Page 40 - Malaysia by John Russel Denyes

GENERAL MISSIONARY WORK.

Mission work has been carried on among the
peoples of Malaysia since 1603. In many sections
the results have not been very gratifying, owing
partly to the methods adopted and partly to the
opposition of the government to the use of ag-
gressive measures in evangelization. Neverthe-
less these islands have seen some of the greatest
religious mass movements of modern times. More
than six hundred thousand of the native races
have become Christians. Of these about three
hundred thousand have been turned over to the
care of the government, which provides regular
pastors for them, and hence they do
Religious not appear in the statistical tables
Movements, of the various missionary societies.
The whole of northern Celebes is re-
garded as entirely Christianized. In the north of
Sumatra the German mission has a hundred thou-
sand converts. And in Java there are twenty-
eight thousand Mohammedans who have turned
away from the false prophet. This is the largest
body of converts from Mohammedanism to be
found anywhere in the world.
Twenty-five American, British, and European
missionary societies are working throughout the
Malay Archipeligo. This includes the British
and Foreign Bible Society. The Young Womens'
and Young Men's Christian Associations, and the
Salvation Army.
It was at Malacca on the west coast of the
Malay Peninsula that Francis Xavier laid down
his life during his wonderful missionary journey.
It was also at Malacca that Milne, Medhurst, and
Legge founded schools and did evangelistic work
while they were learning the Chinese language
and waiting for the doors of the Middle Kingdom

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