QfarnsU Hnioecattg Hibrarg 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 CLASS OF 1876 
 
 1918 
 
Cornell University Library 
 2060.M92D3 
 
 3 1924 023 021 250 
 
 All books are subject to recall after two weeks 
 Olin/Kroch Library 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 ^199E: 
 
 PRINTED IN U.S.A. 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 924023021 250 
 
THE DECISIVE HOUR OF 
 CHRISTIAN MISSIONS 
 
THE DECISIVE HOUR 
 
 OF 
 
 CHRISTIAN MISSIONS 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN R. MOTT 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT 
 
 FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 
 1910 
 
'■I'-V''.. 
 
 Copyright, 1910, by 
 
 STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT 
 
 FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 
 \^1 A-Sto3 
 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The World Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh 
 in June of the present year constituted in its plan, in 
 its personnel, in the spirit which characterized it, and 
 in its promise, the most significant gathering ever held 
 in the interest of the world's evangelization. In 
 preparation for the Conference eight representative 
 international Commissions had been at work for over 
 eighteen months making a scientific investigation and 
 study of some of the most pressing and vital problems 
 of Christian missions. Associated with these Commis- 
 sions as correspondents were the principal missionaries 
 and leaders of the Church on the mission fields, as 
 well as many of the foremost thinkers and workers 
 of the missionary forces at home. The reports re- 
 sulting from these special investigations have afforded 
 a very comprehensive presentation of the facts about 
 the main aspects of the missionary situation. Those 
 who have had opportunity to examine the mass of 
 evidence gathered by the Commissions and to listen to 
 the discussions of the reports at the Edinburgh Con- 
 ference must have been impressed with the fact that 
 the present is the decisive hour of Christian missions. 
 In the history of Christianity there has never been 
 such a remarkable conjunction of opportunities and 
 crises on all the principal mission fields and of favor- 
 ing circumstances and possibilities on the home field. 
 The central idea of this book has been suggested by 
 
vi DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the studies in connection with Commission I on " Car- 
 rying the Gospel to all the Non-Christian World " of 
 which the author was chairman. He has made large 
 use of the results of the investigations of the Commis- 
 sion, and has introduced without quotation certain 
 parts of the report written by himself. He has also 
 profited by the investigations made by the other Com- 
 missions and by the debates of the Conference itself. 
 The book is based, therefore, almost entirely upon the 
 information furnished recently by trusted correspond- 
 ents, representing every part of the world under re- 
 view, and not, save in rare cases, upon material access- 
 ible in print. Reports of the eight Commissions are 
 soon to be printed and readers who wish to follow 
 further the subjects under consideration are referred 
 to these volumes. As they have not yet appeared, the 
 plan of giving references to them in foot-notes has had 
 to be abandoned. Nearly all of the quotations in dif- 
 ferent chapters are from correspondence preserved in 
 the Archives of the World Missionary Conference. 
 
 The author wishes to acknowledge his deep indebt- 
 edness to the members and correspondents of Commis- 
 sion I. He has been greatly helped by the generous 
 and efficient co-operation of the Editorial Committee 
 of the United Council for Mission Study of Great 
 Britain, as well as by that of Dr. T. H. P. Sailer, a 
 recognized authority on mission study. He is under 
 particular obligation to Mr. Hans P. Andersen for 
 his wise and constant help. 
 
 John R. Mott 
 
 Edinburgh, June 29, 1910 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I VAGB 
 
 The Non-Christian Nations Plastic and Changing . 3 
 
 M 
 
 Criticai, Tendencies and Influences in the Non- 
 
 Christian World 39 
 
 III 
 The Rising Spiritual Tide in the Non Christian World 69 
 
 IV 
 
 The Requirements of the Present Situation: an 
 Adequate Plan 99 
 
 V 
 
 The Requirements of the Present Situation: an 
 
 Adequate Home Base 127 
 
 VI 
 
 The Requirements of the Present Situation; an 
 
 Efficient Church on the Mission Field . . .165 
 
 VII 
 
 The Requirements of the Present Situation: the 
 
 Superhuman Factor 193 
 
 VIII 
 Possibilities of the Present Situation . . . ,221 
 
 Index 243 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 World Missionary Conference, United Free Church 
 Assembly Hall, Edinburgh . . Frontispiece 
 
 rACING 
 PAGE 
 
 Railway Penetrating the Old Wall of Peking' . 8 
 
 The First Turkish Parliament 
 
 A Chinese Colliery Center — looo Miles from the 
 Sea . ... 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 46 
 
 54 
 64 
 71 
 
 Buildings of the University of Calcutta . 
 
 A Hindu Festival on the Ganges 
 
 Ancient Examination Halls, Nanking . 
 
 The Haeboe of Osaka . .... 
 
 Birthplace op the Student Volunteer Movement, 
 
 Mount Hermon, Mass. . . . 82 
 
 Conference of the Chinese Students' Christian 
 
 Association, Hartford, Conn. .... 108 
 
 Density of Student Population in Tokyo . . .114 
 
 A Young People's Missionary Movement Conference 
 
 AT Silver Bay, N. Y. ... 130 
 
 Dinner of the Laymen's Missionary Movement in 
 
 New York . -. 144 
 
 Honorable T. H. Yun of Korea; Rajah Sir Harnam 
 
 Singh of India ... 176 
 
 Bishop Honda of Japan; Pandita Ramabai op India . 182 
 
 The Madras Christian College i88 
 
 Chinese Wheelbarrow and Its Rival .... 222 
 
 Map: Commercial Expansion . , . End of Booh 
 
THE NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS 
 PLASTIC AND CHANGING 
 
THE DECISIVE HOUR OF 
 CHRISTIAN MISSIONS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS PLASTIC AND 
 CHANGING 
 
 Throughout the non-Christian world there are un- 
 mistakable signs of the awakening of great peoples 
 from their long sleep. Through the whole of Asia a 
 ferment is in process, which has spread from the intel- 
 lectual leaders, and is fast taking possession of the 
 masses. It affects over three-fourths of the human 
 race, including peoples of high intelligence and ancient 
 civilization. The leaders are concerned with the ques- 
 tions of enlightenment, of intellectual and social free- 
 dom, of economic development, and of national effi- 
 ciency. In all history there has not been a period when 
 such vast multitudes of people were in the midst of 
 such stupendous changes, economic, social, educa- 
 tional, and religious. Among innumerable multitudes 
 of the inhabitants of the non-Christian world the forces 
 of youth and age, of radicalism and conservatism, of 
 growth and decay, are seething and struggling for the 
 mastery. As we survey the unparalleled situation in 
 
 3 
 
4 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 these lands, the question is forced upon us. What is 
 to be the issue of it all? 
 
 It is difficult to believe that two generations ago 
 Japan was even more completely closed to Western in- 
 fluence than was China. She was then under a feudal 
 form of government, divided into clans; those of the 
 warrior clan, the Samurai, were intensely devoted to 
 their lords and jealous of the other clans. The rights 
 of the common people were greatly restricted. One 
 policy was rigidly enforced — exclusion of the for- 
 eigner and of foreign customs. No Japanese was per- 
 mitted to leave the country, and any who escaped 
 were not permitted to return. Not until 1868 did a 
 revolution make the Emperor actual as well as 
 nominal head of the nation. In 1871 the feudal lords 
 voluntarily surrendered their rule, and, at the advice 
 of a missionary, an embassy was sent to Western 
 lands to observe and report. This tour led to the 
 systematic appropriation of Western ideas, culminat- 
 ing in a constitutional government proclaimed in 
 1889. Since then Japan has proved herself, in some 
 respects, the most brilliant nation in the world. She 
 has achieved greater progress in one generation than 
 any other country has achieved in two, if not in three 
 generations. She has gone to school to the whole 
 world and has learned her lessons with remarkable 
 facility. Seldom does the traveler find himself upon 
 an ocean steamer that he does not discover among 
 his fellow-passengers one or more Japanese — ^not 
 going about the world in search of pleasure, but 
 journeying with serious intent to study some insti- 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 5 
 
 tution, some movement, some process, some experience 
 of another nation or people, determined to make this 
 larger knowledge tributary to the expanding great- 
 ness of their own country. Open-mindedness is 
 their characteristic as a people. Some have feared 
 that their recent victories would make them proud, 
 but those who have been in touch with Japan have 
 received an opposite impression. They have found 
 that the Japanese have rather been humbled and 
 solemnized by their victories, and have come to have 
 an increased sense of responsibility. Possibly never 
 has Japan manifested greater eagerness to learn from 
 other nations and to increase her efficiency than 
 during the period which has elapsed since the 
 Russian war. The view entertained in some quarters 
 that Japan has at last become fixed is incorrect. 
 She has not ceased to go to school. Her time of 
 transition has not wholly passed and profound 
 changes are still taking place, if not so rapidly as 
 before. 
 
 The fact must not be lost sight of that influences 
 from Japan extend over the whole Orient. The lead- 
 ers of the Japanese Christian Student Movement em- 
 phasized this fact in a cable message which they sent 
 to the Student Volunteer Convention in Nashville, in 
 1906, "Japan is leading the Orient, but whither?" 
 Even more aptly do these words express the position 
 of Japan to-day than at the time when the message 
 was sent. The most casual traveler sees how Japan is 
 becoming an increasing factor in the commercial and 
 industrial developments of the Far East, and the great 
 
6 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Steamship agencies of America, Britain, and Germany 
 feel the pressure of this fact increasingly. Japan is 
 profoundly influencing the economic changes, not only 
 of Korea but also of China. Her voice has become the 
 most influential in the political councils of the Far 
 East. To a far greater extent than most people realize 
 she has taken the leading position in the promotion of 
 the educational movement on the mainland of Asia. 
 True it is that Japan is leading the Orient. The East- 
 ern nations are following Japan, as Japan is following 
 the West, and what Japan has succeeded in doing to- 
 day the others will do to-morrow. The advance of 
 Japan is a prophecy of what will follow throughout 
 the nations of the East. 
 
 Korea was known yesterday as " The Land of the 
 Morning Calm." Not till 1883 was the first treaty 
 made with a Western nation and the first foreigner 
 permitted to live in the land. Even up to 1907, at 
 which time Japan assumed practically complete con- 
 trol, the Government was most unprogressive. To- 
 day Korea is vibrating with the spirit of the modern 
 world, and the age-long isolation of the hermit nation 
 has ceased. Where are ten millions of people to be 
 found upon whom the currents of modern civilization 
 have been turned more abruptly, and with greater 
 directness and power, than upon the Korean people 
 during the last five years? A railway has been 
 stretched across the whole length of the peninsula. 
 The material resources of the country are being 
 rapidly developed, the Government having within 
 recent years granted nearly two hundred mining con- 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 7 
 
 cessions. Other new and profitable industries are 
 being introduced. The educational system has been 
 reformed along modern lines, and the people are so 
 fully awake to the value and necessity of Western 
 knowledge and education that they will take what- 
 ever literature or teacher will help to meet this de- 
 mand. A new literature is being evolved under the 
 influence of the Christian Church. A new and highly 
 efficient financial system has been introduced. 
 Countless other economic and political changes have 
 been effected. Far-reaching social changes, such as 
 the raising of the age for marriage and the gradual 
 doing away with the custom of concubinage, are tak- 
 ing place. Torture has been eliminated from the 
 penal code. In fact, every department of the life of 
 the country is being reorganized. Their present 
 political condition, which is very bitter to them, 
 has served to arouse the Koreans from their self- 
 satisfied lethargy. The old ways will no longer do, 
 and they know it. Their eyes have been opened to 
 what the West has to teach them, and they are absorb- 
 ing new methods with great rapidity. 
 
 For four thousand years China has been the same 
 unchanging empire, entirely self-centered and self- 
 satisfied, with a profound contempt for everything 
 foreign. Yet to-day she too has turned her face 
 from the past and begun to learn from other nations. 
 The changeless is giving way to the changing, and 
 the changes are bewildering in their number and 
 variety. She has made a more radical adjustment to 
 modern conditions within the last five years than has 
 
8 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 any other nation, not excepting Korea. Those who 
 have studied the great changes that came over Japan 
 will remember that she made no such advance in the 
 first ten years after she began to adopt Western civ- 
 ilization as China has made during the last five years. 
 Sir Robert Hart, the eminent civilian and sagacious 
 observer of things Chinese, in commenting on the re- 
 cent changes in China, said that during the first forty- 
 five years of his residence in China the country was 
 like a closed room, without a breath of fresh air from 
 the outside world, but that the last five years reminded 
 him of being in a room with all the windows and doors 
 wide open and the breezes of heaven sweeping through. 
 Dr. Griffith John, one of China's greatest missionaries, 
 on starting back from his last furlough, in speaking 
 to a group of Christian workers in America, said that 
 if the recent changes which had taken place in China 
 had been attended with the bloodshed which character- 
 ized the late Russian revolution, the eyes of the civi- 
 lized world would be fixed upon China, and nothing 
 would hold back the Christian nations from going to 
 her relief. President Lowry of the Peking University 
 insists that the change which has come over China 
 within the last decade has been so great that it is 
 " almost impossible to describe the contrast with the 
 past without seeming extravagance of language." He 
 regards it as " one of the most sweeping and radical 
 revolutions ever effected in any great nation in the 
 history of the world." 
 
 Only twenty years ago the telegraph system of 
 China was confined to a few wires binding together 
 
w 
 
 X 
 H 
 
 O 
 g 
 
 < 
 « 
 H 
 K 
 Z 
 M 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 9 
 
 the port cities ; now a network of 26,000 miles of tele- 
 graph lines, connecting with 490 telegraph offices, is 
 spread over the empire. For thousands of years, rivers 
 and canals were the principal channels of communica- 
 tion in this country, but in recent years the railway has 
 come in as the great rival. In 1895 there were but 200 
 miles of railway in China; now there are 4170 miles in 
 operation and 9000 miles more projected.* The 
 journey can now be made in a train de luxe from Pe- 
 king to Hankow in the heart of China in thirty-six 
 hours, whereas six years ago it would have required 
 fully forty days by Chinese carts. Steamer lines cover 
 a distance of 8000 miles. The Yangtse from Hankow 
 to Shanghai sustains a greater traffic than any other 
 river in the world for an equal distance. All the great 
 port cities of China and some of those along the in- 
 land rivers are being rapidly modernized, and remind 
 one of the crowded commercial ports of the West. 
 Great modern industrial plants are being rapidly estab- 
 lished in and near the large interior cities, as well as at 
 the ports. In Hankow alone not less than 25,000 men 
 are employed in such establishments. Shanghai, which 
 a generation ago was comparatively but a river village, 
 to-day has a tonnage in its harbor next to that of 
 Liverpool. Only a few years ago there were no mod- 
 ern post offices; now they are to be found in 3500 
 towns and cities, and the number is increasing day by 
 day. In many cities the rushlight has been superseded 
 by the electric light. The fear of " boring into the 
 pulse of the dragon" is being lost by those who are 
 
 * See map at the end of this volume. 
 
lO DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 anxious to exploit the mineral wealth of the 
 country. 
 
 Twelve years ago there was only one daily paper in 
 Peking, the ancient Peking Gazette, devoted chiefly to 
 publishing the edicts of the Imperial Government. 
 Now, there are said to be ten dailies there. In the 
 other cities throughout China, hundreds of modern 
 periodicals have been established, all of which devote 
 a large section of their space to reporting news from all 
 parts of the world. The printing-presses, both those 
 under secular, and those under missionary auspices, 
 are not able to keep pace with the demand made upon 
 them for the bringing out of new works and of trans- 
 lations of the books of important authors of Western 
 nations. 
 
 Political changes of far-reaching importance have 
 been effected. Constitutional government has recently 
 been promised by Imperial edict. October 14, 1909, 
 will henceforth be a historic date in China, because on 
 that day provincial assemblies were opened in the capi- 
 tals of all the provinces. This is a significant step in 
 the ten-years' programme which is to culminate in the 
 actual establishment of modern parliamentary consti- 
 tutional government for the Chinese Empire. The 
 work of these new assemblies during the intervening 
 years is to serve as a means of preparing the people for 
 the new political responsibilities involved. Those who 
 have had opportunity to study these assemblies bear 
 testimony that, even in their first year, in the strength 
 of their personnel, in the wisdom with which they have 
 dealt with the subjects before them, in the dignity with 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING u 
 
 which the discussions have been conducted, in the order 
 and practical efficiency with which they carry on 
 business, these bodies impress them quite as favorably 
 as do the political assemblies of some of the Western 
 nations, both in Europe and in North and South 
 America. Already the work of these assemblies in 
 some of the provinces has passed beyond the realm of 
 academic discussion into that of evolving practical 
 measures concerning both the immediate and the future 
 welfare of the country. In October of the present year 
 (1910) the Imperial Senate will hold its first meeting. 
 Without doubt the best illustration of the social and 
 moral progress of the New China is the anti-opium 
 crusade. The Imperial Government in 1907 decided 
 that the opium evil must be extirpated from China, It 
 was agreed that this must be accomplished within ten 
 years. The official regulations, which are understood 
 to have been prepared by Tang Shao Yi, one of the 
 Imperial Commissioners on Opium Suppression, are so 
 masterly in their scope, as well as in their practical 
 details, that they are worthy of study by the statesmen 
 and reformers of other lands. The Government pro- 
 hibited the use of opium by all officials except those of 
 very advanced age. In a wonderful way persons high 
 in political and social circles in all parts of China have 
 thrown themselves into the movement. It is said that 
 some of the princes and officials have died as a result 
 of their most zealous and serious struggles to break 
 the opium habit. All over China popular societies have 
 been formed for the purpose of waging the anti-opium 
 propaganda. Great mass-meetings have been held in 
 
12 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the principal cities and in many towns. The assem- 
 bling and burning of opium-smoking outfits is no un- 
 common occurrence. In some provinces such vigorous 
 measures have been taken that apparently the period 
 of ten years will not be required to suppress the traffic. 
 In the Province of Shansi, for example, the raising of 
 the poppy is absolutely prohibited. Travelers in the 
 Province of Szechwan have recently reported that they 
 saw no signs of the poppy there and that the opium 
 dens were closed. Lord William Cecil testifies that, 
 whereas when he was in China in 1907, he found the 
 country between Hankow and Harbin " beautiful with 
 white and pink crops of poppy," in 1909 he did not see 
 a single poppy flower while traversing the same coun- 
 try. Few in the West realize what a vast and revolu- 
 tionary change this abolition of the opium traffic is. 
 It involves the reorganization of the entire fiscal sys- 
 tem, but the Government has gone forward regardless 
 of financial considerations. The Chinese themselves 
 have been, and are, the leaders in this movement, and 
 it is significant that one of the most efiFective advocates 
 of the suppression of opium, at the meetings of the 
 International Opium Commission recently held in 
 Shanghai, was Tong Kaison, a Chinese Christian. 
 When one considers the number of people involved, the 
 strength of the habit combated, and the results already 
 attained, this anti-opium crusade is one of the greatest 
 moral movements of modern times. It is being con- 
 ducted with an aggressiveness and with a degree of 
 success which puts to shame the progress of temper- 
 ance and certain other moral movements in Western 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 13 
 
 lands. Changes like these seem almost incredible when 
 one reflects on the constitution of the Chinese mind 
 and its unchanging attitude throughout the centuries. 
 China's awakening is not only in industrial enter- 
 prise, political reform, and social progress; unques- 
 tionably the greatest changes in China are those per- 
 taining to education, and out of this a new spirit in 
 the Chinese people is resulting. Literally thousands 
 of Chinese students have been sent abroad to study. 
 In 1900 there were less than a score of Chinese stu- 
 dents studying in Tokyo. At present there are not less 
 than four thousand there, and at one time, in 1907, 
 the number was as high as fifteen thousand. While 
 the number studying in Japan has declined, the number 
 going to America and Europe is steadily increasing. 
 There are now in the dififerent universities and schools 
 of the United States not less than six hundred Chinese 
 students, and plans have been perfected for sending 
 thither in the near future a much larger number. 
 There are also about five hundred studying in Great 
 Britain and on the Continent. In the history of edu- 
 cation there has been no such extensive migration of 
 students from one country to other lands. At the time 
 when Japan had the largest number of her youth 
 studying abroad there were only about 1700 in America 
 and a much smaller number in Europe. Another strik- 
 ing fact in connection with the Chinese student migra- 
 tion is that the largest number who have gone abroad 
 to study have come from the most reactionary 
 province — the Province of Hunan, the one which 
 longest resisted the introduction of the telegraph. 
 
14 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Even more remarkable than the sending abroad for 
 study of her own young men and young women, has 
 been the rapid transformation of the system of edu- 
 cation in China. In 1905, by one stroke of the ver- 
 milion pencil, the Empress Dowager abolished com- 
 pletely and forever the competitive examination sys- 
 tem which had been in operation for two thousand 
 years. The old examination halls are already falling 
 into ruins or have been torn down to make way for 
 modern schools. The Imperial Government has issued 
 in five volumes a complete set of regulations which in- 
 clude a curriculum of studies based largely upon that 
 of Japan, which is in turn based on American and 
 European models. Within the last five years the Im- 
 perial Government has not only sent educational com- 
 missions to Europe and America to make a careful 
 study of the educational systems of the West, but has 
 also taken to heart the results of their investigations. 
 An increasing number of American and European edu- 
 cators have been invited by provincial and municipal 
 governments, as well as by Chinese gentry, to help to 
 establish modern institutions of learning in different 
 parts of the country. A far larger number of Japan- 
 ese teachers have been secured for the same purpose. 
 It is estimated that at one time there were as many 
 as one thousand Japanese co-operating in the educa- 
 tional reforms throughout China. Modem schools and 
 colleges are springing up like mushrooms all over 
 China. In the Province of Chihli there are already 
 scores of thousands of students and scholars in these 
 modern institutions. In Peking alone there are 200 ii.- 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 15 
 
 stitutions with 17,000 students. In each of four other 
 cities in China there are already over 10,000 students 
 of modern learning. Scores of girls' schools have 
 sprung up in the different parts of China, and nothing 
 in the general awakening of the country is more mo- 
 mentous than this change in the status and education 
 , of women. 
 
 Many schools, both for men and for women, have 
 insufficient stafifs of teachers and therefore are doing 
 superficial work. It is a case of the blind leading the 
 blind. Many mistakes are being made and much 
 money is being wasted, but the significant fact is that 
 China has determined to give Western education to 
 her millions of youth. To realize the meaning of the 
 educational revolution, one need only recall that Japan 
 now has nearly six millions of youth in her schools 
 and colleges, and that the same proportion will some 
 day give China over fifty millions. The day is coming, 
 and that very soon, when China will have more stu- 
 dents than any other nation of the world. 
 
 China, then, is in the midst of an intellectual revolu- 
 tion, but at present her education has a pronouncedly 
 utilitarian end. Her one motive and desire is that she 
 may acquire the secret of the industrial, commercial, 
 financial, miUtary, and naval power of the West. This 
 is her deliberate purpose and she is succeeding in a 
 marked degree. Is there not something ominous in a 
 nation of 400,000,000 people moving forward into 
 modern civilization with no higher motive than this ? 
 
 Siam is in a condition of metamorphosis. Under the 
 enlightened rule of King ChuJalongkorn I, sb« has 
 
l6 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 been open to Western culture in a remarkable manner. 
 Wonderful progress has been made in all branches of 
 administration; even compulsory education has been 
 introduced, the government system of schools being 
 in the most promising condition. Recent economic, 
 social, and educational changes throughout the Philip- 
 pine Islands as well as in British Malaya and the Dutch 
 East Indies are striking examples of modern progress 
 in the midst of exceedingly difficult conditions. 
 
 Persia also is sharing in the general awakening of 
 the East and is undergoing a transformation. The 
 movement there seeks primarily to establish civil free- 
 dom and ensure social progress, and the immediate aim 
 is to set up a constitutional and popular form of gov- 
 ernment. The fact that it has that particular aim 
 makes its leaders regard such nations as the United 
 States and England as specially worthy of imitation, 
 and the example of these nations and of Japan has 
 impressed them with the conviction that national prog- 
 ress and effectiveness are impossible without educa- 
 tion, science, and civilization. Consequently, there is 
 a new and growing demand for education in sciences 
 and in Western languages. Schools for giving this 
 education are springing up all over the country, and 
 there is a great anxiety to learn. Over and over again, 
 men come to the missionary with the appeal, " We are 
 ignorant and know nothing, and you must be our 
 teacher." In Persia, the old regime is passing away 
 and the new is being formed. Nothing is fixed as 
 yet, but in the Near East as well as in the Far East, 
 events are moving with a rapidity that is nothing short 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 17 
 
 of marvelous, and we cannot tell what a few years 
 may bring forth. 
 
 Even in Turkestan and Afghanistan the modern 
 spirit of transformation and change is felt. It is in- 
 evitable that amid all the restless movements in the 
 neighboring countries — Persia, India, and Turkey — 
 Central Asia and Afghanistan will not remain dor- 
 mant. There are many indications of the influence of 
 the modem currents of the more distant parts of the 
 East also being felt in these regions. Nothing can 
 hold back the advance of Western civilization into the 
 very heart of Asia. The railway and caravan are forc- 
 ing upon the people through every pass and along every 
 channel of communication some of the latest inven- 
 tions of our time. At Kabul, one may see sewing-ma- 
 chines, rifles with smokeless powder, gramophones, 
 and automobiles. One of the results of the visit of the 
 Amir of Afghanistan to India was the arrangement by 
 him for the erection of looms in his capital, and now 
 we hear of the transportation by camel train of pianos 
 and motor cars, and apparatus for wireless telegraphy 
 through the Khaiber Pass. For the management of 
 all these modern industries, a staff of European en- 
 gineers and mechanics has been admitted into the 
 country. 
 
 India, in common with all other lands in the East, 
 is in a state of change and unrest. Great and sur- 
 prising transformations have taken place in the past 
 few years, changes which many did not expect to see 
 occur until another quarter of a century had elapsed. 
 Among these one notes the growing sense of concern 
 
1 8 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 on the part of many outside the missionary and Chris- 
 tian community over the ills which afflict the great 
 masses of the people of this land — ills intellectual, 
 social, and religious. Quite apart from the political 
 movement and agitation throughout India the multi- 
 tudes are in the midst of marked social and industrial 
 developments and transformations. It is true that 
 there are large areas of country inhabitated by scores 
 of millions of agricultural people, vi^ho are as yet 
 largely untouched by the new spirit of change and 
 progress, but the significant fact is, that the higher 
 and more influential classes have been profoundly 
 affected by it. These classes and castes, which for 
 ages have had undisputed authority in India, are now 
 seeking with eagerness to increase their efficiency 
 and to broaden their power. The educated Hindus, 
 and increasingly the educated Mohammedans, have 
 naturally been most profoundly influenced by the 
 modern civilization as a result of their knowledge of 
 the English language and their contact with the out- 
 side world. It is remarkable also that individuals 
 from the lowest castes and from the outcastes are, 
 under the influence of Christianity and education, 
 emerging from their inferior position in Indian so- 
 ciety, and are aspiring to places of prominence and 
 influence. Morever, there are unmistakable signs in 
 different parts of India of the break-up of the system 
 of caste, which has done more to hold back the 
 progress of Indian society and to hinder the advance 
 of Christianity than any other cause. 
 
 Even more remarkable and encouraging is the thirst 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 19 
 
 for learning on the part of the women of India. The 
 last Government Quinquennial Report on the Progress 
 of Education in India, for 1902-1907, in giving the 
 percentage of girls in school to the population of 
 school-going age, places Burma at the top of the list 
 with 8.14 per cent. Bombay comes next with 5.9. 
 The Punjab has 2.6, and the United Provinces only 
 1.2. It would appear that for the whole country not 
 one girl in twenty-five of school-going age is in school, 
 and that the overwhelming proportion of those who 
 are do not advance beyond the lower primary grade. 
 There is, however, a growing desire among the men 
 for the education of their daughters, wives, and sis- 
 ters. Without doubt India is undergoing great 
 social, political, industrial, and religious changes. A 
 new nation is coming to birth. 
 
 Of no other country in the recent or remote past 
 could it be said so truly as it can be said of Turkey, 
 that it is a nation born in a day. On July 24, 1908, 
 the reactionary Sultan Abdul Hamid, who had reigned 
 since 1876, was forced by the progressive party of 
 young Turks to grant a constitution and call a parlia- 
 ment. The marvelous change came unexpectedly 
 and with lightning-like rapidity. No correspondent, 
 missionary, consul, or ambassador had predicted it. 
 In some respects it was the most extraordinary revo- 
 lution which has ever taken place among either an 
 Asiatic or a European people. Within the course of 
 a few weeks Turkey passed from the most absolute 
 despotism to one of the progressive countries of the 
 world. The Young Turks carried all with them, from 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 21 
 
 ago would have sent a man into banishment or to death, 
 are now freely spoken. The system of spies, in con- 
 nection with which there were said to have been over 
 40,000 in Constantinople alone, has been abolished. 
 The galling restrictions of the censorship have been 
 removed. The freest agitation of political questions is 
 permitted in the press and in public meetings. 
 
 Interesting educational changes are taking place. 
 Under the old regime, knowledge was dangerous and 
 men hid it. Now, it is coming to light. Meetings for 
 the discussion of all sorts of questions, political and 
 otherwise, are held in mosques and churches, in halls 
 and public squares. The number of periodicals has al- 
 ready been greatly multiplied. It is said that over two 
 hundred new papers have been started in Constantino- 
 ple alone. The changes are affecting powerfully the 
 social life. There could be no better indication of this 
 than the changing position of women. The general 
 ignorance and social degradation of Mohammedan 
 women had been one of the greatest barriers to the ad- 
 vance of Turkey. The new movement carries with it 
 the education and emancipation of women. No one 
 three years ago would have dreamed of Turkish 
 women attending public meetings, but that is a common 
 practice now. 
 
 In the case of Turkey — as of every nation which has 
 traveled along the road of progress — ^there will come 
 times of reaction. The problem of popular govern- 
 ment in Turkey is by no means solved. Old jealousies 
 and rivalries will continue to assert themselves; but 
 whatever reaction there may be, Turkey will never go 
 
22 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 back where she was before July 24, 1908. And say 
 what we may about the future, the present, at least, 
 is a time of liberty. There has come at last throughout 
 the Turkish Empire freedom to travel, to assemble, to 
 speak, to print, to educate. Only some great loosening 
 of the principles and prejudices of the Mohammedan 
 past could have permitted such a transformation, even 
 though it were to prove but a temporary change. It 
 is more than doubtful whether Islam ever can supply 
 a moral sense of sufficient power to sustain these new 
 principles of liberty. The Turkish people, too, have 
 moved in response to the flowing tide and have shown 
 that they, like the other nations, are ready now to 
 learn from the Christian civilizations of the West. 
 What the future of the New Turkey will be depends 
 entirely upon what she is taught during this time of 
 open-mindedness and change. 
 
 It is not necessary to call attention to the economic, 
 social, and educational development of the native races 
 of South Africa, which development, along with the 
 political evolution, has advanced steadily through the 
 past two or three generations. Suffice it to state that 
 in no period has the progress been more marked, 
 judged by every test, than during the last two decades. 
 This progress is observable in almost every part of 
 what is known as the Sub-Continent, the part of Africa 
 lying south of the Zambesi. 
 
 The facts regarding the transformation of Egypt 
 during the last two or three decades are also well 
 known. The industrial and educational advances 
 which have been made within this period have been 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 
 
 23 
 
 indeed marked. Egypt, formerly one of the worst 
 governed countries of modern times, has now a govern- 
 ment which may be characterized as stable, enlight- 
 ened, and efficient. The transformations which have 
 taken place in the Upper Nile portion of the Sudan 
 within the last five years constitute one of the most 
 encouraging examples of progress to be found in any 
 part of the non-Christian world. Good railways and 
 roads have been made ; modern methods of agriculture 
 and forestry have been introduced; industries have 
 been established; a sound financial system has been 
 put into operation; the country is administered with 
 justice; a good school system, leading up to the 
 efficient Gordon College, has been created; social evils 
 have been abolished, including slavery and polygamy. 
 No region had sunk to a lower depth, socially and 
 economically, yet few sections of the non-Christian 
 world give brighter signs of promise. 
 
 Even in the great heart of Africa the streams of 
 modern progress are moving with increasing momen- 
 tum. Only a generation ago, at the time when Stanley 
 met Livingstone, the vast region of Central Africa, 
 covering a territory of over two million square miles, 
 was practically unknown. An examination of the map 
 of Africa of that time indicates there a blank with the 
 exception of the coast lines. In the intervening years 
 that whole region has been explored and is now well 
 known, and the new maps show the river systems, 
 mountains, lakes, cities, and towns. This whole region 
 is now divided among European powers, and is coming 
 into the light of civilization. Thirty years ago there 
 
24 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 were no railways in this great territory. Now 1200 
 miles of railway are in operation, and 1000 miles more 
 are under construction. It took Stanley 104 days to 
 make the journey from the East Coast to Victoria 
 Nyanza, whereas it can now be made by rail in com- 
 fort within three days. Railways lead toward the 
 heart of Africa, not only from the East Coast, but also 
 from the west, the north, and the south. About 
 twenty years ago, in Uganda, the only avenues of 
 communication were footpaths. Now broad roads, 
 on which the Governor is able to use his motor car, 
 intersect the country in every direction. On the 
 inland rivers and lakes, the steamer lines cover a 
 distance of nearly 7000 miles. In this territory also 
 over 5000 miles of telegraph are in operation. A 
 modem postal service is extending in every principal 
 division of interior Africa. Bishop Tucker has 
 pointed out that when he first reached Uganda 
 they were obliged to wait eight or nine months for a 
 home mail, but now there is a weekly service. In the 
 year 1907, the mails of British East Africa and of the 
 Congo carried three million letters and parcels. 
 
 Educational progress is also evident. Not a few 
 tribes and peoples have within a generation acquired 
 a written language and the beginning of a literature. 
 Many hundreds, if not thousands, of schools under 
 government and missionary auspices, may now be 
 found throughout this expanse, where at the time of 
 Livingstone's journeys there were none. In Uganda 
 alone there are in these schools over 30,000 boys and 
 girls. There are also large sales of school-books and 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 25 
 
 Christian literature in the vernaculars. With the ex- 
 ception of the Belgian Congo with its terrible abuses 
 and parts of French Africa in which an unprogressive 
 policy is maintained, the advancement of interior 
 Africa has been of such extent and character as to 
 constitute a ground for great hopefulness for the 
 future. It reveals the larger part of a vast continent 
 in the beginnings of transformation from ignorance, 
 barbarism, and superstition, into the light of modern 
 civilization, and as time advances the transformation 
 will become more and more complete. Owing to the 
 simpler character of the primitive African peoples, 
 this continent is in many respects the most plastic part 
 of the world, and will be during this generation the 
 most readily susceptible to whatever influences are 
 brought to bear upon it. 
 
 Out of these remarkable movements among the na- 
 ticKis one feature emerges, so noticeable and important 
 as to merit special consideration. At first, these 
 changes which are taking place were largely involun- 
 tary, and, in many cases, were forced upon unwilling 
 peoples, but now they are becoming part of a definite 
 policy of national aggrandizement. Since the war be- 
 tween Japan and Russia, in all parts of the non-Chris- 
 tian world, but especially in Asia, this national spirit 
 has been growing, and, associated with it, a spirit of 
 racial pride and antagonism. In almost every country 
 it is the expression of the growing self-consciousness 
 of the people. They are learning to be proud of their 
 past. They believe that they have resources and 
 ability to make their own contribution to the life of 
 
26 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the world. They wish to preserve their individuaUty 
 and independence and to be true to their own national 
 and racial characteristics. They are beginning to 
 feel that they have a right to stand alongside of the 
 great nations of the Westj not as inferiors but as 
 equals. Accordingly they resent all foreign domina- 
 tion and are sensitive as to the influence of all things 
 foreign. They wish to be allowed to work out their 
 own destiny, and are forming high conceptions of 
 what that destiny is. They are becoming more and 
 more ambitious and confident in their own powers 
 and ability, and are no longer willing to move quietly 
 on, but are determined to succeed and become great 
 and independent. 
 
 There are many illustrations of the growth of this 
 spirit of nationalism in the non-Christian world. We 
 have seen how it has manifested itself in emancipating 
 Japan by sheer force of merit from an extra-territorial 
 position among nations and finally in making her the 
 dominant power in the East. In China there is now 
 another marked example of growing consciousness of 
 nationality and of a desire to acquire national inde- 
 pendence and power. We find this spirit exhibiting 
 itself in various ways. One of the viceroys has pre- 
 pared a book on patriotism which has been circulated 
 by the hundreds of thousands of copies — ^more than 
 any other book save the Scriptures. Many articles 
 bearing on the subject of nationalism are appearing in 
 Chinese periodicals. There are frequent references to 
 " our country " in the newspapers and in speeches. 
 The use of the Chinese flag on modern school build- 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 27 
 
 ings and the singing of patriotic songs in the schools 
 are other illustrations. Societies have been formed to 
 debate political questions, especially the relation of 
 China to other nations. The boycott against Ameri- 
 can and other foreign goods, the creation of a modern 
 army, now numbering over 200,000 men, and the riots 
 occurring from time to time, are also facts pointing 
 eloquently and unmistakably to the expansion of the 
 national spirit. 
 
 Not less significant is the attitude to Christianity 
 adopted by some of the leading Chinese reformers, 
 who have been imperfectly instructed. The awaken- 
 ing of a national spirit in China tends to close minds 
 and hearts to everything connected with the for- 
 eign teacher. Without doubt the officials are indi- 
 rectly doing much to prevent the people from accepting 
 Christianity. Apparently they cannot free their minds 
 from the conviction that the missionary movement is 
 after all only another form of political activity. They 
 have had experience in the past with certain forms of 
 Christianity, particularly the Roman Catholic, which 
 abundantly explains the strength of their conviction. 
 It is not strange, therefore, that it is openly announced 
 in Chinese newspapers that the programme of the New 
 China must be to recover China's sovereign rights and 
 to extinguish the Church. China fears any teaching 
 or movement which centers abroad. Her sentiment is 
 no more against Christianity than against railways and 
 mines worked or superintended by foreigners. In fact, 
 she is more eager to redeem her railways and mines 
 than to expel Christians. The spirit of restiveness 
 
28 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 under dominant foreign influence manifests itself, fur- 
 ther, not only in the political and commercial relations 
 of China, but also inside the Chinese Christian Church 
 itself. At conferences in three of the principal cities, 
 attended by the leading Chinese pastors and Christian 
 teachers, one of the chief reasons given by them to 
 explain why more of the ablest Christian students do 
 not enter the ministry, was the strong feeling of dissat- 
 isfaction with the subordinate position held by native 
 pastors. 
 
 In India also there is an equally evident example of 
 growing national spirit. The Swadeshi (i.e. our own 
 country) Movement which has developed to such an 
 extent in recent years is a direct outcome or exhibition 
 of nationalism. On the industrial side, it has led to 
 the formation of Swadeshi commercial companies, 
 Swadeshi factories and mills, Swadeshi steamship 
 lines, and Swadeshi banks. All of these are organ- 
 ized, financed, and directed by Indians and have been 
 managed with commendable efficiency. They are 
 usually conducted along modem lines, and represent 
 a serious effort on the part of the Indian people to 
 improve their industrial position, to increase their in- 
 dustrial efficiency, and to make their country indus- 
 trially and commercially independent. An illustration 
 of the progressive character of this development is 
 the fact that an Indian society has been formed in 
 connection with which scores of promising Indian 
 young men have been sent to various European coun- 
 tries as well as to America and Japan to master certain 
 trades and industrial processes, in order that they may 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 29 
 
 on their return lead their countrymen out into a more 
 effective and productive economic life. 
 
