\ f Sch.R. DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DURHAM, N. C. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/taskaheadmissionOOclar THE TASK AHEAD The Missionary Crisis of the Church 0 THE TASK AHEAD THE MISSIONARY CRISIS OF THE CHURCH BY ELMER T. CLARK PUBLICITY SECRETARY OF THE CENTENARY COMMISSION METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH e BOARD OF MISSIONS CENTENARY COMMISSION METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Copyright, 1925 by the Centenary Commission Methodist Episcopal Church, South PREFACE £ 5 f 2 - THIS volume is published and distributed under the authority of the Home Base Committee of the Board of Missions and the Executive Committee of the Centenary Commission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Its purpose is two-fold: First, to present a comprehensive view of all the missionary work of the Church, Home and Foreign, both General and Woman's Work; Second, to announce and seek support for the Advance World Program, which is a plan for maintaining this work. A perusal of this book will show that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is in the midst of a serious crisis which may result in a catastrophe. No Church in the world has been more sincere in its efforts to evangelize the dark corners of the earth, and none has developed a finer or more successful missionary system. During the past few years our strides have been truly remarkable. As the Centenary period draws to a close the problem of maintenance arises. We cannot support our enlarged program on an income which had to be largely supplemented even before we made the advance. The pressure upon our resources has already proven too great and the General Work has already incurred a heavy indebtedness. Now we must decide whether we shall increase our income so as to meet our expenses and continue our missionary policy, or whether we shall retreat to the policy of bygone days and retrench in our work by abandoning mission fields, recalling missionaries, and closing institutions. Convinced that our Church will never consent to such a retreat, we have formulated the Advance World Program. It is offered to our preachers and people as our plan for continuing in the Missionary busi- ness on a worthy scale. And we most earnestly solicit the sacrificial cooperation of all congregations in insuring its success. Bishop W. B. Beauchamp, Chairman, Centenary Commission. Chairman, Home Base Committee, Board of Missions. W. G. Cram, Directing Secretary, Centenary Commission. W. W. PlNSON, E. H. Rawlings, Miss Mabel K. Howell, Miss Esther Case, Foreign Secretaries, Board of Missions. R. L. Russell, J. W. Perry, Mrs. J. H. McCoy, Mrs. J. W. Downs, Home Secretaries, Board of Missions. 7 37&I John Wesley i look upon all the world as my parish, CONTENTS introductory section Chapter Page I. Methodism and Missions 11 II. The Centenary Advance 18 III. The Centenary Delinquency 25 IV. Deficits in Missions 33 V. Our Present Situation 36 VI. The Advance World Program 40 VII. Plan of the Advance World Program 43 VIII. Financial Summary 48 IX. The Missionary Conscience 51 foreign section X. Africa . . 57 XI. Belgium 65 XII. Brazii 71 XIII. China 81 XIV. Cuba .'. 93 XV. Czechoslovakia 103 XVI. Japan Ill XVII. Korea 121 XVIII. Mexico 133 XIX. Poland 145 XX. Siberia-Manchuria 1 55 CONTENTS HOME SECTION XXI. Army and Navy : 165 XXII. City and Industrial 173 XXIII. Educational 185 XXIV. French 195 XXV. Immigrants 203 XXVI. Indians 215 XXVII. Mountains 221 XXVIII. Negroes 229 XXIX. Rural.... 237 XXX. SUSTENTATION 249 t INTRODUCTORY SECTION METHODISM AND MISSIONS THE CENTENARY ADVANCE THE CENTENARY DELINQUENCY DEFICITS IN MISSIONS OUR PRESENT SITUATION THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM PLAN OF THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM FINANCIAL SUMMARY THE MISSIONARY CONSCIENCE THE TASK AHEAD CHAPTER I METHODISM AND MISSIONS HE charter of Christianity is the Great Commis- sion: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." This makes of any Church that claims the name of Christian a missionary organization, and in so far as it departs from missionary activity it loses its Christian nature. Every branch which neglected this fundamental has atrophied and died. There is today no difference of opinion among enlight- ened Christians: Missions is the supreme work of the Church. At the outset of its career Methodism was put in line with the Great Commission by its founder and leaders. John Wesley was a foreign missionary be- fore he was a Methodist, and his most famous and influential utterance was a missionary message: "I look upon all the world as my parish." Thomas Coke, the first superintendent, was aflame with missionary zeal; he established Methodism in Nova Scotia and the West Indies and died at sea enroute to India on a similar mission. At the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America two preachers were sent to Nova Scotia and a collection was taken for their support. Bishop Asbury collected funds for his "mite society" and thus aided the preachers sent to the western frontiers. But the negro, John Stewart, who on his own initiative 11 THE TASK AHEAD became a worker among the Wyandotte Indians at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1819, is commonly regarded as the first Methodist missionary in America. Official connectional missions dates from 1819, when the "Missionary Society" was established in New York. The following year the first missionaries were appointed, two preachers being sent to the French population of Louisiana. The first foreign mission was founded in Liberia in 1833. From these beginnings Methodism, literally obeying the Great Commission, has proceeded to occupy the World Parish of Wesley's dreams. It has literally gone into all the world and preached the gospel to every creature. There is scarcely any corner of the globe wherein representatives of some branch of Method- ism are not at work in the Master's name. In 1844 Methodism was represented abroad in Liberia and Argentine, but these fields went to the northern branch when the Church was divided. When the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, South, was organized, a Mis- sionary Society also came into being, and in 1846 its first annual report showed missions among the Negroes, In- dians, Germans, French, and in Texas. These were all "home fields," so-called, and missionary work among the neglected groups of this country always occupied a large place in the thinking and program of Southern Methodism. The new Church, however, had a world vision and made immediate preparations to expand in the World Parish. Charles Taylor was sent to China in 1848 and for a quarter of a century Southern Methodism con- centrated its foreign policy on this vast field. Mexico was entered in 1873 and our first missionaries began working in Brazil in 1875-1876. 12 METHODISM AND MISSIONS The Lambuths went to Japan from China in 1886 and in 1896 Reid and Collyer, also from China, received Baron T. H. Yun and wife as the first-fruits of our work in Korea. Cuba was occupied in 1898, at the close of the Spanish- American War. Then in 191 1 Bishop Lambuth and Prof. John Wesley Gilbert blazed their historic trail into the heart of the Congo. Two years later the first detachment of Southern Methodist missionaries left home for the Dark Continent. Thus within two generations the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, had occupied seven foreign lands and at the same time had covered the South and Southwest with a varied program of connectional home mission activity. In 1919 American Methodism rounded out a full cen- tury of Missionary activity. At that time the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, occupied seven foreign fields and employed a force of 298 missionaries, including wives, who are frequently regarded as missionaries because they receive an allow- ance from the Board of Missions and in reality do actual missionary work. In the home field connectional agencies carried on sustentation work in seventeen conferences and a varied program of missions was in operation among the Indians, Negroes, and Immigrants, and some activity had been started in the textile centers and cities. The Home Mis- sion work of the women was even more extensive than that of the General Department. 13 THE TASK AHEAD Chart Showing Spread of our Foreign Missions 1848 Chirm 1886 1873 China and Mexico 1896 China Mexico Brazil Japan Korea, 1875 China, Mexico and Brazil 1898 China Mexico Brazil Japan Korea Cuba 1914 China Mexico Brazil Japan Korea, Cuba Africa 1920 China Mexico, Brazil Japan , Korea Cuba, Africa Chechoslovakia Belgium , Poland Siberia -Manchuria f 14 METHODISM AND MISSIONS The total amount available for the maintenance of this program, including cultivation and administration, was $1,698,549. In detail the funds were distributed as follows : Foreign Department, General Work $863,229 Foreign Department, Woman's Work 413,148 Home Department, General Work 155,173 Home Department, Woman's Work 266,999 In addition to these amounts the various Annual Con- ferences raised for missions within their respective bor- ders the total sum of $467,968. Thus at the beginning of 1919 the Methodist Episco- pal Church, South, was giving 99 cents per member annually for all forms of home and foreign missions ; 40 cents of this was for home work and 59 cents for the foreign fields. * * * ■^y- The regular income of the Board of Missions from the assessments was not large enough to cover the budget for its General Work. Of the $1,018,402 necessary to main- tain this work, only $578,855 was realized from the as- sessments. The Board was thus placed under the necessity of securing funds from other sources or greatly curtailing its activity. The difference between its expenses and its regular annual income was derived mainly from Specials which were assumed by congregations, organizations, and individuals. The finances necessary to maintain the Woman's Work were derived mainly from the missionary auxiliaries through the regular conference organizations of the Woman's Missionary Society. 15 THE TASK AHEAD With the completion of one hundred years of Meth- odist missionary activity came a missionary crisis. For many years the Board of Missions had been heavily burdened by debt, but this had been gradually reduced and at last eliminated. As pointed out above, the assess- ments were insufficient to meet expenses, and every energy was exerted to secure special funds. Progress had been made, but with the outbreak of the World War came a decrease in revenue, and by 1919 the situation became desperate. Various elements combined to adversely affect the suc- cessful operation of missions at home and abroad : 1. The change in exchange rates in various foreign lands greatly reduced the value of the American dollar. 2. The rapid increase in prices of commodities and transportation greatly reduced the purchasing power of the dollar. 3. The disruption of the missionary work of the com- batant nations threw on us burdens not contemplated in our budgets. In view of all these conditions it was clearly apparent to all observers that the customary budget of the Board of Missions could not meet the situation. Unless more money could be secured the Church faced disaster in its missionary work. The old income could not even main- tain the status quo. But in view of the world situation the status quo was not an adequate program for the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South. Even when it could not maintain the work it had already launched, the Church faced the necessity of projecting even greater things. 16 METHODISM AND MISSIONS The World War brought with it a missionary need and duty which Methodism could not evade. In every field the demands and opportunities were multiplied many fold. In stricken European nations the very dis- tress of the people made it incumbent upon us to serve them. None was left to serve save Americans only. In the hands of American Protestantism rested Christianity's future. All right thinking men were agreed that Methodism's path was forward. "This great world trial," declared the General Conference of 1918, "will prove the savor of life unto life or death unto death, not only as to nations, but as to Churches, ours among the others. To wrap our- selves in comfortable complacency means that our salt will lose its savor and that corrosive selfishness will eat out our spiritual life." It was a missionary crisis. It corresponded in point of time with the centennial of American Methodist missions, and out of it was born the Missionary Centenary. 17 CHAPTER II THE CENTENARY ADVANCE ITTING in the midst of the world cataclysm, the General Conference of 1918 rightly sensed that "the hour has struck for mighty things" and that "the time is at hand when the Church must step forth in power and with a holy enthusiasm." It accordingly approved the Missionary Centenary, and authorized its agencies to appeal to the Church for $25,000,000 in new money to meet the crisis at hand. Methodists will never forget the thrill which ran through the heart of the Church in 1919 when the Cen- tenary was carried to such a triumphant success. Its slogan was amply proved: "When two million Meth- odists go from their knees to any task, it shall be done." Nine hundred thousand members of our Church made pledges approximating $35,000,000 in new money, while the Epworth Leagues and Sunday schools added two millions more, thus oversubscribing the objective 50%. Thereby was ushered in the most remarkable period of advance ever known in all the glorious history of Methodism. This Centenary money soon began to flow into the treasury. The receipts in actual cash from this source have been as follows : 1919 $4,650,432 1920 5,014,767 1921 3,140,465 1922 2,982,680 1923 3,080,073 1924 (to October 1st) 1,167,771 THE CENTENARY ADVANCE Of course all the Centenary money did not go to the Board of Missions. It was distributed approximately as follows : Foreign Department, General Work 24% Home Department, General Work 14% Foreign Department, Woman's Work 10% Home Department, Woman's Work 5% Annual Conference Boards of Missions 10% Church Extension 7% European Reconstruction 18% Mission Buildings . 4% Expense 8 % Total 100% At the conclusion of the World War the 18% included in the Centenary askings for European Reconstruction was divided between our new European and Siberia- Manchurian mission fields and the work of building churches in the educational centers at home, 60% being devoted to the former and 40% to the latter. The total askings for one year for our connectional mis- sionary work are as follows : Foreign Department, General Work $1,309,269.40 Foreign Department, Woman's Work 559,426.60 Home Department, General Work 783,638.00 Home Department, Woman's Work 248,000.00 Europe and Siberia-Manchuria 600,000.00 Total $3,500,334.00 For the years 1920, 1921, and 1922 these askings have been paid in full. They have not yet been paid in full for 1923, however, owing to the fact that sufficient sums have not yet been paid on the Centenary pledges. 19 THE TASK AHEAD Centenary Money Received 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 TO OCT. 1st 4,650,432 5,014,767. 13,140,465 12,982,680. #3,080,073. 11,167,771. Of course this Centenary money made possible a great increase in the work of the Board of Missions. In fact it multiplied the activities of each department by three. In 1919 the amount available for all forms of con- nectional missions was less than $1,700,000; in 1920 it was more than $4,800,000. In the latter year about $1,300,000 came from the regular sources of income while the Centenary furnished $3,500,000. This same proportion was maintained during the years of 1921 and 1922. The achievements of the Centenary in all the Mission fields of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, at home and abroad, have thrilled the Church and attracted the attention of the outside world. A complete statement of 20 THE CENTENARY ADVANCE Where The Centenary Money Goes these accomplishments would fill a large volume. They are well known to Methodists everywhere, but a few of the high points of achievement may be reiterated here: 1. In 1919, after 75 years of missionary history, we had occupied seven foreign fields; the Centenary in four years entered the nations of Belgium, Poland, Czecho- slovakia, and Siberia-Manchuria, thus bringing our for- eign fields to eleven. 2. The Centenary sent out nearly 300 new foreign mis- sionaries and added as many more to the home staff. 3. It projected in Korea and Czechoslovakia the great- est evangelistic movements of modern times and swept those lands with revival fire. In Korea we won 25,000 new believers and in Czechoslovakia we have developed a strong Church. 21 THE TASK AHEAD 4. It built or rebuilt SO schools and colleges, 300 churches, 12 hospitals, and 25 institutional plants in for- eign lands alone. 5. It developed in Belgium the only Protestant girls' school in that section of Europe; the finest mission plants in Poland, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and Brazil; the only real college in Korea; the greatest hospital in China; the three leading orphanages in Poland; the best mission publishing house in Brazil. 6. It entered western Siberia with workers who en- dured persecution at the hands of the Bolsheviks; it pub- lishes a Christian Advocate in the Russian language at Harbin and maintains a large school in the same city. 7. It kindled a revival in our country.' In 1919 we were losing members at the rate of 1,000 per day. Since then we have had a net increase of nearly a third of a million. 8. It carried out a campaign of Stewardship which was largely instrumental in increasing pastors' salaries $3,- 000,000 a year. 9. It has invested more in missions than the Church raised for this cause during the previous twenty years. 10. It enlisted 5,000 Life Service Volunteers, 750 of whom are now at work at home and abroad. 11. It opened up a whole new presiding elder's district and doubled our membership in New Mexico; it trebled the charges in Arizona and multiplied the membership by four. 12. It built a school for Mexican girls at Pharr, Texas ; a school for Mexican boys at San Antonio; a school for French children at Houma, La. ; a school for moun- taineers at Crossville, Tenn. ; a school for Indians at Smithville, Okla. It gave $50,000 each to our 12 mission schools in the Appalachian mountains. 22 THE CENTENARY ADVANCE The Centenary Incre a s e 1920 1919 * 1,700,000. 4,800,000. 13. It placed nearly two million dollars in the hands of the various Annual Conference Boards of Missions to be spent by them locally. 14. It placed pastors in 6 army and navy camps and chaplains in 8 government tuberculosis hospitals. It aids 18 Methodist chaplains in the regular army and navy. This is the first time we ever undertook a program of service for our lads in khaki and blue. 15. It established 14 Pastors' Schools, wherein nearly 3,000 preachers are annually trained in modern methods of Church work. 16. It developed the first connectional policy our Church ever projected for the salvation of the Rural Church. The Department of Rural Work maintains a number of "demonstration districts" and "demonstration 23 THE TASK AHEAD charges" in various sections of the country and these are working out efficient and practical rural methods. It has already reopened a large number of abandoned country churches. It conducts Rural Life Institutes for country preachers. It has established Departments of Rural Church Work in Southern Methodist University, Hen- drix College, Birmingham-Southern College, and Cen- tral College for the training of country preachers and laymen. 17. It supports 120 mission pastors of the Colored Methodist Church and conducts a Summer School for Negro Pastors. It assists five colleges of the Colored Methodist Church. 18. It supports SO preachers and workers in our indus- trial centers and in the slums of our large cities. These are but a few sample achievements of the Cen- tenary. They are the high points of the greatest mis- sionary movement of Methodist history, and as se- lected operations they illustrate the mighty advance our Church has made since 1919. 24 CHAPTER III THE CENTENARY DELINQUENCY LET it be remembered that all these things — and the hundreds of other results which might be men- tioned — were accomplished on only a part of the budget asked for. As glorious as they are, they do not in any complete sense represent the fulfillment of the Cen- tenary program. \ The total amount pledged in the Centenary cam- paign was $36,911,166. On October 1, 1924, the total amount received in cash from all Centenary sources was $20,050,840.95. Of the more than twenty millions disbursed by the Centenary to October 1, 1924, the sum of $17,102,678.75 was applied on the askings of the various Boards and departments, as follows: Foreign Department, General Work. . . .$ 4,483,567.10 Foreign Department, Woman's Work. . . 1,880,407.84 Home Department, General Work 2,660,054.00 Home Department, Woman's Work. . . . 873,221.77 Annual Conference Boards of Mis- sions, 10% 1,763,302.60 Board of Church Extension 1,332,650.00 European Missions 2,015,461.53 War Work Fund 1,272,617.83 Sunday School Board, 10% 141,597.08 Mission Buildings Investment. 679,800.00 Total.. $17,102,678.75 25 THE TASK AHEAD Of course this does not mean that the remainder of the Centenary income has been used to meet expenses. Much of it, more than a third of a million dollars, remained as cash on hand when the above figures were made on October 1, 1924. A large amount was actually paid to the participating Boards under the Standard year agree- ment" to make up their losses on regular income, and this cannot be counted on the askings although it actually went into our missionary work. Our Commission made a contribution to the Centenary Celebration at Columbus, Ohio, in 1919. We have a considerable investment in office equipment and fixtures. All of these items, with the expense account, make up the difference between what has been received by the Centenary and what it has paid on the official askings. The expense has been very small when we consider the magnitude and results of the movement. In fact, the Centenary has been repeatedly congratulated by business men on the economy of its efficient adminis- tration. The total expense of the original campaign was scarcely of the amount subscribed in the campaign. The total expense of collections between 1919 and 1924 has been slightly above 8% of the amount collected. The total expense of campaign and collections, from the beginning until October 1, 1924, has been about 10% of the actual cash received. This is a remarkable showing when we consider the fact that we have done a twenty million dollar business and handled the individual accounts of nearly a million "customers." What business house can equal this record? As a matter of fact the expense has never touched a cent of the money paid by the Centenary subscribers on their pledges. Every cent of this money has gone into 26 THE CENTENARY DELINQUENCY How Missions Depended on the Centenary During 1920* 1921 T922 REGULAR INCOME $1,300,000. CENTENARY INCOME $3,500,000. missionary work. The Centenary has received as interest and from sources other than individual pledges three- quarters of a million dollars more than the combined expense of the original campaign and collections. * * * As stated above, the Centenary money available for distribution has not been sufficient to pay in full the ask- ings of the various Boards and departments year by year as they fell due. It has always been necessary to take a part of the income each year to finish paying the askings for the preceding year. The askings for 1920, 1921, and 1922 have been paid in full. But the askings for 1923 were not half paid on October 1, 1924. All of the Centenary money received in 1924 was applied to the askings of 1923. 27 THE TASK AHEAD This, of course, means that the Centenary is a year behind, owing to the great delinquency on the part of thousands of its subscribers, and absolutely nothing is in hand to take care of the askings for 1924. The amounts remaining unpaid on the askings of the various partici- pating boards and departments, as of October 1, 1924, are as follows : Foreign Department, General Work $2,062,780.90 Home Department, General Work 1,258,136.00 Foreign Department, Woman's Work. ... 916,716.16 Home Department, Woman's Work 366,778.23 Board of Church Extension 667,350.00 Annual Conference Boards of Missions. . 736,698.00 The delinquency of so many persons on their Cen- tenary pledges, resulting in the inability of the Cen- tenary to pay the askings in full, is responsible for one of the most serious tragedies ever encountered by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Around the world we have started enterprises which we have not been able to finish. It has plunged us in debt, handi- capped our missionary work, injured our good name as a people, embarrassed us in the eyes and estimation of the people in mission lands. Let us review a few of the unfinished tasks of the Centenary, caused by our negligence in the matter of our sacred promises, any one of which is a reflection upon us : 1. At Tampa, Florida, our school for foreign children is conducted in the Church. It is filled to overflowing European and War Work Mission Buildings 1,711,920.64 320,200.00 Total Centenary Askings Unpaid $8,040,579.93 28 THE CENTENARY DELINQUENCY and the teachers turn away more than they receive. We have a lot, but the Centenary funds are not in hand to build a school. Here is a great opportunity lost, a great need unmet, because many persons have not paid their Centenary pledges. 2. We promised $70,000 to Pinson College at Cama- guey, Cuba, and the natives raised $12,000 in cash. We have not paid our promise, and today Pinson College is housed in dilapidated wooden sheds, crowding twenty- five of the finest youth of Cuba in one sleeping room, and that in an attic. 3. At Eliza Bowman College, Cienfuegos, Cuba, each teacher uses her bedroom for her classes. Other classes meet in corridors and under the trees in the yard. We promised money to provide an adequate building, but the funds have not been paid by the Centenary sub- scribers. 4. We began the erection of a new building for Vir- ginia School, at Huchow, China. The framework was erected, and then the work was stopped for lack of Cen- tenary payments. There stands the skeleton today, a stark monument to our delinquency. 5. We promised to help the Korean Christians build churches in villages where bands were newly won from heathenism. We promised to give them two dollars when they raised one. In their zeal these new converts took us at our word. They secured ground. They brought lum- ber, stone, and clay. But their confidence in us met no response, for the Centenary pledges were not paid and we have not kept our promise. 6. We erected in the heart of Havana a combined school, church, and headquarters building. It is to be the pride of Cuba. The workmen have been dismissed long since for lack of funds. 29 THE TASK AHEAD 7. The Language School for missionaries at Soochow, China, is greatly suffering and may die for lack of funds to erect a building. 8. The Centenary planned to remodel the Girl's Higher Common School, at Wonsan, Korea. The roof leaks. It has no heating plant. The property is deteriorat- ing. But nothing can be done about it. 9. The nurses at Ivey Hospital, Songdo, Korea, are living in a rickety native house under conditions too miserable to describe. The Centenary promised a build- ing, but the appropriation cannot be paid. 10. At Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, the crowded condition in the Colegio Methodista is positively dangerous. Two of our missionaries here recently contracted tuberculosis. If this was not directly due to living conditions, the environment would certainly be more healthful if the new Centenary building could be erected. 1 1. Bennett College, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, is named for the sainted Miss Belle Bennett and should be the pride of the women of Methodism. Yet it is housed in an old remodeled stable awaiting the payment of the Centenary pledges to secure an adequate building. 12. In Brazil we began the erection of a college to bear the name of Bishop Moore. The walls stand four feet high, and the work has stopped until the Centenary pledges are redeemed. Shall we finish these enterprises and the multitude of other tasks which remain uncompleted in the Cen- tenary program? Shall the unpaid askings be paid in full? To do so will require the collection of at least $8,040,579.93 on the outstanding Centenary pledges. Serious thought will doubtless convince us that we are under an obligation to go on. 30 THE CENTENARY DELINQUENCY In the first place, we have pledged ourselves to com- plete this program. It was carefully outlined five years ago, then adopted by the General Conference. By over- subscribing the Centenary objective the rank and file of our people made it their own. We therefore stand pledged to its fulfillment. To falter and turn back would be a repudiation of which we should be unworthy. In the second place, the good name of our Church is at stake. It is easy to imagine the feelings of the Korean Christians who have fulfilled their part of the compact we made with them, the people of Camaguey, Cuba, who raised $12,000 in cash on the strength of our promise to help our own college, of heathen people everywhere who have seen us fail to carry out the enterprises we pledged. It is not too much to say that a continued failure would so compromise us in the eyes of the people we are trying to reach that our Church might never recover its moral influence with them. To promise and then fail to perform will greatly in- jure us. To put our hand to the plow and then turn back is the course of disloyalty to a high ideal and a worthy aim. To retreat means that we will be on the defensive indefinitely — it means a broken morale. In the third place, we owe it to our faithful mission- aries who have given up home and hope of preference to carry the Gospel to the uttermost parts. Failure now will necessitate the recall of many of them. Many self-sacri- ficing missionaries whose own institutions were in the askings and should have received early help, willingly consented to delay in order that a neighboring brother's enterprise might have precedence. Our failure now will mean that the unselfishness of these men is to be penalized and their own askings remain forever unpaid. 31 THE TASK AHEAD In the fourth place, there is a moral element in- volved. Our people made the Centenary pledges in good faith. In multiplied thousands of instances they are well able to pay them. Our resources as a Church have scarcely been touched. Our prosperity is so great as to be positively alarming. In this situation it is a serious thing to even suggest that our people will not or should not pay that which they are obligated in the sight of men and God to pay. Such a course would endanger their moral state, their spiritual welfare, the very salvation of their souls. "When thou vowest a vow unto God," says the Bible in a tone of command, "defer not to pay it. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow than that thou shouldest vow and not pay I" One who pleads that the Centenary pledges be not col- lected and the Centenary askings be not paid would be pleading for an acknowledgment of defeat in our greatest and most important undertaking, for a withdrawal in the work of preaching Christ, for scarring the souls of the people for whose spiritual development we are re- sponsible. 32 CHAPTER IV DEFICITS IN MISSIONS THE Centenary objective was to raise $5,000,000 annually for five years for advance work and at the same time to lift the standard of giving in the Church so as to double our regular missionary income. It was clearly recognized that the regular income must be doubled in order to maintain the advance work pro- jected by the Centenary. Otherwise there would be a col- lapse at the end of the Centenary period, and the last state would be worse than the first. 4^ 4St It is a distressing fact that the latter objective has not been realized. Indeed, the exact opposite has come to pass. When the people began paying on the Centenary pledges, they cut down their contributions on the reg- ular assessments and Specials. Since 1919 our mis- sionary income from the assessments has decreased each year except 1923, and in this year the increase was not large enough to bring the income back to the standard figure. The regular income of the Board of Missions, Gen- eral Work, from assessments and Specials has fallen off a quarter of a million dollars a year during the Centenary period. This meant that the regular income was insufficient to maintain the Centenary advance work. It could not even maintain the old work. Now, however, the maintenance expense had increased at least a million dollars a year, due to the fact that five new lands had been entered and a great advance had been made in every field. Thus the 33 THE TASK AHEAD How the Centenary Leaves The Board of Missions General Work ' REGULAR INCOME #650,000. EXPENSES 41,821,015. Centenary funds had to do the triple duty of projecting the new work for which it had been given, maintaining what it projected, and maintaining part of the old work. Added to this strain was the vastly increased cost of carrying out between 1920 and 1924 a program outlined early in 1918. At the close of the war costs of materials, transportation, and living necessities soared. In this situa- tion almost every item in the Centenary program cost at least 40% more than the original estimate. Let us summarize the situation with which the Board of Missions has been struggling : 1. Its regular income was reduced a quarter of a million dollars a year. 2. Its maintenance expenses were increased at least a million dollars a year by the Centenary advance and rise in prices. 34 DEFICITS IN MISSIONS 3. A heavy burden of maintenance was thus thrown on the Centenary funds. 4. Yet it was necessary to make a great advance, not only because the world situation demanded it but also because the Centenary funds were given for that pur- pose. 5. Then prices soared to such an extent that it would scarcely have been possible to have carried out the Centenary program even if the pledges had been promptly paid. 6. But the pledges have not been promptly paid, and thus the Board of Missions has received less than half of its Centenary money for 1923 and absolutely noth- ing for 1924. * * i The Board was placed in an impossible situation and no human ingenuity could avoid indebtedness unless the Centenary money was paid. Its expenses for 1924 were $3,994,046.97, while its regular income was estimated at $1,488,284.43. Thus there was a difference of $2,505,- 762.54 for the Centenary to supply. Early in the year the Bishops sounded a warning to the Church, declaring that it would require $3,000,000 in Centenary collections to maintain our missionary operations. This amount was not paid, and accordingly the Executive Committee of the Board of Missions announced to the Church that its indebtedness had reached the vast sum of $907,910.49. 35 CHAPTER V OUR PRESENT SITUATION HAT is the present state of affairs in the mis- sionary operations of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South? Between 1920 and 1924 we wrote the most glorious chapter of Methodist history. Our achievements in ex- tending the Kingdom of God are unparalleled. We have made advances of which no former generation of Meth- odists would have dared to dream. Yet, owing to developments which it was impossible to foresee, and owing to the delinquency of many of our people in the matter of their Centenary pledges, we now find ourselves staggering under an indebted- ness of a million dollars. Under ordinary conditions that debt would hamper us for a generation. Unless energetic measures are now taken, and unless Methodist people awake to the seriousness of the situation and to the sacredness of their obligations, this debt will mount still higher. Every possible economy has been effected, and the expenses of the Board of Missions, Gen- eral Work and Woman's Work, for 1925 have been cut to $2,753,036, as against $3,994,046 for 1924. Yet even this drastic reduction of more than $1,240,000 per year in expenses is not sufficient to bring them within the ordi- nary income. For example, the Home and Foreign De- partments, General Work, must spend $1,821,015 in 1925, while the assessment will yield only $650,000, leaving a deficit of $1,171,015 to be otherwise provided for. -ft 36 OUR PRESENT SITUATION Drastic Economy of the Board of Missions ii EXPENSES FOR 1924 EXPENSES FOR 1925 2,753,036 The Church must either make immediate arrange- ments to finance the work of missions, or it must at once proceed to retrench all along the line. What the latter alternative involves is plain. It will mean a retreat to the status quo ante bellum, or even beyond the pre-war status. It will mean the immediate recall of scores of preach- ers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and other workers from our mission fields. We shall perhaps be under the necessity of withdrawing entirely from Belgium, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, nations wherein the need is pressing and wherein we have made wonderful prog- ress. We will be forced to abandon Churches, schools, and hospitals around the world. In our home fields a similar policy of abandonment will have to be adopted. 37 THE TASK AHEAD As liabilities we have immediately a debt of $907,- 910.49 and an unfinished Centenary program calling for $8,161,796 unpaid Centenary askings. Over against this we have the sacred and signed pledges of honest Methodist people aggregating more than $16,500,000. 1 The Church could, therefore, discount its assets nearly 50% and still pay its missionary debts and fin- ish its Centenary program, if its people could be brought to the fulfillment of their solemnly assumed obligations. Again, over and beyond the payment of this debt and the completion of the Centenary program, there is a liability of approximately $1,200,000 per year for the Home and Foreign Departments, General Work only, in maintaining its work on the basis to which it has been cut in the appropriations for 1925. That is to say, if we do not advance beyond mere maintenance after the Centenary, but keep our missionary work on the 1925 basis (which basis, we repeat, is $1,240,000 under that of 1924) we must raise $1,17.1,015 in new money, over and above the assessment, to pay the actual expenses of the two General Work departments. And what shall we balance against that? A membership of two and a half million loyal people who place missions above all other Church interests; a prosperity surpassing that of any people who have ever lived upon this earth; resources which our various appeals have scarcely touched; a record, newly achieved, which proves beyond all cavil that "when two l In keeping our figures straight it should be remembered that while the Centenary has received $20,050,840.95 from all sources, only $17,931,104.04 has actually been paid on the pledges; $2,119,736.91 came from the Sunday school, Epworth Leagues, interest, and miscellaneous sources. 38 OUR PRESENT SITUATION million Methodists go from their knees to any task, it shall be done." Until men forget the Centenary they dare not say that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is unable to finance the work of sending the gospel to the utter- most parts. It is clear that our resources far surpass our liabili- ties. We are amply able to continue our missionary operations at the point of effectiveness to which they have been brought by the Centenary. There is no question of ability. It is only one of willingness, de- termination, loyalty, and effort. It is apparent that unless these are manifested our Church must retreat in defeat and shame — retreat for the first time in its history. 