, 1874-07-19

A1r Is. BosWoTll on1t1, 1elloW OF 1Tln1ty
| College, Oxford, has just published the four e1-
| cel1ent lectures which he delivered On Moham-
med and Accommodation before the Royal
Institution Of Great Britain last winter. The
mechanism 1as not yet lost the fire OF its youth,
although its energy manfests itself otherwise
than in the overthrow Of empires and the at
! tempted conquest Of continents. It relies now
on persuasion and other peaceable means OF
propagandism. It numbers between 100, ,0o0, 900
and 159,ooo,Qoo adheFents, and is gaining in
various parts pf the world, but especially in
Africa Whero1er tho Mohanmedans obtain =
foothold schools are opened adG the cause Of
education prospers. Tho religion 1t theP1ophet
seems to be peculiarly adapted to>the' aA{rican
nature It has done more for Africa than Ghris-
tianity has, and where Christianity has entirely
failed Mohammedanism has succeeded and been
productive OF good It's success is not due to its
being ideally the better religion, for it ia not Z;
but because it WAS best adapted to control the
African mind under the conditions Which sur
round it.
Mr.. Smith shows that Mohammed wae not IN
impostor, but an enthusiast Mohammed's doc
trine, drawn largely from Jewish and Christian
success, had much OF the good of both. He
taught the existence OF God, and that He
WAS righteous and mercifm Ruler He
recognized that Christ Has prophet
messenger OF God, and taught the 1esur-
rection OF the body and the doctrine Of future
rewards znd punishments- He was 81 unflinch-
ing enemy Of idolatry. Mohammedanism pro-
tests against polytheiam in ali its ahapea It
proclaims the absolute equality of all men be-
fore God, and has just sense OF the dignity Of
human nature. It touches the Providence OF
God, and incu1cates absolute submission to His
will.
IT need not surprise Us to learn that there is so
much of good in Mohammedanism. spite of its
sanctioning polygamy, and it's other btemishes.
Man never embraced q religion which he did not
believe to be good, and he never thought
religion good which did not have at least some
goodinit. The religions Of tho heathen arc not
unmi1ed error. Compared with Christianity
We find them wanting. Compared with the re-
ligions they have replaced, and nearly ali e1-
listing religions have supplanted some other,-
they are positive blessing to their professors
When an African Tribe embraces Isl2mism, Is
Dean Stanley hns shown, polytheism disappears,
sorcery dies away, human sacrifices are d1scontin-
ued; the people rise to higher plane Of noral-
ty; they learn the use Of clothes for the first
time; cleanliness takes ths place G. filth; hos
pitality is universally observed and drunken
ness is rare phenomenon. II sucn be the
effects Of Mohammedanism Oh tho negro
race, it is but reasonable to suppose
that others Of the relatively inferior re-
Igions Of the world have IN equally good ef-
feet On those who honestly embrace them. So
long as men we're satisfied to remain in igno-
rance Of the true character Of such religions
nothing good could be discovered in them; but
the labors of modern investigators hav6 shown
that the religions of the heatben are not pure
inventions Of tho devil for the destruction Of
Rou1s.