 Many Indian reviews and other periodicals have 
 been started within recent years to promote the de- 
 velopment of the Indian national or patriotic spirit, 
 some of which are edited with ability and exert a wide 
 influence. Even the Indian papers which are most 
 loyal to the Government are devoted more than ever 
 to the discussion of such questions. An immense 
 amount of literature is being published in a very cheap 
 form, both in the vernaculars and in English, treating 
 the social, industrial, and political aspects of national- 
 ism, and this literature is being circulated broadcast in 
 all parts of India. The Indian National Congress, as 
 heretofore, devotes itself largely to the discussion of 
 the ■ political phases of the national movement, and 
 within the past few years, an increasing number of 
 provincial and district conferences have been held for 
 the purpose of discussing and agitating similar ques- 
 tions. The recent acts of violence, although limited 
 to a very small section of Indian society, may be re- 
 garded as unfortunate exhibitions of the same national 
 spirit. Among the masses there is a growing feeling 
 that they should be treated with more consideration 
 and justice by Europeans. This feeling has shown 
 itself, as it did not even ten years ago, in bitter com- 
 plaints concerning any unjust treatment in railway 
 trains, on steamships, and also on plantations and in 
 offices. Even in the Christian Church this independ- 
 ence and rebellion against unequal treatment is mani- 
 fested. There is a keen feeling of dissatisfaction with 
 
30 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 reference to the government of the Churches, and the 
 Indians are strongly demanding that they have a more 
 responsible part. So much do they resent their present 
 subordination, that the feeling has often become anti- 
 missionary. Rather than be subject to a foreigner, 
 they are sometimes content to be without his help. 
 
 Africa as well as Asia affords illustrations of a 
 growing national and racial patriotism. Nationalism 
 in Egypt is in most respects a pro-Moslem movement 
 and therefore intensifies the dislike of the Egyptian 
 towards the foreigner and the Christian. It tends to 
 fan the flames of fanaticism, both in the cities and in 
 the provinces, and this makes it much more dangerous 
 than it is in other parts of the world. In South Africa 
 the movement may be characterized as racial rather 
 than national. Among the native Christians it mani- 
 fested itself in a special way, known as the Ethiopian 
 Movement. This was an effort to establish an African 
 Church independent of the control or supervision of 
 foreign missionaries, and it attracted to itself some of 
 the loyal and genuine Christians as well as those who 
 were disaffected and unworthy. It served to under- 
 mine the former trust of the colored people in white 
 missionaries and eventually, through becoming en- 
 tangled in politics, resulted in such dangerous tenden- 
 cies as to call forth repressive governmental measures. 
 As a result of lax practice with regard to baptism 
 and the want of searching church discipline, the move- 
 ment has declined in spiritual power and no longer 
 wields its former influence. Owing to various causes 
 there has been a growing antagonism between the 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 
 
 31 
 
 white and the black races in South Africa, outside as 
 well as within the Church. New racial hopes have 
 been stimulated in the hearts of the people of South 
 Africa even by so remote a cause as the victories of 
 the Japanese, and besides this, some of the regulations 
 and disciplinary measures employed by different 
 colonial governments have served to drive the colored 
 people definitely into the arms of the Mohammedans 
 and have brought about a fraternization involving 
 political as well as religious danger. The war in 
 German Southwest Africa has also embittered the 
 feelings of the Cape colored people against everything 
 European, while the antagonism of race and color has 
 recently been rendered more serious, inasmuch as the 
 new Constitution of the Union of South Africa with- 
 draws from the colored people certain rights hitherto 
 tacitly conceded to them, and because the Parliament 
 of the Union has the power to deprive the colored 
 people of further privileges. This retrogressive action 
 has stirred the feelings of the half-castes to the depths, 
 and has kindled a fire which cannot easily be ex- 
 tinguished. 
 
 It is difficult to specify the causes of these great up- 
 heavals in all these countries. The leaven of Western 
 civilization has for many years been slowly penetrating 
 the Asiatic consciousness and what is now coming to 
 light is largely the result of this process. It has been 
 greatly accelerated, however, by the growing commer- 
 cial intercourse of to-day, the streams of travel be- 
 tween East and West, and the migrations of students. 
 We cannot exaggerate, for example, the influence upon 
 
32 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 China of the return of Chinese students from Tokyo 
 and the West, with their minds full of science and 
 Western methods, but their hearts burning because of 
 what they have learned of the Opium War with Eng- 
 land, and of what they regard as the unjust exclusion 
 acts of America, Canada, and Australia, of the seizing 
 of their territory by Russia, Germany, France, and 
 Japan, and of the building in their own capital city of 
 legations, which are like fortresses, stocked with 
 munitions of war and manned with foreign troops. 
 The ascendancy of the West, so bitter to the Asiatic, 
 has emphasized the value of a new and better concep- 
 tion of nationality. The progress, victory, and power 
 of the Empire of the Rising Sun have become known 
 and have been discussed in the marts of China, the 
 bazaars of India, the khans of Persia and Turkey, 
 and even in the caravansaries of Arabia and Africa, 
 and have powerfully stimulated national hopes and 
 ambitions and led to great changes in national outlook 
 and practice. As a writer in The Spectator has point- 
 ed out, " By some inscrutable means of temperamental 
 communication, the aspirations of one country are 
 quickly adopted by another, however different in intel- 
 lectual and political equipment they may be." Even 
 so Japan's ambitions and successes have kindled like 
 aspirations in other lands and have led to this rest- 
 less movement and this conscious copying of the West. 
 But a far more potent cause has been the sense of 
 the value of the individual and the desire for genuiae 
 liberty and progress which have been awakened aad 
 developed in men through the knowledge ot the 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 33 
 
 Christian Scriptures, through the proclamation of the 
 mission of Christ to man, and through the Christ- 
 leavened institutions, ideals, and practices of the West. 
 It is this discovery of the worth and rights of the in- 
 dividual man that has made possible, for example, the 
 ignoring of caste by such numbers of the educated 
 classes in India, and it is this which alone has caused 
 the movement among the native races in Africa. In 
 many lands the Christian missionary has been the 
 pioneer of all the subsequent development, and wher- 
 ever Christ has come, He has led men to look up to 
 new ideals and to set new values on things. This 
 goes far towards explaining the origin of the whole 
 movement. The Chinese, the Indian, and the African 
 are seeking to shape their nations to achieve great 
 destinies, because they are learning from the West the 
 lesson which Christ taught it, the dignity and inherent 
 greatness of every human life, and are realizing there- 
 by what they can become. Without doubt, as in 
 Korea, so in many another land, Christianity has fur- 
 nished the principal transforming influence and power. 
 What is to be the future of these nations? This 
 question forces itself upon us as we survey the facts. 
 In every part of the non-Christian world this is a time 
 of transition. The nations are passing from the old to 
 the new, and everywhere they are looking to the West 
 for guidance. What guidance are they to receive? 
 The Chinese are anxious to secure all the material ad- 
 vantages of Western civilization, while ignoring its 
 underlying principles and inspiration. Japan has 
 adopted Western methods in everything that will in- 
 
34 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 crease her material power. Is this all that India and 
 Turkey and all these other lands are to find when they 
 look towards the West? They are examining us to 
 see what has made us rich and powerful, and there is 
 a grave danger that they may form wrong judgments. 
 Religion is the most fundamental thing in our civiliza- 
 tion, but there is an undoubted danger that these 
 peoples may not recognize this truth to-day. They 
 have been taking much from us. If we do not give 
 them our religion, have we given them of our best? 
 If they adopt our civilization without our religion, 
 what moral disasters may not result? Have not, 
 therefore. Christian people a special responsibility at 
 such time as this? 
 
 The responsibility is increased by the fact that these 
 peoples will not always remain open to new influences. 
 The words of Bishop Lefroy, of Lahore, are doubtless 
 applicable not only to India, but also to practically all 
 of the other non-Christian lands which have been con- 
 sidered. " Of this we may be certain, that unless at 
 the present time, while almost everything is in solu- 
 tion, and the direction largely undetermined, Christian- 
 ity really enters in as a potent factor, able in greater or 
 less degree to exercise that commanding influence 
 which is hers by right, if only she is given a chance ; 
 and if the new life of India is allowed to set and take 
 shape and form, independently of her influence, then 
 for generations to come the door to advance will be 
 fast-barred to a degree of which we have hitherto had 
 no experience whatever." The need of a strong re- 
 ligious basis for public and individual life is so urgent 
 
NON-CHRISTIAN NATIONS CHANGING 35 
 
 that unless met in a satisfactory way by the Christian 
 Church the great majority of the one million or more 
 educated Indians will inevitably drift into some form 
 or other of Hindu pantheism or rationalistic theism, 
 which will then constitute the most serious obstacle in 
 the way of the spread of Christianity. Moreover, now 
 is the opportunity in China to impress upon the officials 
 and the people of that land, that only righteousness 
 and integrity of character can make a nation perma- 
 nently great, and that these are the direct products of 
 the Christian Gospel. It cannot be said that vacilla- 
 tion is a characteristic of the Chinese. If a race with 
 their traits determine on a certain attitude toward re- 
 ligion, the danger is that they may not change again 
 for generations. We have to face the certainty that, 
 in a comparatively short space of time, this stage of 
 transition will have passed. The present plastic con- 
 dition of the nations will have given place to a condition 
 of rigidity, and the influences which might be so effect- 
 ive if brought to bear now, will then be exerted in vain. 
 The development and spread of the spirit of national 
 and racial patriotism is, however, the most significant 
 fact of all. It is not an evil thing. It cannot and 
 should not be checked. Christ never by teaching or 
 example resisted or withstood the spirit of true na- 
 tionalism. Wherever His principles, including those 
 pertaining to the supreme claims of His Kingdom on 
 earth, have had the right of way, they have served to 
 strengthen national spirit and not to weaken it. But 
 it is a matter of profound concern to the Western 
 world. Who can measure what it will mean for man- 
 
36 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 kind when not only Japan but also China with her un- 
 limited resources, and India with her 300,000,000 
 people take their place among the great civilized 
 powers? The influence which they will exert upon 
 the life and thought of the world must be enormous, 
 whatever its nature; whether it will be Christian or 
 not depends largely on the direction given to it to-day. 
 It is the duty of the Church to bring pure Christianity 
 to bear at once in order to help to educate, purify, 
 unify, guide, and strengthen the national spirit. The 
 possibilities are great if the Christian Church will 
 identify itself freely and largely with all these noble 
 national aspirations. If Christianity will show that it 
 has a message not merely for individuals but for 
 society and for the nation as a whole, that it can 
 adapt itself to the people whom it seeks to save, and 
 that it does not deem it essential, even desirable, 
 that the ordered life of the Christian community in 
 Asia and Africa should follow in every respect the 
 lines of European and American Christianity, it may 
 attract instead of repel these rising nations. Their 
 newly found life when ruled by Christ will be a source 
 of strength to their own nations and to the Christian 
 faith. 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES AND 
 
 INFLUENCES IN THE 
 
 NON-CHRISTIAN WORLD 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 CRITICAL TENDENCIES AND INFLUENCES IN THE 
 NON-CHRISTIAN WORLD 
 
 The changes and transformations that are in progress 
 in these non-Christian nations are not confined to the 
 political, social, and commercial spheres, but are affect- 
 ing the religious also, and that in two quite opposite 
 directions. On the one hand, by the removing of old 
 prejudices, the way is unmistakably being prepared for 
 the acceptance of Christianity by large masses of the 
 people in many lands, and in this aspect all that is hap- 
 pening is full of hope. These movements towards 
 Christianity and the opportunity presented by them 
 will be considered in the next chapter, but here it may 
 be well to make a survey of the special difficulties which 
 Christianity has to meet in the present situation. 
 We turn, therefore, in this chapter to observe that, 
 there are certain tendencies, movements, and influences 
 manifesting themselves in various countries, which are 
 not only tending to close these nations against Chris- 
 tianity, but are placing in danger their moral and re- 
 ligious future. Prominent among these are the cor- 
 rupting influences associated with Western civilization 
 which are permeating many parts of the non-Christian 
 world. Just as the development of improved means 
 
 39 
 
40 
 
 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 of communication has greatly facilitated the propaga- 
 tion of the Gospel and the sending forth of the pure 
 and hopeful influences of Western civilization, so the 
 drawing together of the nations and races as a result 
 of these improvements has made possible the more 
 rapid spread of influences antagonistic to the extension 
 of Christ's Kingdom. They have familiarized a vast 
 and increasing number of non-Christian peoples with 
 the worst practices of Western life. In every port, as 
 well as in many interior cities of non-Christian na- 
 tions, one finds concentrated the evil influences of the 
 West. Scattered throughout Africa and the Pacific 
 Islands, not to mention other sections of the world, 
 are thousands of Western traders, large numbers of 
 whom are exerting a demoralizing influence. It is 
 most unfortunate that the European settlers who are 
 traveling inland in the various colonies and protect- 
 orates, as well as the agents of trading companies, 
 though belonging to nominally Christian nations, are 
 far too often men who, in their characters and lives, 
 misrepresent Christianity. Testimony is borne also by 
 many to the corrupt influence of Japanese merchants 
 and immigrants in Korea, Manchuria, and China, who 
 are also regarded as representing in a measure the 
 civilization of the West. 
 
 The multiplying of points of contact with the 
 West, through the expansion of its commercial and in- 
 dustrial system, has introduced among non-Christian 
 peoples new temptations. It is a great misfortune that 
 commercial enterprise, without pure Christianity, com- 
 municates to the people an added hardening of heart, 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 41 
 
 a materializing of life, and a new immorality. With 
 the influx of European civiHzation into Africa, for 
 example, there seems to have come a flood of perni- 
 cious influences, of vice, and of disease. It is com- 
 mented upon by many observers, that whenever an 
 Eastern and a Western nation impinge upon each 
 other, the contact in some mysterious way tends to 
 bring out the worst there is in each. The vices of 
 Western Hfe seem to work with added deadliness 
 among men of the more simple civiHzations, such as 
 those found in Africa, in Oceania, and in parts of 
 Asia. This can be observed in the debasing influence 
 on native character and life of the mining centers, to 
 which many thousands of African, Chinese, and 
 Indian laborers have been taken; but the great in- 
 stance is the increase in the liquor traffic, which is 
 traceable directly to the West. 
 
 It would be difficult to mention a part of the non- 
 Christian world where the liquor traffic is not increas- 
 ing, but its most fearful ravages are to be found in 
 the ports and hinterland of Africa. The Anglican and 
 Roman Catholic bishops in different parts of Africa 
 bear testimony both to the spread of this traffic and 
 also to its demoralizing influence. Special public at- 
 tention has recently been called to this subject as a 
 result of the discussion evoked by the Report of the 
 Government Committee regarding the Liquor Traffic 
 in Southern Nigeria. In the year 1908, over three mil- 
 lion gallons of spirits were imported into Southern 
 Nigeria, valued at about one-fourth of the value of 
 the total imports of that colony. It is significant that 
 
42 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 liquor is often used for currency. Drunkenness is 
 very prevalent in different parts of the colony, espe- 
 cially in those most exposed to European influence. 
 Not only the men, but also the women and the children 
 are addicted to it, and it is said thaj; in many places 
 possibly the women drink more than the men. Bishop 
 Johnson recently told of visiting a school of seventy- 
 five children between the ages of eight and sixteen, 
 where on inquiry he found that only fifteen of them 
 had not been drinking gin. The desire for drink has 
 become so dominating that cases are not infrequent of 
 parents pawning their children to get money to spend 
 for liquor. Bishop Oluwole gave testimony before the 
 Government Committee of Inquiry, in 1909, to having 
 seen a girl pawned for .$37. One of the most striking 
 indications of the spread of the liquor trafific is the fact 
 that even Mohammedans have become addicted to in- 
 temperance. Facts similar to these about Nigeria 
 could be given with reference to many of the other 
 colonies and protectorates of Africa. Among the 
 Pacific Islands too, while the situation has improved 
 in some of them, there are other groups where the 
 liquor traffic is exerting as deadly an influence as in 
 any part of Africa. One of the most damaging and 
 serious facts of all, is that, for purposes of revenue, 
 this traffic is often directly promoted by colonial gov- 
 ernments, and in other cases is conducted with their 
 connivance or tacit approval. 
 
 The most flagrant example of a so-called Christian 
 government using its power and machinery directly to 
 defraud, to oppress, and to degrade native races be- 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 43 
 
 cause of greed, is that of Belgium in its relation to the 
 Congo. On the unimpeachable testimony of foreign 
 missionaries and travelers, and even of members of 
 the Commission appointed by the Belgian Government 
 to investigate conditions, there is still in operation in 
 the Belgian Congo a system of organized oppression 
 and plunder, in order to increase the output of rubber 
 and other products for the benefit of a commercial 
 company, which is only a covering name for the 
 Belgian State. The land of the people has been largely 
 taken in violation of communal and tribal rights. The 
 people have been reduced to misery. For the profit 
 of the State they have been and still are forced to 
 gather the products of the land thus taken from them, 
 and the pay granted is miserably poor. No refusal is 
 allowed, and the most diabolical methods have been 
 employed by the subordinate agents of the State to 
 enforce obedience. Homes are broken up as a result 
 of members being forcibly taken away and compelled 
 to go into the forests to gather rubber. Father Yer- 
 meerseh sums up the condition of great numbers of 
 the inhabitants in the words, " immeasurable misery." 
 Without doubt, under the old regime whi ,h obtained 
 at the time of Stanley's last visit, before the European 
 influence became dominant, the tribes were infinitely 
 happier and more prosperous than at the present time. 
 It is hoped that under the new king of Belgium neces- 
 sary reforms may be effected. 
 
 It is a sad, but inevitable fact, that as a rule the 
 masses of non-Christian people, and even many of 
 their leaders, do not discriminate between the genuine 
 
44 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Christians who come from Western countries, such as 
 missionaries and sincere and worthy Christian laymen 
 in commercial and government pursuits, and the 
 vicious representatives of the West who go among 
 them. It is not strange, therefore, that the following 
 challenge is a typical expression of the opinion of a 
 great multitude of Asiatics and Africans : " You come 
 to us with your religion. You degrade our people 
 with drink. You scorn our religion, in many points 
 like your own, and then you wonder why Christianity 
 makes such slow progress among us. I will tell you. 
 It is because you are not like your Christ." 
 
 These degrading influences constitute a deadly gift 
 from the modern civilization of the West, but it is 
 still worse to have to recognize that some of them are 
 carried to the East also by numbers of its own sons. 
 The increasing number of travelers from non-Chris- 
 tian nations, especially the wonderful migration of 
 Oriental students to America and Europe, has, in 
 many cases, resulted in exposing these more enter- 
 prising representatives of the non-Christian world to 
 the materialistic, antichristian, and demoralizing sides 
 of the Hie of Western nations. On their return, 
 some of them, as teachers, editors, and government 
 officials, constitute a great barrier to the spread of the 
 Gospel. This has been notably true of many Chinese 
 and Korean students on their return from Japan. In 
 Japan old ideals have been completely destroyed under 
 the influence of the West, and no adequate new ideal 
 has been generally adopted. As a consequence the 
 moral tone is low, and many of those who go to Japan 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 45 
 
 to study fall victims to the prevailing looseness and 
 carry back this attitude to their native land. More- 
 over, there is a danger that the thousands of Japanese 
 teachers who are going into Korea, Manchuria, and 
 China will be apostles of materialism instead of being 
 helpful in influencing the people in favor of higher 
 things. In addition to what is being forced upon China 
 by the West, there is at her very doors this menace to 
 her highest welfare. 
 
 Attention should ^Iso be called to the effects result- 
 ing from the spread of infidel and rationalistic ideas 
 and materialistic views. From many parts of the non- 
 Christian world have come reports telling of the wide 
 dissemination of agnostic, atheistic, materialistic, and 
 destructive socialistic literature, traceable to Western 
 sources. The stream of this influence is flowing over 
 China to-day, both directly from the West and also by 
 way of Japan. The writings of Haeckel, Huxley, and 
 Spencer, and anti-theistic and antichristian articles, 
 both original and translated from European mag- 
 azines, are widely circulated not only in India and 
 Japan, but also in such newly awakened countries as 
 Turkey and China. The periodicals of the non-Chris- 
 tian religions are active and aggressive in publishing 
 articles showing supposed mistakes in the Bible and 
 the conclusions of destructive criticism. IngersoU 
 and Bradlaugh are extensively quoted in pamphlets 
 against the Christian faith, and the most bitter and 
 absurd arguments against Christianity in which these 
 men ever indulged have been translated into the ver- 
 naculars of India, and have been disseminated even 
 
46 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 among the villages. Agnostic literature ha» been 
 systematically introduced among students and in the 
 public libraries. Indecent French literature has been 
 widely circulated, especially in the Far East and Near 
 East. All this is having its effect in unsettling men's 
 minds and in making them hostile to the reception of 
 Christianity. 
 
 The unsettling process has been greatly quickened 
 and emphasized by the spread of modern secular 
 education. In the two most advanced non-Christian 
 nations, Japan and India, there are to-day great gov- 
 ernment systems of education, including hundreds of 
 thousands of pupils and students. China and Korea 
 are rapidly establishing similar systems, and that of 
 China alone will soon number its pupils and students 
 by the million. With the exception of those of the 
 mission schools and colleges of India which are aided 
 by Government, these systems are throughout pro- 
 nouncedly secular. The governments of Turkey, Per- 
 sia, Egypt, and other non-Christian countries are also 
 rapidly developing secular educational institutions, and 
 from these Christian teaching is excluded as a matter 
 of course. 
 
 In Japan the government system of education, which 
 embraces nearly all of the educational work of the 
 country, has undermined belief in the old faiths, and, 
 as a result, the rising generation is almost without re- 
 ligion. The educated portion of the population is 
 thus largely materialistic and agnostic. The system 
 of moral instruction in the government schools tends, 
 on the one hand, to ignore or even to create contempt 
 
f 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 47 
 
 for religion, or, on the other hand, to regard national- 
 ism as a substitute for religion. Few of the govern- 
 ment school educators have any use for religion. 
 Hence a process is going on which will make it increas- 
 ingly difficult for the Gospel to find entrance to the 
 minds of the educated Japanese. The text-books in 
 these modern institutions are indifferent, if not actual- 
 ly hostile, to religion. The men educated in the gov- 
 ernment schools under non-Christian or hostile in- 
 fluence thus drift into agnosticism and materialism and 
 become a great menace to the Church. 
 
 In Korea, the activity of the Japanese Government 
 in establishing schools all through the land, and the 
 hunger of the Korean people after any kind of knowl- 
 edge will result soon in the education, to an extent 
 hitherto unknown, of large numbers of young men. 
 It is feared that they will become a menace rather than 
 a blessing to the nation, because the education which 
 they are receiving through the government institutions 
 is planting rationalistic ideas in the minds of the hither- 
 to simple-minded people. This may make it more dif- 
 ficult for them to adopt a new religion. 
 
 In China the enormous spread of government educa- 
 tion, usually antichristian, is rapidly producing a class 
 of intelligent objectors to the Gospel. Until recently 
 most of those opposed to religion were ignorant, and 
 it was comparatively easy to meet their difficulties. 
 But now " Science without Christianity " is the watch- 
 word of many students. The aspiration for new 
 learning seems to be fixing the minds of the Chinese 
 upon the materialistic aspects of our modem civiliza- 
 
48 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tion. They accept quickly the agnostic explanations 
 of the universe, and are apt to receive the impression 
 that religion is not necessary to the life of a nation. 
 When through the study of science they see the folly 
 of their old superstitions they will give them up, as 
 they are by nature an eminently practical people, and, 
 unless influenced by Christianity, will be apt to put 
 nothing in their place. 
 
 The Anglo-Indian system of education in India has 
 afforded a degree of Western culture to several hun- 
 dreds of thousands of Indian students. In its higher 
 grades each year its influence is being brought to bear 
 upon scores of thousands. The members of this 
 educated class will affect profoundly the future of 
 India, forming as they do the connecting link between 
 the British rulers and the mass of the Indian popula- 
 tion, while from their ranks come a disproportionate 
 number of the great army of officials and leaders of 
 popular modern thought. They are exposed, and in 
 most cases fall victims to those agnostic, material- 
 istic, and antichristian influences which come from 
 the West. 
 
 A recent writer in the Church Missionary Review 
 thus emphasizes the peril associated with the modern 
 education now being afforded Indian youth. " We 
 look abroad and see what is the condition of those na- 
 tions where religion and education are wholly disso- 
 ciated, and mark the results. As Herbert Spencer has 
 said, ' The growth of intellectualization in advance of 
 moralization has done enormous mischief.' I am one 
 of those who believe that most of the unrest and dis- 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 49 
 
 content in India arises from the faults of our purely 
 secular educational system. For, be it remembered, 
 while there is no religious or moral teaching at the 
 government school, there is none in the home either." 
 Pandita Ramabai lays equal emphasis on the same 
 point when she says : " The majority of the higher 
 classes are getting Western secular education, which 
 is undermining their faith in their ancestral religion. 
 They are not getting anything better to take the place 
 of the old religion in their hearts, and are, therefore, 
 without God, without hope, without Christ, going down 
 socially and morally, and becoming very irreligious." 
 
 In all these countries, therefore, the spread of 
 secular education, with all the good that it is doing, has 
 an aspect that is dangerous. Being devoid of all re- 
 ligious character, it inevitably gives the false impres- 
 sion that religion is not a necessary part of life, and 
 when men find that the old religions cannot stand the 
 light of criticism, they naturally are content to have 
 no religion at all. This is what is happening to-day 
 on a large scale. 
 
 Even as regards the many who are being driven by 
 their new learning, not to close their minds against 
 religion, but to search earnestly for a new religion 
 more adequate than the old, there is a disquieting ele- 
 ment in the present situation. The transition to 
 Christianity is not so natural now as it was formerly. 
 The non-Christian religions are recognizing their own 
 inadequacy, are accordingly attempting to adapt them- 
 selves to the new conditions, and are manifesting in- 
 creased activity, enterprise, and aggressiveness. Ef- 
 
5© DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 forts are being put forth to regain and strengthen their 
 influence over classes which have been slipping from 
 their grasp and to extend their sway over peoples who 
 have hitherto not been reached by them. These 
 efforts are, unfortunately, succeeding to a great de- 
 gree, and many are being thus kept away from 
 Christianity who were open to receive it. 
 
 The revival of Buddhism is particularly noticeable 
 in Japan, Burma, and Ceylon. Temples and shrines 
 have been renovated in some districts, and the priests 
 are manifesting greater activity. Most interesting is 
 the semi-Christian modification of the methods and 
 practices and to some extent the ideas of Buddhism. 
 There are regular preaching-places where Buddhist 
 preachers now expound their doctrines. The number 
 of Buddhist schools and colleges is multiplying, espe- 
 cially in Ceylon and Burma. A large Buddhist college 
 has been planned for Tokyo. Young Men's Buddhist 
 Associations, Young Women's Buddhist Associations, 
 and Buddhist Guilds have sprung up here and there. 
 Special work has been inaugurated on behalf of chil- 
 dren, such as Sunday schools, catechism classes, and 
 religious instruction in day schools. Some Buddhist 
 orphanages have been established to prevent destitute 
 children from seeking admission into Christian institu- 
 tions. The press is also being largely used. Manuals 
 of instruction, tracts, pamphlets, and books are cir- 
 culated in large numbers. Better training is being 
 afforded the priests, especially in Japan. A large 
 Buddhist theological school has been established in 
 Kyoto, and young men are flocking there from all 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 51 
 
 quarters. The most energetic workers, as well as the 
 most generous givers, are the laymen. The most 
 notable fact, however, is that Buddhism is seeking, not 
 only to defend itself but also to take the offensive or 
 aggressive attitude. 
 
 The Japanese Buddhists have organized a mis- 
 sionary society and have sent workers even to the 
 mainland of Asia. The Jodo Sect are engaging in 
 an evangelistic movement in Japan to commemorate 
 the seven hundredth anniversary of the founding 
 of their sect. In Burma the Buddhists are being 
 reinforced by many converts from among the hill 
 tribes. It is reported also that among the ad- 
 herents of Buddhism in Ceylon and Burma are several 
 Europeans. A general Buddhist society in Rangoon is 
 raising funds for the translation of the Pali Buddhist 
 scriptures into English, for spreading Buddhism in 
 London, and for bringing out from England a number 
 of Englishmen to enter the Buddhist priesthood. The 
 southern part of the island of Ceylon is Buddhist, and 
 while Buddhism there, until about the year 1880, was 
 comparatively inert, it has since then been largely 
 resuscitated. Its leaders carry on an aggressive 
 propaganda. They imitate Christian phraseology, 
 speaking, for example, of " our Lord and Saviour 
 Buddha," and they also observe Buddha's birthday. 
 Yet, in spite of all the activity, the introduction of 
 new and improved methods, and the development of 
 the spirit of propagandism, there is apparently little 
 serious effort made to purify Buddhism of its corrup- 
 tions. Rather they are condoned and explained away. 
 
52 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 The movement is, moreover, decidedly more hostile to 
 Christianity than it has been in the past, representing 
 Christianity as alien and Buddhism as national. This 
 attempt to identify Buddhism with national patriotism 
 and to urge upon people that loyalty to the country 
 implies loyalty to this religion is undoubtedly one of 
 the most serious and significant aspects of the 
 Buddhist revival. 
 
 Attention should be called to many new sects which 
 are springing up in Japan and China. In Japan in 
 recent years a new religion called Tenrikyo has come 
 into vogue. It is neither avowedly Buddhist nor ap- 
 parently idolatrous. There seems to be something 
 attractive about it to the common people, for it is 
 claimed that it already has between three and four 
 millions of adherents. It has grown so rapidly that 
 lately official recognition has been accorded to it by 
 the Government. The growth of these sects is a sign 
 of the unrest among the people and of their religious 
 longings. 
 
 There is a very resolute effort being made by many 
 of the most influential men in China to exalt Confu- 
 cianism with its excellent ethical system above Chris- 
 tianity, which is belittled as a foreign religion. A 
 comparatively recent edict raised Confucius to the 
 rank of deity. Hitherto the worship of Confucius has 
 been regarded as paying respect to the teacher par 
 excellence — the Sage of China, but he is now exalted 
 to equal rank with Heaven, possibly in order to give 
 him a place corresponding to that of Jesus Christ in 
 the worship of the West. This is significant, not as 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 
 
 S3 
 
 indicative of an increasing influence exerted by Con- 
 fucius, but rather of a desire to conserve the influence 
 manifestly waning, as modem learning discloses his 
 superstitions and ignorance of fundamental facts. 
 According to imperial edict, divine honors are to be 
 offered to him by officials and by goverrmient students. 
 Without this adoration of Confucius young men are 
 not permitted to study in schools recognized by the 
 Government, and are excluded from holding govern- 
 ment offices. Those working on behalf of the ed- 
 ucated classes find that their principal obstacle is this 
 obligatory adoration of Confucius and the disabilities 
 suffered by those who do not comply with the require- 
 ment. In a country like China exclusion from the 
 official classes is regarded as a very serious matter, and 
 until this obstacle is removed, missionary effort on be- 
 half of the educated classes will be carried on under a 
 serious handicap. The writings of Confucius have been 
 translated by an educated Chinese into such idiomatic 
 English that they are attracting the attention of stu- 
 dents and scholars as never before. The government 
 schools are also actively promoting the study and ob- 
 servance of the teachings of Confucius. The Rev. G. 
 H. Bondfield writes : " Without question attempts will 
 be made to reconstruct Chinese thought on the basis of 
 Confucian teaching, with a little Western science and 
 religion thrown in." 
 
 Hinduism is manifesting increased antagonism to 
 Christianity. In different parts of India there is a 
 revival of orthodox Hinduism as contrasted with the 
 Neo^Hindu propaganda. This doubtless means more 
 
54 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 opposition, and yet it indicates, too, that the people are 
 getting alarmed, and testifies to the progress which 
 its opponents see that Christianity is making. In this 
 light the revival of Hinduism is inevitable and desir- 
 able. It will in the end only hasten the progress of 
 Christianity, as did the revival of paganism in the 
 Roman Empire. Wherever there is strong opposition 
 it is a sign that the minds of the people are occupied 
 with the subject, and this enlarges the opportunity for 
 Christian work. The Hindus, like the Buddhists, have 
 been quick to learn Christian methods of religious prop- 
 aganda, and they are meeting the Christian methods 
 by imitating them in the interests of their own 
 faith. They send out street preachers who give them- 
 selves largely to opposing Christianity, rather than to 
 promulgating Hindu doctrines. They have a tract 
 society, and issue many publications. They have 
 Young Men's Hindu Associations and various other 
 organizations formed after the pattern of Christian 
 activities. That they have become alarmed by the 
 inroads of Christianity is seen from the following ex- 
 tract taken from a pamphlet issued by the Hindu Tract 
 Society and designed to arouse Hindus to sharper 
 opposition : " Do you not know that the number of the 
 Christians is increasing and the number of Hindu re- 
 ligionists decreasing every day ? How long will water 
 remain in a reservoir which continually lets out but 
 receives none in? Let all the people join as one man 
 to banish Christianity from our land." One of the 
 best indications of the new spirit of the Hindus is the 
 aggressive efforts which they are putting forth to in- 
 
m 
 a 
 
 < 
 o 
 
 til 
 
 K 
 H 
 
 Z 
 O 
 
 ■J 
 < 
 > 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 55 
 
 fluence the outcastes. They are trying to raise the 
 downtrodden classes and to give to them a certain 
 definite standing in the Hindu community. Among 
 the Namasudras, a tribe in Eastern Bengal two million 
 strong, a social ferment is in progress and the Hindus 
 as well as the workers of other religions are h*. ^ing for 
 large accessions from the movement. The Santals, a 
 large aboriginal tribe, are also in a state of transition, 
 and are especially influenced by the Hindus. It is 
 said that they are adopting the worst elements of 
 Hindu life and religion; the lower form of Hindu- 
 ism, with the worship of Durga, Kali, and Siva, with 
 its sensuality and dishonesty, is creeping in. The 
 Hindus are also seeking to influence the aboriginal 
 tribes in the hill districts, and there is danger that the 
 Sikhs may lapse into Hinduism. It is a further in- 
 teresting and striking fact, that even as far away as 
 the Fiji Islands, the Hindus, who are working on the 
 plantations, are bringing an assimilating influence to 
 bear upon the aboriginal inhabitants. 
 
 The ferment which Christianity has created among 
 the educated classes of India is apparent even on the 
 surface, but one of the most marked tendencies may be 
 discerned in those schools of Neo-Hinduism which 
 have developed during the past few decades. The 
 most important of these are the Arya Somaj, chiefly 
 in the Punjab and the United Provinces ; the Brahmo 
 Somaj, in Bengal; the Theosophists, principally in 
 Southern India; and the Radha Swamis, in Northern 
 India. They differ in many respects, but they are 
 alike io that they have all been influenced by Chris- 
 
56 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tianity and have adopted many Christian expressions 
 and methods, and that they all magnify certain points 
 of Hinduism. Chief among these movements in point 
 of activity and influence is the Arya Somaj . While its 
 leaders may condemn the practices of Hinduism and 
 may adopt many of the principles and teachings and 
 methods of Christianity, they still remain within the 
 pale of Hinduism and earnestly oppose the Christian 
 movement. This movement has grown rapidly and has 
 schools and colleges, missionaries and societies. They 
 advocate the education of women, reject idolatry, and 
 seek to reduce the number of castes. Though re- 
 morseless in their antagonism to Christianity, they 
 mark a distinct advance upon popular Hinduism, and, 
 in the judgment of many missionaries, are preparing 
 the way of the Lord. The Rev. W. E. S. Holland, the 
 leader of the Oxford and Cambridge Hostel at Allaha- 
 bad, expresses this well : " The ideas which the Arya 
 Somaj raises without ability to satisfy them, and the 
 manifest contradictions of its system, mean a not re- 
 mote collapse into the arms of Christianity." 
 
 The Rev. Herbert Anderson, however, in writing 
 regarding these efforts to revive or adapt the Indian 
 religions, gives expression to the opposite point of 
 view when he says : " There is no greater danger to the 
 success of our enterprise than the desire of the leaders 
 of non-Christian faiths to assimilate Christian truth 
 and claim Christ for their own systems — an addition 
 that can be made without radically altering the creed 
 or conduct of those who accept Him." They are just 
 now putting forth great, efforts to influence the low 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 57 
 
 caste people. They do not really give them any new 
 religion, but they fill their minds with prejudices 
 against the foreigners, and strive on patriotic grounds 
 to keep the people in subjection to Hinduism. If they 
 succeed in convincing these outcaste portions of the 
 population that they may hope for recognition from 
 the Hindus, the attraction of Hinduism will be too 
 strong for them to resist, and the door of Christian 
 opportunity will close. 
 
 Of all the non -Christian religions, Mohammedanism 
 exhibits the greatest solidarity and the most activity 
 and aggressiveness, and is conducting a more wide- 
 spread propaganda at the present time than any other 
 religion save Christianity. In the Turkish Empire 
 there has recently been a recrudescence of Moslem 
 fanaticism. The forces that brought about the reac- 
 tionary events of the spring of 1909, and that were 
 responsible for the Cilician massacres were grouped 
 under a so-called Mohammedan League. This league 
 is intensely antagonistic to the spread of the Gospel 
 among the Moslems, and under it the bigoted are be- 
 coming more bigoted. It was intended by Abdul 
 Hamid to intensify Moslem fanaticism and hatred of 
 Christians, and its members, though now in hiding, 
 form the body of the old orthodox party who look 
 down with scorn upon all other sects. Islam is link- 
 ing itself with the atheism and deism of Western 
 lands, and is securing much protection and also 
 added prestige by the support it receives at the hands 
 of officials from the West who have broken with 
 Christianity. These men carry over to the Moslem 
 
58 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 camp all the armory of the deistic and atheistic 
 schools. 
 
 In India, the country having the largest Moham- 
 medan population, there is a renaissance of Islam. 
 The power of the Prophet is still great, and Islam is 
 ready to receive and seal perpetually, as her own, 
 Hindus of low caste who lose faith in their own re- 
 ligion or seek to better their condition. They are 
 pushing their propaganda, sending out preachers and 
 working hard to convert the low caste and outcaste 
 people. In some parts of the country large bodies of 
 these depressed classes and also numbers of the hill 
 tribes have gone over to Islam. Their advance in 
 India is proved by an increase in the Mohammedan 
 population in India of about six millions in the 
 ten years preceding the last census. Dr. J. C. R. 
 Ewing of Lahore expresses the belief that unless the 
 Church avails itself of the marvelous opportunity now 
 presented by the tens of millions of low caste people, 
 within the next ten years the bulk of those who have 
 not been given a status in relation to the Hindus, will 
 have become Mohammedan. While there is no seri- 
 ous danger that China will become a Moslem state, 
 Mohammedanism is there also manifesting fresh 
 interest and vigor. By correspondence the mullahs 
 are kept in touch with the political and religious 
 movements of the world of Islam, and by the visits 
 of Moslem missionaries from Arabia and elsewhere, 
 efforts are constantly made to revive the faith. More- 
 over, in other parts of China, in Chihli, for example, 
 there are similar indications of activity. 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 59 
 
 The Moslems of Russia are showing great zeal. 
 There are indications that the Pan-Islamic movement 
 has reached Bokhara and Kabul, as well as Orenburg 
 and Tiflis. Not only is there discussion of social 
 reform in the Moslem press of Russia, but the Tartar 
 paper, Terjuman, recently contained a proposition 
 calling for a Pan-Islamic Congress to discuss the 
 reformation of Islam. 
 
 In the East Indies, Islam, which for a long time was 
 but a mere veneer, is daily becoming a more pervasive 
 and dominant faith. It is advancing rapidly and per- 
 sistently, absorbing step by step the existing remnants 
 of heathenism. Greatly increased travel to Mecca, 
 brought about by better means of communication and 
 lower rates, is establishing Mohammedanism among 
 the Malays. The returned pilgrims become henceforth 
 ardent defenders and propagators of the faith. In 
 Sumatra, Islam is advancing into hitherto pagan terri- 
 tories, and unless the Church promptly does more to 
 meet the desire for education and enlightenment, there 
 is danger that the population will more and more accept 
 Mohammedanism. In Java, Mohammedanism shows 
 new life in the establishment of a Moslem university, 
 and in the production of an edition of the Koran in 
 Javanese. The intercourse between Java and Mecca 
 is extremely active, thousands of Javanese annually 
 making the pilgrimage. The number of teachers of 
 the Koran is multiplying greatly. Not less than 20,000 
 Arabs are carrying on an effective and profitable prop- 
 aganda in the East Indies as teachers of Islam. The 
 inhabitants are coming more and more under the influ- 
 
6o DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 ence of Mohammedanism, and are thus being made 
 less accessible to the work of the Dutch missioaaries. 
 The same great movement is in process in Celebes, New 
 Guinea, the Philippines, and other islands and groups 
 of islands. 
 
