Letters to the Editor LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [THIS Department is open to all readers of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS for the discussion of missionary matters of general interest. All communications must be accompanied by the writer's name and address, though names will not be published without permission. Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS. The appearance of a communication merely means that the Editor considers it of sufficient interest to justify its publication.] THE CHURCH AND THE IMMIGRANTS A To the Editor of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS: COMMISSION has been appointed by the Bishop of Connecticut to inquire in what ways the Church may better serve the immigrant foreigners in the diocese. As part of this inquiry I wish to compile the recorded experience of other dioceses with foreign races, and such unrecorded experience as may be kindly furnished by individuals. References as to diocesan journals, etc., and summaries of facts and of methods, will be received gratefully and used toward giving at least a clearer view of certain problems before us all. If the indications seem sufficiently definite and significant in any direction, they will be published. CHARLES SEARS BALDWIN. Yale Station, New Haven, Conn., March 9th, 1908. S WANTED: A LAYMAN FOR JAPAN To the Editor of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS: T. PAUL'S COLLEGE, Tokyo, needs a layman for its faculty. He should be unmarried, about twenty-five years old, and have a degree from some American college of good standing. If he has had some experience as a teacher, so much the better. And if he has some acquaintance with business methods he would be of much use in the commercial department. A knowledge of music and a liking for athletic sports are likewise desirable. Good health and communicant membership in the Protestant Epis 281 copal Church or some Church in communion with it are indispensable qualifications. The man is needed in Tokyo by September 10th. Bishop McKim and President Tucker ask the Board of Missions to nominate a man. I will be pleased to give any further information desired. If any of the clergy know of young men before whom such an opportunity for usefulness might be placed personally, I will be grateful if names and addresses may be sent to me promptly. JOHN W. WOOD, Corresponding Secretary. 281 Fourth Avenue, New York. AN INVITATION FROM ANOTHER BATTLEFIELD THE To the Editor of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS: HE warrior of the Prince of Peace writing in the February number of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS has said a good many true things. But he seems a bit doleful. Bid him cheer up; "there are others." The humble soldier who writes this is sole shepherd of the "Historic Church" in a parish of 7,500 square miles, inside measure. One of his counties (he has seven) is as large as the ninth part of Iowa and there are several larger counties in this district. And isn't it a glorious privilege to be hunting out and polishing up-amid the warped shingles and scaling paint the gems for that glorious making up of the jewels! Thank the Lord the people here think more about the parson inside than the poverty of his garments! Get cheerful, and then come to North Dakota to work with ANOTHER OF THEM. The Reading-room was kept open, lighted and heated, every week day in the year, and has been largely patronized. Besides the thousands of visits to the Reading-room, the men of this district have received the following to take to their claims on outlying creeks, which we, as representatives of those who sent them, have given out: Weekly magazines, 10,983; monthly magazines, 6,533; newspapers, 704; books, 260; miscellaneous, 965; making a grand total of 19,445. Most of the books have been kept on the shelves; duplicates have been. given away. CHARLES EUGENE BETTICHER, JR. St. Matthew's Mission, Fairbanks, Alaska, January 20th, 1908. THE AMERICAN CHURCH INSTITUTE FOR NEGROES T HE Board of Trustees of the American Church Institute for Negroes, at its meeting, February 11th, voted the following appropriations: To the Bishop Payne Divinity-school, current expenses, $900; payment of students for missionary work during the summer, $300. To St. Augustine's School, Raleigh, $5,000, of which $900 is for deficit on the laundry building erected by the Institute last year and for equipment of the same; $2,400 for salaries to teachers; $600 for agricultural equipment; $600 current expenses, and $500 for students' missionary work and special summer courses to promising teachers. This makes $6,500 appropriated to St. Augustine's this school year, the previous $1,500 being, $1,000 for current expenses and $500 for agricultural equipment.. To St. Paul's School, Lawrenceville, there was voted, at discretion of the general agent, $10,500, of which amount it is expected to spend $4,000 for four teachers' cottages. Of the balance about $2,000 will be expended for permanent equipment, dynamo, engine, repairs to the laundry, baths in dormitories and the equipping of the artesian well; $2,500 is to be expended for agricultural equip ment, and $500 for students' missionary work and special summer courses for teachers. ་། HE Institute has also authorized the THE-Instaging of the director of agri culture for both St. Paul's and St. Augustine's, and an experienced auditor who is to have supervision of the financial management at both schools. BY ་། Y the kindness of a friend the General Agent has expended $500 for the laying out by an architect and engineer of the grounds at St. Paul's, Lawrenceville, and for a block plan for the future development of the plant. Archdeacon Russell, the principal of St. Paul's, has been exceedingly fortunate in finding for the directorship of the industrial departments at that school a man under whose administration the work is beginning to show decided improvement. The departments are better correlated, and in every respect the industrial work at St. Paul's is advancing. WITH ITH the cordial consent and approval of the faculty at St. Augustine's, reorganization of school methods will be made at the beginning of next year, by which the old system of grade teaching will be abolished and teachers will specialize along the lines of their own interests and attainments. This change has been for some time desired by the Rev. A. B. Hunter, the principal. The teachers feel the inspiration involved in the possibility of doing that which they most like to do and feel best fitted to do. This plan will be supplemented by the continuation of appropriations made last year by the Institute to specially promising teachers, enabling them to attend teachers' institutes or colleges during the summer and to take those subjects which they want to make specialties. E becoming rector in 1875. Seven years later he entered upon a fruitful rectorship in Calvary Church, New York. Twice during the next twelve years Dr. Satterlee was called to the episcopate, but declined on both occasions. The third election as the first bishop of the newly-created Diocese of Washington he accepted, and was consecrated March 25th, 1896. His