The American Missionary. Volume 43, No. 01, January, 1889

It is the purpose of this paper to emphasize some of the facts concerning this great missionary field, and to point out the advantages of systematic spending, which you secure when you commit your funds to this society rather than to the hap-hazard efforts which you have no power to supervise and no control over.

An organized society controlled and directed by those who contribute is the surest possible way of securing this systematic spending. This method has both negative and positive advantages:

I. It prevents waste.

(a.) Waste in administration of funds. Its accounts are open to and audited by those whose money is being spent. Reports of the financial standing, receipts and expenditures to the half-penny are presented every year. Look them over and note how minutely your accounts are kept. Officers and missionaries are held by you to strictest responsibility. This is sound business sense applied to missionary work. But one naturally asks why, when such absolute safeguards are thrown around the administration of the funds committed to the A.M.A., some of those who established those safeguards give a considerable portion of their money to individuals over whose expenditure they have absolutely no control, and where funds may be, and often are, wasted? And in this way the percentage of the cost of administering the funds committed to the A.M.A. is also increased. This can scarcely be called sound business wisdom.

(b.) Waste in field work. It requires wide experience and knowledge of the whole field in order to adjust and direct, without waste of laborers, the force of missionaries. Those who know only one locality cannot do this. It is often remarked that each missionary thinks his particular field the most important, and the one especially needing help and enlargement. This is a grand tribute to their faithfulness and Christian enthusiasm. But the systematic investigation of the whole field, constantly and patiently carried on as it is by the A.M.A., determines with larger wisdom whether work should be strengthened and developed in Tennessee, or Georgia, or Texas. Gen. Grant was familiar with the whole field, and placed his men according to the varying exigencies of the campaign. Just so the systematic methods of this Association place these noble missionaries where there will be least waste of labor.

But there are also positive advantages secured by the systematic methods of the A.M.A. in expending the money committed to its treasury.

II. It secures proportion in different parts of the work.

(a.) In appeal.—This Association, constituted, as it is, the immediate agent of the churches, ought to be your watchman on the tower.

Every pastor is crowded with parish duties. Few intelligent laymen can give time enough to study thoroughly the whole field covered by the missions of the A.M.A. It is now an enormous field. Representatives of five distinct races, Japanese, Chinese, Indians, Mountain Whites and Negroes wait for Christian instruction very largely upon the missionaries you are sending out.

Now, no one who is not compelled by official duties to do it can find time, nor has he the information at hand, to investigate thoroughly each department of this missionary work. The A.M.A. is your agent to discover, through careful and patient investigation, the exact facts, and so to direct its appeals to the churches that the department of work which is especially pressing may be given due prominence. Systematic spending involves this.

(b.) Greatest care is required and exercised in planting new work. Let us in fancy plant a new school in the South, as the Association does it. Exhaustive correspondence is of course, the first step. Then the Field Superintendent visits the field. He gathers every possible fact bearing upon the question: The population; schools, if any; the opinions of white and colored citizens; the religious complexion of the community, etc., etc., etc. Now this Field Superintendent has studied maps and statistics and school reports, and been back and forth until the whole field is in his mind, not simply this one locality. These facts in extenso are reported to the officers in New York. Conferences many and patient are held over them until finally it is settled that this place rather than some other shall be selected for the new school. Now such care as this would be impossible except as the A.M.A., through its officers and teachers, knew the whole field. By independent or individual effort this could not be done. It is not the absolute, but the comparative need and hopefulness that determine the wisdom of fixing upon a certain place for a school or church. This comparative need can only be known by an organized society which has frequent and abundant communication with the whole field, and has officers whose business it is to know that field. The experiments being tried in different places have already been made by the A.M.A., and proved to be either absolutely failures or relatively an uneconomic use of funds.

The saving to you who furnish the money is very great by this method of systematic spending. Let me illustrate by a single example which occurred only a few months ago. Two towns, only a few miles apart, were clamoring for help in school work. We opened a school tentatively in one of these places, as we had one missionary there already, and I visited the other place. This is what I found: A teacher independent of any society, and consequently knowing only a small part of the South, had opened a school. She had labored very faithfully, but very unwisely, putting money and years of hard work into a field which, from its very conditions, could not be largely successful. She had a poor building for teachers' home, a rough school-house with no desks, a narrow strip of land, and an enrollment of about eighty pupils. She was anxious to have the A.M.A. take the work. She informed me that in order to secure it, it would be necessary to pay out from $2,500 to $3,000 in paying debts and putting the buildings in shape for advantageous use. This was the case then: A fairly good house, a rough school-house, a bit of land, and a school of less than one hundred pupils, costing at least $2,500. At the other point under discussion, there were five acres of land, five buildings, an enrollment of about 250 pupils, and the whole property could be secured for $600! $2,500 vs. $600.

