The American Missionary. Volume 43, No. 11, November, 1889

This Association has faith in the power of the gospel, and, under the reign of God, of the final triumph of the right. It is willing to enter the doors now so wide open for missionary work, and to wait, if need be, for that glory of the denomination, which is better than long tables of statistics, the glory of adhering to the right.

The time has now come when our church work can be greatly enlarged. Our schools have been doing their work, and scattering all through the South those who have learned what pure religion and spiritual worship mean, and they are ready and longing for something better than they find within their reach. We can now push our work as fast as the churches of the North will furnish the money. We most earnestly appeal for the means to enable us to greatly develop, during the coming year, this department of the work.

CHURCH WORK AMONG NEW SETTLERS IN THE SOUTH

Wonderful and more wonderful tales are now reaching the world of the unlimited resources of the South. They are a new discovery even to the South itself. These stories of lumber and mineral wealth are turning the tide thitherward. Towns and cities are beginning to spring up as they have in the West, and both great need and rich opportunity call for immediate missionary work. This new population is mostly, as yet, from the North, though many from Wales, especially miners, and from other countries of the old world are beginning to come in. In the new towns they find no churches, in the old towns few whose ideas and customs can satisfy their minds and hearts. Here is a great opportunity. We can aid these people to establish churches which will emphasize that interpretation of the Gospel which we believe to be Christian.

In Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee we have already aided in establishing such churches which have connected themselves—and gladly so—with the regular State organizations of Congregational churches. No direful results have followed. No fanaticism is in it. It is simply doing the thing that is right and Christian. May such churches continue to multiply in the "New South" and help to make it new indeed.

STATISTICS OF CHURCH WORK IN THE SOUTH

THE MOUNTAIN WORK

Notwithstanding all the interest that has been manifested in our mountain work, we feel sure that the churches do not realize the magnitude of this field, the pressing needs of this people in the heart of our country, the wonderful opportunities before us, and the heart-stirring results already secured.

Large portions of seven States—three or four hundred counties—with a population of between two and three millions, claim our attention and call for our work. Here is a country of untold natural resources. Here is a people of good blood. Men of power have come from among them, and shown of what they are capable. Side by side with the Northern soldiers these mountaineers fought for the Union, or suffered in prisons rather than fight against it. Where our schools and churches have been established, men and women of worth and ability have stepped out and become strong helpers in building up new institutions. But away from these institutions and out of touch with the life of the towns, we find a class of people whose condition in itself is a Macedonian cry. Their windowless, stoveless, comfortless log cabins; their so-called schools, in which on the roughest benches conceivable, and without a desk, a slate, or a blackboard, with a teacher with unkempt hair, ragged and dirty clothes, possibly bare feet, who perhaps can scarcely read, the children study at the top of their voices—blab schools they call them—have for their course of study the spelling book alone, and are taught that a word is correctly spelled when all the letters are named, no matter in what order; their so-called churches, with perhaps a monthly meeting during the summer months, without Sunday-school, prayer meeting, or any form of church work, without morality as a requisite of church membership, with an illiterate ministry—a large number of the ministers cannot read even, and what is worse in many cases are drunken, impure, and in every way immoral; their children so easily gathered into day-schools and Sunday-schools, and so responsive to the work done for them—all these things appeal to us with pathetic power. Perhaps no missionary work ever showed greater results in so short a time than those obtained in these mountains.

We have here in two States eleven schools and twenty-two churches. Earnest calls have come to us to begin work in North Carolina and Alabama. We feel sure that if the churches could hear these appeals they would bid us respond. We have promised to begin work the coming year in these States, and we must look to the churches to furnish us the means. New lumbering and mining towns are springing up in this mountain country, and immediate missionary work is their only hope. A single one of these new towns, scarcely half-a-dozen years old, has had already more than a hundred men shot in it, and this awful work still goes on. This marvelously rich mineral region is sure to be filled in the near future with these mining towns, and unless the Christian work keeps pace with this kind of growth, this large territory will become notorious for bloody scenes as no portion of our land has ever been. Now is the time to preempt the country for Christ, by planting at strategic points the church and the Christian school, and through them to send forth to every part the pure, restraining and elevating influences of the gospel. God's call to us to do this work is loud and clear. Can we be faithful to Him and refuse to obey?

THE INDIANS

There are 260,000 Indians in this country. Compared with our great fields in the South, this is small. But there is an emphasis on this work which is not made by figures. Those who were native to this land have been made foreigners. Those who were the first to receive missionary work here, and who responded as readily as any heathen people ever did, are still largely pagans. While one Christian has been telling the Indians the story of the gospel, another calling himself a Christian has been shooting them. They have not yet had a full chance to learn what Christianity is. From place to place they have been pushed so that they have not had time to build their altars to the true God. We have wronged them and we owe them more than we shall pay. We shall meet our obligations but in part, when we do all we can to save them.

