THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 



117 



many other reasons why our progress is not so great as it ought to be, 

 amongst others being the want of good example which is so often set 

 by Christians, and therefore it behoves us to see that our own example 

 in non-Christian lands is such as is calculated to raise esteem for 

 Christianity. It also seems to me that one of the evidences of the 

 truth of Christianity is the fact that in spite of the shortcomings of 

 nominal Christians, and in spite of the difficulties, Christianity is so 

 steadily progressing. 



I will now call upon some of the members to discuss the paper. 



The Secretary. — Mr. Chairman, I referred to a letter that has been 

 written by Lord Cromer. When I was reading the paper I thought 

 it of such extreme interest that I cut it out and brought it with me. 

 It is within the memory of most of us that the Soudan was added 

 to the British Empire by the victory of Lord Kitchener at 

 Omdurman, and it has been under the authority of a new Sirdar, 

 Sir Reginald Wingate, whom I once had the pleasure of meeting 

 and travelling with from Port Said to Alexandria. He is the right 

 man for the position which he holds with credit to himself and 

 with great advantage to the Empire. He and Lord Cromer have 

 united in requesting the Church Missionary Society to send 

 missionaries not to the Mahommedans, the fanatical Mahommedans 

 of the Soudan, but to the regions beyond, to a very high race of 

 heathen idolaters. 



The letter from Lord Cromer is as follows : — ■ 



" Cairo, 

 " 23/v/ December, 1904. 



" The Secretary, 



" Church Missionary Society, 



" London. 



" Sir, 



" I understand from Mr. Maclnnes, Secretary of your Mission in 

 Egypt, that you are desirous of obtaining an expression of my 

 opinion as to the prospect of missionary work in the Soudan. In 

 my Annual Report for 1902 (p. 60) I said that both Sir Reginald 

 Wingate and myself were of opinion that the time is still distant 

 when missionary work may with safety and advantage be promoted 

 amongst the Moslem population. There was no objection to the 

 establishment of Christian schools in Khartoum, provided that 



