A History of Protestant missions in the near East

254 History of Protestant Missions in the Near East
all classes, and of establishing bonds of friendship, more or
less sincere, with their patients.
But all this is as yet strictly
'
confined to medical work.' An ordained missionary,
whether European or native, soon finds that his efforts to
reach the people are limited by barriers which have not been
broken down. A catechist, employed to follow up cases that
have been in the hospital by visits to the villages from which
these cases come, has often told me how exceedingly limited
even his work is. An occasional visit
may be satisfactory,
but, as soon as it is repeated, say once a month, the people
retire and will have nothing to say to their visitor. Whether
the i day of visitation ' for the Moslem has come or not, the
hard fact, as far as my observation and experience lead
me to judge,
is that the Moslem is still
very far from being
accessible to direct effort, except when he is under medical
care " (Proceedings, 1905, p. 146).
Rev. C. T. Wilson gives a slightly more optimistic report.
He " says
: As to the work among the Muhammadans, it
would seem as if the day of grace were about to break. Our
medical missions remove prejudices, overcome opposition, and
open a way to many hearts that have been hitherto closed to
the truth. There is, therefore, no lack of blessing or encouragement.
But the red of dawn must not be mistaken for the
full light of day. Our experiences can again point to the
fact
that, before the day can come, many social and political
limitations have to be removed which hinder Moslems from
making an open confession of faith. How and when this will
come to pass,
no one can say. It may cost hot conflict, it
may happen overnight. Who knows? Grateful for the
dawn, we are waiting patiently until God reveals His purposes
of grace." It must be added that Palestine is the most
stony ground which missions among Muhammadans are
trying to cultivate, because religious rancour, encouraged as it
is
by the suspicious policy of the Turkish authorities,
is so
deeply rooted there.
We may here refer to the work done in Palestine by various
English,
Scottish and American societies. First,
we must com-