The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1914, Page 95

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

95

Items of General Missionary Interest.

Cuina.—In September, President Yuan Shi
Kai took part in a Confucian religious ceremony
in his official capacity as President of the Chinese
Republic. Notwithstanding the denial of Yuan
Shi Kai, this participation of the president in a
public ceremony seems equivalent to the establish-
ment of Confucianism as the state religion. Con-
fucianism is also to be taught in the government
schools. — Several of the most populous provinces
of China have been devastated by floods. Famine
can only be averted, it is said, by outside aid. More
than eight million people are facing starvation. In
some portions whole villages have been swept away,
and thousands of lives have been destroyed. The
American Norwegian Lutheran synods have a num-
ber of stations in the devastated provinces. — J/is-
sionary Arndt, of the Lutheran Mission Society,
reports the baptism of four adults at Hankow.
These are the first-fruits of this mission. — Several
large Protestant mission societies have joined hands
in establishing a greal universily at Nanking. All
the societies interested are American. The faculty
consists of 46 American and 56 Chinese teachers.
The school was opened in September, and of the
400 students 300 are Christians. — It has been re-
ported from Northern China that the officials of
the Hingi district have murdered 40 men, whose
only crime was that they were lepers. Last year
50 poor lepers were massacred in the same district.
These massacres prove that the Spirit of Christ still
has much to overcome in barbarous China. — A re-
port from Chinkiang has it that Christians have
been persecuted by -Chinese officials because they
refused to worship idols. ‘They were ordered to
worship idols and their ancestors, and when they
refused to do this, idols were placed in their yards,
and tablets were hung on their walls. When the
Christians persisted in their refusal to go back to
the old custom, they were roughly handled. All
the ,Christian men were taken out, bound with
ropes, and led through the streets. Some fell down
and were dragged for a considerable distance and
suffered painful hurts. One man. who went to the
rescue of the Christians was severely cut on the
head. Among the persecuted Christians were six
native preachers.

Arrica.—The Moravian Church intended to
cede its mission province in German East Africa to
another missionary society. Upon the urgent re-
quest of many members not to do so, the General

Synod of the Moravians, which convened a few
months ago, decided to continue the work as here-
tofore, trusting that God would furnish the neces-
sary means. ‘This church numbers only about
45,000 members, and yet raises almost $750,000 an-
nually for missions. It has 106,000 souls under
its care! — The Leipzig Mission Sociely has found
it necessary to turn over its small Kamba-Mission
in British East Africa to an English society. , The
German missionaries that will be relieved by this
change will be utilized by the Leipzig Society to
strengthen their body of workers on the mission
field in German East Africa. — The German Sem-
inary for the education of native workers in Togo
recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. ‘This
seminary has, during the past fifty years, turned
out hundreds of native workers. — A recent report
from the Kassai Valley, in the Kongo State, speaks
of great opportunities in that region. There are
probably one and a half million of people in this
region that are said to be ready. for the Gospel.
God grant that the light of the Word may soon be
brought to these millions still sitting in darkness!
Norwecian Mission ENvTerprise. — Four mis-
sionary rest-houses have been erected by the United
Norwegian Synod, at a cost of $4,000 each, on its
seminary grounds at Minneapolis, Minn. These
cottages have been completely furnished, so that the
worn-out missionary families can go to housekeeping
at once upon their arrival. The loving provision
which this Synod thus has made for its weary and
worn-out workers when they return on their fur-
lough is an example of wisdom and love which might
well be imitated by other bodies.
body of Lutherans is carrying on extensive missions
in China and on the island of Madagascar.
Missions or To-pay. — More than 8,000 mis-
sionaries of both sexes from the United States and
38,000 native converts acting as missionaries are

This aggressive

teaching the Christian faith throughout the world. °

They have converted 1,500,000 men, women, and
children in all lands, and are bringing 75,000 more
into the fold every year. Over 1,300,000 are learn-
ing the ways of Christianity in the 30,000 colleges,
theological seminaries, training- and Sabbath-schools
that have been established by American mission-
aries. The modern missionary is not only a spiritual
adviser, but undertakes to cure physical ills as well.
In the 600 hospitals and free dispensaries estab-
lished in foreign lands, it is estimated that
3,000,000,000 treatments have been given by the
400 male and female doctors making up the foreign