> tihvavy of t:he t:heolo0icd ^tminavy PRINCETON . NEW JERSEY FROM THE LIBRARY OF ROBERT ELLIOTT SPEER BV 2360 .Y7 V6 1906 Vickrey, Charles Vernon, 1876- The young people's rnissjmna r vuhq v^jnent. THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT ;jb^' ^ APR 13 1959 THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT CHARLES V. VICKREY THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT NEW YORK Copyright, 1906 BY The Young People's Missionary Movement CONTENTS PAGE Historical Statement 9 Organization and Achievements 25 Forecast 57 HISTORICAL STATEMENT ll|t0tortral S^tat^mrtit The Young People^s Missionary Movement as an organization is not yet four years old.* In fact it is scarcely more than three years since the office of the Movement was first opened and aggressive work under a secretary inaugurated. It wO'Uld be unfair, however, to infer that the present growth and achievements in mis- sionary work among young people are due wholly to the work of the Young People's Missionary Movement. Many factors had for years been contributing to a quickening of missionary interest among the young people's societies of the Churches. Among these forces may be mentioned the influence of the Student Young Men's Christian Association, founded in 1877, and of the College Young Women's Christian Association, organized in 1885. The missionary spirit developed by these two associations among the college students of No'rth America found its natural expres- sion in the organization at Mt. Hermon, Mass., tariff Btubtnt Bolmttppr * Organized July 18, 1902. in 1886, of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. ©Iiallfug? to A few years after the organization of the %ailnirrl| Student Volunteer Movement, the Churches were forced to recognize the fact that a co-n- siderable number of the strongest and best young men and women of the colleges had signed the Volunteer Declaration Card, stat- ing, ''It is my purpose, if God permit, to be- come a foreign missionary." Many of them having completed their college and pro^fes- sional training, were offering themselves to their missionary boards for appointment to the mission field, and in numerous instances were given the almost stereotyped reply, 'We would like to send you, the work greatly needs you, but we scarcely have sufficient funds available to support our present co^rps of work- ers, to say nothing of meeting the appeals for reinforcements." Thus the uprising of the Student Volunteers became an unspoken chal- lenge to the Christian Church. The volun- teers practically proclaimed by their consecra- tion, though they did not presume to put it in words, "Our lives against your money for 10 f outt0 T^to\ilta MtHstonarg Mantmtnt II the evangelization of the world in this gen- eration." It soon became evident that a parallel move- ment or missionary quickening would be necessary among the Christian ministry and laity if the Church was to respond to the op- portunity of sending these young men and women into the fields to which they had been called. In the providence of God, there arose about this time, beginning in 1881, the great mass movement among the young people of the Churches which within a few years enroled nearly five million members in the various young people's societies, leagues, unions, brotherhoods, and similar organizations. But in many instances these young people's socie- ties were, or soon became, little more than an enrolment of the eager young life of the Church organized, ready for action, but await- ing a co-mmanding objective and intelligent direction of their energy. It was felt by many leaders that nothing could constitute a stronger appeal or more worthily draw forth the latent power of these five million young people than a presenta- faun0 ganiiationa Wh\tctirte ^0U«9 p^npljf'a iliflBtanarg iHntirmrnt danuhtan tion of the needs and the claims of the non-Christian world. Moreover, it was be- lieved that the personal contact and work on the part of detained and other student volun- teers with the young people in the Churches would prove a mighty factor in increasing missionary intelligence, interest, and a sense of respo-nsibility. Accordingly, there was organized first in Canada in March, 1895, under the leadership of Dr. F. C. Stephenson, of Trinity Medical College, Toronto, a movement known in the early days as The Student Missionary Cam- paign for an Exodus of Missionaries. The plan of action embraced the following fea- tures : 1. It was an appeal by college and university students to the young people of the churches in behalf of Christian missions. 2. It was purely a labor of love as the students served without compensation, devoting in many in- stances, their entire summer vacation period to the work. 3. The aim was three-fold — to promote daily prayer for, careful study of, and systematic giving to, missions. "Pray, Study, Give" — was the motto adopted by the campaigners. f uung 3^raplp*a Mtsatanarti ilaurmi^ttt 13 4. The policy was to avoid the introduction of new machinery into the church, and to render more effective existing organizations. 5. Permanency of interest was sought, rather than the fleeting enthusiasm that is easily engen- dered in public meetings. Therefore much emphasis was placed upon the importance of energizing and training the missionary committee in the young people's society for increasing effectiveness after the departure of the student campaigner. Libraries of choicest missionary books were placed in the churches, mission study classes were organized and systematic proportionate giving inaugurated. Enough work was accomplished in Canada during the first summer of 1895 to demon- strate the value of the propaganda. In the sum- mer of 1896, after a winter of careful prep- aration, seventy campaigners were engaged in the work, reporting 517 meetings, attended by 35,000 people. Between 1895 and 1902 a total of more than 300 students were engaged in the campaign work in Canada, holding up- wards of 3,000 meetings and organizing work in more than 1,100 centers. During that period the annual missionary contributions from the young people's societies of the churches visited, increased steadily from dampatgn &tati0tira ISiimxita at (Hmmhlan CO^auqtatgn f nuttg l^ttipltB HtBjatnttartj Mmtmtnt itt SajrttHt Ut lEpmnrtlj $i,6oo in i895-'96, to $30,226 in igo2-'o^, and at the end of the year igo2-07, thirty-eight missionaries had been assigned to young peo- ple's societies for support over and above regu- lar contributions through the Church treasury. While this work was going forward in Can- ada, there was the beginning of a similar movement in the United States. As early as 1894, a group of Baptist student volunteers from Denison University devoted their sum- mer vacation to a missionary campaign among the Baptist churches of Ohio; and during the three succeeding vacation periods, from five to seven students visited each year about 200 churches in Ohio and West Virginia. In 1897 eight volunteers from Northwest- ern and Lawrence Universities visited some of the Epworth Leagues of Wisconsin. Dur- ing the summer of 1897 ^^- Willis W. Cooper, an interested layman who was directing and supporting this experimental work in Wiscon- sin, and Mr. Fletcher S. Brockman, one of the secretaries of the Student Volunteer Move- ment, went to Toronto to study the prin- ciples and methods of the Canadian work. The result was, that during the spring of f dung 5^^0pk*0 misatonartj Mtxntmmt 15 1898, Mr. Brookman visited thirty American colleges, enlisting and training 160 students fo-r the summer campaign work. Through the generosity of Mr. Cooper, a central office was opened in Chicago, with Mr. S. Earl Taylor as secretary. During the five summers, from 1898-1902 inclusive, under Mr. Taylor's di- rection, more than 300 students from 30 col- leges and 25 states visited and organized work in more than 2,000 churches, reaching directly with their message over 200,000 Church mem- bers. The significance of this work is more striking when one considers the fact that at the beginning of the campaign in 1898, O'nly four and one-half per cent, of the Epworth Leagues, among which this campaign was con- ducted, had a nominal missionary committee. To-day, largely as a result of the student campaign work, nearly all of the more than 21,000 Epworth Leagues of the Methodist Episcopal Church have missionary depart- ments. The work thus somewhat extensively launched in one denomination was very quickly adopted by other Churches, until in 1903 there were not less than thirteen denom- ^tatlatira of l&mh inations using their student volunteers and other college students in the missionary cam- paign among their young people's societies. fal? The work of the college students, however, ^ "a^^N being confined to the summer months, natural- ly reached