Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-01-15

One Of the most interesting fields Of
modern missions 10 India with her
teeming population. There are to-day
In India SOC, 900 Christians and many
selI.supportiDg churches. Missions" T"
said Lord Lawrence, have done more
to benefit Indi, than all other 'agen-
cies combined" ana another distin-
guished civilian has said: missions
have worked changes more extraordi-
nary for India, than anything wit.
messed Ia modern Europe. One of
the most serious obstacles TO the sue
cess of missions In India have been
the system Of caste. BY II the people are
divided off into classes Of which the
8rahmins are the highest class.
Henry Martyr, one of the pioneer
missionaries of the country, once said:
"If | ever see Hindoo Brahmin con-
verted to Christianity / shall see
something more nearly approaching
the resurrection Of oesd body than
anything have ever seen but there
are now not few Brahmins who are
active and influential Christians, two
Of the most noted of which hsvs In re-
cent years visited this country, Rev.
Narsyour Shesleadri, and Rev. Kali
Churn Chatterjee. Chunder Sen, .
noted lndisn scholar. In q speech at
Calcutta. said: "Our hearts are
touched, conquered, overcome by .
higher power, and this power Is Christ.
Christ, not the British government,
rules India. No one but Christ de-
served the precious disdem Of the In
dian crown, and he will have it,"
Another large heather country 10
China. The successes Of the mission
aries have indeed been marvellous.
A few years ago Presbyterian his.
sionary Of my acquaintance, Rev.
Hunter Corbett, bapiised In twelve
msnths' time 34s converts, and only
two years ago In the same length OF
time the same missionary baptised l9s
converts. In some heather countries
the success OF Christian missionaries
seems like apostolic success. There
are In the empire Of China to-day over
400 organized churches, and mission.
aries reside at l20 different places.
Then south OF China look at the
smaller country Of Burmah. where
Adonis Judson, the great Baptist mis-
sionary. went just seventy-ive years
ago, and behold to-day q native Chris
tian population Of 10000, with $1,000
communicates. Behold what God hath
wrought.
Our ancestors the A Anglo-Saxons were
barbarians and heather. IL 10 not
known just when Christianity was In.
troduced among them but at an early
period In English history, and Chris
tianity more than any other influence
moulded the English character, and
more than any other Influence WAS in.
strumentsl in civilizing and enlight.
ening the people. 1t was not climate
that developed our ancestory inhsbit.
ing those small Islands on the north
west Europe into the foremost people
of the globe. II was the Bible and
the church, Christianity with all its
streug gthening influences.
In Christian missions In heather
lands the foundation work Is done.
The future progress Of the work prom
ises to far exceed the past. The har-
vest Is great. A passing interest
In missions In Christian EGG
land aud America is soon to become
an enthusiasm, Missionary endeav-
ors are no longer an experiment. The
spirit Of God Is sealing the work.
Faith begins to see In the future that
the heathen are to be given TO Christ
for His inheritance. This Is going to
be the remainder OF this century the
supreme question Of the church.
Some say that there are heather
enough at home. Yes, indeed, there
are more than enough. but the imper.
fection of our Christianity al home is
not an excuse for not doing our work
abroad. Some say. let our American
people all become Christianized, and
then strive to create missionary en-
tbusissm for the poor heathen.
Ifsuch policy had been pursued In
the settlement Of this country. how
many people would be living in the
territory OF Montana to-day? II Il
had been the policy OF our governmen
that all The eastern states must be en-
tirely occupied before any emigration
was encouraged to the great west how
many people would be living west OF
the Mississippi river to. dayp No. this
would have been very narrow pol
10y. Aud the Christian church has
not pursued such q policy. She was
forbidden 10 do II by her great Head
II IL indeed lamentable that 80 many
10 Christian lands are not Christians,
but It was even so In Chr'sts own
time. when the people heard Him