/0, 2.3.13 3RARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, N. J. Presented by £he CA\>\Vnor. BV 2095 .T8 1912 c.l Trull, George H. b. 1873. Five missionary minutes FIVE MISSIONARY MINUTES FIVE MISSIONARY MINUTES Brief Missionary Material itform Use in the Sunday £ for 52 Sundays in the Year for Platform Use in the Sunday School ,. _ „ or rwet ( OCT 20 192: GEORGE H. TRULL Author of " Missionary Methods for Sunday School Workers." Editor of " Missionary Studies for the Sunday School," First, Second, and Third Series FIRST SERIES NEW YORK Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada Copyright, 1918, BY Missionary Education Movement op tub United States and Canada 'What are churches for but to make mis- sionaries? What is education for but to train them? What is commerce for but to carry them? What is money for but to send them? What is life itself for but to fulfil the purpose of missions, the en- throning of Jesus Christ in the hearts of men? Br. A. H. Strong. CONTENTS Preface PAGE . xi PART I INTRODUCTORY Chapter I. Missionary Education Evert Sunday Chapter II. Missions in the Worship op the Sunday School .... Chapter III. Personal Service . Chapter IV. Missionary Miscellany . Chapter V. Special Days and Occasions Chapter VI. How to Use the Material 3 6 8 14 14 PART II MATERIAL FOR FIFTY-TWO SUNDAYS Arrangement of the Material 22 Presentation of the Material 25 FIRST QUARTER 1. Scripture Introduction. Genesis i. 1; John iii. 16— The Verses that Led to Neesima's (Nee' -si-ma) Con- version (Japan) 25 2. Field Item. A Dramatic Close to a Prayer Meeting (Home Missions) 27 3. Prayer Introduction. Repeating and Praying the Lord's Prayer (Porto Rico) 28 4. Scripture Introduction. Psalm xci— Facing Death Without Flinching (China) 29 5. Hymn Introduction. All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (Africa) 30 6. Field Item. Treating Dyspepsia in Korea ... 30 7. Scripture Introduction. Matthew xxviii. 18-20— A Command and a Promise (Africa) 31 vii viii Contents PAGE 8. Field Item. An Indian Defends the Bible (Home Missions 33 9. Field Item. How an African Witch Doctor was Put out of Business 34 10. Prayer Introduction. The Lord's Prayer Amended (General) 35 11. Recruiting for Service by a Hymn Introduction. Speed Away, Speed Away on Your Mission of Light . 36 12. Book Announcement. Foreign Mission Volume, The Bays of June 38 13. Field Letter (Alaska). Typical Letter from a Present- day Home Missionary 40 SECOND QUARTER 14. Field Item. The Cooking Stove in Davy's Head (Home Missions) 43 15. Giving, First Sunday. How the Native Christians Give. Illustrations from Africa, Alaska, and China . 44 16. Giving, Second Sunday. How the Native Christians Give. Illustrations from India, Laos, Southern Moun- taineers in North America, and from Korea . . .47 17. Giving, Third Sunday. Why I Should Give to Mis- sions — Seven Word Pictures 52 18. Giving, Fourth Sunday. Kingdom Day — Subscrip- tion Pledges to Missions 54 19. Recruiting for Service by a Field Item. A Gift of Days (Korea) 56 20. Recruiting for Service by a Field Item. A Boy Fol- lows His Dollar to the Mission Field (India) . . 57 21 . Field Item. The Romantic Story of the First Foreign Missionaries of the Korean Church . . . .59 22. Book Announcement. Home Mission Volume, Down to the Sea ......... 61 23. Field Letter (China). Typical Letter from a Present- day Foreign Missionary 62 24. Hymn Introduction and Scripture. Onward, Christian Soldiers— Revelation vii. 9-17 65 25. Temperance Item. Where Liquor is Currency and Children are Pawned for Drink (Africa) . . . 66 26. Field Item. An Immigrant's Life Story (Home Missions) 67 Contents ix THIRD QUARTER pagb 27 Scripture Introduction. Isaiah liii. 3-7; John iii. 14-18 —Hearing the Crucifixion Story for the First Time (Home Missions) 69 28. Recruiting for Service by Suggesting Definite Activity. Utilizing Waste Material (China, India, Korea) . . 70 29. Field Item. Bible Study under Difficulties (Brazil) . 73 30. Scripture Introduction and Prayer. Numbers xxxii. 23; Proverbs xxviii. 13— The Influence of a Stolen Bible (India) 73 31. Hymn Introduction. Throw Out the Life Line (Home Missions) ?5 32. Field Letter, Canada. Typical Letter from a Mis- sionary Magazine 76 33. Report on Missionary Investments. The Boy Who Wanted to Know about the Returns . . . .79 34. Scripture Introduction and Hymn. Psalm xxxiv. 4-7 ; Psalm cxxiv— Psalms of the Besieged at Peking. Hymn, Peace, Perfect Peace (China) . . . .80 35. Prayer Introduction. " Kedo hapsata," Let Us Pray (Korea) 81 36. Book Announcement Home and Foreign Mission Volume, Adventures with Four Footed Folk . . 82 37. Field Item. An Appeal that Brought the Church in Honan to Independence (Korea) . • .83 38. Temperance Item. Indians Whom Fire Water Could Not Tempt 84 39. Field Item. A Laos Evangelist Tears His Bible in Pieces 85 FOURTH QUARTER 40. Field Item. Idolatry Transplanted in North America 87 41. Scripture Introduction. Matthew xiv. 13-21— Feeding the Hungry (India) 88 42. Hymn Introduction From Greenland's Icy Mountains 89 43. Prayer Introduction. A Prayer for David Livingstone (Africa) 90 44. Book Announcement Home Mission Volume, An American Bride in Porto Rico M X Contents PAGE 45. Recruiting for Service by a Scripture Introduction. John iv. 35 ; Matthew ix. 38 ; Mark xvi. 15— Three Statements of Jesus Regarding Missions (General) . 92 46. Field Letters. Typical Ones from Great Missionaries 94 47. Field Item. Grit Wins an Education (Negro, Home Missions) 99 48. Temperance Item. A South African Chief Advocates Temperance 102 49. Prayer Introduction. Talking with God (Syria) . 104 50. Scripture Introduction. 1 Kings xviii. 25-46 — An Ancient and a Modern Drought Broken (China) . . 104 51. Field Item. A Navajo (Na'-va-ho) Rite Between Sun- set and Dawn (Home Missions) .... 106 52. Hymn Introduction. How Firm a Foundation (China) 108 PART III MATERIAL FOR SPECIAL DAYS Sunday Nearest New Year. The Korean Way of Turning over a New Leaf on New Year . . 109 Easter Sunday. Suwartha's First Easter Day . . 109 Children's Day. Erecting the Family Altar . .112 Dominion Day (July First) or Independence Day (July Fourth.) The Boy Who Honored the Flag . . .113 World's Temperance Sunday. Bishop Whipple and the Indian's Fire- Water 113 Peace Sunday. Swords Become Plowshares and Spears Pruning Hooks 114 Sunday Nearest Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day in Central Africa 115 Sunday Nearest Christmas. Christmas an Unknown Day to a Missouri Settler .116 Santa Claus in Korea 117 Index .119 PREFACE Sufficient missionary material has been collected in this volume for fifty-two Sundays in the year. It is arranged for use in the Sunday-school from the desk, either directly in connection with Scripture, prayer, and hymns, or otherwise during the opening or closing periods. It has been prepared for what is often termed the " Main School," that is, for grades above the Pri- mary. Much of it can be adapted, however, to the needs of any particular grade. All of the items are brief, requiring not more than three to five minutes a Sunday for presentation. Unity of theme for the entire year has not been attempted. It is not desirable in a single year to use a greater variety of topics than is here presented. It is hoped that a later volume will give, in addition to some of the features of the present one, such additional topics as Map Drills, Stories, Impersonations, and similar material. The subject-matter in this volume is arranged for use in schools that have either the Uniform or Graded Sunday School Lessons. George H. Trull. New York, March 25, 1912. FIVE MISSIONARY MINUTES Part I INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER I MISSIONARY EDUCATION EVERY SUNDAY Missionary Education Essential One of the leading aims of the Sunday-school is to develop Christian character. Missionary instruction is an essential part of such training, and must therefore be provided in such ways as the needs of the local school demand. Because missions are so intimately and vitally related to Bible study, prayer, singing, giv- ing, personal service, temperance, and other subjects dealt with in the Sunday-school, the topic can be in- troduced in a natural and normal way practically every week, as an integral part of the session. It should never be "tacked on" or "lugged in;" its place is fundamental. Missions Essentially Unique Missionary instruction cannot be regarded in exactly the same way as are some other subjects in the cur- riculum, such as temperance teaching, Bible geography, Bible history, Church history, instruction in Church doctrine and polity. These subjects, important