/o.s-. /^ #*'^ ^^ i\it lUcoIogtai ^ %/; PRINCETON, N. J, **« '^ Purchased by the Hamill Missionary Fund. BV 2060 .S8 1914 Stover, Wilbur Brenner, 1866 Missions and the church 4) .n ^ 5 f OCT ^ im MISSIONS and the CHURCH By . WILBUR B. STOVER Missionary nineteen years in India Author of "India a Problem," etc. October, 1914 First Thousand Elgin, III. Brethren Publishing House 1914 Copyright, 1914 Brethren Publishing House TO D. L. MILLER whose personal letters every week during the past busy nineteen years, and fatherly interest in Missions have been A VERY REAL BLESSING TO US CONTENTS Chapter Page I. The Missionary Zeal of the Early Church, 9 II. Ancient Churches of the East, 19 III. The Roman Catholic World 35 IV. The Mahomedan World, 47 V. The Mormon World, 61 VI. A Survey of China, 71 VII. A Survey of India 87 VIII. Other Opportune Fields, 103 IX. The Need of the City Ill X. The Call to the Country 123 XI. The Landlord and the Tenant 137 XII. W^hat 100,000 Good People Can Do, if They Want To 153 Appendixes A Christians at End of First Century, 193 B Concerning Early Waldensian Faith and Life, ....194 C Mr. David Frazer's Contrast Between Moslem and Christian, 196 D "Country Churches,"' Table of Giving, 198 E " Town Churches," Table of Giving 199 F " City Churches," Table of Giving 200 G " Churches Where Colleges Are Located," Table of Giving, 201 H Table Showing Gifts of Different Denominations for Foreign Missions, 202 I Conference Offerings for Missions 203 J A Suggestion to the Church Treasurer, • 204 5 ILLUSTRATIONS Opposite Page The Crowd at the Tank (Frontispiece) Brethren Publishing House, Elgin, 111. (Winter View), 12 Consecration of Bishop Fortunatus, First Bishop of the Franciscan Order in India, 13 Ensigns of Ancient Churches, 28 VValdensian Costume 29 Map of India 44 Map of China, 45 Yearly Meeting of Church of the Brethren Mission in China, May 14, 1914, 76 Our Girls in India, 11 Bulsar Church, India, and the Bible Students, 92 Bulsar Bungalow^ India, 93 Bulsar Bible School, India, 93 Vyara Bungalow, India, 108 Vali Bungalow, India, 108 Vada Bungalow, India, 109 Ahwa Bungalow, India, ." 109 Jalalpor Bungalow, Surat, India 124 Dahanu Bungalow, India 124 Anklesvar Bungalow, India 125 Sisters' Bungalow, Anklesvar, India, 125 Franklin Grove (111.) Church, Old, 140 Franklin Grove (111.) Church, Remodeled 141 South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren 156 South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, 156 New Sugar Creek Church 157 Old Sugar Creek Church 157 6 PREFACE For a number of years I had been leisurely col- lecting material concerning the ancient churches and their relation to missions, therefore on coming home, when it was suggested that I prepare a little book on mission study, it occurred to me that I could do no better than take what I had and build thereon. Nothing is more apparent to me than the con- stantly-recurring thought in this book, that a non- missionary church is missing its calling, and walk- ing in the way of death. Although it may be other- wise quite orthodox and really separate from the world, yet being non-missionary it is worldly in spite of itself and separate from the plan of Christ in this teaching, than which there is none greater. Mahomedanism and Mormonism and Catholicism grow because they are missionary in character. They are missionary religions, active, zealous, en- thusiastic, ever pressing forward with their well- planned mission work. We Protestant Christians regard all three of them as having some truth and much error, and as being guilty of political in- trigue. How exceedingly enthusiastic ought a peo- ple to be who have eliminated all such error! And if we are such a people, then why should our mis- sionary fire ever burn low ! My earnest hope is that whoever reads these 7 8 PREFACE pages may be gripped in an unalterable desire to do more and be more for his Master throughout the whole wide world. He who catches a vision of the world as a mission field and yields his life accordingly, walks in the footsteps of the Master. He who helps others to open their eyes and see, brings blessing to them. He whose life puts fire into the lives of others is blessed of God. He who arouses a sleeping neigh- bor or a slumbering congregation does a great thing. The man who makes money is an important factor in the lives of many, if he is a benefactor. What a wonderful church we would be if every brother would allow himself and his wealth to be used freely to ad- vance the kingdom of God ! During our last furlough these chapters were given as lectures in Juniata College, Elizabethtown College, Mount Morris College, and at the Myersdale Bible Conference. It gives me pleasure to recommend for reference and " for additional reading," the books listed. We are now again in our India home, and pray God's blessing upon the Church in the dear Home- land. W. B. S. Ankleshwer, India, Nov. i, iQiS- CHAPTER I rhe Missionary Zeal of the Early Church The Early Church. The formative period of church history is of never-faihng interest to those who love the Lord. The Hves of the first Christians, their confession of faith, their simple manner of worship, the eagerness with which they gave up all to follow him, and the enthusiasm with which they went about everywhere in the new mission work, appeal to us very strongly because so closely inter- woven with all that was said and done by the living, visible Head of the Church. Two Great Missionaries. When John the Baptist beheld Jesus the Messiah, then met the greatest two Missionaries the world has ever known. John stood between the old order and the new, introduc- ing the new. Jesus was the first of the new order. John, under the law, preached the kingdom of heav- en, Jesus, under the Gospel, fulfilled every whit of the law. John preached to Jews, and when he bap- tized them they became children of the kingdom, for he pointed them to the Lamb of God that tak- eth away the sin of the world. Men had looked long for the coming Messiah. With the preaching of John they realized that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and began to press into the kingdom. It was the climax of John's experience when Jesus 9 10 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH came to him seeking to be baptized, the Master of men seeking to identify himself with those who should be his followers, in order to fulfill all right- eousness. It was the beginning of those kindly brother deeds which ever characterized his won- derful missionary life. The Call of Missionaries. Moving among the disciples of John, first on the banks of the River Jordan, then on the shores of Galilee, Jesus called to himself a little group of believers who were to become not only pillars in the church, but fishers of men. He called them to make missionaries of them. He called them to be a little leaven in a big lump, to be the salt of the earth, to be the light of the world, to be sheep among wolves, to suflfer but not cause suffering, to heal the sick, to be sym- pathetic lovers of men, to adhere firmly to prin- ciple, to so labor that the true Light may shine afar and many be won to the glory of the Father. Twelve Missionaries. He taught them and then went with them on preaching tours in the villages. As they traveled about together he taught them, he preached, and he healed their sick. As soon as he thought best for them he sent them out two and two, six pairs of mission workers, that they might learn by experience the nature of the work for which he was preparing them. When they returned he taught them further, that they might go again. He taught them of a spiritual kingdom which was de- signed to be universal. In the parable of the tares, the field is the world. In the parable of the net which was cast into the sea, there were gathered in of every kind. In the parable of the leaven, all ZEAL OF THE EARLY CHURCH 11 the three measures were leavened. When a ques- tion arose concerning his mother and brethren, he said that whosoever did the will of the Heavenly Father enjoyed that relationship to himself. Seventy Missionaries. After these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them out two and two, saying to them as he bade farewell: " The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few : pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest " — other seventy willing men to labor in the mission field. The Quest for Happiness. All the world is seek- ing happiness and not finding it. It was so then ; it is so now. The reason is that happiness is not ob- tained as an object, but as a result. Time and energy and wealth spent in the pursuit of happiness are all in vain. It is as if the pursuants were chasing a mirage. But every honest effort made for the good of another not only accomplishes the good desired, but also results in real happiness to the benefactor. This is a rule of life. It has been so from the beginning. When the seventy went out they had neither purse nor wallet nor shoes, but when they returned their hearts were aglow with the joy of the Lord. No matter whether poor or wealthy, the Lord would have his people be a mis- sionary people, that they may be a happy people. First Enduement. Whether we regard the church as having been founded on the day of Pentecost, or by the Lord from the beginning of his ministry, will make little difference in our missionary thought and life. Beginning from the baptism of John unto 12 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH the day that Jesus was received up into glory, the church was certainly in the making. While it was making it was imbibing from him his teaching, his life, and his mission plan. Built upon the founda- tion of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus him- self being the Chief Corner Stone, all the building fitly framed together, the Architect withdrew and sent his other self to be a perpetual inspiration, that it might grow into an holy temple, a habitation of God. The day of this enduement was a special inspiration day, a dedication day, the Day of Pente- cost. Great Days, It was a missionary church before : after the inspiration from on high it must needs be so more than ever. The final words of the Lord Avere still ringing in their ears : " Ye shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." " The uttermost part of the earth." There were 120 in the upper room. On dedication day there were added 3,000 more. When Peter and John were entering into the temple, the lame man was healed. Following this there was another wave of ingathering, and the number came to be 5,000 men. Those were days of great prayer, days of great gifts, and days when every brother was counted a missionary. Persecution? Sure, but persecution only helps the work along. It is trouble within that hinders the Spirit. After the death of Ananias and Sapphira for wilful lying, great multitudes of men and wom- en were added to the Lord. After the second per- secution and the advice of Gamaliel to let them go, a great company of the priests were obedient ZEAL OF THE EARLY CHURCH 13 unto the faith. The murder of Stephen was the signal for the powers of darkness to do their utmost, and the persecution was so severe that the church was scattered everywhere. But wherever they went they preached the Word. Second Enduement, PhiHp was one of the seven deacons. He went to Samaria, where multitudes gave heed unto the things that were spoken. Peter and John came from Jerusalem to see if all the good they heard were true. And while they were there, an inspirational experience like unto the first was the experience of them all. Third Enduement. Philip found the Eunuch, and Ananias found Saul. Peter found Cornelius, and preached to the whole household, so that while he yet spake to them the Holy Spirit came upon them all. This was the third inspiration. The first had been the experience of Jewish Christians only, the second for half-caste folk, and the third for those who were from without. " Ye shall be my witnesses ... to the uttermost part of the earth." In Antioch. After the death of Stephen some of the brethren found their way as far to the north as the island of Cyprus, and the city of Antioch, so that in course of time a church grew up even in that great city. They were more aggressive in some of these scattered churches than at Jerusalem, so that a great number of Greeks were received in- to the fold at Antioch. The mother church now sent up Barnabas, a good man, full of the Holy Spir- it, and of faith, as a missionary to direct and help them. He went and brought Saul. Then they 14 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH had a revival for a whole year. And Antioch be- came the center of great Christian activity. The next natural step for a church that breathes life is to send missionaries. They did this. They sent two good men, set apart by the Holy Spirit, into the regions beyond. These went through Cyprus up into Asia Minor and returned to Antioch to report to the church the results of their work, how that the Lord had been with them, how that many had heard the Word, and how that Gentiles also were among the number. The First Council. Then came the first great council of the church. It was on a question of mission work. There was no other question before them. Jewish converts, men of a legal turn of mind, were quite willing that Gentiles should be- come Christians, but on condition that they abide by the customs that prevailed among the Jews. Those men who had been on the mission field had a larger vision, and took the other side of the ques- tion. The moderator of the conference upheld the missionaries. The conference probably continued a week. The church endorsed the mission work and required Gentile converts to free themselves only from non-Christian usages. The church was saved from becoming a little local sect. And the door was wide open for missions " to the uttermost part of the earth." Second Mission Tour. Two missionaries dis- agreed as they were about to set out on a journey. It has happened thus many a time. Missionaries are human — often quite so. These two neither quit the church nor quit the mission work. If anything, ZEAL OF THE EARLY CHURCH 15 they entered into the mission work with more zeal than ever before, each going to a different field. Paul and his party, increasing in size and fervor as they went, journeyed through Asia Minor, crossed over into Europe, preached in Athens and Corinth and Ephesus, and returned to Antioch. Third Mission Tour. A third time he set out, confirming all the disciples, and making Ephesus his home for several years. He went among all the towns of Europe and Asia Minor, where he had been before, and finally returned to Jerusalem. In Rome. Arrested on false charges in Jerusa- lem, imprisoned, and sent to Rome for trial before Caesar's court, Paul dwelt there in his own hired house, a prisoner, and received all that came unto him, preaching and teaching the good news to them. It is thought that he made another missionary journey to Asia Minor. Some think he made a trip to Spain ; some believe he got to the north as far as the Alps, but doubtless he died the death of a martyr in the capital city of the empire. To the Uttermost Part. Thus far we have our information from the Bible. But the half could not be told in any volume. Beginning with the bap- tism of John, after about seventy years, that is to say, about the end of the first century of our Chris- tian era, there were small groups of Christians in most of the villages throughout the Roman Empire. In the larger cities there were churches of consider- able importance. Origen says that the city churches sent missionaries into the country round about. And even beyond the limits of the empire, into Spain, Gaul, and Britain in the west, south into 16 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH Africa, north into Germany and Russia, and east into Arabia, Babylonia and India went Christian missionaries who estabhshed Christian communi- ties. Contagious Enthusiasm. After the death of Ste- phen the brethren were all scattered abroad, except the apostles, who remained at Jerusalem. But they remained there only for a time, as they themselves became leaders in carrying the Gospel to the utter- most parts. Peter found his way into Babylon, re- mained there a time and ended his days in Rome. John Mark, who was at the prayer meeting when Peter was released from prison, was with Peter in Babylon, but later became the leader of the church in Alexandria. Matthew probably carried the Gos- pel to Ethiopia, Bartholomew preached in Arabia, and Thomas is claimed by hundreds of thousands to have been the first missionary to India. The missionary zeal of the church of the first century is a constant challenge to every one to do something worth while for the Master whom he loves. It is estimated that at the end of the century the number of those who had become Christian, or who were fully persuaded that it is the one true religion, was about 5,000,000 souls. How was it done? The Master was Divine. Of his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, there was no doubt. They had been with him. They believed in him, and in his message. They had caught the inspira- tion. The supreme fact of all became : " The mes- sage is from God, and I am a messenger." The great first work of the church was to get the Gos- ZEAL OF THE EARLY CHURCH 17 pel to the uttermost part of the earth.* Not all were true to the faith. Some went back. But the church as a body was a live mission church, espe- cially the leaders. It was a qualification of leader- ship that a man should have made some sacrifice for the cause. They were witnesses of him, in life and in death, sometimes the martyr death, and it was the delight of the loving Heavenly Father that the Spirit of Jesus should abide with them. QUESTIONS 1. Why is early church history so interesting? 2. Who were the greatest two missionaries? Why? 3. Whom would you place third in the list? Why? 4. Which word is emphatic to you, " salt " or " earth," "light" or "world," "sheep" or "wolves"? What is the difference? 5. How many of the parab-les are inbreathed with mis- sions? 6. Did it ever occur to you before that the twelve and seventy were missionaries in training? 7. What is the Christian secret of a happy life? 8. Whom do you count the happiest person you know? 9. Do you think that Pentecost was a dedication day? Why? 10. Why were the days great which followed? 11. What difference between second and third inspira- tions? 12. What can you tell about the church at Antioch? 13. What was the nature of the question before the first council? Does that carry a suggestion for our Confer- ences? 14. Did the Gospel reach the uttermost part of the earth in the days of the apostles? Does that excuse us for not doing as much in our day of greater opportunity? *See Appendix A. 18 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH 15. Enumerate what you regard as the essential fac- tors in the phenomenal success of the church of the first century. SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING The Four Gospels and the Acts. Any history of the early church. " Nineteen Centuries of the Christian Church," by D. W. Kurtz. Brethren Publishing House, 50 cents. " Two Thousand Years of Missions Before Carey," by Barnes. Christian Culture Press, $1.50. " God's Missionary Plan for the World," by Bashford. Eaton & Mains, 75 cents. " Missions in the Plan of the Ages," by Carver. Revell, $1.25. " Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries," by Harnack. 