DANISH MISSIONS

[s. 221] : To King Frederick IV. of Denmark belongs the honor of having initiated foreign mi ions in the Protestant, or Reformed, As Crown Prince he manifested much Church. interest in the condition of the colonies, which since 1620 had been part of the Danish Kingdom, and when he came to the throne, with the cordial a istance of the court chaplain, Dr. Liitkens, he arranged to send Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henrik Plutschau to India, where they founded, in 1705, the “Danish-Tamil,” or “Danish Halle,” Mi ion in Tranquebar. Until the death of christian Frederick Schwartz, in 1798, this mi ion continued to receive partial support from the Danish Government, much of its material furnished by the SPCK. The Royal College of Mi ions, founded in Copenhagen in 1714, did good work both for the Tamil Mi ion, that of Hans Egede in Green land, and Von We stens Finmark Mi ion. Rationalistic influences, however, were strong and after the death of Schwartz interest declined. The English gained control of Hindu stan, the mi ionaries received their support from the SPG, and in 1847 the church buildings and remaining interests were handed over to the Leipzig Society. being Meanwhile much work was done by Danish mi ionaries in the service of foreign societies, most of them among the Moravians. Ten were sent to Surinam, fourteen to Tranquebar, eleven to Labrador, of whom two had been in Green land; seven to Danish West Indies, nine to English West Indies, one to North America, three to South Africa, one to the Mosquito coast, one to Altogether 53 Danish mi ionaries Australia. have been in the Moravian mi ions, among them the Green land mi ionary, Jans Haven. In 1843 the “Northern Schleswig Mi ion” was founded to help the Moravians in the Danish West Indies, altho later Southern Jylland was separated from Denmark. This Society still has its branches in Jylland, from which it received donations as late as 1888. Danish Mi ionary Society {Danske Mi ions Headquarters, Fred eric i a, Denmark. selskab) It is a general society of all the Danish Church people, and is conducted by a committee. Its own particular work is among the Tamils in: India, but it works harmoniously with other Its own mi ionaries are all ordained, mi ions. and those who have been on mi ion ground for three years direct the affairs of the Society on A yearly report must be sent the mi ion field. This to the home committee in Denmark. Society has on its list Danish Green land Mi ion, Danish Malay Mi ion, New Danish Tamil Mi ion, and Northern Santal Mi ion. It has also a isted the Loventhal Mi ion. The mi ion movement in the beginning of the 19th century reached Denmark also, and inspired priest Bone Falck Ronne to found the “Danish Mi ion Society,” June 17, 1821. Its motto Danlsb Day, Samuel S. was, “Be not fearful: only believe” (Mark 5: 15). This Society seemed to him a nece ity, for the Mi ion College was not kind, and the strength In 1823, of the free workers was very great. on a journey to Fyen, Ronne had asked many of the priests to hang up boxes in the parsonage Bishop Plumb for free gifts to the mi ion. indicted him in the court of chancery, and Ronne was rebuked. The ministers had to take down their boxes, and Ronne was thankful for such slight punishment. The Danish Mi ion Society began to help the Green land Mi ion by books, letters and donations, but the acts of the Mi ion College became more oppre ive. They denied the mi ion in many ways, and would not allow the mi ionaries to write to any one else but the college about their work. The Society supported for a little while from 1827 J. W. Cappellen, a Norwegian, in the Basel Mi ionary Institution, and in 1829 two men, P. P. Jager and Andreas Riis, were sent out from Basel, and in 1832 arrived at U u, near Christiansborg, in what was then a Danish po e ion and is now the British Gold Coast Colony in W. Africa. Jiiger soon diedj-but Riis worked for 13 years, first at Akra and later at Akropong, for four years the only mi ionary at this station. After the sale of the Danish po e ions in Africa to England the work of the Society was somewhat feeble. Later, atternpts were made to carry on work in Smyrna, Turkey, but without great succe . In June, 1860, at a meeting held in Nyburg, it was decided that the Danish Society should become the leader in all mi ion work in Denmark, and that Unions should be formed, and that the bishop i ue a call to the ministers to interest themselves in the matter. Two years later a mi ion school was founded. In 1863 a delegate was sent from Germany to inquire if the Society would take the independent mi ion at Bethanien in South India, which Mi ionary Ochs had begun, after he had left the Leipzig Society on account of a difference between himself and the mi ionaries on the question of caste. Ochs was at that time in Europe, and came to Denmark, when the Danish Mi ionary Society promised to help him in India with gifts and workers. This was