and necessary, do not, however, suggest the spirit in which, or the standpoint from which, every lesson should be taught. Missions is really the central theme of the Bible, so that whatever part of it is studied, whether 1 2 Five Missionary Minutes historical, poetical, prophetical, or doctrinal, it should be approached in the spirit of one who desires spiritual truth for the purpose of fitting him to find his place and to do his duty in the expanding kingdom of God. For this reason we are not only warranted, but com- pelled, to plan for missionary education for the entire year. Missions Must be Introduced Normally Missions every Sunday does not mean the revolu- tionizing and complete overturning of the Sunday- school session, but rather the introduction of the mis- sionary idea into the regular opening or closing period of worship in a normal way. The purpose is not to show how ingeniously the missionary idea can be brought forward, but how naturally it is related to the development of spiritual life, and how aptly it fits into the regular session. Five-Minutes-a-Sunday Method Owing to the brevity of time of the Sunday-school session, and the lack of facilities for more intensive and effective work, the plan of missionary instruction presented in this volume is the only one that is feasible in a very large number of Sunday-schools. It is hoped, however, that the Sunday-school that uses this " five- minutes-a-Sunday method " for a year or more, will be led in due time to undertake in certain classes or departments, at least, more thorough mission study. Its Advantages Some very distinct advantages of the " fire-minutes- a-Sunday method " are apparent. 1. It is simple but effective. 2. It does not require extensive preparation. 3. The items are very brief. 4. There is great variety of material. 5. There is much variety of presentation. 6. It produces definite missionary impression through consecutive presentation of missionary facts. 7. It will also help to remove prejudice to mission- Five Missionary Minutes 3 ary instruction in the Sunday-school; for it proves not only how interesting missions are, but how intimately they are related to the Christian life. The Missionary Five Minutes a Variable Period in the Session Emphasis should be laid upon the fact that there should not be a special and set five-minute period for the presentation of missionary material, always at the same hour, say at 9.35 a.m., or 10.40 a.m., or 3.15 p.m. every Sunday. This will defeat the very aim to make missionary education normal. By the Five Missionary Minutes we mean rather a brief period allotted from week to week at different times for the introduction of the missionary idea. Sometimes this may be in the opening period of worship, sometimes in the closing. The five minutes or less will be utilized whenever the material in hand can be most effectively presented. CHAPTER II MISSIONS IN THE WORSHIP OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL The worship of the Sunday-school ordinarily in- cludes the singing of hymns, prayer, the reading of Scripture, and the presentation of offerings. The aim of this book is to introduce through these features the missionary idea in a natural way. Missionary Introductions to Hymns and Mission- ary Hymns In addition to the specific missionary hymns to be found in most hymnals, many other hymns have a broad missionary significance because of their relation to certain events in Church or mission history. To call attention to these incidents when announcing the hymn will help the pupils to enter into the situation, and, 4 Five Missionary Minutes therefore, to appreciate its missionary bearing. This is what is meant by a missionary " hymn introduction." Who can fail ever afterward to associate the stories connected with " All hail the power of Jesus' name," " Onward, Christian soldiers," and " How firm a foundation," related on pages 30, 65, and 109, when once they have been told? Missionary Introductions to Prayer The Church as a whole and its individual members in particular need to give much larger place to inter- cessory prayer. Training in this form of prayer should be given in the Sunday-school. The sphere of much prayer now offered in the average Sunday-school is too limited. Blessings are asked upon the local school and the work of the day, but the systematic presentation of great world needs in the public prayer is not con- templated. To engage in intelligent intercessory prayer for mis- sions one must enlarge his missionary knowledge, and, on the other hand, an acquaintance with the facts, needs, and conditions will stimulate intercessory prayer and, at the same time, the devotional life. In the Prayer Introductions that follow in Part II, some brief missionary incidents are so given as to lead most naturally and directly to prayer. While due re- gard should be given to the development of systematic prayer for great world topics, it must be remembered that to pray for China, for example, in the abstract will never be as vital as to pray for some particular individual in China, or some form of work presented in a concrete incident. The value of Prayer Introduc- tions lies, therefore, in their concreteness, so that definite prayer follows logically. The use of these missionary Introductions to Prayer in Part II is not meant to take the place of the de- nominational or interdenominational prayer cycles which provide a plan for both systematic and definite prayer. Denominational cycles can be obtained from the various Mission Boards, and interdenominational prayer cycles, at ten cents each, from the Missionary Five Missionary Minutes 5 Education Movement, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City, and the Student Volunteer Movement, 125 East 27th Street, New York City. In the Appendix to the Kev. Andrew Murray's Ministry of Intercession will be found an excellent cycle entitled " Pray without Ceas- ing." It can be had in leaflet form from the Fleming H. Eevell Co., New York, at 3 cents a copy, 35 cents a dozen. Missionary Introductions to Scripture Lessons In the Sunday-schools that use the Uniform Les- sons the Scripture passage in the worship of the school is usually the Uniform Lesson for the day, or some parallel passage relating to it, or an entirely different passage selected by the superintendent. With the in- creasing use of Graded Lessons many of the schools are adopting the las't-mentioned course. Either con- secutive Scripture is read from week to week, or a selected passage is chosen for the day. The use of the selected passage not only gives variety, but the superintendent can determine the particular message he desires to enforce by means of the Scripture lessons. As in the case of the hymns, many passages of Scripture not distinctly missionary in content have a missionary significance because of their connection with missionary events or incidents. It is just here that the Missionary Introductions to Scripture passages presented in this book furnish to the superintendent selected material which he can use to convey a mis- sionary impression. Missionary Education Through Giving Kingdom Day is a title which has been applied to that Sunday in the year when the Sunday-school takes its annual pledges for missionary offerings on the weekly or monthly basis. The observance of such a day in every Sunday-school is strongly urged. Whether such a day is observed or not, surely the school should be given constant opportunity to contribute to mis- sionary and other benevolent causes. The incidents on 6 Five Missionary Minutes Giving contained in Part II have all been grouped to- gether with a view to leading up through successive Sundays to Kingdom Day. The interest thus aroused should lead to some definite consecration of money by members of the school. Care must be exercised not to arouse interest without providing and suggesting proper and adequate expression. Schools that have not adopted systematic giving with the use of individual pledges should correspond with their denominational Mission Board regarding plans and methods. In schools where Kingdom Day and individual pledge cards are not in use, the items under Giving may be reported as incentives to the school to give generously to missions by whatever financial plan the offerings are received. It is important that definite reports should be made from time to time to the school regarding the disburse- ment of the money. If your school is contributing to some specific work at home or abroad, you should re- ceive from your Mission Board letters three or four times a year telling about the work. If your school is contributing to