The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1915, Page 62

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62

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Items of General Missionary Interest.

Suvrut Wastr.— A disgruntled Pythian Odd
Fellow writes the following: “It is estimated that
the 5,400,000 members of secret societies in the
United States spend for regalia, plumes, banners,
banquets, and unnecessary traveling expenses not
less than $250,000,000 annually. Reversing the
order of the lower creation, in which the male pea-
cock, the male lion, the male barnyard fowl, and
the male generally is most gorgeously adorned, we
see men walking in dull black or gray, while woman
struts alongside in all the colors of the rainbow,
arrayed as not even Solomon of old was arrayed.
Only in the lodge-room can man gratify his natural
love for finery. Only there can he manifest the
atavism which is in him, a latent memory of pre-
historic days, when the males of the race still wore
the fine feathers, while the females were but beasts
of burden.” — :

Sunpay-scioo_s AND Missions. —/That  chil-
dren can be interested in the work of missions the
following item shows: Some time ago a project
was started by the Episcopalians to raise $100,000
for missions through their Sunday-schools, which
resulted in the giving of $101,247 by 3,274 schools,
with about 800 still to be heard from.

AMERICAN ItaLtan CrturcHes. — New York
State has 25 Protestant Italian congregations and
19 Romanist. Two Italian Presbyterian congre-
gations in Philadelphia have 600 members. ‘The
Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists have 60 or-
dained Italian ministers. Italians who come to
America act as though they were tired of Romanisin.

Prorestanr Missions 1N INDIA. — Its schools
number 10,000, its scholars 375,000, with about
30,000 in institutions of a higher grade. <A native
Christian pastorate, numbering 1,100 men, supports
more than 4,000 foreign missionaries, and the total
India staff of workers of more than 26,000 carry on
the varied work of India Missions.

Cuina. — China has 1,700 great walled cities.
A comprehensive campaign has been inaugurated
to Christianize these great centers by locating in
each one of them a strong, well-trained native mis-
sionary force composed of college and university
graduates, who will make the presence of foreign
missionaries unnecessary. ‘I'he plan calls for $5,000
for the establishment of each center, and then for
$500 per year for maintenance.

JarPAN.—Dr. C. L. Brown, of the training-
school of the United Synod at Kumamoto, Japan,

reports that of the 370 boys attending the school,
189 have signified their desire to become Chris-
tians. Forty-three of these have already been bap-
tized. Five of the native teachers of the school
have also expressed their wish to embrace the Chris-
tian faith. These five, added to those teachers who
already were Christians, makes the faculty almost
entirely Christian.

Unirep Meruopist ForuiagN Misstons. — The
foreign mission secretary of this denomination re-
ports as follows on the work of his church in the
United Methodist: “Vhough the nearer horizon is
darkened by the clouds of war, we are happy to
report that clearer light is shining upon the distant
mission fields. It is a great work we are doing.
In China alone we minister to more than 32,000
souls, who are connected with our 413 chapels
either as members or inquirers. In North China,
the oldest of our missions in that land, some of
the churches have arrived at the point of complete
self-support, and many other churches are making
good progress in that direction. ‘he work in Mast
Africa has been affected by the war’s alarms, and
stations near the German border have been tem-
porarily closed. But the missionaries speak of a
successful, year, and the number of members has
increased. ‘The report is good from West Africa,
and the’ work among the Mendi people is being
strengthened and developed. One great ery of dis-
tress has come from all our fields during the year
on account of inadequate financial support. ‘The
estimates for working expenses had to be reduced
by one-third. ‘This has resulted in a reduction of
the mission staffs and the closing of out-stations
and schools. ‘The results could be multiplied more
than.a hundredfold if only we could raise another
$30,000 a year. We want more missionaries on
every field, but with our present income we ‘can-
not adequately support the work of those we have.”

ReMARKABLE NEws. — On the past year’s opera-_
tions the Foreign Mission Board of the Presbyterian
Church shows a surplus of $30,810.

Missionary Progress:— One hundred years
ago there were in the whole world only seven’ mis-
sionary societies, employing less than 200 male
missionaries. ‘To-day there are 788 societies and
19,280 missionaries.

Brivis: AND Forsian Brsne Soctery. — This
society recently held its 111th anniversary in J.on-
don. From its report.we glean the following: In
the first weeks -following the outbreak of the war
a heavy burden fell on those responsible for the