Man n.a/5 * . '/Vorv iam S-e Manual for Missionaries and Missionary Candidates Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH FOREWORD Mrs. Willliam Fraser McDowell TO CANDIDATES The fact that you are a candidate for missionary service presupposes two things: first, that you have heard God’s call to this work, and are willing to go; second, that you have given yourself thorough preparation, and are fitted to go. What your life and work will mean to the church and to the Kingdom of God no one of us can tell. You may be required to carry great and heavy responsibilities, or your whole life may be spent with tasks wliich will seem to be trivial and whose results will appear to be small. No success can come to you in which we who are serving at home shall not rejoice. No trial or difiiculty can meet you which we shall not share with you. You are to be our missionaries, and we shall be working together. Best of all, we shall be working together with Him. On the white stone which marks the grave of Isabella Tho- burn in India one may read these words: “Swift to hear, prompt to obey, dihgent to serve, faithful unto death; she rests from her labors and her works do follow her.” We can wish for nothing liigher or greater than that you may be swift to hear the voice of the Master, prompt to obey the com¬ mands of the Master, diligent in His service, and faithful to Him to the end. 1 TO MISSIONARIES This manual is not a set of arbitrary rules prepared with a view to hedge about the life of the missionary with restrictions. It has grown out of the experience of nearly four hundred missionaries at work in many lands through a half century of time. Because this accumulated wisdom is sure to be more trustworthy in a crisis than the judgment of any one person, this book is given you for use as a protection, a guide and a help toward that perfect service which you on the field and we at home desire to render to our Master. - We ask you to study its contents and to follow its precepts. An educated Hindu looked into the face of a missionary who had worked for many years in India, and asked him this ques¬ tion: “Do you know whj" you have not succeeded in making my people believe in your religion? It is because you are not like your Jesus.” You — our missionaries — are in many great empires to-day to show in your lives to many people who have no other way of finding it out, what Jesus is like. You are His living epistles to be known and read by all those among whom you live and whom you serve. Your supreme obligation to your people is to reveal to them Jesus. “And /, if 1 be hfted up . . ., will draw all men unto me.” That is His promise and that is His condition. We must lift Him up and show Him as He is if we are to draw people to Him. 2 MANUAL A. THE WOMAN’S FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF TEE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH I. Record of the Beginnings. 1. The Pioneers. On April fifth, 1819, the Missionary and Bible Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now named the Board of Foreign Missions, was organized in New York. On July fifth, 1819, the Female Missionary Society of New York, auxiliary to the Mis¬ sionary and Bible Society, was organized; this Society existed until 1861, contributing over twenty thousand dollars to the missionary treasury. Among its chief interests was the work of Mrs. Ann Wilkins in Africa, from 1836 to 1856. Similar auxil¬ iary societies among women and among young people were formed at an early date in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Troy, Weedsport, New York and elsewhere. The Female Alissionary Society of Baltimore developed special interest in China, and in April, 1848, The Ladies’ China Missionary Society in Baltimore was organized. This Society in 1858 founded educational work for girls in Foochow, which in 1871 was committed to the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. In 1860 the Woman’s Union Missionary Society for Heathen Lands (undenominational) was organized and, until 1869, in¬ cluded many women of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 2. The Society. 1869;—March 23d, the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church organized, in Tremont Street Church, Boston, “to send female missionaries to women in the foreign mission fields” of the Church. Nov. 3d, Miss Isabella Thoburn and Miss Clara A. Swain, M.D., sailed for India, under the Society’s ap¬ pointment. 3 June, Heathen Woman's Friend (since 1895 Womans Missionary Friend), established. 1870;—Six Branches organized, New England, New York, Phila¬ delphia, Northwestern, Western, Cincinnati, in accord¬ ance with a new constitution adopted in December, 1869. April 20th, First meeting of the Executive Committee, at the home of Mrs. Thomas Rich, Boston. April 21st, First anniversary of the Society, held in Tremont Street Church, Boston. 1871:—Baltimore Branch organized. 1872;—The Society endorsed by the General Conference as a “recognized agency of the Church.” 1883;—Western Branch divided into Des Moines, Topeka, and Minneapolis Branches. 1884;—Incorporation of the Society, under the laws of the State of New York. Charter amended in 1906 and 1908. 1889;—Pacific Branch organized. 1892;—Columbia River Branch organized. II. The Field. The Society’s field includes Africa, Bulgaria, Burma, China, Italy, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippine Islands and South America. Nearly four hundred missionaries, aided by over three thousand native helpers and Bible women, are engaged in its evangelistic, medical and educational ministry to the women and cliildren of non-Christian lands. The Society maintains ninety-two boarding schools, over seven hundred and fifty day schools, ten kindergartens, sixteen industrial schools, twenty orphanages, eight homes for homeless women, eighteen hospitals and many dispensaries. III. Relation of the Society to the Church and the Board of Foreign Missions The Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1912, defines the Society as follows; P. 388. For the more successful prosecution of the Mission¬ ary work of the Church among women in foreign lands, there 4 shall be an organization known as the Woman’s Foreign Mission¬ ary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to be governed and regulated by its Constitution, which may be altered or amended by the General Conference as the necessities of the work may require. Sec. 1. This Society shall work in harmony with, and under the supervision of, the authorities of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The appointment, recall, and remuneration of Missionaries, and the designation of their fields of labor, shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Managers of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and the annual appropriations to Mission fields shall be submitted for revision and approval to the General Committee of Foreign Missions, Sec. 2. All Missionaries sent out by this Society shall be under the direction of the particular Conferences or Missions of the Church in which