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DIVINE CALL TO MISSION SERVICE.We are most accustomed to think and speak of Christ's call as addressed to the Church collectively: "Go Ye." Do we sufficiently consider his call addressed to persons: "Follow Thou Me?" Churches and Boards do doubtless intend to send only those to whom a personal divine call has come and who are consciously obeying it. But ordinarily such elect ones have only their own persons to give, and the Lord calls the Church to support them. But does he not call some to missionary service, whom he has also made stewards of his money sufficient for their main tenance; some such seem now to be hearing and heeding such a call. A beautiful instance is thus reported in The Church of Scotland Home and Foreign Mission Record:

We are glad to be able to intimate that Miss Bell of the Woll, in the parish of Ashkirk, has offered herself as a missionary to Blantyre at her own charges. The sacrifice which she makes of a happy home and life of keen and active enjoyment, of power and Christian usefulness, is a very great one; but her brothers and sisters make the no less keenly-felt sacrifice of letting her go. The step has not been hastily taken; for six months she has considered the subject daily, and has left no stone unturned in the endeavour

not only to know what she is doing, but her duty in the sacrifice she makes. She will go from the Ladies' Association, and will devote herself in Blantyre to all that can help on the work of the Mission. The call which came to her in silence of her own thoughts, unexpectedly and yet all-commanding, is to her a call still, and she obeyed the Lord from the heart.

PSEUDO-MARTYRDOM.-We

[September,

are glad

to find in the Missionary Review of the World, (July number, page 521) the following vigorous ventilation of a chamber of thought of which a certain order of sanctity has served to conceal its real unwhole

someness:

Ever since Father Damien made himself so famous, a few years ago, by exposing himself to leprosy and becoming thereby a leper, the popular mind has been running riot on this martyrdom, so called. It is high time a halt was called by some one, and this dangerous and foolish error looked squarely in the face. Looked at through professional eyes, the report bears some marks of not being well authenticated; but whether it is true or not, it has served the purpose of bringing to the surface the expression of a dangerous sentiment, and it is this sentiment I desire to attack.

While the best authorities on leprosy disagree on the subject of how close a contact is necessary to transmit leprosy from an infected person to a clean one, yet they are at one in saying that the contact must be close and long continued (such as eating, sleeping, and living in the same rooms), or by direct inoculation (as a fresh wound coming in contact with a leprous ulcer).

This is certainly borne out by the experience of every one who has had an opportunity of studying the disease from a scientific standpoint.

Further, it is a noticeable fact that in

hospitals sustained for the exclusive use of lepers, those who come in daily contact with the disease year after year (I refer to physicians and nurses) do not become lepers.

Under peculiar circumstances, it may occasionally become necessary for a medical missionary to put himself into dangerously close relationship with a leper, yet even then, if he be worthy the name of a nine

1892.]

teenth century physician, he possesses sufficient knowledge to protect himself from contagion,

Under no circumstances that I can think of is it ever the duty of a (medical) layman missionary to come into such close contact with lepers as to make it possible for him to become infected.

While a missionary of the Presbyterian Board at Petchaburi, Siam, and later, as a medical officer of the Siamese Government, I saw and treated many lepers. I also saw, at the same places and time, missionaries (not physicians) preach the Gospel to these lepers; but I never saw the least occasion for dangerous exposure by either myself or them. The life of a missionary, particularly if he has been on the field long. enough to have learned the native language, is too valuable a thing to be exposed to needless dangers and it is enthusiasm "badly run to seed" for such a person to expose himself on the threadbare plea that the lepers are neglected.

With reasonable care for his health, a missionary may last years and preach the Gospel to thousands of heathen whose souls are of equal value with a leper's soul; while by needless exposure he will, probably, not last longer than four or five, the latter part of which will be useless to the cause of missions because of the worker's (physical) inability to do his work. Wherever it becomes necessary for a missionary, or any other person, to expose life for the safety of others, let us give bravery its just reward; but that state of things very rarely occurs to a medical missionary in working among lepers, and never to a missionary. who is not a physician.

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Preach the Gospel to them, my brother, but keep your place, which is far enough away from them that you are in no danger from contagion. If you do not know how many feet that is, ask the medical missionary of your station.

