History of Mission Fields

A Christian Council for Western Asia and Northern Africa was founded in 1926. The most effective co-operative work has been done in the production of Christian literature for Moslems.

Latin America.

The missionary societies of North America carry on much work in the southern continent, partly among the Indian population, partly among the nominally Catholic Spanish speaking people. The intellectual life of the S. American uni versities is keen and deserves more attention than it receives at the hands of Europe. There are two British missions, the South American Missionary Society (Anglican) which works among the Indians and received the praise of Charles Darwin for its achieve ments among the Fuegians, and the Evangelical Union of South America.

We may end this survey of missionary history by suggesting four reflections to which it leads. First, it is impossible to resist the impression that there is in the Christian faith, whether in its Protestant or its Catholic profession, an ineradicable conviction of universality. There is in spite of its unevenness a singular con tinuity in this Christian missionary effort. After every falling away there is a renaissance, as Christians recover fidelity to the mind of their Master. Second, the beneficence of the labours of missionaries can never be forgotten. In rescuing the oppressed, abolishing tyranny and superstition, spreading education, intro ducing medicine, raising the status of woman, protecting children, stimulating social reform, the world has never seen any service to compare with that of the Christian missionaries. Third, it is

perhaps the greatest international enterprise in the world. The Churches of practically all the Western peoples have engaged in it, and now that the younger Churches in the mission-field are growing up, there is coming into being a literally world-wide Christian fellowship. Fourth, missionary work has added to the tale of human history some of the greatest of personalities. The names of a few have been given above.

The ultimate argument for Christian missions lies now, as it has always lain, in the conviction laid upon Christians that they owe to their Saviour a gift so precious that they cannot keep it to themselves. The modern world may find a secondary motive in the fact that there is arising in all countries the outline of a common (and largely secular) civilization, and that it is abund antly clear that the ancient religions are largely irrelevant to it. At the same time all history goes to show that no society can survive without a religious and moral basis, and it appears likely that mankind will more and more be driven to choose between secularism and the religion of Jesus.

Statistics.

Too much reliance should not be placed upon these, as the facilities for collecting figures vary enormously in the different countries, and different standards of valuation are used. In the World Missionary Atlas (1925) figures are given for Protestant missions which may be compared with those gathered in 1907.