The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, December 02, 1899, Image 1
F G.Stacy.
President.
J. G. Wahdlaw.
Vice I on
THE NATIONAL BANK OF GAFFNET.
h Capital $50,000.00.
Wu.t, liny county claims, receive deposit,
and make lllxu sil louus on approved paper
I). G. Uokk. Cashier.
jxixcl
1
The Gaffney Daily Ledger.
•'a
1 H 15. Tin: MOW LIMiOSTGMO. 1H9SI.
The Llrue.stoiiu of oilier days, the famous
College of the Curtises and of Captain II. I*,
(•riititli. lias a la rue place in the history of
Soutlicrin ducation. Even Greater U tha
l.iineHtone of today. The highest of stand
ards, the hest of work, the ablest of Kacultie 1,
t lie tinest of material (Hiulpmeuts-all thesu
explain the success of the institution. Lime
stone's door is open wide to all our truest 1.
Let them enter in. For information about
t he < 'olleiie apply to t he President.
LEK D.tVlS I.ODGK, A. M., Ph. D.
A Newspaper in ail that the Word Implies and Devoted to the Best Interests of the People of Cherokee County.
ESTABLISHED FEB. 1G, 1894
GAFFNEY CITY, S. C., SATUKDA1, DEtEMBEK 2, 1899.
$1.00 A YEAR.
\Vlint Ig Being Done for the
Heathen.
THE METHODS ADOPTED.
The Selection of Missionaries for the Kor-
el-jn Melds T!ic Fields No.v lielilB Gccu-
plesl Ausivers to Ohjections t«* Foreign
jAlissioii Work.
Hie Soulhcrn I’uptistConvention
was organized in iNi > in Augusta, (ia.
This body is comprised of represon-
tuiives of the Ilaptist ehurehes of the
Southern States, and is tii ■ medium
througli wiiicii these eiiurchcs carry
on their foreign and a portion of
their home, mission work. The for
eign work is conducted by a commit
tee of gentlemen in Iviehmond, Yu.
This committee is chosen annually
by the convention and is known as
“Tiic Foreign Mission itoard of t he
Southern ihiplist Convention. ’ dis>
This board has -L members.
The missionaries at each station once
a year submit a statement of their
needs. The board considers these
statements carefully, cutting down
the same if they deem any item un-
I necessary. When the whole has
I been carefully considered a letter of
credit is sent t o'the treasurer of the
mission for the amounts which have
been approved. These letters of
credit are as good us gold in any
country, and all that the mission
| treasurer has to do is to draw a draft
j on Treasurer J. (h Williams, in Rich
mond, Va., and this draft the mis
sionary can easily exchange for the
cash. Thus the cost of sending funds
i is reduced to the minimum, and there
j is practically no danger of loss. •
The question is often asked, “How
much of each dollar collected for for-
! eign missions actually goes to the
: missionaries?” The reply in this in-
1 stance is eighty-live cents of every
dollar. The other lifteen cents cov
ers all home expenses, including costs
| for collecting in the slates, salaries,
office expenses, and the printing and
distribution of thousands of tracts
1 and letter- anvmg the home churches.
Sfliicl inj; Mix-iuimrler*.
Secretary Willingham says: ‘•Pos
sibly our most ditTieult questions
. arise in connection with the appoint
ment of ml-MOiLvies. There are
nil. II. \A 1 N'STi >N
i:sjpknt of thi: koufios mission iaoaim).
tributed in the walks of life us fol
lows: Three college professors, two
lawyers, one physician, one banker,
one merchant, one editor, one college
treasurer, eight pastors and two sec
retaries. These two secretaries re
ceive salaries and give their entire
time to this work, the treasurer is
paid for a portion of his time, the
other members of the board receive
no renurneration. Rev. I>r. R. J.
Willingham, formerly of Feorgiu, a
great-bodied and great-hearted man,
is the secretary and Rev. I>r. A. J.
ftarton, from Arkansas, another earn
est worker, is the assistant secretary.
M ctlioBn.
“For convenience and facility in
working the board is divided into
eleven committees. These consider
the various questions which are to be
presented, and bring reports with
many applicants; anyone can readily
decide that some of these ought not
to go. Rat who ought to go? Piety,
mental ability and health, must all
be taken into consideration. When
an application is made the board
wants to know how the applicant
stands at home; so a number of lead
ing men in tin* church and commun
ity are conferred with, among them
the pastor and the doctor. Rut, alas !
people cannot always be depended on
to give correct information, even for
such an important matter as this,
and from the same church will some
times come conflicting statements,
and sometimes the brother who knows
the applicant to he unworthy or un
suited will keen silence. Brethren
1 should consider what is involved, and
for the good of the cause give the
necessary information.