A STRONG PULL AND A LONG PULL.-In the same number of the Missionary Review (page 555) some figuring is done, which is well fitted to sober and balance the zeal which some have sought to stimulate by a sort of figuring which asserts that the work of evangelizing all the world can be finished in a few years.

This figuring is by a missionary:

Turn to your arithmetic and see how long it will take the 1,270 missionaries in China to reach the 400,000,000 keathen, if they use the personal method. And really, nearly all the converts in China are made in this way. Suppose you seek the aid of every Chinese Christian, and then you would not have a force of 50,000. Let these 50,000 visit each one person a day and talk to him two hours, and let them labor in this way for 365 days in the year, and only 18,250,000 persons would be reached in one year. At this rate, it will require more than twenty years for every person in China to hear the Gospel once. But is one hearing sufficient? Go and preach the Gospel to the Chinese, and you will find that it requires days and weeks of teaching before they really know what the nature of the Gospel is. And the native Christians of China cannot yet be relied upon for this work.

That Great Convention has been so fully and so appreciatively reported by the press, weekly and daily, religious and secular, that our readers can need no information concerning it which it is possible for us to give. From notes kindly sent us by one who was present and from the published accounts, we gather some facts and thoughts which our readers will be glad to see preserved in our pages. They will only regret that we have not space for

more:

From the moment when the doors of the Madison Square Garden were thrown open and the thousands of members of the Society rushed in, eager to catch the first word of the first speaker, and to join in singing the first hymn of praise, until the last meeting had closed on Sabbath evening, the enthusiasm continued unabated. The motto of the Society, "For Christ and the Church," was the watch-word of the convention, and it found a hearty response in the hearts of the multitudes who had come together bringing trophies of praise and gratitude to their Master and joining in the supplication for the coming of the Holy Spirit into every heart.

No thoughtful person could fail to see in this gathering of 30,000 Christian young people, at their own charges largely, from all parts of the world, some things of deeper significance than mere temporary effects.

The organization has, for its one object, to advance the Kingdom of Christ in this world along all the possible lines of young people's work.

Dr. Deems, in his address of welcome, truly said that the binding element of the Society is

[September,

the pledge, which combines faith and works as the Holy Scriptures do, being modeled after the words of the Psalmist: "Trust in the Lord and do good."

It was clearly manifested by almost every expression of the convention, that fidelity to its pledge meant loyalty to the king of kings. The youth of the Church are being marshalled, with something like military discipline, for His service.

This movement is at once national and international. Almost every state in Our Union was represented by a large delegation. Many delegates from foreign lands were present as the representatives of Societies and Unions abroad.

Their mutual greetings were all in the name of the one Master beneath whose banner the whole host marches.

This particular convention demonstrated that the Society has not severed from its original idea, interdenominational fellowship. with denominational loyalty.

Thirty different denominations were represented. Delegates and speakers freely proclaimed their denominational connections. All sang together:

"Blessed assurance! Jesus is mine," and "Alas! and did my Savior bleed?"

All bowed reverently before one Lord. On Saturday afternoon there were denominational meetings in various churches, in which the advantages of fellowship with other denominations which the Christian Endeavor movement affords were warmly commended. The Methodist Episcopal delegates led by some of the foremost men in that church respectfully and earnestly dissented from the effort to organize an exclusively denominational society in their church. They felt that the success of this effort would mean irreparable loss on the side of interde

1892.]

nominational communion, without compensating gain on the side of denominational loyalty. This sentiment prevailed in all the denominational meetings.

The Society is everywhere opposed to all forms of evil. As Dr. Clark, in his annual address, succinctly expressed it: "In Louisiana, C. E. is anti-lottery; in Utah, C. E. is anti-Mormon; in Chicago, C. E. is anti-Sunday Opening; in the world, C. E. is antirum." No greater evidence of this need be given than the scene which followed when some one on the platform asked the question:

We have space for only a few of the excellent things which we find in the addresses made in the convention:

President Clark declares the principles of the Society-its four driving wheels-to be "pledged individual loyalty, consecrated devotion, energetic service, interdenominational fellowship." He thinks that the "innumerable lines of committee work provide for every possible form of activity," and that they "do anything that the church wishes to have done." He says:

If any one thing has been made clear by the history of these eleven years, it is God's design to bring the young people of all evangelical denominations together, not for the sake of denouncing denominations or decrying creeds, but in a common fellowship that respects differences and believes in diversity.

