The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-11-02
AMERICAN MISSIONS ABROAD.
Are They Useless or Are They
Doing Great Work?
Overwhelming Proofs That None,
Sent Abroad Is Well Spent.
Extracts from a Sermon by Rev.
r. 7. Bayiey, of this CITY.

N, VINO mas been much In emma ana Inc East,
deems 1t expedient to publicly say that the work
OF the American missionaries in China and Corea
has no other result except to hold the missonar-
les up to the rdcule of the natives; that there
are no converts TO christianity except the menials
about the quarters of the missionaries, and that
these become backslders when their wages stop.
No nObleman OF COrea nor mandarin OF China ever
became christian. The missionaries them
selves are regarded as the salvation army is here.
All this, and much more, Lieut.. Wood says"
/ was reminded of a note which l once
received from a lady member Of my church,
enclosing long article from q New York
paper. the purport OF which was that mis-
sions are failure and missionaries either
Missionaries or hypocrites.
This article the lady regarded as an un-
answerable argument against the work OF
Foreign Missions. She UNDERSIGNED such
words as these: "Tne missionaries them
selves very rarely give the people at home cor
rect ideas as to their work. We have to look
to lay travellers for trustworthy reports. And
these reports justify the inference that the
practical results accomplished, the improve
ments effected in the heather, do moi amount
to enough to make the enormous expenditure
on missionary work a profitable investment"
The items referred to are essentially dupll,,
Gated frequently in the secular press; and
sometimes similar statements are presented
more deliberately In the popular magazines"
They crafty, doubtless, such minds as are
without sympathy with Christ Jesus in His
desire to save the whole world from sin; to
tCuCClu Ill iuCn CsChJ WhOhC w OOus 4nO1
disturb, moreover, and perhaps distract with
painful doubts, many hearts that sincerely
desire the conversion OF the heather world.
Perhaps speak to some who have been
panied by these criticisms; who feel natur-
ally enough, that the testimony of travellers
is entitled to consideration by those of us
who have never visited mission lands, and
who desire to know the truth In the premises
Let me suggest, first of all, that thing is
not true because 1t is in print. We read, as
well as hear, innumerable untruths.
Then, again, 1t Is so easy for traveller to
speak either in ignorance or in prejudice.
Many persons pass through lands or cities
where mission work Is going on with no In
terest and consequently no investigation In
that direction. A missionary once heard a
traveller say in public gathering, II have
been in India for years and l never saw a
native christian" This gentleman had a
reputation as great tiger hunter; and he
was somewhat surprised when the mission
said VI na save Tfs twenty Wysg in said hs
traveller; Il have killed score, Of tigers,
"Yes," replied the missionary; land | have
seen thousands of native christians. Our
observations have been very different. The
reason is, was looking for christians; you
were looking for tigers"
A few years ago gentleman visiting Syria
remarked to friend in Beyrut, 1T seems
hardly wsrth while to maintain missionaries
here; they, accomplish scarcely anything"
preach this morning 2" "NO," was the reply !;
81 didn't know there was any service" "Oh!
yes" said his friend; ''Mr. Thomson
preached in English this morning. And did
you hear Or. Vandyke preach in Arabic this
preaeSss IL S Su aHa he s hs
congregation of 200 persons every sabbath
schools here?" schools P-have you schools
here in Beyrut9 am glad to hear that you
p prn ss pr So prntng p1ess ee have
you got one? 20, yes; we have a printing
establishment in which 20 persons are en-
ployed."
Suppose this gentleman had returned to
America without this conversation. Would
his report have done justice to the mission in
y nothor persuu- Sps4ur rsvrr vrz,x,,-;,,-t,,r.
ton. In that time he did not make the nc
quaintance of a single missionary nor see the
inside of one of the 10 chapels, nor hear of
one Of the so schools. He had, however, seen
the execution-gr0und and secured the skull
Of criminal as memento; and announced
his intention of writing book on Canton.
Would he be a fair witness as to christian
missions in that city?
