervaded by the true missionary spirit, spread missionary in- telligence and keep the conscience of the Church sensitive on the sub- ject of the divine claims of foreign missions, that would solve the whole question. There are 7,000 pastors of churches connected with the society to which I belong. If I could get 4,000 of those men to do their duty in reference to means, I would fold my hands and go home, so far as any sense of absolute and pressing necessity resting upon me might be concerned : the work would be done. What we want to-day more than missionary candidates is missionary pastors, — pastors of churches that will simply do their duty, that will lead their churches in the way they ought to go and are waiting to be led, some of them longing to be led. But I am not to speak of this ; I am to speak of the requirements — that is, the conditions of your acceptance, as I understand it — by the Missionary Board. Now, there is no extra- critical sense in the nerves of Missionary Boards. We are not allowed to be too particu- lar. We scarcely have a chance of making selections for the places that we want to fill. One of the things that I have hoped might result from your seminary alliances, and from this Convention, is that you may present to us a sufiicient number of missionary candidates to 46 allow us to select the best. We want the best. I speak for my own society, — but I doubt not what I say is true of other societies, — that we have sent many men to the foreign mission field, good men, Chris- tian men, men that are worthy of confidence, and yet they are not such men as we would have sent if we could have sent better. "We want a chance to make a selection; and we are submissive to the Providence who keeps every man from the mission field who can be better employed among the home churches, so that^they cleave to Christ and do not neglect His work. Well then, what must we have in our missionary candidates ? One of the first things is good health. We want the sound body. We want the man of sound nerves, of reasonable muscles, of good stom- ach, the man who can make himself contented and easy, and rest when the possibility of rest shall come. We want men of good health, and so we institute medical examinations. There will always be one or two men in an examining committee who will lay great stress upon the health of a candidate. And there will be another man who, from his financial carefulness, will second the man who is anxious about the question of health. And so we are obUged to have a medical examin- ation. When in three months time a man comes home by reason of failure in health, we must be able to go back to the record and see if we have not been at fault. Then I need not say that we want men of ability. We do not want a man who cannot succeed anywhere in this country. A gentleman wrote me once recommending his pastor as a candidate for foreign missions. He had understood that it was not necessary for a mission- ary to preach as ministers preach in this country ; that they only wanted a good, careful, prudent man, who would not do anything very foolish and never anything very wise. He thought his pastor was just the man that ought to go to the heathen ; he was so much in advance of the heathen. I tell you, Mr. Chairman, there are not so many of us that are in advance of the heathen. The intellect of the Hindoo, of the Chinaman, of the Japanese, will put you to your mettle when you come in contact with them. We also want men of good sound common sense — not simply mental ability, but we want the roundaboutness of common sense. We want a man who will look at things with an even eye, a man who will not be suddenly moved by unpropitious junctures of circumstances, a man whose expectations of success, whose demands upon the people for whom he labors, will not be too extravagant. We want a man who can take a common sense view o'f the problems that are presented to him and of the work that is committed to his hands. We must have men of good repute, so we are obliged to look up the record of every man who comes to us asking for an appointment. 47 We are very glad sometimes to adopt the rule of Oliver Wendell Holmes, who, when he was asked when he would have the moral cul- ture of a child begin, replied, " One hundred years before he was born." We are glad to have men come to us and say : " I was the child of godly parents. My father and my mother were Christians before me, and they taught me the way of salvation through Christ, and they instructed me in the duties as well as in the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures." We want spiritually minded men. We want men who live day by day in communion with God, who cleave to Christ, and in whom Christ abides. We want men who are sound in the faith. We do not want to send anybody to the heathen to learn anything that they can teach him. There was a man who went to India from Boston, and though he could not fully beheve the Bible, he took the Shastas without any sort of compunction. We have got one returning from Japan who went out to make a sort of exchange with the Japanese. He found that Unitarianism was simply esoteric Buddhism, and having made that discovery he is on his way back. We want men who believe something, men who believe they are going to save souls from ruin and from death. And if we are not to do this, then, in the name of all that is reasonable, let us just suspend this work. We want men of missionary convictions ; men who feel that God has laid this work upon them. We want men with a missionary pur- pose, who are called by the Holy Ghost. The only point in which I have had any fear about this student Movement is that we shall forget that God only can call a minister, God only can make a missionary. The apostles, when one fell out of his place, sought to supply it. God paid no attention to that. He may pay just as little attention to you who have taken the pledge. He may see only here and there among these thousands the man whom he has chosen. Let us remember always that only the Holy Ghost can select a minister, and when He selects one He will do something. When John E. Clough came before the missionary committee in Boston, he was somewhat angular in appearance, not an elegant, learned, or cultivated man in the ordinary sense, and there was some doubt about sending him. When the late Dr. Stowe, who always observed the proprieties, said to him, " What if we should think it not best for you to go ? " " That would make no difference with my opinion," was the reply. " What if this committee should think it best not to send you ? " "I should be obUged to go in some other way." There was nothing arrogant about it, — it was very politely said ; but everybody there saw that that man had a conviction. He said, " I have lived twelve years in a United States surveying expedition, and 48 I have never slept on a bed or under a roof during all those years." And as soon as he got out among the Telugus he wanted his tent. He did not stop in his station for people to go to him, but he went out and began to preach to them, and immediately there began to be conver- sions. He soon had his native preachers so trained that they could tell their friends and neighbors the way of salvation through Christ ; and throughout all the villages in all the region, from one extent of the country to the other, those native preachers went forth proclaiming the lessons they had learned from their teacher. And in 1878, 10,000 of these people were united with the Church of Christ ; and they stand to-day. They have suffered persecution, they have undergone hard- ships, they have endured trial — and yet they stand, and during the last few months thousands more have come. The Boards require and expect from men, no matter how learned they are or how able, subordination to rule ; for let it be understood that there are some things that must be settled in this country which cannot be disturbed on the other side, — as to how much money you shall have, as to the form and method of your work, — and no man will ever be able to lead his people wisely who has not learned to be in subjection himself. Our responsibility is divided. Let us bear ours, and may you take your burdens in the spirit of a missionary in Burmah, whom I was obliged to advise when we had not given him half of what he had asked for to do an important work. I expected a sharp letter from his wife, — God be praised for the women. The answer was: " You have done all you could ; I must do all I can ; and the Lord must do all the rest." Question. Do you not think that one of the qualifications to go abroad which would influence greatly an acceptance is the work that a man has already done at home ? Answer. Yes ; I had something to say on that, and I am glad you gave me an opportunity to say it. It is one of the questions we always ask of a candidate for the ministry, whether he has been engaged in active religious work at home, in the Sunday School, in the church, in the community ; especially, if he is a young man who has associated with clerks in a store or with students in college : " Did you labor for the personal conversion of the young men with whom you associated ? " We very generally found that the answer was in the afiirmative. Q. What relation has a college course to a man's fitness for a missionary ? A. We are always glad to know that a man has enjoyed a fuU college course and a full seminary course, and we would be glad if we could add to that a year or two of Christian evangelistic work at home. We never expect to see a man too well educated for a missionary. 49 And yet, when the Lord calls men evidently of another stamp, puts a missionary purpose into their hearts, endows them with ability, and gives them good common sense, — men who are willing to take a sub- ordinate place in the mission, — we send them out, and the Lord has sometimes brought those very men up to the first place. The Rev. F. A. Steven, of the China Inland Mission, spoke as follows : — Much that Dr. Murdock has already said would be equally applic- able to the topic that is allotted to me ; namely, " What is required in candidates for the China Inland Mission ? " We may remind ourselves in the first instance — we cannot remind ourselves too often — that unmistakable evidence of the new birth is the first essential for a missionary. No amount of culture can possibly take the place of this. Zeal for God's glory in the preaching of the Gospel among the heathen is the next essential. That a man should go out to represent a missionary society, or to represent a church or denomination, and not put God first, not live wholly for God among the heathen, is a deplorable thing indeed. The heathen are sunken in idolatry, and unless we represent a pure, simple, joyous, powerful Christianity among them, we shall never be able to move them from their heathenism. A fair acquaintance with God's word, and a real deep love for it, is a requisite that cannot possibly be dispensed with. I say a fair acquaintance with God's word, because a man is always learning, and if he have a deep love for the word of God will go on perfecting him- self in the knowledge of it when he is in the field. Let us remember that a man's training by no means ceases when he leaves these shores. In the China Inland Mission a man's training begins then, or rather a very important part of his training and fitness for his work begins after he leaves these shores. We have, I thank God for it, estabUshed two training homes in connection with the mission, one for ladies and one for gentlemen, and at the present time there are I suppose somewhere about thirty young men at the training home, and about the same number of ladies, studying the Chinese language and the Bible under competent teachers. This is a very, very great advantage in the carry- ing on of the work. As Dr. Murdock has already said, in regard to the other Boards, so I would emphasize in regard to the China Inland Mission — soundness in the faith is most essential. We do not want any to go to China to teach heresy. There is plenty of heathenism, plenty of wandering from God, in China already, without adding to the confusion of the people by new heresies. Let me read from the " Principles and Prac- tice " of the mission : « Candidates are expected to satisfy the Directors 50 and Home Council as to their soundness in the faith on all fundamen- tal truths by handing in, together with the schedule of application, a written statement of their views as to the inspiration of the Scriptures, the Trinity, the fall of man and his state by nature, the atonement, the eternal salvation of the redeemed, and the everlasting pimishment of the lost." If a man is shaky upon that last point we don't want him. They must be cathoUc in their views, and able to have fellowship at work and at the Lord's table with all believers holding these funda- mental truths, even if widely differing in their judgment as to the points of church government. A willingness to trust God for supply, without human guarantee, is an essential to membership in the China Inland Mission. I read again from the " Principles and Practice " : " The mission is supported entirely by the freewill offerings of the Lord's people. The needs of the work are laid before God in prayer, no personal solicitations or collections being authorized. No more is expended than is thus re- ceived, neither borrowing or going into debt being consistent with the principle of entire dependence upon God. The Directors therefore cannot and do not give any promise or guarantee of support to the members of the mission. They seek faithfully to distribute what is available, but each missionary is expected to recognize that his depend- ence for the supply of his need must be on God, who called him, and for whom he must labor, and not for any human organization. Dr. Langford, who is expected here, was in China when the first band of fifteen missionaries, accompanied by Mr. Hudson Taylor, arrived in China in the summer of 1866. At that time the whole number of the missionaries of the new China Inland Mission was about 20 ; to-day we number between 430 and 440. God has been faithful to His promises. Not one iota of all His pledge of love to His children has ever failed. I have been in connec- tion with the mission about eight years, and in journeying right across China from side to side and over into Burmah, and for three years and a half I have never lacked any good thing. To the praise of God be it spoken. His right hand has supplied after His own bountiful fashion. I must say here that in the China Inland Mission we wear the native dress and live in native houses, which, however, we can accom- modate to our requirements by internal changes. We do not make external changes in the interior provinces of China, in order to avoid prejudice in the people. Wearing the native dress and living upon the food available in the districts, we are able to live comfortably and well upon $300 per annum, including traveling expenses. I have never found it either necessary or advantageous to use so much as the figure I have mentioned. 51 I want now just to say that candidates must count the cost. They are expected to be willing to live lives of privation, of toil, of loneli- ness, of danger ; to be looked down upon by their countrymen ; to be despised by the Chinese ; to live in the interior, far from the comforts and advantages of European society and protection. They will need to trust God as able to meet their need in sickness as well as in health, as it wiU usually be impossible to have recourse to the aid of European physicians. But, if faithful servants, they will find in Christ and His word a joy and strength that wiU far outweigh everything that they have sacrificed for Him. A fair English education is desirable for all who go to China, and without that we should advise a time of further training in this country as a test of the ability and perseverance that would be necessary for the acquirement of the Chinese language. Yet we do not ask that all should be highly educated. If a man were to say : " My house that I am to build is to be such as none ever was before. Not a man shall touch trowel or carry mortar on that house but who has been bred as an architect and passed his examination," we should say that the man would be a long, long time before he got his house built. In the China Inland Mission we recognize that God calls men of different qualifications for different fields of labor. I rejoice that most of the Boards also recognize this. I beUeve that the time is coming when men of capable business habits and ability will do a still larger share of the work of foreign missions than heretofore. Send us the best, send us the most highly educated ; but oh ! do not forget to send us the competent, clear-headed, common sense business men, who give up all for Christ and come to preach the Gospel to the heathen. A word about medical education, and I have done. Some say " Is it not good to take a medical course ? " Yes, by all means, unless you have the burden of the heathen resting upon you ; and if, on the other hand, you have some special, definite message from the Lord that you ought to study medicine. If not, get to the work as quickly as you can, and believe that God can call men, already qualified, from the medical colleges and the medical profession in this country. The Rev. J. O. Peck, D.D., of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, spoke on — Thb Mode of Application to the Various Missionary Societies. Mr. Chairman, to put a missionary secretary, who is accustomed every time he speaks to have an hour or an hour and a half, into five or ten minutes, is hke cramping an Olympus into a nutshell. You saw how Dr. Murdock struggled with it; it will be worse with me. 52 I do not know what the modes of application are in other societies, and therefore I confine myself to our own society, and say, that if any one of you, or any one from any part of the land who wants to go as a missionary under the auspices of this society, would write to the missionary society and offer yourself, stating whatever facts you may choose to state concerning yourself, the Secretary would reply to you, sending you a blank form, which you are to fill out concerning your age — we don't want you too old and we don't want you too young. A missionary may occasionally at twenty-one be successful, but he is usually a stripling. He must know vastly more than I did when I was in Amherst College at twenty-one or he will not know enough to be a successful missionary. We would rather have him a little older than that. We would ask him to give his age, his birthplace, and his new birthplace, the conditions of his health, — whether there were facts that would militate against our sending him to bilious climates. We would want to know where he graduated in college, — in short, his educational accomplishments ; and then, after he has fille^ that blank out, we send two or three more to different parties ; for instance, to the president of the college or one to the professors of the college or of the theological seminary, and another to somebody else whom we can find out knows him thoroughly well. We inquire in those blanks, which he does not see but which we examine, all about his disposition, his studies, his powers of application, his health, his qualifications for acquiring languages, and his social qualities. In short, we try to get a thorough measure of the man and know all about him from independ- ent sources. And then we require him to go before a physician, whom we shall designate if we please, and be examined with reference to mission work in India, for instance. He is to be examined with reference to the climate into which we propose to send him, in order that we may have the best certification of medical science that he is quaUfied for work in that field so far as can be ascertained. This is the mode of application and our treatment of it. We write a good, loving, brotherly, hearty letter, avoiding everything that is unnecessary, that may be possibly a discouragement ; for, I assure you, the older I grow, the more I believe that the man who unnecessarily puts a burden upon a human soul and discourages it, is a traitor to humanity. There are burdens enough already upon all men. And, as Dr. Murdock said, they are careful of their treatment of young men and young ladies who are applicants ; so missionary secretaries, I be- lieve, always are full of charity and of a disposition to encourage and help forward every one whom God has called and into whose hearts He has put a desire for missionary work. That answers, I think, all that need be said about the mode of application. I think, in all societies men apply to the missionary secretaries at the head- 53 quarters of theii' denominational societies, and directions are given whicli result in bringing them into such relations with the terms and qualifications and accomplishments as are required. And though the forms vary in different societies, the facts I think are generally the same. Now, I want to take the rest of the time that belongs to me to say something that does not belong so much to this subject as to something more important; for if a man is called of God to be a missionary, the mode of application will not trouble him. He will get there if it is in his heart to go ; and I believe in the men who get there, for they are the men who never renounce their pledges and who are determined to get to this foreign work. And I do join with my distinguished brother, Dr. Murdock, in rendering thanks to these officers of this society who have permitted us the honor of being present here in this Convention, coming here not to instruct you, but to bring our older blood into con- tact with your blood, to be filled with this great ' inspiration which I believe has come down from God upon the colleges and universities and schools of our land, moving this great Student Movement for the salvation of the world during this generation. I do not say it will be done. Perhaps I am not as hopeful as some of you ; perhaps I know more about the difficulties. But no matter : it is possible for it to be done, in my conviction, and it is a magnificent testimony, both that God is on the throne with purpose to save this world, and that men are being moved by the Spirit of the living God, in response to His own impulse, to answer, " Here am I ; send me." This great Movement that has sprung up in the last four years is the result of prayer to God from all along ^the cottages and humble places of our land, as well as in missionary circles. Men and women who have the burden of the Lord upon their souls have been praying Him to hasten the coming of the kingdom of Christ throughout the world. And I believe your Movement is one of the factors in the ex- ecution of that great, sublime purpose of God that the kingdoms of this earth shall be the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ. The secretaries of the Missionary Boards to-day feel it a joy to come in touch with you, to feel this great inspiration ; and we will go home with a livelier and keener sensibility and profounder conviction. I see such an earnest Christian spirit in your meetings that I am convinced that it is the Spirit of God that is carrying you on. Now I suggest to you, as a solution of matters that were in the air here this morning, that you make yom- consecration to this work when you sign the pledge, and teach others so to make it. Make that con- secration in such a spirit as the old Jew made his offering on the altar. When he brought his lamb in his arms and held it, that was the Jew's lamb ; it was his and he had a right to it. When he laid it down by 54 the altar with his hands on it, it was still his lamb, for he had claiming hands on it. But when he lifted his hands and left it on God's altar, he had nothing more to do with it. Make your consecration to God like that, and when you are laid on God's altar there will be no re- nunciation, save as Divine Providence shall interpret the impossibility through death or sickness or other providential considerations. In that spirit, called of God and utterly surrendered to God, you wUl do a work that shall be felt to the ends of the earth. And the reflexive influence of this work from you in distant lands, as you write with that spirit, and as you come home at proper times with that spirit, shall thrill the churches at home. And perhaps one of the greatest needs of the Missionary Boards to-day — which is money — will be met when men under that spirit shall speak from distant lands to the home churches, or shall return from distant lands to plead as only such men can plead. God bless you! The Rev. Alexander Sutherland, D.D., of the Methodist Church of Canada, addressed the Convention on the same topic : — A few minutes will sufiice for what I wish to say just at this stage. Let me touch upon these two points. First, who should apply? That has been partly dealt with. In the first place, only men and women that are in sound, vigorous health ; and that for a very practical reason. As a rule, the foreign field takes you into a climate different from the one in which you are living, and the constitution that is enfeebled, the strength that is partly exhausted already, is very apt to go down, not only under the influence of the climate, but under the mental and spiritual strain that seems to be upon so many who go to the foreign field. Then again, only those should make application who are so con- strained by the love of Christ along this line of foreign missionary work that they see and feel that there is no other way open for them. We get a good many applications of various kinds, and a brief expe- rience in the matter will enable one in receiving the application to read between the lines ; and very often we find a good deal more between the lines than in the lines themselves. It is very easy to tell, when we get an application, whether the person making it is moved by the con- straining love of Christ and a deep conviction of duty, or whether they are merely moved, as sometimes persons ai-e moved, by a disposition to try an experiment, or moved perhaps by a little sentimental idea about the gentle heathen on the coral islands, and the cocoanuts, and all that sort of thing. And it is very important at such times to have men at the head of affairs who can deal promptly and decisively with that class of applications. 