39 I CHAPTER VI THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM THE plan by which the Church expects to remove the present missionary difficulties and remain in the field as a great missionary agency is known as the Advance World Program. It is a joint movement of the Missionary Centenary and the Board of Missions to complete the unfinished Centenary enterprises, to extricate ourselves from the embarrassment of indebtedness, to cover the increased expenses of our missionary operations, and to avoid re- trenchment and maintain our work on the plane to which it has been brought by the Centenary. This involves two elements : 1. In order to complete the Centenary enterprises and eliminate our debt we must collect enough Cen- tenary money to pay the unpaid askings of $8,040,- 579.93. Since the unpaid Centenary pledges total $16,530,246, this appears to be a reasonable expecta- tion. 2. In order to avoid a withdrawal of a part of our missionary forces and a retreat from the advance posi- tion taken in the Centenary, we must raise in new money approximately $1,200,000 annually, over and above the assessments. It will require this amount to meet the difference between the annual expenses of the Board of Missions, General Work, and its regular in- come from the assessments. Computed on the basis of the 1925 appropriations, these expenses are $1,821,015 per year while the estimated income from assessments is $650,000 per year. 40 THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM It is nothing unusual in Methodism that extra money must be raised to meet our missionary bills. It has always been done; it is a settled policy of our Church. We have never levied an assessment large enough to pay our ex- penses. Even before the Centenary the assessment covered but two-thirds of the budget, and it was necessary to raise one-third by Specials. Since the Centenary increase these figures have been reversed; today the assessment pays but one-third of the maintenance while two-thirds must be raised from other sources. In order to appreciate the situation as it is, let us again recall the fact that the Centenary has increased the regu- lar annual operating expenses of the Board of Missions, both General and Woman's Work, more than a million dollars, while the regular income has remained practi- cally static. In fact, the annual income of the Department of General Work has decreased a quarter of a million dollars, due to the falling off in collections and the loss of Specials. In order to make the situation still plainer, let us rehearse what the Centenary has brought to the Board of Missions — brought and left on the door-step of an already overburdened Board without any provision for paying the bills : (1) . Four new mission fields with an operating ex- pense therein of $325,000 per year. (2) . Nearly 300 new foreign missionaries and workers and as many new home missionaries, involving a large additional expenditure for salaries. (3) . Approximately 50 new or rebuilt schools and col- leges, 12 hospitals, 300 churches and 25 institutional 41 THE TASK AHEAD plants of various kinds, involving a large annual expendi- ture for upkeep and operating expenses. (4) . A vastly increased program of activity in every phase of missionary work at home and abroad, making necessary large increases in the budget therefor. (5) . An increase in the expenses of maintenance and administration of all departments, both General Work and Woman's Work, from $1,698,549 in 1919 to $2,- 753,036 in 1925. * 6 * The foremost problem now before the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, lies here. No other cause — no movement of any kind — compares with it in fundamental importance. How shall we cover our missionary budget and avoid a collapse and withdrawal? Will we "drive down our stakes" on this advance ground and remain here? Shall we "dig in" and make secure the salient we have won? Or shall we be driven back by our own in- difference? Shall we continue in the work of extending the Gospel, or shall we start backward now — to end our retreat we know not where? Let us not deceive ourselves. Once on the retreat, our morale is broken. Once admit defeat, and we may never — certainly not in this generation — regain the ground we give up. We suffer shamefully in our pres- tige, influence, and self-esteem. Few worse calamities could befall us. In the history of Christianity God's favor has never rested on any Church which has failed in its missionary obligation. Without exception, such have atrophied, become "hard-shells," been relegated to the backwoods, or died ignobly. 42 CHAPTER VII PLAN OF THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM E have seen that the Advance World Program of our Church calls for collecting enough Centenary money to pay the unpaid askings of $8,040,579.93 and also the raising of $1,200,000 per year to meet the annual deficits in our missionary work. What is the method by which this is to be done? 1. So far as the first item — the collection of Centenary money — is concerned, the task is simple, though extreme- ly difficult. Methodist people owe double the amount needed, and the Church assumes that they will pay what they have promised. The General Conference has con- tinued the Centenary Commission with instructions to push collections at least until May, 1926. In order to facilitate these collections and enable every Church to honorably discharge its full Cen- tenary obligation, the Commission has authorized an "adjustment" of the Centenary pledge in all congrega- tions where difficulties may exist. This adjustment will correct errors in the report and eliminate all pledges clearly uncollectible, such as the pledges of those who have moved away, died without provision for payment, bankrupt or unable to pay, or repudiated the obligation. It should be remembered that all ad- justments must be made by an accredited representa- tive of the Centenary Commission. These adjustments will leave the "live" pledges and show the balance which clearly can and should be paid. Churches will be asked to collect these adjusted balances before May, 1926, and all that do so will be recognized as having honorably discharged their Centenary tasks. 43 THE TASK AHEAD 2. The second item of the Advance World Program calls for the raising of $1,200,000 annually in new money. How is this to be accomplished? All Churches will be asked to assume parts, or shares, of this $1,200,000 in new money, over and above the regular assessments, to be paid annually for an in- definite period, but subject to change or discontinuance at the end of any year at the will of the Church con- cerned. The money to pay this share may be raised as the local Church sees fit. Neither the Centenary Com- mission nor the Board of Missions will make any "campaign" in the local Church or take pledges from the individual members. These agencies will deal only with the officials of the Church — the pastor and board of stewards — and these officials will deal with the members as they see fit. For most of our Churches and hundreds of thousands of our members the Centenary offered a large and worthy missionary objective. It freed them from the inadequate "Conference collections" as a standard of giving and gave them a standard commensurate with the needs of the world. At the present time, however, many Churches and people do not have any such objective because they have paid their Centenary pledges in full. Hundreds of Churches, thousands of Sunday schools, and multi- plied thousands of individuals, in many cases the most consecrated, have redeemed their Centenary promises and so have no large program before them. Shall these drop back to the old standard, or shall we give them another objective which will make permanent their Centenary contributions? 44 PLAN OF THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM Since 1918 we have received hundreds of thousands of new members. Multitudes of members who were young in 1918 have since become self-supporting and able to contribute to the evangelization of the world. These have no large missionary objective before them. They ought certainly to be enlisted in the Advance World Pro- gram. These are the groups to which this Program should make an immediate appeal. They are asked to assume shares to be paid in entirely new money, sent direct to the Board of Missions and to be devoted wholly to the budget of the Department of General Work. 4? -55 £ We have also a large group of Churches and individ- uals that have not yet paid their Centenary pledges in full. The Centenary is still before them as an objective, but diminished in extent because some payments have been made and weakened in inspirational value because of the time which has elapsed since the subscriptions were made. These need and should have a larger and fresher missionary objective, yet in many cases they hesitate to assume a new one while the old is yet unfulfilled. To this group the Advance World Program also makes an appeal. Arrangements have been made whereby the unpaid Centenary balance in any Church may be adjusted as mentioned above and the adjusted balance then merged into the Advance World Program. In that event the payments on the Advance World Program may also be credited on the Centenary balance until this balance is paid, or until May, 1926, after which all new money paid will go direct to the Board of Missions. Thus any Church may "kill two birds with one stone," or make its money do the double duty of participating in 45 • THE TASK AHEAD the Advance World Program and at the same time pay- ing the remaining Centenary obligation. The manner of participating in the Advance World Program is entirely optional with the Churches them- selves. A Church may take a share separate and apart from the Centenary, as an entirely new objective, and make its payments direct to the Board of Missions. In this event the Centenary Commission will continue its efforts to collect all the unpaid Centenary pledges in said Church and will expect its full cooperation in so doing. Of course, such Churches may have the full benefit of the above mentioned adjustment plan in regard to the Centenary pledges clearly uncollectible. On the other hand, a Church may, if it so elects, take a share in the Advance World Program in connection with its unpaid Centenary balance and let its payments be also credited on this balance until it is paid. Churches desiring their payments on the Advance World Program to be credited also on their Centenary balances will make their remittances to the Centenary Commission until said balances have been paid, or until May, 1926, after which they will remit all new money direct to the Board of Missions. Churches which desire no credit on their Centenary pledges will remit all new money to the Board of Missions. & ^ The Department of Woman's Work of the Board of Missions is included in only the first part of the Advance World Program as set forth in this volume — namely, the collection of the unpaid Centenary pledges and the full payment of the Centenary askings. Of these askings the Woman's Work is due $1,283,494.39, divided as follows: 46 THE PLAN OF THE ADVANCE WORLD PROGRAM Foreign Department $ 916,716.16 Home Department 366,778.23 The women do not share in the second element of the Advance World Program — namely, the raising of $1,- 200,000 per year in new money. Their need, however, is quite as great as that of the Department of General Work, although they do not face a large indebtedness. The new Centenary enter- prises place upon them the same burden of mainte- nance, and in order to carry on their work without retrenchment it is equally necessary that new money be secured over and above their regular pre-Centenary income. The women will, however, raise this new money through their own channels — the Woman's Mis- sionary Council and the regular Conference, district, and local auxiliary organization of the Woman's Mis- sionary Society. The women have definitely launched their plans for accomplishing the above by asking from their con- stituency, through these regular channels, the continu- ance of such gifts as were made during the Centenary for the raising of a fund to be known as the Carry On Fund. 47 CHAPTER VIII FINANCIAL SUMMARY I. Unpaid Centenary Askings FOREIGN DEPARTMENT, GENERAL WORK (Including Europe and Siberia-Manchuria) Africa $ 38,000 Belgium 275,000 Brazil 563,731 China 391,300 Cuba 141,600 Czechoslovakia 275,000 Japan 425,000 Korea 329,150 Mexico 174,000 Poland 275,000 Siberia-Manchuria . 202,152 Total $3,089,933 FOREIGN SECTION, WOMAN'S WORK Africa $ 38,500 Brazil 202,600 China 176,850 Cuba , .- 89,910 Japan 116,587 Korea 140,939 Mexico 151,330 Total $ 916,716 1 It will be understood that many figures in this volume must, in the nature of the case, be approximate and subject to fluctuations, changes, and developments of every sort. All Centenary figures are as 6f October 1, 1924. Estimates of expense* and maintenance needs are on the basis of the 1925. appropriations, and changes u. these appropriations from year to year necessarily mean corresponding changes in the figures given here. 48 FINANCIAL SUMMARY HOME DEPARTMENT, GENERAL WORK Army and Navy $ 49,700 City and Industrial 219,000 Educational 60,000 French 41,000 Immigrants 223,500 Indians 10,000 Mountains 214,000 Negroes 262,436 Rural 29,500 Sustentation 149,000 Total $1,258,136 HOME SECTION, WOMAN'S WORK City and Industrial $ 65,000 Educational 67,961 French 8,213 Immigrants 43,500 Mountains 15,577 Negroes 166,528 Total $ 366,779 II. Increased Annual Maintenance FOREIGN DEPARTMENT, GENERAL WORK Africa $ 44,880 Belgium 66,572 Brazil 107,525 China 121,550 Cuba 61,149 Czechoslovakia 67,320 Japan 143,242 Korea 110,704 49 THE TASK AHEAD Mexico 89,012 Poland 72,743 Siberia-Manchuria 50,303 Total $ 935,000 HOME DEPARTMENT, GENERAL WORK Army and Navy $ 30,000 City and Industrial 75,000 Educational 32,000 French 10,000 Immigrants 40,000 Indians 10,000 Mountains 5,000 Negroes 15,000 Rural 20,000 Sustentation 25,000 Total $ 265,000 Summary UNPAID CENTENARY ASKINGS Foreign, General $3,089,933 Foreign, Woman's 916,716 Home, General ... 1,258,136 Home, Woman's 366,779 Total '$5,631,564 INCREASED ANNUAL MAINTENANCE — (GENERAL WORK ONLY) Foreign $ 935,000 Home 265,000 Total $1,200,000 *Bear in mind that this amount is not the total due on all Centenary askings but only the amount due for missionary operations. The total due all causes is $8,040,580. 50 CHAPTER IX THE MISSIONARY CONSCIENCE HE foregoing pages have sketched the task ahead in financial terms. If the cash objectives of the Ad- vance World Program are realized our missionary operations on the present scale will be safe for the time being. But what of the far future? Missions will be the foremost work of the Church a hundred years from now — as long as there is an unsaved soul on earth. What will the Church of the future do about the evan- gelization of the world? A part of the answer is at hand — and it is our re- sponsibility to the future. Within the Church there must be cultivated two all-controlling convictions, namely, Christian Stewardship and the Missionary Spirit. If the Church realizes that men are God's stewards in the handling of money and time and that missions is the first and supreme task of Christian people, the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. The task of cultivating these convictions is called Home Cultivation. This is so fundamental that other agencies than the Board of Missions participate in it. The Sunday School Board and the Epworth League Board, dealing with those who will constitute the Church of tomorrow, have also their programs of missionary education. Home Cultivation sections, with executive secretaries in charge, are maintained by both the General and Wom- an's departments of the Board of Missions, and the fol- lowing elements are prominent in their policy: 51 THE TASK AHEAD 1. Missionary Education. As set forth elsewhere in this volume, chairs of home and foreign missions are maintained in our colleges and universities, summer schools for pastors are conducted, and schools of missions are held each year at our assemblies. 2. Missionary Literature. Vast quantities of litera- ture are constantly flooding the Church. The Missionary Voice, the Young Christian Worker, and pamphlet liter- ature are informing the people about missions. 3. Stereopticon Lectures. The message is visualized by means of illustrated lectures on the various fields. 4. Mission Study. Through the Church school of missions and the missionary societies, multiplied thou- sands of our people are learning the facts of missions. 5. Christian Stewardship. By means of literature the doctrines of stewardship and tithing are being inculcated. 6. Bureau of Specials. By means of Missionary Spe- cials, individuals, Churches, and organizations are linked closely to the fields and thus give expression to the mis- sionary spirit. Missions is placed in the curriculum of every depart- ment of the Sunday School and is an integral part of the program of religious education. The Sunday School Board thus promotes this great cause: 1. Missions has its place in the regular lesson litera- ture. 2. Elective courses in missions, occupying at least one quarter each year, are provided for organized classes. 3. The fourth Sunday in each month is designated as "Missionary Day," appropriate programs are provided, 52 THE MISSIONARY CONSCIENCE and offerings are made as an expressional activity in the process of education. 4. In the standard training schools mission study has a prominent place. 5. Missionary Specials in the Sunday schools and classes are encouraged. The Epworth League Board has a missionary depart- ment with an executive secretary in the central office and corresponding departments in its conference, district, and local organization. 1. Each local chapter has a missionary department and a monthly missionary meeting, with lesson material prepared by the central office. 2. Mission study classes are organized in all local Epworth Leagues. 3. Mission study has a prominent place in the sum- mer assemblies of the Epworth League. 4. Life service volunteers are enlisted, organized, and developed. 5. Offerings for missions are made by the local Ep- worth League chapters and the Annual Conference Epworth League organizations. At the present time these young people raise annually $100,000 for this cause. 4£ With this united program of cultivation being car- ried out in the Church, it is confidently expected that the spirit of missions will develop until the financial problems connected with the world's evangelization will be automatically solved. 53 TYPICAL NATIVES OF AFRICA, ILLUSTRATING THE NEED OF A CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION. 54 FOREIGN SECTION AFRICA BELGIUM BRAZIL CHINA CUBA CZECHOSLOVAKIA JAPAN KOREA MEXICO POLAND SIBERIA-MANCHURIA TERRITORY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, IN AFRICA. (*)=Major Centers. ( • )=Other Centers 56 CHAPTER X AFRICA HE story of our Mission in the heart of the Belgian Congo is one of the romances of Methodist History. Three days before Christmas in 1911 Bishop W. R. Lambuth ) the great Southern Methodist pathfinder, and Professor John Wesley Gilbert, distinguished leader of the Colored Methodist Church, started on their thousand- mile trek from Luebo, where they had landed two weeks previously, into the jungles of the Dark Continent. Their caravan stretched one-half a mile along the trail. The noble Gilbert was in the lead, he having insisted that Bishop Lambuth go to the rear while he personally blazed the trail and faced the dangers first. Like Abraham of old, these men knew not their des- tination, but were pushing forward under the leader- ship of God, confident that the Spirit would show them the way and guide them to the spot where Methodism should entrench itself. Passing through warring vil- lages, crossing rivers and streams, wading swamps, bitten by tsetse flies, and exposed to the terrible jungle fever, the company pressed on. The dangers and dif- ficulties had no terrors for these Christian pioneers, who, even in the course of the perilous journey, "went about doing good" by ministering to the sick natives they encountered on the trail. Nearly six weeks they were on the march. On Thurs- day, February 1, 1912, they penetrated to the very heart of the Batetela country and entered the village of the great chief Wembo-Nyama. This chief was a pagan sur- rounded by pagans. Their ignorance was so dense that 57 THE TASK AHEAD they had no knowledge of any written language. Their religion was the fetishism of the jungles. God and Christ were utterly unknown to the Batetelas, for none had ever come before to bring them any message of salvation. 4^ ^ Bishop Lambuth was certain that he had reached the end of the trail. The Spirit of God who led him bore witness in his own consciousness that this was so. By acts of love and mercy he won the sympathy of the great chief, and here, far from all the influences of Christian civilization, he established the missionary work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Congo Methodist Mission was officially founded in February, 1914, when Bishop Lambuth, having re- turned to America in the meantime, again reached Wembo-Nyama with six missionaries, Dr. and Mrs. D. L. Mumpower of Missouri, Rev. and Mrs. D. C. Bush ' of Virginia, and Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Stockwell of Lou- isiana. By way of a beginning foundations were laid for a church, a school, a hospital, a storehouse, a workshop, and three missionary homes. Bishop Lambuth organized a Methodist Church with twenty-three members. ^ ^ The Methodist missionaries found themselves in the heart of the vastest mission field on earth. Great Africa in its extreme proportions is six thousand miles long and five thousand miles wide. It has a total area of twelve million square miles. It is nearly four times as large as the United States. In fact, this vast continent is larger than the United States, China, India, Italy, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Argentine, and the British Isles combined. This immense continent is a mission field in its entirety. 58 AFRICA Of course our missionaries confine themselves to the Belgian Congo, but even this district constitutes an im- mense field. It is nearly eleven hundred and fifty miles north and south and one thousand miles from east to west. It has an area of one million square miles. Its popula- tion is nine millions, nearly ninety-five per cent of whom are black natives. Think of three men and their wives left alone in the heart of such an empire as this! 4- • •ft -ft The vastness of this mighty continent is paralleled by its need. Rightly is it called "The Dark Continent." Here are multiplied millions of people steeped in the grossest superstition and in an illiteracy that is total. St. Paul, in all of his missionary wanderings, never encountered a people of such abysmal ignorance, so fettered by superstition, as these denizens of Central Africa. They worship fetishes of every sort. They propitiate the teeming demons by charms and incanta- tions. Of course millions of them have never heard that Christ came into the world. To present in any under- standable way the Christian evangel to such a people as this constitutes an almost superhuman task. Yet it was undertaken by Southern Methodism, and during the ten years which have elapsed since our Mission was first established among the Batetelas, some almost unbeliev- able results have been secured. What We Have Today Methodism is well entrenched in the Belgian Congo. Centering its work at Wembo-Nyama, it has branched out and established itself at Kabengele, Tunda, Minga, and Lusambo. These constitute the major centers of 59 THE TASK AHEAD Methodist work. From each of these major centers, save Lusambo which is largely a receiving center, the workers operate among the outlying villages and establish out- stations. In each outstation is a Church and school in charge of one or more native workers who have been trained at Wembo-Nyama. At the present time there are sixty of these outstations. This, of course, means sixty organized Churches and the same number of schools. I & £ There are 27 missionaries, including wives, of the Department of General Work, and four women mis- sionaries of the Department of Woman's Work, a total of 31 American workers. We also have 180 native workers. At the present time we have about 1,000 Church members enrolled in the stations and outsta- tions. Sunday schools are conducted at Wembo- Nyama, Minga, and Kabengele and the average attend- ance is nearly 2,500. ^ * * A small hospital with an American doctor and a nurse in charge is now operating at Wembo-Nyama in a brick building recently erected. The report of this hospital during a recent quarter showed 130 persons admitted, 17 major operations, S3 minor operations, and a total of 10,456 treatments given. Small hospitals, which ^should rather be called dispensaries, are also conducted at Tunda, Kabengele, and Minga. At Tunda an American doctor and nurse are in charge, while a part-time service is given at Kabengele and Minga. Great emphasis is placed upon educational work in the Congo. It was necessary to create an alphabet and a written language for the Batetelas, and they knew abso- lutely nothing of industrial art. The first few years were devoted to preparing simple text books and teaching a 60 AFRICA few selected natives some elementary principles. Once trained, these natives were sent out to the villages to take charge of the Churches and schools of the outstations. In addition to the 60 outstation schools, three other educational institutions are in operation at Wembo- Nyama. One of these is an industrial school which teaches the natives the simpler forms of carpentry, cabinet-making, and agriculture. Another is a boys' boarding school, which receives boys from outlying vil- lages and trains them to become native Christian workers. A third is a girls' boarding school operated by the Department of Woman's Work of the Board of Missions, which renders a similar service to the girk. * * -35 The Woman's Work in the Congo is widespread and efficient. The women have sent out ten missionaries, and six of these have married the missionaries of the General Department. It has been impossible to build up a con- structive program of Woman's Work as on other fields, because of the lack of workers. The women at the present time have a missionary home and a girls' home and school at Wembo-Nyama. The work for women and girls has been carried on along three lines: Medical work, by sharing in the support of the hospital at Wembo-Nyama; educational work at Tunda, Minga, and Kabengele; and evangelistic work, by holding women's classes, organizing missionary so- cieties, and helping in Churches and Sunday schools. The Mission operates a simple printing plant at Kab- engele, producing here the primers which are used in the various schools. At Wembo-Nyama there is a mission store which sells supplies to the natives, and this store is one of the most valuable institutions of the Mission. A 61 THE TASK AHEAD steamboat, "The Texas," is now operating on the Lubefu and Sankuru Rivers. This steamboat was given by the Epworth Leaguers of the state of Texas, and serves to eliminate the necessity of walking and carrying supplies over a distance of nearly two hundred miles. The Advance World Program The Centenary meant much to Africa, as it did to every field. More than $125,000 has already been spent for the redemption of the people. Of the 31 mission- aries and wives now on the field, 28 were sent out during the Centenary period and with the Centenary funds. The Centenary has built the hospital, estab- lished the boarding schools, sent the steamboat "Texas," and advanced the work in every line of effort. But the Centenary has a great task in Africa yet un- done. Askings in the total sum of $76,500 remain unpaid, and without this the field is "marking time," patiently waiting for the subscribers to redeem their pledges. The unpaid askings are divided as follows : General Work $38,000 Woman's Work 38,500 When realized, the $38,000 due the Department of General Work will be used to finish the enterprises projected and to pay the costs of operation. Two new doctors are needed for the dispensaries at Kabengele and Minga. Two new industrial missionaries are likewise in demand. To press forward in the work of evangelism and teaching it will be necessary to send out two or three additional preachers and teachers. Of course there can be no such thing as self-support in the Congo, although each member of our Church must become a tither; the incomes are so meager, when inter- preted in terms of money, as to be negligible. 62 AFRICA So far as the Woman's Work is concerned the unfin- ished Centenary task is fairly well defined. It may be summarized as follows: Missionaries — Salaries and Travel $12,285 New Missionaries — Outfit and Travel 7,600 Increased Maintenance 15,615 Two homes for African girls 1,000 Two missionary homes. 2,000 > Total $38,500 * * * But after the Centenary task is completed there remains the problem of maintenance. The advance during these years has been so great that it could by no means be sup- ported on the old income. In 1919 the expenses of operat- ing the Congo Mission was $16,310. In 1925 the same expenses are $54,500. When we remember that during this period the income of the Foreign Department, General Work, apart from the Centenary, has decreased a quarter of a million dollars a year, we see how impera- tive it is that new money be secured. Otherwise our African work must be greatly curtailed. The regular income of the Foreign Department, Gen- eral Work, from the assessment cannot pay 20 per cent of the expense. Of the $54,500 needed for Africa, only about $9,620 will be thus realized. The deficit of $44,880 must come from the Advance World Program. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Africa, General $38,000 Unpaid Centenary for Africa, Women 38,500 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 44,880 63 64 CHAPTER XI BELGIUM HE little land of Belgium has been the battlefield of the nations. Centuries ago the great Caesar de- clared the Belgians to be the bravest of all people. Across the soil of this little state have tramped the armies of many lands through the centuries, and few nations have figured more prominently in the world's history. When, in 1914, the guaranteed neutrality of Belgium was violated by one of the very powers that guaran- teed it, all Europe flew to arms, and in the mightiest and bloodiest of all wars the Belgians acquitted them- selves like men. With every inch of her territory occupied by a foreign foe, with her industries de- stroyed, her king and government exiled, and her people deported and forced to labor behind the enemy's lines, Belgium yet held her head erect. She lost every- thing but her honor. Belgium is small in territory. Its greatest length is only 165 miles, while its greatest breadth is 120 miles. It has an area of only 11,400 square miles. Its population, however, is about 8,000,000, this being the densest in Europe. Belgium's population is composed of two distinct races; the Flemish, who are of German extraction, and the Walloons, who are allied to the French. The Flemish, who are more numerous, occupy the northern part of the country, and their language is Flemish, which is a Ger- man dialect. The Walloons occupy the south and speak French. 65 THE TASK AHEAD Most of the people who admit any religious affiliation are, of course, Roman Catholics, but since religious statis- tics are not included in the census, no reliable numbers can be given. It is significant, however, that in 1920 there were six thousand Roman Catholic priests and about 25,000 monks and nuns. Protestant pastors num- bered only 21. Underneath this thick layer of Roman Catholicism, however, there slumbers a spirit of freedom and lib- erty which constitutes a fertile field for Protestant effort. In fact Belgium was at one time Protestant, or at least on the verge of becoming so. She welcomed the Reformation and seemed on the eve of being en- tirely gained by it. Belgium furnished the first two martyrs of the Reformation in the persons of John Voes and Henry Van Esschen, who were burned at the stake in 1523 and whose devotion was celebrated in a hymn by Luther. The Reformation spirit bade fair to sweep the land; audiences of 20,000 gathered in Ant- werp and elsewhere to hear the messages of the Re- formers. Two-thirds of the Flemish population were gained for the Reformation. * * * Then Rome tried persecution. A special Tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition was set up, and the in- famous Duke of Alva set about the task of exterminat- ing the Protestants. It is estimated that 100,000 people were victims of the Inquisition and Alva boasted that he had executed more than 18,000. The believers were killed, driven out, or silenced. Persecution here, as in no other place in the world, succeeded. Belgium turned from the Reformation and bfecame content to remain Catholic. 66 BELGIUM But Roman Catholicism in Belgium is largely a veneer and a formality, as it is in France and Italy. Nearly half of the people have forsaken the Roman Catholic Church. But the decline of Catholicism does not mean the growth of Protestantism. People leaving Rome do not go to the fold of the Protestant Church. Rather do they become agnostics or atheistic socialists, so that the last state is worse than the first. This is the situation which threatens continental Europe. In Belgium, France, and Italy atheism is growing more rapidly than Protestantism. The rea- son for this is plain. The people have no adequate conception of what Protestantism means. They know it only in the uninfluential and weak Protestant branches which have lingered among them as vestiges of the Reformation, and in this form it fails to make an appeal to the strong intellectual and spiritual na- tures of the people. Here is a situation which constitutes an imperative call to American Protestantism. We alone are in a position to adequately interpret the finer values and more aggressive program of the Protestant Church to continental peoples. Unless we win them the drift away from Rome into atheism will continue until the European continent be- comes a great mass of cultured but Godless infidelity. If the continent is lost to religion so may also be lost the vast reaches of the world wherein these nations are so influential. * * * Immediately after the Centenary Campaign, in 1920, a special commission of our Church began a ministry of relief, and in August, 1922, this relief work crystal- lized into an organized Mission, the first session of 67 THE TASK AHEAD which met under the presidency of Bishop W. B. Beau- champ, who received into the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the first members in Belgium. Since that time the growth of this Mission has been constant. What We Have in Belgium The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, carries on a ^ widespread activity all over Belgium. Its evangelistic work is in both the French and Flemish tongues, with English-speaking congregations in Brussels, Boitsfort, and Stockel. We publish our own literature. Nine col- porteurs are employed in the distribution of Christian literature, and in one year they sold 1,355 Bibles, 2,000 New Testaments, 10,750 parts of Gospels, and 5,300 copies of the "Life of Jesus." The influence of Methodism is tremendous, even though the actual membership as yet remains compara- tively small, about 600, with an equal number of proba- tioners. Our 20 Sunday schools enroll 600 boys and girls. The following is a general view of all our work: 1. Major centers: Brussels, Herstal, Dunkirk, Ant- werp, Ypres, Malines. 2. A great Central Building at Brussels, containing offices, an English Night School, a Bible and Evangelis- tic School, an English-speaking Church, a French-speak- ing Church, offices of administration, and headquarters for publication, colportage, and evangelistic work. 3. "Les Marronniers," the only Protestant girls' school in that section of Europe. It has beautiful property at Uccle, a suburb of Brussels, 2 American and 9 Belgian teachers, and an enrollment of 100 girls. 4. An orphanage at Brussels, wherein are 50 children being trained in Protestant Christianity. 5. A share in a Union Protestant Hospital at Brussels. 68 BELGIUM 6. An English Night School at Herstal; a French School at Molenbeek; a Flemish School at Molenbeek; a Social Center at Molenbeek. 7. A Mission for Sailors at Antwerp. 8. Twelve pastoral charges and preaching places in the following cities and towns: Brussels (French, Flem- ish and English) ; Uccle (French) ; Molenbeek (French and Flemish) ; Antwerp (French and Flemish) ; Herstal (French) ; Dunkirk (French and Flemish) ; Aerschat (Flemish) ; Diest (Flemish) ; Boitsfort (French and English) ; Ypres (French and Flemish) ; Malines (Flem- ish) ; Comines (French) ; Wevelghem (Flemish) ; Ghlin (French) ; Ecausines (French) ; Hoboken (French and Flemish) ; Stockel (French and English). The Advance World Program The amount remaining unpaid on the Centenary ask- ings for Belgium is $275,000. It must be remembered that this new field is exclusively a Centenary enterprise and receives absolutely no money from any other source. We have purchased so advantageously that we shall not need to increase our investment in buildings. But mainte- nance and miscellaneous items will require all of the unpaid sum. 4& Belgium is supported wholly by the Centenary. When Centenary funds are no longer available, only an insig- nificant amount could be expected from the regular in- come. If our work in Belgium is to be continued $66,572 annually must be secured for this needy field. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Belgium, General $275,000 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 66,572 69 TERRITORY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, IN BRAZIL, (*)=Major Centers. (.)=Other Centers 70 CHAPTER XII BRAZIL BRAZIL is the largest country of South America ana one of the really great nations of the world. It is larger in area than the United States, exclusive of Alaska. It has 3,301,350 square miles of territory and a coast line over four thousand miles long. Brazil touches every other country in South America except Chile and Ecuador. This great country was discovered in 1500 by a com- panion of Columbus, who made no settlement. The same year, however, it was also discovered by the Portugese Admiral Pedro Alvares Cabral, who claimed it in the name of Portugal. It has remained Portugese in lan- guage and general characteristics ever since. Though proclaimed independent in 1822, its king was the son of the Portugese ruler. Brazil became a republic under the title of the United States of Brazil as a result of a revo- lution in November, 1889. The country is divided into twenty-two states and has a population of approximately 31,000,000 people. * * * These people are conglomerate. There are the native white people, descendants of the Portugese settlers. There are also large numbers of Negroes, descendants of African slaves. In the interior of the vast and un- explored Amazon country are still to be found nearly a million aborigines or Indians. In many cases these various elements of the population have cohabited and intermarried and thus produced a mongrel race. 71 THE TASK AHEAD Nearly the entire population of the Republic of Brazil is still found on a comparatively narrow strip of land along the Atlantic coast. The white people have clung to the fringe of the continent. In the interior of Brazil the population will average not more than one or two inhabitants to the square mile. In fact, people do not know what is in the interior of the Amazon territory. Here is an area of nearly three quarters of a million square miles of fertile and habitable yet unimproved and largely unexplored territory. 9 ■ .9 9 The needs of mighty Brazil are very great. Roman Catholicism of the Latin type is supreme and, as always among illiterate and backward people, this means superstition, ignorance, and extortion. The state of the common people is pathetic in the extreme. They call loudly for enlightenment and help. There are few places in the world wherein Protestantism has a clearer duty or a greater opportunity. "N^ The first work of Methodists in Brazil is closely iden- tified with Methodism in the South. Before the separa- tion of the Northern and Southern branches of the Church, in 1836, Fountain E. Pitts, of Tennessee, was sent to South America to investigate religious conditions. He organized the foreigners from Protestant lands into a con- gregation, and upon returning recommended that the Board of Missions send missionaries to Brazil. The following year, the Rev. Justin Spaulding was sent out, followed by the Rev. P. D. Kidder in 1838. Although Mr. Spaulding preached entirely to the for- eigners, Mr. Kidder, who knew Portugese, worked among the native Brazilians. He was the first Protestant 72 BRAZIL to preach along the borders of the Amazon, and he preached the first Protestant sermon ever delivered in the city of Sao Paulo. The establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Brazil dates from the arrival in that land of the Rev. John J. Ransom, February 2, 1876. After a year's study of Portugese Dr. Ransom began evangelistic work. At the end of 1 877, the mission in Rio de Janeiro reported 42 members, only one of whom, however, was a native Brazilian. Numerically, the Brazil conference was the smallest ever organized. It was organized in 1886 with three members, all of whom are still living: Rev. H. C. Tucker, of Tennessee, Rev. J. L. Kennedy, of Tennes- see, and Rev. J. W. Tarboux, of South Carolina. The women of Southern Methodism began work in Brazil in 1879, this being the second field entered by them. This year they made an appropriation of $500.00 to a little girls' school in Piracicaba that had been opened by Rev. J. W. Newman and taught by his daughter, who later became Mrs. J. J. Ransom. Miss Martha Hite Watts, of Louisville, Kentucky, sailed for Brazil in 1881, the pioneer woman missionary to this field. 4s 4^ ^ In fifty years Brazilian Methodism has grown into three Annual Conferences with a membership of 16,- 000. These annually contribute more than $140,000 for all causes. The three conferences are : Brazil, includ- ing the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas; Central Brazil, including the state of Sao Paulo ; South Brazil, 73 THE TASK AHEAD divided from the other two by two large states and practically covering the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which forms the extreme southern tip of the country. We have wrought well; we have reclaimed thou- sands from misery, ignorance, superstition, and sin. Yet the bigness of the remaining task challenges us to still more heroic endeavour in Christ's name. What We Have in Brazil As stated above, the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, now covers four of the important states of Brazil, and is divided into three full-fledged Annual Conferences and a total of 14 presiding elders' districts. Several of these presiding elders are native preachers who have been converted and trained by our missionaries. We have in Brazil at the present time 77 mission- aries, including wives. Of these 56 are maintained by the Department of General Work, while 21 are sup- ported by the Woman's Work. Assisting these are 68 native preachers and approximately 200 native teach- ers and other workers. This gives us a large force in the three conferences of Brazil. Disregarding Conference lines, we have in Brazil 100 pastoral charges and 130 organized Churches. Our Church members number approximately 16,000. There are 230 Sunday schools enrolling 13,000 pupils, and 100 Epworth Leagues with 3,500 members. Our Churches are located in the most important centers of Brazil. We have occupied 125 of the leading cities, towns, and villages in our territory and are pressing the work of evangelism in the rural sections. 