INTEREST ING NO TES O N M ISSION FIELDS Ministering to the Souls and Bodies of Those in Darkness
When Russig, H ad th e Bible There was a period in Russia when Bibles were spread th roughout th e coun try. During th e la tte r period of the reign of Alexander the F irst, th ere ex isted in Russia a Russian Bible Society, which distributed, under the Em peror’s patronage, a g reat number of Bibles. In 1818 th ere were not fewer th an 128 or ganizations which were united w ith the Bible Society, and Bibles were printed in 28 different languages. This work had its origin in Moscow, where an Evangeli cal preacher became the in stru c to r of th e children of a Russian princess. His influence became so g reat and helpful th a t a t last he received the Czar’s per mission to form the first Russian Bible Society. Sowing Serbia w ith Bibles Serbia has been one of the most diffi cult countries in Europe in which to carry on evangelistic work. When the war began, a committee of th e Scripture Gift Mission saw th e ir opportunity to put copies of the Bible in the hands of the soldiers. The Serbs have shown g reat receptivity; copies given were never throw n away, and th ere seemed a widespread desire to know more of the plain Gospel tru th s. The Scripture Gift Mission is making plans for extensive fu tu re work in Serbia. Buddhists Stealing our Methods A m issionary tells of the methods of Buddhists: “A young Japanese Bud dhist girl professed conversion and be came an active member of one of our Sunday- schools. Six months later she disappeared. Where had she gone? We found she had been sent to learn all our methods, even to comm itting our best hymns to memory. Now she is back im parting these methods for the glory of Buddha.”
North A frica Coming in to L ight While Christianity and Mohammedan ism are still contending for spiritual dom ination in Africa there are evidences th a t North Africa will never again be controlled by th e decadent cults of Islam. The war and French rule have made g reat changes. Even before 1914,; the French had rebu ilt th e old Roman roads. Irrig ation is overcoming the desert, and olive orchards are springing up in th e Sahara. Seven thousand miles of railroad have been built and th ere are plans for lines from the Med ite rra n ea n to th e Gulf of Guinea. Call Them “B iblers” The name by which th e Czecho-Slo- vaks are known in A ustria and Italy is “B iblers.” I t was given on account of th eir appreciation for the Bible. Their first tran slation was published in 1475, but th e Bible had to be mentioned under th e breath in the A ustrian Empire. Col- portage was restricted, Bibles were burned, press laws were stringent. But the Czecho-Slovaks are good managers and they found ways of getting the Scriptures. Bohem ian P riests W ant Freedom A petition calling for reform s in the Catholic Church of Bohemia bears the signatures of 1,744 out of the 3,200 Bohemian priests of th a t country. The reform s demanded are far-reaching and progressive. Among these are the elec tion of bishops by th e priests and lay men; the use of the m other tongue in religious ceremonies and services; the discontinuance of clerical garb; a change in the educational system for the clergy, and sim ilar reforms. The almost unani mous adoption of the document by the Church Congress meeting in Prague, makes this movement unusually signifi cant.
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