55 When we have these two things we have perhaps two of the essen- tials. The question has come up more than once with regard to this matter of educational qualification. As has been said to-day by one of the speakers, we are very thankful for all the advantages of the widest scholarship. But after all, let me say here, that is a secondary consid- eration. Some scholarship there must be, some educational acquire- ments must be possessed ; and there must be a pretty thorough knowl- edge of the word of God and ability to teach its truths. But there has been two ways of training men with reference to missionary work — one to train them for the ministiy, the other to train them in it. I think by the good providence of God we are getting about to the right point to-day, when we are seeking to combine both methods, and that we have the training /br as well as the training in. Now, then, with men and women of this stamp making application, what is the best mode of application ? That might seem at first sight a very needless question to ask, and yet a good deal depends upon it ; and I have known in the course of my experience applications rejected, and I have known applications accepted, where the turning point after all was the mode of application. Sometimes, for example, you will get an application, and you will feel the moment you read it, " This man's heart is not in it;" there will be some' allusion to prospective income, or when he can come back to the country from which he goes, and a dozen questions of this kind, and you feel almost instantly that the salvation of souls is not the great moving power with that man — I will not say with that woman, because we never get such applications from women. Now, to whom is he going to make application? First of all, let me emphasize, to your Divine Master. Do not apply any- where else until you have applied there and received an answer, and then the rest of the way will be clear enough. Perhaps I can best illustrate by an incident. Twenty years ago or more a letter was published by a missionary who resided in British Columbia, describing the terrible destitution of the condition of the Indian tribes, and appealing to the young men at home, saying, "Is there any young man who wiU come and do something for the Indians on this coast?" That letter came under the eye of a young man in Ontario, a man of comparatively limited education, but of great spiritual earnestness and zeal. He first of all went to the Lord with the matter, and spread it before Him and said : " Lord, here I am ready, if I can do anything. Only open up the way for me to go." Some days after that he met an old friend of the family, and this old friend said to him : " What is the matter with you ? You are looking rather downcast." And after a time he got it out of him : " I want to go to preach to the Indians in British Columbia." " Why don't you go?" "I have not the money to take me there." "That need not 56 stop you. I will let you have the money. If you can ever pay it back, all right ; if not, it is for the Lord's work anyway." He took the money and went. He did not apply to any Board, or say a word to anybody but the Lord and this one friend. He went out there, and the result has simply been that in the course of years he has become one of the most successful missionaries employed by the society'; for it was not long before the society employed him. A year ago or more I received two letters within the course of two or three weeks. In one of them a young man gave me his name, resi- dence, and so on, and said he was a student at Toronto University in the department of civil engineering. While there this wonderful wave of missionary enthusiasm in connection with the college Movement reached him. It came with great power to his own mind; but he waited and watched and prayed untU, in the calmness and quietness of afterthought, he was clearly convinced that it was a providential call. He immediately abandoned his professional studies, and went to a medical college in Chicago to qualify as a medical missionary. He offered himself first of all to the Church of his early association and choice, in which he had been converted, but intimated that if God opened the way he was going anyway. A week or two later I re- ceived another letter from a young man, written from the city of Kingston. The writer said : " I am a graduate in arts of Queens University, and also a graduate in medicine. My friend is a graduate in arts, and is now pursuing his theological course." He opened up his heart as to how they had felt for years this call to the foreign field, and now, they said : " We think we are about as far equipped as studies can prepare us. We olfer ourselves fi^-st to the Church of our choice. If you can send us, we will go ; if not, we will offer ourselves to the Lord in some other direction." In every case these young men said : " We are ready to go to any part of the world the Church desires to send us to. We would suggest, however, the hope that the Church would see its way clear to send us to one of the neglected provinces of China." These were model applications. Go they must, but then- first offer is made to their own Church and Board : " If you can send us, we will be glad ; if not, perhaps somebody else will." WTiat is a volunteer good for if he is not ready to go wherever he is required ? And so they were ready to go anywhere, but suggested the hope that they might be permitted to go to this grand field. The Rev. H. N. Cobb, D.D., of the Board of Missions of the Re- formed Church in America, then followed on the same topic : — I am very much pleased, Mr. Chairman, to be asked to addi-ess yon. I can only add my hearty amen to all that has been said in regard to 57 the great pleasure and gratitude that I feel in the privilege of being in such a gathering as this. I want simply to make a single remark in reference to the hindrances which may come up. I was fearful that some here who have an unnecessarily low sense of their abilities might be somewhat discouraged in regard to the requirements for service in the foreign field. It was stated that a man who cannot make an impression or secure a ready hearing in this country ought not to think of going abroad to preach the Gospel to the heathen. All that has been said about want- ing the best men, about the work needing the best men that can be obtained, is absolutely true. But yet we believe that the Lord has a place for every man whose heart is moved, and whom the Spirit leads to offer himself for that service. I want to testify, as a missionary Secretary, that some of the most successful missionaries we have are men who are not successful to a very large extent in interesting audiences in this country. I have one in my mind at this moment, who is perhaps, with one exception, the most successful missionary we have in China, who is not heard with interest when he addresses audiences in this country. And I have another man in mind who has been one of the most successful developers and managers of one of our most successful educational institutions, of whom, when he spoke at a missionary convention in om- church, one of the members of the Board heard some one in the audience behind him say, " What have the heathen done^^that that man should be sent to them." I only want to emphasize that when the Lord calls a man to go far hence unto the Gentiles, it is not so much a question of natural ability ; He knows what He is about when He says to a man, " Go here " or " Go there." And the design of this application spoken of is simply that those of the church upon whom the responsibility rests may be able to ascertain, so far as it is possible for man to ascertain, whether these men and women who present themselves are really God-moved or self-moved. And if we ascertain to our satisfaction that they are God-moved, then, if it is a possible thing, it is our duty to facilitate their way into the field. The Rev. A. McLean, Secretary of the Foreign Christian Mission- ary Society, added the following words on the same subject : — I agree with all that has been said about the best method of apply- ing. But there is one thing that our Board does in addition to all that has been said this afternoon, and that is, we like to see the candidate ; we like to feel his pulse, to test his spirit, to see what he looks like ; and we like to [have him stay around the mission rooms for two or three days, that we may du-ectly and personally leai-n as much as we can about him. We have found that a very good and profitable thing 58 to do. Sometimes we can tell from a letter whether a man is worth in- viting or not. If a man is inquiring simply for the money he wants to get out of the missionary work, we do not want him at all. If it is evi- dent from his letter that he is a man of no scholarship or ability, we do not want him. But if we are satisfied from his recommendations that he is the right kind of man, he is invited. We want the best. We cannot always get the best ; there are not enough of the best to go around. We take a good average man if we can get him ; a man with a good heart, a man with an average good mind — if we can get a man of that kind we are glad of it, and we feel very certain that a man of that sort will do great good in the mission field. I remember, when I was a child, seeing old Dr. Geddie, mission- ary to the New Hebrides. When he was examined as a candidate for the ministry, the examining Board said if he were going to the mission field they would allow him to pass, but if he were going to stay at home they would not. He was accepted, and went into the mission field and did a great work there. And when he died they wrote this simple epitaph over his grave : " When he came to us there were no Christians ; when he left us there were no heathen." I think no grander epitaph was ever placed on any man's tomb than that of this man who came^within a handsbreadth of being rejected when he sought entrance into the ministry of. Jesus Christ. Brethren, we want the best if we can get them, men worthy to stand before kings, men of great attainments ; but we do not want to keep the bars that high in all cases. The average man who is willing to go, the man of [consecration and good sense and good health, the man of tact and patience — that man, if he offers, we are glad to accept and send out into this great field, feeling certain that a man of that sort will be abundantly blessed of the Lord. The Rev. George SchoU, D. D., Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, followed on the same topic : — It seems to me, my friends, that it is the whole aim and scope of the Gospel to teach the privilege and possibility and duty of every fol- lower of the Lord Jesus Christ to stand on the same high plane of Christian manhood on which He stood. Many of the qualifications that the brethren this afternoon have said are required for a foreign mission- ary are no less required for a teacher in the Sunday School in Cleve- land, Ohio, who has half a dozen boys or girls to instruct. It seems to me that the time has come when we all are to preach the Gospel ; that not a few chosen ones here and there are to rise to great eminence in their qualifications and in the dedication of themselves to the Lord Jesus 59 Christ, but that the men who by their money are to send these young men to their work need to consecrate themselves also. We have ten offers to every one that we are able to send. And it seems to me that these young men could inaugurate no greater move- ment, after they have consecrated themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, than to go out among the churches, [and go to men and women of wealth and say to them : " Here I am. I am ready to go. What can you do toward sending me ? " I wish we had more men like one we sent to India a year ago. He appeared before the Board and said, " I want to go to India." They said, " We have no money." He said, " I am going." " We cannot send you." " Give me the privilege," he said, " to go to the children of the Sunday Schools, and talk to them about it." They said, " You may try if you wish to." He went, and in a year he had money enough to support more than half a dozen mis- sionaries. The children responded. I believe in high mental qualifications. I know that in India the very keenest intellects are required to meet the subtle minds of the Hin- doos, and especially of the Brahmins. But there are other places where a keen intellect is not the pre-eminent qualifications of a successful worker. Seventeen years ago a young man applied for work on the west coast of Africa. I was not directly connected with the Board at that time, but the brethren said something like this : it was not likely that he could get a church in this country, and he was about as good a subject for African fevers as any one else they might send. They felt that they were in desperate straits. It was a deadly climate, and they could not afford to send a first-class man. He is there yet, and there is not a man in our church talked, written, and prayed for as that man, and he is continually being lifted up on the prayers of the whole Church. More than one young man has said to me, " I would esteem it the greatest privilege of my life if I could be a laborer under him on the west coast of Africa." The Lord knows the men He selects : let us try and put ourselves entirely under the Divine guidance — Secretaries, Boards, candidates, all of us together put ourselves under the Divine guidance. And then, perhaps, we are compelled to say, as the venerable Dr. Clarke of the American Board said to me : " Perhaps, after all we have done, the only way to decide on the fitness of a young man is to send him on trial." The Lord shows the way, and the Lord brings about wonderful results sometimes from what to us would seem a very little outgo. 60 Prof. H. H. Harris, of the Southern Baptist Convention, closed the discussion with the following remarks : — In the first place, we have found, and I am sure it will always be true, that if God gives us the men and women, His people will supply the means to sustain them. . . Let us not wait for the money in order to appoint |the "men ; but the best way in the world to stir up the churches and get the money is to appoint the men and women and send them out. It has been presented here to-day, that one who comes to a Board for appointment should be determined to go whether the Board will appoint him or not. I believe it. Furthermore, I believe he ought to feel so called from a higher source that he must go. And yet, I do know that the Board ought to sit in judgment on his qualifica- tions, and ought to reject some applicants. I will give you a case. A young man came before the Board. He said : " I wish to go to Brazil. It has been on jmy heart ; it has been laid on my conscience by the Spirit of the Lord. If you will send me I will be glad ; if not, I am going anyhow. God has called me to that work." We sent him. In less than two years he was back again, and is now at home, a very earnest, active pastor. Now, I believe that God did not call him ; I believe he was mistaken about it. I will give you another case. Two men came before the Board very highly recommended, — men of fine qualifications. They were re- jected. They are to-day among the most influential men in behalf of foreign missions in all that region of country. There are men — I beg to impress the thought — who are called of God to stay at home. There are men upon whom the burden of souls in foreign lands is laid, who are to be made interested in the work and to be informed on the work, and yet their duty is to stay at home and stir up the Church itself. Prom four to five o'clock simultaneous meetings were held, at which the pecuUar features of the various fields were discussed. As a rule these different meetings were attended by volunteers who have some particular field in view. The " Africa " meeting was conducted by Mr. I. N. Merrifield, of Morgan Park, 111. The Rev. Geo. A. Wilder, Mr. C. J. Laffin, and Rev. and Mrs. E. B. Sage all returned missionaries — spoke upon work in Africa. The " China " meeting was conducted by Mr. W. H. Cossum, Trav- eling Secretary of Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. Revs. Geo. L. Mason, Jno. L. Nevius, D.D., Rev. and Mrs. F. A. Ste- ven, Mrs, D. Z. Sheffield, and others, spoke upon work in China. 61 The " Japan " meeting was conducted by Mr. J. Campbell WMte, College Young Men's. Christian Association Secretary. The Revs. Kajinosuke Ibuka and W. R. Lambeth, M.D., returned missionaries, discussed missionary problems in Japan, and answered questions put to them by volunteers. The "Papal Lands" meeting was conducted by Rev. Alex. N. O'Brien. Revs. J. M. Allis and Geo. W. Chamberlain, D.D., spoke upon work in Papal Lands. The "Turkish Empu-e" meeting was conducted by Mr. Robert Eliot Speer, of Princeton, N. J., who was aided by Rev. C. F. Gates and Mrs. Etta D. Marden.* The "India" meeting was conducted by Mr. Robert P. Wilder, of New York City, who opened the hour by reading a passage from the the Book of Jonah. Mr. Wilder said: — We wish to call your attention to those few verses from the first book in the Bible offering an opportunity for repentance to the heathen : " Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it." He (Jonah) rose up to flee from the command. I have often regretted the first foreign missionary taking that course, for his action has often since become contagious. " He rose to flee, and, finding a ship going to Tarshish, he went into it to flee from the presence of the Lord." You will notice the reason — Jonah hesitated to go to Nineveh lest it might repent. Many among us hesitate to enter the foreign service lest the work at home lose their support. There^was a mighty tempest in the sea, and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it of them ; but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship, and he lay there fast asleep, — the only man who, in such a trial, could go fast asleep. And yet to-day in India scores of men and women are calling upon their God ; and shall it be said that we are asleep and do not send the aid that is within our power ? We must not do so : we must respond. " And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee." Just notice it was only one sentence. When God gives work for us to do, we should go and do that work. If God gives us work to do in India, if he tells us to go to India and do His work, if He tells us to do that work, to do the work there required, if He says to us " Go into India and preach the preaching I bid thee," then we should obey His command. The remainder of the story is familiar to us all. Jonah went to Nineveh and cried out to the city, " Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." The people repented and the judgment was stayed. * We regret that lack of space forbids the insertion of full reports of aU the Simultaneous Meetings, as they formed an important and instructive feature of the Convention.— ^cJitors. 62 Kev. Henry Forman addressed the audience upon — The Educational Phase of Missionaet Woek. I am asked to speak five minutes on the subject mentioned. It is a subject upon wbich a great deal can be said. First among the people of India are the Hindoos and Mohanamedans : they comprise the vast majority; while from all branches of these we must take the native Christians, — that is, we must educate them to become Christians. And why must we do this ? Now, there are Hindoos and Mohammedans both which will never become Christians unless we do educate them. Is it not fitting they should be educated, and by us ? It is a problem for solution whether we shall educate them or they shall be educated by the government. The people of India are to be educated. The English government has pledged itself to that, and is securing for them larger facilities than are to be obtained in any other way ; and, if educated by the government, they must be educated in neutral schools, and that means " not for us, but against us." It may not be theoreti- cally so, yet it is practically so. Neutrality in their education means infideUty or non- Christianity ; and, if a man is Buddhist, Hindoo, or Mahommedan, then his mouth may be opened, but, if he be an earnest lover of Christianity, his mouth is shut. Again, taking the anti-Chris- tian schools, unless we want those young men growing up with various creeds, — unless we want them to be infidels even, — we must go on with our school work. Education in our schools is carried on in all the different grades. There are not only high schools, but we carry men up to the A.B. and to the A.M. degrees ; and these degrees are worth just as much as they are in our country or in the colleges and universities of Europe. Then, again, there are many schools from which boys go on through the common grades and prepare for the colleges ; and that curriculum of study means a ten years' course. In Allahabad there are 350 boys thus preparing in the schools, in Lahore 850, and in other cities of India a proportionate number in these high schools. Then we have the lower vernacular schools, in which no English at all is taught. In these there are 600 boys in Lahore alone. We use every means to carry this work forward. All denominations are en- gaged in this commendable work. The EngUsh Baptists and the Pres- byterians are very zealous in carrying this good work forward. Now there is a great call for teachers for this work ; it may be made most interesting. Robert Nevins has just sent a letter urging for teachers, offering to give them a house and 115 rupees, almost |60; and the school or mission may be made safer, as the salary is increased by an income from the school. Now we need these teachers. We need 63 some men of high attainments able to carry the young men up to every degree — we have a call for such teachers. I do not know if teachers will be sent out at once. We need to bring these young men under our influence. The teachers can get more influence over them than the preachers, if preaching alone. They can influence them wholly. And now, just a word to our teachers in the work among the Hindoos only. There are the schools for the women in the zenanas, where only girls and women are taught. Now we need young women very much in these. The appeal for these is greater than I can state it to you — multiply it by one hundred and you will realize something of its great need. Mrs. Capron then spoke as follows : — I am sure that any lady desiring a larger sphere than she has fol- lowed in this country will find it in India and in the responsibiUty attached to the instruction of the women of India. I beUeve the women of India are sympathetic and intelligent. I believe, when they are once alive to another life, to the life of the Christians, they will cast away all their old superstitions. To this end all our education tends — the education of the young girls in the schools, in the houses, talking with their mothers, their aunts and sisters ; all these gathered together, and the Lord Jesus looking down upon them and upon our work to bless it. We are just waiting until all shall be ready, and then one and another, and another still, will lead the life of the Chris- tian. From Cape Cormorin, in 1856, the work began, and it still progresses. In India all the ladies work among the women and the girls, and the work is most inspiring. What a wonderful sphere of labor this is ! Another thing, I used often to say, " We love these women of India, giving our lives for them." Nothing moves them so much as to see us going from this country to aid them, Jesus helping us. It was very interesting to me on one occasion when I heard a Hindoo woman say to her daughter, — this woman you call a heathen, but I do not like that name, — in reference to another missionary, "The talk is different, but the meaning is the same." And that responsive heart of that Hindoo woman recognized the fact of the bond of love between us, and knew that we " meant the same." Question. Has woman's work broken down the caste in India ? Answer. (Mrs. Capron). Women's work will break it down just so far and fast as the love for Christianity comes into the work. Yes ; I think so. I have often been amused at the way that one of our missionaries — one of our Bible women — described the visit she paid to a house : she sat on one side of the room on one mat, and the other 64 woman on the other side of the room on another mat; but after a while the two sat on the one mat, which means a great deal. Q. Do you find the women eager to learn ? A. (Mrs. Capron). I think the young girls have been very eager to learn, and consequently the mothers and aunts, finding the young folks have learned these things, they have talked together and felt they could not be left in the distance ; and, once having begun with us, they have never yet said to us, " We have heard enough." They read the Bible. One thousand women in Madras were learning to read ; and I never knew one to lay down the Bible and say, " Oh, yes ; we are edu- cated." Yes ; they are eager to learn. Q. I would like to learn how lady physicians are received. A. (Mrs. Capron). There is a wonderful sphere in India for lady physicians. I do not know how you can reach so great a number of women as in that way. This being shut up all night in the house and having numbers of women about you brings you in the closest contact with them. I have sat whole nights and talked with them, of nothing but the wonderful things of the Lord. "We always reach the heart through suffering, which suggests His suffering, which was greater than physical agony. Q. Was there as much prejudice and conceit among the women of India as among the men ? A. (Mrs. Capron). I should say quite as much, if we take into consideration all things. I think, there is a strong superstition, I think it hardly worth the name of prejudice ; but this is passing away, as other generations are now coming on ; and, when a young man about to be married asks for a Bible to present to his bride because his mother had had one and it made her so good and gentle, I should call that doing away with prejudice. Chairman : — Let me state a short instance upon that point. I think, if Mrs. Qapron had not been a woman, she might have said that women are more prejudiced than men. They are in general far more faithful to their religion than men are. Just one instance has come to my mind, which I will narrate. One of our missionaries had a baptismal service, and a native wanted to be baptized. The native said his wife was not ready and would not be baptized then, but that he would. He said his wife was outside and would not come in. The missionary looked for the wife and found her outside, looking in the window. At first she would not come in; finally she consented to do so. She held a baby in her arms, which she said she was going to keep on her side, and which she would not allow to be baptized. He wanted her to 65 come in and sit while the services were going on, which she finally did. Then he asked her if she would allow him to baptize the baby ; and at last she consented to this. Then he said to her, " Won't you hold the baby while I baptize it, that it raaj not cry." She finally agreed to this. And then he went on with the other exercises : he baptized the father and the older children. Then lie at last asked her if she would not allow him to baptize her, and she cried out, " Yes ; I must be baptized, too ; I cannot help it." llrs. Jennie Fuller, of Akola, India, made the following address : — A few years ago we had a refuge for girls. We undertook to have one for boys also on the same plan. With God to help us, we went on and established a shoj) containing carpenter and shoemaking depart- ments. All the influential Brahmins opposed it, on the ground that the different castes of boys would prevent their working together, and that it would not succeed. But we went on ; and after a while we had two high-caste boys both shoemaking. God has wonderfully prospered us. In the two years we have been carrying this on we have gathered twenty-four boys, and nine of that number are engaged in making shoes. We did add a tailor, but that was not a success. There was one boy's mat, and we had to cut that mat in two, as no two Hindoo boys would sit on the same mat, but after a while all sat there together in peace. The shoemaking dej)artment has become self-supporting.' It has earned wages, and does a good repairing business ; and we have a good custom among the English people. The carpentering work has been slower, as they find it hard to learn the use of the plane and to handle tools well enough to ensure success as yet. I hope it may be self-supporting. We had one lay brother with us from Dakota who knew four trades. He also teaches blacksmithing. That, together with the addi- tional trades he knows, leads him to hope to establish a good business outside, — an independent business, — and form a sort of industrial center, so that, when the boys who have learned these trades marry, they may be able to support themselves, by working at these trades, entirely through their own resources. Question. Is the industrial phase on the whole a success ? Answer. I believe the industrial work on the whole has not yet proved a success ; but the American Board is making a strenuous effort in that direction, and has already established an industrial plant at Sirur, and proposes to have similar plants in Northern India. Last week Cawnpore followed by having industrial work inaugurated there. 