 Two forces are contending for Africa — Christianity 
 and Mohammedanism. In many respects the more 
 aggressive is Mohammedanism. It dominates Africa 
 on its western half as far south as io° N. lati- 
 tude, and on its eastern half, as far south as 5° N. ; 
 and it is ever pushing its conquests beyond its own ter- 
 ritory, not only down the East Coast but also into the 
 interior and to the tribes on the West Coast. If things 
 continue as they are now tending, Africa may become 
 a Mohammedan continent. Mohammedanism comes 
 to the African people as a higher religion than their 
 own, with the dignity of an apparently higher civiliza- 
 tion and of world power. It is rapidly received by 
 these eager listeners. Once received, it is Christianity's 
 most formidable enemy. It permits a laxity of morals, 
 in some cases worse than that of heathendom. It sanc- 
 tions polygamy. It breeds pride and arrogance, and 
 thus hardens the heart against the Word of God. It 
 is spread by those who do not differ essentially from 
 the natives in their ideas and customs, whereas 
 Christianity, until a force of native workers can be 
 prepared, must be spread by Europeans who differ 
 greatly from the natives. 
 
 The absorption of native races into Islam is proceed- 
 ing rapidly and continuously in practically all parts of 
 the continent. Convincing evidence of this fact has 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 6l 
 
 been presented by missionaries along the Nile, in East 
 Central Africa, in Southeast Africa, on different parts 
 of the West Coast, in Northern Nigeria, in the Sudan, 
 in different parts of the Congo Basin, in parts lying 
 south of the Congo, and even in South Africa. Mo- 
 hammedan traders are finding their way into the 
 remotest parts of the continent, and it is well known 
 that every Mohammedan trader is more or less a 
 Mohammedan missionary. Wherever a Mohamme- 
 dan penetrates, he makes converts to Islam. Pagan- 
 ism is doomed. As has been said above, animistic 
 faiths crumble quickly before any higher and more 
 dogmatic religion. Either Christianity or Islam will 
 prevail throughout Africa, and Islam is pushing hard 
 to win the pagan states and peoples. 
 
 This remarkable and widespread activity in all the 
 non-Christian religions is the direct counterpart of the 
 activity in the political sphere. It is due to the growth 
 of the conviction that if the old faiths are to hold the 
 place which they have hitherto held in the allegiance of 
 their adherents, they must bestir themselves and adopt 
 new methods. It is being freely recognized further, 
 that Christianity has many advantages which enable it 
 to meet with greater confidence and effectiveness the 
 influence of modern education, and an effort is being 
 made almost everywhere — even within Mohammedan- 
 ism — to adopt certain features of Christianity which, 
 when added to the other religions, will, it is hoped, give 
 to them the same power. This readiness to alter is 
 itself a confession of weakness and may well be read 
 as a prophecy of the complete surrender to Christian 
 
62 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 truth. All of them, in spite of their bitter opposition to 
 it, are being made to feel the power of Christianity, 
 and what modifications have been introduced are a 
 tacit recognition of the superiority with which Chris- 
 tianity is endowed. 
 
 None of the movements which we have been consid- 
 ering can be contemplated by the Church with a quiet 
 mind, for each of them contains a menace to Christian 
 progress. Moreover, who is to blame for the evil 
 influences that go out from our Christian lands, if it 
 be not the Church of Christ ? What it has failed to do 
 in the past it should seek to do now. There are still 
 great regions and countless communities to which the 
 vices and diseases of corrupt civilization have not yet 
 spread, and unmistakably it is the will of God that the 
 missionary movement be extended promptly and far 
 more aggressively and widely that Christianity may 
 give the people strength to stand against the tempta- 
 tions that are certain to attack them. The large plans 
 for the extension of railway systems in different parts 
 of Asia and Africa accentuate the urgency of the situa- 
 tion, because the advent of railways will bring an 
 influx of ungodly men who will quickly make the task 
 of evangelization much more difficult. In this respect 
 the present is an opportunity which will soon pass 
 away. Every year will bring new and powerful 
 counter attractions within easy reach of the natives. 
 It is much easier to bring the Gospel to bear on a 
 heathen in his natural state than upon the man who 
 has becom.e familiar with the worst side of the so- 
 called Christian civilization. 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 63 
 
 Equally it is the duty of the Church to make a 
 supreme effort to Christianize more largely the impact 
 of Christendom upon the non-Christian world. To 
 this end more adequate efforts are required not only to 
 surround the representatives of our commerce and 
 industries with strong Christian influences as they go 
 forth to reside in distant port cities, but also to make 
 sure that the principles and spirit of Jesus Christ 
 dominate all our social, commercial, political, and 
 international relations with the peoples and govern- 
 ments of non-Christian nations. The missionary 
 forces cannot win the non-Christian world for Christ 
 until Christian nations and all their influences are more 
 thoroughly permeated with the spirit of Christ. 
 
 As regards the advance of education the duty of the 
 Church is, if possible, still greater. The development 
 of moral and religious education is rightly held to be 
 one of the most pressing problems in the West. This 
 is in spite of the facts that we already have the assist- 
 ance of the Christian Church and the Christian home 
 and of much organized Christian work for students, 
 that the great bulk of our teachers are professing 
 Christians and many of them active Christian 
 workers, that our literature is penetrated with the 
 Christian spirit and our whole civilization founded 
 on Christian presuppositions. None of these aids 
 are present in the East, except as they have been 
 supplied by the meagre force of missionaries. The 
 scientific and utilitarian side of our education is 
 far more easily appreciated by the Oriental at the 
 present time than its moral and idealistic side. 
 
64 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 The scientific temper, as he catches it, is apt to shear 
 him at the same time of his superstition and his 
 reverence. The scientific explanation of the universe 
 is so precise and perfect as compared with his grand- 
 mother's myths, that he cannot see its Hmitations, 
 moreover, it fits in well with his bent towards fatalism 
 and unspirituality. If, therefore, moral education is a 
 need in the West, what word can we find to express its 
 absolute indispensableness for the East ? The only way 
 to prevent education from producing agnosticism and 
 materialism is to give education of a Christian charac- 
 ter. The Christian Church cannot permit these vast 
 masses who are eagerly demanding Western learning 
 thus to be turned against itself. Rather is it a duty to 
 realize the present as a call and a special opportunity 
 for advancing Christ's Kingdom. The difficulty which 
 the Chinese Government is experiencing in securing a 
 sufficient number of competent teachers is common 
 also to other lands and affords a great opening to 
 Christian schools and colleges. There should be a 
 great expansion of Christian educational missions. It 
 is Western education that the Chinese are clamoring 
 for, and will have. If the Church can give it to 
 them, plus Christianity, they will take it; otherwise 
 they will get it elsewhere, without Christianity — and 
 that speedily. If in addition to direct evangelistic 
 and philanthropic work in China, the Church can in 
 the next decade train several thousands of Christian 
 teachers, it will be in a position to meet this unparal- 
 leled opportunity. In India, too, the crisis calls for a 
 greatly increased number of efficient mission schools 
 
J3 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 O 
 
 M 
 3 
 O 
 
 
 ^ 
 H 
 
CRITICAL TENDENCIES 6$ 
 
 and colleges, manned with thoroughly qualified and 
 earnest Christian teachers, and conducted so far as 
 possible on the residential plan, with the view to giving 
 the Spirit of God as carefully prepared an opportunity 
 as possible. The unrest of the educated classes calls 
 not only for a strengthening of the missionary institu- 
 tions, especially in the direction of making their Chris- 
 tian influence more effective, but also for a multiplica- 
 tion at student centers of wisely planned efforts 
 directed to influence those of the educated class after 
 leaving college as well as the students now in non-mis- 
 sionary colleges. If Christians do not rise to the 
 occasion, educated Hindus and Mohammedans will 
 take things into their own hands and will establish 
 educational and philanthropic institutions to be car- 
 ried on under non-Christian management. 
 
 The renewed activity of the non-Christian religions 
 further emphasizes the duty of the Church at this time. 
 Some missionary statesmen believe that Africa (be- 
 cause of the ease with which the pagan religions yield 
 to the first attacks of any higher faith) for the present 
 has a pre-eminent claim on the attention and resources 
 of those missionary societies which are related to the 
 regions in which Moslem advance is imminent. The 
 aboriginal population and the outcastes of India, as 
 well as animists in other regions, likewise present an 
 urgent claim. If Christian work for these depressed 
 classes could soon be multiplied many fold, multitudes 
 of people would embrace Christianity within a genera- 
 tion. Unless the advance which non-Christian reli- 
 gions are making is met and counteracted, the Christian 
 
66 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 missionary enterprise will be increasingly handicapped. 
 Mohammedanism and Hinduism are both competing 
 with Christianity for the adherence of many peoples. 
 Surely with such a crisis impending, it is the duty of 
 the Church, as it is the call of God, to renew its 
 energies and whole-heartedly to advance. 
 
THE RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE IN 
 THE NON-CHRISTIAN WORLD 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE IN THE NON-CHRISTIAN 
 WORLD 
 
 When the conditions throughout the non-Christian 
 world inviting a comprehensive advance are consid- 
 ered, as well as the serious obstacles and critical tenden- 
 cies which threaten the progress of Christianity, both 
 the urgency and the difficulty of the task seem over- 
 whelming, if not depressing ; but a survey of recent tri- 
 umphs and of the present-day working of the Christian 
 forces in non-Christian lands, affords abundant ground 
 for hopefulness and confidence. In the great battle of 
 Moukden, with a frontage of many miles, a certain 
 regiment or division of the Japanese army, hard 
 pressed at times by the enemy, might have feared that 
 defeat was impending ; but the general in charge of the 
 Japanese operations, in touch with the whole line by 
 means of wireless telegraphy and other appliances of 
 the modern signaling corps, knew well that, taking the 
 battle as a whole, victory was assured. So on the 
 world-wide battlefield of Christianity, while there are 
 apparent discouragements in some parts of the field, 
 and while certain divisions of the Christian forces are 
 being hard pressed by the forces that oppose, taking 
 the world as a whole, victory is assured if the present 
 campaign be adequately supported and pressed. 
 
 69 
 
70 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 It seems incredible that within the lifetime of many 
 now living there were placed in different parts of 
 Japan edict boards on which were official announce- 
 ments offering rewards for the apprehension of per- 
 sons found either professing or propagating the Chris- 
 tian faith. In contrast, one finds to-day a Japanese 
 Protestant Christian community numbering fully 
 70,000 communicants. In addition, the Eastern or 
 Greek Church numbers 30,000, and the members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church number 60,000. If the num- 
 ber of adherents be taken into account the number of 
 Christians connected with these three great sections of 
 the Christian Church must considerably exceed one- 
 quarter of a million. There has been an increase of 
 seventy per cent, in the number of Protestant Church 
 members during the last decade. Moreover, Chris- 
 tianity in Japan began with the Samurai or knightly 
 class, so that its influence is a hundredfold greater than 
 its statistical strength. When the best educated men 
 of the nation speak regarding the religions of the coun- 
 try, Buddhism and Christianity, if they discriminate 
 in favor of either religion it is always in favor of 
 Christianity, because of its high character and trans- 
 forming influence, although the number of adherents 
 of Buddhism reaches into tens of millions, while the 
 number of adherents of Christianity includes only tens 
 of thousands. In the present Japanese Parliament 
 twelve members of three hundred and eighty are Chris- 
 tians, or nearly twice as many as in the last Parlia- 
 ment. An investigation has shown that the ratio of 
 Christians to the total number of students in the 
 

 O 
 
 o 
 
 < 
 
 a 
 
 K 
 H 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 71 
 
 higher institutions of the great government school 
 system of Japan is over thirty times as great as the 
 proportion of Christian young men to the total number 
 of young men in the country, and this ratio has steadily 
 increased during the present generation. Facts like 
 these show that Christianity has won a place of great 
 and growing influence among the educated and influen- 
 tial classes of the nation. A further illustration was 
 the gift by the Emperor of $5000 toward the work 
 carried on by the Young Men's Christian Association 
 on behalf of the soldiers in the recent war. 
 
 In the recent past, several of the Christian bodies at 
 work in Japan have had encouraging results in con- 
 versions. In some parts of the country there have 
 been revivals; notable among these was the Taikyo 
 Dendo, a spiritual awakening which swept through the 
 Japanese Islands a few years ago, and was promoted by 
 the united efforts of practically all of the Christian 
 workers in the country. Under its influence thousands 
 of people were converted. Still more recently there 
 have been conducted the so-called concentration evan- 
 gelistic campaigns, waged largely by the Japanese work- 
 ers themselves. One of the best examples of these is the 
 revival which has taken place during the present year, 
 1910, in the commercial metropolis, Osaka. Workers 
 representing forty-two churches and preaching-places 
 united, and 104 speakers participated. Each of the 
 large mass meetings was attended by over 2000, and 
 the church services throughout the city were crowded, 
 day after day. Over 1300 persons registered as inquir- 
 ers or as applicants for baptism, a number equal to 
 
72 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 on&-third of the total church membership of the city. 
 On one Sunday in March, 1910, 355 of the converts 
 were baptized in connection with the churches of one 
 communion alone. This awakening is directly trace- 
 able to united intercession, and to loyal and unselfish 
 co-operative effort on the part of all the workers of 
 the different churches. 
 
 The Christian work carried on among the 750,000 
 Japanese soldiers in Manchuria by the Young Men's 
 Christian Association movement, was one of the most 
 successful efforts of its kind ever conducted in any 
 country. In accordance with the desire of the War 
 Department of the Japanese Government, this move- 
 ment was regarded as the exponent of all the Christian 
 forces of Japan, and was accorded permission to min- 
 ister to the comfort of the soldiers. All through the 
 campaign the Government granted special privileges 
 to those engaged in this service. The work was placed 
 in charge of experienced secretaries, both Japanese 
 and foreign, and some of the missions also allocated 
 able missionaries to co-operate. Assistance was ren- 
 dered the soldiers both before leaving Japan and after 
 they reached the seat of war, as well as on the trans- 
 ports, but the principal service was performed in Man- 
 churia. There buildings and tents were secured which 
 were constantly thronged with soldiers who came to 
 avail themselves of the various privileges afforded by 
 the Association. Opportunities were offered for read- 
 ing Japanese papers and other literature, stereopticon 
 exhibitions were given, facilities for correspondence 
 were afforded, and millions of letters and post-cards 
 
[RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 73 
 
 were written and posted by the soldiers, who thereby 
 conveyed to the people in countless cities and villages 
 in Japan the information as to the service which a 
 Christian organization was rendering them. Day by 
 day, not only in these buildings and tents, but also on 
 the railway trains and in the hospitals, evangelistic 
 addresses and appeals were made to the throngs of 
 soldiers, who, solemnized by the impending dangers, 
 were peculiarly responsive to messages concerning the 
 religious life. Missionaries have said that in this 
 campaign the Gospel was preached with fulness and 
 power by the few scores of workers to more of the 
 aggressive classes of Japanese men than were reached 
 during the same period by the hundreds of mission- 
 aries working in Japan itself. With the co-operation 
 of the Bible Societies the Gospels were widely circu- 
 lated among the troops. Although accurate statistics 
 have not been gathered, large numbers of men were 
 converted as a result of the efforts put forth on their 
 behalf. The attitude of many ofiScers was changed 
 from one of hostility or indifference to that of 
 outspoken sympathy. Since the war it has been found 
 that the practical helpfulness of this campaign and of 
 the ministration of Christian workers in hospitals, has 
 served to commend the cause of Christianity to the 
 families and friends of many of the soldiers, and to 
 open doors for Christian effort and influence in all 
 parts of Japan. 
 
 The evangelistic mission carried on by the Christian 
 Student Movement of Japan in connection with the 
 Conference of the World's Student Christian Federa- 
 
74 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tion, held in Tokyo in 1907, was also a remarkably 
 fruitful spiritual effort. During the three weeks this 
 mission was in progress the claims of Christ were 
 presented to tens of thousands of government stu- 
 dents and schoolboys in all the student communi- 
 ties of Japan, resulting in three thousand becoming 
 Christian inquirers. Christianity is making great ad- 
 vance, not only among the educated and influential 
 classes of the country but also among those at the 
 other end of the social scale. This is well illustrated 
 by the account of the recent revival in the Tokachi 
 Prison, in the Hokkaido, as given in an illustrated pam- 
 phlet entitled, " How the Holy Spirit came to the Hok- 
 kaido, Japan." It is a thrilling story of a modem 
 Pentecost. 
 
 To such facts should be added, what some regard 
 as the most striking evidence of the work and power 
 of God in Japan — ^the spread of Christian teachings 
 and ideals and their influence upon social life and 
 practices. This is revealed in the movement led by 
 Christians which resulted in releasing thousands of the 
 inmates of the brothels, in the effective temperance 
 crusade, and in the establishment of many benevolent 
 institutions, such as the famous Ishii orphanages. A 
 very general dissatisfaction with the old religions exists 
 throughout the land. Shintoism is no longer classified 
 as a religion by the Government, but merely as a patri- 
 otic association for preserving the memory of ancestors. 
 Notwithstanding what has been stated regarding the 
 revival of Buddhism in certain sections, the fact re- 
 mains that in parts of Japan it is losing its hold on its 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 75 
 
 adherents. There are many and multiplying instances 
 where the people have abolished idols and forsaken 
 the temples, although they may not yet have accepted 
 some other religion as a substitute. In the cities Bud- 
 dhism has far less influence, even with the illiterate 
 classes, than it has in the rural districts. It has little 
 power over the people, and ethically and religiously 
 its recent influence has not contributed to the higher 
 life of Japan or China. There are few educated men 
 who profess belief in Buddhism as a regulative, trans- 
 forming, and energizing influence in their lives. They 
 are realizing that it is lacking in both spiritual and 
 moral power. So much is this the case that an en- 
 deavor has been made in the schools to give moral 
 education apart altogether from religion, but the fail- 
 ure of this also is being recognized. The late Mr. 
 Fukuzawa, a leader of thought in Japan, though him- 
 self an agnostic, said, before his death, that he had felt 
 it " a great loss that he had lived his life without 
 religion, and that he would recommend Christianity to 
 his friends without any hesitation," and it is said that 
 to-day " there is among the leaders of the nation a 
 large party composed of men who are thoroughly dis- 
 satisfied with the present outlook, even alarmed at it; 
 and, though not themselves necessarily Christians, 
 would gladly see their country adopt the faith." The 
 spread of this conviction, that Christianity alone can 
 provide an adequate basis for individual and national 
 life, is surely preparing the way for a general accept- 
 ance of Christianity throughout Japan and for giving 
 it a position of large influence. 
 
76 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1887, three years after the first 
 missionaries entered Korea, seven baptized Christians 
 in Seoul united behind closed doors in the first celebra- 
 tion of the Holy Communion. To-day that interesting 
 land is wide open to the Christian Gospel. There are 
 now, including those under instruction for church 
 membership, fully 200,000 Koreans who acknowledge 
 Jesus Christ as Lord, and the number is increasing at 
 the rate of over 30 per cent, each year. The visitor to 
 Korea is impressed by the fact that the Spirit of God 
 is working with great power in all parts of the country. 
 People of all classes are being brought under the sway 
 of Christ. The eagerness manifested among the Ko- 
 rean people to learn of Christ is so great that the 
 missionaries everywhere are overwhelmed in their 
 attempts to meet the flood-tide of opportunity pressing 
 upon them, and have little time to go after the people 
 or to do pioneer work. 
 
 The Koreans are Bible-studying Christians. The 
 Bible is the book having the largest sale among them ; 
 it has been disseminated even among the remotest vil- 
 lages. Fully one-sixth of the entire church member- 
 ship are enrolled in Bible training-classes or confer- 
 ences which are held from time to time at principal 
 mission centers, and continue from a few days to three 
 weeks. It is no uncommon thing for the Christians to 
 make a ten days' journey to attend one of these gather- 
 ings for Bible study. The Koreans are praying Chris- 
 tians. At Phyengyang, in connection with one church, 
 the midweek prayer-meeting has had for years an 
 average attendance of 1 100, and is possibly the largest 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 77 
 
 meeting for united intercession which assembles any- 
 where in the world. 
 
 The Korean Christians are also Christians who give 
 liberally of their substance. Eighty per cent, of the 
 work of the Korean Church is already self-supporting. 
 Hundreds of Korean leaders and lay preachers serve 
 without receiving any remuneration. Dr. George 
 Heber Jones reports that, " Korean men have been 
 known to mortgage their houses that mortgages might 
 be removed from the houses of God ; to sell their crops 
 of good rice, intended for family consumption, pur- 
 chasing inferior millet to live upon through the winter, 
 and giving the difference in cost for the support of 
 workers to preach among their own countrymen. 
 Korean women have given their wedding rings, and 
 even cut off their hair that it might be sold and the 
 amount devoted to the spread of the Gospel." 
 
 The Korean Christians are also working Christians. 
 Thousands of them last year gave from one week to 
 one month each to the work of proclaiming the Gospel 
 in neighboring and in distant communities. It is prob- 
 able that a larger proportion of Korean Christians have 
 won others to Christ than of those in the Church of 
 any other land. Often the test question in connection 
 with admission to church membership is, " Have you 
 led some other soul to Jesus Christ ? " The Korean 
 Church is a missionary Church; its members are 
 working among the Korean colonies in Hawaii, on the 
 Pacific Coast of the United States, in Mexico, as well 
 as in Manchuria and Siberia. A missionary tells of a 
 Korean who reported that he had heard that, in 
 
78 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 a certain Manchurian city, there were 100,000 Koreans, 
 that there were many brigands there, that the rice 
 was not good to eat, but that he wished to go there 
 to preach the Gospel, and as he had three sons he 
 thought that, growing up among the Chinese, they 
 would learn the Chinese language so well that they 
 would become missionaries to the Chinese. It is this 
 spirit which explains the rapid development and ex- 
 tension of the Korean Church. There is every pros- 
 pect that if the Church of the West presses forward 
 its missionary efforts, Korea will be the first non- 
 Christian nation to become Christianized in the mod- 
 ern missionary era. The Honorable T. H. Yun, the 
 most influential Christian of Korea, voices his convic- 
 tion that, " The next ten years will tell more for the 
 evangelization of Korea than the fifty years there- 
 after." The thorough evangelization of- one nation 
 actually accomplished would serve as a practical object- 
 lesson to the whole Church, and would inspire Chris- 
 tians in all other non-Christian nations. 
 
 In China, the promise is greater to-day than at any 
 time in the past. When Protestant missionaries first 
 went to China, so unfruitful did the soil appear, that 
 one hundred years ago Dr. Milne, Robert Morrison's 
 first colleague, predicted that in a century there would 
 be 1000 communicants and adherents to Protestant 
 Christianity in China. At the end of the first thirty- 
 five years of the missionary history of China, it seemed 
 as though Dr. Milne's prophecy might not be fulfilled, 
 for there were but six converts to Christianity. Even 
 twenty years later, when Bishop Moule of Mid-China 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 79 
 
 first went out, there were, according to his statement, 
 only fifty Protestant Christian communicants. Since 
 then, however, the tide has begun to flow, and in the 
 year 1896 there were as many as 80,000 communicants. 
 Now there are fully 175,000, and were the number of 
 Protestant adherents included, the number would be 
 nearly half a million. This rapid increase is being 
 continued to-day. Contrary to the general impression, 
 the greatest advances of Christianity have been made 
 since the Boxer uprising. 
 
 Reports tell of spiritual awakenings in widely sep- 
 arated parts of China — west, south, north, and central. 
 As an example, the revival in Hinghua, in the Fukien 
 Province, may be mentioned. This awakening began 
 a few months ago and seems to be still in the initial 
 stages; the meetings day after day are crowding the 
 large tabernacle with audiences numbering about five 
 thousand. Dr. William Brewster, in writing of this 
 revival, says, " No language can describe the power of 
 God as here manifested. There was no hysteria, no 
 prostration, but simply conviction of sin and confes- 
 sion, restitution, forsaking sin, accepting Christ as 
 Saviour by thousands, and going out anointed for wit- 
 nessing to His power to save." Evangelistic campaigns 
 conducted by the late Dr. Lee, the eminent Chinese 
 evangelist, in different parts of the country, were also 
 occasions of the mighty working of the living God. 
 The Rev. J. Goforth of the Canadian Presbyterian 
 Mission has had remarkable success in conducting 
 thirty special missions in six different provinces. He 
 testifies that in every place he has seen God's glorious 
 
8o DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 power manifested. In some cases those who attended 
 these special missions carried the evangehstic spirit to 
 other communities. 
 
 One of the most wonderful revivals of modern times 
 is the one among the degraded and illiterate tribes 
 in Southwest China. The movement has extended 
 most widely among the Miao, a vigorous, aboriginal 
 race, includmg about seventy tribes, which have 
 mamtained a state of semi-independence of the Chi- 
 nese Government. This revival has been going on 
 steadily for over seven years; during that time many 
 villages have become wholly Christian, and in hun- 
 dreds of other villages Christian bands are witnessing 
 for Christ. Many men who were once drunkards 
 are now sober, and women who formerly were 
 leading immoral lives are now leading victorious 
 lives under the power of Christ. It is estimated that 
 over 20,000 of these tribesmen have broken with hea- 
 thenism and turned to Christ, largely as a result of the 
 efforts of those who had themselves been converted 
 but recently from heathenism. Mr. J. R. Adam of the 
 China Inland Mission, in describing a tour which he 
 made within the past two years in the Miao country, 
 tells of the large numbers who came to hear the preach- 
 ing of the Gospel. On one Sunday literally thousands 
 were present at the morning service, and nine hun- 
 dred celebrated the Holy Communion. In all the vil- 
 lages he visited, he was kept busy examining and bap- 
 tizing converts. Surprisingly few cases of discipline 
 were brought to his attention. As in the case of the 
 Welsh revival, singing has been a prominent feature of 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 8l 
 
 this movement among the Miao. The central message 
 of the revival has been the refrain — 
 
 There is a fountain filled with blood 
 Drawn from Emmanuel's veins; 
 
 And sinners plunged beneath that flood, 
 Lose all their guilty stains. 
 
 The thirst among the Chinese for knowledge con- 
 cerning Christianity is remarkable. Dr. Griffith John 
 has said that when he reached China it was difficult 
 even to give away copies of the New Testament, and 
 that this had to be done in secret. Two years ago, the 
 Tract Society in his region sold a million and a half 
 copies of different pieces of Christian literature, and 
 the Presbyterian Press in Shanghai during the same 
 year dispose, of one million six hundred thousand 
 copies. The Bible Societies of Britain and America 
 have had a similar encouraging expansion of their 
 work. 
 
 The Christward movement in China is making quite 
 as great progress among the students as among the 
 masses. Ten years ago, it was impossible to obtain 
 access to the literati or government students. Within 
 the past three or four years the largest halls which 
 could be obtained in several of the principal student 
 centers of China would not hold the crowds of modern 
 government students who thronged the evangelistic 
 meetings conducted under the auspices of the Student 
 Christian Association movement. This has occurred 
 in connection with missions conducted by several dif- 
 ferent missionaries and visiting Christian workers 
 
82 DEaSIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 from abroad. These meetings, which often lasted 
 three hours, have almost without exception been at- 
 tended with large results in the definite conversion of 
 students ; and there have been similar encouragements 
 in connection with the campaign waged among the 
 thousands of Chinese students in Tokyo, under the 
 auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association. 
 No month passes in which some of these students do 
 not make open confession and become baptized. 
 
 The Chinese Christians in different parts of the 
 country and of all social classes are assuming as never 
 before the burden of responsibility for the propagation 
 of the Gospel. There are gratifying evidences of this 
 among the converts of the peasant and merchant 
 classes, but the most striking examples are those af- 
 forded by the colleges and schools. 
 
 The activities of a Christian Association in a college 
 in Swatow may serve to illustrate the sense of respon- 
 sibility as accepted by the Christian students in all 
 parts of China. The institution has in all only twenty 
 students, but every one of these is enrolled in Bible 
 classes. In addition to their Christian work in the col- 
 lege they are conducting a night school three evenings 
 in the week for the people of the village. Every stu- 
 dent in the institution is engaged in evangelistic work 
 in places near the school. They send representatives 
 to the railway station to sell Christian literature, and 
 on festival days, when there are unusual crowds, they 
 travel on the trains for this purpose. Three miles 
 from the school there is a town of ten thousand people, 
 among whom there is not a Christian, and there the 
 
< 
 a 
 
 z 
 
 o 
 
 « 
 
 a 
 
 H 
 O 
 
 O 
 « 
 
 w 
 
 (d 
 H 
 SS 
 P 
 iJ 
 O 
 > 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 83 
 
 Student Association has rented and furnished a house 
 in which they conduct evangelistic services regularly. 
 The Student Associations of no country are doing more 
 widespread and thorough work among people outside 
 of the colleges than are those in China. Moreover, 
 they are raising up large numbers of Christian workers. 
 In the Peking University there is a Volunteer Band 
 composed of over two hundred students who have 
 dedicated their lives to Christian service, although this 
 involved turning their backs upon opportunities of re- 
 ceiving far larger salaries in commercial pursuits or in 
 government service. A few months ago, after a re- 
 vival in the Union Christian College in the Shantung 
 Province, 104 of the College students and twenty-eight 
 of the boys in the High School consecrated their lives 
 to Christian work. 
 
 The indirect influences of Christianity in China are 
 becoming increasingly evident. As a result of the 
 example of medical missions, the Chinese are them- 
 selves devoting increasingly their gifts and their efforts 
 to the alleviation of physical suffering. The ablest and 
 most conspicuous leaders of the opium reform are 
 men who have come intimately in touch with Chris- 
 tianity. The crusade against foot-binding, while now 
 favored by an Imperial edict and taken up by officials 
 and gentry throughout the empire, was inaugurated 
 by Christians. The new government colleges are mod- 
 eled after the missionary institutions, ai j all of them 
 close on Sunday. The new literature is so saturated 
 with ideals of liberty, justice, and social responsibility, 
 taken directly from Christian sources, that the Chinese 
 
84 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 language has had to be materially altered to fit it to 
 these new conceptions. The revision of the penal code 
 which is now in progress means the abolition of torture 
 and the adoption of Christian laws for the empire. 
 Slavery, which was especially widespread among girls, 
 has recently been prohibited by an edict of the Prince 
 Regent, and women are rapidly being accorded the 
 status which they enjoy in Christian lands. This latter 
 fact is considered by many as the most significant re- 
 form now taking place in the country, and it is cer- 
 tainly one of the very clearest proofs of the growing 
 influence which Christian ideals are having upon the 
 life of China. 
 
 The entire history of missions in Manchuria has 
 been characterized by genuine revivals. One of the 
 most thoroughgoing and fruitful has been the spiritual 
 awakening of the last two years. Beginning in Mouk- 
 den, it soon spread to other centers, and everywhere 
 with remarkable results. Dr. W. Phillips, of the Irish 
 Presbyterian Mission, gives an account of one of these 
 meetings which is typical. He says : " Deep conviction 
 of sin has been the characteristic note of the revival. 
 It has been so noticeable a feature that it has become 
 almost a byword in the villages : ' Avoid these Chris- 
 tians. Their God is a Spirit of confessing, who will 
 force you to disclose what no yamen could wring from 
 you.' What the revival may lead to, no man can tell. 
 The old religions have lost their hold on the people and 
 the whole land is open to receive the Gospel. The 
 spiritual fires are spreading from place to place and 
 radiating their influence wider and wider; wherever 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 85 
 
 they come there is a ready response. Great signs and 
 wonders are still being wrought by the living God on 
 the Manchurian plains. Boxers who massacred Chris- 
 tians have been converted as a result of the spirit of 
 forgiveness shown by the injured Christians towards 
 their persecutors ; whole towns have been moved by 
 the Spirit of God, and thousands added to the Church. 
 The whole of Manchuria seems to be stirred to its 
 depths." 
 
 Notwithstanding the unrest and disturbances in 
 India, the past few years have witnessed real progress 
 in the Christian propaganda. There have been large 
 ingatherings into the Kingdom of Christ. The awak- 
 ening in the Welsh Mission in the Khasi Hills, lead- 
 ing to the conversion of thousands and to the quicken- 
 ing of the native Church, exerted an influence far 
 beyond that region. It did much to strengthen the 
 faith of the workers elsewhere, and to fire them with 
 the zeal of evangelism. The so-called " mass move- 
 ments " in different parts of India are resulting each 
 year in turning a multitude of the outcastes and of the 
 members of the lower castes towards the Christian 
 fold. The readiness of these depressed masses to re- 
 ceive the Gospel and to accept baptism is indeed im- 
 pressive. In the Telugu country thousands of vil- 
 lagers, including members of higher castes as well as 
 of depressed classes, are clamorously desiring to enter 
 the Church, while the available workers are not able 
 to meet the demand for religious teaching made upon 
 them. During a single year recently about three thou- 
 sand souls in the southeast portion of the Nizam's 
 
86 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Dominions placed themselves under Christian instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 The characteristics and working of a mass move- 
 ment may best be illustrated by a description of what 
 took place in a Telugu village. The inhabitants, com- 
 posed almost entirely of the depressed classes and out- 
 castes, had become greatly dissatisfied with their state 
 of degradation and with the general adverse condi- 
 tions of their life. They had observed the social, eco- 
 nomic, and intellectual changes and improvements in 
 neighboring Christian communities where the people 
 were formerly as degraded and depressed as them- 
 selves. They sent a deputation to the missionaries at 
 a mission station some distance away and urged them 
 to send a Christian teacher to the village, and indicated 
 their willingness to place themselves under Christian 
 instruction. Later, a catechist was sent, and he re- 
 mained in their midst for nearly a year. During that 
 time, he held services almost every day, and on many 
 days both in the early morning and in the evening. 
 He devoted himself to teaching them the facts about 
 the life of Jesus Christ, and to expounding simply and 
 clearly the fundamental Christian doctrines, observ- 
 ances, and customs. Under his positive instruction 
 about Christianity, they discovered for themselves the 
 low character of much of their religion, especially its 
 debased idol worship, its devil dances, and other cor- 
 rupt practices. The catechist called upon them to turn 
 from their idols and to give up habits of drinking and 
 immorality. In due time they tore down their temple 
 and built a simple place for Christian worship. Such a 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 87 
 
 radical step represented nothing less than a great rev- 
 olution in their ideas and attitude. The giving up, on 
 the part of many of them, of Sunday labor is also an 
 impressive proof of the marked change, because most 
 of the members of the community were very poor and 
 dependent upon hard and constant work to provide 
 for their needs. None were baptized until after sev- 
 eral months of instruction and until after they had 
 given satisfying evidence of a change of life as shown 
 in repentance, in giving up sinful and questionable 
 habits and associations, and in trust in Jesus as Sav- 
 iour. When the catechist first came to this village, 
 some ninety members of the community gathered 
 round him under a tree at his first service. When he 
 revisited the place there were 190 baptized Christians, 
 eighty of whom were communicant members of the 
 Church. He found eighty persons who could read the 
 Bible, whereas at the time of the first visit none of 
 them could do so. He bore testimony that the very 
 expression of their countenances had been changed. 
 Twelve confirmed drunkards had broken their evil 
 habit and had paid debts which had hung over their 
 families for over two generations. The whole com- 
 munity had been appreciably raised in its social and 
 economic status. The change in disposition and char- 
 acter of many of the people had been so marked as to 
 impress deeply the Brahman landlords, who at first op- 
 posed the coming of the catechist, and on one occasion 
 had driven him out, but now begged him to visit other 
 villages to carry on a similar work. They testified that 
 the practice of stealing had been done away, and that 
 
88 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the whole moral tone of the village had been changed. 
 Some men who had been given to drink and had been 
 in prison were found working for the temperance 
 cause and seeking to convert their fellows. The Chris- 
 tians were giving liberally for the support and spread 
 of the Gospel, some exhibiting great sacrifice. As a 
 result of this genuine work of God in one village a 
 similar spirit of dissatisfaction with their present con- 
 ditions, and of desire for new and better things, had 
 spread to neighboring villages. Men had not been 
 greatly impressed by what Christianity might do for 
 individuals, but the object lesson of a village com- 
 munity transformed by Christian teaching and the 
 work of the Holy Spirit had served as a convincing 
 evidence of the vitality and power of Christianity, and 
 had led them to seek to bring its transforming influ- 
 ence to bear upon their corporate life. 
 
 Similar movements are reported in the United Prov- 
 inces, in the Punjab, and in Western India. In one 
 section of North India, at the present rate of ingather- 
 ing, it will be only a few years until practically all of 
 the " sweepers " will have come in ; and there are at 
 present signs of a break among a still larger class — ^the 
 leather-workers. Several lower castes are very acces- 
 sible. Bishop Warne, in writing about the mass move- 
 ment in connection with the Methodist Episcopal Mis- 
 sion in the United Provinces, says, " I have now known 
 this field for twenty years. This movement among the 
 lower castes towards Christianity has taken place al- 
 most entirely during that period. The readiness to 
 receive Gospel teaching and to accept baptism has been 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 89 
 
 found wherever we have been able to extend our work 
 with the needed vigor. This movement has already 
 given us about 24,000 converts, and perhaps one-third 
 of that number have died during these years." Some 
 missions are baptizing as rapidly as they can thorough- 
 ly evangelize and teach. Others testify that they could 
 double or quadruple the number of baptisms were they 
 able to double their force of workers. 
 
 The missionaries in touch with these movements in 
 India are alive to the perils involved, and they may be 
 depended upon to safeguard the Church from serious 
 mistakes. The opportunity is certainly great and 
 urgent. The late Professor Satthianadhan of the 
 Presidency College in Madras pointed out, in 1905, the 
 hopeful aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit among 
 the masses : " It is those very classes, depressed, tram- 
 pled down, and looked upon as utterly incapable of 
 improvement of any kind, that now, with the enlight- 
 ening influence of Christianity, compete successfully 
 with the highest castes and classes of Indian society in 
 every direction. In my opinion, even if there had not 
 been a single convert from the higher classes of Hindu 
 society, the transformation which Christianity has 
 wrought among the lower classes it has won over to 
 its fold, is itself a clear evidence of its unique triumph 
 in India." 
 
 The significance of the mass movement will be even 
 better realized by pondering the following words of 
 the Bishop of Madras : " The main fact which ought, 
 I think, to determine the use we make of the forces at 
 our disposal in India at the present day, is that there 
 
90 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 are 50,000,000 people in India who are quite ready to 
 receive the Gospel message, to put themselves under 
 Christian teaching and discipline, and to be baptized ; 
 and that, if a prompt, aggressive, and adequate cam- 
 paign were carried on among them, it would be quite 
 possible to gather something like 30,000,000 of them 
 into the Christian Church during the next fifty years, 
 to raise them morally, spiritually, and socially from 
 the state of degradation and servitude in which Hindu- 
 ism has kept them for the last two thousand years, and 
 to furnish to the whole people of India, especially to 
 the educated classes, a most powerful witness for the 
 truth and power of the Christian faith." 
 
 These modern mass movements present an appeal to 
 the Church to make a prompt and large advance. 
 They will not be without their powerful influence on 
 the higher castes and classes of India. May it not be 
 that the Bishop of Madras is right in his contention 
 that the future of India lies more with the pariah than 
 with the Brahman ? Be this as it may, the history of 
 the Church shows that any great spiritual movement 
 at the bottom of society sooner or later profoundly 
 affects the upper strata. 
 
 It should be noted, however, that the movement 
 toward Christ among the higher castes and educated 
 classes of India also affords grounds for thanks- 
 giving and hopefulness. There are among the higher 
 castes, hundreds of people who, as a result of the 
 impression made upon them by the transforming 
 work of the Gospel among the low castes, and out- 
 castes, as well as of direct efforts on their own behalf. 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 9 1 
 
 have been led to give serious attention to Christianity, 
 and in heart have come into sympathy with its teaching 
 and spirit. Numbers of them have been baptized, and 
 there is reason to beheve that many more all over 
 India are secret disciples and worshipers of Jesus 
 Christ. A survey of the Indian Christian community 
 will show that the number of converts from the higher 
 castes, while not large, is increasing. A prominent 
 worker among students in India has pointed out re- 
 cently that there have been more conversions among 
 the educated classes of India during the last ten years 
 than in any previous deCade in the history of Indian 
 missions. The principal of one of the leading Christian 
 colleges says that the student class was never so acces- 
 sible to Christian influences as now. Missionaries 
 and other observers in all sections of India emphasize 
 the fact that comparatively few of the educated classes 
 adhere to Hinduism in an unmodified form, and that 
 not many of them have a vital faith in it as a personal 
 religion. A leading Scottish missionary of many 
 years' experience has said that nowadays no bona 
 fide idolater is to be found among university men. 
 The firm hold which the old religions and customs of 
 India had upon the people is breaking down, and, as 
 the Bishop of Lahore says, " There has been a gradual 
 conversion of the attitude of the people toward Chris- 
 tianity." Christianity is coming more and more into 
 its own in Hindustan, and the best thought of India 
 is not toward Hinduism but toward Christ. 
 