2 Vols. Williams (English), 25s. " Missions and Apostles of Medieval Europe," by Mac Lear. MacMillan, 25 cents. " Outlines of Missionary History," by Mason. Doran, $1.50. "A Short History of Christian Missions from Abraham and Paul to Carey, Livingstone and Duflf," by Smith. T. & T. Clark (English), 2s 6d. " Protestant Missions, Their Rise and Early Progress," by Thompson. S. V. M., 50 cents. " History of Religion," by Menzies. Scribners, $1.50. " The Greek and Eastern Churches," by Adeney. Scrib- ners, $2.50. " The Growth of the Kingdom of God," by Gulick. Revell, $1. " Conflict of Christianity with Heathenism," by Ulhorn. Scribners, $2.50. " The SchafT-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowl- edge." CHAPTER II Ancient Churches of the East The Copts in Egypt History. The Copts are a splendid monument to the Egypt of long ago. They are the descend- ants of Abyssinians, Egyptians, Greeks and Nu- bians, who became Christians in the early years. The first missionary in Egypt is supposed to have been Mark, who became the founder of the church at Alexandria. The Patriarch of the Copts is said to occupy the chair of St. Mark. He resides at Cairo. The church in Egypt flourished at the first, but they fell into endless discussion concerning the nature of Christ. Any church will grow if it has the missionary spirit. But any church will suffer if it falls into dangersome speculative; theology. After the Council of Chalcedon (451) the division was complete. The Melkites held to the faith of the Emperor of Constantinople, that the Christ had two natures, divine and human, while the Jacobites, or Copts, held that he had but one nature, a compound of the divine and human. The great body of the people were Copts. The hostility was complete. They would not intermarry. They wished each other ill instead of wishing each other well. The door was wide open for the worst that could come upon them. It came. 19 20 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH The Arab Invasion. In the seventh century there were perhaps 6,000,000 Christians in Egypt, mostly Copts. The hatred for the Greeks, the party of the emperor, induced them to welcome the Arabs, that the Greeks might be subdued and driven out. This was the beginning of long years of bitter experience. The Greeks were expelled, and later Copts also were deported to Greece. Churches were destroyed, or converted into Mahomedan mosques. Every- where the Christian was given a hard road to travel, while the Moslem was always shown favor. In a hundred years the number of Copts had decreased by a million. Christians paid higher taxes than Moslems. Their children were not welcome in the schools. They were compelled to wear wooden crosses of five pounds weight. Their graves had to be made level with the earth. Every inducement was made to recant, while every indignity was shown to those who continued faithful as Chris- tians. Oppression and persecution in varied forms continued with more or less severity throughout the centuries. The Priesthood. The patriarch is chosen by lot. Several names of monks from the convent of St. Anthony are written on as many slips of paper by the superior of the convent. These are rolled up and placed in a drawer. A priest puts in his hand and takes one. The monk whose name is drawn becomes the patriarch. They have twelve bishops, also archpriests, priests and deacons. The priest must have been a deacon first. A deacon must be at least thirty-three years old. If not married pre- viously he can not marry after he becomes a deacon, ANCIENT CHURCHES 21 and if married he must have married a virgin. Priests and deacons labor for their living, and re- ceive alms when any one gives to them. Characteristic Teaching. The Copts are careful to Baptize their children. When forty days old the boys and when eighty days old the girls are bap- tized by trine immersion. The reason for infant baptism is to avoid blindness in the kingdom of heaven in case of early death, based on the text : " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom " (John 3:3). They perpetuate a washing of feet, when on Holy Thursday the priest dips a towel into water and touches it to the feet of others. Communion is celebrated often by the priests, not often by the laity. The bread is dipped into the wine and thus communicated. Before communion they usually fast for some days, the fast requiring abstinence from food from supper till after the morning worship. Prayers are offered several times daily, but secret prayer is more highly regarded. Failure. There are some 700,000 Copts today. They have retained much that is praiseworthy in their Christian life. The Bible they have in the Coptic language. But they are dead. As a peo- ple they have missed it. The opportunity was theirs, and they were not missionaries. Through- out the centuries many of them have lapsed to Ma- homedanism, and now those who continue true hold their own with difficulty. They are prosperous, but they still dislike the Greek, and they question the motives of missionaries. 22 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH The Ethiopians in Abyssinia History. Abyssinia has been called the Switzer- land of Africa. It contains one branch of the head- waters of the Nile, and is the home of the Ethiopian Church, untouched by modern influences. About 3,000,000 population, and mostly Christian, this might have been a headquarters for the conversion of Africa, but it was not. Frumentius, perhaps in 341, was shipwrecked on the Red Sea, and found his way to Abyssinia. He found favor with the ruler of the land, and preached the Gospel. The church accredits him with being their first mission- ary, but traces of Judaism, as well as earlier Chris- tian influence, are not wanting. In 1555 the Roman Catholic Church tried to bring them under the rule of the pope. This led to persecutions, and the Catholics were expelled in 1640. The Patriarch. It shows an interesting connec- tion, that the patriarch of the Abyssinians must be a Copt, appointed by the Patriarch of Alexandria. He in turn anoints the king, whenever a king is crowned, and ordains the priests. Ignorance and superstition on every hand abound, both among priests and people. Two Systems of Religion. They have a curious mixture of Christianity and Judaism. They baptize adults by immersion and infants by sprinkling. Aft- erwards a cord of blue silk or cotton is put around the neck, and worn continually, so as to distinguish those who have been baptized from Mahomedans. Circumcision is practiced. They observe Sunday in their way, and in the same way observe the Sab- bath of the Jews. They venerate pictures of angels, ANCIENT CHURCHES 23 devils, and the cross, but not the crucifix. They say there used to be ten classes of angels, but one fell, and since then there are only nine. Their churches are usually small and round. In one side is a small apartment in which the ark of the covenant is kept. This is holy, and none but the priest may touch it. If touched by another, it must go through a purifi- cation ceremony. Monks and scholars among them take the communion every day. Others about three times a year. Failure. During the centuries of Moslem inva- sion this land proved an asylum for a harassed Christian people. All efforts of the missionaries of Islam to enter proved a failure. But while se- cure in their mountain fastnesses, they failed to catch the spirit of their Master. Gibbon says, " En- compassed by the enemies of their religion, the Ethi- opians slept for nearly a thousand years forgetful of the world by whom they were forgotten." To- day there is every reason to fear lest the onward movement of Mahomedism should gain foothold there. And why? Why are they dead? Why have they no power? Wherein have they lost out? Be- cause they have not had the missionary spirit, there- fore not the spirit of the Master. The Syrian Christians in India History. The Christians of St. Thomas, as they are called, are found in the southern part of India, especially on the Malabar Coast. They hold that Thomas came to India, established churches, and was martyred near Madras. A church is said to mark the spot. It is called St. Thomas' Church. 24 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH The original Seven Churches of India are a matter of history. About the year 200 Pantaenus, presi- dent of the Christian College in Alexandria, went to India to visit and strengthen the Christians. In 529 a Christian merchant of Alexandria mentioned the fact that there were Christians living in Ceylon and elsewhere. In the ninth century King Alfred sent an embassy from England. Marco Polo re- cords a tradition of the thirteenth century, how that a prince of India used a room of the Church of St. Thomas to store rice in. The Christians begged him not to do so. That very night Thomas ap- peared to him in a vision, and, with a knife pointed towards his throat, told him to clear the house. The prince could not sleep. He arose very early in the morning and lost no time in getting his serv- ants to set the room in order, and thereafter he had an increased regard for Thomas. In the fourteenth century 30,000 families were reported as Christians. In the sixteenth century, near Madras, was un- earthed an ancient marble slab, carved with a cross and a dove above it, and this inscription in Syriac : " Let me not glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." In the year 1842, in Coimbatore Collectorate, 523 coins of Julius Caesar and Augus- tus were found. The story of how the Roman Church with all its plotting and trickery labored for nearly 300 years to bring these Christians un- der the sway of the pope, how they changed their confession of faith, how they changed their books of prayer, is a sorry tale. Knowing these bitter experiences, we look for the book of martyrs, but look in vain. They preferred to compromise and ANCIENT CHURCHES 25 live in peace than to die the martyr's death. Many- yielded to what then seemed the inevitable. There are today in southern India over 500,000 of these Christians, divided among the Catholics, the Jaco- bites and the Reformed Syrians. Faith and Life. The Bible is in Syriac. They all venerate it. The Jacobites compose the greater part of the Syrians. They have the old orders of bishop, priest and deacon. The chief bishop is called the mar (Syriac for lord). The priests marry but once, and the priesthood is highly regarded. When one of their number meets a priest, he kisses his hand, when the priest in turn blesses him. Sometimes the " kiss of peace " is passed in the congregation. The priest first holds his open hands over the censer, then turns to the deacon, who quickly takes the hands of the priest in his own, and turns to the next person to him, who takes his hands the same way. Thus does the whole congre- gation. Communion comes three times a year. It is preceded by confession. The wine is made from raisins, a custom we adopted in our India Brethren Church some years ago without knowing it. They celebrate a love feast, which is a great occasion to them. Sometimes 6,000 or 7,000 get together for this feast, which is held in the open, in front of the churches. The priest stands in the doorway, pro- nounces the blessing, and from there directs the dis- tribution of food until every one is supplied. They use leaf plates on this occasion, and all eat together. The Carmelite Paoli more than a century ago said, " They receive with the utmost reverence and devo- tion their pledge of mutual union and love." They 26 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH are not negligent in prayer, preferring to stand and pray facing the east. As with the Jews, they re- gard the day as beginning in the evening. In mar- riage, the bride gives a tenth of her dowry to the church, though no system of giving tithes prevails. Lost Opportunity. When we think of this an- cient church as a city set upon a hill, we remember that it was hidden. When we think of it as the salt of the earth, we remember it lost its savor. When we think of it as a light in a dark land, we remember the light failed to shine. The oppor- tunity was wonderfully theirs. All India was their mission field. But the task was too great for them. They would rather live than die. They failed to get the missionary spirit. They did not learn the great first work of the church. Their one desire was to hold out faithful, and this they bravely tried to do. If Thomas had gone to Europe, and Paul had gone to India, would it have been different? We cannot tell. Contemplation of a great oppor- tunity gets one's spirit all aflame. But when that opportunity has been lost, then what? The Waldensians in Italy History. In the Cottian Alps, in the Vaudois Valleys, centuries before the Reformation, lived a Protestant people. Their simple life and industri- ous habits adorned their Christian piety. Some think that Paul preached in these valleys. From the eighth to the twelfth centuries, when the Roman Catholics were more and more asserting temporal power, and making increased innovations, these people lived a solemn protest, openly renounced ANCIENT CHURCHES 27 the Roman Church, and refused allegiance to the pope. This branded them at once as heretics, and as such Rome harassed them, persecuted them, and made every possible effort for many centuries to utterly exterminate them. The Faith of the Hills. The presence of God seemed abundantly manifest in their mountain homes. They led joyous, austere, prayerful lives. No oath might be taken, no lie told, no war en- gaged in.* The tavern was an evil thing, the dance strictly in avoidance. They maintained that a wicked priest cannot impart a blessing, that mass, prayers for the dead, baptismal salvation, vigils of the saints, holy water, and kneeling before a priest, are human ordinances and an abomination to God. They were careful to attend worship. They believed all men were brothers, they made Bible study the duty of all, they tried to win their fellow-men to their faith. A bit from an old Wal- densian poem runs : " O brethren, hear a noble lesson, We ought always to watch and pray. For we see this world is near its end. We ought to be earnest in doing good works, For we see this world is coming to an end." Peter Waldo. Lyons was a rich city. Peter Waldo was a child of wealth, in Lyons, and was feasting in revelry, when a close friend was stricken dead. It sent Waldo asking, " What shall I do to be saved? " A priest, knowing his wealth, jokingly replied, " Go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor." He took the word as from the Lord, *See Appendix B. 28 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH and not from a priest, and immediately changed his whole manner of life. He became " the Poor Man of Lyons," and went barefoot preaching the Gospel, begging his way, and calling men to repentance. Many became willing hearers. He was excom- municated. To escape persecution from Rome, and to seek out people with whom he could fellowship, he came to the valleys. The Waldensians were mis- sionaries born, and two and two they went to all parts, selling pearls and preaching the Gospel. Thus they went into Bohemia, Austria, France, Germany, and England. The Moravian Church credits its origin to the Waldensians. The Lollards came from the same source. In 1300 there were many thou- sands who had accepted the teachings of the mis- sionaries, that the true faith was not found in the hands of the Roman Hierarchy; that God desires men to worship him in spirit and in truth. In the Fire of Persecution. From 1210 to 1848 there were thirty bitter persecutions with the avowed purpose of extermination. I can mention but three of these : At Christmas, 1400, the monk Borelli took a band of cutthroats to the valleys, and amidst the shouts of war they began their evil work. The peaceful inhabitants fled to the high hills, but many were slain on the way. In the mountains they remained all night without food or shelter, and in the morning sixty or eighty children were found dead in the arms of their mothers, and many of the mothers, also, perished. Meanwhile, the troops reveled in the deserted houses below, and then withdrew next day with all the plunder they could bear away. In 1488 Pope Innocent VIII. sent fl" ANCIENT CHURCHES 29 an army under the papal legate, Albert Cataneo, an archdeacon. Pardon and booty were promised to all who would help in this warfare, and a motley crowd of 20,000 men set out to murder heretics. Villages were plundered and burned and the inhab- itants put to the sword. In the mountain passes they were able to withstand the onward rush of the murderers but for a time, when they appeared in other parts. There was a great cave far up in the mountains into which over 3,000 unarmed men and women fled for refuge. The soldiers found them, and built a big fire in front of the cave, so that those who were not slain by the sword, or thrown into the blazing fire as they tried to escape, were smoth- ered to death within. Yet God saved from their hand a remnant, who continued faithful to him. The Piedmontese Easter. About a week before Easter of 1655 an army was sent to subjugate the heretics in the valleys. They were withstood by a "few brave men, and so made a proposition for peace. To this the peaceful inhabitants agreed. The terms were that a company of soldiers be lodged in every village, as a " proof of confidence." Then, very early on Easter morning, while all were asleep, at a given signal, the soldiers fell on their sleeping hosts, and heartlessly, cruelly, treacherously butchered fully 7,000 of them there. These outrages were so cruel and so devilish, it almost shakes man's faith in man to read them, but there were soldiers among them who said they would not advance when the signal was given, and there were also a few among the Vaudois who preferred to recant. This fearful act of savagery caused Cromwell to proclaim a 30 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH week's fast in England, and $150,000 was subscribed for the survivors. At the same time Milton wrote his sonnet, beginning with these words: " Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold." Battle of Waterloo. Religious freedom came to Italy in 1848. In the Battle of Waterloo, one of the Duke of Wellington's generals had his leg shot ofif. After some years, he was calling on the duke in England, and there saw on the table a history of the Waldenses. At once General Beckwith se- cured a copy for himself, read it, became fired with a great purpose, and went to the valleys. He said to the people he found there : " Henceforth, you are missionaries or nothing." They had always been blessed with the mission spirit, and could easily re- spond. The general made his home with them from then till the time of his death, and helped them build for the future. Leavening Italy. At the present time there are perhaps 30,000 Waldensians scattered over the world. In South America they have 1,700 members and seven pastors, giving $8,000 annually. Also they have mission work in Africa. In America are several colonies, with pastors from the valleys. The churches and stations outside are now sixteen times more than those of the original mother church in the Valleys of the Piedmont. Their great work, however, seems not to be in foreign fields, but to let the light shine in Italy. For this they have paid a fearful price. Theirs should l)e the joy of the har- vest. They are not a people of wealth, but they ANCIENT CHURCHES 31 are making a record. In Naples they have con- verted a theater into a place of worship. In Flor- ence a church and theological seminary now oc- cupy the palace of a former cardinal. In Milan a one time Catholic church is now a Waldensian tem- ple. In Venice they bought a historic palace, in which services are held every Sunday, and are well attended. The first evangelical sermon preached in Rome after the freedom of Italy was by the chair- man of the General Mission Board of the Walden- sian Church. They have two churches in Rome, one on either side of the Tiber. In Turin they have 700 members and two pastors, the annual gifts be- ing $12,500. In the Valleys they have 12,000 mem- bers, with nineteen trained pastors, and 190 teach- ers. These raise $20,000 annually for religious work. It is said they have not one illiterate over six years of age. They have work in most of the cities of Italy. They have orphanages, hospitals, schools and colleges, printing presses, and a paper in Rome with 10,000 weekly circulation, a widely-circulated rehgious almanac, and a large output of tracts and Bibles. The Martyr Spirit. It makes one's heart glow with exceeding fervor to think of these martyrs for religious freedom, for liberty of conscience, our common inheritance. We thank God for them. We thank God for their mission spirit. We thank God for their martyr spirit. May that spirit be our holy inheritance. 