66 Dr. Graham ; I never studied medicine, but -when I went to my last field of labor, ■which was some thirty miles from Cawnpore, the natives came to me and asked me to give them medicine ; and one can always do that, to a certain extent, provided he is supplied with a few simple medicines which will enable him to carry on this necessary practice. If you have a bottle of quinine, some sulphur, a few bilious pills, and some other very simple remedies, you can get a great reputation — such a reputa- tion as any doctor in America would be very proud of. I began prac- ticing medicine on men needing very simple remedies, and the few cases were successfully treated, and the persons were cured. The result was that, inside of one month, I had men coming to me with every manner of disease. All these wanted treatment. I had to teU them I had received no training as a physician. That made no differ- ence. I was expected to give treatment just the same. There was one case that I shall never forget. A man came to me and said, " You have treated so-and-so, and I want you to give me some medicine." I said to him : " Now, if I should tell you that I could give you medi- cine and cure you, and that I know how to do so, I would not be telling you the truth. I never studied medicine, and I cannot give you this medicine that you want." But he stUl persisted that I could ; but I did not, and I left him. But he would not and did not go home ; and when night drew on he was stUl there, imploring me for medicine. At last he said: "Give me medicine or kill me. I want medicine from you." Most of the natives of India have more confidence in physicians from Christian countries, especially missionaries, than anybody else. They will take it from such with more confidence, because they think there is more merit in the person giving it. This has been my experi- ence. A year and a half ago a medical missionary was sent there. Of course, not speaking the language, he was unable to have any dealings with the natives, and so I was with him in his work. In a short time he had so many people coming to him that from morning till night he was busied with them. I remember the first surgical operation he performed. It was upon a Mohammedan. This Mohanunedan had a tumor in his side and wanted it removed. In India, especially in our part of the country, there is a great aversion to the use of the knife. This man at last con- sented to an operation. I sat by him ; and I did pray most earnestly that it might prove a success, for I knew if the physician failed it would injure his work permanently, and that all future work would receive a damper in India among the natives. As he went under the anesthetic he began to rave and cry out. His brother said, " That is enough ; we will stop." But a friend who was with them urged him to go on. He did ; and the operation was successful. I never saw a more grate- ful man than he was. He never met either of us afterwards without showering thanks upon us. I remember the second operation that was performed. It was for a Brahmin, and was also successful. A very nice little note was sent, with a fee for the services. The fee was not very large, but it was very fair to be received from a native. But I shall never forget the words of that letter. He said, " Accept this as an expression of grati- tude, and I will make up the rest in prayers." It is in this way that the missionary goes everywhere into the families and homes of the natives ; otherwise it would be impossible to enter the homes. Good men and good women with a knowledge of medicine can find an entrance into the homes of India as no others can. The natives will avail themselves of his medical knowledge, which they feel certain a medical missionary possesses. I have just lately heard from Dr. Wanless and his wife, who were the first volunteers I ever saw. When I heard of the volunteer Move- ment in America, for some time I felt grave doubts about it. I thought too much was expected of such a movement ; and, in a certain sense I was not prepared to comprehend it until we received three of them to our own number. I saw at once that they were moved by the Spirit of God. And what we need in India is a great outpouring of that Spirit. The field is ready for the harvest : it only rests with the reapers to do their share towards the great work. We need God's Spirit to bless it. In the station where Dr. Wanless and his wife has been he has had 4,642 patients, and during the last year he has had over 10,000 visits from these persons. If he had had the strength he could have multiplied this number. Any man receiving his benefit will come to him again for help. I believe there is no medical missionary north of Dr. Wanless for 150 miles, to the east for 450, none on the south until you reach the territory crossing the Ghauts. There is plenty of room there for medical work. I will state that while the government dispensaries will give them medicine freely, yet the natives are afraid of them, and can hardly be got to go to them ; but they will gladly go to a missionary, because he does this good work for affection, and the government servants take compensation for this business from the government. So the govern- ment work does not touch ours. Mr. J. P. Jones spoke as follows : — We have gone very extensively in Madras into medical work, not neglecting the educational part, which we believe of great importance. We believe, however, that the evangelical work should precede, and the educational should follow not far off. We have gone more into evangelism than into the other ; and we find, as we go from village to village and from town to town, that we reach a great number of people. We have now an agency which does this work. Our work is more entii-ely in superintendence. We have 445 or 448 agents work- ing with us or under our superintendence. We start off a missionary who will go from twenty to forty miles in a day, taking with him eight or ten of our best native preachers, and they will preach in from ten to thirty villages in a day, meeting from twenty to forty thousand jDeople in a day sometimes. Sometimes they will, perhaps, spend from eight to ten days right in the villages among the people in their houses or homes. There will not be any immediate conversions ; but we see that the seed is sown, and it will spring up in time. We find now as never before a readiness to listen. Their minds are quickened : they now compare religions and notice the distinctions. Formerly they did not do that. Now we find that the people sometimes oppose us. I have seen a man standing on the opposite side of the street from where I had gathered a crowd, and he has tried to oppose my preaching ; and he has begun to call out in the native tongue a name for Krishna, so that I had to give up our meeting and go away. We have changed our tactics, and in this evangelical work we now do differently. We have now ceased that contradictory method ; we do not abuse heathen- ism, we do not attack Hindooism. I find all over that land so many distracting agencies at work — civilization, education, that is, Western education — all these at work in the minds of the people. We try to present rehgion in another way ; and there is less opposition where we do not attack theu' faith, and we find it lessening here. There seems to be a right mind to receive a good deal of the truth if properly pre- sented. In the city of Madras I have four parties in four different places each Monday evening. If you could meet with me in my large room you would see some twenty-five men, mostly young men, who are teachers in our high school, catechists, and preachers. We dwell on the subject given out at the beginning of the month. I ask this or that man what he thinks about this subject, and each gives his idea ; and so we have an interchange of thought. We have prayer and singing, and then we part. The following evening we meet and begin with singing. Then another party meets in the beautiful schoolhouse which Mrs. Capron built in Madi-as ; and another party, and still an- 69 other, meets in the boys' schools at the south gate of the city. And they begin to sing their hymns ; the people commence to gather. Five minutes are devoted to singing ; then five minutes to speaking ; then five minutes to the beautiful lyrics. And so it continues : five or six minutes to preaching, and the same period of time to singing ; and the addresses are full of life and vigor. And so we proceed in this way to reach the hearts of the people, by this vigorous method. There are other schools for the means of reaching the boys and girls through the Bible women. In all these departments we are doing grand work in building a solid foundation for the Lord in that place. The Sunday School work in India presents one of the grandest themes for 'evangelistic work. I would speak of this in addition to what our brother said yesterday of f)reaching to 100,000 children in India in the Sunday Schools. In India there are 75,000,000 children between five and fifteen years of age, and one of the most beautiful things about this is that we can have just as many Sunday Schools as we can get teachers to teach them. We have so many in the little towns where I go and work that we have these Sunday Schools through the week. We can get room to hold them all, for we can find plenty of trees under which to sit down. There is a great door open to us all over India. It was something a few years ago that we did not think possible. We can gather the children into the fold : it is the children we must strive to impress particularly. There is a little incidental recall to mind, and which impressed me deeply. An old man said one day, when his friends were chiding him for talking to me, and were asking him, " Are you going to be a Christian ? " — the old man replied sadly, " They do not want old people like me ; they want the children and the young people." This is a vast field for Sunday School work. Teachers can teach in English. On Christmas Day and other Christian festivals we make much of the occasion, and gather all the children we can. We have hundreds in our yard sitting around. The Bible reading and Sunday School supplement the educational work ; and this is one of the most important things we have to consider. And I pray every day of my life for the children of India. JEvenitiff Session. In the devotional exercises, the Rev. D. C. Rankin, Secretary of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church South, offered prayer, and the Rev. A. J. Gordon, D. D., made the following remarks : — Dear brethren, I confess that I withdraw from this Convention with sincere reluctance. I have been exceedingly profited and stirred by what I have been permitted to hear to-day. What I have to say will be in the form of two or three practical exhortations. 70 What is our greatest need ? First of all, we need more missionary pastors. If all pastors were missionary pastors we should have all the missionary money that we need. I almost wished I could have heard words this afternoon, not simply for the great, the strong, the highly endowed, but a few words to those whose powers and attainments were of a humbler sort. It is not simply the man, but the spirit and purpose of the man, that determines what the ministry of Jesus Christ shall accomplish. I believe that a small minister with a great Gospel can accomplish more than a great minister with a small Gospel. Let every pastor, whatever his sphere, his attainments, his surroundings, make it his first business to use his church for a missionary church, and I be- lieve God will bless that church. Pastor Harms, with his ten thousand gathered into that one church, and he not a great man, is just a living illustration for all time of what God will do for a pastor and a a people when they make missions their first business. I say, secondly, we need more missionary churches. Yea, I say that we need missionary churches for the purpose of perpetuating those churches and preventing them from dying out. A church that ceases to be a missionary church will very soon become a missing church. I live in a city of extinct volcanoes, as somebody has said, — of churches that have burned out. The names and organizations are there, but for years the power has been gone. And if you ask why, you find out that simply because these churches became self- centered and occupied themselves with attending to their own affairs, building up their spiritual life, and forgetting that it was their great mission to give the Gospel to the world, — so ceasing to be evangelistic they have ceased to be evangelical. The life of the church depends upon its being a missionary church. I believe to-day that if those eminent theologians who lived upon the coast of Africa, and who wrote so grandly upon theological themes, — men, like Augustine, and Cyprian, and TertuUian, — had made it then- business to carry the Gospel into Central Africa with all the zeal and earnestness they gave to settling theological problems, Africa to-day, instead of being the Dark Continent, might have been the Light Continent, and instead of containing the open sore of the world, might have had planted in it the tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. I believe that the Gospel died out in Africa from the fact that these men gave themselves to theological speculation instead of to the great purpose for which they were appointed of evangelizing the world. And now, just a word to those whose hearts burn within them to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond. Let us understand what our commission is. Pardon me if I say I do not believe our commission is 71 to bring the world to Christ, but to bring Christ to the world. What is the difference, you say ? You will find that to lift the world is a great lift ; but if you get hold of Jesus Christ, that is a different matter. You have Him with you always ; and when you carry Him to the world, instead of carrying Him, He carries you. " Take my yoke upon you," said Christ, and some one has said, " it shall become as wings to a bird, and as sails to a ship." God will take care that the world is brought to Christ, if we wiU carry Christ to the world. Supposing I touch just a moment upon another point, about which there may be some controversy. I say, it is our business to preach the Gospel in all the world, among all nations. "• Ah, that is superficial ! " you say. But is it ? Are not we perfectly agreed that there is going to be a great outpouring of God's Spirit upon all flesh? "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh." God maintains vessels to contain His Spirit and distribute it. What did Jesus Christ say about the Holy Spirit ? " Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him, because he dwelleth with you and shall be in you." God wants us to do just what Jesus commanded us to do — to preach the Gospel in all nations for a witness. And when the great outpouring comes there will be all over the world these vessels that will take it up and dis- tribute it among those yet unsaved. Literally, He vtdll pour out His Spirit. 0, the blessedness of doing this work for Christ, and in that work being thus intimately Unked with Him who was the first great missionary ! When Dr. Pierson and I were in Scotland I came upon something one day that startled me. It was that Uttle white stone, in Melrose Castle, on which was written the simple inscription, "The Heart of Bruce." And instantly it came to me what that meant. You know the heart of Bruce was taken out by his request. He said : " When I am dead, take out my heart. Let my successor, when he goes into battle, carry this heart fastened with a chain about his neck, that you may understand when you are fighting that Bruce is stUl with you." And so his successor carried the heart of the great warrior into battle ; and one day when they were beginning to break ranks and scatter he took out the heart of Bruce and swung it into the ranks of the enemy and said, " Go forth, heart of Bruce ; we will follow thee or die." And they routed the enemy. So Jesus Christ has thrown His heart into the world, and we go after it. Is there any sublimer or higher honor than to be a missionary of Jesus Christ ? And now let us think, just in a word, what our joy is in, that great commission. Let us remember, first of all, that God has not simply a select body that shall be preachers and another body to be hearers, and a select body to be missionaries and another body to be the objects of 72 the labor of these missionaries ; but he has made all to be kings and priests, and all of us to be missionaries. Jesus says to every sinner, " Come," and he says to every Christian, " Go," without distinction. I believe in the universal offer of the Gospel ; therefore he says to every sinner, " Come." And I believe in the universal priesthood of every Christian. "Come, see the place where the Lord lay." "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead." We cannot go until we come, and after we have come, if we have the Spirit of Christ, we cannot help going. Think of our resouixes, our endow- ment ! What is it? "All power in heaven and in earth." What is our field ? The world : " Go ye into all the world." And what is our testimony ? All the Gospel : " Teaching them to observe'; all things whatsoever I have commanded." And what is our consecrated inher- itance of time ? " Lo, I am with you every day " — " all the days," according to the Revised Version ; not simply speaking of time in an abstract way, but all the days, — the cloudy days, the bright days, — " I am with you all the days, unto the end of the world." And may God help us to be out and^out for Him, and help us to remember that it is not in the greatness of our numbers but in the greatness of our consecration. In a burst of passion and eloquence, in which there was condensed wonderful wisdom, John Wesley said on one occasion, " Give me one hundred men — I ask for no more — who know nothing but Jesus Christ, who hate nothing but sin, and are determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and him crucified, and with that one hundi-ed men, who know nothing else than preaching Christ, I will set the world on fire." May God give us so much of the Spuit that we our- selves shall be worthy to be counted into that triumphant hundi-ed, and may God pour out his Spirit marvelously upon these young men ; and may he so fill you with the Holy Ghost that when you go forth to your fields you shall know what it is to labor in the power of the Spirit, so that your toil will be triumph" and your verj- defeats victory. I was looking over this great company this afternoon, wondering what would be the history of these young men and women. There is one thing, dear friends, that I have to say — that it does not matter what our history is if we are consecrated to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is one of the joys of missionary service, that our reward does not depend upon success. The Master does not say, " Well done, good and successful servant," but " Well done, good and faithful servant." There is a beautiful face, so much so that if you have once seen it you will never forget it, that of the young man who is called the pioneer mis- sionary of the Congo, Adam McCaU. He went forth in the vigor of young manhood to preach the Gospel on the Congo, and died, and 73 when dying said, -what ought never to be forgotten : " Lord Jesvis, I consecrated my life to preach the Gospel to these poor Africans, but if it has pleased Thee to take me instead of the service which I proposed and promised to render, what is that to me ? Thy will be done." May God help us so to be in the will of God that nothing can defeat us, daunt us, or discourage us. The Chairman read a telegram of greeting from the New Jersey State Convention of the Young Men's Christian Association, after which Mr. Robert E. Speer made the first address of the evening on the topic — The EvAiSTGELIZATION OF THE WOELD IN THE PeESEXT GeXEEA- TioN" — A Possibility. One of the singular things is the power that can be centered in a catch-word. There have been great political crises turned by some clever phrase that gathered up into itself the passions of human hearts and swept along with it the deej) tides of human action. There has been more than one time in history when some few words aptly phrased did great things for or against God. And it is only an illustration of the better side of this truth that in the day in which we are living this watchword, about which we are to think and speak to-night, has gathered up into it the devotion of a great many hearts who follow the banner of Jesus Christ — The Evangelization of the World in this Generation. I am to speak this evening upon the possibility of this evangeliza- tion, and it seems to me of the very greatest importance that at the out- set you and I especially, my fellow students, should know what we mean when we speak of the evangelization of the world. Vv"e do not mean the conversion of the world. However much or little it niay be in God's purpose to win this world unto Himself ; however many souls He may be gathering out of each foreign field tOjHimself ; and how- ever much it may be our effort to win individual souls to Jesus Christ, — we do not take as the watchword of this Movement the conversion of the world in this generation. If that phrase means anything at all, it means the conversion of all the individuals in the world, and with conversion in itself you and I have absolutely nothing to do. So I think you may take it at the outset that when we speak of the possibil- ity of the evangelization of the world in this generation, we are not to be misunderstood as implying the conversion of the world. N"or, in the second place, do I think that any of the student volun- teers mean the Christianization of the world. Many times we are told, in this day, that the end of missionary work is to carry the civili- 74 zation of our land into every heathen land ; and I am sure that we believe that that is the result of missionary work, and that it can be obtained in no other way than by missionary work. But the Christian- ization of the world and the civilization of the world are not the ambitions of the Student Volunteer Movement, and no intelligent volunteer seeks to claim that the watchword of this Movement means either the Christianization or the civilization of the world in this gen- eration. We do mean, however, that every intelligent, thoughtful, sincere volunteer believes in and prays for the evangelization of the world before we die, and by that simple phrase is meant simply this : the presenting of the Gospel in such a manner to every soul in this world that the responsibility for what is done with it shall no longer rest upon the Christian Church, or on any individual Christian, but shall rest on each man's head for himself. Now, sometimes we are told that this takes away a great deal of the dignity from the missionary purpose. But if this is the purpose which our Lord Jesus set in his Book for the missionary work of the Church in the world, I think we may well afford to have any dignity taken away that does not attach to the conception of missionary work that Christ had. And yet it is not a very narrow thing when we take into consideration the millions in the dark forests of Africa, the mil- lions more on the plains and in the mountains of Asia, and the millions more in the other darknesses of this world, who have never yet seen the face of any one who knew the Lord Jesus. May we make just this observation as we pass. Will you notice what an advantage this conception of our work gives us as we face those who make the objection that there is work enough to do at home ? Under this conception