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Mrs. Clark spoke, like a true Christian mother for the little children, not less liable to be overlooked by young people than by old people. She said:

You remember in the story of Pilgrim's Progress that Greatheart was appointed to lead the pilgrims to the celestial city, and you remember that he led not only Christiana, but also her four boys all the way, never leaving them till he had conducted them safely to the very borders of the heavenly country.

If we

Christian Endeavorers, you ought all to be Greathearts traveling to a better land, guiding other pilgrims on the way, and always ready to lend a hand to help the little pilgrims over all the hard places, and to do all that you can, both by word and example, to lead them safely to the Celestial City. think of this as a part of our work for Christ and the Church, and pray for guidance, we shall find many ways of helping these little brothers and sisters of ours, remembering Christ's own words: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto Me."

Tue Hawk, a Chinaman, spoke on Christian Endeavor for China. He said:

I admire the freedom this country enjoys by inviting all nations to share her blessings. But this freedom is nothing to that we all enjoy with Christ. I cannot tell you how it does my heart good to be here, to feel that I am treated as a brother, to know that we are all children of one Father. At a political convention in this country no Chinamen would be allowed to occupy the platform one moment. Your great country is free to all except the Chinese, but your Christianity, thank God, is broad enough to welcome and include the Chinese.

Thomas E. Besolow was introduced as an African prince whose father was the ruler of his tribe. He said:

It has been said that I am heir to a throne. I was born heir to a throne, a throne on which to-day my uncle sits. It was my father's throne, and by right it belongs to me, but my uncle usurped it, and fearing that I

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might try to recover it he has attempted to procure my assassination. But I have a grander throne than any on earth to which I might succeed. Christ is my king. Under Him shall I serve as long as I live. For myself I desire no grander work than the redemption of my people. May the God of Abraham and of Isaac carry me on in this work.

Postmaster-General Wanamaker, presiding at one of the meetings, made an opening address, from which we pick this gem:

Christianity is no coward. Whenever men are willing to investigate it, whenever they are ready to inquire and to give a fair hearing, it wins the way. Day by day its friends are increasing, and the procession of God's people is swinging around the world longer and stronger, and it will soon girdle the earth.

Dr. Wayland Hoyt said:

Members of Christian Endeavor Lookout Committee, remember this: The place and time of special difficulty are the place and time of special painstaking.

Joseph Cook said:

What shall you say of the conditions of salvation face to face with the liberalism of our times? What shall be the watchwords with which you go into the twentieth century? I hold it to be a strictly scientific assertion that, unless a man loves what God loves, and hates what God hates, he cannot be at peace in his presence here or hereafter. there is an opportunity of repentance beyond the grave: do you purpose to go and occupy it? Not you. But a hope that you will not put under your own head as a dying pillow you ought not to put under the head of your neighbor. Let this be your watchword:

You say

[September.

"Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation."

Dr. Mabie, Secretary of the Baptist Missionary Union, said:

Christian Endeavor may plan for the support of mission work abroad as well as at home. Youth is the time to cultivate selfdenial of the cigar, the pleasure resort. Delegates present, go home and lay by as much for foreign missions in the year as you have spent to come to this convention. Then will your meeting not be an evanescent thing. Learn proportionate giving as the great financial benefactors have learned to do.

Do not overdo the seeking of specific objects of benevolence, like the support of native preachers. Sometimes this flatters and spoils the native worker. Sometimes he turns out badly. Then your order receives a shock. Your stake was too large in a single subject of missionary effort.

Take stock in the whole cause, and mind not high things. I heard of a man who sent the mission treasury fifty cents to buy twine for doing up missionary packages." Let several societies club together and support an American missionary, if you will have a specific, or build a mission house.

Christian youth of our American churches, I havn't much of an estimate of a disciple who has reached twenty-four years of age and who has never deeply felt like saying, "Here am I. Send me." Not all such are called to go, but some of you are.

About five years ago a young man in my former parish in Minnesota, one Sunday afternoon, after I had preached on, China missions came forward and offered himself, a layman, and a year and a half ago I met him in the interior of China. I met at least ten of my former young parishioners on those Asiatic fields. The most inspiring reminiscences of my life are of those dear workers as I saw them at the front.