they may be severally employed. They shall be annually appointed by the President of the Conference or Mission, and shall be subject to the same rules of removal that govern the other Missionaries. Sec. 3. All the work of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society in foreign lands shall be under the direction of the Con¬ ferences or Missions and their Committees in exactly the same manner as the work of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Superintendent or District Superintendent having the same relation to the work and the person in charge of it that he would have were it a work in the charge of any Member of the Conference or Mission. P. 389. Sec. 1. The funds of the Society shall not be raised by collections or subscriptions taken during any of our regular Church services, nor in any Sunday School, but shall be raised by such methods as the Constitution of the Society shall provide, none of which shall interfere with the contributions of our people and Sunday Schools for the treasury of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and the amount so collected shall be reported by the Pastor to the Annual Con¬ ference, and be entered in a column among the Benevolent Col¬ lections in the Annual and General Minutes. 5 Sec. 2. The provisions of Section 1 of this paragraph shall not be so interpreted as to prevent the women from taking col¬ lections in meetings convened in the interests of their Societies; nor from securing memberships and life memberships in audiences where their work is represented; nor from holdmg festivals or arranging lectures in the interests of their work. IV. The Constitution and By-Latvs of the Society. Note: For amendments adopted since 1912, it is important to consult the latest Annual Report of the Society. B. THE MISSIONARY CANDIDATE. I. Qualifications: (Condensed from the report of the Board of Missionary Studies, 1913.) 1. Physical. No one should be sent out as a missionarj' who is not certified by a competent medical examiner to be of good health and sound constitution. Each missionary should also be well grounded in the general rules of health and in the special application of them in the region of her future labor. It has become clear, that in a true moral order, physical health has a place of vital impor¬ tance. The promotion of this health requires obedience to the laws of life and systematic exercise for the purpose of maintain¬ ing all the powers of our human nature at their best. 2. Educational. It has long been assumed that both the general and profes¬ sional training of missionaries should be of a high quality. In addition to tins training a new emphasis is now being placed on “Special Missionary Preparation.” Specifically, this subject contains three elements: (1) Knowledge of Christianity, (2) Knowledge of the Field, and (3) Mastery of the Instruments of Work. (1) Knowledge of Christianity. It is a fact that the majority of women have been sent out to teach Christianity without hav¬ ing made a special study of it for themselves under competent guidance. No missionary should go out who has not had sound 6 and real instruction in the Bible and in the exposition and de¬ fense of Christian truth. (2) Knowledge of the Field, (a) The young missionary should have instruction in the liistory, methods and principle of missionary work and in those facts which come under the general head of Sociology. (b) The student should not only have some idea of the general History of Religions, but she ought to be taught the nature, doctrines, morals and practices of the special religion or religions in that region to which she is appointed. All this she will learn better and more quickly on the field if she has had good preparatory teaching under competent teachers at home. This teaching should also include the liistory, character and customs of the people among whom she will work. (3) Mastery of the Instruments. These are the language of her field and the art of education, (a) It may not be wise to begin the study of the language at home, but it is safe to say that every candidate should have a course in Phonetics, (b) There is no doubt that some training should be had in Peda¬ gogy and Psychology, given with a special view to the uses of the missionary. Practically every missionary is going to be a teacher of some kind, and the power of missionary educational work depends largely upon this kind of preparation. 3. Religious. The candidate must be consciously possessed and dominated by a direct and personal faith in Jesus Christ as her own Saviour and Lord. She must have the sense of communion with God. As the missionary is to represent the Christian life in all its acts and qualities she must be a woman to whom prayer is the breath of life. And a woman of prayer is a woman whose mind is filled constantly witli the Scriptures. 4. Personal Character and Temper. There are three essentials of Christian character which, while necessary for all, must be fully developed in the missionary. These are self-control, humility and zeal. One of the best lists of the necessary phases of temper is — earnestness, clearness and definiteness (in thought and statement), tact and concilia- 7 tion, courtesy, gentleness and patience, a holy walk and conversa¬ tion, spiritual equipment. II. Requirements. Each person who offers herself as a missionary candidate shall: (a) declare her belief that (1) she is divinely called to the work of a foreign missionary; (2) that she is actuated only by a desire to work in accordance with the will of God; and (3) that she intends to make foreign missionary work the service of her effective years. (6) The preferred age for a candidate shall be twenty-five to tliirty years. (c) The candidate shall fill out required application blanks. By-Law VIII, a, b, c. III. A'p'plication. A young woman who purposes to become a missionary of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society should communicate with the Corresponding Seeretary of the Branch in which she resides. The Branches are described in the Constitution, Article VI (Page 6). The address of the Corresponding Secretary of each Branch may be found in the latest Annual Report of the Society, or obtained at the General Office, 150 Fifth Avenue, New York. The Branch Candidate Committee, of which the Branch Corresponding Secretary is Chairman, shall investigate the case of any candidate within the limits of the Branch, and shall supply such candidates with blanks for health certificate and constitutional questions, to be filled out and answered by her; and, when practicable, a personal interview shall be had with the candidate by two or more of the Committee before her papers are forwarded to the Foreign Department. The Corresponding Seeretary of the Branch presenting missionary candidates shall have a personal interview with each candidate before her final appointment to a foreign field. Art. VI, 4. The application blanks supplied by the Branch Correspond¬ ing Secretary are in three forms. Forms 1 and 2 should be filled out by the applicant. Form 3 by a competent physician. Forms 2 and 3 relate to the candidate’s health. Form 1 is as follows: 8 1. Full name. 2. Residence. 