74 BRAZIL The educational system of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, covers like a blanket the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas, Sao Paulo, and Rio Grande do Sul. The institutions are conducted by both the Department of General Work and the Department of Woman's Work. The following are the schools of the General Work De- partment : 1. People's Central Institute in the heart of the grea* metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. This institution operates a day and night school and a dental clinic. It has one American and eight Brazilian teachers, with an enroll- ment of 370 students. Its property is worth about $75,000. The women cooperate with the General Depart- ment in evangelistic and educational work for women and girls, maintaining here Case Cottage, a home for women missionaries which is valued at $8,000. 2. Granbery College at Juiz de Fora. The college has eleven buildings worth $175,000, four American and sixteen Brazilian teachers and 350 students. 3. Union Seminary, Rio de Janeiro. This is a theologi- cal training school conducted by various denominations in the buildings of Central Institute. We have two rep- resentatives on the faculty. 4. Moore Institute, Campinas. This institution is named for Bishop John M. Moore and is a Centenary enterprise. The foundation has been laid and some work has been done on the walls, but because the Cen- tenary pledges have not been paid, work has been stopped and the basement roofed over. A small day- school is now being conducted. The institution will be completed when the Centenary money is available. 5. Porto Alegre College at Porto Alegre. This is an important institution with a valuable building. Three American and several native teachers are employed. 75 THE TASK AHEAD 6. Union College, Uruguayana. This building is val- ued at $50,000. There are two American and seven Brazilian teachers and 135 students are in attendance. 7. Instituto Gymnasial, Passo Fundo. This school has two valuable buildings and enrolls about 190 students. 8. Day Schools. Twenty-five day schools are main- tained in various Brazilian cities. These are for the most part conducted in connection with the Churches. About fifty-five teachers are engaged in the training of 1,100 pupils. 9 -£ In addition to the Churches and schools above men- tioned, our Church operates three other institutions in Brazil. 1. A Union Hospital is maintained in Rio de Janeiro. We have a small share in this in cooperation with other denominations. 2. The Imprensa Methodista at Sao Paulo is our great publishing house which was erected by the Cen- tenary at a cost of more than $100,000. This is the best institution of its kind in Brazil and is flooding that country with Christian literature. It publishes the Sunday school literature for all of the Protestant Churches in Brazil except the Baptist. It publishes also "The Christian Expositor," the official organ of our Church, and the Quarterly Review, which repre- sents all Protestantism. The women cooperate with the Department of General Work in this publishing house, assigning a missionary to the publication of a children's magazine and a full line of literature for the women. 3. Institutional Church, Porto Alegre. This is a co- operative effort on the part of both Departments. Good 76 BRAZIL property is owned and a large evangelistic and educa- tional program is being carried out. The work of the women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Brazil is largely, though not exclu- sively, confined to the education of girls. In addition to their cooperation with the General Department in the People's Central Institute at Rio de Janeiro, as mentioned above, the women maintain several institutions outright. Thev are as follows : 1. Bennett College, Rio de Janeiro. This is a board- ing school for girls founded in 1921 and named for the sainted Miss Belle Bennett. It is of High School grade and specializes in teacher-training. It employs five missionaries and thirteen Brazilian teachers, and has an enrollment of 160. A substantial plant has been started, but work thereon has been halted because the Centenary pledges have not all been paid. 2. Collegio Isabella Hendrix, Bello Horizonte. This boarding school for girls was founded in 1904. It has a splendid plant but is due another building from the Cen- tenary. 3. Collegio Piracicabano, Piracicaba. This is the oldest Methodist girls' school in Brazil. It was founded in 1881. It has good property but is waiting Centenary funds for further development. Four American and eighteen Brazilian teachers are employed and 360 stu- dents are enrolled. 4. Collegio Methodista, Ribeirao Preto. This substan- tial institution is now twenty-five years old. It enrolls 175 girls and employs four American and ten Brazilian teachers. It is due another dormitory. 77 THE TASK AHEAD 5. Collegio Centenario, Santa Maria. This is another Centenary institution erected with Centenary funds in 1921. Though young, it already enrolls 140 students and has three missionaries and thirteen native teachers. 6. Collegio Americano, Porto Alegre. Founded in 1901, this school has rendered a large service. Its attend- ance is 199. Its new $100,000 plant was built with the first Centenary money expended in Brazil. Advance World Program The unpaid Centenary askings for Brazil, General Work, total $563,731. On account of fluctuating costs and the intricacies of administration it is scarcely possible to strictly apportion this sum to definite objects. Moore College and Granbery College must be completed at once. £ « « In the Department of Woman's Work, the following items remain unpaid in the Centenary program for Brazil : Missionaries — Salaries $ 8,558 New Missionaries — Travel, outfit, language and ' study 2,600 Bennett College: Rent 2,195 Equipment ' 1,500 Land and building 88,697 Collegio Piracicabano — new building 42,570 Christian Literature 1,700 Collegio Centenario — maintenance . . 4,780 Increase maintenance and building 50,000 Total $202,600 "^fc But after the Centenary — What? Granted that the unpaid askings are met in full, how shall we maintain our 78 BRAZIL work when these funds are no longer available? This is a pressing and serious problem. In 1919 our expenses in Brazil were $88,765. In 1925 they are $134,537. With our assessment income far below that of 1919, how shall the deficit be met? Unless they are met by the Advance World Program a withdrawal and retrenchment must at once begin. To avoid this and save our work we must have $107,525 in new money each year. This provides for no advance, but only for main- tenance at the 1925 status. We shall need some new workers, but the Brazilian Church proposes to diminish the amount received from the Board of Missions one- sixth each year, and this leeway is expected to provide the extra missionaries necessary. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Brazil, General . Unpaid Centenary for Brazil, Women. Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General $563,731 202,600 107,525 79 CHINA TERRITORY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, IN CHINA. (*)=Major Centers. ( • )=Other Centers 80 CHAPTER XIII CHINA IT has been said that China is a land of unchallenged superlatives. It has an area of nearly four and a half million square miles, much larger than the United States. Its people number more than 400,000,000, one- fourth of the population of the whole earth. These people are homogeneous. They are never amalgamated. Scattered among other peoples they never lose their racial characteristics. They absorb others, but themselves are never absorbed. China is the oldest nation of the earth. Full fifty centuries she has lived. China was older when Christ was born than any other nation that now exists. ^ * With such an area, with such a population, we can scarcely imagine the place which China will occupy in future history. She has been asleep for many cen- turies but is now rousing herself. Modern civilization is gradually penetrating this great Republic. Give China a modern industrial equipment and she will be the commercial superior of most of the nations of the world. Give her a modern military equipment and she would menace the whole earth. China has less than ten thousand miles of railroad, while the United States, though only two-thirds as large, has more than a quarter of a million miles. Out- side of the great cities, and even within them, modern sanitation is unknown. While the annual death-rate in the United States is fourteen to the thousand, in China it is above fifty. 81 THE TASK AHEAD China has only a thousand modern doctors for her four hundred million people, and at least a third of these are missionary doctors. Think of one doctor being responsible for 400,000 people ! At that rate only sixteen cities in the United States would be entitled to the full-time service of a doctor, and not one of these cities in the South ! China has a million blind people and 400,000 deaf. We do not know how many lepers and insane she has. The doctors can care for only 1% of the sick people, leaving 99% without competent medical attention. 1 Missionaries have introduced modern education in China, but as yet it has made small headway. It is estimated that 95% of the people are unable to read or write a word of any language. Only 2% of the women can read. It is estimated that only 6% of the children of school age attend school. China's greatest need is a religious need. The multi- tudes are heathen. Three great heathen religions control this land: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The bulk of the people are Buddhists. Ancestor worship pre- vails everywhere throughout China. There are perhaps ten million Mohammendans in the Republic. ^£ After the division of Methodism in 1844 no missionary work outside the United States was left to the Southern branch. In 1846, however, the Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, projected its work in China and in 1848 Rev. Charles Taylor and Rev. Benjamin Jenkins, both of South Carolina, set sail. The imperial decree prohibiting Christianity had been par- 82 CHINA tially repealed four years previously, but it was nearly two years after their arrival before their first service was held in Shanghai. Results were difficult and meager. The solid block of heathenism showed few signs of yielding. Our mis- sionaries lived in the midst of superstition, persecu- tion, and danger. During the Tai-Ping rebellion of 1853 one missionary stood his ground and protected the Mission property. In 1861, when the Civil War in America cut off all communication with China, Dr. J. W. Lambuth and Dr. Young J. Allen supported themselves and continued to preach and teach the gospel until supplies again reached them. Not a convert was made until 1852, when Liew, Mr. Jenkins' teacher, was converted. After eleven years of hard and sacrificial work there were eleven native Church members in the entire China Mission. * * * ■ Bishop Marvin, the first Southern Methodist Bishop to visit the Orient, organized the China Mission in 1876 and ordained four native ministers. Two years later the first woman foreign missionary was sent to China by the Woman's Missionary Society, which had been organized but a few months. Miss Lochie Rankin, of Milan, Tenn., has the distinction of being the first woman missionary. Many distinguished leaders of Methodism have since served in the Chinese field, among them being Dr. J. W. Lambuth and his distinguished son, Bishop W. R. Lam- buth, Dr. Young J. Allen, Dr. W. H. Parkes, Dr. A. P. Parker, and many others. They have laid a firm founda- tion for our work in this great eastern Republic and today Southern Methodism in China is exercising a wide- spread influence. THE TASK AHEAD From no other spot on earth does there come the appeal of a greater need than that which issues from China. The oldest mission field of our Church, it will always receive our interest and our prayers. No Southern Methodist worthy of the name would for a moment think of retrenching in our work in this great Oriental country, or of taking a backward step in the work of winning China for Christ. What We Have in China The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, confines its work in China to a section of territory on the Pacific coast surrounding Shanghai. When viewed on the map this section does not appear large in area. It contains 5,000,- 000 people, however, and ours is the only branch of Methodism responsible for them. It contains Shanghai, China's commercial center, with a population of 1,- 000,000 ; Soochow, the intellectual center, with a popula- tion of 500,000; and Huchow, the silk center, with a population of 250,000. * The China Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, now has seven districts with sixty-two pastoral charges and 125 societies. There are 11,000 Church members. The 83 Epworth Leagues have a mem- bership of nearly 5,000, while 12,500 young people are enrolled in 365 Sunday schools. We have 68 woman's missionary societies with 3,000 members. Our 66 houses of worship are valued at nearly $600,000 and we have 36 parsonages worth about $80,000. The China Conference has the distinction of being the only foreign Conference which ever undertook the opening of another foreign mission field. In 1923 the Conference resolved to enterprise foreign mission 84 CHINA work in Manchuria, and raised $12,000 for this pur- pose. This action on the part of China is a striking example of the earnestness and consecration of the Chinese Christians. We have at work in China at the present time seventeen evangelists, sixteen medical missionaries, and twenty teachers. These, with sixty-one missionaries and teachers from the Department of Woman's Work, make a total of 1 14 American workers in China. The major centers are Shanghai, Soochow, Huchow, Sungkiang, Nanzing, Changchow, and Taichang. In each of these centers we maintain strong Churches. Insti- tutional and Social Service plants are operated in connec- tion with Churches in Shanghai, Soochow, Huchow, and Changchow. Operating from these major centers, we have dotted our whole territory with Churches. Most of these village Churches are of course attached to cir- cuits, and many of them are in the rural sections. A 45 4^ Southern Methodists should be justly proud of their educational work in China. Here where Christian cul- ture is so greatly needed, our Church maintains 119 schools of every grade and in these there are 707 teach- ers, American and native, training 10,000 young Chi- nese. The value of our school property is approxi- mately $2,000,000. This educational work is conducted by both the General and Woman's Departments of the Board of Missions. The Department of General Work has organized all of its educational, except the day schools, into one great system. This is the Soochow University system, which centers in the city of Soochow and has its branches in 85 THE TASK AHEAD various other cities. Soochow is one of the greatest Methodist universities of the world. In its entirety it enrolls more than 2,500 students, has 30 American and 78 Chinese teachers, and much valuable property. The value of the plant of Soochow University proper is more than $500,000. * ' The various units of Soochow University, together with the number of students enrolled in each, are as follows : 1. Soochow University (College Department), 340. 2. Soochow (Law Department), Shanghai, 50. 3. Middle School Number One at Soochow, 310. 4. Middle School Number Two at Shanghai, 258. 5. Middle School Number Three at Huchow, 217. 6. Wusih Technical School at Wusih, 97. 7. Sungkiang Bible and Training School, 36. 8. Wu Dialect School at Soochow, 39. 9. Higher Primary Schools at various points, 309. 10. Lower Primary Schools at various points, 902. In addition to the Soochow University system the De- • partment of General Work maintains fifteen day schools in as many towns. In these are employed 15 foreign and 67 Chinese teachers. These day schools enroll nearly 1,500 pupils. We also maintain an orphanage in Shanghai which might well be classed under educational work. Here young Chinese homeless children are gathered, protected, and reared with Christian training. The Department of General Work of our Board of Missions maintains three hospitals in China as follows: 1. Soochow Hospital. The Centenary has rebuilt Soo- chow Hospital and it is now thoroughly modern and one 86 CHINA of the finest institutions in China. An interesting ele- ment is the maintenance in the hospital of a chaplain and Bible woman who give full time to the spiritual wel- fare of the patients. The Bible woman follows the patients to their homes and has been instrumental in lead- ing a large number to Christ and the Church. 2. Huchow Union Hospital. This is a union institu- tion operated by our Church in connection with the Baptists. 3. Changchow General Hospital. This institution has not yet received its Centenary appropriation and so is housed in old ramshackle buildings and has equipment that is entirely inadequate. * 45 The Woman's Missionary Council supports sixty- one missionaries and teachers in China and they are engaged in educational, medical, evangelistic, and ad- ministrative work. Some special features of Woman's Work are as follows : 1. City evangelistic work. Our four great Institutional Churches, in Shanghai, Huchow, Changchow, and Soo- chow, have women's departments, and the women share with the General Department of the Board in support- ing a staff of workers. In addition, social evangelistic work is carried on in a silk filature in Wusih and in Moka Garden Embroidery Mission, Soochow. 2. District evangelistic work. In each district a woman missionary is carrying on evangelistic work for women and girls. These women are provided with house-boats and travel about the District accompanied by Bible women. 3. Medical work. The women share in the operation of the Margaret Williamson Hospital in Shanghai. 87 THE TASK AHEAD 4. Christian Literature. The women also furnish one missionary to the Christian Literature Society to aid in the work of creating and circulating Christian literature for China. 9 9 The women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, carry on an imposing program of educational work among the Chinese people. The following are the lead- ing units of such work: 1. Ginling College, Nanking. This is a union College founded in 1913. It has a splendid new campus and six new college buildings and an enrollment of 100. 2. Bible Teachers' Training School is another union school at Nanking. Founded in 1915, it now has a fine new plant and an enrollment of 87. 3. The Hayes-Wilkins Bible School, Sunkiang, is a Junior High School institution, founded in 1890. 4. Laura Haygood Normal School, Soochow. Six missionaries and nineteen Chinese teachers are here teach- ing 357 students, 100 of whom are boarding pupils. 5. McTyeire High School, Shanghai. This school has a splendid plant but is in need of better equipment. The enrollment is 319 with 300 boarders. The school is self- supporting with the exception of missionaries' salaries. 6. Virginia High School at Huchow has a substantial plant but needs enlarging. It is now serving 297 students, 150 of whom are boarding pupils. It has two correlated primary schools, with a combined enrollment of 125. 7. Atkinson Academy, Soochow. This is a High School for boys, founded in 1896. It employs one mis- sionary and eighteen Chinese teachers and has an enroll- ment of 240. 88 CHINA 8. Susan B. Wilson School, Sungkiang. This boarding school has a good plant but is greatly in need of enlarge- ment. Its enrollment is 160, 90 of whom are boarders. It is a Junior High School and employs two missionaries, one American teacher, and eight native teachers. 9. Davidson Girls' School at Soochow is another Junior High School. It has two missionary and fifteen Chinese teachers and an enrollment of 288. Founded in 1903, it now has a good plant but needs additional equip- ment. 10. Centenary Institute, located at North Gate, Chang- chow, has a beautiful new compound and building, the gift of the Centenary. It is a Junior High School and one missionary and eight Chinese teachers are engaged in training 250 students. 11. Humbert Day School, Changchow, East Gate. It has an entirely inadequate plant for serving the 187 stu- dents enrolled in the seven grades. It was founded in 1913 and now has one missionary and nine native teachers. 12. Eslick Day School also teaches seven grades and has one missionary and seven native teachers. Its enroll- ment is 128. It was founded in 1918 and is located at Hutsun. Its new plant was purchased with Centenary funds. 13. Mary Virginia Nabors Day School, Wusih, South Gate, was founded in 1908 and has eight grades. The property is rented and very inadequate. One missionary and seven Chinese teachers are employed. 14. Maria L. Gibson Day School, Soochow (Kong Hong) was founded in 1912. It has 160 enrolled and these are served by one missionary and eight Chinese teachers. Th^is school also has eight grades. 89 THE TASK AHEAD 15. Faith Johnson Day School, Changshu. Built by the Centenary in 1920, this school now enrolls 128 pupils who are taught by seven Chinese teachers. 16. Theodosia Wales Day School at Changshu was also founded in 1920 and is a school of eight grades. The property is rented. Seven Chinese teachers serve 128 pupils. 17. McCall Day School, Nyishing. This school also has only rented property. The enrollment is 155 and seven native teachers instruct in the eight grades. 18. District Primary Schools. There are 21 of these scattered over the various districts, as follows : Taichang, 1 ; Sungkiang, 6; Shanghai, 6; Nanzing, 4; Changchow, 2; Soochow, 2. The combined enrollment is 414. The Advance World Program From the above survey it will be apparent that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is undertaking a great program in the ancient land of China. None could think of taking a backward step in the work of redeeming this vast empire. The Centenary has accomplished won- ders, but many of its most important enterprises remain unfinished. This is a reproach upon our Church and compromises us in the eyes of the heathen. The total amount due to China on the unpaid Cen- tenary askings, General Work, is $391,300. Among so great an array of activities it is scarcely possible to exactly detail the distribution of every Centenary dollar. The distribution is to types of work, and it may be stated as follows : Educational $111,625 Evangelistic 186,675 Medical f 93,000 90 CHINA For the Department of Woman's Work the unpaid Centenary askings total $176,850. When available, these funds will be applied as follows: Residence for Shanghai workers $ 25,000 Institutional Church, Huchow — land, building, equipment 5,000 Changchow, East Gate: School building 5,000 Evangelistic center 3,000 Wall and equipment 1,500 Maria L. Gibson Settlement, Soochow: Missionary residence 3,000 Land and wall 2,000 Equipment 300 Changshu — Missionary residence 3,000 Virginia School, Huchow, school building 25,000 Hutsun, brick wall 300 Laura Haygood Normal School — Land and equipment 3,750 China Medical Work, Shanghai 50,000 Increased maintenance and building 50,000 Total $176,850 ^ 4s The Centenary advance in China has increased the annual expenses of operation from $73,843 in 1919 to $148,514 in 1925. Thus the maintenance bill has been more than doubled. Income has during this same period decreased. Therefore our only hope of avoiding a with- drawal lies in increasing our income, and it is estimated that $121,550 in new money annually will be necessary. Summary Unpaid Centenary for China, General $391,300 Unpaid Centenary for China, Women 176,850 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 121,550 91 CHAPTER XIV CUBA ON October 28, 1492, Christopher Columbus, view- ing the island of Cuba from the deck of his vessel, exclaimed, u It is the most beautiful land that eye ever saw. It excels all other countries as far as the day surpasses the night in brightness and splendor." The frightened natives who crowded around and viewed the cross which Columbus held before their eyes, called their country "Cubanacan," and Columbus, believing that they had spoken the name of the great Oriental monarch, Kublai Khan, was confident that he had reached Japan and was about to grasp the wealth of the Indies. The Spanish proceeded with characteristic vigor to exterminate the natives from the face of the earth. Hatuey, a native leader, on being burned at the stake remarked, "I prefer Hell to Heaven if there are Span- iards in Heaven." Columbus corralled a number of the inhabitants and made them slaves, carrying them as presents to their Catholic Majesties — "because," he remarked, "it is my conviction that they would easily become Christians." The Spaniards did indeed exterminate the Indians. Not a trace of them remains today. Their thinning ranks were filled with Negro slaves. Soon the land teemed with Africans. Slavery was not abolished until 1 883, and to this day a large proportion of the Cuban population is black. Cuba has suffered much. Twice the capital city was burned by pirates, and for two hundred years the buc- caneers made life miserable for the people. Twice the 93 THE TASK AHEAD English attacked the island, and in 1762 it became British territory for a brief season. Coming again under the con- trol of Spain it felt the hard hand of oppression. Extortion was the order of the day. Cuba could trade with no country save Spain and only through the port of Cadiz. Finally, capping the climax of tyranny, Ferdinand VII issued his infamous "Royal Order" which placed Cuba under martial law and in a state of siege, subject to the arbitrary will of the Spanish captain-general, who had the power of life and death. This "Royal Order" remained the only consti- tution of Cuba for nearly three-quarters of a century. Against an unmixed despotism the Cubans at last rebelled. For seventy-five years there was constant warfare. Rebellion after rebellion swept the island. The population was reduced to a fraction of its wonted number. The whole country became wasted as a desert. ^ 4£i ^ At last the savage General Weyler attempted to crush the insurrection by removing the Cuban country folk from their homes and imprisoning them in garrisoned cities, hoping thereby to starve them into submission. In the ranks of these "reconcentrados" misery, pestilence, starvation, and disease prevailed. The conscience of the civilized world could stand it no longer. America be- came aroused, and when on February IS, 1898, the United States battleship "Maine" was destroyed in the harbor of Havana, it was a signal for intervention. President McKinley recognized the independence of the people of Cuba and demanded the complete evacua- tion of the Spanish. Admiral Dewey destroyed the Asiatic squadron of the Spanish fleet, under Admiral Montojo, in the battle of Manila Bay, and Sampson de- 94 CUBA stroyed the remainder of the Spanish fleet under Admiral Cervera as it attempted to escape from Santiago harbor. General Shafter besieged Santiago from the land and the city surrendered. Spain was conquered and Cuba be- came free. This land owes much of her present prosperity to America, and the interests of the sister Republics will always be intertwined. The Americans occupied Cuba for four years, and during this period, for the first time in history, the island had a stable and solvent government. The Americans raised among the Cuban people $57,000,000 and spent it for improvements, and when they evacuated they turned over to the new Cuban government $635,000 in cash. Gambling, the national lottery, bull-fighting and cock- fighting were suppressed. For the first time Cuba learned sanitation. The Americans built more miles of highway in four years than the Spanish had constructed in four cen- turies. As a climax of American service for Cuba, the yellow fever plague, which for a hundred and fifty years had never failed to appear each summer, was completely eradicated by American surgeons. When the Americans took charge there were only 87,000 chil- dren attending school; when they left the number was 171,000. The Americans started Cuba on the upward road along which she has advanced, albeit with one or two missteps, ever since. Those who are familiar with Roman Catholicism of the Spanish type can well imagine Cuba's condition after four hundred years of its control. The Catholics had been teaching the Cubans since the year 1500, but when 95 THE TASK AHEAD the Americans took a census in 1898 sixty percent of all the people were unable to read and write. To this day characteristic Roman Catholic superstition, igno- rance, extortion, and immorality prevail. Under Spanish rule no Protestant services were allowed. The Bible was interdicted in the Custom House. Foreign residents could not even build a Protestant chapel for their own use. The sailors killed by the destruction of the "Maine" in 1898 were denied the privilege of having the Protestant burial service read over their bodies, and Captain Sigsbee read the service on the sly in his carriage en route to the ceme- tery and in his own room at the hotel. Immediately after the close of the Spanish-American war, our Church, alive to its opportunity, entered Cuba. It was recognized as peculiarly fitting that Southern Methodism should evangelize this adjacent island. Bishop Warren A. Candler led the way and for fifteen years supervised the Cuban work. The Northern branch of American Methodism, which had been operating in Cuba, withdrew and turned the whole country over to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Within a few months after the begin- ning was made, work was in operation at the four strategic centers of Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Santiago. The first annual meeting of the Mission was held at Matanzas in 1900, and at that time the member- ship of our Church in the island was only 21. *\5F* "^5- *^*- The progress of our work was so rapid that in nine years this Mission reported more members than any Southern Methodist foreign Mission except Mexico and 96 CUBA Brazil. That growth has continued, and today our Church, which is the only Protestant body covering the whole of Cuba, is by far the most influential Prot- estant force in the country. What We Have in Cuba No other branch of Methodism save the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, works in Cuba. This is the only one of the pre-Centenary mission fields wherein we are attempting to evangelize the whole nation; and our Church is the only denomination which does maintain work in every part of Cuba. In Cuba we have a full-fledged Annual Conference; the island graduated from a Mission into a Conference in 1923. There are four Districts: Havana, Matanzas, Cien- fuegos, and Camaguey. In these there are 25 pastoral charges, with nearly 50 local Churches and about 6,000 members. There are 53 Sunday schools, with 300 officers and teachers and nearly 5,000 pupils. The Epworth Leagues number 20 and in these are enrolled about 600 Leaguers. ' We maintain work in the following cities and towns: Havana, Arroyo Arenas, Hoyo Colorado, Punta Brava, Santiago de las Vegas, Calabazar, Pinar del Rio, Herra- dura, Matanzas, Jovellanos, Pedro Betancourt, Cardenas, Coliseo, Colon, Calimete, Amarillas, Cienfuegos, Abreus, Aguada de Pasajeros, San Juan de los Yeras, Matagua, Santa Clara, Manahanabo, Baez, Fomento, Trinidad, Manicaragua, Camaguey, Nuevitas, Minas, La Gloria, Omaja, Holguin, Cacocum, Antilla, Coyo Mambi, Mayari, Preston, Santiago de Cuba, Jamaica, and Guan- tanamo. On the Isle of Pines there are Churches at Nueva Gerona, Columbia, Santa Fe, and McKinley. 97 THE TASK AHEAD In addition to these, work is maintained at a number of places in the rural districts. Our Church owns 40 Church buildings valued at nearly $300,000 and 26 parsonages worth more than $100,000. ft ft . ■ 4ft Special mention should be made of the magnificent Central Building in Havana. This is by far the finest and largest Protestant Church in Cuba and one of the best mission buildings in the world. It stands in the very center of the great capital city, and as a worthy representative of Protestantism commands attention and respect. This great building contains two complete and mod- ern Churches, one for the American congregation and one for the Cuban. On the second floor is a school, with an adequate equipment of class rooms, audi- torium, and other necessary educational adjuncts. The third floor has apartments for pastors and teachers. This great enterprise is entirely a product of the Centenary. Unfortunately, it is as yet uncompleted, though being used, owing to the failure of many per- sons to pay their Centenary pledges in full. This is one of the tragedies of the unpaid pledge. ft ft ■■■ ■ft The Church in Cuba publishes its own official organ, U E1 Evangelisto Cubano," and a Sunday School quar- terly, "Revista Trimestral." It maintains its Sunday School Training Institutes and Epworth League Confer- ences with much efficiency. The educational system of Methodism in Cuba far sur- passes that of any other denomination; our schools excel in quality the public school system. 98 CUBA The Board of Missions, General Work, maintains two institutions for boarding students in Cuba. 1. Candler College at Havana is a truly great institu- tion in that it trains practically all of the native preachers for our Church. Its annual attendance is about 175. It has a valuable campus strategically located on an eleva- tion overlooking one of the finest suburbs of Havana, and two large buildings provide dormitory and classroom space. Within a stone's throw of Candler College are located Leland Memorial Church, Buenavista College for girls, and three missionary residences, thus forming a numerous and excellent Methodist colony. Candler Col- lege has 13 teachers and property valued at $100,000. 2. Pinson College, at Camaguey, enrolls more than 200 of the finest boys and girls of Cuba. It owns an excellent campus in the aristocratic "Zambrana" sub- urb of the city. Unfortunately, its Centenary appro- priation has not been paid and the college is suffering terribly from this fact. Its buildings are a few small cottages. Its classrooms are wooden sheds. Its seats are discarded street car benches. Its only dormitory is an attic wherein 25 boys are huddled. 55 In addition to the institutions above mentioned, the Board of Missions, General Work, maintains several Day Schools which receive young children. These render an invaluable service, as they far surpass the average Cuban public school in quality and inject the Christian element into their teaching. These schools are as follows: 1. Central School, Havana. 2. Colegio Methodista, Jovellanos. 3. Colegio Methodista, Pinar del Rio. 4. Colegio Methodista, Antilla. 5. Caperton School, Santiago de Cuba. 6. Colegio Methodista, Nuevitas. 99 THE TASK AHEAD The women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, are rendering a far-reaching service in Cuba. In many of the congregations missionary auxiliaries have been organized; there are now 11 such societies with more than 400 members, and these raised more than $1,000 in 1923. The educational institutions maintained by the Board of Missions, Woman's Work, are the finest of their kind in Cuba. 1. Buenavista College stands across the street from Candler College in the capital city of Havana. It is a product of the Centenary. It is a Normal School for the training of teachers and is practically self-supporting. The beautiful three-story building, worth $120,000, houses about ISO girls. 2. Irene Toland College is located at Matanzas, and, thanks to the Centenary, possesses now the most beautiful building of all our Cuban schools. It is perhaps the best known and influential institution in Matanzas. Its enroll- ment is about 125, which will be greatly increased when contemplated additional stories can be added to the new building. 3. Eliza Bowman College, at Cienfuegos, enrolls nearly 200 girls each year. With Centenary money and funds derived from the sale of other property the finest site in Cienfuegos has been purchased. An appropriation was made for a building, but the Cen- tenary pledges have not been paid and the money is not yet available. The College now occupies an old residence. Classes meet in the teachers' rooms, on the porches, under the trees. Here is another tragedy of the unpaid pledge. 100 CUBA The Advance World Program The unpaid Centenary askings for Cuba, General Work, total $141,600. Out of this Pinson College and the Central Building at Havana must be completed and other necessary work must be done. * * * For the Department of Woman's Work the unpaid Centenary askings are $89,910. This money will be thus used : Missionaries' salaries — salary increases $ 7,050 New Missionaries (Outfit, language and travel) 1,500 Miscellaneous items 1,125 Colegio Eliza Bowman, teachers and equipment. . 3,550 Colegio Buenavista, teachers and equipment 5,785 Colegio Irene Toland, teachers 4,900 Colegio Irene Toland, building 16,000 Increased maintenance and building 50,000 Total $89,910 *^ The scale of operation in Cuba, as elsewhere, has been greatly enlarged by the Centenary. In 1919 our expenses were $47,118; for 1925 the expenses are $76,602. The Centenary funds cannot supply the additional workers and buildings that may be needed, so it is doubtful whether the maintenance expense can be held down to the 1925 figure without seriously impairing the work. In view of all the facts, it is estimated that the deficit in annual maintenance for Cuba will be not less than $61,149. m Summary Unpaid Centenary for Cuba, General $141,600 Unpaid Centenary for Cuba, Women 89,910 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 61,149 101 102 CHAPTER XV CZECHOSLOVAKIA ZECHOSLOVAKIA is one of the resurrected nations of Europe. Its birth is the most wonderful romance of the World War. For four hundred years the Czechs had been under the heel of the Austrian oppressor, denied the use of their religion, language, literature, and freedom. No people had been persecuted more bitterly than they. Yet there still slumbered in their hearts suppressed and silent aspirations for freedom. Though enrolled in the armies of Germany and Aus- tria and forced to fight against the forces of freedom in the World War, the Czechs carried at the head of their column a banner inscribed, "We are marching against the Russians but nobody knows why/' Their Teutonic commander did not dare to remove the revo- lutionary slogan. Although in Austrian uniform and under foreign commanders, the Czechs were yet Allies at heart; and when at last they gave vent to their aspirations, announced their freedom, and proceeded to organize regiments to assist the Allies in the struggle, the whole tenor of the contemporary history was changed. Peace conditions which were laid down before their emergence at once became obsolete. They shook the fragile foundations of the House of Haps- burg and tore asunder the Dual Monarchy. The whole history of these people is bound up with religion. They are the oldest Protestants in the world. We commonly give to Martin Luther full credit for the 103 THE TASK AHEAD Protestant Reformation, but John Huss, the Bo- hemian, started a Protestant Reformation and was burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church nearly three-quarters of a century before Luther was born. When Luther's Reformation began there were already 400 Protestant Churches and 200,000 Prot- estant Church members in Bohemia and Moravia. 45 The people everywhere flocked to Huss and accepted his Protestant teachings. In HIS, Huss was summoned to attend a religious council at Constance and given by Pope and Emperor a guarantee of safety. When he arrived at Constance, however, this guarantee was disre- garded and the great reformer was burned at the stake, his ashes being scattered on the River Rhine. The death of Huss was the signal for a long and bloody struggle. The Czech nobles met and declared that the Catholic murderers of Huss were "liars, vile traitors, and calumniators of both Bohemia and Mora- via, the worst of all heretics, full of all evil, sons of the devil." They declared that "we will defend the laws of our Lord Jesus Christ and his pious, humble, and steadfast preachers at the cost of our blood, scorning all human decrees which may be contrary to them." Then followed the Hussite Wars. Led by the blind Ziska, whose military genius has been compared to that of Hannibal, the Czechs forced the Roman Catholic Church to make concessions and recognize the Prot- estants. * ^ ^ In 1526 the notorious Hapsburgs established over Bohemia a rule that meant four hundred years of oppres- sion, persecution, and desolation. The Jesuits were estab- lished in Bohemia and began the long work of crushing 104 CZECHOSLOVAKIA religious liberty. The Czechs and Protestants were identical. The Hapsburgs and the Catholics were one and the same, and generation after generation the struggle was carried on. In 1618 began a rebellion to get rid of the Hapsburgs and win again religious and national freedom. At the beginning of this war Bohemia had a population of 3,000,000; at the end there were only 800,000. "Prot- estantism was wiped out with fire and sword. The Czech nobility were mercilessly routed out and their lands confiscated. Bohemia's ancient rights were abrogated. Catholicism was forced upon the surviving population, while in the place of the Bohemian aris- tocracy an alien ruling class was planted by the Haps- burgs. The Jesuits made it one of their chief purposes to destroy systematically the Czech literature. One Jesuit leader boasted that 'he had himself burned no fewer than 60,000 Czech volumes.' " In 1620 the Czechs were disastrously beaten at the battle of White Mountain. Jesuitism was supreme. The Czechs became the subjects of Austria, which undertook the process of eradicating from the minds of the Czechs and their children all memories of freedom, Protestant- ism, and national aspiration. This did not end until the Czechoslovaks gained their freedom at the conclusion of the World War. Perhaps it would not be too much to say that the Moravians gave Methodism to' the world. At least it was through their instrumentality that John Wesley "felt his heart strangely warmed," and thus realized in his own life the great Methodist doctrine of the witness of the Spirit. 