Only needs that

for a year. Recent years have witnessed retrenchment. were most urgent have been met. Our force of missionary workers has been steadily depleted, until now the number is less by eighteen than that of five years ago. Important stations, once well manned, are cared for only in occasional visits of workers from other fields. With no reserves to be used in sudden emergencies, it is sometimes the case that only by a painful weakening of one field is the need of another provided for. Weary laborers work on beyond their strength. In more than one instance within the year, death or alarming prostration has resulted because rest was too long delayed. Do you wonder that our committee, when arranging the schedule of expenditures for the present year, were moved by a conviction that the limits of safe tension had been reached and that further retrenchment could not honorably be made? The committee did not indeed venture to make what they believe to be adequate provision for the needs of the work. Their schedule as originally adopted included not one hospital building, not one chapel or missionary dwelling, though in not a few cases the hope that such buildings would be provided had been encouraged from year to year till workers had grown heart-sick with hope deferred. But your committee did record their judgment that further retrenchment would involve too great hazard; and the appropriation made was the same as that of the preceding year. So well your committee knew that the work, the care of which has been put into their hands by you and by the Master, is not a list of names and stations in a book; it represents real interests, sacred as the welfare of the immortal spirit of man, sacred as the redeeming work of the Son of God.

To those familiar with the true character of this work, we seem, as a body of Christian people, to be standing now at a parting of the ways. God is giving to us a new era of prosperity. Business conditions are greatly improved. In this return of normal conditions, on what basis is provision to be made for our work for the world? The question facing us, as we have said, is of a fundamental character, so fundamental as this: What ideal is to govern your representatives in the discharge of their trust? Are they to be shut up to a kind of opportunism? Or are they to be able to follow lines of rational progressive development? Are they to be forced to content themselves with giving help in dire extremity, such help only as will avert grave disaster? Or shall they be able to pursue a self-respecting, consistent, progressive policy, shaping wise plans and steadily following them; accepting the proffered rewards of past investment; building upon the foundations laid by the hands of the living and the dead; entering, one by one, in wise succession, doors of opportunity which the providence of God has opened? The work of the Union represents a great outlay, the pouring out of a great treasure of money and thought and life. In the past other men have labored, and now God invites us to accept the reward of their fidelity. The possibilities of success are literally without bound. Shall we accept them? Shall we meet the responsibilities of the work in a spirit befitting stewards and servants of God? To this question we are confident there will be but one answer in the Christian hearts to whom the message of our leaflet comes. A missionary, contemplating return to his field of service, wrote us recently: "If I return, it should be to make my life count for the utmost." And shall not we make the life of our missionary workers of the present and the past, and the life and the death of Him who led the way in a divine mission of ministry to the world, count for the utmost for the world's redemption and for the bringing in of the kingdom of God?

In behalf of the work,

HENRY C. MABIE, THOMAS S. BARBOUR,
Corresponding Secretaries.

REV. E. W. LOUNSBURY, D. D., DISTRICT SECRETARY, CHICAGO, ILLS.

"EYES have they, but they C see not." Blindness is the cause of missionary inactivity. Our Savior said to his disciples, "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." It means look out, look abroad, not at your feet, but at the distant fields. Eyes closed to the world's needs characterize too many of those who profess to love Him. What vital need of our praying, "Thy kingdom come" in us, that we may be conscious of the world's need of the kingdom.

The pastor needs open eyes. Astigmatism is prevalent. Too many are not looking upon the whitened fields. Many good, conscientious pastors see only the things at hand, their immediate environment, and fear that money given for foreign missions will curtail the salary or lessen receipts for the home work, forgetting that withholding tends to poverty. The nearsighted, low-sighted pastor will come to want. He needs to look out broadly upon God's great mission field and see open doors and beckoning handstwo-thirds of our race without knowledge of the Savior. He needs to behold the marvellous providences by which God calls his children to active service, such as an awakened Chinese empire after a sleep of 5,000 years; four hundred millions of people ready for Christian civilization, with industry, economy and intellectuality, eminently fitted for Christ's evangelizing agency; also the placing of the world's sceptre in the hands of three Christian countries, England, Prussia and the United States; also the sending of the negro race to us that through most degrading bondage it at length may draw largely upon our sympathies and purses for Africa's evangelization; also the centralized wealth in this country, nearly one-third the wealth of the civilized world, the richest of nations, having $81,750,000,000 treasure; $23,000,000,000 greater than Great Britain, with room for much greater expansion and development; also the sudden realization of the fact that this beloved government has become a world power, with enlarged territory, augmenting our influence and bringing us not only into intimate touch with all peoples, but laying upon us obligations that can be met in no other way than by evangelization.

The pastor needs open eyes, spiritually illumined, focused upon these things. He is largely responsible for the spirit of his people. Beholding and heralding will help his brethren into heights of blessed privilege. A seeing missionary pastor will produce a seeing missionary people. God give our churches pastors with open eyes. Let us all pray, "Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things."

.. The Real Question ..

OCCCCCCCCCC

REV. CHARLES L. RHOADES, DISTRICT SECRETARY, NEW YORK, N. Y.

THE problem on the home field

is seemingly simple, "only to raise enough money to carry on the work," some think and say. Easily solved. As one business man said to me, "If every member of our Baptist churches would give a dollar a year you would have all you want. That is easy, send out a circular telling them that and you will get it."

Is it not true that the mistake has been in making the problem to be primarily a financial one? So that whenever official or pastor mentions missions the first thought suggested is that of money. Has it not narrowed the conceptions of God's people as to this great work, and in thus narrowing their thoughts also tended to make them sordid and hence selfish? Nearly all objections to missions are based upon the financial aspect. Whoever hears of an objection from the spiritual, moral, intellectual or philanthropic point of view? We have money enough, men enough, and a desire to do the Lord's work. Never before has money been so lavished upon charitable, philanthropic and educational works as now. When men can see or know the needs of the work they will supply the necessary means.