 In all parts of the Turkish Empire and in Persia 
 since the recent revolutions, there is a widespread spirit 
 
92 DECISIVE HOtJR OF MISSIONS 
 
 of inquiry, as shown by the imprecedented demand for 
 the Scriptures. Mohammedanism has as strong a hold 
 on its adherents as has any other non-Christian re- 
 hgion, but it is weakening in the case of the educated 
 and better-informed men. The Koran and the newly 
 proclaimed principles of liberty are not found to be 
 suitable yoke-fellows. Notwithstanding the aggres- 
 sive advance of Mohammedanism in some quarters of 
 the world, as a religion it is making no marked intel- 
 lectual or spiritual progress, and therefore it is not 
 able to command the full allegiance of many of its 
 adherents who are studying the modem learning. 
 
 The application of modern critical methods in India 
 and elsewhere is serving to undermine faith in the 
 Koran, so that it is no uncommon thing to find Moslems 
 who concede that this book does not have permanent 
 authority in the realm of morals. While the results 
 of work on behalf of Moslems in the form of an- 
 nounced conversions have not been large, efforts of 
 this kind have by no means been in vain, as is shown 
 by the fact that a conference of Moslem converts was 
 held recently in Zeitoun, Egypt. There are also among 
 Moslems many secret believers in Christ, and it seems 
 to be the general impression among missionaries that 
 the time has come when we may expect to see an 
 increasing number of conversions to Christianity 
 among the Moslem population. 
 
 It is plain from what the missionaries write that by 
 far the greatest progress of Christianity in Africa has 
 been achieved within the past decade. Wherever there 
 have been workers of holy Hfe and strong faith to put 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 93 
 
 in the sickle, they have gathered sheaves. This has 
 been conspicuously exemplified in Uganda. There 
 have been frequent revivals in that field during 
 the past few years, but one of the most notable was 
 that of March, 1906. During the eight days of special 
 services the attendance increased steadily from 3500 
 on the first day to nearly 6000 on the last day. It was 
 an ethical and spiritual movement. Bishop Tucker, 
 in writing about it, says : " Drunkards signed the 
 pledge in large numbers. Heathen enrolled themselves 
 to such an extent as candidates for baptism that for a 
 while it was difficult to arrange for their instruction, 
 whilst the candidates for confirmation were so nu- 
 merous that we were obliged to invade the Cathedral 
 and hold our classes there, no fewer than thirteen such 
 classes finding accommodation within its precincts. 
 This large ingathering of souls through the special 
 mission services at the capital was an indication of a 
 similar ingathering which was going on more or less 
 throughout the whole- country." He estimates that 
 during the five years ending September 30, 1907, fully 
 36,000 persons were baptized into the Church, or an 
 average of more than 7000 each year. This wonder- 
 ful Christward movement has continued in full tide, 
 there being last year over 8000 new converts. An 
 equally remarkable evangelistic movement has been 
 going forward in Livingstonia, likewise in parts of the 
 Congo Basin ; but the mention of these fields must not 
 exclude from view the fact that in other districts also 
 the mighty working of the Spirit of God has been 
 witnessed. 
 
94 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 As one looks out over the non-Christian world, it ij 
 true that one may see some apparently barren fieldi 
 and deserts, and observe certain sections and classes 
 of the population in some countries which are not re- 
 sponding largely to the Gospel appeal ; but taking the 
 non-Christian world as a whole, the present is without 
 doubt a time of rising spiritual tide. It is always wise 
 to take advantage of a rising tide. 
 
 On the one hand, grave perils result if such a rising 
 tide be not taken advantage of and wisely used. Many 
 who have become interested, or impressed, or con- 
 verted in the midst of the spiritual movement are 
 in danger of lapsing and of passing into a state 
 worse than that in which they were before they were 
 awakened, unless by a continuation and enlargement 
 of the spiritual efforts they are encouraged, guided, 
 and built up. Moreover, unless the advantage is 
 pressed, there is danger that many will stop just 
 short of acting conclusively on the light which they 
 have received or of responding to the spiritual impulses 
 which they have felt; whereas, if advantage is taken 
 of the favoring conditions, they may be led out into 
 the path of obedience. Perhaps the greatest danger 
 of all is that too many will press into the Christian 
 Church before they have obtained sufficient training, 
 and that the whole level of the Christian life of the 
 community will thereby be lowered. 
 
 On the other hand, great victories are possible if 
 only an adequate effort be made. Experience has 
 shown that in improving such an opportunity far 
 more can be accomplished within a short time than 
 
RISING SPIRITUAL TIDE 95 
 
 in a long period of persistent effort under other con- 
 ditions. At such a time people are much more 
 susceptible to religious impressions and more re- 
 sponsive to religious appeals. Moreover, a great 
 opportunity is given to the Church of pressing out 
 into its most difficult fields and of overcoming many 
 of its most baffling obstacles. A great acquired 
 momentum is essential for the accomplishment of such 
 difficult ends, and what is a rising spiritual tide but an 
 increasing momentum? What might not the Church 
 have accomplished in the Telugu country during the 
 past generation if it had pressed the advantage af- 
 forded by the first great revival which visited that field 
 a generation ago? How different might have been 
 the progress of Christianity among the high caste 
 Hindus had the Church more largely utilized the ad- 
 vantage placed within its reach by the successful 
 efforts put forth on their behalf by Alexander Duff? 
 Some of the wisest students of missions believe that, 
 as a result of the failure of the Church to improve its 
 opportunity in Japan in the late eighties, the work of 
 evangelizing that country has been greatly delayed and 
 made more difficult. In every Christian land there 
 have been solemnizing examples of the failure of the 
 Church to take advantage of a rising spiritual tide. 
 May Christians everywhere awaken to the fact that 
 in the annals of Christianity there has been no time 
 like the present. Surely it is a summons to the Church 
 to put forth its strength in measure adequate to press 
 the present unprecedented advantage. 
 
THE REQUIREMENTS OF 
 
 THE PRESENT SITUATION: 
 
 AN ADEQUATE PLAN 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRESENT SITUATION: AN 
 ADEQUATE PLAN 
 
 The present changing and plastic condition of the non- 
 Christian nations, the forces at work which tend to 
 make the progress of Christianity increasingly difficult, 
 and the rising spiritual tide observable in many parts 
 of Asia and Africa combine tu '■.onstitute an irresistible 
 call to the Christian Church to carry the Gospel to all 
 the non-Christian world before the present opportunity 
 passes away. Such an undertaking will make an 
 enormous demand upon the faith and resources of the 
 Church, for it is attended with difficulties which seem 
 almost insuperable. The number to be reached, em- 
 bracing hundreds of millions, in itself shows that the 
 task is one of colossal proportions. Difficulties incident 
 to the climate, to the social condition of the people, 
 and to their stage of civilization are real and grave. 
 The fact that there are still over four hundred lan- 
 guages and dialects into which the Scriptures have not 
 been translated is a serious obstacle to the speedy 
 progress of the missionary enterprise. The strong 
 and persistent national prejudices and social antag- 
 onisms, the system of caste and other social restrictions 
 and divisions shut out the approach of the missionary ; 
 
 99 
 
100 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 and superstitions, corrupt practices, and active religious 
 forces abound which strenuously oppose the teaching 
 and spirit of Christianity. To evangelize the world, 
 to change social and religious systems, and to reform 
 the habits of thought and life of whole peoples, is a 
 task that may well seem impossible. How is it to be 
 accomplished ? It is the first essential that the Church 
 should have before it a plan adequate in scope, thor- 
 oughness, and strategy, to meet this unique world 
 situation. 
 
 First, this plan should be adequate in scope. It 
 should omit from consideration no region or people to 
 which it is the duty of the Church to carry the Chris- 
 tian religion, and it must, therefore, at this time take 
 the whole non-Christian world into its view. Time 
 was when only a small part of the world was known 
 and missionary work was limited in extent, but the 
 field open to missionary work has widened immeas- 
 urably during the past century. There is scarcely one 
 region in the world which is not open to-day to the 
 Christian Gospel, and there is no nation to which it is 
 not the immediate duty of the Christian Church to 
 carry it. Christianity belongs to no particular nation 
 or people; by virtue of the character, work, and com- 
 mand of its Founder, it is the only religion for all man- 
 kind. Nevertheless there are still, even so many 
 centuries after Christ's coming to the earth, one 
 thousand millions of non-Christian people, of whom 
 probably not more than one-fifth have heard of Him 
 with any degree of fulness and clearness. It is the 
 Church's duty to see that this long-standing reproach 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN lOI 
 
 is completely removed. Its plan of work, to be ade- 
 quate, must provide for the evangelization of the 
 whole of this multitude. 
 
 In the first place it must take account of the great 
 unoccupied fields in the non-Christian world, for there 
 are still vast regions without a single missionary. In 
 the heart of Asia is a large integral area, almost equal 
 in extent to the United States without its territories, 
 and with an estimated population of 26,000,000, or 
 more than half of that of the British Isles, which is 
 almost without a messenger of Christianity. This 
 great area includes Afghanistan, with its 4,000,000 of 
 people, a population as large as that of Ireland; 
 Bokhara, with over 1,000,000; Russian Turkestan, 
 with at least 5,000,000 of Mohammedans ; Tibet, with 
 its 6,000,000 of people; Bhutan and Nepal, with a 
 combined population of over 5,000,000; portions of 
 Mongolia having a nomadic population of at least 
 2,000,000, and some of the other territories which are 
 on the western fringe of China. In Southeastern Asia 
 there is another extensive territory, comprising chiefly 
 French Indo-China, with a population of over 20,000,- 
 000, having in it but three or four Protestant mis- 
 sionary workers. Inland Africa, even more than 
 Central Asia, is an unoccupied field. It contains 
 various sections without missionaries, having in them 
 an aggregate population of about 70,000,000, or more 
 than that of Germany, Holland, Norway, and Sweden 
 combined. This population of the unoccupied sections 
 includes over 4,000,000 in the Sudan ; fully 20,000,000 
 of the 30,000,000 of the Belgian Congo; 8,000,000 in 
 
102 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the French Congo; 3,000,000 in the eastern part of 
 Kamerun; 2,500,000 in Portuguese East Africa; i,- 
 700,000 in French Guinea; and 1,500,000 pagans in 
 Eastern Liberia, besides a number of other large 
 masses of people, each numbering over half a million, 
 and being without any Christian worker. 
 
 There are several smaller unoccupied areas in dif- 
 ferent parts of the world ; for example, the provinces 
 of Nejd, Hejaz, and Hadramaut in Arabia, with a 
 combined population of about 3,000,000. In these 
 great and small areas there are 119,000,000 people who 
 are without missionaries, and for the reaching of 
 whom at present the Church has no plan.* 
 
 It is the belief of students of the present situation 
 that a number of the totally unoccupied areas remote 
 from present missionary operations might be entered 
 by the Church in response to wise, concerted, and 
 prayerful effort. That which is most needed is a large 
 and comprehensive view on the part of present-day 
 missionary leaders and an agreement among them on 
 some plan which actually embraces the whole non- 
 Christian world. If this can be obtained, other things 
 needful will more readily follow; men who have a 
 policy to carry out will insist upon finding some method 
 by which to accomplish it. The older and more thor- 
 oughly established and resourceful societies will be 
 urged to enlarge their activities, to include within 
 their field some of the more remote unoccupied areas, 
 and, if they are not able to respond so as to send men 
 
 * For a more adequate discussion of unoccupied fields, see 
 " Unoccupied Mission Fields," by Samuel M. Zwemer. 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 103 
 
 to every nation, new societies may be established in 
 order that this may be more promptly done. 
 
 Quite as significant as the integral unoccupied areas 
 to which attention has been called are the multitudes of 
 people unreached by the Gospel message who are living 
 in territories adjoining fields in which missionaries 
 are already working. Investigations instituted by 
 Commission I of the World Missionary Conference 
 afford ground for the impression that the population 
 of these more accessible areas adjacent to present mis- 
 sionary forces exceeds that of the totally unoccupied 
 sections. These men and women present in many 
 ways the most extensive, the most pressing, and the 
 most pathetic need of the missionary world — ^because 
 the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation, 
 is so near and yet so remote from them. Undoubtedly 
 an increased missionary staff will be required before 
 this need can be fully met, but it is the conviction of 
 many that the large majority of the multitudes of un- 
 evangelized people living within the spheres of in- 
 fluence of missions already established might be 
 reached with the Gospel, were these missions to ex- 
 pand their work with energy and thoroughness. In 
 order that as effective use as possible may be made of 
 the missions already established, the whole field should 
 be surveyed and the responsibilities of each society to 
 its own sphere of influence carefully and authoritative- 
 ly determined. If this were done, overlapping would 
 be avoided, new efforts would be made to rise to the 
 responsibilities, and at least part of the at present un- 
 occupied fields would quickly be evangelized. 
 
104 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Even in those parts of the non-Christian world 
 where the number of missionaries, native Christian 
 leaders, and Christian church members is largest, and 
 where their influence is most potent and far-reaching, 
 there is need of revising and enlarging the plans so as 
 to embrace the entire population. It is maintained 
 that in Japan, which has relatively a large staff of 
 Christian workers in proportion to the population, less 
 than one in ten of the people have heard the Gospel. 
 In many fields the sowing has been in patches rather 
 than broadcast. In some countries the cities have 
 been largely evangelized, whereas the villages and 
 rural districts have been almost wholly neglected. In 
 other fields, where an extensive work of evangeliza- 
 tion has been carried forward from the cities as bases, 
 the cities themselves have been too much neglected. 
 In both situations, while the neglect has been due in 
 part to insufficient resources, in many cases it has 
 been due also to lack of plan. Where all the Christian 
 leaders have united in the aim to reach every person 
 in their district within a given time, and to present the 
 message with such intelligence, frequency, and thor- 
 oughness as to make it effective, the advantages of 
 a plan have been at once evident. It is in these 
 districts that the work of evangelization is being 
 conducted most successfully and with the greatest 
 completeness. 
 
 In almost every country certain strata or whole 
 classes of society are being overlooked. An adequate 
 plan must correct this by embracing them all. As an 
 illustration of how classes of the population may be 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 105 
 
 comparatively neglected in a country relatively well 
 occupied by missionaries, attention is called to a state- 
 ment, based upon a careful study by a company 
 of eminent missionaries and Japanese leaders of 
 some of those thus unreached in Japan. The fol- 
 lowing is the impressive list which they give: the 
 rapidly increasing number of factory employees now 
 numbering over three-quarters of a million; the still 
 more numerous classes of artisans and day laborers; 
 the nearly 100,000 railway employees; shopkeepers 
 and merchants, numbering possibly one-sixth of the 
 population ; the men in the army and navy, aggregating 
 300,000 in active service; the aristocracy and men of 
 wealth; and the poor and unlettered fishermen, scat- 
 tered in villages and numbering in all perhaps 1,000,- 
 000. In China, among the classes which have been 
 almost entirely neglected are the men of wealth and 
 the officials, and to an even greater extent their wives 
 and children; the literati and modern government 
 students, these last two classes notwithstanding the 
 success which has always rewarded efforts made on 
 their behalf; the aboriginal tribes, numbering about 
 6,000,000; the boat population, numbering millions; 
 the Manchus; clerks and apprentices in shops; sol- 
 diers; the defectives; lepers. There is no adequate 
 excuse for the neglect of so many entire classes. The 
 comparatively limited resources of the missionary so- 
 cieties are no sufficient explanation of the fact that 
 these classes have scarcely been touched. A special 
 effort to influence any one of them would have had its 
 effect, since experience in different parts of the world 
 
I06 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 shows that when the Church concentrates itself on a 
 given class, the effort is as a rule productive. It is 
 believed, therefore, that the reason for the neglect is 
 lack of recognition of the needs of these classes and 
 of commensurate plans on their behalf. 
 
 The plan of the Church should take special account 
 of the most difficult fields of the non-Christian world. 
 While it is obviously wise to push forward the work 
 along the lines of least resistance, it is not only bad 
 policy, but it is disloyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ to 
 neglect the regions which are most dangerous and most 
 difficult. It is high time that the Church deliberately 
 and resolutely attack some of these hitherto almost 
 impregnable fortresses. This requires that the plan 
 of the Church concern itself far more than heretofore 
 with the reaching of the Mohammedan world. More- 
 over, there must be a wise policy of occupation of fields 
 where the climate is peculiarly dangerous to foreigners. 
 As the Rev. A. Taylor of the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society has well said, " The risks to be faced and the 
 personal dangers form no valid reasons for holding 
 back. On the contrary, such sacrifices as have already 
 been made have not been without their large effects, 
 and, in addition, the record of them has been to many 
 zealous souls an inspiring call. All pc ible advantage 
 should be taken of the experience bought at so great 
 a cost. Every valley must be exalted and every moun- 
 tain and hill laid low, but there are also waste places — 
 marsh or morass — through which the highway can only 
 be made by the sacrifice of lives. The sacrifice must 
 none the less be made. Policy or plan merely directs 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 107 
 
 the course of sacrifice ; it must be along the surveyed 
 track. It ceases to be a waste of life and effort if at 
 last the highway is firm under foot." 
 
 These neglected parts are so many and so large that 
 the demands upon the Church will be far greater than 
 it is immediately able adequately to meet. In spite of 
 the great need, however, of a speedy advance, any 
 tendency to hasten over the ground too quickly must be 
 rigidly checked. 
 
 The plan of world evangelization should be ade- 
 quate in point of thoroughness as well as in scope. 
 There is no warrant in the teaching of Christ, nor in 
 t^e practice of the early Christian Church for a super- 
 ficial propagation of Christianity. Time will be gained 
 and victory best ensured by doing the work in a most 
 thorough manner. We are not simply to announce a 
 message but to make genuine disciples of Christ. 
 There could be no more serious danger for the Church 
 itself than the spreading of an imperfect type of Chris- 
 tianity, due to ill-considered and careless plans, and to 
 hasty and imperfect work in proclaiming, making 
 plain, and enforcing the truth of Christ. A distin- 
 guished soldier, who had made a careful study of the 
 war between Russia and Japan, said, " This war has 
 borne into my mind in a way that nothing else could 
 have done, the conviction that nothing but the very 
 best will do." How much more true it is that in the 
 conflict of Christianity with the non-Christian re- 
 ligions, the greatest thoroughness in the making and 
 execution of plans is required. A review of the mis- 
 sion fields and methods with a view to the accomplish- 
 
I08 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 ment of the world-wide missionary duty of the Church 
 accentuates the importance of careful study of the 
 problems involved in the world's evangelization. The 
 consideration of the historic development of missions 
 in their extension and method is the foundation of all 
 wise advance. Such study of the present problems 
 and of the historical development of missions is funda- 
 mental to the wisest and most thorough planning. The 
 missionary movement to-day, possibly more than ever 
 before, calls for thinkers and for missionary statesmen. 
 The campaign should also be adequate in strategy. 
 There are strategic races, nations, and regions, the 
 reaching of which for Christ and the Church will 
 simplify the problem of reaching peoples elsewhere. 
 The Chinese race is a good illustration. Its popula- 
 tion of 400,000,000 constitutes one-fourth of the human 
 race. It is located in the zone of power " where man 
 has attained his highest development physically and 
 mentally.'' It has preserved its integrity through its 
 unbroken history of 4000 years, and with such national 
 stability it combines the characteristics which have 
 marked the greatest races — industry, frugality, pa- 
 tience, tenacity, great physical vigor, intellectual vigor 
 as well, independence, and conservatism. The Chinese 
 are moreover great colonizers, and have already gone 
 out and established themselves on all the continents 
 and in many of the Pacific Islands. They have been 
 called the " Anglo-Saxons of the Orient," and destiny 
 indeed seems to have fitted them to play as great a 
 part in the future of the world as the Anglo-Saxons 
 have played in the past. In bringing Christ to this 
 
— 
 
 
 
 
 .,._ 
 
 
 o 
 
 g 
 
 S 
 o 
 
 M 
 W 
 H 
 
 b 
 O 
 
 H 
 b 
 
 g; 
 o 
 o 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 109 
 
 people, therefore, the Church is not only directly reach- 
 ing one-third of the unevangelized population of the 
 world, but is also indirectly influencing the future of 
 Christianity in other parts of the world. 
 
 There are a number of principles that should govern 
 the strategy of the Church in determining the order 
 in which it should concentrate its attention upon differ- 
 ent fields. No attempt is made to give them in order of 
 their relative importance, because this must necessarily 
 vary with each particular case. They are : ( i ) Accessi- 
 bility, openness, and willingness to attend to the Gospel 
 message. During the past ten years the peoples of 
 pagan Africa have been peculiarly ready to listen to the 
 presentation of the facts and arguments of the Chris- 
 tian religion. (2) The responsiveness of the field. Ko- 
 rea and Manchuria are examples of nations in which 
 the people of every community show readiness to yield 
 to the claims of Christ when presented to them. (3) 
 The presence or concentration of large numbers of 
 people. Obviously, the Chengtu plain of the western- 
 most province of China, with its population of 1700 
 to the square mile, or the densely populated valleys of 
 the Ganges and lower Nile, should receive attention 
 commensurate with the massing of the people. (4) 
 Previous neglect. With a Gospel intended for all 
 mankind the policy of the Church should be influenced 
 by the existence of any totally unoccupied field, like 
 extensive tracts of the Sudan. (5) Conditions of 
 gross ignorance, social degradation, and spiritual need. 
 Christ came in a special sense to seek and to save that 
 which was lost, and the history of the Christian Church 
 
no DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 has abundantly shown how the blessing of God has 
 attended efforts to reach the most unfortunate and 
 depressed classes and peoples, such as the Pacific 
 Islanders, the outcastes of India, the lepers, and the 
 aboriginal tribes of the East Indies. (6) As has al- 
 ready been made plain, the Church, while recognizing 
 the importance of advancing along lines of largest im- 
 mediate promise, should, under divine guidance, direct 
 special attention to the most difficult fields of the non- 
 Christian world. In the light of this principle Moslem 
 lands present an irresistible appeal to the Church. 
 (7) The prospective power and usefulness of a nation 
 as a factor in the establishment of Christ's Kingdom 
 in the world, and the probable weight of its example 
 as an influence over other nations. Japan is especially 
 fitted to become in intellectual and moral matters, no 
 less than in material civilization, the leader of the 
 Orient. This attaches transcendent importance to 
 its attitude toward Christianity. (8) The principle 
 of urgency should as a rule have the right of way ; that 
 is, if there is to-day an opportunity to reach a people 
 or section which in all probability will soon be gone, 
 the Church should enter the door at once ; for example, 
 if there is a danger that the field may be pre-occupied 
 by other religions or by influences adverse to Christian- 
 ity. Equatorial Africa in a most striking degree is 
 just now such a battle-ground. It is plain to every ob- 
 server that unless Christianity extends its ministry to 
 the tribes throughout this part of Africa the ground 
 will in a short time be occupied by Mohammedanism. 
 Commission I of the World Missionary Conference 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN lU 
 
 has sought to apply these principles to the missionary 
 problems of the present day. The following extract 
 from the findings which they submitted to the Con- 
 ference as the result of their deliberations is, therefore, 
 of great interest and significance : 
 
 " The Commission would direct attention to the fol- 
 lowing fields as of special urgency in respect of the 
 prosecution of missionary work : 
 
 " I. Fields on which the Church as a whole should 
 concentrate attention and effort. 
 
 "(a) In China there is at this moment a unique op- 
 portunity which is fraught with far-reaching issues for 
 the future not only of China and of the whole East, but 
 also of Christendom. 
 
 "(b) The threatening advance of Islam in Equa- 
 torial Africa presents to the Church of Christ the de- 
 cisive question whether the Dark Continent shall be- 
 come Mohammedan or Christian. 
 
 "(c) The national and spiritual movements in India, 
 awakening its ancient peoples to a vivid consciousness 
 of their needs and possibilities, present a strong 
 challenge to Christian missions to enlarge and deepen 
 their work. 
 
 "(d) The problems of the Mohammedan World, 
 especially in the Near East, which, until recently, re- 
 ceived little consideration from the Church at large, 
 have been lifted unexpectedly into prominence and 
 urgency, as well as into new relations, by the mar- 
 velous changes which have taken place in Turkey and 
 Persia. One of the important tasks before the Church 
 at this time is to deal adequately with these problems. 
 
112 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 " 2. Fields which do not claim the attention of the 
 Church as a whole, but which demand additional effort 
 on the part of the Societies already in some measure 
 occupying them : 
 
 " In Korea an evangelistic movement extending 
 rapidly over the land calls for a great strengthening of 
 the missionary force. In Japan the mission work 
 which has been centered in the great towns and among 
 the higher middle classes requires to be expanded effec- 
 tively over the country, and among all classes. In 
 Malaya, Christian missions must strain every nerve to 
 prevent Islam from gaining the heathen tribes, and to 
 win them for Christ. Siam and Laos also present an 
 urgent appeal for an aggressive advance. In Mela- 
 nesia, a multitude of tribes in New Guinea, and other 
 islands, are opening in quick succession to Christian 
 influences. In various fields of pagan Africa, the 
 Christian missions which have been planted are con- 
 fronted by immense opportunities among those who 
 are waiting for Gospel teaching, but who cannot be 
 reached by the forces now on the field. 
 
 " The rapid disintegration of the animistic and 
 fetishistic beliefs of primitive peoples in most of the 
 lands in the preceding lists presents an important prob- 
 lem. Most of these peoples will have lost their ancient 
 faiths within a generation, and will accept that culture- 
 religion with which they first come in contact. The 
 responsibility of the Church is grave to bring the Gos- 
 pel to them quickly, as the only sufficient substitute 
 for their decaying faiths." 
 
 In view of the present comparatively limited re- 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN H3 
 
 sources of the missionary societies many Christian 
 leaders unite in the behef, not only that the fields 
 emphasized in the foregoing finding are of special 
 urgency, but also that the relative order in which the 
 Church should concentrate attention upon them is 
 given in the order of sequence of the fields named in 
 the two lists of this finding. But the present resources 
 of the Missionary Societies are not a measure of the 
 latent resources of the Church. Such boundless, 
 though as yet unrealized resources should not be over- 
 looked in determining the plan for the evangelization 
 of the world. The following conviction, expressed by 
 the Commission at the end of the second finding, is 
 based upon this vital consideration: 
 
 " The enumeration of these fields might seem to 
 suggest that the Church is not able to deal adequately 
 and simultaneously with the entire non-Christian 
 world. But the Commission declines to concede that 
 this is so. After facing the facts, we share the con- 
 viction of the large majority of our correspondents 
 that the Church of Christ, if it puts forth its strength, 
 is well able to carry the Gospel to all these fields imme- 
 diately. While we recognize the greater urgency in 
 the case of certain fields, we find it impossible in the 
 light of the needs of men, the command of Christ, and 
 the resources of the Church, to delay giving to any 
 people the opportunity to learn of Him. The point 
 of chief emphasis is, that what the Church expects to 
 do an3nvhere it must do soon. What is needed is a 
 regular, sustained advance all along the line, in which 
 all agencies shall be utilized and multiplied until they 
 
114 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 are co-extensive with the need of the entire world." 
 This well expresses the urgent duty of the Church. 
 
 An adequate strategy recognizes that there are strat- 
 egic classes as well as strategic races and nations. 
 Prominent among these are the students of the non- 
 Christian world, and of the Roman and Greek Catholic 
 countries. There are at present over 500,000 students 
 in the government institutions of higher learning in 
 Asia alone, and were the number of students in mis- 
 sion schools and private institutions added, the total 
 would be greatly augmented. In addition to these are 
 large and increasing numbers of students in Africa and 
 other parts of the non-Christian world. The German 
 proverb should be borne in mind, " What you would 
 put into the life of a nation, put into its schools." The 
 schools, colleges, and universities are training the 
 leaders of these nations. The teacher and the scholar 
 wield a larger influence, if possible, in the East than in 
 the West. The various learned professions are in their 
 hands ; they are laying the foundations and rearing the 
 structure of Western civiHzation ; in some of these 
 lands they are the dominant factor in the political life, 
 while in all non-Christian countries their political in- 
 fluence is steadily increasing. As already seen, the in- 
 fluence of Western learning has been in the direction 
 of undermining the faith of the student class in the 
 non-Christian religions and of breaking up the social 
 and ethical restraints of the old civilizations. As a re- 
 sult, in many parts of the non-Christian world, the 
 students, as a class, are drifting into agnosticism or in- 
 difference to religion. In such countries also as Russia 
 
DENSITY or 
 
 STUDENT POPULATION IN TOKYO 
 
 «&Aue -r IM'VE. 
 
 There are fully 100,000 university, college and high-school students 
 in Tokyo. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 in the 
 Kanda Ward alone. 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN II5 
 
 and the South American Republics the students, as a 
 class, are virtually without religion. On the other hand, 
 the introduction of Western learning has opened the 
 minds of the students of Asia and Africa to the re- 
 ligious as well as to the other truth which the West has 
 to bring. Nothing could be more important, therefore, 
 from the point of view of successful strategy than 
 reaching the student class for Christ. No part of mis- 
 sionary effort has been more fruitful in proportion to 
 the attention and strength expended upon it than Chris- 
 tian work for the educated classes. This is especially 
 true of those phases of work in which the Christian 
 students have been organized to work among their 
 fellow students. 
 
 The commercial classes should receive larger atten- 
 tion on the part of the missionary movement. One of 
 the most pressing problems of missions is that of de- 
 veloping self-supporting churches, for it is essential 
 to the wide and permanent extension of Christianity 
 that the native Church should be free from dependence 
 on foreign support. Until it is independent, it will not 
 have the resources to do extensive work among the 
 people of its own nation, nor will it feel its full re- 
 sponsibility to do such work. But if self-support is 
 an essential, special effort must be made to win the 
 commercial classes, since the obtaining of the neces- 
 sary funds is largely dependent upon enlisting their 
 interest, sympathy, and co-operation. It is too true 
 that in most mission fields these classes have been 
 hitherto largely unreached by missionary effort, but 
 this is for the most part the fault of the Church an(l its 
 
Il6 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 methods. It is encouraging to note that wherever the 
 Church has adapted its methods to reach these classes, 
 they have been appreciative and responsive. 
 
 In considering the strategy involved in enlisting for 
 the plans of the Kingdom certain classes, the mistake 
 should not be made of confining attention exclusively 
 to those more favored and influential. This would be 
 to overlook the deep lesson of Christ's own practice 
 and the teaching of Church history, that if the cause 
 of Christianity is to be widely pervasive and triumph- 
 ant in any country, it must lay strong hold on the lower 
 classes or masses. Dr. J. P. Jones, of Madura, India, 
 aptly expresses this truth : " I believe that the masses 
 and not the classes should receive our greatest care. 
 It is no disgrace to Christianity, indeed it is its glory, 
 that it has, for the last 2000 years, first reached and 
 transformed the lower strata of society, and has passed 
 on through such to the highest, in its influence and 
 potency. It is doing the same thing in India to-day, 
 and its growing influence over the outcastes is one of 
 the healthful and sure signs of the ultimate dominance 
 of our faith in that land. By bringing them to Christ, 
 the whole fabric of Hindu society will be undermined 
 and will soon topple over, and there will be a great in- 
 gathering of the classes of India into the Kingdom of 
 our Lord." 
 
 From the early days of Christianity, the Church in 
 its strategy has recognized the wisdom of concentrating 
 its attention upon strategic places. Any cause, to 
 possess a country, must concern itself with the centers 
 of political, commercial, educational, and social im- 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 117 
 
 portance and influence. Such strategy is pre-eminently 
 called for in those countries of the non-Christian 
 world, such as China and Japan, which have many 
 large cities. It would be difficult to overstate the im- 
 portance of establishing the Christian forces and in- 
 stitutions in great strength in a city like Tokyo, which 
 in a very true sense dominates the Japanese Empire. 
 A statesmanlike, constructive, and thoroughly spiritual 
 work in Constantinople or Cairo will exert an influence 
 throughout the vast Mohammedan world. An impres- 
 sive object-lesson of what Christianity can do, if it is 
 given in gateway cities like Shanghai, Bombay, and 
 Rio de Janeiro, will affect entire countries. Years ago 
 the Rev. J. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China 
 Inland Mission, worked out in a masterly way the plan 
 of so locating the missionary forces as to influence 
 most widely all China. The following is his own de- 
 scription of the plan which has, in the main, been car- 
 ried out by that Mission : " All the operations of the 
 Mission are systematic and methodical, and in accord- 
 ance with the integral parts of one general and compre- 
 hensive plan for the evangelization of the whole of 
 China ; the aim of the Mission being, not to secure in 
 a short time the largest number of converts for the 
 China Inland Mission from a limited area, but to bring 
 about in the shortest time the evangelization of the 
 whole empire, regarding it of secondary importance 
 by whom the sheaves may be garnered. Thus, in 
 occupying a new province, the first station, if practic- 
 able, is opened in the capital, though it is well known 
 that this is the most difficult place in the province in 
 
Il8 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 which to gather a church. The next step is, if possible, 
 to open stations in the chief prefectures, then in sub- 
 ordinate ones, leaving, as a rule, places of less im- 
 portance to be occupied later on. If the staff thus 
 needed were concentrated in a country district, a large 
 number of converts might be expected in a few years ; 
 but the influence of these country Christians would not 
 be likely to extend beyond the boundary of their own 
 villages. By the before-mentioned plan, centers are 
 opened from which the Gospel may be diffused 
 throughout the whole extent of a province." 
 
 In all consideration of missionary strategy, one of 
 the questions demanding solution is that of the proper 
 distribution of the missionary forces. Strategy con- 
 cerns itself not only with the country to be entered 
 and the forces which oppose, but also with the forces 
 to be wielded in the campaign and with the resources 
 at their disposal. The experience throughout the mis- 
 sion field suggests certain guiding principles as to how 
 best to utilize the comparatively insufficient yet valu- 
 able forces at the disposal of the Church, so as to 
 make Christ known to the largest possible number of 
 people and to build up strong and enduring churches. 
 
 ( I ) One factor in determining the distribution of the 
 missionary forces is the density of the population to 
 be evangelized. Wherever the population is very 
 sparse, as among the nomads of Central Asia or in 
 parts of Africa, there is no need of concentrating a 
 large number of workers at the mission stations ; it is 
 more desirable that they should be distributed over a 
 wide area. Quite different is the situation in densely 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 119 
 
 populated countries like Japan and the larger part of 
 China, where large cities, whose influence radiates over 
 the surrounding districts and neighboring villages, pro- 
 vide great opportunities for mission work. In such 
 regions the plan should be to establish strong stations, 
 adequately manned. Even in such densely populated 
 districts, however, missionary leaders have advocated 
 two different lines of policy. Some have advised that 
 the mission concentrate its attention on the building up 
 of the Christian community which is already under its 
 influence, and on the training of native Christian work- 
 ers in order to have them do the work of evangelization 
 in the outlying regions. This may be described as the 
 policy of concentration. Other leaders have advocated 
 that the mission should direct its efforts mainly to the 
 surrounding non-Christian peoples with the view of 
 evangelizing the whole region as speedily as possible. 
 This may be called the policy of diffusion. These two 
 policies are, however, not permanently in conflict. One 
 of them must invariably lead into the other before any 
 district can be completely evangelized. The policy of 
 concentration, when effectively followed, must result 
 in wide evangelization by the native workers who have 
 been trained up for this purpose. On the other hand, 
 the policy of diffusion, if successful in influencing a 
 large number to become Christians, makes it important 
 to follow up the work by instructing the inquirers, or- 
 ganizing the converts into churches, and training them 
 for Christian service. Which of the two policies is to 
 be followed first is one of the problems which ought to 
 be solved in any adequate plan. 
 
I20 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 (2) The temperamental characteristics, the state of 
 culture, and the religion of the people to be evangelized, 
 have much to do with determining the proper distribu- 
 tion of the forces. It makes a great deal of difference 
 whether the people are ignorant and superstitious 
 tribes in the heart of Africa, or whether they constitute 
 the highly civilized inhabitants of the more enlightened 
 parts of the Orient, who may, in addition, have availed 
 themselves of Western education. The former will 
 not require a missionary staff so large, nor one includ- 
 ing so many experts as will the latter. The great and 
 highly organized religions present a stronger resistance 
 than the simpler nature-worship of barbarous tribes, 
 and they would therefore require a larger and better- 
 equipped staff of workers. Perhaps it might be laid 
 down as an axiom that whatever force is stationed in a 
 district ought to be of sufficient strength and ade- 
 quacy of equipment to make itself strongly felt in 
 spite of all the difficulties. 
 
 (3) Another factor which largely influences the dis- 
 position of the forces is the number and character of 
 the native Christian workers and the strength of the 
 native Church. As the native leaders become able to 
 administer the native Church and care for it spiritually, 
 the missionaries are relieved of a great responsibility 
 and can thus devote themselves more largely to extend- 
 ing the missionary movement into unevangelized re- 
 gions. At the same time the most highly multiplying 
 work which the missionary can do, in the interest of 
 accomplishing the evangelization of a country, is that 
 of raising up and training an adequate staff of native 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN I2i 
 
 workers and of communicating to them the evangelistic 
 spirit. 
 
 (4) Another principle which some missions are 
 prone to overlook is that of readjusting the mission 
 f drees from time to time in order better to meet chang- 
 ing conditions. The present situation in China and 
 Japan, for example, is entirely different from that 
 which existed at the time when the missionaries were 
 obliged to reside in a few city centers, and concentrate 
 the entire missionary forces in these. When later the 
 revision of the treaties made it possible for mission- 
 aries to reside and work in the interior, some of the 
 missions adjusted themselves to the changed conditions, 
 but since then conditions have very largely changed 
 again. There is need that the foreign and native lead- 
 ers on each mission field should make a fresh study of 
 the present distribution of the forces with a view to 
 bringing about any further needed adjustments and 
 enlargements. 
 
