N EGLECTErr'ARABI A
No. 188 APRIL—MAY—JUNE 1940
THE LANDWARD APPROACH TO MUSCAT IS BY A NARROW DEFILE THROUGH A ROCKY GORGE
Annual Report of the Arabian Mission for the Year 1939 Edited by REV. JAMES E. MOERDYK The Arabian Mission
OF THE
REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA 156 Fifth Ave., New York City
Officers of the Board of Foreign Missions Rev. Edward Dawson, D. D., President F. M. Potter, L. H. D., Secretary and Treasurer Rev. L. J. Shafer, Litt. D., Secretary Rev. W. J. Van Kersen, D. D., District Secretary
MISSIONARIES
Rev. James Cantine Stone Ridge, N. Y Emeritus Rev. S. M. Zwemer 156 Fifth Ave., N .Y C. Retired Rev. and Mrs. F. J. Barny 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C.. Emeritus Rev. James E. Moerdyk Amarah, Iraq Evangelistic Work Rev. and Mrs. J. Van Ess Basrah, Iraq Educ. and Evan Work Miss J. A. Scardefield 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C. Emeritus Miss Fanny Lutton 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. Cr Emeritus Rev. and Mrs. D. Dykstra Muscat, Arabia Evangelistic Work Dr. and Mrs. C. S. G. Mylrea Kuwait, via Iraq Med. and Evan. Work Rev .and Mrs. G. J. Pennings Kuwait, via Iraq Evangelistic Work Dr. and Mrs. P. W. Harrison 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C. On furlough Rev. and Mrs. G. D. Van Peursem 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C. On furlough *Mrs. May De P. Thoms Baghdad, Iraq Educational Work Miss Charlotte B. Kellien Basrah, Iraq Educational Work Miss M. C. Van Pelt 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C. On furlough Miss Ruth Jackson 156 Fifth Ave., N .Y . C. On furlough Miss Rachel Jackson Bahrain, Pers. Gulf Educational Work Miss Cornelia Dalenberg Bahrain, Pers. Gulf Medical Work *Rev. and Mrs. B. D. Hakken Baghdad, Iraq Evan. Work Dr. and Mrs. W. J. Moerdyk Amarah, Iraq Med. and Evan. Work Rev. and Mrs. G. E. De Jong Bahrain, Pers. Gulf Evangelistic Work Dr. and Mrs. W. Harold Storm Bahrain, Pers. Gulf Medical Work Rev. and Mrs. George Gosselink Basrah, Iraq Evangelistic Work Dr. and Mrs. W. W. Thoms Muscat Arabia Medical Work Mrs. Mary Bruins Allison, M. D., Kuwait, via Iraq Medical Work Miss Esther I. Barny, M . D., 156 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C. Medical Work Dr. and Mrs. L. R. Scudder Kuwait, via Iraq Language Study Mr. John Van Ess, Jr. Basrah, Iraq Educational Work Miss Madeline A. Tull Kuwait, via Iraq Medical Work Miss Ruth O. Crouse, M. D. Kuwait, via Iraq Language Study Miss Roelphine Bakker, 156 Fifth Ave., N .Y.C. Under appointment All Air Mail service to Iraq and the Persian Gulf has been discontinued. Regular mail service to all Stations is subject to long delays as deliveries are made only through .occasional sailings around South Africa. Postage rates are the same as heretofore, five cents for the first ounce and three cents for each additional ounce or fraction thereof. /T he Arabian Mission which was organized in 1889 as a separate mission, was amal gamated with the Board of Foreign Missions of the Reformed Church in America in 1925. The change did not affect the work in Arabia or the organization in the field, but concerned only office administration and legal status. All former contributions should be continued and sent to the Board of Foreign Missions. They may be specially designated “ For Work in Arabia" if desired. ♦Member of the United Mission in Mesopotamia in which we cooperate with the Presbyterian Church end the Reformed Church in the United States. N e g l e c t e d A r a b i a Missionary News and Letters Published Quarterly
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION AMONG THE FRIENDS OF THE ARABIAN MISSION
Report of The Arabian Mission for 1939
We believe that we have received our commission from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who said: “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway, unto the end of the world.” And we believe that in order to carry out this commission we must explain in no uncertain terms “ how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.’’ The Rules of our Mission say that “ our methods are preaching, Bible distribution, itinerating, medical work, and school work.”
