THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13739, 21 May 1910, Page 12

THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.

KING EDWARD AND PEACE. AU that has .been eaid about the kto King as n '"peacemaker" is homo out ivt£ only by his actions throughout his but by some of his public words. On ilflrch Ist he received- at Buckingham Palace, the Archbishop* of Canterbury and Yo»k, and many of the member* of the Convocations of the two ecclesiastical provinces. On belraif of ,each Convocation an address was presented. In the course of his reply to the Convocation of Canterbury, the King said: —■ "Your recognition of my efforts to maintain the pcaco of the world gives mc specie! pleasure. I f<*l convinced that, as civilisation advances, tho influence of Christian teaching on the minds of men will tend increasingly to inculcate a love of pe-sieo. Upon peace, the health, the happinr*s, and th«* material progress of all nations depend, and it » my constant prayer that our country may bo spared the perils and miseries of -war, -which, in this modern age, must involve the ruin of millions. To tho Convocation of York his Majesty said:— "I join with you in thanks to God for the -nmintenance of good faith and unity between the great Powers. Tho concord of Christendom > s unbroken, and rarely in history has the idea of ivar Bf?enu!d more repulsive, or the desirß for peace been more widely chemhed throughout my Empire."

THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. Probably very few people, even in a Christian community liko this, realise the wide ficop» of the -work of the British and Foreign Bible Society, though many do kno\v°that the Bible Society exists for on© v obj«ct alone, namely, to supply everyone- with tin* Holy Scriptures in his mother-tongue. Oh glancing at a recent publication, "The Highway in the Wilderness," which is really tho annual report of the Bible Society, ono cannot but bo struck by the- immensity of their operations. • For instance, last year, tho Society issued 5,G85,000 copies of the Scriptures, corapieto or in parts. The tota* issues since its foundation have been 210,000,000 copies of tho Holy Scriptures, complete or in parts, in 419 different languages and dialects, and of these, more than 80,000,000 havo been in English. Tho society is an organisation that deserves ■tho support of everyone, as it is conducted on strictly non-eectnrian lines, and depends on the freewill offerings of Christians -throughout the world. It supports 840 nativo Christian Bible Women in the East, who read' tho Gospel to their secluded sisters, shut away from the sound of either Christian preaching or teaching, many of whom cannot even read.. It further provides the missions of ahnost every Church with the Scriptures for their own work, while it co-operates with the 'missionaries anil prepares the versions which they need,, and delivers these to tho furthest mission stations often at a serious financial loss, above tho. price they can be sold for to the poor people in theso dark corners of the earth. It has even helped provide the Scriptures in over thirty different language!* in embossed type for the -uso of the blind. In addition to the Bible Women, the society also employs 'some 900 Christian colporteurs in different countries, whose sales of the Scriptures last year totalled over 2,300,000 copies. The annual general, meeting of the Canterbury branch of thb Society is to be held on Tuesday evening next, the 24th jnst., at 8 o'clock, in the Y.M.OA. Hall, when his Lordship Bishop Julius has , consented to take the eh&ir.

WORLD MISSIONARY COtf- / JFERENGE. ■:, From Juno 14th to 23rd Edinburgh , -will be Hie scene of a Missionary Conferenco which may justly be described as a masterpiece of organisation. It would! bo easy to poke fun at the title, whion suggeete—falsely, .however—a transatlantic origin j ,but tho name, in spit© of its cheap associations, describes exactly not tho scop© merely, but'tiko f£ n< %£ 1 PYVT B»theriu K (says tibe English"Guardian" in an tutorial). Hitherto mission work has been studied irom the point of riew of. particular churches or denominations.- Tho promoters of th* Edinburgh Conference, propose ta paw out of denominational Junitetwns, .and to reriepr-.the whole world as the fidd'of missionary activity. ITioir object is not to consider how this or that Missionary Society <?an best 4\scharge.its duty, but how the total resources which are entitled to tho name i,^ m > ,en W,U - a.PPear when clearly oxlubitetf over ogainst tho forces of i?rt emSia u or paganism J f m Conference 3?«T + k°< - ite magnitude is evident tho moment it is thus concisely cocprweed. . . . The Church of EnglS £« Presbyterian bodies of Scotof A T ICa ' the bodii or £ ranee, German/, and Switzerland, It Pla<:es ai f isned t<J them at the Conference, ond hare willihidv fruite . of . tJi e«* ospefienco to tho vanous commissions of the Conference Wo can only anticipate some few of-tne ■ss^^tSr-r 1, " 0 ? n,ay b ° «£*& jrom the ■ Conference. First - and foremost, every missionary SoSlv a d place as never before ,„ the enterprise of the world, and thereby to rerae its method* and adjust its rerouroes io better purposew,II bo checked, and the forces of Christian bodies, differing little, if at all, in principle, trill be more offecticely concentrated; thirdly, the question ot co-operation in the Mission field befiet as it w with difficulties, ismum capable of solution abroad that it is at Home, and the Conference may bo Srk ? S £° W " comit / , Jn Mission work is more than a phrase of the The advance of Chrisiian mnty may be set down as a fourth infrom tho World Missionary Conference, ami we may believe that the impulse to the spirit of union will be stronger beraiH;p uncalciilated and undesigned iNo Christian body or society is comm c lt :u £ y 2 nv reso,u tion or sugsestion of the Conferpnce, but the frank exchang©pf opinions o n missionary subjects will •be.more j efifective in peneratWβ the |pint of fraternity than any cut-and-aneu schemes- of unity. The last but not, the least valuable effect 2f fc ( n«&! n v- , !2i 1 be tlle c of _ the United Kingdom in missionary principles, fpr it is proposed on the ! conclusion of th« Conference to scatter tho thousand delegates and other workers over the whole country in a campaign of missionary interest A council the Various Chnrchee of has been formed to bring jjtjout a mectinc at Waimarino, ott the' Main Trunk line on January 3rd, 4th and sth, 1911 to discuss tho subjects dealt with at Edinburgh, with the object of arousing practidU interest m • such urgent matitsTS. Tho " British "S\ eekly " states tliet Mr J- »-.. ; Mott is Likely to be i president of the Conference.