3. Place and date of birth. 4. Have you an experimental knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.^ Answer tliis question somewhat in detail. 5. Are you a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a regular attendant upon its services, and are you fully in accord with its doctrines as set forth in Part 1, Division 1, of the Discipline? 6. Have you had special systematic study of the Scriptures? 7. Have you an earnest desire to win souls to Christ, and how has this desire been manifest in the past? 8. Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you the work of a foreign missionary? 9. How long have you entertained tliis conviction? 10. Do you desire and intend to make tliis your life work, and are you wiUing to labor in any field? 11. To what extent are you acquainted with the work of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society? 12. Have you any views which would jirevent your cordial co-operation with the missionaries of the Methodist Episcopal Church? 13. Would you be willing to give up any personal habit which might grieve your fellow missionaries and lessen the influ¬ ence of your example over the native Christians ? 14. Are you a total abstainer from aU forms of alcoholic beverages and from opium, cocaine, and other narcotics? 15. What is the condition of your health? (Answer ques¬ tion in Form 2 and procure testimony of a competent jihysician according to Form 3.) 16. Outhne the character and extent of your education. Name the institutions in wliich you were educated, the course or courses pursued, and date of graduation. 17. What languages other than English have you studied, and with what facility do you acquire them? 18. Have you a knowledge of music, vocal or instrumental? 19. Have you had business training, and in what line? 9 20. What positions have you held in business or professional life? 21. Executive ability. Provide testimonials relative to your success in teaching and in the management of financial matters. 22. Have you been married? If so, is your husband living? 23. Are you engaged to be married? 24. Are you liable for debt? 25. Is any one dependent upon you for support? 26. Give names and addresses of at least ten persons, includ¬ ing pastors, instructors, and others who are able to give informa¬ tion relative to your Christian usefulness, your adaptability to people and circumstances, and your general fitness for the work. 27. A photograph should accompany your application. 28. Have you read the rules applying to missionaries, and do you promise to abide by them? Signed . Date . On the approval of the Branch Candidate Committee, the Branch Corresponding Secretary presents the candidate’s name with full information and testimonials to the Foreign Depart¬ ment, whose duty it is “to examine and report to the General Executive Committee upon all the testimonials of missionary candidates that are presented by the various Branches.” The General Executive Committee acts upon these reports, “em¬ ploying new missionaries and designating their fields of labor, ’ ’ subject to the approval of the Board of Managers of the Board of Foreign Missions. (Constitution, Art. V, Sec. 2, Art. IX, Sec. 1, By-Law III, d). IV. Missionaries from Other Boards and from the Foreign Field. Any missionary of another Board on the field seeking admis¬ sion to the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society must present suitable recommendations from her Board; serve at least three years in the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, and be recom¬ mended by the Conferenee where she has labored, presenting such credentials as are required of other candidates before she 10 is eligible to membership in the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. The acceptance as missionaries of assistants, or native work¬ ers shall be in the hands of the Foreign Department, which, in reaching a conclusion, sliall take into consideration (1) the testi¬ monials required in the regulations to candidates, including health certificates; (2) a certificate showing three years of service under the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society; (3) the recommenda¬ tion of the Bishop in charge of the Conference. By-Law VIII, e, f. V. Self-Supporting Missionaries. Self-supporting missionaries who are regularly accepted by the Foreign Department have the same standing as those who receive salary, and shall be amenable to the laws governing the same. VI. Contract Teachers. The Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society may employ Con¬ tract Teachers for English work, who make no avowal of life purpose in service, but contract for a three years’ term under the following provisions: First, the employment of such teachers shall be under the supervision of the Foreign Department of the W. F. M. S. which shall accept and appoint them only after the usual missionary candidate testimonials and health certificate have been presented and approved. Second, Contract teachers shall receive board, laundry, a vacation in the mission sanitarium and $250 in money, payable in bi-monthly installments. Tlfird, the out-going and home-coming tickets of Contract teachers shall be furnished by the Society. Unless otherwise specified the return transit shall be over such a route as will complete a round-the-world voyage. Fourth, the term of service shall be three years. Fifth, Contract teachers are not entitled to furniture money, home salarj^ nor to benefit from the Retirement Fund. Sixth, Coiitract teachers employed by the Society shall not be appointed to work which is unauthorized by the Society and not under its control. During their term of service they shall be subject to the rules and requirements governing missionaries. 11 C. THE MISSIONARY ACCEPTED AND APPOINTED I. Relations: 1. To the Society. The missionary shall enter into the following contract by and with the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society through the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch emplojdng her. This contract shall be signed in duplicate for file by the missionary and the Corresponding Secretary for the Branch employing her. CONTRACT “I,-, Corresponding Secretary of the - -Branch of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, covenant and agree on the part of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society to pay the traveling expenses of-, a missionary in the employ of the-Branch, from her home to her field of labor and her salary from the time of reaching the field at the rate of $- per annum. I further agree to pay her return passage and home salary as provided in the By-Laws re¬ lating to those matters.” “I,-, a missionary, agree to give at least five years of continuous service as a single woman to the work of the W Oman’s Foreign Missionary Society in any field to which I may be sent, and, failing in this, to refund the amount of outfit and passage money. I also agree to conform to all rules and regula¬ tions of said Society while in its employ.” The missionary shall consider the regulations of the Society named in the Constitution and By-Laws as binding as the terms of the contract, and failure to conform to them on the part of the missionary shall release the Society from all financial liability. By-Law IX, A, 2, 3. 