Srpnrt of (Umtfmntrr 
 of ifliaaionarira attb 
 Miaaionanj Inarba 
 Working in Wrxirn 
 
 tn (Eiitftnnalt, ©Ijto 
 3 tut e 30 — 3 it l g 1, 1014 
 
 Copies may be obtained at three dollars 
 per hundred or at five cents each, postage 
 paid, from any Mission Board or from 
 the Committee on Mission Work in Latin 
 America, Room 808, 156 Fifth Avenue, 
 New York City. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2018 with funding from 
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 https://archive.org/details/reportofconferen00conf_5 
 
Conference of Missionaries and 
 Missionary Boards Working 
 in Mexico 
 
 June 30-July 1, 1914 
 
 In view of the fact that almost all the 
 missionaries at work in Mexico were pres¬ 
 ent in the United States and that they and 
 the Boards which they represented felt the 
 urgent need of common counsel that the 
 work might be reorganized in the best pos¬ 
 sible way after the disturbances of the last 
 two years, a Conference on Missions in Mex¬ 
 ico was called by a Committee representing 
 the standing committee of the Missionary 
 Boards at work in Latin America. The Con¬ 
 ference convened in the rooms of the Metho¬ 
 dist Book Concern, Cincinnati, on June 30th, 
 1914, at 10 a. m. 
 
 The following delegates were present: 
 BAPTIST NORTH: 
 
 Rev. Geo. H. Brewer, Dr. L. C. Barnes. 
 Woman’s Board: Mrs. Frank J. Miller. 
 
 BIBLE SOCIETY: 
 
 Mrs. F. S. Hamilton. 
 
 CONGREGATIONAL: 
 
 Dr John Howland, Rev. Louis B. Fritts, 
 Rev. E. F. Bell; Woman’s Board: Miss 
 Kate G. Lamson, Miss M. D. Wingate, 
 Miss Mary F. Long. 
 
 DISCIPLES: 
 
 Christian Woman’s Board: Dr. A. McLean, 
 Pres. C. T. Paul, Miss Elma Irelan, Dr. 
 jjj Ida W. Harrison, Mrs. Effie L. Cunning- 
 
ham, Mrs. Ellie K. Payne, Prof. John G. 
 McGavran, Dr. H. C. Hurd, Dr. F. M. 
 Rains, Sec. S. J. Corey. 
 
 FRIENDS: 
 
 E. Gurney Hill, R. Solomon Tice, Mrs. E. 
 P. Trueblood, Miss Nancy Lee, Miss Edith 
 Tebbetts. 
 
 EPISCOPAL: 
 
 Mr. John W. Wood. 
 
 METHODIST EPISCOPAL: 
 
 Bishop F. J. McConnell, Dr. John W. 
 Butler, Rev. J. P. Houser, Rev. F. F. 
 Wolfe', Dr. W. F. Oldham, Rev. R. A. Car- 
 hart, J. N. Gambel. 
 
 Woman’s Board: Miss C. J. Carnahan, 
 Miss C. Butler, Miss H. L. Ayers, Mrs. 
 R. L. Thomas, Miss Helen Hewett, Mrs. 
 J. P. Houser, Miss Grace Hollister, Miss 
 Julia A. Knox. 
 
 METHODIST EPISCOPAL {South): 
 
 Bishop W. R. Lambuth, Dr. Edward F. 
 Cook, Miss Belle H. Bennett, Miss Mabel 
 Head, Miss Esther Case, Miss L. Roberts, 
 Miss H. L. Gibson, Dr. G. B. Winton, 
 Miss N. E. Holding, Rev N. E. Joyner, 
 Rev. F. S. Onderdonk, Dr. J. M. Moore. 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN {North): 
 
 Dr. Wm. Wallace, Rev. W. E. Vanderbilt, 
 Rev. Chas. Petran, Mr. R. E. Speer, Dr. 
 A. W. Halsey, Prof. R. A. Brown; Woman’s 
 Boards: Mrs. W. E. Waters, Miss Jennie 
 Wheeler. 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN {South): 
 
 Dr. E. W. Smith, Rev. W. A. Ross. 
 
 4 
 
Y. M. C. A.: 
 
 Mr. A. E. Turner. 
 
 Bishop W. R. Lambuth, of the Southern 
 Methodist Church, was chosen Chairman of 
 the Conference and the Rev. E. F. Bell and 
 the Rev. G. H. Brewer, Secretaries. 
 
