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Contributed
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HOME MISSIONS AT MONTREAT.
Miss Barbara E. Lambdin.
"America for Christ: that the world
may be won for Christ."?C. R. HempRill.
D. D.
Another Montreal summer has passed
into history , and another Home Mission
Conference has been declared "the best
we have ever had "
The presiding officer on the three days
devoted to consideration of the needs of
the home field work of the Assembly's
Committee, was Dr. 6. L. Morris, Secretary.
The "Home Mission Conference" followed
without intermission those on
"Colored Evangelization" and "Ministerial
Education and Relief" the subjects
being so closely allied that the transition
was scarcely perceptible. Witb the kind
consent of Secretaries Suedecor and
Sweets the first morning periods from
nine to ten of August lb, 20 and 21, were
devoted to the Mission Study Class; the
following week, August 22. 24, and 22,
the class taking the second period: thus
gaining six days of valuable work.
In the conduct of the class. Rev. F. K.
Leyburn. of Durham. K. C., used normal
methods, and was able to overcome the
obstacle of very liitle time for study of
the lesson on the part of the students by
using the splendid maps, charts and
papers of his own class at Durham. The
book used was "The Frontier." ahe thrilling
story by Dr. Ward Piatt of the vast
possibilities and the urgent call to the
church now presented by the West.
With tue beginning of the Home Mission
Conference proper the first period
was el* ell to the bible Study, oouducted
by Dr. D. Clay billy, in his own able
and impressive way l>r. Lilly sketched
rapidly through the Old Testament the
story of God's aucieut people, bringing
out strongly the parallelism iu the history
of the chosen race aud -our own
history, as a people destined for great
things, if we will remember tne Lord our
God, and serve Him only.
Oeftly the declining nation was depict
od, the foes at first internal in Israel's
own heart of sin, and then the strauge
i ml.. or 1 i/t L'(ii)/<iiiah/->il ?? J '-.J ^
? w / ? mi\{uicuru UUU it <U 1 UfUi
away captive; and the warning was
pressed home to many hearts in the perils
confronting our own nation, the neg
looted and tlie aliens among us, aud the
materialism and irreligiou, so many de
parting from the old paths of righteous
uess.
At the eleveu o'clock service op Moaiday
moruiug JAr. /. M. Weils, of Wilming
ton. N. (C., discussed the question, "Are
We .Reaching the Masses at Home?"
and soieinuly the large audience was reminded
that reaching the masses at
home moaut: "Rilnghug to the people
here a gospel sufficient for their needs;
vruunqf tg 4,vei> uuu?, wojuuuu ujo4 <biW
tia <> tlu; i/>r<3 Jfc?u* CMilm io
wu<;L y way riukt it < juj 0* yjiu>l*-<i by
tLf iulm), ?Ui<l wllj ayveaJ U? tin- L**ri
?u.<! Jovu! <y Uu* Lu<livl4u?j."
w
E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU
"We have just bogun to awake to the
fart," the speaker declared, "that we
have been playing with Home Missions.
There is work to be done, work that
claims our interest, and that ought to
grip our hearts, unsaved souls right
...... v ?i uuujc?uu *r irci uu> responsibility
for reaching these masses"?
Following Dr. Wells. Dr. S. N. Smith,
of Columbia. S. C., in a few concise
words, emphasized the need of larger
support of the work and increased activity.
Dr. Smith Baid: "1 think we have
the greatest Church in the world, but
we have lost in the past many opportunities
through over-conservatism. Our
motto has been too long 'Hold the
Fort." it is high time that we were
changing that, and taking as our rallying
cry, "Onward. Christian Soldiers.'
We have not emphasised Home Missions
as the base line, the absolute necessity,
for an aggressive and widespread
Foreign Mission work. L?et us
be. not less conservative, but more aggressive."
The news of a stereopticou lecture by
Dr. S. JL. Morris on Monday evening filled
the Auditorium almost to its limit.
So many of our people, ministers and
workers, coming to Montreat for their
vacation, when they must recruit their
energies for the year of work before
them, must reluctantly miss some of the
addresses that each day otters. But the
promise of "pictures," especially when
accompanied by an address by one who
is sure to hold the attention of the hearer
never fails to draw a large crowd, in
eluding, too, tuost of the little people
iu the community.