These are not very exceptional cases. It is only fair to the generous constituency of this Association to know that their funds are being thus guarded, and that those who give through independent agencies may have their funds squandered because they cannot hold those doing this independent work to strict account as they do the Association, nor can these independent missionaries know the whole field as the A.M.A. knows it. Here are nearly 500 missionaries in constant correspondence with this office, besides the field officers appointed especially to gather information.

(c.) Again, this systematic method of disbursing funds secures a methodical arrangement of field work. Take the mountain field as an illustration of this. This field has been divided into two general districts; one having for its base the L.N.R.R., the other lying along the Cincinnati Southern Railroad. Each department has its general missionary, who goes back and forth in his district to lay out new work, and to superintend the old. The missionaries, pastors and teachers are all busy in their own places. Here then is systematic development of this whole work. These noble missionaries in this way form a well-organized army, and are not guerrillas fighting behind trees and stones, and scattered hap-hazard over the mountains. We shall hold these lines of railroad in the name of the Lord. Churches and missions and Sunday-schools will supplant the saloons and gambling hells if you as churches generously support this painfully urgent work. But when school-houses shall stand in all their fertile coves and church bells shall call to intelligent Christian worship on all those mountain sides, and the people shall be lifted up into spiritual citizenship, it will simply be the victory under God of the systematic planning and execution possible only when funds are disbursed on the sound principles of this Association.

III. This systematic spending of benevolent funds also secures permanency. How few deaths there are in the family of A.M.A. schools and churches! Why? Because these missions are born through wisdom and sound judgment. These schools and churches are not only permanent but they will also perpetuate the great fundamental principles of the churches whose prayers and money have gone into their establishment.

These missions cannot become Roman Catholic or infidel. They cannot drift away from the safe moorings of evangelical truth, unless the churches to which they are tied up give way. The churches control these missions forever. Local management in this work often means mismanagement, on account of the peculiar surroundings in which these schools are placed. They differ radically from schools and colleges planted among the new settlers in the West. Here in the South there is no considerable intelligent Christian constituency to direct their work, manage their affairs and keep them in close connection with Congregational conferences and councils.

IV. Lastly. By means of this systematic spending you keep step with the grand onward movement of God's providence in the marvelous openings of this great missionary field. How wonderfully this work develops! The primary schools of the early period have grown into normal and preparatory institutes and colleges and theological seminaries, although the primary work is still being done and well done! New schools are being planted. "Enter the mountains with your mission host," came the command, and it was done. Industrial training became necessary to the best furnishing of these young people for their life-work and their largest intellectual development, and now thorough training in these departments is furnished by the schools of the American Missionary Association. The grand work has kept step with the developing needs.

I asked one of the most experienced teachers and missionaries in the South what feature of the A.M.A. especially impressed him. He replied at once, "The wonderful and consummate statesmanship displayed in its management. The wisdom manifested in planting schools and churches, and in keeping pace with the new and constantly changing conditions of this great and perplexing field, absolutely astounds me." This is no tribute to those of us who have recently entered this service.

To sum up this argument, then: By the systematic method of spending through the A.M.A., you avoid—

I. Waste, (1.) In administration. (2.) In field work.

II. You secure the wisest apportionment of the work, (1.) Appeals are systematic. (2.) The work is developed proportionately. (3.) And each department is systematically conducted.

III. You can secure permanency in the work, (b.) And perpetuate the principles you believe to be of fundamental importance in uplifting these races.

IV. You keep step with God's providence in the development of these fields.

It is told us that during the days that immediately preceded the capture of Richmond, Sheridan was in hot pursuit of Lee's retreating troops. He telegraphed to Grant, "I think if the thing is pushed Lee will surrender." There came flashing back this laconic message from that silent soldier, "Push things." They were pushed, and within a few weeks Lee's army was annihilated, and the sword of the haughty rebel was in the hands of the loyal Grant. The Union army had pushed through the broken fortifications around Richmond and planted the grand old stars and stripes, battle-stained and bullet-torn, above the dome of the rebel capitol, never, never, never to be pulled down again by disloyal hands.

My brethren, there comes flashing to us to-day from this army of Christ-like men and women away out yonder in front of us, from out the heat of battle against ignorance, and prejudice, and misery, and sin, these stirring words: "We can take these lowlands and mountains and prairies and ocean coasts for our Lord, and for his Christ, now if the thing be pushed."

What message shall we send back to them, O people of God?

Shall it not be this? "We pledge you our prayers, our sympathy, our best sons and daughters and five hundred thousand dollars in consecrated money this year; and in the great name of the Lord our God let the thing be pushed."

THE CHINESE

SCRAPS FROM MY CORRESPONDENCE

BY REV. W.C. POND

Our limited space forbids the publication of extended correspondence; and yet, often, in the familiar and unstudied letters which I receive from our workers, there are paragraphs or sentences which I greatly desire that our Eastern friends and helpers might share with me. The following are a few of these.