of the work of the Church, this land, Great Britain, and some other Christian lands have been practically evangelized already ; and as long as our work is evangelization merely, these lands, however great their need may be in our eyes, have, com- paratively speaking, generally lost their claims upon us. Let me say yet once more that, however m.uch this conception of missionary work may be bound up with the convictions you may have as to the time of our Lord's return, and however impossible it may be to gather together into one those parties that believe different things about the time of Christ's coming, there is no excuse whatever for transferring the dis- advantages of the incompatibility of those two views to these concep- tions of missionary work. The man who believes in the evangelization of the world does not necessarily lose sympathy with all efforts for establishing colleges, or for making the work permanent. It is largely a matter of emphasis. The man who wishes to evangelize the world will certainly do that other kind of work too, because he wants to 75 make his evangelization permanent ; and the man who does that other kind of work will certainly do evangelistic work, because it is the only way by which he can do that other work. So you need not jump ■ to the conclusion that there is opposition between the purpose of this work and that of those who have more permanent and institutional views of missionary effort. One thing more before we face the question of possibility. Our position on the question of possibility will be largely determined by our views of its desirability. If we do not think we want the world evangelized, we will not have to search far before we find it impossible to evangelize it. But if to-night, face to face with our glorified Master, we catch His Spirit, hear His word, and are willing to do His will, and will open our hearts a little to catch that other cry that comes across the seas to-night from every heathen land, I do not think we can refrain from brushing away a great many objections to the possibility of the evangelization of the world in this generation that may now confront our view. In the first place, then, the evangelization of the world in this generation is a possibility, so far as the world is concerned. There is nothing in this wide world apart from the Church and the Head of the Church that renders it in the slightest manner an impossible thing to evangelize the world in this generation. A hundred years ago it might not have been so ; but what a con- trast between that day and now ! Many, many lands then not open to the gospel ; and now — with perhaps one or two exceptions, and the doors of those probably pretty soon to be thrown open to the Christian Church — not a land in which we may not go and preach the glad tidings of Jesus Christ. One hundred years ago the Bible was access- ible, so far so the human languages in which it was printed were con- cerned, to only one-fifth of the human race ; now it is printed in over three hundred tongues, and spoken by over nine-tenths of the popula- tion of the whole world. A hundred years ago not a missionary vessel steamed in any waters. In the vast majority of heathen lands a Chris- tian man's face was never seen. But to-day the Chi-istian Church stands, so far as the open door is concerned in the world, at the Kadesh Barnea of the ages. The promised land is in full view before her, and the Lord of Hosts is giving the command to every man to go up straight before him and take possession. There is no difficulty with regard to the foreign field, so far as the acceptance and understanding of the Gospel on the part of the heathen are concerned. If one thing has been demonstrated more clearly than anything else it is, that the fact which Mark records, that the common people heard Jesus gladly, is true to-day ; because, in the heathen lands 76 no less than in tMs land, all men are competent to understand, and poor and degraded men are specially ready to accept, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know we are sometimes told that a Gospel from which we have taken all things that are miraculous, but which after that won- derful subtraction still has God in it, is the best Gospel we can take to the heathen world. But this is not the Gospel that has won the great- est triumphs this world has ever seen ; nor is it the Gospel that is to evangelize the world before your eyes and mine close in death. There is no impossibility suggested liy the Church's ignorance of the world's need. There never was a time when the need in all the world was so clear, so impressive, and so well kno'WTn to the Christian Church. Nor is there any impossibility, so far as this world is con- cerned, in the supposed unreadiness or unwillingness of the heathen to accept the Gospel. We have already heard more than one instance cited in this Convention of men in the foreign field who seemed to have been already touched by the Holy Spii'it to accept that Gospel when it came. He, whose Church was to embrace people out of every nation and kindred and people and tongue, hath not left Himself with- out some in every place who will respond to the Gospel of the King when it is brought by the ambassadors of the King's Son. So that, in the first place, there is nothing in the world to render impossible the evangelization of the woi'ld in this generation. It may be that some- times we think the heathen faiths stand like impassable barriers before us. I suppose the missionaries here to-night would say that all the heathen faiths of which they know anj'thing at all are crumbling away. Whatever the influences may be that are undermining them, still the great power of the King is shaping events for the coming of those who shall do greater things than even Jesus Hitaiself did, in the years that are very shortly to come. 2. In the second place, the evangelization of the world in this generation is possible so far as the Church is concerned. In the first place, the Church has the agencies. There was a list made out just a little while ago in which it was shown there were sometliing like a hundred missionary societies in this country. We might increase it by a large number of missionary societies in other lands. There never was a time when missionary methods were so well developed as now, when so much priceless ex]perienee, bought often •v^'ith blood, had been gathered, and so much knowledge of missionary lands amassed as to-day and when all the machinery — if any machinery were necessary — seemed so ready to the hands of Christian men. In the second place, the Church has the agents ready. There are 10,000,000 Protestant Christians in this land. Ought not 10,000,000 Protestant Christians to be able to preach the Gospel inside of 30 77 years — the length of an ordinary generation — to a population a hun- dred times that number? We had out of every 77 ministers, until the last few years, only one going into the foreign field ; out of every 5,000 Christian men only one entering the foreign work, and only one in 2,500 Christian women. Coming on the train from Pittsburg the other day was a young ' doctor who was not a Christian. He asked us where we were going. We said we were coming up to Cleveland to a missionary convention. " How are you able to give so much attention to the work abroad ? how is it that the Chm-ch wastes so much energy on the work abroad," he asked, " when there is so much to be done in this land of ours ? " I asked him what he would consider a fair propoi-tion of workers to keep in this land and a fair proportion to send abroa But this one conclusion to which we came, and in which you are specially interested, with reference to the appeal, was one arrived at with a great deal of solemnity and prayer. I shall never forget the mo- ment when the vote was taken on that subject. I think it was a rising vote. It was deliberate, prayerful, solemn. It was said last night that it was a modest appeal. I feel that it was a modest appeal. It was the minimum — 1,000. What shall we do with 1,000? We shall then have only one missionary to 200,000, or a married man, a minister and his wife, to 400,000 of the population of China. We will only be able to establish a central mission in 200 out of 1,700 walled cities of China. Suppose our additional thousand, with the thou- sand already on the field, to be so distributed among the provincial capitals and the Foo cities of China — eighteen provincial capitals 159 and one hundred and eight Foo cities. Suppose we have in each of these three ordained missionaries with their wives, one medical missionary and his wife, and two single missionaries. Allow me to say here, I believe in single missionaries. Leave it with God. Don't lay the burden on any one whether they should be married or unmarried : we want both kinds. Settle it according to your circumstances and God's guidance. Suppose, then, that we have three ordained missionaries, one medical missionary and his wife, and two single missionaries in each of these different centers. In each center they would have a resident population in the city where they reside of from 50,000 to 1,000,000. Under the jurisdiction of that city they would have nine walled cities of the third class, containing populations varying from 50,000 to 300,000 or 400,000. Each one of those nine walled cities of the third class would have connected with it perhaps a score of market towns with populations varying from say 3,000 to 20,000, and each one of those market towns would have connected with it villages and hamlets containing populations of from a few hundred to several thousand. This 1,000 is for male missiona- ries of the highest kind of qualifications and different grades of quali- fications. We want, however, as many lady missionaries besides. Rev. J. T. Gracey, president of the International Missionary Union, said : — I come to bring you, in these few minutes, the greetings of the International Missionary Union, and to thank you for sending us a delegate at our last annual meeting. In the providence of God we have established an annual meeting of all the missionaries of the United States and Canada whom we can reach, in a sort of world's missionary conference. We want the address of every missionary of whom you know, whether recently at home or many years at home. We have the post-ofiice address of about 500 returned missionaries, and that 500 mis- sionaries ought to stir this continent. You have had a little sample of what an International Missionary Union meeting is for a week. I come to ask you to send us other delegates this coming year. Come down and spend a week with seventy-five or a hundred returned missiona- ries, discussing and presenting the various sides of the problems which interest them and interest you. I have been very glad to be with you. And I am glad of one thing — that you are international as well as inter-denominational. There is one thing I want to say that I don't think has been sufficiently emphasized by the Protestant Church of the United States. I don't think you have qviite realized the high, thorough, and perpetual pro- tection which the British flag gives to missionaries whenever they need 160 it. I am an American of the Americans, and not a Britisher, as you might suspect ; but I know scores of times when I would have been torn into a thousand pieces, so to speak, but for the force of the British flag. And the whole American missionary force has the full protec- tion of the British flag accorded to it that it affords to its own people. So I am glad you are international. The fact is, in this missionary work you cannot be national. Now just one thing that is a nugget. If you do not remember any- thing else that has been said here, you had better remember this. The Revised Version of the Old Testament, reads, Isaiah 64 : " God work- eth for him that waiteth for him." It will take you a good whUe to understand that. "God worketh for him that waiteth for him." I waited ten years under the deepest and profoundest conviction, that stirred my soul to its depths every day, before I dared open my mouth about going into the foreign missionary work. Collins, the founder of our China mission, wanted to go, but he hadn't any money. Finally he wi-ote to Bishop Gaines : " I must go to China. Engage me a pas- sage before the mast. My own strong arm can send me there and sustain me when there." But the Board sent him. Don't be afraid to wait ; God works. Don't be a pessimist ever. It would not seem as if that was neces- sary here in this presence with this motto [indicating the motto of the Convention]. Don't be discouraged. The oldest missionaries are those of the largest hopefulness. I went ashore once on the island of St. Helena, and as I went up I heard music. After a while I found it was music that came from three half-castes of some sort sitting at a fruit stand under an umbrella. It was sweet, low music, a chant ; and when I got nearer I found they were chanting the grand old doxology of the English Church : " Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen ; " and the sweet, low music of it blended with the low music of the sea waves as they splashed over the shore. And as I stood on that island, 1,700 miles away from any continent, I stamped my foot and I said, " That is it." The islands of the sea have caught the sound, and it shall sweep upon every part of the breeze, until, wherever ships and carriages reach, wherever the sky covers and the earth sustains, wherever there is sunshine and rain, wherever there is blood and flesh, there will be none who do not say, " Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world Avithout end. Amen." And let all the people say " Amen." 161 Evening Session. The first address of the evening was given by Robert P. Wilder on — The Perils and Privileges of the Student Volunteer Movement. In the fall of 1883, Messrs. Van Kirk and Langdon, of the Senior class, and myself, of the Junior class, were sent by the Philadelphian Society of Princeton College as delegates to the Inter- Seminary Mis- sionary Alliance Convention, held that year at Hartford, Conn. At this convention the thought came to Mr. Van Kirk that there should be, as he expressed it, " an organization of those who had definitely decided that it was their duty to go to the foreign field, in order that they might encourage and enlighten one another, and do more effective and aggressive work in behalf of the cause." Upon our return from Hartford, we three met and considered the formation of a mission band in Princeton College, to which should belong men pledged for foreign service. My father counselled and encouraged us in this effort. In conver- sation with him I learned of a similar society at Andover Seminary, of which he was a member. It was a secret organization — secret, doubt- less, because public sentiment was then hostile to foreign missions. Father informed me that " The Brethren " society of Andover Semi- nary, to which he belonged, was organized at WilUams College about 1808, probably at the place where the famous "Haystack Meeting" was held. When Samuel J. Mills, James Richards, and other founders of this society, left Williams College, they carried the documents of the society with them to Andover. In the constitution are found the words : " No person shall be admitted who is under any engagement of any kind which shall be incompatible with going on a mission to the heathen." " Each member shall hold himself in readiness to go on a mission when and where duty may call." These words suggested to my father a pledge for a similar society, which we contemplated orga- nizing at Princeton. Five of us met in the front parlor of my house and appointed Messrs. R. W. Van Kirk and John N. Forman a com- mitteee of two to draft a constitution for the Princeton Foreign Mis- sionary Society. This committee was heartily in favor of the pledge suggested, and embodied this pledge in the constitution, the second article of which read as follows : " Any student of the college who is a professing Christian may become a member by subscribing to the fol- lowing covenant. ' We, the undersigned, declare ourselves willing and desirous, God permitting, to go to the unevangelized portions of the world.' " " The object of this society," according to the constitu- 162 tion, " shall be the cultivation of a missionary spirit among the students of the college, the information of its members in all subjects of mis- sionary interest, and especially the leading of men to consecrate them- selves to foreign mission work." Mr. R. W. Van Kirk was chosen president of the society, and I was elected to the office of secretary. The meetings were held at my house at least once in three weeks. I can remember, as if it were but yesterday, the fellows sitting in a semi-circle, facing the folding doors upon which was extended the map of the world. I can see father's earnest face kindle as he tells us of Mackay's work in Formosa, or gives the latest news from the Dark Continent. I can still hear his urgent appeal to those of us who are pledged and to the few who had not yet signed the covenant. He would point to his thirty years' experience as a foreign missionary, and press home the Scriptural argument for missions, the need for workers, and the privilege of personally entering the service. From his talks Forman and I secured many of the arguments which we used later in our intercollegiate work. After his appeals, the old missionary would withdraw, and we would kneel in prayer. In an adjoining room, unknown to any but myself, there was another praying. When the service was finished, we two would slip oif together and talk it all over. God alone knows how much those meetings in our parlor owed their success to my sister's prayers. Most of the sessions were conducted by us students. Some of these meetings were intensely interesting. I remember that at one service one of our members said, " Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel to the heathen." As soon as he finished, Forman jimiped to his feet with the words : " I know why Curtis feels so. Over his bed hangs a chart with the black squares representing 856,000,000 of heathen. Any man sleeping with such a chart at the head of his bed must decide to be a foreign missionary or have a nightmare every night." Fred. Cur- tis is now in Japan, two of our members in China, one in Bulgaria, two went to Syria, two in Siam, one in India, one headed for Africa. You ask what led these men to decide ? Largely personal work. The first recruit whom God gave me writes from Peking, China, as follows : " It was only when, in my walks and talks with you, I found that you would agree with me in holding that, when carried to its logical extreme, it was the duty of every Christian to be a foreign missionary, if God permitted, that I could rest in the conviction that I was bound to go. I was then quite in the dark as to my future ; but I think I remember one walk toward the southwest with you when I was persuaded to make that statement and form one of the band. I signed about January, 1884, two and one-half years before the famous Mt. Hermon meeting was held," 163 This society at Princeton, though a college organization at its in- ception, was thrown open to divinity men also. Many of our members belonged to the Theological Seminary. Through the fall of 1885 and spring of 1886 my sister and I met, night after night, to pray for a widespread missionary movement through the country, asking God to give us the privilege of helping in such a missionary revival. Not even our parents knew the- burden resting on our hearts. When an invitation came to address a convention at New Brunswick that seemed one answer to our prayers. At last Mr. Wishard came to Princeton, and urged the claims of the Mt. Hermon Summer School. As a result of his appeal, I abandoned plans to teach during the summer, and started for Mt. Hermon. Before leaving Princeton, well do I remem- ber my sister's saying, "I shall pray for a great missionary revival among the college students where you are going." Her prayers were answered. 100 men at Mt. Hermon turned their faces toward foreign fields. Then Tewkesbury, of Harvard, suggested a tour through the colleges and seminaries. Three of the four men selected for this work were unable to go. I felt the need of a companion, and thought at once of Forman, who was one of the founders of the foreign mission- ary society at Princeton. "We started in October, 1886. God con- descended to bless the work done then by Forman and myself, and subsequently by Speer, Cossum, and Miss Guinness, until there are now 6,000 volunteers enrolled, of which number 350 have sailed. I have dealt thus at length with the organization of this band, for three reasons : 1. It furnished the pledge of the Student Volunteer Movement. The covenant that the 6,000 volunteers have signed is almost identical with that found in the constitution of the Princeton College Foreign Missionary Society. 2. From this society went out the two men, J. N. Forman and myself, who inaugurated the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions among the colleges. 3. This society furnished us the idea of organizing volunteers into bands in the colleges and seminaries, and suggested methods of con- ducting band meetings. So much for the origin of our beloved Movement. It is another monument to answered prayer. The little beginning at Princeton has assumed intercollegiate and international proportions. But what shall the future bring this organization ? is the question you ask. The same comes to me as I am about to leave this Move- ment, with which I have been officially connected since its inceptini. Shall it die as did the Andover society ? What are the flaws in it ? What the weak points? For three days we have been turning our 164 batteries upon it too see whether it can stand the fire. Secretaries of the leading missionary societies and returned missionaries have helped us in this work of friendly, but frank and forcible, criticism. If a more effective movement could be started, your speaker would be the first to help it. The speedy evangelization of the world was the crowning motive leading us to begin the Student Volunteer Movement. We have given time and strength to it. Thus far it has seemed to be the best organization for this purpose. But if a better one is found, we shall throw this one overboard. True love is not blind to faults. Faults there are in the Movement. What are they ? They are not in the organization. That seems to be nearly perfect. By uniting our Movement with the three leading student organizations — the College Young Men's Christian Association, the College Young Women's Christian Association, and the Inter-Seminary Missionary Alliance — we have given it permanency and patronage and a limitless field in which to expand. Through its advisory committee we have given the Movement the counsel, co-operation, and confidence of older and wiser missionary workers. No one, so far as known to me, has criticized adversely our organization. What then are the perils? They are not from vnthout. To be sure there is not money enough in the treasuries of our Boards to send us forth. The A. B. C. F. M. has ordered a retrenchment of ten per cent, in Japan. Neither it nor any of om- missionary societies feel able to send forth a large number of volunteers. 1. Here is our first peril. Shall we yield to this adverse gale? Some say : " Yes. We have given our lives to the work. The churches should give at least their money." This is true. The wealth of American Christians is estimated at 111,000,000,000. But because churches are disobeying Christ's last command, is it any reason why we should ? Should the heathen be allowed to perish because our church members purchase flowers to adorn earthly temples, when the money is needed to win souls for the heavenly temple ? The Protestants of New York City give in a single year 1100,000 to floral decorations, while their work suffers retrenchment. But these Chris- tians are answerable to their Master. We must not plead their sin as an excuse for ours. Students in one of the leading theological sem- inaries said to me : " It will do no good for us to apply for foreign service. Two of our best men applied, and were rejected for lack of funds. They were far superior to us." To such I answer. Do the Boards say, " Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation " ? If so, then the Boards' dictum should settle matters. But it is Christ who commands this world-wide campaign. A Christ- sent man no empty Board treasury can stop. Dr. Herrick Johnson 165 well expressed it when he said, " Young man, if the Board is in your way, bore a hole through the Board." But, you answer, if the Board refuses me is that not a call of God for me to remain at home ? That depends upon the cause of their refusal. If you are refused because of ill health, mental or spiritual incompetency, the probability is that you are unfit for foreign work. But even here the Boards are fallible. One of the best foreign mis- sionaries was rejected by three Boards. Yet he went abroad, and God used him. But almost invariably the missionary societies are wise and just in handling such cases. If the Board rejects you because of lack of funds, do not interpret this as a call of God to stay at home. You say. How can I be sent ? First, pray to Him whose is the silver and the gold. Then go to your home church where you are known and loved, tell the pastor and people of your purpose, and doubtless they will raise your salary. The churches are ready and willing to give if appealed to by young men whose lives are consecrated to the work. We heard yesterday from a volunteer who raised $5,000 in six weeks. There is plenty of money in the churches. But the average church member does not know of the needs abroad nor of our purpose to go. Let us come to the churches having as our theme the highwayman's motto, " Your money or your life," saying the needs are so great, the command so urgent, we have given our lives — will you not give your money ? I am glad, for two reasons, that our Boards lack funds. First, so that the faint-hearted and backboneless volunteers may be weeded out. If such a small obstacle as lack of money paralyzes a man, how will greater obstacles on the field affect him ? Second, so that we may be compelled to address the churches and give them facts and fire. Think what it will mean if scores of volunteers make a thorough canvass of the churches informing them upon foreign fields and pre- vailing upon each church to support at least one volunteer. Of course, in such cases the volunteers should be sent out under the various denominational Boards, and their support should pass through the Boards. The coast is clear for us to do this church work. The lead- ing missionary societies favor the plan and will further us in our efforts. So this lack of money is our extremity if we are weak-kneed, but our opportunity if we are strong in the Lord and true to our pledge. 