WHAT THE CHURCHES ARE DOING. NEWS AND NOTES FOR PULPIT AND PEW.

AN APPEAL FOR CO-OPERA-TION. In one of his recent I/cnten sermons th« Bishop of Ivondon made a vigorous appeal for the co-c,***ration of tin- rank and file ol Church people in the work of the Church. He asked tho congregation whether they really .supposed -_hnt tho. Holy Communion was given for a few sob'-ft clergy and Sisters of Mcrey. "The first communicants, he said, "were working .wcople. and tho great mass of working men and women of to-day were meant reyerontlv and earnestly as a regular thing to receive within themselves the friii's of redemption, the means by which a living Person, in the closest, nearest way, comes within our souls. Do not despair of yourselves. You were meant to be an earnest communicant. If you havo not como inside this church for years, you were meant to arrive at that. We shall never hear from you the foolish trar.li about foreign mission.,. You will be tbe men who will n:i.'.sionise this diocese. The clcrgv cannot do it. You are the mon and women who will teke the whole thing in hand. You will be* workers. And si. I offer you. my -people—l offer you the great secret to-night, 'the riches of tlio glory of this mystery'—Christ in you, "the" hope of glory." He stands and knocks to-night. 'May I como in? May' I come into your life and live there"?' You can refuse, and He will go'awav. Ho will never force Himself on anybody. You can refuse, and you bave lost the chance of your lift*. " But if, very humbly, you rise and onon the door, there will come in One Who will flood your soul with happiness and your life with glory."

A GREAT MISSIONER, The Rev. Thomas Waugh, of the English Wesleyan Conference, occupies an almost unique standing in die Methodist ranks, never having occupied the position of a circuit minister or engaged in ordinary circuit duties. From the time of his college days re displayed singular aptness for evangelistic labours, and when those days came to a close ho waa set apart to the special work of a Connexional Evangelist. As a missioner ho has laboured tor twenty-seven years with great acceptance and with very marked results. He has conducted 350 missions and delivered some 10,000 sermons during that period. Mr Waugh has not been accustomed to regard, the fruit of his missions as "converts" until a considerable* period has elapsed, enabling him to judge of their stability. In the early part of their religious life the professed converts are regarded as enquirers. During the twenty-seven years of his work as' a rnissioner'some 90,000 persons hare passed through the enquiry rooms. At least nine hundred of those arc now known as thomnelros. preachers of the Gospel in all parts of the world. Two of tho most brilliant of them, are tho Revs. J. G. Bennett and Herbert M. Nield. themselves ministers of the English Conference. In connection with some of the missions conducted by Mr Waugh. the results have been of a striking character*. At Newcastle there was a band of. thirtytwo men called "The Rebels," whose leader was known &s "The Mahdi." Every member, of this band went through the enquiry, rooms and one result of their conversion -was "the erection of a new church at Wnlkcr Gate. In England Mr Wa-figh is known as a man's preacher, on account of the preponderance- of men affected by his work. A short time ago.Mr Waugh received an offer from the Methodist Episcopal Church to undertake mission work in America at a stipend of £1000 a year and all expenses, with 'opportunities of supplementing thist. sum Vy an equal amount. Mr Waugh's salary as Connoxional Evangolist in England would probably not exceed £250. Tho tempting offer, howeverj wus refused; for, "the more I prayed about it," eaid Mr Waugh, "thei more I felt I ought not to go."