We have in bur Indian work eighteen schools and six churches, one new church having been added this year. In these, 68 missionaries have been doing noble service for the Indian and for the country. Shall the Indian problem forever perplex and shame both the country and the Church? Will not the churches enable us to send all the workers and do all the work needed to be done, and thus hasten the day when it can be joyfully proclaimed that the Indians are evangelized—no longer pagans and foreigners, but our fellow Christians and our fellow citizens?

STATISTICS OF INDIAN WORK

THE CHINESE

At our Annual Meeting in 1887 we were urged to bring the attention of the churches to this their phenomenal opportunity and duty, to give the gospel at short range and nominal cost to Asia's millions, and to support their hopeful and fruitful mission with all possible sympathy and aid. Again, in 1888, the need of immediate and great re-enforcement and enlargement was urged upon us.

Sixteen missions have been in operation during the year, and in them thirty-five workers, ten of them Chinese, have been employed. 1,380 have been enrolled as pupils in our schools—249 more than last year. 40 have this year come out of heathenism into Christianity, and the whole number who have confessed Christ in these missions and have been received as true converts is above 750. This means much for the Chinese in this country, and it means missionaries for China as well.

ENLARGEMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS

Extensive building and improvements have been called for this year. At Lexington, Ky., the Chandler Normal School building is nearly completed at a cost of $15,000—the gift of Mrs. Chandler. At Williamsburg, Ky., thirteen acres of land have been secured for the enlargement of our very successful school there and the large industrial building moved upon it. $2,300 of the expense for this was paid by our generous friend, Mr. Stephen Ballard, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The increasing number of boarders at this institution has made necessary a new and larger dining room and kitchen, which have been built.

At Nashville, Tenn., a commodious two-story building of modern architecture, with rooms for physical culture and industrial training, has been erected.

At Memphis, Tenn., the Le Moyne school building, which in the winter was partially destroyed by fire, has been restored by the insurance.

At Knoxville, Tenn., the old church building, which was unfit for use, has been built over and a parsonage added, making a neat and convenient place of worship, and a home for the minister.

At Jellico, Tenn., the building used for church and school purposes has been considerably enlarged to meet the wants of a large Sunday-school and congregation.

At Grand View, Tenn., a new building has been put up for school and dormitory purposes.

At Pleasant Hill, Tenn., a large three-story Girls' Hall is in process of construction to enable the mountain girls to take advantage of this successful normal school.

At Pine Mountain, Tenn., the church building has been completed and furnished for school as well as church purposes and a teachers' home has been built.

At Beaufort, N.C., the large old school building known as Washburn Seminary, has been placed in the hands of the Association and refitted and a new normal school started in it. The church building, also, has received many greatly needed repairs.

At Chapel Hill, N.C., a brick church building, formerly belonging to the Southern Methodists, has been purchased for a school, and will be used also for church services.

At Macon, Ga., the Ballard School building has been completed and furnished at a cost of $14,000, and a Girls' Hall erected at a cost of $7,500—two more generous gifts of Mr. Stephen Ballard, of Brooklyn.

At Savannah, Ga., extensive repairs have been made on the Beach Institute building.

At Thomasville, Ga., the school facilities have been increased by moving a school building in the town, to the Connecticut Industrial School.

At McIntosh, Ga., land and buildings have been bought for the enlargement of this historic, successful and intensely interesting school.

At Woodville, Ga., the church and school building which had been nearly wrecked, first by the Charleston earthquake and then by a cyclone, has been made solid and comfortable.

At Byron, Ga., land has been bought and preparations have been made for a church building.

At Fairbanks, Fla., a school building and lot worth $2,500 have been given to us by Mrs. Merrill, of Bangor, Me., on condition that we maintain a school there.

At Marion, Ala., we have refitted a large dwelling for a greatly needed school building.

At New Decatur, Ala., a new church building is about completed.

At Tougaloo, Miss., the large Girls' Hall, owing to the peculiarities of the soil—alluvium, 300 feet deep—unknown when it was built, had been crushing its foundations into the ground until it was on the point of falling. Our own missionary and student force lifted it up, put under it new foundations and repaired it in every part. At a cost of between $4,000 and $5,000, they saved a $15,000 building which engineers and contractors pronounced a hopeless wreck.

At Jackson, Miss., our church has been nicely seated with new pews.

At Hammond, La., a new church building has been erected.

At Straight University, a new industrial building has been put up with student labor, and a small greenhouse has been built. For a long time the need of enlargement there has been felt, and a lot near the present buildings has been bought, on which is to be a school house for the primary and intermediate grades.