32 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH " Faith of our Fathers: living still In spite of dungeon, fire and sword; Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy Whene'er we hear that glorious Word. " Our Fathers, chained in prisons dark. Were still in heart and conscience free: How sweet would be their children's fate, If they, like them, could die for thee! " QUESTIONS 1. In what country are the Copts chiefly found? 2. In what state were they spiritually when the Arabs came? 3. What are some peculiar teachings among them? 4. Wherein have they failed? 5. What early Christian influence on Ethiopia? (See also Acts 8: 27.) 6. What similarities between Copts and Ethiopians? 7. What similarities between Jews and Ethiopians? 8. Do you think that Thomas ever reached India? Why? 9. What striking customs among the Christians of St. Thomas? 10. Compare these three ancient Christian Churches. 11. How long have the Waldensians been " Protes- tants"? 12. What can you tell of their sturdy " faith of the mountains "? 13. What if the Ethiopians had the spirit of the Wal- densians? 14. Do you know any one besides Peter Waldo who had the arrow of conviction sent to his heart by the death of another? 15. What mission work was done by these early Chris- tians? 16. Was the way easy? Were their homes safe? Were they called to the work? How? 17. Tell the story of the Piedmontese Easter. ANCIENT CHURCHES 33 18. What general became a missionary? What did he do? 19. How can a church become leaven to a whole nation? 20. What is the martyr spirit? Have you got it? SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING " Manners and Customs of Modern Egyptians," by Bane. John Murray. " Indian Christians of St. Thomas," by Richards. Bem- rose & Sons. " Lingerings of Light in a Dark Land," by Whitehouse. Hamilton Adams. " The Waldensian Church," by Willyams. Religious Tract Society. " Memoirs of a Huguenot Family," by Fontaine. 2s 6d. R. T. S. " The Martyr's Mirror," by Von Bracht. Mennonite Pub- lishing House, $5. " Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," by Gibbon, Vol. II. All the books mentioned at close of Chapter L CHAPTER III The Roman Catholic World Five Cities. Five great cities were the seats of light and learning in the early Christian centuries : Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Rome. No one of these was superior to another. A bishop resided in every one of them, and in other cities also. Rome was the center of the political world. Rome was the city where Peter and Paul were martyred. And Rome early became more in- terested in missions than any other. For these reasons the Bishop of Rome early acquired a greater influence than the other bishops. This was not su- premacy, however. Common Inheritance. The early centuries of Christianity are an inheritance to us all. In the school of Augustine the doctrines of grace and of sin were taught, doctrines which the Reformation labored to reestablish. The Council of Nicea (325) had confirmed the doctrine of the divinity of Christ. In the Council of Aries (314) five British delegates were present. At the Council of Nicea one was pres- ent who signed his name " Bishop of India." The centuries produced their numerous martyrs for the faith, but hardship and death only serve to produce greater zeal for spreading the Gospel. It is quar- reling within, differing as to how much divine na- ture and how much human was in Christ, differing 35 36 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH as to whether the Holy Spirit came from the Father alone, or from the Father and the Son, differing as to whether the Holy Spirit was of the same sub- stance with the Father, differing as to whether Je- sus had one personality or two ; it is differing on technicalities, and each insisting that the other is certainly wrong and ought to be excommunicated — this spirit destroys while the spirit of missions strengthens the church. Activity in Missions. When we look for the rec- ord of mission work, we can easily find it: Ulfilas in Germany, Columba in Scotland, Patrick in Ire- land, and others in many lands. How Augustine went to England will bear repeating : When Greg- ory was still a deacon, he saw some boys with light hair in the slave market in Rome. He asked who they were, and was told "Angles." He an- swered, " No wonder, they have faces like angels." He was told they were heathen from Deira, and re- plied, "They must be saved de ira " (from wrath). He went to the bishop and asked to be sent as a mis- sionary to their people, but was refused. After a time, Gregory himself became Bishop of Rome, and then did not forget the desire of his heart, and sent Constantine, with forty monks, to Britain for mis- sion work. On the way they heard such fearful stories about these Britons, that they returned and begged to be excused. ^ But Gregory was firm. They reached England (597) and found, to their surprise, that the queen of that land was already a Christian. For when the Kentish King married his Prankish Queen, the arrangement was made by her parents that a preacher should accompany them, ROMAN CATHOLIC WORLD 17 to minister to her spiritual needs. The missionaries were of course allowed freedom. Within a year King Ethelbert became a Christian and on Christ- mas Day 10,000 of the king's subjects were bap- tized. Eighth Century. The question of the supremacy of the bishops was practically settled when the three cities in succession, Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria (641), fell into the hands of the Mos- lems. The two cities remained, but lines of cleav- age were very distinctly marked between them. Emperor Leo IIL issued an order (726) that all image worship should be discontinued in the churches. This was a voice from the East. Greg- ory IL of Rome issued an order that all should pay strictly no attention to the word of the emperor. This was a voice from the West. Leo sent a fleet to command submission. It was overtaken by a storm at sea, and was destroyed. Gregory took this as a sign from heaven, and promptly excommuni- cated the emperor. Medieval Catholicism. The period from the eighth to the sixteenth century, from Charlemagne to the Reformation, was a period of great and bitter persecutions. Persecution often has the mission idea, but always the wrong spirit. A semi-religious conviction based on a semi-truth, backed by politi- cal power, can work only evil. When Innocent III. became pope (1198) he said: "Am I not the Bride- groom, and every one of you a friend of the Bride- groom? Surely I am the Bridegroom: for I have the rich, noble, and highly exalted, nay the honorable, pure, gracious and holy 38 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH Roman Church for my bride, who, according to the ordinance of God, is the mother of the faithful and the matron of all churches. She is wiser than Sarah, more provident than Rebecca, more fruitful than Leah, more comely than Rachel, more devout than Anna, more chaste than Susanna, more beauti- ful than Esther. I have united myself to her in a sacramental manner. My bride has bestowed upon me; her rich dowry, namely, the fulness of spiritual and secular power." The Inquisition. In the first year of his reign. Innocent III. sent out letters to all the bishops of the churches, in which he expressed a fear of the infection, the contamination, which was to " spread like a cancer," and gave due orders : " Therefore, we pray and exhort you all with tears, and command you, archbishops and bishops, to unsheath the spir- itual sword against the heretics, confiscate their property, banish them from the country, and thus separate the chaff from the wheat." Then the fear- ful inquisition, darkest record of history, was on In 1200 in Troyes five men and three women were burned. In 1210 one in London, twenty-four in Paris, 180 outside the fortress Minerva, were burned. The next year sixty were burned at Casser, and about 100 in the tower of Cassas. Other fifty were burned at Chastelnau d'Ari. More than 400 Induti were burned at Lavaur or Vaurum, because they would not embrace the Catholic faith. In 1212 about 100 Waldensians were burned in Strasburg, thirty-nine in Bingen, eighteen in Metz. More, more, more. How 'Twas Done. Briefly let it be recorded. Our ROMAN CATHOLIC WORLD 39 young people ought to know. The opportunity to recant usually was given. Often the " heretic " was begged to recant. Sometimes he was put on oath, and if he refused to swear, it was counted against him as a sure sign, and all the more was he sus- pected. His oath was to expose all heretics, and nev- er himself have anything to do with them. In case of their being firm in their faith, then began, in one form or another, that series of dreadful deeds which usually ended in death, welcomed by the sufferer. Trial by red-hot iron, by hot water, by cold water, by confiscation of property, by burning of houses, by imprisoning in damp cells in the winter, in hot dungeons in the summertime, by tearing off the nails of the fingers, by tearing off the arms and limbs from the body, by flaying alive, by sawing asunder, by causing to kiss the virgin, by flaying and putting into a barrel with hungry rats, by burn- mg alive, by exhuming the bodies of the dead and burning them. We think of Huss, and Latimer, and Ridley, and tens of thousands more. We think of the dreadful massacre of St. Bartholomew. The pope and his clergy had so far departed from the spirit of the Gospel that if left wholly to themselves they would have ultimately accomplished the moral suicide of the whole fabric known as Romanism. Francis of Assisi, It was so very dark within, yet not wholly so. Born in the twelfth century, son of a well-to-do merchant, he acquired a good education. His early inclination was to religion, and his greatest joy was found when he could in some way or other relieve sufiFering. He begged for money to build up a neglected church. Hear- 40 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH ing a sermon on Matt. 10: 9 he made a great change. He went about barefooted, preaching repentance. He became extremely ascetic. He was in many points like Peter Waldo, but his activities were within the church. He approached the pope, begging his interest in needed reforms, but the pope, seeing his ragged clothes, sent him out to feed swine. He obeyed at once, and in a day or two returned. The pope was pleased. His work was sanctioned. He formed a religious order to do mission work. The order met with great success. They sent five of their number to Morocco to work among the Moslems, but these were slain. The order grew, and became a strong leavening influ- ence within. Great austerities were practiced. They met annually at Assisi. Ignatius of Loyola. Born of a knightly family, in the fifteenth century, Ignatius was poorly edu- cated. He was associated with camp life, and pres- ently himself went to the army. In a battle he was severely wounded, which necessitated his being for months in a hospital. Books of strong and help- ful nature being accessible, he read them with a relish. Especially did he like the stories of the saints, of great suffering and great victories for a great Master. He became fired with a great pur- pose, to be like the heroes of whom he had been reading, to do something, to sacrifice something for the Christ he professed to follow. He met a beggar and exchanged clothes with him. He would be the poorest of all, the holiest of all, and do the greatest service of all. He went to Jerusalem to preach the Gospel among the Mahomedans, but having no ROMAN CATHOLIC WORLD 41 education, decided it were better to return and pre- pare for work. At the age of thirty-three years he entered Barcelona, and with the boys studied Latin in school there. Then he went to college for a year, to another for a second year, and finally to the Uni- versity of Paris, where he spent seven years. Dur- ing these years of preparation he almost got into trouble with the college authorities, because he was constantly reminding the boys of their spiritual duties. He became the founder of the Jesuits, who from his day have been a great force for the Catho- lic Church. Many strong men associated with him for work, among them Faber and Xavier. Concern- ing him Newman says: "He identified the greater glory of God, to which he professed devotion, with the universal triumph throughout the world of the Papal Church, which he wished to see brought to his own standard of zeal and self-sacrifice." Writ- ing nearly 300 years ago concerning his influence and work, Baldoeus said: "It must be confessed on all sides that had not the active spirit of the Jesuits awakened the Franciscans and other re- ligious orders from their drowsiness, the Roman Church had before this time been buried in its ashes." Francis Xavier. The sixteenth century was the century of the Reformation, the Council of Trent, and the birth of Francis Xavier. As Trent marks the beginning of modern Romanism, so Xavier was the beginning of modern missions to the non-Chris- tian world in the Roman Catholic Church. He came from an aristocratic family of Navarre, and was preparing for highest clerical orders in the Uni- 42 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH versity of Paris when he became acquainted with Ignatius, by whom he was greatly influenced. He became a Jesuit, and it fell to him to go to the foreign mission field. He labored for greater or lesser periods in Mozambique, Molucca, India, Chi- na, and Japan. It is said that on one occasion he returned to a congregation in India and found them quite dissatisfied, saying that they had been de- ceived into becoming Catholics, and their church had been taken from them. They had been Syrian Christians. Xavier asked for the keys, and before he began preaching, he turned the keys over to the chief of the complainants, saying that if they were deceived, they should take back the keys and be happy. This so won them to him, that by the time the service was well over they had decided that if they were to be treated as this act indicated, they did not want the keys, and so handed them back to him. He was an enthusiast in his work, ever ani- mated with a glowing zeal. "And since the Roman Catholic Church responded to his call, the effects of his efforts reach far beyond the Jesuit order. The entire systematic incorporation of great masses of people on broad lines of policy by his church in modern times dates back to Francis Xavier." Missionary Enthusiasm. While we cannot accept the dogmas of the Catholic Church, we must admire their missionary enthusiasm. Visscher wrote nearly 200 years ago: "Half the population of Goa [in India] consists of clergy, and as it is impossible for them all to obtain a livelihood there, they spread themselves throughout the whole country." In Brazil the missionaries entered into districts where ROMAN CATHOLIC WORLD 43 the Portuguese soldiers had been driven out. For 2,000 miles along the coast the natives were brought under the superintendence of the missionaries. At one time there were upwards of 1,700 Jesuit mis- sionaries in South America. Whole shiploads of Spanish missionaries went, even though the Portu- guese Government did everything against them, and even expelled them. In the Cordilleras, where no Spanish army ever penetrated, the missionaries established a college of no mean pretensions. Along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the early days, in Canada and in California, and all over our vast West Jesuit missionaries with the greatest sacrifice established themselves, and often their work proved successful. At the Present Time. In Italy and France and Austria there is a strong feeling against the Roman Church, and many withdrawals. But their untiring zeal is our challenge. In Bombay there are twenty- eight Catholic churches, and in India, by the decree of Pope Leo XIII., there are eight archbishoprics. Of 2,653 bishops and priests in India 1,700 are in- digenous to the country. They are making special effort in educational lines. St. Xavier's College in Bombay has 1,750 students, of all creeds, and Ger- man Jesuit teachers. The college in Trichinopoly has more, students, with French Jesuit instructors. St. Xavier's College in Calcutta is under Belgian Jesuits. For boys they control eleven colleges, sixty-five high schools, 248 middle schools, 2,438 elementary schools, and ninety-seven orphanages. For girls fewer of each except orphanages, of which there are twenty-nine more. Their total under in- 44 MISSI<>NS AND THE CHURCH struction in India is 143,000 boys and 76,000 girls. In China and Africa they are a power not to be overlooked. A third of Australia is Catholic. But their greatest present activities are in England and America. In our United States today over half the Christians of sixteen States are Roman Catholics. All of the New England States fall into this list. Last year they gained from the nonchurch people 89,000 converts. Every possible effort is being made to win. Protestant countries are more ag- gressive, more open to conviction, and more ready to trust the other fellow than any other countries in the whole world. Catholic countries forbid Protes- tant preaching, and meanwhile grow weary of Ca- tholicism. Catholic charities seek Protestant aid, but do they in turn give aid to any Protestant in- stitution? What lesson is there to learn? The Lesson to Learn. What can we learn from this great church? They usually retain their chil- dren to their church, and marry within the church. They are well organized for government, and also for aggressive work. They are obedient to their superiors. They have a high regard for their church. They are unquestionably missionary. With abundant error and almost impenetrable darkness, the one thing that carries them forward with almost irresistible force is their spirit for aggressive work. This is the spirit of missions. Had it not been for this spirit, as Baldoeus said, they would have been dead long ago. Not adherence to truth but adher- ence to the church, together with an unquestionable aggressive spirit, has preserved them throughout the centuries. W M ess 2 ( \ 1 f l5 V N^ M: f 1 p-> vn i 1^^ iV 5g J z J^l -1^ 1! , s ci) ■?