, 1880-08-22

the Holy Ghost.'' The wrltdr in the Reple,o
evidently has no sympathy with the relations
which exist between Christ and His people
the right on the one part to command, and
the duty on the other to obey. Notacknowl-
edging this, he fails to Recognize the great
fundamental principle upon which foreign
missions arc based.
Yet there are other minor considerations
which enter into the discussion. Mr.. Connor
saws: patriotism require thata man'sworl
be done for his own country directly, and
not for humanity" This Is, undoubtedly
true in limited sense, but, as here used, it
Is a narrow and narrowing view to take
of the subject. Patriotism enters into the
question of the conversion of the world, but
only in a subordinate deg gree. There are
other obligations resting upon the Christian
Church than those growing ;ont OF the rela-
tions existing between lt ana the country in
which i is located nsre a3s obligations to
interfere, according to-! circumstances.
And, besides, there is a fact of which the
Rcutc,u writer seems not to tbe aware. The
individuals, the churches, and the denomina-
tions which contribute most largely and are
the most liberal and active ststainers and
promoters Of the home work. In addition to
acting in obedience to the orders Of the Great
Head OF the Church. looking abroad over the
Mord takg in the tha accoas raes " b95pns
and tieepens philanthropy, and causes the tire
of patriotism to burn purer and brighter on
the home altar. This conclusion is the result
OF nearly half q century's observatlon, and is
But Mr. Connor leaves out Of the consider
alton what is being done for the welfare Of
our own country, and principally by the same
people who favor foreign missions. Those
churches and individuals who no do not favor
pulses, and do little ornothing towards culti-
vatinr the home field. Left to- them, it would
be barren and nnproductive, .oyergrown with
weeds. There is another point which tells
against the argument OF me .i itsntcto article:
our largest denonlinationS. It had 173 mis-.
siOnaries among the 600, ,000,000 people of
Asia. including China ,s That aoa same de, de-
nomination sustains &5,oU churches
eorI}tfv etmXnT be besides al almost innit variety
Of other evangclizlng agencies. And this is
but one among twenty or Thirty denomil'a-
| tions which, to a greater Or less extent, are
engaged in the same work, maintaining loo,-
isters. and innumerable societies for the prop
agation OF the Gospel among the "heathen
| at home" ,.......
sentence from Mr.. Conner. 1t shows: to my
mind. that he is writing about a subject Of
| which he is not over familiar. He remarks:
Take the number Of men and: women em-
| ploycd day in much Of the foreign mission
dry work which is accomplishing no appreclable
| 1t home. and the 10000 economic problems
pressing for solution, and unsolved only because
! Of the lack Of devoted men and women to un-
! dertake them, and in ten ycArs hundred times
| as much would be done IN every large city ut
lcnst, as at the missionary station where the
| result of ten years work and IN unknown ex-
! pcuditurc OF money Is given as nine probable
| converts.
This is evidently not said in spirit Of
fairness, The beginning OF some mission
stations--the time of breaking up the soil and
seed-sowing-may'n not IN some instances nave
| produced result more encouraging than
this. But in a single year-1S's-g,eo6 con
yerts were received into the Church at the
Ongole Station in the Telugu country. That
station has been established fourteen years,
an extreme case, to be sure, but it shows
how disingenuous is the statement made
above. The ''devoted men and women" OF
the Episcopal Church Of Illinois have been
at work for many years, and TIE the; result @ &C
z cernet, does not greatly exceed that we see
in this one Ongole church, which, in ad-
dition, has forty-two schools in operation.
The Ramapataln church, among the same
people, ten years old, instead Of nine con-
There are scores Of churches in Illinois
much longer in existence than these which
have not twenty-five members, anu yet there
must be 5000 preachers of the Gospel in the
State, besides small army OF other CHRISTIAN
workers.
There is another little item which perhaps
it might be well to consider. a human SOU
iii India or China IS OF Us much account DC,
fore God cs a human soul in the United
States, and *'patriotism may not Interfere
to prevent efforts for its conversion:
But as the religious animus of the writer
in the Rcric'u is indicated when ne says, " In
those parts Of the world to which mission
aries mostly go they nave tlo az me relglo, tn,
them,'' it is not probable that his objections
to foreign missions will have much intll-
ence, or his assumed anxiety for home mis-.
sions receive much credit.
Mr.. Connor refers to the fact that cirlllza-
ton in the Eastern countries is the result o.
commerce and not Of Christianity. There Is
much misconceptlon abroad in regard to this
subject Of civilization. There is NO necessary
connection between it and Cnr!stlanlty: y, Ihe
ono belongs to the domain Of naterialism
while the other concerns the spiritual. 1t is
true the highest civilization exists in Chris
tian nations; and Christianity often revfves
decaying civilization and places it on sure
foundation. This is evident from its intl,e
ence upon the nations of Europe after the
s,,bversion Of the Roman Empire. 1t is eN
hibiting its influence in this respect III TIT
East and in the isles OF the sea at the present
day. But high state Of civilization has ex-
listed, and still exists. without Christianity
and in connection with I; low condition oi
public morality. China is living example
Of this, and there has just come to our shores
r relict Of the old civilization which it would
trouble us to equal. infer from reading the
Bible and from the recently discovered an
cient monuments Of civilization .scatterec
over the face Of the earth that civilization
was the original condition Of man,-a Git
from his Creator,-which under favorable
circumstances has been preserved and pei
petuated anung some peoples, while undel
other and unfavorable conditions it has beer
lost and a relapse into barbarism has FOL
lowed, Civilization in its intellectual deyel
opments is much the same III every age
as man is intellectually the same, differing il
development through his environments; Or
the other hand, civilization in its moral deyel
opuent is affected By. the moral state 'of tht
community. Does false religion prevail
| its effects will be seen not necessarily in the
loss Of civilization, which IS material bnt il
the general corruption OF morals. Doe
Christianity shed its Divine Influence upon
people, 1t promotes good government e1ua
laws: it teaches men TO do justly: love mercy
and walk hu1nbly before God. While Chris
tianity, therefore, eXerts very strong lnti'l
euce upon civilization and greatly 1nod!ile
its moral features, we do not see that 1t i