Young Men as Missionaries
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under discouragements and privations; who will have the zeal and
resolution and faith that are indispensable in the missionary field....
Foreign Languages
There are among us those who, without the toil and delay of learn-
ing a foreign language, might qualify themselves to proclaim the truth
to other nations. In the primitive church, missionaries were miracu-
lously endowed with a knowledge of the languages in which they were
called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. And if God was
willing thus to help His servants then, can we doubt that His blessing
will rest upon our efforts to qualify those who naturally possess a
knowledge of foreign tongues, and who, with proper encouragement,
would bear to their own countrymen the message of truth? We might
have had more laborers in foreign missionary fields, had those who
entered these fields availed themselves of every talent within their
reach....
It may in some cases be necessary that young men learn foreign
languages. This they can do with most success by associating with the
people, and at the same time devoting a portion of each day to studying
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the language. This should be done, however, only as a necessary step
preparatory to educating such as are found in the missionary fields
themselves, and who, with proper training, can become workers. It is
essential that those be urged into the service who can speak in their
mother tongue to the people of different nations.
It is a great undertaking for a man of middle age to learn a foreign
language; and with all his efforts, it will be next to impossible for him
to speak it so readily and correctly as to render him an efficient laborer.
We cannot afford to deprive our home missions of the influence of
middle-aged and aged ministers, to send them into distant fields to
engage in a work for which they are not qualified, and to which no
amount of training will enable them to adapt themselves. The men thus
sent out leave vacancies which inexperienced laborers cannot supply.
Young Men Wanted for Hard Places
The church may inquire whether young men can be entrusted with
the grave responsibilities involved in the establishing and superintend-