^' z 3 ROMAN CATHOLIC WORLD 45 QUESTIONS 1. Name the five cities of greatest Christian influence, long ago. 2. Name several things that may be counted as an in- heritance. 3. Tell the story of Constantine's going to England. 4. What power came like a scourge over the quarreling churches? 5. Who originated the Inquisition? When? 6. What would you suggest to those who think that the world is getting worse and worse? 7. Who was Francis of Assisi? What did he do? 8. Who was Ignatius of Loyola? What order did he originate? 9. Who was Francis Xavier? 10. Did Ignatius or Xavier do more? 11. What decisions were made in the Council of Trent? 12. Compare in your State, Catholic and Protestant numbers, activities, annual gifts, hospitals, schools, and anything you can. 13. What are some of the things done by Jesuits, good and evil? 14. What is the Catholic strength in India? in En- gland? in America? 15. What lesson have you to learn from these facts? SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING "The Council of Trent," R. T. S. London. Is 6d. Boards. " Elements of the History of Rome," by Curtis. Is. R. T. S. " The Jesuits," by Demaus. Is. R. T. S. "U. S. Senate Document 190." Paper, 50c. Leaflets of " Educational League," Washington, D. C, Box 328, Elgin, 10c. " Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," by Gibbon. Vols. Ill, IV, V. The books mentioned at the close of Chapter I. CHAPTER IV The Mahomedan World A Prophet in Arabia. Born in Arabia (570), of a good family, early left an orphan, Mahomed was brought up by an uncle. At the age of twelve he accompanied a trading caravan to Syria. He was successful in business, accustomed to have his own way, employed by a wealthy widow, Khadija, whom he married when he was twenty-five years old, again he went on a mission to Syria, where he came in contact with Christianity. Aroused by the idolatry of his fellow-countrymen, he began to see visions and to preach in Mecca. His preaching made con- verts and aroused hostility. Some of his followers fled to Abyssinia. Pilgrims from Medina received the teaching, and invited the teacher to come and dwell with them. He remained in Mecca, where, after ten years, Khadija died. He received more revelations, gained more converts, aroused greater hostility, and fled (622) to Medina. That act fixed the date from which Mahomedans reckon time. In a pitched battle against Mecca he was repulsed and severely wounded. In time he brought other tribes and other towns into subjection, and if any refused to come to his terms they were slain, and their prop- erty carried ofif as booty. With 10,000 men he en- tered Mecca, and without bloodshed administered 47 48 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH the oath of allegiance to the people. From his deathbed he gave instructions for an expedition against the nearer parts of the Roman Empire. Armies of Invasion. Mahomed died (632), and immediately the army of invasion under Abu Bekr set out for Persia. In four years, having subdued that country, the next was Syria. They " slew all who opposed them, and carried oft the remainder into captivity. They burned the villages, the fields of standing corn, and the groves of palm, and behind them went up a whirlwind of fire and smoke." 'Twas as if their prophet had given them a special charge in his last dying message, and said, " Go ye into all the world, and slay the polytheists wherever 3^e find them." And they were zealously careful to abide the teaching of him whom they had chosen to follow. Waves of Conquest. Entering into Palestine the fall of Jerusalem (637) was speedily accomplished. The next year they swept northward, when Anti- och and Asia Minor and all of Syria fell into the hands of the invaders. Next they turned to Africa, and, beginning with Egypt, swept from country to country until they reached the western ocean, where General Akba rode out as far as he could into the surf and shouted : " Great God, if I were not stopped by this raging sea, I would go on to the na- tions of the West, preaching the unity of thy name and putting to the sword those who would not submit." They crossed into Spain (648), and con- tinued there for 800 years. In every direction this conquest was carried, though not always becoming permanent. The Bedouin tribes revolted soon aft- MAHOMEDAN WORLD 49 er the prophet's death, but were regained by various strategic efforts from Mecca and Medina. After One Hundred Years. A hundred years aft- er the birth of Mahomed Arabia, Persia, Syria, Egypt, TripoH, Algiers, Morocco, and Spain were already under the sway of the Moslem power, and an attempt had been made on Constan- tinople, a coveted vantage for operations in Europe. The new government-religion, the Moslem Church- State, was at this time as large as the whole Roman Empire at the time of the death of Csesar. Tribes of vastly different temperament had been subju- gated and governments of widely differing peoples had been wrested from their ancient moorings, all made subject to the rule of the Saracen. Christians and Jews were forced to become Moslem or pay tribute. Polytheists were slain or converted, them- selves in turn becoming stubborn supporters of the new religion. Stout hearts they must have had, and bravery equal to any to rush forward, often fac- ing death, in the one hope of winning in the race. The contrast between the first hundred years of Moslem invasion, and the first hundred years of Christian evangelization is very marked. Great and enduring were the results in both cases. Both will- ingly faced death, and both built on the hope of the future, but between the teaching, the method of operation, and the results of both, the contrast is complete.* Farther and Farther. The victory of the Arabs in the plain of Cadesia (636) had given them prac- *See Appendix C. 50 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH tical control of Persia. From there they swept to the east and to the south. It is said that Bokhara was " converted three times " before the people would retain the faith, and then it became a center for propaganda as the religion spread eastward even as far as China. General Kasim (712) went up the Indus River and overran all of Sindh, com- pelling numbers of Brahmins to accept the faith. Thus early an entrance was made into India. Some Hindoo women, seeing what was before them, chose rather to set fire to their own houses and perish in the fiames. After 300 years Mahomed of Ghazni made repeated invasions of India, destroying tem- ples and slaughtering unbelievers, finally making Delhi the capital of his empire. In Europe and in Africa the advance continued, but not with such marked success. After One Thousand Years. During the reign of the Mogul Emperors in India, there was great gain throughout the whole realm. Tens of thou- sands were won to the Moslem standards then. Akbar, and those who followed him, not only did much to advance the arts and sciences, but gave considerable liberty of conscience to all his subjects. In an old book on Asia,* translated into High Ger- man by " O. Dapper" in 1681, are these words: " In India freedom of conscience prevails, and any one may change his religion according to his belief, and take up a new creed without any fear of being punished by the rulers, even though they are Ma- homedans." *In the coUege library, Mt. Morris, lU. MAHOMEDAN WORLD 51 Multiplied Divisions. It is said that Mahomed predicted that his reUgion would be split into seven- ty-two sects. Whether he said it or not, we can not be sure, but certainly the divisions came. Amidst intrigue and murder successors (caliphs) to Ma- homed were chosen. Mahomed perhaps had sug- gested his nephew and son-in-law, Ali, but Abu Bekr was the first caliph. After him came Omar, then Othman, then Ali. Ali was at one time re- garded as an incarnation of the Deity. The people were divided into two factions, seveners and twelv- ers, according to the number of generations each felt his descendants were caliphs born. The great- est division is into the Sunni and Shia sects, the former holding that tradition has its legitimate place in religion, and the latter that all interpreta- tions should be literal. Each of these brought in its train a host of other sects, all hostile to one another. Sometimes students wonder how it was possible to be so divided and yet maintain the unity of which the Mahomedans boast everywhere, but the reason is plain, I think. They were missionaries, and the missionary spirit held them together. Even though they were so hostile to each other as not to inter- marry at all, yet before an unbeliever they were ever children of one faith. The Turkish Empire. The recent war with the Balkan States has brought to light conditions in the Turkish Empire. In 1240 the Ottoman Turks first appeared in Asia Minor, aiding the Seljuk Turks there. Rapidly they increased in numbers and in power till the countries all round about were sub- ject to them, and in 1543 Constantinople fell. That 52 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH was a wonderful empire in 1550, but for the last 200 years it has been on the decline, until now the last vestige of it in Europe totters on the brink. And with what a record of crime and barbarous atroci- ties those pages of history are stained ! We like to think of their sturdy character and attachment to their rehgion, but with the treacherous life of Ab- dul Hamid and the cruel massacres of helpless Ar- menians during the last century fresh in our mem- ories, as the sultan and the Turk pass from the stage to the darkness beyond, we can only say, as we would wish it otherwise, it is the harvest of an abundant sowing. Advance in Recent Years. Loss in political power has not hitherto meant that the missionary spirit lost also. Quite the contrary. The increasing spir- it for propaganda is both the cause and the result of advance in recent years. In Senegambia a num- ber of years ago the Roman Catholics had a strong- hold. A Moslem missionary came in, concealed his faith till he had married a Christian wife, and then obliged her to become Mahomedan. And now for every convert the Romans make from Mahomed there, the Moslems claim to have fifty who were once followers of Rome. The tribe of Yaos, one of the most powerful in Nyasaland, has practically adopted the Moslem religion, and it is spreading to others. More than half of the Bogos, who were Christian in 1860, have become converts to Ma- homedanism. The Mensa tribe are now two-thirds Mahomedan, while the other third is nominally Christian. The Betguk have all become Moslem. The Nubians, Christians of Egypt long ago, have MAHOMEDAN WORLD 53 all become Moslem, and boast that they would not allow a Christian to live in their midst. Not only in Africa has it been rapidly spreading during the last century, but throughout Asia. In Java, in Sumatra, and in the south Philippine Islands the growth is very marked. In India the growth is peaceful, but strong and continual. In Russia, espe- cially in Asiatic Russia, millions are counted Mos- lems now. Present Activities. Three capitals may be con- sidered to the Moslem world : Constantinople for politics, Mecca for religion, and Cairo for literature. What the present literary awakening will bring about no one can tell, but there is a great stirring up. Only last year a man appeared in Constanti- nople, and then in Egypt, and went with the one message to all : " Learn, young man, learn."* His reason assigned was that there is no hope whatever of competing with Christians while Christians are so very far ahead of them in learning. Everywhere a great increase in school attendance followed. Li- braries are being opened in all Moslem towns, and Moslem journals are increasing at a surprisingly rapid rate. They have organized a " Society for Invitation and Instruction " in Cairo, a " Society for Knowledge and Instruction " in Constantinople, and a committee in Egypt to watch the doings of the missionaries, and oppose them, and especially to keep close tab on the Nile Mission Press. After the conference of missionaries in Lucknow (1911) there was also a Moslem conference, and mission- ♦Missionary Review of the W'orld for June, 1911. 54 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH aries were sent to China to teach Arabic, and strengthen the cause of the Moslems there. Present Numbers. Today about 225 millions, or one-seventh of the population of the world, are Mahomedans. About one-fifth of the entire popu- lation of Asia is Mahomedan, that is, 170 millions. More than a fifth of India must be classed with the Mahomedans, and one-third of Africa, which means fifty millions. In Africa the movement southward is very strong, thus making the center of Africa of the greatest religious strategic importance today. In China it is variously estimated, but perhaps there are thirty millions; in Russia upwards of fourteen millions, and in Dutch East Indies twenty-nine out of thirty-six millions are Moslems. In Burma 350,- 000, and in South America 160,000, while in Arabia, Persia, Afghanistan and Baluchistan practically the whole population is Mahomedan. How It Is Done. In Russia the state forbids any Protestant mission work, and keeps a vigilant eye on all Christian missionary enterprise, but the Mos- lem is free to open schools, build churches, and preach all he wants to. The Tartar is proud, self- opinionated, fanatical. He indulges freely in blufif, and shows respect chiefly for others of his kind. In the presence of the aboriginal peoples the eflfect is marked. They are simple peasants, usually poor, wearers of the peasant girdle, and subordinate. The Tartar is haughty and overbearing. The peasant ceases to wear the girdle, next he shaves his head, and begins wearing the small Moslem cap. Others do the same. They adopt Friday for Sunday, get a mulla, build a mosque, and the thing is done. MAHOMEDAN WORLD 55 Other Tartars help them to build the mosque and thus they come to feel themselves welded into a great strong brotherhood. These become at once enthusiastic missionaries to those who yet remain.* In Africa the very routes of the slave traders are dotted with little mosques, and the Arab pays a pe- culiar respect to his slave who becomes a Mahome- dan. Influenced by the Moslem soldiers, who are on the border line and in the employ of Christian Governments, influenced by the attitude of the Arab trader, filled with stories of Mahomed's con- quest and of Mahomedan greatness, the untaught negro dons the Moslem garb and begins the game of blufif. As soon as he becomes a Mahomedan, other Mahomedans show him increased respect. This becomes an unanswerable object lesson. In India, under the parental hand of the British, and surrounded by the Hindoo population, Mahomedans are milder than elsewhere. Converts are won some- times by persuasion and sometimes by bribe, but usually when an idolater sees the folly of his way and wonders which way to turn, the large Mahom- edan community and the hope of material gain ap- peal to him as a near approach to all that he requires in this present life. Political Questions. From the beginning Ma- homed's religion was a semi-political one. It was not a State-Church, but a Church-State. In the last 200 years great changes have come about po- litically, in that very many countries controlled by Mahomedans have passed into the political control *" Moslems in Russia," an article by Mrs. Bobrovnikoff in the Moslem World for January, 1911. 56 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH of Christian Governments. At the present time the Christian Governments of the world rule over 157 or more millions of Mahomedans, while non-Chris- tian and non-Moslem Governments rule over thirty- one millions. The Turkish Government rules over fifteen millions, while other Moslem Governments rule over twenty-one millions of Moslems. The Dutch Government deals with her subject Mahom- edans in a firm and fair manner. The British Gov- ernment, in her extreme endeavor to show impar- tial justice to all, often, without doubt, gives the advantage to the non-Christian, especially when the plea is put forward with respect to interference in religion. It is scarcely believable that England should permit the Bible to be excluded from the Gordon Christian College and the Koran be taught in its stead ; that in Egypt Friday should be kept as a day of rest instead of Sunday, and that soldiers of the British Crown should be required to salute Moslem relics. It is scarcely believable that France should establish Moslem schools with Moslem teachers, and include the teaching of the Koran as a part of the curriculum, even for heathen children. Between England and France on the one hand, and Holland and Germany on the other, the policy of the latter, in dealing with their Mahomedan sub- jects, indicates an appreciable grasp of the future, while that of the former indicates only a concern for the peace and prosperity of the passing hour. A supreme responsibility rests upon our Christian Governments in this matter. A correct vision of the future is an essential characteristic to true statesmanship. MAHOMEDAN WORLD 57 Their Great Weakness. Lying is allowable in three cases : to a woman, to reconcile friends, and in war. A fourth case also has been added, a lie in praise of the prophet. Mahomedanism goes beyond the limit of ethical indulgence in its sanction of slavery, of polygamy, and of divorce. Of necessity the moral and legal status of Moslem women is very low. War is sanctioned, and religious war is held to be very praiseworthy. A great weakness that confionts thinking Mahomedans of the better class is the nature of heaven and hell, the former being regarded as a place of sensual indulgence, of which one will never grow weary, and the latter a place where infidels will be burned with literal fire forever and ever. God is the Author of the evil and the good, and right is right because he wills it. The end justifies the means, and the end always favors a Moslem. Their Great Strength. Mahomed was a strong man, who made God in his own image. In the na- ture of the case those who follow him are a strong people, surely not strong in the principles of ethics, but not wholly devoid of ethics. The unity of God, accepted without qualification, becomes an argu- ment for the unity of believers. Formal re]:)etition of prayers, whatever they may be to God. are not without effect upon men. Mahomedanism seeks to impress men with a sense of superiority. The pil- grimage to Mecca, adopted from the idolaters who came to Mecca on pilgrimage before, impresses men that the whole world is becoming Moslem. Ideas of predestination prevail. " God wills it," is usually enough to settle a quarrel or stir up one. But their 58 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH greatest strength lies unconcealed in their being a missionary people, with the whole world as the field. The moulvi is a missionary and also the mul- la ; the trader is a missionary, and also the soldier; the farmer is a missionary, and also the servant. Wherever they go they are missionaries. They constantly witness the creed, '' There is one God, and Mahomed is his prophet." This is what makes them so irresistible. They expect to win you rather than that you should win them. They have some truth, and are open to nothing more of truth. They believe in spreading the truth they have, and act accordingly. A Perpetual Challenge. Mission work for Mos- lems is growing. The work is very encouraging. They make good Christians. In north India some 200 Christian preachers are of Mahomedan origin. But Moslem activity is a challenge to Christian in- difference. The conflict for religious supremacy is yet in the future. It is a world conflict, and it is sure to come. It is not a question of arms, but a conflict of ideals, a conflict of contending princi- ples, a conflict for spiritual supremacy. Shall Mos- lem or Christian win? The issue lies between these two. Would God that every preacher and every deacon, that every teacher and every student, every merchant and every farmer was an enthusiastic wit- ness and missionary for the sublime truths of the Great Teacher of Truth. Even then we could count ourselves but unworthy children of our lov- ing Heavenly Father. MAHOMEDAN WORLD 59 QUESTIONS 1. How does the life of Mahomed before the death of Khadija contrast with his life that followed? 