THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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Missions in Bible Lands One o f the most interesting missionary works is that carried on by the “ Bible Lands Missions’ -Aid Society,” o f which the Rt. Hon. The - Earl o f Aberdeen is president. This mission, as its name implies, carries on work in those lands w,here the Bible was born. The following inféresting items are gleaned from its annual report: Because o f the political changes which have taken place in Southeastern Europe, the work o f the Society in Bulgaria, Ser via, Greece and Albania will probably T>e called The Balkan Mission instead o f the European Mission. The Greek Evangelical Union, with Smyrna as its headquarters, and working practically the district covered by the seven churches o f Revelation, reports much oppo sition and bitterness caused by the Turks; but the Word o f the Lord, and His name is being glorified. The printing press at Beyrout continues its great service to the cause o f the king dom, as in past years. It is suggested that the report might well be named, “ Report o f Bible Work,” fo r the printing and dis tribution. o f the Bible forms seventy-five per cent, or more o f the work done; 85,175 volumes o f Scriptures were printed during me year. • In Egypt there is found a freedom for missionary work such as exists in no other Moslem, land. During the past year a spirit o f unrest and inquiry has been abroad such as never has been known before. Yet out o f the 10,269,449 Moham medans it is, thought that the existing agen cies o f all Christian missions are not reach ing more than 1,000,000, and o f 3,621 towns and villages, not more than 360 have regu lar missionary work carried on in them. However, there are many who are coming to realize that God in His providence hás been preparing for Himself in the Nile Valley an agent through which He can work through the- accomplishing o f His desires for the redemption o f Islam, and that the native Evangelical Church has come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
One o f the medical missionaries in Arabia writes as follow s: “I f I were a doctor, and wanted to be a specialist in everything in the least possible time, I should come to Arabia for five years, for here a doctor must amputate a leg before breakfast, treat lepers, hypochondriacs, consumptives, and what not, before lunch; in the afternoon remove a cataract or two, a liver abscess and perhaps some bullets before tea, and be obstetrician, phatmacist and everything else in Odd moments, but We dp not want a doctor who comes for that purpose mainly. I f I were a fellow in philosophy or philology or sociology in a university, and fancied myself pretty clever, I would come to Arabia and try my cleverness at Arabic, Semitic fatalism^ |Oriental psy chology and Turkish diplomacy. I would try to settle some problems hitherto untried, worth all a man’s mettle, with a chance to dabble in statecraft, politics, a shooting affray or two, some fine sailing and horse back riding. But we do not want teachers who come for that, and if I were a preacher and wanted a worthy language to be elo- quent in, I should come here and learn Arabic and learn to understand my Bible from first-hand sources.- But we do not want doctors, teachers and preachers who have not as their first and only aim to restore Jesus Christ to His throne, preach Him, teach Him, live Him, always and only. Perhaps one o f the most, important events in the history o f the church occurred April 21, when a convert from Islam, a promi nent physician, occupied the pulpit at the Persian' service, and delivered a- powerful address on ‘The Only Remedy for the Leprosy o f Sin.’ Though a large number o f Moslems were present the occurrence caused no disturbance and aroused no oppo sition.’^ Through the agency o f the Presbyterian Bpard o f Foreign Missions, Syrians living in the United States have sent home to their relatives in Syria over $525,000. This has given the missionaries a splendid oppor tunity to reach a large number o f families with the Gospel.
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