When Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer, D. D., left New York recently for Cairo, Egypt, one of the greatest disputes that the mission field has had to contend with for many years was settled.

Repeated discussion have been held in the various religious periodicals as to whether the Protestant church could not work to more advantage with united action. Dr. Zwemer goes to Egypt as the result of the discussions.

The Lucknow conference, a conference of the missionary workers among the Moslems, following on the general missionary conference in Edinburgh, reached the conclusion that united work is now possible and desirable along certain lines. Two of these lines were the publication of missionary literature for the fields, and the special training of the missionary workers such as can be given in the field itself.

It was agreed that Cairo is the appropriate center in which to begin these operations in the Moslem world. It was also agreed that the veteran and successful American mission in Egypt should have their oversight and that Dr. Zwemer should represent the other bodies of the conference in certain desired educational and editorial labors. The three organs immediately interested in this movement are the Arabian Mission (missionaries on the field), the trustees of the Arabian Mission and the American Mission of the United Presbyterian church in Egypt.

When the action with Dr. Zwemer's favorable consideration of it was communicated to the Egyptian association, the United Presbyterian Mission in Egypt, it expressed pleasure at it. It proposes that he be a member of the association and considered by the United Presbyterian board as an honorary missionary, and he will appear on their rolls as a missionary associated through the courtesy of the Reformed Church of America. The outline of his work includes the following: Teaching in the theological seminary of the American Mission at Cairo or lecturing on the problems relating to Islam; conducting special missionary work for the Moslems at Cairo; having charge of the English services of the Mission at Cairo; and co-operating in literary work with the Nile Mission press. Besides this four months of the year will be spent in behalf of the Moslem work at Arabia. This latter work will be done mostly during the summer season.

In connection with the appointing of Dr. Zwemer to this work, Dr. J. Preston Searle, who has been connected with the mission since its beginning, says that four conclusions are obvious.

The hitherto separated lines of effort made by various Christian bodies for the conversion of the Moslems have advanced to a point where active co-operation is possible and promises to be effective.

The Arabian Mission possesses in Dr. Zwemer a man whose deep insight into the Moslem problem, forceful abilities and catholicity of spirit have commended him to all the bodies working among Moslems as the natural leader, together with the American Mission, of a new movement of largest significance and promise.

That the trustees of the Arabian Mission recognize the summons to this work which has come to Dr. Zwemer is not a call to separation from the work which has so long engaged him, but a call to a definitely forward movement in the same work.

That Dr. Zwemer will still continue to belong to the Reformed Church of America and to the Arabian Mission, and the mission will still control directly one-third of his time and effort on the field itself or at home as the circumstances in the judgment of the trustees.

To concummate these plans Dr. Zwemer left Arabia, where he had been laboring for many years, last June in order to make arrangements as to his family. About two weeks ago Dr. Zwemer with his family left for Cairo for their new field of labor. Although Dr. Zwemer will be greatly missed by the Reformed Church, it is expected that through this united action the work on the mission field in general will be able to be forwarded with much greater success and accomplishment.

Dr. Zwemer was born 44 years ago in the Holland settlement of Vriesland, lying in the Grand Rapids Holland interurban. He is a graduate of the Hope college at Holland and of the Reformed theological seminary at New Brunswick, N. J. Up to this time he has been working under the immediate direction of the Reformed Church of America in the Moslem country in the vicinity of Arabia. Dr. Zwemer is known in all the large colleges and universities in this country, and it was through his energy and zeal for the work that the University of Michigan maintained a mission at Arabia.

Although Dr. Zwemer is but 44 years old, he is considered one of the very best authorities of the religion of the prophet Mohammed in the English speaking world. He has been a worker in Arabia and the Arabian peninsula for the past 20 years, and the results that have been obtained are enormously encouraging to missionary efforts all over the world. Beside writing for several periodicals, he has written a book on the Moslem world. He has attended as the foremost figure many of the large international conferences dealing with this subject. He has gone up and down the country arousing the people to missionary activity so that at the present time he is known wherever one may speak of anything which refers to missions.

Dr. Zwemer is well known in Grand Rapids and on various occasions has given lectures here upon the Moslem religion. He has been a missionary under the control and maintenance of the Reformed Church of America, but his popularity is shown in the fact that when he visits this country he is greeted by the churches of all denominations. When in Grand Rapids he speaks to large audiences of the Christian Reformed people as well as to Reformed people.