the general work of your Board, some brief report should be made occasionally, showing the use of the money that has been contributed. How to introduce such a report is told on page 79. CHAPTER HI PERSONAL SERVICE Church Membership Must be Trained for Service The development of Christian character demands that the individual should engage in some form of per- sonal Christian service. To express oneself entirely by proxy tends to dwarf spiritual growth and to atrophy spiritual energies. Many Christians, instead of en- gaging in personal Christian work and testimony, have come to regard these as the particular work of evangel- Five Missionary Minutes 7 ists or pastors. The consequence is that we have to- day in America largely an untrained Church. If the Church is to fulfil its true mission, it cannot content itself with training a few individuals here and there for leadership and activity. It must address itself to the larger task of training its entire membership for effective service. Missionary Education Directs into Service One of the chief values, therefore, of missionary edu- cation in the Sunday-school is that it directs the energies of the young people into definite forms of Christian service, — to visit the sick, to carry flowers to the shut-ins, to bring happiness into the life of the desolate and afflicted, to secure members for the Sunday-school and church, and to send boxes of cloth- ing, toys, and other articles to the mission field. These are a few of the many forms of Christian service which may be engaged in. Utilization of Waste Material One of the most practical forms of useful missionary activity is the sending to the mission fields such waste material as Primary picture cards, the quarterly pic- ture rolls, illustrated story papers and magazines, scrap-books, picture post-cards, all of which should be in good condition and not broken or soiled. The World's Sunday School Association has established at its office, 1 Madison Avenue, New York City, the Depart- ment for Utilizing Surplus Material, and by writing to its Superintendent at the address just given, you will be put in touch at once with some missionary on the field at home or abroad to whom you can send your waste material. Be sure to mention your denomination in full. Reports of Personal Service Stimulate Activity and Worship These various activities in which pupils may engage will be suggested either by the teachers to their classes, 8 Five Missionary Minutes or by the superintendent to the school as a whole, or by both. To express an appeal for personal service, to state a method of work, or to give a report of some- thing done may produce responses from the pupils, when mention of these things is made, which will con- stitute a very high type of religious worship. This justifies the mention of these things in the worship periods of the Sunday-school session. In addition to this feature of worship in the Sun- day-school session, it must be remembered that the actual engaging in personal service is also an act of worship. There are a few specific suggestions in this connection under the caption " Recruiting for Service," in Part II, such as items for the eleventh, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-eighth, and forty-fifth Sundays, and the leader will doubtless see on other Sundays oppor- tunities for similar emphasis. CHAPTER IV MISSIONARY MISCELLANY In addition to the specific items mentioned in Chap- ter II under " Missions in the Worship of the Sunday- school," the opening and closing periods afford oppor- tunity for presenting large variety of other missionary material, such as Field Items, Book and Magazine An- nouncements, Field Letters. Field Items One day Bishop Selwyn of New Zealand, while vis- iting Judge Patteson in England, " said, half in play- fulness and half in earnest : ' Lady Patteson, will you give me Coley? ' She started, but did not say no; and when, independently of this, her son told her that it was his greatest desire to go with the bishop, she re- plied that if he kept that wish when he grew up he should have her blessing and consent." Years after- ward Coleridge Patteson joined Bishop Selwyn in his labors in the South Sea Islands. Five Missionary Minutes 9 In the Sunday-school composed largely of young people of impressionable age one never knows what may come from the sowing of missionary seed. The mere dropping of a remark, or telling of a brief story from the mission field may result in missionary deci- sions. This justifies the taking of three to five min- utes occasionally for the presentation of striking field items. Book and Magazine Announcements In a year's time considerable missionary knowledge will be gained by any Sunday-school that follows the " five-minutes-a-Sunday method " of instruction. It is very necessary, however, to supplement this method and any class study that may be done, by stimulating the reading of missionary literature outside the Sun- day-school session. There are scores of readable missionary books appearing every year for all ages, and the Missionary Committee of the school should keep in touch with these books and recommend from time to time their reading. Some of them should be purchased and put in the Sunday-school library. If this is not feasible, then see if the public library will not secure them. The librarians of many such li- braries are glad to provide any books that the Sunday- school workers of the community desire. This sug- gests the close cooperation that should exist among the Missionary Committees of all the Sunday-schools of a community or neighborhood. How to Get Books Read In order to get books read, interest must be aroused in them.* This often can be done in a progressive way. For example, many people who would not at the outset read Underwood's The Call of Korea, would be attracted to it after reading Mrs. Baird's Daybreak in Korea. Gale's Korean Sketches, though a delight- ful book, is a title which might not appeal at first to some people who would read The Vanguard, by the * See the author's Missionary Methods for Sunday School Workers, chapter XII. 10 Five Missionary Minutes same author, which is semi-fiction. The Missionary Committee may definitely plan, sometime, to arouse in- terest in missionary volumes by beginning with a book of fiction which deals with some phase of missionary work, and thus lead gradually on to the distinctly mis- sionary volume. This principle applies also to magazine articles. In fact, many people who will not read a book will read a magazine. By recommending books after the manner illustrated on the twelfth, twenty-second, thirty-sixth, and forty-fourth Sundays, it will be possible not only to get these books read, but the incident announcing them will furnish valuable missionary information even in case the book is not read. Care must be taken to recommend books that will appeal to the natural inter- ests of particular grades. In general, stories of ad- venture, daring, travel, and biography will appeal to most young people. Keep abreast of the latest mis- sionary literature, and recommend also some of the older classics. For lists of good missionary books, write to your own denominational Mission Board, or to the Missionary Education Movement, 156 Fifth Ave- nue, New York City, mentioning your denomination when you write. Field Letters The particular value of a missionary letter in a Sunday-school lies in the fact that it comes as a per- sonal message from workers in the mission field. It is the next best thing to the presence of the missionary himself. Different types of missionary letters are avail- able. For example : 1. Letters from the missionary or missionaries at home and abroad to whose support the school con- tributes. 2. Letters received by individual members of the church or Sunday-school from friends on the field, some of whom may have been former members of the local church or school. 3. Letters in the missionary magazines and religious press. Five Missionary Minutes 11 4. Selected letters in the biographies of great mis- sionaries, such as those of David Livingstone, John Kenneth Mackenzie, James Gilmour of Mongolia, George Grenfell of the Kongo, Bishop Hannington, and others. 