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20 GENERAL REVIEW OF THE YEARtheir whole strength to their missionary work. Much timeis consumed in reading war news. In many eases missionaries have sons in the trenches. Some have lost sons inbattle. Nearly all other missionaries belonging to the nationsat war have either relatives or friends engaged in places ofdanger, wounded or prisoners. Some have wives, husbands,or children returning to the East or going home through seasinfested by submarines. The waiting for news in all thesecases involves a tremendous drain on large numbers of persons, and it is quite impossible for them to devote their wholestrength to the work, as in times of peace and freedom fromanxiety. Moreover, the war imposes a painful restrainton many missionary communities composed of differentnationalities in the J^ar East. This cannot but be detrimentalto efficiency. Add to this that the events of war, in somecases at least, unfortunately impair one s kindlytowards one s fellow men. While such feelings last,feelingno manis at his best for any kind of work, much less Christian work.It is to be feared that it will take years of peace to obliteratesome of these deplorable results.On the other liamlCompensationsmissionary thinksthat the war makes one more sympathetic,and perhaps the gain is as great as the loss One missionary reporting for the largest mission in China, says thatthe war has in no way impaired efficiency; on the contrary,he believes that it has made their missionaries all moreprayerful, and has increased their sense of dependence onGod.In conclusion, there have been very serious losses at atime when we can ill afford it. But there have been compensations. There is now less appeal to the prosperity ofWestern lands as a proof of Christianity, and more fo therealities of Christianity and its work in the soul. Selfsupporthas been on the whole stimulated and argumentsfor union work strengthened. There is a spirit of selfsacrificeat home which augurs well for the future. Someable to give more have taken the place of those contributorsforced to discontinue their help. A spirit of prayer andseriousness is much deepened. As Mr. J. IT. Oldham says?.