largely the smaller towns and rural communities. It was apparent that to reach adequately the churches of the larger towns and cities, a carefully prepared plan of campaign would be required, extending through the winter months, and that the services of graduate rather than under-gradu- ate students would be needed. For this work five Yale men in the spring of 1898 offered their services without compensation for one year. This group of men, known as the Yale Missionary Band, visited during the year 1898-99 not less than ninety-five of the lead- ing cities and towns, from the Missouri River to the Atlantic seaboard, addressed 900 meet- ings attended by 200,000 people, and held 364 conferences on practical methods of mission- ary work, attended by officers, committeemen, and official representatives of more than two thousand young people's societies. I|0tttt9 T^tcpltB MiBBiannti^ McMtmmt 17 Much might be said of the influence of this student campaign work, not only in the way of increased missionary intelHgence, interest, prayer, and giving, but in the more important deepening of the spiritual life and devotion of the young people and of the entire church membership. Hardly less noticeable than the results in the churches has been the reflex in- fluence upon the lives of the campaigners themiselves and upon the general student body. Many of the campaigners were not volunteers when they began their work, but a person can- not prepare a missionary address and make an appeal in behalf of missions night after night to other people, without becoming increasingly impressed with his own personal responsibility to meet the need. Thus not a few of the cam- paigners, who had expected to spend their lives in the ministry or in business in the home- land, before the completion of their campaign work, had declared their purpose to respond to their own appeal for the mission field. Scores of others, influenced by their appeals but pre- vented from offering for foreign service, have become earnest missionary pastors or strong of i&tuifttt ^0«tt3 3?^0|jU*ja iltBHtnnaru Mnurmmt JUrattHfernf PrrilmUtarg of Maaxh lay workers in the home field, as a result of their close study of the missionary problem. The time came about 1901 when the mis- sionary work among young people had far ex- ceeded the a'bility of the student campaigners to meet its needs. For the first few years stu- dent campaigners were indispensable, but with the organization of strong missionary depart- ments or committees, the establishment of missionary libraries, and the formation of mis- sion study classes, there came to be a large number of young people's society officers and leaders who were competent to organize and supervise the work that had been pioneered by the students. The next problem was that of organizing, unifying, and giving comprehensive direction to the energy of the increasing company of missionary specialists who were being de- veloped in the churches and young people's societies. The secretaries of a number of mis- sionary boards, realizing the possibilities of this rapid growth of interest^ proposed that a conference of workers be held to compare methods. The first preliminary meeting was held in the Reformed Church Building, 25 ^0Uttg T^tapitB MiBBXcnnr^ Mmtmtnt 19 East 22nd Street, New York City, September 2y, 1901. At this meeting it was resolved to hold a conference at which ample opportu- nity should be given for free discussion of the topics presented, and the details of prepa- ration were entrusted to a committee con- sisting of A. DeWitt Mason, Chairman; Luther D. Wishard, Secretary; Charles L. Rhoades, R. W. Miller, R. R. Doherty, John W. Conklin, John W. Wood, W. L. Amerman, and C. V. Vickrey. In accordance with the above action such a conference was held on December 11-12, 1901, in the Assembly Hall of the Presby- terian Building, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The conference was attended by 195 delegates, a list of whose names was printed, together with a full report of the program and discussions.* The Committee on "Principles and Results of the Conference/* of which C. C. Cree- gan was chairman, presented at the close a series of resolutions to which may be traced directly the organization O'f the Young (Hanftrtntt 1901 on IptixtcipltB vmhViseixitB * Young PcQple and Missions, Foreign Missions Library, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. People's Missionary Movement, formally con- summated seven months later. Section five of the resolutions reads as follows: firsnlutinn Resolved, That since this gathering contains so many representative workers from so many sections of our continent, and our conference has been so enthusiastic and stimulating, we appoint the follow- ing provisional committee which when made perma- nent will have power to increase its number and to fill vacancies. (It is distinctly understood that this committee becomes permanent only when each denomination represented has concurred by action of its Board of Missions in appointing the person named, or another of their own choice.) A. DeWitt Mason, Luther D. Wishard, Charles L. Rhoades, John W. Wood, R. W. Miller, S. Earl Taylor, W. Henry Grant, P. L. Cobb, F. C. Stephen- son, William M. Bell, A. L. Phillips, R. P. Mackay, Rivington D. Lord, James Wood, Their duties shall be, first, to arrange for a similar conference within one year at such place and time as they may select, and secondly, to publish the proceedings of this conference as fully as seems to them wise. (J^rgamzatum The committee appointed convened immedi- irffoun0 ^^gj ^^ ^^^ ^j^gg ^f ^^^ ^^^ York Confer- HtHBionara ence, lo P. M., December 12, and elected Lu- Movtmsnt ther D. Wishard, Chairman, and W. Henry 20 Grant, secretary and treasurer pro tern. At the meeting of the committee held in connec- tion with the Student Volunteer Convention in Toronto, February, 1902, it was decided to hold the next conference (after the New York Conference of 1901) at Silver Bay on Lake George, July 16-27, 1902. It was at this con- ference, after much prayer and in full con- sultation with the secretaries of the various missionary boards who were present, that the committee felt led of God, on July 18, 1902, to enter into the formal organization of the Young People's Missionary Movement. 21 ORGANIZATION AND ACHIEVEMENTS 25 The Young People's Missionary Movement is not a new, independent organization adding to the confusion of societies that so frequently cluster around the local church or parish. It is rather a federation ot clearing-house of the young people's departments of the various home and foreign missionary boards of North America. It is a practical application to Christian activity of the modern business prin- ciple of co-operation and consolidation. It at the same time respects and protects the indi- viduality and supremacy of the denominational or Church missionary board and deals with the young people of a local church or parish, only through regular Church channels, and not by independent methods. The clearing-house character of the Move- ment is seen in the fact that the control of the Movement is vested in a Board of Alanagers limited to fifteen persons, all of whom are sec- retaries of denominational or Church mission- ary boards, officially approved by their re- spective boards for the direction of the Move- ment. Nirtait (!9rganizatum H&ow^h of lExttvAivt Supplementing the work of the Board of ©ommUtFe Managers there is an Executive Committee composed of secretaries of the five largest mis- sionary boards in America, who, meeting not less frequently than once a month, give more detailed supervision, with the assistance of other sub-committees, to the executive work of the Movement. The benefits of the Move- ment are offered to all Church bodies. Not less than thirty-two missionary boards are now availing themselves of the literature and other privileges of the Movement, and so far as is known, there is no board in the United States, Canada, or Great Britain that is not in heartiest sympathy with the principles that un- derlie the work. Ifixarpaat The Young People's Missionary Movement aims to assist established Church agencies to deepen the spiritual life and missionary purpose of young people. The Young People's Missionary Movement differs from the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions in that it seeks to promote both home and foreign missions, whereas the Student Vol- unteer Movement devotes itself to the interests 26 of the foreign work. While the Young Peo- PURPOSE THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE WORLD IN THIS GENERATION M E N E N O u G H 1 6,000 Missionaries on the Field 50,000 Required to Evangelize the World 1 ,000,000 men Engaged in the Russo-Japanese War 1 ,195,000 in the Standing Ar- mies of the United States, Great Britain, and Germany 1,200,000 American, British, and German College Graduates of a Generation. 