2. Recount the advances made soon after the death of Mahomed. 3. Contrast Mahomedanism one hundred years after the birth of Mahomed with Christianity one hundred years after the birth of Christ. 4. Tell what you can of early efiforts in Arabia, Persia, India. 5. How could they be so divided and yet hang to- gether? 6. Give briefly the rise and fall of the Turkish Empire. 7. Where are Mahomedans most active now? What numerical strength? 8. How do they manage to grow so persistently? 9. Discuss the relation of religion to politics from the Moslem standpoint. 10. What is the principal source of strength to Mahom- edanism? 11. Is the Spirit of Jesus found in his followers as the spirit of Mahomed is found in Mahomedans? 12. Can you as a Christian do less for the spread of the religion of Jesus throughout the world than an ordinary Mahomedan does to spread the religion of Mahomed? SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING " The Moslem World," by Zwemer. Missionary Educa- tion Movement, N. Y., 50c. " Islam and Christianity in India and the Far East," Wherry. Revell, $1.25. " The Reproach of Islam," by Gairdner. Missionary Edu- cation Movement. " The Moslem World," quarterly. Revell Co. " The Muslim Idea of God," by Gairdner. Christian Lit. Soc. for India, 6d. 60 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH " Tracts for Mahomedans," seventeen bound together. Rouse, 9d. Same place. Schaff-Herzog and other Encyclopedias. " Islam in China," by Broomhall. China Inland Mission, $2. " Aspects of Islam," by MacDonald. MacMillan, $1.50. " Islam and the Oriental Churches," by Shedd. Presby- terian Board of Publication, 50c. " Islam, A Challenge to Faith," by Zwemer. S. V. M., $1. " Daylight in the Harem," by Van Sommer & Zwemer. Revell, $1.25. " Mohammed and the Rise of Islam," by Margoliouth. Putnam, $1.50. CHAPTER V The Mormon World Another Religion. 'Twas in Vermont, only the fifth year of last century, that Joseph Smith, Jr., was born. He came of a very ordinary family, and re- ceived practically no education. Moreover, in the community he gained a very unsavory reputation. There were in those days many who believed in the possibility of rendering one's self invisible; also of knowing things by means of a certain stone, and other such superstitions. Joseph bought a stone of this kind, and began seeing visions and dreaming dreams. He was about twenty-two years old when he found the " Golden Bible," and the same year eloped with Mary Hale when her parents objected to their marriage. It was a time of rehgious excite- ment. William Miller was proclaiming the return of the Lord in 1840. Alexander Campbell was hold- ing religious debates. Joseph had been impressed in certain revival meetings. He had held back be- cause he felt that all rehgions could not be right. He had pondered over James 1 : 9. He had prayed and thought he saw a vision. Two brilliant person- ages stood before him. He asked them which sect he should join. They answered that he should join neither; that a new revelation should soon be given. After a few years he again saw a vision, and 61 62 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH a voice informed him that the time was at hand, that he had been chosen to do a special work in bringing in the needed reformation, and thereafter the Lord would soon come. The voice also told him of golden plates hidden, and other essentials for the work. These were claims that he made. The Supposed Story. Many hundreds of years before Christ, at two or three different times, com- panies of colonists found their way to America. After the resurrection, Christ came also to the peo- ple here, giving them the pure, simple truth of the Gospel. The church flourished exceedingly, having continued in the apostolic order, with apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, with the same ordinances, the same gifts, and the same powers as the church of the first century had in Palestine. But they also fell away from the truth, wars ensued, and finally some hundreds of years ago, the last man (Mormon) was told in a vision to write the record complete, and bury it for future ages. The voice told Joseph where he would find the buried treasure. And as it was written in odd characters, he also found a key for purposes of translation. This is the plot of the " Book of Mor- mon." Something More Plausible. There are two prob- able theories: One is that Joseph Smith, Jr., worked out the whole story himself. There are good reasons for so thinking. The other is that Sydney Rigdon, who was with him, had had access to a tale written by Solomon Spaulding, who made a failure of the ministry and became an unbeliever. Rigdon was disfellowshiped by the Baptists, later MORMON WORLD 63 dropped by Alexander Campbell, then joined in with Joseph Smith, Jr. He had worked in a Pitts- burgh printing office, and may have copied and given Smith the story which became the plot of the Mormon Bible, for the prophet never allowed any one to see the golden breastplate, nor the golden tablets. A Spaulding manuscript is now in Oberlin College. Organized Beginnings. April 6, 1830, with six members the " Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints " was organized in the State of New York. Converts increased. Both revelation and prophecy were claimed for the prophetic office. Prophet Smith received revelations from time to time. A revelation that caused them and their neighbors a great deal of trouble, was this : " I will consecrate the riches of the Gentiles unto my people." This sanctioned stealing from non-Mormons. When an unbelieving woman destroyed for the prophet 116 pages of his translation, he took it for a trick to catch him, and got a revelation that he should not reproduce them, but proceed with other parts of the book, equally essential. They removed from New York to Ohio, then to Nauvoo, 111., and to Missouri. They were driven out of Missouri, and at Nauvoo their development seemed a success, until, at the dedication of their new temple, which was later destroyed by fire, the prophet appeared like a lieutenant general. He had declared that he was called to rule both in church and state throughout the world, and that if not let alone he would be a second Mahomed to this gen- eration. He was accused of being too intimate with 64 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH female members. Many withdrew from the church, and there arose great dissension within. The proph- et announced himself as candidate for the Presi- dency of the United States, and sent out 2,000 men to electioneer for him. The issue came. The peo- ple arose against him. For protection he surren- dered and was sent to jail. The jail was surrounded by enraged citizens, and in trying to defend himself with a pistol as he attempted to escape he was shot ; also his brother Hyrum. The Mountain Meadow Massacre. The " twelve apostles " got themselves together and chose Brig- ham Young to succeed Prophet Smith. Under his leadership they determined to remove to a remote point West, and Utah was selected. In a few months it was reported 12,000 Mormons had left Illinois for the West. From Arkansas a company of Mormons desired to go to California, via Utah, which Prophet Young forbade. While in Mountain Meadow they were treacherously attacked by " In- dians," and a white man appearing (a Mormon he was, too) promised to arrange for their safe con- duct, provided they would surrender their guns. Marching man with man, at a given signal the Utah Mormons and " Indians " cut down the Ar- kansas Mormons, then fell upon the women, and after horrible crimes, killed all but seventeen little children. Seventeen years later Prophet Brigham Young, who had planned the entire scheme, surren- dered John D. Lee as the guilty man, and Lee was executed. When the prophet went to Utah he was a poor man, but when he died (1877) he was worth MORMON WORLD 65 $3,000,000, husband of twenty-five wives, and fathcr of fifty-six children. The Reorganized Church. In 1844 there began to be a reaction on the part of better-thinking Mor- mons, chiefly with respect to the growing practice of polygamy among them. These today hold much the same organization as the regular Mormons, and much the same doctrines, only they emphatical- ly repudiate polygamy. They number about 50,000 souls, claim that Joseph Smith, Jr., was the first prophet, and are active in missionary operations. Doctrinal Position. The faith of the Mormon people is a strange mixture of truth and error. The trinity is eternal. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but distinctly separate one from the other. The " Pearl of Great Price " says, " Michael is Adam, the Father of all, the Prince of all, the Ancient of Days." This comes dangerously near to being polytheism. God is an exalted Man. We shall be gods some day. The Christ was not begotten by the Holy Spirit. He atoned for all mankind, if they accept his Gospel. Only properly-qualified men may administer the or- dinances. Only Mormons can be properly qual- ified. Faith, repentance, and baptism by immersion are for the remission of sins. Baptism for the dead is practiced. Children are in a saved state through Christ. The laying on of hands is for the reception of the Holy Spirit. Giving of tithes is obligatory upon all. They believe in prophecy, revelation, miracles, and tongues, and hold the communion ev- ery Sunday. Prophet Brigham Young is perhaps most responsible for their polygamy. They even 66 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH hold that the Lord Jesus was a polygamist, and cite Mary and Martha. Organization. They are organized for business. Claiming to have the same officers as were in the primitive church, every subordinate is supposed to give willing obedience to those over him. A prophet is chosen from the. first presidency, and the office is held for life. Every one has the prophet in the highest regard. His word is the will of the Lord. The table below shows the figures given out by B. F. Roberts, an apostle, a few years ago. The right column is the succession of prophets unto the present time : First Presidency, 3 Joseph Smith. Jr. Apostles, 12, Brigham Young Patriarchs, 200, John Taylor High Priests, 6.800, Lorenzo D. Snow Seventies, 9,730, Wilford Woodruff Elders, 20,000 Joseph F. Smith Missionary Zeal. From the very first they have been a missionary people. Otherwise they would be today as little known and as few in numbers as the Shakers or Ephrataites or Harmonites of Penn- sylvania. Bruce Kinney says: "It is not unusual for a motorman on the trolley cars in Salt Lake City to talk Mormonism to the unknown passenger standing beside him. A strange family moving into any Mormon community is soon visited by some of the priesthood." They are wise as serpents in their approach, always seeking the line of least re- sistance. They frequently win those who are under discipline of other churches, or who have back- slidden. Our Bible is true, but not all the truth. MORMON WORLD 67 More has been given by later prophets. These are Mormon prophets ; rather, " Latter Day Saints." The elders go out and support themselves ; rather say, they beg their support from others, but the church does not support them. They remain in the field tw^o years, and then, w^herever they are, a return ticket is furnished them. In this way about 1,000 new^ missionaries are sent every year, and 2,000 kept on the field. Of these 800 v^ork in the United States, and 1,200 in other lands. They claim to be working in some twenty-eight countries outside the United States, and average from three to five converts a year per man. On their return home, ecclesiastical preferment awaits those who have been the most successful. As many as can be are induced to go to Utah, where financial success and spiritual happiness are promised them. Also coloni- zation methods are used. Emigrants go to a new part of the country, the church helps them, the money is duly returned with interest, but the mem- bers hold together, build a church, and the little new church soon becomes a center for mission work to others. The Political Side of It. And now we find Rom- an, Moslem, and Mormon, these three, but which of them is the greatest political schemer I cannot tell. On several occasions the Federal Government was led into issue with the Mormons. In Utah to- day, and in some parts of other Western States, they control every political move, and control it for their own, and not the general good. There is no objection to a Mormon, or any other kind of Christian or non-Christian, holding any office in the 68 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH government, provided he is strong enough to serve the general good, and as a Christian does not violate any teaching of the Gospel. But the Mormon fails to do that. He works it for his church. As an example of how^ they do it in Utah, we have the case of Lawyer Crosby, in 1893, who was " called " to leave Utah and go to Arizona. He was not anxious to go, but the call was pressed upon him. So he went. Presently there was a vacancy of the office of county attorney, and Crosby was told to be a candidate. He was elected by a good majority. Present Status. It is said that a man may set out from Alberta, Canada, on horseback, and travel as far as to the interior of Old Mexico, and sleep every night under a Mormon roof. There are many who have not felt free to continue with the church direct, but they are nothing else. The CosmopoHtan for April, 1911, gives some astonishing figures, which I append, showing Mormon population : Arizona 39,000 California 40,000 Colorado, 83,000 Idaho, 81,000 Montana, 87,000 Nevada, 22,000 New Mexico, 24,000 Oregon, 58,000 Utah, 212,000 Washington, 61,000 Wyoming, 46,000 In this we have a grand total of 753,000. There is another estimate which gives America 350,000 and Europe 15,000. These are found in Great Brit- MORMON WORLD 69 aiii, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Sweden. For the Very Shame of It. When we consider that this " loathsome, disgusting ulcer," as Stephen A. Douglas publicly called Mormonism (they are polygamists still), is an American missionary church, awake while some others are asleep, work- ing while some others are resting, giving their tithes while many of us keep all we can get, it seems to me we have an unavoidable challenge, that we must do or die, that we must tremendously wake up to missionary possibilities. What! Have we not faith more than these? or despise we the Church of God, and let those without the truth put us to shame? QUESTIONS 1. Describe the boyhood of Smith, his dreams and visions. 2. Contrast Smith's story of the Mormon Bible with what may more probably be the fact. 3. What do you think of men who pose as leaders and teachers of religion, but with whom the wife question is doubtful? 4. Can you name any leaders of religion who have be- come wealthy, popular, and profligate at pretty much the same time? 5. Ask old men to tell you their remembrance of the Mountain Meadow Massacre. Compare it to two other treacherous acts of men. 6. What is the diflference between the reorganized Church of the Latter Day Saints and the regular Mor- mons? 7. Name any religious leaders, perhaps honest at first, who, on attaining success, became either self-deceived vic- tims or conscious impostors in their after-lives. 70 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH 8. Name the doctrines true and false, of the Mormons. 9. What is the secret of their tremendous success? 10. If you, and all your church, gave the tenth, what would happen? 