THE WORLD'S MISSIONS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 935, 30 September 1910, Page 3

THE WORLD'S MISSIONS

AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK. ' MODERN 'METHODS. Interviewed on Wednesday" by a Dominion reporter, tho. Eev. G. J. Williams sketched in masterly fashion the present bearing and. future prospects of missionary enterprise, or, as he prefers to call it, the work of world, evangelisation. Mr. Williams,;'.now paying. a brief visit to Wellington, is organising secretary in Australia .to the London Missionary. So--ciety. His duty is to stimulate interest in missionary work among. the various Australasian congregations. The society, he represents, as is well known, covers a'great part of the world in its ministrations. . . ' . . Mr. .Williams is, an optimist'in the fullest sense, and of the work, now proceeding among the, dark races .he . has unlimited hopes. He' anticipates big results in. the comparatively near , future. The :view that some dark races are incapable of real emergence from the savage state, savj by. a long process of evolution, finds in him a vehement-opponent. Ho holds' that not : essential difference of nature but lack of opportunity; explains the : backwardness of. many; native races.' Missionaries now approach the . task of uplifting their dark-skinned brethren with an open* eye to • tho problems of statesmanship .and 'science. No attempt is made to transform South. Sea Islanders or ; negroes, 'into.. Europeans. The idea, of the'modern .. missionary is simply to bring out all that is. best in tie races among which he dwells, by bringing them into! touch with the evangelising influences of Christianity... The native- mind under these conditions, Mr. Williams declares,'. never."fails to expand.;. Of i the people, of tho South Sea Islands he seems particularly hojeful. _ , .; "Almost' everywhere," •he 6aid, "their dominant: characteristic ; is. .simplicity.. They have, in fact, a genius for simplicity. . Transfigured by Christianity :tnese people:'may one day ; show us who .live in touch with Western civilisation, what Christian simplicity , really is." .1.. . ... . ; ' : Tes;"-. he continued, opening another tra}n : ' of' -ideas,V "men generally are: be-, ginning to -.realise' the magnitude and dignity of the .work .of world evangelisa-. tion,'_and ;to ' attain., some ■ conception of iti .far-reaching''consequences. The . mis-, aionary .is .'no ;longer : likened ; . to; Don Quixote, .but'.rather, ; .to a Scarlet' Pimpe-rnel,"-eagerly 'saving : .thpse. who 'stand in dire-' need', of his • assistance.".. , ,'' -'' :' "One of the .most - important > features, of : the work-.to:day,":.pursiied ;Mr.,. Wil- 1 Hams, .'"is; the movement; towards comity, in'- missions. ...The gener-.: ally are recognising that the- distinctions, of the- West; will'.-neper be-perpetuated-' in the East,' These; denominational-dis-tinctions, mean nothing. rin ' .the:: Orient.. The missionaries / themselves ' have: . de.veloped'; considerably,'towards,. i action, andv it. is! pa Hhe'.'iV mission ' _ fieldmore: than anywhere else 1 that-' Christian unity .is -being recognised.- There,-'is -a, reflex.: action, too, 'i-which ''--leads.."', to the : ■socioties themselves, ; closer' to-~ gether, and ; tending', to .work', in '-'.conjunction. ;.Perhaps no' bne featureas more notable' ; ; t6-'day.than what v. has been .called :-"the uprising ; of.;meni.". It .: is recognised moro than ever before that tho work of . -world evangelisation .is a, mascu-lihe..'.-business,';requirihg-'the v best : gifts' that manhood has to contribute.'-'' It, has been said.; that; the.. most statesmanlike ;as well- as. the most . full;, orbed' Christian; work, that' is., being■ Vdone in. the ..world ',t<wlayfe-that' oifi'Aemm, >'.oall«d mis-, sionaries." r---; ;As showing, the; magnitude of missionary: work! throughout tho world, Mr. Williams quoted some' leading',' figures; ; ;i In! all thereare , some' 5522 ordained White mis-. sionariesi;- atV wojrk.i in countries,: and- 982 -physicians.,. .There"; are }n addition .2500-, lay ';.workers,' .' : 'MOO;;V married. . women;-and .4988 -.--'unmarried ; iTy.omen.; ■There' is thus- a'"tot'al'-'-of : v : about! 10,280 'foreign; total 1 mifeionary (income- is' about • ,£5,071;000.; annually., Native" contributions ( have' ■ now ' reached, 'something; like half ' a,': million a ' year,, ahd'-.tKe -amount , is:',"steadily: ' increaang; There„is - a i;growing; tendency. ,; in , the' : L missions - to: become self-supporting. ;