1 -24th would Evangelize the World M O N E Y E N O u G H $20,000,000 Income of For- eign Missionary Societies of the World $800,000,000 Army and Navy Expenditures of the United States, Great Britain, and Ger- many $1,11 5,000,000 Cost to Great Britain of South African War $796,207,000 Annual net In- crease in Wealth of Protestant Church Members of the United States, over and above all Ex- penditures $25,000,000,000TotalWealth of the Protestant Church Mem- bers of the United States POWER ENOUGH And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME in heaven and in earth. GO YE THEREFORE, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observeall things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I AM WITH YOU alway, even unto the end of the world. WE CAN DO IT IF WE WILL FIELD HE field of the Young People's Missionary Movement includes 14,000,000 Sunday School scholars and 5,000,000 members of Young People's Societies in the United States and Canada who are now at the a^e of greatest religious interest, who are forming their ideals and habits of Christian life and service, and who within fifteen or twenty years will constitute the body of the Christian church, con- trolling the more than $25,000,000,000 of wealth and the un- measured moral and spiritual resources of Christendom. 22,000,000 IN CHURCHES PROTESTANT OF AMERICA 14,000,000 IN SUNDAY SCHOOLS YOUNG ?.f5gL°^S°i8o,ET,ES THE CHURCH OF TO-MORROW THE PERIOD FOR MISSIONARY TRAINING 16 19 20 21 u Z3 24 li Age of Greatest Religious Interest Age of Conversion pie's Missionary Movement has not formally adopted any watchword, there is in it much of the spirit and purpose of the watchword of the Student Volunteer Movement — The Evangel- ization of the World in this Generation. It is believed that if these two great forces of young people can be united in effort — the army of student volunteers occupying the firing line of missions, and the young people in the home Churches furnishing the munitions of war — the world can, under the power of God, be evangelized within the lifetime of those who are now entering upon the respon- sibilities of Church membership. The Young People's Missionary Movement ^itih accepts as its field for cultivation the Church of the future as at present enroled, organized, and in training in the young people's societies, Sunday-schools, and other young people's or- ganizations of the evangelical Churches of the United States and Canada. The Move- ment recognizes that its field of labor is distinct from that of the Student Volunteer Movement, and that the one is supplemental to the other. ^7 The leaders of the two Movements are in fre- quent and close consultation, and are seek- ing to co-operate in every way possible. At a meeting of the official representatives of the Student Volunteer Movement with the representatives of the Young People's Missionary Movement, on November i6, 1904, action was taken definitely outlining the fields of operation for the two or- ganizations. The Student Volunteer Move- ment works among the 200,000 or more col- lege students of North America, and the Young People's Missionary Movement among the 14,000,000 Sunday-school scholars, the 5,000,000 members of the young people's so- cieties, and among other unorganized young people in the United States and Canada. Elifl^vAnvf These millions of young people, now at the formative period of life when vital decisions are being made and principles established, constitute the future Church. Within fifteen or twenty years they will control the more than $25,000,000,000 of wealth with its natural increase, and the more important and unmeasured moral and spiritual resources of the Protestant Church of North America. The purpose of both the Student Volunteer Movement and the Young flIJjurrti 28 Vimn^ l^tapitB iHiBBtottctrg iHaurmtnt 29 People's Missionary Movement is the speedy evangelization of the world ; the Student Vol- unteer Movement aiming primarily at the enrolment of volunteers for the mission field and incidentally at the quickening of the home Church; the Young People's Mission- ary Movement aiming primarily at the de- velopment of the interest of the home Church through the young people from whom must come the support of the outgoing volunteers. This, however, does not confine the influence of the Young People's Missionary Movement to the non-college young people, for experience has shown that some of the most important in- fluences entering into the college student's life are those of his home Church or Sunday- school before his entrance to college or after graduation. Moreover, a considerable per- centage of the delegates at the Summer Con- ferences of the Movement are college gradu- ates, several of whom have there experienced the personal call to missionary service and are to-day found in the various mission fields. The membership of the mission study classes of the churches is composed in no small measure of college graduates, and an increasing number fdung '^txipitB HiBBWttarg Mmxtmtnt ^mpotat of Bnmmn (UrnxftrmsfB of yO'Ung persons are going from the study classes to college with their minds open and favorably disposed toward missions, thus be- coming the natural leaders in missio-nary ac- tivities among the students and not infre- quently offering themselves as student vol- unteers. With an army of millions of more or less inexperienced Christian young people to be organized and intelligently directed in mis- sionary effort, it is evident that one of the first demands is for trained leaders. Therefore, it is the policy of the Movement to hold each year in different sections of the United States and Canada missionary conferences or train- ing schools for the better equipment of lead- ers in young people's work. Eight of these conferences, each of about ten days' duration, have been held, with a total attendance of nearly twenty-five hundred leaders and dele- gates. The conferences of 1906, four in num- ber, will enrol an additional fifteen hundred workers. These Summer Conferences are intended primarily as annual councils for the organiza- tion of the year's campaign and as schools for 30 (S-WXftVttXttB the instruction and preparation of those who are to have chief responsibiHty for the direc- tion of missionary work in important centers and local churches. The delegates at these con- ferences are for the most part personally se- lected, by the secretaries of their respective missionary boards, with special reference to their fitness for leadership, and not infrequent- ly upon their return are able to organize cam- paigns that reach large sections of territory. Speaking of the value of the summer con- "Maiut of ferences, a secretary of one oi the largest mis- sionary boards reported to the president of his board that : "Almost without exception, where- ever a strong work has been discovered this year in any young people's society, the causes have been traced directly to the Silver Bay Conference of last year or the year before." Another secretary of a still larger board says : "I cannot now recall a single faithful, effect- ive worker among the young people of my de- nomination upon whom I can rely for large service, who has not received the larger part of his training at one of these summer confer- 3^ ences.'^ Numerous instances could be cited of delegates who as a result of the inspiration f dung PwpU'a fUtHjawttarii Mnxttrntnt Mttropalitan dinstxtxAta flan of l^nBtiUiUa and methods received at these conferences have influenced vitally for missions large met- ropolitan districts or an entire denomination, while many clergymen will unite in the testi- mony O'f a prominent pastor who writes that "representation at Silver Bay has transformed the life of my church." An extension of the work of the summer conferences is found in the Metropolitan Mis- sionary Institutes which are held in important centers during the fall and winter months. These institutes have for their special purpose the training of the large numiber of workers in local churches who are prevented from com- ing in contact with the more extended program that is presented at the summer conferences. The first of these institutes was held at Day- ton, Ohio, in October, 1904. They are in a sense miniature summer conferences bringing together for counsel and prayer, morning, afternoon, and evening, for three consecutive days, the important missionary leaders and committeemen of the churches of a city and surrounding towns. These institutes resemble a small college or school more than they do the average yo^ung 32 33 ?0un5 l^tapitB MlBBlcmrxi Mmttmsnt people's convention. Recognizing the word of God as fundamental in all effective missionary effort, the first