THE KING’S BUSINESS
321
Locusts in Syria A LETTER from Syria states that “practically the the whole country from ; Palestine to Aleppo has been devoured by locusts. The vineyards, gar dens, wheat fields, and everything except in a few local cities has been completely ruined. This means an additional touch to the already stricken condition tvhich as far as the common people are concerned, is the most serious o f all.” From Beirut comes this: Following close upon the heels o f war, pestilence and fam ine comes one o f the plagues o f Egypt—l the scourge o f locusts. W e knew they were in Sidon and hoped and prayed that the tremendous' rains, ■when the water tore through the streets and down the slopes in torrents would rush them into the sea, and so deliver this wretched land from another curse. But this was not to be. This after noon, out in the world, arose such a strange clatter o f beating on tin pans, ringing of bells, even shooting of guns, that we rushed to the window to see what had happened. The dreadful locusts were upon us. The whole air was full o f their thrilling bodies, and the desperate natives in windows, on roofs, on the ground, were making this unearthly din, hoping to scare them away. You can have no idea o f what the sight was, for they are enormous seventeen-year locusts, some o f them four inches long, and it means absolute devastation o f crops, olives, everything. “The Government is requiring the natives to bring in, each one; a rotele (5 pounds, 12 ounces) of locusts. The whole college was ordered to bring in its quota and started in the other day at 3 a. m. One of the professors told me he caught 1500 in three-quarters o f an hour. Today my hus band offered ten vislicks to poor boys if they would Catch ten roteles and bring him receipt for them from the police, and the other day he sent a poor man to the Red Cross employment bureau with a note say ing that the bearer might clean streets or catch locusts.”
A Great Church in Africa ‘C 'O R a church o f 2,297 members to be developed in nineteen years from a group o f two men and four women is remarkable. That such a church has 15,000 contributors by envelope to support its 107 evangelists and seventy village schools almost surpasses belief. This has been done by the Presbyterian Mission at Elat, Ger man Kamerun, West Africa, in the interior o f Africa, where natives formerly were cannibals. In addition to its membership o f 2,300, Elat has two catechumen classes, numbering respectively 2,000 and 1,300. No one can be admitted to the Elat church as a member without a probationary period o f at least two years under weekly instruc tion in these classes. This gives the church a waiting-list over six times its member ship. The first test o f the African mission con vert', when admitted to the probationer’s qlass, is that he must give up his fetich; the next, he must settle his palavers—pay his debts, give up surplus wives, give up every immorality. Then as a third step he must take a bunch o f envelopes and become a weekly contributor—two years 'before reception into the church. A careful record is kept, and his card is punched each month for church-attendance and for con tributions. During the twelve months ending August 1, 1914, 7,500 persons confessed Christ at the Elat church. O f these, 5,000 were led to Christ by the native workers. The entire foreign missionary force last year Consisted o f three ordained men, four laymen, five missionaries’ wives, two single women.«/ Missionary Review of the World. The man is worthless as a messenger who has not that “ earnest care” in his heart which is spoken o f by Paul. Mis sionary work is not a trade. The ministry may b e; it may attract the self-seeker; but the mission field with its privations is not for the sluggard or the selfish person. It means self-sacrifice, dangers, sickness, death. Pray for a heart stirred by God to care for the heathen.— C. E. World.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5