Orient Marching Forward
By Ross C. Porter
Eight Hundred Million People — How They Are Being Reached
ROSS C. PORTER
President Asiatic Division Conference THE Asiatic Division of the world field embraces China, Manchuria, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Australasia, the East Indies, Ceylon, India, and Burma. This large territory has between eight and nine hundred millions of people. As the present population of the world is between seventeen and eighteen hundred millions, this division contains more than half the entire population of the world. And of this vast population, by far the greater portion are heathen. In the Far East, we are therefore confronted by the greatest of mission problems. Regardless of Flood, Fire, and War
In spite of disasters by flood, fire, famine, and war, the past year has been one of the most prosperous, in missionary advance, in the history of our work. By the aid of the American consul, the Manchurian Mission purchased land, and located their permanent headquarters at Mukden. Numerous calls have come from far and near for missions to be established in interior places. In Mukden there is a company of believers, and the sale of literature is creating many openings throughout that field. Korea Always at the Front
For Korea, always at the front in mission interest, 1915 was the banner year. They report the largest number of baptized converts, and the most extensive circulation of literature, in their history. The mission territory in Japan has been reorganized, and all parts of the field have been placed under closer foreign supervision. The Japanese converts have taken a greater interest in the raising of funds and the circulation of literature. This has resulted in a more general awakening, with numerous calls for advance into unoccupied fields. The advance in China has been very marked. The number of mission and training schools opened, the location of new missions, the purchase of land for the erection of mission stations and training schools, the circulation of literature, and the large increase of baptized converts, are the practical demonstration of the great forward movement that is now on in China. The acting superintendent of central China, after describing the great interest that has been awakened at a newly opened station, says, "This is far above any opening that we have ever met in this part of China." East, West, and South China all report the most encouraging results the past year of any since the opening of our work in China. The rank and file of the Chinese people are very favorable toward missions, and very responsive to gospel appeals. The Malay peninsula, the East Indies, the Philippines, and the great Australasian group of island territory, embrace all shades of mission experience, from the civilized and foreignized native to the savage head-hunter. Yet in these fields, among all classes, the progress of the gospel has surpassed all previous records. Tent meetings and other public efforts have yielded results equal to similar efforts in the more enlightened home land. Substantial printing plants and schools have been established, mission homes have been built, and an unusually large number of converts baptized. In Burma and India, the work is making most marvelous progress. Never were these people so impressible with gospel truth as now. Whole villages have come forward offering themselves for baptism. The great need of the hour is men and means to equip and support properly the work in these fields which are now yielding such remarkable returns for labor611bestowed. No investment of money and no employment of talent can bring more joy or insure so large a reward as sharing the labor and expense of carrying the closing message of the gospel to these needy heathen people. Persons who are situated so that they cannot go themselves, may share in the work by furnishing money with which to employ native evangelists and colporteurs to represent them in the field. Many are giving substantial aid in this way.