hour in each day's program is usually spent in devotional study of the Bible, aiming especially to prepare the delegates for the leadership of Bible classes in their own churches. Other hours of each day are given to normal mission study classes, which have for their purpose the preparation of the dele- gates for the organization and conduct of local classes. Provision is also made for in- struction and conference concerning the work of the missionary committee, programs for missionary meetings, the use of missionary lit- erature, the promotion of Christian steward- ship, prayer for missions, and similar topics. At least one hour of each day and all of the evening sessions are devoted to inspirational addresses by missioiuaries or other prominent speakers on missionary or devotional themes. The Movement has had responsibility for Unemtctt the programs in twenty institutes of this type, attended by over five thousand registered del- egates, exclusive of the much larger number who attended the evening and other inspira- tional sessions that were open to the public. ©tatlalUfi ^nung ^rnpl^'a iliBHtonarg Movitmmt 3ln£U»ttr? of 3lnBtttul^ Poltirg Including the denominational missionary con- ventions where the Movement has been asked to conduct conferences or institutes on meth- ods, a total of sixty-eight conferences have been held, with an attendance of 22,365 delegates, who returned to their churches bet- ter equipped for leadership. Many encouraging instances could be cited of delegates who at these institutes have been led foT the first time to consider their person- al relation to missionary work and who have offered themselves for appointment to mission fields. Even more numerous are the instances of delegates who, unable to go to the field in person, have been used to arouse a mission- ary spirit in their home churches and cities. It is the policy O'f the Movement to hold each year not less than twenty of these insti- tutes in the leading cities of the United States and Canada. In addition to the young peo- ple's leaders and workers of the city in which the institute is held, invitations are ten- dered to representatives from the churches of smaller cities and towns within a radius of about one hundred miles. By studying care- fully the geographical location of these insti- 34 f nuug J^rnplr'fi iEisstDnarg ilourmrnt 35 tutes, it IS expected that the larger part of the United States and Canada will thus be reached each year with these training conferences for local workers. Arrangements are now being made where- by the Student Volunteer Movement and the Young People's Missionary Movement will co- operate with the Student Young Men's Chris- tian Associations in a series of institutes o-r conferences in the Theological Seminaries, which will have for their purpose the instruc- tion of the graduating classes of theological students in methods of missionary work in the churches. It is believed that these insti- tutes in the divinity schools will greatly assist in the development of a missionary pastorate, upon which the solution of the missionary problem so largely depends. It becomes very evident that an educational campaign of the magnitude of that on which the Movement has entered will necessitate the publication of an extensive literature, prepared especially to suit the needs of the work. Soon after its organization the Movement acquired the publication rights of the Forward Mission Study Courses and of the Missionary Cam- Publiratuin ^oung PropU'js iMtBJBtottarg MttM^nwnt Mtti}oh of StatribMtUtg paign Libraries, which had been published originally to meet the demands created by the student missionary campaign or deputation work. In addition to these it has published reference libraries, text-books, maps, charts, mission study helps, Sunday-school programs and accessories to meet the rapidly growing demand for suitable missionary literature for young people. This literature has not been distributed di- rect to the church or young people's society, but through the offices of the missionary boards. It is the policy of the Movement to avoid any communication with a local church that would tend to divert the corre- spondence or support of the congregation from the established Ghurch boards. On all the publications of the Movement, and especially on the text-books and mission study helps, there is placed, whenever possible, the im- print of the missionary (board which sells the books to its constituency. On the mission study helps is also printed the name and ad- dress of the board secretary to whom corre- spondence should be directed. In this way the Movement is able to fulfill its mission of 36 foung propIr'B MtHBlnnarg Mtmtnxtnt 37 serving merely as the official clearing-house for the regular missionary boards, always seeking the interests of the Church, aside from which service the Movement claims to have no reason for existence. The output of literature now controlled by the Mo-vement, includiTig sales before and after the formal o-rganization of the Publica- tion Department, comprises seven mission study text-books with an aggregate sale of 192,731 volumes; six uniformly bound libra- ries or sets of reference books of from seven to twenty volumes in each library and of which a total of 10^635 sets or 169,847 vol- umes have been sold; 384,305 Mission Study Class Manuals, Helps for Leaders, announce- ments, and other accessories for mission study class work; 7,971 maps; 15,000 wall charts; 14,541 programs and other literature on the Sunday-school and missions; besides several pamphlet publications of a general missionary character.* In addition to the above figures, which in- clude actual sales only, mention may well be made of the two mission study text-books Baita of lEmttonfl *Statistics to May i, 1906. ^ttSintntta that are now on the press, one Oif which is being printed in a first edition of 75,000 copies — probably the largest single edition ever published O'f any book dealing with Chris- tian Missions. Well may the Church render thanks for the quickening of missionary in- terest among the young people, which has created this unprecedented demand for tid- ings from the field. 3ffar-Il0arI|!«g After all, these statistics of the Publication Department have only a commercial value except as we look beyond the literature into the lives that are being reached. The sale of one hundred and ninety-two thousand volumes of Forward Mission Study Text- books means that approximately one hun- dred and ninety-two thousand young people have been meeting week after week, for a careful, prayerful study of the progress of the kingdom of Goid on mission fields. No one can tabulate the far-reaching influences that radiate from the lives of these tliousands of mission study class members, resulting as the many reports testify, in increased giv- ing to missions, a deeper prayer life, and a 38 general spiritual quickening and consecration ilHtBBiiitl to distinctively Christian and missionary work. The whole church quickly feels the new pul- Witstdta of sating life of the study class, and as the years go on the influence of the work will be increas- ingly felt in every mission field of the world. In one mission study class of twenty-three members, six persons have volunteered for service on the mission field since beginning the study. In another class there have been four volunteers for the foreign field, not one of whom, so far as the teacher can learn, would have seriously considered the v/ork had it not been for the enlarged vision that came to them as a result of their study. In another class two have volunteered. These are only three classes out of the thousands that have been formed, and the information concerning these classes came incidentally rather than through systematic inquiry. While perhaps few classes have called out their own mission- ary for the field, it cannot be douibted that most of the young people who have been en- gaged in this study of missions have come from the class sessions with nobler purposes 39 in life, and higher ideals of Christian steward- ship and service, than they could possibly have fomtg J^ropk'a MxBBmmr^ ilcnfmrnt iMettapalitan ^tfiBtXltt (Emapui^nB had without the study of the achievements and heroism of Christian missions. The organization and conduct of mission study classes is rapidly becoming a science to which an increasing number of leaders are de- voting themselves. In some metropolitan centers a carefully prepared campaign is in- augurated in the early spring, for the organ- ization and supervision o-f classes during the following winter. During the spring months a normal class is organized for the advance instruction of those who' will agree to teach other normal classes in the early autumn. Sev- eral of the best leaders and organizers are sent as delegates to the summer