Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-07-19
WHAT CHRISTIANITY DOES.


Notes on Rev. Eaton's last Sundays Sermon.
Mr.. Eaton's discourse last Sunday
was plea for missions. He presented
some facts that should be known and
considered. How much does the
world-its enlightened portions-owe
to the teachings and the spread of
Christianity ? It's benefits are not
alone to religion. Missionaries and
the GOSPEL are pioneers in the fields
of science. This fact is attested by
such men as Geo. NJ. Powell of the
Oriental Typographical Corps, Carl
Ritter, the prince of geographers,
Louis Agassiz, the greatest of Amer
lean scientists. The wonderful career
of Livingstone whose sole incentive
was to carry the Gospel into unknown
countries-how his efforts mapped
out the hitherto impenetrable wilder
nesses of Africa and gave to the world
volumes of knowledge not before OBJ
tainable-shows how valuable such
an inspiration is. And there was DIR.
Whitman who saved us the possession
OF our Pacific empire. AS a nilsson
airy in the Rocky Mountains he dis
covered secrets of State which he
bore to Washington, and by his help
California and Oregon were saved
from becoming the territory of for
eign power. Scientific men obtain
many of their facts by observing mis-
sionaries who are stationed all over
the world. One says 500 mis-.
sionarles are watching the stars
and gales, heat and cold, by the
streams and mountains of India,
studying fora and fauna, questioning
stone and shell, language and race.
They are giving to us knowledge of
those people and countries while they
are enlightening benighted minds and
hearts.
As an example of what missionary
work has done the changes in the
Sandwich Islands were spoken of.
The degradation of nations of the east
who have not been christianized were
cited as instanc es of the need of its
influences. How utterly abject the
condition of the people of India !
The lower castles are to the higher
very muck what the lower animals
are to us. The deities most wor-
shipped delight in blood. Thieves
and robbers make offerings to these
deities when setting out on expedi-
tions for murder. Hindooism is not
only bloody but beastly. 1t is the
worship of obscene gods by obscene
rites. Vice is deified. How can a
people be pure when their religion IS
pollution ? Yet they have mary of
the qualities of great people. Their
religion is their destruction. Would
it not be great gain if India could be
lifted as the Sandwich Islands have
been? The missionaries found the
people there half naked savages, who
ate raw fish and abandoned them
selves to sensuality. Now they are
decently clothed, they recognize the
law of marriage, they observe fidelity
in the discharge of their duties to
each other, one may travel alone
among them with money anywhere
unarmed. Every hut has its Bible.
Their advance in hut few years
from the lowest depravity to condi-
ton in which there are proportion
ably less who cannot read and write
than there are in this country was
wildly portrayed.
America is better example than
others and the work here was begun
by missionaries, and the wilds of
America were for generations success
fully penetrated only by the devotees
of Christianity.
The best friend and the advance
guard of true science, Of successful
commerce, of refined and progressive
life, is Christianity.