episcopate was marked by much constructive work. Easily the most important undertaking was the planning and beginning of what will one day be a great national cathedral. ARLY in the morning of February pinger's Falls, New York, as assistant, 22d Henry Yates Satterlee, first Bishop of Washington, entered the life eternal. He had been ill but a few days. On February 11th he was in New York for the meeting of the Board of Missions, entering into its work with his usual care and vigor. Then he went to Providence for a meeting on behalf of the Washington Cathedral. On the return journey he was delayed by fog on the Hudson River for several hours. It is probable that he then contracted the cold which resulted fatally. On Sunday he was at home in Washington and insisted on keeping an appointment to visit one of the smaller congregations. It was his last official act. Born in New York sixty-five years ago, Bishop Satterlee was educated at Columbia and the General Theological Seminary. He was ordained deacon in 1865 and priest in the following year. Bishop Satterlee's parochial life was confined to two congregations. From the seminary he went to Zion Church, Wap For several years Bishop Satterlee served upon the Board of Missions, and since 1901 had been chairman of the committee on Porto Rico, the Philippines, Honolulu, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Panama. As commissary of the Presiding Bishop, he gave much time to plans for establishing the Church in the Canal Zone. The missionaries of the Church were always welcome at the Bishop's House. In February, just before his death, he had had as his guests, successively, Bishop Brent and Archdeacon Stuck. The committee whose chairman he was, in reporting Bishop Satterlee's death to the Board meeting of March 10th, used these words: "The committee desires to place upon record the great loss sustained by the committee as a whole, and by each member personally, through the death of the Bishop of Washington. As the chairman of the committee for the last seven years, Bish op Satterlee gave himself unsparingly to its work. The members of the committee, conscious of the inspiration of his leadership and example, will be helped in their future work on behalf of the missions assigned to their oversight by the recollection of his self-denying service. The committee has requested the Bishop of Massachusetts to convey its sympathy and sense of loss to the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Washington. NEWS AND Too many Oregon towns by far have a "silent church." Bishop Scadding is trying to hasten the time when every one of them will resound with prayer and praise. Writing from McMinnville, he says: I AM now officiating at one of our "silent churches" in a town of 3,000. We have a fine piece of property and a pretty church building in good condition. It was crowded this morning and I confirmed three persons. There are only sixteen communicants, but the field is promising. They will do all they can, but cannot afford to have a settled pastor. Oh, for means with which to secure a few more clergy! Five of next year's graduating class at Cambridge have offered themselves for my associate mission work, and are ready to give me two years as unmarried men on a salary of $800. I do not know where these funds are to come from as yet. It will be too bad if I have to give them up for lack of funds. confidence and then hope to be an effective instrument in bringing them to the realization of the Christian religion. I could not be in much different or rather strange surroundings if I were working in a foreign field. My little experience among the Indians near Buffalo is very valuable to me here, though they are quite different. With God's help I will do all I can to further the work of the Church among the Cheyennes. ། It is pleasant to know that THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS finds a welcome in England and on the Continent, as evidenced by this letter from an English friend to an American reader: I WAS so vexed to let my letter go this morning without telling you what a pleasure THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS gives, that I must write this card to make up for my neglect. Besides sending it to two neighbors it goes to my sisters-inlaw at Arco in South Tyrol, and is lent to others in their neighborhood. So you see, it spreads the knowledge of what is being done for missions in America to various quarters. News and Notes from Far and Near Quinquagesima Sunday, $4,641.48-$700 more than they gave on that day last year. The number of envelopes put in the plates was greater by more than 100 than last year. Every communicant, young and old, received a letter and envelope. We mailed 2,700. Prophecies were not wanting that the offering would be smaller this year, but the prophets cannot now be found. I wish you could have seen the church packed with our own people-no room for others that Sundayand all there to have a share in the offering for the Church's Mission. It was really a great sight. They had been asked to use the Prayer for Missions daily during the week preceding, and I believe very many of them had done it. ། Mr. Welbourn, of Tokyo, says: BIBLE-CLASS I have had always at the city high school where I taught once, began again the other day with fifty-four boys, and the principal says these must come regularly. He and other of the teachers came to the first lesson. He smiled and said the boys no. doubt came for English, but that they might get some good at the same time, and I said I was willing to take the chance. The medical students had a half holiday the other day to say a Mass at the cemetery where the bodies dissected are buried, several thousand of them. Now, certainly, they would not do that in any other country but Japan. 285 crowd following, till one feels like a thief, conducted along with small boys behind. Only these don't yell; they merely chatter and giggle. And so it goes, until I reach home and sit down to gasp and wonder will I ever be at home in this fiendish tongue; then next, to how many diseases have I been exposed, how many germs have I swallowed in all the queer little fruits and sweets they have insisted upon my eating in spite of my assertions that I've just dined and am che-bow-leow-rather inelegantly "filled to the brim." They have such joyless lives. I am convinced it is in China as the world over. You have got to love religion into them. You wont help them unless they know you love them. Sometimes, we must admit, the officers at the Church Missions House fail to keep track of the rapid growth of some mission enterprises. This fact is responsible for such a letter as this from the Rev. C. E. Snavely, of Porto Rico: OUR UR Sunday-schools have more than doubled in size during the past year, and we now have three; hence not enough Lenten mite-boxes were sent. Our work is prospering greatly. We are still, as we have been since December 15th, waiting on the doors and windows for the new church. Often I wish that our old building was like an accordeon; then I could stretch it out, and find room for those who do and those who want to come to the services and Sunday-school. But all things come to him who waits. |