105 THE TASK AHEAD Driven out of their own country, a little group of refugees from Moravia established a settlement called Herrnhut in Saxony under the patronage of Count Zin- zendorf. In 1734 Moravian missionaries came to Amer- ica and founded at Savannah a mission to the Indians. There they came in contact with John Wesley. On his return to England, Wesley was much impressed by the fact that certain Moravians on board the ship were at perfect ease in the midst of a storm, and in conversation with them Mr. Wesley became dissatisfied with his own religious experience. One evening in May, 1738, while attending a Moravian prayer meeting in London, Mr Wesley underwent the religious experience which made of him a flaming evangelist and the founder of Meth- odism. Desiring more fully to understand the discipline and order of the Moravians, Wesley visited Herrnhut and this visit did much to shape his future course and the plan of his religious activities. We shall never know how greatly the Moravian spirit influenced Methodism. ^ In the Centenary Movement the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, saw and grasped its opportunity to repay in some degree the debt of Methodism to this people. The Church resolved to enterprise work in the resur- rected nation. The policy at first was one of relief. Fol- lowing the World War the people were in dire need of food and clothing and this need our Church attempted to supply. The relief work, however, soon developed into a constructive program. for moral and spiritual uplift, and it was clearly seen that in order to adequately meet the situation a permanent Mission should be established. A strange and wonderful thing happened when the Czechs became free. Though smothered for four hun- 106 CZECHOSLOVAKIA dred years under a blanket of Catholicism, the old Czech spirit of religious liberty was not dead. No sooner had the people heard the first words of the Methodist evangel than hearts responded to it. It brought back the stirrings and remembrances of Huss and their fathers, and almost as one man the nation responded. They turned back to Protestantism in vast numbers. A revival such as the world has not wit- nessed in modern times swept the land. Thousands flocked to Methodism. Our work in that country constitutes one of the mar- vels of modern missions. Unlike many foreign mission fields, our Churches here are not small but are vast in proportions, some of them rivaling the greatest con- gregations of America. Although extreme care is exer- cised in admitting persons to actual Church member- ship, our members today, after only two years of organized work, total 9,000. If we continue to support this Mission we can redeem Czechoslovakia and take the whole nation for the Protestant faith. What We Have in Czechoslovakia All of the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Czechoslovakia is directed by the Board of Missions, General Work. Here as in no other mission field in the world we are able to confine ourselves to the work of evangelistic preaching. We have only one school, a Biblical Seminary in the capital city of Prague. We have acquired valuable and beautiful property in Czechoslovakia. This has been made necessary because of the vast congregations which attend our services. Our great Vrsovice Church, for example, would do honor to any city in America and has a congregation of about 2,300. 107 THE TASK AHEAD The work is growing by leaps and bounds, so that any report of it is soon inadequate. At the annual session of 1924 there were four districts, 27 pastoral charges, and 36 organized Churches. We had 23 preachers at work, of whom 18 were native pastors and five were missionaries from America. The total mem- bership was 9,000. There were eleven Epworth Leagues and 243 members, 32 Sunday schools with 1,715 pupils, and eleven missionary societies with 400 members. 9 -S5 -ft There is in Czechoslovakia a distinct movement to- ward self-support. The people themselves in 1924 raised nearly $4,000 for Church buildings and $8,000 for all purposes. This was more than double the amount raised in 1923 and four times the amount of 1922. Outstanding features of our work are as follows : 1. In the capital city of Prague we own a great Central Building which is the pride of the Mission. This build- ing houses the administrative offices, a regular Church congregation, and our Bible School. 2. The Biblical Seminary of Prague is training preach- ers for the Mission. During 1924 this Seminary enrolled twenty students, all candidates for the Methodist ministry. 3. Our Churches cover the whole country. The fol- lowing are the principal places occupied by the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, South: Prague, Sedlec, Liberec, Straenici, Litomerice, Usti, Lovosice, Terazin, Most, Zlonice, Mukarov, Myto, Dobrotiva, Lhota, Plzen, Slany, Smecno, Velvary, Kamenomost, Cernuce, Vrso- vice, Bratislava, Uzhorod, Mukacevo, Vrutky, Trnava, Bechyne, Chrastany, Bernardice, Milevsko, Jihlava, Lomnice n-luz, Klece, Fraheiz, Luznice, Protivin, Neto- 108 CZECHOSLOVAKIA lice, Straz, Novosedla, Plavsko, Pribraz, Pistina, Tre- bon, Hlina, Domanin, Brilice, Tyn n-Vlt. 4. A most important religious work is being carried on among the Ukrainian students. A special secretary is appointed to this activity. Thousands of students flocked out of Russia and the Ukraine at the close of the War to continue their studies at the great University of Prague. They were homeless, naked, and starving. By the estab- lishment of relief kitchens for them, our Church won the undying loyalty of these students who will be the future leaders of the Slavic people. The Advance World Program Czechoslovakia has no means of support save the Cen- tenary. If, therefore, the Centenary payments become delinquent, the work must suffer accordingly. The amount remaining due to Czechoslovakia on the unpaid Centenary askings is $275,000. & ■ 9 " 9 When the Centenary money is no longer available the funds for the support of Czechoslovakia must all come from a source other than the regular assessment. In the estimates of the Advance World Program the sum of $67,320 per year must be so raised. This amount will fall considerably short of maintaining the work out- right on the 1925 basis, and of course no advance could possibly be made. It is hoped, however, that the Czecho- slovak Methodists will increase in number and in the scale of their giving and thus make it possible for the Church to push forward in the redemption of this mission field. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Czechoslovakia, Gen . . $275,000 Deficit in annual maintenance, General ....... 67,320 109 CHAPTER XVI JAPAN HE empire of Japan is a large group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean off the coast of China and Siberia. Japan proper is about a thousand miles long, and if laid upon the eastern coast of the United States it would stretch from Labrador to Cuba. Japan is densely populated, having nearly 60,000,000 people in 1922. The necessity of finding a home for its rapidly multiplying population is the leading factor which is bringing the empire into conflict with the United States and other countries inhabited by the white race. The Japanese people make large claims for their his- tory. They claim that their empire was founded in 660 B. C. by the first Emperor, Jimmu Tenno. They further- more claim that his dynasty still prevails and that the present Emperor is the 122nd of that dynasty. Without presuming to pass upon these claims, we can state that the reliable records of Japan date back to only about 522 A. D. About that date Buddhist missionaries entered Japan from Korea and introduced their religion. During this early period the land was entirely unknown to Europeans. The great navigator Marco Polo made mention of it in 1298 A. D., but it was not until 1542, half a century after the discovery of America, that Europe obtained any definite information concerning Japan. In that year a Portugese sailor, Mendez Pinto, was driven out of his course by a storm and sighted one of the islands of Japan, and he brought back to Europe the first knowl- edge of these" distant shores. Ill THE TASK AHEAD About that time the Jesuit order of the Roman Cath- olic Church was founded, and the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier, resolved to plant Christianity in this new Oriental country. Xavier had previously met a young Japanese refugee, Anjiro by name, who had com- mitted murder in his native land and had fled to Malacca. The young man was converted through the Jesuit's influ- ence, entered a training school for priests, and became known as "Paul of the Holy Faith." In 1549 Xavier and Anjiro went to Japan for the pur- pose of introducing Christianity. Their efforts were quite favorably received, and other Jesuits followed. The priests were given permission to preach everywhere and a rapid growth of Christianity followed. Within forty years after the landing of Xavier there were 200 Catholic Churches and 150,000 members, and at the beginning of the seventeenth century the number had reached 600,000. Then came a change in the attitude of the Japanese rulers. Portugese and other traders followed the trail of the missionaries and Japan became suspicious as to the ultimate designs of the propagandists of the new faith. The leaders saw that there were grave sources of danger in a religion which was so strongly backed by foreign countries. Accordingly an edict was issued absolutely prohibit- ing the profession, practice, or teaching of Christianity in Japan. This was in 1606. A few years later all the missionaries were banished and a systematic persecu- tion of the native Christians began. The Christians were hunted down and killed or driven like animals from their homes. They were thrown from 112 JAPAN cliffs into the sea ; they were exposed and frozen to death ; they were burned at the stake; they were crucified. The remnant of Christianity was as thoroughly swept away by sword, fire, and banishment as it was possible for such instruments to accomplish that result. The name of Jesus became feared and despised by the whole nation. As time went on Christianity seemed to be forgotten. Nearly 250 years passed, and then, strange to relate, when Christian missionaries again entered Japan they found in and around Nagasaki whole villages of Christians who had secretly preserved their faith. This is proof that the religion of Jesus Christ cannot be stamped out by physical force. After driving out the missionaries and, as they believed, thoroughly extirpating Christianity, the Japanese entered upon a policy of rigid exclusion. All means of com- munication with the outer world were cut off. Aliens were forbidden to enter Japan and the Japanese were forbidden to travel abroad on pain of death. All for- eigners were executed. If Japanese sailors were ship- wrecked on a foreign shore they could never return to their native land, lest they bring the dreaded religion of Christ. On the roadways were posted warnings to all who should profess the name of Jesus, and these signs were not removed until 1872. "So long as the sun shall continue to warm the earth," read one of these warnings, "let no Christian be so bold as to come to Japan, and let all know that the King of Spain himself, or the Chris- tian's God, or the great God himself, if he dare violate this command, shall pay for it with his head." This policy of exclusiveness prevailed for more than 200 years. Many attempts were made by various Euro- 113 THE TASK AHEAD pean nations to secure an entrance, but in vain. But at last on July 8, 1853, Commodore Perry, of the United States navy, sailed into the Gulf of Yedo and in the name of the United States virtually compelled the Japanese Emperor to receive a letter from President Filmore. Perry sailed away, but when he returned with his fleet the following year the Japanese had come to their senses and concluded a treaty opening their ports to American trade. From the expedition of Commodore Perry date modern Christian missions and civilization in Japan. * -8s In 1885 our Board of Missions officially resolved to undertake a Mission in Japan, and Dr. J. W. Lambuth was sent from China on a tour of inspection. The next year, 1886, Bishop McTyeire, presiding over the Mission in China, appointed J. W. Lambuth, his son Walter R. Lambuth, and O. A. Duke, as missionaries to Japan. The growth and development of Southern Methodism in the island empire is an ever-living memorial to the dauntless spirit of these three missionaries and their faithful wives. Since that day Southern Methodism in Japan has made mighty strides. Its influence cannot be shown by statis- tics, for an indigenous Methodism, the Japan Methodist Church, has been founded and as soon as converts are firmly established in their faith they usually affiliate with this Church. But Methodism has been one of the strong influences which has brought Japan thus far along the highway to Christian civilization. Our work in Japan is located around the inland sea with Kobe as its base. This is a strategic situation. There is no overlapping territory with other Methodists. It contains Japan's most fertile and richest industrial sec- 114 JAPAN tion, teeming with millions of eager, restless people. Within its bounds are Kobe, with the greatest tonnage of any port in the Orient; Kyoto, with 880 Buddhist tem- ples; and other great cities like Osaka, Okayama, Hiro- shima, and Shimonoseki. « # # In recent times Japan has made the most wonderful advances of any nation. Although within the memory of people now living she denied foreigners the right to tread upon her soil, she today ranks as one of the world powers, on a par of international influence with America, Eng- land, France, and Italy. And yet Japan remains heathen. She is highly civilized but her civilization is not Chris- tian. She has 116,000 Shinto shrines and 107,000 Bud- dhist temples, while the heathen priests and priestesses number 70,000. The position of Japan in international affairs rests upon her military strength, and her military forces are Prussian trained and imbued with Prussian ideals. Left as she is to wield a heathen influence in the councils of the world and to further the spirit of militarism which she learned from the Prussians, Japan will menace the world. She is destined to con- trol the East and if Japan remains heathen therefore the whole Orient will remain heathen. It is imperative that Japan be won for Christ. What We Have in Japan As stated above, statistics of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, do not convey an adequate idea of Meth- odism's strength and influence in the Japanese empire, because most of the results we secure accrue not to us but to the Japan Methodist Church. There are at the present time perhaps 300,000 Christians in Japan. 115 THE TASK AHEAD We do not have a regular Annual Conference, but the work of the Mission is divided into three Districts, with 19 pastoral charges embracing 94 societies. Our total membership is about 2,500. We maintain in Japan our full Church organization. There are 40 Epworth Leagues with 600 members. We have a Sunday school in practically every society and 6,000 boys and girls are therein receiving regular Chris- tian instruction. We own twenty houses of worship and a large number of schools and other institutions. At present we have 47 American missionaries and workers in Japan; 33 of those are supported by the General Department of the Board of Missions, while Woman's Work supports 14. The women missionaries and 19 of the workers of the Department of General Work, are engaged in educational activities, while 14 missionaries prosecute evangelistic work. At the present time our work covers most of the impor- tant cities, towns, and villages in the territory wherein we operate. The following is a list of places in which we maintain churches : Kyoto, Osaka, Nishinomiya, Ashiya, Wakinohama, Oishi, Hyogo, Wadamiya, Himeji, Okay- ama, Kure, Hiroshima, Fukushima, Yanai, Oshima, Tokuyama, Migajiri, Matsuyama, Oita, Beppu, Nakatsu and Uwajima. « * * The following are institutions maintained by the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, South, in Japan: 1. Kwansei Gakuin, Kobe. This is one of the largest Methodist schools in the world, having an annual attend- ance of nearly 1,800 students. In 1923 its graduates numbered 2,000. The value of our share of the property is $824,956. Its teaching staff is composed of twelve foreigners and seventy-two Japanese. 116 JAPAN 2. Hiroshima Girls School, Hiroshima. This is a famous institution for the training of girls. Today it has four departments: college, high school, primary, and kindergarten, with 800 students, and property valued at $107,340. It has eight foreign and thirty-six Japanese teachers. 3. Palmore Institute, Kobe. This institution, the first educational work undertaken by our Church in Japan, was founded 37 years ago. Its teaching is done at night and its popularity is such that we can admit only ten per cent of those who apply. Its property is worth $95,000. 4. Frazer Institute, Hiroshima. This is a night school for young men, teaching English, Music, and the Bible. The latest statistics show 230 students, 6 foreign and 2 Japanese teachers, and a building worth $3,000. The Woman's Missionary Council supports in Japan 14 missionaries with an annual maintenance budget of approximately $16,000. The property of every sort is worth nearly a quarter of a million dollars. The follow- ing items constitute a general view of the work being carried on by the women. 1. Lambuth Training School for Christian Workers, Osaka. In 1890 the women founded a Bible School in Kobe. In 1895 a kindergarten was opened in Hiroshima. In 1921 the two were united in Osaka. 2. Commercial School for Women, Kobe. This is another Centenary enterprise, founded in 1921, although it was formerly a department of Palmore Institute. The school not only trains women in commercial subjects but is also a center of evangelistic work for women. 3. Social Evangelistic Center, Oita. This institution 117 THE TASK AHEAD is called by the Japanese "the house of neighborly love." It is what its name implies, a center of evangelism. 4. Social Evangelistic Center, Kure. This is another Centenary enterprise similar to the one mentioned above, although its new buildings have not yet been provided. 5. The Woman's Missionary Council concentrates on reaching the children of Japan through kindergartens. At the present time 24 kindergartens are maintained and these enroll 1,200 children. 6. The Woman's Missionary Council supports 32 Bible women in Japan. They visit the homes of the countryside and are responsible for thousands of con- versions. The Advance World Program It would require a volume to detail all of the accom- plishments of the Centenary in Japan. The work has gone forward by leaps and bounds. The Centenary task, however, is not finished. For the Department of General Work the sum of $425,000 remains unpaid on the Cen- tenary askings. When these funds are available $175,000 will be used in educational work and $250,000 will be devoted to evangelism. * * 4fe The Woman's Work has a deficit of $116,5B7 in the Centenary askings. This money is imperatively de- manded and if it is not secured the women will experience difficulty in maintaining their work. The various items for which this money will be used may be mentioned as follows : Increased maintenance — budget 1924 $ 14,943 Missionaries' salaries, taxes and helpers 8,284 Kindergartens 2,690 118 JAPAN Maintenance — Lambuth Training School 7,585 Commercial School — Kobe, maintenance 1,900 New missionaries 4,300 Kure — Evangelistic Center : Maintenance 1,385 Land and building 17,500 New missionary home . 8,000 Increased maintenance and evangelistic centers. 50,000 Total $116,587 * * * One who is cognizant of the new work projected by the Centenary in Japan and who realizes the fact that our expenses have thereby been vastly increased without a corresponding increase in our missionary income, will ask anxiously "After the Centenary — What?" The answer is at hand: "After the Centenary our income for Japan must be increased $143,242 per year, or we will be under the necessity of curtailing our work and withdrawing oui workers." This is a serious fact. We have made most remarkable strides in the winning of this powerful heathen empire for Christ. Shall we now take our hand from the plow and turn backward, leaving Japan to plunge again into the darkness of heathen despair and to develop her civilization on a pagan basis until it inun- dates the Orient and threatens the whole world? It must not be. Methodists will surely respond to this appeal and save our work in the island empire. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Japan, General $425,000 Unpaid Centenary for Japan, Women 116,587 Deficit in annual maintenance, General 143,242 119 TERRITORY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, IN KOREA. (*)=Major Centers. (O^Other c enters 120 CHAPTER XVII KOREA OREA is ancient — more ancient even than Japan. In the year 1122 B. C, according to tradition, the noble Ki-tse left China with 5,000 followers and established a kingdom in Korea. We have an authentic history dating from 108 B. C, on which date Korea was annexed to China. About the beginning of the Christian era it split into three kingdoms, but a thou- sand years later we find it practically united again and developing a Chinese civilization. From China Korea received the Buddhist religion. Its primitive faith had been Shamanism, and remnants of this degraded superstition still persist in the Korean back- woods. Shamanism represents the imaginations and ter- rors of the ignorant savage regarding the supernatural. Its priest is the Shaman, corresponding to the African sorcerer and the Indian medicine man. It resembles more than anything else the fetishism of the lowest aborigines. After Buddhism became paramount it developed a powerful and rigid ecclesiastical hierarchy. Then about the beginning of the 15th century a movement which corresponded to the Protestant Reformation in Europe took place in Korea. The people revolted against Buddhism, founded a native Korean dynasty, and expelled all the priests. Although remnants of Buddhism still linger in Korea, and there are a few ignorant priests of that faith, its influence is practi- cally negligible. 121 THE TASK AHEAD Korea never welcomed foreign influences. The country was nearly 2,000 years old before Europe ever heard of it. A Jesuit missionary named Cespedes entered the country in 1594 but seems to have made little impression and brought back no information to the outside world. In 1653 some Dutch sailors were shipwrecked on the Korean coast and it was through them that Europe ob- tained the first knowledge of the hermit kingdom. Other Catholic missionaries planted their form of Christianity in the peninsula in 1784, and in 1835 French missionaries reenforced them. Of course these mission- aries met steady persecution but they persevered and seem to have made a little headway. But in 1864 came a fiercer blast of persecution. The king died childless and his oldest widow, desiring to prevent her nephew from ascending the throne to which he was heir, nominated in his stead Prince Yi, the ex- emperor who died in 1919. The new king was then a twelve-year-old boy and his father became regent. The regent was a savage reactionary and he at once determined to extirpate all the foreigners in Korea. He let loose fire and blood against them. A French expedition was sent against him in 1886 but it proved a failure. The same year an American schooner, the General Sherman, was stranded on the Korean coast and the whole crew murdered. An American expedi- tion in 1871 met with no success. Many nations at- tempted to force Korea to accept their commerce, but in vain. Japan finally succeeded in gaining an entry in 1876 and in 1882 the Americans were allowed to enter. Other peoples were let in from time to time; Great Britain and Germany in 1883, Italy and Russia in 1884, France in 1886, Austria in 1892, and China in 1897. 122 KOREA The recent history of Korea has been sad. In 1894 China attempted to assume her ancient suzerainty over Korea. This action was disputed by Japan and in the war that followed China was defeated. In 1895 Korea proclaimed her independence and in 1897 the king pro- claimed the country an empire under the name of Dai Han. After the war with China the encroachments of Japan were constant. Russia also looked upon Korea with envious eyes and the Russo-Japanese war resulted in 1904-05. Russia was defeated. Japan's preponderating interests in Korea were acknowledged, and in spite of the violent opposition of the Koreans themselves a strong Japanese "protectorate" was established in November 1905. This meant the downfall of the Korean Empire. The Japanese "protectorate" soon developed into actual control. In 1910 the Emperor Yi was virtually forced to abdicate and surrender all political power; Korean territory was formally annexed to the Empire of Japan, the Emperor and his son becoming Princes of the Blood in the Japanese social order. Thus Korean nationality was extinguished. Many patriots have arisen to assert her rights but all have been quickly and severely suppressed. Korea is a sub- ject nation smarting under the heel of the conqueror. Yet foreign powers acquiesced in Japanese control and the Koreans are helpless. ^ 9 Out of all the adverse circumstances of the past fifty years Korea has found that her only comfort is in religion. 123 THE TASK AHEAD Her repudiation of Buddhism left her without a strongly entrenched national religion of her own and she has ac- cordingly turned to Christianity. As in no other mission field in the world the revival fires have been burning in Korea. If the missionary forces continue loyally at their task, Korea will soon be completely evangelized. The founding of the Mission of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South, in Korea is a romantic story. Baron Yun Chi Ho, a Christian nobleman, came to America to pursue his studies and was a student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He became a Christian and gave a sum of money for a Christian school in Korea. Many regarded this as a providential call to enter Korea and sentiment was created for the enterprise. Mrs. J. T. Fowler gave $500 with which to open work in Korea. The young people of the Epworth Leagues became interested and agreed to finance the enterprise as they had previously pioneered in Cuba. Bishop Hendrix was in 1895 presiding over our mis- sions in China and Japan. In that year he sent Dr. C. F. Reid from China to Seoul and Rev. C. P. Collyer from the same field to Songdo. Our first Methodist society was organized in Korea in 1897. Since that time wonderful results have accrued. The saddened Koreans turned to religion for solace and strength, and one of the most remarkable revivals of mod- ern times swept the hermit kingdom. By multiplied thousands the people have turned to Christ. Whole vil- lages, steeped for centuries in heathenism, have been re- deemed and embraced our holy faith with unanimity. The missionary problem in Korea is not how to secure 124 KOREA the conversion of the people, but how to train and con- serve them after they have accepted Christ. Southern Methodism alone today enrolls 25,000 adherents in Korea, including full members, probationers, and enrolled seekers. The Missionary Centenary gave an added emphasis to the Korean revival. Preaching bands toured the villages and countryside, conducting meetings where the name of Christ had never before been heard. It was a modern Pentecost. Between 1919 and 1924 it is estimated that 25,000 persons were converted and 14,000 of the number actually became adherents of Methodism. This Centenary campaign would doubtless have com- pletely Christianized the territory in which we are working if it could have been continued. The Cen- tenary pledges were not all paid in full, however, and the preaching bands had to be discontinued. The evangelistic campaign naturally declined. This of it- self was tragedy enough to have caused contrition of conscience on the part of any person who had contrib- uted to it by failing to pay his Centenary pledge, but it is made doubly pathetic by the fact that we have been unable to take care of the converts we have made. The tragedy of the unpaid pledge in Korea is in reality a scandal to our good name as a Church. ^ For example, we promised the native Christians in the villages newly converted from heathenism that we would assist them in building houses of worship, giving them two dollars when they raised one. In their loyalty and devotion these converts secured ground, hauled lumber from the forests, brought clay and other requisites, and in dependence upon our word prepared to erect their 125 THE TASK AHEAD Churches. But we were unable to keep our promise. Today in various parts of Korea the material brought by the converts lie rotting upon the ground, while the people themselves are gradually losing faith in our integrity as a Church. This situation ought to bring a blush of shame to the cheek of every Methodist who has failed to pay his Centenary pledge. The negligence of some of our people has even caused us to break faith with the noble Baron Yun, our first and leading Korean member, who has made untold sacrifices and endured terrible persecution for his country and faith. Baron Yun is the principal of our Songdo school, without salary. His son is serving on the same basis. Baron Yun agreed to give of his own means $12,500 to this school provided we would furnish a similar amount. We accepted his proposition. He relied upon our prom- ise and paid his part in cash. We have not paid ours in full because the Centenary payments were withheld. This situation is a disgrace to our Church. No milder term befits the situation. What We Have in Korea The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has an ex- tensive work in Korea. It is organized as a full-fledged Annual Conference with five districts, 65 charges, 487 societies, 357 church buildings, and 63 parsonages. As a working force we have 40 missionaries, 100 native preachers, 90 Bible women and a dozen colporteurs. There are 4.00 Sunday schools with 14,000 pupils, 207 missionary societies enrolling 2,500 members, and 29 Epworth Leagues with 1,200 members. As stated above, the adherents of our Church number about 25,000 and these raised approximately $55,000 towards self-support in 1923. In our various schools we have nearly 11,000 students. 126 KOREA Our educational work is noted. The following insti- tutions may be especially mentioned : 1. Chosen Christian College, Seoul. This is the only real college in Korea. It is a union institution in which our Church cooperates with the Presbyterians and North- ern Methodists. 2. The Songdo Higher Common School, Songdo. This was formerly the Anglo-Korean School. Baron T. H. Yun is President. It is a large institution, having an enrollment of about 600 boys and a teaching staff of 27. 3. Union Theological Seminary, Seoul. This is a ministerial training school for native preachers conducted by both branches of American Methodism. 4. Pearson Memorial Bible Institute, Seoul. This is an institute rather than a seminary and trains native workers in various lines of Christian activity. 5. Lambuth Institute, Wonsan. This is an English night school founded by Bishop Lambuth a short time before his death. It not only teaches English to young Koreans but is a great evangelistic center. 6. The Department of General Work of the Board of Missions maintains twelve boys' common schools in various towns of Korea. These are similar to the Songdo Higher Common School. In these dozen schools there are 80 teachers and about 2,500 students. 7. Scattered all over Korea are our "Keulpangs," or day schools, for boys. They are for the most part con- ducted in our Churches and the cost of operation is small. The Department of General Work now has 67 of these "Keulpangs" in operation and they employ 86 teachers and enroll 2,500 students. * Quite as important as any other branch of our work are 127 THE TASK AHEAD the four hospitals which the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, operates in Korea. In this heathen king- dom modern medicine is an unknown art and all the people must rely upon the Christian physician. Our hos- pitals are as follows: 1. Ivey Hospital, Songdo. During one year this hos- pital usually gives treatment in some form to nearly 15,000 people. This institution is not only a hospital but is also virtually a church and evangelistic center. Its report for 1924 showed 3.50 conversions in the hospital and the patients established six new groups of believers. 2. Wonsan Christian Hospital, Wonsan. In 1924 it admitted 623 patients but its outpatient department treated 6,426 new patients and 14,063 former patients. The staff performed 928 operations. 3. Choon Chun Hospital, Choon Chun. This insti- tution parallels the work being done by the other hos- pitals. 4. Severance Hospital, Seoul. The distinctive feature of the Severance Hospital is the medical college which is conducted in connection with it. ■© * The work of the women of Southern Methodism in Korea has been steady and successful. They have 28 missionaries in Korea at the present time and their prop- erty is valued at $367,192. The following is a general survey of the institutions they are maintaining and the work they are carrying on : 1. Carolina Institute, Seoul. This High School for girls has an enrollment of 500 students. 2. Holston Institute, Songdo. The work of this school is similar to that of Carolina Institute. It is some- what larger, however, having nearly 800 students. 128 KOREA 3. Lucy Cuninggim Girls' School, Wonsan. In this institution 450 girls are enrolled. It has a beautiful lo- cation with a missionary home and two school buildings. 4. Union Bible Training School, Seoul. This is a Centenary enterprise conducted in union with the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. It is a Methodist training cen- ter for women desiring to enter Christian service. 5. Social Evangelistic Center, Seoul. This is a great social service institution, built in 1920 by the Centenary. It is a union enterprise of both Northern and Southern Methodism, and is the center of evangelistic work for women. 6. Social Evangelistic Center, Songdo. This is an- other Centenary enterprise, founded in 1921. Its activi- ties are similar to the institution at Seoul. 7. District Evangelistic Work. An evangelistic worker is assigned to each district, and these superintend the work of 120 Bible women and a large number of country day schools, or "Keulpangs," for girls. 8. City Evangelistic Work. A work similar to the above mentioned district evangelistic activity is conducted in the cities of Chul Won, Wonsan, and Choon Chun. Five missionaries are engaged in this type of work. 9. Medical work. The women are engaged in medi- cal work in connection with Severance Hospital at Seoul, Ivey Hospital at Songdo, the Choon Chun Hospital, and the Wonsan Hospital. Nurses are provided for these institutions. In Ivey Hospital a nurses' training school is maintained and a nurses' home has been built by the Centenary. The Advance World Program All over Korea our work is suffering because the Cen- tenary pledges have not been paid. Conditions are par- 129 THE TASK AHEAD ticularly distressing at the Songdo School, Carolina In- stitute, Holston Institute, Lucy Cuninggim Girls' School, and in many of the villages where the native Christians are unable to secure houses of worship. The amount due on the unpaid Centenary askings for Korea, General Work, is $329,150. When this money has been secured it will be applied to the various types of work in the following proportions: Evangelistic $167,250 Educational 101,750 Medical 60,150 For the Department of Woman's Work the total sum of $140,939 is due on the Centenary askings. This is im- peratively demanded and the work of the women is suf- fering because it is not available. Its application will be as follows : Missionaries' salaries, taxes and personal helpers.$ 24,819 Increased maintenance (1924) 28,000 City Evangelistic Center, Seoul, maintenance. . 2,250 Union Bible Training School, Seoul, mainte- nance 2,500 Carolina Institute, Seoul, equipment 1,500 Water Gate School, Seoul, building 5,000 Severance Hospital, Seoul, (share) 1,400 Chul Won — land and evangelistic center 2,500 City Evangelistic Center, Songdo 3,940 Nurse Training School, Ivey Hospital, Songdo 3,000 City Evangelistic Center, Wonsan 3,000 Lucy Cuninggim High School, maintenance. . . . 7,930 City Evangelistic Center, Choon Chun 800 Country Day School, Choon Chun District. . . . 1,800 Kindergarten — Choon Chun District 2,500 Increased maintenance and building 50,000 Total $140,939 130 KOREA As set forth above the Centenary has built several great institutions in Korea. It has added 32 new missionaries to our staff. In view of the sweeping revival the stoppage of our evangelistic work was especially distressing. It should be revived as soon as possible that Korea may be won for Christ. Of course this new program could not possibly be maintained on the old budget. It is expected that the contributions of the native Christians will increase, but on the lowest possible estimate it will require $110,704 per year in new money over and above the amount re- ceived from the regular assessment to maintain our work in Korea on the present basis. Certainly Southern Meth- odists will respond and furnish this amount that the her- mit kingdom may be redeemed. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Korea, General . Unpaid Centenary for Korea, Women . . Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General .$329,150 . 140,939 . 