 Quite as important as the plan, no matter how well 
 devised and no matter how great the forces for carry- 
 ing it into execution, is the spirit in which it is con- 
 ceived and with which it is carried out. It calls for a 
 spirit of unwearying patience, of great intensity, of con- 
 tagious enthusiasm, of undaunted heroism, of triumph- 
 ant faith, and of Christlike sympathy. Moreover, the 
 hope of real success in taking the Gospel to all the non- 
 Christian world in our day is in a campaign character- 
 ized by the spirit of unity. God is unmistakably sum- 
 moning the missionary forces of the Church, both at 
 home and abroad, to a larger and truer unity. It would 
 
122 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 seem that at such a time of opportunity and crisis as 
 the present, the overlapping, friction, and waste result- 
 ing from the lack of unity is nothing less than griev- 
 ously sinful. Much can and ought to be done to avoid 
 such overlapping, which is evidenced not only in estab- 
 lishing mission stations in the same neighborhood, but 
 also in duplicating different branches of work, such as 
 colleges, hospitals, and mission printing-presses. It 
 may be that this will involve apparent sacrifice, some 
 uprooting and transplanting, and much mutual con- 
 sideration on the part of different missionary societies 
 working in the same field, but this should not be 
 allowed to interfere with greater efficiency. It is be- 
 lieved by students of the missionary problem that a 
 comprehensive plan of co-operation in the missionary 
 work of the various Christian communions, entered 
 into and carried out in a realizing sense of our oneness 
 in Christ, would be the equivalent of doubling the mis- 
 sionary forces. The Commission on Co-operation and 
 the Promotion of Unity, in their Report at the World 
 Missionary Conference, vo-:ed in the following 
 language the convictions of a large and rapidly in- 
 creasing number of Christians throughout the world, 
 both as to the urgent necessity of such a unity and as 
 to the real secret of realizing it : 
 
 " The time is short ; the day of our opportunity is 
 limited. These intellectual, moral, and social revolu- 
 tions are taking place with unprecedented rapidity. 
 And it is more than ever incumbent on the Christian 
 Church to realize its responsibility to carry the Gospel 
 to the lands which are now open to receive it, and to 
 
AN ADEQUATE PLAN 123 
 
 guide the awakening nations to God in Christ. For 
 the accomplishment of this overwhelming task it seems 
 essential that the Christian Church should present a 
 united front. Its divisions are a source of weakness 
 and impair the effectiveness of its testimony to the one 
 Gospel of the Son of God which it professes. The 
 issues are so great that there can be no trifling in the 
 matter. The evangelization of nations, the Christian- 
 izing of empires and kingdoms, is the object before us. 
 The work has to be done now. It is urgent and must 
 be pressed forward at once. The enterprise calls for 
 the highest quality of statesmanship, and for the maxi- 
 mum of efficiency in all departments of the work. It 
 is not surprising that those who are in the front of this 
 great conflict, and on whose minds and souls the grav- 
 ity of the issues presses most immediately, should be 
 the first to recognize the need for concerted action and 
 closer fellowship. . . . The Churches in the mission 
 field may lead the way to unity ; but they cannot move 
 far and move safely without the co-operation of the 
 Church at home. The great issues which confront us 
 in the modern situation are the concern of the whole 
 Church of Christ; and the spiritual resources of the 
 whole Church will be required to deal with them. The 
 solution of problems so complex and difficult and so 
 vitally related to the advancement of the Kingdom of 
 Christ, can be attempted only in a spirit of penitence 
 and of prayer. Penitence is due for the arrogance of 
 the past and for the lack of sympathy and of insight 
 by which all of us have helped to create and perpetuate 
 a situation that retards so seriously the advancement of 
 
124 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Christ's Kingdom. Most of all do we need to lament 
 that we carry about with us so small a sense of the 
 harm that is wrought by our divisions, and so little 
 pain for our lack of charity. Prayer is needed, because 
 human wisdom can discern no remedy for the situa- 
 tion. . . . Whether we have regard to the union 
 and federation of native churches, or to the reaching 
 of agreements between different Missions, or to the 
 working of schemes of co-operative effort, we believe 
 that the real problem to be faced is a moral one. 
 Schemes of co-operation sometimes break down, be- 
 cause the basis on which they are attempted is an im- 
 possible one; but more often the failure lies in our- 
 selves. If the movement toward unity in the mission 
 field is to gather strength and volume, the supreme need 
 is not for schemes of union, but, as has been well said, 
 for apostles of unity. Men are needed with sufficient 
 largeness of mind and breadth of sympathy to under- 
 stand the point of view of those with whom they co- 
 operate. Most of all, men are needed who have seen, 
 and who can lead others to see, the vision of unity; 
 men who know that love is the fulfilling of the law, and 
 who have a living faith that God is able to do exceed- 
 ing abundantly above all that we ask or think." 
 
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE 
 
 PRESENT SITUATION: 
 
 AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRESENT SITUATION: 
 AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 
 
 Commission I of the World Missionary Conference, in 
 the course of its inquiry into the problem of carrying 
 the Gospel to all the non-Christian world, conducted 
 correspondence with several hundreds of leading mis- 
 sionaries in all parts of the world, as well as with 
 leaders of the Church in Christian lands, and, among 
 other questions, asked what constitutes the most crucial 
 problem in connection with the great missionary task. 
 It is a remarkable fact and one that gives cause for 
 much reflection, that to this question the larger propor- 
 tion of the correspondents, although face to face with 
 all the difficulties of the work abroad, agree in reply- 
 ing, " The state of the home Church." They feel 
 that the apathy and indifference manifested to-day 
 among Christians at home are the greatest discourage- 
 ments and hindrances to the extension of the mission- 
 aries' work. Any plan such as has been outlined in 
 the last chapter will be comparatively useless if there 
 be not a great advance in the home field in missionary 
 interest, spirit, and activity, for it is on the home 
 Church that the foreign work depends for its inspira- 
 tion, guidance, and support. It is of the first im- 
 
 127 
 
128 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 portance, therefore, that we consider the factors essen- 
 tial to the home Church, if it is to form an adequate 
 directing and supporting base of the missionary effort 
 abroad. 
 
 The first is an able leadership of the missionary 
 forces on the home field. No movement more than 
 that of foreign missions demands the ablest leaders. 
 The magnitude of this enterprise calls for men of large 
 capacity to lead it. The peculiar complexity and diffi- 
 culty of the problems to be solved, concerning as they 
 do so many races, religions, and social conditions, can 
 be met only by men of vision and of great directive 
 power. The fact that the missionary movement must 
 be projected and conducted at long range makes it 
 essential that its leadership be intrusted only to men 
 of the highest qualifications. As modern missions are 
 a comparatively recent undertaking and as there are 
 still so many fields virtually unentered, able men are 
 needed to set the right precedents and to lay secure 
 foundations. For the sake of the missionaries at the 
 front, men who can and will command their confidence 
 and devoted following are indispensable. Too little 
 attention has in the past been paid to secure the right 
 men for this work, and the missionary movement has 
 suffered accordingly. The fact that a more triumph- 
 ant advance is not being made in parts of the non- 
 Christian world in the face of most inspiring oppor- 
 tunities is due largely to a lack of wise and sufficient 
 directive energy at the home base. 
 
 The leaders demanded must be men of clear and 
 strong convictions as to the absolute need and infinite 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 129 
 
 importance of the missionary enterprise and the 
 peculiar urgency of the present situation. They must 
 be men of originality and courageous initiative, able to 
 guide both in pioneer and constructive processes. They 
 must have the power and disposition to think through 
 the plans and problems and to master baffling condi- 
 tions. To a rare degree they need the gift of imagina- 
 tion in order to see the foreign conditions and to place 
 themselves at the point of view of those whom they 
 are to serve. They should have power to inspire the 
 confidence and to arouse the enthusiasm of the lay and 
 clerical leaders in the home Church, and, especially at 
 this stage of the missionary enterprise, should be men 
 of breadth, insight, and sympathy, qualified to develop 
 along wise lines the growing movements of co-ordina- 
 tion, co-operation, federation, and union. In a word, 
 the leadership of modern missions requires seers, 
 thinkers, statesmen. 
 
 In addition to able leaders to guide the operations of 
 the missionary societies of the different Christian com- 
 munions, there is need of an able leadership in the 
 various churches, parishes, or congregations. In a 
 later section the important part to be taken by laymen 
 will be specially emphasized. Without doubt, however, 
 it is true that the Christian ministry holds the key to 
 the missionary problem. If the clergy are keenly in- 
 terested in foreign missions, if they are aflame with 
 the missionary passion, if they believe that there is no 
 other work more important than that of leading the 
 forces of the Church to the conquest of the world for 
 Christ, then the larger part of the problems of mis- 
 
130 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 sions, which depend so much for their solution on the 
 intelligent and devoted backing of the communicant 
 church membership, will be solved. Much more atten- 
 tion must be paid to giving the subject of foreign mis- 
 sions its proper place in all the home theological sem- 
 inaries. And even in addition to this there should be 
 more comprehensive and constant efforts to cultivate 
 the missionary interest in the schools, and also in the 
 young people's societies of the Church, from which the 
 ranks of the Christian ministry are recruited. 
 
 Leadership, however, is not confined to the mission- 
 ary boards and the clergy. Those who lead in the 
 work of the young people of the Church may play an 
 equally important part in the missionary movement, 
 for it is from them that the future leaders of the 
 Church, clerical and lay, are being raised up, and men 
 and women enlisted to carry on its varied activities. In 
 the end it is by young people that young people are led, 
 and in every congregation there is need for men and 
 women who will lead their fellows into an active in- 
 terest in missions. Any one who has the power of 
 leadership, and will take upon himself this responsi- 
 bility, may play an important part in the world's 
 evangelization. 
 
 The work of the Young People's Missionary Move- 
 ment and of various other organizations and move- 
 ments among young men and young women of the 
 different Christian communions is, therefore, of funda- 
 mental importance, involving as it does the raising up 
 of the clerical and lay leadership of the Church and 
 the enlisting of others who are to carry on its varied 
 
< 
 
 H 
 U 
 Z 
 W 
 
 a, 
 
 H 
 b 
 
 O 
 U 
 
 H 
 
 W 
 S 
 W 
 
 o 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 131 
 
 activities. The workers and members in all these 
 societies should bear in mind that in doing well the 
 work in which they are engaged in the realms of mis- 
 sion study, of Bible study, of social service, of promot- 
 ing the cause of missions by enlisting interest, gifts, 
 and intercession, they are not only directly accomplish- 
 ing great good, but also are indirectly rendering a 
 valuable service to the Church in afifording a school of 
 practical training for meeting the responsibilities which 
 await them in the missionary work of the Church. 
 Conferences of workers among young people, especially 
 secretaries, for developing missionary interest among 
 young people, and any other methods of improving the 
 leadership of the young people's work in the different 
 parishes, are all helping in a most practical way to 
 realize the missionary purpose of the Church. 
 
 In addition to the need for leaders a far larger num- 
 ber of missionary candidates than is now forthcoming 
 is required to meet the present situation. Some mis- 
 sionary societies are experiencing difficulty in finding 
 even a sufficient number to fill the gaps in the mission- 
 ary ranks caused by death or by furloughs enforced 
 by breakdown in health, and yet everywhere there is 
 an urgent demand for an actual increase in the staff. 
 More workers from the home lands are needed to 
 press into the great unoccupied regions adjoining fields 
 where work is already being carried on, and there are 
 still totally unoccupied countries calling for heroic 
 pioneers. The very success of the work in all parts 
 of the world has, moreover, made imperative a great 
 extension of present missionary operations, in order 
 
132 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 that the Church may reap the results which recent 
 triumphs have made possible. There are but few 
 mission fields already occupied which are not to-day 
 clamoring for reinforcements, because the present staff 
 cannot overtake the work that is already laid to its 
 hand. Further, the unprecedented crises which we 
 have seen to be simultaneously confronting the Church 
 in so many parts of the field — crises on which the fu- 
 ture of Christianity hinges so largely — present a 
 unique appeal for more missionaries. 
 
 Of far greater importance, however, than the in- 
 crease in the number of missionaries is it that men 
 and women of high qualifications be secured and sent 
 out to the non-Christian world. The foreign mis- 
 sionary service has always required, and more largely 
 than most callings, has had, workers of high qualifica- 
 tions, but owing to the rapid spread of Western educa- 
 tion in non-Christian lands, owing to the great social, 
 intellectual, and religious changes and movements now 
 in progress in those lands, owing to the greater com- 
 plexity of missionary work, and owing to the critical 
 situation now confronting Christianity, there is greater 
 need than ever of exercising special care in the choos- 
 ing and preparation of missionary candidates. Men of 
 all-round qualifications and training are required. 
 They should be men who have sound physical health, 
 who are well-trained intellectually, and have the deter- 
 mination to preserve their habits of study. They should 
 be open-minded and teachable. They should be able 
 to work with others without friction. They should 
 have in large measure the power of sympathy. As 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 133 
 
 many of them are to be teachers, trainers, superin- 
 tendents, they should possess the gift of leadership. 
 They should be thoroughly established in their 
 belief in the fundamental points of the Christian faith, 
 and it is of the first importance that they have the mis- 
 sionary passion, the desire and purpose to devote them- 
 selves unselfishly to the service of others. Above all, 
 they should be men of spirituality, who have estab- 
 lished securely those habits on which the maintenance 
 of an expanding spiritual life depends. In view of the 
 responsible work into which they are to go, we can- 
 not set the ideal too high, and if it be impossible to find 
 many candidates who possess all of these traits and 
 talents, the effort must be made to approximate as 
 nearly as possible to the ideal. 
 
 It is of special advantage to the missionary in his 
 practical work to have had a university or college edu- 
 cation, and it is plain, therefore, that the missionary 
 societies should regard the universities and colleges as 
 a principal recruiting ground for missionaries. In the 
 United States, Canada, Australasia, and South Africa 
 nearly all of the men missionary candidates and an in- 
 creasing number of the women candidates are drawn 
 from the student classes, and in Great Britain this is 
 becoming more and more the case. The numbers of 
 university men in the mission field might be still fur- 
 ther increased if greater efforts were made to enlist the 
 services of the younger ministers, physicians, teachers, 
 and others who have passed from the universities into 
 various spheres of work at home. Numbers of these 
 have entered upon work in which they have manifested 
 
134 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 special adaptation for a missionary career and have 
 acquired valuable experience for it. These might 
 readily be persuaded to go out to work in a wider 
 sphere. 
 
 Nevertheless, while there are marked advantages, 
 other things being equal, in drawing missionary candi- 
 dates from those who have had special educational 
 preparation, it is important that those who belong to 
 other classes should on no account feel themselves de- 
 terred from offering for service. On the continent of 
 Europe a majority of the candidates do not come from 
 the universities, but receive special training in institu- 
 tions provided for the purpose, and it is the experience 
 of many missionary societies that there are many young 
 men and women who, while lacking the discipline of 
 the higher education, yet possess in a rare degree many 
 of the fundamental qualifications for missionary serv- 
 ice, and who, with special training under the direction 
 of the societies, may be prepared for an efficient mis- 
 sionary career. Not a few of those who have rendered 
 conspicuous service never had great educational ad- 
 vantages ; for example, Robert Moffat was a gardener, 
 and Robert Morrison, a maker of shoe-lasts. More- 
 over, now that the missionary enterprise has become 
 so complex and therefore calls for workers possessing 
 such a variety of special qualifications, there are op- 
 portunities to utilize men having practical experience 
 for such positions as managers of printing offices, 
 superintendents of the erection of buildings, mission 
 treasurers, and business managers of educational insti- 
 tutions. But the essential qualification in all these is 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 135 
 
 that they be men of deep spirituality in order that their 
 personal influence may help in the work of evangel- 
 ization. Young men and young women who are am- 
 bitious to place their lives where they will be most use- 
 ful in the extension of Christ's Kingdom should be 
 encouraged to qualify themselves for the missionary 
 career. Every one who determines to do so can make 
 himself or herself fit to be of service in the mission 
 field, and every one who is willing to go and can pass 
 the required examination is needed to-day. 
 
 Statistics show that in North America and Great 
 Britain, as well as in Australasia and South Africa, 
 the principal agency through whose instrumentality 
 candidates have been obtained for the foreign field has 
 been the Student Volunteer Movement. As a direct 
 result of the work of this Movement in these countries 
 there have gone out to the foreign field under the vari- 
 ous missionary societies, within a little, over twenty 
 years, over 6,000 volunteers, of whom about two-thirds 
 have gone from North America. By the use of travel- 
 ing secretaries, by the promotion of mission study in 
 the universities and colleges, through the circulation of 
 effective missionary literature, through student con- 
 ferences and missionary institutes, and by the promo- 
 tion of intercessory prayer, this Movement has be- 
 come increasingly efficient and fruitful. It is not in 
 any sense a new missionary society, but directs its 
 energies solely towards developing missionary interest 
 among students and towards obtaining candidates for 
 the mission field. In this way its chief function is to 
 be an auxiliary agency to the missionary societies and 
 
136 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 to supply them with the candidates which they need. 
 The usefulness of the Movement in North America 
 has recently been greatly increased by the important 
 step which it has taken of establishing a Candidates' 
 Department, which serves as a clearing-house between 
 the missionary societies and the candidates. It has 
 secretaries in charge who acquaint themselves with the 
 specific needs of the different missionary societies and 
 bring to the attention of the boards students or others 
 who might be able to meet these needs. The British 
 Movement is establishing a similar department. This 
 is in every way a wise step, and will make it much 
 easier for the societies to find the right men for the 
 right posts. 
 
 The Student Movement renders the further im- 
 portant service of trying to place upon every student 
 who is to go out to the non-Christian world to engage 
 in other than the missionary calling, a burden of re- 
 sponsibility for advancing the interests of Christ's 
 Kingdom. Opportunities for such service are multi- 
 plying on every hand. A great many of the best 
 engineering students and those connected with other 
 departments of applied science are going in increasing 
 numbers to lands like China, Africa, and Turkey to 
 help in their industrial development. There is also 
 a growing demand for students from America and 
 Europe, both men and women, to go out to different 
 parts of the non-Christian world to teach in govern- 
 ment schools and colleges, and in other non-missionary 
 institutions. Others also are sent out to fill positions 
 in the diplomatic and consular service and in the vari- 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 137 
 
 ous departments of the civil service. It is almost im- 
 possible to overestimate the importance of these being 
 men of genuine Christian character, and men who, by 
 word and work, will not only safeguard the missionary 
 interests committed to their charge, but will also throw 
 the full weight of their influence on the side of Jesus 
 Christ. When one thinks of the great service ren- 
 dered by such Christian civilians as Sir Andrew Fraser 
 in India, Sir Mortimer Durand in Persia, President 
 Taft in the Philippines, and Judge Wilfley in China, 
 one recognizes the possibilities before young men who 
 devote their lives with Christian purpose to the service 
 of the Government in other lands, and one recognizes, 
 too, how much is lost when the lives are not so devoted. 
 In filling these men with the determination to make 
 their influence tell for Christ, the Student Movement 
 is doing a work scarcely less valuable than the raising 
 up of an equal number of missionaries. 
 
 The Student Volunteer Movement occupies a posi- 
 tion of unique importance, but its activity ought to be 
 supplemented in as many other ways as possible. 
 Secretaries of missionary societies, and also mission- 
 aries on furlough who are specially qualified to in- 
 fluence students by their visits to the different student 
 communities and conferences, have frequent oppor- 
 tunities for exerting their influence. The Young 
 People's Missionary Movement, through the promotion 
 of missionary intelligence among young people in the 
 churches, including those in the Sunday schools, can, 
 in close co-operation with the Volunteer Movement 
 and the missionary societies, do much to enlist well- 
 
138 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 qualified men and women who are not students to de- 
 vote themselves to the missionary career. Clergy, col- 
 lege professors, and 'ichoolmasters are also in a position 
 to do perhaps more than any other factor or agency to 
 increase the supply of missionaries, because they are 
 in constant touch with the sources of supply and can 
 exert a unique influence upon the lives under their 
 guidance. Christian ministers, in particular, in in- 
 fluencing the home life and the spiritual attitude of 
 parents, can deal most effectively with one of the most 
 difficult aspects of the problem of missionary supply. 
 It has too often been the case that the indifference or 
 the opposition of parents has been the means of hinder- 
 ing those who would otherwise have offered themselves 
 for service in the foreign field. 
 
 Sunday school teachers, leaders of mission study 
 classes, and others who greatly desire to see the num- 
 ber of suitable missionary candidates increased, can 
 do much to get young people to consider tiioroughly 
 and conscientiously the claims of missionary service. 
 One instance is reported where from one mission study 
 circle alone no fewer than four members were led to 
 volunteer to become missionaries, and the story of 
 James Chalmers of New Guinea, whose first resolution 
 to become a missionary was the result of an appeal 
 made by his Sunday school teacher, is by no means an 
 isolated case in the history of missions. The mission- 
 aries of the future are to be found among the Sunday 
 school pupils of the present, and it is the duty, as well 
 as the privilege, of the teachers to see that their num- 
 ber is greatly increased. 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 139 
 
 If all Christians who are given these places of oppor- 
 tunity were to use them wisely, a much larger number 
 of candidates would be forthcoming ; but if a supply, 
 sufficient for the present need, is to be secured, the 
 whole Christian Church must learn to employ with 
 greater faithfulness the Christ-appointed means of 
 securing laborers for the world-wide ripening harvest 
 fields — the mighty force of intercession. 
 
 The same reasons which make necessary an increase 
 in the number of missionary candidates obviously 
 necessitate an increase in financial support. There is 
 need of a large increase in gifts, because the multi- 
 plication of the number of missionaries involves, be- 
 sides additional salaries, additional equipment and 
 other enlargements of the work. The pressing oppor- 
 tunities which must be improved lest they be lost de- 
 mand an early as well as a great increase in the finan- 
 cial resources. There is not a missionary society in the 
 world which does not stand in need of more funds. 
 Because of the lack of money some societies have act- 
 ually been compelled in some places to abandon work 
 which was full of promise. 
 
 Happily the members of the Christian Church are 
 well able to supply all the funds needed. It is a strik- 
 ing fact that the wealthiest nations are the principal 
 Christian nations. It is even more significant that a 
 disproportioijate share of the money in these countries 
 has been intrusted to Christians. One of the most en- 
 couraging signs of these days is the growing recognition 
 on the part of Christian men and women that they are 
 trustees and in no sense sole proprietors, that they can- 
 
I40 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 not take their money out of the world with them, that 
 they are responsible not simply for a good use but for 
 the very best use of their money, that it is wise for 
 them to be their own executors, and that one of the 
 most productive uses of money is that of relating it to 
 the plans of the expanding Kingdom. The year 1909 
 witnessed the largest gift ever made to work on the 
 mission field namely, the bequest of over $4,000,- 
 000 in the will of Mr. John S. Kennedy, of New 
 York, to various foreign missionary objects. Dur- 
 ing the present year another Christian in the 
 same city has given $1,000,000 to foreign missions, 
 and there have been other large gifts to this ob- 
 ject, possibly a greater number than in any one 
 year in the history of missions. Moreover, in some 
 Christian lands, it is still more encouraging to note the 
 growing volume of missionary contributions from 
 Christians possessing very small means. Although it 
 is hopeful to see that some who have great wealth are 
 being led to dedicate it to the propagation of the Gos- 
 pel it is not chiefly to the wealthy that the Church must 
 look for the needed funds. The greater part of the 
 income of the missionary societies comes from the 
 large volume of contributions from those of smaller 
 means, and the need of the future is not so much large 
 occasional gifts as it is that the ordinary church mem- 
 ber should be trained to give conscientiously, intelli- 
 gently, and systematically, with a full realization of 
 the needs which his gifts will help to meet. 
 
 Various methods have been used with this end in 
 view. A method of universal and permanent value. 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 141 
 
 absolutely essential to ensure gifts adequate in amount 
 and prompted by the right spirit, is effective instruc- 
 tion from the pulpit on the subject of Christian stew- 
 ardship and on scriptural habits of giving, espe- 
 cially the habit of systematic and proportionate giving, 
 and giving as unto the Lord and not as unto men. 
 Such instruction should be supplemented by the 
 use of the most effective printed matter on the subject, 
 and, above all, by actually inducing members of the 
 church to adopt such principles. This latter, perhaps, 
 can best be done by means of another most fruitful 
 method, that of a personal canvass of the entire church 
 membership, to enlist, if possible, some gift from each 
 member. At the present time in most countries, with 
 the exception of Germany, where the larger part of the 
 income is derived from the church membership in vil- 
 lage or rural parishes, it is safe to say that fully nine- 
 tenths of the missionary funds are contributed by one- 
 tenth of the church members, and that the remaining 
 one-tenth of the funds comes from very considerably 
 less than half of the remainder of the church mem- 
 bers. That such a large proportion of Christian people 
 have little or no concern about the missionary work of 
 the Church is highly unsatisfactory and is doubtless 
 due more to ignorance of the need of their help than 
 to lack of Christian sympathy. Such a personal can- 
 vass, therefore, if conducted by those who appreciate 
 and understand the missionary situation, might be the 
 means of obtaining the support of many who, when 
 they learn that it is their duty, will gladly give. Ex- 
 perience has shown that this canvass of the member- 
 
142 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 ship will result in a much larger sum being secured 
 each year if it be conducted by committees rather than 
 by individuals. 
 
 Another plan which explains the increase in gifts in 
 many places has been that of getting individual par- 
 ishes, young people's societies, families, and individual 
 church members, each to support one or more mission- 
 aries or some other special object. This plan has its 
 disadvantages, but the advantages associated with it, 
 especially the increased gifts which it calls forth, far 
 outweigh the disadvantages. Another method possibly 
 more desirable, and with fewer administrative difficul- 
 ties, is known as the station plan. This plan involves 
 the relating of a given small constituency — a local 
 church or group of churches — ^to a specified station 
 abroad, through the agency of the mission board. The 
 advantage here is that while missionaries and native 
 staff change, the community which is being evangelized 
 remains, and the interest aroused in the sustaining 
 churches at home is thus likely to be more constant. 
 
 A successful method developed by several commun- 
 ions is known as the apportionment plan. According to 
 this plan a given communion, after deciding how much 
 money it will aim to secure for missions in a given year, 
 apportions the total sum among the various local par- 
 ishes or congregations, so that each one will know its 
 assigned share of the total amount to be secured within 
 the year. In this way many local churches have been 
 led greatly to increase their contributions. 
 
 One of the most hopeful developments in the direc- 
 tion of increasing the support of foreign missions, as 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 143 
 
 well as in other directions, has been the inauguration 
 of the Laymen's Missionary Movement. This Move- 
 ment was organized in New York in 1906, and while it 
 has since spread to Britain and one or two other 
 countries, it has reached its highest efficiency in the 
 United States and Canada. It is not a new missionary 
 society to collect or administer funds or to send out 
 missionaries. " It is an inspiration, not an administra- 
 tion." Its aim is to interest laymen in the subject of 
 missions and to lead them to recognize ana to accept 
 their responsibility to promote the cause of missions in 
 connection with the Christian communion to which 
 they belong. 
 
 While it is interdenominational, its work is carried 
 on through the channels of each Christian communion. 
 To this end interdenominational co-operating com- 
 mittees of laymen are organized in the different com- 
 munities. These committees ascertain the actual facts 
 as to what is being done for missions by the different 
 communions and by the city or town as a whole. They 
 then arrange an opportunity for the presentation of 
 these facts and of the claims of foreign missions to 
 the laymen of all the churches of the community. It 
 has usually been found advisable to have this done in 
 connection with a great laymen's dinner. Before this 
 gathering is arranged, separate denominational con- 
 ferences are usually held, and on the basis of conclu- 
 sions arrived at in them a definite policy as to the 
 missionary activities of the community is drawn up. 
 At the dinner this policy is presented, discussed, 
 and adopted, and afterwards an interdenominational 
 
144 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 gathering of laymen is held for the discussion of prac- 
 tical methods for carrying out the programme agreed 
 upon by the different churches. To help in carrying 
 out the policy agreed upon, an energetic and efficient 
 missionary committee is organized in each congrega- 
 tion. Interdenominational conventions or conferences 
 were held in all the principal cities of Canada com- 
 mencing with the year 1908, and during the winter 
 of 1909-10 there were similar conventions in seventy- 
 five of the leading cities of the United States as well as 
 on a smaller scale in many other communities. In the 
 accomplishment of its work the international Laymen's 
 Missionary Movement employs a corps of able secre- 
 taries to direct the propaganda! Much use is made of 
 missionary literature especially adapted to laymen. The 
 movement began in a meeting for prayer, and, ever 
 since, its chief reliance has been upon prayer. No sub- 
 ject receives such large attention in its conferences. 
 The Movement has stimulated the plan of deputations 
 of Christian laymen representing different denomina- 
 tions going out to visit the various mission fields, with 
 reference to awakening on their return a wider interest 
 among their fellow laymen. As a result of these 
 methods the Movement has done more than any other 
 one means to stir up interest among laymen and to en- 
 large their financial co-operation. 
 
 One of the best single illustrations of the financial 
 results of the Movement is in connection with the 
 Southern Presbyterian Church, the first to organize 
 its own separate Laymen's Movement. It is, however, 
 related to the interdenominational Movement as well. 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 145 
 
 Four years ago the total contributions to foreign mis- 
 sions of tliat Church were $223,000. During that 
 year their Laymen's Movement was organized. The 
 next year the contributions increased to $275,000, the 
 year following to $323,000, while last year they 
 reached $412,000. Forty-eight of the individual 
 churches of that denomination contributed on the aver- 
 age $4 per member to foreign missions. 
 
 The best illustration of the increased giving to mis- 
 sions in a large city under the direct influence of the 
 Laymen's Movement is Toronto. The following table 
 indicates the advances in annual receipts made in the 
 five principal Christian communions in a period of two 
 years : 
 
 Year igoy Year 1909 
 
 Anglican $51,786.00 $71,000.00 
 
 Baptist 23,006.85 60,877.09 
 
 Congregational 3,339-oo 4,963.00 
 
 Methodist 61,753.45* 102,754.24* 
 
 Presbyterian 46,332.13 111,611.00 
 
 $186,217.43 $351,205.33 
 
 It is a striking fact that, contrary to the fears of 
 some Church leaders, the gifts to the work of the 
 Church in the home communities have increased along 
 with those to foreign missions. 
 
 A more important result of the Laymen's Movement 
 than the increase in financial support has been its in- 
 fluence in enlisting the laymen as advocates of and 
 workers for foreign missions. Literally thousands of 
 * For the year closing April 30. 
 
146 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 laymen throughout the United States ^nd Canada who 
 had no interest in the subject are now making speeches 
 on missions, conducting mission study classes, guid- 
 ing missionary organizations, and conducting financial 
 canvasses. The Movement is thus helping to develop 
 the L.y leadership of the Church. Some consider that 
 the most significant result of this Movement has been 
 in the direction of promoting Christian unity, as a re- 
 sult of drawing together in spirit, planning, and ag- 
 gressive effort the most active and influential laymen 
 of the different communions. 
 
 Whatever methods of raising money are followed, 
 the aim should be not so much the securing of gifts as 
 the developing of the right motives and spirit in the 
 givers. The greatly increased giving which is de- 
 manded by the present situation in the mission field 
 cannot be obtained simply by urging people to give. 
 The gifts will be adequate only when they flow spon- 
 taneously from men who have been moved by a con- 
 sciousness of the world's need. 
 
 If we are to have able missionary leadership at home, 
 intelligent adoption of the missionary calling as a life- 
 work, financial support in proportion to the need, 
 prayer with the spirit and with the understanding also, 
 if we are to have the broadest and most virile types of 
 Christian character in the membership of the Church, 
 there must be a thorough promotion of missionary 
 intelligence. This work has three main aims: The 
 maintenance of interest among those who are already 
 well-disposed, in order that there may be no falling off 
 in the present giving, prayers, and missionary activi- 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 147 
 
 ties of the Church; the securing of additional sup- 
 porters both among adults who are at present in- 
 different and especially among the rising generation; 
 the securing of a special body of missionary teachers, 
 campaigners, and other workers at home, and of suit- 
 able candidates for the foreign field. There has been 
 a wide-spread failure to recognize, the importance of 
 the last two aims, and to employ methods adequate to 
 realize them. 
 
 For the general maintenance and growth of mission- 
 ary interest the most widely used agencies are the 
 missionary sermon or address, the missionary meeting, 
 and the missionary magazine. These have rendered 
 great service, but in this age of increasing culture and 
 criticism and literary competition they all must be of 
 better quality than ever if they are to continue their 
 past achievements. Missionary books, news bulletins, 
 and the secular press should all be used freely to assist 
 in realizing this aim. The individuals who must take 
 the lead in this work are the pastors, the officials of 
 missionary societies, and missionaries on furlough. 
 
 When we consider methods for reaching those who 
 are not yet interested-, it must be admitted that the 
 methods now in use are much less adequate. The aver- 
 . age non-missionary church member will go out of his 
 way to avoid a missionary sermon or meeting or maga- 
 zine. The number of new converts made by any of 
 these agencies each year is comparatively small. Plainly 
 they must be adapted and strongly supplemented be- 
 fore the present body of missionary supporters will 
 be largely increased. Three special needs may be men- 
 
148 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tioned; the need of securing an attentive hearing, the 
 need of adaptation to special temperaments and types 
 of thought, and the need of cumulative influences to 
 overcome dense ignorance and prejudice. If these 
 three needs can be met, we may hope not only to an- 
 nex for the missionary enterprise great untouched 
 fields of wealth and influence, but to fill vacant lives 
 with an ideal worthy of their best endeavor. 
 
 To secure a hearing, we must depart from our tra- 
 ditional methods which in the minds of the indifferent 
 are associated too often with dullness. We must pro- 
 vide more attractive meetings and advertise them with 
 greater enthusiasm. The use of debates and dramatic 
 programmes, lantern slides, and charts will help, pro- 
 vided their quality be good. The testimony of travel- 
 ers will arouse the skeptical. A yet larger use should 
 be made of the press and of secular magazines. Mis- 
 sionary exhibitions have proved most efficient in Eng- 
 land, and are being transplanted to America. The 
 Laymen's Missionary Movement has secured a hearing 
 from many persons heretofore indifferent because it is 
 big, businesslike, interdenominational, and enthusias- 
 tic. To many outsiders the foreign missionary enter- 
 prise seems like a small affair on account of our nar- 
 row and languid way of promoting it. Any evidence 
 that we thought it worth strenuous action would at 
 once compel their attention. 
 
 In reaching special temperaments, we must aim at 
 one thing at a time. It would be well if we could some- 
 times grade our audiences. We need broad and 
 thoughtful treatment for persons of special culture ; 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 149 
 
 facts, figures, and problems for business men; fair- 
 minded apologetic for the prejudiced and narrow. 
 Brotherhood meetings for men and current events 
 clubs for women should discuss such documents as the 
 reports of the Edinburgh Conference, selecting the 
 subjects of greatest interest. A multitude of individ- 
 uals who have imagined the subject of foreign mis- 
 sions as necessarily dull would be amazed to discover 
 the attractiveness to them of some of its phases. 
 
 To secure cumulative influences, nothing is better 
 than the mission study class. It is surprising how often 
 indifferent persons can be secured for membership by 
 special effort. Attendance at summer conferences 
 has transformed many skeptics into enthusiasts. We 
 do not expect to arouse the careless with evangelistic 
 influences without a carefully prepared and continued 
 campaign. The reason why so many professing Chris- 
 tians are still indifferent to the subject of foreign mis- 
 sions is because the Church has never taken the trouble 
 to reach them. 
 
 It would be difficult to overstate the importance of 
 the missionary education of children and young people. 
 Fortunately we now have at our disposal the results 
 of years of child study by specialists, which must obvi- 
 ously be mastered as a preliminary. Missions must 
 take its place as an essential part of the Sunday school 
 curriculum to be taught as a modern Acts of the Apos- 
 tles. This agency may need supplementing in many 
 places by children's bands and boys' clubs. Missions 
 should be presented more systematically and effectively 
 in the meetings of young people's societies, in guilds 
 
I50 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 for young women and brotherhoods for young men. 
 Of most strategic importance is the work in the col- 
 leges. In spite of the distractions of college life, which 
 often absorb more time than the overcrowded curricu- 
 lum, there is still time for mission study. We can- 
 not assent to the name of a liberal education for one 
 which omits the largest and most complex issue be- 
 fore Christendom to-day. We must press mission 
 study in the colleges. But in this, even more than in 
 the other lines, the quality of our work is supremely 
 important. 
 
 All that precedes will be ineffectual if we do not suc- 
 ceed in training a special body of missionary teachers 
 and workers. The demands indicated above cannot be 
 adequately met by the pastorate, nor by our present 
 force of interested laymen. There must be an increase 
 in the number of workers who will be enthusiastic stu- 
 dents of both missions and pedagogy, whose center of 
 interest will not be in merely holding meetings but in 
 achieving definite results. The mission study class will 
 be one of the main agencies for securing such persons, 
 and to secure this in turn we must have many more 
 delegates at the normal classes of the summer confer- 
 ences. In every local congregation there should be at 
 least one such dynamo generating intense missionary 
 enthusiasm, creating clear and deep convictions in those 
 who are to be the lay leaders of the church. From the 
 members of the study classes there should come an 
 increasing number of candidates for the mission field. 
 Missionary intelligence will be best assimilated by ac- 
 tive discussion, rather than by silent listening. More 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 151 
 
 important still is the providing an outlet in some 
 form of active service. Impressions that fail to eJect 
 action cheat both the personal character and the cause. 
 Missionary intelligence is not a mere chemical fer- 
 tilizer, yielding inevitable increase when spread thickly 
 over the soil. It is the appeal of God to the individual 
 soul and to His Church, an appeal that needs the most 
 careful adaptation to types and aims, an appeal that 
 may even then be disregarded without the co-operative 
 working of the Spirit of God. 
 
 The most crucial problem of foreign missions is. 
 How to lead Christians to use what Dr. Arthur H. 
 Smith, of China, has characterized as " The deeply 
 buried talent of intercessory prayer." Without doubt 
 the flood tide of superhuman power is held back from 
 the missionary movement owing more largely to this 
 cause than to any other. The evangelization of the 
 world is not primarily a matter of numbers, wealth, 
 knowledge, and strategy, but of the unhindered work- 
 ing of the Spirit of God. Such divine manifestation 
 has been associated invariably with prayer. What- 
 ever, therefore, influences Christians one by one and 
 also corporately to devote themselves in the right spirit 
 and manner to missionary intercession will most 
 directly and effectively ensure the realization of the 
 missionary purpose of Christ. 
 
 How to enlist the co-operation of Christians in pray- 
 er and how to increase their efficiency in this form of 
 spiritual work is a most vital question. Mr. F. S. 
 Brockman, the leader of the Student Movement in 
 China, has well called attention to a great weakness in 
 
152 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 this respect : " This promotion of a large volume of 
 prayer for the world's evangelization is thoroughly 
 practical. The great body of Christians have not hith- 
 erto taken seriously the efforts of leaders of missionary 
 work to promote prayer. This is due, no doubt, to the 
 fact that the leaders themselves have not seemed to 
 put prayer first. The burden of their appeal is for men 
 and money. The appeal for prayer is spasmodic and 
 incidental. If the same energy, time, earnestness, and 
 skill were put into getting prayer as are given to en- 
 listing men and money, and if equally practical schemes 
 were devised for awakening the conscience of the 
 Church and for promoting the habit of daily prayer 
 for the world's evangelization, the Church would do 
 much to open the channels and let flow out the mighty 
 power of the Spirit of God which is necessary for 
 convincing and convicting the world." 
 
 If Christians are to be influenced to devote them- 
 selves more faithfully to prayer they must first be led 
 to realize deeply the possibilities of prayer and the 
 great need of their help iti prayer. Professor War- 
 neck of Halle has shown that " It is much more diffi- 
 cult to pray for missions than to give to them. We 
 can only really pray for missions if we habitually lead 
 a life of prayer, and a life of prayer can only be led 
 if we have entered into a life of communion with God.'' 
 The promotion, therefore, of those practices and habits 
 which develop spiritual life and faith will indirectly 
 but powerfully help in developing and maintaining a 
 genuine prayer life. The reverent use of prayer 
 cycles and other aids to intercession which have been. 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 153 
 
 developed within the Church during the centuries 
 should be encouraged. Gatherings for united inter- 
 cession, when properly prepared for and conducted, 
 may serve as training schools in prayer and thus help 
 to make more vital and fruitful the practice of private 
 intercession. There is great need of more Christians 
 becoming students in prayer. That it requires con- 
 tinued study, diligent and earnest practice, and reso- 
 lute perseverance is well emphasized by the Commis- 
 sion on the Home Base in their Report to the Edin- 
 burgh Conference: 
 
 " It is not sufficient in an hour of vision and aspira- 
 tion to dedicate ourselves to the work of intercession. 
 Prayer is the putting forth of vital energy. It is the 
 highest effort of which the human spirit is capable. 
 Proficiency and power in prayer cannot be attained 
 without patient continuance and much practice. The 
 primary need is . . . that individual Christians should 
 learn to pray. If this work is to be taken seriously, the 
 hour of prayer must be definitely set apart and jeal- 
 ously guarded, in spite of weariness and many distrac- 
 tions. The secret and art of prayer can only be learned 
 from the teaching of the Master Himself." 
 
 It need only be added that Christians learn to pray 
 not only from the teaching of Christ but possibly even 
 more from His contagious example. The more fully 
 His life of unbroken communion, as well as His going 
 apart for special intercession and His agonizing in the 
 Garden on behalf of the world, are studied, the more 
 deeply will the Church enter into the secret of over- 
 coming the world. " Our duty to our generation in- 
 
154 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 volves a sense of spiritual responsibility that will open 
 a Gethsemane wherever there is a Christian." 
 
 The state of the Church in Christian lands has a 
 profound influence on the evangelization of non-Chris- 
 tian lands. The missionary enterprise is the projec- 
 tion abroad of the Church at home. It shares in a 
 much larger measure than is usually recognized the 
 ideals and spirit of the home Church, and carries their 
 influence into the life of the Church which it creates 
 in the non-Christian world. 
 