Medical Work Muscat Station for part of the year has been without medical work. The lady doctor returned to America and resigned from the Mission. This leaves a hospital building standing without anyone to care for the needy sick among the women of that city. The hospital in Matrah was reopened after the arrival of Dr. Thoms who returned from fur lough in America. This hospital can accommodate men, and women who are willing to come even though the doctor is a man, are admitted also. The doctor’s right-hand helper there is a man who came to Christ after several years of employment when he was a Mohammedan. His family has also come out and joined as members of the group of believers. Medical clinics have also been supported every week in one or more of the towns out along the sea-coast; these towns will very 4 NEGLECTED ARABIA probably become centers for established work. Visits to places farther inland can at present only be possible upon invitation from the local sheikhs or rulers. Amarah has been without any medical work for one-half of the year. This was because of local vacations and appointments by the Mission for transfers to other stations. It was encouraging at such a time to learn from the people how well they had become acquainted with the missionaries and how highly they appreciated their work; they never ceased imploring that the work might be reopened and asked when the missionaries would return. They proved their sincerity by crowding the clinics for men and women as soon as the hospital was reopened. The hospitals in Bahrain have been open the year round and have both been more than busy; for the number of sick coming from the mainland as well as from the city has been larger than before. In the men’s hospital the clinics have reached a level taxing the capacity of one doctor to handle them. Patients will not wait two and three hours for a doctor unless they are very sick. The number of inpatients and outcalls has markedly increased. For many months the hospitals have been full to overflowing; it is a problem to find room for them. The pioneer days have passed and we are now entering into a more settled phase which demands concentration. Five promising boys have been accepted as a start for a training school for nurses. We are also trying to make the same beginning in the women’s hospital. An invitation from the ruler of Inland Arabia for a lady doctor was accepted and the doctor spent several months there, as also a lady nurse who was called to attend a patient in Hassa. Other invitations to the mainland could not be accepted because there was no doctor to go. In Kuwait the government is more or less committed to a plan which includes a hospital building and a resident physician and a physician has been brought from Syria. Just how much work the hospital is actually doing is hard to say. But our hospitals go on and on, day in; day out, year in, year out, treating more or less 100 patients daily in the men’s hospital and more than 100 in the women’s hospital. 1939 has been remarkable for the large number of patients who have come to us from Saudi Arabia, from Mecca, and from the Hejaz. The new Olcott Memorial Hospital was opened and “ there were huge throngs of patients coming to the clinic.” The addition from home to the staff of workers was an encouragement to care for this large increase in numbers. The patients do appreciate the new hospital. The Arab women were increasingly willing to come and stay in the hospital. Altogether more than 150,000 men and women have come to the clinics in these stations. And let us not forget that this means that all of H r ! 'S
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Sont Ulani) 3. IBBl 9 Addresses given by Dr. Zwemer and Dr. F. M. Potter at the services held in the church will be found in the follow ing pages, as well as the tribute given by Rev. Harold J . Hoffman at the graveside. Dr. James Cantine An Address by Dr F. M. Potter, Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions, R. C. A. One of God’s noblemen has been taken from us. The world, and in particular, the Reformed Church is the poorer for his going, but we who have known him are forever richer because of the influence of a saint of God whose memory will abide. It is the privilege of Dr. Zwemer to speak in particular of the char acter of his old friend; to me is entrusted the brief sketching of the career of one of the great missionaries of the Church. While I seek to accomplish this appointed task, it will be impossible in dealing with one so beloved, not to trespass also upon the other field, for great as was the career of Dr. Cantine, it is the qualities of his heart which have enshrined him in our own hearts. James Cantine was born March 3, 1861 on the old farm in Ulster County which had been the home of the family for several generations. With his own characteristic