11. How does your religious life and missionary zeal, with abundant truth, compare with the religious life and missionary zeal of the Mormons, steeped in error? SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING " Mormonism Exposed," by Hancock, $1. " Mormonism, the Islam of America," by Kinney. Revell, 50g. " Pen Pictures of Mormonism," Oswalt, 25c. " Schafif-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge," Volume VIII. Funk & Wagnalls Co. CHAPTER VI A Survey of China Ancient History. Away back in tlie dim ages of the past, thousands of years before Christ, when wandering tribes came into China from the west and north, Hke the Aryans to India, they found aboriginals already there. With these they became somewhat affiliated, and in time China became a great country with a great population. China is the country of Confucius, who said, 500 years be- for Christ : " What you do not want done to your- self, do not to others," but in fuller explanation add- ed : " Recompense injury with justice, and kindness with kindness." He was a teacher, and his sayings have been treasured from generation to generation. The sayings of the sages have become the classical lore of the Chinese. To memorize is to get wisdom. And so, with the source of the Chinese classics in the dim past, the whole nation has long been look- ing back to their one time greatness, and feeling that their whole advance is from bad to worse. Three Religions. Not alone the teaching of Con- fucius has found a place in the hearts of the Chinese, but also that of Taoism and of Buddhism. Many of the people adhere to all three, scarcely discern- ing the difference. Confucianism supplies the felt need of a moral code, suggesting what should be 71 72 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH done and what not. Taoism appeals to the super- stitious nature of men, with its constant suggestion of the yet-to-be-found eHxir of immortaHty. And Buddhism deals more with mythical teaching and metaphysics, together with a vague aspiration for reincarnation. Confucianism is much the opposite of Buddhism, yet millions of the people have ad- hered to all three religions without thought of in- consistency. Very early in its history Mahomedan- ism found its way to China, chiefly through traders from Mahomedan countries. Early Christian Efforts. There is a tradition that the Apostle Thomas came from India to China, and spent some time evangelizing there. But it is cer- tain that the Nestorians had successful mission work in China in the eighth century, for in 1625 a black marble tablet was discovered, in the Province of Shansi, on which was written, in 781 A. D., a record of the founding of the " Illustrious Doctrine." By order of the Governor of the Province this tab- let was recently taken in from an open field to a place of safe keeping. In the thirteenth century there were many churches, according to Marco Polo. But in later years everything was destroyed save the tablet and Marco Polo's statement, which be- fore the discovery of the tablet had been very much questioned. In 1292 Roman Catholic Missions again made entrance, and at one time they reported " 30,000 infidels converted." Then came a change of dynasties. The indefatigable Francis Xavier made his way towards China, but died on an island without having accomplished the desire of his heart. After thirty years two other Jesuits sue- SURVEY OF CHINA 73 ceeded in entering China and opening a work. Their efforts were attended with success, reaching Peking in 1601. The family estate near Shanghai, of one of the hterati who became a Christian then, whose daughter became a foster-mother to the infant church, is now perhaps the most important center of Roman Catholic influence in China. At the end of a century and a half, again by the decree of an emperor, the missionaries -were expelled and the Christians put to the utmost test, all the churches being destroyed. Modern Christian Effort. Robert Morrison reached China in 1807. His work was the inevitable foundation work which appears, to those of us who come later, to have been so Herculean. His great work was the translation of the Bible, followed with a dictionary. Then with the development of work came schools and colleges. Missionary societies were not slow to see the opportunity, even though it meant great privation and suffering, to lead a nation to the truth, and the number of missionaries as well as the number of mission boards increased throughout the century, till by the end of last cen- tury there were about a thousand Protestant and about a thousand Catholic missionaries there, to- gether with nearly every form of Christian endeavor known to any part of the world. Differences in Christianity. There has long been a distinct difference between the methods of the Catholics and Protestants in China. First, many years ago, to provoke the least resistance, the Catholics semi-sanctioned the Chinese ancestor wor- ship, which made great difficulty later. At the 74 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH present time the Catholics put schools first in their plan of operations, with literature a close second (the Bible excepted). The Protestants have thus far put medical work first, and the circulation of the Bible and other literature a close second, with schools and colleges and hospitals all holding a relatively important place. The Catholics have sought government favor whenever they could get it, and have welcomed the recognition of a bishop as equal in rank with an officer in the court; while the Protestants in every possible way have sought to avoid the political issues of the day, have kept aloof from all intrigue, and have refused the recog- nition of rank for a bishop, while yet adding every strength to all true reform. These are the chief differences between the methods of the two, but among Protestants themselves the differences are minimum. I cannot but feel that the globe-trotter who said, " The Chinaman is perplexed by the 600 different denominations of Christians, and the 600 different theories of salvation which they repre- sent," committed an almost inexcusable libel against the truth, against the unity of spirit shown by the missionaries, and against the intelligence of the Chinese, who, as a general thing, know missionaries more intimately than globe-trotters do. He certain- ly was moved by a feeling of jealousy against the success of the missionaries, else he could not have stooped to such a misrepresentation. 'Twas either so, or else 'twas gross ignorance of the situation. One mission board alone, at the present moment, has over a thousand missionaries on this field. A Parable. The Chinaman has reproduced the SURVEY OF CHINA 75 parable of the Good Samaritan. A man dreamed that he had fallen into a deep well, and there was none to help. After a long time there came one (Confucius) who heard his cry. He looked down into the well and began to say he was a fool for having fallen into it ; men ought to avoid such places. There are rules of life adapted to the; need of every one, why should not a man abide by the rules? And so saying, he moved meditatively on. Another (Buddha) came with a semblance of India on him. He bent over and began to say that the evils of this world are largely imaginary. A well exists because we think so. All pain is unreal and imaginary. If he were to make himself believe there is no well, he would find himself delivered from his difficulty. And he passed on. Almost in despair he kept shouting for help. 'Twas all he could do. Another came. He had a wonderfully sympathetic face. He climbed right down to where the man was, in the well, took a gentle and firm hold of him, and then ascended to the top. When out, he put him on his feet, and was about to go away. The man who was saved had found his Savior. That was Jesus. The Taiping Rebellion. For 267 years the Man- chus have ruled the Chinese. It has been an un- popular dynasty, coming upon them from the north. In 1864 there was what is known as the Taiping Rebellion, an attempt to throw off the yoke, which lasted fourteen years and affected nearly the whole of the great Yang-tse Valley. As the direct result it has been estimated that 20,000,000 people lost their lives. But the rebellion failed in its purpose, 76 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH for as soon as power began to come into the hands of the leaders, they showed the same miserable in- discretions for which the Manchus had been so rightly blamed. These efforts to cast off the yoke were oft-recurring. The Boxer Uprising. At the time of the crusade of the " Big Knife Society," in 1900, there was an unconcealed feeling abroad that the missionaries were the root cause of the whole matter. We rec- ognized this feeling among certain classes in India. It was manifest at home. The real causes of the Boxer uprising must be assigned to the fear of the aggressive attitude of foreign nations, a feeling that railways worked specially to the advantage of the foreigner, that mining concessions meant the same, a fear that the introduction of modern machinery would throw millions out of employ, and a natural suspicion that all Europeans could have only Euro- pean interests at heart; therefore merchant or mis- sionary, to drive out or beat down all foreigners, and everything pertaining to them was the only hope of China. Christianity to them was a " foreign re- ligion," and often when the rebellion was at its worst, the native Christian was given a chance to recant or be slain. How many times the mark of the cross was made rudely on the ground, and the Christians given the chance of tramping it under foot to save their lives, no one shall ever know. In- numerable instances of the modern martyr spirit were shown. "A Chinese preacher was beaten on the bare back with one hundred blows, then bidden to choose between apostasy and another hundred blows. Half dead he gasped, ' I value Jesus Christ SURVEY OF CHINA 77 more than life, and I will never deny him.' When merciful unconsciousness came he was left for dead, but a friend took him secretly and nursed his wounds till he recovered, and today he bears about in his happy body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Among the martyrs there were many who witnessed a good confession, and went willing to the death. Al- together 135 Protestant missionaries and fifty-three children, thirty-five Roman Catholic fathers and nine sisters, in addition to a large number of Chi- nese Christians, variously estimated at from 10,- 000 to 40,000, were victims in this dreadful persecu- tion. The Blood of the Martyrs. Instead of this whole- sale massacre putting an end to mission work and the Christian religion, it really just got it going. The Chinese saw what the Christians stood for, saw them die and could not understand. The na- tive church got its baptism of blood. The mission- aries stood for the highest ideal, for the greatest good of the greatest number. They proved their claim that they were not political spies. At the time of the Boxer uprising there were about 100,000 Christians. These have grown to more than 250,000 today. Two high officials agreed with the foreign consuls that if they would keep the gunboats out of the Yang-tse River, they would check the up- rising in that part of the country. And they did. When the empress dowager issued her orders to *' Slay all foreigners," these men changed the first word of the order to " Protect," and sent it forth. Where they had influence there was little or no murder. When she found out what they did, it is 78 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH said she ordered them sawn asunder. One said to him who was superintending the tragedy: " I die innocent. In years to come my name will be re- membered with gratitude and respect, long after you evil-plotting princes have met your well-de- served doom." Turning to his companion, he said : " We shall meet anon at the Yellow Springs [the spirit world]. To die is only to come home." The Plague of 1911. The bubonic plague has of- ten visited China, even the same as we have in India, but the year 1911 witnessed a specially virulent type of not only bubonic, but pneumonic plague. Persons fleeing from it, having become infected, on- ly carried the infection to other centers. It was particularly bad in Manchuria, in Mongolia and North China. Nearly 50,000 fell before its ravages. On one occasion an official being appealed to for help, said, " Let the people die; we have too many of them." On this occasion, which was the first to be dealt with so, the Chinese officials tried Western methods to combat the disease, and the missionaries bore a willing part of the burden. At Mukden, the Free Church Mission medical doctors were placed in charge. Dr. Jackson became infected and suc- cumbed. At a memorial service held at Mukden, the Viceroy of the Province was present and made a brief address, in which he used these touching and remarkable words: "O spirit of Dr. Jackson, we pray you to intercede for the twenty million people in Manchuria, and ask the Lord of Heaven to take away this pestilence, so that we may once more lay our heads in peace upon our pillows. SURVEY OF CHINA 79 Noble spirit, who sacrificed your life for us, help us still, and look down in kindness upon us all." The Famine of 1911. In 1,000 years no fewer than 800 famines have come to China. Some of these have been of wide area, and have come with alarming frequency. That of 1911 was in the Yang- tse Basin, caused by an overflow of that great river, as has so often happened in the past. When tens of thousands are thus thrown onto the verge of star- vation because a great river overflows its banks, and that frequently, one instinctively thinks of modern engineering ability, and indulges the prayer that the new government, strongly backed by healthful Christian influences, will be able to adjust this great cause for distress. The Revolution of 1911. The break with the past was sudden, but its coming was slow and sure. The war between China and Japan taught its les- son. The war between Russia and Japan was won- derful in its significance. The attempt by other gov- ernments to appropriate more lands put into the minds of all thoughtful Chinese one great question : How can we withstand foreign governments? It was clear that the old ways would never bring China up to any higher standard than the present, for they had been long time proving it. Within the court the same opinion prevailed. The young emperor had caught the idea. He began issuing reform edicts. No one knew what to expect next. The empress dowager was called to check him in his eager anxi- ety to make things go. The first parliament had been assembled (Oct. 14, 1909) and sat forty days. An edict had been issued to prepare a constitution. 80 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH The difference between Manchus and Chinese had long been a burden to the latter. In the north the feeling was strong against an increased taxation. The foreign railway loan added fuel to the flame. In the south a republic was demanded. Oct. 10, 1911, the first outbreak of the revolution began. Dr. Sun Yat Sen was made provisional president. Province after province declared for a republican government. There was no other recourse. The throne was ab- dicated. The People's Army numbered 20,000 men. There were few mistakes made. Yuan Shi K'ai was chosen president, and the great revolution was well under way. A year after (Oct. 10, 1912) the people joyfully celebrated their first " fourth of July." Rapid Changes. On Feb. 18, 1911, the old new- year was celebrated for the last time. After that. New Year's Day was January 1. The queue was of Manchu origin, and a sign of subordination. Great queue-cutting meetings were held, and in the larger cities today not a queue is to be seen. The govern- men has appropriated the temples for public uses, either for quartering the soldiers or for school pur- poses. Buddhist nunneries have been abolished by act of government, and the buildings turned to public good. In Canton alone 300 nuns had been living on public charity, and rendering nothing for what they got. The Manchus have been in China much like the Brahmins in India, in their haughty demeanor towards those whom they regard as lower classes. The new government attempts to abolish a common evil of the East, the " official dignity " of the officials. Every man is mister, and that is SURVEY OF CHINA 81 the end of it. Plain wool and cotton material are to be preferred to silks and satins. This year the dress, which Western people have always felt was a bit outlandish, was decreed to be changed, that a woman should wear a blouse and skirt, and a man wear coat and pants, and a western-fashion hat. English has been chosen as the language of the uni- versity, and students are digging out an up-to-date alphabet for the Chinese. So constant are the changes that any book on China is out of date by the time it is off the press, and the only way to keep up is to cut the telegrams from the newspapers and paste them in the back of the best book on China one can get. And the Missionary? All these changes may not have any religious significance. On the other hand, any one who knows how religion and custom have been intertwined for ages all over the East will easily see that a change so sweeping in all the com- mon customs does signify the possibility and im- minence of a great change in religion as well. Are They in Earnest? At the time of the Boxer uprising, when so many thousands chose rather to die than give up the faith, the question of whether they were really in earnest was forever settled. And today the same spirit prevails. The whole church averaged in 1903 just $2.50 for religious purposes. Young men sometimes finish their school work, and with an opportunity of earning perhaps as high as $100 a month, take $5 or $10 a month in- stead, that they may be the pastor of a needy, grow- ing church, and thus in larger degree glorify God. " China's New Day " gives this interesting illustra- 82 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH tion : " Mark was married to Sarah the day he graduated. Now Sarah was as fond of a fine silk gown as any woman. She was anxious to have a good, comfortable home. If her husband entered business he could begin with a salary of $25 to $50 a month, while if he entered the church as a preach- er he would receive but five dollars a month, with no hope at that time of ever getting more than ten. The day Mark graduated they were married. That evening Sarah said to him : ' Mark, what are you going to do? ' " ' Oh, I don't know. What do you think? " * I have heard you speak in the church. God has called you to preach.' "'Yes, but what are we going to live on?' that is the eternal interrogation when a man takes upon himself the responsibility and the support of a home. " * Mark, if God calls you to preach, God will take care of us,' said Sarah, and they knelt together and prayed. The next morning Mark went to the mis- sionary who had helped him through college and told him he was willing to give his life to the min- istry of the Gospel." Signs of Promise. President Yuan is not a Chris- tian, but is favorable to all that makes good for the nations, and he feels that Christianity makes good. He has his children in a Christian Mission School, and sends gifts in aid of the institution. Sun Yat Sen is a Christian, and is careful in the exercise of his religion. He never attacks, but deals kindly, as though he felt the need of the other fellow, in all his conversations. The head of the great shops at Hankow is a Christian, the son of one of the old SURVEY OF CHINA 83 mission workers of former years. The new Gov- ernor of Kinchow is a Christian. When the new Y. M. C. A. Buildings were dedicated at Peking re- cently, the under secretary of state was there to represent the president. He is a graduate of Yale, and a Christian. One Ou-Yang is a wealthy man, well educated, and on one occasion was rescued from drowning by a fisherman. He learned that the fisherman was a Christian. Later he heard preach- ing in Tsientsin. Then he became a Christian: Since he has decided to spend himself and his wealth in Christian philanthropy. Another: The president of the Canton Christian College was a Christian. He was drawing $900 a year in the service. The new republic sought to have him become chairman of the Board of Education at Canton. He went to the college and made the proposition as follows : "Allow me to retain my position and salary as head Chinese teacher in the college, but give me time to direct the Board of Education in this work, and I will take my salary of $4,000 in that position and turn it over to the college." America Sets the Standard. The government, choosing to become a republic, necessarily looks to America for leadership. Many of their best men have been educated in American colleges. There are not fewer than 700 Chinese students in America now. The indemnity fund sends about fifty here yearly, and keeps them here seven years for educa- tion. The American Government has shown China no selfish spirit in all her dealings, and was the first to recognize the republic. Mr. J. Campbell White 84 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH sums up some of the reasons given why China feels friendly to Americans: 1. The United States refused to participate in the opium traffic or the Chinese coolie trade. 2. There was no desire to encroach on the terri- torial rights of China. 