2. The second peril is from friends. Some wiseacre will come to a volunteer and say : " You are too good a man for foreign work. The home field needs men of piety and brains like yourself." A student told me that before he entered college it was his purpose to become a foreign missionary. While in college his professors said to him that he was too good for such service. Continual dropping told. Finally 166 he was flattered into feeling that his rare ability was too precious to be wasted on the heathen. After leaving his flattering friends at college and entering a divinity school, he began to recover from the malady and joined the Volunteer Movement. He saw that his brain was not unusually massive, and that even if he possessed great talents the foreign field could utilize all his ability. A professor in a leading divinity school told a senior that he was too able a man for foreign service. What do such professors mean ? Shall we send inferior men to grapple with Neo-Buddhism and infidel- ity in Japan ? Are any too brilliant to deal with the subtilities of Hin- dooism or the modern philosophic-religious cults in India ? If any man before me holds this view, a month's contact with the Somajists or theosophists in India will knock out his conceit. Yes, even the most degraded in Africa need the best. The most ignorant need as teachers the clearest thinkers. England's ablest scholars. Bishops Patteson and Selwyn, found their talents taxed to the utmost in their work for Poly- nesian savages. Our Saviour did not hesitate to preach a matchless sermon to the fallen women of Samaria. One well says, " It would be a sad day for American Christians if they should ever deserve Nehe- miah's reproach, ' Their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.' " Friends occasionally take a different tack. They magnify diflicul- ties of language and dangers of climate. They counsel caution and urge our unfitness for foreign work. They argue thus : All cannot be sent since there are 6,000 volunteers. Let those better qualified go. I deny the premise. The church can send more than 6,000. If American Christians give one per cent, of their income there will be money enough to send 20,000. 6,000 would hardly suflice for Africa alone. They would be a mere handful among the 200,000,000 who people the Dark Continent. Can we not, should we not, send 20,000 volunteers abroad during this generation ? Is it too much to ask of the 12,000,000 communicants at home? But friends say you are unfit to be one of this number. They may be right. Pray over the matter unselfishly. Find out your unfitness and overcome it. If it be intel- lectual unfitness, study and discipline your mind. If it be physical, endeavor by careful diet and daily exercise to overcome this obstacle. If after careful training you are still unfit, you can work at home with the satisfaction of having done your best to go. If the defect is a spiritual one, then halt. Move not a step until this unfitness be re- moved. By prayer, study of the Word, and practice in soul winning, this defect can be overcome. Before applying again to the Board, however, try to test your spiritual gifts. It is better to burst the gun at Birmingham than on the Afghan frontier. Several of our ablest 167 missionaries were regarded by friends as unfit for foreign service. Do not let the question be decided by a " What say your friends ? " but by a » What saith the Lord? " The most serious peril under this head is that presented by home ties. The winds of j opposition from father and mother have changed the course of many a man who has weathered other gales of fierce opposition. You say, Ai-e we not told, " children obey your parents " ? Yes, but complete the verse ; it reads, " obey your parents in the Lord." Are we obeying them in the Lord if they interfere with our doing the Lord's work? How did Christ deal with this subject? (Matt. 10 : 35-38 ; Matt. 12 : 46-50.) Was Asa a disobedient son ? He removed his mother from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove. He put God and His cause first, his mother second. Can we allow a mother to be queen in our hearts if she interferes with duty to Christ ? When Christ called James and John they did not argue about filial duty. " They immediately left the ship and their father and followed Him." Rev. Edward Judson writes of his father : " The Rev. Dr. GrifBn had proposed him as his colleague in the largest church in Boston. ' And you will be so near home,' his mother said. ' No,' was his reply, ' I shall never live in Boston. I have much farther than that to go.' The ambitious hopes of his father were over- thrown, and his mother and sister shed many regretful tears." If God says " go," no home tie is strong ^enough to be valid. Should I not consult with my parents? (Gal. 1: 15-17). Let God, not your parents, settle this question. You should pray for them and give them the facts. If consecrated they will in time feel the force of Christ's command as do you, and will bid you " God speed " in the work. But what if parents are financially dependent upon me? If you are an only child and the support of an aged father or mother rests upon you, then you may be exempt. But if there are other children in the family, you are under no more obligation than they to support parents — yes, not so much. There is a question more diiWcult than this to decide. It presents a serious problem. Many of our volunteers have faced it, and some have fallen before it. It is a delicate subject, but in dealing with our perils I must deal with this. If the first commandment means any- thing it means that God and His service must be dearer to us than the dearest earthly tie. So firm was William Carey on this point that when his wife refused to accompany him the answer came, " Go I must or guilt will rest upon my soul." Many sad complications would be avoided did volunteers live up to their pledge. One said to me not long since that his fiancee refused to accompany him. With my whole Boul do I pity that man ; but the fault is largely his own. Had he. 168 from the first, made it evident to her and her friends that it was his unflinching purpose to go, he would have avoided this complication. The out and out volunteers run but little risk in this direction. Dr. Judson wrote as follows to his fiancee : " May this be the year in which you will take final leave of your relatives and native land, in which you will cross the wide ocean and dwell on the other side of the world among a heathen people. We shall no more see our kind friends around us or enjoy conveniences of civilized life, or go to the house of God with those that keep holy day; but swarthy countenances will everywhere meet our eye, the jai-gon of an unknown tongue will assail our ears. We shall see many dreary, disconsolate hours, and feel a sinking of spirits, anguish of mind, of which |now we can form little conception. O, we shall wish to lie down and die ! And that time may soon come. One of us may be unable to sustain the heat of the climate and the change of habits. In view of such scenes shall we not pray with earnestness, ' O, for an overcoming faith ? ' " Strong lan- guage, you say. Yes ; but it required a strong woman to do the work. If strong, his words would not daunt her. If weak, she had better be daunted. Write such a letter to your fiancee. If she be thoroughly consecrated, it will nerve her to new consecration. If she is unwilling to go find out the fact as soon as possible, leave her, and thank God for your escape from a union which would defeat His plans. One volunteer hesitated to go because his mother-in-law opposed it. Imagine a man in the United States Army telling his oflicer that he could not go to a western army post because his mother-in-law ob- jected ! Oh ! for men like Zrnzendorf, who will say, " I know of only one passion, and that is He." 3. The third peril is self. This explains why so many volunteers cool oft'. The lack of money in the Boai-ds, pressure of friends and relatives, are perils ; but the chief perils are in the volunteer's heart. At some meeting the missionary fire was kindled and he signed the pledge. If the fire is not kept up the fault is his own. You say that he decided under excitement. That makes no difference. Excitement is often a God-send. Hear Dr. Judson's statement upon this subject : " My views were very incorrect and my feelings extravagant ; but yet I have always felt thankful to God for bringing me into that state of excitement which was perhaps necessary in the first instance to enable me to break the strong attachment I felt to home and country. . . . That excitement soon passed away, but it left a strong desire to prose- cute my inquiries." Whether " excitement " is followed by such a " strong desire " depends upon yourself. Do not say that God allowed the flame to wane. Have you fed the fire ? Information is the fuel. Jf the fire has died for lack of fuel the fault is your own, since there 169 is an abundance of missionary literature at your hand. But throwing on fuel is not enough. Look well to the draft. Knock out the clinkers of self which clog up and deaden the fire of consecration. Unless careful men, our professional courses of study will chill us. Those who are familiar with medical students know that many of them are callous. This cannot be if the heart is warm. Even theological men will bear me out when I say, that the business-like scrutiny of the Word, examining it with the microscope of textual criticism, is a chill- ing operation unless we constantly approach the study with bowed heads and scan the sacred pages reverently. Here is your peril. Let not the fire of consecration cool under your professional studies. He that holdeth the seven stars in His hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, commends many things in the Ephesian church — its labor, its patience, its abhorrence of evil. Why then does He threaten to remove its candlestick ? Because the church had left its first love. Why ? The calls are more urgent now than when they volunteered. Witness the ringing appeal from the Shanghai Confer- ence for 1,000 men. WTiy has the first love lessened? Is it because our love for Christ has lessened ? He says, " If ye love me, keep my commandments." If His last command means less to us now than when we first volunteered, it is because we love Him less. " Lovest thou me? . . . feed my sheep." If we are less anxious to feed the sheep wandering through aU the mountains of the world, it is because we love the Shepherd less. Is not Christ saying now, as in the days of Ezekiel, "My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them." But some volunteer, completing his course of study, says, " Should I not wait upon God for grace and guidance ? " That depends. What do you want guidance for? If to determine what foreign field should claim you, well and good. But if to determine whether you shall go abroad or stay at home, remember that question was settled when you signed the pledge. You have decided once for all to go unless God blocks the way. Do not re-open that question. But should I not pray for grace. God never gives grace for futures. We all have more light than we live up to. To get more we must use what we have. Then there are crises when any delay is unjustifiable. Notwithstanding the many adversaries opposing, a wide door and an effectual is open to us. What are our privileges ? They belong to two classes, — those be- fore sailing and those after reaching the field. 1. Those before saiUng : (a) We have the personal privilege for preparing for the largest possible service. Throughout our courses of study we have the assur- ance that every bit of knowledge can be utilized in the foreign field. 170 Are you a skilled mechanic ? Read Stanley's description of Mackay's work in Africa : " A high solid workshop in the yard filled with tools and machinery ; a launch's boiler was being prepared by the black- smiths ; a big canoe was outside repairing. There were saw pits and large logs of hard timber ; and quiet laborers came up to bid us, with hats off, ' good morning ! ' " And, best of all, about 2,000 Christians, of whom Stanley says, " Such fortitude, such bravery, such courage ! it is unexampled in the whole history of Africa — just the fortitude I had read of in books of the martyrs of the early church." Remember that Mackay was an explorer, ship builder, sailor, doctor, peacemaker, diplomat, teacher, and preacher. What larger field do you want for your varied talents ? Oh ! that is Africa, you say. Of course all kinds of talent can be used there. Come to India. There you can learn of a missionary who works in indigo factories, supported his family, and, in addition to that, earned $2,500 worth of property for his mission. You find this same artisan invited to teach Bengali, Sanscrit, and Marathi in the government college. You may see him superintend thirty-four translations of the Bible, or parts of the Bible, into as many different languages, besides doing a stupendous amount of evan- gelistic work. Can you use the axe as well as the pen ? Both kinds of skill are needed abroad. Knowledge of printing, blacksmithing, ship-building, carpentry, medicine, journalism, book making, all can be utilized in this magnificent work to which we look forward. A volunteer writes from Africa, " we are very anxious to get a young man, a layman, to come to see to our transport business." As the German proverb states, " All kinds of nets are needed for all classes of fish." We have all classes of work abroad, and every talent, can, it consecrated, be utilized. Here is a work for which no man is too great — -none too small — if the heart be filled with the Holy Ghost ; a work in which the weak things, base things, and those despised have been used. And, as we study and think of this work, how our hearts and minds expand! The millions who cling to great ethnic faiths troop into our sympa- thies until our thoughts broaden, our love deepens, and we too have begun to love the world somewhat as God loved it. Oh, the personal privilege of preparing for the work of foreign missions ! (b) But there is a public privilege for us prior to going abroad : First, to secure volunteers. Next to going yourself comes the pleasure of getting some one else to go. Secure another man to enter foreign service and your life is doubled. Prevail upon fifty, and your life is multiplied fifty-fold, if they turn out to be as good workers as yourself. There is a Kansas volunteer in our midst who has secured 130 recruits, an Ohio man who has been instrumental in obtaining 150 171 other volunteers. Think of the privilege. I do pity the men who go abroad empty-handed, and cannot point to a single man having decided as a result of their efforts. Think of the privilege of receiving such a letter from the Dark Continent : " I am thankful to God for the Inter-Seminary Alliance. . . . Glad I met you there. . . . From the number you addressed, in my seminary, is in Micronesia, is in Japan, is in Turkey, is on his way to Zululand, and I am here." Do not let Forman, Speer, and Cossum have a monopoly of this privilege. What would you think of having a man from China write : " lowe to you my being here. As a result of a walk with you over the college campus, I signed this covenant and joined the band." Such letters I prize among my choicest treasures. Secondly, we have the privilege of arousing the home church to a greater interest in the work of missions. You say, that is presumption. We should follow, not lead, the Church. But God has worked differ- ently. If Martin Luther had waited for the Church to lead, where would have been the Reformation ? If William Carey had waited for the Church to lead, where would have been modern missions ? Prof. Austin Phelps speaks as follows of the first missionary revival in America, 1810 to 1812: "Foreign missions from this country had their birth, not in the churches, not among then- ministers and wise men, but in Williams College and Andover Seminary ; not among the people who were to support them, but in the hearts of those who were determined to go supported or not supported. It was youthful fore- sight that detected that early dawn. It was youthful faith that read the promise of the meridian. The fathers smiled, and the wise men shook their heads at the dream of the young men, but now the room where they met for prayer and the grove where they walked in counsel have become shrines." " Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth ! " God chose a young man to arouse England, and he did it, though only after twelve years' battling. God chose a young man to arouse America to assist in the world's evangelization. Is He not calling us to stir the church of America to, finish the work of world-wide evangelism ? It is in our power to stir Canada and the States from Toronto to Texas and from Nova Scotia to the Pacific. Think what God did through the one man Wesley. What can He not accomplish through 500 men and women if we let Him use us ! Think of the churches and the institu- tions which we re^jresent. How can we accompUsh this ? The way in which Jerusalem was kept clean was by having every man sweep before his own door. Let each one of us sweep away from his own church and institution whatever ignorance and indifference there is to this, the greatest work of the nineteenth century. 172 2. After sailing : First, the personal privilege. We can enter upon the grandest work given men to do. A work which the greatest Apostle coveted : "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace (privilege) given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the un- searchable riches of Christ." Do you wonder that a volunteer writes from Africa, " There is such joy in this service that I almost pity those who have to stay at home " ? As we enter the foreign field let us remember that we are treading in the footsteps of the greatest men of the church. Schwartz, Carey, Livingstone, Martyn, Judson, Hannington, and a host of others are watching us. Seeing " we are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Secondly, by sailing we have the privilege of strengthening the home church. One says, " As metaphysics may be called the pure mathematics of Theology, so missions are its practical application, and are destined to play an important jpart in correcting the vagaries of theologians, as practical engineering has done in the domain of theoret- ical mechanics." Thirdly, we have the privilege, after reaching the field, to co-operate with missionaries and native Christians in a forward movement to speed- ily evangelize the world. It is the privilege of being at the front in what may be the final charge. We must admit that the world can be evangelized in this generation. Whether it shall be depends largely upon us, the students of North America. Courage, fellows ! If God could evangelize through missionaries our ancestors, the skin-clad Britons and the naked savages of Germany, He can use us to evangelize any existing heathen nation. But, to accomplish this, one thing is essential. With it success is assured. If the student volunteers receive this fire from on high our land -nill be illumined and the dangers of distant lands be dispelled. "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." We volunteers need this fire. 1. Effects of baptism of the Holy Ghost. (1.) Boldness. Acts 4 : 29, 31 . (2.) Utterance. A cringing coward, when filled with the Spirit, faces the whole populace of Jerusalem. He looks upon those before whom he denied Christ. The audience was unfavorable, his message distasteful ; but the Holy Spirit gave utterance, and there followed an effect unknown in the history of the world. The same day 3,000 were converted. 173 Paul asked Christians to pray " that utterance may be given unto him," and utterance was given. He and Barnabas " so spake that a great multitude . . . believed." Paul the scholar, Paul the learned, Paul the philosopher, prays for utterance. What does this mean? Have we not heard men speak elegantly and learnedly, yet the words did not move hearts nor mold lives. They were " faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly null." Why? The speakers lacked unction. They did not possess this utterance of the Holy Spirit. Mary and Elizabeth had this utterance. Whitfield possessed it. One says, "It is utterly impossible to assign a natural reason why Whitfield should have been] the means of converting so many more sinners than other men. Without one trace of logic, philosophy, or anything to be called systematic theology, his sermons, viewed intel- lectually, take an humble place among humble efforts." 2. Who can have this baptism of the Holy Spirit? Not only the Apostles, not only the seventy — even the women — all. This is our heritage as much as it was Peter's. We should have more power than he had, since we have the same promises and the light of his example. 3. How can we obtain this baptism of the Holy Spirit? "God has spoken, yea, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God." To Him we must look, and to Him alone. But there are several conditions we must fulfil before receiving this power. (1). Bible study. Peter was not ignorant and unlearned as far as his Bible knowledge was concerned. His sermon at Pentecost was made up entirely of quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures and applying these passages. The early disciples were thoroughly familiar with the doctrines and promises of the Word. Christ had taught them how to use the Sword of the Spirit. (John 14 : 26.) He cannot bring things to our remembrance unless we first store them in our memory. , (2). Faith. It is better to have too much faith than too little. It is better to be too hot than to have a Laodicean lukewarmness. Ste- phen was " full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." He was " full of faith and of power." See how the word faith is emphasized. Do you sup- pose that God will give us a Pentecostal outpouring of His Spirit if we are so " narrow " and " proper " as to practically deny the possibility of another Pentecost now ? As we go abroad let us remember the words, " According to your faith be it unto you." " He could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief." Let us expect a Pentecost upon the foreign field. (3). Eye single to God's glory. He will not give His glory to another. When Uzziah " was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction." If we preach for " effect," to win admiration, the Holy 174' Spirit will not fill us. Can we truthfully say with Zinzendorf , " I have but one passion, and that is He ? " (4) . Waiting, eager waiting upon God. (Luke 24 : 49.) They tarried ten long days, though the world needed them. Let us never, never dare to leave for foreign service until endued with power from on high. Nothing but prayer will give us this power. Remember that they were all with one accord in one place. Fellows, if we long for this baptism let us all meet with one accord daily around the mercy seat. There is a power in united supplication. Let us pray at the noon time daily for this power. Then note that they were eagerly waiting upon God. They must have had that prayer meeting very early in the morning ; for after they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and after the news had spread and the crowds had assembled, it was only nine o'clock in the morning. And only the hungiy and thirsty shall be filled. (Jer. 29: 13.) If we go from this Convention filled with the Holy Spirit, what then ? A missionary revival will sweep through Canada and the States, and the world will be speedily evangelized. What then ? When the Tabernacle was finished it was filled with the glory of the Lord. When our work of preaching the Gospel to the whole creation is finished, " the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." . FAREWELL MEETING. After a period of a few minutes, made impressive by silent prayer, the farewell meeting, which was given up entirely to the volunteers, was begun, and included brief addresses, in which were presented the needs of various lands and peoples, and also testimony from students and others of the chief impression of the Convention or the dominant purpose formed while at Cleveland. Ml'. H. G. Bissell, of Hartford Theological Seminary, said : — Friends and volunteers, I have no introduction, I have no statistics, and I have nothing humorous to say. India needs first of all the Gospel of Jesus Christ. India needs that Gospel through yourself personally, individually; and no country can get the Gospel of Jesus Christ without wholesouled love on the part of Christ's disciples. I speak not only as one who has lived there, but as one who has come to love the people ; and I shall never feel satisfied unless I can go back and work among them. And to those of you who desire to go, let me say, that if you do truly desire to go and work among the people of India, no one can prevent you. 175 India needs the Gospel first for the young men and the boys. The young life of India is waking up to Western thought. Don't think that India is in the background. India's thought is coming to the front, and can shortly stand up alongside of Western thought. It needs the Gospel for the young girls ; it needs it — God pity them — for the desolate widows of India : it needs it for the men who are going down- ward every day because of the superstition and the ignorance which weigh so heavily upon them. Go to no country unless you love the people of that country with the deepest and sincerest love with which God has endowed you. Come to India and you will find places there to demand any kind of talent. I have been there as a boy in my father's family, going around with him from district to district, and I say that any kind and all sorts of talent may be used in India for its evangeli- zation. And, in facing this great truth, which seems almost impossible, I comfort myself with these three thoughts : God's greatness, Chi-ist's redemption for the world, and the vacant field. Face the three and come along. Rev. Kajinosuke Ibuka, vice-president of the Meji Gakuin, Tokio, Japan, said : — The needs of Japan are many and great; but, above all, Japan needs Christ. The leading men of Japan have been carried away with your civilization, and the Japanese government has adopted one system of your civilization, and has introduced one improvement after another, the last thing being the adoption of the representative form of govern- ment ; and our first parliament is in session now. But what is the rest of the civilization without the religion of Jesus Christ ? Indeed, it is a serious question if the introduction of Western civilization into Japan without the religion of Christ will not be a positive injury. The greatest need of Japan, let me repeat, is Christ. But Christ needs His messengers to carry His Gospel to the people of Japan. And so the next need of Japan is men, men like Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ. A great deal has been said about the intellectual preparation of missionaries, which is true ; but, after all, it is the life of men, the Christlike life, that is needed. We do not ask for many. We do not ask for 1,000, we do not ask for 500, we do not ask for 300 ; we ask for 100 young men, full of the Spirit of Christ. And with those 100 young men, with the force already on the ground, the whole empire of Japan, with its 40,000,000 people, can easily be evan- gelized, God helping us, in this generation. There is not the least doiibt about it. Twenty-five years ago Christianity was prohibited in Japan. When I became a Christian, in 1873, it was high treason to the 176 empire to profess Christianity. When I joined the church of Yoko- hama that was the one solitary Japanese Christian church in the whole empire. But now, thanks to God, we have more than 300 churches throughout the whole country, now we have about 35,000 Christians in the country. God has removed one difficulty after another, and has opened the door wide, and tells His people to come in and and take possession of the land for Christ. Will you not come to Japan and preach the Gospel to the Japanese people. And with your help, and the forces already on the ground, I repeat, God helping us, that I think the whole country may be easily evangelized in this generation. May God grant us His blessing ! Mr. Mott: — There is one race to which we owe more than to any other, con- cerning which we have said comparatively nothing in this Convention, and I have asked Mr. Slomans, a converted Jew, to speak to us a few minutes upon his race. Mr. Wm. Slomans : — Nineteen hundred years ago the dear Lord Jesus, before leaving this world, bade adieu to those watching disciples upon the mount out- side the city. Remember his words in Acts 1:8," But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." It has not been carried out, dear friends. There are to-day 12,000,000 Jews in the world, about the same number that were in the world when Christ lived ; and how little has the effort been made to tell them the story about their elder brother's death for them. I heard to-night that in Cleveland alone there are 5,000 Jews, and not a tract distributed upon the sti'eets among them to tell them about Jesus. Dr. Freshman, in New York, is doing a marvelous work in this direction. Successful work is in progress in Boston and Chicago. Cleveland has no such work. The motto of this Movement, "The Evangelization of the World in this Generation," I believe to be a reality ; I believe that you and I will see the successful carrying out of that motto by the help of God. And I will tell you how we can hasten it — by getting God's own chil- dren to see the reason. God has given the Jews the wealth of the world for a reason, — namely, to extend His cause; and I tell you, dear friends, it is our incumbent duty to tell those despised and rejected Jews the story of the Cross. We have heard a good deal about edu- cation, industrial work, and other work among the heathen. The Jew does not need any industrial work, does not need any educational work, 177 because they have these. They are not pagans ; they are not heathen. They need Christ. There are none of you in whose faces I look but have heard the story of the Cross and seen its radiance. You have power to tell them of Jesus. If this Convention does not result in anything else, if it only puts a desire in your hearts to lead a child of Abraham to the Cross, it will have accomplished its mission. Mr. E. E. Helms, of Topeka, Kan., speaking on Africa, said : — I beUeve if Jesus Christ were here to-night, and could point to that picture [indicating the map of Africa], he would say there is only one place in this universe darker than that spot, and that is the land of the blackness of darkness forever. I heard a man say not long since that the social sin had honeycombed the city of New York. It has eaten the heart and soul and body of Africa. You can magnify Mo- hammedanism, and Romanism, and Catholicism, and a thousand other things ; but it is the social sin with which the devil is cutting the throat of Africa. I heard a gentleman a short time ago describing the greatest army that ever marched. He spoke of Napoleon's army of five hundred thousand with which he swept down upon Russia; and of the five millions which Xerxes brought down to sweep Greece ; and of Sher- man with his army fifty miles wide marching on to the sea. And I said, surely it is not true. The greatest army ever in march would make a procession 150,000 miles long and ten men deep, sweeping toward the sea of destruction, in rags and filth and witchcraft and sin and idolatry down to death — 8,000,000 last year, 250 since we have been in this hall, We have sung and written and talked about Africa long enough ; and if the Lord stood here to-night He would say, " Let somebody go." Africa needs heroic men. If Jesus Christ were here He would say to you that it means sickness, starvation, death, to go to Africa. But it meant death for Him to come down to this world. It meant death for Paul to go to Rome. To-night Africa pleads and Africa dies ; and Jesus Christ from the heavens pours down into your heart His Spirit, with these burning words, " If ye love me, keep my commandments," — which means, save Africa. Then followed a brief statement from volunteers expecting to go to foreign fields within the next twelve months, telling where they in- tended to go and why. A few only are given : — " I want to go to Assam, India, because I believe I must go." "To the Telegoos, because they are perishing for the Word of Life." 178 " To Burmah or to India, I am not positive which — hut to preach the Gospel of Christ, because I believe it is the power of God unto salvation for every one that believeth." " I am going to the Soudan, because it is the darkest place in the world." " To India, because I was born there and saw the needs of the young men and young women there with my own eyes." " I am going to Corea, because I believe that is the country which needs me most, in the medical work." " I am going to Brazil, because there are milUons there — 2,000,000 of native Africans, and a native population of 12,000,000 — without the Gospel of Christ." " I am going wherever God wishes me to go, because He commands me and has given me a call to take hold." " I am going to Bulgaria, unless the Board wants me to go some- where else, because I was born there and know the needs of that field." " I expect to go to India within the next twelve months, because I believe it is the key to Asia, and the vast masses of the unreached millions are still in Asia." " I expect to go to China, because I believe it is the Gibraltar of missions. One-third of the human race are there, and most feebly equipped with missionaries." " India, I think. ' Woe is me, if I preach not the Gospel of Christ.' " Mr. J. A. Sinclair, of Queen's University, Canada, then spoke, as follows, concerning the Volunteer Movement in Canada : — I did not know I would have to speak to-night until I came into the hall, and consequently I am afraid I cannot pack as much into two minutes as you Americans can. There is one thing I must say, and that is that I think we delegates from Canada have received a great deal of inspiration from our contact with the Americans. I think the closer relations we can have in spiritual matters, especially regarding the world's evangelization, the better. There is no danger of too much competition there, because the more competition in spiritual matters the more benefit every one receives. Your chairman has asked me to speak regarding the Volunteer Movement in Canada. He and Mr. Cossum are better prepared to speak of it than I ; but I can speak of the Movement in our own insti- tution. In the first place, I made the remark a little while ago that 179 this Movement must have had its origin in Heaven, because so many- different places claim it. If the Volunteer Movement did not start in our University at Kingston, we claim that the plan of each institution sending its foreign missionaries started there. We had already planned to send two missionaries when we were brought into relations with this Movement. You have already heard the chairman say that ten per cent, of the Canadian volunteers had already reached the field, against five per cent, of Americans. I am proud of that. "We are slower than Americans, but when we do get started we have momentum. In reference to our impressions from this Convention, I think its aims have been grandly attained. The Convention has brought the volunteers into contact with the Mission Boards and with the veterans from the foreign field. I feel that the Volunteer Movement is now on a firmer and more intelligent basis than ever before. The contact with the veterans has shown us how wonderfully God sets His seal on the work of foreign missions. There may be a great deal of enthusiasm in reference to volunteering for the mission field, but when you come down to solid facts it means mucji to leave father and mother and home and friends and home influences. But when we hear one after another coming and saying, as one lady did this afternoon, " I envy you because you are to be in the foreign field before me," what stronger testimony do we need ? May God bless the Volunteer Movement ! Mr. Mott : — We would like now to hear from a great many of the delegates. Confine yourselves now to two facts : 1 . Mention where you are from. 2. Take your choice of one of two things — the dominant impression which this Convention has made upon you, or the dominant purpose which you have formed while here. Among the responses were the following : — " Oberlin. Go to India." " Syracuse University. An indefinite purpose to give my life to foreign missionary work changed to a definite pm-pose for that work." " Ohio Wesleyan. I have been impressed with the needs of Africa, and expect to give my life to that work." " Muskingum College. More volunteers. I feel the need of becom- ing thoroughly consecrated." « Adrian College. My chief impression has been my own insig- nificance." " Yale University. The immense power of prayer." 180 '• Woodstock College. A profound conviction that this work is of God." " Bucknell University. I am convinced of the fact that the motto of the Volunteer Movement can be realized." " Gettysbm-g Theological Seminary. I don't look at this matter as so great a sacrifice as I did before. I look at it as a work of love and a work of duty." " Richmond College. My purpose is to strive to please God." " Ohio Wesleyan University. Going to China as a self-supporting physician if possible." " Olivet. Have decided that I will hand in my name to the Stu- dent Volunteer Movement." A question as to how many present had reached this decision to hand in their names to the Student Volunteer Movement during the Convention brought quite a number present to their feet. " I wish to say that the address this evening changed my mind. I did not know how to leave my mother, because I loved her so ; but now I believe that I love Christ more, and the love of Christ constrains me." " The impression on my mind is the great opportunity I have for laboring in the churches during the year and a half before I go." " Marietta College. Fully convinced that if I do my part I need not fear but that I shall succeed." " Bucknell University. I came looking upon that motto as a grand but unattainable idea. I go home feeling that it can be realized." "Andover Theological Seminary. My immediate purpose is to revive that missionary society which we had at Andover." " Oberlin. I will find a church to send me." " I have had a desire since I was eight years old to go to Africa. I have had that desire strengthened." " Cornell University. I intend to interest in missions every heart I " Ohio Wesleyan University. I want to spread more light in Africa." 181 Mr. S. M. Sayford said : — I trust that in prefacing these remarks I may be permitted to say a word to the delegates in the way of a very brief bit of personal experience, by which I wish to illustrate the value of personal effort. An old man in Lockport, New York, writes me that he has been pray- ing for the success of this Convention. Seventeen years ago he was a commercial traveler. The speaker was a merchant in Western Penn- sylvania. He came into my store one day. I said to him : " It is just my beer hour. Come over and have a drink with me." " Thank you," he said, " I don't drink. Will you read a little book ? " He handed me a little tract on intemperance. I read it over my social glass. In the afternoon the commercial man sold me a bill of goods, but never referred to the tract. A month afterwards, meeting me on the street, he asked me if I had read the little book. I said yes, and he gave me another on profanity. I promised to read it, and read it. Two months and a half later, selling me a bill of goods, he asked me if he could have a word in private with me in the little office. We went back into the little office, and he said, " My dear fellow, do you believe in prayer ? " I said, " My mother did." " Do you believe in prayer? " I said, " Yes." " Well, I have a little book here ; it is not a tract, it is what I call my prayer list. I have only the names of men here who have allowed me to pray for them. Will you put yourself down ? " I said, " What do you want to pray for ? " "I want to ask God to make you a Christian." I had heard many a sermon, but nothing that went to my heart like that. It is worth something to win a man to Jesus Christ ; and if I am worth anything to the colleges of this coun- try to-day, and through them to this Volunteer Movement, humanly speaking, you owe it largely to that commercial traveler who now, at eighty years of age, can yet pray for the blessing of God on this Vol- unteer Movement. Go home and do personal work, and fit yourselves for the foreign field. There are two or three things for which we are particularly grate- ful. First of all, we are indebted for the very generous hospitality of the citizens who have given their homes and entertainment in the hotels of this city, and thus have cared for us and given to us comfort and pleasure. And to many of us Cleveland must be added as one of the many green spots we find in doing the Master's work. Next, we are indebted to the press for their faithful and generous reports of the doings of this Convention. And then we are indebted in a special way, and I don't know but what aU this indebtedness comes directly or indirectly to the citizens, because you would not have any press here if you did not have citizens. And when I express the gratitude of this Convention to the Young Men's Christian Association 182 of Cleveland, again we are expressing our gratitude to the citizens, for it is through their generous contributions that this magnificent building stands here, a monument to the glory of God, pointing the young men of Cleveland to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, — a building more perfect in its appointments than any I have seen in the wide, wide land, with many new features that make it pleasant, cosy, comfortable, home-like. And you, friends, in giving this magnificent building to the Young Men's Christian Association, have brought the young men of all classes in this beautiful city to where they can have no excuse whatever for want of Christian fellow- ship and the benefits that come from united Christian effort. And last, but not least, we express our gratitude to the friends who were moved last night to make an offering unto God in special gifts to the Volunteer Movement. My dear friends, we have reason to believe that what you did last night you did for Jesus' sake. And when I counted the hundred — no, there were ninety-nine, and a friend put in the other — pennies only out of all this audience, I said, " I doubt not that these pennies, even perhaps more than these dollars, were given for Jesus' sake." And we want to thank, with this class that gave last night, the dear friends who are going to give this week ; because Mr. Goodman is to receive checks and pledges for the furtherance of the work that is represented in this successful and far-reaching Convention. May God accept all our offerings, whether of money, or of effort, or of self, and help us all when we give, whatever we give, to be quite sure that we have given indeed ourselves unto Him, — these bodies a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service. May the fragrance of this Christian gathering linger in this city when we have gone, and may the recollection of these blessed days in which we have sat to- gether in the heavenly places, kindle anew the devotion and loyalty in the hearts of God's people in this city, and result in days to come in bringing to their number many more who shall further God's word, and, with the eye of faith fixed on the King, work with these delegates till Jesus comes. Mr. Wilder then read a letter from a Cleveland minister, who had been in attendance upon the sessions of the Convention, and had been moved to take the volunteer pledge for foreign mission work. Mr. J. L. Taylor said : — Mr. Chairman and delegates, when you came to this city, you came with the idea of bringing yourselves in contact with the veterans from the field, and with the Board of the churches, in order that you might more fully equip yourselves for the work. Perhaps you thought of Cleveland; but I can tell you that the other night when I said 183 that we as citizens of Cleveland and members of the Young Men's Christian Association appreciated the honor of having this Convention held here, I hardly knew fully what I was talking about. To-night I not only appreciate the honor, but I lift my eyes to God and thank Him that He has brought you among us. We certainly feel very grateful ; and I wish that you had before you a more worthy and representative citizen to tell you all that you have done for us as Chris- tian citizens of Cleveland. But I am a son of the same Father as you are, and I can tell you what you have done for the Christians of Cleveland. You have shown us what the work of the Holy Spirit can do. You have opened up unto the citizens of Cleveland more fully than ever before what the words '' consecrated " and " sanctified " mean. We have heard a great many missionary addresses, but there is one sen- tence that I heard this morning that made all of these facts sink into my heart, and that is this: "I expect to-be on the field next year." If we can have a person talk to us, and present the facts of the needs of the foreign field, who feels those needs deeply enough to go himself, we feel there is something in those facts. And so, while all of us in Cleveland shall not go to the foreign field, we also feel that you have stimulated this desire in our hearts, that as Christian people we shall more thoroughly consecrate our- selves as stewards of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are going from us to-night and we may never see you again ; but, as we bid you farewell, you may know that you have taught us not only to be looking for our Lord Jesus Christ, but that we may help to hasten His coming. And so, as I said, as we may not see you again, in some glad day we both will hear the shout when we shall be gathered up to meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with our Lord. Mr. F. S. Goodman says: — I hardly know what to say, dear friends, but there is one word that I think will be a kind of key-note to anything I may say, and that is the word " opening." I regard these closing days of the past week and this first day of this new week as the real opening of this building. For the last four weeks we have had this building filled with people, but I say this is the real opening of this building. At our last State Convention a year ago, Mr. Mott dashed off for us in three sentences a motto for the State work of Ohio : " Hide the word of God in your heart. Tie yourselves to one man. Fix your eyes on the uttermost parts of the earth." And this new building, I thank God, has been opened to the uttermost parts of the earth. 184 The second opening is this: you have opened the minds of our people. A month ago we called a committee together to provide for your entertainment, and not a man on the committee knew anything about the Student Volunteer Movement. You have opened our minds now. Third : I praise God that you have opened our hearts a little bit. I thank God that there are men here to-night who will go home, and who know where they can invest money for the King where it will pay. Miss Nettie Dunn said : — Dear friends, we have been brought together here by a co mm on purpose, even a life purpose. We had made upon our hearts long before we came the impression of God's Spuit that we must go to the unevangelized, and we have had that impression followed by deep convictions, which we could not avoid, that we must go. And I hope that during this Convention we have had those convictions deepened. A woman said to the young men in Boston the other day in an address, " Be a positive element in society." Let us be a positive element in the Christian Church, going forth to these unevangelized lands filled with positive conviction. A word to the women volunteers. There are a hundred thousand young women in our American colleges to-day ; fifty thousand of them are Christian women, and only one or two thousand are volunteers for the foreign field. There are between four and five million Christian young women in this country, and only this handful going out to this great and needy field. In our colleges is there not a great work for us to do yet ? Just a few things we can do, and do right away : Organize thoroughly in every college and in every association in our States. Plan to multiply ourselves, each one of us, a hundredfold within the next year. And then, let me say to you, will you not pray especially that a successor to Miss Guinness be found to work among us ? May we not pray that a young woman can be found to go up and down this land laboring as Mr. Speer and Mr. Cossum have been doing, and working among the young women ? I thought all through these years how my friend, Grace Wilder, in India, has been pouring out her heart to God. Shall we not pray in the same way for the young women of America to be saved, and the young women on the other side to be won to our Christ ? 