“Some seem to think that almost
U.
WILUXGilAM .
recommendations, which are then
acted on by the board.
“The board meets regularly once a
month. Sometimes there are call
meetings to consider special ques- j
lions. The order of business is as
follows: Prayer, reading minutes,
report of treasurer, communications
from corresponding secretary, reports
from standing committees on China,
Africa, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Brazil,
finance, appointments, publications,
agencies, woman's work, reports of i
special committees, new business, i
prayer and adjournment.”
Ai) sums collected in the churches ■
of thei Convention for foreign mission
work are sent to this hoard, and these
trustees apportion the funds among
the various iields according to their
experience and judgement.
The method of sending the money
io the workers abroad is us follovs:
anybody will do for a missionary.
Far from it. We need to send the
very hist. God sent Paul, the best
preacher of all, as a foreign mission
ary. We need missionaries of deep
piety, good hard sense, and sound
bodies. We need them with lively
hope, strong taith. great patience and
perseverance, unbounded energy,
mixed with prudence and discretion.
But with all these, it is necessary to
to have a consuming love of God and
love of souls. No mortal more needs
the holy triad, faith, hope and love
than the gospel missionary.
‘ In making appointments it is
necessary to consider climate and the
health and the predispositions of the
applicant. Much money can he
wasted by sending good men and wo
men to the wrong field*.”
I It-lils Ort-iipicd
Six countries have been entered by
the Southern Baptists in their prose
cution of mission work—three being
pagan and three papal. They were
entered in the following order: China,
1845; Africa, 1S50; Italy, 1870; Mex
ico, 18S0; Brazil, 1881 ;J.lapan, 1889.
In China, Canton on the Southern
coast, Shanghai on the central, and
Tung Chow on the northern are the
centers of labor. The statistics of
this China work are In missionaries,
15 native helpeis, 17 organized
churches and 1,802 members.
In Africa the work is locoted in
the Y’omba country, on the middle-
western coast Six missionaries and
ten native helpers are the for e.
There are six churches and 8II
members.
In Italy, one American and twenty ;
Italian ministers carry on the work.
They have 22 churches and 518 mem- !
hers.
work. A large number of new men
and women had been appoii ted and
sent out. There were a large num
ber (845) of baptisms reported on the
fields. The Board went up to the
Convention entirely out of debt.
When the report came up for consid
eration there was a feelingo* thanks
giving ami the body enthus nstically
passed a resolution ordering the
Board to increase the v/oi c 25 per
cent, this year. Already -en new
missionaries have been appe ntedand
all have left for the forol 'n fields.
Others will likely he appointed soon.
It is a cause of gratifiea ion, and
also deep gratitude to God.’ that we
have had such a noble st v of young
men inid'womon to pcimI or '
Vv'e note with pleasure ti'*it our re
ceipts have been muchUrp r up to
the present, this year, toau they
were for the same time sst year.
and call of Christ for service among
the heathen. Then the advocates
of missions were few and the oppo
nents many. Now the latter have
almost vanished within the church.
But is the change so very great after
all? What the former lacks in num
bers they make up in zeal. They
were resolute and untiring in their
etTorts; and, though a small body,
they were a power to move the mass.
While the church has gained in unity
of thought she seems to have lost in
this concentrated zeal for missions, so
that the change is more in the form
of the support given than in the real
value. Contributions have greatly
increased; but we have to ask wheth
er they have kept pace with the grow
ing wealth of the church. If we take
out a few large contributors, are the
members of our churches giving pro
portionally as much as their fathers
The work in M< X'C't i- di-i nbn*''•
at sta'ions i. aching fr mi Ri ) ,
Grande to the city of Max'ico. It is
conducted by ten mis-iommes and '
nineteen as> i-uanU. Tn-.re are 2'i j
church* s mml 1 L.'i mv >ibt*rs.
Io Ur. zil, Ri » Si.,i Rank,. Bahia, j
Campnp find 1\ rnifinbu'N) are the
points of work, and ei z'iteen missi >*»-
aries and see* nti en native helpf r- are !
the force. Tin % have 2R church' a ,
and 1,521 members.
