Missionary Survey As An Aid To Intelligent Co-Operation In Foreign Missions | Page 5

with literature. It needs special
treatment Two brief tables suggested The difficulty of dealing with
industrial work still greater For industrial missions, other than those
which are really educational, we suggest three tables VI. Union work

CHAPTER XI.
THE RELATION OF THE STATION TO THE WORLD.
A world-wide work can only be conducted on world-wide principles
These world-wide principles must govern the work in every part,
however small No country, however large, can be an isolated unit from
missionary point of view How shall we gain a view of this large whole?
We suggest that four tables would suffice for our purpose:-- (1) A table
showing the force at work in relation to population (2) A table designed
to reveal something of the character and power of the force (3) A table
showing the relative strength expended in evangelistic, medical, and
educational work (4) A table showing the extent to which the native
Christians support existing work This is only a tentative suggestion
proposed to invite criticism

CHAPTER I.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A DOMINANT PURPOSE.
It is a marked characteristic of our age that every appeal for an
expression of energy should be an intellectual appeal. Emotional
appeals are of course made, and made with tremendous force, but, with
the emotional appeal, an emphasis is laid to-day upon the intellectual
apprehension of the meaning of the effort demanded which is
something quite new to us. Soldiers in the ranks have the objective of
their attack explained to them, and this explanation has a great
influence over the character and quality of the effort which they put
forth. Labourers demand and expect every day a larger and fuller
understanding of the meaning of the work which they are asked to
perform. They need to enjoy the intellectual apprehension of the larger
aspects of the work, and the relation of their own detailed operations to
those larger aspects; and it is commonly recognised that the
understanding of the meaning and purpose of the detail upon which
each operative may be engaged is a most powerful incentive to good
work. In the past leaders relied more upon implicit, unreasoning
obedience, supported often by affection for the leader's own character,
and profound trust in his wisdom, and a general hope of advantage for
each individual who carried out orders unhesitatingly and exactly; but
they did not think it necessary, or even desirable, that the common
workers should understand their plans and act in intelligent
co-operation with them: to-day, intelligent co-operation is prized as it
has never been prized before, and its value is realised as it has never
been realised before.
If this is true in the world of arms, of labour, of commerce, it is equally
true in the world of foreign missions. The common worker, the
subscriber, the daily labourer, is beginning to demand that he shall be
allowed to take an intelligent part in the work, and missionary leaders
are beginning to see the importance of securing intelligent co-operation.
In the past the appeal has been rather to blind obedience, and immense
stress has been laid upon the "command"; the appeal has been to the
emotions, and love for Christ, love for the souls of men, hope of eternal
blessings, hope of the coming of the Kingdom, and (for direction of the
work) trust in the wisdom of great missionary leaders or committees,

have been thought sufficient to inspire all to put forth their best efforts;
but to-day, as in the labour world, as in commerce, as in the army, so in
the world of missions, the intellect is taking a new place. Men want to
understand why and how their work assists towards the attainment of
the goal, they want to know what they are doing, they want to
understand the plan and to see their work influencing the
accomplishment of the plan.
It is no doubt true that the demand for intelligent co-operation, both on
the part of the subscribers and workers on the one side and of the great
leaders and boards of directors on the other, is at present slight, weak,
uncertain and hesitating; but it is already beginning to make itself felt,
and must increase. Certainly it is true that the support of a very large
body of men is lost because they have never yet been able to
understand the work of foreign missions. They are accustomed in their
daily business to "know what they are driving at," and to relate their
action to definite ends; and they have not seen foreign missions
directed to the attainment of definite ends. They have not seen in them
any clear dominant purpose to which they could relate the manifold
activities of the missionaries whom they were asked to support; and
they cannot give to the vague and