5. Letters from natives on the mission field. Use Extracts, Not Entire Letters Seldom, if ever, should an entire missionary letter be read to the Sunday-school, unless it is very brief. Time does not permit a long letter, and it is almost impossible to hold the attention throughout its reading. If it is a long letter, and even if it is intensely inter- esting all the way through, it is better to select choice extracts from it for public presentation, adding that these are but a few of the good things it contains. If deemed wise, it might be added that copies will be ready for distribution at the close of the school on applica- tion to the Missionary Correspondence Secretary. It is well thus to whet the appetite. What to Do with " Dull " Letters Letters which seem dull and lack the narrative and concrete elements, should be carefully scanned for the facts that they contain, and instead of reading paragraphs from the letter itself, the facts should be clothed in another form, and a point of contact be- tween them and the local Sunday-school should be found. Thus even a dull letter may provide the basis of a most interesting presentation of missionary in- formation. Instead of berating the missionary, if the letter be dull, let the school set itself to secure some one who can take hold of even a most ordinary mis- sionary letter, and place its statement in a new and glowing setting, thereby really transforming that letter into a message that the school will delight to hear. Present the Letter to the School with Animation Whoever presents a missionary letter must do it with animation and enthusiasm. If it is read in a singsong, 12 Five Missionary Minutes monotonous tone, without any animation, even the choicest letter may be ruined. Everything depends upon the spirit and manner of presentation. Be Familiar with It Be sure to be perfectly familiar with the letter be- fore attempting to read it in public. Mark the parts you are to read, so that the eye will readily catch them. If the letter is written by hand and not by type- writer, be sure in advance that it is legible to you, for if it is read haltingly because of inability to de- cipher it, the whole effect will be lost. Variety in Presentation A variety of ways of presenting letters to a Sunday- school is illustrated in Part II, and these methods may be applied to other missionary letters received from time to time. Just how a particular letter will be presented will depend largely on its contents, and the particular end in view. The selection of certain ex- tracts and the exclusion of others must be determined by local needs and conditions, as well as by the factor of interest. In order that Sunday-school workers may study fully the typical methods of presentation, the actual letter as written by a missionary is given in Part II as well as its " adaptation " for local use. Write to Your Missionary The missionary can be helped to write better letters if he is told the kind of things the school wants to know. For instance, ask the missionary to send the story of what it cost some Hindu girl or boy in the mission school to break caste and become a Christian, to give the details, so that the picture may glow, or ask for a word picture of some of the actual needs he has seen on his last itinerating trip. Comment upon some statements he has made in his last letter to the school, indicating that you have actually read it. A missionary in the Philippines makes this state- ment, which is apropos: Five Missionary Minutes 13 " If friends at home would write more, they would be doing real missionary service. Letters from societies and individuals, whether acquainted or not, not ' missionary letters,' but bright, newsy letters, telling what is going on in the church, about their work and about their frolics, would be like a touch of a friendly hand across the water, and would bring a ray of light into what might happen to be a dark day. Most people seem to think that the missionary should do all the writing ; but we don't think so.'' Some Sunday-schools complain about infrequent let- ters from the field, and never think of sending any re- ply whatsoever to the missionary. Some missionaries have yet to receive their first letter from the Sunday- school or other organization to whom they are send- ing repeated communications. If you expect interest- ing letters from the field, you can help to secure them by writing direct to the missionary and revealing that you have some personal, living interest in him. Encourage the pupils to write personally to the mis- sionary. It will cheer his heart to know that he is thought of at home and that his work is remembered. Of course, he cannot write individual replies to all such letters, and they should not be expected, but there is hardly a missionary anywhere who will not gladly send to the correspondents of any Sunday-school or church a group letter, and this will meet every ordinary demand. A personal interest can then be established between the Sunday-school and the missionary, and when he is home on furlough, a visit from him to the Sunday-school will be eagerly anticipated by both parties. A Missionary Correspondence Secretary Some member of the Missionary Committee of the Sunday-school should be in charge of this correspond- ence with the field, and may be called Missionary Cor- respondence Secretary. This person should encourage the members of the school to write to the missionary and see that the letters are forwarded when so re- quested. The letters given in Part II are chosen simply as typical letters, the contents of which may with profit be brought to the attention of any Sunday-school. 14 Five Missionary Minutes CHAPTER V SPECIAL DAYS AND OCCASIONS Special Days and Occasions as Missionary Points of Contact In the Sunday-school year certain days have become recognized as occasions for special observance, such as Easter, Children's Day, Rally Day, and Christmas. Sunday-school publishers and Mission Boards, at such times, offer for use in the school appropriate programs and exercises. It is not necessary, therefore, in this volume to present any such complete services. There have been gathered together, however, in Part III a number of items and incidents from the mission field bearing on the New Year, Easter, Children's Day, a na- tional day, such as Dominion Day for Canada and In- dependence Day for the United States, Thanksgiving, World's Peace Sunday, and Christmas. Schools that may not observe all of these special days with a formal program may desire to use some of the items suggested in Part in. Schools that observe Temperance Sunday quarterly will find items relating to the temperance problem on the mission field on the twenty-fifth, thirty-eighth, and forty-eighth Sundays, and in Part III an item appropri- ate for World's Temperance Sunday. CHAPTER VI HOW TO USE THE MATERIAL Note. — By all means read this chapter before using any of the material in Part II. This Volume Much More Than a Compilation Two persons told the same story. In one case the audience laughed heartily, in the other case there was a tense and painful silence. The difference lay, not Five Missionary Minutes 15 in the story material, but in the telling of it. The following pages are, therefore, much more than a com- pilation of missionary information. They show in addition how to present the information; for on this everything depends. Care has been taken to select material which is fresh and interesting. Like care must be taken by those who present it to make it graphic. Assignments of the items in Parts II or III to those who will present them to the school should be made at least one week in advance to insure adequate preparation. How to Secure Effective Presentations If really effective results are to be secured, those who present any of the items given in this book should observe carefully the following suggestions: 1. Know your story or incident. Do not be satisfied with a general idea of what you are to tell; but know it minutely, absolutely. Tell it over to yourself or to a friend before trying it on the Sunday-school. After you think you have the material in mind, write it out, and then compare it with the original. Elim- inate all unnecessary ideas, and come to the point as quickly as possible. Be sure you know what point you want to make, for unless this is clear-cut in your own mind, there is no likelihood of your audience finding it out. Says Mrs. Sara Cone Bryant in her admirable book, How to Tell Stories to Children: "One must know the story absolutely; it must have been so assimilated that it partakes of the nature of personal experience; its essence must be so clearly in mind that the teller does not have to think of it at all in the act of telling, but rather lets it flow from his lips with the uncon- scious freedom of a vivid reminiscence. " Such knowledge does not mean memorizing. Memorizing utterly destroys the freedom of remi- niscence, takes away the spontaneity, and substitutes a mastery of form for a mastery of essence. It means, rather, a perfect grasp of the gist of the