 The conference lasted for two days and in 
 the spirit of prayer, in the spirit of unity, 
 and in the spirit of hope and courage which 
 prevailed, it was felt by all those present 
 to have been one of the most notable gath¬ 
 erings they had ever attended, and as they 
 have looked back over it since, it seems to 
 them that it marked the beginning of a new 
 era of true missionary co-operation and 
 efficiency of administration. 
 
 Maps and tabular statements had been 
 prepared furnishing each delegate with in¬ 
 formation regarding all the work which the 
 Missions were doing in Mexico. After a 
 full preliminary discussion, the five follow¬ 
 ing Committees were constituted, each made 
 up of representatives of all the missionary 
 agencies composing the conference, and 
 every member of the conference being as¬ 
 signed to work on one or more of these 
 committees: 
 
 (1) Press and Publications — Chairman, 
 Rev. G. B. Winton, D.D. 
 
 (2) Theological, Educational and Training 
 Schools — Chairman, Rev. William 
 Wallace, D.D. 
 
 (3) General Committee on Education— 
 Chairman, Rev. John Howland, D.D. 
 
 (4) Territorial Occupation — Chairman, 
 Rev. John W. Butler, D.D. 
 
 5 
 
(5) General Committee on Mexico to con¬ 
 sider all questions not included in 
 the above four—Chairman, Bishop W. 
 F. Oldham, D.D. 
 
 These Committees, meeting separately, 
 studied thoroughly the subjects assigned to 
 them; then the whole conference re-con¬ 
 vened and the various reports were taken up 
 one by one, fully discussed and amended, 
 and then adopted as follows: 
 
 I.—COMMITTEE ON PRESS AND 
 PUBLICATIONS 
 
 Present conditions in Mexico make op¬ 
 portune a readjustment of the work produc¬ 
 ing an evangelical literature in the Spanish 
 language. Every indication points to a 
 greatly increased demand for such literature 
 in the immediate future. The newly and 
 deeply aroused minds of the people of that 
 country will insist upon something to feed 
 on. The pabulum which is supplied them, 
 the reading matter which is disseminated 
 through the country, will have much to do 
 with the future welfare of that Republic. 
 Here is a wide open door for the Gospel. 
 
 In the past our activities in produc¬ 
 ing Christian literature, conducted as they 
 have been largely along independent lines, 
 have been attended by much duplication of 
 effort and consequent waste of resources. 
 This is not necessary. In perhaps no other 
 department of our work is co-operation so 
 easy as in this. 
 
 The production of literature involves two 
 branches of labor, the editorial and the man¬ 
 ufacturing. The literature itself also nat- 
 
 6 
 
urally falls into two classes, books and 
 periodicals, the permanent and the tempo¬ 
 rary—including tracts and leaflets with the 
 periodicals. In no department of this work 
 is co-operation impossible. In some, as for 
 example in manufacturing, it may perhaps 
 be accounted difficult. Yet we believe that 
 the difficulties involved even in the com¬ 
 munity ownership and direction of publish¬ 
 ing plants are by no means insurmountable. 
 Certainly there should be no serious obstacle 
 in the department of editing. Our denomi¬ 
 national beliefs are sufficiently near to iden¬ 
 tity with each other and the taste of Mexican 
 readers so indifferent to the distinctions 
 which may still persist among us, that 
 authorship and supervision by those of one 
 Church for readers of another offer no ob¬ 
 stacles that need give us pause. 
 
 In view of these considerations your Com¬ 
 mittee on Literature and the Press offer for 
 your approval the following recommen¬ 
 dations: 
 
 1. That a Joint Depository and Selling 
 Agency be established at Mexico City. 
 
 2. That all the present Church papers be 
 united into one. 
 
 3. That an illustrated young people’s 
 paper be established. 
 
 4. That a joint publishing plant be estab¬ 
 lished in Mexico City on the basis of 
 a proportionate sharing of expenses by 
 the denominations. This enterprise we 
 should expect to be under the direc¬ 
 tion and control of a joint board, the 
 members to be named by the co-oper¬ 
 ating churches. 
 