How easy for man to spend year in
London and see nothing Of its literary life.
When he tells the story OF his observations,
you would never know that there was
British Museum. Suppose a man to visit
| New York,-a man interested in sports and
pleasures, or absorbed in business matters.
| How much can he tell you, even after years
residence, of the varied and wonderful works
| Of christian philanthropy in that city? In
| deed, this Is no mere suppOsitiOn. i was
once assured by a San Francisco man who
had often visited New York that there
| wasn't church in that city that was doing
anything for the local heather!
Then 1t should be remembered that man
pen may be guided by his prejudices. Many
| who speak against Foreign Missions have no
| love for the Gospel anywhere. They speak
| of ministers at home as stupids or hyp0crites.
| They never allude to the christian church
| save with disrespect or animosity. When
such men go abroad, with what eyes are they
| likely to look upon missionaries and mission
work. if they stop to look at all?
Ii such statements as these are true, 1t Is
high time that the christian world
s oUaa know But ipd h sSOu are act anras
it is a shame that they should be
made and repeated. But does any one ask
"How can we know whether or not they are
true?" l answer, by careful inquiry for
exact and particular facts. General state
ments will not answer, whether they be
| favorable or unfavorable to missions. Exact
| and particular facts should be demanded.
| And 2, it is not difficult to obtain abundant
| testimony from witnesses indisputably COM
| petent and unprejudiced.
| For the sake of any who may have been
| influenced by such criticisms as have been
| quoted, | propose to Illustrate this method
of investigation by practical use of it in the
! present instance.
First, shall state certain exact and par
ticular facts with regardto the field covered
| by Lieut.. Woods charges; and then / shall
| adduce the testimony Of competent witnesses
both with regard to that particular field and
| with regard. also, to missionaries and theil
work elsewhere. We will accept no man:
| testimony concerning his own work. More
than that, we will not suffer a single mission
| airy or church official to speak word.
| shall give you the testimony only of well
known persons; all of them eye-witnesses oil
the things they affirm, and many of them moi
| personally christian.
| ask at the outset If this is not fair anG
adequate method of procedure?
Let me first state few facts with regard
to the field and the work referred to in the
utterance quoted from Lieut. Wood.
Now from some facts, ask you to compare
them, as / give them, with the Statement
quoted.
The Chinese government established a col
lege some years ago, at Pekin, for the train
ing OF young men in foreign languages
literature and science. A we'll known Ameri
can missionary, DIR. Martin, was chosen 1t
president, aud still retains that position
About two years since the Viceroy LII Hum
Chang, acknowledged to be the most inhuen
tial man in China, selected as private tuto
for his two sons the Rev. Charles Tenney, al
| american missionary, ana IL is Salu tnat III
intends to make Mr.. Tenney the principal o
a college to be established at his vice-rega
city. This same distinguished Viceroy give
a liberal support to the Mission hospital an
pispensary at Tientsin. The Chinese COVER
nor of the island Of Formosa has chosen
christian missionary to plan and superinten
college which he is establishing In tina
island.
The city Of Canton has been noted in tn
past for its opposition to christianity. Blu
one of the missionaries, DR.. Happier, ha
received request from more than four hun
dred officers, gentry and scholars OF Cantor
and vicinity, asking that new college whicl
| he is about to establish may be located II
that city. OF the signers Of this petition tel
are members of the Imperial Academy, ant
| more than 100 have the degree Of A. b. or A
M. 100 of them hold official positions unde
the government.
And vet "Lieut. Wood deems it expedien
to say publicly that the work Of the mission
aries in China has no other result except T.
hold the missionaries up to the ridicule Of tn
natives. And the missionaries themselve
are regarded as the Salvation Army |
here. -!
There are so medical missionaries in China
the majority of them from the United States
There are large mission hospitals and dis
pensaries in Pekin, Tlentsin, Sanghai an,
Canton, and smaller ones in various othe
cities. A great part Of the current expens
OF these is borne by Chinese officials, tn
gentry and the merchants.
| In a racant volume sSrha Crnss and tn