THE MISSIONARY MOVEMENT

The prevalent picture of a modern missionary in the mind of the average educated man is the idea of a long-haired individual, with a Bible, standing under a palm tree trying to "convert the heathen." Many people have a strong antagonism to the work of missions, and believe that people in foreign countries are happier without than with the missionary.

The fact that this opinion exists is due to the ignorance of the advances made by the missionary movement during the last few decades. No longer is a true missionary a man whose purpose is to force his religion upon someone else. The modern missionary makes life easier where it is hardest. It may be that he is a physician in a country like India, which has fewer doctors than the city of New York. In this capacity he establishes hospitals that save thousands of deaths every year and extinguishes plagues that produce untold tragedy. Or he may be an economist, educator or business man who works to make living conditions better in countries where people have difficulty in finding the wherewithal to live. The spirit of modern missions is one of service and reconstruction, not of dogmatism. The true missionary of today is well represented by Wilfred Grenfell, John R. Mott, and the man who speaks to us tonight, Alden Clark.