conferences. These delegates and others teach a series of normal classes during the early autumn, pre- paring and training leaders for classes in the churches during the winter. In this way, well- trained and experienced teachers were pro- vided for one hundred and eight classes that were conducted in one city during a single season. A new vocation of mission study class leader is being created. One young woman as a voluntary service has taught twenty-four 40 floung l^tapltB MiBBxamrji MuMtmmt 41 classes, nine of them in the course of a sin- gle winter. Others have taught six and seven classes during a season, while one missionary secretary, who gives himself largely to the work, has taught more than sixty classes. Time was when the church that had one mission study class was regarded as quite progressive. Now two or more classes are not infrequently organized in one church. Some have as many as five or six, while at least one church has eight classes, which the pastor regards as one of the greatest sources of power in his exceptionally spiritual and well- known missionary congregation. One could scarcely desire more inspiring reading than the hundreds of extracts that could be quoted from letters of mission study class leaders and members, whose spiritual life and purpose has been quickened and given new direction and power by the vision that they have had oi the world's need. The direct answers to prayer that are so abundant and so manifest on the mission field have strength- ened Christian faith. The sacrifices and devo- tion of the missionaries have appealed to and drawn out the noblest qualities in manhood (SiinBatB in 3nfiMtnnn ^0Utt9 l^tapitB MxBBwnuY^ ilnu^m^nt S»«ttJiag- and womanhood. A sincere study of mis- sions has corrected false impressions concern- ing missionary work and Vanished that incon- clusive thinking that so frequently condemns unsparingly the missionary cause without ex- amination. Winter evenings have been spent studying the work of the Holy Spirit in mis- sion lands, when otherwise the time would have been passed in indolence or profitless reading, if not in amusements that tend to undermine rather than build up Christian faith and character. Facing the facts of missions has removed doubts concerning fundamental Christian doctrines; and non-Christians have been brought through a study of the mir- acles of missions to accept Christ as a personal Saviour. Great as is the work that has been accom- plished and is still to be done through mission study classes and otherwise among the 5,000,- 000 members of young people's societies, it is second in strategic importance to the opportu- nity in the Sunday-school field with its 14,- 000,000 members who for the most part are just at that period in life when the deepest religious impressions are being made. 42 flnung P^npb'a i^tHBinttarg iHnurmrnt 43 The Movement is now co-operating with Sunday-school and missionary authorities in the cultivation of this inadequately con- sidered field. Two conferences* have been called of secretaries of Sunday-school organ- izations and missionary boards and of other persons who are especially interested in the subject o.f missionary instruction in the Sun- day-school. The aim is to secure the best judgment of the foremosl; leaders in Sunday- school and missionary work of the various Churches and to outline the policy of the Movement in such a way as to render the largest possible service to the Sunday- school and missionary boards. The Movement has published a manual of over 200 pages on ''Missions in the Sunday School," giving plans and suggestions concerning the missionary ac- tivities of the Sunday-school. The work, as at present inaugurated, begins with 'the youngest children in the Sunday- school and applies to the primary department some of the same principles that modern ped- * At the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York City, November 18, 1905, and at Silver Bay on Lake George, July 17-19, 1906. an i0SiiaBiatta »cljnai ^ttbag- ^tijaai ^0un9 P^opb*a M\B&\annr^ Maxxtrntnt agogy finds of such fundamental importance in kindergarten work. A box of curios or object-lessons has been prepared for the chil- dren of this department. In addition to the object-lesso-ns, postal cards, and other helps for juniors, there have been prepared and pub- lished a series of programs for the intermedi- ate department of the Sunday-school. Other material and helps will be provided as early as possible. MlBBionax^i In connection with all of the summer con- ferences and missionary institutes of the Movement, there have been more or less ex- tensive and carefully classified missionary exhibits, showing the literature and work of the various missionary boards. This ex- hibit usually requires a good-sized hall or Sunday-school room for its display, and has proven a most helpful adjunct to the confer- ences, serving as a laboratory where the ma- terial available for missionary work can be examined. Not only has this exhibit been dis- played in connection with the thirty-three summer conferences and institutes that have been held under the auspices of the Movement, 44 but it has been loaned for use at nine national pr international, denominational or general missionary gatherings, while portions of it have been furnished to numerous state Chris- tian Endeavor and other young people's con- ventions. More important, however, than any of these Kfrruila for statistical statements, has been the reflex in- -»f,v"'^*^" fluence of the missionary work upon the gen- eral spiritual life and work of the Church. Though the Movement does not aim primarily to secure volunteers for missionary service, it is a most encouraging fact that as an indirect result of the summer conferences more than a score of the delegates are now in actual ser- vice on the field, and a much larger number have offered themselves to their boards and are now in course of ipreparation. Although it is very difficult to secure accurate statistical info-rmation, there is every reason to believe that the mission study campaign, reaching a much larger number than do the summer con- ferences, is resulting in a larger offering of life than has been secured at the conferences. It is hard for any one of the nearly a quarter 45 of a million persons reached directly by these conferences and mission study classes to avoid f omtg 3Prnpb*0 iltjaBtonarg ilniirmrnt 3BittmxtB for MiBB\xmw:^ facing the supreme question as to where he can invest his Hfe to the best advantage in the extension of the kingdom of God. Gratifying as is the offering for foreign service, there has prohahly been an even larger number of persons who have entered home mission work from the summer conferences and study classes than have entered foreign work. The home mission study text-books pub- lished by the Movement were the first books of the character on home missions ever pre- pared expressly for young people. The study of "Heroes of the Cross in America" and ''Aliens or Americans," dealing with problems that af- fect so vitally the home base of missionary ef- fort, appeal strongly to the missionary spirit and the patriotism of any thoughtful student. The mission study class especially is prov- ing an important ajgency in recruiting the Christian ministry. In one mission study class of sixteen members, composed very largely of persons under twenty years of age, whose life purposes were not fully formed, there were, in addition to two persons who are to enter distinctively Christian work in the home- land, two young men who as a result 46 of their study left business for college, to pre- pare for the Christian ministry either at home or abroad. It is only natural, if not inevitable, that a number of persons who, after they have learned of the heroism of Christian mission- aries, will long for a similar service, and find- ing the doors closed to such service as the missionaries are permitted to render, will en- ter into the largest possible heritage of ser- vice at home. To the increasing thousands who are engaged in this study of Christian missions, the Church may well look for re- cruits to the missionary pastorate. The Young People's Missionary Movement (EtjrtHttmt through the mission study classes is reaching ^i^^^^^^W a type of prosperous young business men that heretofore have not been reached by any other agency. The study of conditions in mission lands and the effective class woirk that is done is of sufficient dignity and practical value to command the respect and win the confidence of young business men, who, within a few years, will control the money that is needed for the extension of the wc-rk of the mission- 47 ary boards. Already there are frequent in- stances of young men engaged in business ^oung J^rnpl^ a MiBBlcnur^ Maxttmtnt upon Mtmbtra Cdontrtbtttuin la (EnU^s^fi