Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-26
QUE NOME MLssION FIELD.
ADDRESS OF REV. j. b. CLARK, SECRETARY OF
THE AMERICAN HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY,
IN DRATTLEBoRo LAST TUESDAY.
fgtpnograpbicnitv reuorted nv Ctrpsrrn a WAuurgrp

lstonographically reported by CHESTER G. wAnRISEn
Of West ButtleborO.l
Now, Just want you to suppose that you take
your seat in q car at Boston, tomorrow aud travel
westward. Tomorrow morniug-Wedncsday morn.
ing Take the shortest and swiitest public line that
you can hnd. How long will it be before you eau see
the blue edge Of the Pachc2 Well, 1t would b. the
next Wednesday, and 1t would be probably noon too.
What have you been doing all those days and nights
Of continuous travel2 You have been crossing your
country Now, that line upon which you are travel
ling is only line. Imagine spaces ON your right
hand and left hand that make up your country /;
spaces reaching north far perpetual ice and on
the south stretching away to the perpetual green Of
the tropics. Call that line upon which you are tray-
cling diameter and then around That diameter de-
scribe circumference that shall include every foot
Of United States soil, and remember that in the up
per half Of this circle you have drawn you may put
Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark, Spain,
Portugal aud Italy, fact every great state except
Russia, aud then there will be need of four or ave
New Englands to I'LL up that half-crce. Remember
that in the southern half-crcc you may put the
whole empire OF India, Russia aud half Of European
Turkey, aud then two or three New Engands to I'LL
up the cracks. Now this is the hrst great difficulty
in the way Of the home missionary problem to-day
the natural size of the field We are sometimes told
of the magnificent and appalling extent OF our for
eigu missionary field. l do not dsparage it when
say that il you put the other beside it, it will absorb
large part OF 1t. Brethren, do you appreciate the
size of your work., 100000 square miles? How
shall plant every mile OF 1t with the blessings Of
Gospel light That is the problem. tell you,
brethren that is no easy problem Well, that is only
the beginning Of difficulties, for IL Is not square
miles, but bigoted souls want to convert Anoth-
or ulutullg Is tue IdIlu OF populhllOu
IN THIS great circle Do you realize, brethren, what
that means? Go back to 1900, and you have I'VE
million Of people in these United States and terri
tories. Come down to 1870, and you have thirty
eight million. Coming down to 1880, have fifty
million, and probably now hfty-twO million. What
do these figures mean That the population Of your
country has doubled once IN twenty-five years since
the war Of the Revolution We'll, now, few years
only, one hundred and twenty, and It will be the
year Of our Lord 2OOO What would be the pOpula-
ton Of our country then? Look at 1t! You have
children in your house tonight whose children will
that day, and their children will be in middle life
Is 1t too to ask, with concern, what will be
the population will not make exaggerated esti
mate. one of our most eminent New England sena-
tors, senator who has just been Reelected, and Is
Of our most eminent Massachusetts senators,
declared, not long since, that the population Of the
future would increase about as fast as the popu-
latiou Of the past. Well, will not claim that it
may be so. have great respect for such opinion.
But, let us assume that where the population Of the
past has doubled In twenty-five years. that it will
double in forty years, 80 that, where nifty million
people live to-day, more than four hundred million
people are to live then. Imagine one-third Of the
present population OF the globe turned into these
states and territories. That what your chidrens
children will see. I don't wonder that people are
somewhat slow TO make such an estimate What if
George Washington had been told In 1873 that the
population would multiply seventeen times in the
hrst hundred years; he would have said: quite i'm
possible! dream Of the future!" The fact has
been demonstrated two years before the century
completed. tifty-One million is the multiplication
by seventeen. The mighty dreams OF one generation
become the actual facts Of the next. Mr.. Edward
Atkinson, one Of the most eminent statsticans,
said that II the population Of the United States
should be doubled in single year, there would be
need to add a single farm. The British Encyclo-
pedia s authority that is not apt TO oyerestimate
anything in America except our faults II saws that
these states and territories Of ours will sustain
5000 10000 people without the slightest fear Of
crowding That reminds me Of something saw
yesterday,-a new boundary given to America by
Euglishman An enthusiastic English admirer said
that 1t was bounded the north by the aurora bO-
reals on the south by the equator, On the east by
the rising SUM- anJ on the west by the day Of judg
meut. 1t was DR.. Holmes, believe, that said. ''No
typical American will be willing to enter heaven I'M
less there is chance to west there" West is the
Judgment Of this country! just bear 10 mind II you
please the amazing judgment. Was not Henry Clay
something Of prophet when he stood day upon
the slope Of the Alleghauies. He stood there in
listening attitude. friend asked him what he
heard. After moment Of emphatic silence, he re-
Piled, 81 hear the tramp Of coming Millions All!
