Missionary Work in Large Cities
By John Oscar Corliss
The greatness of this theme is limited only by the importance of the territory to be occupied. What ought to be done on entering such work is one thing, and what may be done with limited resources is quite another. Men and means are important factors in every such enterprise, yet with both of these the work may be a failure without that most important factor,—the Spirit of God,—by which is imparted the necessary wisdom to meet and overcome the difficulties abounding in every large city. The work in such places must be conducted on a somewhat different principle from that which would govern in smaller places, and for several reasons. In the first place, the training and habits of city people are different from those in rural districts. Their ways are less simple, and they have more attractions to draw their attention. They are more reserved in their home life, and harder to approach on religious themes. These considerations make it necessary to plan the work so as to make the desire for the truth become uppermost in their minds. Public expositions of the truth alone can not do this. A preparatory work must first take place, which can be accomplished only by faithful visiting from house to house. It is not enough to do this in a casual way, but a systematic effort should be organized, which will cover different parts of a certain radius at the same time. Careful note should be made by each worker of all interesting incidents during the day, and in a special meeting held each morning under a competent leader, the experience of each should be given for the benefit of all the others. It will be seen at a glance that the number of workers required in such efforts must be determined by the greatness of the area to be covered, and by the importance that particular field holds to the work at large. Such a work can not be done alone by ministers, for the reason that it would not be expedient to mass so many of that class of workers at one given point, especially when such workers are limited in number. One or two ministers to lead out and direct, with the proper number of associate lay workers, can doubtless do more than a larger number of ministers, deprived of such help. An incident in the Australian work has strengthened this thought in my mind. The Wesleyan minister at one place, in conversation with one of our workers, said: “I thought that the tent meetings here were only for the purpose of preaching a few peculiar doctrines, and I cared nothing about it; but when I found that it was a regular organized thing, and the workers were visiting everywhere among the people, I felt that something must be done to counteract such work.” Visiting may be done with the Bible in hand, and if the worker is judicious, a great amount of effective work may be done. But all workers have not the necessary experience to make them “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” These sometimes let drop expressions which are misunderstood, and are carried to the public with conclusions that are unwarranted and unjust. Shall we therefore refuse to engage such workers in so important an enterprise?—I think not. If their zeal leads them to offer their service, it is much better to have them where their zeal can be judiciously directed than to leave them to drift where they may finally do great harm to themselves as well as to others. There are scarcely any such workers who can not be used to good advantage, with proper instructions as to what they ought to do and say when on their visiting rounds Their greatest danger is in attempting to defend the doctrines presented at the place of public gatherings. Some who go there, do so at first with a view to criticizing all that is said. With this motive uppermost, they can not help misunderstanding some things, which they persist in misstating to the visitor. It is useless for the latter to deny the statement,—although he knows that it is not so,—for that would be calling the other's word into question, and might bring on an unpleasant scene, and forever blast the hope of helping the misguided one. A much better way is to arm the visitor with appropriate literature, which has been carefully written for the purpose, to be placed in the hands of those with whom they come in contact. Nothing in this line could be so appropriate as the printed discourses which the people are hearing from night to night. Of course these papers (for they should appear in the form of a paper) could properly cover only the principal topics of the series, but so arranged as to become a connected line of thought, leading the mind step by step into all the truth. Two or three of these could be issued weekly, as the circumstances might demand, and be carried from house to house. Then when a point is brought up upon which there was a misunderstanding, the printed discourse itself would set the matter right. I am inclined to believe that some such method will yet be adopted in our large city work, in order to stop the voice of calumny, if for no other purpose. I have followed this plan for some years in city work, and found it to work well. Is it not an expensive way to get out the truth?—Yes, looking at it in one way it is, but from another standpoint I am inclined to believe it an economical method. When I have adopted this plan, the results have been about double what they are from the usual methods. In other words, about as much is done in one year by this method as is done in two years in the ordinary way. Adding the expense of this extra work to the ordinary expenses of a year's work, I do not think it would exceed the expenses of two years' labor by the ordinary methods, while it has the advantage of accomplishing the two years of ordinary work in one year. Besides, when people have this reading-matter put into their hands, they generally feel some responsibility to assist in defraying the extra expense incurred. Then, too, the people who read much when coming into the truth make the most substantial people when secured. To give them reading in this way, only a little at a time, immediately after they have heard a discourse on the subject, fixes what they have heard forever in their minds. Give them large books to read, and they do not always read them. The books are too prolix, and are tiresome reading for beginners, especially in this fast age. Long arguments fail to interest people. Let them read the printed sermon to which they have listened, and the impressions received by hearing it from the living preacher are revived, because10they almost imagine themselves listening to him again. They see his gestures in this sentence, and his earnestness in that expression, and are thrilled over again with the many new thoughts conveyed to their minds. All this indelibly impresses the truth upon them in a way that a volume by an unknown writer can not do.