110,704 • 131 1 132 CHAPTER XVIII MEXICO F all the lands on earth Mexico should appeal most strongly to Southern people, because of its prox- imity. The southern portion of the United States is divided from the northern portion of Mexico by an imaginary line 1,833 miles long. East of El Paso the Rio Grande flows between the two Republics, but west- ward there is no division whatever save an occasional concrete post and a few uncertain stretches of wire fence. Mexico is our nearest neighbor and it is therefore nat- ural that we should be interested in her welfare. Mexico has had a turbulent past. Her present is pa- thetic enough. We may well believe, however, that her future is full of promise. The beginnings of Mexican history are shrouded in mystery. Tradition dates back to the year 668 A. D. when an aboriginal people called the Toltecs inhabited Mexico and developed a considerable civilization. Sev- eral hundred years later came the Aztecs. Then came the Spanish, and with them came a long era of oppression and rapine. In Mexico as in Cuba and elsewhere, the Spaniards regarded the subject people as legitimate objects of prey and both Church and State combined in a policy of extortion and tyranny. The internal discord in Mexico has prevented its de- velopment. It has been an international scandal. Dip- lomatic relations have been severed by the United States and various European countries, and on more than one 133 THE TASK AHEAD occasion during the past few years our government has been on the brink of war with our southern neighbor. Property rights have been rendered unstable and human life unsafe. The miserable peons are plunged deeper and deeper into the already abject poverty, and yet Mexico is not naturally a poor country. Vast wealth is hers, but the instability of the government and the igno- rance and poverty of the masses has made it impossible to develop her resources. The Catholic Church and foreign capitalists have taken advantage of the situation to grasp much of the wealth of the country. It is said that $2,000,000,000 of American capitalists is now invested in Mexico, and to protect this investment interested persons have urged American intervention in Mexican affairs. Mexico has been and is in a pitiable plight and deserves the sympathy rather than the censure of the world in her attempt to get her resources from the grip of a foreign Church and foreign capitalists. ^£^> Mexico has never been able to establish and long main- tain a stable government. It has always been on the verge of anarchy. In 1521 the country was conquered by the Spanish. For three hundred years it was ruled by vice- roys "whose chief purpose seems to have been the robbery of the mines and of the people for the benefit of them- selves and the Spanish government." At the beginning of the nineteenth century, however, the Mexicans awoke to the debasing and humiliating conditions that had been bequeathed by Spain and in 1810 the patriot-priest Hidalgo revolted. Success was achieved in 1821 when the Spanish for- mally acknowledged Mexican independence. In 1822 General Augustin Iturbite declared himself Emperor 134 MEXICO but in two years he was driven out and a Republic was established. In 1864 the Catholic party, through Euro- pean influence, gave the throne to the Archduke Ferdi- nand Maximillian of Austria. He was shot in 1867 and Benito Juarez took the reins for the second time. The successor of Juarez fled in 1876 and General Por- firio Diaz became president and ruled, with the exception of four years, with a rod of iron until 1911 when he was virtually forced to resign. Francisco Madero followed and was murdered in 1913, when the notorious General Victoriano Huerta became president. A year later civil war broke out and Huerta was succeeded by General Carranza, who in turn was forced to flee and murdered in 1920. Since that time two other revolutions have been staged in Mexico but they have not been able to overturn the constituted government. Mexico has an area af 767,198 square miles and is divided into twenty-eight states corresponding in a gen- eral way to the states of the American Union. The popu- lation is approximately 15,000,000, although the inac- curacy of the census returns makes it impossible to arrive at the exact number of people. This population is polyglot. One finds descendants of all the various peoples who have ever lived in the coun- try during its long history. An analysis in 1900 showed that only 19% of all the people were white, 38% were Indians, and 43% were mixed breeds of various kinds. The population divides into seven classes: (1). Span- iards; (2). native Creoles or mixed whites; (3). Indians; (4). Mestizos, or mixed whites and Indians; (5). Mu- lattoes, or mixed whites and Negroes; (6). Zamboos, or mixed Indians and Negroes; (7). Negroes. Out of such 135 THE TASK AHEAD a conglomerate mass as this no distinctive racial type emerges and this makes more difficult the work of Christ- ianization and progress. Illiteracy among the Mexican people is appalling. In fact, it is wellnigh universal. From 85 to 90% of all the people are said to be unable to read or write. This is an illustration of Mexico's great need. Mexico would doubtless claim to be a Christian coun- try, but its Christianity is the most degraded form to be found anywhere on earth at the present time. It is the Roman Catholicism of Spain propagated and bear- ing its fruitage among an illiterate people. ^ 9 £t The Catholic religion came to Mexico with the Span- ish near the beginning of the 16th century, supplanting the nature-worship and Fetishism of the Aztec Indians. In the process, however, as was but natural, elements of the paganism went over into Christianity and adulterated it. This adulteration pertains to this day. "A large percentage of the natives," says the Encyclopedia Britan- nica, "may still be considered semi-pagan, the gods of their ancestors being worshipped in secret, and the forms and tenets of the dominant faith, which they but faintly comprehend, being largely adulterated with superstitions and practices of pagan origin." The truthfulness of these words may be verified by any traveller in the interior of Mexico. No sooner had the priesthood established itself in Mexico than it set up the dreaded Spanish Inquisition, and this institution was not suppressed until 1820. The Inquisition converted persons to the orthodox faith by force, employing the stake, the lash, the thumbscrew, and gibbet as evangelistic agencies. In the City of 136 i MEXICO Mexico the Alameda Park is pointed out as the spot formerly used by the Catholic Inquisition as a burning place or scene of torture. & * 45 By the middle of the century Mexico discovered that to save herself it was necessary to break the grip of Rome. The struggle began in 1856, when the Jesuits were ex- pelled, and has continued until the present time. In 1859 a law was passed providing for the separation of Church and State. In 1860 all the male religious orders were driven out and the female orders were suppressed in 1874. 4^ While the government has succeeded to a large extent in freeing itself from Roman domination, the grip of the Church upon the rank and file of the people has not relaxed. It still holds the masses in virtual bondage. A studied attempt has been made to keep the Bible out of their hands and the burning of Bibles distributed by Prot- estants has been a common occurrence. The Catholic Church has itself acknowledged the degeneracy of its type of religion in Mexico. In 1865 a representative of the Vatican officially visited the country and reported to the Pope that religion was little better than idolatry and that many priests lived in open and flagrant immorality. This delegate de- clared that numbers of the priests refused to admit him to their homes because they did not want him to see their illegitimate children. In the old days it was a common occurrence for thieves and criminals to purchase immunity from the priest and the "Bull of Composition" was issued to regulate such traffic, this Bull declaring that no in- dividual thief could obtain more than 50 licenses in one 137 THE TASK AHEAD year. Even as late as 1914 it was said that the priests openly sold "indulgences" or virtual permissions for the people to commit various sins. * « * Mexico never heard a Protestant gospel until about 60 years ago. The introduction of Southern Methodism was providential. The first Mexican Protestant was Sostenes Juarez. He had lost faith in his Church, but finding a Bible which had been brought from Europe, he was converted and embraced the Protestant faith with- out any guidance whatever save that of the Holy Spirit. < He succeeded in reaching seven men and in 1865 they held the first Protestant service in a private house and organized the first Protestant Church in Mexico. About the same time Alejo Hernandez, who had joined the Mexican army to avoid becoming a priest, was taken prisoner by the forces of Maximillian and drifted across the Rio Grande. He was converted in the Southern Methodist Church at Brownsville, Texas, and imme- diately returned to Mexico to preach Christ among his people. He encountered severe persecution, and returning to Texas, he became a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was appointed to a Mexican Mission at Laredo. In 1873 Bishop Keener commissioned him to proceed to the City of Mexico and establish a Mission there. When Bishop Keener and Hernandez reached the City of Mexico they found the above mentioned Sos- tenes Juarez, who identified himself with the new Mis- sion and served it faithfully until his death in 1891. In 1923 the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, com- pleted fifty years of missionary work in the Republic of Mexico and celebrated its golden jubilee. During 138 MEXICO that fifty years there have been wonderful works of grace. Heroism and sacrifice have been demanded, but steadily the Gospel makes headway among the people and in due time the Kingdom will come into its own in Mexico. What We Have in Mexico The territory allotted to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, comprises the states of Chihuahua, Coa- huila, Nuevo Leon, Durango, and the frontier portions of Sonora and Tamaulipas. This is the entire northern part of the Republic and contains a population of about 2,225,000 people for whose evangelization we are respon- sible. Our work there is organized into a regular Annual Conference having four districts, 49 pastoral charges, and 78 societies. Our membership is about 4,000. There are 27 Epworth Leagues with 1,000 members, 68 Sunday schools with 4,500 members, and 21 missionary societies with 600 members. Our Church owns 32 houses of wor- ship worth half a million dollars and eighteen parsonages valued at $70,000. The major centers wherein our Church is working are Monterrey, Chihuahua, Durango, Parral, Torreon, Piedras Negras, Saltillo, and Montemorellos. Branching out from these centers we have occupied about fifty of the more prominent towns and villages in our territory. 4^ The schools maintained by the Department of General Work of the Board of Missions are as follows: 1. Instituto Laurens, Monterrey. This is a really great school with property valued at more than a quarter of a million dollars. 139 THE TASK AHEAD 2. Instituto del Pueblo, Piedras Negras. This is a smaller institution but is rendering an excellent service. 3. Colegio Industrial Agricola, Montemorellos. This is an agricultural and industrial school of the type most needed by the Mexican people. 4. Colegio Elliott, Torreon. This school has a splendid building, an enrollment of 135, and a teaching staff of ten. 5. Effie Eddington Institute, El Paso. Although located in the United States, this institution is operated by the Foreign Department. It is a training school for girls. 6. Lydia Patterson Institute, El Paso. This is a train- ing school for boys. Its annual enrollment is about 625. 7. Day Schools. Methodism also maintains in various parts of its territory day schools for Mexican children. At the present time we have 13 such schools, operated mainly in connection with the Churches. They enroll 575 pupils and employ 29 teachers. ^ 4fc Our hospital property in Mexico is valued at nearly $2,000,000. The institutions are as follows: 1. Monterrey Hospital. This is our leading hospital in Mexico. Its report for 1923 was as follows: In- patients 533, out-patients 1,623, major operations 287, clinic treatments 4,782. 2. Torreon Hospital. This institution has two doctors and two trained nurses, all from America. It has suffered greatly because Centenary money has not been available to supply an adequate staff. 140 MEXICO 3. Sanatorio Palmore, Chihuahua. This is a small sanitarium in which one doctor and one nurse are labor- ing. 4. Dispensary, Piedras Negras. This is a small dis- pensary which has rendered a good service locally but which is in great need of assistance if it is to continue its valuable work. The Department of Woman's Work of the Board of Missions carries on a widespread activity in Mexico, having at the present time 29 missionaries and property valued at $612,000. The following items constitute a general survey of this work: 1. Colegio Palmore, Chihuahua. This school enrolls nearly 500 students annually and although a new build- ing was provided by the Centenary it is turning away students for lack of room. 2. Instituto MacDonell, Durango. This school was founded in 1892 and badly needs a new building and additional equipment. 3. Colegio Progreso, Parral. This is a noted school founded by the Congregational Church in 1882 and taken over by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1918. 4. Instituto Ingles-Espanol, Monterrey. This is a ten grade school with 175 students. It has a good plant but needs additional equipment. 5. Colegio Roberts, Saltillo. Its Centenary Building is one of the finest in Mexico. It is a normal school with an enrollment of more than 400. -^S £t In addition to these institutions of learning the women have three large social-evangelistic plants and render 141 THE TASK AHEAD service in connection with the various hospitals. A mis- sionary nurse is provided for each of our hospitals. An- other missionary gives full time to the work of the Student Volunteer Movement and developing the work of the Woman's Missionary Society in the local Churches. The social-evangelistic centers are as follows : 1. Centro Christiano, Chihuahua. This institution works mainly among the women and girls. Its activities are a day nursery, Daily Vacation Bible School, various classes, clinic, Boy Scouts, home visitation, playgrounds, kindergarten, and similar work. 2. Centro Christiano, Durango. This is a Centenary institution opened in the fall of 1924. It is now in the process of development and will be modeled after the institution at Chihuahua. 3. Centro Christiano, Monterrey. This is likewise similar to the Chihuahua center. Its activities are largely the same. Its building is rented, however, and equipment is greatly needed. The Advance World Program For the Department of General Work the sum due the Mexican field on the Centenary askings is $174,000. It goes without saying that these funds are badly needed. Many Churches must receive aid or fail. There are two notable projects for which the money is badly needed. The first is the building and equipment of the hospital in Monterrey. We face here an opportunity for a large service, but unless money can be made available soon this hospital is likely to fail of its larger purpose. The second is an industrial equipment for Lydia Patterson Institute. With the money remaining unpaid on the Cen- tenary askings this school can be overhauled and made a more efficient instrument in the extension of the King- dom. 142 MEXICO For the Department of Woman's Work $151,330 re- mains unpaid on the Centenary askings. The following is a detailed statement of the unfinished enterprises: Centenary missionaries and salary increases. . . .$ 14,850 New missionaries 19,250 Centro Christiano, Chihuahua 13,367 Colegio Palmore, Chihuahua 16,033 Instituto MacDonell, Durango 4,938 Instituto Ingles-Espanol, Monterrey 17,135 Centro Christiano, Monterrey 8,525 Colegio Roberts, Saltillo 1,770 Colegio Progreso, Parral 5,766 Unfinished Centenary building program 49,696 Total $151,330 © 9 4 But after the Centenary what is to become of our work in Mexico? As in every other field it has been greatly enlarged and cannot be supported on the old budget. The maintenance expense has increased from $46,355 in 1919 to $107,063 in 1925. With new extensions yet to be made it is estimated that there will be a deficit in annual main- tenance of $89,012 and this amount must be raised in new money if we are to carry on in Mexico. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Mexico, General $174,000 Unpaid Centenary for Mexico, Women 151,330 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 89,012 143 POLAND METHODIST CENTERS IN POLAND. (*)=Major Centers. ( • )=Other Centers. 144 CHAPTER XIX POLAND OLAND is another resurrected nation. It was an independent state until the end of the 18th cen- tury, when the portion remaining of its territory, after several partitions among the great powers, was finally taken over by Russia. It is the land of Kosciuszko and Pulaski, Polish patriots who fought with Washing- ton and contributed much to the winning of American independence, and for that reason the country has a claim upon American sympathy. Poland has been figuring in European history for 1,200 years. Though its early history is wrapped in mythology we know that the first ruler ascended the throne in 1842. Even as early as the middle of the ninth century Germany was a menace to the Poles, and it was the necessity of protecting themselves against the Ger- mans that led to the consolidation of Poland into a nation. In the contest between the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches for the control of the Slavic peoples, the Poles were won by Rome while Russia was dominated by the Eastern Church. This fact was of great significance be- cause it brought Poland in touch with western culture and allied it with the civilization of the more progressive nations. It was because Poland was regarded as a west- ern state that she was invaded and devastated in 1241 by the Mongolian hordes from Asia. In the 17th century Poland was the most powerful state of central Europe. It had known innumerable wars and its land had been drenched with blood, but it had 145 fHE TASK AHEAD survived and was making experiments in democracy. Poland may be regarded as the pioneer democratic nation of modern times. Its Diet was composed of a Senate and a Lower House. This legislature elected the king and defined his duties. In fact, Poland was too demo- cratic for its own good, for the 17th century was not the period of democracy and its passion for the rule of the people brought about its own downfall. Poland has always been one of the most cultured nations of the world. Literature and art flourished there as in no other place. To this day the Polish peo- ple are the best linguists of the world. The University of Cracow was founded in 1364, the second institution of higher learning in Europe, and is still flourishing, enrolling last year more than 5,000 students. The Uni- versity of Wilna was founded in 1578 and has 2,500 students today. Poland now has seven great universi- ties, the University of Warsaw being one of the largest of its kind in Europe, enrolling nearly 10,000 students annually. ^ On three different occasions Prussia, Russia, and Aus- tria have plotted and executed the dismemberment of Poland. These nations were terrified at the growth of the democratic spirit in Poland, and therefore deliber- ately planned to destroy the flourishing Republic. The first partition occurred in 1772. Prussia robbed Poland of the Baltic territory. Russia took the three provinces of Polock, Vitebsk, and Moghiley. Austria secured Galicia and some bordering territory. But still the democratic trend in Poland continued. A new constitution was adopted and the franchise was extended to all of the people. "Poland became a de- mocracy in a modern sense, with a constitution that is 146 POLAND still considered to have been the most advanced of its time." In 1792 Catherine the Great of Russia declared war on Poland and sent an army of 100,000 men against her. x^ustria joined in. The Poles appealed for help to Frederick William, king of Prussia, but instead of ren- dering the desired assistance he threw in his lot with Austria and Russia. Of course these forces were vic- torious, and the second partition of Poland occurred. The victors, in order to secure a semblance of legality for their outrageous act, determined to force the Polish Diet to agree to this partition. The Diet was assembled at Grodno. Russian soldiers were stationed in the hall and four cannon were levelled at the meeting chamber. The Russian general was pres- ent and demanded that the act of ratification be passed, and when the Diet hesitated four members were arrested. The members declared that they would not transact any business until their colleagues had been freed. The Rus- sian officer announced that no person would be allowed to leave the chamber until the treaty was ratified. Hour after hour passed in perfect stillness. At three o'clock in the morning this stillness had not been broken, and finally the Russian ambassador announced that this si- lence was an expression of assent. He accordingly read the instructions of Catherine which annexed additional Polish territory to Russia and to Prussia. A « # A mighty rebellion then broke out. The Poles were not able to stand before the combined armies of Prus- sia and Russia. The fatal battle of Polish history was fought on October 10, 1794. Warsaw was taken and the inhabitants massacred, 15,000 Poles being butchered at one time. This led to the third partition 147 THE TASK AHEAD of Poland in 1795. All that remained of the country was divided between Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and Poland passed out of existence. But though Poland as a nation was no more, the hopes and aspirations of her people survived. They greeted the coming of Napoleon enthusiastically, and after de- feating the Russians the great Corsican created an inde- pendent and tiny Duchy of Warsaw, but at the infamous Congress of Vienna in 1815 Poland was redistributed among the partitioning powers. In 1830, again in 1848, and still again in 1863 the Poles revolted and attempted to regain their freedom, but each time they were sup- pressed in torrents of blood. Then came the World War. The armies of various nations swayed back and forth across the fields of Poland and this country was devastated as were France and Belgium. Three hundred towns, 20,000 villages, 2,000 Churches, and billions of dollars in property were de- stroyed. The Poles knew not where to turn. Now they fought with Russia, and again they supported the Central Powers, but out of it all emerged a reunited Poland. Independence was proclaimed on November 9, 1918, and on June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles recognized this independence. But the land was in a terrible condition. Every- where the country was devastated. The people were impoverished and starving. Multiplied thousands of orphaned children wandered helplessly. Conditions were too awful to describe or even to conceive. The need of Poland paralleled that of Armenia. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, heard the call of Poland and resolved to alleviate its suffering. 148 POLAND The Missionary Centenary provided the funds and a delegation was sent to map out a program of relief. An appeal was sent to the Church for clothing and the response was so liberal that a relief ship was loaded with clothing for the freezing and starving women and chil- dren of Poland. This ship sailed in 1921. In the beginning our Church confined its activities in Poland to relief work. Kitchens were established at Warsaw and other places and multiplied thousands of people were saved from death by starvation and freezing. The homeless children were gathered and cared for and in every possible way our workers exerted themselves to save the people. The greatest piece of relief work ever undertaken by Methodism was that which it carried out in Poland. The response of the people to this relief activity was such that it was soon apparent that regular missionary work was necessary. The religious need of the people was even greater than their temporal need. Vast numbers of Jews inhabit Poland, but aside from these the great majority of the people are Roman Catholics. Their Church did little or nothing for them in their extremity and our relief secured an opening for our Gospel. It was resolved that a permanent Methodist Mission should be established in this new Republic. Then Rome "sat up and took notice," and the papal hierarchy determined that Methodism should never obtain a foothold in Poland. Immediately the Catholic Church, which, of course, exercises a powerful influ- ence in the Polish government, began systematic per- secution of the Methodists with the object of driving us from the country. That struggle still goes on. 149 THE TASK AHEAD Catholicism has perpetrated many outrages in the hin- dering of our work. At Odolanow the provincial police, acting under the direction of the local Catholic priest, raided one of our orphanages, forcibly removed 52 boys, and distributed them in private Roman Catholic homes. The following day, however, 50 of these boys escaped from the homes to which they had been sent and returned to the Methodist orphanage. At Pustomyty, where we operated another orphanage and had purchased the property for cash from a Senator in the Polish Parliament, a Roman Catholic archbishop interfered and the government land office refused to recognize the deed and forced us to close the orphanage and sell the property. In spite of the fact that the constitution of Poland guarantees complete religious liberty, the government has refused to recognize our Church. We have accord- ingly been forced to organize our mission work on a com- mercial basis and transfer all property to a commercial corporation which we call the Southern Trading Com- pany. In plain defiance of the Polish constitution, the Catholic influence has resurrected an ancient Austrian law which forbids religious organizations other than the Roman Catholic Church to minister to any group save its own "constituency." Every person who at- tends a service must hold a membership card, and the police can enter any service and eject all who do not have these cards. Of course this prohibits evangelistic work. . Methodism is pushing forward, however, as best it can under these restrictions, which, be it re- peated, are all in violation of the Polish constitution. This situation is a challenge to Protestanism every- where. Roman Catholicism must not be allowed to 150 POLAND succeed in reviving the tyranny and persecution of the middle ages. Methodism cannot afford to be driven from any mission field on earth. Surely the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, will rally to the support of our work in Poland. What We Have in Poland Our Mission work was formally organized in Poland in August, 1922, by Bishop W. B. Beauchamp and bears the name of the Poland and Danzig Mission. In view of the obstacles and persecution the work has made quite remarkable progress. All activities are under the general direction of the Board of Missions, General Work. We have 14 missionaries, including wives, and employ 19 native workers. The Mission has two presiding elders' districts, 16 pastoral charges, 12 organized congregations, and about 700 members. There are 7 Epworth Leagues with 300 members and 8 Sunday schools with 700 pupils. Warsaw is the center of our work. In the northwest we mantain work among the Germans in the free state of Danzig. The other centers of our work are Mokotow, Klarysew, Skolimow, Lwow, Poznan, Grudziadz, Chod- ziez, Odolanow, Czarnylas, Katowice, Torun. The institutional activities of the Mission may be sum- marized as follows: 1. Central Building, Warsaw. This is a great head- quarters building in the capital city which houses a very remarkable piece of institutional work. The building is open day and night and various lines of social service activity give employment to hundreds of people. 2. Classical School for English, Warsaw. This has been called the most notable school work in Europe. It is housed in the Central Building and is not only paying 151 THE TASK AHEAD its own expenses but actually returning a profit. A thou- sand students are enrolled. 3. Day School, Warsaw. Although the Polish gov- ernment has ordered all day schools closed, Bishop Beau- champ has secured a permit to conduct a school in our Central Building. It has already reached large propor- tions. 4. The Methodist Gymnasium, School, and Orphan- age, Klarysew. This is our first and greatest orphanage and here also we conduct a notable school which enrolls more than 100 students from some of the most influential families in Poland. Here we have a beautiful chapel (called an assembly room for students because the govern- ment will not permit us to erect a chapel) which seats 400. • 5. Methodist Health Home, Skolimow. This is a sanitarium or rest home for our workers. 6. Warsaw Clinic. This clinic cares for the many children of various schools in Warsaw. 7. Day Schools. In addition to the large day school in the Central Building at Warsaw, various other day schools are conducted. Four such schools are now con- ducted and they have a combined enrollment of about 300. The Advance World Program All of the money for Poland comes from the Cente- nary. It has never received a cent from any other source. The amount remaining due on the Centenary askings for this field is $275,000. The cost of maintenance on the basis of the 1925 appropriation is $90,465 per year, so that maintenance alone for 1925 and 1926 will absorb nearly $190,000 of the unpaid askings.. The remainder 152 POLAND will be used for strengthening our work in various cen- ters and adding new lines where the demand is impera- tive. When the Centenary money is no longer available what will become of our work in Poland? The answer is plain : New money must be raised to support it or it must be scrapped in its entirety. The amount estimated for the support of the Mission in the Advance World Pro- gram is $72,743. This, it will be noticed, is more than $20,000 per year less than the cost of maintenance at the present time. We will not need new property, however, for some time and it is hoped that our membership in Poland will grow until some congregations are able to support themselves. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Poland, General . Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General $275,000 72,743 153 SIBERIA-MANCHURIA STATIONS OF THE KOREAN DEPARTMENT OF THE SIBERIA-MANCHURIA MISSION, METHODTST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. 154 CHAPTER XX SIBERIA-MANCHURIA N the extreme northeastern corner of the Chinese Republic lies Manchuria, a vast territory of 365,- 000 square miles with an estimated population of 20,000,000 people. It is one of the outer territories of China. This is the ancient home of the Manchus, the Mongolian tribe who gave to China its greatest dynasty. Korea is attached to Manchuria on the south while Asiatic Russia or Siberia extends around it on the north. The Manchurian population, therefore, is a polyglot of Chinese, Korean, and Russian. Few people know what is in the interior of Manchuria. It is far removed from modern civilization. It was occupied by Russia in 1900 after the building of the Siberian Railroad, and the influx of Russian soldiers and colonists alarmed the other nations of the East. It was the field of war between China and Japan in 1894 and 1895. In 1900 it was the district in which the Boxer Movement was most destructive. In 1904 it was the theatre of war between Russia and Japan. North, northeast, and northwest of China spreads mighty Siberia, once the most dreaded land on earth. Its great territory, a part of Russia, stretches from the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea 3,600 miles to the Pacific Ocean. The Arctic Ocean washes its northern shores and southward 2,200 miles it touches Tibet, Afghanistan, and Persia. Its area is three and a half million square miles. Its population is 11,000,000, of which nearly 10,000,000 live in the rural sections. 155 THE TASK AHEAD Siberia is a vast, frozen, and unknown country. A sorry railroad straggles across it but only brave men care to undertake a journey through this country. Great stretches are still unexplored and unsurveyed. Until recent years the very mention of Siberia was enough to send a shiver of dread through the hearts of multitudes. Siberia in the old days was the dumping ground for Russian criminals and revolutionists. Thither the Czar Of All The Russias exiled those who displeased him. Beginning with a Nonconformist priest, the stream of exiles to Siberia increased until it is said that 20,000 un- fortunate wretches each year were sent into these frozen wilds, there to labor in the mines, to freeze or starve to death, to become outlaws and bandits, or to live like wild men. * * * This is the section of the world — Manchuria and Siberia — wherein the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has launched its newest Mission. To be sure our Church does not attempt to cover the whole terri- tory, but in some of the principal towns and cities of Manchuria, and in the southeastern corner of Siberia, where it extends southward along the eastern edge of Manchuria and touches the northern tip of Korea, in the general neighborhood of Vladivostok, the Meth- odist missionaries are working. This region lies on the very outskirts of the world. Men could not pos- sibly get farther from home on this earth than are the missionaries from America who labor in this far country. ft ■ ft ■ ft This Mission was founded by Bishop W. R. Lambuth. It was the last stake driven down by this great pioneer. Large numbers of Koreans had migrated into Siberia and 156 SIBERIA-MANCHURIA Manchuria and the Church in Korea longed to do some- thing for their spiritual welfare. This territory was like- wise filled with Chinese, and so the Chinese Church had an interest there. The Chinese Christians undertook on their own responsibility a Mission to their fellows in Manchuria, thus being the first foreign field in our his- tory to undertake a Mission to another field. In 1919 Bishop Lambuth, holding the Korea Annual Conference, ordered workers to visit Siberia at once, but the State Department at Washington refused to issue passports in view of the unsettled and dangerous condi- tion of the country. In 1920, however, the Board of Missions authorized the Bishop to proceed and in the fall of that year he again instructed our workers in Korea to enter Manchuria and Siberia. In October, 1920, the first missionaries made their journey. They were Dr. W. G. Cram, Rev. J. S. Ryang, and Rev. Chung Chai Duk. They visited Kirin, and in November a Korean congregation with fifteen members was established in this city, while another Church was founded in the country nearby. The workers pushed on, and in January, 1921, the city of Harbin, one of the most important cities of Manchuria, was occupied and several congregations were established in the surrounding coun- try. Then Russian territory was invaded, and in March, 1921, a Korean Church was founded in Nikolsk. The work among the Koreans in this territory flourished wonderfully, and by April, 1921, within a few months after the first beginnings were made, our Korean Church numbered more than 500 members. |! ■$ 4 In July, 1921, Bishop Lambuth visited Siberia in person and sent missionaries from Korea to Vladivos- 157 THE TASK AHEAD tok and other Siberian cities to begin work among the Russians. In August, 1921, the Siberia-Manchuria Mission was formally organized in our Church in Nikolsk and three young Koreans were licensed to preach. We had been at work a little over a year, yet 30 churches had been organized and the membership was over 1,200. A good Russian house at Nikolsk was purchased for a Church, school, and parsonage, this being the first property owned by our Church in Siberia. Early in 1923 began the persecution of our mission- aries and members by the Bolshevik Government of Siberia. The Bolshevik law provides that no Church may own property, but that Church buildings, which have all been confiscated by the State, may be leased by the government to congregations. Under this law we were robbed of the property we had acquired. Another law provides that no person under eighteen years of age shall be taught religion, and this, of course, prohibited Sunday schools. Still another regu- lation provided that every school must teach Bolshe- vism and Communism, and the Red agents demanded that an emissary, appointed by the Bolsheviks but paid by our Church, should be stationed in each school as a guarantee that this regulation would be complied with. * # * In the midst of this persecution our work was seriously hindered and the workers were in real danger. In May, 1923, the American Consul-General at Vladivostok or- dered all American missionaries to withdraw from Siberia for their own protection, and accordingly our headquarters were removed from Vladivostok to Harbin, which is under international protection. Our Korean 158 SIBERIA-MANCHURIA preachers remained in Siberia, however, and in spite of every danger and obstacle have carried forward the work of evangelizing their own people. * * * After removing to Harbin the Methodist work took on a new impetus. This city is the military and commercial center of the Far East and headquarters for the Chinese Eastern Railway. Here we opened a Methodist Institute for Russian students, and it is now self-supporting, enroll- ing over 400 pay students. Here also we publish an official organ, The Russian Christian Advocate, printed in the Russian language. * « « Few Methodists appreciate the heroic sacrifices of our workers in Siberia and Manchuria. In September, 1924, the Bolsheviks refused to allow Bishop Boaz to enter Siberia, and also refused to allow the Korean pastors to leave Siberia, thus endeavoring to hamper Methodist work and block the opening of the Mission meeting. Three Korean pastors came through, however, and the meeting was duly held in the home of our American missionary in Harbin. * « * When the missionaries were driven out of Vladivos- tok, the Bolsheviks agreed that the Korean preachers should remain and preach to their people in the Korean village of Vladivostok. In February, 1924, however, the Executive Committee of the Council of Workers, Peasants, and Red Soldiers' Deputation resolved to annul their agreement. Consequently the militia seized the Church building and arrested and threw in prison two preachers and one Bible woman. This is an example of the dangers our workers must face. 159 THE TASK AHEAD What We Have in Siberia and Manchuria Under the circumstances depicted above it is evident that one can scarcely make a definite showing of all our work in Siberia and Manchuria. Reports cannot come through from Siberia, hence it is impossible to determine just what work is actually in existence. The report of September 20, 1924, indicated that we have 42 workers, 91 Churches, 25 Church buildings, and nearly 4,000 adherents, including 483 baptized children, in the Korean department alone. This work remains after the surrender of 24 Churches to the Presbyterians. The status of our Russian work is in doubt. It has all been destroyed, or at least disrupted, in Vladivostok. In Harbin we have perhaps 100 Russian adherents and about 600 students in the Methodist Institute. • In the Russian department there are six American missionaries, including w T ives, four of whom are sup- ported by the Department of General Work and two by the Department of Woman's Work. There are four native workers, all laboring in the city of Harbin, in which city we have four Churches for the Russians. Our institutions, apart from the Churches, are the Methodist Institute and the Russian Christian Advocate mentioned above. The Advance World Program The entire Siberia-Manchuria Mission is a product of the Centenary and from this source it receives all of its support. The funds of the Department of General Work which are used in Siberia-Manchuria came from the War Work Fund, and there is a deficit of $202,152 in the ask- ings. In this section of the world Methodism meets its strongest opposition and the conditions of the early cen- 160 SIBERIA-MANCHURIA turies, when Christians met persecution for their faith in Christ, are largely reproduced. If, therefore, we have the same faith which burned in the hearts of the early Christians we will certainly not forsake this Mission. Since all of the money for the support of the Siberia- Manchuria Mission comes from the Centenary, it follows that nothing will be available for support after the Cen- tenary askings have been paid. Unless new money is secured the work will automatically fall to the ground. It will require $50,303 annually for maintenance and this sum is contemplated for the Mission in the Advance World Program. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Siberia-Manchuria, General $202,152 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 50,303 161 Francis Asbury washington monument to the greatest "home missionary of methodism in america. 162 HOME SECTION ARMY AND NAVY CITY AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATIONAL FRENCH IMMIGRANTS INDIANS MOUNTAINS NEGROES RURAL SUSTENTATION *For fuller discussions of home missions see Clark : "Healing Ourselves, The First Task of the Church in America." Cokesbury Press, Nashville. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, CARRIES ON A VARIED ACTIVITY FOR OUR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS. 164 * CHAPTER XXI ARMY AND NAVY AMONG all the fields of Christian service in Amer- ica none is more appealing than the soldiers and sailors of the United States Army and Navy. Yet, strange to say, this is perhaps the most neglected of all avenues of service. We customarily glorify the soldier and sailor in time of war but proceed to forget their spiritual welfare in times of peace. During the World War no service that we could render was too great for the soldier or sailor, and we strained our vocabulary in heaping upon them words of praise and commendation. But who gives a thought to the soldier now? Who bestirs himself to promote the welfare of a sailor? In the United States Army there are about 130,000 men, exclusive of National Guardsmen, while the sailors and marines number approximately 110,000. Thus nearly a quarter of a million men are serving the colors at the present time. Large numbers of these are in foreign lands and on board ships of the fleet, but multiplied thousands are stationed at various points in our own country. Only 37,000 soldiers are in foreign parts; more than 123,000 are at home. The bringing together of such large numbers of young men creates a grave situation from the spiritual angle. These boys are subjected to severe tests of character. Usually the refining influence of woman is absent. They have no home life and few of the finer joys and experi- ences. Soldiers and sailors undergo temptations which the average civilian knows not of. 165 THE TASK AHEAD A small number of chaplains care for the spiritual welfare of the men. There are 125 chaplains in the army, less than one for each group of 1,000 soldiers. The self- sacrificing spirit and the excellence of the work of these chaplains is beyond statement. They are subject to limita- tions, however. They are officers having authority over the enlisted men, a fact which frequently prevents them from entering the inner chamber of the soldier's confi- dence and comradeship. As a general rule they have little equipment for their work. The funds supplied by the government are entirely inadequate and a chaplain rarely has a suitable chapel, comfortable seats, musical instruments, song books, and the other paraphernalia urgently needed in his work. Then the number is entirely too small to meet the situation. In the report of the Chief of Chaplains to the Adjutant General in October, 1924, it was pointed out that there were urgent requests for chaplains from twenty-six separate stations for which no spiritual oversight was then available and that the limited number of chaplains made it absolutely impos- sible to respond to any of these requests. The report above mentioned showed that during the fiscal year ending in October, 1924, 1,339,473 persons attended divine worship conducted by chaplains on military reservations, an increase of 300,000 over the preceding year. "By the law of averages this indicates that every one in the military establishment attended some form of religious service at an army post eleven times during the year." This is a better record than is made by multiplied thousands of the civilian members of our Churches. Of course the figures mentioned do not take into account the large attendance of military personnel upon services in civilian communities. 