Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-10
BISHOP NEwMAN's JOURNEY,
He Sums up His Impressions of Soutl
America ON His Recent Trip.


Bishop John p. Newman has just return
ed from an official visit to South America
| where he made. the annual examinatio
| into the condition of the missions carried
on there by the Methodist Episcopal
Church.
He devoted about five months to the trip
and during that time went entirely around
the continent, going first to the isthmus
crossing and then passing down the west
coast, through the straits and I'D the east
ern coast
THE work done by the missionaries in
South America" he said the other day,
seems to me one Of the most wonderful
OF any In which this work has been at
tempted.
The Methodist Episcopal is the only one
Of the Protestant DENOMINATIONS which has
missions in the South American countries.
The Roman Catholic Church is the domi-
mating one. The Church OF England is es-
IA blished in the cities. but 1t is for the
English who are there. not for the Span
iards. So 1t is with some of the Protestant
denominations Of this country.
Il found that our church has property
worth about 100000. From fifty to seventy
five men and women are engaged in teach
ing or preaching. There are 1900 commune
cants and about 1000 adherents of the
Methodist Church. In Buenos Ayres one
Sunday l saw 2.0O Spanish children at a
Methodist Sunday school taking part In the
exercises of children's day.
THE constitutions OF the republics, or
most OF them at least, favor the Roman
Catholic Church. But the liberal party in
most of them is opposed to the union Of
church and state. and because of the
evasions of the constitutional requirements
that the Catholic Church shall be the re-
cognized church.
1.-TWO or three illustrations of this &C.
CURED during my visit. At Lima 1 wanted
to TO- preach; and on eonsulting the authori-
- In, SrNax ,f@t. ~t.xl~s
English. In Uruguay / was again confront
ed by the constitution. but it was inter-
preted according to the old maxim that
what Is not forbidden Is permitted AS
the constitution did not specify against the
Methodist forms of worship was allowed
What ls the condition of the countries
Good. There are many fine cities, and
the agricultural and mineral resources of
most boundless and not yet developed to a
fraction of their possibilities. The chief
thing which interferes with the more rapid
progress of the country is the frequency of
political disturbances. mainly fractional in
their origin.
THE great thing the South American re-
publics need is trade with the United
States. We are almost without representa-
ton in some of the cities. 1 do not know
that the reciprocity treaties recently put
many Of the south American nations viii
result In developing this trade. 1t will be
found on experiment that they have COM
paratively few things that we want, while
we could send them articles almost without
number.
II studied particularly the condition of
the emancipated slaves In Brazil and other
countries where slavery once existed. They
are in a most pitiable condition. They are
illustrat lions of what 1 believe is true in all
history that a people emancipated from
slavery will never rise to any high rank as
a people. 1t is only those who make the
struggle and free themselves that may Of
themselves attain a position.
1.-THE condition of the blacks In South
America is probably no better than that Of
the natives in Africa. Little or nothing is
done toward educating them or in any way
benefiting them. They are left to depend
on themselves"