At the Fort Berthold Mission, North Dakota, a new church, school and mission home building has been built and named the Moody Station, after the giver of the money which built it; also a small church building at Moody Station No. 2.

At Standing Rock a new school, church and mission building—called after the donor, the Sankey Station—has been erected. At Fort Yates, we report a new church building—the Darling Memorial.

These are the most important enlargements and improvements. Of course, there are many other smaller ones throughout our large field.

WOMAN'S WORK

Twenty-six Woman's State Organizations now co-operate with us in our missionary work. Each year shows the increasing importance and helpfulness of the Woman's Bureau. From it go counsel, help and inspiration to the lady teachers in the field, and missionary news and helpful suggestions to the ladies of the State Associations. Through it pass the sympathy and the help of the earnest workers in the older churches to the earnest workers in our mission churches and schools. The people for whom we labor cannot be saved either for this world or the next, unless the women who make the homes are lifted out of coarseness and vice, and taught true womanhood and womanly duties and arts. The Woman's Bureau is a most potent factor in the work of bringing the Gospel to the rescue of womanhood in our mission fields.

FINANCES

It is with devout gratitude to God that we present these figures, showing that we have been enabled during the past year to meet all current expenditures, to liquidate the indebtedness of last year and to show a balance of over four thousand dollars now in the treasury. This result is not only gratifying in respect to the past, but it is hopeful in respect to the future. We trust the constituents of the Association, who are so deeply interested in the success of the work entrusted to us, will see to it that the coming year shall terminate as favorably as this.

DANIEL HAND FUND

In addition to the above receipts, the Association has received from Daniel Hand the munificent gift of one million eight hundred and ninety-four dollars and twenty-five cents ($1,000,894.25) to be known as the Daniel Hand Fund for The Education of Colored People. The income only of this Fund is to be used. The amount received as income from this Fund for the nine months to September 30, is $36,999.71. This amount is not included in the current receipts stated above, but is a Special Fund and has been appropriated under the terms and conditions of the Trust. From this income we have not only aided more than three hundred students who otherwise would not have had the privilege of attending any school, but have also greatly enlarged our school accommodations at Chapel Hill and Beaufort, N.C., Phoenix, S.C., Thomasville and McIntosh, Ga., Selma, Ala., and New Orleans, La. Another year will afford opportunities to a much greater number of pupils, and will still further enlarge our school facilities in the special lines of work contemplated by this gift. It was a noble gift from a noble man and it will do a noble work.

The overwhelming majority of the Southern Negroes are still found in the rural districts, where schools are few and far apart. It is expected that the gift of Daniel Hand will take educational privileges to thousands of these in the country and on the plantations, who but for this must have lived as in the blackness of night.

It has been found that with the West ever growing, and Congregational churches multiplying, the field of our Western District Secretary was too large for him possibly to cover it all. Hence this immense district has been divided, and another has been established with its centre at Cleveland, Ohio. Rev. C.W. Hiatt, a graduate of Wheaton College and Oberlin Seminary, has been placed in charge of this district, and has already entered upon the work. We bespeak for him a hearty welcome from the churches.

Prof. Edward S. Hall, a graduate of Amherst College and a teacher of long and successful experience, has been chosen a Field Superintendent for the Southern work, and entered upon his duties at the beginning of our year.

We again make grateful acknowledgment of our indebtedness to the American Bible Society for its grants of Bibles, and to the Congregational Sunday-school and Publishing Society for its grants of books and lesson helps, to our poorer churches and Sunday-schools.

This much we report. But how little can figures and words present the needs of these great fields. How little idea can they convey of the extent of the work done by our earnest, self-sacrificing, faithful and able missionaries.

We turn from the past to the future. The work attempted and done is great, the work unattempted and not done is far greater. Should every church and individual in the land double last year's contribution this year, we would be compelled still to leave greatly needed work undone. In view of boundless opportunities, we can ask no less of the churches than that which the recent National Council at Worcester recommended—five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the work of the coming year. Brethren, with more prayer, more consecration and more self-denial let us take up together this vast work and these difficult problems which God has set before us.

THE CHINESE

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

BY REV. WM. C. POND, D.D

Our fiscal year ended August 31st. To a stranger looking on as I close its accounts, there might be nothing visible but an array of figures "dry as dust." But if that on-looker could count the heart-beats, as I draw near to making up the balance, could watch the rising tide of feeling, could hear the out-burst of thanksgiving sounding through the chambers of the soul, and now and again breaking the silence of my study with the cry:—"What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits," he would realise that there was something in those figures not so very dry. All bills paid, and even a balance much larger than usual left to help out the too scant resources of the new year! I find myself saying again and again: "How can this be?" It looked so dark four months ago; it looks so bright to-day. God has answered prayer, has been true to his promise, has changed to blessing the stress that we were under by placing thus upon our work the seal of his own and his people's approbation.

