The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-10-14
TIE MISSION FIELD OF
THE SOUTH.
Rex. Dr.. Hoge'S Address before the
Evangelical Alliance.
,,tY OBSTACLES AND FACtL7TgES
TO THE PROGRESS OF THE
Gospel.
civilization in New England and
the South C0ntraStcd.
. Iv.GFRI.Y INTERESTING PAPER.

81. ~i"., fTit.iv'S session Of the t-NaAIch-
,umrrr. in New York. Rev. DR.. ll"@c.
H.a..oui. read. by special appointment.
n.r,.n t,.r Mission Field Of the south.
,,..,s,.s, v..- listened IT," according 10 the
n,,.,r... wi:A Great interest.
From. ~, full aud excellent report pub
,..! l, tn. Iribm,e, and which Is too long
..v.,.t.rt,.irjou in our columns. We ctilI some
-,.. interesting passages. No anIcr or
-. defence o! ;hc Christian civilization
Iii, ~pil:h has ever come under our notice
In Introducing h> subject, Dr.. llosc said {:
..In at.rtn,Iln& 10 portray The Mission
i-i.Id nr the South l can only do rs the
,..r,,,.r who j. compelled TO make a hurried
.r.+,h oIl wide landscape he can only pre-
sent :, III outline. with few touches which
.-,,lrr suggest il salient points than depict
.t.n There i no time for filling in, or for
r.iautr drliuca.ion. he cannot produce a
,omplctcd picture. he must content himself
win a cartoon" He continued IL loioW> !:
ruys,cN. CHARACTERISTICS OF 1.-THE SOUTH
sneakers and writers vary in their enume-
r,,inu Of the States which constitute what
w. talniliarlr call The SOUTH | shall
.,i.rt Commodore Maurv's classification,
,,hi'h includes Virginia. North Carolina,
>,ur}, Carolina. Georgia. Florida. Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and
r,nn,,,c,. with the Indian Territory and
\rw Mexico. which are clasSed with the
>,u,lrru states because they lie east OF the
rorky Mountains, south of thirty-SiX de-
,,r,r, thirty minutes north latitude, and arc
drained bv the rivers which empty into the
Grr ot Mexico Some of the States just
enumerated are the largest in the Union
ouc Of them, Texas. being equal in extent to
m the New England States together, and
~ the middle States besides, and perhaps
,Drtion of one Of the western states III addl-
i0n.
The eleven southern States together oc-
,.rJty an area nearly equal 10 that OF Austria,
Prussia, France, and Italy, with their com
ir., rapuIltion of more than l40, 100000.
>urG i the extent Of the missionary field OF
which am 10 speak. But there Is no moral
interest attached to mere territorial lnagnl-
ra,i,. The l,uysical character OF this great
,Iua.aiu. however. has Il most Important coii-
ua.., ,un With what does give II peculiar IN
:,.r,,t in the regards OF the ptiauthroplSt
and Christian. Tor il natural advantages are
>lcA = must ultimately give it Il population
,.,.riu"l> Ur;t'c with lts vast extent. one M
,ar "vuGrrlu! features OF the Atlantic Sluc
81 thc North American Continent Is
caal the great basin OF the It. Law
,.r.. !, lii. only ore which runs
,ror! west To cast while 1T right angles to It
!. TIN. Greater BASIN OF the Mississippi, (which,
win ali lh. other principal rivers Of the
Iniln. Now more or less directly from north
.nuth. widening and deepening rs they
,Hu. fhI> allurding increased facilities Tor
NAVIGATION IL they approach the ocean or the
,t.1f al Mexico, through whose waters,
ENiu. our southern coast, III IeW years
I4,gr almost AL the commerce OF the world
I'LL ni-> Bat the commercial interests oil
;l- country demand artificial lines OF canal
and railway transverse to the natural lines OF
valleys and rivers One Of these great ave-
ll,.> ol trade from the interior to the coast
VA, traced by the foresight of Washington
mUlc than Il century ago, when, observing
how the confluence OF The Missouri and ONO
river, with the Mississippi was midway be-
tween the northern lakes and the GUT OF
Mexico. and that the capes Of the Chesapeake
hay were midway between Florida and
Maine, he projected the grand scheme of
connecting The james river with the Kama
wla, and thus establishing communication
hv water between the Mississippi with its
..>t tributaries in the west with the Atlantic
ocean Oh the east. The construction of this
4rru liafion:l work i now one OF the most
Interesting oi all the enterprises which oc-
cUp. puDiic attention, and its completion
VIII mark new era in the commercial pros
prrity Of the whole country.
sue! a connection between the West and
i.>i bv water communication viii be fol-
lowed. ur perhaps preceded, by another ana
Greater Ly rail: for the natural laws at
climate, distance. and production WI COIN
!a.i The constitution Of another Atlantic and
Pacific railroad south of the 36,h parallel
oi l;,liludr-our Which will not require j
suow-plou@h driven by locomotives TO open
track through formidable drilts-the short
-. the cheapest, and least obstructcd by
frost, aud storms. constituting another Cl
those great continental highways OF con-
lcrcc not only for North America, but for
Europe and Asia, such III Macaulay tells Us
j. always like ii belt Of gold across any coun-
Try over which it passes.
The southern States, stretching down
,.Ium the Potomac and Ohio rivers. early
chilled by alItululial 1rostS, to the Flo.
fda Islands. within one degree of the
lprrid zone, iron the days OF their colonial
history have been the producers OF the great
staples whose Importance to the commerce
Of tn. world rendered them especially inral
liable to this country, because the timecame,
and WAS not long ego, when they furnished
tbrce,(Jurths Of its e.utire domestic exports.
ii is true the system of labor which pro-
,luccd these results has been changed, but
r.ar cliul.l lc and soil cannot he changed by
E.yolutien, and therefore the capacity tor
Induction is undimiaished.
E,it IN addition TO the cotton, sugar, aud
otarr grets staples, &... I'll. .,
NO srATEs sURPAss TuE SOUTHERN
in tie certainty and abundance Of their ce-
!c,I ,ysoducts. TO say nothing OF the vast
gtain-taelds ot Yirginis, North Carolina, and
Tennessee, lhe little sandy State ST South
tarolism Is lollg ago us the gear lsoo pro.
ducrd 6,OD0, ,0te bushels corr more sflan all
the New Epglaud States together; While
Virginia, North Carolina, aud tennessee pro-
4Hccd 900 900 bushels of corn III excess oi
III that Was grove i'm New York. fennsyt'
yaaia New Jersey. Ohio, Maine, Ae@ Halnp-
>rc, Vermont, Massachusetts, C0DnGetl.
ru, 70 say nothing Of Rhode Island. The
Grychopncnt Q. the mineral resources OF the
H1u,h !lus just commenced, but SO rich ana
iL"all.ustibIe are they that they are now at
Naring the attention OF capitalists from
c,cry couAGy represented in this Alliance
DO Let speak vauntinSly OF these pny-
slGh cliaract eristics OF the southern States,
1or there is no merit and nothing TO be
proud of in tb. r,s 'essIon of these natural