mply to Christianize but to civilize and to elevate in all
matters pertaining to soul, mind and body, the people among whom they are
established.

This is a broad question and an issue of fundamental importance. It
belongs to the very concept of missions and is largely a question of aim
and purpose. The trend of the times is doubtless in favour of the broader,
humanitarian, philanthropic, civilizing purpose of missions as against the
deeper and more exclusive, spiritual and Christianizing end.

It seems to me to be a question whether missions are ready for this
change.

It is also a very serious problem whether, in the mission field, this
modern tendency to extend and broaden out is of the spirit of Christ and
is a passion to do good unto men in every department and sphere of their
life; or whether it is a degeneracy--a drifting away from the lofty and
exclusive purpose of soul-winning and soul-saving down towards the lower
plane of earthly blessing and general philanthropy. There is certainly a
sense in which this widening of missionary endeavour is a part of the
broadening of the Christian life of today and is in harmony with the
multiplication of the agencies of the Church at home for the general
betterment of the people and for preparing them for the highest blessings
of our faith; and as such it is both commendable and encouraging.

On the other hand I know of no temptation that is pregnant with greater
evil to missions, at the present time, than that connected with this
multiplication of what may be called the lower activities of missions. The
spiritual work of a mission must ever remain its principal work if it is
to succeed in the highest sense. It is also the most difficult work. It
bears with it, often, serious discouragement to the worker. And in times
of discouragement it is a very easy thing for a missionary, and for a
mission, to relax effort at this point and, as a compensation, to seek
larger results on the lower planes of social and industrial activities and
humanitarian and philanthropic effort. These lower forms of activity are
exceedingly absorbing and distracting; and when a mission enters
extensively into them it usually means, and, I would almost say,
_necessarily_ means, a withdrawal of time and energy and of interest from
its highest spiritual work. A man or a mission has only a certain amount
of strength and money to devote to his work; and if this is increasingly
and extensively expended up