3. Her action in contending for the integrity of China. 4. The remission of part of the Boxer indemnity. (Of twenty million dollars thirteen were remitted. These made the indemnity fund for education of Chinese students in America, and support the Chinese-American School of Preparation, where students intending to study in America may become better equipped.) Our Efforts in China. The Brethren have entered Shansi Province for work in China. That presents a great field for our labors. There are altogether six missionary societies in the province, and they all have more than they can do. The missionaries live some seventy-five miles apart, and the popula- tion is on an average 150 to the square mile. And we have a dozen missionaries there. O brother! Does it not make you feel ashamed to think of this great opportunity, to think of the eagerness shown on the part of the vast numbers of the people, to think of the sacrifice made willingly by some who have accepted the Gospel, and then think that for that great task we have appointed a dozen mission- aries? We ought to make that number fifty inside the next five years. Less it seems to me would indict us of criminal neglect. The Board is ready to do it. They depend on the men and the women SURVEY OF CHINA 85 who can go, on the faithful members who will back them in their going, and pray for them, and make their staying possible. The field falling to our activities there is about seventy-five miles wide and 200 miles long. We have a dozen missionaries set apart to do the work, and God wants that we shall get it done. He has no other plan for the people there. He depends on you and me. The people of Shansi are awakening to their needs somewhat. Last year a movement was set on foot to form an indigenous Christian Society. The people are awak- ening to the fact that Christ is the Savior of the Chinaman, and they will find him in some way or other. It does seem to me that if we will have a part and lot in this matter, we will have to get it by more strenuous effort than what the support of a dozen missionaries on that field implies. We are thankful for those who sailed last autumn. May the Lord sustain them. May it be clear to us all who cannot go, what he would have us do in upholding and supporting the great work over there. It is tremendously important. QUESTIONS 1. Compare the three religions of China. 2. What early Christian efforts are worthy of taking into account? 3. Can you tell the parable? Does it apply? 4. What differentiates the Roman Catholic and Prot- estant efforts? 5. Compare the Taiping Rebellion, Boxer Uprising, and Revolution of 1911. 6. What changes have you noted in the customs of China? 86 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH 7. What evidences are there that these Christians are wonderfully in earnest? 8. What actions on the part of America tend to win the Chinese? 9. Where are our missionaries at work? How many are there? How much territory falls to their lot to evangel- ize? How many do you think there ought to be? How much help have you given to China? How much help has your congregation rendered China in the last five years? Do you not think it ought to have been a good deal more? Will you not do better this year? 10. Have you read "China's New Day," by Headland? You ought to read it. SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING " China's New Day," by Headland. Central Committee on Mission Study, 50c. " The Chinese Revolution," by Brown, 75c. " New Thrills in Old China," by Hawes. George H. Doran Co., $1.25. " New Forces in Old China," by Brown. Revell, $1.25. " Dawn on the Hills of Tang," by Beech, 50c. " Village Life in China," by Burton, $1.25. " The Religion of the Chinese," by DeGroot. Putnam, $1.50. " China and the Far East," by Blakeslee. Crowell, $2. " Where Half the World Is Waking Up," by Poe. Dou- bleday, Page & Co., $1.25. " China Under the Empress Dowager," by Bland. Lip- pincott, $4. "Among the Mongols," by Gilmour. Revell, $1.25. ' "The Real Chinaman," by Holcomb. Dodd, Mead & Co., $2. " Half a Century in China," by Moule. Doran, $2. " The Emergency in China," by Hawkes-Pott. Missionary Education Movement, 50c. " The Changing Chinese," by Ross. Century Company, $2.40. " China and America Today," by Smith. Revell, $1.25. CHAPTER VII A Survey of India Era of Contentment. From the time of the visit of King George and Queen Mary in the winter months of 1911-12 an era of contentment seems to have been the inheritance of India. It was a great thing to have the king and queen in the midst of the people, a great object lesson to the people of India to see with what whole-hearted loyalty every Briton regarded the throne, and a great uplift to the women to see the royal queen side by side with her royal husband in all public functions, and a great inspiration to men of religion to know with what care they rearranged the Sunday programs. The people have a higher regard for a man who has re- ligious convictions than for a man who has none. During the royal visit every endeavor was made to increase the bond of sympathy between ruler and the ruled, and the result was very gratifying to all. Better All the Time. British Government in In- dia is giving the people an increased share in gov- ernmental matters. Recently the liberties of munic- ipalities were increased, Indian members were add- ed to the councils of the several governors, also to the Vice-regal Council at Simla. The capital has been changed from Calcutta to historic Delhi, the partition of Bengal has been canceled and Bengal 87 88 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH made a presidency like Bombay and Madras. In the light of China, the question often is asked whether England is doing honestly by India, or hindering progress there. I am of opinion that the mission of England in India is not yet completed. Not long ago an Indian muncipality was about to choose its president. There were three candidates, and the term of office was for three years. There were twelve voters, who were about equally dis- tributed among the candidates, thus making an elec- tion impossible. It was agreed to draw cuts. The first should be " it " for a year and then resign, then the second should be elected, and at the end of a year resign, when the third should be elected. The candidates all promised faithfully to resign ac- cordingly if they got it, and the lots were cast. The one getting the first was duly installed into office, but when the year was up he refused to re- sign. In the absence of the insistent president the ten other members said to the vice-president, " Talk about independence! India will be ready for that after another hundred years. You see where we are now." An Awakening Spirit. Among nearly all classes of people there is an increased feeling that better times are at hand. There is an increasing interest in new things. In every town the gramophone is found, and men travel into remote villages with gramophones on exhibition. Mechanical toys excite the greatest interest. New pictures are frequently added, Hindoo pictures in Hindoo homes, Moslem pictures in Moslem homes, and pictures of the king and queen in all, both in homes and schools. Mov- SURVEY OF INDIA 89 ing pictures are shown in large tents in the cities, and crowds attend every night, while moving pic- ture companies travel over the country. Govern- ment performs the parental act to these, and per- mits nothing of a questionable character to be shown. Libraries are increasing, and schools, both public and private. Debating societies are active in high schools and colleges. Reform societies spring up, and then traveling lecturers come at their invitation and spend two or three days at a place. These reform societies are generally re- ligious in their tendency, sometimes both political and religious, but rarely for an independent search after truth for truth's sake. This latter spirit will come later. At present the reform society is chiefly to offset Christian activities, some copying and adapting everything but Christ, others holding Christ as the highest ideal. The present awakening, even though with some it is to oppose the truth, is better a great deal than the old lifeless indifference to all truth. A Concrete Example. A young Hindoo of high caste was trained so to hate Christianity that he made a picture of Christ on the cross, in effigy, that he might kick it every day of his life, and thus re- lieve his feelings. This he did for months, but he came into contact with the story of Joseph, and was convicted because of his own sin. He read the story of Jesus, and his hard heart was melted. He determined to be a Christian, and his father disin- herited him. He bore patiently all that the wrath of an irate father could do against him. He chose the Way of Life, and is today a worthy minister 90 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH of the Gospel in South India — Francis Kingsbury. The Girls of the Land. The Hindoo and Ma- homedan religions give small encouragement to the life of a woman. She is a necessity to a man, other- wise he is better off without her. But this miser- able notion is giving place to something higher. Girls and boys go to school together in the villages, and when the teacher is far enough removed from ancient superstitions to give the girls an equal chance, they often outrank the boys. At the en- trance examination of the Madras University last autumn (1911) there were nine thousand candidates for matriculation. The one who got the highest grade of all, who won the gold medal for proficiency in English, was an Indian Christian girl. And at the same time, in the Calcutta University entrance examination, an Indian Christian girl won, attain- ing 618 out of a possible 700 marks. Next Come the Women. If good women had their way about it all men would be redeemed. Government not only has superior schools for girls, but places a special value upon the work of trained lady teachers. The missions all over the land know the value of educated Christian womanhood, wheth- er as active missionaries, or teachers in the schools, or mothers in the homes. In India a woman is ac- corded the same right to vote as a man. The wom- en of India, when given the same opportunities and the same ethical standards as women of other lands, will not be lacking. Examples are not wanting now : Pandita Ramabai, Lilivati Singh, Mrs. Sorabji and her daughters, Sundrabai Power, and many others. SURVEY OF INDIA 91 The Progress of Education. In 15,000 missionary institutions the half million youths who get their education undergo a constant transformation in thought. This is equal to a fourth of the educa- tional effort of the government of India. It has been a long-disputed question whether missionary money is wisely expended in educating those who are not Christian, and who perhaps in most cases never will be. Those who think that missionary work should be confined to preaching, of course oppose all such educational effort, while those who have a larger view of mission work, and whose vision of the fu- ture is taken into account, favor it. The table will show the number of Protestant institutions at the present time. Many of the students are not Chris- tians ; indeed, of those attending the colleges only 320 out of the whole number (5,549) are Christians. Class Number Boys Girls Elementary Schools, 13,184 299,000 147,600 Industrial Schools, 160 5,750 3,370 Boarding Schools, 880 22,190 17,570 High Schools, 283 62,600 8,400 Training Schools, 127 1,900 1,170 Theological Schools 87 1,840 11 University Colleges, 38 5,488 61 Temperance Work. A liquor made from the mowra flower is the common drink of intemperate people, and there are a good many who are intem- perate. Temperance work is carried on as workers have the zeal to stick. Such work is best done by classes. Men fear to stand alone. They are willing enough to pledge themselves to quit, but fear if their fellow-caste men do not do so, they will be 92 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH drawn into the drink again by them. And the fear is well grounded. Get a whole caste to take the pledge, and all will be able to keep the pledge. I had been preaching temperance to the people, when one man told me that if I should call the people together, and show them the evils of the drink, and get all to quit, it would be better. He said they would come if I called them, and I issued a call. On the day appointed, sixty-nine men from ten villages came. We had an all-afternoon meeting, and every man signed the pledge before he went away. That was the beginning of a wave of tem- perance that swept over a whole group of villages. Several months later I was invited to a higher caste temperance meeting to make an address. I went and made my speech. They decided to quit the drink, and proceeded to impose heavy fines on those who had broken the pledge, for they had gone dry before. I approached the collector of the district on the subject, and he appointed a committee of five, myself one of the five, to make inquiry as to the number of drinking places needed in the county. The committee could not agree, and sent in a varied report, with the result that six out of twenty-one places were closed. At least three of these six were villages where Christians lived, and they begged to be saved from the temptation. I count it good missionary work that removes the cause of temptation. Bible Society Work. The Bible colporter is all over India, and the printed page often enters where the preacher cannot. Parent of Bible societies is the British and Foreign, whose work dates from Bulsar Church, India, and the Bible Students. Bulsar Bungalow, India. Bulsar Bible School, India. SURVEY OF INDIA 93 1804. Their work is handmaid to the mission work. Often the Bible agent is placed under the mission- ary for supervision and report. The Scriptures, in whole or in part, are now printed in eighty of the Indian languages and dialects. In every great lan- guage the Bible is issued; in others the New Testa- ment, and in others of still less importance Gospels or other portions. Since the Bible Society began work in India seventeen and a half million copies of the Scriptures have been issued in the India lan- guages, and recently, in one year alone, over one million copies have been sold in India, Burma and Ceylon. The India Census, Taking the census of the whole of India, in one night in March, every ten years, is the triumphant result of complete organi- zation. Missionaries frequently volunteer to help. I helped, and I can vouchsafe the correctness of the count. The whole total of population March 11, 1911, in round numbers, was 315 millions. The Christian population is divided into 200,000 Euro- peans, 101,000 Anglo-Indians, and 3,574,000 Indian Christians, the total Christian population being 3,- 876,000. Counted by Religions. In the last ten years the Parsees increased to 100,000, a gain of six per cent. This may be counted as the result of a healthy birthrate, as the Parsees neither make converts nor lose any, relatively speaking. The increase of the whole population of India was seven per cent. With this we may compare the ten-year increase of other religions: Hindoos now number 217^ millions, an increase of 5 per cent ; Mahomedans now number 94 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH 663/2 millions, an increase of 7 per cent ; Buddhists now number 10^ millions, an increase of 13 per cent; Animistics now number 10^ millions, an in- crease of 20 per cent ; Christians now number 3^ millions, an increase of 33 per cent. Growth of Native Church. From the above it is clear that the church is a growing institution in India. The working force is as follows : Ordained Unordained Nationality Men Men Women Total Foreign 1,443 634 3,124 5,100 Indian, 1,665 26,655 10,138 39,000 The unordained foreign workers are small in number as compared to the unordained Indian workers. But any one with a bit of a vision of the future can see that in time many of these will be ordained, and the relative proportion of foreign leadership grow less and less. This is the plan. To show this proportion, as it grows, I give another little table: Year Ordained Indians Ordained Foreigners 1851, 21 339 1881, 495 658 1911 1,665 1,443 Not only does the church grow in numbers, but it is growing in the grace of giving. It would be a serious mistake on the part of missionaries to raise up a church over there, and not teach them to give " as the Lord has prospered them." What a blunder it would be to tell them they are poor, that they had better hold onto all they can get, that a man's first duty is to care for his own ! As if humanity SURVEY OF INDIA 95 all the world around were not already overanxious to care only for themselves! To show what some of the older and larger missions are doing, I select from a list of 136 missionary societies, as given in the " Year Book of Missions in India, 1912," from which most of the figures of this chapter have been gathered : Missionary Society. bD ^_, to o ■*-* -w o c o ■zt 1-< c 0.S bo 0) 0) P* 0; CO o »53 C 3 s to be c c 5'^ t5« 2d3 ^m S o 1-t mo w U wO 1813 54 44,305 52.832 $ 71,400 1S13 113 22,071 14,824 15,000 1814 812 48,724 135,000 112,875 18141 28|' 32,562| 40,0001 25,000- 1817 30 22,000 13,748 16,125 1855 33 7,320 27,357 16,000 1856 29 156,560 127,070 104,000 Cliurch Missionary Society, . American Board of Commis- sioners American Baptist Mission, . . Society — • Propagation — Gos- pel London Missionary Society, United Presbyterian Metliodlst Episcopal The average offerings of the Christians repre- sented in these 136 Protestant Missionary Societies is just a little above one dollar for the year 1911. How Famine Comes. The masses are miserably poor. From the poor people the bulk of Christians are gathered, though not all. These people enter- ing into the church, having been accustomed to give for their non-Christian religions, ought to transfer their affections and their gifts. There are people at home surrounded with plenty, who do not give as much to the glory of God. May God be merciful to them, and — and — but, how does a famine come? The density of the population, together with the ex- ceeding poverty of the people, may be the cause why so many live from hand to mouth. A farmer 96 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH has a little farm. He employs usually two or three helpers. These depend on him. He pays them what we call starvation wages. But he lends them money, and helps them along in times of special need. They are in debt to him. They can pay off a debt very slowly on such wages, and do well to keep it from increasing. Often the farmer is cun- ning, and adds up a phenomenal interest. The time for the rains has come, but the rains hold off. From day to day the price of all foodstuffs creeps slowly up. The employer tells his men that no one knows what the times mean, that he will have to look out for himself and family, and that he can neither lend money nor give work. That man begins to feel the pinch of the coming famine inside of a week. If the rains then come, everything is at once normal again, but if not, then oft is the cry repeated, " God be merciful! " When the Pressure Comes. Some time ago a mistaken notion got out concerning the desire of the government in regard to the Christian people