The w.^rK i'i Japan is located f t
Fukuoka. N tgtis iki a:; i Kokura.
Seven missioMirh-s, three chnrehes
and 71 members are the staii-tics of
this, the youngest mission of the |
i board.
nummary: S2 mis ionaries. ill
native helpers, 97 churches and 5 1U7
members. During I8!is. there were
845 additions by profession and bap
tism.
In 1877 there were 17 missionaries
and native helpers; in 1NS7, there
were 110; in 1>97, there were 19J.
In 1877 the contributions for this]
work amounted to .f:52,27(); in 1SS7,
to .tXOSRO; in 1898, to .$121219
Total gifts from 1845 to 1898 $2,172,-
S82.
Adjunct*.
The “Woman’s Missionary Union,
Auxiliary to the Southern Baptist
Convention” is the organization
through which the local mission so
cieties of the Southern Baptist wo
men give their cooperation in mission
work. A large portion of their gifts
go to this foreign work, and they
show great zeal in propagating the
mission spirit among the churches.
“The Foreign Mission Journal,”
This sh >.vthat while some are giv
ing th°ir lives for the work oth* rs .ire
giving of their substance. The ri-
ceipts hove not bien ti’o gh to imet
~ -1$ f
-1 » X-
t* *• -. f
. tr •< •■■■ . wv. •' 'A
.. V/r*; ‘ : ; :rT L-.-fT. :t 8
the expenditures, still there is a de
cided improvement over last year.
Answers to .Some Objections to Foreign
Mission Worli.
Do we now have in the church any
who are opposed to foreign mission
gtivf ? 'ibis passive indifference is
pr.Ifiiblv ih** greatest hindrance in
our time to the extension of Christ’s
kingdom among the heathen. But
the discussion of this question lies
l etond the scope of the present pa
pers.
We can only conceive of objections
io funRu missions as coming from
up pun i iRs to Christianity; from men
who feel t he presence of a missionarj
to be a restriction on their evil ways.
If nuy followers ofJ'Jhrisfccherish feel
ings of opposition, it is to behopid
tiiul Lhe.i heresy will (lie with them.
In the land of light where they win
see the grand model on which the
church teow is formed they will
then—we fear not till then—he con-
vinced of their error. Among objec
tions the following may be noted and
answered.
It is not yet time for the
church to devote her energies to the
foreign lic-ld. When will the proper
time come? When she has overtaken
her work at homo. Perhaps the best
reply is that of the Prophet llaggai
to the men of Jerusalem who were
giving all their attention to their
own homes while the temple of God
lay waste. “This people say the time
is not come, the time that the Lord’s
house should be built. Is it time for
ye to dwell in ceiled houses and this
house be wasted? We are told that
it is not right to starve the child fer
the benefit of the stranger. Good!
But why should either child or stran
ger starve when there is enough for
j both? This is either the moan of a
J miser or the excuse of an idler. It is
GROUP OF MISSIONAKIKS IN MOUTH CIGNA.
MISS LULA WIIILDKN, OF SOUTH CAROLINA, STANDING AT
TIIH RIGHT.
published monthly by the secretaries
of the board, is another most valu-
hle adjunct in this work. It is a vig
orous magazine, full of mission news
and mission spirit, and the exceed
ingly low price at which it is sold (J5
cents per year) carries it into thous
ands of homes among the Southern
Baptists.
Advance Movement Of the rorelKii Min* I on
ItoimlM S. It. Convention.
The report of the Boards for the
past year showed very gratifying re
sults Missionaries who had been de
tained at home were back at ‘heir
workV Such a class of Christians
ought to be extinct by this time. If
any of its members still survive the
overwhelming testimony furnished by
the closing century to the need and
value of this work, their condition
must bo such as to excite pity rather
than court attack. May they not be
put aside as a factor too infinitesi
mally small to effect the solution of
the problem which faces the church
in the heathen world? The situation
was different last century when the
protestants of the English speaking
race were waking up to the claim
: far better to be the children of the
j man whos'e hand, obeying the impulse
' of a generous heart, gladdens the
stranger at his gate, than of the man
who slams the door in the stranger’s
face saying that he can’t afford to
I help because of his children. The
expressions “home and foreign” are
human terms; they have no place
with God. The only stranger to Him
is the perverse sinner, and that
stranger is not confined to the heath
en. But all alike arc welcome at His
door. To God the field is one whole,
and He urges the claims of all its
parts on the immediate attention of
His church.
