Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-01-31
The Acts of the Apostles.

newspaper 20 sustain the tenets or the pros
elytism of any sect. But the annuIl re-
ports Of the various Missionary Associa-
lJons may incline even a secular editor to
E moments consideration Of the worldly
value Of missions, outside their peculiar
claim &c otber-eordliness.
Il IS plain, we think, that tue missionary
spirit in the Protestant Church IS the only
element which answers to the ardor of the
Church of Rome. Long ago, Dr.. Newman
declared that q In the present day misti-
ness is the mother Of wisdom. The hope
Of Z Church is said 70 be be who can
guide 1t through the channel Of uo-mean
ing, between the Scylia and Charybdls of
Ay and No" And Robertson, who was
certainly as orthodox as he was sweet.
found popular Christianity 20 be e st once
devotional, slanoerous, t.nId, gossipjng,
narrow, shrieking. and pTudish.' But the
solitary men and women who, U;th oour-
age above that Of armies, penetrate for
eign and hostile lands. there to live CT to
die fer 81 idea. recall the apostolic days
and the dauDtless faith Of the primitive
Cariztiens Their work Is either Qlizotic
or inspired, IS one locks At Il. But their
attempt is sublime.
They plant ehe oUtposJs CT civilization
Doctrines send them where dollars could
net, and co nmerce and the arts follow in
the track they have cleared, Tney carry
With them that vast engine Of progress
the English laogU tge. Il Asia anl AZ
rioa, s.ono, they have reduced TO written
characters nineteen barbsroUs tongues
which must gJcs place 20 + ElglsI speech.
Ihey have built scho0l-houses. They have
taught habits Of dscency, orier. soberity.
We observe, With some surprise, that
the gooi fathers II Israel speak depreett-
ingy Of educational aui o.yIIizing ag5n-
,ies. and exl0r, the missionaries TO remem-
Der nothing save Christ and Htm cru H6e /.
Scho,ls, fsrms. AMI saw-mills are well
enough, but church 5ership Is prere-
qQslte, they believe. In their order, b4p-
,ism pTeoe les civilization. But slI history
shows that neither men nor natjons can
long hold 70 & faith which is higher than
their Intelligence. Taey will observe rites
and ceremonies, they vii! repeat formulas,
they will otf:r iip-ssrvice. b It Their
hearts are where civilization hoIs them
IEe Christianity OF the year 1900 had n
claim e the name Of its Founder. With
fourteen centuries IN HliUh to rIpen, jt had
rotted because Of the ignorant supersti-
ri0us of men. Mr 0oflt found. among the
B BeChusnas. that an eazern5ss 20 under
stand the mysteries Of the white n ans
,iress-mlking caiiorin5 cooking in p2i-,
Precelel any eagerness 70 divine the mys-
teries Ct tbe white Il tn's religion. H5 o
served, also, that hey discovered candle
making 70 be q beRi,ohins employment
aud that after they had run numberle =
can lies it occurred 70 them that books 20
read by cande-light So capacity % spell
cut 2be books would be ex3eilent scQQisl-
tiols. 0a which revelation 1tay acted.
Iae explanation Of the prosperity Of the
South African miss on at Gsnadentbal is
not far to seek. There the missionaries
have established g grist-ulili, . smitby, Z
irug store, & printing off &C whence issue
TWO monthly periodicals, and in the tidy
oh1pe. Z Hotcertot plays the organ on sun
days. It is, however, the negro cousins
IF these converts, across the straits in
" .ds2asoar. who have fought tbei- coed
E-he and finished rha fsilh Holding al
ready c r1le sCd rGrtjal civilization. these
Nsdasessy gave ready welcome 20 the new
doctrines and new industries of the Mis-
si0naTieS, the king himself laying the cor
Der stone Of the first scICCi- house FlFe
yeaTs Of royal protection developed thou
sands OF nominal Christians, overGowing
schools. trained carpenters, 8eaVers. arti-
sans Of ail trades The king dying. there
followed tSeGty-sevon years OF such per
~scuti9G rs Rome decreed in the fret centu-
ry. TIE victims were tortured, manned,
flung from precipices. tossed 20 Wild beasts.
chained TO the dead, loaded with fetters
and thrust into c2verns 70 starye, boiled IN
oil, 5sWn asunder, burned alive And they
neither finohed nor Teoanted. Yet these
later Lstimers aud Bjd.eys owned the
black skins. the fateered features. the
thick lips. and curly hair which oonsoryal-
ism Prouounces incapable Of civilization.
Their ancestors Were sold IN our elsve mar.
keta Their kindred fought under our f 4g.
And the most enlightened nation Of Christ
endom debated for years the fitness Of such
blood fOg freedom and the franchise,
Bit IL the missionaries had not hasten
ed civilization, aud If the converts had all
b2cksIiddsn. We should still hold tie value
OF missions q be incaieul2bIe Fer unset
fShIess keeps the world sweet Gran
leur OF character says Emerson, " acts
IN the dark. and succors those who never
saw il. Were new ActG Soqcforlso,
= be written there would be set within it
the name Of John Eliot, who gave seven
teen years 70 making so Indian Bible. 1t
would tell the story Of sad David Bra ne "a
wearing out his fsbIa life among the saw
ages, alone, sick, in peril. torn with NOR
hId doubts, but ezalting with his latest
breath the Christ in whom ne believed.
Il would add that Of Hius Egede, who
gave ID father and mother and people aud
home, 20 spend his days in deSolate Green
land, bese5ching the dull natives TO be
saved from their sins. It would name the
sweet Moravians. wao following the hero
10 Swele worked and prayed in willing
Punishment through one huudred and fifty
years 70 plant four missions on those 10y
shores. 1t would honor Allen Gardiner.
and Martyr, anl Vinton, and the learned
Vanderkemp. 1t would Hume its pages
with the name Of Adoniram Judsor, Of
whom Theodore Parker said, with vet
eyes, thai all the treasures spent on mis-
sions was not too much for one such life.
L. would enshrine the Kusters an / Father
Taylor, who eIected 10 serve in the leper
hospital on R)bben Island, and there lived
amid such horrors IS our smallpox lazar-
ettos do not know, nursing. comforting
praying on three days of the week hold
ing school for lepers and the chronic sick and
blini; on two days soothing, helping and
reading to the luuatios.
Humanity might better lose the whole
history Of Napoleon than the story Of such
deeds. not wrought il the heroic heat of a