2. To the General Executive Committee and the Branch. On acceptance by the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society each missionary shall be under the control of the General Execu¬ tive Committee, directly amenable to the Corresponding Secre¬ tary of the Branch employing her. By-Law IX, A, 1. 12 3. To the Foreign Department. It shall be the duty of this department to (a) consider esti¬ mates and make appiopriations for the foreign work; (b) conduct the official correspondence with the missionaries and with mis¬ sions assigned for such official correspondence; (c) give careful consideration to the requests of missionaries. By-Law III, a, b, c. The regulations of the Foreign Department, contained in tliis Manual, are similar in force to the By-Laws and should be carefully observed. The purpose of the Manual is to aid th^ missionary in conforming to the methods of the Society, by presenting them in a form for ready reference. The Manual should therefore be kept constantly at hand, as a guide in pro¬ cedure and as a constant assurance of the sympathy, support, and co-operation which the Society extends to its missionaries. 4. To the General Office. The General Office at 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, serves the Society at home and abroad. It renders assistance to out¬ going and returning missionaries, and in various ways aids the workers on the foreign field. It is important that missionaries keep in close touch with the General Office through its Secretary. 11. The Missionary in Preparation and Transit. 1. In Waiting. (a) Procedure. An accepted candidate who is not sent out within tlie y ear, shall be presented for reconsideration at the ensuing session of the General Executive Committee by the Corresponding Secre¬ tary in whose Branch she resides. By-Law VIII, d. (b) Special Training. The teclmical training offered by the Bible and missionary training schools is of great value and candidates are advised to avail themselves of such training wherever possible. Sugges¬ tions of courses of reading, recommended by the Foreign Depart¬ ment, may’ be obtained through the General Office. 13 2. Conference with the General Executive Committee. An important part of the missionary’s preparation is her attendance at the Conference of Missionaries, held in connection with the annual meeting of the General Executive Committee in October. The program of this Conference provides instruc¬ tion of value for her future work. It brings her into acquaint¬ ance with the officers of the Societj^ and with other missionaries, which will prove of benefit in their future relations. In these hours of council and of prayer she realizes that henceforth she is part of a blessed fellowship in “all the world” and in the common bond of service finds a joy and strength for the days to come. 3. Credentials. At the Commission Service, held at the annual meeting of the General Executive Committee, a certificate of commission is presented to each new missionary. The missionary should also secure from the Branch Corre¬ sponding Secretary or the Secretary of the General Office two copies of the credential card issued by the Society. She should keep these cards in readiness for immediate use. If the rela- tionsliip is severed, all these credentials should be returned to the Society. 4. Passports. Every missionary should provide herself with a government passport before leaving America. Passports are especially essential for missionaries to China. Application blanks may be obtained from any stationer who sells legal blanks, or at the General Office. 5. Outfit and Furniture. The Society shall provide each missionary, when beginning service, with not less than $100 for personal outfit, and also, if necessary, $100 for furniture, which shall be the property of the Society. Furniture and medical outfit provided by the Society shall be the propertv of the Societv and subject to its disposition. By-Law IX, e. 14 In many stations the homes are completely furnished and the missionary requires no fund for furniture. Suggestions in regard to clothing, furniture and other items of outfit are on file in the General Office and may be obtained from its Secretary. A part of the outfit fund should be reserved for the purchase of articles which may be bought to better ad¬ vantage on the foreign field. An inventory of the furniture purchased by the missionary should be filed with the Correspond¬ ing Secretary of the Branch to which the missionary is related and with the Treasurer of the Foreign Conference to which she belongs. 6. Transportation. Travel arrangements for an outgoing missionary may be made by the Branch which employs her or by the Secretary of the General Office. It is especially desirable that combinations should be planned, so that missionaries should journey in groups. Certain fixed routes of travel, both to and from the field, are approved by the Society. Other routes may be substituted, if the expense is not increased or if the additional cost is met by the missionary. Delays in transit wliich are not caused by the necessities of the journey are at the expense of the missionary. All legitimate items of expense should be entered on the expense blank provided by the Society and sent to the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch concerned, for her approval. Full information as to routes, rates, allowances for meals on overland travel and similar items, may be obtained at the General Office. 7. Baggage. It is expected that the missionary’s personal baggage will not exceed 350 pounds. Charges for an amount in excess of this are considered a personal expense. A moderate amount of freight may be sent from sailing ports to a foreign land at the Society’s expense. The General Office supplies detailed information about the amount of baggage allowed on railroad and steamship tickets and the marking and forwarding of freight. 15 8. Hotels and Boarding Houses, Tlie General Office provides a list of hotels and boarding houses located at the principal ports touched by missionaries in transit. These addresses may also be obtained from the General Office Correspondent on each mission field. 9. Health Precautions. The missionary is reminded of the importance of attending to dentistry, vaccination and similar matters before sailing to the foreign field. 10. Personal Records. The missionary should fill out in duplicate the blank pro¬ vided for Personal Records and file it at the General Office and in her home on the foreign field. This record is of special im¬ portance. One of its items is the address of at least one relative or friend of the missionary residing in the United States, with whom the Society may communicate in case of her death or in any emergency. The missionary should promptly correct the record, if the address is changed. 