story, with sufficient familiarity with its form to determine the 16 Five Missionary Minutes manner of its telling. The easiest way to obtain this mastery is, I think, to analyze the story into its simplest elements of plot. Strip it bare of style, description, in- terpolation, and find out simply what happened. Per- sonally, I find that I get first an especially vivid concep- tion of the climax; this then has to be rounded out by a clear perception of the successive steps which lead up to the climax. One has, so, the framework of the story. The next process is the filling in." 2. Feel the story, that is, catch its spirit from very familiarity with it. You cannot make others see and feel its power unless you do so yourself. You must ap- preciate it if your audience is to do so. If you know, appreciate, and feel the story or incident, then you will just ache to tell it. If you are in this mood, there will then be no question as to its reception by your hearers. A few suggestions may, however, be in place. The quotations are taken from Mrs. Bryant's book above mentioned. (1) Tell it simply and naturally. " Think of the story so absorbingly and vividly that you have no room to think of yourself. Live it. Sink yourself in that mood you have summoned up and let it carry you." This is essential. (2) Tell it with directness. " The incidents should be told in logical sequence. Nothing is more dis- tressing than the cart-before-the-horse method. Brev- ity, close logical sequence, exclusion of foreign matter, unhesitant speech, — to use these is to tell a story di- rectly." (3) Tell it dramatically. That is, " not in the man- ner of the elocutionist, not excitably, not any of the things which are incompatible with simplicity and sin- cerity; but with a whole-hearted throwing of one's self into the game, which identifies one in a manner with the character or situation of the moment. It means responsively, vividly, without interposing a blank wall of solid self between the drama of the tale and the mind's eye of the audience. The dramatic quality of story-telling depends closely upon the clearness and power with which the story-teller visualizes the events Five Missionary Minutes 17 and characters he describes. You must hold the image before the mind's eye, using your imagination to body forth to yourself every act, incident, and appearance. You must, indeed, stand at the window of your con- sciousness and watch what happens. This is a point so vital that I am tempted to put it in ornate type. You must see what you say!" (4) Tell it with zest. It is necessary to be interested in your story as you tell it. If you do not appreciate it, if it bores you, it is certain that your audience will also be bored. (5) Tell it briefly. Keep strictly to the time limitv usually not exceeding five minutes for any single item. Many of them can be given in three minutes, and some in two. Before you present your item to the school, time yourself in advance by repeating it to some mem- ber of your family. See if this person catches the point you are trying to make. (6) Speak distinctly and loudly enough to be heard easily by every one in the room, or you will have rest- lessness and inattention. (7) Avoid everything that savors of " talking down " to the scholars. Never address a Sunday-school as " children," " my dear children," or as " little ones." Such phrases young people resent so strongly that they will not be attracted by anything the speaker may say. (8) Avoid moralizing. Above all, do not moralize or give a short homily. The very purpose of the incident will then be defeated, and the scholars will vote mis- sions a bore. The audience will draw its own moral quickly enough. There should be reliance upon the cooperation of the Spirit of God to secure this, " Ex- planations and moralizing," says Mrs. Bryant, " are mostly sheer clutter." No one should be discouraged over the idea that he is unable to speak effectively in public. If the sugges- tions above given are followed carefully and prayer- fully, there is no reason why any one with ordinary intelligence may not learn to speak before an audience successfully. 18 Five Missionary Minutes Why the Term " Leader " is Employed In the suggestions accompanying the items in Part II, the word " Leader " has been used instead of " Superintendent " for the reason that the Superintend- ent should not always present the missionary material. He should do so sometimes, but it is desirable to have many members of the school take part throughout the year. Leader's Suggestions The suggestions given for the Leader must not be carried out perfunctorily or mechanically, but spon- taneously. If he is going to give verbatim the sug- gestions found in the text he must not, of course, have the book in his hand and read them, nor should he re- peat them in a wooden sort of way, but he must make the ideas his own, and then speak spontaneously. To have freshness and crispness the suggestions should appeal with the force of originality to him, or else they will fall flat. Speak with fire, earnestness, and vigor, and there will be no doubt as to the effect pro- duced. Fresh Missionary Material The local missionary workers should be on the out- look constantly for fresh news from the mis- sion fields at home and abroad. This is being pub- lished constantly in the missionary magazines, Church papers, and even in the secular press. Keep the school in touch with current events, especially as these are related to the progress of the kingdom of God. Some items as they appear in print will require rearrange- ment and adaptation before presentation to the school, if they are to become graphic and vital. If the items are to grip the pupils, they must have points of con- tact with them. Study the different ways of presenta- tion given in the text in order to see how such points of contact are secured. An Example of Rearrangement An illustration is herewith given of two ways of pre- senting the same material. Five Missionary Minutes 19 AN INTERESTED STUDENT IN THE PHILIPPINES One bright young man of twenty walks to Albay every Saturday afternoon, a distance of thirteen miles, to study Bible lessons with Mr. Brown, so that he may impart to others in the ensuing week the things he learns in the class. Lately he has been bringing others with him. He complains that two hours at a stretch is not long enough for him ; he wants the whole afternoon. Or exactly the same information might be given in this way: Leader— \ wonder how many good walkers we have here in our school ? Did any of you walk as much as a mile to get here to-day ? Well, out in the Philippines there is a bright young fellow of twenty, who walks thirteen miles every Saturday afternoon— what for ? To have Bible study under the direction of Mr. Brown, the missionary at Albay. The newspapers reported that a New Jersey boy walked most of the distance from his home near Newark to the Polo Grounds in New York City to see one of the 'World Championship baseball games. He did it because he was interested. Now this Filipino young man takes his thirteen-mile walk because he is interested, and he does it every week. He has one complaint to make, however ; not that the walk is too long, but that the two-hour study period is too short. He wants the whole afternoon. I am sure there is good stuff in that young man, aren't you ? I know it, not only because he is so interested in Bible study for him- self; but because what he learns each week he passes on to others. Some of these persons are getting interested, too, and have joined him in his walk to Albay to study with Mr. Brown. An Example of Adaptation It will be noted that some items are capable of pres- entation to different grades and must then be adapted accordingly. Others by their very nature are suitable only for a single grade. As an example of adaptation, the same incident is herewith presented first for the Senior, then for the Junior Grade. Senior Presentation orphans in india contribute to home missions In the orphanage at Ratnagiri, India, a special collection was taken for the National Missionary Society. The orphans wanted very much to help in this work for their own people. The boys had money and gave very liberally. The girls did not have any money, 20 Five Missionary Minutes but they were very anxious to give. It was suggested to them that perhaps God wanted them to make some sacrifice. Later they came and said they wanted to do without mutton for a month. They have mutton curry once a week, and it is their best meal. Wheu asked what curry should be given them in place of it, they replied, " We shall eat only rice that meal ; we want