Page:The Moslem World Vol XI.djvu/99

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CURRENT TOPICS
79

bilitated political power will return to the Mussalmans of its own accord.

The Cross and the Crescent in Nyasaland

Speaking at the anniversary of the Society for the Propagation ot the Gospel, the Rev. A. C. Churchland, of Nyasaland, closed his address with these hopeful words:

"The work is difficult. I have not time to say anything about the kind of Mohammedanism that we are up against; some of you know something of its nature. I am sure of one thing, and that is that they know what we are out to do. They know that we are out to plant the Cross in every single village in the district and they know that our powers are greater than theirs.

"We see it over and over again in times of stress. For instance, they thought that there was going to be a drought and two big Mohammedan chiefs came to my house and asked me to pray for rain. They realize at such times that we can help them, and, needless to say, we are very careful not to neglect such opportunities. During the two awful outbreaks of influenza we had a unique opportunity and we used it as far as we could. Again, we have an opportunity in times of ordinary sickness, and we have instances like that very frequently. One of the things that is such a strain at times to the priest in charge of a district is that he must always be on the alert and he must always know exactly where we have an opportunity of getting into any particular village.

"How are we going to break down that Mohammedan barrier which still exists in numbers of villages where they do not want us? I think that we have two great openings, one on the medical side and the other on the pastoral side. I can only just allude to the medical work. At Likwenu the medical work is growing tremendously and we are in desperate need of two hospitals. We hope to build as soon as possible a permanent men's and women's hospital, if only we can raise the necessary money. It is one of the most important things and no words can put it strongly enough.

"In village after village we have been able to start work through some women, man or boy—some one person—who has come to the mission dispensary. By the pastoral side I mean men and women living Christian lives who can go out into the villages to encourage the people and make them realize and understand that we are there to help them. They understand something of the meaning of sin and they know how we can help them in spiritual ways as well as medically, and it is a tremendous thing. I am sure that on the medical side and on the pastoral side, as I call it for lack of a better word, on those two lines we are going to get into every single one of those Mohammedan villages before many years have passed."

A Unitarian Mission in Cairo

A Unitarian writes from Cairo to the organ of American Unitarian ism:

"Yesterday afternoon I visited the great Azhar Mosque with Sheikh Ruhayem, one of the professors of theology at this mosque. I told him what I was and what I intended to know, and asked him whether or not the Mohammedans would favor cooperation with the Unitarians. Replying to my question he asked me if besides denying the godship •/ Jesus we believed in the prophetic mission of Mohammed and in the religious value of the Koran. On receiving an affirmative answer he