THE KING’S BUSINESS
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“What the War Has Meant to A frica;” “The Life o f Robert Moffat.” One century before Nov. 17, 1916, John Williams sailed for the south seas. An appropriate program in memory o f that sailing will discuss •“ Cannibalism and a. Century A fter;” “John Williams, the Pilot o f the South Seas;” and “ Our Church and Its Work for the Island Dependencies of the United States.” Sixty years before Dec. 23, 1856, William Duncan sailed for Fort Simpson to begin his work in Alaska.: Forty years later his church at New Metlakahtla was dedicated. “Alaska; Past, Present and Future” is a suggested topic for a December men’s missionary meeting, others being “William Duncan and His Service to a Neglected People';” “ Some Modern Apostles;’-’ and “ Christmas Lessons from the Life o f One Humble Christian.” Japan’s Moral Status A missionary, writing to the Japan Evan gelist, gives this account o f prevailing immorality in Japan: , “Where the priests, o f whom I personally know many, are acknowledged to be worse tharr blind leaders of the blind, how shall they help? Where a principal o f a school can marry and divorce three wives, his first " having died ■-in eighteen ■months; where another can have several paramours with the knowledge o f parents and chil dren alike; where another man can put away his wife because she is ill and take as wife a paramour inside o f two weeks, with the assistance of his colleagues, how shall the educators protest? Where a lead ing doctor is publicly' known to have sev eral paramours and literally | kicks his accomplished Christian wife about the house and out into the street, and still holds a large practice; where the local member o f parliament has publicly two doncubines; where the member o f the provisional assembly has two wives and two homes and children in each, and travels with geisha; where the leading men including the priests, soncho (chief o f vil-
completion until now it has 230 field-mis sionaries in the United States. During the 100 years 120,000 schools have been organ ized, a daily average o f nearly four. Almost 1500 schools have been/organized during the. past year, and 14,753 schools have been revisited and aided. The union occupies extensive quarters in its own four- Story building in Philadelphia. About Syria The Foreign Board o f Missions has issued a statement about conditions in Syria, made up from conversation with Mrs. Franklin E. Hoskins who has just arrived from Beirut, says The Continent. When she -left Syria, June 28, there had been no wholesale persecutions in Syjia or the Lebanon. Reports o f famine which are appearing in the daily papers refer to the famine that has been upon the land ever since Turkey entered the war, and not to any, new lack o f food. Between 11,000 and 12,000 people, however, have died from starvation, and some villages are practically , depopulated. . The new stringent educational laws o f the Turkish government are in effect in some places, but have not yet been forced on mission institutions. Americans, and particularly the missionaries, have not suffered seri ously from either lack o f provisions or from espionage. They are under careful surveillance by the Turkish government, but so far have proceeded in their work practically without hindrance. Important Mission Dates It has been suggested by The Continent, that the men o f the churches will find it easy to link up missionary enthusiasm with certain celebrated dates during the last quarter o f the. year. In commemoration o f the one hundredth anniversary o f the sailing for Africa o f Robert Moffat-;—the date being Oct. 18—it is believed a live program can be held. Among topics sug gested are the following: “A Century of Progress in A frica;” “Work o f the Pres byterian Church in the Dark Contirient;
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