whimsical humor he used to refer to his early days as a boy on that farm, wielding flail and hoe and pitchfork, and he attributed, probably rightly, to that hardy early training those qualities of endurance which stood him in such good stead when he was exposed later to the rigors of the trying climate and unsanitary conditions of Arabia. His early schooling, to quote his own words in the delightful remin iscences which he wrote about two years ago, was "of a rather hap hazard nature,’’ but he succeeded in entering Union College in the autumn of 1879 and graduated four years later as a civil engineer. Upon graduation he worked as a draughtsman with the Westinghouse Company in Schenectady for three years, active in church and Sunday School, but not yet experiencing a call to that higher service which later claimed him. With characteristic modesty he attributes the change in his plans in 1886 rather to the failure to discover any special talent as an engineer, but between the lines of his own simple chronicle one can read of the stirring again of ideas which had moved him earlier as a student and which were to culminate in that magnificent dedication of his talents to the impossible task a few years later. He entered New Brunswick Seminary in 1886 and soon came under the spell of Dr. John G. Lansing, brilliant scholar and preacher, who inherited from his father, a pioneer worker in Syria and Egypt, a keen interest in the evangelization of the Mohammedans. About this inspiring leader there gathered three students, Dr. Cantine, Mr. Phillip T. Phelps and Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer, and this devoted group, known as the “ Wheel,” with its hub and three spokes, came finally and prayerfully to the decision that God was calling them to open up work in Arabia. 3 The story has been often told of their efforts to induce the Board of Foreign Missions to sponsor this mad venture, as it seemed to many, but the decision of the Board and of the General Synod was that because of heavy commitments elsewhere this new venture could not be undertaken. No such decision could daunt that group. It was then that plans were worked out for an independent mission and by the time Dr. Cantine graduated in 1889 they Were ready to launch the enterprise. It is fitting that we meet in this church to do honor to our dear friend. Here on October 1, 1889 he was ordained by this Classis as a missionary to Arabia, Dr. Lansing preaching the sermon on the text, “ Oh, that Ishmael might live before Thee.” The first subscription blanks soliciting gifts for the Arabian Mission were printed by the Kingston Freeman Company. Many of the plans were worked out in the old Cantine homestead nearby. This church also for years made a special gift of $1,000 a year toward the support of his work in later years at Baghdad. These hills of Ulster County are filled with the traditions of the Arabian Mission and they were dear to the heart of the founder. Down through the years, when trouble and weakness of the flesh took their toll, he turned his steps always toward the old home and Antaeus like, seemed ever to gain new strength as he touched his original soil. Shortly after ordination Dr. Cantine sailed for Beirut, Syria, where he began the study of Arabic. The next year, 1890, he met Dr. Zwemer in Cairo, where there was a happy reunion with their old teacher Dr. Lansing, who had gone there for his health. Time fails to tell of the planning and the spying out of the land which finally resulted in the selection of Basrah as the first station of the Mission, where the two friends settled in August of 1891. The story of Dr. Cantine in the succeeding years is the history of the Arabian Mission. A Seminary classmate remarked of the doughty pioneers, “ That is a strong outfit; Zwemer is sure to get somewhere and there Cantine will stick.” Well did he justify that prediction as he stayed by his task, nothing daunted by privations, philosophical about the meagemess of tangible results, serving with only brief inter ludes of furloughs for thirty-eight long years in Basrah, Muscat and Baghdad. The sketch would not be complete without reference to the beloved partner in his labors, Mrs. Elizabeth De Pree Cantine, whom he married in 1904. Theirs was a beautiful union, a noble example of a home filled with Christian love in a land sadly needing such a model. Mrs. Can tine was associated with him in all his labors until their return to this country because of her ill-health in 1925. Who that knew them during those two years which followed her long illness here in this city, have marvelled at the patience, the composure, the uncomplaining faith and trust which marked our dear friend and his devoted helpmeet. Dr. Cantine was active in the founding of two missions. Not only was he associated with the establishment of the pioneer work in