to give it all." In this way they gave four rupees to Home Missions. Junior Presentation WHY THE GIRLS IN INDIA GAVE UP MUTTON AND CURRY I wonder if anybody here likes a good dinner, when hungry ? Why, of course, you do. What are some of the things you like ? Note. — Get such answers as roast beef, turkey, chicken, corn, beans, apple pie, ice-cream, etc. ; suggesting some of these, If the school does not readily respond. In warm countries, the people like hot things to eat and highly seasoned food. In India, for example, one of the favorite dishes is rice and curry. Curry is a kind of sauce containing garlic, pepper, ginger, and other strong spices. Now I want to tell you what some Christian schoolgirls in an orphanage at Ratnagiri, India, did when they wanted to give an offering to home missions. They had no money. Once a week they had mutton for dinner. They decided they would do without mutton for a month, their best meal of the whole week, and give the money that would thus be saved to the National Missionary Society of India. It was as if you or I would give up, for a whole month, the thing we like most at our best dinner all the week. But not only did these girls give up their mutton dinner; they went without their curry also and ate only rice for that meal. By doing this they were able to give, how much do you suppose ? Four rupees or one dollar and twenty-eight cents to home missions. Adapt Material and Presentation to Departments Some items, such as those dealing with the details of the opium curse or certain kinds of medical cases, may be appropriate only for adults; and others will make their most natural appeal only to very juvenile minds, such as anecdotes regarding little children and child life. Care must, therefore, be exercised in selecting items for use in the Sunday-school that regard is paid to the grade or grades to which they are to be presented. Five Missionary Minutes 21 Items for the " Main School," where several grades gather, may be addressed usually to Intermediates, and will then be generally acceptable to the rest. Some variety of presentation to different grades in the " Main School " should be sought, however. One week the item may be peculiarly suitable for Juniors, an- other Sunday to Intermediates or Seniors. In the items and suggested presentations in the text in Part II, this has been kept in mind. The story of Santa Claus in Korea, for instance, page 118, is meant for Juniors. To them it will make a strong appeal, but Intermediates will prefer the story of the Stolen Bible, on page 73. Typical Presentations Offered It has, of course, been impossible within the limits of the present volume to present the endless variety of ways in. which much of the material might be given. Typical ways, however, have been presented and abundantly illustrated. The Sunday-school worker with ordinary originality will therefore use much of the material, not only in the setting in which the par- ticular item may be given in the text, but in various other ways as well. For example, the Field Item, " A Dramatic Close to a Prayer Meeting," page 27, might be used as a Prayer Introduction. The Prayer In- troduction, "Kepeating and Praying the Lord's Prayer," page 28, and the Scripture Introduction, "Facing Death Without Flinching," page 29, might each be used as a Field Item. The Field Item, "A Laos Evangelist Tears His Bible in Pieces," page 85, might be used in connection with a Scripture Introduc- tion and Psalm cxix. 97-104. Provide Opportunity for Expression Opportunity for expression of interest aroused through the missionary impression should be ade- quately provided for. The purpose of telling the mis- sionary items and incidents that follow is not merely to stir an emotion, provoke a smile, or arouse a tem- porary interest. The aim is rather to secure a right ^ttitude of mind toward, and a wise guidance of activ- ity for missions both home and foreign. Part II MATERIAL FOR FIFTY-TWO SUNDAYS ARRANGEMENT OF THE MATERIAL Method of Treatment In the following outline of topics for Fifty-two Sun- days, both home and foreign missions are impartially treated. If more foreign mission material is used than home, it is not because any distinction is drawn be- tween these two phases of the work. The geographical extent of foreign missions being so much larger than that of home missions, more space is required to give any fair representation of the work abroad carried on by the various denominations. The purpose through- out has been to make a missionary, not a home mission- ary nor a foreign missionary impression. The limits of the Fifty-two topics of Five Mis- sionary Minutes do not permit the mention of all mis- sion fields, but the following subjects at home and abroad are treated : Alaska, Canada, Immigrants, Indians, Labrador, Mountaineers, New Mexico, Negroes, North American Frontier, Porto Rico; Africa, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Syria. If some country is mentioned in which your denom- ination is not at work, do not hesitate to use the item, as we should train the Sunday-school to a broader in- terest than the denominational. In the arrangement of material, care has been taken to present in each quarter a temperance item,* a field letter, a book announcement, and a reference to some form of practical Christian activity or service in which the members of the school should engage. The remain- * See note on page 25. 22 Five Missionary Minutes 23 ing Sundays of each quarter present the various topics mentioned in the Index, the aim being to balance well the arrangement of material from the various home and foreign fields, and also to offer variety of presenta- tion from week to week. Any rearrangement of the topics may be made to suit local needs, but when doing so, care should be taken to balance the material properly, and to secure variety of presentation. In Part III will be found material for the following Special Days and Occasions: New Year, Easter, Chil- dren's Day, a Patriotic Day (July First for Canada, July Fourth for United States), World's Temperance Sunday, Thanksgiving, World's Peace Sunday, Christmas. Missions and Character From the standpoint of the Sunday-school, the value of the missionary material presented in the following pages must lie in its contribution to the development of Christian character. The items should not be in- troduced simply because they may be interesting, or even because they are missionary, but rather because they are the kind of missionary material that con- tributes to character development by meeting the needs of the pupil at the varying stages of his growth. On the other hand, it must be kept in mind that character development is quite impossible apart from personal service for others, which is only another term for mis- sionary endeavor. The Sunday-school pupil must necessarily be trained to engage in personal service for his fellow men, and missionary instruction provides in large measure the impulse for such service. Mission- ary education, therefore, becomes essential in the Sun- day-school curriculum. Adapt Material to Needs The person who presents any of the items in the fol- lowing pages should keep clearly in mind the needs of certain pupils and study how best the item may be adapted to the recognized needs of a particular grade or grades. 24 Five Missionary Minutes For example, the Scripture Introduction on the First Sunday, " The Verses that Led to Neesima's Conver- sion," has value because it finds a point of contact in the life of the average Intermediate pupil, who is face to face with the great question of his own con- version. The courage of Dr. Lewis in fighting the dreaded pneumonic plague, recounted on the fourth Sunday, is a fine example of heroism not only for Juniors, but for the entire school. The value to the Sunday-school session in the statements of the Student Volunteers given on the eleventh Sunday lies in the appeal to Seniors, who are facing the problem of what to do with their own lives. Cultural Value the Test It is at once evident, therefore, that such material as Five Missionary Minutes presents is useful, not merely as a collection of missionary items, but because the items have cultural value and make an appeal to the natural interests of growing Sunday-school pupils and contribute to the development of their character. Only on this ground has such a book a rightful place in the Sunday-school, however useful it might be out- side. But from the standpoint of character develop- ment it becomes a necessity. PRESENTATION OF THE MATERIAL FIRST QUARTER* FIRST SUNDAY SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION THE VERSES THAT LED TO NEESIMA'S CON- VERSION Scripture Lesson : Genesis i. 1 ; John iii. 16. Instead of referring to our Bibles for our Scripture lesson to-day, I wish that we might repeat together from memory two verses — one from the Old Testament and the other from the New. There is a story con- nected with them. In 1843 there was born in Japan a boy by the name of Neesima.f This was ten years before Commodore Perry opened up Japan to trade with the out- side world. When Neesima was born, the Japanese had nothing to do with foreigners. It was a capital crime for a Japanese to leave his own country. Nee- sima, however, had a great aim. It was to acquire West- ern learning, and so he made his way to one of the ports, Hakodate, where he hoped he might board an English or American boat and so escape to America. He longed not only for Western learning, but for knowledge of God, because he had lost faith in his family gods which stood on the shelf in his home. He noticed that they never touched the food that was placed before them. One day he got hold of a Bible in the Chinese language and was greatly struck by the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis. ♦ Notb.