The Assembly's Home M it & ion work,
especially the churches and school* built
and assisted, made a strong appeal
through eye and ear to the interest and
sympathy of the large audience. Many
were touched as they had not been before
by the great needs, the great opportunities
of the work, and the meageruess
of the support the Church
has given to this most important aggressive
effort to bring the message of
Christ to every soul in our midst that has
ji/it Vitf rna/ilw.J **" /n ' J
..>.1 u ivmacv y>) iu<- <>iaw i iaiu&?
it ie woudeiful wbat baa been
a<>couxi>Uabfcd witii *o Uttit; bu< even
more wonderful la the yroutiae of rebi><j!iw
to more adeuuat,e effort in be
balf of tbt brother ''whom we have
neen."
T utaday morning after Uxe 11 j bit and
tlit Miaaiob Study Ciaaata, Dr. T. S.
<3y<*; vrtaide/U of Aubtjjj College, a yoke
on Hit tlxtuxe, "The Valut of our Preue?t
<>HXxi'uoitioa," ding ua au exatuyie ?be
Fatibtuidit of Tex*#, wbU'b it waa yroooatd,
at vu* time our Cbureh
? in *11 IA klxMJliiiill illiJuXlil <1 U/OXJ xd rt/.J
'Juttf tiilts v**J etretx-b #tiould ljt U&14,
Uiat vur bieeet mud aiiouJd be put there,
bud luouex tu>t wUiikc-ld; aud Uje j fault*
ixi four yeuia eveu bee uutre tbeu Ju*?>tied
the dLcixioti
itev J- W i'ulAwfll 4kf N/xxur /li-lnuno
r - rr * t t rf "" " f-**
uext yrefcc-JjOed tluf urgeut jjceda iu l<00U
JtOi*, "tiWi JMCtfl*/1?4 ?l*?* in OOf Howe
MiM*v;u work." He tti/oke from 0 full
kfcait of Uut ml*mut*r?iMti4tBii 'but i?
TH. September 8, 1909.
prevalent of conditions in Louisiana?of
its advantageous location, mild climate,
its healthfulness in spite of general belief
to the contrary, and its great need
of men to man its destitute fields. Mr.
Caldwell asked, "Do you know that we
have 300,000 French-speaking people in
Louisiana"? These are not immigrants,
they are descendants of the original
settlers, most of them, but they are under
the thraldom of Romanism, and
need our gospel. He added, "I do not
think there is any Presbytery in the
whole Presbyterian Church that is doing
the cosmopolitan work that the Presbytery
of New Orleans is doing. We have
services every Sunday for Germans, for
Italians, for Chinese, for Negroes, for
Syrians, and for the sailors of every
port on the globe whose vessels come
into our harbor. In the rural communities
there are many who never heard a
Protestant preacher. I bring you the appeal
of need from men and women
bound down in superstition, in shame
and in sin, to whom we must come with
the pure gospel of the blessed Son of
God."
At the evening service, Dr. Lilly made
a strong address on "Some Home Mission
Ideals" that will doubtless set many
thinking.
it was one of the treats of Montreat
to have, among our other splendid home
workers, Rev. Walter S. Scott, of San
Antonio, Texas, "our apostle to the Mexicans
in Texas," who v/as most gladly
heard. He told of the 300,000 Mexicans
who are now on this side of the Rio
Grande, and of the work that our church
is attempting a uoflg them, all loo Utile,
Yel <iod has richly blessed It, and ill the
eighteen years that Mr. Scott haa been
laboring among them he haa organized
sixteen churches, which have now a
membership of over a thousand He
made known the needs of San Antonio aa
a strategic center, to which many Mexican
boys and girls come each year Lo
school. "Jf we strengthen San Antonio,
we strengthen the whole mission." impressed
with the importance of this work,
Mr. Scott was given some assistance in
building a new chapel. We ought to do
more generously and wisely by our Mexi<
an mission.
Dr. Henry C. Miuion, former moderator
of the Heueral Assembly of the i'res
P//X-IIUII "Jiijnu 11) llie l.'Dlted fSlHleb of
Amerh u, no well known and ao he loved
by i ho Hoot horn Church, gave a maaLerly
uddreaa on Wedneaday morning on
"Our Country aud Home Mlaalona," the
held, iho force and the future.
At tue laat aeaaton Of the Home Mia
aioo Conference Or, ft. Homy hill, of
Jx/ulavllie, Ky., look aa hla theme "Home
Hi-oeder Abyecla of Home Mlaaioua "
witii idling tftrokfctt ilia varlou* phaaaa
of Hit work of the Aaaewhjy'tt committee
were wade to atami vividly forth?tha
weak i hurt he* ihat timet he aupport'a4,
or pariah with tha fruM*, that, if nourJahcd,
they would ylald to the Church;
the rail for I he da vol ad lahora of ilia
ayangellat, the momitaineere who are not
only "grandly worth tha aavlng", hut ara
routrlhutlug apleodid material for tha