Arabia, but later it was in large part his vision and enterprise which led to 4 the founding of the United Mission in Mesopotamia in 1924. In 1920 he and Mrs. Cantine had taken up residence in Baghdad, because of the retirement from that city of the Church Missionary Society of Great Britain in the hard years following the war. This, too, was an unique Mission, an enterprise supported by three churches, the Presby terian, the Reformed Church in the U. S. and our own. His later years of service were devoted to the work of that mission. He even returned to Baghdad in 1928 after the death of Mrs. Cantine and no one can measure the extent of the influence which he exerted upon his younger missionary associates in the crucial years marking the establishing of the new enterprise. In his last year of service there he lived with the two new families who had come out to the Field, established in a large house in Mosul, guiding them in their studies, leading them along the hard path of approach to the heart of the Mohammedans. He returned finally to America in 1929 because of ill health and shortly thereafter resigned from active service. The years which followed witnessed, however, no abatement of zeal and interest. He has been active in counsel and generous in sup port of every enterprise for the strengthening of the work in Arabia and in Mesopotamia. In 1939 he and Dr. Zwemer again went among the churches, with the fire and earnestness which had marked their service fifty years ago. No one can forget the great contribution, too great for his own strength, which he made in commemorating the Golden Jubilee of the Arabian Mission. From church after church which he visited came the report, “ His presence was a benediction.” May I add some word of the spirit which characterized the service of our dear friend. Reference has been made already to that fine quality of fidelity which held him to the appointed task whatever the obstacles in the way. It characterized also his whole approach to the question of carrying the gospel to the Moslems. It is easy to turn aside in a country like Arabia or Iraq, to work with the old Christian groups found there. When the Mohammedan will not hear the gospel it is a temptation to build up a church or a school among these other elements in the population. But, without any suggestion of swerving from the appointed task, Dr. Cantine insisted always, in both Missions, that however meagre the tangible results, the great object is to minister to the followers of the Prophet. Long years of association with the Arab served also to bring to Dr. Cantine something of that spirit of submission which is a keynote of Islam, that overwhelming sense of the omnipotence and omniscience of God, though with him it was graced by an abounding faith also in the love of God. Therein is found the secret of his imperturbable calm, his unwavering faith, which enabled him to face disappointment, suffering and apparent failure with that sweet, philosophical smile of utter confidence in the fundamental rightness of things, which none of us who knew him can ever forget. But I remember best his extraordinary capacity for friendship. Has there ever been a man in our church who was adopted by so many as a relative? We always think of him as “Uncle Jim,” close to us as a 5 member of our own families. It needs little imagination to conceive of the influence of that Christlike quality in Arabia too. I shall never forget his remark to me one day when the Laymen’s Commission had released its judgment on the mediocre character of most missionaries. “ Well, Potter, I suppose they are right. Most missionaries are just ordinary people like me. But— I wonder if they realize that there are many tasks which only the ordinary missionary can do. The genius might not be ready to do them.” And then, in a moment of confidence he told me that the greatest satisfaction he ever had on the Mission Field was one day when a young Arab crossed over to him on the streets of Baghdad and said, “ Mr. Cantine, I like you!” The story of his life might be written in the records of lives touched and uplifted by his transparent simplicity and goodness. There are many who, like myself, when asked what a Christian should be like, turn naturally to our departed friend and think, “ like Dr. Cantine.” May I close with words written by one of the young ministers of our church years ago, who sent them to me, as he stated it, because Dr. Cantine was a living inspiration to him. How many there are of that goodly company! His brief poem is entitled, “A Missionary Great- Heart.” His was ihe Shepherd's Heart— God's Arab flock He led through desert wastes to Paradise, Refreshed them at the Fountain, flowing from the Rock, And homeward brought them to the sheep-fold of the skies. His was the Merchant's heart— Long years he sought For gems not strewn on stony ocean