166 ARMY AND NAVY Formerly the chaplain's office was filled in a haphazard fashion, the government accepting preachers who cared to come forward and enlist on their own responsibility. At the present time, however, each leading denomination has its allotted proportion of chaplains and a committee of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America represents the Protestant denominations in their selection of chaplains. 9- £ Southern religious agencies have a heavy responsi- bility for the spiritual welfare of the soldiers and sailors. The South is dotted everywhere with Army posts, Naval bases, and government hospitals. There are 49,000 soldiers and 6,500 sailors located in the terri- tory of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 1 These are located in nearly a hundred different centers. Many of these are in tuberculosis and other hospitals main- tained by the Army and Navy and by the Veterans' Bureau. Most of those confined in the hospitals con- tracted the dread "white plague" or other diseases while serving the country in the World War. Religious service to these suffering soldiers and sailors is there- fore an appealing opportunity as well as a duty. Methodism in the Army and Navy Prior to the Centenary the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, had no work of any kind among the soldiers and sailors. A number of our ministers were chaplains but the Church took no official notice of their work. At the conclusion of the World War, however, the Church awoke to its duty. We became aware that the great Army camps and Naval bases in the heart of our territory had no adequate ministry. We had no Churches 1 Figures are from the report of the Adjutant General of October 31, 1924, and the Naval Directory of September, 1924. 167 THE TASK AHEAD near many of them. When Centenary funds became avail- able, therefore, the Home Department of the Board of Missions, General Work, projected a large program of service among the hosts of Uncle Sam. In this activity our Church led the way. 9 ^8 "® The policy of the Church in its Army and Navy work has three elements as follows : I. The Church undertakes to reinforce the work of the regularly commissioned Methodist chaplains. Nine- teen ministers of our Church are chaplains in the United States Army and Navy. The salaries of these men are paid by the government. They are stationed in various parts of the world and are, of course, subject to change of location. Under the direction of his commanding officer, the chaplain is charged with the responsibility of minis- tering to the spiritual and moral needs of the Army or Navy personnel. His duties among the soldiers and sailors are similar in every way to those of the regular pastor. These chaplains are, however, constantly handicapped because they have no funds with which to meet their con- tingent expenses. They are unable to purchase hymn- books, tracts for distribution, flowers or dainties for the sick, or to meet any of the small expenses that continu- ally arise in their ministry. In order, therefore, to enable these men to be more effective in their work, the Home Department of the Board of Missions, General Work, makes to each of our Southern Methodist chaplains an appropriation of $300 a year for incidental expenses. With this small amount the clergymen are able to exercise a more effective min- istry for the men. 168 ARMY AND NAVY II. The second element of our policy is establishing and maintaining pastors in the Army camps and Naval bases in our territory. Some of the large centers have been without ministerial service and we have therefore placed our own workers on the ground. The camp pastors are civilian friends and spiritual advisers of the men and their influence for good is readily seen in the posts wherein they labor. Camp pastors are now sta- tioned as follows: 1. Kelly Field, San Antonio. This is one of the largest aviation fields and advanced flying schools in the country. More than 1,500 men are stationed here. 2. Fort Clark. This is a border command near the interior town of Brackettsville, Texas. A thousand men are in this lonely spot. 3. Fort Ringgold, Texas. This is a border outpost on the Rio Grande 25 miles from a railroad. 4. Eagle Pass, Texas. Here is a small camp on the Mexican border opposite the city of Piedras Negras. 5. Fort Bliss and William Beaumont Hospital, El Paso. One pastor serves both of these. Fort Bliss is a large command with 3,500 men. 6. Fort Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma. Here is another large post with 3,000 men. 7. Nogales, Arizona. This is an Army post composed largely of Negro troops. 8. Fort Wright, Spokane, Washington. About 600 men are stationed here. 9. Parris Island, South Carolina. This is a Naval base, on an island off the city of Beaufort, with a marine barracks, naval prison, hospital, and radio station. Here 169 THE TASK AHEAD the raw marine recruits are usually taken for preliminary training, and during their initiation into the life of a marine they need spiritual advice and guidance. Our pastor lives on the mainland but spends each day on the island with the men. The number in the barracks and hospital varies; there are nearly 300 men in the prison. 10. Quantico, Virginia. This is an important Marine barracks with a marine officers' school and a marine aviation center. Marines are usually transferred to Quantico after their training at Parris Island. We have here a substantial Church and a large congregation, but owing to the constant movement of the men it must be supported with missionary funds. III. The third element of Methodist policy in serv- ing the Army and Navy is that of maintaining preachers in various tuberculosis hospitals located in our territory. The need in such hospitals is very great and it is a privi- lege to bring spiritual ministration to the suffering men. Our pastors are now serving in eight tuberculosis hospitals as follows: (1). Oteen Hospital, Asheville, N. C. ; (2). Fort Whipple Hospital, Prescott, Arizona; (3). Veterans' Bureau Hospital Number 79, Dawson Springs, Kentucky; (4). Veterans' Bureau Hospital Number 27,/ Alexandria, Louisiana; (5). Biloxi, Missis- sippi; (6). Fort Bayard Hospital, Fort Bayard, New Mexico; (7). Pastime Park Hospital, Tucson Arizona; (8). William Beaumont Hospital, El Paso, Texas; (9). Naval Hospital, San Diego, California. As mentioned above the same pastor serves both Fort Bliss and the William Beaumont Hospital. At San Diego the hospital work is carried on in connection with our University Heights Church and the pastor of the Church 170 ARMY AND NAVY is also the pastor of the hospital. The most distressing situation in the country pertains to Pastime Park Hospital in Tucson. Here the worst cases are taken and the pastor reports that his activities include a large number of funerals each week. The Advance World Program As mentioned above all the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for the Army and Navy is a product of the Centenary. The funds for its support come from that source, being derived from the Centenary War Work Fund. That this is a highly important service in a sadly neglected field will be readily admitted and he is a strange Methodist who desires its discontinuance. The existence of all of this activity, however, is jeopardized by the fact that the Centenary pledges have not been paid. There yet remains due for the Army and Navy from the Centenary askings the sum of $49,700. It will be neces- sary to collect this money if this service is maintained. But after the Centenary payments have been completed nothing will be available for maintenance, and it will therefore be necessary to raise new money or discontinue the entire policy. The amount estimated for such main- tenance is $30,000 per year and this amount is therefore included in the Advance World Program. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Army and Navy, Gen- eral $49,700 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 30,000 171 CHAPTER XXII CITY AND INDUSTRIAL E are all familiar with the rapid and constant growth of our cities during the past century. The government calls a city any place having as many as 2,500 people and in these more than half of our people live. Nearly 44% of our people live in centers of more than 8,000. We have 25 cities with more than a quarter of a million inhabitants each and a dozen with more than half a million. New York City has a million more people than the entire state of Texas; more than any state in the Union except the state in which it is located and Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio; more than North Caro- lina and Georgia, the two largest Southern States, com- bined. Between 1910 and 1920 cities gained 12,000,000 while the increase in the rural sections was only 1,600,000. Southern cities are growing much more rapidly, pro- portionately, than the cities in any other part of the country. Between 1910 and 1920 the city population in the territory of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, increased 39%, while the increase in such places for the whole nation was less than 6%. Between 1910 and 1920 our membership increased 56% in the cities and only 18% in the rural districts, in spite of the fact that about 6/7 of all the Churches and 7/10 of all the members live in the villages and open country. These facts indicate that if Southern Methodism is to live and grow it must give immediate attention to the city problem. 173 THE TASK AHEAD But, it may be asked, what is the city problem? Do the cities need a Gospel different from that demanded elsewhere? No. But they do need a different method of approach and a different manner of applying the Gospel. There are certain conditions which apply especially to the cities and which have a special bearing upon the work of the Church. The first is congestion. In the slums it is nothing unusual to find a thousand people living in a single ramshackle, dark, and dirty tenement. Large families may huddle in one or two rooms. The environment is unspeakably vile and children are accustomed to wick- edness and crime from their youth up. Social life is impossible. Children can play only on the streets and young people can meet only on the street corners or in the cheap moving picture shows. In this situation the Church has a social mission which is entirely foreign to it in the country. Playgrounds, parlors, wholesome entertainment, and social activity of various kinds, are necessary to its successful ministry. Another condition is that of poverty. In the slum tene- ment lives the immigrant and the unskilled poor who have drifted in from the country. Father, mother, and children all* work in the f actories and the combined in- come is not sufficient to provide a decent livelihood. Sickness or misfortune immediately means dependency or starvation. This also affects the Church. It must exert its influ- ence to secure a living wage for the people. The demands upon its poor fund are tremendous. Special workers are necessary to visit and relieve distress. Surrounded by 174 CITY AND INDUSTRIAL poverty, the Church must adopt methods which would be wholly out of place in the ordinary village. * * * A third condition is disease. The children of the tenements seldom see a tree, green grass, the blue sky, the sunshine. Instead of these they are accustomed to smoke, filth, impure air, and foul odors. Undernour- ished, pale, sickly children are characteristic of the slums. The Church must be alive to this situation. Clinics must be maintained in order that the people may have dental, medical, and surgical care which they could not possibly obtain otherwise. Visiting nurses are needed. Milk depots must provide pure milk for the babies. These and a multitude of other activities for which there is no demand in the country must be carried on by the modern Church in the slum districts of the city. # # * Another condition is the shifting nature of the popula- tion. The people are here today and there tomorrow. The mass is always seething, and the Church which seeks to minister to these people must not only have a sufficient number of workers to keep in touch with their movements but must also provide against the loss of support which these shifts entail. Herein lies one of the greatest difficulties of Christian work in the cities. Gradual encroachment of factories turns into a slum what had been a residential section. Jews and Negroes move in and the old population moves out. In every great city old mansions formerly occupied by the best social element of the population are now cheap boarding houses and tenements. The Churches follow their members, being unable to support themselves when 175 THE TASK AHEAD the character of the neighborhood changes. Their build- ings are purchased by Negroes and Jews or they become garages, storerooms, or factories. If a Church elects to remain in the downtown section it must find its support elsewhere, for the surrounding population could not pos- sibly finance the activities of a modern city Church. When the population shifts the Church must follow its members or die for lack of support. This leaves the most thickly populated districts without any Christian ministry. There is but one solution of this distressing problem. These downtown Churches must be kept in the midst of the people and the necessary support must be provided by missionary agencies. The Church can- not follow the unchristian procedure of denying the Gospel of Christ to hundreds of thousands of people for no other reason than that they are too poor to pay for it. Closely allied to, and indeed a part of, the city problem is the problem of the industrial centers. It presents the same aspects of congestion, poverty, lack of sanitation, and shifting population. Frequently industrial centers are located in the heart of the great cities, in which case the problem involved is simply the general city problem. In other cases the industrial communities constitute cities in themselves, 'and in these the situation is somewhat distinct. Industrial centers with which we are familiar in the South are mainly the mining, cotton mill, and steel mill communities. In West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri we find whole cities engaged in the single occu- pation of mining. In North Carolina the textile indus- tries have similarly developed large centers, while in the Birmingham district are the great steel mills. 176 CITY AND INDUSTRIAL Sometimes the great operating corporations own the whole city, including the streets, schools, stores, and homes. Thousands of ignorant foreigners are fre- quently massed in these communities. They engage in the hardest kind of manual labor. Their wage is low. Their home is a "shack." They are easily led astray and disaffected, and radicals find among them a fertile field for propaganda. These industrial centers are smoldering volcanoes of discontent which are liable at any moment to flare forth and work disaster upon the country. The industrial problem has not been acute in the South in the past but this section is now rapidly becoming indus- trialized. West Virginia produces 16% of all the soft coal of the country and employs a hundred thousand miners. North Carolina leads the whole country in the textile industry. There are more than 100 cotton mills in Gaston County, North Carolina, alone. The South raises nearly all of the cotton and consumes nearly two- thirds of it in its own mills. These communities call for a distinct type of service. Not only must the workers have the Gospel, but they look to the Church for their recreation and expect it to supply the leadership for all the activities of their community life. In supplying their needs the Church now has the hearty cooperation of the corporations themselves. This was not always the case. Frequently in the past the "bosses" looked askance at the efforts of the Church to improve the social conditions of the workers, but today the corporations contribute liberally to the Church's wel- fare work. In the textile villages, for example, the com- pany will usually provide the land, and sometimes erect 177 THE TASK AHEAD the Church, if the denomination will supply the pastor and leader. « * « Before the Centenary the Churches in the cities carried on their regular routine without assistance or sug- gestions from the General Board of Missions. As valu- able as this activity was it scarcely touched the rim of the real city problem. In fact, the city Churches were little more than country Churches transplanted to the large centers. Their program, like that of the Church in the small town, consisting of two preaching services on Sun- day, an Epworth League, Missionary Society, Sunday school, and prayer meeting on Wednesday night. The Centenary Movement provided funds, however, and a comprehensive policy of city work was inaugurated by the General Department of the Board of Missions, and that policy is now being carried out in a number of the leading cities in our territory. It consists mainly in (1). Enabling the downtown Churches to remain in the con- gested sections by helping in their financial support; (2). Supplying trained social workers to Churches in the downtown and slum districts; (3). Maintaining pastors and workers in various industrial regions; (4). Establish- ing Good Will Industries in connection with Churches and Social Settlements; (5). Contributing to the support of certain large Institutional Churches with social service features. To this activity is added a great program of city work maintained by the Woman's Department of the Board of Missions. This consists largely in the mainte- nance of social centers and workers with special reference to women and girls. In certain institutions the two De- partments cooperate. Before proceeding to a detailed statement of this work a word should be said concerning the Good Will Indus- 178 CITY AND INDUSTRIAL tries, which all denominations have found indispensable in their city welfare work. The Good Will Industry is a work shop which repairs articles of every conceivable kind and a sales room which sells them at a nominal price. Worn, broken, and cast-off clothing, furniture, and other articles, are given to the Industry and are re- made. The workers are usually old people who would experience difficulty in the keen competition of the day, but who nevertheless are good workers, and their products find a ready market among the poor. Thus the Good Will Industry not only furnishes employment to needy people but also provides cheap commodities for the poor. They are self-supporting after establishment, but the Home Department of the Board of Missions provides the Superintendent. The Methodist Program The cities of the South and Southwest are filled with institutions and workers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. About 130 full-time workers are em- ployed by the Board of Missions, 85 by the Home De- partment, General Work, and 45 by the Department of Woman's Work. These do not by any means, however, represent the full force of Methodist workers, because in nearly 50 cities large operations are carried on under City Mission Boards which finance their own enterprises and employ their own personnel. The following is a sum- mary of the work now being attempted : 1. Good Will Industries. These are now in successful operation at Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Louis- ville, Richmond, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Columbus, Ga. 2. Down-town City Churches. Workers, pastors, and social service experts are stationed in cities as follows: 179 THE TASK AHEAD Baltimore, 4; Charleston, West Virginia, 2; Colorado Springs, 1; Knoxville, 4; Louisville, 5; St. Louis, IS; Macon, 1 ; Memphis, 3 ; New Orleans, 5 ; Oklahoma City, 1; Richmond, 6; Phoenix, Arizona, 1; San Francisco, 1 ; Kansas City, 1 ; Tulsa, 1 ; Waco, 1. 3. St. Mark's Hall, New Orleans. This is perhaps the greatest Institutional Church in the South. A new plant, valued at $150,000, was erected by the Centenary in 1922. It stands in the ancient foreign section of New Orleans surrounded by a population of 30,000 Italians, French, Spanish, and Americans. It is a Church, gym- nasium, clinic, workers' residence, club, and school com- bined. 4. Textile Industrial Institute, Spartanburg, S. C. This is one of the most unique institutions in the world. It is a school wherein students study in the classroom one week and work in the textile mills the next week, thus earning a livelihood while obtaining an education. It has become involved in financial difficulties, but is still in operation and it is confidently expected that this great school will continue its work under the auspices of our Church. 5. Triangular Mountain Institute, Buchanan County, Virginia. It is situated near the junction of Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, in the heart of one of the neediest sections of the South, and serves a mountain mining population. 6. Textile Centers. Pastors and social workers are stationed in textile communities as follows: Gaston, N. C, 6; Charlotte, N. C, 2; Spartanburg, S. C, 1; Columbus, Ga., 1. 7. Steel Mills. In the Bessemer District, near Birm- ingham, six pastors and one hospital worker are sup- ported. 180 CITY AND INDUSTRIAL 8. Miners. Seven pastors are provided for Churches in the mining sections of Missouri and Oklahoma. They are stationed at Guthrie, Hartshorne, Quapau, and Picher, Oklahoma, and at Joplin, Flat River, and Hur- culaneum, Missouri. * * * ■^>- -^>- -^o- As mentioned above the General and Woman's Work Departments of the Board of Missions cooperate in various city mission enterprises. This is true of St. Mark's Hall in New Orleans, for example. But the women on their own responsibility carry on a widespread work in various cities. The following survey indicates the more important items : 1. Mary Elizabeth Inn, San Francisco. This is a hostel for young women. Its building is worth $200,000 and a week-end cottage is maintained at a convenient dis- tance from the city where the young women may find recreation and rest under Christian supervision. 2. Wesley Community House, San Francisco. This institution combines a Church, gymnasium, workers' apartments, clubs, and class rooms. The Centenary erected its new plant in 1920 at a cost of $80,000. It is situated in the midst of a community of 35,000 persons greatly in need of its influence and social service. 3. Homer Toberman Mission and Clinic, Los Angeles. This great plant was erected by the Centenary in 1921, at a cost of $150,000. It has a chapel, Sunday school rooms, club rooms, library, community kitchen, dining room, residence for workers, playground, and clinic. 4. Virginia K. Johnson School, Dallas. This is a school for delinquent girls, ordinarily called a "rescue home." Its enrollment is about 70 and its property is worth $125,000. 181 THE TASK AHEAD 5. Door of Hope, Macon. This institution is similar to the Virginia K. Johnson School. It has good property but is temporarily closed. 6. Vashti School, Thomasville, Georgia. Vashti is for dependent girls of good character. Its purpose is to educate young girls who for various reasons have become dependent and might easily be led astray. 7. Wesley Community House, Biloxi, Mississippi. In the midst of a large population of Austrians, Poles, Italians, French, Americans, and other nationalities, employed in the shrimp and oyster canneries, stands the Wesley Community House. It serves a needy section of our population, having a playground, nursery, gymna- sium, club rooms, and a chapel. 8. Wesley Community House, War, West Virginia. This institution serves the coal mining population of West Virginia. Its activities are similar to those of other community houses. * * # But the largest work carried on by the women of Meth- odism is not directed by the General Board of Missions, but by City Mission Boards in various centers. In addi- tion to the Wesley Community Houses owned and con- trolled by the Board o'f Missions as listed above, there are at this time organized City Mission Boards in 42 cities in our territory. These Boards raise annually for the maintenance of the work in the cities above named more than $100,000. Some of the City Mission Boards carry on their work in rented houses; great Wesley Houses are owned, however, in Birmingham, Richmond, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Meridian, Montgomery, Mo- bile, Orangeburg, Portsmouth, Savannah, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Louisville, Lexington, Ky., St. Louis, Kansas 182 CITY AND INDUSTRIAL City, St. Joseph, Springfield, Mo., Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Dallas, Waco, Houston, San Antonio. The Advance World Program From the above survey it will be evident that the Mis- sionary Centenary gave a great impetus to our City Mission work. Nothing had been done in a connectional way by the Home Department, General Work, before the Centenary and at the present time absolutely nothing is available from the regular budget to support the work which has been started. The entire hope for this su- premely important activity, therefore, lies in the Cen- tenary. Unless the Centenary pledges are paid it must all be discontinued, and after the Centenary new money for its support must be raised or it cannot be longer maintained. The amount due to the Home Department, General Work, on the Centenary askings for City and Industrial activity is $219,000. For the Department of Woman's Work the amount unpaid is $65,000. For maintenance of the program of the General Work Department beyond the Centenary it is estimated that $75,000 per year will be necessary. Summary Unpaid Centenary for City and Industrial Work, General $219,000 Unpaid Centenary for City and Industrial Work, Women 65,000 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 75,000 183 184 CHAPTER XXIII EDUCATIONAL THE greatest problem in government, industry, society, or the Church is the problem of leader- ship. The world goes whither it is led, and if all persons who occupy positions of leadership in the world were trained Christian men who injected the principles of Christianity into all affairs, the redemption of the social order would be in sight. This is particularly true in the Church. The para- mount need of the Church is trained leaders for its vari- ous activities. In the work of Home Missions the prob- lem of leadership is peculiarly pressing. About fifteen hundred pastors in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, are "supplies," men of unquestioned integrity and consecration but who are usually untrained and are often engaged in other occupations and regard their preaching as a "side issue." Our rural sections are suffering from the lack of trained leaders. Multitudes of our country pastors are not adequately prepared for their tasks; only three out of a hundred are theological graduates and only seventeen per cent are graduates of colleges. In an attempt to solve the problem of leadership, the Home Department of the Board of Missions has pro- jected and is now carrying out a large program of educational work. The policy aims to supervise the religious life of Methodist students in great secular institutions of learning; to train the rank and file of our members in missions; to develop leaders for our missionary work at home and abroad; and to make possible a better equipment for all the pastors of our Church. 185 THE TASK AHEAD Both the departments of General Work and Woman's Work engage in this activity, practically all of which is a product of the Centenary. The program has several divisions, as follows: I. Summer Schools for Pastors. In 1921, as an ex- periment, two summer schools for pastors were held. These proved so popular and effective that in three years the number has grown to sixteen. These schools, held for the most part at our colleges, offer twelve days of actual class room work in courses especially designed to contribute to the efficiency of the pastor. About three thousand preachers are in attendance each year, securing instruction in modern methods of Church work, inspira- tion, and general information which they could not ob- tain elsewhere. In some Conferences the local Board of Missions pays the expenses of all the undergraduate preachers in the Conference and insists upon their attend- ance. The Pastors' schools are held at the following places: Emory and Henry College, Emory, Va. Central College, Fayette, Mo. Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama. Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va. Lambuth College, Jackson, Tenn. Logan College, Russellville, Ky. Hendrix College, Conway, Ark. Trinity College, Durham, N. C. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga. Morris-Harvey College, Barboursville, W. Va. Wofford College, Spartanburg, S. C. Southern College, Lakeland, Fla. Columbia College, Milton, Oregon. 186 EDUCATIONAL Beulah Assembly Ground, Pueblo, Colo. Oklahoma City, Okla. * * g II. Student Pastors at State Universities. There are more Methodist boys and girls in the tax-supported colleges and universities than are enrolled in all the Methodist institutions combined. These secular insti- tutions are not irreligious, but in the nature of the case it is scarcely possible for them to place official emphasis upon religion. In order, therefore, that the Methodist young people may have religious oversight during these years of training, student pastors are maintained at many universities. These student pastors usually live on the campus and work among the students, main- taining, of course, a close connection with the local Church. Such student workers are supported in the universities of Texas, California, Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, and in the Southeast Missouri State Teachers' College, Arkansas State Teachers' College, and Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College. III. Churches in Educational Centers. Closely allied to the work of the student pastors is that of providing adequate Church facilities in the cities where large col- leges and universities are located. Such Churches are necessary if religious opportunities are to be provided for the students, and since a large part of the congregations come from the outside it is too much to expect the local Churches to provide all of the facilities. In order to erect adequate buildings these Churches must receive out- side assistance. 187 * THE TASK AHEAD Such assistance is rendered by the Centenary, a part of the askings from the war work fund being devoted to that purpose. It is administered by a joint committee from the Board of Missions and the Board of Church Extension. This committee is spending more than a mil- lion dollars for Churches in educational centers, appro- priations being made to supplement the funds raised by local congregations. The following list shows the cities in which these Churches are being erected and the insti- tutions served by them : Fayetteville, Ark. (University of Arkansas) Berkeley, Calif. (University of California) Baton Rouge, La. (University of Louisiana) Columbia, Mo. (University of Missouri) Chapel Hill, N. C. (University of North Carolina) Charlottesville, Va. (University of Virginia) Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham-Southern College) Lakeland, Fla. (Southern College) Richmond, Ky. (Eastern Kentucky Normal) Lafayette, La. (Southwestern Louisiana Industrial In- stitute) Starksville, Miss. (Mississippi Agricultural and Mechani- cal College) Kirkville, Mo. (Northeast Missouri Teachers' College) Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Southeast Missouri Teachers' College) Warrensburg, Mo. (Central Missouri Teachers' Col- lege) Maryville, Mo. (Northwest Missouri Teachers' College) Fayette, Mo. (Central College) Roswell, N. Mexico (State Military Institute) Boone, N. C. (Appalachian Training School) Goodwell, Okla. (Panhandle Agricultural Institute) Clemson College, S. C. (Clemson College) Rock Hill, S. C. (Winthrop Normal and Industrial School) Alpine, Tex. (Sull Ross Normal College) College Station, Tex. (Texas Agricultural and Mechani- cal College) 188 EDUCATIONAL Canyon, Tex. (West Texas Teachers' College) Denton, Tex. (North Texas Normal and College of In- dustrial Art) Lexington, Va. (Virginia Military Institute and Wash- ington and Lee College) Williamsburg, Va. (William and Mary College) Fairmont, Va. (Fairmont State Normal School) Atlanta, Ga. (Emory University) Tucson, Arizona (University of Arizona) Dallas, Tex. (Southern Methodist University) In addition to these centers the same fund is erecting Churches in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Nogales, Arizona. * -ft * IV. Chairs in State Universities. In order to provide courses in religion for Methodist students in secular uni- versities, the Board of Missions is endeavoring to estab- lish chairs in such institutions under capable Methodist teachers. For the most part, the universities welcome these courses and allow full credit for all work taken under the professors. Such departments offer courses in religious education, Bible, Church history, and similar subjects and the work done is thoroughly standard. A strong Wesley Bible Chair has been established at the University of Texas and beginnings have been made at the University of Missouri and elsewhere. As funds are available this work will be enlarged until all Methodist students have access to such teaching. V. Chairs of Missions. In order to train missionary leaders, chairs or departments of Home and Foreign Missions are being established in connection with our own theological schools. The policy outlined provides for eight such chairs, City, Rural, Oriental and Latin- American Departments in each of our two seminaries. 189 THE TASK AHEAD Through these chairs the missionaries are to be trained. In addition to these departments in the uni- versities chairs of Rural Leadership are supported in Hendrix College, Central College, and Birmingham- Southern College. In view of the great need and strategic importance of the country Church in the South, these chairs of Rural Leadership fulfill a vital function. The professors are men with specialized training in the problems of coun- try life, and they are expected to spend much of their time with the rural presiding elders and pastors in the field. Thus they not only train a rural leadership but also assist in working out the actual problems of the coun- try Church. * 6 * VI. Rural Institutes. The training of rural preach- ers is a distinct task. As mentioned above, such training is offered in certain colleges and universities. In order to provide instruction in methods of rural Church work to pastors unable to attend these institutions, the Home Department of the Board of Missions conducts rural institutes in various districts throughout the Church. In these institutes the country preachers assemble for three or four days and work out their problems under the direc- tion of rural experts. * « « VII. Schools of Missions. Schools of missions are conducted each summer at the Southern Assembly, Lake Junaluska, N. C, and the Western Assembly, Mt. Se- quoyah (Fayetteville) , Ark. The departments of Gen- eral Work and Woman's Work cooperate in these schools. The purpose is to give training and inspiration to laymen and others interested in the missionary cause. 190 EDUCATIONAL VIII. Dormitories for Women at State Universities. The Home Department, Woman's Work, maintains girls' dormitories at certain great secular institutions of learn- ing in which Methodist girls live under Christian in- fluences. Four such dormitories are already in operation and the value of the property is $500,000. These dormi- tories are as follows: Smith-Carroll Hall, College of Industrial Arts, Denton, Texas. Agnes Moore Hall, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla. Ellen Kirby Hall, University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Dormitory for Methodist Women, University of Mis- souri, Columbia, Mo. IX. The Department of Woman's Work is rendering a signal religious service by supporting Bible Teachers in certain great secular institutions of learning. Such teach- ers are now at work in the College of Industrial Arts at Denton, Texas; University of Oklahoma at Norman. William and Mary College at Williamsburg, Virginia, and the Southeastern State Normal at Durant, Oklahoma. In these institutions are hundreds of young women, and it is fitting that the Methodist girls should have the opportunity of studying the Bible under their own teach- ers. Of course these instructors are duly recognized as members of the faculty and full credit is given for their work. In one case our teacher is the head of the depart- ment. * # * X. Scarritt College for Christian Workers. In this institution the women train their missionaries. It was established in 1892 at Kansas City under the name of the Scarritt Bible and Training School. In 1923 it was moved to Nashville, Tenn., affiliated with George 191 THE TASK AHEAD Peabody College for Teachers, and given the name of Scarritt College for Christian Workers. The college accepts students who have completed the sophomore year in standard colleges and gives them two years of specialized missionary training. It confers the degrees of A. B. and M. A. A valuable site has been purchased in the heart of the educational district of Nashville and new buildings will soon be provided. At the pres- ent time the work is being done in five large residences on the campus. XI. An interesting phase of educational service is now being developed in connection with the School of The- ology of Southern Methodist University. An Extension Department has been established and correspondence courses are offered in such subjects as missions, religious education, Christian sociology, and Church administra- tion. The Board of Missions, Sunday School Board, and Board of Education cooperate with the authorities of the university in the direction of this department. Thus all the pastors may continue their studies under university guidance. The faculty is composed of leading scholars and the university awards appropriate diplomas for the completion of the courses outlined. The Advance World Program It will thus be seen that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is carrying on a vast educational program as a part of its missionary activity. This program under- girds the whole missionary policy. Practically all of it is a product of the Centenary and must rely for its devel- opment upon Centenary funds. The unpaid Centenary askings for the Department of General Work are as follows : 192 EDUCATIONAL Pastors' Schools $30,000.00 State Universities 30,000.00 Total $60,000.00 * -ft * For the Department of Woman's Work, the unpaid askings are as follows: Scarritt College for Christian Workers $50,000.00 State Universities 17,961.00 Total $67,961.00 After the Centenary askings have been paid, new money must be provided if this educational work is con- tinued. Nothing is available for it in the regular budget. For its continuance the sum of $32,000 annually must be secured by the Department of General Work alone. Of this amount $12,000 will maintain the summer schools for pastors, while $20,000 will be used for the program of service at the State Universities. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Educational Work, General $60,000 Unpaid Centenary for Educational Work, Women 67,961 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 32,000 193 THE MACDONELL WESLEY COMMUNITY HOUSE, HOUMA, LOUISIANA CHAPTER XXIV FRENCH IN southeastern Louisiana we find the strangest and most pathetic situation to be found anywhere in the United States. There, in the very heart of the South, dwell a group of at least 350,000 people whose ancestors settled there before the Revolutionary War, but who are today to all intents and purposes as foreign to American life and society as though they lived in France or the French speaking provinces of Canada. In this section of the country, our "melting pot" has been absolutely impo- tent. These people are the Creoles and the Acadians, or "Cajaens," as they are popularly called. The older people among them are as French as were their fathers who penetrated that country a hundred and fifty years ago. Louisiana was settled by the French near the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1755 the Acadians of Nova Scotia, deported by the British from their Canadian homes, sought refuge among their cousins in Louisiana. Along the bayous of the southeastern parishes their chil- dren remain until this day. Until recently few of them have been able to speak the English language. In their schools instruction was given in French. They were sepa- rated from American life and institutions by the barriers of race, tongue, and religion, and they have never been absorbed into our social body. Practically all of these French speaking people are Roman Catholics and the Catholicism which prevails among them is of a low type. For a century and a half 195 THE TASK AHEAD they have been in subjection to the priests, and the priests have never encouraged the spread of culture. Today they are poverty stricken, ignorant, and simple. Quite naturally an illiterate people, speaking a foreign tongue and consequently cut off from even the possibility of absorbing elements of culture, become a prey to super- stition and manifold spiritual evils. The ancient custom of wearing a spider in a nutshell as a prevention or cure of disease is a case in point. "An evidence of the imposition of a conscienceless and unworthy priesthood upon an ignorant, helpless people is shown by an incident of a year or two ago, when a man garbed and accepted as a Roman Catholic priest traveled through the parish selling amulets to the people at prices ranging from $5.00 to $50.00. The amulets were small silk bags filled with a powdery substance which he claimed would give to the possessor protection against all manner of misfortune. A bag was purchased and its con- tents analyzed. It proved to be a mixture of sugar and talcum powder." * * * Such facts make it plain that the southeastern parishes of Louisiana constitute a mission field, and so they are regarded by the Protestant forces of the country. This region presents all the features of a mission field — illiter- acy, poverty, superstition, backwardness, inability to speak the current language, priest ridden, under the bondage of religious ideas essentially pagan. There is here the same challenge that is presented by Brazil, Cuba, or Mexico, made doubly compelling by the fact that the problem lies in the very heart of our own country; these Acadians and Creoles are our own fellow-citizens ; native- born white people who have lived among us since before the United States became a nation. Peaceable, indus- 196 FRENCH trious, and home loving, the barrier of a foreign tongue prevents them from enjoying any part of our culture. Surely the Christian Church owes it to them and to itself to evangelize, educate, and uplift these gentle and lovable people. £ * * The Creoles constitute about 40% of the whole popu- lation of Louisiana, but in the southeastern parishes they are greatly in the majority. In this strongly Catholic state we find the highest percentage of illiteracy in the United States. Only 75% of the chil- dren between seven and thirteen years of age attend school, this being the lowest percentage in the nation. In some of the parishes nearly half of the people are illiterate and fully one-third of the whole Creole popu- lation are unable to read and write. Here is a distress- ing situation which constitutes an imperative challenge to the Church. * * * ■s>-" Methodism has always endeavored to serve the Creoles. To them went the first missionary ever sent out by the Missionary Society of American Methodism. When the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized in 1846 its first action, at its very first General Conference, was to authorize work among these people. Thus for more than a hundred years Methodism has exerted its efforts to redeem the Louisiana Creoles. We must confess that for a full century our work bore little fruit. Our preachers were driven out by persecu- tion or the indifference of the people. The solid block of Romanism showed little sign of yielding. A small group was won, however, and in 1908 Martin Hebert (pro- nounced A-bear) was converted from Romanism. He became a Methodist preacher and a missionary among 197 THE TASK AHEAD his people, remaining today as the strongest Protestant force among them. The success of Protestantism among the Creoles really dates from the conversion of this man. Permanent results were not secured, however, until the Centenary provided additional workers and equip- ment. This great movement has furnished chapels, preachers, social workers, and a school. It has been possible to conserve the results secured, and it is not too much to say that Methodism has made greater ad- vances here during the Centenary period than during the whole of the previous century. We may not expect that the grip of Rome on these simple people will im- mediately relax, or that Protestantism can in a few short years develop a strong organization among them. But the Church is growing, and some large and self- supporting congregations have been developed. Cul- ture is spreading and the boys and girls are learning to read and write the English language. The people are losing faith in the grosser forms of Roman super- stition. The time is not far distant when these gentle Creoles will for the first time experience the benefits of true American civilization and take their place in the life of our time. What We Have Among the French The French field of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is regularly embraced in the Louisiana Conference and covers the southern and southeastern part of the State, especially the parishes of Evangeline, St. Martin, Iberia, Lafourche, and Terrebonne. These parishes are peculiarly needy. They have a combined total popula- tion of 129,648, of which number 28% are Negroes and only 0.4% are foreign born. The Creoles predominate in the white population. 198 FRENCH The work of the Church among the French of Louisiana is well organized. Rev. Martin Hebert is the general evangelist for his people. The major centers of our work are such Creole towns as Houma, New Iberia, and St. Martinsville. In this territory we have seven pastoral charges with about thirty local Churches. These Churches are scattered over a wide area and the pastors for the most part speak to the people in the French language. The chapels are usually small and inexpensive, although at Houma the Centenary has recently completed an elegant and modern building. Some of the congregations have no houses of worship, but meet in small farm houses after the fashion of the early Methodists. It is realized that the hope of Creole redemption lies in the children, and accordingly unusual efforts are put forth in the organization and operation of Sunday schools. A new departure in evangelism has been enterprised among the Creoles, namely, the establishment of ceme- teries. In the French-speaking parishes no burial grounds exist save those of the Roman Catholic Church, and the threats of the priests to deny Chris- tian burial to all who display sympathies with Prot- estantism have prevented many from accepting the Gospel. Methodist cemeteries are, therefore, a neces- sity, and one such has already been established by the Home Department of the Board of Missions. The in- telligence that the Methodists are prepared to give Christian burial to the people has a salutary influence among the Creoles. Methodist institutional work centers at Houma, in Terrebonne Parish. This city, with a population of more than five thousand, is situated at the junction of six navi- gable bayous of the Intercoastal Canal Route, and is the THE TASK AHEAD heart of a vast sugar producing area. Here is our strongest Church and from this center a widespread evan- gelistic activity is carried on. Under the direction of the Department of Woman's Work two notable institutions have been founded at Houma. One is the McDonell Wesley Community House. This, as its name implies, is a social service cen- ter especially for women and children. It was established in rented quarters in 1917 and a new site and building was purchased by the Centenary in 1919. In this Community House playgrounds for the chil- dren and rest rooms for country mothers are provided. Its main work is not done for the population of Houma but for the rural people round about. It is the center of a thickly settled rural community of more than 60,000 French people. The workers from the Community House cover this territory in automobiles, visiting in the homes, establishing and conducting Sunday schools, do- ing relief work for the poor, preaching and teaching, and in every way endeavoring to promote the welfare of the Creoles. The other institution maintained by the women at Houma is the McDonell French Mission School. This is a Centenary enterprise, established in 1923, and in view of the prevailing illiteracy may be considered the most strategic institution in that section of Louisiana. Its enrollment is small and all the students are board- ers. Boys and girls are taken from the poverty- stricken homes of the rural sections and cared for and taught in this school. The institution is closely related to the Wesley Community House and an admirable system of cooperation between the various workers is maintained. 200 FRENCH The Advance World Program Practically everything that has ever been done by Methodism for the French people of Louisiana was done by the Centenary, and we must frankly admit that the Centenary is the only hope of its maintenance. For the Department of General Work the sum of $41,000 re- mains unpaid on the Centenary askings, and for the De- partment of Woman's Work $8,213 remains unpaid. In view of the tremendous need and the appalling social situation among the Creoles, it is unthinkable that Meth- odists would not pay these small amounts in order to con- tinue such a service. After the Centenary Askings have been paid, it will require $10,000 annually to support our evangelistic work. This is a comparatively small sum and should be easily raised. To those who have an acquaintance with the exact situation, this element of the Advance World Program will prove most popular. Summary Unpaid Centenary for French Work, General . . $41,000 Unpaid Centenary for French Work, Women . . 8,213 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 10,000 201 202 CHAPTER XXV IMMIGRANTS HE only real native American is the Indian. Ours is a land of immigrants, our population having been contributed by all the other nations of the world. There are 94,820,915 white people in the United States. Of this number 13,712,754 are foreign born persons and 22,686,204 are of foreign or mixed parentage. It is rather startling to realize that considerably more than one-third of all the white people in the United States belong to what may properly be called the immigrant class. There are many communities in our country that are really more foreign in their make-up than American. This is especially true of New York City. Although this great metropolis is usually the first to flaunt its Americanism, the simple truth is that it is not Ameri- can at all. Out of a total population of 5,620,048, only 1,164,834, or about one-fifth, are white persons born of native parents. Thus four-fifths of all of the people in this great city belong to the immigrant group. The foreigners have contributed much to American life and will continue to do so. Many of them, however, are a menace to American institutions. They come to us ignorant and poverty stricken, and, huddling together in restricted districts, they do not amalgamate into the American social order. To most of them our religion is as foreign as our speech, and they are likely to remain under the domination of their priests, establish on our soil their heathen temples and worship, or drift into a godless disregard of all spiritual value. Disease, crime, disaffection, and anarchy breed readily among them and 203 THE TASK AHEAD here the radical agitator finds a fruitful field for propa- ganda. Our immigrant population constitutes one of the great- est mission fields in America, and all denominations pos- sessing the missionary spirit are earnestly endeavoring to Christianize, Americanize, educate, and uplift these aliens. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, faces the immigrant problem in an acute form in certain sec- tions of its territory. It has accordingly developed a vast net-work of missionary activity among certain for- eign groups. These groups are the Italians, Cubans, Mexicans, and Orientals. These constitute a peculiarly difficult field for re- ligious work. The Italians, Cubans, and Mexicans ar^ Latins and have certain characteristics in common. They have all inherited the Roman Catholic religion of the Latin type, which is the most degraded form of that religion. Their home lands are priest ridden and their people are superstitious, illiterate, and pauper- ized. Religion to many of them means extortion and slavery to a priest, and it is, therefore, exceedingly difficult to win them to a form of faith which they have been taught to hate. The Orientals, of course, are outright heathen. Most of them have never had any relation with Christianity in any form. Missionary work among them in America is, therefore, very similar to the work of foreign missions. The Bureau of Census for 1916 states that there are 83 Hindu Temples or places of worship on the Pacific Coast, with 55 priests officiating. Their membership has increased 78.2% during a period of ten years, while the 204 IMMIGRANTS value of temple property increased 29.9%. One authority gives the membership increase at 128%. Among all these people, however, the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South, is working and developing its insti- tutions of service. Let us consider these various immi- grant groups in turn and sketch the activity of our Church among them. 9 9 I. In our territory there are approximately 250,000 persons born in Italy and these, with their children born in this country, constitute a large Italian population. The Italians are usually unskilled laborers and are found in industrial centers, on public works, and in other places where common labor is demanded. They are poor and ignorant. Religiously they are Roman Catholics or noth- ing, the latter more frequently than the former. The work of Methodism among them takes the form of evan- gelism. We have as yet founded no schools for Italians, but in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mis- souri, we have Italian Churches in which the Gospel is preached in the native language. In certain places there are institutional or social service features in connection with these Churches. In Tampa and its suburb, Ybor City, two such Churches are ministering to an Italian colony number- ing about 6,000. In the industrial section surrounding Birmingham, at Ensley and Pratt City, Churches have recently been erected and Italian-speaking pastors are in charge. Here also is the great Ensley Community House, a large social service center wherein seven workers are laboring for the redemption of the foreigners. At Thur- ber and Bryan, Texas, Kansas City, and New Orleans, Italian-speaking preachers are also serving. All of this activity, save the Ensley Community House, is directed 205 THE TASK AHEAD by the Department of General Work of the Board of Missions. The Department of Woman's Work has at Tampa the Urban Bird Clinic and Settlement in the Italian colony. It is similar to the Ensley Community House and the various Wesley Houses. It is a powerful agency for good among the sons of Italy. In the Institutional Church at Kansas City, Kingdom House at St. Louis, St. Marks Hall at New Orleans, and similar centers in other cities the women have depart- ments of service for Italians, although the institutions do not confine their efforts exclusively to this group. II. Our work for the Cubans centers in Tampa and Key West, in which cities thousands of these people labor in the cigar factories. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, established its mission to the Cuban immigrants in 1874, when the Florida Conference appointed Rev. J. E. A. Van Duser as a missionary among them. He died of yellow fever without securing a single convert and his last words are engraved on his simple monument at Key West, "Don't let the Church give up the Cuban Mission." The Cubans drift back and forth between Florida and their native land and few of them become American citi- zens. They are Roman Catholics, if anything, and stand greatly in need of Christian service. The work of our Church for them may be thus summarized: 1. We have six Churches for the Cubans, four in Tampa and two in Key West, and these have a combined membership of about 700. Spanish-speaking pastors are in charge of these Churches and the work is mainly evan- gelistic. 206 IMMIGRANTS 2. There are two day schools for Cuban children. One is in Tampa and the other in Key West. Both are connected with the Churches. The school in Tampa has 125 pupils and for lack of space turns away as many more. Ground has been purchased here for the erection of a building and when Centenary funds are available this school will render a larger service. The day school in Key West has two instructors and enrolls about fifty pupils. 3. Wolff Settlement, Ybor City, Tampa. This is a great social service plant operated by the Department of Woman's Work. It has a playground, library, gym- nasium, kindergarten, day nursery, milk station, and various clubs and organizations for boys, girls and mothers. 4. Rosa Valdes Settlement, Tampa. This is another social service plant operated by the women. It has a new building worth $38,000 and is located across the street from our Church and school. 5. Ruth Hargrove Settlement, Key West. This insti- tution is owned by the women and operates among the large community of Cuban cigar makers. 6. Ruth Hargrove School, Key West. This school for Cuban children is operated by the women in connec- tion with their settlement. It has two teachers and an enrollment of 61 pupils. * * * III. Our largest immigrant program is carried on among the Mexicans of the Southwest. The census re- ports of the number of Mexicans in our territory are unreliable but it has been estimated that the total is at least 1,500,000. Fully half a million of these are in Texas, the largest colony being at San Antonio, where there is a Mexican population of 50,000. El Paso is 207 THE TASK AHEAD 55% Mexican and 60% of the total population of New Mexico is Mexican or Spanish-American. The presence of such vast throngs of foreigners in the heart of our ter- ritory places upon us a heavy responsibility. These Mexicans who are flocking to the United States are immigrants of the humbler sort. Most of them are common laborers who come to do the work that many of our native-born citizens refuse to do. Of the 18 256 immigrants who arrived here from Mexico in 1921-22, only 1,165 were skilled workers and but 291 were listed as professional men. The common laborers find employment largely on the railroads of the Southwest; it is reported that one line employs nearly 15,000 Mexicans. Large numbers are working in the mines and other industries. The most hopeful sign in the Mexican immigration situation is that many are finding their way to the farms. In Texas, where a great majority of all the foreigners are Mexicans, the census figures show that 468,722 of the immigrant class, including the foreign-born and those of foreign or mixed parentage, are living in the rural sections, while only 337,181 are in the centers of population. Texas today ranks as one of the first agricultural States of the country, and its prosperity has been made possible by the labor of the Mexicans. These are the neediest people among us. They sur- pass the Italians and Cubans in the degree of their poverty and ignorance, as well as in the squalor of their home environment. When the Mexican comes to this country it is usually to escape starvation, and his entire earthly wealth consists of the few rags and articles he carries in a pack. Unskilled, unlettered, unable even to speak the language, he must take the first job offered to him. He lives in an adobe hut, often 208 IMMIGRANTS with a dirt floor, subsists on beans, and ekes out a most abject existence. These people know nothing of sani- tation and the death-rate, particularly among the chil- dren, is unusually high. • In 1912 it was found that 18% of the Mexicans lived in one-room houses and 60% in two-room houses. Con- ditions have improved, however, and a recent study in Los Angeles revealed the fact that only 1 % live in one- room shacks, while 2% have two rooms, 24% have three rooms, 30% have four rooms, and 20% have five rooms. In the same survey it was found that 28% of these habita- tions have no sinks, 32% no lavatories, and 79% no baths. Living thus in surroundings more or less unsanitary and squalid, and being ignorant concerning even the fundamentals of sanitation and feeding — disease, partic- ularly tuberculosis, is quite prevalent among them. In- fant mortality is unusually high; in Los Angeles it is 152 in 1,000 among Mexicans, but only 54 in 1,000 among the general population; the Mexican baby has one-third the chance to live that is possessed by the average baby. The work of Southern Methodism among the Mexi- cans is organized in the Texas Mexican Mission and the Western Mexican Mission. These cover the entire South- west. In these two Missions there are 50 Mexican preachers and 90 local congregations with a total mem- bership of more than 4,000. Many of the congregations meet in private homes or elsewhere but 50 of them own their own houses of worship. There are 80 Sunday schools with more than 5,000 pupils enrolled. Some of the Churches are already self-supporting and many of the others receive only a small appropriation from the Board of Missions. In addition to this Church work the following institutions are in operation : 209 THE TASK AHEAD 1. Wesleyan Mexican Institute, San Antonio. This is a school for Mexican boys which is training many Christian leaders. It has eight instructors, an enrollment of 100, and a building worth $75,000. 2. Valley Institute, Pharr, Texas. This is a similar institution for Mexican girls. It has a capacity of only 50 and is always filled to overflowing. 3. Four day schools for Mexican children are oper- ated at Phoenix, Arizona; Magdalena, Mexico; Eagle Pass, Texas, and Del Rio, Texas. 4. Mexican Community Center, El Paso, Texas. This is a great social service plant in the heart of the largest Mexican community in the United States. 5. Evangelista Mexicana. This is a religious news- paper for Mexicans, the official organ of the Texas Mexi- can Mission and the Western Mexican Mission. 6. Holding Institute, Laredo, Texas. This is a board- ing school for Mexican boys and girls maintained by the Department of Woman's Work of the Board of Missions. Its enrollment is 315. It has a faculty of 19 teachers and the value of its property is $210,000. Holding Institute is the largest Protestant mixed school for Spanish speak- ing people in the world. 7. Wesley House, San Antonio. In the heart of the great Mexican district of San Antonio the women of the Church maintain a Wesley Community House. This is the center of Mexican social life and its varied activities do much for the uplift of the people, particularly the women and children. ■sSl IV. The work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for Oriental immigrants is all in California and 210 IMMIGRANTS is operated exclusively by the Department of Woman's Work. Multitudes of Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans are flocking to the Pacific Coast. There they are estab- lishing their heathen worship. While we are sending our missionaries to establish Christian Churches in the Orient, the Orientals are building heathen temples in California, there being several Buddhist temples on our Pacific Coast. It is perfectly apparent, therefore, that Christians are under an obligation to put forth every possible effort for the conversion of the heathen people who are coming to our shores. The Women of Methodism are doing this. There they operate Churches, missions, and circuits. This evan- gelistic activity is confined to the Japanese, of whom there are 120,000, and the Koreans, who number about 2,000. The Churches for the Japanese and Koreans are lo- cated at San Francisco, Oakland, Stockton, Manteca, Sacramento, Maxwell, Willows, Reedley, Dinuba, Ala- meda, and Walnut Grove. In these Churches we have nearly 500 members with 70 probationers. The eleven Sunday schools enroll 450 pupils and there are five Ep- worth Leagues with 70 members. In addition to the Oriental work on the Pacific Coast the Women allocate a deaconess to a Japanese Colony at Terry, Texas, near the city of Beaumont. Here is a large group of Japanese settled on a tract of land pur- chased by a Japanese nobleman. The older people are all Buddhists, but desiring their children to be reared as Christians they petitioned our Church for a missionary. A Church has been built and here is being carried on one of the most interesting programs of the Church. V. In addition to the work outlined above for Ital- ians, Cubans, Mexicans, and Orientals, our Church main- 211 THE TASK AHEAD cains certain miscellaneous activities for foreign-speaking people. The Home Department, General Work, of the Board of Missions, reports five preachers among the Ger- mans in Texas and publishes a religious newspaper in the German language. Two evangelists are supported among the Czechs in Texas and in Mississippi a most interest- ing and valuable work is carried on among the Syrians and other foreign groups. At Galveston, Texas, the Home Department, Woman's Work, supports a port missionary who welcomes immi- grants on their arrival in the United States and immedi- ately surrounds them with a Christian influence. The report of this missionary shows that in the course of a year he assists approximately 2,000 immigrants. This missionary speaks several languages and is therefore equipped to deal with almost any person who arrives. The women also maintain a section of "polyglot" work, this being community and social work among mixed racial groups inhabiting certain cities. Wesley Houses have been established among such groups in Fort Worth, Texas; St. Joseph, Missouri, and Biloxi, Mis- sissippi. % The Advance World Program While all of the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, among foreign-speaking groups in its ter- ritory is not supported by the Centenary, every section of such work received from this great movement a new impetus. It provided additional workers and institutions for immigrants all over the South and Southwest, and as a result the work has leaped forward as never before. At the present time, however, it is greatly suffering for lack of Centenary funds and a large part of the projected program has not been carried out. 212 IMMIGRANTS The unpaid Centenary askings for immigrant work of the Department of General Work total $223,500. Of this amount $49,500 is for the Italians, $10,000 for the Cubans, and $164,000 for the Mexicans. For the De- partment of Woman's Work the sum due and unpaid from the Centenary is $43,500, of which sum $21,000 is for the Mexicans and $22,500 for the Orientals. After the Centenary it will be utterly impossible to support our increased program on the pre-Centenary budget. There will be an annual deficit of at least $40,- 000 for immigrant work, and unless this amount is raised in the Advance World Program a large section of the activity we are now carrying on for the foreign-speaking people in our midst must of necessity be disbanded. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Immigrants, General. $223,500 Unpaid Centenary for Immigrants, Women . . 43,500 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 40,000 213 BEQUEST Fletcher OJcla, Dec. 25th, 1922. We the Comanche Peopel of kittle Washita Community Bast of Fletcher Comanche County, State of Oklahoma doehery request the Methodist Episcopal Church South, to reopen work and Reestablish our Church on the land still owned by the M. E. Church South. II M 7k r PETITION FROM INDIANS, SIGNED BY THUMB-PRINTS, BEGGING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CHURCH. 214 CHAPTER XXVI INDIANS OUR treatment of the Indians is the darkest blot on the page of American history. This mighty land was once his own, but we wrested it from him without giving anything in return. The Red Man has been robbed, deported, murdered, debauched, and treacherously dealt with by the white man, and today the miserable descendants of a once lordly race are huddled here and there on reservations where they live on the bounty doled out to them by the people who stripped them of their ancient domain. No man is proud of our record in this regard, and though it is now too late to undo the past we are at least under the responsibility of giving to the Indian the advantages of our Christian civilization. Many notable authorities believe that there are more Indians in the United States today than at any previous time. There are 350,000 of them, and they are found in every state in the Union. They live on 161 reservations and in many states where there are no reservations. They belong to 280 separate tribes or bands and speak 58 different dialects. Only 165,000 of them are full-blood Indians. The day of the savage Indian has passed. Most of them, though poor and ignorant, may be regarded as civ- ilized, although there still remains a large number of "blanket" Indians belonging to the "wild tribes." -sft 4fe The need of the Red Man perhaps surpasses that of any other section of our population. They are illiterate 215 THE TASK AHEAD and superstitious and many vestiges of their old pagan religion of nature-worship still cling about them. The white man has taught the Indian to drink and gamble, and these today constitute his besetting sins. Many young Indians have left the reservations, attended the white man's colleges and adopted his ways, but on returning to his home he found himself denied companionship and so in time drifted "back to the blanket." At the present time the Indian race is menaced by the use of the deadly drug peyote. This drug is made from a species of Mexican cactus and is one of the most powerful intoxicants known. In their ignorance the Indians have imagined that the experiences produced by this drug are akin to religion, and they have en- deavored to develop a "peyote Church" in which one of the chief rites is the taking of this drug until it pro- duces a drunken stupor. In spite of all the efforts of the government to prohibit the use of peyote it still continues and the people have thus injected into their religion a most vicious element. A * * -\>> *^ "^P When we consider the fact that they have had an alphabet for only a century, the Indians have made rapid progress in education. On all the reservations the govern- ment maintains schools for them, and these are supple- mented by many mission schools supported by the various denominations, while in practically all States Indian children are admitted to the schools for the whites. There are 268 government schools for Indians, including 166 day schools, 52 reservation boarding schools, and 21 non- reservation schools. Yet the educational situation is deplorable. There are nearly 20,000 eligible Indian children who do not 216 INDIANS attend school. There are about 500 Seminoles in Florida, practically all full bloods, and 160 of them are minors. Yet there is not a single school of any kind open to these children. All are illiterate. It is small wonder, then, that these Indians are still uncivil- ized, existing by hunting and fishing and practicing their ancient tribal pagan customs. There is no Church or Christian institution of any kind among the Seminoles, and only. ten of them are professing Chris- tians. Among the Navajos of New Mexico there are 5,295 children with no educational facilities whatever; the total capacity of all the schools of every kind in reach of them is only 886. It is estimated that 93% of all the Navajos are wholly illiterate. Justly, then, the govern- ment's highest Indian official cries out in his report (1922) : "As Commissioner of Indian Affairs, I am not willing to longer overlook the failure to provide schools for these native Americans." i Mi- ■ ■ 9 In 1736 an Indian chief welcomed John Wesley to Savannah, and urged him to Christianize the people. In 1832 four chiefs from the far West spent six months in St. Louis trying vainly to secure a copy of the Bible for their people. Even today only two of the 280 tribes have the whole Bible in their native dialect. We have never really evangelized the Red Man, and it is there- fore not surprising that he still remains among us as a virtual heathen. Nearly half of all the Indians in the United States live in Oklahoma, and it is there that the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South, concentrates its work. Its activity is for the most part carried on among the Five Civilized 217 THE TASK AHEAD Tribes, although some evangelistic work is done among the wild Kiowas. The nature of this work is the regular activity of Methodism and it is organized in the Indian Mission. This Mission has two districts and 81 local Churches. These Churches are all in the rural districts, the Indians in the large centers attending the white Churches. The houses of worship are invariably small, most of them being one-room wooden structures. Most of the pastors are themselves Indians and practically all of the services are conducted in the tribal dialects. In the annual meeting it is necessary to have two or three interpreters to translate the remarks of the presiding Bishop into the tongues of the several tribes represented. a * * The official statistics show that in the Indian Mission there are 2,700 members and these own 66 Church build- ings. Many congregations are forced to worship in the schools or in the homes of the people because the Church has been unable to provide buildings for them. In addition to the work of the Indian Mission in Okla- homa, the Home Department of the Board of Missions maintains one missionary among 1,400 Nez Perce Indians living on the Fort Lapwai reservation in Idaho. This is a new mission, but since 1918 a strong congregation has been built up. The Nez Perces are good Indians. Many are Christians and it is said that the unconverted among them are referred to as "pagans." Other than the Churches above mentioned we main- tain but one institution for the service of the Indians. This is the Willis Fulsom Training School which was built by the Centenary in 1921 at Smithville, Oklahoma. The school is in the midst of a large Indian population, 27% of whom are illiterate, and it gives an educational 218 INDIANS opportunity to many who otherwise would be denied it. The school is always crowded with eager young people in training to become leaders among the Indians. The Advance World Program All of the missionary work of the Church among the Indians is under the direction of the Home Department of the Board of Missions, General Work. The salaries of most of the Indian preachers must be supplemented and assistance must be rendered in the building of the small Churches. The funds derived from the Centenary have not only built the Willis Fulsom Training School but have also been responsible for the development of many Churches and the conversion of a large number of the people. The sum of $10,000 remains unpaid on the Centenary askings, however, and this must be paid before additional equipment for the school can be provided. After the Centenary this school, some of the Churches, and several pastors will be without support, since the advance work cannot all be carried on the pre-Centenary budget, and it will require new money in the sum of $10,000 annually to continue our work among the Red Men on the scale to which the Centenary has brought it. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Indian Work, General . . $10,000 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General ...... 10,000 219 220 CHAPTER XXVII MOUNTAINS HE Appalachian Mountains stretch from the southern border of Pennsylvania to the northern counties of Georgia and Alabama, a straight dis- tance of more than 650 miles. In the entire region there are 253 counties and a territory of 107,609 square miles; the highland region covers the whole of West Virginia and parts of Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Caro- lina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia The population in all of these counties is more than 6,000,000. Ninety-eight of the counties involved are en- tirely mountainous and 129 of them are rural counties having no towns with as many as 2,500 inhabitants. In the Appalachian territory, of course, there are many large cities and wide sections which are as progressive and highly cultured as any other part of America. But this is not true of the rural mountain counties. The in- terior is a land of isolated coves and mountain recesses, inhabited by a people who possess few of the benefits of our modern civilization. Approximately 4,000,000 peo- ple of the mountaineer type may be regarded as consti- tuting a mission field. It has often been pointed out that these mountaineers are the purest Anglo-Saxon stock of America. The hills were settled largely by a sturdy Scotch-Irish people who, between 1730 and 1760, became stranded in the fastnesses of the hills. Their descendants remain there until this day. Railways, telegraph lines, good roads, modern schools, adequate Church facilities, and all the other ele- ments of our modern life skirt the edges of Appalachia 221 THE TASK AHEAD but seldom invade the interior. There the eighteenth century still prevails. These people are real Americans. In many of the counties a foreigner or a negro is never seen. In the whole territory only 1% of the people are foreign-born, and, if we except the mining regions of West Virginia, the foreign-born element in the whole mountain popu- lation is only % of 1%, and in 92 counties it is 1/10 of 1% or less. The hill people have sturdy virtues and excellent quali- ties of character. From their ranks have come many of the men who made America great, and the mountain boy who has a chance seldom fails to "make good." The natural resources of their country represent vast riches. In many respects Appalachia and the Appalachian folk are real assets to the country. But they have never had a chance. They are isolated from the outside world. Their highways usually follow the course of the mountain streams and are well-nigh impassable. The people know nothing of modern meth- ods of agriculture, forestry, stock-raising, or mining, and their lot is constant toil, dire poverty, and deep ignorance. The responsibility for redeeming the life of the hills rests upon the Church. Education and religion are the supreme needs, and the States will not provide the one and cannot provide the other. The mission schools which the various Christian denominations maintain in the mountains are doing practically all that is being done to adequately train the youth of that inland region. There are perhaps two hundred denominational and independ- ent schools in the mountains, the former outnumbering the latter ten to one. The relative quality of these Church schools is indicated by the fact that in some places the 222 MOUNTAINS unworthy public schools have gone entirely out of busi- ness, the public funds being turned over to the Church schools. Education is the supreme need of the Appalachian people, a Christian education which will banish their illiteracy and correct their false religious notions with- out suppressing those inherent spiritual qualities which constitute their chief value to the country as citizens. ^ 9 S The educational situation in the mountain region is deplorable. The public school is usually a one-room mountain cabin and the teacher is seldom adequately pre- pared to give instruction. According to the 1920 census, there are more than 600,000 persons in this section above 10 years of age who are unable to read or write. One- fourth of the mountain children between the ages of seven and thirteen years do not attend school. The United States Bureau of Education is responsi- ble for the statement that the children attend school on an average of only 46 days in the year, and that the average mountaineer actually has not had schooling equivalent to that of a child who has completed the fourth grade in a city school. The average length of the school term is 112 days and the average annual salary received by the teachers is about $237. When the government survey was made, the annual expendi- ture for the education of each child in the mountain counties was only $4.79, while in the entire United States it was more than $16.00. •S^ 4£ In the matter of religion the situation in the mountains is equally deplorable. When a well-known mountain 223 THE TASK AHEAD educator was asked to name the things which most de- praved the people his reply was, "Moonshine whiskey and hardshell religion." The men who settled these hills were largely stern Calvinists and their children have degenerated into hardshell fatalists. "They are the joy of the holy-roller propagandist, the favorite foraging ground of the Mormon elder, the most promising field of the Russellite tract distributor." Every fantastic "ism" afloat finds lodgment in the hills and here we find doctrinal lines tightly drawn. Multitudes of the people are Baptists of the "Primi- tive," "Hardshell," "Landmark," and "Two-Seed-in- the-Spirit Predestinarian" variety. They are sternly and unalterably opposed to Sunday schools, missions, and an educated or salaried ministry. Many of them are opposed to education, and the mission schools es- tablished by the great denominations meet their stern disapproval. In their dismal ignorance and fatalism these people believe that "what is to be will be." True spirituality and morality mean little to them, but important points in their doctrine are the origin of Melchizedek, the validity of baptism performed in run- ning water, the propriety of using a musical instru- ment in worship, and similar trivial details. It is easily apparent that the Southern highlander and his children need the full ministry of the Church and the broad culture which it represents. They need to hear and be uplifted by the real Gospel, which must supplant the caricatures preached by their narrow sects. They need education not only in the ordinary subjects of the schools, but they must have a full program of industrial training which will enable them to conserve their re- sources, reclaim their country, and transform the moun- tain region into a section commensurate in all values 224 MOUNTAINS with the other parts of our country. If these things are to be given to the Southern highlander it must be through the instrumentality of the Church. * * * The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, feels a spe- cial responsibility in the premises because Appalachia lies in the heart of its territory. The Church has accepted this responsibility and maintains among the mountain people a varied activity. This activity is evangelistic and educational. Our Churches are established in all of the mountain counties, and in strategic places where adequate local support is not forthcoming it is supplemented by the missionary agencies. By supplementing salaries hun- dreds of pastors are kept at work on mountain circuits. The funds necessary to supplement salaries come largely from the Centenary and are administered mainly by the Boards of Missions of the local Annual Conferences. The Home Department of the General Board of Mis- sions, however, in connection with its sustentation pro- gram, contributes to the support of nearly 50 preachers in the highland regions of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. * * * In order to train leaders among the mountain popula- tion and give to the young people educational advantages which public schools do not offer them, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, maintains a large number of mission schools. These are for the most part academies offering a standard High School course, with industrial features such as agriculture, forestry, domestic science, dairying, engineering, and carpentry. The following are the Methodist mission schools of Appalachia: Ferrum Training School, Ferrum, Vir- 225 i THE TASK AHEAD ginia; Flat Rock High School, Flat Rock, Alabama; Hiwassee College, Morrisville, Tennessee; Lindsay-Wil- son Training School, Columbia, Kentucky; Reinhardt College, Waleska, Georgia ; Rutherford College, Ruther- ford College, N. C. ; John C. C. Mayo College, Paints- ville, Kentucky; Young Harris College, Young Harris, Georgia ; Weaver College, Weaverville, N. C. ; Cumber- land Mountain School, Crossville, Tennessee; Sloan- Hendrix Academy, Imboden, Arkansas; Brevard Insti- tute, Brevard, N. C. ; and Sue Bennett Memorial School, London, Kentucky. The Sloan-Hendrix Academy is not located in the Appalachian Mountains but in the Ozarks. Conditions in these hills are similar to those in Appalachia although they do not appear in such an exaggerated form. Bre- vard Institute and Sue Bennett Memorial School are maintained outright by the Home Department of the Board of Missions, Woman's Work. All of these insti- tutions are rendering a most valuable service in educat- ing the boys and girls of the mountain country. The Advance World Program Each of the mountain mission schools mentioned above have received substantial aid from the Centenary and have thus secured buildings and equipment which en- ables them to serve a wider constituency and train many more young people. The Centenary program has not been completed, however. Owing to the delinquency in Centenary payments there remain unpaid appropriations for the schools of the Department of General Work in the sum of $214,000. The Centenary likewise owes to Brevard Institute and Sue Bennett Memorial School, maintained by the women, $15,577. On account of the poverty of the mountain people these schools must receive. 