the beginning of the New Danish Tamil Mi ion. In 1864 a large number of Danish mi ionary friends interested themselves in other mi ion work. A Greek-Danish Mi ionary Society was founded by Victor Block in 1863, with a plan to unite with the Greek (Orthodox) Church, and with this do a work among the Mohammedans, but the Danish Mi ionary Society would not consider it. In 1867 Pastor Block went to Athens, and the next year the mi ion was given up. In 1872 the first scholars of the Danish Mi ionary Society, Loventhal and H. Jensen, went to Vellur in India. They worked together till 1874, when Jensen went into the Danish Mi ionary Society’s service, Loventhal carrying on an independent mi ion. Green land Mi ion: In May, 1721, Hans Egede, a minister of Vaagen, sailed? for Green land from Copenhagen. His interest in that country had been aroused by the report of the degradation of the people, brought by a brother-in-law, and he had for several years tried to arouse the Danish Church to do something. At last, with the help of 18,000 kroners subscribed by friends and 600 kroners of his own money, he started, accompanied 204: by his wife and four children and a company of colonists. The enterprise met with great difficulties. It took him three years to acquire the language; the inhospitable climate was a heavy strain on his health; the support granted by King Frederick IV. was denied by Christian VI., tho an epidemic of afterward partially restored small-pox swept through the community, leaving only three families out of 200; his wife died and the brave man was compelled to return to Denmark. Through his influence the king founded a seminary for the education of teachers and mi ionaries, and Egede was appointed superintendent. In 1740 he was made Mi ionary CoUege director for all the work in Greeidand, but was greatly distre ed at the lack of care in choosing mi ionaries, resulting in injury to the work. The lack of concord between Egede and the Mi ionary College increasing, he retired to his own quiet home. He died in the merchant city, Stubbekjobing, on November 15, 1758. His son, Paul Egede, succeeded him as director in the seminary. The result of the work in succeeding years was that all Green land became Christian, having the honor of being the earliest independent mi ion church resulting from the modern mi ionary movement. The Danish Mi ionary Society continues its interest in and superintendence of the work, having one mi ionary, with several native a istants, in their employ. New Tamil Mi ion: After the caste difficulties with the Leipzig Society, Mi ionary Ochs visited Denmark, and made an agreement with the Danish Mi ionary Society for aid in the New Danish Tamil Mi ion. He then went to Pat tambak am, and founded stations at Bethanien and Siloam, with’ a mi ion house and a school building, which was turned into a church. About 1882 they purchased some school property of the Baptists at Tiruvanammalai, and a few years later extended their work into Arcot, Ranipet and; Salles a pet. There were (1900) 7 stations, 12 outstations, 20 mi ionaries, 18 native workers, 277 communicants, and 178 pupils in schools. For five years a mi ion was conducted among the Malays of India, at A ampur and neighboring villages, and another among the Red Karens at Pobja, Burma, but both were given up. A mi ion has more recently been established in Manchuria (1896), and the reports in 1900 showed 4 stations, 1 outstation, 13 mi ionaries, 2 native workers, 26 communicants and 12 pupils in the schools. Special attention seems to be paid to medical mi ionary work, as there were 4 hospitals and dispensaries, with 1,000 patients. The Danish Mi ionary Society also renders a istance to the organization known as the Indian Home Mi ion to the Santals. Loventhal’s Mi ion: Founded 1872 by Lovenand H. Jensen (Copenhagen). The committee has nine members (all men of the Grundvigsk belief), with three head directors. The foundation of the Society is Baptism, its motto “Be born again,” and it is a mi ion to the common people. The directors simply raise money, and do not give advice or instruction to the mi ionaries, who work independently. Loventhal and Jensen went out to India in 1872, and founded a station at Vellur. Loventhal’s desire is to have converts retain their manners and customs as much as po ible. He has no schools, and travels from place to place. He has 3 Hindu a istants, ordained by Jensen in 1880. His printhal ao6 Danish Day^ Samuel S. accepts aim is to baptize the natives, whom he if they seem honest in their desire to But one station, believe as the mi ionaries do. 2 mi ionaries and 3 native workers were reported 1859, when he retired from active service and settled at Sydney, where he died December 6, 1867. in 1902. dras, cipal The Utakamund Danish Evangelistic Mi ion: Known also as the Emilies Minde (memorial), or Koefoed’s Mi ion, is a small organization for voluntary work in Madras, India. The mi ionaries receive no salaries. 223