floor, Men s souls, his pearls, with priceless ransom bought That Christ might make them His forevermore. His was the Builder's heart— no minaret tower, No sweet-belled tower, or city wall, built he, But faith's foundation laid, through sun and shower, Deep in the hearts of men to last through all eternity. His was the Statesman s heart—far-visioned, kind, Not with a Syrian sword or battle host he kingdom sought, But with the strength of brother and of prince combined, Founded a realm where Love and Truth are taught. Dr. James Cantine, The Apostle to Arabia A Tribute by Rev. Samuel M. Zwemer, D. D., Fellow Founder of The Arabian Mission “ The Measure of a M an"— Rev. 21:17 Jim is not gone from us. He has only gone ahead of us. He is not dead but is translated and has inherited eternal life. Death was not the master of this house of clay. He was only the porter at the King’s lodge appointed to open the gate and let his servant in. Three score years and eighteen was not the limit of this life. Life is not a land locked basin; it is an arm of the sea and where the shorelines seem to meet in old age they open up into the infinite. James Cantine’s life had four dimensions. It was long— though not as long as that of his dear mother who lived beyond ninety-nine. It was broad in every sense of the word. Broad in vision, in sympathy, in culture, in its outreach and in its attainment. It was high in aim. No one who ever knew him could doubt that his eyes were ever upward and that he never ceased climbing the steep ascent to Heaven with dogged determination, and a lofty ambition to be like the Master whom he so humbly served. And his life was deep. It was founded on the Rock. The roots of that life were deep in the soil and drank from the hidden springs of God’s grace. He was like a tree planted by the rivers of water. His leaf did not wither. All the fruit of the Spirit ripened in glorious clusters of love,’joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, faith, goodness, self-control. I speak as one who knew him for fifty years and loved him more than any brother. Our souls were knit together, by the warp and woof of a common task in supremely trying circum stances, like the souls of Jonathan and David. There was nothing low or narrow or shallow in the life of James Cantine. He was a saint, a Christian and an apostle as truly as the Apostle who presided at the J erusalem Council nineteen hundred years ago. A Christian because of his relationship to J esus Christ. For all these years his colleagues could testify “ I knew a man in Christ. He walked close to the Master. He resembled Him in character and conduct as far as the imitation of Christ is possible for those who try to follow in His footprints. All his life he continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, in the breaking of the bread of hospitality, in loving fellow ship with all who knew him and in daily (often hourly) eanest and prevailing prayer. He did not pretent to sainthood and despised all piosity, cant, and formality and phariseeism. But he was a saint. The missionaries 7 knew it. The British officials in Arabia felt it. The Arabs caught a glimpse on his countenance and experienced in his dealings with them that he belonged to another world. And he was an apostle. Of the call to that apostleship he himself was never in doubt and he has told us of it in the Golden Milestone. Once he heard the call he forsook all and set his face like a flint to reach the goal. He was literally an apostle “ Not of men neither by man but by Jesus Christ.” He received his commission to Arabia by the revelation of the will of Jesus Christ, who separated him and called him by his grace. He had one passion and one alone— the evangelization of Arabia. There fore he never sought to please men nor did he confer with flesh and blood, neither with those who were apostles before him. His life at Busrah, Bahrein, Muscat, Bagdad bears testimony to the truth of these words. Those who lived closest to him and knew him best glorified God in him and recognized his apostleship. “ Christ the Son of God had sent him To the midnight lands His the mighty ordination Of the pierced hands." He visited the churches as an apostle from Arabia and everywhere he was welcomed as one who told not of his own exploits but of God’s work in human hearts, and that God’s word is like the seed that grow- eth secretly. His last tour in the Reformed Churches from Dakota and Iowa to New York and New Jersey was a fitting close to his remarkable min istry. His eye was not dim nor his natural strength abated. He still stood on Nebo and viewed the promised land. He claimed those promises for Arabia and that courage of Joshua-of-which we had so often spoken and prayed together in the early years of the Mission. And now he has crossed the Jordan and belongs not to Stone Ridge nor the