11. WiUs. It is urgently requested that every missionary of the Society should make her will before leaving America, even if she owns only personal effects. In many countries the legal requirements are such that serious difficulties arise in case of death, where there is no will. Each missionary is advised to keep on file a statement of the place where her will is deposited and of any directions which she desires to have followed, in case of accident or death. While the missionary may reasonably expect to meet no serious emergency on the field, yet in the uncertainties of life she should take these precautions to prevent possible difficulty and embarrassment to her co-workers. III. The Missionary on the Field. 1. Designation. The final assignment of the missionary to her place of service is made by the authorities on the field, in accordance with the Constitution, Article IX. 16 All missionaries sent out by this Society shall labor under the direction of the particular Conference or JNIission of the Church in which they may be severally employed. They shall be annu¬ ally appointed by the President of the Conference or Mission, and shall be subject to the same rules of removal that govern other missionaries. 2. Home. Furnished homes are provided by the Society for its mission¬ aries. The workers in each station form a family and share the living expenses, which they pay out of their salaries. The furniture bought for such a home by the Society is the property of the Society and may not be removed without the consent of the Field Reference Committee and of the Branch Corresponding Secretary who is the Official Correspondent of that Conference. 3. Salary. The salaries of missionaries shall be $600 in Africa, Bulgaria, Foochow, King Hua, India, and Malaysia; $650 in North, Cen¬ tral, and West China; $700 in Italy, Japan, and Korea; $750 in the Philippine Islands, Mexico, and South America, The salary begins when the missionary arrives on the field. 4. Language Study. The missionary’s first duty after arrival on the field is to acquire the language of the people among whom she is to labor. Two years of study under a competent instructor should suffice to secure a working knowledge of the language. The major part of the first year should be kept free from other duties, for language lessons. This study should continue until a thorough knowledge of the language is obtained. Evidence that the missionary is incapable of acquiring the language may be con¬ sidered a reason for her recall. If the Conference to which the missionary belongs prescribes a course of study, she is required to pursue it and pass the examination. 5. Registry at Consulate. Missionaries should register at the consulate of their respec¬ tive governments as soon as they arrive on the foreign field. 17 This registry may prevent difficult and embarrassing situations, 6. Health. Without good health it is impossible for the missionary to accomplish the object for which she has entered the foreign service and to discharge her obligation to the Society. The conscien¬ tious worker will faithfully exercise that care of the body which will maintain physical efficiency, through careful observance of the laws of health. She will give earnest heed to the advice of missionaries who are experienced in an environment new to her. The temptation to undertake too much comes to every zealous worker; to yield to it may involve the sacrifice of years of useful service; especial precaution is needed during the slow process of acclimatization. 7. Cables and Cable Addresses. The cable address of the Society in the United States is “Formis, New York.” Messages thus addressed are delivered at the General Office and may be transmitted from it to the offi¬ cers of the Society or friends of the missionary, if desired. Each foreign Conference has a registered cable address, wliich may be obtained at the General Office. Cabling is expensive and should be used only in an emergency; to reduce the cost, a cable code should be employed. The Treasurers of the Board of Foreign Missions on the field have The Foreign Missions Cable Code Book and at the request of the missionaries wdl transmit their messages in code to the United States and interpret those received by them. The China Inland Mission Code Book may also be used in communicating with the General Office. In reckoning the number of words in a cable message, the address and signature must be included as a part of the cost. IV. The Missionary at Work. 1. Use of Time. The missionary shall devote her entire time and attention to her work. By-Law IX, A, 4. 18 2. Relations. (a) In the Home. It is the purpose of the Society to place at least two mission¬ aries in each station. In some missions several reside together. In the close touch of the home life there are constant opportuni¬ ties for the exercise of that friendliness and sympathy which even the strongest need, and for the spirit of gentleness and patient forbearance which belongs to the servant of Christ. The mis¬ sionary in thus promoting the comfort and harmony of the household is strengthening the hands of her fellow-laborers for their arduous tasks. She should carefully guard herself from unduly intimate and absorbing friendships which militate against the happiness of the family and her own usefulness. No missionai-y in the employ of the Woman’s Foreign Mis¬ sionary Society shall adopt any child as her own. By-Law IX, A, 6. (b) In tl e Work. In the prosecution of work for which a missionary is individu¬ ally responsible, she is expected to exercise such liberty of action as is necessary to express her personal purpose and devotion. She should, however, bear in mind that no department of the work is independent of another; that the greatest success of the whole work demands deference to properly constituted authority, and cordial and sympathetic co-operation with her fellow-workers. (c) To the Authorities on the Field. See sections 2 and 3, page 5. Bishops’ Ruling S98. May, 1881. In case of differences between any of the appointees of the Woman’s Foreign Mission¬ ary Society and the Mission (including the Superintendent) which cannot be adjusted betw'een the parties without unreason¬ able delay, we recommend that such differences, with the papers and facts in the case, be referred by the parties to the Bishop in charge for final decision. 