185 Mr. W. H. Cossum, Traveling Secretary of the Student Volunteer Movement, said : — This Convention will adjourn to-night, and you will go back to your colleges and seminaries. To-morrow morning you will have to have a quarrel, possibly, with the ticket agent over these certificates. You will have a long ride on the railroad train, and you will be tired when you get back to your college. You will have some lessons to make up, and a great many things to check the high tide of feeling in this Con- vention to-night. Set your teeth together to-night before you go to bed, and determine that with God's help, after you get back, that you will carry out the principles you put down in your note-book. Go and emphasize the organizations which are there in your colleges ; work through them, perfect them. Do the cold work, the uninspiring work. If there is any one thing that has made this Movement, it is cold facts, heated possibly by men who have spoken them. Go home and empha- size the channels through which these facts are presented. Emphasize this organization ; let that burn itself into your heart. Another thing for the volunteers. Do what you can do to further the Movement as volunteers. If every one of these 6,000 volunteers, by the grace of God and active service, gets another volunteer, just one — some of you have four or five years to do it in, some two or three, some one — if you each get one volunteer, there will be 12,000 instead of 6,000. God help each one of you to do this between this time and the time of your sailing. Then inform yourselves. Fill yourselves with facts ; make yourselves foreigners ; and use aU the influence in the church that God has opened up to you, remembering that there is a great deal you think you will do now that possibly you will not do if you do not dedicate yourselves to it with a firm will to-night, and ask God to help you. The closing remarks of the Convention were made by Mr. R. E. Speer, as follows : — There was an evening in the life of our Elder Brother when, the Lord's heart grieved at the death of His friend John, he climbed a mountain side and sat alone to pray. And when the evening was come and the Lord was alone praying, He had to turn His steps down from the mountain top where He was alone with His Father, that He might do His peaceful work among the troublesome waves of the sea. At my own home in Pennsylvania, just above the village, there is a hill where one may go day after day alone and sit down in the silence of the Lord's own presence, the sights of the town still moving fast below, and yet all the while the restful peace of the Lord's own life 186 around him. And yet, when the hours are gone, the steps must go down again, and the roar and the noises and the daily tasks fill our ears and our lives again, instead of our loneliness with the King. My fellow students, these days of our joy have come to their even time now. We have had the pleasure of them and the richness of them, and to-night we must look into one another's faces for the last time before our feet go down once more to walk the paths where not one with another, but each one with our Lord, we shall walk apart, and yet together. I am very sure that as we go down there are many things that will stand before us that will naturally cool us. There are many things in the midst of which we may find great difiiculty in still keeping this tenderness, this sweetness, that God has given us in these days. And I am very sure that, come what wiU, sooner or later there will be more hindrances than one put in our way before we may lift up the light of the face of Jesus Christ in the world's dark places. There are just three thoughts in my mind to-night about these hindrances, at which for just one moment we might look. We had better remember that to the devoted soul a large hindrance means only increased devotion and prayer. I think we must remember, secondly, that the need of this world of ours, and the unobeyed voice of Jesus Christ, call in these days for a blindness to hindrances like that which marked the lives of those who saw the Lord in the flesh. And I think we ought to have confidence, in the third place, that i£ we know the need of the lost ones, and if we love Him who laid down His hfe for us and for them, we shall not be apt to make the mistake of walking in any pathway where Jesus the Master cannot walk with us. I should like to say that, as we have tarried here, our hearts have been knit pretty closely to those with whom the Lord has thrown us in contact ; and in the hearts of most of us to-night there are some desires we should like to speak to you a little while about. We are pretty sure we have learned to love a great many of you, and that it is the one desire of our hearts, especially for these who in the next twelve months hope to turn their footsteps into the regions beyond, that you should love them. In the years to come it will be a great joy to us to remember that the first night that we met with those who entertained us in this first meeting of ours, we won the hearts of those who, in all the years to come, will work with us for Him who loved us and laid down His life for us. May T say, my fellow students, yet once more, gathering up for just one moment the lines of these thoughts which are rising in our minds, that there are three things for each one of us which should 187 mark our lives from this day forth ? First, may we from this time be holy ones, holy even as He was holy, and holy not when we reach the field only, hut holy now. It may be that the words that we speak this last night may have faded out of our minds ; it may be that the deeds we shall do outwardly this coming year may not be very strong as men count deeds of strength ; but the lives that we live from this day for- ward shall either glorify or grieve Him. We may remember the words of Professor Drummond, of Dr. Livingstone, how many a time he had passed through tribes of Africa where David Livingstone had gone before, and at the mention of the good doctor had seen the savage faces brighten. They had not understood his words, but jthey knew the language of love in which he spoke to them, and they never forgot it. Fellow students, may we learn among other things this year the language of the Lord's tender love. May we be changed from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, until He molds us into the likeness of His own character. And, in the second place, may we from this day forward be men of prayer. May our lives from this very moment be nothing but an outbreathed prayer. There is one man here to-night who will remember, as I speak of it, that years ago we used to sit Saturday after Saturday, and whichever one would think of it first would say : " 1 Thessalonians 5 : 25, to-day — ' My brother, pray for me.' " May it be this coming year that as our hearts form a wish it may be quickly laid at His feet; that as quickly as our hearts gain a motive it may be handed over to Him ; that as quickly as we see anjrthing that our brother needs we shall find a delight in ask- ing God to give it to him. And the last thing, my fellow students, is this — it has been emphasized more times than one ; it is the yearning prayer of every heart here to-night : that besides being holy ones and men of prayer, we are to be in this world, more than all else, the living powers of the King. " Without me ye can do nothing." " I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." " So then we are am- bassador's for Christ — in Christ's stead." "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." And now, fellow students, it is pretty hard to put in this cold lan- guage of ours the words of farewell that our lips must speak to-night. It is pretty hard to think that now, once for all in this world, we sit down together at the feet of Jesus Christ. It is pretty hard to remem- ber that never again will those of us who have met here to-night meet as we have met now, until at last in the Upper City we sit down at His feet forever. And perhaps the best thing we can do to-night is, just in the silence and the stillness and the sweetness of that holy place in our lives where you and I live alone with Christ Jesus, to commend unto God and the word of His grace every volunteer who, 188 with life devoted to Jesus Christ, shall sooner or later have the rare joy of holding up the life and death and the blood of his Lord before the world. And then — " Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me. And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea. But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound or foam. When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark. And may there be no sadness of farewell When I embark. For though from out the bourne of time and place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar." EEPRESEISTTATIYES OF MISSIONARY SOCIETIES. Rev. J. G. Bishop, Dayton, Ohio. Missions of American Christian Convention. Rev. H. N". Cobb, D.D., New York City, N. Y. Board of Foreign Missions of Reformed Church in America. George D. Dowkontt, M.D., New York City, N. Y. Interna- tional Medical Missionary Society. Rev. F. F. Ellinwood, D.D., New York City, N. Y. Board of Foreign Missions of Presbyterian Church of U. S. A. Prof. H. H. Haekis, LL.D., Richmond, Va. Foreign Missions of Southern Baptist Convention. Rev. William McKee, Dayton, Ohio. Foreign Missionary Society of United Brethren Church. Rev. A. McLean, D.D., Cincinnati, Ohio. Foreign Christian Mis- sionary Society. Rev. J. N. MuEDOCK, D.D., Boston, Mass. American Baptist Mis- sionary Union. Rev. J. O. Peck, D.D., New York City, N. Y. Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. 0. D. Patch, Cleveland, Ohio. Free Baptist Foreign Mis- sion Society. 189 Rev. D. C. Rankin, Nashville, Tenn. Foreign Missions of Pres- byterian Church in the United States. Elias Rogbbs, Toronto, Canada. Foreign Mission Board of the Friends' Yearly Meeting of Canada. Rev. Geoegb Scholl, D.D., Baltimore, Md. Board of Foreign Missions of EvangeUcal Lutheran Church (G. S.). Rev. JuDSON Smith, D.D., Boston, Mass. American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Rev. F. A. Stbvkn, Toronto, Canada. China Inland Mission. Rev. A. SuTHBELAND, D.D., Toronto, Canada. General Board of Missions of the Methodist Church. R. R. McBuRNET, New York City, N. Y. Foreign Mission Com- mittee of the International Committee of Young Men's Christian Association. REPRESENTATIVES OF WOMAN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETIES. Mrs. H. Benton, Cleveland, Ohio. Woman's Foreign Missionary Society (M.E.), Cincinnati Branch. Mrs. A. G. Bbbgen, Evansville, Indiana. Woman's Board of For- eign Missions (Cumberland Presbyterian). Mrs. S. B. Capeon, Chicago, 111. Woman's Board of Interior. (Congregational) . Miss Abbie B. Child, Boston, Mass. Woman's Board of Missions (Congregational) . Mrs. J. N. CirSHiNG, Philadelphia, Pa. Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Geoege D. Dowkontt, New York City, N.Y. International Medical Missionary Society. Miss Annie Geisingee, St. Louis, Mo. Woman's Board of Mis- sions of the Southwest (Presbyterian). Mrs. Dr. Gerould, Cleveland, Ohio. Woman's Board of Missions of Christian Church. Miss Julia Haskell, Cleveland, Ohio. Woman's Foreign Mis- sionary Society (Presbyterian). Mrs. Juliana Hates, Baltimore, Md. Woman's Board of Mis- sions of the M.E. Church, South. Miss Lizzie J. Lloyd, NUes, Ohio. Woman's Foreign Missionary Society. Mrs. L. K. Millee, Dayton, Ohio. Woman's Missionary Associa- tion (United Brethren). 190 Mi-8. RicHAED C. MoESE, New York City, N.Y. Woman's Board of Foreign Missions (Presbyterian). Mrs. Ellen G. Revblet, Cleveland, OMo. Woman's Foreign Missionary Society (M.E.), Cincinnati Branch. Mrs. L. G. RoMicK, Delaware, Ohio. Friends' Board of Foreign Missions of Ohio. Mrs. N". M. Watekbuet, Boston, Mass. Woman's Foreign Mis- sionary Society (Baptist). RETURNED MISSIONARIES. Africa. C. J. Laffist, Rev. W. S. Sage, Mrs. W. S. Sage, Rev. Geoegb A. Wilder, Congo Free State. Rutofunk, West Africa. Rutofunk, West Africa. Natal, South Africa. Brazil. Rev. G. W. Chamberlain, D.D., San Paulo. Rev. John M. Kyle, Rio de Janeiro. BURMAH. Miss Isabella J. Watson. Miss J. E. WiSNEE, Rangoon. Chili. Rev. J. M. Allis, Santiago. China. Rev. Mr. Beach. Mrs. Beach. Rev. A. A. Fulton. Rev. J. N. Hates, Suchow. Rev. George L. Mason, Huchow, East China, Miss Ella J. Nevtton, Foo Chow. Mrs. Mart H. Shaw, Tung Chong. Mrs. D. Z. Sheffield, Tung Cho. Mrs. F. A. Steven. Core A. Miss Meta Howard, M.D., Seoul. 191 India. Rev. M. J. COLDEEN, Orissa. Mrs. Emma J. Coldebn, Orissa. Rev. J. W. CoNKLiN. Rev. Henry Foeman, Lahore. Mrs. Jennie Fuller, Akola. Rev. J. P. Graham, Sangli. Rev. J. P. Jones,; Madura. Mrs. J. P. Jones, Madura. Rev. G. L. Wharton. Rev. R. Wlntsoe, Sirur. Japan. Rev. W. R. Lambeth, M.D., 5obe. Turkey. Rev. C. F. Gates, Mardin. Mrs. E. D. Marden. CORRESPONDING DELEGATES. William Allison, St. Paul, Minn. Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation. J. M. Archibald, Buckville, Ont. Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor. Gilbeet a. Beaver, Harrisburg, Pa. Assistant State Secretary Young Men's Christian Association. Rev. R. H. Bent, Philadelphia, Pa. J. M. Berkel, Madison, Wis. Miss Annie M. Brush, Bakersville, Pa. F. H. Burt, Chicago, 111. Assistant State Secretary Young Men's Christian Association. H. L. Canweight, M. D., Battle Creek, Mich. Rev. Charles B. Chapin, Schenectady, N. Y. Myron A. Clark, Kansas City, Mo. Assistant Secretary Young Men's Christian Association. W. H. CossuM, Traveling Secretary of Student Volunteer Move- ment for Foreign Missions. C. J. Dole, Painesville, Ohio. Miss Nettie Dunn, Chicago, 111. International Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. 192 Prof. Kansom Dunn, D.D., Hillsdale, Mich. Mrs. Dr. Dunn, Hillsdale, Mich. Miss Hattie E. Dyek, Scranton, Pa. State Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. Rev. C. H. Fenn, Tonowanda, N. Y. George S. Fisheb, Topeka, Kan. State Secretary Young Men's Christian Association. Rev. A. J. Gordon, D.D., Boston, Mass. Rev. J. T. Gbacey, D.D., Rochester, N. Y. President Inter- national Missionary Union. Luther Gulick, M. D., Springfield, Mass. Young Men's Chris- tian Association Training School. Miss Thibsa F. Hall, Chicago, 111. International Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. E. E. Helms, Topeka, Kan. Assistant State Secretary Young Men's Christian Association. J. M. Hudson. Miss Anna L. Ingels, Oakland, Cal. Secretary California Tract Society. Miss M. Belle Jepfert, Jackson, Mich. Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. Rev. J. G. Jones, Cleveland, Ohio. Miss S. C. Kbigbaum. Young Women's Christian Association. Miss Ona Kudbr, Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Arnold J. Latham, Chicago, 111. Clarence H. Lee, New York City, N. Y. Secretary International Committee Young Men's Christian Association. Miss Virginia Massie, Baltimore, Md. W. R. McIntosh, Toronto, Ont. Canadian Intercollegiate Mis- sionary Alliance. Miss Marion Mbtcalp, Elyxia, Ohio. John R. Mott, New York City, N. Y., College Secretary Interna- tional Committee Young Men's Christian Association. Rev. Alexander N. O'Brien, Topeka, Kan. Rev. A. T. PiERsoN, D.D., Philadelphia, Pa. Will E. Reed, Cincinnati, Ohio. Intercollegiate Secretary Young Men's Christian Association. Miss Emma Rbbdee, New York City, N. Y. State Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. Miss N. Ritzenthaler, Akron, Ohio. Rev. Edwin P. Robinson, Orchard Park, N. Y. S. M. Satford, Newton, Mass. College Evangelist. Miss Lizzie M. Sattlbr, New Philadelphia, Ohio. 193 Rev. J. F. Shepherd, Akron, Ohio. E. L. Shuby, Dayton, Ohio. Miss Emma Silver, Kalamazoo, Mich. State Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. Aethue J. Smith, Somerville, Mass. Evangelist. G. C. Smith, Springfield, Ohio. Executive Committee Inter- Seminary Missionary Alliance. Miss CoEABEL Tare, Chicago, 111. International Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. Rev. J. A. Thome, Marysville, Ohio. Eugene Undeehill, Philadelphia, Pa. Secretary Intercollegiate Young Men's Christian Association. Mrs. M. A. Walkee, M.D., Toledo, Ohio. Miss Emma J.Walton, Clyde, Ohio. Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor. J. Campbell White, New York City, N. Y. Secretary Interna- tional Committee Young Men's Christian Association. Miss LomsE M. Wilcox, Fredonia, N. Y. E. J. Witt, Chicago, 111. Miss Blanche Zehring, Delaware, Ohio. State Secretary Young Women's Christian Association. STUDENT DELEGATES. New Brunswick. Mt. Allison College (1), Sackville. Leonard, S. C. Nova Scotia. Acadia College (1), Wolfville. Kempton, a. C. Ontaeio. Albert College (2), Belleville. Emberson, R. Godbold, W. H. Huron College (1), London. Beownlee, Wm. F. Knox College (2), Toronto. Gould, Wm. Geant, W. H. 194 McMaster Hall (2), Toronto. Chute, J. E. McDonald, A. P. Queens University (1), Kingston. SlNCLAIE. J. A. Trinity Medical College (3), Toronto. Baebbe, H. L. Smith, E. G. Thompson, J. J. University College (1), Toronto. Scott, J. S. Victoria University (2), Cohourg. Agae, Miss E. E. Agae, Gilbbet. Woodstoch College (1), Woodstock. Langfobd, O. G. Wy cliff e College (1), Toronto. Lea, Aethue. Quebec. McGill University (1), Montreal. Read, F. W. McGill University Ladies^ Missionary Society (2), Montreal. Bean, Elizabeth S. Williams, Annie. Alabama. Selma University (1), Selma. LovELL, Miss A. H. Aekansas. Hendrix College (1), Conway. goddaed, o. e. Califoenia. Pacific Bible School (1), Oakland. BuEEus, Gboegia a. Connbctiout. Hartford Theological Seminary (1), Hartford. BissELL, H. G. 195 Wesley an University (2), Middletown. DuKBSHiEB, Wm. B. Ratmond, R. W. Yale Divinity School (2), New Haven. EwiNG, G. H. Faiebank, Edwaed. Yale University (9), JSfew Haven. Beonson, Olivbe H. Kbllee, Feank A. Shaw, Augustus F. Beown, Alphonso B. Leteeett, Wm. J. Wateeman, W. G. Huntington, Dan'l T. Pitkin, Hoeace T. Whittemoee, W. C. DisTEicT OP Columbia. Howard University (1), Washingtoii. Weatheeless, N. E. Illinois. Baptist Union Theological Seminary (3), Morgan Park. GouDT, B. F. Meeeifield, I. N. Young, W. M. Bible Institute (4), Chicago. Baenes, Emily. Hookee, W. C. Slomans, Wm. Cheistensen, Hulda. Chicago Medical College (1), Chicago. Setmoue, W. F. Eureka College (1), Eureka. Jones, Silas. Knox College (1), Qaleshurg. Laekin, Ralph B. Lake Forest University (2), Lake Forest. House, Hbebeet E. Vance, E. E. McCormick Theological Seminary (2), Chicago. Bandy, C. H. Swallen, W. M. Monmouth College (1), Monmouth. Kleno, J. G. Northwestern College (2), Naperville. SCHLUTBE, H. C. TaYAMA, H. M. Northwestern University (8), Evanston. Battbeson, Elva. Louthan, O. W. Tomlinson, W. F. Cobb, Geo. C. Stahl, Josephine. Wallee, A. J. Ceaig, Frances. Feasee, H. A. 196 University of Illinois (2), Champaign. M(3Gee, W. S. McLanb, C. D. Wheaton College (2), Wheaton. Dow, Elsie S. Haeris, Prof. Boss A. Woman^s Medical College (2), Chicago. McGeegoe, Miss K. M. Stauffee, Emma. Indiana. Sutler College (1), Irvington. Lacy, W. F. Goates College (1), Terre Haute. DoAK, Eleanoe. DePauio University (6), Greencastle. Erickson, C. T. Jackman, Floeence. Takasugi, J. Geeen, Lillie. Noeton, R. C. Wise, W. H. State Normal School (2), Terre Haute. CooPEE, Effie. Stenninger, S. D. Union Christian College (1), Merom. Penbod, C Tena. Wabash College (1), Crawfordsville. Christian, W. F. Iowa. Cornell College (2), Mount Vernon. Adams, Geace. Ballz, James. Drake University (2), Des Moines. Campbell, G. A. Caetee, C. O. Iowa College (1), Grinnell. Weatheelt, Aethue L. Iowa Wesleyan ZTniversity (1), Mt. Pleasant. Huene, G. B. F. Parsons College (2), Fairfield. KisBE, A. E. King, Maet. Penn College (2), Oskaloosa. Hadlbt, J. H. Woody, Clarence E. 197 Simpson College (1), Indianola. Lauck, Ada J. State Normal School (1), Cedar Falls. Howe, Anna. State University (1), Iowa City. Beasted, Feed. Western College (1), Toledo. Keohn, W. O. Kansas. Maker University (1), Baldwin. Peaeson, Peael M. CoUege of Emporia (1), Emporia. Entaet, F. C. Kansas Normal School (1), Fort Scott. Wells, C. B. Ottawa University (1), Ottawa. KiNGSLEY, F. W. University of Kansas (1), Lawrence. FoGLE, W. C. Kentucky. Georgetown College (1), Georgetown. Beonson, Ray. Kentucky Uiiversity (4), Lexington. FoEEEST, W. M. Stevens, E. S. Tayloe, W. B. Spicee, E. V. Maine. Cobb Divinity School (1), Lewiston. Hamlen, Geo. H. Colby University (1), Waterville. Slocum, J. B. Massachusetts. Amherst College (1), Amherst. NOETON, C. D. 198 Andover Theological Seminary (1), Andover. Stearns, E. R. JBoston University School of Theology (1), Boston. Nayloe, S. W. Harvard University (2), Cambridge. Seaes, Wm. R. Shapleigh, A. L. Massachusetts Agricidtural College (2), Amherst. Felt, E. P. Shoees, H. T. Mt. Ilermon School (2), Mt. Hermon. Moody, A. E. Watson, R. L. Mt. Holyoke College (1), South Hadley. Cleveland, Maet. Newton Theological Institute (1), Newton Centre. BaESS, J. HOWAED. School for Christian Workers (3), Springfield. Coebett, D. Watson. Cowles, E. B., Jr. Lunbeck, A. W. Wellesley College (2 ), Wellesley. Jones, Lauka A. Steenbeeg, Amalle. Williams College (1), Williamstown. Luce, Feank L. Michigan. Adrian College (1), Adrian. Claek, Rev. H. V. Albion College (2), Albion. Fillio, U. H. Palmee, Helen E. Battle Creek College (2), Battle Creek. Magan, Peecy T. Rossitee, Feed M. Battle Creek Sanitarium (4), Battle Creek. Foy, Mrs. M. S. Whitney, Mrs. E. Whitney, Jean C. LoPBB, A. N., M.D. Hillsdale College (5), JTillsdale. Copp, Prof. John S. Moody, 'Lizzie. Teacy, Lauea. Copp, Mabel. Pelton, B. H. 199 Hope College (2), Holland. HuiziNGA, H. Vanderploeg, H. Olivet College (9), Olivet. BiNKHOEST, Haeey. Cole, A. C. Lee, A. L. Blish, W. H. CouETEiGHT,Mis8M. Meade, Coea. Beiggs, W. a. Feost, M. A. Westeatee, Miss M. University of Michigan (12), Ann Arbor. Allen, Miss M. Gaednee, F. M. Sandeeson, Mary. Blakely, Wm. a. Gaednee, Mrs. F. M. Smith, L. A. Bogofsky, U. L. Hued, Fannie B. Waples, F. A. Beown, Hugh. King, Ella. Wood, Lillis A. Minnesota. Carleton College (1), JVbrthfteld. Keause, F. O. Missouei. Central College (1), Fayette. Ransfoed, C. O. Park College (3), Parhville. Demuth, Maggie. McClain, Albbet M. Towee, Feed J. Missouri Valley College (1), Marshall. Madden, L. W. Westminster College (2), Fulton. Boving, C. B. Hickman, W. L. William Jewell College (1), lAherty. Etjbanks, M. D. New Hampshiee. Dartmouth College (1), Hanover. Pottee, Elmee C. New Jersey. College of New Jersey (4), Princeton. Dbnman, C. H. Riggs, C. T. Stebet, Ieving W. Haeeis, Wm. Drew Theological Seminary (1), Madison. Schilling, G. J. 200 Princeton Theological Seminary (3), Princeton. Sailer, T. H. P. Speer, Robert E. Williams, C. S. Rutgers College (1), New Brunswick. ScTTDDER, Walter T. New York. Auburn Theological Seminary (1), Auburn. Bancroft, F. E. Cazenovia Seminary (1), Cazenovia. Hadley, C. Arthur. City Mission Training School (2), 129 JEJast Tenth Street, N.Y. City. Beyer, Alida. Jefferson, Miss A. M. Colgate Academ,y (2), Ham/ilton Clare, D. H. Vinton, S. R. Colgate University (3), Hamxlton. Case, C. D. Crego, H. P. DeWoody, Chas. Cornell University, Ithaca. Bray, Wm. L. Hasbeouck, Maude E. Kellogg, Robert J. BuRRAGE, Herbert F. Hawlbt, Sarah H. General Theological Seminary (1), N. Y. City. Smith, Wm. WiiLLTER. JIamilton College (5), Clint07i. Brockway, T. Clinton. Feltus, Geo. N". Stoeloff, Pano S. BuBD, Geo. S. Fletcher, Obville T. Hamilton Theological Seminary (3), Hamilton. Grinnbll, Clayton. Hibbaed, Geo. L. Stanton, Wm. A. International Medical Missionary Institute (2), JV. 1'. City. Hall, Wm. J. Henderson, A. H. Mochester Theological Seminary (1), Rochester. McGuire, John. Union Theological Seminary (15), iV". Y. City. Campbell, C. D. Fryling, William. Mooehead, Max W. Clark, Walter J. Hastings, W. W. Moerison, C. CoRNWBLL, G. Ibuiva, Rev. K. Swift, Benjamin. Fairly, Edwin. Jones, T. J. Thomas, J. M. French, C. H. Keer, F. M. Wilder, Robert P. 201 University of Rochester (1), Rochester. Sweet, F. J. University of Syracuse (2), Syracuse. FooTE, Anna. Wood, F. H. North Carolina. Guilford College (1), Guilford College. Retnolds, Herbert W. Ohio. Adelbert College (about 35), Cleveland. Names not taken. Baldwin University (11), JBerea. Fisher, Elmer K. Sigrist, C. Stbmm, Jacob. Hagerman, E. W. Sigrist, Lena. Steter, Fred'k S. Harris, Nellie. Simester, James. VanDeren, Ruth. Meter, Mr. Shreve, J. T. Dennison University (5), Granville. Brumback, a. M. Packer, E. B. Wilkin, W. A. Mason, G. L. Tanner, C. H. Farmington College (2), West Farmington. Heapes, W. J. TowNSEND, Geo. B. Heidelberg University (5), Tiffin. Brxtgh, C. W. Rohrbaugh, C. M. Culver, Wm. H. Hiram College (23), Hiram. Craft, Laura. Rag an, G. A. Dean, Allib M. Rice, P. J. Forrest, J. D. Frost, Miss A. G. Lyon, Miss M. A. Mahortee, J. H. Moobe, W. J. Newton, J. T. Lake Erie Seminary (25), Painesville. Bentlet, Miss L. P. Hough, Miss K. M. Prescott, Miss L. T. Lawrence, Miss M. E. Reed, Miss E. W. Lemon, Miss C. H. Richet, Miss A. G. Lemon, Miss G. Saevee, Miss M. Mackey, Miss L. A. Seeata, Mrs. Nobu. Mason, Jessie A. Smith, Beetha. Meeshox, Miss C. L. White, Miss G. MuNGER, Miss M. A. Williams, Miss F. Alspach, E. E. Belsee, J. W. Allen, C. A. Allen, E. W. Baetlett, S. H. Bartlett, Mi-8. S. H. Beaman, Carrie A. Beck, Blanche. Calvin, W. D. Claek, Josephine. Ryder, C. C. SCOTTA, L. O. E. Shepaed, Miss. Smootz, C. E. Wagner, D. G. Brooks, Bessie. Congee, Miss B. Eastman, Lillian. Evans, Mary. Fisher, Miss E. F Hall, Clara. HiGBEE, Edith. HiGBEE, Maet. 202 Lane Theological Seminary (1), Cincinnati. Smith, A. IST. Marietta College (5), Marietta. Addy, Aethue E. Colb, Jambs M. Hubee, A'. T. Baetlett, Chas. W. Miami University (1), Oxford. Keom, a. E. Mt. Union College (2), Mt. Union. FowLBE, H. B. Keelbe, Mteta. Muskingum College (2), Neio Concord. Glennon, J. E. Maetin, Miss Jose. Oberlin College and Seminary (81), Oberlin. Albeetson, Ralph. Gillis, Millie S. Noeton, Helen G Atwatee, Mrs. E. R. Geeene, C. W. Beaed, Willaed L. Haskell, E. B. Blackstone, Floea L. Haskell, H. J. BeeckeneidgbJuanita. Hicks, Ida M. Beebd, M. a. Beeed, Mrs. M. A. Beintnall, W. a. Beown, H. E. Beowning, C. H. bueeoughs, c. h. Child, B. V. Chittenden, A. H. HiNMAN, Geo. W. HiNMAN, Susan F. Ieeland, F. a. Ieeland, W. F. Janes, T. I. Johnston, W. J. R. Jones, Alice I. JUDKINS, W. L. Chittenden, Caeeib E. Kinnet, Mabel R. Chuech, a. a. Colby, S. L. Cowley, Edith C. Dalzell, C. O. Dodge, E. G. Deumm, John. Button, C. F., Jr. Ellis, J. T. FiFIELD, J. W. Feench, E. G. Peost, Prof. W. G. Gadsby, Geo. Gaevee, R. C. KlEKPATEICK, C. C. Keiebel, O. S. Lyall, J. L. Lyman, Heney J. Manley, M. Ella. McCoED, Mary E. McCoed, J. B. Obenhauee, H. F. Paesons, Miss E. C. Pendleton, Claea L. Penniman, Iea B. Phelps, Floea B. PiEECE, William. PiNCHA, John. Ross, H. S. Seveeance, a. D. Simpson, Samuel. SiNCLAEE, C. E. Smith, Lauea C Stanley, E. H., instr'r. Stanley, Miss G. W. Stough, H. W. Van Buek, John. Walkee, Mrs. Waltees, Jas. J. Wateehouse, E. C. Waugh, W. M., Jr. McLaughlin, Rob't. Webstee, C. S. McRobeets, T. R. Wildeb, Geo. D. Meade, G. W. Williams, G. L. Mellen, Geaoe S. F. Wise, John H. Millbe, Maetha H. Wood, S. R. " Moon, M. Alice. Weight, G. W. 203 OMo Unwersity (1), Athens. Westervblt, W. a. Ohio Wesleyan University (12), Delaware. Curtis, E. H. Feet, Ltjla Gross, T. W. Hallowell, Ida. Hammond, E. S. Johnson, F. I. Miller, S. D. Morgan, Minnie. RiTCHARDSON, G. L. C. Scott, W. WiSMAN, J. P. WOMEB, P. P. Shepardson College (1), Graninlle. Van Cleef, Lillian. Union Biblical Seminary (5), Dayton. BoNEBRAKE, P. O. Roberts, J. T. Tomat, Mrs. J. B. Kerr, J. Tomat, J. B. Wittenberg College and Seminary (10), Springfield. Becker, O. A. Gotwald, Fred G. Mohler, Marion M. Beamkamp, John M. Hadlby, M. J. Sigmund, Will S. Delo, Frank S. Debr, C. E. Liebeet, E. R. Weaver, H. J. Adams, Lora L. Allen, C. B. augell, j. w. Babcock, Bert E. Beck, E. A. Bell, F. W. Bickeestaph, G. L. Buckley, Mabel. BULLAED, F. L., Jr. Cave, W. L. culbeetson, m. l. Elder, Jas. F. Fitch, Robert F. Wooster Seminary (39), Wooster. Flatteey, F. L. Newell, Wm. R. Geeen, E. F. Jones, M. J. Kennedy, E. B. King, Iea. Lewis, A. B. LiNHAET, S. B. Lyon, Abbie M. Lyon, D. W. Marshall, C. P. McGaw, a. G. Mitchell, W. T. Newell, Mart. Pendleton, E. M. Pollock, Kate. Porter, M. P. Sherman, G. D. Skinner, J. E. Speee, J. S. V. Snydee, S. S. toensmeiee, e. s, Tyndal, J. W. White, Anna. Weight, M. E. Young, J. W. Western Female College (3), Oxford. Beown, Bessie. Ceowthee, Elizabeth. McKee, Leila S. Western Reserve Academy (3), Hudson. • Geant, W. S. McVey, C. Y. Reinhold, F. P. Pennsylvania . Suchnell University (3), Lewisburg . Davis, Raymond J. Feetz, T. S. Pauling, E. C. 204 Evangelical Lutheran Seminary (1), Gettysburg. WiEAND, H. E. Grove City College (4), Grove City. Bleaknet, W. H. Kelley, J. C. Ritchie, W. S. Campbell, Howard. Lafayette College (1), Easton. Laied, J. B. Pennsylvania College (1), Gettysburg. Ball, J. W. Theological Seminary of Reformed Church in United States (1), Lancaster. MuiE, W. J. United Presbyterian Theological Seminary (9), AUeghany. Andekson, W. T.