Reformed Church only but to the Church universal and to posterity. Our saint James and our apostle to Arabia lives on in the Mission which he founded, in the hearts that call him friend, in the wide circle that felt his influence here and across the seas. How can we measure such a life save by the yardstick of eternity and in the scales of God? When I last saw him in the hospital my mind went back again and again to the words of John in the book of the Revelation, “ He that talked with me had a golden reed to measure . and he measured the length, the breadth and the height . according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.” Jim had the measure of a man—a man in Christ Jesus. “ Walk in the starlight long enough And the silver will touch your hair. For the stars will lean from Heaven And be reflected there. “ Talk with the angels long enough And your very face will shine For the peace of God will touch your eyes With radiance divine. “ Only give God and the angels time To burnish what once was dim And the glory may rest on all of us For was it not so with him." His later life and especially his closing years were the embodiment of that beautiful ancient collect of the Anglican Church which may well be our own too: “ 0 Lord, support us all the day long of this troublous life until the shades lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed and our work is done. Then Lord in Thy mercy grant us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last through Jesus Christ our Lord."— Amen. 9 Dr. James Cantine A eulogy given at the grave by the Rev. Harold J. Hoffman, Pastor of the Reformed Church of Stone Ridge, N. Y. “ He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light."—John 5:35. Dr. Potter and Dr. Zwemer have emphasized the greatness of our departed brother as a man of the church and the world; but in order to see his true greatness we must also consider him as a citizen in his own community. It was the Master who said that a man is not without honor save in his own country. While it may be true that many in our local community have not realized the greatness of this man as a missionary of the Reformed Church in America, yet it is true that he was loved and esteemed by all. And so for a few brief moments I would like to speak about Dr. James Cantine as a man among men in his own community. “ He was a burning and a shining light: and we were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.” It is not my purpose to present a biographical sketch nor to attempt a full length portrait of our beloved Dr. Cantine, but simply to exhibit some of those qualities of character which have made him a burning and a shining light in the community. In speaking of his character it would be hard to say what particular gifts or traits made that light so bright. Perhaps it was the balance of powers, his beautiful adjustment of intellectual and moral qualities along with refinement of culture, admirable judgment, and his unique individuality of character, speech and action, which constituted the general excellence of the man. He was always able to see the good in others. He was not a fault finder. When I began my ministry in Stone Ridge, I felt that I would be uneasy knowing that I had a Doctor of Divinity in the audience, but I found that it had just the opposite effect. His presence inspired me; he was sympathetic and considerate; would offer a word of encour agement whenever possible, and was never offensive in his criticism. The result of such a character has been that others have also seen the good in him. As long as I have lived in Stone Ridge I have never heard one word of criticism against this great man. The entire absence of vindictiveness was one of the ripe fruits of Dr. Cantine’s tenderness. Did you ever hear him saying a hard thing to anyone? Did you ever know him to utter a single word showing personal hate, or even personal feeling? It is a marvelous record. He 10 could truly say with one of our great presidents, “ With malice toward none, and charity for all.” He was known for his integrity and purity. Nobody looked in his shadow for lurking cunning, deceit, and craftiness, or for that peculiar malice with which hardened age sometimes steels its withered nerves. He was like a crystal, solid, yet translucent. You could see through him, and love him, because he unconsciously sought and bore the test of sunlight. Like Nathaniel when he came to Jesus, he was “ an Israelite indeed in whom was no guile.” It was not for the intellect, even though his intellect was keen, but for the moral qualities of the man that we loved him. We never love cold intellect. We may desire it; we may admire it; we may wonder at it; sometimes we may even worship it, but we never love it. The hearts of men leap out only after the image of God in man, and the image of God in man is love. Oh! what a