The beautiful new-model cars seen on the highways are the object of admiration by all. The mind naturally turns to the engineers who designed such smooth, powerful motors, such luxurious riding comfort, and such sturdy bodies. And indeed these men are to be congratulated on their achievements. We remember, however, that the finest car built today is not the product of any one group of designers or any one factory. The experience of every outstanding motorcar manufacturer has contributed something to the beauty and excellence of performance of each model.
Even so it is with our world-mission movement. We think of our work as distinctive among the Protestant religious movements, and are sometimes inclined to feel that we are blazing an entirely new trail. But our work in nearly every field has benefited greatly from the excellent pioneer work done by other societies. The problems which are ours have often been theirs, and their experience may be of great value to us.
We lay emphasis on the study of certain pioneer men of these organizations. The scholarly work of Morrison in China and Carey in India, and the courageous life of Paton in the South Seas, are all inspirational to us today. Would it not also be valuable to study the strong, scholastic, administrative work of Morrison's successors, and the deeply spiritual, personal evangelism of those who carried on where Carey left off? The organizations which placed and maintained these men are still carrying forward their work, and have a century of experience to add to that of their early predecessors.
Would you like to glean the very best from the experience of other foreign mission societies, working by our side in every land? Would you like to know from time to time of the progress of various vital movements in mission lands? Then I would commend to you the reading of the Missionary Review of the World. If you labor in one of the home bases, you will find that it contains numerous articles helpful for your local church work, your missionary promotion, your young people's activities, etc. If your work is in a mission field, you will find worth-while articles dealing with problems often confronting you there.
Among many excellent articles in recent numbers of this journal are the following: "The Moslem World Today ;" "Away With Sorcery and Murder in Papua [New Guinea] ;" "Experiences in the Papuan Bush ;" "Women's Work in the Country Church;" "Volunteer Service for Rural Churches ;" "Medical Work Among the Arabs of Iraq ;" "Work in Ethiopia and the Sudan;" "A Brahman Christian," which reveals that the song, "In the Secret of His Presence," was written by an Indian girl, a convert from Hinduism; an inspiring article which might be used for Missionary Volunteer work, entitled, "The Martyrs of Erromanga ;" an informative article setting forth the problems of spiritism among the South Sea islanders, and the attitude of other Protestants toward these manifestations; a good article on the more recent turn of events in Ethiopia under the Italian administration; and open letters from Generalissimo and Madam Chiang Kai Shek, setting forth the purposes and program of the New China.
The section devoted to missionary news of the world is not only of definite personal interest, but provides a rich fund of information, facts, and experiences which our ministers or other church workers can, with perhaps slight modification, use in the Sabbath school, missionary meeting, or other services. Our workers both at home and abroad will profit greatly by adding this magazine to their regular reading list.