The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-13

fSlODlneQL OF IuS liilpSAOh"fJ
the success Of missionary labor. The
fields are omen as never before. The
whole world seems ripe for the Gospel.
The spirit of God, the church OF CHRIST
and Divine providence seem to be keep
ing step in this work.
What shall we say of the outlook? It
is said that we have reached the crisis OF
missionary work, that is, according to
DR. Pierson. there is a combination OF
onnortunity and responsibility; the
turning point of history and destiny.
The problem of the worlds conversion
| seems now to be one OF dollars and
cents. The outlook is bright, but not all
BRIGHT. There are dark features. More
than three-fourths of the worlds popu-
lation is still in darkness. OF the re-
naming one-fourth many are merely
nominal Christians, and many of the rest
manifest far less interest than they
ought in the worlds salvation.
Never so many heathens in the world
as today; but on the other hand, never
so many Christians; never so many CON
secrated to missionary spirit and WORK,
and the church never so well equipped.
AS Judson once said: 'sThe prospect of
the conversion of the heather world is
bright as the promise of God. The skies
brighten with signs of the approaching
triumph when the kingdom of this world
shall become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ"
A meeting CT the Bible Society of
Maine followed, with sermon by Rev.
NJ. S. Hughes of Portland. The speaker
deplored the change in the church-going
customs of the people, contrasting them
very unfavorably with the customs OF SO
years ago. Seventy-two Maine towns
have no preaching services. Nearly half
the Protestant population are non-church
goers, and out of $1,000 families visited
by agents of the Bible Society. 100 were
found destitute of copies of the Scrip
lures.
At meeting of the Preachers Aid So
ciety, at o'clock, the following officers
were elected:
President-Rev. Israel Luce
Vice President-Rev. w. s. Holmes.
Recretary-Rev.J. A. Bragdon, Kennebunk-
port
Treasurer-J B. Donnell.
Auditor-Rev. A. w. Pottle.
Managers-Reys. w. S. Mcintyre, d. B. Holt,
III. Chase
Committee to invest funds-Rev 1. Luce, G.
G. Andrews, G. |. Cobb
The treasurer reported about $4,000
of funds invested.
The Evening Session.
The evening session was devoted to
the anniversary of the Freedman's Aid
and Southern Educational Society. Rev.
Matt S. Hughes presided, and the adj
dress of the evening was delivered by
Rev. ]. W. Hamilton, DID. of Boston.
The church was packed to overlooking
by an audience that gave most appreci-
alive attention to DR.. Hamilton's very
entertaining address. After preliminary
remarks about the relationships of the
various elements in population of the
United States, the speaker turned to the
Southern problem. The state of society
there was most miserable. Although
during the four years of the war the Con-
federate soldiers left their families in the
charge of the colored men with perfect
confidence, there had in the last rs
years grown up a most violent suspic-l
ion against the black man. He has been
charged with a nameless crime; and
simply upon the suspicion of it, without
trial, hundreds of colored men are muir
dered yearly. We have become the
bloodiest nation upon the face of the
earth. Ireland, with her record of cen
turtles of strife, has but 800 murders to
the 10000, 600. Spain, the land OF the
Inquisition, but 500 to the 100000,
while our shameful record is 1000. There
has been murdered in the South a
blackman for every day of every year
since the war. In 1890 there were 5000
murders in this country, in 1891 four
thousand, in 1892 nearly seven thousand.
In four years there have been over 20,-
600 murders as shown by the records of
the courts; and only q few days ago the
judge of the Circuit Court at Fort
Smith, Ark, estimated that there were
5000 more murders that had never come
to the attention of the court SO In 1889
there were more people lynched in this
country than in the palmy days of Judge
Lynch himself. Of 1856 iynched in 1852,
155 were negroes. Upon these facts
Dr.. Hamilton declared that we were the
bloodiest nation on the face of the earth.
The speaker said he was within a days
ride of Paris, Texas, when excursion
trains were run on advertised time, to
carry crowds Of people into that city to
see one of the most horrible spectacles
of the age. The mayor of the city dis
missed the public schools in order that
children six and eight years old might
be present to see the eyes burned out of
a human being, and that human being
afterwards burned alive, on the mere
suspicion that he had committed a
heinous crime.
So lone as one sof those crimes has
been committed, and black man is sus-
pected, his life lis not safe for a mo-
ment Although we can go to Chill and
force that covering nation to redress a
wrong to our sailors, we cannot within
our avn country guarantee the protec-
ton of the law and the courts to our own
citizens. The flag is burlesque and the
government at Washington "a travesty.
DR.. Hamilton said he was nota parti-
san, and did not approach the ques-
ton from party standpoint. No politi-
cal party had done its duty in this mat
| ter.
The condition of Southern society
reacted upon the political situation,