by Charles H. Fahs
The following article was originally published by the "International Review of Missions," Fourteenth Volume in 1925. It is a fascinating insight into the issues and problems faced in assembling and publishing a Missions Atlas at that point in history. The article prophetically looks forward to a future change in presentation capabilities where technology allows the publishing of an Atlas on the Internet.
The following article was originally published by the "International Review of Missions," Fourteenth Volume in 1925. It is a fascinating insight into the issues and problems faced in assembling and publishing a Missions Atlas at that point in history. The article prophetically looks forward to a future change in presentation capabilities where technology allows the publishing of an Atlas on the Internet.
THE World Missionary Atlas, just published in New York City (by the Institute of Social and Religious research, with a British edition which bears the imprint of the Edinburgh House Press), will be critically reviewed in this journal, and it is not the purpose of this article to take over the reviewer's function. Nor is it intended to offer here an exposition of the ideals sought and processes followed in the compilation of the Atlas. Such an exposition is to be found in the Explanatory Notes which precede each section in the new Atlas. Rather is it desired that one of the editors of the World Missionary Atlas should provide some account of the problems involved and the difficulties encountered in the production of such a volume at this time.
It may be desirable, by way of introduction, to give a sketch of certain earlier efforts in the same field of endeavour.
More than a half-century has elapsed since Dr. Grundemann, at that time cartographer at the famous Justus Perthes establishment at Gotha, published his first missions atlas.1 After that he issued smaller missionary atlases from time to time until 1903. In Denmark, Dean Vahl, under the imprint of the Danish Missionary Society, brought out in the middle eighties a missionary atlas manual, adding to it small statistical volumes with descriptive texts during the next years. In 1902 there appeared in New York City the Centennial Survey of Christian Missions, by Dr. James S. Dennis. Preliminary returns from Dr. Dennis' statistical studies had been presented at the Ecumenical Missionary Conference, held in New York City in 1900. In 1901 and 1903, under the imprint of the Student Volunteer Movement and under the editorship of the Rev. Harlan P. Beach, then Educational Secretary of that Movement, there appeared in New York City a Geography and Atlas of Protestant Missions, the atlas being separate from the geography volume.
For the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910 Commission I (on Survey and Occupation) prepared a Statistical Atlas of Christian Missions, this atlas later being revised and enlarged to include Latin America, and published in 1911 under American auspices with the title World Atlas of Christian Missions. The editors of both editions were Professor Beach, Dr Dennis and the writer of this article. In 1916, under the editorship of the Rev. Burton St John, the Foreign Missions Conference of North America published World Statistics of Christian Missions. On the Roman Catholic side, Father Karl Streit, S.V.D., published in 1906 the Katholischen Missionsatlas, and in 1913 the monumental Atlas Hierarchicus.
Many map studies of missions in particular fields or of particular missions or churches have been made, and also many statistical studies of world missions or of missions in particular areas. The major features, however, of recent efforts to exhibit the missionary enterprise through map and statistical representation have been shown above.
It may be desirable, by way of introduction, to give a sketch of certain earlier efforts in the same field of endeavour.
More than a half-century has elapsed since Dr. Grundemann, at that time cartographer at the famous Justus Perthes establishment at Gotha, published his first missions atlas.1 After that he issued smaller missionary atlases from time to time until 1903. In Denmark, Dean Vahl, under the imprint of the Danish Missionary Society, brought out in the middle eighties a missionary atlas manual, adding to it small statistical volumes with descriptive texts during the next years. In 1902 there appeared in New York City the Centennial Survey of Christian Missions, by Dr. James S. Dennis. Preliminary returns from Dr. Dennis' statistical studies had been presented at the Ecumenical Missionary Conference, held in New York City in 1900. In 1901 and 1903, under the imprint of the Student Volunteer Movement and under the editorship of the Rev. Harlan P. Beach, then Educational Secretary of that Movement, there appeared in New York City a Geography and Atlas of Protestant Missions, the atlas being separate from the geography volume.
For the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910 Commission I (on Survey and Occupation) prepared a Statistical Atlas of Christian Missions, this atlas later being revised and enlarged to include Latin America, and published in 1911 under American auspices with the title World Atlas of Christian Missions. The editors of both editions were Professor Beach, Dr Dennis and the writer of this article. In 1916, under the editorship of the Rev. Burton St John, the Foreign Missions Conference of North America published World Statistics of Christian Missions. On the Roman Catholic side, Father Karl Streit, S.V.D., published in 1906 the Katholischen Missionsatlas, and in 1913 the monumental Atlas Hierarchicus.
Many map studies of missions in particular fields or of particular missions or churches have been made, and also many statistical studies of world missions or of missions in particular areas. The major features, however, of recent efforts to exhibit the missionary enterprise through map and statistical representation have been shown above.