: ■• JOTTINGS. At th,e suggestion of the Christchurch Presbytery (who have- kindly offered to assist in making this effort, a success) a sale of work in'connection Tvith the Sydenham Church is being, organised. The sum of £500 is urgently needed to repair the church building. '■;■' 'I'ho National Roman Catholic Congress will assemble at Leeds on July 29th of this year, and will last probably till August 2nd. Arrangements are already well advanced, wihich bid fair tq make v vt the most .notable Roman Catholic gathering yet hekl in the. United Kingdom. Already many distinguished prelates have signified thfir intention of being present, and the Congress will be further honoured by the preaeneo of the Lord Mayor of £ondon.

In consequence of tlio World Missionary Conference . in Edinburgh in Juno, it has been found necessary to postpone tho second Baptist World Congress until nest year. By 'invitation of the American Baptists, it will take place at Philadelphia, and the date provisionally fixed is July Ist to 9th. 1911. At the. last meetinjg of the Baptist Union Council tho Rev. J. H. Shakespeare was requested to visit tho States in May, .o*confer with tho American Congress Committee with regard to the arrangements. It was felt —and thofeeling is shared by American Baptists—that his. experience as the organiser' of the first congress at London in 190.*" will be of great service to the committee, in Philadelphia. He has accepted, the invitation. General Booth, still in harness and still at the helm of tho Salvation Army, was eighty-one a few weeks ago. He has not been well lately, a slight overstrain resulting in the postponement of, a preaching engagement at Hammersmith, a rare occurrence with the General. His eyes aro a source* of trouble to him, but on the whole he is still a miracle of buoyant youthfulneSv« and energy. The General bears the dimness of sight well, and his recent impassioned addresses to his people show that he is still burning with zoal for the work of his life. Ho is working steadily at his autobiography. Ther** are 16,550 Roman Catholic priests in tl\g United -States, 12,274 bemg secular clergy and 4276 members of religious Orders. The total (IG.'ytO) dees not include those United iSt-ites priests who .ire working in the Philippines or other foreign missions. Neither tioes it include those in Rome or studying* abroad. There are 8819 Roman Catholic churches with resident priests in the United States, and 4355 mission churches which are supplied by the neighbourinp; pastors. The total'number of churches, therefore, is 13.204, a gi-in of 36(5 over last year. Tho figures for.tho offerings of the Church of England for the year ending Easter, 1909, exhibit an "increase of over £60.000, the total being £8,060,289 against £7,976,746 of the previous year, but in this amount must be reckoned the.£223.451 } which was the unassigned contribution to,the Pan-Angli-can Offering. The whole sum given for foreign work is over £1.000,000, an increase of nearly £150.000 from the previous year. Home work shows a decrease of £7070, the figures for 1908----1909 being £760,906. Educational work also shows a doerfa.se. This vehr it was £&4,]41. which is less by £lf,ooo than the year before. Sums contribut-

Ed to the educational and charitable assistance of the clergy havo shghtly risen—from £292,943 to £302,02, Thero is an increase also in tbe amount, given for philanthropic work— £668.423, against £652,110. These results'all relate to funds contributed to central and diocesan organisations, and administered by their executives. lit funds raised by church collections or parochial machinery, and administered for parochial purposes alone, there is a decrease under each heading—tor tne p.iroc.hi..l clergy, £852,3 10, against £80" 170; elementary education, £._81,'i46, acainst *k5:fi.012: and tor acnornl parochial purposes, £3,..**_.,.*w>, H C ainst £3.&V2.G08. Laster offerings _.bow an increase—£lll,S-'-J against £110,921. * .. Tho church at Buuyan Mce.mg, Bedford, luiglaiid. proposes to eroet on a site, generously given by Mr bamuel Wbithread, a hall, to bo known as tbo "Bunv-11 Memorial Hall. winch will contain not only accommodation for public worship, but, smaller rooms and all tho appointments necessary tor school and social work at a cost ot from -1-00 to £1800. Over £1000 has already boen raised, and of this sura the little congregation at Elstow working with unflagging zeal and enthusiasm, has contributed through its own effort £165. Subscriptions will be received and gratefully acknowledged by the present minister of the Church, of" whose membership the Elstow- con.rregation w a part—the Roy. \\ . Charter' Piggott, Bunyan Meeting, Bedford.