New-York tribune., 1874-12-15
PROF.. SEELYE ON MISSIONS

WHAT CHRISTIANITY HAS DONE TOWARD CIVIL
| IzING MANKIND-ITs POWER NOT WANING, BUT
| INCREASING.
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBrNEl
HAVEN, Dec. 12.-Prof. Seelyc's third
lecture missions" was delivered at Marquand
Chapel at 430 p yesterday. the topic being. The
A-snGicenoy Of the Gospel for this End" that of
remedying the degradation of the unchrstian world.
The other OF civilization having been shown
In tine previous lecture to be inadequate to remedy the
degradation OF the unchstian world, the inquiry
now as Christiantys adequacy: and. first what 1t
proposed, and secondly how 1t had made good It's pro-
posas Christianity comes. then, as gift To men 1t
was God coming TO help men, rather than men trying
to lit themselves TO God, as in all other religions.
This was its vital charactersticso that 1t was false
criticism to class the Bible with the Koran the Vedas
Christianity foundation was. God loved the world
The process of such religion was. first that 1t was an
idle those full OF the other system or full OF that
systems moral outgrowth, 50 that great patience,
energy and faith needed in preaching the Gospel
The next stage Of idesert, Of sinfuness
it was tho darkness through the light without
which 1t were unrealized The next stage was a
kIndng Of hope, gratitude, love, earnest drawings
toward duty for the love OF Him who cnolned It: "by
the merces OF God" 1t cntreated; self passed into
the background what the law could not do" became
an easy and inspiring task
This being its theory the question arose, how had 1t
worked First. to begin at home Not many centuries
ago our ancestors tattooed themselves dressed skins
lived on flesh and milk, for towns had groves sur
rounded with mounds OF dirt, offered human sacrt-
fees, practiced pOlYgamy, among relatives had
community OF wives. Scotland presented not
less horrible picture and as late as the 18th century
the Inhabitants of Wales were naked dwellers the
woods. or like traits were the Saxons and their
neghbOrs Christianity had effected the metamor-
phoss.
A little earlier, Greece and Rome were nnable-
through art law. phlOsOphy-tO Withstand decay; the
vgor of both nations had lost reproductive power o..
tho time OF nvasions from the North OF Europe Chris
tany In to stop the dry OF that decayng civil
lizatiOn. Before 1t dawned there harbnger Of
renovation. Its advent new life.
Liberty but OF one, and he despot in the Orien-
tai State systems; 1t but Of few in Crock aud
Roman times. Even to within memories It was
limited. Christianity had brought liberty into the
world.
1t was power no less today At the meeting OF the
American Board at Minneapolis in 1913. In iHns who
had been at ercest sat down at the Lords Supper
together aud with those who not long before had been
iaule to BIZ them In 1920 the first mis- ion.
aries landed the Sandwich Islands among a race of
canDbals, and In 1870 the last mission report
dered, the islands having been ChrlsanIzed and civil
ized 10 peership with inc most Christian lands and
lands In 1885 the FIJI Islands were found cannba; I'm
1850 one-haf OF their population was churc going
22OOo were Church memOers; $1,000 children IN
eight later king died and his queen resolved
on eXtcrullndtlug Cnflstltulty all
slavery. the cruelest deaths. the peuats 1000
were martyred. Twenty-Five years later without tho
intervention of outside missionaries. the 80 converts
who had been made at the beginning OF persecution
had multiplied to 500 Since 1861 when the prosecuting
queen died, the preachers OF the Gospel had reached
$500 and the commuucants had reached 10000 As In
old Tertulian's tne, &" the blood OF the MARTYRS was
seed OF the Church." Christian captain landing re-
Gently on the North coast where MISSIONARIES had not
been, and where there had been little exploration found
1000 people assembled under great shed. listening TO
the story OF Jesus, and at lis close Communion
administered and sat with them, the exercise being as
orderly In his own land-and two slaves sold into
captivity by the prosecuting queen, bad carried the
Gospel thither.
Nor were the trumphs confined TO savage lands The
Alahabad Convention in 1912 gave surprising results
the world. which yet fingered IN memory Chinese tri-
umphs covered brefer era, but there re 900 CON
verts already. In Japan still shorter tlm Inc Cos
pei been preached but Ii was producing Ke fruits so
IN all countries, and climes and environments the re-
lRi0n OF jesus showing Itself the power OF God
unto salvation, TO the Jew rst and also the Greek
nOwise growing Old but ever young, and doing for the
world what nothing else ever had done Or could do