who, unable to go to the field in person, have, as a result of their study and knowledge of the conditions, definitely committed themselves to the support of certain portions of mission- ary work. Much might be said, too, of the value of this mission study campaign in reaching the older members of the Churches and that con- servative class whose social and other affilia- tions keep them more or less aloof from the activities of the average yo^ung people's so- ciety. In many of the larger city churches, where the work of the young people's society has failed to grip the attention o-f the so- called leaders, it has been possible to organize drawing-room study classes and to conduct them with such interest as almost invariably to demand a similar course of study for the ensuing year. There is an increasing number of young men and women who in 'the mission study classes or in the missionary work in the Sun- day-schools and young people's societies are catching the world vision, and with that vis- ion come to feel the need of better preparation for their life work, whatever that life work 48 f nuttg prnpk'a iEtaaiottartr Mmmxtnt 49 may be. It is this influence which has led some from the summer conferences, the insti- tutes and the study classes to enter college, in preparation for distinctly Christian work. It has been a source of pleasure to see with what unanimity returned missionaries, after seeing the young people's work in the home- land, express their gratitude for the work of the Holy Spirit in the home churches. A recent inquiry from a number of mis- sionaries as to what was the greatest ob- stacle to the world's evangelization, elicited a unanimous reply, that it was not the problem presented by the heathen religions nor the sacrifice and hardships involved in the ser- vice, but the indifference of God's people in the homeland. Missionaries testify that noth- ing at this time has given them greater en- couragement in the field than to know of the progress of this missionary movement among the young people. It would not be right to omit mention of the emphasis w^hich the Movement is placing upon the study of the Word Oif God. An hour of each day at all of the summer conferences and institutes is devoted to such study, and ©pHttmottg at MxBzianviVitB lEmpljuBxa txpaxt SibU 50tttt0 l^tapitB lEtaBiflttarg Mantmmt the aim of the 'hour is not only to get inspira- tional preparation for the work of the insti- tute, but so to train the delegates that upon their return to their home churches they will be instrumental in the organization and con- duct of similar Bible classes for young people. In addition to the Bible work at the summer conferences and institutes, it is a noteworthy fact that many of the members of the mission study classes form the habit of observing the Morning Watch. Certain boards prepare special prayer cycles or calendars for the use of the class members in connection with this daily Bible study and prayer. ^romottatt It is impossible for large numbers of young people to engage in the study of conditions in the mission field, combined with the study of God's Word, without feeling persuaded to use the greatest mis- sionary force that God has entrusted to his people — intercessory prayer. Even though this educational campaign among young peo- ple did not secure a single missionary for the field, and tho^ugh it did not result in increased giving, which things are inconceivable, it ^o would none the less be almost indispensable of l^ragrr loung l^tapltB iltBBtnnarg iMnnrmritt 51 as a means of securing more intelligent prayer for the world's evangelization. One of the fundamental principles of the Movement is loyalty to. existing denomination- al agencies. A primary aim of the Move- ment is to assist the boards in the organiza- tion and development of Young People's work. At the time of the organization of the Mo-ve- ment, a little more than three years ago, there were but four clearly defined Young People's Departments in all the boards of the United States and Canada. Exclusive of the wo- men's boards, there are to-day twenty-one general boards having more or less clearly de- fined young people's work, and employing a large part or all of the time of sixteen men and six women, in addition to clerical force in the supervision and development of the work. These figures do not include the secre- taries of the Young People's Missionary Moivement, whose time is devoted to the same work. Other boards are now engaged in the organization of young people's departments, and a total of thirty-two boards have availed themselves of the pubHcations of the Young People's Missionary Movement. txnttol 5o«n0 l^tapitB MxBmonnr^ Mmttmtnt ttaltnnal Jff^liifrattiin Not only have several denominations been led to commence work among their young peo- ple, but it is apparent that the ideas, ideals, methods, achievements, and experiences of •each denomination have been improved by the increased knowledge and facilities placed at the disposal of all denominations through the Movement. This aid has been at the command of all church organizations. Work has been accomplished in some of the smaller denomina- tions that would have been utterly impossible had it not been for this federation of interest which brings strength. The Young People's Missionary Movement is rendering an important service in bringing the different sections of NoTth America and the various Churches of Christendom into one- ness of spirit and purpose. This result has been especially manifest at the summer conferences. In these conferences there is a unity of Christian fellowship which almost eludes denominational analysis. When the strongest young people of a sco-re or more de- nominations unite in such conferences, mis- sionary institutes, and in the study of the same text-books on Christian missions, using the 52 f 0Uttg ppnplr'B iltBatonara Maxitmtnt same helps and plans, it cannot but prove a mighty factor toward breaking down any de- nominational walls that may impede the prog- ress of the kingdom of God. Such federa- tion is of itself an important apologetic to say nothing of the increased practical efficiency that it insures. While Christian workers have been pray- SnUrnatwinal ing, working and rejoicing in his lead- ft^a^«- ership in the American Churches, the same Spirit has been moving in the hearts and lives of the young people's leaders of Great Britain. Already there have been organized in England a series of summer conferences, a mission study campaign, and in one missionary society a young people's department with plans for the full time of three secretaries and a com- prehensive scheme oi work which in some re- gards surpasses anything that has yet been achieved in America. There are special man- ifestations O'f the Spirit in some of the largest Protestant countries of Europe, and in India, China, and other mission lands that seem to indicate that the time is dawning for a 53 united effort of the young people of Christen- dom, in college and out of college, for the Bi|ipfl establishment of the kingdom of our Lord * througihout the whole world. Pronibrnttal It has frequently been said that the Move- m anr? ment was born in prayer. It is true that during the first days at Silver Bay in 1902 the members of the Executive Committee were very dependent upon the Holy Spirit for guid- ance, and since that day the Movement has been led through prayer in a way that it knew not. Every important step has been marked by prayer, and frequently the Great Leader has answered prayer beyond all that one could ask or think. There has not been an important contribution oi money that has come to the treasury during the last three years that can- not be traced very directly to definite prayer made for that contribution. His guidance and power have been assured from the time of the first call, but his leadings have been so won- derful that the weak faith of the workers has been repeatedly re'buked by the fulness of the answer that he (has given. It is the Lord's doings and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day Which the Lord hath made. We 54 will rejoice and be glad in it. FORECAST 57 In any forecast of the possibilities of the Young People's Missionary Movement, as well as in the survey of past achievements, it is important that the character of the organi- zation be kept clearly in mind. The Move- ment exists as a medium of co-operation for the young people's departments of the various missionary iboards, and attempts no independ- ent work in the churches. The policy and all of the activities of the Movement are under the immediate control of board secretaries, who direct the work in the interests of the boards. Therefo^re, any statement concerning achievements and possibilities is to be regarded as the work of the Young People's