 7 
 
II.—COMMITTEE ON GENERAL 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 This Committee recommends: 
 
 1. That Domestic and Manual Arts be 
 taught in all schools, as far as prac¬ 
 ticable. 
 
 2. That an Elementary School be carried 
 on, as far as possible, wherever there 
 is an organized congregation, and in the 
 larger places that there be added the 
 fifth and sixth grades, so that pupils 
 may be prepared for admission into 
 the higher institutions. 
 
 3. That there be High Schools established, 
 at least one for boys and one for 
 girls, within each Mission territory. The 
 course of study in these schools should 
 include vocational training. 
 
 4. That the various Missions working in 
 Mexico appoint a Committee on Edu¬ 
 cation, the committee to be composed 
 of one person representing each Mis¬ 
 sion, to be appointed as the Mission 
 shall determine. It shall be the duty 
 of this Committee to study the ques¬ 
 tion of education and make suggestions 
 for the curriculum, conduct and corre¬ 
 lation of our schools. 
 
 5. The consolidation of the higher grades 
 of the primary schools in such places 
 as are occupied by two or more denomi¬ 
 nations. 
 
 6. That a Union College for men and 
 women be established at some cen¬ 
 tral place, and that in connection with 
 
 8 
 
this college there be established Nor¬ 
 mal, Industrial and Kindergarten Train¬ 
 ing Schools. 
 
 7. The Committee also recommends the 
 consolidation of Normal Schools where 
 two or more exist in one center, and 
 that where only one Normal School ex¬ 
 ists, the question of its continuance or 
 discontinuance be left to the discretion 
 of the denomination concerned. 
 
 8. The Committee recommends the ap¬ 
 pointment of a Committee on Ways 
 and Means for the founding of the 
 College and affiliated schools, this com¬ 
 mittee to be composed of two members 
 representing each denomination, to be 
 appointed as each board or denomina¬ 
 tion may determine. 
 
 9. The Committee recommends the ap¬ 
 pointment, either by the Committee on 
 Ways and Means or by the Boards, of 
 a financial agent for the Union College 
 and affiliated schools. 
 
 III.—COMMITTEE ON THEOLOGICAL 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 Your Committee found that the way had 
 been prepared for a unanimous report in 
 favor of the establishment of a Union Theo¬ 
 logical School and of its feasibility in the 
 immediate future; not only has it been 
 recommended by the Committee on Co¬ 
 operation representing the principal Boards 
 working in Mexico, but it represents a wide¬ 
 spread and growing sentiment among mis¬ 
 sionaries and native workers in that land. 
 
 9 
 
The practicability of such an institution has 
 been amply demonstrated in other mission 
 fields. In view of the difficulty involved in 
 properly financing and staffing a second Theo¬ 
 logical School with any available resources, 
 the Committee suggests that the considera¬ 
 tion of this project be deferred to a later 
 period. 
 
 The Committee is therefore glad to report 
 that the following recommendations have 
 been drawn up with absolute unanimity and 
 represent the desires of missionaries work¬ 
 ing in connection with the following churches: 
 Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal 
 (South), Northern Baptist Convention, Pres¬ 
 byterian North, Presbyterian South, As¬ 
 sociated Reformed Presbyterian, Congrega- 
 tionalists, Disciples and Friends. We recom¬ 
 mend: 
 
 1. The establishment of a Bible Institute 
 and Theological Seminary to be known 
 as The Bible Institute and Theological 
 Seminary of the Evangelical Church 
 in Mexico (Instituto Biblico y Semi- 
 nario Teologico de la Iglesia Evangelica 
 en Mexico). 
 
 2. This school shall be under the control 
 of the Board of Directors, elected by 
 Missions or Churches that co-operate 
 in its support. 
 
 3. The Board of Directors shall have con¬ 
 trol of the property and funds contrib¬ 
 uted to the support of the school, shall 
 elect the members of the faculty with 
 the approval of the various missions 
 or churches, and shall discharge the 
 
 10 
 
various duties that ordinarily corre¬ 
 spond to the Directorship of such in¬ 
 stitutions. 
 
 4. The School is expected to furnish: 
 
 (a) A complete course of Theological 
 Instruction for candidates prepar¬ 
 ing for the ministry. 
 
 (b) Courses in Bible, music, methods 
 of church work, for those who 
 wish to serve as Evangelists, Y. M. 
 C. A. and Y. W. C. A. secretaries, 
 deaconesses,—in general, for lay 
 workers of both sexes. 
 