 This relation between the Church at home and the 
 Church abroad has become- increasingly close with the 
 constant shrinkage of the world during the past few 
 decades. As a result of improved means of communi- 
 cation the world has within a generation become one- 
 third its former size. Nations which were as far apart 
 as if they had been on different planets, so far as exert- 
 ing a practical influence upon each other was con- 
 cerned, have been drawn together, and the whole world, 
 by means of the various applications of steam and elec- 
 tricity, has for the first time become one neighborhood. 
 The nations and peoples have been drawn into closer 
 touch with each other through trade and commerce, 
 through the growing volume of travel, through the 
 migration of students from land to land, through the 
 influence of international societies of various kinds, 
 through the activity of the press, through the develop- 
 ment of international law, as well as through foreign 
 missions. Moreover, some of the great nations of the 
 West have acquired foothold, not only in Africa but 
 also in the Far East. On account of the stupendous 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 155 
 
 economic and social changes now taking place in the 
 non-Christian nations, creating wants which at present 
 can be supplied only by the West, these nations are 
 entering into commercial relations with the West as 
 never before. As a result of all this intermingling, the 
 nations and races are acting and reacting upon each 
 other with increasing directness, constancy, and power. 
 No longer does the world exist in water-tight compart- 
 ments. It is not strange, therefore, that the state of 
 the home Church and its attitude toward the commer- 
 cial, social, and political practices which obtain in so- 
 called Christian lands should affect in a most real and 
 vital way the progress and standards of the Church 
 in the non-Christian countries. 
 
 Wherein does the state of the home Church affect 
 the work of making Christ known to the non-Christian 
 world ? Manifestly it does so through its influence on 
 the missionaries whom it sends forth. It is the home 
 in which are enlisted and trained the pioneers, found- 
 ers, and leaders of world evangelization. Much de- 
 pends upon the environment or atmosphere in which 
 they form their ideals and habits and receive their 
 training. The missionaries, it is true, constitute an 
 exceptional body of workers. In doctrinal integrity, 
 ethical standards, and evangelistic zeal they are on 
 a level which is not generally attained by the members 
 of the home Church. This might be expected, since 
 they constitute a very carefully selected company, and 
 also from the fact that contact with the deep needs of 
 the non-Christian world drives them back to funda- 
 mental realities. Yet the missionaries, consciously or 
 
156 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 unconsciously, are deeply influenced by the home 
 Church. If its spiritual life is warm and vigorous, 
 this necessarily is a source of strength and inspiration 
 to them; whereas if the home Church is formal and 
 inert, it produces upon them a depressing efifect. The 
 examples are not few showing that the theological un- 
 rest of the Church in certain Christian lands is re- 
 flected in the substance or spirit of the teaching by the 
 missionaries abroad. Moreover, the spiritual power of 
 the missionaries and their success in the work are 
 critically related to the measure and the fervor of 
 prayer on their behalf in the home Church. 
 
 The state of the home Church affects the work 
 through its influence on many of the native Christian 
 workers and members. Besides the influence com- 
 municated indirectly through the missionaries, an in- 
 creasing number of native leaders study or travel in 
 Christian lands, read the periodicals and other litera- 
 ture of the West, and are thus more directly exposed 
 to the currents of thought in the home Church. One 
 does not need to look far to observe the influence of 
 the rationalistic spirit on Christian writers, teachers, 
 and preachers in Japan and India. With the increas- 
 ing nearness of Christian and non-Christian lands, and 
 the multiplication of channels of intercourse between 
 them, the tendency will be for the Church, in the lands 
 to which the missionaries are sent, to adopt the re- 
 ligious standards of the lands which send them. 
 
 The state of the home Church affects the work by 
 the measure in which it is able to Christianize the 
 various influences through which Christian lands 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 157 
 
 affect non-Christian nations. Were the Church true 
 to its high calling, not only its professed members, but 
 the other people of Christian lands, would be more 
 thoroughly leavened by the ideals and motives of 
 Christianity, and the political actions of Christian na- 
 tions would be more definitely governed by its prin- 
 ciples. Thus the influences which go out from Chris- 
 tian lands along other than missionary lines would be 
 rendered helpful to the missionary enterprise. Un- 
 happily, the nominal Christianity, which in some cases 
 is virtual paganism, of some who represent Western 
 nations abroad in commercial and other pursuits is an 
 immense hindrance to the cause of Christ. The un- 
 christian attitude of so many European and American 
 travelers towards the people of the lands which they 
 visit still further handicaps the success of mission 
 work. It would be difficult also to exaggerate the 
 evil effect produced by unrighteous aggressions on the 
 part of Western nations upon non-Christian nations 
 and peoples. Wrongly or otherwise, all these things 
 are often held up as proofs of the powerlessness of 
 the Christian religion. 
 
 Moreover, students and others who go from non- 
 Christian lands to study in the West, in many cases, 
 on their return to their homes, oppose Christianity be- 
 cause of the unchristian treatment which they have 
 experienced, or because of the anomalies and incon- 
 sistencies between the creed or ideals and the actual 
 conduct of Christians, as observed by them. They 
 are impressed by the fact that in nearly every Christian 
 land there are so many people outside the Church. A 
 
158 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Church too weak in faith and too lukewarm in spirit 
 to fulfill its mission at home is thereby generating 
 serious hindrances to the progress of its work abroad. 
 But most of all does the state of the home Church 
 affect the work of the Church on the mission field 
 through the direct and vital connection subsisting be- 
 tween the performance of this work and the quality 
 and fulness of its own spiritual life. The work of 
 making Christ known to the non-Christian world is 
 rooted in the deepest motives of the Christian life; 
 its imperative obligation is realized through a clear 
 vision of the supreme truths of the Gospel ; it demands 
 consecration of lives and of substance in steadfast 
 obedience to the divine call ; it is a work imposed upon 
 the whole membership of the Church, and, as the direct 
 effort of the Church to fulfill the great task committed 
 to it, it demands the consecration of all the available 
 energies and resources of the Church for its thorough 
 accomplishment. But the Church of to-day is very 
 far from such a conception of its relation to the work 
 of evangelizing the world. The spiritual life found 
 in it is limited by want of enlightenment and by the 
 imperfection of its communion with God. The grow- 
 ing spirit of commercialism and materialism which 
 characterizes this age has cast its influence over the 
 Church. It has promoted habits of luxury, softness, 
 and worldliness, and manifests itself also in a lack of 
 the sacrificial spirit. The attitude of the Church 
 toward great social and national evils and sins is not 
 suggestive of earnest purpose or adequate power to 
 overcome them. It is a time of doubt and hesitation 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE 159 
 
 among many Christian ministers and teachers. Ulti- 
 mate authority in religion is a subject of most diverse 
 opinions. Cardinal doctrines are discussed as open 
 questions. Whenever religion is thus thrown into the 
 melting-pot, as it were, it is obviously enfeebled, for 
 the time, in its propagating power. The life of the 
 Church suffers from lack of clear conviction and of 
 resolute loyalty to Christ throughout the whole sphere 
 of duty. While the missionary obligation of the 
 Church may be formally acknowledged, it is viewed 
 with widespread apathy and indifference. 
 
 The consideration of the defects, shortcomings, and 
 weaknesses of the home Church has led some to ques- 
 tion whether we have a Christianity which should be 
 propagated all over the world. Were it necessary to 
 propagate the blemishes and errors of our Western 
 Christianity this question would be most serious. 
 Certainly we must exercise all vigilance not to dispense 
 poison with the bread of life. We should avoid 
 spreading errors which would neutralize the Gospel as 
 it is presented in non-Christian lands. We must not 
 press upon other races undesirable and unessential 
 features of our Western Church life. Our Western 
 idiosyncrasies of thought and practice and our endless 
 sectarian subdivisions should be overcome or at least 
 be left at home. Without doubt our home divisions 
 are a great hindrance to the evangelization of the 
 world. To the Oriental mind, for example, our de- 
 nominational distinctions and varieties of emphasis are 
 bewildering. Mozoomdar thus voiced this feeling: 
 " You urge me to become a Christian. Which of the 
 
l6o DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 numberless forms of Christianity shall I accept? I 
 shall always be a Christman, but never a Christian." 
 
 Happily the home Church still possesses the essen- 
 tials of primitive Christianity. It sends forth its 
 representatives to propagate the Christianity of the 
 New Testament — to bring the non-Christian world 
 face to face with the historic and the living Christ 
 and with the teachings of His apostles. This is 
 the Christianity that not only teaches God truly but 
 gives God actually to the world, through His incarna- 
 tion in Jesus Christ; and gives the world to God 
 through its regeneration in Christ, by participation in 
 His Spirit and Life. It is on this platform that all the 
 victories of the Christian faith have been won. The 
 worth of Christianity as a missionary force is meas- 
 ured by what it has of Christ. If He be lifted up He 
 draws unto Himself men of all nations, races, and sta- 
 tions. The Church is more fully acquainted with Christ 
 to-day than in any preceding age. Thus, though cer- 
 tain forms of our Christianity may not be worth pro- 
 pagating, our Christ should be proclaimed to all men. 
 If we give to the world our best we shall be giving 
 something that is infinitely worthy to be received by 
 the world, and which also may justly claim the al- 
 legiance of the world. It is the only Christianity we 
 have, and the only Christianity for the world. We 
 cannot bring ourselves to consent to the proposition 
 that it should not be propagated. In that wonderful 
 letter which Dr. Rainy wrote on behalf of the Free 
 Church of Scotland, in reply to the greeting of old 
 Madras College students to the General Assembly in 
 
AN ADEQUATE HOME BASE i6l 
 
 Edinburgh on the occasion of Principal Miller's 
 Moderatorship, the heart of the matter is aptly ex- 
 pressed : " We men in the West have no better claim 
 to Jesus Christ than you have. We possess nothing 
 so precious — we value nothing so much — we have no 
 source of good so full, fruitful, and enduring — we 
 have nothing to compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 To Him we bear witness. And we should gladly con- 
 sent that you should cease to listen to us, if you would 
 be led to give your ear and your heart to Him." 
 Where this conviction and this spirit dominate the life 
 of the Church, it possesses the vital force of missionary 
 effort and sacrifice. 
 
 It thus appears that an essential part of the task of 
 evangelizing the world is the lifting of the Church at 
 home into a fuller spiritual life. As it learns the mind 
 and heart of Christ, and is possessed by His Spirit, 
 it will become more missionary, and also mightier in 
 all its missionary work. In all planning for forward 
 movements or for expansion of missions, this truth 
 must be kept in the foreground. While it is true that 
 a deepening interest in foreign missions invariably 
 strengthens the spiritual life of the Church and pro- 
 motes its fruitfulness in all directions, it is equally true 
 that larger operations and greater power abroad are 
 impossible unless the life of the Church at home is 
 marked by greater enlightenment, devotion, and fidelity 
 to its Lord. The two go together. The great need is 
 that Christians young and old be given the vision, the 
 motives, the enthusiasm which shall make the Church 
 equal in spiritual power to the present world situation. 
 
l62 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 And this means that each Christian should in the most 
 personal and practical manner strive to conform his 
 life and practices to the requirements of his divine 
 Lord and throw himself with great earnestness into 
 the work of carrying out the missionary desires and 
 purposes of Christ. Nothing less than a Church 
 whose individual members are tremendously in earnest 
 can evangelize the non-Christian world. 
 
THE REQUIREMENTS OF 
 
 THE PRESENT SITUATION: 
 
 AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE 
 
 MISSION FIELD 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRESENT SITUATION: AN 
 EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE MISSION FIELD 
 
 The present situation on the mission field requires 
 something more than an adequate plan of campaign 
 and an adequate home base for missionary operations. 
 There is even greater need of an efficient Church on 
 the mission field. Even if the home Church were 
 thoroughly alive to the situation and thoroughly in- 
 spired with the spirit of service, of itself it could not 
 carry the Gospel to all men. The evangelization of 
 the non-Christian world is not alone a European and 
 a North American enterprise; it is to an even greater 
 degree an Asiatic, an African, and a South American 
 enterprise. While the Churches of Christian lands 
 are responsible for the introduction of Christianity to 
 non-Christian nations and for making sure that it is 
 securely established in them, the principal burden of 
 responsibility for the extension of Christ's Kingdom 
 through each country rests upon the Christian sons 
 and daughters of the soil. It was the opinion of that 
 great missionary statesman, Alexander Duflf, that 
 " when the set time arrives, the real reformers of 
 Hindustan will be well-qualified Hindus." Mackay 
 of Uganda maintained that the agency by which and 
 
 16S 
 
l66 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 probably by which alone we can Christianize Africa 
 is the African himself. Dr. Nevius, who had extensive 
 experience in developing the native Church in China, 
 expressed the conviction that the millions of China 
 must be brought to Christ by Chinese. Practically all 
 missionaries feel the same, and the reasons for their 
 conviction are not difficult to find. 
 
 The task of making Christ known to all people is so 
 vast that the number of foreign missionaries now on 
 the field, or of those whom the home Church may 
 reasonably be expected to provide, could not accom- 
 plish the work, even if they possessed the necessary 
 qualifications and advantages. To evangelize China, 
 for example, the number of foreign missionaries would 
 need to be increased a hundred-fold. Again, even if 
 the home Church could send out and support such an 
 army of missionaries, the national spirit of the differ- 
 ent non-Christian countries would make it impractica- 
 ble for them to gain entrance. Unless the responsibil- 
 ity be recognized and accepted by the Christians of 
 each mission field, it is hopeless to expect to see that 
 field thoroughly evangelized and Christianized. 
 
 As a matter of fact native Christians possess marked 
 advantages over foreign workers as evangelists. 
 They do not have the disability of working in a climate 
 to which they are not accustomed and which is un- 
 favorable to them; they do not have to take fur- 
 loughs or spend so much time at vacation resorts; 
 while, on the other hand, in most mission fields, the 
 problem of the climate is a very serious one for the 
 foreign missionary, often resulting in breakdown of 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 167 
 
 health, and always necessitating interruptions of the 
 work by annual vacations, and frequent furloughs in 
 the home-land. The native workers know the lan- 
 guage of their people far better than most missionaries 
 can ever hope to acquire it. Their intimate knowledge 
 of its idioms and most telling expressions enables them 
 to touch more readily and deeply the minds and hearts 
 of their countrymen. Seldom does the missionary 
 acquire the freedom, fluency, and accent so necessary 
 for effective appeal. The native of the country un- 
 derstands the heart-life and the thought-life of his 
 people. He is thus able to appreciate their feelings 
 and point of view to a degree which the foreigner 
 cannot attain. His familiarity with the supersti- 
 tions, prejudices, and aspirations of the people is 
 likewise a great advantage. Having fought over the 
 battleground of the temptations of his own people, 
 he is able to enter more sympathetically and helpfully 
 into their experiences. He knows their soul struggles, 
 their gropings after light, the trials incident to coming 
 out from the social and religious associations connected 
 with their family and community life. All of these 
 things enable him to persuade and guide them better 
 than can the missionary, who comes among them from 
 entirely different surroundings and experiences, and 
 who at the best is a stranger and a foreigner, in spite 
 of anything he may do, and is therefore kept more or 
 less aloof from the social as well as the spiritual life 
 of the people whom he would help. The native Chris- 
 tians are thus qualified to be more efficient missionaries 
 than the foreigners gijd for this reason, if for no 
 
l68 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Other, it is clear that they must constitute the principal 
 factor in spreading the Christian religion throughout 
 their country. 
 
 Notwithstanding the fact that the major responsibil- 
 ity rests upon the native Christian workers, the co- 
 operation of the missionaries in every mission field is 
 still indispensable. They are needed to place at the 
 disposal of the young Churches the experience and 
 lessons of Christianity acquired through the many 
 centuries of its history. They are needed to anchor 
 and steady the Church on the mission field in times of 
 stress and strain when there is serious danger of its 
 slipping from its moorings in matters of doctrine and 
 practice. There are sad chapters in the life of some 
 of the native Churches which tell of the introduction 
 into the life and teaching of the Church of ideas and 
 practices of heathenism. Some thoughtful students 
 of missions regard this as still one of the greatest perils 
 on certain mission fields. Missionaries of the highest 
 qualifications are needed on every mission field to pre- 
 sent in their lives and work models and examples to 
 the workers and members of the native Churches, and 
 especially to communicate and to stimulate an aggres- 
 sive evangelistic spirit. In the early stages of the 
 development of the Church on every field, even in the 
 later stages on some fields, the wise and loving co- 
 operation of the missionary in the work of the Church 
 is considered essential by most missionaries. 
 
 The missionaries are, moreover, imperatively needed 
 to help to pioneer the work in the totally or largely un- 
 occupied fields. A careful study of the world field 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 169 
 
 shows that there is practically no non-Christian nation 
 where their help as pioneers is not still needed. Upon 
 this point Bishop Oldham has truly remarked : " When 
 one considers the overwhelming preponderance of the 
 non-Christians, the poverty of the native Christian 
 Church, derived, as it is, after New Testament prec- 
 edent, from the poor, the comparatively feeble mis- 
 sionary pulse that as yet beats in it, it would be a 
 betrayal of the non-Christians to leave them to a large 
 extent to the missionary zeal of their native Chris- 
 tian neighbors." 
 
 To leave the whole, or the major part of the evan- 
 gelization of neighboring fields to the small, poor, and 
 as yet narrow-horizoned Churches recently redeemed 
 from the chill of heathenism, would be to sacrifice the 
 many unevangelized for a doubtful experiment with 
 the partially enlightened. It must be our object to 
 throw the responsibility entirely upon the native 
 Churches, as soon as they are ready to bear it. For 
 the present it seems plain that both the initiative in 
 entering new fields and the duty of securing and train- 
 ing native preachers must lie largely with the foreign 
 missionary. 
 
 Nevertheless, the great importance of the native 
 Church as an evangelistic agency has already been 
 proved. The history of the extension of Christianity, 
 from the days of the early Church down to the present 
 time, shows that the chief work of evangelizing and 
 Christianizing a country has always been done by its 
 inhabitants. Facts gathered from all the principal 
 foreign mission fields show that this was never more 
 
lyo DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 true than it is to-day throughout the non-Christian 
 world. Bishop Tucker, of Uganda, writes that " The 
 work of winning the souls of the people of this country 
 to Christ is really being done by the natives themselves, 
 although under the supervision of foreign mis- 
 sionaries." Dr. Christie of Manchuria gives similar 
 testimony : " Indeed, most of the converts have been 
 brought in by one telling another what he had learned. 
 There are several instances of a little Christian com- 
 munity being gathered in a new district wholly by the 
 personal voluntary efforts of one native, who in some 
 instances has not yet been baptized." Dr. John Ross 
 stated at the Edinburgh Conference that probably less 
 than one hundred of the 20,000 church members in 
 Manchuria had been led to Christ solely by the mis- 
 sionaries. Dr. S. A. Moffett, of Korea, states : " The 
 Korean Christians for the last ten years have been 
 bringing in converts faster than the missionaries have 
 been able to provide instruction for them." 
 
 The silent, constant, assimilating influence of the 
 Church or the Christian community upon the sur- 
 rounding population has been one of the most effective 
 means of accomplishing this. The improvements in 
 the individual and social life of the native Christians 
 have been so evident and striking that they afford the 
 most convincing evidence to non-Christian neighbors 
 of the truth and power of Christianity. For example, 
 the purer, happier, more unselfish, and more progres- 
 sive home life of Christian families makes a silent, 
 irresistible appeal. The non-Christians cannot but 
 recognize the social, economic, intellectual, moral, and 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 171 
 
 Spiritual progress and transformations of their Chris- 
 tian neighbors as a result of Christianity, and they arc 
 thus convinced as by no other proof of its genuineness 
 and claims. 
 
 The unconscious influence of one individual convert 
 upon his associates has been another fruitful source of 
 many additions to the Church. Quite apart from the 
 direct, or technical preaching of the Gospel, one than, 
 simply by breaking with the old religious system and 
 becoming a Christian, influences another man to do so. 
 This influence is brought to bear in many ways — 
 through marriage, through the various relationships of 
 communal life, through the personal regard of one 
 man for another, through a father, mother, brother, 
 sister, friend having taken the step, and, in India, 
 through the relationship of caste. A Lutheran mis- 
 sionary estimates that in his mission, of the 15,000 and 
 more baptized members, fully three-fourths were 
 brought into the Church through one or the other of 
 these different ways. 
 
 In all parts of the world, work by individuals to 
 influence individuals to become Christians is the 
 method most frequently and effectively employed. It 
 seems to be of universal adaptation, but one receives 
 the impression that it is more widely used by the 
 Church on the mission field than by the Church in 
 most of the Christian countries. The most striking 
 example of fruitful personal work is given by Dr. 
 Christie in the following narrative : " A patient came 
 to the Moukden Hospital many years ago. When 
 admitted, he had never heard the Gospel, but before 
 
172 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 he left he had a clear knowledge of Christian 
 truth and showed an intense desire to make it known 
 to others. For many years he witnessed for Christ, 
 most of the time without salary of any kind, and 
 under no control but that of his heavenly Master. 
 The missionary who had charge of the district where 
 he labored till his martyrdom by the Boxers, tells us 
 that he was a direct means of leading at least two 
 thousand souls into the fold of Christ." Dr. K. C. 
 Chatterjee, one of the most distinguished Indian Chris- 
 tians, in showing how the Christians in the Punjab, 
 both among the higher and lower classes, are animated 
 by the spirit of spreading the Gospel, has testified that 
 he himself was brought to Christ largely through the 
 help and advice given to him by his Christian fellow- 
 students. It is the general rule in Korea that the 
 members of the Church engage zealously in personal 
 work, and the method of house-to-house visitation is 
 commonly practiced. 
 
 It is the custom in some fields to observe a Chil- 
 dren's Day, when prayer is ofifered for the conver- 
 sion of the youth of the community, when the 
 teachers in the Sunday schools make special appeals, 
 and when Christian parents put forth special efforts to 
 lead their children to Christ. The results of this cus- 
 tom have been especially encouraging. 
 
 Preaching to their neighbors, or in near-by villages, 
 by those who have become Christians is another fruit- 
 ful method of extending Christ's Kingdom. It is 
 quite common in Korea, in Manchuria, and in other 
 parts of China for Christians to pledge to give a cer- 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 173 
 
 tain number of days to the work of public preaching, 
 as well as to speaking to individuals one by one, sub- 
 scribing their time just as Christians in the home lands 
 promise their money. At one conference of Christians 
 in Korea, after the members had adopted the tithe as 
 the lowest standard of money-giving, they pledged 
 enough time for evangelistic work to equal the time 
 of one man for ten years. At another meeting one 
 church member promised to devote to this kind of 
 work without compensation during the following year 
 one hundred and eighty days. In reporting at the 
 annual meeting a year later he apologized because he 
 had been able to give only one hundred and sixty-nine 
 days. In Livingstonia it has become customary for 
 large numbers of the church members to engage freely 
 in preaching the Gospel. " Every Sabbath," says one 
 at work in that field, " hundreds of our Christians 
 preach in the villages around about their places. I 
 fancy that from fifteen to twenty per cent, of the 
 church members are engaged in teaching in Sabbath 
 schools or in preaching every week, and that, entirely 
 without pay. On Saturdays preachers' classes are 
 held, when a sermon is suggested for the village 
 preachers and a sermon outline given to them." 
 
 From many churches the Christians go out regularly 
 in bands to evangelize neighboring towns and rural dis- 
 tricts. This showing of the strength of their numbers 
 seems to make a special impression. In connection 
 with scores of mission colleges and schools it is quite 
 common for bands of students to go out during their 
 vacations on preaching tours. In the Tinnevelly dis- 
 
174 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 trict, where there are 95,000 Christians connected with 
 the AngHcan Church, almost every large congregation 
 has its regular system of street preaching. During the 
 past three or four years one large congregation in this 
 district has set apart a special time each year when a 
 large number of its members go out in bands to the 
 neighboring villages to proclaim the Gospel. Last year 
 as many as thirty bands witnessed for Christ among 
 the villages within a radius of six miles. The plan of 
 uniting all the Christians in a given town or district 
 in a special evangelistic campaign, continuing through 
 several days or even weeks, has been used with marked 
 succes? in different fields. The most conspicuous 
 exampLs are afforded by the Church in Japan, China, 
 and India. Some of the largest and most diificult city 
 fields of Japan have experienced remarkable revivals 
 as a result of this method employed by the Japanese 
 pastors and lay leaders, they themselves taking the 
 initiative and bearing practically the entire burden of 
 responsibility. 
 
 In addition to the increasing volume of evangelistic 
 effort put forth by native Christians within the sphere 
 of their daily callings and within the range of their 
 immediate influence, a number of native churches and 
 other groupings of native Christians in various fields 
 are conducting organized missionary work to carry the 
 Gospel to the unevangelized in distant regions of their 
 own lands or of other and often remote countries. 
 The West China Conference of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church in the Szechwan Province about three years 
 ago organized an effort to send the Gospel to the 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 175 
 
 Tibetans. At a meeting of thirty of the Chinese minis- 
 ters connected with this mission, where the needs of 
 the Tibetans were brought to their attention, six 
 ministers volunteered to work among these people at 
 the gateway of Tibet. Two of their number were 
 sent, and the Chinese Christians, under the leadership 
 of their pastors, have continued to support these repre- 
 sentatives. The presbytery of Korea, upon its recent 
 organization, sent out one of its first seven ordained 
 Korean ministers as a missionary to the island of Quel- 
 part, the Korean Church providing his support and 
 that of an evangelistic helper and of a Bible woman. 
 The members of the Baptist Mission in Burma carry 
 on an aggressive work, not only among the peoples of 
 Burma but also among the Karens of Siam. Earnest 
 native Christians have also gone out on their personal 
 initiative to become missionaries among other tribes or 
 races. The pioneer missionaries to Angoniland several 
 years ago were Christian Kaffirs who went out from 
 the Lovedale Institution in South Africa. A number 
 of Hindustani Christians have gone to the Fiji Is- 
 lands to do Christian work among the 35,000 Indians 
 who have gone there to labor on the plantations, and 
 these are supported in part by their fellow Indian 
 Christians. 
 
 Special societies of native Christians have been 
 organized for the express purpose of sending workers 
 to distant parts. Almost every mission in South India 
 now has a well-organized missionary society which 
 sends missionaries to its own district and to some 
 other part of its own country to work among people 
 
176 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 who speak diflferent languages from their own; for 
 example, the Home Missionary Society of the Madura 
 Mission has taken the northern section of their dis- 
 trict, an area covering 300 square miles, as its special 
 field of work, and is supporting and directing six 
 native Christian workers in that field. The Indicin 
 Missionary Society of Tinnevelly, organized in 1903, 
 of Christians in the Tinnevelly district, now supports 
 seven missionaries who are carrying on successful 
 work in the Nizam's Dominions at a distance of over 
 800 miles from the home base. Besides supporting 
 their own missionaries, this society maintains fourteen 
 Telugu catechists, and has a number of other workers 
 in special training. As a result of their labors there 
 has been built up a community of two hundred bap- 
 tized Christians and about 800 catechumens. The 
 reflex influence has shown itself in greatly increased 
 self-sacrifice, liberality, and prayerfulness in the home 
 Church. In 1905 the National Missionary Society of 
 India was organized with its fields of labor in the 
 Montgomery district of the Punjab and in four other 
 parts of India. 
 
 A missionary society was formed four years ago by 
 members of the Manchurian Church to carry the Gos- 
 pel to the outlying parts of Manchuria and the lands 
 of Mongolia and Korea. Two workers at that time 
 volunteered for service anywhere. The little congrega- 
 tions, out of their poverty, gave the first year $750 
 toward this movement. The two volunteers were 
 ordained as pastors and sent to the capital of Halung- 
 kiang Province, several hundred miles north. There, 
 

AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 177 
 
 in the face of hardship and difficulty, they have opened 
 a chapel and are carrying on a vigorous propaganda. 
 Chinese Christians, returning from California to the 
 Kwangtung Province, were greatly distressed at the 
 degradation and paganism of their unconverted rela- 
 tives and neighbors. They were led to organize the 
 Chinese Missionary Society of California, and as a 
 result, within three years, four churches have been 
 organized, and eight schools have been opened. The 
 work is carried on without any foreign supervision, 
 and is supported entirely by Chinese Christians. Jap- 
 anese missionary societies have been formed to take 
 the Gospel to the Japanese in Formosa, Korea, and 
 Manchuria, and Korean associations have been organ- 
 ized to spread Christian truth among the Koreans in 
 Manchuria, Siberia, Hawaii, and California. 
 
 The students and native teachers in some of the 
 mission colleges of the Orient are also carrying on 
 missionary work in distant lands. Possibly the best 
 illustration is that of the Jaffna Students' Missionary 
 Society, which maintains one of its graduates in evan- 
 gelistic work among the Tamils of Southern India. 
 These illustrations are typical of a widespread and 
 growing missionary interest in the native Church. 
 They afford ground for the impression which some 
 travelers and students of missions have formed, that 
 in point of evangelistic and missionary zeal the Church 
 on the mission field compares favorably with that on 
 the home field. 
 
 All this effort is full of promise for the future. It 
 shows that the spirit of evangelism has taken root in 
 
178 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the native Churches, and that in them it is proving 
 itself capable of growth. But notwithstanding this 
 fact, it is true that in many places such a spirit is 
 almost, if not entirely, lacking, and even in the places 
 where the situation and outlook are most favorable 
 there is need of increasing the efficiency of the native 
 Church. This is not at all surprising when we reflect 
 upon the conditions. The larger part of the native 
 Church in Asia and Africa has been but comparatively 
 recently brought out of the selfishness of heathenism. 
 Moreover, heathenism and the social life have divided 
 the people largely into tribes, clans, castes, classes, 
 with much mutual help within these groups, but with 
 an instinctive drawing away from all others. The 
 missionary spirit of Christianity does tend to overcome 
 this repulsion and indifference to those outside, but it 
 is not without great difficulty and not without divine 
 assistance that Christians of the first generation over- 
 come it and become filled with a passion for helpful- 
 ness. That so many have done so is a proof of the 
 reality of their Christianity, but that must not blind 
 us to the fact that a very large section of the native 
 churches has not advanced so far in the Christian life. 
 One of the most vital and pressing of all questions is : 
 How a still stronger evangelistic and missionary spirit 
 is to be developed in the churches on the various mis- 
 sion fields? If this could be accomplished a great step 
 would be taken towards the complete evangelization of 
 the world. 
 
 In order to do this, there must be, first of all, mis- 
 sionaries who are themselves filled with the evangelistic 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 179 
 
 spirit. If they obviously make their first business that 
 of bringing others under the sway of Christ, their 
 spirit is sure to become communicative. The mission- 
 ary should not, however, rely merely upon the influence 
 of his example ; he must also keep urging upon the con- 
 verts the privilege as well as the duty of seeking to 
 influence their unconverted neighbors to become disci- 
 ples of Christ. If the missionary is to do this in the 
 face of all the difficulties which confront him, he must 
 have a clear and mastering conviction that the most 
 highly-multiplying work he can do is that of increasing 
 the number of Christians filled with the desire to win 
 others to Christ. To lead a hundred Christians to 
 become earnest soul winners is doubtless a more pro- 
 ductive work than for one by himself to have preached 
 throughout a large province, however desirable the 
 latter work may be. 
 
 There is much to commend the practice which is 
 followed by the American Presbyterian Mission in 
 South China. The leaders of that mission consider 
 that they cannot too strongly emphasize the duty of 
 the saved to carry the Gospel to the unsaved, and are 
 in the habit of asking converts at the time of their bap- 
 tism if they are willing to work diligently for the sal- 
 vation of others. This practice results in a constant 
 stream of accessions to the Church. The Canadian 
 Presbyterian Mission in Honan has the same policy, 
 but has carried it even further. So fully have they 
 accepted the practice of leading others to Christ as a 
 necessary mark of genuineness on the part of the con- 
 vert, that, as a mission, they have decided not to bap- 
 
l8o DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tize any person unless he has led some one to Christ. 
 The obligation to lead others into the Christian life 
 should, however, be urged upon the members of the 
 Church, not only at conversion but constantly. In those 
 missions which are most fruitful in evangelistic results 
 the leaders lose no opportunity of doing this, and 
 doubtless one reason why so many native Christians in 
 other missions are not actively engaged in this kind of 
 service is simply that they have not been so carefully 
 taught their duty and the terrible need of people with- 
 out Christ. Wherever Christians are led to have a real- 
 izing sense of the condition of the people without the 
 Gospel, and to see that their personal efforts are indis- 
 pensable to meet the need, they are much more likely 
 to give themselves to this unselfish ministry. 
 
 As a rule, however, it is necessary to do more than 
 to present the facts of the obligation and need. In 
 addition to pressing upon the native Christian his duty 
 to evangelize his neighbors, it is important to assign 
 some definite evangelistic task to him — something 
 which in all probability will not be done unless he 
 does it. His missionary zeal may be quickened and 
 his efficiency may be increased by thus giving him a 
 suitable part in the programme of extension. It will 
 be of little value, however, to place such a burden upon 
 him if he be not trusted with it and left to discover 
 his own way of carrying it out. Otherwise he will not 
 feel that the work is his own. 
 
 Missionaries have further enlisted native Christians 
 in the work of evangelization by taking them on evan- 
 gelistic tours. Dr. Mackay of Formosa was in the 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD i8l 
 
 habit of taking a group of students with him when 
 he went out to preach in the towns and villages, and 
 Mr. Sherwood Eddy has followed the same method 
 in much of his evangelistic work in the villages of 
 Southern India. In this way those who accompany 
 the missionary are especially influenced by the example 
 of evangelistic zeal which he sets for them, and at 
 the same time they receive invaluable instruction as to 
 tlie manner and methods of presenting the Gospel and 
 of conducting evangeUstic services. The missionary 
 activity of those who take part in these tours becomes 
 much more vigorous and effective. 
 
 Conferences of Christians for the deepening of the 
 spiritual life, which are now becoming quite as com- 
 mon on the mission field as on the home field, are of 
 the very greatest value in developing the evangelistic 
 spirit. By purifying and strengthening the native 
 workers and uniting them in praying and planning 
 they have exerted a powerful, indirect influence in 
 kindling evangelistic fires in the communities to which 
 the delegates have returned. The Sialkot Convention 
 in the Pimjab is one of the most famous of these 
 gatherings. It had its origin in the daily prayer, for 
 more than two years, of a group of four or five men, 
 and to-day large numbers of missionaries, Indian min- 
 isters, lay workers, and church members from missions 
 near and far meet together for prayer, instruction, 
 exhortation, and praise. During each of the days of 
 the convention continuous prayer is offered during the 
 whole twenty-four hours. Marvelous outpourings of 
 the Holy Spirit have been manifested ; men have been 
 
l82 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 led to confess their sins and to make restitution for 
 wrongs. A passion to win men to Christ has resulted, 
 and also a desire on the part of the native Christians 
 to attain self-support for their churches. Conferences 
 of this nature, if developed and wisely guided, will do 
 much to cultivate within the Church the spirit of con- 
 secration and loyalty to Christ, which must result in 
 the effort to extend His Kingdom. 
 
 A native Church cannot, however, become efficient 
 as an evangelizing agency unless it be ably led. Per- 
 haps the greatest need, therefore, of the native Church 
 is that of multiplying the number of well-qualified 
 native ministers and Christian workers. The idea of 
 carrying the Gospel to the whole world or to any one 
 of the great non-Christian nations in our day, apart 
 from the raising up of an army of suitable native min- 
 isters and other Christian leaders, is not likely to be 
 realized. Undoubtedly several thousands of the choic- 
 est spirits, which the universities and colleges of the 
 United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australasia, 
 Germany, and other Christian lands can furnish, will 
 be required to pioneer the work in non-Christian lands, 
 to plant the Church, to guide the Church in the midst 
 of special trials, and, above all, to train a native leader- 
 ship ; but for every hundred missionaries there will be 
 needed thousands of native workers to serve as pastors, 
 teachers, evangelists, catechists, and Bible women. 
 The necessity for a thoroughly trained native agency 
 has been recognized by the great missionary statesmen. 
 Joseph Neesima, the eminent Japanese Christian edu- 
 cator, after years of Christian work in Japan, said that 
 
a 
 
 Zi 
 
 o 
 M 
 
 o 
 w 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 183 
 
 the best possible method to evangelize her people is to 
 raise up a native force. Dr. Goodrich of North 
 China urges that whether this question be viewed eco- 
 nomically, politically, historically, or sociologically, the 
 only sound method of evangelizing a great .nation is 
 that of raising up and using a qualified native agency. 
 This is the need of the native Church, therefore, on 
 which the missionaries should concentrate their atten- 
 tion. 
 
 There are very serious difSculties to be overcome 
 before this need can be met. In most non-Christian 
 countries religious workers are held in contempt. This 
 is unlike what one usually finds in the United States 
 and Canada and in other Western lands, where the 
 Christian ministry has dignity and prestige as a result 
 of its honorable position and influence for centuries. 
 Throughout Asia to-day, largely as a result of the cor- 
 rupt lives of many of the priests, the religious callings 
 are looked down upon, if not despised. Unwillingness 
 to incur the reproach which often attaches to the native 
 worker who is related to the foreigner, is another diflfi- 
 culty which keeps many from entering Christian 
 service as a life-work. They do not like to be 
 called foreign hirelings, as a Japanese expressed 
 it; or, as a Chinese put it, they do not want to 
 be twitted with eating the foreigner's rice. There is 
 also the question of status which seems to stand in the 
 way of some in India and other lands. That is, the 
 native workers feel that they are entitled to more 
 power, liberty, and responsibility than they have, that 
 they should receive larger recogn'tion, that more conii- 
 
184 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 dence should be shown in them by the missionaries. 
 In some cases they have good reasons for this opinion, 
 but doubtless in more cases their attitude is due to a 
 misconception of the motives and spirit of the mission- 
 aries. Nevertheless, this is a very real difficulty and 
 it is not easily overcome. 
 
 The opposition of parents and relatives is a very 
 great hindrance to securing native Christians of ability 
 for the ministry. In countries where the Confucian 
 ethics dominate, or where the system of caste exists, 
 or in parts of the world like Africa where there are 
 strong tribal bonds, it is exceedingly difficult for young 
 men to enter Christian callings in the face of the 
 expressed objection of parents, relatives, and friends. 
 The attractions presented by commercial pursuits, by 
 government service, and by other so-called secular 
 walks of life, is a prominent reason, if not the princi- 
 pal one, why it is so difficult to-day to get a sufficient 
 number of able native students to devote their lives 
 to Christian work. The salaries paid in the secular 
 caUings range all the way from a little larger to thirty 
 or more times greater than is paid in Christian service. 
 It is just as if the students of the United States and 
 Canada were offered salaries of $5,000 to $10,000 to 
 enter certain business, professional, or political posi- 
 tions. If this were done, it would greatly increase the 
 difficulty of inducing a sufficient number of men to 
 enter the Christian ministry at home. 
 
 A lack of spirituality is perhaps the most serious of 
 all the causes making it difficult to get a sufficient num- 
 ber of able native leaders for Christian work. In 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 185 
 
 non-Christian lands there are many young men who 
 have a hold upon Christianity, but upon whom Chris- 
 tianity does not have a powerful hold. Wherever one 
 finds native Christians upon whom the Spirit of God 
 has laid His mighty hand, one finds men eager to enter 
 upon the service of their fellow-men and therefore 
 willing to face the hardships, opposition, and sacrifices 
 involved. 
 
 The lack of adequate efforts and measures to dis- 
 cover and enlist more workers of the right qualifica- 
 tions is one of the most fundamental reasons why they 
 are not forthcoming. Societies which have given most 
 attention to this problem are the ones which have suc- 
 ceeded in raising up the largest number of effective 
 leaders. The missionaries who desire most earnestly 
 to be used by God in enlisting young men and young 
 women for this all-important service and who have 
 given time to this work are those who are turning 
 the largest number of young men and young women 
 into Christian work as a life-work. 
 