living in a native state. The under-police had been instructed to find out the number of converts. They understood the state wished to be rid of them, and when they made calls in the villages, for in- quiry, they suited their actions to their understand- ing. In one village they lined them up — twelve men guilty of having become Christians. After threatening and persuading and using every possible means known to a man of his standing, the under- police succeded in disheartening nine of the twelve. But three would not yield. " Do you dis- regard government? Do you mean to say you are SURVEY OF INDIA 97 better than your fathers? You are fools for chang- ing your religion. I will give you till morning to make the final decision." So saying he dismissed them all. In the morning he had them all before him again. The three remained firm. They said very meekly that if they were fools for changing once, they would be fools to change again, and so, begging pardon, they would remain Christians. The police looked perplexed for a moment, then said, " You three men have got some religion. Those nine idiots yonder never had any," and dismissed the crowd. The Forest Tribe of Bhils. In our India work, at the north end of it, we are making special effort to reach the Bhils, and they are responding to our efforts. These people have long been called a thief class, and subordinate officers gave them full credit of a bad name. Some of them are crooked, indeed, while others are as good as their better- class neighbors. Among these we have found will- ing hearers of the Word, and they bid fair not to come short of our hopes for them. A couple of years ago I went to a village, near where I live, where some were said to be desirous of becoming Chris- tians. We talked and sang and read and prayed together. I came again. A teacher was placed among them, and in due time a day was set for their baptism. The day came, but the men did not appear. Noon passed, evening came, there was no news from the men. We had gone to bed, when we heard a sound of singing way down the road, sing- ing of a Christian hymn, and we were glad, for so often a song in the night has been a drunken, smut- 98 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH ty song as the singers went reeling by. These came in, and were our appHcants for baptism. They said they were hindered, that their employers, on learn- ing that they were to become Christian that day, put them to specially hard work, and kept them at it all day, and late in the night had told them to go home and eat and go to bed. But they came to seek baptism, asking if they could be received thus late in the night. Brethren were soon aroused, a meeting held, and the men, after further instruction and prayer, were buried with Christ in baptism. The number was about six, and they went on their way rejoicing. When I laid my head on the pillow again the clock struck twelve. A Door Wide Open to Us. In the field of our work in India we have every opportunity to make good. We need faith, and tact, and strength, and a dogged determination to stick to it. The work is before us. It can be done. The field is about the same size as our Brethren occupy, or are supposed to occupy, in China. There are about a million souls. About a hundred thousand of these have something of an education. Some of them are splen- did friends, with a good education. But the other ninety per cent! They are a constant challenge to our beneficence, to our great-heartedness, to our willingness to follow our Master. Our force of thirty missionaries ought to become fifty within five years. Our fifty-three mission schools with 950 children ought to run up to 500 schools with 10,000 children. And what would these be among so many? There arc 3,000 towns and villages, of which Ankleshwer, Bulsar, Chickli, Dharampor, Nandod, SURVEY OF INDIA 99 Naosari are the largest. We must help them to build churches. We must train teachers. Among these the future preachers will be found. The Bi- ble School is now in session at Bulsar. Judging by past experience, the buildings will be too small be- fore very long. We now publish a paper. We need a press. Physicians are under appointment for In- dia. We need a hospital and dispensaries. Great opportunities are before us, and we are wise if we act before it is too late. A Different Question. In the south part of our field are a people, thousands of whom, some twenty- five years ago, were Christians. They had become Roman Catholics, but the priestcraft was too much for them. The whole company withdrew and de- cided to call themselves New Hindoos. They would not remain Catholic. They could not well become Hindoo again. What should they do? Here are sheep without a shepherd. These ought to be won. Congenial Neighbors. Not every one favors the missionary, of course, but many friends are available in India. Not long ago in one of our stations there was a quarrel between two Christians. When a settlement was attempted, one became submissive, the other defiant. The other one went to the Ma- homedan priest and asked to be made a Mahom- edan. To us he said he would show what he could do. This would be his revenge. It was painful to contemplate. But the Mahomedan priest after a week turned him out, saying he Avas Christian and not Mahomedan. And Avhen the priest met us, he said he had learned upon inquiry the nature of the case, and they did not want any of our rififrafif, as 100 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH they had enough of their own. Another time a Mahomedan neighbor offered to help build a church, when we would build in his town. Standing by the Book. On one occasion I met a Mahomedan walking towards town in the evening as I was going the other way. I asked where he was going. Noticing the apparent embarrassment in his answer, that he was taking his family to see the show, I asked him if his book sanctioned going to shows. He smiled as he admitted : " No, sahib, our book says we ought not to go to such places, just like your Book. But the difference is here : you obey the teachings of your Book, and we disregard ours. That's the difference." Before the Cock Crows. A high-caste brother was put out of the caste as soon as he was baptized. He expected that. In about a year I went with him to the home of Pandita Ramabai, and there he found a good Christian wife. They are not young any more, but every morning, before day, that man gets up and, with lantern and hymn-book and Testa- ment and a piece of matting, goes to the houses of his neighbors, spreads out his carpet on the ground, sits down and sings a hymn or reads a text, and then for five or six minutes gives the explanation loud enough for all within to hear. He says that when the people awake it is good that their first thought be of the Master, and his love to us. Faith and Works. In the year 1911 to our church of 900 members 300 were added. Last year were added 315 more. At the conference some thirty of the Indian Brethren promised to give a tenth of their income, however scanty, to the work of the SURVEY OF INDIA 101 Lord. And they did it gladly. The conference col- lection went up to over 900 rupees. Last year it was more than 1,000 rupees. A rupee means three to four days' wages. The Ankleshwer church sup- ports one of her number in the field. The District Conference Mission Board has now in its employ five or six workers in the field beyond the border line. An English gentleman, visiting us several years ago, a civil engineer, began giving $5 a month toward the work, and has kept it up ever since. We Believe in Our Work. We certainly do be- lieve in our work. We think we are doing just what God would have us do. And we are happy in the work. Sometimes there are discouraging features, but this is no new experience to humanity. We be- lieve the great first work of the church is to get the Gospel into all lands. We believe that a non- missionary congregation is out of order, and if any out-of-order congregation needs to be visited by a committee, the nonmissionary church needs that visit. Such a committee should not proceed to try cases, but to show them something better. A holy and sane missionary enthusiasm — this is something better. The day is near at hand, I think, when the largest congregations of the Brethren will not be found in America, but on the Mission Field. What an opportunity he misses who takes no part or lot in this matter! Brother, are you of the sort that fails to see an opportunity? I'm sorry for you. 102 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH QUESTIONS 1. What does British rule mean in India? 2. What is meant by the awakening spirit? 3. What is the position of women in India? 4. How general is education in India? 5. Is it in harmony with the highest Christ-life to re- move every possible temptation from others who might yield? 6. Is success computed in largeness of numbers or the rate of increase? 7. What is the mission plan for the Indian Christian worker? 8. Tell what you can about the Bhil people. 9. What evidence have we that the Indian Christians are in earnest? 10. Ought a man with a good income give less than $5 a month as his share in the great first work of the church? If he say he loves the Lord and his church, and gives nothing, can it be said of him that he shows his faith by his works? 11. What part have you and your congregation in the work now being carried on in India? In your own heart, don't you wish it were more? SUGGESTED BOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING India Awakening," by Sherwood Eddy. Missionary Ed- ucation Movement, 50c. Year-Book of Missions in India," 1912. Christian Lit- erature Society, $1.25. India a Problem," by W. B. Stover. Brethren Pub. House, $1. The Christian Conquest of India," by Thoburn. Mis- sionary Education Move, 50c. The Awakening of India," Ramsay Macdonald, M. P. Hodder & Stoughton, Is. The Kingdom of India," by Chamberlain, $1.50. CHAPTER VIII Other Opportune Fields I. South America. We are Americans. South America comes closer home to us in some ways than other fields afar. The whole continent is Ro- man Catholic. Not in the best sense is it so, but in the poorest sense. Vital religion is scarce among the people. The one person whom the people do not trust is the priest. A good brother writing me from Argentina says: " In public they are often shunned. A great majority of the traveling public refuse to eat at a table or share a seat in a car with the men of the ' black robe.' " The Church of Rome has had ample opportunity, and the demonstration is clear. Argentine Republic, away to the south, has a cli- mate like our own, and is pushing right to the front in energy and thrift. Many Europeans have gone there, and for commerce it outranks Japan. These are crisis days for the republic. A new nation is shaping up. Argentina is about half the size of the United States. Its population is not much larger than that of Illinois, and 50 per cent of its people are illiterate. Buenos Aires is the chief city, about the size of Philadelphia. It is the largest city in South America. It has forty Catholic churches, and ten Protestant churches, while Philadelphia has ninety Catholic and 690 Protestant churches. There 103 104 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH is need for mission work in Philadelphia. How much greater need in Buenos Aires, and the whole of the republic ! Brazil follows after Argentina in its business push, and is larger than all Europe. It furnishes about four-fifths of the world's supply of coffee, and has its own characteristics, making it distinct from other South American republics. Mission work in Brazil is frightfully inadequate. Algot Lange, " who has spent months in exploring the Amazon basin, says there are 373 tribes practically untouched by mission effort, and speaking a variety of dif- ferent languages. Eighty-five per cent of the pop- ulation is illiterate, as compared to our most illiter- ate State, Louisiana, where is 38 per cent illiteracy. Brazil has 2 per cent of her children in school. Japan has 12 per cent in school. Brazil is the only South American state that has any declaration of religious freedom in its constitution. Chile is ranked third in aggressive enterprise, by Robert Speer. In Chile the priests are a better class of people than elsewhere. The people as a whole are greatly given to drink, which is their be- setting sin. These three republics are the most important countries of South America. The great need for mission work on the part of evangelical Christians is seen everywhere. Large numbers of Englishmen, Germans, and Italians emigrate to South America, and these want something better than what they find there. More than that, it will be much wiser for us to labor for the uplift of 50,- 000,000 people now than to wait till they are 150,- OTHER OPPORTUNE FIELDS 105 000,000 and then have our children undertake the task but harder grown. II. Russia. As South America is a great field made needy by the inefficiency of the Roman Church, so Russia is a great field made needy by the inefficiency of the Greek Church. The Russian people are religiously inclined. The excessive de- mands made by the Greek Church serve only to in- crease the number of those who determine to find something better. Many sects spring up. These dissenters are honest folk, sheep without a shep- herd. The " Pilgrims " forsook their homes, the " non-prayers " denied all outward prayer, the " si- lent " refused to speak even under torture, the " Khlisties " mortified their flesh, the " Molokani " refuse to eat pork, the " Doukhobors "* are nonre- sistant to the extreme, the " Stundists " mistook a peasant for the Messiah, the " Gospel Christians " appeal to the Word alone. Tolstoi and Ilminsky have their followers. Two men felt they were called to preach. They beard of each other and made in- quiry. The one asked the other if he had really had a vision, and received an affirmative reply, where- upon he said, " In that case I will follow your teaching." This so impressed the other that he said, " You have proven to me that you have been with the Christ ; therefore I shall follow your leadership." Religious liberty is granted, but not as in a Prot- estant country. A Protestant is not allowed to hold public preaching, except by special permission. To all appearances the door for mission work is decidedly closed, but it will open some day, when it will be good to be there. Pastor Fetler and others 106 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH of the Baptist Church are doing splendid work now. As in South America, so in Russia, very much more quickly than in heathen countries praiseworthy mis- sion work will become self-supporting. Professor Ilminsky. Writing to the Moslem World for January, 1911, Mrs. Bobrovnikofif says: " In the eighteenth century the Russian Govern- ment began again to baptize the aboriginal heathen tribes, but as there were no missionaries able to work amongst them with spiritual weapons, the Russian Government offered as rewards for baptism different spiritual benefits ; for instance, those who accepted baptism were liberated from paying rents and taxes, were released from punishments, etc. The result was that the greater part of the heathen population accepted baptism, but they became Christian in name only, and very soon began to fall away into Islam." This reference is to conditions in Eastern Russia. There was an increasing ten- dency among the simple tribes to become Moslem, until in the latter half of the nineteenth century Prof. Ilminsky began the fight with spiritual weap- ons. He translated sacred books into the language of the common people, and opened schools for the children of those who had been made Christians. The boys in his schools became teachers, some be- came priests, and practically all caught a new idea of life. In all villages where the " System of Il- minsky " had been introduced, there was not only no more inclination to Mahomedanism, but a real experience of Christian life manifest among the peo- ple. Russia is greater in size than the rest of Eu- rope. It is a diversified group of nationalities, and OTHER OPPORTUNE FIELDS 107 not one people. The Greek Church numbers eighty- seven miUions, Old Believers two millions, Roman Catholics eleven and one-half millions (principally in Poland), Lutherans three and one-half millions (principally in the Baltic Provinces), Armenians one million. Reformed eighty-five thousand, Men- nonites sixty-six thousand. Baptists thirty-eight thousand, Church of England four thousand, Jews five millions, and the Mahomedans upwards of fourteen millions. If this is not a great mission field, then I cannot discern what it takes to constitute a great mission field. Closed doors and great hindrances are often the most significant indications inviting great faith to lay hold and enter into a great work. III. Africa. We may consider the continent of Africa in three divisions: the Christian in the south, the Mahomedan in the north, and the heathen in the center. In South Africa are Christian people and Christian government. Christian churches and Christian schools, and the Christian Lord's Day ever manifest, so that one feels not far removed from the homeland. There is the utmost freedom of conscience. Hindoo and Mahomedan traders are there, as well as heathen, from the center of Africa in large numbers. Every one is free to prop- agate his religion, if he cares to do so. In North Africa it is different. Here the influence is strong for Mahomed. Christians mingle freely with non- Christians, but the tension in religious matters is always tightly drawn. Christian preachers have a healthy fear of preaching on the streets. The Copts exist, but have not the same rights with Mahomed- 108 MISSIONS AND THE CHURCH ans. Missionaries are pressing the claims of the Truth, and, with the Nile Mission Press at Cairo, are doing a great deal more than gets reported. In Central Africa the heathen tribes live. To gain -these the Mahomedan and the Christian are both laboring. The missionaries of Christ's Gospel real- ize the great need of giving them the Light novi^. There is much to hinder. The emissaries of Ma- homed have much in their favor. The climate, the natural lust, the appeal to force, and the general indifiference, are not hindrances to the Moslem prop- aganda. Vast numbers have become Mahomedan already. Others will do so. They cannot but yield to the inevitable, if the emissary of Mahomed gets onto the field before the missionary of Christ. It is a race between the crescent and the cross. Which shall it be, Mahomed or Christ? It is the battle of Gettysburg being fought over again to determine whether a nation of blacks shall have the freedom of Christ or the slavery of Mahomed as their por- tion forever. The Valley of Death is there. The Devil's Den is there. But it is not a three days' fight to the victory. It will continue for many years. It cannot be described by any figure of speech, for it is a real conflict, one of standards, one of morals. Mahomedanism is slavery. A hundred years ago Livingstone was born. When such a man has set the pace, can our age do less than follow? Hail spirit blessed of David Livingstone, Our good men all rejoice because of thee, As Africa that prosperous is to be Awakens now. 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