 5. Opportunities shall be provided for in¬ 
 struction in the distinctive principles 
 of the co-operating organizations. 
 
 6. We recommend that the School be lo¬ 
 cated in Coyoacan, D. F., and that 
 arrangements be made for the purchase 
 of the property now used by the Pres¬ 
 byterian Mission for its College and 
 Seminary. 
 
 7. We recommend the appointment of a 
 Continuation Committee which shall 
 have the matter under its immediate 
 responsibility and correspond with the 
 Boards and Missions. 
 
 IV.—COMMITTEE ON TERRITORIAL 
 OCCUPATION. 
 
 The Committee on Territorial Occupation 
 brought in a revised plan for the division of 
 the country, including the following resolu¬ 
 tions regarding missions at work in the two 
 states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas: 
 
 11 
 
It is recommended that the State of Nuevo 
 Leon be granted to the Northern Baptists, 
 with the exception of the present holdings 
 of the Disciples in the City of Monterey 
 and the holdings of the Southern Presby¬ 
 terians in this State, and the future conduct 
 of these missions to be subject to future 
 adjustment by the Boards concerned. 
 
 It is further recommended that in view 
 of special conditions in the State of Tamau- 
 lipas the following plan be approved cover¬ 
 ing the work already established in that 
 State: 
 
 In municipalities of 10,000 people or less 
 where more than one Board is at work, all 
 are to withdraw with the exception of one 
 Board, priority of occupation to be given 
 first consideration. 
 
 In municipalities of 20,000 people, when 
 occupied by more than two Boards, all are 
 to withdraw with the exception of two, 
 priority of occupation to be given first 
 consideration. 
 
 In all new territory assigned to a single 
 Board, all other Boards are to refrain from 
 entering. 
 
 On the understanding that these resolu¬ 
 tions met with the approval of the Confer¬ 
 ence, the following report of the Committee 
 as a whole was accepted and adopted: 
 
 1. The Committee is deeply impressed with 
 the inadequacy of the missionary force 
 available for the evangelistic, educa¬ 
 tional and other forms of missionary 
 effort through which we are seeking to 
 help Mexico. There is an average of 
 12 
 
one foreign missionary, including wives, 
 to 70,000 of the population. Fourteen 
 of the States of Mexico, with a popula¬ 
 tion of over 5,000,000, or one-third of 
 the entire population, have no resident 
 foreign missionaries. 
 
 2. The Committee believes that there 
 should be a great increase of the mis¬ 
 sionary staff to co-operate with the 
 loyal and capable ministers of the 
 Mexican churches and that as soon as 
 possible the force of missionaries 
 should be increased at least fifty per 
 cent. 
 
 3. The Committee believes also that there 
 might be a more effective distribution 
 of the present missionary forces than 
 that which has come about in the 
 natural development of the work hither¬ 
 to. In some states there is one mis¬ 
 sionary to each 12,000 people and in 
 others there is not one to more than 
 1,000,000. There are 39 mission high 
 schools in 15 states while the other 15 
 states, with a population of 6,000,000, 
 have no such institutions at work for 
 their people. We would accordingly 
 urge upon each agency at work in 
 Mexico the earnest consideration of the 
 location and distribution of its forces, 
 so as to avoid duplication and over¬ 
 lapping and to secure the occupation 
 and evangelization of the entire field. 
 
 4. It is not within the province or power 
 of the Committee to indicate any with¬ 
 drawals or transfers which might be 
 
 13 
 
made by particular agencies and we 
 recognize that there are denominations 
 which do not feel free to share in any 
 plan of territorial assignment of re¬ 
 sponsibility; but we recommend that 
 in the development of the work in 
 Mexico and in the effort to provide for 
 the occupation of the whole country 
 the following denominations be re¬ 
 garded by this Conference as primarily 
 responsible for the occupation and mis¬ 
 sionary cultivation of the states in¬ 
 dicated: 
 
 CON GREG A T10NAL1STS: 
 
 Chihuahua, Sinaloa, as far South as Sina¬ 
 loa River, Sonora and Lower California. 
 
 BAPTISTS: 
 
 Coahuila, Nueva Leon, Zacatecas, Dur¬ 
 ango, Mexico, Federal District and Aguas 
 Calientes. 
 