Again and again have I heard it said by Christians, "I have not heard a sermon on missions for twenty-five years, unless it was coupled with a collection." Hence the idea in the mind that missions mean "begging" instead of instruction.

In citizenship and commercial relations we are satisfied only with worldwide intelligence and effort. Publishers of papers, periodicals and books can hardly keep pace with the demands. Is it so with the citizens of the kingdom of Christ in their desire for intelligence and the commerce of the truths of God? Do they seek after and demand from pulpit and publisher the worldwide intelligence of God's movements midst the nations of earth in the bringing in of the kingdom of his Son? Are they seeking to know the soul needs of the multi-millions of earth's peoples that they may enlarge their conquests for Christ the Lord?

My experience as a pastor has been multiplied many fold since I entered this work, and my conviction from this experience more deeply grounded, that what God's people need is definite, systematic, persistent information and instruction, and what is most encouraging is that they are desiring it, and I hope soon will demand it.

They want to know more about the society that represents them: its difficulties and failures; its progress, opportunities and needs; its problems and plans.

Missions must be taken out of the field of romance and put into the field of Christian science and ethics.

Deficits and failures will not dishearten if we know the reason of them. They will enlarge our experience, confirm our convictions and unite us in the "will to do His will."

All this is being realized by me in my work in this district. Pastors and church officials, professors and students in our seminaries, are coöperating with me in working out plans for the instruction of all; from the children in the Sunday-school, through every department of the church, until intelligence shall bring its corresponding responsibility and the Christian conscience will demand the carrying forward of the Lord's work even according to his commands and the world's needs.

The Sunday-School Missionary Lesson Leaflets are expected to be ready for use the last of the first quarter of the new year. Conferences that mean conferring are being asked for more rapidly than your secretary can fill the demands, and plans for their furtherance are foremost with me. The hearty cooperation of the faculties and students of our seminaries, the interchange of pastors and young people's societies in missionary instruction, give heart and encouragement that God is moving in the midst.

The series of studies issued by the Baptist Young People's Union is being recommended and received most heartily and with gratifying results. I hail with delight the new plan of the Union as to the MISSIONARY MAGAZINE. and trust that it will be followed by as vigorous work all along the line of our literature. The demand is increasing, and with this will come the logical, because natural result, a forward movement, backed by the intelligent praying and giving of God's people.

issionary Conferences have been arranged by Rev. Henry C. Mabie, D. D., home secretary, during January and February, as follows: January 9, 10 at Parkersburg, West Va.; January 17, 18 at Toledo, Ohio; January 25, 26 at Grand Rapids, Mich.; January 30, 31 at Chicago, Ill.; February 6, 7 at Lebanon, Ind.; February 13, 14 at Quincy, Ills.; February 20, 21 at Milwaukee, Wis.; February 26, 27, 28 at Bloomington, Ills.

Extended arrangements have been made for these conferences, and it is hoped that all the pastors within reach will attend. Addresses by the home secretary and local pastors on assigned subjects will be made. Especial attention will be given to Bible exposition and subjects relating to the fundamental principles of the extension of the kingdom of Christ on earth; such subjects, for example, as "The first denial of Missions," Gen. xiv.9: "The folly of a self-centred Judaism"; "The missionary import of Pentecost." These conferences cannot fail to be largely helpful, spiritually as well as in missionary directions.

THE CHEERING SIGNS OF OUR TIMES

REV. FRANK PETERSON, DISTRICT SECRETARY, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

REV. FRANK PETERSON

AMID the toil and varied experiences of the district

secretary there are some things which greatly lighten his burdens. The chief of these is the effectual aid he receives from noble missionary-minded pastors. The cause of Christian missions is never allowed by them to be crowded into a corner, but is held before the people as the chief business of the church. And I am glad to note that, as a rule, the churches are plastic and responsive to the pastor's touch. They grow, mission-wise, in the same direction as the pastor himself is inclined. It is a cheering sign of our day that the number of mission-minded pastors is on the increase, and wherever they are placed their fields become responsive to the Macedonian call.

These pastors are our happiest workers, for they are discovering that as the missionary spirit grows the church grows in purity and power. They frequently preach upon the subject, and feel that though they cannot preach to the heathen, by preaching missions at home, they are preaching Christ for the heathen. And while thus encouraging their people to more liberal offerings, they find that their churches are not the poorer, but richer by all their sacrifices.

That their preaching is bearing fruit is clear to be seen. From their members frequent individual contributions are sent in, and the letters of these indicate that their giving is not from an impulse quickened into life by some spasmodic move, but is the result of a principle, which in some cases has been at work a whole year in careful planning for the offering. I cull from a few letters received:

"The enclosed offering is the profits from a potato field which I have grown for the Lord, and as I have watched them grow, I have prayed for those to whom the proceeds shall be sent."

Another: "Our pastor has encouraged us to adopt the tithe system, that we may have something to give for Christian missions. I now send you another $30, which makes $60 in all since last fall. We now have money for all Christian work, and you do not know how pleasant it is to thus distribute of our means for Christ's sake."

Another: "I herewith enclose the amount of one month's income. I know not where my earnings could be placed where they will do more good than in the hands of the Lord for Christian missions. Our pastor, who is missionary in spirit through and through, has given such a telescopic view of the world-field as I have never had before."

From another comes the following: "I herewith enclose my offering of $10 to world-wide missions. After a good sermon on missions by our pastor, we were asked to join in singing, 'Onward, Christian soldiers,' but I felt I could not sing that until I had given something to enable them to go forward, else my singing would be a mockery."