Nature teaches a lesson to those
who urge the concentration of Chris
tian energy on the Home field. • A
part of an organic body is best devel
oped and strengthened by attending
to the whole organism. Can we bet
ter develop tbe branches the more
we neglect the root? Does the hand
not become strong with the growing
strength of the whole body? The
same is true of Christian effort. Tlie
outgoing of the enthusiastic Christian
soul to gladden the nations of the
earth, makes it a power all the great
er for work at home. God’s work is
meant to go on as a whole. To
starve one part to strengthen another
is altogether opposed to the economy
both of nature and of grace. What
do tho facts of history say? They
say again and again with united
voice that the church which is enthu
siastic io supporting work abroad, at
the same time maintains its own in
stitutions in a flourishing condition,
while tho church that gives grudg
ingly to spread tho gospel through
the world has a hard fight to keep its
own work going.
This is a question of spiritual rath
er than of material means. The
Spirit of God is one and its work is a
unit. When we begin to come up
to permit their men to land on csr-
tain islands, as the inhabitants wera
cannibals. Years afterwards it in
formed captains that sailors might
land with perfect safety, What was
the reason for this change? Metho
dist missionaries had been at work.
Is tho trader to become the pioneer
traderof the church? Then her work
will bo all the harder. No, she
should be first and last in making
the kingdoms of the world the king
doms of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
The result is too small for tho
cost. What! are we to value souls
by dollars? Shall we apply the test;
of material force to spiritual force?
This is attempting what the greatest
men have found impossible; we can
not reach the Spirit through matter.
Still less can we estimate spiritual
results by feet, inches, gallons or
dollars. We further degrade the
gain of the Spirit of G >1 when we ap
ply to it the test of the market.
But, even by our own standard, it is
unfair to measure the results of an
enterprise, not yet completed, by the
amount of money spent upon it.
Many fine commercial concerns were
at first carried on at a loss; but their
promoters so believed in their ulti
mate prosperity that they never hes-
tated to spend all the money that was
[
the Spirit’s sphere of labor and say,
“That must go to the wall to enable
this to live,” we quench its inspira
tion ; the fires of our own zeal cool
down, and we find that in trying to
save our home field we lose it. In our
blindness we cut oif the very root,
hoping thereby to make the branches
more vigorous. The hand on the
dial face of divine purpose is now
pointing to the hour when the church
ought to present to the great Lord a
redeemed world; and yet we say the
time has not come to prosecute the
great cruaaue of winning the whole
world for Christ.
You ought to civilize the heath
en before you attempt to christianize
them. This was the objection urged
necessary to keep the concerns run
ning. In the mission field there ha-i
already been enormous success. In
is true that converts have not been so
many as we ought to expect. They,
however, only mark one stage of tho
work; they do not, by any means,
. represent all the results that havo
been achieved. Who can measuro
the extent to which the world ha«
been prepared for the preaching of
, the gospel? Shut gates have been
] opened, waste fields have been broken
up, the seed of the kingdom has been
sown far and wide. The light of chris-
i tian truth has already produced mar
velous effects upon heathen systems
of religion in purifying them from
some of their corruptions, or in so
JAPANUSK SCHOOL ROY.
on the writer when he was starting
out for service in the foreign ii*-!d.
He felt as he feels now, that this
is putting the cart before the horse.
The applied force of the Bible ought
to be superior to the applied force of
the sword in making a good citizen.
Speaking from experience, the mis
sionaries of Christ lay a much better
foundation for good citizenship than
the missionaries of Midas. The in
spiration that springs from greed for
gold makes the trader an enemy to
the well-being of tho heathen. But
there is no need for commerce and
religion being opposed to each other.
The church should pray, that both
led by the same spirit, may work to
gether for the uplifting of degraded
men. So far the Christian mission
ary has been the great civilizing force
of the world. Once the British Ad
miralty advised captains of ships not
pointing oiD their badness as to
teach their followers to look round
for some better guide to another
world. India and Japen have not
become Christians, but who will deny
that the millions of both countries
are being enormously henefitted by
influences that spring directly from
Christianity. The same process is
going on in China. At one time the
church looked upon these countries
as sealed to Christian effort, and it
prayed earnestly for an open door.
That prayer has been abundantly an
swered, and now the church has a
vast opportunity for proving its loy
alty to Christ. Is there little to
show for the cost? If it be a ques
tion of money the church can accept
the challenge with joy. Never in the
whole history of the heathen world
[continued on cage three, j