3. Field Organization. (a) The Annual or Mission Conference or Mission. The work of the Methodist Episcopal Church on the foreign field is organized into Annual Conferences, like the Conferences 19 in the United States, — or Mission Coi’ferences, v/hich are similar to Annual Conferences, but without power to vote on constitutional questions or elect delegates to the General Con¬ ference, — or Missions which in annual meeting have the power of District Conferences. (6) The Woman’s Conference. Working in co-operation with each Conference of the Metho¬ dist Episcopal Church on the foreign field, there shall be, wher¬ ever practicable, a Woman’s Conference, made up of the missionaries of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, wives of nnssiona,rIes of the Board of Foreign IVIissions in charge of work for the Society, and such other women workers as each Woman’s Conference shall from time to time determine. This Conference shall meet annually and elect a President, a Vice-President, Secretary, Official Correspondent, and such othei officers as shall be needed, hear reports, appoint committees, and consult concerning the work in charge of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society within the bounds of the Conference. All impoitant recommendations to the General Executive Committee or the Foreign Department shall first be acted upon by the Woman’s Conference. This Conference may delegate any of its functions to the Field Reference Committee or other committees except the matter of recommendations in regard to the return of missionaries to the field after furlough. This Conference annually elects by ballot a Field Reference Committee and a Field Property Committee. By-Law X. It is essential to the usefulness of the missionary in the general work and in her own field that she should attend the annual meeting of this Conference (or Mission). (c) Foreign Treasurers. There shall be a Foreign Treasurer for the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society in each Annual or Mission Conference, who shall be appointed by the Foreign Department of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. It shall be the duty of each Foreign Treasurer to (1) forward receipts immediately upon receiving remittances from the Branch Treasurer; (2) apply the funds of the Society only for the pur- 20 poses designated by the General Executive Committee (this rule shall be interpreted to mean that no expenditure shall exceed the appropriation); (3) pay ajjpropriations for buildings and for salaries of missionaries on the basis of U. S. gold, and all other appropriations on the basis of the local currency of the country; (4) pay money for buildings on order of the Building Committee in such amounts and at such time as required by the contract; (5) invest, on action of the Field Reference Committee of the Woman’s Conference, all money sent to the field for buildings and land, the use of which is temporarily delayed; (6) forward to the Branch Corresponding Secretary on January 1st and July 1st of each year itemized statements of balance arising from un¬ used appropriations, exchange, or other source, and hold such funds subject to the order of the Corresponding Secretary from whose Branch said funds accrue; (7) forward estimates approved by the Field Reference Committee and printed according to prescribed form, two copies to each of the General Officers, and three copies to the Corresponding Secretary of each Branch, to insure arrival on or before September 1st; (8) receive building accounts properly audited, and hold them in custody for the Society. By-Law X. By action of the Foreign Department, no money for the purchase of land or buildings may be borrowed on the foreign field. (d) Field Reference Committee. Each Woman’s Conference shall have a Field Reference Committee, consisting of not less than five nor more than seven representative members, who shall be elected annually by ballot. It shall be the duty of the Field Reference Committee to (1) prepare estimates which require the action of the General Execu¬ tive Committee; (2) consider the furloughs of missionaries and forward recommendations concerning the individual cases to the same; (3) consider all matters of general interest arising during the interim of their annual meetings. By-Law XI. The Official Correspondent and the Treasurer shall be ex- officio members of this Committee. (e) Field Property Committee. There shall be a Field Property Committee in each Woman’s 21 Conference, nominated by the Reference Committee and elected by the Conference. The Treasurer shall be ex-offi,cio member of thiS Committee. Its duties shall be to (1) Have in charge, under the direction of the Foreign Department of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, all matters relative to the purchase and sale of property, erection and insurance of buildings, and extensive repairs for which appropriations have been made. After a building has been authorized by the Foreign Department, the Property Committee shall appoint a local building committee, which shall have author¬ ity to draw up plans, make the contract, subject to the approval of the Property Committee, audit bills, and direct the work. (2) Secure safe legal titles to all real estate purchased by the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. When possible, all deeds shall be made to the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, or to the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church in trust for the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church; where neither of these is possible they shall be made in the way that shall be approved by the Field Reference Com¬ mittee and Finance Committee of the Board of Foreign Missions of that Conference. (3) Have all deeds recorded in accordauce with the laws of the country, and preserve all deeds and other legal papers not forwarded to America. (4) Keep a record of all real estate belonging to the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. (5) Furnish the Committee on Real Estate with information as required. (6) Keep on file all documents giving power of attorney for the transfer of property within the Conference. By-Law X. (/) Official Correspoudents. The Foreign Department appoints from its members an Official Correspondent for each mission. The missionaries are expected to furnish the Official Correspondent with all facts as required. By-Law IX, B, 1. Where the organization of a Woman’s Conference or Mission has been effected, it is desired that there be appointed a Field 22 Official Correspondent whose duty it shall be to convey to the Foreign Department through the Official Correspondent in America information regarding all matters of importance and all conference official actions. All official business referred to her from America by the Official Correspondent for her Conference shall in turn be pre¬ sented by her to the Woman’s Conference. The missionary may, however, make a personal representation of any matter to her own Branch Corresponding Secretary or to the Official Corre¬ spondent, in America, of the field in which she resides. 4. Estimates and Appropriations. The missionary shall (1) incur no expense wliich has not been authorized by the General Executive Committee, (4) present estimates and all other matter requiring the action of the General Executive Committee through the Field Reference Committee of the Conference in which her work is located, (5) include in her estimates for Bible-women and zenana workers all expenses of conveyances and teachers, and in those for scholarships, the cost of fuel, lights, medicines, and the minor expenses necessary in the maintenance of the school. By-Law IX, C, 1, 4, 5. The General Executive Committee on the recommendation of the Foreign Department, makes its annual appropriations to the extent which the Society’s funds allow, giving preference to the items which are considered most important. 