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THE KING’S BUSINESS
ing to asphyxiate himself in a hotel, he was taken out by the hotel people who had noticed the odor of escaping gas. Three days after this he entered the Jerry Mc- Auley Mission on Water street and was Converted. Then he set to work in a rough section where assaults and holdups are of frequent occurrence and in a neighborhood of lodg ing houses where men with wrecked pasts find a miserable shelter. Between April 20, 1911, and March 1, 1913, nearly 1000 men .have knelt in this mission and asked God to take them back and clean up their lives. : M ary J ones , a Welsh maiden of sixteen, hailing from Llanfihangel, struck the match which set the non-Christian world ablaze with Scripture light. You recall the cen tury-old story; how Mary so loved the Word that she walked repeatedly for four miles to read a Bible belonging to a rela tive) how she labored for years to save enough money to buy the coveted Book with her maiden’s mites; how she burst into a flood of tears when she took her hoard to buy and found that every copy had been sold. Mary Jones’ tears moved Joseph Charles; Mr. Charles’ appeal moved Joseph Hughes; Mr. Hughes uttered the words at the beginning of the article; they awaken ed a discussion which led to the establish ment of the greatest Bible society of the world—the British and Foreign Bible So ciety; this organization, its great co-opera tor, the American Bible Society, and other lesser ones, provide the Scriptures and sal ary the colporteurs who carry the Word of God to the nations. T here is today in all religious circles an agitation of work and effort which is truly disquieting. Action, action, action, . is preached and encouraged, no matter where and no matter how. All this conducts in sensibly to I know not what “humanitism,’* as socially useless as spiritually sterile. Works multiply and in a few years are ex hausted. One spends time, money, human
life almost, without regard, and the result is next to nothing. It is man wishing to do himself the work of God. Not attain ing' to the quality of religious action he wishes to substitute quantity. And while Christians dissipate in this way the strength which they ought to employ in living, the World sneers and mocks. This is one rea son-more Tor yearning for the revival which alone can set things right and restore to the Christian life, lived spiritually and log ically, its primacy; as against the vanity of action. A t the centennial celebration of Ameri can missions in India at Ahmadnagar in November bands of pilgrims from the whole countryside came to worship and bring in their thank offering. One group of villag ers from the domains of the Nizam of Hy derabad could not afford the railroad jour ney, so they tramped the ISO miles on foot, carrying their Christian banners and sing ing as they marched. They passed through many villages whose inhabitants had never heard of the Christian religion. Three times they were arrested by officials of the native ruler, but each time they were let go. A great gathering of missionaries and Christians made the centennary memorable. The program included as one of the best things an original Indian dramatization of the parable of the good Samaritan by a group of the younger teachers. North America, with 1870 missionaries in India today, has been a good Samaritan to India- and that India is grateful is shown by the thank offering of $5000 raised at the meet ing. A writer in The Times of India says that hundreds of Christians—Servants, teachers, preachers and others—gave an en tire month’s salary in addition to their reg ular gifts. D r . W ilfred G renfell , of Labrador, tells of his reverie one night as he sat watching beside a sick child. The' cold, barren Lab rador offered no comforts for the body; the missionary was worn out by long journeys and nightly vigils; the fight against greedy
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