The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-12-03
A Verdict Reversed.


East India Company placed on record tne
following declaration: 1.-The sending OF Chrts-
tain missionaries into our Eastern posses
sions is the maddest most expensive, rs,Ss's moss
unwurranted project that was ever proposed
by q lunatic enthusiast This was severe
nrraignment. but at the time IL commenced
Itself TO the judgment Of the generality OF the
1Ine Of the company's directors said that he
would rather see a band of devils than oa,ia
of missionaries in India. But see now lime
and experience reverse such ialse ana %fche"
In 1873 the Secretary of State for India put
ON record the following testimony: 'lhe
government cannot but acknowieaSe ;es &c thc ti,c
benevolent eXertlonS Of those SiN huhureu
missionaries. whose blamenesS example anu
self-denying labor are lnfusirg new VisoL ,. in."
the stereotyped life OF the great populations
placed under Englis rule, and are preparing
them to be in every way better men ana pet
ter citizens OF the great empire III WHICH '''es
dwell. 49,, CT, p;,.r.
Thompson, Lieutenant Governor OF Bengal
said: "In my judgment, Christian mlSslona-
rles have done more real ana lasting soou 10
the people of India than all other agencies
combined" This IS strong testimony Oy oae
who has had every opportunity Oh lornil.e
an honest and Intelligent oplnion.-Associate
Reformed Presbyterian
On the principle that man will write most
of what he knows least about, our good
saw something on the subject OF missions.
II the first place, the impressing OF u new
religion on people is n practical act, and the
act, TO be full must be performed i'll
practical way.
TO accomplish results the effort must orig
mate in that zeal which will put the required
machinery in motion.
The people of America have evinced q
wonderful zeal for the spread Of the gospel.
Under the lead Of preachers who have haa
much to say about going into all lands WIN
the Bible, our people have given largely oi
their money, and many valuable lives have
been dedicated to the work.
In their zeal and hurry to do their duty
and to perform the work which they shoulu
do. our people have contributed vast sums o.
money, but from the bad judgment OF those
who controlled Its expenditure, millions OF
dollars have been wasted and the sacrifice oil
valuable lives has resulted from the at
tempt to CARRY the gospel into fields which
were not ready for it.
II these managers of our missionary luhu
had been public officials, instead OF the agents
OF a confiding people, they would no doubt
long ago have been kicked out Of their Of
ing held up TO public contempts.
With proper expenditure of the money
and labor which has been wasted in barren
fields, India to-day might be under the oieSs-
ed influence of the religion of our Lord and
Saviour.
But devout and ignorant preachers have
directed our attention to larger fields-aoou'
which they can tell US nothing-and imprac'
ticable and visionary managers have sent our,
men and our money to China, and to the utter
most parts Of the earth. The result has been
millions Of our money has been wasted, with
scarcely perceptible result.
All this too at q time in the recent past
when the religion Of India was some" hat IN
formative or plastic state. For centuries
the people of that country have been Hound
erIng IN the darkness, but especially within
the last quarter of a century has there been
great demand for Christian missionary SER
vice.
AS we understand the situation, England's
influence at first gave to the Christians OF
that land great hope of the ultimate success
of their religion. All the oppointees from the
government were of that faith, and, as II is In
this country, the appointing power has many
friends or converts. Scattered all over India,
were Christian citizens. Their increasing
numbers excited the envy and jealousy OF al
the other religious Of which that country IL
so prolific.
In their supreme effort to give the Chris
tian religion q strong foot-hold In that land.
we allowed our brethren TO perish and die for
the very gospel which we were trying TO force
upon the unwilling Chinaman.
The separate interests Of all other religions
ofIndia were sub b.ordinated to common de.
sire on the part of all TO put down the reli-
gion of our Saviour, which they hated most.
During all the years that our brethren were
struggling against the combined efforts OF all
other religions, we, the Christian people OF
America, remained passive, while they were
beaten and overwhelmed. They have been
unable even to hold their own, and as mat
ter OF fact. the Christian religion has not as
strong hold on the people OF India to-day rs
1t had twenty years ago.
Instead OF helping people who were ready
and willing TO adopt our religion, we were
like idiots, trying 10 force our own religion on
the unwilling people OF China.
On the great day when there shall be an
accoun liability before the Supreme Ruler of
the universe, what answer can we make TO
the charge that We wasted millions OF money
and sacrificed valuable lives in trying
to ChristianiZe unwilling China at the very
time when the furnishing people at India
were crying out TO us for the help which we
withheld
With q concentra ted effort OF the Christian
people India to-day would be rejoicing under
the benign influence Of our religion. whose
~uavs a re peace and whose p0thS are pleaSant
ness.
In this mad race to convert fiteen-cent Chi
namen, that are not worth a cent n dozen af-
ter they are converted, Is only equalled by
our neglect TO convert the stranger that
is within our gates, and who will be
henceforth our fellow-citizen anu neigbbor.
At least half million non-Christian peo.
pie come to our shores every year, and yet
there is little effort to convert them.
The Hypocrisy and insincercty of this peo-
PIE In their effort to convert the Chinaman is
nowhere more plainly shown than in the act
OF Congress which actually forblds the China
men to land on our shores. If he is here al
ready he is denied citizenship, yet hurral-
ing and inpracticable preachers Will excite
the people on the necessity of raising money
to support one o { their own number among n
people whom we regard as not sufficiently
good to be invested with the rights Of citizen
shfp-a people whom we allege are good
enough to go to heaven, but practically and
actually deny that they are good enough to
become citizens of the United States.
If we are true Christians, and propose to
treat the Chinese as reasonable beings, let us
then petition Congress to repeal the laws
f,I. e