Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-09-04
REPLY TO ADMIRAL KIRKLAND.
His Criticisms Of American Missionaries
Abroad Are Traversed.
To the Editor of the N. Y. Herald

His Criticisms of American Missionaries
Abroad Are Traversed.
To the Editor of the N Y. Herald
VIII you permit a word of reply to
the despatch published in the Herald
of August IS in which Rear Admiral
Kirkland is represented as strongly
condemning the character and conduct
of American missionaries in Turkey
and Svriag There is some doubt, / be-
Iieve, as to the trustworthiness of the
despatch. Nevertheless, it explicitly
alleges that the missionaries "are a
bad lot" that zone Of the most prom
inent Sunday school teachers in Syria
spent three years in the penitentiary
at Pittsburg, Pa" and that, reply
ing upon the protection of the Ameri-
can government, the missionaries defy
the local laws" cause trouble, and
then appeal for q war ship.
AS to the first allegation, it may be
said that the missionaries in Turkey,
like the missionaries In other lands,
are selected with great care, after the
most thorough and painstaking in
curry as to their physical, intellectual
and spiritual qualifications, and that
no one is commissioned Haless his ex
animation is satisfactory to the Board.
After the arrival of a missionary on
the field the Board keeps itself accu
rately informed regarding his conduct
and work, and II he does not show
himself to be worthy of confidence he
is promptly recalled. The Board has
no conceivable motive for keeping an
incompetent missionary on the field,
nor does it do so. Thousands of Amer
icans who have visited Syria have vol
unfairly testified to the high character
and efficiency of our missionaries in
that country. I need only say that
these missionaries have included such
men as the Rev. @. v. A. Van Dyck,
D. d, LII. D.; the Rev. H. H. Jessup,
D. d. LII. D.; the Rev. James s. Den
mis-, D. D.; the Rev. W. W. Eddy, D.
D.; the Rev. George A. Ford, D. D.;
the Rev. Daniel Bliss, D. D.; the. Rev.
W. NJ. Thomson, D. D., Ill. D, and
many others of like standing aud abili-
tv, and of devout women not few.
The statement that these men and wo-
men are "a bad lot" will cause smile
of amusement among the hundreds of
thousands of people throughout the
Christian world who have long known
and admired their work.
AS to the second allegation, it is.
perhaps, sufficient to say that Ameri-
can missionaries are not employed as
Sunday school teachers in Syria or
anywhere else. 1t is possible that Ad
miral Kirkland may refer to some ma
tive convert. 1 doubt, however,
whether any of our native converts
ever spent three years in o Pittsburg
Penitentiary. But if it could be shown
that one of them did have such a re-
cord would commend the success of
our missionaries in Transforming an
ex- convict into a peaceable, law abid
ing citizen and a Sunday school work
er to the earnest consideration of those
who think that foreign missions are a
failure and that there is no such thing
as a converted heather.
The last charge is SO conspicuously
untrue that l am constrained to be-
lieve that Admiral Kirkland las been
misquoted. So far from causing troub-
lie with the authorities. defying the
local laws and then appealing for pro-
lection to American war ships, the pol
icy of the missionaries and the Board
is to scrupulously observe the laws of
the lands in which we operate and to
carefully avoid making trouble wher-
ever it is possible to do SO. AS l write,
have before me copy of despatch
from Mr.. Terrell. the United States
Minister at Constantinople, in which
he pays high tribute to the great pru
dence displayed by one of our mission
aries in Turkey and the efficient aid
which that missionary has rendered
him in the discharge of his diplomatic
duties.
1 will not ask for more of your valu
able space in discussing this subject
though there is much still that nigh
| fairly be said. Permit me simply t.
add that it is a source of profound re
greet that when men and women o
high character and lofty motives NIKE
the sacrifice of leaving the country O
their birth to toll amid many discour
agements and hardships for the TEN
poral and eternal welfare of the de
graded and oppressed multitudes il
foreign lands they should fail to re
ceive from some of their own country
men that hearty sympathy and co
operation which they so richly de
serve.
ARTHUR J. BROWN, Corresponding
Secretary the Board of Foreign Mis-
sions of the Presbyterian Church il
the United States of America.
No. 90 Fifth avenue, New York, Au
gust 81, 1895.