SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1354, 3 February 1912, Page 10

SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

THE ANNUAL REPORT. ' The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge has issued its annual report for tho year 1911, which was presented at tho general meeting on October 3. It shows, as regards home affairs, that tho vonerable society is by no moans too old to consider its methods and to examine its time-honoured constitution. Both the inter-relation of tho various committees and tho state of the society's freo con-trlbutions-froin various sources havo come under examination, and various proposals are being made in these matters which it is hoped .will-assist the finances of tho society; for there is a tendency-to neglect venerable institutions which,do not make their merits widely known. The committeo report a successful year of work at tho St. Katharine's Training "College, Tottenham, where all the second year students presented for the examination in religious knowledge wero placed in the first class, while from tho Train-, ing Collcgo for Lay Workers at Stepney 56 posts wore filled during tlie year. Tho work for emigrants continues 1 to dovelop, and owing to the increasing number of third-class emigrants leaving the l'ort of London an arrangement has been mado by which the vicar of Holy Trinity, Gravesend, iVill see to the regular visitation of all such ships. The society during tho year obtained tho help of 181 longvoyage chaplains, of whom 90 went to South Africa or Australasia, and 91 to North America. Thero aro, however, many colonial dioceses in which more can bo done to provide organisation which will enablo these long-voyage chaplains to leavo emigrants in safe hands at the port of arrival. Tlie S.P.C.K. continues to receive gratoful recognition of the value of its work under this head.

A further sum of .£IOOO has been alio cated to medical missions for tho train ing of missionary doctors, for tho build ing of a hospital at Yin Chow Fu, Shan tung, and for the maintenance and equip ment of missions.

In the matter ol foreign translation, it is apparent that some more extended effort is being made to meet the needs of tho Far East. In actual fact, all tho new vernacular' publications of tlio year under review were for other , parts of the mission field, a large number for Africa, and several for North America. The works listed for Asia remain "in preparation abroad," and it is to be regretted that -progress is so slow. The committeo are evidently conscious of the difficulty, and the report says "that this department alone of all (lie society's varied .oporations is of such an important character that it might occupy the full attention of a separate society." But the committee might, without going to that length, at least try tho effect of making foreign translation work a department with a special staff instead of allowing it to bo merely a section of its publishing ami editorial business.

. The financial conditions show a slight improvement, inasmuch as there is a small inprease.in subscriptions, benefactions, and legacies. But the cancelling of the lloval prayers in the I'rayer-book after ICing Edward's death caused'so largo an expense that for the first time for 40 .years tho book-selling account shows an adverse balance. Nevertheless the. society has given in the year a total of .£21,125 to assist in various ways the missionary work of the church.