Missionary Movement only in so far as the Alovement is a federation of regular Church missionary agencies. This forecast is not to be interpreted as a prophecy of what the Movement will achieve. Between possi- bilities and achievements there is a great gulf. The following pages are intended only to indicate some unoccupied and, in some in- stances, almost unexplored fields that are be- Mavtmtnt a Cl^artng f 0«ttg l^taplBB MlBBmnut^ Muntrnttit fore the Christian Church. The Holy Spirit will doubtless use many agencies and com- binations of agencies in the development of these fields. The particular part the Young People's Missionary Movement is to have in the work does not fully appear, nor is it a matter of any importance, so long as all of the forces of the Christian Church are uniting their highest energies for the establishment o^f the kingdom of our Lord throughout the whole earth. It would seem that for many decades to come, and perhaps until the fulfill- ment of the great commission, the Church missionary boards must be the recognized of- ficial mediums for the promotion of missionary work. It is as the agent of these established boards that the Young People's Missionary Movement stands ready to render such service as the secretaries of these boards may from time to time direct. l&mtmpith If the leaders of the Movement should be tempted to view with pride the achievements of the last three years, it is only necessary to glance at the work that is yet undone to be humbled and brought afresh to a realization of dependence upon superhuman power. It is mM» 58 gratifying that within so brief a period more than one hundred thousand young people have been enlisted in the systematic study of Chris- tian missions. Each succeeding year of the Movement's history has wrought nearly a doubHng of the enrolment, but these one hundred thousand study class members are only a little leaven among the millions of members of Sunday-schools and young peo- ple's organizations who are not receiving adequate instruction and whose interest and co-operation must be secured if the world is to be evangelized in this generation. To prepare so vast an army of workers ^txmmtt more training schools will be required. Al- <^^^^^^^^^ ready it is necessary each summer to refuse the applications of hundreds of workers who desire to enrol at the summer conferences of the Movement, but who cannot be accom- modated by the present facilities. To pro- vide training conferences for these wo^rkers who are annually turned away and also for the larger numher who reside in sections too remote to be reached from the present centers, ^^ it is necessary to increase the number of these conferences. ^0ung pf flpb'a iHaaionara Mammtnt iltt0tititt?B for EMtortal anh PubUratioti The Missionary Institutes held in the larger centers during the fall and winter months and reaching a broader circle of workers must also be increased in number if the campaign in the cities and smaller towns is to attain its maximum power. An impoTtant service would be rendered if in consultation and co-operation with denom- inational leaders smaller conferences could be arranged for missionary specialists. These might include conferences of state and district superintendents of young people's organiza- tions, missionary editors, national Sunday- school leaders, and training conferences for normal mission study class teachers and met- ropolitan committeemen. There is an almo'st unlimited field before the Editorial and Publication departments of the Movement in the preparation and produc- tion of mission study text-books, libraries, maps, charts, Sunday-school and other mission- ary programs and literature. The advantages of the co-operative principle in this work have already been demonstrated, and in the future may become even more apparent in the pro- duction of high-grade missionary literature, 60 6i maps, and accessories, such as the individual boards need, but separately have not the re- sources to produce. This publication work of the Movement has been and should continue to be self-supporting. However, an early in- crease in the capitalization or endowment of the publication department is imperative, if the Movement is to provide the number of publications and the phenomenally large editions of missionary literature for young people that are now being demanded. Nearly all mission study classes have been Qlrahtittgnf eager to begin a second course of mission ^^^^^^'^ study after the completion of the first, but effective as the mission study classes have been, the work must be more carefully and ag- gressively prosecuted if the mass of young people are to be reached who are as yet al- most wholly ignorant of what the army of conquest and occupation is doing in the mis- sion fields. Provision must be made for the organization of normal study classes for teach- ers, for a definite plan of campaign in every important metropolitan center and for the maintenance of that high grade of work which is essential to command and retain the intelli- f 0tttt5 Ptnplp*a iMtHBtnttani Mmtmtnt #uttl»ag ^qtxfBt far Co-operation gent interest and confidence of the progressive young people of North America. The Sunday-schools of North America con- stitute a great unexplored continent upon whose shores an adequate base of operations is but now being firmly established. Within the Sunday-schools alone is sufficient latent power tO' solve the entire missionary problem of the Church. All leaders recognize the dearth of appropriate and attractive missionary litera- ture for children, who as a class are most re- sponsive to the missionary message. The pre- paration of juvenile missionary libraries, ob- ject-lessons, supplementary programs, and text-books for adults must be regarded as only the preliminary steps toward occupying this vitally important field with missionary in- struction. The International Sunday School Editorial Association at its recent annual meeting, by formal resolution specifically requested, "The Young People's Missionary Movement to furnish to all lesson help editors syndicated missionary material, including both reading matter and pictures which can be currently or incidentally used in any and every department 62 ^nung ppnplp'fi iMtBBtuttarij MttMtmtnt 63 of their various periodicals." The Movement was further requested "to confer with the mis- sionary societies concerning the feasibihty of preparing supplemental missionary lessons for use in the Sunday-school." Thus there is of- fered to the Movement in the Sunday-schools an open door presenting an unparalleled op- portunity and demanding immediate consider- ation. The experiments of the last three or four years have demonstrated the value and possi- bilities of the missionary exhibit as an edu- cational force in missions. It is expected that by the improvement and enlargement of these missionary exhibits the Movement will be able to bring more graphically to tlie Chris- tian public a representation of the achieve- ments and needs on the mission fields as well as of the literature, and policies, of the various missionary boards. But more vital than any of these important educational agencies is the ever-urgent need of the mission fields for consecrated lives. The Movement will fulfill its highest mission only as it brings to the young manhood and woman- hood of America the call to personal evangel- MxBBiatmrrs Sxlyihtl "^tth far MxBBxanuntB ism. The work at scores of mission stations is being crippled through lack of workers and equipment, in some instances the retirement of broken-down and overworked missionaries having necessitated positive retrenchment in the face of unprecedented opportunities for service. (EaU nf At the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the MiuBinttarg Secretaries of the Foreig-n Missionary Boards of America, held preceding the Student Vol- unteer Convention, at Nashville, Tennessee, February 28 to March 4, 1906, the following resolutions were adopted, calling for one thou- sand volunteers per year until the fields are occupied : "That it is the judgment of this Conference that in order to arouse the Churches to a sense of their privilege and responsibility, and in order to meet but inadequately the present needs in the mission fields under the boards represented by this Confer- ence, there ought to be at least one thousand volun- teers ready to be sent each year until those fields are occupied in force. "That we appeal to the students represented in this quadrennial students' convention that they by asking to be sent to these needy waiting fields a thousand strong each year, challenge the Churches, 5^ where final responsibility must rest, to provide the necessary funds." ?0«ttg l^tapltsi MlBBxamr^ Mimtmmt 65 If these one thousand missionaries per year are to be sent to the foreign field