226 MOUNTAINS missionary assistance in order to carry on their work and it is therefore imperative that the Centenary appropria- tions be paid at once. If these askings are paid it is believed that the schools now assisted by the Department of General Work will, with the support given them by the patronizing Annual Conferences, be able to carry on their work without fur- ther connectional aid. It will still be necessary, however, to maintain missionaries among the people and provide scholarships for promising mountain boys and girls. An adequate program of this character cannot be carried out on the regular budget of the Board of Missions. It will be necessary to raise at least $8,000 per year in new money to prevent the curtailment of mountain missions. This is an exceedingly small sum in view of the vast policy of work being carried on and it is certain that the Methodists of the South will provide it. Summary Unpaid Centenary for the Mountains, General.$214,000 Unpaid Centenary for the Mountains, Women 15,577 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 8,000 227 228 CHAPTER XXVIII NEGROES HERE are nearly 1 1,000,000 Negroes in the United States and 80% of them are in the South. In the South almost one-third of all the people are col- ored, while in the North and East the average is less than 2% of the population. Both Mississippi and South Caro- lina have more colored people than whites, and in two Mississippi counties 90% of the inhabitants are Negroes. We thus see that the race problem is distinctly a Southern problem, and it would seem that the primary responsi- bility for the evangelization of the colored people rests upon Southern Churches. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has gladly accepted that responsibility and labors energetically for the redemption of the colored man. This has always been true. Although frequently criticized as entertain- ing race prejudice, our Church has doubtless done more for the salvation of the black man than any other white denomination in the world. When we remember that a few generations ago the forefathers of the American Negro were African bar- barians and that the race was freed from slavery within the memory of many persons now living, we realize that these people have made wonderful progress in all the avenues of civilization. But when, forgetting the im- mediate past, we look at their situation today we find it deplorable enough. Outstanding leaders have been de- veloped, towering above the rank and file as a great mountain peak rises above the valley, and these examples give us encouragement concerning the future of the race. Yet it remains true that the mass of our black fellow 229 THE TASK AHEAD citizens are living in the most degrading and abject pov- erty, ignorance, and misery. The census of 1920 shows that 22.9% of all the Negroes in America over ten years of age are unable to read or write, a percentage which has fallen from 30.4% since 1910. Illiteracy is higher in the rural sec- tions than in towns and cities, as it is also higher among the Negroes over twenty-one years of age than among the children. The extent of this ignorance may be realized when it is recalled that among our native whites only 1.6% are illiterate. The situation is much worse in the South than else- where. In the Southern and Southwestern divisions illiteracy is above 26% ; in all the other divisions it is 6.6%. In Louisiana it is 38.5%; Alabama, 31.3%; Mississippi, 29.3%; South Carolina, 29.3%; Georgia, 29.1%, But even these statistics do not adequately por- tray the real educational backwardness of the Negro in the South, for hundreds of thousands of those who are classed as literate because they can read or write are but slightly above the illiterate stage. All Southern people are well aware that a large majority of the colored people are densely ignorant, possessing only the most elementary rudiments of education. ft ft ft In 1844, when American Methodism was divided over the issue of slavery, the Southern branch had 125,000 Negro members. This, it has been frequently recog- nized, was "a larger number of practically heathen converts than all the missionary societies of America had gathered upon all the fields of the heathen world." In its evangelistic work among the slaves, known as "the plantation missions" and led by Bishop Capers, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, performed a 230 NEGROES missionary service without parallel in American his- tory. * * * When the Civil War broke out we had more than 200,000 Negro members, and during that great struggle, although the South was invaded by the enemy, the Church disrupted, and all the people prac- tically pauperized, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, raised and spent nearly $350,000 for Negro evangelization. It is doubtful whether in the whole history of the Christian Church this record of sacrifice and devotion can be equalled. It is certain that the work of Southern Churches among the slaves pre- vented an outbreak among the Negroes during the Civil War which would have resulted in unimaginable horror. * * * After the war the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, realizing that the Negro could best develop by bearing his own responsibility, set apart most of its colored mem- bers into a separate Church, known as the Colored Meth- odist Episcopal Church. This did not, of course, mean that the white Methodists cut their colored members adrift. The Negroes were given a Church of their own in order that they might develop along the lines of their own genius, but the white people solemnly covenanted to render them all possible assistance and to stand in the relation to them of the Mother Church. That relation has been sustained from 1870 until this day. A few Negroes still remain in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. A small number are members of some of our Churches in this country. In Africa, of course, our total membership is Negro, while in Cuba and Brazil Negroes join our Churches without discrimination. But 231 THE TASK AHEAD for the most part our service to the race is rendered to the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. This Church today has 370,000 members, 3,500 Churches and 2,600 preachers. Its organization and activities are patterned after those of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. One of the chief elements of its work is its large educa- tional program. The Church has eight educational insti- tutions as follows: Lane College, Jackson, Tenn. Texas College, Tyler, Tex. Miles College, Birmingham, Ala. Mississippi Industrial College, Holly Springs, Miss. Haygood Normal and Industrial Institute, Pine Bluff, Ark. Oklahoma Normal and Industrial Institute, Boley, Okla. Williams Industrial School, South Boston, Va. Thomasville High School, Thomasville, Ala. Through these schools the Colored Methodist Episco- pal Church is producing leaders for its own work and also sending out trained Christian men and women to be uplifting forces in the colored life of the South. What We Are Doing For the Negroes As stated above most of the activities of our Church for the colored people in the South is done through the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, our missionary agencies aiding and strengthening the work of this Church in every possible way. There are a few excep- tions to this rule, particularly in the case of our Woman's Work. The following is a summarization of the activi- ties of the Home Department of the Board of Missions for the Negroes : 1. Paine College, Augusta, Georgia. This is the only institution of learning for Negroes in which we have any 232 NEGROES property interest. It is owned jointly by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Colored Methodist Church, and the two denominations share in its support and government. The President has always been a white man and the faculty is composed of both whites and blacks. The Centenary appropriated $250,000 for Paine College and it is being developed as a great center for the training of teachers for the colored race. This institution owns a large and valuable campus with twelve buildings. 2. Regular aid is given to the schools of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church mentioned above. Bible teachers are supported in Arkansas Haygood College, Lane College, Miles Memorial College, Mississippi In- dustrial College, and Texas College. 3. The sum of $10,000 per year is appropriated to supplement the salaries of missionary pastors in the Col- ored Methodist Episcopal Church. Assistance is thus given to 110 such pastors in strictly missionary territory. 4. A Summer School for colored pastors is also main- tained annually. This is similar in every respect to the summer schools for our own pastors. The sum of $45,- 000 per year is appropriated for this purpose and this amount not only provides a standard course of study under competent instructors, but also enables 150 colored missionary pastors to attend. * * * In addition to the activities above itemized, the women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, are doing work among the colored people as follows : 1. Bennett Hall, Augusta, Georgia. This is an annex to Paine College and is maintained for Negro girls, 95 of whom live in this dormitory. It was erected in 1913 at a cost of $60,000. 233 THE TASK AHEAD 2. Bethlehem Houses. The social service institutions maintained by the women for colored people are known as Bethlehem Houses, and they correspond in a general way to the Wesley Houses which are operated for the white people. Bethlehem Houses are now open in Nash- ville, Chattanooga, Augusta, and Birmingham. A staff of salaried workers is maintained in each of these houses and the services of a large number of volunteers are also utilized. The activities usually include day nurseries, clinics, kindergartens, playgrounds, clubs, classes and similar service. At Augusta a day school for Negro chil- dren is conducted. The institution at Nashville is notable for its work. Here is maintained a dormitory for stu- dents who are being trained for Christian social service. Three hundred boys and five hundred girls are in the various clubs and classes, 400 are enrolled in the Daily Vacation Bible School, 300 babies are given medical at- tention each year, and about 4,000 patients are treated annually in the clinic. The Advance World Program The Centenary meant much to our Negro work. It built the Bethlehem House at Nashville, provided an endowment for Paine College, and gave assistance to the schools of the Colored Methodist Church. Its program is not finished, however. There remains due on the un- paid askings for the Negro work of the Home Depart- ment, General Work, $262,436. This is the largest sum due to any section of our Home work, and without it Paine College and the other institutions will be hindered in their development. For the Department of Woman's Work $166,528 is due from the Centenary. The funds for the maintenance of our Negro work do not come from the regular budget of the Board of 234 NEGROES Missions but from a special assessment which is laid upon the Church by the General Conference. This assessment is $60,000, but the income from it is only about $40,000 per year. In view of our large program this is a small amount, and since new avenues of service have been opened by the Centenary it is entirely inadequate. If our Negro work is maintained without retrenchment it will be necessary to supplement this assessment by rais- ing $15,000 per year for the Advance World Program. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Negroes, General $262,436 Unpaid Centenary for Negroes, Women 166,528 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 15,000 235 236 CHAPTER XXIX RURAL THE Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is now, and has always been, a rural Church. We have nearly 20,000 local Churches and of these at least 15,000 are in villages or the open country, attached to circuits and served by part-time pastors. This is true in spite of the rapid progress being made by the cities in our territory and the growth of the Church therein. Al- though we are at the present time experiencing our greatest development in the cities, it still remains true that the overwhelming majority of our constituency is in the country. It is natural that this should be so because the South and Southwest, notwithstanding the phenomenal growth of the cities, are still predominantly rural. While New England is nearly 80% urban the South is 75% rural. In Mississippi nearly 87% of all the people live in com- munities having less than 2,500 inhabitants and in the whole South 24,000,000 people live in such communities, 21,000,000 of them being in the open country or in vil- lages too small to be incorporated. Although the South has only one-fourth of the land area of the nation it has half of the farms, and it is said that half of the country Churches in America are in the South. & & ■ .& These country Churches have made the moral fibre of our nation, and in them have been cradled the homely virtues that have made our country great. Out of them have come and still come the preachers and missionaries 237 THE TASK AHEAD of the Church. The last investigation disclosed that 66% of all the preachers in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, came from the homes of farmers and 11% came from the homes of other preachers, most of whom are in the rural sections. If we add to this 77% all of those that came from the small rural towns and villages, we find that the country district supplies nearly all of the ministers. This is a matter of common observation, and while the ratio may be expected to change somewhat with the growth of the city Church, it still remains true that in the production of Christian workers the country Church is strategic. Therefore any neglect of the coun- try Church, or any influence that works it injury, is ex- ceedingly dangerous to the denomination. An interesting illustration is the recent history of the Southern Baptist and Southern Methodist denomi- nations, these two being the controlling religious or- ganizations of the South. As late as 1890 the United States religious census showed the numerical strength of these two denominations to be about the same, the Methodists leading and having more members in half the states. By 1906, however, the Baptists had taken the lead in all the states save Virginia and today out- number the Methodists by a million members. This Baptist advance occurred chiefly in the rural sections, for the last religious census revealed the fact that the Methodists outnumbered the Baptists in the large cities of the very states wherein the Baptist strength greatly exceeded the Methodist. During the period mentioned the Methodists have been developing their great city congregations and maintained no connectional rural policy, while the Baptists have concentrated on the country and made their "appeal to the common man." . 6 # -& 238 RURAL At the present time the country Church is not holding its own. It is, indeed, decaying. The casual traveller through the rural sections of any part of the country will find a large number of small Churches abandoned and given over to bats and owls. Yet the territory surround- ing these dead Churches is thickly populated, for the population of our rural territory is constantly growing even though such growth does not keep pace with that of the cities. Even when the rural Churches have not been aban- doned it is almost universally true that they are making no progress commensurate with the development of the general life of the community. Many of the counties now have trained experts who supervise agriculture. Consolidated rural schools are springing up all over the country. Agricultural colleges are filling our states with educated farmers. Telephones have been installed in nearly 40% of the rural homes of the country, while nearly one-third of our farmers own automobiles. In the midst of this great advance the rural Church has for the most part either died or stood still. Its program of work remains what it was fifty years ago. Surveys have shown that 10% of all the rural congre- gations in the South do not own buildings of any kind. Ninety per cent of all the buildings owned are of wood, and 80% have only one room and are lighted with oil lamps. Nearly one-fourth of them receive outside financial assistance; in some instances Churches have been aided for fifty years, while one-third of those investigated have received assistance for more than ten years. One-fourth of them do not even have Sun- day schools, and of those existing only two-thirds are kept open the entire year. Half of the Southern 239 FHE TASK AHEAD counties studied had not sent a person into profes- sional Christian service for ten years. This situation holds good in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Investigations by the Home Depart- ment of our Board of Missions have revealed some de- plorable situations in various sections of our territory. In many counties half of the rural territory has no Churches while other sections show a large number, many of them, even of our own denomination, occupying the same parish and in competition. In one county there are seven Methodist Churches within six miles of a cer- tain town while many communities in other sections of the same county have no religious advantages whatever. In the town just mentioned there are five Churches, the total value of which is not more than $15,000, while the monuments in the cemetery are valued at $25,000. This rural village has spent nearly twice as much for the dead as for the living. Our territory is literally covered with dead Meth- odist Churches; indeed, the number of abandoned Churches is 10% of the number living, a total of nearly 2,000. Why were they abandoned? The casual ob- server might reply "Because the members moved away," forgetting the fact that if some people moved out others moved in. An intensive study of a large number of abandoned Churches has shown that only 6% of them were absorbed by other Methodist Churches and scarcely 25% of the members united with other congregations after their own disbanded. Lack of financial support killed 26% of them and a lack of pastoral oversight, which was due mainly to 240 RURAL a lack of financial support, was responsible for the death of 11% of the others. In a study of 22 counties of Tennessee, 986 country Churches were located and it was found that 175 of them had been abandoned. In these counties more than 60% of all the preachers followed other occupations also. In Houston County, Texas, 22 abandoned Methodist Churches were found, and their death left two-thirds of the county without Methodist influences; it is said that most of the crimes are committed in the section where the majority of the dead Churches are found. * * A What are the causes of the decay of the country Church? The first that may be mentioned is the lack of financial support. Our country people are not poor, but they are untrained in the principles of Christian stewardship and do not give to their Church sufficient funds to support it. This means that they cannot have the full-time service of a pastor, and such pastors as they do have are often untrained men. As pointed out above, most of our Churches are on circuits. They have preach- ing services once or twice a month. The pastor is a non- resident in most cases and so the people have little of his personal ministry and oversight. Being an untrained man he is not always able to project and carry out modern Church programs or hold the allegiance of the young people in the various communities. This leads to another cause of the decay of the country Church, namely, its lack of an adequate program. In the midst of the revolutionary changes in country life the Church can scarcely hope to retain its influence with a program which has not changed in any essential in half a century. The country people need leadership. Com- 241 THE TASK AHEAD munity programs need to be worked out. Recreational and cultural life need to be encouraged and supervised. And in order to be the controlling institution in the com- munity the Church program should include all of these- elements. Another cause is the shifting of the rural popula- tion. Gradually the proprietors are removing from the farms to the near-by towns and tenants take their places on the soil. The proprietors were usually mem- bers and supporters of the Church, but the Church has not succeeded in reaching the tenant farmer. There- fore the shifting of the population means the death of many country Churches, even though the com- munities remain thickly settled. In this situation the Church must adopt some program of service and evan- gelism that will reach the tenant class. The "croppers" and "share" tenants are the poorest and most unstable class of farmers. They own little or nothing in their own right and are victims of absentee landlord- ism. They drift from farm to farm and community to community, not infrequently moving every year. Per- manent institutions can scarcely be built on this class. Yet this is the very class that is most numerous in the South and Southwest; of 1,592,131 tenant farmers, 1,- 212,315 are either share renters or croppers, there being about equal numbers of each. The farms operated by tenants are small, averaging about eighty-seven acres in the South and Southwest, or about half as large as the farms operated by owners and one-tenth the size of those operated by managers. For our present purpose it is significant that in this section considerably more than, half of the farmers reported had, at the time of the last United States Census, been on the land they then occupied less 242 RURAL than four years, while nearly one-third had been located only one year or less. That such a situation constitutes a vexing .problem for the Church is at once apparent. The results of evangelism among these tenants may be dissipated in a quadrennium by the steady shifting of the people. Yet it should not be impossible of solution. The tenants seldom move far, and always others take their places. Given a trained leadership in the country Church and an efficient superin- tendency over or cooperation between the Churches and the circuits of a given area, the moving members could be followed and transferred so that they need not be lost. The crux of the situation, however, is not the difficulty of keeping track of the tenants after they have been won, but of winning them in the first place. The country Church is not reaching them. The surveys of the Inter- church World Movement showed that the percentage of tenants among farmers almost invariably was greater than the percentage of tenant farmers in the Church member- ship. There is in fact a decline in the Church wherever there is a high rate of farm tenancy. The tenant farmers are in need of help, not alone from the Church, but also from the nation. They are not antagonistic to the Church, but in their ignorance and poverty they feel that it is not for them. Tenancy, illiteracy, and a low ratio of Church membership usually go hand in hand. Frequently fanatical sects build on this ignorance and reap a rich harvest. There is here a great demand and opportunity for the most intense evangelistic activity coupled with an efficient plan to conserve its immediate results. 243 THE TASK AHEAD What We Are Doing In the Country It is not putting the case too strongly to say that the situation is desperate with the country Church. It is slipping, and if we permit the decadence to continue Methodism will eventually be eliminated from the rural section. The Board of Missions is cognizant of the situ- ation and has adopted a rural policy which is not sur- passed in quality by that of any other denomination in America. This program is in its entirety a product of the Centenary. Before this movement we took no con- nectional cognizance of the fact that the country Church needed help, but in the past few years some remarkable achievements have been witnessed. The various elements in the rural program of the Home Department of the Board of Missions are as follows: 1. Certain districts have been selected and designated as "demonstration districts." An appropriation has been made to each and the presiding elder has been asked to use the money in working out and putting into operation some plan that will solve the various problems of the rural Church. The Home Department of the Board of Missions has cooperated with these presiding elders. It is proposed to pursue this policy for some years and then give to the Church the results achieved in the various dis- tricts, thus providing for all districts an adequate country Church program. In these "demonstration districts" large liberty is permitted in adjusting the program to the local situation. Usually a preliminary survey has been made and the dis- trict has been mapped so as to show the active and aban- doned Churches and the sections where Methodist Churches are needed. Evangelistic campaigns have been put on with a view to reviving the dead Churches 244 RURAL and establishing new congregations, while financial assist- ance has been rendered in the building of new Churches. Some remarkable results have already been secured. In a district in South Georgia it was found that only seven of the 102 Methodist Churches had two services each Sunday. In one county of this district it was dis- covered that 57 Churches of all denominations had only 27 pastors, 22 Sunday schools, and 9 young peoples' or- ganizations. The average member paid only $1.12 per year to the Church. In this county the courthouse and jail cost $210,000 while all the Church property com- bined cost only $87,800. The expenses of the courts for one year were $47,700 while the total Church expense was less than $35,000. During 1923 the number of people uniting with all the Churches combined was less than 40% as large as the number charged with crime. In a North Alabama District 11 different varieties of Baptists were found in one county. Here were 25 aban- doned Methodist Churches, and in three years 13 of them were re-established. In a North Arkansas District 49 abandoned Churches were found and 6 were revived in one year. 2. A number of "demonstration charges" were also established and the same general procedure is followed. With the small appropriation made the pastors of these rural Churches are endeavouring to develop community Church programs. Some of these have already become noted and have made wonderful records. The result of these experiments will also be given to the Church for the inspiration and guidance of other rural pastors. 3. Chairs and extension courses in rural Church lead- ership have been established in Southern Methodist Uni- versity, Hendrix College, Birmingham-Southern Col- lege, and Central College. It is hoped that other such 245 THE TASK AHEAD chairs may be founded in connection with various institu- tions of learning, thus offering to young preachers and students who will later be laymen a training in modern methods of country Church work. It is expected that the professors occupying these chairs will not only teach in the classroom but also spend a certain part of their time in the field cooperating with the presiding elders and pastors in solving the problems of the rural Church. 4. In order to make a similar training available to the country preachers who may not attend the colleges a large number of Rural Life Institutes are held. In the country districts the pastors meet for two or three days, and, under the guidance of trained men, consider their various problems. These Institutes are extremely serv- iceable to our rural preachers. 5. The Woman's Department of the Board of Mis- sions has also taken a hand in the rural problem and has already launched work in three country districts. In each of these a woman worker is supported. She travels the district by automobile, visits the pastors and Churches, trains and organizes the women, and renders an invalu- able community service. One of these workers has been able to establish Bible courses in a consolidated rural school; the school authorities cooperate most heartily and the teacher gives religious instruction in the class- room to most of the pupils. The Advance World Program The work outlined above constitutes a vastly important activity for the country Church. Nothing like it was ever attempted by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, before. It is all a product of the Centenary and it can be carried on only as the Centenary pledges are paid. 246 RURAL There is a deficit in the Centenary askings for this form of service of $29,500 for the Home Department, General Work. There is no hope of long maintaining this type of activity unless this money is received. But what will become of our rural program after the Centenary? There is but one answer. New money must be secured to support it or it must be entirely abandoned. Nothing is available for it in the regular budget of the Board of Missions. It will require for its continuance $20,000 per year. In view of the importance of the rural Church and the distressing situation in which we now find it, surely Southern Methodists will not consent to the total elimination of the only connectional program we ever projected for its assistance. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Rural Work, General . . . $29,500 Deficit in Annual Maintenance, General 20,000 247 THE REMAINING FRONTIER. NEW YORK CITY ALONE HAS THREE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE MORE THAN THE ELEVEN STATES OF THE FAR WEST. 248 CHAPTER XXX SUSTENTATION BY Sustentation Work is meant paying or supple- menting the salaries of preachers in mission terri- tory. It is therefore one of the fundamental lines of service rendered by any Church, since it means the extension of the Kingdom among and preaching the Gos- pel to people who otherwise could not hear it. Just as conditions in a heathen nation makes it necessary for Boards of Missions to assume the entire support of for- eign missionaries, so conditions in certain parts of our country today make it incumbent upon the Church to sustain preachers by outside aid or else leave these sec- tions without an adequate religious ministry. In the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, every An- nual Conference, through its local Board of Missions, appropriates large annual sums to the support of mission- ary pastors within its own borders. But in certain parts of our territory the mission fields are so great that the Annual Conferences cannot cope with the situation and it is therefore necessary for the General Boards of Mis- sions to lend a hand. Connectional Sustentation Work is carried on in cer- tain of the border conferences where the presence of other branches of Methodism result in a weakening of the local strength of each, and also in the Far West where the field is so great in extent that all denominations com- bined can scarcely evangelize it. It is in this territory, in the Southwest and along the Pacific Coast, that most of the Sustentation Work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is done. 249 THE TASK AHEAD When American Methodism was divided in 1844 it was on the basis of the historic Plan of Separation which pro- vided that neither the Northern nor the Southern branch would project work in the territory of the other. The West was not involved in this arrangement, however, for the very simple reason that this territory was not then a part of the United States and Methodism had not been introduced there. At the time of the division of Meth- odism our country was bounded on the West by the Louisiana Purchase, the extreme western limit of which fell through the present states of Montana and Colorado. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Washington, have all been added to our domain since that time, and consequently this terri- tory has always been an open field for both branches of Methodism. * * * -s>- -sy- -^P If it be asked why Southern Methodism maintains mis- sionary work in the West and Northwest, a sufficient answer would be that there is the greatest spiritual need of America. Religion declines as we travel westward. According to the latest United States religious census, 47% of all the people in New England are Church mem- bers and in the Middle Atlantic States 44%. West of the Mississippi River, however, the percentage drops be- low 38 and on the Pacific Coast it is only 24. In the United States as a whole 61% of all Church members are Protestants, while in the West and Northwest only 40% are Protestant, 60% being mainly Roman Catholics and Mormons. Let us look at some further facts which prove our western country to be virtually a mission field. In Montana the Protestant membership is only 8% of the total population, in Idaho 11%, in Oregon 17%, in 250 SUSTENTATION Washington 18%. Nearly three-fourths of all the people in these states have no religious affiliations whatever. According to the United States census, from which these figures are all taken, there are only 12,000 Protestants in Utah out of a total Church mem- bership of 280,000; the strongest denomination is the Presbyterian, having only 2,200 members in the whole state. Nevada has but 4,000 Protestants, the strong- est denomination having only 1,200 members. There are 340,000 people in Arizona and in this entire group there are only 97,000 who profess any religious affilia- tion of any kind and only 20,000 of these are Protes- tants. There are 91,000 Mormons and Roman Catho- lics in Idaho, while all other religious organizations combined have only 44,000 members. In New Mexico Catholics and Mormons number 179,000 while the Protestants number 31,000. The Religious Census of 1916 revealed four entire counties in Texas in which there were no members of any religious organization, either Catholic, Mormon, Jewish, or Protestant, and there was one such spiritually destitute county in California. Utah had eight counties with no religious people save Mormons, Arizona had two in which there were none save Mormons and Roman Catholics, and in Nevada there was a county having but nine professing Christians, one Episcopalian and eight Roman Catholics. In San Francisco there are heathen temples dedicated to the worship of idols and false gods that are as strong as many of the Christian Churches and in this same city the telephone directory lists three times as many Christian Science practitioners as preachers, priests, rabbis, and Mormon elders combined. While such conditions do not, of course, prevail in all the coun- ties of the West, they illustrate the general truth that this 251 THE TASK AHEAD section of our country is a vast mission field which calls to all of the Protestant forces of America for evangeliza- tion. & 9 £ The Northwest, the West, and the Southwest have in recent years made remarkable progress in every way. This section's wealth is enormous. The general culture of its native inhabitants compares favorably with that of any section of the world, but spiritually and religiously it has made no such progress. The people are educated and prospering, but vast multitudes of them are Godless and have no appreciation of spiritual values. The menace of the West is not that of any ordinary form of degrada- tion but that of a refined and cultured Godlessness. The great West must be saved through the promulgation of the Christian gospel. For many years the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has been struggling with the missionary problem of the western portion of America. But the field has always been too vast for our resources. With the Cen- tenary movement, however, came larger funds and addi- tional workers, and as a result the Church has gone for- ward by leaps and bounds. These Centenary years have illustrated what can be done in the evangelization of the West if the Church will provide adequate funds and evangelists. In one quadrennium we established thirty new pas- toral charges. In Arizona the number of pastoral charges has been trebled and the membership has been multiplied by four. In New Mexico our membership has doubled; in northern New Mexico we had nothing before the Centenary but in four years we succeeded in establishing fifteen pastoral charges and opened up 252 SUSTENTATION an entire new district among a people only 7% of whom belong to Protestant Churches. The Centenary movement has enabled our Church to occupy for the first time some of the most important cities in the West, such as Glendale, California; Tucson and Bis- bee, Arizona; Las Vegas and Clayton, New Mexico. It is not too much to say that if the Centenary program is completed and the work maintained for a few more years at the Centenary level our Church in this sec- tion will be as representative as it is in the heart of the South. Of course most of the preachers in this section must be regarded as missionaries and their support supple- mented by the Board of Missions. In its Sustentation Work the Home Department supports 32 preachers in the Pacific Conference, 20 in Arizona, 32 in New Mexico, 38 in the Northwest Conference, and 22 in the Denver Conference, besides large numbers of others in the mission districts of Florida, North Arkansas, Louisi- ana, Texas, Missouri, West Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. The complete list of these pastors and the places wherein they are laboring is too long to enu- merate here, but the Sustentation Work of the Home De- partment of the Board of Missions is keeping hundreds of preachers at work in the unevangelized regions of our country. The Advance World Program In view of the remarkable achievements of the Cen- tenary in our Home Mission fields it is certainly desir- able that its program be continued. There is a deficit of $149,000 on the Centenary askings for Sustentation Work, and when this money is secured it will accomplish results similar to those achieved with the money already paid. 253 THE TASK AHEAD It is imperatively needed, and because it is not forth- coming many of our most important enterprises are on the verge of collapse. It must by all means be secured. If after the Centenary the Board of Missions is forced to fall back on its regular budget, it will mean the im- mediate destruction of most of the great program of Sus- tentation Work now in operation. We have always made an appropriation for this work, but the budget could not possibly support the large work now under way. At least $25,000 in new money must be secured or else the Board of Missions must immediately retrench in the vitally important work of evangelizing America. Summary Unpaid Centenary for Sustentation Work, General $149,000 Deficit in Annual Maintenance for Sustenta- tion Work, General 25,000 254 255 Date Dn@ NOV 2 7 i lit ii 1 ' » W 5 '53 BKY {6 5£ N 2 8 L. B. Cat. No. 1 137 366A70593T c % ] 73761 SCHOOL OF RELIGION