The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-09-01

VI IhS udIlNeS OF Olerra Leone, trained
under missionary auspices. A hundred
years ago Capt. Cook was murdered by
the savages of the Sandwich Islands;
now Honolulu is an important CONNER
cial port, with trade OF over $S,000,OOO
a year. Other islands, which used to be
the terror of shipwrecked sailors, are
now valued for their commerce, and it is
estimated that every additional mission
airy sent to the South Seas is worth $780,
OOO a year to British commerce. Com
merclal enterprise follows closely after
the Central African missions, to which
the thrifty merchants of Scotland and
England gave literally, believing that
the money was well invested. A mer-
chant urged the missionaries in New
Guinea to push forward as rapidly as
possible, in order, he said, to develop
trade. The missions in India have been
repeatedly recognized by Indian states
men as OF the utmost value to the gov
eminent. Lord Lawrence, who was gov
ernor-general of India, said that the mis-
sionaries had done more than all other
agencies combined to benefit India.
Lord Napier said missions ego hand
In hand with the government in raising
the intellectual standard of the Indian
people and in forming for the service of
the state body of public servants of
intelligence and morality" In Turkey
the civilizing and elevating influence of
Protestant missions, affirmed by every
intelligent observer, is immeasurably
great The same is true of other
mlssion-felds. The gospel everywhere
makes moral, intelligent, industrious, and
useful citizens.
There is another class of results-the
advantages which science has received
from the labors and observations of the
missionaries. If Sydney Smith were
alive to-day, he would see the men of
whom he spoke contemptuously as
consecrated cobblers" receiving high
honors. He would ind,in nearly every
issue of the two leading English literary
weeklies (the AtheneIna and Acodemv)
notices of missionary travels and explo-
ration. He would observe how fire.
quently missionaries appear in the pro-
ceedings of the Royal Geographical So
ciety, as authors of papers or as re-
cipients of honors. The bones of mis-
slonary, known wherever books are
known, for his labors and travels in AT
RIGA, lie in Westminster Abbey, and his
monument in Edinburgh is not needed
TO perpetuate the memory of one of Eng
lands noblest citizens, David Living
stone. The contributions of the mis-
slonaries of geographical knowledge have
been numerous and important but they
, have also furnished copious and valuable
materials for the students of philology
and ethnography. They have reduced
many unwrltten languages to writing
and compiled numerous dictionaries and
grammars. These works, which are in
dispensable to the study of the history,
separation, and migrations of the great
human family and the kinship of peo-
Piles and tongues, are now easily accessi-
Bile.
All these and other material results
) which alone would Justify the existence
of missions, the Church of Christ looks
upon as incidental. The single aim Of
missions is the conversion of souls the
value Of which no man can e. timate
They were bought with price which
would not have been paid for all the uni.
verse BESIDES and all the money which
has been spent on missions is as nothing
~ UtS tSHO VI NOu, COu pdTeQ WIN the
worth of the soul of the most degraded
heather of the wilds of Africa. the Jun.
giles of India, or the icy solitudes of Green
land. If missions have brought one soul
to the knowledge, love, and worship Of
the one true God, they have done that
over which the angels in Heaven rejoice
But the fruits of missions are not few or
hard to find. Every mission and every
mission station that has been planted
bears them. In India, which has been
perhaps, the hardest field of all, there are
about $4,000 native Christian communi-
cants; in Africa, $4,000; in Polynesia
and Australasia, 10000; in Madagascar,
$4,000; in China and Japan, $1,000: in
Burmah 10000. In these fields alone
there are upward of $4,000 commune
cants. The total in all fields is, perhaps.
over half. a million, besides the adherents
Chose who have renowned heathenism or
other untrue religions and accepted Chris
tianity), who are more than twice as nu-
merous. There must be fully 700 900
souls who, as members and adherents.
own and glorify the name of Christ But
these are not all the fruits. Thousands
having lived the life of the righteous
have gone to receive the reward of the
riphteous