Mrs. Carrington, our very faithful and efficient teacher at Sacramento, writes as follows: "Our school seems in better condition than for many months. Chin Toy [missionary helper] is true and watchful. Two joined the church at the last communion, one has given his name to join the Association, and others seem almost ready."

Our school at Oroville has been for a year past in the hands of two quite young, but true hearted and enthusiastic teachers, from one of whom I hear in this way: "We have had a very good school this month. The attendance has been very good; the scholars seem to feel better, and I think the teachers do too. We had quite a re-union one evening last month. There was one brother who had just returned from China, and another from away out in the country. The former had not been here for years, nor the latter for more than twelve months. It would have done any one good to see how glad they were to meet each other. I never saw so much hand-shaking, and talking, and laughing. Both these are good scholars and will help us much. We have the Bible lessons twice a week, and they are very interesting to us both. We have nearly finished the Gospel of Mark, and it gets more interesting towards the last."

Other extracts shall be from letters of our Chinese brethren. Here is one who has evidently gotten over into an American way of thinking. He is so much in earnest that his English is badly wrenched in the effort to convey his views, but I give his words very nearly as he wrote them. "What I think and what often I observed is that the Chinese very meanness and sordidness, just exactly what were the Jews. Scatter all round the world, and still they feel very proud of their country, despise the foreigners, close all their sea-ports, would not allow the poor celestial to go out or have civilized men to enter the happy country. On account of their ignorance of Christ, unhappy, miserable, wretched. Some of them think good deal of their improvement, national, naval, but if the Government will not adopt the Christianity and put behind their ancestor and evil ways and the wicked custom, they will not be very flourishing what they look for." For himself he says, "I hope I will have a good opportunity while I am working for the Lord and looking for some souls to bring to the Lord, as His will be done."

Another writes: "I speak in Chinatown yesterday. Then we had very good singers of American Christian young men (they were five) and Chinese brethren (they were eight.). All go on to sing with me. Then I have a good chance. I pray God to help and hope our countrymen immediately come to repent and follow Christ and worship Him." And again, "I thank God for His blessing. This school now is increasing. Last evening we had twenty-three scholars. Six new ones came in this month. I like stay here two or three months more and talk this gospel of Christ."

Another translated for me a letter just received from his father-in-law in China—a letter which gives him great joy. "Dear Son-in-law:—Your letter was reached me some ten days ago, and glad to read it and that you are all right in California, doing Jesus work. But there was a fellow named – – who had come back from San Francisco last year. This fellow came to me with some news to tell me, so he said. So I asked him to sit down and gave him a cup of tea. Then he commenced his false story about you being poisoned by the Jesus doctors, and that your heart had been poisoned so that you don't want to come back any more. After the length of his false talks, I commenced to ask him questions which he cannot answer. I told him that I had known my son-in-law too much about his faith in Jesus. People with the same report came to me from time to time, before you [i.e., the son-in-law addressed in the letter,—W.C.P.] came back the last time. At first I have faith in their talks, but since you came home, I have found you all right. Now a mission is near my house, and I have time to talk and to read the Jesus books, and have found that Jesus is like our Confucius, and I believed Jesus words all right and so my son-in-law all-right too. Thus I have told the dog, [i.e., the tale-bearer] to get off from my door and not call on me again."

I hope there may yet be space for this extract from a letter from Jee Gam, who took a vacation of two weeks, spending it not far from a Chinese fishing village near Monterey. "Sunday morning, accompanied by about ten American friends, I went to Chinatown to hold a preaching service. After singing several times and offering prayer, I took the stand and preached to a large crowd of my countrymen, of both sexes and all ages, drawn by our loud invitation and our songs. Before I began my sermon I told them what we had been singing about, also what we prayed for, and to whom we prayed, and asked them to see the difference between these Christian Americans who sang and prayed for us, and those who would crowd us out Then I preached on Gal. 6:7, for nearly an hour, and all listened attentively. Not one of the hearers said anything against us. I was told that two years ago a Chinaman had tried to preach there, but the people drowned his voice by beating their tin cans, and drove him off with various missiles. When I heard this I said, 'I am not afraid, God will go with us; with his help I will preach Christ to them.' And he did help, and oh, may he bless the seed sown! On Sunday evening one of the Chinese came out decided as a Christian, and one other seemed almost persuaded."

BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK

MISS D.E. EMERSON, SECRETARY

WOMAN'S STATE ORGANIZATIONS

CO-OPERATING WITH THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION

ME—Woman's Aid to A.M.A.,

Chairman of Committee, Mrs. C.A. Woodbury, Woodfords, Me.

VT.—Woman's Aid to A.M.A.,

Chairman of Committee, Mrs. Henry Fairbanks, St. Johnsbury, Vt.