\ McFaeland, K. W. Welsh, J. M. Fulton, W. K. McNabt, D. S. L. White, J. S., M.D. McCluee, R. E. Pollock, J. B. Wishaet, J. E. Washington and Jefferson College (3), Washington. Johnson, W. C Knanee, F. G. Lewis, Chakles. Western Theological Seminary (2), Alleghany. Letenbeegee, James P. Swax, Chaeles W. Rhode Island. Prown University (1). Beees, W. L. Tennessee. Cumberland University (3), Lebanon. Donnell, John T. Holistee, Moses K. Montgomeey, L. M. Vanderbilt University (3), Nashville. Cook, O. F. Nancb, W. B. Peeet, J. W. Veemont. University of Vermont (2), Purlington. Evans, John M. Pitkin, Geo. F. Vieginia. Pantops Academy (2), Charlottesville. Tayloe, Prof. Wm. P. Tayloe, Mrs. W. P. 205 Richmond College (1), Richmond. Chambees, R. E. Roanohe College (2), Salem,. Geeevee, W. H. Shenk, E. A. Theological Seminary of Virginia (1), Fairfax Co. Meem, John G. Union Theological Seminary (1), Hampden- Sidney . Johnson, Cambeon. University of Virginia (1), University of Va. Tatloe, J. Spottiswood. West Vieginia. Rethany College (12), Rethany. Baldwin, Maet. Fox, Evangeline. Poetee, Mat. Campbell, Louisa. Jenkins, B. A. White, Clara. Chapman, A. L. McGavkan, John G. Wilflet, Eaele A. FoETiBK, Geace. Mucklet, O. K. Williamson, Minnie. Wisconsin. Reloit College (3), Reloit. Jacobs, H. H. Shumakee, F. W. Wheelee, E. C. Lawrence University (1), Appleton. Allen, E. D. Ripon College (2), Ripon. Bethel, H. O. McDeemid, Mary. State University (1), Madison. Beefel, J. M. Wayland Academy (1), Reaver Dam. Whtte, J. P. Total students, 558. Total delegates, 680. Missionary Literature. In response to many inquiries for the best missionary books, the Corresponding Secretary has given no little time to the preparation of the following list of best available missionary books. Moreover, as these books are not handled by any one dealer (having been selected from the publications of over a score of firms), the Executive Committee have determined, for the convenience of the Volunteers, to undertake to carry a small stock of the books named below. While intended primarily for Volunteers, all who wish may avail themselves of the reduced rates offered. A uniform discount of twenty per cent, (one-fifth off) is allowed on the list prices which are given after each book. Carriage — postage or expressage ■ — must be paid by the purchaser, except on libraries offered below, or on purchases of $15 or more. In ordering by mail, add postage to four-fifths of list price. In ordering by express, send simply four-fifths of list price, and expressage will be collected on receipt of books. Only the books named are carried in stock, but inquiries for others will receive prompt attention. LIST No. 3. JULY, ISQl. A CLASSIFIED LIST OF SELECTED MISSIONARY BOOKS. QENERA.Iv ^?V0RK:S. (a) Encyclopedic. yt. The Encyclopedia of Missions. A Thesaurus of Facts, Historical, Statis- tical, Geographical, Ethnological, and Biographical, with Maps, Bibliography, and Statistical tables. Edited by Rev. Edwin Munsell Bliss, late Assistant y Agent American Bible Society for Levant. Two volumes. Over 1,700 pages, . with elaborate maps, etc. 1891. $12.00. Postage, 40 cents, (^(^yt, fci-l,*^^) The most recent and complete work on missions. It should be in the li brary of every pastor and within the reach of every student. (b) Historical. 2. Short History of Christian Missions, from Abraham and Paul to Carey, Livingstone, and Duff, by George Smith, LL.D., F. R. G. S. 1890. $1.00. Postage, 7 cents. An exceedingly valuable hand-book on the history of missions. It should be in the hands of every Volunteer and every student of missions. y3. Outline of the History of Protestant Missions from the Reformation to the Present Time. A Contribution to Church History, by Dr. Gustav Wameck. Translated from the second edition, by Thos. Smith, D.D. 1882. $1.25. Postage, 9 cents. /^ iV , s-io) Especially valuable to students. //^. Moravian Missions. Twelve Lectures by Augustus C. Thompson, D. D. 1882. JS2.00. Postage, 1 1 cents. A well written and instructive history of these leaders in missionary effort. 5. The Dawn of the Modern Mission, by the Rev. Wm. Fleming Stevenson, D.D. 1886. jSi.oo. Postage, 6 cents. A very readable account of early missions, especially in India. (c) Surveys of the World-Field. 'w^6. The Crisis of Missions, or. The Voice out of the Cloud, by Rev. Arthur T. Pierson, D. D. 1886. Paper, $0.35 ; cloth, $\.2^. Postage, 9 cents. An inspiring survey of the trials and triumphs of missions, with reference to their urgent claims upon the Church. (^^ 3^"^ V7. Protestant Foreign Missions : Their Present State. A Universal Survey, by Theodore Christlieb, D.D., Ph. D. Translated from the fourth German edition by David Allen Reed. 1880. $1.00. Postage, 8 cents/ -^f .**"<■) A valuable review of missions down to 1880. •8. Christian Missions in the Nineteenth Century, by Rev. Elbert S. Todd, D.D. 1890. $1.00. Postage, 7 cents. /VIPH^) A brief study of Christianity in its relations to heathenism, commerce, statesmanship, etc. 208 g. Around the World Tour of Christian Missions. A Universal Survey, by William F. Bainbridge. 1881. JS2.00. Postage, 16 cents. A very readable account of travel, with many practical observations on missions. Illustrated. ^10. Report of the Centenary Conference on the Protestant Missions of the "World, held in London, June, 1888, edited by the Rev. Jas. Johnston, F.S.S. Two volumes. 1888. $2.00. Postage, 27 cents. •^'•«i'i . 4"*^) t''-'^- Contains much valuable information for the use of students. ^^ ,11. The Missionary Year-Book for 1889-90, containing historical and statis- tical accounts of the principal Protestant Missionary Societies in America, Great Britain, and the Continent of Europe. 1889. iSi.25. Postagei II cents. -^ y-'t'l' ^^f'- Useful to students and pastors. 1/ 12. The Great Value and Success of Foreign Missions, proved by Distin- guished Witnesses, by Rev. John Liggins. 1888. Paper, )|5o.35 ; cloth, Jfo.75. Postage, 7 cents. ('H'-'<'' .'-^V A choice collection of testimonials useful to speakers on missions. y' 13. The Evangelization of the World, A Missionary Band. A Record of Con- secration and Appeal, by B. Broomhall, Secretary of the China Island Mission. Second edition. 1887. iSi.50. Postage, 16 cents. JvjJs.yTdi , S-Vl— I »^.«-*'-*-^ ^ fa^fg collection of short chapters and paragraphs on a great variety of 'W'-'*"^' missionary topics. A storehouse for students. 14. Mission Stories of Many Lands. A Book for Young People. With three hundred and fifty illustrations. 1885. $2.00. Postage, 21 cents. A very interesting and instructive book, covering almost the entire world. (d) Religions not Confined to One Country, \/i5. Present Day Tracts on the Non-Christian Religions of the World. Comprising : The Rise and Decline of Islam, by Sir William M^ ; Christianity and Confucianism compared in their Teaching of the Whole Duty of Man, by Jam^Leg^ ; The Zend-Avesta and the Religion of the Parsis, by J. Murray Mitchell ; The Hindu Religion, A Sketch and a Contrast, by J. Murray Mitchell -ff^ Buddhism, A Comparison and ji^^ntrast between Buddhism and Christianity, by Rev. Henry R. Reynolds, ^D. ; Christianity and Ancient Paganism, by J. Murray Mitchell, M. A., LL. ST $1.00. Postage, 8 cents. »/ 16. Islam and Its Founder, by J. W. H. Stobart, B. A. 1876. |i.oo. Postage, 6 cents. ■^(»..14"V- The best concise study of Mohammed and his teachings. 17. The Coran, its Composition and Teaching, and the Testimony it bears to the Holy Scriptures, by Sir William Muir, K. C. S. I., LL.D. 1878. $i.oo.' Postage, 6 cents. Especially valuable to all who are preparing to come into contact with Mohammedanism. ^ 18. Buddhism. Being a Sketch of the Life and Teachings of Gautama, the Buddha, by T. W. Rhys Davids, M. A., Ph. D. $1.00. Postage, 6 cents. A brief, standard work. [•W' ''' ' ^' ^y 19. The Light of Asia and the Light of the World. A Comparison of the Legend, the Doctrine, and the Ethics of the Buddha with the Story, the Doctrine, and the Ethics of Christ, by S. H. Kellogg, D. D. 1885. $2.00. Postage, t3 cents. A careful comparison of Buddhism and Christianity. 209 (e) Biographies Covering the World-Field. 20. Pioneers and Founders, or, Recent Workers in the Mission Field, by Charlotte M. Yonge. 1871. $1.75. Postage, 9 cents. Concise and graphic biographies of John Eliot, David Brainerd, Christian F. Schwarz, Henry Martyn, William Carey, and John Marshman, the Judson Family, three Bishops of Calcutta, Samuel Marsden, John Williams, Allen Gardiner, and Charles Frederick Mackenzie. 21. American Heroes on Mission Fields. Brief Missionary Biographies, edited by Rev. H. C. Haydn, D.D. i8go. $1.25. Postage, 12 cents. Brief biographies of thirteen missionaries — eight of them located in Turkey and Persia : Mrs. Clara Gray Schaufifler, Henry Sergeant West, M.D., David Tappan Stoddard, Asahel Grant, M.D., William Goodell, Titus Coan, H. G. O. Dwight, S. Wells Williams, Elijah Coleman Bridgman, Miss Julia A. Rappleye, Adoniram Judson, William G. Schauffler, and John Eliot. 22. Master Missionaries. Chapters in Pioneer Effort throughout the World, by Alex. Hay Japp, LL. D. 1880. $1.00. Postage, 8 cents. Brief biographies of Jas. Oglethorpe, David Zeisberger, Samuel Hebich, William Elmslie, Geo. W. Walker, Robert Moffat, Dr. Jas. Stewart, Dr. Wm. Black, John Coleridge Patteson, and John G. Fee. ( f ) Medical Missions. 23. Medical Missions, Their Place and Power, by John Lowe, F.R.C.S.E. 1890. $1.50. Postage, II cents. The standard work on medical missions. 24. The Healer-Preacher. Sketches and Incidents of Medical Mission Work, by George Saunders, M.D., C.B. 1884. $1.25. Postage, 10 cents. An account of medical mission work in London, containing many interest- ing incidents. 25. Medical Work of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, Methodist Episcopal Church, by Mrs. J. T. Gracey. 1888. $0.50. Postage, 7 cents. In India, China, Japan, and Korea. (g) Miscellaneous Works. v'26. Foreign Missions, Their Place in the Pastorate, in Prayer, in Conferences. Ten Lectures by Augustus C. Thompson, D.D. 1889. iSi.75. Postage, 13 cents. Especially useful to the home pastor. Highly commended. j/27. Missionary Addresses, by Rev. J. M. Thobum, D.D. 1888. $0.70. Post- age, 7 cents. Contains much wise and helpful advice for the prospective missionary. 28. Women of the Orient. An Account of the Religious, Intellectual, and Social Condition of Women in Japan, China, India, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, by Rev. Ross C. Houghton, A.M. 1877. $1.25. Postage, 12 cents. A most entertaining book. Fully illustrated. i.^'29. The Ely Volume, or, The Contributions of our Foreign Missions to Science and Human Well-being, by Thomas Laurie, D.D. 1881. ji2.oo. Postage, 22 cents. y^pl^.^'^V An exhaustive treatise on the contributions of A. B. C. F. M. Missionaries to science. Full of useful facts and illustrations. 210 30. Modern Missions and Culture ; Their Mutual Relations, by Dr. Gustav Wameck. Translated by Thomas Smith, D. D. 1882. I1.35. Postagej 13 cents. A good book for all desiring a broad, philosophical view of missionary effort. 31. The Indo-British Opium Trade and its Effect. A Recess Study, by Theodore Christlieb, D. D., Ph.D. Translated by David B. Croom, M. A. 1879. $0.70. Postage, 4 cents. A brief, incisive resume of this deadly traffic down to 1879. 32. Maritime Discovery and Christian Missions, Considered in their Mutual Relations, by John Campbell. 1840. I1.75. Postage, 18 cents. Deals largely with the South Sea Islands. ^^33. Memoirs of Rev. David Brainerd, edited by J. M. Sherwood, D.D. 1884. J1.50. Postage, 13 cents. vjp^-T*''^ 1 ii'f- Highly recommended for intense spiritual tone. II. AFRICA. (a) Historical and Descriptive. •' 34. The Newr World of Central Africa, with a history of the first Christian Mission on the Congo, by Mrs. H. Grattan Guinness. 1890. jSz.oo. Postage, 17 cents. KIK, Jr5i • A graphic description of the Congo Free State, its history, people, etc., with a full account of the first twelve years of the Livingstone Inland Mission. Very entertaining and recent. 35. Garenganze, or. Seven Years' Pioneer Mission Work in Central Africa, by Fred. S. Arnot. 1889. J1.25. Postage, 10 cents. A narration of the thrilling adventures and patient trials of a devoted Christian explorer. 36. The Story of Madagascar, by the Rev. John W. Mears, D.D. 1873. $1.25. Postage, 8 cents. A full account of the persecution of Christians from 1839-61, with notices of earlier and later history down to 1871. 37. Africa's Mountain Valley, or. The Church in Regent's Town, West Africa, by Maria Louisa Charlesworth. J1.50. Postage, 8 cents. A most interesting and instructive chapter in the missionary history of Africa. (b) Biographical. 38. The Personal Life of David Livingstone, LL. D., D. C. L., chiefly from his unpublished journals and correspondence in the possession of his family, by William Garden Blaikie, D.D., LL. D. J1.25. Postage, 14 cents. Best personal biography of Livingstone. ^39. David Livingstone. His Labours and His Legacy, by Arthur Montefiore, F. R. G. S. $0.75. Postage, 6 cents. (^^sjfci^j A brief but comprehensive sketch of his life and labors. 40. Alexander M. Mackay, Pioneer Missionary of the Church Missionary Society to Uganda, by his Sister. 1890. $1.50. Postage, 12 cents. One of the most absorbing missionary biographies. Valuable hints on the industrial phase of foreign missionary work. 211 ^ 41. The Lives of Robert and Mary Moffat, by their son, John S. Moffat. 1888. $1.75. Postage, 15 cents. ti^.IfW ,'^fe'^- A well-written story of the trials and successes of missionary life, contain- ing inner glimpses of domestic experience and trials. 42. James Hannington, First Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa. A history of his life and work, 1847-1885, by E. C. Dawson, M.A., 1886. $1.25. Postage, 12 cents. A vivid sketch of a remarkable active and useful life and a tragic death. »<'43. Samuel Crowther, the Slave Boy who became Bishop of the Niger, by Jesse Page. 1888. $o.y^. Postage, 6 cents. (M^ I ''") A brief and entertaining record of a remarkable life and work. III. ALASKA. 44. Alaska, and Missions of the North Pacific Coast, by Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D. D. 1883. $1.50. Postage, 11 cents. A profusely illustrated description of Alaska, its people, customs, and missions down to 1883. 45. Life in Alaska. Letters of Mrs. Eugene S. WUlard, edited by her sister, Mrs. Eva McClintock. 1884. $1.25. Postage, 9 cents. Contains touching glimpses of the trials and joys of missionary life. IV. burm;ah. 46. The Life of Adoniram Judson, by his son, Edward Judson. 1883. $1.50. Postage, 17 cents. An inspiring and entertaining biography of Burmah's great missionary. 47. Rivers in the Desert, or. The Great Awakening in Burmah, by the Rev. John Baillie. $1.50. Postage, 8 cents. A narrative of the wonderful work of God in that country, with memoirs of the Judsons and of their fellow-laborers. V. CHINA. (a) Historical and Descriptive. 48. The Middle Kingdom. A Survey of the Geography, Government, Literature, Social Life, Arts, and History of the Chinese Empire and its Inhabitants, by S. Wells Williams, LL. D. Two volumes. 1882. JS9.00. Postage, 50 cents- The standard work on China. 49. China and the Chinese. A General Description of the Country and its Inhabitants ; its Civilization and Form of Government ; its Religious and Social Institutions ; its Intercourse with other Nations ; and its Present Con- dition and Prospects. By the Rev. John L. Nevius, D. D. 1882. $1.50. Postage, II cents. A thorough presentation of China and its people, with particular reference to missions and methods, v" 50. In the Far East. Letters from Geraldine Guinness in China, edited by her Sister. 1889. Board, $1.00 ; cloth, $1.50. Postage, 12 cents. '^»^)C''' , '^'' A most intensely fascinating account of life in China. Graphic descrip- tion, tender pathos, and unusual depth of spirituality place this book in the very front rank. Handsomely illustrated. 212 51. The Dragon, Image, and Demon, or, the Three Religions of China, Con- fucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, by Rev. Hampden C. DuBose. 1886. $2.00. Postage, 17 cents. Fully illustrated and well arranged. Confined to religions. 52. The Religions of China. Confucianism and Taoism Described and Com- pared with Christianity, by James Legge. 1880. jSi.SO. Postage, 10 cents. A work by a recognized authority. 53. Confucianism and Taouism, by Robert K. Douglas. jSi.oo. Postage, 7 cents. Brief but thorough studies of these two systems. 54. The Chinese Classics. A Translation, by Jas. Legge, D.D. $0.60. Post- age, 12 cents. Translations of the principal works of Confucius and Mencius. 55. China, by Robert K. Douglas. 1885. jSi.50, Postage, 13 cents. In popular form. Christian missions very briefly noticed. 56. Among the Mongols, by the Rev. James Gilmour, M. A. 1888. |i.oo. Postage, II cents. Account of the pioneer travels of a medical missionary in Mongolia. (b) Biographical. 57. Robert Morrison, the Pioneer of Chinese Missions, by William John Town- send. I0.75. Postage, 7 cents. An interesting sketch of China's pioneer missionary. 58. Griffith John, Founder of the Hankow Mission, Central China, by William Robson. 1889. 1(0.75. Postage, 7 cents. A sketch of the life and work of the pioneer missionary to central China. VI. OORBA. 59. Corea, the Hermit Nation. Ancient and Medieval History; Political and Social Corea ; Modern and Recent History. By William Elliot Griffis. 1888. $2.50. Postage, 20 cents. The standard work on Corea. 60. Corea, Without and Within. Chapters on Corean History, Manners and Religion, by William Elliot Grifiis. 1885. $1.25. Postage, 9 cents. A popular description of country and people, condensed from foregoing. VII. INDIA. (a) Historical and Descriptive. 61. India, Country, People, Missions, by J. T. Gracey, D. D. 1884. jpi.oo. Postage, 8 cents. (^>(> )tv .•iiri-) A comprehensive view of missions to these Islands, with a sketch of the Labor Traffic. 90. Among the Cannibals of New Guinea, by Rev. S. McFarlane, LL. D., F. R. G. S. 1888. jSo.75. Postage, 6 cents. A graphic account of the early history of the New Guinea Mission of the London Missionary Society, 1871-88. 91. At Home in Fiji, by Miss C. F. Gordon Gumming. 1878. j!i.25. Postage, 1 1 cents. A record of life in Fiji, with considerable mention of missionary work. 92. Six Months Among the Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, and Volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands, by Isabella L. Bird. 1876. $2.50. Postage, 10 cents. A vivid description of travel and adventure. (b) Biographical. 93. John G. Paton, Missionary to the New Hebrides. An Autobiography, edited by his Brother. Two volumes. 1889. tyoo. Postage, 21 cents. " The most fascinating narrative of missionary adventure and heroism and success that we have ever met." — A. T. Pierson. 94. James Calvert, or, From Dark to Dawn in Fiji, by R. Vernon. 1890. $0.75. Postage, 7 cents. A brief but graphic account of the work of missions in Fiji from 1835 to the present. Fully illustrated. 95. Bishop Patteson, the Martyr of Melanesia, by Jesse Page. $0.7 5. Postage, 7 cents. The record of a noble student-life, an active young manhood, and a tragic death. 96. Life of John Coleridge Patteson, Missionary Bishop of the Melanesian Islands, by Charlotte Mary Yonge. Two volumes. 1873. $5.00. Postage, 20 cents. An interesting and complete memoir. 97. Memoir of the Life and Episcopate of George Augustus Selwyn, D.D., Bishop of New Zealand, 1841-69, and Lichfield, 1867-78, by the Rev. H. W. Tucker, M.A. Two volumes. 1879. $5.00. Postage, 17 cents. A narrative of the Christianization of New Zealand. y'gS. John Williams, the Martyr Missionary of Polynesia, by Rev. Jas. J. Ellis. 1889. I0.75. Postage, 7 cents. (■H-*'^V A brief but interesting biography of this pioneer missionary. 216 XIV. TURKEY. (a) Historical and Descriptive. gg. Among the Turks, by Cyrus Hamlin. 1877. $1.50. Postage, 10 cents. Interesting observations during thirty-five years' residence in Constantino- ple as a missionary. 100. The Romance of Missions, or, Inside View of Life and Labor in the Land of Ararat, by Maria A. West. 1876. jSi.50. Postage, 13 cents. Very entertaining ; with glimpses of the peculiar trials and joys of missionary life. loi. The Women of the Arabs, with a Chapter for Children, by Rev. Henry Harris Jessup, D.D. 1873. iiSi.25. Postage, 10 cents. An account of work for Woman in Syria to 1873, with a most interesting chapter for children. 102. Ten Years on the Euphrates, or, Primitive Missionary Policy Illustrated, by Rev. C. H. Wheeler. 1868. jSi.25. Postage, 8 cents. Labors in Harpoot, Turkey, and vicinity. (b) Biographical. 103. Forty Years in the Turkish Empire, or. Memoirs of Rev. William Goodell, D.D., by E. D. G. Prime, D.D. 1875. S'-SO. Postage, 11 cents. Full of interesting incidents, and especially helpful in understanding pres- ent status of Christian Work in the Turkish Empire. 104. Autobiography of William G. SchaufBer, for Forty-nine Years a Mis- sionary in the Orient, edited by his Sons. 1887. jSi.oo. Postage, II cents. A most readable narrative of the varied experiences of this remark- able man. ^^_^ ^ "^ ^t^u^,^ <(2fyk.^>t3XZ:;^ "-^ ^^S^ '^^^^^LIBR ARIES. While it is hoped that each purchaser will make his own selection, yet, as few have the books at hand for examination, the following collections are suggested for those who wish to order in this way. Should any wish to omit any books suggested, others of equal value will be inserted at their request. The Volunteer's $15 Missionary Library. Includes Nos. 2, 6, 12, 27, 38, 40, 49, 50, 61, 70, 73, 93, and 100. Sent expressage paid. The Young People's $10 Missionary Library. Includes Nos. 6, 14, 28, 39, 40, 49, 50, 61, 63, 71, and 94. Sent expressage paid. The Minister's $15 Missionary Library. Includes Nos. 2, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 26, 28, 38, 46, 49, 61, and 93. Sent expressage paid. The College $15 Missionary Library. Includes Nos. 2, 6, 12, 28, 34, 40, 49, 52, 61, 62, 74, 84, and 94. Sent expressage paid. The College $35 Missionary Library. Includes Nos. 2, 6, 12, i6, 18, 23, 28, 29. 34. 38. 40. 46, 48, 50, 59, 61, 62, 64, 70, 74, 84, 86, and 93. Sent express" age paid. 217 The College $50 Missionary Library. Includes, in addition to the $35 library, Nos. I, 20, 49, Sg, and 99. Sent expressage paid. Send money by postal or express money order, check or draft. By no means send silver, as it is very liable to be lost, and endangers all mail sent to the same address. Address all communications to WALTER J. CLARK, , ,^ /,j,_e^ ,i^ . , n~ TlmTTT TTriTTniT, n ■ ^ferr^Ynrlr City. J Student Volunteer Series. No. I. The American Student Uprising, by John R. Mott. Exhausted; but its place temporarily supplied by " The Report of the Executive Committee presented at the International Convention at Cleveland." '>Lec^£,.tct5:«^ ( J^^-^-^-^j^ ) ]f^i- No. 2. Shall I Go ? by Miss Grace E. WUder. Fifth edition exhausted. No. 3. The Volunteer Pledge, by Robert P. Wilder. No. 4. The Volunteer Band, by Robert E. Speer. No. 5. Not yet issued. No. 6. Not yet issued. No. 7. The World's Need, by John N. Forman. Almost exhausted. No. 8. An Appeal from China, by Miss Geraldine Guinness. Almost exhausted. No. 9. An Appeal from India, by Miss Grace E. Wilder. No. 10. An Appeal to Christian Medical Students, by W. J. Wanless. No. II. An Appeal from Japan, by C. A. Clark. Nlission.ary Tracts. In addition to the Student Volunteer Series, the following missionary tracts are commended, and can be obtained from the Student Volunteer Movement office. A Bird's Eye View of the Foreign Mission Field. Second edition. 10 cents per dozen ; 65 cents per hundred. Facts on Foreign Missions. (Revised.) Compiled by W. J. Wanless, M. D. 2 cents ; 20 cents per dozen ; $1 per hundred. A Mute Appeal on Behalf of Foreign Missions, with diagram exhibiting the actual and relative numbers of mankind classified according to their religion. 30 cents per hundred. Trifling with a Great Trust, with diagram illustrating the annual expenditures in the United States compared with gifts to foreign missions. 30 cents per hundred. A Comparative View of Christian Work in the Home and Foreign Fields, with diagrams. 30 cents per hundred. Medical Missions. Facts and Testimonies to their Value and Success, compiled by W. J. Wanless, M. D. 218 American IVIissionary Periodicals. A few of the leading Missionary Magazines and Periodicals are given, trusting that every Volunteer will subscribe for one or more. The list might easily be quadrupled. All are monthly. Aj The Missionary Reviev? of the World, $2 ; $1 to Volunteers. Funk & Wag- nails, 18 and 20 Astor Place, New York City. [Undenominational.] The Missionary Echo, 50 cents ; to students and ministers, 25 cents. The Willard Tract Depository, Yonge and Temperance Streets, Toronto, Ont. [Undenominational.] The Medical Missionary Record, $1 ; to students at reduced rates. Geo. D. Dowkontt, M.D., ir8 East 45th Street, New York City. [Undenominational.] ^^ China's Millions, 50 cents. 30 Shuter Street, Toronto, Ont. With American Supplement. [China Inland Mission.] 11 The Baptist Missionary Magazine, $1. Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass. ' [Bap.] yThe Missionary Herald, $1. Congregational House, i Somerset Street, Boston, Mass. [Cong.] S«The Gospel in All Lands, )Ji.50. Hunt & Eaton, 150 Fifth Avenue, New York City. [M. E.] )(The Spirit of Missions, $1. 22 Bible House, New York City. [P. E.] The Church at Home and Abroad, $1. Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sunday School Work, 1334 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. [Pres. North.] The Missionary, $1. Whittet & Shepperson, looi Main Street, Richmond, Va. [Pres. South.] CC-T^. ir^r.-.'.^..-^ J^-'^-*.'^ *7y -fcfcsT ^■'y^M::^..^x..fr^ ~^-w;_^.~^-('Ai.,-, 01 ' tr»\_Ci-.^^^ l\\^^_ .^I'C '^' ->"^Jz ''.~^,..., -..^ )', 6 »\- INDEX TO SPEAKERS. PAOE. PAGE. Allis, Jno. M. 151 Laffin, C. J. . 157 Bissell, H. G. . IW Lambeth, W. R. . . . C6, 154 Capron, Mrs. S. B. 63, 100, 103, 146 Mason, G. L 151 Chamberlain, Geo. W. . 103, 127 McBurney, K. E. 93 Child, Miss Abbie B. 111 McLean, A. . . 57 Clark, "Walter J. . 36 Morse, Richard C. . . 38 Cobb, H. N. . 56 Mott, John R. . • 7, 21, 24 Coldren, M. J. 149 Murdock, J. N. . . 45, 104 Cossum, W. H. . . 42, 185 Nevius, Jno. L. . . . 98, 158 Cushing, Mrs. J. N. . 157 Newton, Miss Ella 3. 157 Dowkontt, Geo. D. . 89 Peck,l J. 0. 51 Dunn, Miss Nettie 21, 110, 184 Pierson, A. T. . 81 Forman, Henry . 62, 91, 155 Sayford, S. M. . . 122, 181 Fuller, Mrs. Jennie . . 65, 152 Soholl, Geo. 58 Gates, C. F. . 102, 147 Shefaeld, Mrs. D. Z. . 152 Goodman, F. S. . 104, 183 Sinclair, J. A. . 178 Gordon, A. J. • v, 69 Slomans, Wm. 176 Gracey, J. T. 159 Smith, Judson 134 Graham, J. P. . . 148 Smith, |Wm. Walter . . 104 Gulick, Luther . 116 Speer, Eobt. E. 39, 73, 143, 185 Harris, H. H. 60 Steven, F. A. . 49, 153 Haskell, E. B. 106 Steven, Mrs. F. A. 126 Hayes, J. N. . 154 Sutherland, Alex. 54 Helms, E. E. 177 Taylor, J. L. • 7, 182 Howard, Miss Meta 154 Waterbury, Mrs. N. M. 113 Ibuka, Kajinosuke . 175 Wilder, Geo. A. 156 Jones, J. P. 68, 147 Wilder, Robt. P. . 7, 33, 61, 107, 161 Kyle, J. M. 96 Winsor, R. 150 j'L'V'L/C (pXxMyh>^u£dZ