and adequate reinforcements secured for home mission work, it is probable that the call will come to many through the educational cam- paign to which the Young People's Missionary Movement is committed. There is a considerable loss to the Chris- tian Church in the transition of the college student from the activities of the student Christian Association to that of the local church. Thousands of college students who have had rare training in student Christian As- sociation work, upon their graduation lapse in- to inactivity through lack of definite responsi- bility for the work of the local church, com- bined with the pressure that is upon them in getting their foothold in commercial or profes- sional life. The Young People's Mission- ary Movement co-operating with the Student Movement seeks by a systematic classification of college records and through the various missionary boards to utilize in the Churches, especially as metropolitan and normal mission study class leaders, the special training which these students have had in Christian work in their colleges. of #luhfnt f 0tttt9 l^tapltB ilt0Btnnar^ MuMtmtnt Waxk In the rapid progress of missionary interest among the non-college young people the student missionary campaign work, to which the Young People's Missionary Move- ment owes its origin, has been some- what held in abeyance. With the further de- velopment of the Young People's Movement some adequate plan will be elaborated to util- ize the time of the hundreds of student volun- teers who are graduating from the colleges, many of whom are detained at home for a period and who could be towers of strength to the missionary cause if wisely used in depu- tation work. Mudh is being said now regarding the lack of qualified candidates for the Christian min- istry. The missionary uprising amo^ng young people while aiming primarily to influence the work on mission fields must necessarily have an important and direct influence in increasing the number of young men who en- ter the ministry. It is impossible for thou- sands of young men to engage in a prayerful study of missionary problems in a mission study class without giving more serious and unselfish consideration to the question of dis- 66 tinctively Christian work than would other- wise have been given. There is also an im- portant work for the Student Department of the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young People's Missionary Movement to do conjointly in arousing a deep missionary in- terest on the part of the twelve hundred divin- ity students who graduate each year from the theological seminaries into the leadership of churches. If each year these young pastors can be brought to see the vision and recognize their responsibility, much will have been done to solve the missionary problem. The educational propaganda of the Young ^amt People's Missionary Movement is rapidly be- coming an important factor in the solution of the social, moral, and religious problems of the homeland. The grave perils that con- front the nation in the tide of foreign im- migration command and must receive the attention of the thoughtful young people of America. The enrolment of hundreds of groups of young people in the unhurried study 67 of the text-books dealing with home mission- ary problems will doubtless lead many to de- ^robUma f nung p^ojjb*0 MtaBtattarg Msxntmmt CHamiraign of vote themselves more effectively to the Chris- tianization of the homeland. The proiblem of interesting men in missions is one of the most difficult and important. The commercial world of to-day is alert to anything that deals with the Orient, and the fact that thousands of young Chris- tian business men are giving their thought week after week to missionary work in the East will do much toward meeting the base- less criticisms and sneers at missions that have been current in the business world. Thus far the Movement fhas centered its at- tention almost exclusively upon an educational campaign for the quickening of missionary interest, knowing that the offering of life, money, and prayer must inevitably follow an unprejudiced knowledge of the facts. The harvest time is drawing near, and while the practical difficulties of any large financial campaign must not be underesti- mated, the time will come when the Church missionary boards will be able to ask the young people to pour into the treasuries of their respective boards an offering that would have been impossible without the pre- 68 ^nung J^rnpk'fi iltBBtnnarg Marxtmtnt 69 liminary study of the needs of the fields, and that will make glad the lives of millions who wait for the Gospel message. While the past three years has seen a rapid increase in the number of young people's departments in missionary boards, there is still room for large expansion. A number of the smaller boards have as yet no adequate provision for the missionary instruction of their young people. Other boards having young people's departments can be given im- portant assistance in the further develofprnent and organization of the educational work of their Churches, and as these various depart- ments become stronger there will be increas- ing need of a central federation or clearing- house through which each can share the strength of all. Whatever may be the strength or weakness of young people's work as at present organ- ized in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, and projected in one or two other countries, there are several important Prot- estant nations in which the work is yet to be inaugurated. There are two great human forces of J^Qxha ^xUnsion ^0Utt9 P^opb'a ilifisiuttarg iHnupmfnt Mm which it would seem that the Holy Spirit is calling forth for the world's evan- gelization. One is the army of student volunteers and missionaries, home and for- eign, who occupy the firing-line, and the other is the multitude of Christian young people whose privilege it is to furnish the munitions of war. It is believed that if these two great forces can be united in oneness of purpose and plan, under the guidance and power of the Hoily Spirit it will be possible to tell the world of Christ in this generation. If it were a matter of men only, it is sufficient to reflect that in the recent Rus- sian-Japanese War there were twenty times as many men engaged as would be necessary from all Christendom for the evangelization of the whole world in this generation. More men have been killed and wounded in a single bat- tle between Christian nations, or between two sections of a Christian country, than would be required for this supreme object of the Christian Church. If it were a matter of money it is sufficient to note that four Christian 70 f 0ung ^roplr's MlBBlamtn Mavtmtnt nations each year in time of peace spend forty times as much money on their armies and navies as they do for the extension of the kingdom of Christ in non-Christian lands, and in time of war a single one of these Christian nations pours into the conflict more than fifty times as much as would be required from all Christian nations foir the support of all the missionaries that would he needed for the world's evangelizatio^n. Five cents per week from the members of the Sunday-schools and young people's societies alone, exclusive of the older and wealthier Church memhers, wo'uld more than suffice to furnish all the money that is needed for the world's evangelization, wihile of the entire wealth of the Church there would be required annually less than a tithe of a tithe O'f a tithe. There can be no doubt that the Church has men enough and money enough for the world's evangelization, nor can there be any doubt that if it were a matter of national honor or commercial enterprise, the task would be accomplished though the diffi- culties were many times as great. 7^ The primary question, after all, is not that ^amtt of men nor of money but of the Church's will- **^"9^ ^ottng T^topitB MxBBxonnr^ Mxmtmtnt ingness to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to rest upon it for the accomplishment of this great task, and certainly we must accept the promise that power will come with obedience to the great commission : "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, there- fore and teach all nations, and lo, / am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The evangelization of the world is the supreme business of the Church, and if the Young People's Missionary Movement as a federa- tion of the young people's departments of the various boards is to perform its part in train- ing the Church of the future for its work, there must be a largeness of vision, a bold- ness of plan, a strength of faith, and a depth of prayer life, only the beginnings of which have thus far been manifest in the Church. Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries 1 1012 01233 7764