— As no Temperance item is classified under this Quarter, one will be found in Part III, World's Temperance Sunday, t Pronounce, Nee'-si-ma. 25 26 Five Missionary Minutes Let us repeat it together. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This statement answered some of the questions that had been in Neesima's mind. God was the creator, and from that time on he used to pray, "Please let me reach my aim." On reaching Hakodate, he made arrangements with the captain of an American schooner for passage to Shanghai. He ran a great risk, for if detected it meant certain death. God, however, watched over him and enabled him to escape. This was on July 18, 1864. After he reached Shanghai, Neesima found another American vessel, the Wild Rover, bound for Boston, and persuaded the captain to employ him as his per- sonal servant. It was a year before the schooner reached its destination. While they were in Hongkong, Neesima discovered a Chinese New Testament in a bookstore, and he deter- mined to have it. He had no money, so he decided to part with his sword which he always wore. He read the book day and night and found in it answers to many questions which had perplexed his mind. The verse we have already repeated and John iii. 16 were the two that led Neesima to become a Christian. Let us repeat together these two verses. " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." Adapted from Hardy, Life and Letters of Joseph Hardy Neesima. Five Missionary Minutes 27 SECOND SUNDAY FIELD ITEM A DRAMATIC CLOSE TO A PRAYER MEETING I want you to see some word-pictures. One is of a band of Assiniboin * Indians meeting in a large wig- wam in Saskatchewan f several hundred miles west of the Rocky Mountains. Some years before, a missionary named Rundle had brought to them the gospel, but as he was compelled to return to England they had had no missionary teacher for some years. These Indians, however, had cherished what they had been taught, and as we look upon them in the wigwam, they are holding a prayer-meeting. Another picture shows us Henry Steinhauer, a mis- sionary, on his way to these very Indians. For ten weeks he has been traveling to reach them, and when the hour for camping for the night draws near, he still has several miles to travel to the village. He is so anxious, however, to reach the Indians that he keeps on his way and reaches their village just as they are holding their prayer service in the big wigwam. As he approaches the wigwam, he hears singing, and is surprised, because he had expected to hear the droning of the Indian medicine-men or conjurers. In- stead, it is a Christian hymn. He can hardly believe his ears. He draws near to listen, and after the hymn he hears prayers of thanksgiving, and then this petition : "Lord, send us another missionary like Rundle. Lord, send us a missionary to teach us out of thy Word more about thyself and thy Son, Jesus." During the prayer, Mr. Steinhauer lifts the tanned leather door of the wigwam, enters, and bows down on his knees with the Indians. When they arise, he tells them who he is and that he has come to be their mis- sionary. They are overjoyed, and welcome him with shouts and tears of gladness, as though he had just * Pronounce, As-sin'-i-boin. f Pronounce, Sas-katch'-e-wan. 28 Five Missionary Minutes come down from heaven to dwell among them in answer to their prayer. Adapted from Young, The Apostle of the North, James Evans. THIRD SUNDAY PRAYER INTRODUCTION REPEATING AND PRAYING THE LORD'S PRAYER The native supervising principal of schools of a very important district in Porto Rico is now an earnest Christian man. The Bible is studied daily in his home at the family altar, and he is exerting a wide in- fluence for Christ. It was through hearing the Lord's Prayer reverently prayed in English, and not just repeated, in the San Juan High School one morning, before the scholars be- gan the work of the day, that he realized the truths this prayer contains, and was thus led step by step to be- come a Christian. Having been brought up in the Roman Catholic Church as a boy, he had memorized the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Church doctrines in Spanish, but they were never explained to him, and they brought no spiritual teaching. As he grew older, he drifted off into doubt and unbelief. After being aroused to the truth of a personal God and that he himself was an immortal soul, through hearing the Lord's Prayer really prayed, he visited the Protestant church and Sunday-school, became further interested, and began to study the Bible. He soon ac- cepted Christ, and his heart is now filled with a great longing to be used for the salvation of his fellow Porto Ricans. As we unite in the Lord's Prayer to-day, may we not just repeat it, but really pray it. And then will Mr continue for a moment, leading us, and asking God's blessing upon the schools in Porto Rico? Adapted from leaflet, " Finding the Truth in Porto Rico." Five Missionary Minutes 29 FOURTH SUNDAY SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION FACING DEATH WITHOUT FLINCHING Scripture Lesson : Psalm xci. Before we read together for our Scripture lesson to- day the ninety-first Psalm, I want to tell you an in- cident from China which should give to the Psalm new meaning. In the early part of 1911 the terrible pneumonic plague was raging in China. Dr. Charles Lewis of Paotingfu with other helpers was engaged in fighting it. This is what he says : Note. — It is suggested that the following three paragraphs be read : I think all of our Christians, both foreign and native, have done everything they could to help in this time of the people's needs, and all has been done that could be done to stop the tide of this pesti- lence. Thrown right into contact with such a deadly thing as this, makes one keep close to God, and it has caused me, besides observ- ing every one of his laws I knew of disinfection, also to commit to memory the 91st Psalm, which I have said over to myself many times a day, and it gives confidence, where I think fear would have come without it. I cannot say now, of course, that I am not infected and will not know for some days after I get back home that I am not, but my heart is at peace, for I am confident that I am doing my duty and am where he wants me just now. We are glad to say that Dr. Lewis was not stricken and that he was able to go back to his work in the hos- pital at Paotingfu. There are thousands of other men and women just as brave in danger, just as true and loyal, just as Christlike as he. Are you not glad that we can have a share in supporting the work of such missionaries? Now let us read together this Psalm which brought comfort to Dr. Lewis, the ninety-first. Adapted from a letter of Dr. Charles Lewis. 