5. Special Gifts. The missionary shall apply to private sources for financial aid only by authority from the Foreign Department of the General Executive Committee. All solicitations for funds shall be made through the proper official authorities. By-Law IX, C, 2. 6. Accounts. The missionary shall keep an itemized account of receipts and disbursements, also of all donations, fees, and other sums received for the support of the work, and credit the same to the Society in her annual financial statement to the Conference Treasurer. By-Law IX, C, 3. 23 All accounts of the money of the Society and all its funds should be kept separately from personal accounts and ftmds. When a missionary is treasurer of more than one fund of the Society, she is expected to carry a bank account and special signature for each fund. All accounts should be audited. 7. Payment of Bills in the United States. If the missionary desires to order goods in the United States and to have the Society pay the bill, deducting the amount from remittances, she should not only direct the firm which sells the goods to apply to the Society for payment, but should at the same time notify the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch to which she is related and the Secretary of the General Office in New York by letter or by forwarding the request in duplicate on the blank, called “Request to Certify Bills.” Both time and money are saved by paying such bills in this country, but such payments may only be made, by the direct request of the missionary to the official who is to make the payment. 8. Records. The missionary shall keep a clear record of all Special Work, including Bible-women, scholarships, etc., in her charge under the Branches supporting them, and on her removal or furlough transfer it to her substitute or successor. By-Law IX, B, 4. 9. Reports. The missionary shall report each quarter to the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch employing her and to the Superintendent of the district in which her work is located; furnish the Official Correspondent with all facts as required; send annual communi¬ cations for patrons supporting Special Work. By-Law IX, B, 1, 2, 3. It is requested that missionaries in preparing scholarship letters duplicate one general letter, adding not less than six lines of personal reference to the individual pupil, and when change of pupil is necessary that reason for change be briefly given. When possible the above suggestions may be applied to Bible-women letters. 24 10. Vacations. The missionary should not fail to take a period of rest every year, at such time as the climate demands and the ne<'ds of the work permit. \Vlien the condition of health requires an unusual length of vacation, the missionary should consult the Field Reference Committee. 11. The Supreme Aim. In the prosecution of the evangelistic, educational, and medi¬ cal work of the Society there is abundant opportunity for the highest specialized and technical skill. In the absorbing labors of these varied departments amid the routine and detail of the daily life the evangelistic purpose must never grow dim. The supreme aim of all forms of missionary service is to bring indi¬ vidual souls into fellowship with God the Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord, ■— that His Kingdom may come and His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. V. The Missionary on Furlough. 1. Time of Furlough. Experience has proved that it is desirable and even necessary for the highest welfare of the missionary and of her work that at occasional periods she should return to her home land for rest, and for physical, mental, and spiritual refreshment. The furloughs of the missionaries are arranged by the Con¬ ference or Mission to which they belong, on the recommendation of the Field Reference Committee and with the approval of the General Executive Committee. The furlouglis are assigned in rotation, so far as the health of the missionaries permits, and on the basis of By-Law IX, A, 5. The missionary shall serve for five years as the first term and six years for each succeeding term; and present a physician’s certificate in order to remain longer in the field than the specified time. 2. Length of Furlough. Fifteen months’ absence from the field shall constitute the regular furlough and any deviation from this rule shall be on the 25 authority of the Foreign Department. By-Law IX, D, 8. 3. Travel and Expense. Each missionary shall receive $350 for traveling expenses when entering on furlough. Any balance shall be applied on home salary. The liability of the Society for the necessary traveling ex¬ penses of furlough or home leave shall depend upon conformity to the regulations. By-Law IX, D, 1 and 2. The rules as to routes of travel, baggage and other details of the journey which are laid down for outgoing missionaries apply also to those who return from the field. (Page 13.) iSIissionaries are reminded of the importance of informing themselves as to latest government regidations of custom duties, before transporting articles to or from the field. 4. Salary on Furlough. In all cases where the relations of the missionary to the Society are harmonious, her home salary the first year shall be $450. If her health requires her to remain longer in this country, the second year’s home salary shall be $350. Home salary, except as hereinafter provided, shall begin upon date of leavdng field, and shall continue until return thereto, provided said return is within two yea^s. In case return is delayed beyond the two years, the question of a further continuation of home salary shall be referred to the Foreign Department. By-Law IX, F, 3. Each missionary whose home is not in the United States shall receive full salary when on furlough, in which case no fur¬ lough expenses will be paid by the Society. This provision shall apply only to missionaries in satisfactory relation to the Society, and for the term of furlough authorized by the General Executive Committee through the Branch employing her. By-Law IX, D, 3. If a missionary returns home for family reasons before com¬ pleting a full term of service, the question of her home salary shall be referred to the Foreign Department. 5. Attendance at the Annual Meeting of the General Executive Committee. 36 The missionary on furlough shall attend the first session of the General Executive Committee held after her return from the foreign field, and her traveling expenses to and from the place of meeting shall be paid from the same fund as those of members of that body. By-Law IX, D, 7. 