large and loving heart was stilled on Monday, July 1st. How fine, how tender, how compassionate, how all-embracing was the love of this great man. Another characteristic of this venerated man, which cannot be omitted in even the most superficial view of his traits, was his love for children. How he loved them, and how they loved him! Many young souls have been strengthened in their religious zeal because of their contacts with him. They will never forget the stories he has told them and throughout life it will be a shining light for them. May I speak a word of my own experience. As a boy I was a member of the Overisel Reformed Church, the church which supported Dr. Cantine on the mission field. I remember his visits to that church on his furloughs and how he told about his experiences in the land of Arabia. It is no wonder that those of us who have known him intimately are interested in missions. We have seen his faith, his love for Christ and his cause, and that with him there “ was neither Jew nor Greek, bond or free, male or female; for all are one in Christ Jesus.” Yes! He was a burning and a shining light, and we rejoiced in his light for a season.” “ Oh! give thanks unto the Lord— who made great lights— for his mercy endureth forever.” May the beneficent grandeur of this character ever remain with us, and may it develop in us a world-wide charity, a deep piety, a calm ness and patience of soul, a high example, so that when our final summon comes we shall be able to say, “ Holy Father, I have glorified Thee on earth, I have finished the work which Thou hast given me to do.” 11 NEGLECTED ARABIA 5 these have listened to the Gospel message; some of them have been present many times over. Something like 1500 have been inpatients in the hospitals and have spent days and weeks where they could see as well as hear, to know what the New Life means for individuals who read with them and prayed with them. There were 1330 outcalls to the homes in the cities where the door was opened to receive the serv ants of Christ. Let no one think that invitations from Inland Arabia mean that the people are asking for the Gospel, but every visit there was an opportunity for personal witness and was another step nearer to the time when there will be liberty for the open presentation of the message of Christ. Teaching There is a girls’ school in Bahrain and another in Basrah. The Basrah school, because of decreased appropriations, is now limited to four grades. Perhaps the very lack of large numbers constitutes our greatest opportunity in personal contacts. Thus girls, not only in the classes, but also when the teachers visit their homes, receive the best attention. “ Our highest ideals and the one Perfect Example have been put before them each day in song and story,’’ writes the missionary in charge. And the Bible stories remembered are repeated to their parents at home. During vacation, sewing classes were carried on twice a week for two months. The playgrounds are appreciated by the school and are thrown open to outsiders, with whom they are very popular. The school at Bahrain has six grades. Many more girls from the better families now enjoy coming to the school and remain long enough to graduate; and mothers like to come and see what the girls have accomplished. Moslems, Christians and Jews and Indians as well as Persians and Arabs make up the monthly enrollment of 80 pupils. The school club is very popular and now has a formal program weekly. By having the older girls teach some of the smaller pupils there is an opportunity to share their appreciation of what they have gained from the school. The school for boys in Basrah has a large enrollment this year. Educational conditions in the country were unsettled. During the summer it appeared that a determined move was contemplated to pass legislation forbidding the entrance of Iraqi pupils into other than government schools. This would have made impossible that part of our work which is most worthwhile. What a happy surprise, “ The autumn session opened with a large influx of pupils into all depart ments.” The teaching personnel has changed somewhat but the new arrangements are proving very promising. Athletics have been popu lar and the dramatic club has achieved a considerable local reputation. 