 DISCIPLES: 
 
 Coahuila (from Piedras Negras south along 
 the line of International R. R. to Monterey 
 and to Torreon whence north to Jimenez 
 including Sierra Mojada), Nueva Leon. 
 
 FRIENDS AND SOUTHERN PRESBY¬ 
 TERIANS: 
 
 San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Nueva Leon. 
 
 METHODISTS: 
 
 San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Jalisco, 
 Colima, Mexico, Federal District, Hidalgo, 
 Puebla, Queretaro, Tlaxcala, Michoacan, 
 Tepic and Sinaloa as far north as Sinaloa 
 River. 
 
 ' 14 
 
ASSOCIATED REFORMED PRESBY¬ 
 TERIANS: 
 
 Tamaulipas, Vera Cruz and Eastern San 
 Luis Potosi. 
 
 PRESBYTERIANS (North): 
 
 Mexico, Federal District, Morelos, Vera 
 Cruz, Campeche, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chia¬ 
 pas, Tabasco and Yucatan. 
 
 5. The Committee believes that the earn¬ 
 est effort of the denominations named 
 to care for the territory designated will 
 make possible a more efficient develop¬ 
 ment of the work in each part of the 
 country as well as the occupation of 
 the entire field. Special responsibil¬ 
 ity for contiguous territory will enable 
 the missions to arrange for regular 
 and frequent conferences and insti¬ 
 tutes of workers, both preachers and 
 teachers, and will prepare the way for 
 such an intensive development of their 
 work and such harmony of relation¬ 
 ships as will best advance the cause 
 which we all seek to serve of the evan¬ 
 gelization of the whole land and the 
 moral and spiritual progress of its 
 people. 
 
 V.—GENERAL COMMITTEE. 
 
 1. We recommend that the Committee 
 calling this conference be requested to ap¬ 
 point a committee of five, of whom four 
 shall be missionaries at work in Mexico, to 
 whom shall be assigned the task of prepar¬ 
 ing a paper to be entitled “A Message to 
 the Mexican People.” We suggest that 
 
 15 
 
there be added, as Chairman of this Com¬ 
 mittee, Mr. Robert E. Speer, the Chairman 
 of the present Committee of Arrangements 
 of this Conference. This Message to the 
 Mexican people should set forth in brief 
 but comprehensive language the fundamen¬ 
 tals of the Christian faith and life as held 
 throughout the centuries, laying special em¬ 
 phasis on general principles of Christian 
 living growing out of a living union between 
 the individual and Jesus Christ as Divine 
 Lord and Master. We would call especial 
 attention to the admirable paper on this 
 general theme issued by the Christian Litera¬ 
 ture Society of Japan and signed by 700 
 Japanese missionaries and circulated broad¬ 
 cast over the land. While the message to 
 the Mexican people must of necessity be 
 adapted to the present needs and conditions 
 of the Mexicans, we believe that the mes¬ 
 sage to the Japanese people contains the 
 substance of what should be inserted in the 
 message to the Mexican people, with pos¬ 
 sibly particular emphasis being placed on 
 the relation of the individual to society and 
 the state. While this message should be 
 simple, yet it should be made very clear 
 that it is our profound conviction that only 
 through personal discipleship to Jesus Christ 
 are the moral and spiritual problems of 
 Mexico both individual and national to be 
 solved and the expectations of every heart 
 satisfied. We would further recommend 
 that great care be taken in the translation 
 into the Spanish language of this message 
 and that the best native help available be 
 secured. The Committee is of the opinion 
 
 16 
 
that the money to defray the expense of 
 issuing and distributing this message can be 
 raised by private subscription. 
 
 2.—THE MEXICAN CHURCH—ITS LIFE 
 AND GROWTH. 
 
 a. Name 
 
 The various Evangelical bodies of Chris¬ 
 tians at work in Mexico, while retaining each 
 its own denominational heritage, yet agree 
 in the great doctrines of their holy faith; 
 and, to set forth this basal unity, they desire 
 that henceforth they may all be known by 
 the Common Appellation of “The Evangeli¬ 
 cal Church of Mexico” with the special name 
 of the denomination following this common 
 designation in a bracket, when necessary, 
 e. g., “The Evangelical Church of Mexico” 
 (Presbyterian). When statistics are used, it 
 is advised that whenever possible and con¬ 
 venient the whole body of the Evangelical 
 Church be counted with the number of the 
 special denomination following in a bracket, 
 e. g., Sunday School Scholars “Evangelical 
 Church of Mexico” 10,000 (Methodist Epis¬ 
 copal 4,000). 
 
 b. Interchange of Membership. 
 