VT.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. Ellen Osgood, Montpelier, Vt.

CONN.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. S.M. Hotchkiss, 171 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Conn.

N.Y.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. William Spalding, Salmon Block, Syracuse, N.Y.

ALA.—Woman's Missionary Association,

Secretary, Mrs. G.W. Andrews, Talladega, Ala.

OHIO.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. Flora K. Regal, Oberlin, Ohio.

IND.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. W.E. Mossman, Fort Wayne, Ind.

ILL.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. C.H. Taintor, 151 Washington St., Chicago, Ill.

MINN.—Woman's Home Miss. Society,

Secretary, Miss Katharine Plant, 2651 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn.

IOWA.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Miss Ella E. Marsh, Grinnell, Iowa.

KANSAS.—Woman's Home Miss. Society,

Secretary, Mrs. G.L. Epps, Topeka, Kan.

MICH.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. Mary B. Warren, Lansing, Mich.

WIS.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. C. Matter, Brodhead, Wis.

NEB.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. L.F. Berry, 724 N Broad St., Fremont, Neb.

COLORADO.—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

Secretary, Mrs. S.M. Packard, Pueblo, Colo.

DAKOTA,—Woman's Home Miss. Union,

President, Mrs. T.M. Hills, Sioux Falls;

Secretary, Mrs. W.R. Dawes, Redfield;

Treasurer, Mrs. S.E. Fifield, Lake Preston.

We would suggest to all ladies connected with the auxiliaries of State Missionary Unions, that funds for the American Missionary Association be sent to us through the treasurers of the Union. Care, however, should be taken to designate the money as for the American Missionary Association, since undesignated funds will not reach us.

ANNUAL MEETING

The public meeting of the Woman's Bureau was held Thursday afternoon, simultaneously with the business meeting of the A.M.A. in Providence, and was conducted by Mrs. C.A. Woodbury, of Portland, Me. The report of the Secretary, Miss D.E. Emerson, of New York, was presented, and then missionary addresses were delivered by Mrs. A.A. Myers on "Mountain Work;" by Mrs. Geo. W. Moore on the "Colored People;" and by Miss Collins on "Indians," all of which were listened to with deep interest.

Mrs. Woodbury, on taking the chair, said:

The object of this meeting is well understood. It is to decide what the women of the Congregational Churches shall do in connection with woman's work—that part of the Association's work which is designed to be among women. It is woman's work among women. It is designed at this time to hear from those fields in which the speakers are especially interested. We shall hear from the Mountain Work, from the Negroes in the South, and from the work among the Indians in the West. Like a very close man who, to the surprise of those who approached him, gave money enough to purchase a town clock, who explained by saying he liked to hear his money tick, so it is meant here this afternoon that the women shall hear the tick of their work from all these fields to which I have referred, and may the sound of it reverberate all down through the ages.

A special meeting for ladies was held on Thursday morning, at which there was a full attendance. Brief remarks, interspersed with song and prayer, made the occasion an enjoyable one. Miss Plimpton, of McIntosh, Ga., gave bits of her experience among the colored people, and Miss Haynes described her work for the Indians at Santee Agency, Neb.

The annual report made by the Secretary was given in full in our November Magazine, and is also published in leaflet form for free distribution to those desiring it.

We give below extracts from the addresses of the missionaries.

MOUNTAIN WHITE WORK

BY MRS. A.A. MYERS

In my younger days I never remember looking at the forests that skirt the horizon without an indefinable questioning as to what lay beyond. It was easy to picture stretches of landscape and quiet homes like our own, but the query was ever the same, what is still beyond?

The first Sabbath I attended church in the mountains of Kentucky, having listened to the quaint singing before entering the rough-board building, seating myself on one of the slab benches near a box stove, which had but one length of pipe, out of which the smoke was pouring towards an opening in the roof, glancing around on the women in their sun bonnets, the babies in their little calico caps and the men in homespun, then out of the open door into a ravine where the tops of the tall trees were beneath us, I said to myself, I've reached "that beyond." The undefined has taken shape and I have reached the place of which I could never formulate a picture. Seven years' acquaintance in this mountain country has not changed my opinion. We are in another world, and if I could describe that world so you could see it as it is, could feel its needs as we feel them day by day, it is all I could ask.

Philosophers might describe it as the dead centre of motion; at least it has remained seemingly unmoved, while all the world around it has been moving forward.

Here in these mountains live over two million people, two-thirds of whom have never written nor received a letter, could not read one if printed and sent them. They take no newspapers, and the great events of nations or discoveries of science have been nothing to them. Questions of vital importance to our country have never troubled them. They knew there was a war, for contending armies met on their grounds. With few exceptions their sympathies were with the Union. Too poor to own slaves to any extent, they had no motive for seceding, and many of them joined our army and were faithful soldiers.