 What can be done to meet the difficulties to which 
 attention has been called and to raise up the army of 
 native Christian workers who will lead the forces of 
 the Church on the mission field to accomplish the 
 evangelization of the non-Christian world ? It is neces- 
 sary greatly to enlarge and to strengthen the educa- 
 tional missionary work. While there is need of im- 
 proving the material equipment of mission schools and 
 colleges there is even greater need of adding to the 
 force of educational missionaries. At present this part 
 of the foreign staff is far too small. It is poor economy 
 
l86 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 to erect large educational plants and leave them under- 
 manned to such a degree that they fall short of being 
 productive investments. The workers in many cases 
 are so overburdened with the technical work of teach- 
 ing, which ought, for the honor of the Church, to be 
 kept up to scholarly standards, that they are not able 
 to give the time that they so much desire to devote 
 to the most vital part of all, influencing deeply the 
 faith, the character, and the life plans of the students. 
 The staff in every place, where necessary, should be 
 increased to such an extent that each educational 
 missionary will have time to do personal work and to 
 pray with the students. In choosing educational mis- 
 sionaries particular care should be exercised to select 
 those who, in addition to their scholastic attainments 
 and their high qualifications as educationists, are also 
 dominated by the desire and purpose to influence their 
 students to become Christians and to devote their 
 lives to Christian service. The Presbyterian College, 
 established by Dr. and Mrs. Calvin Mateer in the 
 Shantung Province of China, has throughout its his- 
 tory yielded a remarkably large proportion of its 
 strongest students for the service of the Church. The 
 main reason for founding the college was that it might 
 raise up and train a native ministry, and the main en- 
 ergies of the educational missionaries were expended 
 in this direction. Dr. Mateer seldom uttered a prayer 
 but the burden was that God would raise up men to be 
 pastors and leaders of the Church. The students knew 
 that Pastor Ding, who has recently been so greatly 
 used in promoting spiritual awakenings among 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 187 
 
 students in China, had the same wish, and ia going 
 to him, as invited, for conversation, went armed with 
 reasons why it was absolutely impossible for them to 
 be ministers. But Ding never mentioned the subject 
 to them, but went to God in private. The result was 
 that after a while the students thronged his room, with 
 the same difi5culties, but urging him to pray that these 
 might be removed and recording the purpose to enter 
 the ministry. Scores of them decided to enter this 
 calling. 
 
 The Student Young Men's and Young Women's 
 Christian Association movements and other societies 
 of Christian students in the non-Christian world can 
 also help greatly in the work of recruiting the ranks 
 of Christian workers. In fact, these societies were 
 established by the missionaries or at the call of the 
 missionaries for the express purpose of helping the 
 Church to evangelize students and to influence them 
 to devote their lives to Christian service. In a true 
 sense they constitute a student volunteer movement 
 for home missions. The methods employed by them 
 are such as have been most fruitful in the student 
 communities of the West. The devotional, construc- 
 tive study of the Bible is much emphasized. There are 
 to-day over 5,000 native Christian students engaged in 
 the Bible classes of these Associations. Among other 
 methods used are personal work, evangelistic cam- 
 paigns in the neighborhood and during vacations in 
 more remote districts, and the development of study 
 of the work of the Church. Greater stress should be 
 laid by all these societies on influencing the strongest 
 
l88 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 Students to devote themselves to Christian work as a 
 life-work. Visits should be made more frequently by 
 secretaries to the mission colleges with this one end 
 in view. In each of a number of these Associations 
 within the past few years, such as at Peking Univer- 
 sity, Shantung Union College, and the College at 
 Assiut, Egypt, between one and two hundred students 
 have been led to dedicate their lives to Christian serv- 
 ice. Were special efforts made, similar results might 
 be forthcoming in many other mission schools. The 
 Associations in the government colleges are also help- 
 ing to secure recruits for the Christian ministry. No 
 graduates of the Imperial University of Japan had 
 ever entered the ministry until the Association had 
 been at work for some years, but now three graduates 
 are in the ministry and several others are preparing 
 for this calling. 
 
 An important means of securing and developing able 
 native leaders of the Church is to give men of ability 
 places of real leadership. Leaders can never be devel- 
 oped except through bearing responsibility. The for- 
 eign missionary must, therefore, more and more 
 recognize that the work on the mission field is pri- 
 marily that of the native leader and minister and not 
 that of the foreign missionary with the native as 
 helper. The missionary must have the spirit of John 
 the Baptist and, in loving humility, must be willing to 
 decrease that the native worker may increase in ability, 
 fruitfulness, and position. The efficient native Church 
 will not have fully come until its full leadership is in 
 the hands of native Christians. The wise missionary 
 
AN EFFICIENT CHURCH ON THE FIELD 189 
 
 will work and pray and place himself in the back- 
 ground that this may be accomplished at the earliest 
 possible moment. He will rejoice when the initiative 
 is taken by the native ministers and workers rather 
 than by himself, and will be pleased with the more 
 obscure position of sympathetic counselor and friend 
 rather than that of the authoritative leader of the 
 Church. 
 
 One of the deepest secrets of enlisting an adequate 
 number of leaders of the native Church, possessed 
 with the evangelistic spirit, is the development of the 
 spiritual life of the native Church. Out of such a 
 Church will come men who are willing to oiiEer them- 
 selves for Christian service in the face of all the diffi- 
 culties which they meet. It is, therefore, of the utmost 
 importance that methods be employed to build up the 
 faith and character of the native Christians and to lead 
 them to yield themselves wholly to the sway of Christ 
 and His Spirit. 
 
 Above all there is need for far more intercession 
 for the raising up and thrusting forth of this army of 
 native leaders. This is necessary in order to make all 
 the other means truly effective and most largely pro- 
 ductive. It is the only means on which Christ has 
 placed stress in connection with solving the problem 
 of securing workers. Any method, therefore, which 
 neglects this point is superficial. The Church should 
 not leave unappropriated and unapplied this great 
 force for the raising up and enlisting of laborers. 
 Moreover, it is a means which is available to the 
 humblest and most obscure Christian, both at home 
 
IQO DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 and on the mission field. It is, therefore, possible for 
 each Christian to be mightily used in helping to solve 
 the problem of securing an efBeient Church on the mis- 
 sion field by using the divinely appointed and all- 
 prevailing method commanded by Christ. 
 
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE 
 
 PRESENT SITUATION: 
 THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRESENT SITUATION : THE 
 SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 
 
 As one surveys the enormous task involved in making 
 Christ known to all the world, and realizes the inade- 
 quacy of human agents and agencies as well as of 
 human policy and strategy, the first impression is that 
 the Church is totally unable to discharge its over- 
 whelming responsibility. The next and dominant im- 
 pression is that Almighty God is able, and that the 
 Church must be led to avail itself of His limitless 
 resources to a degree hitherto unknown since that 
 vital age — the first generation of Christianity. Mis- 
 sionaries, native Christian workers, and leaders of the 
 missionary activities on the home field, while they 
 differ on nearly all questions pertaining to plans, 
 means, and methods, are absolutely united in the con- 
 viction that the world's evangelization is a divine enter- 
 prise, that the Spirit of God is the great Missioner, 
 and that only as He dominates the work and workers 
 can we hope for success in the undertaking to carry 
 the knowledge of Christ to all people. They believe 
 that He gave the missionary impulse to the early 
 Church, and that to-day all true mission work must 
 be inaugurated, directed, and sustained by Him. 
 
 193 
 
194 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 No lesson of missionary experience has betn more 
 fully, impressively, and convincingly taught than that, 
 apart from the divine working, all is inadequate. The 
 hope and guarantee of carrying the Gospel to all the 
 non-Christian world do not rest principally on external 
 favoring advantages which Christianity may possess in 
 certain fields ; nor upon the character and progress of 
 the civilization of Christian countries; nor upon the 
 number, strength, experience, and administrative abil- 
 ity of the missionary societies; nor upon the variety 
 and adaptability of missionary methods and the effi- 
 ciency of missionary machinery; nor upon an army 
 of missionary evangelists, preachers, teachers, doctors, 
 and translators — much as these are needed ; nor upon 
 the relation of the money power to the plans of the 
 Kingdom ; nor upon aggressive, and ably led, forward 
 missionary movements, either in the home Churches 
 or on the foreign field— but upon the living God 
 dominating, possessing, and using all these factors and 
 influences. 
 
 Everything vital to the success of the movement to 
 carry the Gospel to all the non-Christian world depends 
 upon the power of God Himself. In His hands is the 
 government of the world. He has intrusted enormous 
 powers to Christian nations. His providence has 
 opened the door to the non-Christian countries, deter- 
 mined the order of their occupation, and developed 
 agencies and influences which facilitate the spread of 
 Christianity. 
 
 Investigation has furnished countless illustrations, 
 showing that God has preceded the messengers of the 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 195 
 
 Gospel, and prepared the people to understand it and 
 to be responsive to it. The Spirit of God is working 
 continuously in all parts of the world in the hearts of 
 men, apart altogether from the main channel of His 
 revelation, which culminated in Christ. Christian work- 
 ers, therefore, should approach people with their mes- 
 sage, recognizing that the Spirit has preceded them. 
 This normal working of the Spirit universally in the 
 human heart should be recognized, and every mani- 
 festation of His working should be welcomed, in the 
 belief that " God is no respecter of persons but in 
 every nation he that feareth him and worketh right- 
 eousness is acceptable to him." Unquestionably God 
 had been working in the world through all the cen- 
 turies before the coming of Christ. " My Father 
 worketh even until now, and I work." He has been 
 working through the non-Christian religions, not alone 
 in using such truths as they may possess for the better- 
 ment of men, but also in making these religions a 
 schoolmaster to lead the peoples to recognize in due 
 time their need of Christ. The Rev. E. AUegret, a 
 missionary of the French Congo, has thus described 
 his experience, which is similar to that of many other 
 missionaries in different parts of the world : " I have 
 been witness to numerous genuine conversions fol- 
 lowed by lives truly transformed, but that which has 
 astonished me the most is, that time after time I have 
 come among people who were expecting me and who 
 were prepared to receive my Gospel message. One 
 time a company of natives after a long march emerged 
 from the great forest and arrived upon the banks of 
 
196 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 the river where they found us. They reported that 
 they had wondered whether in following the sun they 
 might not find God, and they indicated that it seemed 
 quite natural that God should enable them to meet us 
 and should thus answer their unconscious prayer." 
 
 It is God who chooses and thrusts forth the workers 
 of His own appointment. The pages of missionary 
 history teach no lesson with more abundant and satis- 
 fying illustrations. The leaders of the Church Mis- 
 sionary Society, of the China Inland Mission, and of 
 other missionary organizations, have borne testimony 
 to the fact, that again and again, when they have 
 greatly needed missionary candidates but have been 
 unable to secure them, and have made their need a sub- 
 ject of united intercession, invariably the new workers 
 have been forthcoming. On the authority of Christ, it 
 is hopeless to expect to secure a sufficient number of 
 missionaries apart from His compellingpower, and even 
 were it possible, they would prove incompetent for the 
 great work. Experience is showing that when chosen 
 and dominated by His Spirit, a few men can do more 
 than an army chosen only by men. It is He who com- 
 municates to the workers, both foreign and native, 
 power not naturally their own, which qualifies them 
 to do His work. He it is who guides workers as 
 truly to-day as in New Testament times, to discover 
 the lines along which the Kingdom is to be extended 
 and built up. The large, growing, and permanent 
 spiritual results are the product of His gracious and 
 life-giving work. The secret of the power of those 
 missionaries who accomplish the largest and deepest 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 197 
 
 work is not what they do and say, but the presence of 
 Christ in them, and with them. They see with His 
 eyes, feel with His heart, work with His energies. 
 Christ is everything with them. They move among 
 men as embodiments of His superhuman power, under 
 Whose vitalizing touch dead souls start into life. The 
 power of God may be seen also in the ability given to 
 His servants to go on working steadily year in and 
 year out, even with little or no apparent results, but 
 sustained by a sense of duty and by an undying hope 
 that the Lord will surely see of the travail of His soul 
 and be satisfied. Moreover, no one but the almighty 
 Spirit can cause the missionaries of the different Chris- 
 tian communions, and also the native Christian work- 
 ers, to work with that harmony and unity and spirit 
 of true brotherhood which are essential to universal 
 conquest. 
 
 God alone enables workers to face with calm and 
 courageous hearts the stupendous obstacles and diffi- 
 culties which lie across their path, and to triumph over 
 them. The fearful inertia and conservatism of the 
 non-Christian world ; the prevalence of ignorance, su- 
 perstition, falsehood, moral perversity and coarseness, 
 fear, fatalism, godlessness, selfishness, and loveless- 
 ness ; racial prejudice and antagonisms ; the corrupt 
 lives and practices of representatives of Christen- 
 dom — all this would leave the workers discouraged 
 and dismayed were it not for faith in the living Christ. 
 Only the quickening powers of His Gospel can over- 
 throw or transform systems of error rooted for thou- 
 sands of years, and entwined with the laws, institu- 
 
igS DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tions, customs, and sentiments of peoples of ancient 
 civilizations. The vast extent of the work to be done 
 and the subtle and baffling obstacles which oppose, are 
 such that nothing less than the action of the omnipo- 
 tent God behind the presentation of the truth of Christ 
 will enable it to prevail and overcome. 
 
 It is God who overrules occasions and events, human 
 movements and powers, for the furtherance of the 
 Gospel. Diplomacy has often been unfortunate ; com- 
 merce has selfishly opposed the spread of Christianity ; 
 the prejudice of the officials and of the people has 
 resisted the introduction of the Gospel. But all these, 
 together with persecutions, wars, and national calami' 
 ties, have been turned to the progress of the Gospel. 
 Many have called attention to the overruling hand of 
 God in connection with the Boxer uprising in China. 
 They recognize His power and guidance in the fact 
 that the very action which was intended to extirpate 
 Christianity from China has had, as one of its results, 
 an unprecedented forward movement in missionary 
 work in that country, and that since the year 1900 the 
 doors have been opened to the Gospel far wider than 
 before. Dr. Ford of Syria says, " Rarely has the hand 
 of God been more plainly revealed in the march of 
 human events than it was in the crises of July, 1908 
 and April, 1909 in Turkey. These are indications of 
 the revelation of the supernatural factor in advancing 
 the Kingdom of God in the world." 
 
 Modern missions constantly confirm the fact so 
 prone to be forgotten, that it is the Spirit of God 
 Who alone has the power to convict men of sin. It is 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 199 
 
 only when He convicts of sin and of dire need that 
 the soul becomes willing to hear of Christ as a Saviour. 
 The genuine fruits of the Spirit, as shown in convic- 
 tion, repentance, restitution, and the making up of 
 long-standing quarrels, have afforded convincing proof 
 that God alone brings home the Gospel with power to 
 the hearts and consciences of men. Even in discourag- 
 ing fields of China, He has shown His ability to over- 
 come the fear of " loss of face/' and to call forth 
 heartbreaking confessions — not of ordinary shortcom- 
 ings and failures, but of sins which the Chinese would 
 endure anything in order to conceal. Men have been 
 moved to confession of sin through the working of this 
 unseen Agent in their lives, who could not be moved 
 by any human agency or influence. The Chinese are 
 naturally a stolid people, little given to emotion; but 
 workers state that such rending of the heart under 
 conviction of sin they have never seen in the home 
 lands. Bishop Warne gives this remarkable testimony : 
 " After twent)' years of personal experience and close 
 observation, I can testify that, apart from the direct 
 work of the Holy Spirit in convicting non-Christians 
 of sin, I have never known the conversion of an indi- 
 vidual to the real Christian life and experience. 
 Among a people whose consciences are educated in 
 the vagaries of the Vedantic philosophy of India, 
 which leaves the individual without a consciousness of 
 personal and moral responsibility, there is absolutely 
 no hope except in the awakening to, or the creating 
 of, a consciousness of sin and moral responsibility by 
 the direct work of the Spirit of God. I have seen 
 
200 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 thousands of instances of awakening and transforma- 
 tions of character nothing short of the miraculous." 
 
 There can be no more marked and unmistakable 
 proof of a present-day working of a superhuman 
 power than the work of the Holy Spirit in such con- 
 versions as are taking place in increasing numbers from 
 year to year in all parts of the non-Christian world. 
 The breaking down, for example, of the pride of a 
 Moslem until, conscious of his sin, he humbles himself 
 at the Cross, and becomes a new man in Christ Jesus, 
 is a contemporary evidence of the superhuman charac- 
 ter of the Christian faith. The Rev. G. Raquette, of 
 the Swedish Mission in Turkestan, gives an account 
 of the conversion of a Mohammedan mullah : " He 
 had tried for years in vain to fulfill the commandments 
 of the Mohammedan religion. He saw only faults in 
 himself and in his religion, and could find no light. At 
 last he began quite secretly to think of Jesus Christ, 
 whose name he had seen in the Koran. Something 
 within him seemed to tell him that Jesus was the 
 Prophet by whom he could find the way to God. But 
 there were no Christians, no teachers, and no books to 
 instruct him. Then he began to pray to God in the 
 name of Christ. He kept up this practice every day 
 for nine years, until one day he found a copy of the 
 Gospels, and then found a great light and peace. He 
 became exceedingly delighted and happy. He became 
 baptized, and was the first Mohammedan of Bok- 
 hara to find Christ." The Rev. W. M. Beck, of the 
 Lutheran Mission in Liberia, tells of the conversion 
 of another Moslem: " One morning I met a mullah. 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 201 
 
 and after some friendly conversation asked him to 
 explain his doctrine, which he was glad to do at con- 
 siderable length. Then I repeated to him the Gospel 
 story and compared the leaders of the Christian and 
 Mohammedan faiths and their doctrines. He was 
 deeply impressed, and on parting remarked, ' If what 
 you say is true, and I believe it is, I must quit teach- 
 ing Mohammed and teach Jesus.' Some days later, 
 when I met his son, he told me that his father had 
 turned from teaching the Koran and was preaching 
 Jesus." 
 
 The fact that men who were living indifferent, 
 callous, degraded, sensual, proud, cruel lives have 
 become pure, faithful, kind, spiritual, and zealous, and 
 that they are triumphantly resisting their old tempta- 
 tions, is satisfying evidence that there is a power 
 greater than human in the missionary movement. The 
 story of " Old Wang," one of the first men baptized 
 in the United Free Church Mission in Manchuria, has 
 often been told. He was converted from being a 
 selfish opium slave to an earnest Christian worker, 
 who devoted his whole life to the well-being of others. 
 His mother and his younger brother became Christian 
 believers as a result of observing the mighty change 
 in his own life. Dr. J. E. Walker, of Foochow, tells 
 of another opium convert : " He was not a man of 
 strong will and was a complete slave to the terrible 
 opium habit, but through the prayers and faithful min- 
 istry of one of our preachers, he has been completely 
 delivered. The almost universal testimony of physi- 
 cians who have had to deal with such cases is that 
 
202 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 thorough enslavement to this habit is attended with a 
 physical degeneracy and a weakening of the will which 
 renders reform a physical or human impossibility." 
 The Rev. O. Bodding, of Santalia, India, has written 
 about the conversion of an honorary magistrate who 
 was addicted to many of the heathen vices : " He had 
 spoken very disdainfully to others, and had sworn that 
 he would never become a Christian. Purposely I did 
 not speak to him about Christ, and I forbade others 
 to do so. Many had tried to influence him, but had 
 been routed by him. I centered my hope in prayer on 
 his behalf, and in the Word of God, in which I sought 
 to interest him. We read together the book of 
 Romans. It filled him with questionings. It was plain 
 that the Spirit of God was working in his heart. After 
 about four months he made up his mind and asked to 
 be taken under instruction for baptism. He is now the 
 leader of one of our congregations, and through the 
 grace of God is a redeemed and cleansed character. 
 He was gained solely through the influence of the 
 Spirit working through the Scriptures." The Rev. 
 F. J. F. Van Hasselt of Dutch New Guinea tells of 
 the conversion of one of the fiercest opponents of 
 Christianity. He says that he was " a drunkard, adul- 
 terer, robber, and murderer — one w!_ ■>, under a regular 
 government, would have been a candidate for the scaf- 
 fold. He called on me and asked to be baptized, being 
 tired of sin. I could hardly trust my ears, as I had 
 almost given him up as hopeless. After a time of pro- 
 bation he was baptized, and has ever since lived an 
 exemplary life. He often accompanies me at his own 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 203 
 
 request on evangelistic tours, and gives a powerful tes- 
 timony. Although belonging to the higher class, he is 
 not ashamed to repair my boat and serve me without 
 accepting payment. In view of cases like this, one can- 
 not doubt the personal working of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 Director P. A. Gericke, working on the island of 
 Java, has thus told of the conversion of a Mohamme- 
 dan village magistrate. " He stole money from the 
 Government and ran away to another part of Java, 
 where he settled down under a changed name. There 
 he came in contact with Christians, attended the meet- 
 ings, received baptismal instruction, and was later bap- 
 tized. On account of his good conduct and his talents, 
 one of our missionaries made him his helper. One day 
 he came to the missionary and asked for his dismissal 
 on the ground of unworthiness. As a reason he named 
 the theft which he, as a magistrate, had committed 
 years before. Although not compelled to do so, he 
 gave himself up of his own accord to the police, be- 
 cause he felt that only in this way could he satisfy his 
 conscience. The Dutch officials were profoundly 
 impressed by his action. In the prison he preached 
 Christ, and showed forth an attractive Christian life." 
 
 Nothing but the uplifted Christ, drawing men to 
 Himself, will account for the noble and Christlike 
 characters raised up on the mission fields from among 
 those whose lives were degraded and whose natures 
 were hardened and unresponsive. It is in Him they be- 
 gin to see God, for He brings God near to them and re- 
 veals to them God's loving-kindness and saving power. 
 In Him they see in human form and action the holi- 
 
204 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 ness, love, and power of the unseen God. One after 
 another, men and women in middle and advanced life, 
 as well as the young, give up their pride and sinful 
 practices, and all that has made up the essence of their 
 unholy life in the past, and then go out and testify by 
 life and word among their neighbors that they have 
 passed from darkness into light. The Rev. R. Fass- 
 mann, of German East Africa, tells of an aged woman 
 named Mandoro, who in the course of instruction for 
 baptism, in answer to his question whether there was 
 a sinless human being on earth, replied that there was 
 one, and on further questioning she mentioned the 
 name of a Christian man in the community and told 
 of his Christlike deeds. Missionaries who have 
 observed these radical changes, and who have had 
 opportunity to talk with such persons, to see the way 
 in which the problems of life are faced by them from 
 the Christian standpoint, to understand their motives 
 and spirit, and to watch their consistent Christian lives, 
 have no doubt whatever that God and not man is the 
 prime mover in the missionary enterprise, and that 
 Christ is the center and innermost working power in 
 these transformations of men. 
 
 The Rev. W. L. Ferguson, of Madras, points out 
 the impossibility of accounting for the marked changes 
 in disposition and character which are taking place on 
 the mission field, apart from the working of God 
 Himself. " I am continually led to wonder at the way 
 in which these people become Christians. Most of 
 them are so densely ignorant that they fail to follow 
 anything like abstract thinking or philosophy. I have 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 205 
 
 often been in despair when I have tried to reason out 
 a case with them, and I am certain that if I were to 
 attempt to teach them logic I should utterly fail. And 
 yet they grasp the Gospel message — enough of it to 
 make salvation available. The great essentials get a 
 grip on their minds and hearts. They forsake idolatry 
 and heathen practices; they believe in God; they 
 receive Christ as Saviour, believing that He died for 
 their sins, arose again, and that He is now alive and 
 able to save and to sympathize. This may be the full 
 extent of their apprehension, but it works marvels in 
 their lives. I have seen some real saints among them, 
 men and women consistent and spiritual in life and 
 mighty in prayer. Such transformations tell greatly in 
 the communities where the lives are lived." It does 
 not take many cases of this kind to create an over- 
 whelming impression that the Lord Christ is present in 
 this world to-day, as really as He was in the villages 
 of Galilee. 
 
 Writing from Korea, the Rev. J. E. Adams voices 
 the conviction expressed by scores of missionaries 
 from nearly all quarters of the world : " I have expe- 
 rienced, tested, and proved the sufficiency of the Holy 
 Spirit in the work of the conversion of men, so con- 
 stantly and with such invariable results, that any ques- 
 tion on the subject has long ceased to exist. It has 
 become one of the assumed working postulates of life. 
 No man living in the conditions in which I have lived, 
 even with the most rudimentary instincts of scientific 
 observation, could arrive at any other conviction than 
 that the Gospel is the power of God." It is this ethical 
 
2o6 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 and spiritual Christianity which will conquer the non- 
 Christian nations. A truly spiritual life, proved by its 
 ethical results and triumphant power over temptation, 
 can alone satisfy their deepest needs. Such conversion 
 is not simply a change in name, opinion, or belief, but 
 a new spiritual experience, a coming to know person- 
 ally the living Christ. 
 
 The great spiritual awakenings and revivals in dif- 
 ferent parts of the non-Christian world are the result 
 of the work of the Spirit of God. The Rev. J. Goforth 
 gives the following account of one of the typical spirit- 
 ual awakenings in China : " One of the most marked 
 manifestations of power that I have seen among the 
 heathen was at a great idolatrous fair where seventy- 
 six Chinese and Canadian Christian workers were in 
 attendance. One night I spoke on I Tim. 2:1-7, with 
 special emphasis on the Crucified. So many in the 
 audience seemed to be moved that one of the Chinese 
 workers exclaimed, ' These signs are like unto those 
 when Peter preached.' At another preaching hall on 
 the following night I was speaking on I Peter 2 : 21-27, 
 and again laid special emphasis on the Crucified, and 
 almost the entire audience stood up, saying, ' We will 
 follow this Saviour.' Some of the Chinese workers 
 were amazed at the results. On finishing the address 
 I left the meeting in charge of another and retired to 
 an inner room for prayer. It was then that one of the 
 workers remarked, ' He for Whom we have so often 
 prayed is among us to-night of a certainty, but if we 
 would retain His presence we must walk carefully.' 
 Up to this time we had never heard such fervent 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 207 
 
 praying from Chinese lips. In connection with this 
 and the other missions there were alv :./s signs of 
 intense conviction. Men and women were broken 
 down, confessed their sins, made restitution, and 
 yielded themselves to God. The sense of God's pres- 
 ence was overwhelming and soon became unbearable. 
 Others, Chinese as well as foreigners, who have passed 
 through scenes of judgment, have afterwards carried 
 the fire to other centers where the same divine results 
 have followed." Dr. W. M. Morrison, a missionary in 
 the Belgian Congo thus describes a recent awaken- 
 ing in that region : " The power of the Spirit of God 
 was present in a marvelous manner. Confession was 
 made in public of sins which would be unmentionable 
 at home ; fetishes were renounced and publicly burned 
 or otherwise destroyed ; restitution was made of stolen 
 goods, gambling gains, and other riches received as 
 the hire of sin. Great sinners were saved ; backsliders 
 were restored; and evangelists were sent forth to 
 preach. A few of the converts have slipped back, but 
 many of the fruits of the revival remain to this day. 
 Two things are especially notable about these awaken- 
 ings; first, they always come in answer to earnest, 
 believing prayer, sometimes after long waiting; and, 
 secondly, they come in connection with the proclama- 
 tion and teaching of the Word of God." Other recent 
 wonderful revivals in China, in Northern and Southern 
 India, in all parts of Korea, and the famous Taikyo 
 Dendo in Japan a few years ago, not to mention simi- 
 lar awakenings in other decades, are traced by the mis- 
 sionaries to the same divine source. 
 
208 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 One of the unmistakable evidences of the work of 
 the Spirit of God is to be found in the way in which 
 Christians endure trial and persecution. For example, 
 the most marked characteristic of the Chinese Chris- 
 tians is their steadfastness, their willingness to endure 
 hardship and even death for the sake of Christ. There 
 has never been a time in the history of missions in 
 China when the profession of Christianity did not 
 entail risk of persecution. Even before the year 1900, 
 the blood of martyrs had been frequently shed in 
 China, and in that year several thousands of Chris- 
 tians were slain in the Boxer uprising because they 
 would not renounce their faith. The Church in Man- 
 churia in particular has for several years been sub- 
 jected to very severe trials. During the war between 
 China and Japan it suffered much. During the Boxer 
 uprising many of the Manchurian Christians were 
 slain, and many more died of disease resulting from 
 exposure when endeavoring to escape. Others suf- 
 fered greatly in connection with the recent war 
 between Japan and Russia. These various trials, how- 
 ever, served to prepare the way for the recent remark- 
 able revival which has done so much to purify and 
 strengthen the spirit of the Church. 
 
 The members of the Eastern and Protestant Chris- 
 tian Churches in Moslem lands have also undergone 
 terrible trials and persecutions. In 1895 and 1896 
 twenty-two Protestant pastors and preachers in Arme- 
 nia were slain, and in April, 1909, twenty-one Chris- 
 tian pastors in Cilicia met death at the hands of the 
 cruel Moslems. During these massacres thousands of 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 209 
 
 the church members also were killed. The more one 
 reads of the fearful ordeals of blood and fire through 
 which the Christians of the Turkish Empire have 
 passed, the greater is the respect one has for those 
 who through it all have held to the name of Christ. 
 
 The transformation of communities as well as of 
 individuals is also indicative of the work of Christ as 
 God. The testimony of Bishop Tucker as to the com- 
 plete change in the social life and practices of the peo- 
 ple in Uganda under the influence of the Gospel is a 
 good illustration ; also, through the work of the Living- 
 stonia Mission, other African tribes have been just as 
 wonderfully transformed. The case of the Wild 
 'Ngoni is one of the most remarkable. Thirty years 
 ago they were a tribe of the very fiercest savages, and 
 one of the most degraded of all. Cruelty, murder, and " 
 impurity abounded among them. The women were 
 downtrodden and oppressed. For the very least 
 ofifence any one might be put to death. " A woman 
 carrying a pot of beer would be killed in broad day- 
 light in order to get the beer and prevent detection. 
 A scream would be heard in the evening, and on inquir- 
 ing the cause one would be told that it was a worn-out 
 slave who had been cast out for the hyenas to devour." 
 The tribes around lived in constant terror of their 
 raids, which were always accompanied by the most 
 wanton bloodshed, for the 'Ngoni did not consider 
 themselves men until they had shed blood. In 1882, 
 the first missionary — a Kaffir evangelist — ^began to 
 work among them, and very quickly a change was 
 noticed. In less than ten years the war spirit was 
 
210 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 broken, and in twenty years it was entirely gone. The 
 brutal raids upon the defenceless tribes had ceased, 
 and slave-trading was impossible. To-day in many 
 places the people gather night and morning to worship 
 God, and there is a large and growing native Church. 
 This transformation has taken place without the aid 
 of any secular force and with the persistent savagery 
 of the land as an opponent. Nothing but the power of 
 God could have brought it to pass. 
 
 Another example is the marvelous uplifting of out- 
 castes and lower castes in Northern and Southern In- 
 dia as a result of the power of the Gospel. The manner 
 in which these most depressed and degraded of all the 
 peoples in India have improved their social condition, 
 rebuked and overcome the forces of vice, erected their 
 own schools and churches, spread the Gospel among 
 their neighbors, and suffered for Christ's sake, while 
 leading quiet, consistent Christian lives, is truly won- 
 derful. Dr. John Ross, of Manchuria, says that while 
 "Education is good, and other intellectual and physical 
 aids as well, all these combined and at their very best 
 would never have evolved the Church in Manchuria 
 from the mass of foreigner-hating idolaters who filled 
 the land." Another remarkable example of the influ- 
 ence of the Gospel is seen among the Miao tribes of 
 West China. Communities that less than a decade ago 
 were ignorant, degraded, and very immoral are now 
 Christian. The complete transformation of certain 
 of the Pacific Islands constitutes another striking 
 example. One does not find examples of such trans- 
 formations of communities as a result of the teach- 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 211 
 
 ing •£ the Baghavad Gita or the Ramayana or ©f th« 
 entrance of the Koran. It is the working of powers 
 that transcend human explanations, accompanying the 
 proclamation of the story of Christ and His Cross, that 
 accomplishes these wonders. 
 
 Another evidence of God's power is seen in the way 
 in which He fills the native Christian with a passion 
 for helping others, especially those in deepest need. 
 On all the mission fields there have been many splen- 
 did examples of new converts making sacrifices that 
 they might tell others of the salvation which they had 
 found. The manner in which many hundreds of the 
 ablest young men of the different non-Christion nations 
 and races have refused worldly advancement and de- 
 voted their lives, on comparatively insignificant sal- 
 aries, to the work of evangelizing their non-Christian 
 countrymen and of carrying the good tidings of salva- 
 tion into regions beyond, is a striking manifestation 
 of God's working. In fact, there is nothing more en- 
 couraging anywhere, and nothing which so clearly 
 proves the reality of their Christian experience. The 
 Bishop of Hankow maintains that " it is difficult, if 
 not impossible, to account for so many Chinese Chris- 
 tian young men entering vipon the arduous and com- 
 paratively poorly paid work of the ministry without 
 ascribing it to the direct influence of the Holy Spirit. 
 Most of them had to suffer serious persecution when 
 they became Christians, and the older among them 
 have shown by their lifelong devotion and steady 
 growth in Christian character the manifold fruits of 
 the Spirit." Bishop Warne gives an interesting illus- 
 
212 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 tration of the same point in writing of one of the 
 Indian preachers : " He was in a theological school 
 receiving ten rupees, and his wife was getting six 
 rupees because of her help in teaching wives of 
 preachers, making a combined salary of sixteen rupees. 
 When he graduated he was appointed to a very diffi- 
 cult field where he worked for a salary of twelve 
 rupees a month. One day he received an offer from 
 Government of forty rupees per month, together with 
 a comfortable home in which to live, in the midst of 
 pleasant surroundings. It came to him as a great 
 temptation, but he and his wife spent the night in 
 prayer and decided that, as God had called them to do 
 spiritual work, they must not be tempted by money. 
 So they remained and worked for several years, living 
 on the twelve rupees a month. This worker has ad- 
 vanced, and is now drawing a salary of seventy rupees 
 a month, while his old classmates, who were not his 
 equals either in intellectual ability or character, are 
 receiving from Government 600 rupees a month." 
 
 There are many other evidences showing that every- 
 thing vital to the success and spread of the Kingdom 
 of Christ depends upon the divine factor. The work 
 of God is not confined to the extraordinary events and 
 experiences of Christian missions. The presence of 
 God cannot be divorced from the usual, from the ex- 
 pected, and be associated only with the so-called mirac- 
 ulous. God's presence and work are also to be seen 
 in the commonplaces of missionary experience and 
 success. For those who are genuine Christians every 
 common bush " is afire with God." 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 
 
 213 
 
 If God's favor and faithfulness are so great, why is 
 it that the success of the missionary enterprise is so 
 limited? Is it not because so many Christians fail to 
 fulfill the conditions required for the forth-putting of 
 divine power ? What are these conditions ? A mighty, 
 almost irresistible power is conveyed in an ordinary- 
 looking wire cable on two main conditions, proper 
 insulation and perfect contact. If those abroad and at 
 home, who are seeking to make Christ known to all 
 the non-Christian world, can be saved from selfish- 
 ness, and at the same time preserve their connection 
 with the abounding and never-failing Source of super- 
 human power, they will accomplish what He surely 
 wills — the making of Christ known to all people. 
 Granted a sufficient number of workers with lives 
 dominated by Christ, we may expect that He will put 
 forth mightily His living power. Unless they sur- 
 render themselves to Christ and are controlled by His 
 Spirit, unless they work in His power, they had better 
 turn from this service; for unyielding lives and un- 
 spiritual work will only be a hindrance to the enter- 
 prise. 
 
 It is the Holy Spirit who communicates to Chris- 
 tians the spirit of witness-bearing and evangelization. 
 Wherever His presence and power have been most 
 largely manifested, the limits of the Kingdom are being 
 extended through the personal testimony and preach- 
 ing of Christian disciples. Not only the clergy but 
 likewise the laity feel the burden of responsibility for 
 making Christ known among their countrymen. They 
 seek to evangelize the outlying and distant regions as 
 
214 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 well as their home communities. Every mission field 
 abounds with illustrations of such activity. A young 
 Chinese, who was converted when working in the 
 Malay Peninsula, went to China to study medicine, 
 and later returned to West Borneo, where as an itin- 
 erant vendor of Chinese medicines, he traveled far and 
 wide. Wherever he went he proclaimed the Gospel 
 with such power that when, at his request, a missionary 
 was sent from Singapore to examine his work, between 
 three and four hundred Chinese converts were found 
 receiving instruction. All these were the direct pro- 
 duct of his faithful witness in the midst of great op- 
 position and persecution. The Christians of Korea 
 and Manchuria are in their evangelistic zeal an example 
 to the members of the Church in Christian as well as 
 in other lands. The Rev. J. Goforth bears testimony 
 that the results of the different evangelistic missions 
 were just in proportion to the extent the missionaries 
 and Chinese Christian leaders yielded themselves to 
 God and sought the power of the Holy Spirit. He 
 expresses the conviction that " if the Church of Christ 
 will humble itself under the hand of God, the Holy 
 Spirit will confirm the preaching of the Word with 
 unmistakable signs of His presence and power. . . . 
 I have the strongest of convictions that it would pay 
 many, many fold for the Church at home and abroad 
 to cease for a season its busy round of activities and 
 seek for the Holy Spirit's power as for hidden treas- 
 ure. Then, as a missionary in Korea said, after the 
 power of the Spirit came upon the workers at Phyeng- 
 yang. ' He did more in half a day than all we would 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 215 
 
 have done in half a year,' or as our preachers and 
 others in Chan-te-fu exclaimed, after the Holy Spirit 
 had swept through the assembly there for ten days 
 with the fires of judgment, ' God has done exceeding- 
 ly abundantly above all that we asked or thought. In 
 ten days He has done more than we could have done 
 in ten years.' If we would evangelize the world in 
 our day we must get back to the Pentecostal Factor." 
 
 The superhuman must be emphasized as never be- 
 fore since the days of the early Church. Christians 
 need a fuller, more constant, and more commanding 
 realization of the personal presence of Christ. Con- 
 ferences have been held, not infrequently, both on the 
 home field and on the mission fields, at which the 
 problems, methods, and opportunities Of the work of 
 world evangelization have received careful consid- 
 eration, but there has been alarming neglect to 
 face the great central problem, namely, how to trans- 
 late into actual experience the word of Christ, " He 
 that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth 
 much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing." 
 Wherever even small groups of Christians have faced 
 this question, and have been responsive to the truth 
 as God has revealed it to them, they have received new 
 accessions of His power, and have then gone forth to 
 achieve triumphs in His name. The new visions, the 
 new plans, the new movements, the new power, will 
 undoubtedly follow when Christ is given His rightful 
 place in His united Church. 
 
 Prayer is the method which relates the irresistible 
 might of God to the missionary enterprise. Accord- 
 
2l6 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 ing to the teaching of Christ and the experience of the 
 Church, both in the early centuries and in recent times, 
 the greatest manifestation of divine power is in the 
 pathway of the intercession of His true followers. 
 Every marked advance in the missionary enterprise has 
 been preceded by prayer. Every fresh accession of 
 power which has come upon the workers has been 
 associated with prayer for the Kingdom. Every visita- 
 tion of the Spirit of God resulting in spiritual awaken- 
 ings in the home Church and on the mission fields, has 
 been in itself a convincing evidence of the reality of 
 prayer. Behind the wonderful spiritual awakenings 
 in the Telugu country and also in the Tinnevelly Dis- 
 trict were scores of earnest Christian men and women 
 devoting themselves from day to day to earnest inter- 
 cession. 
 
 Every grave crisis in the expansion of Christianity 
 which has been successfully met, has been met by the 
 faithfulness of Christ's disciples in the secret place. 
 That there is a necessary connection between the 
 prayers of Christians on the one hand, and the reveal- 
 ing of Christ's plan, the raising up of workers, and the 
 releasing of the great spiritual forces of the Kingdom, 
 on the other hand, is a fact as clearly established 
 as any fact can be established. That God has con- 
 ditioned so largely the extension, the progress, and 
 the fruitfulness of His Kingdom upon the faithfulness 
 and loyalty of His children in prayer, is at the same 
 time one of the deepest mysteries and one of the most 
 wonderful realities. 
 
 The Church has not yet discovered, still less begun 
 
THE SUPERHUMAN FACTOR 21 7 
 
 to realize, the limitless possibilities of intercession. 
 How to multiply the number of Christians who, with 
 truthful lives, and with clear, unshakable faith in the 
 character and ability of God, will, individually and 
 collectively or corporately as a Church, wield this force 
 for the conversion and transformation of men, for the 
 inauguration and energizing of spiritual movements, 
 and for the breaking down of all that exalts itself 
 against Christ and His purposes — ^that is the supreme 
 question of foreign missions. From first to last this 
 task, the making of Christ known to all men, is a 
 superhuman work. Every other consideration and 
 plan and emphasis is secondary to that of wielding the 
 forces of prayer. May the Christians throughout the 
 world give themselves as never before to intercession, 
 for this alone will bring to bear upon the sublime work 
 of carrying the Gospel to all the non-Christian world 
 the all-sufEcient forces of the Ever-living One, to 
 whom all power is given in heaven and on earth — ^the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF 
 THE PRESENT SITUATION 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 POSSIBILITIES OF THE PRESENT SITUATION 
 
 It is apparent that the situation in the non-Christian 
 world is of such an urgent and critical character as to 
 demand far greater consecration and effort on the part 
 of the Christian Church. It is also clear, that the 
 Church, with the assured manifestation of the power 
 of God, can, by adequate planning, by the creation of 
 a strong home base, and by the development of efficient 
 forces on the mission field, meet the present unique sit- 
 uation. The possibilities of triumphant success result- 
 ing from a truly worthy advance by the Church, and 
 the possibilities of grave consequences which would 
 result from a failure to improve the wonderful oppor- 
 tunity, are such as to demand the most serious con- 
 sideration. 
 