 In view of the proposed distribution of 
 territory the probable transfer of member¬ 
 ship from one communion to another and 
 the constant moving of the people of Mexico 
 from one province to another, your commit¬ 
 tee recommends the following form of letter 
 to be used between the churches making the 
 transfer: 
 
 17 
 
This certifies that_____is a 
 
 member in good and regular standing of the 
 
 Evangelical Church (_) in.. 
 
 and we earnestly commend........_.to the 
 
 fellowship and Christian watchful care of 
 ____Church. 
 
 .Pastor 
 
 ..Church 
 
 c. Self-Support. 
 
 Realizing that the permanence of a con¬ 
 gregation and its thorough establishment in 
 the Christian faith is most surely indicated 
 by its becoming entirely self-supporting and 
 realizing that the future life and growth of 
 the Evangelical Church in Mexico wait upon 
 the time when the native members shall be 
 able to stand by themselves, we recommend 
 that the strongest possible emphasis be 
 placed upon the matter of self-support, that 
 all existing congregations be brought to that 
 standard as soon as possible and that all 
 new congregations be started only upon the 
 basis of a diminishing scale of subsidies. 
 
 d. A Month of Evangelism. 
 
 We recommend to the missionaries and 
 native Christian leaders of Mexico the ap¬ 
 pointment as soon as practicable of one 
 month each year to be observed as a simul¬ 
 taneous and nation-wide season of special 
 prayer and evangelistic effort. 
 
 e. Promotion of Education. 
 
 We recommend to Evangelical Christians 
 in Mexico the observance of a period each 
 
 18 
 
year when work shall be done throughout 
 the country for the promotion of Christian 
 education and for the presentation of the 
 need of community betterment and the prac¬ 
 ticable ways by which it may be attained. 
 
 3.—MEDICAL MISSIONS. 
 
 Believing that the long period of strife 
 and Civil War in Mexico will leave behind 
 it a country in great need of medical advice 
 and help and that Christian service is never 
 more spiritually serviceable than when con¬ 
 veyed by the kindly ministrations of medical 
 missionaries, your Committee urges that 
 special emphasis be placed on increasing the 
 number of medical missionaries and the 
 establishing of well equipped hospitals at 
 strategic points, not only for the relief of 
 the suffering, but for the training of native 
 physicians and nurses who will thus be en¬ 
 abled to make their contribution to the health 
 and social uplift of their countrymen. 
 
 4.—MISSIONARIES AND THEIR 
 PREPARATIONS. 
 
 The large areas in Mexico yet unoccupied 
 and the striking conditions under which we 
 shall re-enter our work in that troubled 
 land, call for special consideration of the 
 qualifications and training needed by all new 
 missionaries. Mexico calls for the best we 
 have, for men and women of the finest 
 preparation and of the best native quality, 
 of tact, insight, sympathy and a ready per¬ 
 ception of the possibilities that lie concealed 
 in peoples of other training and surround- 
 
 19 
 
ings. They will be called upon to deal with 
 difficult and delicate questions and to exhibit 
 large constructive ability in situations of 
 which their home experience gives them no 
 knowledge. Above all else should they be 
 men of abiding faith in God and filled with 
 the love which constrains a man to lay down 
 his life for his friends. 
 
 Language Study. 
 
 It is recommended that no missionary be 
 permitted to reach his station, to engage in 
 actual work, without such previous prepara¬ 
 tion in the Spanish language as will enable 
 him to use it with a fair degree of pro¬ 
 ficiency. At least six months of distinctive 
 language study, either in this country or in 
 Mexico should be required of each mission¬ 
 ary before beginning work. 
 
 5.—HOME PUBLICITY. 
 
 That the representatives of the denomina¬ 
 tions attending this Conference publish in the 
 various church papers and in the secular 
 press information concerning the proposed 
 program of Missions in Mexico, based on the 
 official Minutes of this Conference, setting 
 forth especially the reasonableness of a 
 union or correlation of the work of the vari¬ 
 ous churches in that country. These pub¬ 
 lished articles should emphasize the enlarge¬ 
 ment of work made possible by this method, 
 the spirit of the Master shown in adopting 
 it and the power that will come to the 
 churches by thus answering His prayer that 
 we may all be one. 
 