30 Five Missionary Minutes FIFTH SUNDAY HYMN INTRODUCTION ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME TUNE, MILES LANE George Grenfell was a missionary explorer on the Kongo in Africa from 1875 to 1906. One time while traveling along the Lomami River, one of the trib- utaries of the Kongo, at several of the landing-places he was welcomed by a choir of pupils from the mission schools with their teachers singing to the tune, Miles Lane, a translation of " All hail the power of Jesus' name." The strains of the music floated across the water be- fore the engines of the little vessel had stopped. As Grenfell listened, his heart was filled with gratitude to God, that these native Africans redeemed by Christ were now singing " Crown Him Lord of all." Grenfell knew what scenes of cruelty had been enacted on the banks of this very river before the gospel light had come. He had himself seen there the devastation and the smoking ruins left by the Arab slave-traders. But now better days had come. Do you wonder that the missionary, thrilled with emotion, joined with these converted Africans in sing- ing that wonderful coronation hymn? Let us imagine ourselves in Grenfell's company in the heart of Africa to-day, and stirred as was he, let our song of praise to Christ ring out " Crown Him Lord of all." Adapted from Hawker, The Life of George Grenfell. SIXTH SUNDAY FIELD ITEM TREATING DYSPEPSIA IN KOREA Leader — I wonder if any of you here to-day have ever had dyspepsia? Have you? Yes, I see some have. Well, it makes you quite uncomfortable. Five Missionary Minutes 31 A man in Korea had a bad case of it. A friend thought he could help him. So he got a reed two and a half feet long, tied a swab on the end of it, and then told the dyspeptic to open his mouth. He did so, and the friend inserted the reed, and pushed it down his throat in order to press the food past the sticking- point. Unfortunately, the reed broke off and left ten and a half inches of it and the swab in the man's stomach. After five days of suffering he was brought in on a chair to the mission hospital at Taiku. He could neither eat nor drink, and lay in a semi-conscious con- dition most of the time. The doctor gave him chloro- form and opened the abdomen. The piece of reed with swab attached was found in the stomach. It was ex- tracted and the patient made a fine recovery. What if there had been no missionary hospital ! Adapted from a letter of Dr. Woodbridge O. Johnson. SEVENTH SUNDAY SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION A COMMAND AND A PEOMISE Scripture Lesson: Matthew xxviii. 18-20. There are just three verses that I want you to consider for our Scripture lesson to-day, and I wish that we might all learn them if we do not know them already. One is a command and the other is a promise, and they are found side by side, in our Bibles. In fact you can- not separate them, for the promise can only be claimed if the command is obeyed. Before we turn to these verses in our Bibles, I want to tell you a story. David Livingstone was one of the greatest mis- sionaries of the nineteenth century. He gave his life to Africa, and spent much of his time exploring in an attempt to find a suitable way from the coast to the interior, so that lawful commerce and a chain of mis- sion stations might be established. On his way to the East coast he came into a region where the Loangwa and Zambezi Eivers join, that was 32 Five Missionary Minutes inhabited by very hostile natives. The chief refused to permit him to continue his journey, and yet it was ab- solutely necessary that Livingstone should go on. He was in great distress of mind, as he feared that all his plans to benefit that great region might be ended by these savages. His solace was in prayer, and in the three verses that we shall take as our Scripture lesson to-day, Matthew xxviii. 18-20. (Verse 18) " All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. (Verse 19) " Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Verse 20) "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you ; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.'' "It is the word of a gentleman of the most sacred and strictest honor, and there is an end on't," wrote Livingstone in his journal, January 14, 1856. The next day he and his caravan were allowed to proceed. Leader — To whom does authority belong, as declared in this passage? To Christ. How much authority or power? " All authority in heaven and on earth." In view of this, what is the command to Christ's fol- lowers ? "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Had David Livingstone obeyed this command? Yes. Had he any right, then, to claim the promise? Yes. Five Missionary Minutes 33 What is that promise? " Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Adapted from Blaikie, The Personal Life of David Liv- ingstone. EIGHTH SUNDAY FIELD ITEM AN INDIAN DEFENDS THE BIBLE Some years ago when Mormon missionaries went to the Province of Ontario in Canada, with the object of making converts, they held a meeting in which they belittled the Bible and told how the book of Mormon had been dug up out of the ground by Joseph Smith, and was a revelation from God much superior to the Bible. After the Mormon missionary finished, he asked if any one desired to make any remarks. As no white man arose to defend the Bible, John Sunday, a con- verted Indian, rose and said: A great many winters ago, the Great Spirit gave his good Book the Bible, to the white man over the great waters. He took it and read it, and it made his heart all over glad. By and by white man came over to this country, and brought the good Book with him. He gave it to poor Indian. He hear it, and understand it, and it make his heart very glad too. But when the Great Spirit gave his good Book to the white man, the evil spirit, the Muche-Manito, try to make a book too, and he try to make it like the Great Spirit made his, but he could not, and then he got so ashamed of it, that he go in the woods, and dig a hole in the ground, and there he hide his book. After lying there for many winters, Joe Smith go and dig it up. This is the book this preacher has been talking about. I hold fast to the good old Bible, which has made my heart so happy. I will have nothing to do with the devil's book. This quaint speech ended that Mormon's career in that neighborhood. From Young, The Apostle of the Northj James Evans, 34 Five Missionary Minutes NINTH SUNDAY FIELD ITEM HOW AN AFRICAN WITCH DOCTOR WAS PUT OUT OF BUSINESS In equatorial Africa an operation for appendicitis was performed in a cannibal village under very dra- matic circumstances. The village had never been vis- ited by a missionary before, but the fame of the medical healer, Dr. Dye, had gone before him, and the missionary found the natives very much excited upon his arrival. They brought to him a man who was very ill. On examination the doctor found that he was suffering from appendicitis. He told the natives that an operation would be necessary and described to them what he should do. They were wonder-struck at the suggestion of cutting open the sick man's body, but, since they thought the patient would die anyway, they were willing. Dr. Dye arranged an improvised operating-table in a little hollow, and the people gathered by hundreds on the sides of the ravine to watch him. He gave the an- esthetic, and, as the man passed into unconsciousness, the people all raised a shout, " The man is dead." Then they watched the skilful physician as he made the in- cision, removed the appendix, and sewed up the wound. Then a murmur passed around through the crowd, " He has killed the man, cut him open, taken his insides out, and sewed him up. Now can he bring him back to life?" In a few moments, sure enough, the patient revived, opened his eyes, and looked around. The natives were wonderfully excited. To them it was a miracle, indeed. They sent messengers everywhere proclaiming, " Come and hear the message of the white man, for he speaks with authority. He has killed a man, cut him open, removed his insides, sewed him up again, and brought him back to life." Dr. Dye relates that that operation overthrew the Five Missionary Minutes 35 power of the native witch-doctor and enabled him to plant a church in that village. From Missionary Programs of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society. TENTH SUNDAY PRAYER INTRODUCTION THE LORD'S PRAYER AMENDED Note. — It is suggested that before the school opens, the Lord's Prayer be copied on the blackboard in large letters, in view of the whole school. Then as the Leader talks and asks the school what part of it should be crossed out and changed by the person who does not believe in Missions, he will make the changes indicated below. If the words crossed out are then erased, it will be graphically evident how little is left of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. The Lord's Prayer Amended For the use of the man who doesn't believe in Missions "©ur Father Who art in Heaven, TTStfat&td -be. Thy. "Attjw*. *Th$,'Kliigihm coma. "ThySWHl "be- akma. w*. "Earth. As.-it.-is.'tn.Tiernten. Give -to this day th**. daily bread. And forgive *toth*2 debts, 74fr.*nw» f t n tftVc ow tfe ft f w* . "ttvjB. And lead -us. not into temptation, But deliver tts- from evil:, 'FotCThme^hZtke* KliTg dom, *mLthe.-g4