The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-02-23
WASHINGTON; D. c.
REVIEWS.

WV
30 Boston Phillips, Sampson & Co. Sold by
TAYLOR s Maury, Washington
This important contribution to the history of
,,issions has long been expected, and the per-
f,rmanee has justified the delay. DIR. Jud-
aoD's life is the story of the commencement
oe ,o;s.iors by the churches of America in for
o;on lands 1t was the day-dawn OF the wide
snread plans of Christian benefieence, which
are the glory of our LAND, EXPIRE sed not only in
p;Ie Societies. Home Mission Societies, and
Foreign Missions, but in every other society
which has for its aim and end peace on earth
and good will to man
The incentive to this great work, in the mind
If Dr. Judson and his associates, arose from
reading tbs Star Ia the Esst," by the Rev
Claudus Buchanan, whose conversion was one
Of tbs fruits of the pastoral labors of the Rev.
John Newton, himself singular expression of
Gods goodness and long-suffering compassion.
The lcayen hid in the heart of Judson soon be-
Gan to heave and expand. He sought the aid
Of the churches in and around Boston, but they
were timd-they could not understand how it
could be that they should trust a young man
whose wishes were clothed in language of
Spartan simplicity Give US the means to go,
and at the end of some twenty years you may
hear of Us again" And, With reluctance,
the Board of Missions, then recently created,
gave De- Jud5on a letter to the well-known
Rev. George Burder, Of London, proposing to
resign Dr. Judson and his friends to the pat
ronage and direction of the London Society.
This letter Is dated January 3, 1911.
The English Missionary Society declined
any Joint mission with the American Board /;
and the Prudential Committee decided to rec
ommend to Dr. Judson and his friend, Samuel
Mott, Jr, not to place themselves under the
direction Of the London Missionary Society, but
to wait tho further intimstions of Providence
at home. These were soon manifested in the
wishes of the churches that they should be
sent forth at their cost and charge. And DR..
Judson sailed, with his friend Newell, on the
18th February, 1912, from Salem. Mott Hall,
and Rice sailed from Philadelphia on the same
day This, then, is the era of foreign missions
Of the American churches.
They were all great men, and the last was
Dr Judson, who is destined to be known as the
apostle TO the BurmGn Empire. I
The history of that mission is romance,
written in part by the beautiful and gifted
woman who linked her fortunes with his in
1911 and whose love and devotion is unsur-
passed by any heroine delineated in the pages
Of fiction.
DR. Judson was remarkable man. He en-
tered the Empire of Burmah alone, and unsus-
tanned by any earthly protection. He had to
begin at the beginning of his work-the Ian
guage was without grammar or a lexicon.
The famous old John Leland, of Berkshire, used
to say, There are many men little enough to
be great-there are few men great enough to
be little DR.. Judson's labors as a preacher
began 80 soon as he could speak the language,
and it was long before he had any encourage
-ment Do you think the prospect bright for
the speedy conversion of the heather !" was a
question put to him by pious man to which
he replied, promptly, AS bright a. the prom
ises Of God" Hi, faith was always calm, clear,
and enduring-his will was indomitable; no
disease, no danger, no difficulties or trials,
changed for a moment his fixed plars.
Having made himself perfectly familiar with
the Burman language, he seemed to prefer it
to his native tongue He was aware that this
knowledge imposed upon him the duty Of de-
voting a considerable portion of his time to the
work Of translation yet he considered his ap-
pTopriate business az missionary to be the
preaching of the Gospel. He believed that
Christianity was to be promulgated by the con-
tact of individual m nd with individual mind.
Tie did not devise any set of measures to ope-
rate, as it is said, on the public mind, and
change the views of the masses He had little
confidence in schools as means Of the CONVEX
sion Of men. 1t was sufficient for him to know
Christ and his Apostles had made it their
great work to proclaim to men everywhere the
news of salvation, and he resolutely followed
thei, example
There Is something deeply interesting in
facts like these ln these volumes we see one
oil the most learned and able men in India
That nursery of great men-a man of refined
manners aud cultivated tastes, surrounded by
a company Of native Christians who had vet
only begun to putOf their habits of barbarism,
penetrating the recesses of the forest and thread
ing every accessible rivulet, for the sake of
preaching to almost naked savsges the Go,pel
oi our salvation Wherever he could find list
enerS, were they many or few, there he stopped
To discourse on the message of redeeming love-
whether from his boat or on the shore, wheth-
er by day or by night, he was always ready to
reveal to these wandering barbarians the love
oil bod, IN sending his Son for our redemption
in this work he was remarkably successful
Rarely did he 90 into the jungle, without on
his return, bringing his sheaves with himn
And when, at length, he felt constrained, by
order of the Board of Missions, to devote him
self to the work of translation, it cost him a
pang; and the paper which recorded his reso-
luton to forsake the Jungle and devote himself
toa life of greater self-indulgence, was believed
with his tears.
1t may interest the readers of this notice to
BE- told that the present results of the Burman
mission, from Its commencement to 1928,
show IS mission stations, ll2 sub-stations, "a
missionaries, 205 native missionaries, 1872
churches, and 1882 members baptized on the
Profession of their faith and relations of
Christian experience" They have 50 schools,
and 1908 pupils
DR.: Judson possessed remarkable facility
Tor calling into actual service all the gfts of
native Christians. He saw that q nal.on can
never be evangelical, except by means of its
own population Foreigners can never supply