 2Q 
 
6.—PERMANENT FIELD COMMITTEE 
 
 It is the judgment of this General Com¬ 
 mittee that there shall be constituted a per¬ 
 manent committee of Reference and Counsel 
 on the field. This committee to be composed 
 of missionaries representing the several de¬ 
 nominations affiliating in the proposed co¬ 
 operative movement in Mexico. 
 
 We recommend that each Board entering 
 into the plan be requested to appoint one 
 representative and one alternate. 
 
 We recommend that the duties of this 
 committee shall be: 
 
 (a) To carry into effect as far as possible 
 the plans of co-operation and unity, 
 to consider all proposed interdenomi¬ 
 national policies and to make recom¬ 
 mendations to the Boards concerned. 
 
 (b) To consider all further questions of 
 co-operation and unity and to make 
 recommendations to the Boards con¬ 
 cerned. 
 
 (c) To arbitrate differences which may 
 arise between church bodies in put- 
 ing into effect policies of co-operation 
 and unity when requested. 
 
 (d) To consider all matters of common 
 interest which may be referred to it 
 for counsel or direction. 
 
 (e) To promote and oversee the creation 
 of a Christian literature suitable to the 
 needs of the people and to secure its 
 distribution. 
 
 (f) That the securing of adequate titles 
 to all Mission properties be made the 
 special care of this Committee. 
 
 21 
 
Mr. John W. Wood gave the follow¬ 
 ing statement with reference to the reason 
 why the Episcopal Church could not officially 
 co-operate, though deeply concerned in the 
 vital work of the missions in Mexico: 
 
 “It has been a satisfaction to be here and 
 to note the spirit of cordial co-operation ex¬ 
 pressed in the conference. On several of 
 the most important questions I have re¬ 
 frained from speaking or acting because 
 they dealt with subjects upon which the 
 Board of Missions of the Episcopal Church 
 is not prepared to act. For instance, in the 
 matter of territorial occupation, I have ex¬ 
 plained to the committee, through one of its 
 members, that our Board has nothing to do 
 with territorial jurisdiction. Jurisdiction is 
 determined by our General Convention and 
 is committed to the bishop elected for the 
 field. The General Convention is, therefore, 
 the only body in our Church which could 
 deal with this subject. Moreover one of the 
 most important features of the work of the 
 Episcopal Church is ministration to the Eng¬ 
 lish-speaking residents in Mexico. Prior to 
 its revolutionary troubles this work was car¬ 
 ried on in widely scattered parts of the 
 country from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to 
 the extreme north. With the coming of 
 peace and the return of foreigners, this work, 
 it is expected, will be re-established. For 
 similar reasons our Board does not find it 
 practicable to agree to Union Educational 
 Institutions or to advise our mission to dis¬ 
 continue the publication of the papers issued 
 for many years by the Mexican Church. So 
 far as the name by which the non-Roman; 
 
 22 [ 
 
Christian organizations in Mexico shall be 
 known, I would point out that our Mexican 
 congregations several years ago, by their own 
 action, selected the name ‘Iglesia Catolica 
 Mexicana.’ That name has been recognized 
 by our General Convention and our Board 
 would not feel free to recommend that the 
 Mexican Church should adopt any other 
 name. In spite of these very large reserva¬ 
 tions, I hope the members of the Confer¬ 
 ence will believe that the Episcopal Church 
 is deeply concerned about the vital subject 
 of Christian reunion and desires to share 
 in co-operative efforts whenever practicable.” 
 
 It was VOTED that in transmitting to the 
 Board of Missions of the Episcopal Church 
 the recommendations of this Conference 
 there should be added a request that the 
 matters contained in the recommendations, 
 over which the Board of Missions has no 
 control, be laid by it before the General 
 Convention of 1916. 
 
 It was recognized by all that it was in¬ 
 dispensable that the plans should have the 
 approval and support of the leaders, both 
 men and women, in the Mexican churches, 
 and the representatives of each Board were 
 requested not only to lay the report of the 
 conference before their own Boards and 
 their own home churches, but also to take 
 up the various questions involved with the 
 Mexican churches. 
 
 It is desired that all who read this report 
 should join by prayer and active effort in 
 the work of carrying out the plans to which 
 the delegates of this conference were led. 
 
 23