to be worthy of our name as Baptists and Christians and men. Our Joint Gratitude to Writers The MAGAZINE would express its deep appreciation of those correspondents who sacrifice time needed for rest or snatched from busy cares to write illuminative articles on their work and thus to help the workers at home to see the work that is theirs also. We appreciate especially the service of those who, as in the case of some recent articles, have taken the extra time necessary to write the articles of the exact length asked for, while at the same time giving the splendid views of the actual life and work on the field. We are sure that our readers will share this gratitude. Bright The following from Owen Wister's "Virginian," suggests the editorial in the last issue on the need of the best possible training for mission work: A middlin' doctor is a pore thing, and a middlin'• lawyer is a pore thing; but keep me from a middlin' man of God. . . . CHINA AND OPPORTUNITY HE Christians of the United States may best allay the irritation showing itself at this stage of the awakening of China by convincing the Chinese that their racial aspirations and their growing sentiment of nationality have the sympathy of the Western world, and by inducing them to see that only by adherence to the doctrines for which all civilized nations stand may they hope for the establishment of an independent selfsufficient China. Our missionaries should lead the Chinese to see that their newly awakened national spirit has its roots in the lessons that they have taught. Chinese Christians should so conduct themselves in their relations to their people and their state as to show that Christianity is the faith of no race but of all humanity and is broad enough to cover all noble aspirations. Never was necessity so great as now for care in the choice of men of judgment and breadth of mind to carry the gospel to the East, and never was the necessity so great for the rigorous testing of the character and the faith of Chinese converts before admission to the Church. If China has learned the lesson of civilization aright, the future of that empire is full of promise for the spiritual and material welfare of the world; if the adoption of civilization means to her only the adoption of its ignoble features, another lamentable chapter may be added to the account of China's relations with the Western world, which can only mean another ignominious incident in the history of that empire. - CHAS. DENBY, State Department, Washington. THE PRAYER CYCLE, APRIL 8 TO MAY 5 THEMES FOR THANKSGIVING The presence of the living Christ our Lord and .Leader. Baptisms reported in this number. The recoveries from illness (P. N.).* China: The hope of safety for missionaries, salvation for natives; anti-opium reform. India: The revival continued; the record of grace in the past, and reasonable hope of continued blessing as seen especially in steadfastness of many believers and growing independence and purpose. DAILY TOPICS FOR UNITED PRAYER 8. (Sunday.) China; wise action by the Powers in her behalf. 9. The work at Kengtung station (W. F.) 10. Mr. Fetzer, and the work he reports (W. F.) 11. The home churches and Christians that made sacrificial offerings for missions during the past year. 12. The churches and Christians that failed, forgetting or not seeing their privilege. 13. Educational Endowment Fund. 14. Efforts to secure reform in Congo administration. How We Would Pray F we but realized the need of the nonChristian world: its helplessness and hopelessness without God; its poverty and materialism; its darkened homes with hopeless childhood and womanhood; its lust and superstition; or even where there is higher morality, the failure of its better religions to fill life with joy and to give the true salvation; if we could but see these facts with the eye of the missionary, or if the blessed Master would touch our hearts that we might feel this need somewhat as he feels it, how earnestly we would pray for the unsaved, and for those who are seeking to save them for each land, for each station, for each missionary, for the native church and workers for every that is furthering the cause of Jesus agency Christ the world-Saviour. OUR MISSIONS IN SOUTH INDIA: Pray for the missionaries by name; see Handbook. 15. (Sunday.) Nellore; the native church, boys' and girls' high schools, hospital. 16. Ongole; Dr. Clough, now feeble in health, the college and teachers. 17. Ongole; industrial work and all the schools. 20. Kurnool and Madras; reenforcements for the latter station most urgent. 21. Hanamakonda, Udayagiri, and all medical work. 22. (Sunday.) Kanigiri, Gurzalla, Podili, especially work for caste people. 23. Nalgonda, Suriapetta, Jangaon, and our Russian missionary brethren. 24. Cumbum, Vinukonda, Narsaravapetta. 25. Bapatla, Madira, Mr. Thomssen on a mission to South Africa, en route to America. 26. Kavali, Kandukur, Atmakur. 27. Sattanapalli, Markapur. 28. Donakonda, Gudval, Nandyal; comparatively new stations. 29. (Sunday.) Reenforcements earnestly called for by conditions in South India. 30. All earnest inquirers and seekers after truth in pagan lands. MAY 1. Removal of caste prejudice in India. 2. Reenforcements for Pwo Karen Mission, Maubin, Burma, long awaited. 3. Removal of government opposition to extended touring in Kengtung field. 4. Famine sufferers in Japan. 