Sixteen missions have been in operation during the year, all but three of them for the entire twelve months. Thirty-five workers have been employed, ten of whom have been Chinese brethren. The months of labor aggregate 354.

The total number who have been enrolled as pupils in our schools is 1,380. This is larger by 249 than the enrollment of the previous year, and by 336 than that of the year before. The average membership month by month was in the aggregate, 523; the average attendance, 319. These numbers are also in excess of the corresponding ones in several previous years. Among these members of our schools there are 211 that profess to have ceased from idolatry, and 150 who are believed to be true disciples of Christ. I cannot now state the exact number who have professed conversion during the year, but I believe it to be about forty. If so, the total number who have declared themselves to be Christians and have been accepted as such by our brethren, is more than 750.

The expenditures have been $11,019, of which more than 1,600 came from the Chinese themselves, while their offerings for mission work in China and expenses met in connection with Christian work in California would show a giving on their part of at least $2,500 during the year.

SOME OTHER TOKENS OF GOOD.—Our helper, Loo Quong, writes as follows from Los Angeles under date of Sept. 20th: "Now I have some good news to tell you this time. The first one is this, that five of our brethren will receive their baptism on Sunday in the First Congregational Church. I brought them all down to the church to be proved by the pastor and the deacons, and they all gave their good testimonies to the satisfaction of all. Dr. Hutchins [Rev. R.G. Hutchins, D.D., pastor] was so glad on hearing this good news again. There will now be eleven Chinese members among his white flock. He spoke very kind towards the Chinese and our school in their prayer-meeting, as he always did so in his preaching." Another item of good news is, that by an arrangement among the ladies of this church, a reduction in the teaching force which I have been compelled to make is to be made good by volunteer service, each lady giving one evening in each week. I earnestly hope that this good example may be followed in others of our churches.

At San Buenaventura the new mission house, finished several months ago, gives great satisfaction. It is not the property of the Mission, but has been built for it and is rented to us at cost. We can rely upon the use of it as long as the work continues in that place,—that is, if the building lasts so long. We were paying $12.00 per month for a low, ill-located and ill-built, untidy shanty, yet the best place that could be had. We now pay $8.00 per month for a neat, commodious building which furnishes not only an attractive school-room, but living rooms also, for which our brethren pay a small rent, and thus make for themselves something very like a Christian home. Four of these brethren were recently baptised and received to the Congregational Church.

No mention has yet been made in these columns of the new mission house in Oakland which we hold by the same tenure as that at San Buenaventura. It could not be better located, is a very neat structure, substantial also, and planned expressly for our work. It, too, is rented to us at cost. A hint of what goes on there, and of what goes out from there, aside from the labors of the school, may be found in these few sentences from a letter of Yong Jin: "One scholar promised to be Christian was two weeks (i.e. two weeks ago), and he will join our Association to-night. I hope his soul will be saved. I had preaching on the street last Sunday and before last Sunday. I shall go next Sunday too. I hope you pray for me and this school. May [may be] I can conquer the evil and bring more number to the school and to the Association. I believe God has a great power."

BUREAU OF WOMAN'S WORK

MISS D.E. EMERSON, SECRETARY

We are glad to see the State Organizations increasing. Now let every one become a working Union, bringing funds into the treasury of the American Missionary Association, toward meeting the imperative needs of its Woman's Work, and we shall rejoice indeed.

Our Industrial Teachers are heavily taxed just now in providing sewing material for classes. We need basted patchwork, and basted under garments for the sewing departments throughout the field, but especially for Anniston and Mobile, Alabama; Memphis and Jonesboro, Tennessee; Tougaloo, Mississippi; and Austin, Texas. One missionary writes, "I find my classes very large. In beginning I have about one hundred girls in sewing, about thirty in Household Economy and Cooking, and later I shall have a large class in Nursing. This work added to the care of the Mission Home will, I fear, be more than I can carry, unless I have help, and I do not see how I can let one bit of the work stop. I am sure there are plenty of good friends at the North who will gladly help when they know."

We have added a special industrial teacher to the force in Trinity School at Athens, Alabama. Miss Perkins writes: "I am charmed with the school and the inside of the building. I wish each day that our Northern friends could look in at Chapel. I think they would feel repaid in great measure by the goodly sight. I was glad to find a Christian Endeavor Society in the school, it seemed so like home."

WOMAN'S WORK IN NORTH CAROLINA