6 NEGLECTED ARABIA Bible teaching is carried out with greater pleasure than ever. The magic lantern is also used in these courses in the lower school. “ To give the Gospel message to 150 boys of that age (and to many others in the higher grades) every day of the school year is a privilege and an opportunity which to our mind can not be surpassed.” Preaching And by preaching we mean “ telling the Gospel” wherever and when ever possible. Not the least worthy in this work are the ladies of the Mission who in many respects have more opportunities than the men. They tell of Sunday School classes and private classes, of gatherings in the mission homes and of little prayer meetings in the homes of others, of clubs for the younger girls and of clubs for the older girls. Arab women who have been afraid to come to chapel services are now showing their courage in better attendance. It is encouraging to learn of some who formerly confessed Christ but whose witness had not been stead fast, who now have come out again with good confessions and are eager to work with others. The ladies report that their helpers have been helpful and faithful. The woman in the orphanage in Bahrain is very good in her care of the little ones in her charge and finds time to visit the sick in the hospital or visit friends in their homes. Both the men and the ladies conduct Gospel talks in the hospital clinics before the doctors begin their work. They also visit the sick in the hospitals to read and pray with the patients. Sometimes people make the criticism that missionaries force the people to hear the Gospel in the hospitals and in the schools. No force is used and only such as are willing may remain to listen to these meetings. But even so, this is the missionaries’ job; we must not only exhibit the Water of Life, but we must bring the people to drink of the Water of Life. The meetings in our chapels have been well attended. In some places we think the numbers have been smaller than formerly, and then again in other places there has been an increase. In Muscat they are planning to enlarge the chapel. The groups of believers have suffered persecution; they have become bolder in their testimonies. Some of the missionaries report that interest in religion seems to be waning; and others report inquirers and Bible readers. A few of the believers have had “ some rocky periods but eventually emerged the stronger and happier and truer disciples.” Village visitation in Bahrain has been carried out and so remains a worthwhile undertaking. But touring as such in Iraq has, for the time being, become impracticable because of the recent ruling of the powers that be. NEGLECTED ARABIA 7 Scripture distribution has been maintained in all the stations and has been encouraging in some and not so promising in others. Bahrain tells of a man from Muscat who had come for further training in the hospital work. While there he became interested but felt himself unable to take an open and public stand for Christ; but he promised to continue in Bible study and prayer. When this man left to take up his work in the country far south of Muscat he accepted 100 Scripture portions and Christian leaflets and tracts for distribution among the people there. Bahrain now has a Roman Catholic church building and a resident priest. The Bahrain Protestant Church Committee has organized. This group also comprises people working for the Oil Company and also several English government people and is inclusive of all denomina tions as well as clearly distinguishable from the newly founded Roman Catholic church. But “ the Mission Church” remains the center for missionary work among and for the natives of the island, since the others are really for people who have come to reside there while they are in the employ of the Oil Company. “ We have sought and prayed to witness truly and only to the Sav iour.” “ There were many mistakes and there is so much left to do.” And yet we must go on in prayer and work, each one as the Lord show's us the way. Will you, friends, continue in strong prayer for the people who need Christ, and for your missionaries to be faithful and true as the Holy Spirit teaches us. (E d i t o r 's N o t e ) Attention is called to the important notice appearing on page two regarding the sending of letters to our missionaries. Personalia Dr. Esther I. Barny was honored at the Commencement Exercises of the New Jersey College for Women, which were held on Saturday, June 1st. The Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science was conferred upon her for distinguished service. Dr. Barny was a member of the Class of 1922, the first Class to graduate from that institution and she is the first alumna to be so honored by the College. Dr. James Cantine is still very seriously ill in the Benedic tine Hospital at Kingston, New York. Dr. Samuel M . Zwemer made a notable address at the Gen eral Synod on Sunday evening, June 9th. He spoke as a representative of Hope College, which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. Miss Cecile Van Peursem was married at Somerville, N. J., on April 6th to Mr. Norman Lane. The service was held in the Second Reformed Church, of which the Rev. Gerrit D. Van Peursem, the father of the bride, is the missionary representative. Dr. and Mrs. Lewis R. Scudder are reported as having passed their language examinations with great credit at Kuwait. FRIESEM A BROS. PRINTING CO DETROIT. MICH.. U. S. A.