5. All new student volunteers. If we did but have a truer conception of the mission of the Church that it is essentially a missionary body, a truer conception of the mission of the individual Christian that he is not his own, but one sent on a mission; if we could but grasp the real meaning of God's word the missionary book; could get a sense of the real purpose of God himself, filling our hearts with his love for the lost; if we could gain only a glimpse of the great field, approaching the horizon of the vision of Christ; could experience the crowning joy and rich blessedness of the life of devotion and sacrifice, of full surrender to Christ's leadership, oh, how we would then pray for the Lord to thrust forth laborers into his harvest, and be ready both to go and to send. Let us seek for this conception of the Church and of Christian service. The following leaflets which may be secured from the Literature Department, A. B. M. U., Box 41, Boston, Mass., will furnish additional help in the preparation of a program on South India: Missions in South India, an historical sketch, price 5 cents; Expansion in the Telugu Field, free; Sketch of Dr. J. E. Clough, price 10 cents; Quick Information Series on South India, free. MISSIONARY LIGHTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSONS BY REV. J. MERVIN HULL THE HE keynote of this lesson is our Lord's attitude toward formality in religion. All through his ministry, he did not speak. so severely about anything else as about the priests, scribes and Pharisees who had taught the people microscopic tithings, washings, and ten thousand useless formalities, while they neglected the deeper meaning of the law. In the newest field of the Missionary Union the missionary has to deal with a people who have had just that treatment. Nearly 400 years ago Spain imposed its government and its religion upon the Philippines. Priestcraft, superstition, semi-idolatry, formality without reality held sway for nearly four centuries. Many of the people cared little for these things, either way, but thousands were restive in their chains, and when American Occupation came some strange things were One of Lawton's army chaplains wrote "Only two days after we had captured the town, the people appointed a Committee of their most respected citizens to ask me to stay with them as their pastor." Yet with all this desire for something better in religion, the hardest task before our Pippine missionaries is to show the people that our religion means not only fredom from priesthood, but real heart abmission to the commands of Christ. APRIL 15 Jesus' Power Over Disease and Death Faith Among the Gentiles I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Vs. 9. WUST as the Roman centurion, a Gentile, a heathen, was one of the brightest and most cheering examples of faith in the story of our Lord's ministry, so it has pleased God to manifest some striking instances of the gift of faith among those who have first accepted the gospel in the days of modern missions. Among the thousands of Karens who have believed in Christ, probably there has never been a more remarkable conversion than that of Ko Tha Byu, the first of them all. This robber, murderer, bandit, who could not weep over deeds of blood, heard the gospel from a native preacher and wept over the story of the cross of Christ. He believed with a faith that could not be repressed; he was impelled by an overpowering conviction that he must carry the gospel to all, and hundreds were converted by his preaching. There was a similar instance in the early days of our mission to the Philippines. Ambrosio Velasco, a faithful, fanatical Roman Catholic, came to our mission service to hear, and perhaps to break up the service. But the seed of the Word fell into the good soil of his heart and brought forth. a hundred fold at once. "The Sunday evening after his first attendance at our service," wrote Mr. Briggs," he preached A 66 APRIL 22 Vs. 37. SINNER, but she brought the precious perfume; a sinner, but she wept, and kissed the Saviour's feet; a sinner, of many sins, but her sins were forgiven, for she loved much. Nowhere in the gospels is the mention of the sinfulness of a seeker of Jesus repeated so much as in the case of this woman which was a sinner "; nowhere is the joy of sins forgiven more plainly seen. Perhaps it is true that, in primitive conditions especially, this contrast is more evident in the case of women. Many of our missionaries seem to find it so. It is the woman who sinks to the lowest depths of heathenism; it is often the wife who is a hindrance to her husband in accepting the gospel. "We find the women as a class much lower than the men," says W. T. Elmore, of India. The women in the villages are dirtier than the men, more quarrelsome, more vulgar, 66 more difficult to reach. The FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN MOUNTAINEER, SOUTH CHINA are the stronghold of heathenism." But the contrast is here also, when these women have repented and received the pardon of their sins. 'It is the women," continues Mr. Elmore, "who seem to rise to strongest faith and greatest works. In Says Mr. Latimer: are doing much to hinder the work. But if a number of questionable characters with impure motives are leaving, I think it ought to be taken as an indication that the true nature of the gospel is getting to be understood. On the other hand, in some places the seed seems to be falling on good ground again. When our workers returned to Huchow after the Boxer troubles, but seven Christians could be found. The others had fallen away. Now we have a selfsupporting church of ninety members. On Sunday the chapel was crowded to the platform, and seven candidates were baptized. |