 In the first place, there is the possibility of carrying 
 the Gospel to all the non-Christian world. It is pos- 
 sible so far as the accessibility and open-mindedness 
 of the inhabitants of the non-Christian world are con- 
 cerned. The non-Christian world, is known to-day as 
 it never has been before. The work of exploration 
 has been comprehensive, thorough, and, so far as the 
 inhabited parts of the world are concerned, is practi- 
 cally completed. The whole world is remarkably ac- 
 
222 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 cessible. Improved means of communicatioB have 
 within the past two decades been spread like a network 
 over nearly all the great spaces of the unevangelized 
 world, or are to-day being projected over these regions. 
 For example, railway lines are being rapidly extended 
 in different sections of Africa, in the Levant, in Cen- 
 tral Asia, in the Chinese Empire, and in the more pop- 
 ulous parts of the East Indies, giving missionaries 
 easy access to hundreds of millions of people who 
 could not have been readily reached even one genera- 
 tion ago.* One of the most significant and hope- 
 ful facts with reference to world evangelization is 
 that the vast majority of the people of the non- 
 Christian nations and races are under the sway, either 
 of Christian governments or of those not antagonistic 
 to Christian missions. This should greatly facilitate 
 the carrying out of a comprehensive campaign to make 
 Christ known. 
 
 The minds of the people in most countries are more 
 open and favorable to the wise and friendly approach 
 of the Christian missionaries than at any time in the 
 past. In Japan, including Formosa and the Lu-chu 
 Islands, there is almost everywhere a readiness to hear 
 and to consider the Gospel message. The war with 
 Russia opened many doors and made the people much 
 more responsive to the teaching of the Christian re- 
 ligion. The leaders of the nation and other thoughtful 
 men of Japan are feeling the need of a new moral 
 basis, and many of them are looking to Christianity to 
 furnish it. Within a half generation ex-territoriality 
 * See map at the end of this volume. 
 
Q 
 O 
 
 n 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 w 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 223 
 
 has been done away with in Japan as a result of the 
 revision of her treaties with Western nations, thus 
 permitting missionaries to travel, work, and reside in 
 any part of the country. 
 
 Almost the whole population of Korea is now ready 
 to listen to the Gospel. The troubles through which 
 these people are passing are causing them to turn in 
 great numbers to Christianity for comfort and 
 strength. Contact with the outside world and the 
 progress of education, as well as the teaching of the 
 missionaries, have swept away many deep-seated 
 superstitions. The authorities are conciliatory, and in 
 some cases directly helpful, to the Christian movement. 
 
 It is said that in no part of Manchuria is there open 
 hostility to the Gospel. On the contrary there seems 
 to be marked readiness and willingness to hear and 
 to understand the Christian doctrine. Even in Mon- 
 golia the people are more open and responsive to the 
 Gospel appeal than they were a decade ago. In nearly 
 every part of China there are signs that the stolid 
 indifference and the proud aloofness of the past are 
 giving way. Notwithstanding the opposition mani- 
 fested by some of the officials and other influential 
 men, there is among the people in general a large 
 measure of open-mindedness to what the teachers from 
 the West may have to offer. The native mind seems 
 to be clearer as to the aims and motives of the mission- 
 ary. This does not necessarily imply that there is a 
 higher valuation put upon Christianity, but it does 
 mean that there is certainly less hostility manifested 
 toward its representatives. This is due chiefly to the 
 
224 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 removal of ignorance, prejudice and superstition by 
 the dissemination of knowledge, and to the influence 
 of the lives and teaching of the missionaries. A mis- 
 sionary, writing from a province of China which until 
 recently was one of the most exclusive, says that he 
 could not ask for greater friendliness than that with 
 which he now finds among all classes of the people. 
 He expresses the opinion that in no land is there 
 greater liberty for the preaching of the Gospel. One 
 missionary, writing from one of the westernmost 
 provinces of the country, says that, in visiting 224 
 walled cities where he used to encounter opposition, 
 he now finds none. 
 
 A missionary secretary who recently visited all the 
 principal mission fields of Asia has stated that in no 
 other country of Asia except Korea are missionaries 
 regarded with greater friendliness by the people of all 
 ranks than in Siam. Throughout the island of Ceylon 
 the wise missionary can to-day without serious diffi- 
 culty obtain respectful audiences of non-Christian men 
 for the presentation of the Gospel. 
 
 Owing to the great complexity of the situation on 
 the Indian continent it is difficult to express concisely 
 the situation throughout the whole field. By common 
 consent the masses of outcastes and lower castes are 
 more receptive to-day than ever. There is scarcely a 
 limit to the numbers who would place themselves 
 under instruction of properly qualified Christian 
 teachers. Many untutored non-Aryan tribes are 
 awakening to the call of Western civilization and are 
 beginning to listen responsively to the Gospel message. 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 225 
 
 It is said that the women of India of various castes 
 are coming to have a realizing sense of their needs, 
 and are seeking for education and light. The zenanas 
 are open to a degree which could not have been fore- 
 seen a few years ago. Here and there thoughtful, 
 earnest, spiritually-minded Hindus are reading the 
 words of Christ and seeking to understand Him. If 
 Christian intercourse with these important men could 
 now be multiplied, large numbers of them would be 
 led into full and open discipleship. 
 
 Workers among Moslems in India all testify that 
 their attitude toward Christ and His people is more 
 friendly and favorable than it was in the last genera- 
 tion. The Parsees, owing to the increase of education 
 and the friendly work of missionaries, are more acces- 
 sible and responsive than they were a few years ago. 
 The situation in the various native states throughout 
 the Indian peninsula, as well as in the states along the 
 northern border, has improved upon what it was in 
 the last generation. Notwithstanding the many ad- 
 verse influences and the more pronounced hostility 
 and opposition in certain quarters, it is undoubtedly 
 true that, taking India as a whole, the field is more 
 open than it was twenty, or even ten years ago. 
 
 The situation with reference to the spread of the 
 Gospel in Arabia calls for a strong faith and a zeal 
 that knows no discouragement, but the outlook is hope- 
 ful, and is growing more so year by year as a result of 
 political developments and of the new railway. Mos- 
 lems in the Russian Empire are approachable. Great 
 external changes have taken place in the Turkish Em- 
 
226 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 pire during the past two years. Even if attention is 
 confined exclusively to the Moslem population, there is 
 satisfactory evidence that work on their behalf, if 
 wisely and prudently conducted, is now possible to a 
 degree which would have been incredible two years 
 ago. Many restrictions have been removed with refer- 
 ence to travel, the holding of meetings, the printing and 
 circulation of literature, and the conduct of schools. 
 Moslems and non-Moslems have been placed upon an 
 equal footing before the law and in the rights of citi- 
 zenship. This fact alone inaugurates a new era. 
 Mohammedans in these lands have never had an op- 
 portunity to understand and accept pure Christianity. 
 Missionaries in different parts of Turkey report a will- 
 ingness on the part of many Mohammedans to attend 
 Christian gatherings, to talk about Christianity, and to 
 study it in its simplicity and purity. The same thing 
 can be said of the Moslems of Persia. Much is possi- 
 ble there now, provided the work is developed grad- 
 ually and in a friendly and conciliatory spirit, especially 
 by means of medical and educational missions con- 
 ducted by wise, spiritual workers. 
 
 Throughout the larger part of the vast African con- 
 tinent there is a great and pressing opportunity for 
 the presentation of the claims of Christ. In Moham- 
 medan Africa indeed there is considerable hindrance 
 from government opposition or restrictions. Moslem 
 intolerance has still to be reckoned with among the 
 people, but this intolerance is weakening, and, as the 
 missionaries wisely adapt themselves to the conditions, 
 the way is becoming more and more open. In pagan 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 227 
 
 Africa not only is the way open, but those to whom 
 the way leads are awaiting the arrival of the messen- 
 gers. We have been unable to learn of any extensive 
 field throughout the great Island World which is abso- 
 lutely closed to the wise and devoted ambassador of 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 There are multiplied evidences of larger access and 
 freedom for the proclamation of the Gospel to classes 
 of people in Russia and in many parts of Latin Europe 
 and Latin America who hitherto have been without 
 faith in the living Christ. 
 
 When has the Christian Church been confronted 
 with such a wide opportunity as the one now before 
 her in the non-Christian world as a whole ? As always, 
 opportunity spells responsibility, and this unparalleled 
 openness comes to the Church as a great test and trial 
 of the reality and the living strength of its faith, and 
 of its capacity for comprehensive Christian statesman- 
 ship and generalship. 
 
 It is possible to-day as never before to have a cam- 
 paign adequate to carry the Gospel to all the non- 
 Christian world, so far as the Christian Church is con- 
 cerned. Its resources are more than adequate. There 
 are tens of millions of communicant members. The 
 money power in the hands of believing Christians of 
 our generation is enormous. There are many strong 
 missionary societies in America, Europe, Australasia, 
 and South Africa, and these have accumulated a vast 
 fund of experience, and have developed a great variety 
 of helpful methods and facilities through several gen- 
 erations of activity throughout the world. Surely 
 
228 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 they possess directive energy amply sufficient to con- 
 ceive, plan, and execute a campaign literally world- 
 wide in its scope. The extent, character, and promise 
 of the native Christian Church make it by no means 
 an inefficient part of the Body of Christ. 
 
 The abounding energy and tremendous possibilities 
 of the inspiring movements recently called into being 
 will faciUtate the realization of the aims of the mis- 
 sionary propaganda : for example, the Student Volun- 
 teer Movement; the more comprehensive World's 
 Student Christian Federation; the Young People's 
 Missionary Movement; the Laymen's Missionary 
 Movement; the efficient women's missionary socie- 
 ties ; the Foreign Departments of the Young Men's 
 and Young Women's Christian Associations ; the va- 
 rious Forward Movements within dififerent Christian 
 communions; the army of youth in the Sunday 
 schools, and various young people's societies and 
 guilds. The Holy Spirit has certainly been preparing 
 and marshaling forces for a campaign commensurate 
 with the missionary responsibility of the Church. 
 Above all there are the superhuman resources: the 
 dynamic power of the Gospel of Christ; the unreal- 
 ized possibilities of intercession ; the triumphant pow- 
 er of holy lives — lives unreservedly yielded to the 
 sway of the risen Christ; and the presence of Christ 
 Himself in His Church by His Spirit, the One Who is 
 able to subdue all things unto Himself. Thus, as fol- 
 lowers of Christ look outward over the great areas of 
 the non-Christian world, and then turn to survey the 
 resources of Christendom and to gaze by faith upon 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 229 
 
 their superhuman resources, can they question the 
 possibility to-day of making Christ known to all 
 people ? 
 
 There is also the possibility of entering now into the 
 heritage of the long period of preparation. Where 
 there have been great causes at work we may expect 
 in due time to witness great results. There is no body 
 of workers in connection with any human enterprise 
 who have devoted themselves to their task with greater 
 intensity, thoroughness, and self-denial than those 
 have shown who have been engaged during the past 
 one hundred years in seeking to carry the Gospel to 
 the non-Christian world. While their numbers have 
 been proportionately small their ability has been of a 
 high order, and their wisdom has been remarkable. 
 This comment applies to a large section of both the 
 foreign and native workers. There is one fact to 
 which far too little importance is attached. Even those 
 missionary efforts which have seemed to yield compar- 
 atively small results have not been in vain. While 
 there may not have been many positive results to 
 show from such efforts, yet time will prove that they 
 have been helpful in spreading the Gospel. They have 
 helped to undermine the strength of heathendom. In 
 sections of the Mohammedan and Hinr"'. communities 
 of India, the work of the past one hundred years has 
 been largely that of disintegration, and to-day we see 
 the beginning of the final break-up of these gigantic 
 systems. Were the Christian Church now to advance 
 in the power of Christ, results could be achieved far 
 surpassing anything accomplished in the past. 
 
230 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 As Dr. Fulton pointed out at the Centenary Mis- 
 sionary Conference in China, the work of foreign 
 missions has not been unlike that of the work of re- 
 clamation carried on in recent years by the United 
 States Government for the purpose of making pro- 
 ductive great tracts of desert land. The problem has 
 been that of assuring to those areas streams of water 
 that will bring fertility and fruitfulness — water in 
 steady or regular streams, and not in uncertain quan- 
 tities or at unknown times. So the work of the mis- 
 sionary enterprise hitherto has been largely that of 
 tunneling mountains and constructing reservoirs and 
 canals so as to be able to convey the water in adequate 
 measure and continuity to the great multitudes in the 
 waste and desert places of the non-Christian world. 
 But this all-important preparatory work has now 
 reached a stage where the life-giving streams should 
 be released in far greater measure. 
 
 While the missionaries on every field have tried 
 more or less to secure immediate results, their prin- 
 cipal tasks, whether they recognized it or not, have 
 been concerned with the preliminaries of a really ade- 
 quate advance. Their work has been largely that of 
 scouting and exploring, of organizing and training the 
 arms of the af -vice, of forging the weapons, of evolv- 
 ing the tactics and strategy of the campaign, of sap- 
 ping and mining, of experimenting. This necessarily 
 prolonged labor is now in many fields complete, and 
 as the Rev. W. H. Findlay, formerly of South India, 
 has pointed out, "The effective advance, with victories 
 eclipsing almost all those of the past, may be con- 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 23 1 
 
 fidently expected, if the Church sends the army." 
 For these preliminary stages the forces thus far em- 
 ployed have not been altogether inadequate. But for 
 the work now at hand greater numerical strength, as 
 well as far greater spiritual power, is required. 
 
 Three great laws of God, absolutely certain in their 
 working, have long been in operation throughout the 
 mission fields; and in the light of Church history it is 
 reasonable to expect that they have made possible 
 enormous results. The one thing necessary is for the 
 Christian Church at the present time to enter into the 
 heritage so fully prepared by the working of these 
 unchanging laws. One of these is the law of sowing 
 and reaping. It has been the unvarying rule of the 
 Kingdom that where there has been proper sowing, in 
 due time an abundant harvest may be reaped. Seed 
 sowing has been going on in nearly all of the mission 
 fields for a generation, and in many of them for two 
 or three generations. The seed sown has been good 
 seed — seed with most highly multiplying vitality. The 
 sowers have been wise, assiduous, and faithful. The 
 processes of watering and nurturing have been, gen- 
 erally speaking, efficient. The Lord of the Harvest 
 has never been found wanting in bringing forth in- 
 crease. The great thing needed is capable reapers, 
 abounding in faith and sufficient in number. Granted 
 such, we shall witness large harvests. Even in the 
 most difficult fields of the Mohammedan and Hindu 
 world we shall see the coming out into open confession 
 of a great company of the now secret disciples of our 
 Lord. A study of the great harvests in connection 
 
232 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 with the progress of Christianity suggests no convinc- 
 ing reason why in many other parts of the non-Chris- 
 tian world, there should not be triumphs and ingather- 
 ings like those of recent years in Korea, Manchuria, 
 Northern India, and the East Indies. 
 
 Another one of God's laws, equally certain in its 
 operation, is the law of intercession. On the authority of 
 Christ, which is fully supported in the experience of His 
 followers, intercession has limitless achieving power. 
 There is possibly no section of the Christian Church 
 which has devoted itself more fully to real prayer than 
 the leaders of the Christian propaganda in the non- 
 Christian world ; and the vital Christians on the home 
 field have probably remembered no other cause in 
 their prayers with greater faithfulness than the move- 
 ment for the extension of the limits of Christ's King- 
 dom among the peoples who have not known Him. 
 But of what use is this great and growing volume of 
 intercession unless the Church goes forth in force to 
 enter its rightful possessions ? Wherever it has done 
 so with confident apostolic spirit it has invariably been 
 rewarded with abounding success. 
 
 The law of sacrifice, like the other two laws which 
 have been named, brings into operation a force ade- 
 quate to the achievement of vast spiritual results. 
 Christ enunciated the deepest principle underlying the 
 spread of His Kingdom in this language : " Except a 
 grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth 
 by itself alone; but if it die it beareth much fruit." 
 On this ground may not a wonderful increase be ex- 
 pected in our day? A large number of missionaries 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 233 
 
 and native leaders even within the past two decades, 
 have laid down their lives for the sake of the Kingdom. 
 The whole life and career of the missionary is one of 
 self-denial, in which the members of his family also 
 participate. There has also been a large volume of 
 sacrifice for the missionary cause on the part of many 
 Christians on the home field. But the sacrifices of 
 Christ's followers at home and abroad will have been 
 comparatively fruitless unless the members of the 
 Church, in full recognition of the wonderful possibil- 
 ities of the working of this law, seek both to harvest 
 the fruits of the sacrifices already made and to asso- 
 ciate themselves more fully with Cht jt in the life of 
 self-sacrifice. 
 
 There is the possibility of grave consequences to the 
 Church in Christian lands resulting from its failure to 
 perform its missionary duty. If the Church does not 
 rise to the present situation and meet the present op- 
 portunity there will result a hardening of the minds 
 and hearts of its members which will make them un- 
 responsive to God. If the situation now confronting 
 the Church throughout the world does not lead men to 
 larger consecration, and to prompt and aggressive 
 effort, it is difficult to imagine what more God can do 
 to move the Church to perform its missionary duty 
 unless it be to bring upon it some great calamity. 
 
 To know the awful need of the non-Christian world, 
 to have available a Gdspel abundantly sufficient to meet 
 that need, to be fully able to carry that Gospel to those 
 who are in need of it, and not to do so, will inevitably 
 result in unreality and hypocrisy throughout the home 
 
234 bEeisiVE HOUR of missions 
 
 Church. It is an inexorable law of Christianity that 
 no Christian can keep spiritual life and blessing to 
 himself, but must communicate to those in greatest 
 need. Not to do so damages the character of the 
 Christian himself, promotes like hypocrisy among 
 other Christians who are influenced by him, leads un- 
 believers around to lose confidence in the reality of 
 Christianity, and leaves in outer darkness multitudes 
 of souls in non-Christian lands, who, were it not for 
 such sham profession, would be ushered into the mar- 
 velous light and liberty of Christ. Without doubt the 
 present halting and seeming inaction of the Church is 
 bringing discredit on the name and power of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 The only thing which will save the Church from the 
 imminent perils of growing luxury and materialism is 
 the putting forth of all its powers on behalf of the 
 world without Christ. Times of material prosperity 
 have ever been the times of greatest danger to Chris- 
 tianity. The Church needs a supreme world-purpose 
 — a gigantic task, something which will call out its 
 energies, something which will throw it back upon 
 God. This desideratum is afforded by the present 
 world-wide missionary opportunity and responsibility. 
 To be able to lay hold in particular of the lives of the 
 strongest young men and young women, the Church 
 must offer them a task of such magnitude as will call 
 forth their heroism. May it not be that God designs that 
 the baffling problem which confronts Christianity in the 
 non-Christian world shall constitute the school for 
 disciplining the faith and strengthening the character 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 235 
 
 of His followers? To preserve the pure faith of 
 Christianity, a world-wide plan and conquest are 
 necessary. This lesson ia convincingly taught on the 
 pages of Church history. The concern of Christians 
 to-day should not be lest non-Christian people refuse 
 to receive Christ, but lest they, in failing to communi- 
 cate Him, will themselves lose Him. 
 
 Above all there is the possibility of the enrichment 
 of the Church. The movement to carry forward an 
 enterprise to make Christ known to all mankind will 
 inevitably widen the horizon and sympathies of the 
 Church. It will be impossible to plan and wage a 
 world-wide campaign without being enlarged by the 
 enterprise itself. The life of the Church depends upon 
 its being missionary. Revivals of missionary devotion 
 and of spiritual life have ever gone hand in hand. The 
 missionary activities of the Church are the circulation 
 of its blood, which would lose its vital power if it 
 never flowed to the extremities. The missionary prob- 
 lem of the Church to-day is not primarily a financial 
 problem, but is that of ensuring a vitality equal to the 
 imperial expansion of the missionary programme. 
 The only hope of this is for Christians to avail them- 
 selves of the more abundant life through Christ be- 
 stowed in the pathway of obedience to Him. 
 
 If God is to manifest mightily His power in the 
 home Church so that it may be able to grapple success- 
 fully with the problems at its own doors, it is essential 
 that the Church give itself in a larger way to the carry- 
 ing out of His missionary purposes. Is it not true 
 that when this main purpose is forgotten or subordin- 
 
236 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 ated, a paralysis comes upon the Church, incapacitating 
 it for other efforts ? World evangelization is essential 
 to Christian conquest at home. The only faith which 
 will conquer Europe and America is the faith heroic 
 and vigorous enough to subdue the peoples of the 
 non-Christian world. 
 
 The apologetic value and influence of a widespread, 
 thorough, and triumphant propagation of the Gospel 
 should also be emphasized. In Christian lands many 
 have lost faith in Christianity as a power to uplift 
 mankind. If the foreign missionary propaganda fur- 
 nishes from the diiBcult fields of the non-Christian 
 world evidence showing the ability of the Christian 
 religion to transform men individually, to elevate com- 
 munities socially, and to win whole nations, the effect 
 on the life and influence of the home Church will be 
 very great indeed. On the other hand, should the 
 missionary enterprise fail to meet successfully the 
 present world-need and opportunity, the faith of many 
 in the mission and power of Christianity may be 
 shaken to the foundation. 
 
 Christ emphasized that the mightiest apologetic 
 with which to convince the non-Christian world of His 
 divine character and claims would be the oneness of 
 His disciples. Experience has already shown that by 
 far the most hopeful way of hastening the realization 
 of true and triumphant Christian unity is through the 
 enterprise of carrying the Gospel to the non-Christian 
 world. Who can measure the federative and unifying 
 influence of foreign missions ? No problem less colos- 
 sal and less bafflingly difficult will so reveal to the 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 237 
 
 Christians of today the sinfulness of their divisions, 
 and so convince them of the necessity of concerted ef- 
 fort, as actually to draw them together in answer to the 
 intercession, of their common and divine Lord. " It is 
 a gain to the home Church, the importance of which 
 cannot be exaggerated, that, as a result of its foreign 
 mission work, there should be coming back to it from 
 lands not yet Christian powerful influences that are 
 helping to heal its divisions and restore its broken 
 unity." 
 
 A programme literally world-wide in its scope is 
 indispensable to enrich and complete the Church. 
 Jesus Christ must have all the races and all the nations 
 through which to make known fully His excellences 
 and to communicate adequately His power. Informed, 
 transformed, enlightened, enlivened by the reception 
 of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Asia, 
 Africa, and Oceania will surely exercise a profound 
 influence upon the Western Church and help greatly 
 to enlarge and enrich its conceptions of Christ and His 
 Kingdom. 
 
 The missionary possibilities of the Christian Church 
 to-day are boundless. What limits their realization? 
 There is in the Christ-given missionary purpose of the 
 Church nothing which limits these possibilities, for that 
 purpose is broad enough, in its scope, to embrace the 
 entire non-Christian world and to meet the whole range 
 of needs of each human heart and of the human race. 
 The needs of the non-Christian nations and races pre- 
 sent no such limitation; their need is great enough 
 extensively and intensively to require all that Christian 
 
238 DECISIVE HOUR OF MISSIONS 
 
 lands can give them, and the opportunities they present 
 are sufficiently wide and inspiring to call forth the 
 self-denying devotion of all of Christ's true followers. 
 Nor do the times in which we liv« suggest a limit to 
 the missionary possibilities of the Church. In no pre- 
 ceding generation or decade has the Church been con- 
 fronted throughout the non-Christian world with such 
 a coincidence or synchronizing of crises, providences, 
 and favoring conditions. And there is no limit in God 
 as to what He might accomplish, through His children, 
 for the extension of His Kingdom on earth. The only 
 place where such limitations exist is in the lives of 
 Christians. They, by their lack of vision, by their lack 
 of whole-hearted consecration, by their lack of efficient 
 resolution, by their lack of heroic self-sacrifice, and 
 by their lack of triumphant faith, prevent the complete 
 realization of God's sublime purposes for the world. 
 Of how many are the words spoken in olden times still 
 true, " They limited the Holy One." The present is 
 the time of all times when Christians everywhere 
 should rise above all that would hinder the mighty 
 manifestation of Christ in the missionary work of the 
 Church. 
 
 It is a decisive hour for the non-Christian nations. 
 Far-reaching movements — ^national, racial, social, eco- 
 nomic, religious — are shaking them to their founda- 
 tions. These nations are still plastic. Shall they set 
 in Christian or pagan molds? Their ancient faiths, 
 ethical restraints, and social orders are being weak- 
 ened or abandoned. Shall our sufficient faith fill the 
 void? 
 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE SITUATION 239 
 
 It is a decisive hour for the Christian Church. If 
 it neglects to meet successfully the present world crisis 
 by failing to discharge its responsibility to the whole 
 world, it will lose its power both on the home and on 
 the foreign fields and will be seriously hindered in its 
 mission to the coming generation. Nothing less than 
 the adequacy of Christianity as a world religion is on 
 trial. 
 
 It is indeed the decisive hour of Christian missions. 
 It is the time of all times for Christians of every name 
 to unite and with quickened loyaity and with reliance 
 upon the living God, to undertake to make Christ 
 known to all men, and to bring His power to bear upon 
 all nations. It is high time to face this duty and with 
 serious purpose to discharge it. Let leaders and mem- 
 bers of the Church reflect on the awful seriousness of 
 the fact that times and opportunities pass. The 
 Church must use them or lose them. The sense of 
 immediacy and the spirit of reality are the need of the 
 hour. Doors open and doors shut again. Time 
 presses. " The living, the living he shall praise Thee." 
 Let each Christian so resolve and so act that if a suffi- 
 cient number of others will do likewise, all men before 
 this generation passes away may have an adequate 
 opportunity to know of Christ. 
 
INDEX 
 
Copyright, h)ll, by Student Volunteer Movement Tor Foreii^i Missioiu 
 
INDEX 
 
 Accessibility of the non-Christian world 222 
 
 Adam, J. R., on the Miao revival 80 
 
 AdamSjRev. J. E., quoted 205 
 
 Africa — 
 
 Central, changes in 23-25 
 
 Mohammedanism in 60,61 
 
 Nationalism in 30,31 
 
 South, progress in 22 
 
 Allegret, Rev. E., quoted 195 
 
 Anderson, Rev. Herbert, on the revival of the Indian religions . 56 
 Apologetic value of the propagation of the Gospel . . . 236 
 
 Beck, Rev. W. M., quoted 200 
 
 Belgian influence in the Congo Basin 42,43 
 
 Bible— 
 
 In China 81 
 
 In Korea 76 
 
 Still to be translated into many languages .... 99 
 
 Sodding, Rev. O., quoted 202 
 
 Bondfield, Rev. G. H., quoted S3 
 
 Brewster, Dr. William, on revival in Hinghua .... 79 
 
 Brockman, F. S., on prayer 15I) 152 
 
 Buddhism — 
 
 Revivalof S^S^ 
 
 Less influential in Japan 74) 75 
 
 Candidates needed in larger numbers 131 
 
 Causes of changes in non-Christian nations . . . . 31-33 
 Cecil, Lord William, on decrease in poppy cultivation . . 12 
 Central Africa— 
 
 Changesin 93-25 
 
 Educationin 24 
 
 343 
 
244 INDEX 
 
 PVtSX 
 
 Ceylon, revival of Buddhism ia 51 
 
 Chalmers, Jamet, resolves to become a mimonuy . 138 
 
 Changes, economic, political, sodal — 
 
 In Central Africa *3-2S 
 
 In China 7-1S 
 
 inEgypt 42,23 
 
 In India 17-19 
 
 Injapan 4-6 
 
 In Korea 6, 7 
 
 In Persia 16 
 
 In Siam iSi 16 
 
 InTurkey 19-22 
 
 Attitude of Church toward 62-66 
 
 Causes of 3i~33 
 
 Results of 33,34 
 
 Chatterjee, Dr. K. C, quoted , 173 
 
 China — 
 
 Changes in 7-15 
 
 Evangelization of 78-84 
 
 Favorable to missionaries 223, 224 
 
 Indirect influences of Christianity in .... 83,84 
 Dr. Milne on progress of Christianity in .... 78 
 Bishop Moule on progress of Christianity in . . . 78, 79 
 
 Kationalismin 26,27 
 
 Neglected classes in 105 
 
 Revival of Confucianism in 52,53 
 
 Secular education in 47 
 
 Christie, Dr., quoted 170, 171 
 
 CA«fcA J^tJttonary Review, writer in, on secular education . . 48 
 
 Church- 
 Attitude toward changes in non-Christian world . . 62-66 
 At home, spirit of, reflected on the mission field, 
 
 127, 144-152, 154-162 
 At home must increase missionary gifts . .139-146 
 At home should be an adeqimte base for the missionary en- 
 terprise . . 127-162 
 
 Requii an adequate plan 99-124 
 
INDEX 245 
 
 Ckurdi— 
 
 Resources of 113 
 
 Should improve present opportunity . . . .94, 95, 99 
 Ontheinissionfield, need of an efficient . . . 165-190 
 
 Commission of the Edinburgh Conference on Co-operation and 
 
 the Promotion of Unity, quoted . 122-134 
 
 Commission I on the principles that should govern the advance 
 
 of the Church in non-Christian world . . 110-114 
 
 Commission of the Edinburgh Conference on the Home Base 
 
 of Missions, on prayer iS3 
 
 Conditions in the non-Christian nations inviting a comprehen- 
 sive advance 69-93 
 
 Conferences of Christians on the mission field .... 181 
 
 Confucianism, revival of S^iSS 
 
 Congo Basin, conditions in 4^,43 
 
 Dufi, Alexander, quoted 165 
 
 East Indies, Mohammedanism IB 59 
 
 Education — 
 
 Duty of the Church toward 63-65 
 
 In Central Africa 24,25 
 
 In China 13-iS 
 
 InTurkey 21 
 
 Missionary 146-151 
 
 Secular, in China 47 
 
 Secular, in India 4S,49 
 
 Secular, in Japan 46 
 
 Secular, in Korea 47 
 
 Egypt, changes in 22,23 
 
 Ethiopian Movement 3° 
 
 Evangelization — 
 
 Methods on the mission field 169-181 
 
 OfChina 78-84 
 
 OfKorea 76-78 
 
 Requires an adequate plan 100-108 
 
 Requires strat^iy 108-121 
 
246 INDEX 
 
 Ewing, Dr. J. C. R., quoted 
 
 MCE 
 
 S8 
 
 Fassmann, Rev. R., quoted 204 
 
 Ferguson, Rev. W. L., quoted 204 
 
 Findlay, Rev. W.H., quoted 230 
 
 Forces, distribution of missionary 118-121 
 
 Ford, Dr., quoted 198 
 
 Fuktxzawa, Mr. on Christianity 75 
 
 Fulton, Dr., quoted 230 
 
 Gericke, Director P. A., quoted 203 
 
 Gifts to foreign missions ....... 139, i44) ^45 
 
 Goforth, Rev. J.— 
 
 Conducts missions in six provinces 79 
 
 Quoted 206,214 
 
 Goodrich, Dr., on native agencies 183 
 
 Hankow 9 
 
 Bishopof 211 
 
 Hart, Sir Robert, on changes in China 8 
 
 Hindrances to evangelization 183-185 
 
 Hinduism, revival of , in India . S3-S7 
 
 Holland, Rev. W.E.S., on the AryaSomaj .... 56 
 Holy Spirit a necessity in carrying forward the missionary enter- 
 prise 193-217 
 
 Home Church, see Church 
 
 India — 
 
 Changesin . 
 
 Mohammedanism in 
 
 Nationalism in . 
 
 Receptive to the Gospel 
 
 Revivabin 
 
 Revival of Hinduism in 
 
 Secular education in 
 Influence of materialism in the non-Christian world 
 Influences, corrupting, of Western civilization 
 Information about missions, methods of circulating 
 
 17-19 
 S7.S8 
 28,29 
 
 224, 22s 
 85-91 
 53-51 
 48,49 
 45-47 
 39-44 
 
 146-151 
 
INDEX 347 
 
 MOB 
 
 Japan — 
 
 Changes in 4-6 
 
 Christian community in 70 
 
 Favorable to missionaries 222 
 
 Neglected classes in 105 
 
 Revival of Buddhism in So-52 
 
 Secular education in 46 
 
 John, Dr. Griffith— 
 
 On changes in China 8 
 
 On the circulation of the Bible 81 
 
 Johnson, Bishop, quoted 42 
 
 Jones, Dr. George Heber, on the zeal of Koreans .... 77 
 
 Jones, Dr. J. P., quoted 116 
 
 Kabul, modem improvements in 17 
 
 Kennedy's, John S., bequest to foreign missions .... 140 
 
 Koran, changed attitude toward the 92 
 
 Korea — 
 
 Bible in 76 
 
 Changesin 6,7 
 
 Evangelization of 76-78 
 
 Favorable to missionaries 223 
 
 Secular education in 47 
 
 Lahore, Bishop of, quoted 34>9i 
 
 Laws of God in operation throughout the non-Christian world 231-233 
 Laymen's Missionary Movement ... 143-146 
 
 Leadership of the home Church necessary .... 128-138 
 
 Lefroy, Bishop, quoted 34) Qi 
 
 Liquor traffic in Southern Nigeria 41,42 
 
 Literati ot Cidna, 81 
 
 Lowry, President, on changes in China 8 
 
 Mackay of Uganda, quoted 165 
 
 Madras, Bishop of, on mass movements .... 89, 90 
 Manchuria, revivals in 84 
 
248 INDEX 
 
 Matt movements— 
 
 Inlndia 8^-91 
 
 Professor Satthianadhan oa 89 
 
 Bishop Wame on . . 88 
 
 Mateer, Dr. and Mrs., secure many leaders for the Chinese 
 
 Church . 186 
 
 Materialism in the non-Christian world .... 4S-49 
 Methods — 
 
 Of circulating information about missions . . . 146-150 
 
 Of evangelism ... 169-178 
 
 Of increasing native agencies 185-190 
 
 Of raising money for foreign missions .... 140-146 
 
 Miao, revival among the 80 
 
 Milne, Dr., on progress of Christianity in China ... 78 
 Missionary societies of native Christians .... 175-177 
 
 Missionaries still indispensable 168, 169 
 
 Moffet, Dr. S. A., quoted 170 
 
 Mohammedanism, aggressiveness of S7-6i 
 
 Mohammedans in India more open to the Gospel . . . 225 
 Morrison, Dr. W. M., quoted . . .... 207 
 
 Moule, Bishop, on progress of Christianity in China ... 78 
 
 Movements recently organized 228 
 
 Mozoomdar, quoted •159 
 
 Nationalism — 
 
 Growth of 85-31,35,36 
 
 In Africa 30,31 
 
 In China 96,27 
 
 In India 28, 29 
 
 Native agencies, methods of increasing .... 185-190 
 
 Native Christians as evangelists 166-181 
 
 Neesima, Joseph, on native agencies 182 
 
 'Ngoni, the Wild, converted 209, 210 
 
 Nevius, Dr., quoted 166 
 
 Nigeria, Southern, liquor traffic in 41 42 
 
 Non-Christian world, unoccupied fields in .... 101-103 
 Oldham, Bishop, quotad jg„ 
 
IND£X 249 
 
 PACE 
 
 Oluwole, Bishop, quoted 42 
 
 Opiiun crusade in China 11,12 
 
 Feldng, students in 14 
 
 Peking University, Volunteer Band in 83 
 
 Perils to the home Church 233, 234 
 
 Periodicals, increase of, in China 10 
 
 Persecution of Christians 208 
 
 Persia, changes in 16 
 
 Phillips, Dr. W., on Manchurian revivals 84 
 
 Policy of concentration or of diffusion . . . .119 
 
 Possibility of carrying the Gospel to all the non-Christian world 
 
 221-239 
 Prayer — 
 
 F.S. Brockmanon 151,152 
 
 Br. Arthiu H. Smith on 151 
 
 Prof essor Wameck on 152 
 
 And the missionary enterprise . . 139,151-154,215-217 
 
 Needed on the mission field 189 
 
 Principles of strategy that should govern plans for evangeliza- 
 tion . . 109, no 
 
 Qualifications of missionary candidates 132-13S 
 
 Qualifications for missionary leadership . . . .128,129 
 
 Railways in Central Africa *3> 24 
 
 Railway expansion in China 9 
 
 Rainy, Dr., quoted . . i60i 169 
 
 Ramabai, Pandita, on sectdar education 41 
 
 Raquette, Rev. G., quoted 200 
 
 Religions, non-Christian, revival of .... 49-61 
 
 Results of changes in non-Chriitian nationf ... J3, 34 
 Revivals — 
 
 In the non-Christian world C9-95 
 
 InAfrica 9»,9S 
 
 InChina 79i8o 
 
 Inlndia 85-91 
 
 In Japan 71 
 
25© INDEX 
 
 *AOE 
 
 Revivals — 
 
 In Manchuria 84 
 
 Among the Miao in Southwest China 80 
 
 Ross, Dr. John, quoted 170 
 
 Sattbianadhan, Professor, on mass movements .... 89 
 
 Shanghai, as a port . . 9 
 
 Sialkot Convention . 181 
 
 Siam, changes in 15 
 
 Smith, Dr. Arthur H., on prayer 151 
 
 South Africa, progress in 22 
 
 Spectator, The, quoted 32 
 
 Spencer, Herbert, quoted 48 
 
 Strategic classes 114-116 
 
 Strategic places 116-118 
 
 Strategic races 108 
 
 Strategy required in evangelization 108-121 
 
 Student Christian Movement — 
 
 Awakens missionary interest among non-missionary voca- 
 tions 136,137 
 
 Conducts special mission in Japan .... 73, 74 
 
 In China 81-83 
 
 Recruiting Christian workers 187, 188 
 
 Students — 
 
 As missionary candidates 134-136 
 
 Chinese, abroad 13 
 
 In India, progress of Christianity among . . . 90,91 
 
 In Peking 14 
 
 Student Volunteer Movement , 13S-138 
 
 Sunday schools awaken missionary interest . . . 138 
 Swadeshi Movement .... 28 
 Swatow, Student Christian Association <n 82 
 
 Taylor, Rev. A., on entering difficult fields 106 
 
 Taylor, Rev. J. Hudson, describes plan for distributing forces 117, 118 
 
 Telugu country, revivals in 85-88 
 
 Tokyo, Chinese students in 13 
 
INDEX 251 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Toronto, gifts to missions in 145 
 
 Tucker, Bishop — 
 
 On changes in Uganda . 24 
 
 Quoted . . 170 
 
 On revivals in Uganda ... . . -93 
 
 Turkey- 
 Changes in . . 19-22 
 
 Mohammedanism in .... ■ • 57 
 
 Uganda, revivals in 93 
 
 Unity an urgent necessity. ... . 1 21-124 
 
 Unoccupied fields in the non-Christian world 101-103 
 
 Urgency in the prosecution of missionary work, Commission I 
 
 on . . . . . . . no-114 
 
 Van Hasselt, Rev. F. J. F., quoted 
 
 Walker, Dr. J. E., quoted 
 
 Wang of Manchuria 
 
 Wame Bishop — 
 
 On mass movements 
 Quoted 
 
 Wameck, Professor, on prayer . 
 
 Women — 
 
 Education of, in China 
 Education of, in India 
 In Turkey . . . . 
 
 201 
 201 
 
 199, 211, 212 
 . . 152 
 
 • IS 
 
 18,19 
 
 21 
 
 Young Men's Christian Association, see also Student Christian 
 
 Movement -71 
 
 In connection with work among Japanese soldiers . 72, 73 
 
 Young People's Missionary Movement I3°)i37 
 
 Young people and the missionary movement . . . 130-138 
 Yun, Hon. T. H., quoted . . 78