what that statesman could hear, brethren, may you
aud hear. Has the sound Of that coming multi
tude begun to enter into the sleeping ears Of the
church Of Christ And, yet, that il not all the DIFF
hculty. There is one element Of the population that
gives US special concern Go back to the year 1870 :
5000 cmigrants landed on our shores Come down %
years to s45 what has become Of tue 5000 It has
doubled It has leapej from 5000 to 5000. Come
down to 1870; the emigraut population has doubled
1850, Il is $500 What will the accession be
for the next twelve months? II is not TOO much to
expect round million from foreign shores. con-
less have not power to appreciate 1t. The only way
l can think Of II is to imagine 5000 to-day, 800 to-
morrow, 5000 every day IN the year landing at B0s-
ton, Baltimore aud New York, finding most Of their
homes west Of New York. All! who are they? Make
large margin right here, for many Of them come
from some parts Of the Continent from some parts
Of Canada and England, who were in love with all
our hslrts. Thrice welcome TO all such What are
the rest and the majority? Strangers to American
institutions ignorant Of the traditions that have
made US, you and me, American citizens and hard to
learn them, bringing with them vices, the blight Of
ignorance, always; ignorance that has been made
dense by centuries Of mental sloth behind them. Is
II too much for 10 say that Of these people
have got to be made in all important respects
know, brethren this is dark picture II we do not
believe THE Providence History WI do ut
believe God has been gathering thcm and has chosen
our country Tor the purpose Of making them anew
II you want TO work for Christ there is enough work
Of that stamp. That is the very heart Of the home
missionary problem to-day. l would like to picture
to you the dragon II seems to me- that is lifting
himself up out Of the Atlantic every day, and draw
ing himself across the land. The old dragon in the
fable had seven heads This has four: The hrs,
head OF tins dragon Is ignorance. Ignorance in New
England; ignorance in Vermont; popular ignorance
know there is not part Of Gods earth where there
are mere school houses than in Vermont. Yet there
are 10000 persons in Vermont ten years Of age
that cannot write their own names. Who are these
lG,OOO2 Twelve thousand of them are Of foreign
birth; that tells the whole story. hundred thous-
and in Massachusetts,! Who are they? Ninety
thousand are Of foreign birth Go from Massachu-
sets and Vermont into parts Of the country that
more ahected. lake your pen and spelling book and
search them out, and IN these cities OF boosted
civilization you hnd few native Americans yet to
master the alphabet. But everywhere you will 1nd
the deep ignorance Of foreign ilhteracy. Forty mill
ion people in this country ten years Of age, aud
full bOOOOOOO have not obtained the little knowledge
that lifts man above the brute
our land ran wild at one time the four million
ehatte slaves. But hat remains in free America I
Eight million slaves of Ignorance. Here, brethren II
this was question OF philanthropy, l should stop
but IL is more than question Of phianthropy-iti is
question Of selt-preseryation. You ask OF what
count are that eight million in firm a repubHc-a
republic whose stability is in its churches, libraries
ana school-houses. But 1t is republic where the
most ignorant ballot settles much the wisest Let
me quote the words OF one Of our most loved and
honured dead: "All the constitutional power Of the
nation and states and all the volunteer force of the
q ahaa and
mel must be summoned TO meet this illiteracy."
These are the words Of Gen. GARFIELD. You remem-
Der that "a little child shall lead them" Our little
children must soon direct the destinies Of the repub-
lie You Will not wonder, after such testimony the
foregoing that your home missionary society found it
necessary TO SO amend Its constitution that 1t is now
equipped, not only to plant Puritan churches but also
primary schools, wherever they needed. 1t is
strictly part OF home missionary work and COM
mend it to you-that work Of our New West Educa-
ton Society. God bless it Well, this monster has
another head-Rome You are familiar with this sub
jet. hope you do not forget that Rome" is only a
short word for mental aud spiritual midnight was
somewhat rudely attacked the other day by a Roman
ist, who took exception to remark had made. Said
he, Don't you know that Rome loves America ?"
wouldn't wonder if Rome did love America and long
to possess IT, and had loved it ever since the pope
day said OF 1t think he must have regretted snce)
america is the hope Of Rome.n American citizens,
just bear that in mind it the testimony Of the head
of the church. America-your country and mine
the hope of Rome! You remember the things Rome
hates free thought free speech, free press, free
ucaon free Bible. These Eve blessed children Of free
is cornerstone in American civilization. This mon.
ster has another hea dnhdelity Look at the numbers
who bring with them the plague Of middle Europe
German inhdelity. dont believe receive into
America tens of thousands of iuhdes aud not feel It,
Not infdels by book theory-yery harmless ones
aie they; but inhdels who bring with them infdel
principles and inhdel customs beer gardens and thea
tres. prominent German citizen declared that he
lived in the hope and expectation of seeing these
states Of yours and mine socially and gousy Ger
mauized. l say, "God forbid It! Let them be, moi
Germanized, but New-EngandiEed.' And you will
join with me in that prayer. One head has this
monster its name is Mormonism, and It fattens upoI
the bad blood of all Europe one hundred and hfty
thousand Mormons! "What are l50, 900 Mormons il
population Of 81 600 900 2" people say. One hundred
aud nifty thousand MormOns, well organized, are al
army. You would not like to hear that that army wal
moving upon you tonight. They send out 35l
missionaries among European states l read lately o.
steamer bringing 500 Mormon converts from Germa
ny Sweden and four weeks ago last Sunday yesse
landed in New York with about the same number O
converts from the same part Of Europe And thes,
are only in addition to $500 that have landed at th
port during the last six months No home missionary
can begin to show the converts that these Mormon
missionaries can. These are great things that Nor
muusm has been doing while the land full of dis
gust at It. MOrmonism was never more defiant thai
/ It is tonight, since the Edmunds bill has become
] law. God bless that law! One hundred and fft
/ thousand Mormons-whatareth they? They are enougl
/ to defy the whole power Of the U. S. government
Not thing to be smiled at, power that can 90 that
They can hold courts within courts and government
within gOvernments-and thoy do it, Mormonism /
great deyil-sh reaching out its arms to draw in tn
virgin soil aud Il demands, not only to be let alone
but TO be treated respectfully, important facto
! in American civilization.