LAYMEN'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 869, 16 July 1910, Page 9

LAYMEN'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT.

AND ITSTOTJNDER. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, religious . movement ( of recent years was the launching and organising of the Laymen's Missionary Movement, which has spread like wildfire throughout tho whole English-speaking world. In America, where the movement had its birth, its activities have been most marked, and its success has been remarkable. Says the "World To-Day": A veritable national campaign lias been conducted by the interdenominational Laymen's Missionary Movement, which has its .headquarters in the tallest building in the world; and in most of the meetings the opening banquets have been the largest and most representative dinners of the men of the city. This was even so in New York City. Back of every movement is a man. Organisation is only the expression of some dominant personality. And not the least interesting fact about this Laymen's Movement is that it is all the development of the thought and labours of one young Washington business man, John li. Sicilian, jun. Mr. Sleman is a typical modern young layman. Barely thirty-six years old, be has lived all his life at the capital. Early going in for Christian Endeavour, Mr. Sleman, like most of the laymen now coming to the fere in religious work, is a product of that cosmopolitan, ' spirit-rousing society. Then be graduated into Young .Men's Christian Association activities, serving for a time as tho general secretary of the Washington Association. Ho has for some years been identified with the International Young Men's Christian Association work. All the while ho has been developing his own business career as » banker, a, general agent for a life-insuraiico company, and a promoter of various business enterprises. He has been active- iu various civic benefactions, such as tho children's playground, summer'outings, associated charities, etc. In tlie course of his religious activities, Air. Sicilian went to tho Nashvillo Student Volunteer Convention, four years ago., Impressed by tho way in which the college men and women were answering the challenge of the foreign fields, he conceived the idea of an organisation of laymen to answer with their money the challenge of the students who offered their lives to mission work. . Some months later the Centennial of the Haystack .Meeting at Williams College, out of which grew American foreign missions, and tho American Hoard, was held '~\ .Vew York City. About sixty laymen met for a prayoi-nieeting on the afternoon of November 1906. in the Fifth Avenue'

Presbyterian" Church, Now York. That session was devoted wholly to prayer. In tiie evening, Sir. Sicilian's plan, for tho Laymen's .Movement was considered, and a scries of resolutions were adopted, calling the organisation into existence. Its three basic principles are original investigation of foreign missions by the laymen themselves; agitation by the laymen for an adequate missionary policy, which will seriously undertake the evangelisation of the billion non-Christian people now alivo, and tho organisation of tho laymen, tho churches, and the denominations to this end.