The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-06-12
oar missionaries n BIecico.

We certainly intend nothing derogatory
to the character or the motives of either
our Methods or Presbyterian fellow-citi-
zens when we say that it is possible to
conceive of better training for influence
with a Spanish American people than that
which goes to make a worthy and faithful
British or American disciple of John Knox
or of John Wesley. There are Il great
many excellent men among the native
Catholic priests of countries like Mexico
and Peru. Aliintelligent travellers from the
days of John T. Stephens TO our own have
borne witness to this fact, to the hospitali-
ty, the kindness, the fuTtherance of their
scientific researches, which they have met
with from the better class of ''padres'' in .
these countries. But we are very sure that
if the Roman College for the Propagation Of .
the Faith were called upon to select mis- .
sionaries who should be sent into New
England for the purpose of retaining the /
children of that Stitf-neclled and reDelliouS ,
generation the Purtans, who cheered stout !
Endcott when he cut out the cross from (
the standard of England, the Roman Col /
I, lcge for the Propagation of the Faith /
would not go at once to JalScO or Guate- /
mala in quest of them. 1t is one thing to
senC. missionaries from one Christian coun-
/ try in which particular form of Christi /
anity predOminates into another Christian /
country in which q totally different form
of Christianity predOminates. The latter
/ is infinitely the more delicate and difficult
operation of the two. 1t requires on the
part of those who undertake it not only
apostolic zeal but diplomatic tact and dis
cretion. If these be lacking the apostolic
zeal of the missionary will be but too like
I ly we fear to retard than to advance his
work. 1t is by no means clear to us that
/ the Methodist missionaries who have
/ thrown themselves with perfectly praise
/ worthy Garnestness into the field opened to
/ Protestant enterprise and conviction 10y
| the triumph of liberal principles in Mexico
have been wholly fortunate in these essen
tal particulars. We have been obliged to
| chronicle already one melancholy case Of
! a religious riot IN q remote town of the
: State of JaliscO, resulting in the brutal
/ assassination of an American missionary
and of a Mexican Protestant convert who
! was living with him. In that case it was
! clear enough that an ignorant village
priest had aggravated If he had not excit-
ed the anger of the mob against ''heretics."
/ The Mexican Governor intervened as our
readers will remember, promptly and Teso-
! lutoly to put down the uprOar and TO pun
! ish the assassins. But though the unfOr-
tunate missionary in this instance merits
| all our sympathy, it is by no means certain
that he may not have contributed by un-
wisdom on his part to the popular fury to
. which he fell n victim. The last mails
from Mexico bring us strong but temper
ate protest in the columns of the Monitor,
a Mexican journal of the capital, against
what Is described as the denuncatory and
vituperative language about Mexico and
the Mexcans used by ali American mis-
siOnary preaching in the metropolis. The
Mexican Journalist very cosrteously but
very decidedly reminds the missionary of
whom he complains that it is no more de
cent to hold all Mexico responsible for the
murder of the unhappy Mr.. STEVENS and
his prose yte at Almalulco that it would
have been to hold all MASSACHUSETTS, re
sponsible for the burning of the Crsuline
Convent at Charlestown in that State, and
the expulsion of the nuns in q freezing
winters night. Another Mexican journal
! demonstrates also with still another mis-
siOnary for converting his Protestant pull
pit into political roStrum, from which he
lectures the Mexican people on the 3rinci-
piles OF government and on the federal sys-
tenn as practised in the United States AS
we have said, the language used by both
of these organs of Mexican public opinion
, is most moderate and becoming. They
do not allude to the matter in any spiri t of
! bigotry or with the apparent purpose of
making 4 point" either against Protes-
tanism or the missionaries of Protestant
: ism. Indeed, in both instances these
: journals happen to represent not the cleri-
cal or church party of Mexico at all but the
: liberals, to whose victory it is due that
there are now any Protestant missionaries
{ at all at work in Mexico. All that they in
sist upon is the obvious indecorum either
: of abusing country at large for the faults
of particular province or town, or of Of
! fering to instIucS an independent people in
, the theory and practice of their own fol ms
, of government within a few months after
the first coming fthe would-be instructors
among them. There are many things no
! doubt in the political administration Of
Nov NHrl.t .t,l. =
> American Clergyman rs deplOTable and fit
| to be corrected. So, too, no doubt there
are many things in tho political admins
tratiOn of the United States which must
: strike newly landed English clergyman
: as deplorable and fit to be corrected. The
r condition of SOUTH CAROLINA. given ri
o to be played by thieves of all colors. or of
t ARKANSAS, fought for in the streets of her
= capital by the armed bands of two rival
! rogues claiming each to be her lawful lord
l and Governor, might well arouse the at
tention of such a visitor. But what should
. we think of the newly landed English cIer-
: / gyman f.he proceeded to doliyer n lecture
I from the pulpit of Trinity Church on the
n corruptious and scandals of American pub
p lie life? Let us try to put ourselves into
$ the case of our Mexican neighbors. OI
y course, the lives even of the least iudicious
= OF Americans travelling or soiournine il
) | Mexico must be held sacred and protected
i The Mexican Government has shown nc
: lack of alacrity in doing its duty on this
! head, however, and we are perhaps unde.
/ servedly fortunate in having a Minister
: now at the Mexican capital, Mr. FOSTER,
n who may be safely relied upon to watch
=, faithfully over tho performance by the
Mexican Government of this and of all its
duties 10 American citizens within its iuris
dictlOn. But it can do no harm for oul
. I representatives, as well religious as politi
= cal, IN Mexico to remember that when you
II go about to induce n man in his own house
n to change his religion or to improve his
q cuisine, it is desirable to refrain from de
}, filing his household gods, and from using
ms soup turecn rs vessel OF dishonor-
II N. 7. World.