6. Use of Furlough. The missionary on furlough is still a missionary of the Society and therefore under its care and guidance. The use of the fur¬ lough is determined by the Branch which employs her. The furlough may be devoted to rest, to study, or to the information and inspiration of the churches and the membership of the Society. The purpose of the furlough is the complete reinvigora- tion of the missionary for her return to renewed and increased usefulness on the foreign field; she should undertake nothing, however desirable, which interferes with this. It is important that on her arrival at home she should have a thorough medical examination, the result of which shoidd be considered in determining the use of her furlough. In all cases a period of complete rest is advisable at the beginning and imme¬ diately before the close of the furlough. 7. Courses of Study. On the approval of the Branch which employs her, the mis¬ sionary on furlough may avail herself of the opportunities for special study provided by the Bible and missionary training schools and other educational institutions. It should be possible to set apart, at least, a brief term for fresh study of the supreme text-book, the Bible, and of such other subjects as will best promote efficiency on the field. The Foreign Department does not approve of extended courses of study for a missionary on furlough. One year is considered sufficient for special study. If a missionary contemplates taking a longer course, the case is referred to the Foreign Department. 8. Sanitariums. If the missionary on furlough desires the rest and treatment of a sandarium, she should consult the Secretary of the General Office for information in regard to special rates and other details. 27 9. Bringing Foreign Girls to the United States. The missionary shall not bring foreign-born girls or helpers to this country except upon the recommendation of the Field Reference Committee of the Conference in which they reside, and with the permission of the Foreign Department of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. By-Law IX, A, 6. 10. Special Furloughs. In case of emergency demanding immediate return home, the missionary shall bring a certificate of disability from a physic'an and from the Superintendent of the Mission. If she contemplates returning home for any other reason than ill-health, she shall secure permission of the General Executive Committee through the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch employing her (upon the recommendation of the Field Reference Committee). By-Law IX, D, 4, 5. 11. Return to the Field after Furlough. The Woman’s Conference shall decide at the annual session before the depaiture of a missionary on furlough whether her return to the field is desired, and communicate such decision to her before her departure from the field, also to the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch supporting her and to the Official Corre¬ spondent in America. The missionary shall accompany her application for return to the field after home leave with a new medical certificate. The recommendation of the Corresponding Secretary of the Branch employing her and a majority vote of the Foreign Department shall be authority for her return. By-Law IX, D, 6. VI. Classification of Missionaries. For purposes of administration missionaries shall be classified as follows: Active. Discontinued. Furloughed. Withdrawn. Detained. Married. Retired. Deceased. 28 Active missionaries, as the name implies, are those engaged in the specific work assigned them on the field. Furloughed missionaries are those that have received per¬ mission from the Society for temporary absence from the mission field. Detained missionaries are missionaries, who for reasons satis¬ factory to their Branches, have been detained home longer than two years but still retain legal and working relations to their Branches. Retired missionaries are those whose services have been deemed impracticable by reason of family conditions, impaired health, or advancing years. The Foreign Department, by a two-thirds’ vote of its members, retires such missionaries and fixes the date at which home salaries shall cease. Retired missionaries are eligible to the benefits of the Retirement Fund. They may be restored to the Active list by methods pursued in original candidacy. Discontinued missionaries are missionaries, who, for good and sufficient reasons, have had their relations to the Society severed by a three-fourths’ vote of the Foreign Department. A mission¬ ary whose relations are thus discontinued shall have no further claim upon the Society. If a missionary on the field be deemed unfit for missionary labor, she shall receive three months’ notice by the Foreign Department, at the expiration of which time the General Execu¬ tive Committee may cancel its obligation to the missionary. Return passage will not be paid after the expiration of three months. Withdrawn missionaries are those wdio for reasons of their own have desired and been accorded the privilege of withdrawing from the Society, thus severing all relation to, and renouncing all claim upon it. Married missionaries are those who have entered into the married relation while in the employment of the Society, thus severing their relation to and annulling their claim upon the Society. 29 CONTENTS Foreword. The President of the Society A. The Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church I. Record of the Beginnings 1. The Pioneers 2. The Society . II. The Field III. Relation of the Society to the Church and the Board of Foreign Missions IV. The Constitution and By-Laws of the Society B. The Missionary Candidate I. Qualifications II. Requirements III. Application IV. Missionaries from OtkerBoards and from the Foreign Field V. Self-Supporting Missionaries VI. Contract Teachers C. The Missionary Accepted and Appointed I. Relations: 1. To the Society 3. To the Foreign Department 2. To the General Executive -1. To the General Office Committee and the Branch II. The Missionary in Preparation and Transit 1. In Waiting (a) Procedure (6) Special Training 2. Conference with the General 7. Baggage Executive Committee 3. Credentials 4. Passports 5. Outfit and Furniture 6. Transportation III. The Missionary on the Field 1. Designation 2. Home 3. Salary 4. Language Study 8. Hotels and Boarding Houses 9. Health Precautions 10. Personal Records 11. Wills 5. Registry at Consulate 6. Health 7. Cables and Cable Addres.ses 30 IV. The Missionary at Work 1 . Use of Time 2. Relations: (a) In the Home (6) In the Work (c) To the Authorities on the Field 3. Field Organization: (o) The Annual or Mission Conference or Mission (b) TheWoman’s Conference (c) Foreign Treasurers (d) The Field Reference Committee V. The Missionary on Furlough 1. Time of Furlough 2. Length of Furlough 3. Travel and Expense 4. Salary on Furlough 5. Attendance at the Annual Meeting of the General Executive Committee VI. Classification of Missionaries (e) h'ield Property Committee if) Official Correspondents 4. Estimates and Appropria¬ tions 5. Special Gifts 6. Accoimts 7. Payment of Bills in the United States 8. Records 9. Reports 10. Vacations 11. The Supreme Aim 6. Use of Furlough 7. Courses of Study 8. Sanitariums 9. Bringing Foreign Girls to the United States 10. Special Furloughs 11. Return to the Field after Furlough 31 PUBLICATION OFFICE Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society Methodist Episcopal Church boston, MASSACHUSETTS 1913