The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-01-17
The CHILEAN WORK
OF Presbyterian Missionaries
tho Subject OF n Lecture
'A1 SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Last Evening by Rev. Mr.. Lester, n
Returned ilssionNry.-au Interest.
Ing Account of His Work In tho
South American Rcpublic-pro.
Gress, Slow but suro is Being Made.
Hope Expressed for tho Future.

Last evening in tho lecture room OF
tho Second Pre,byterian church, on
Twentieth street, South Side, Rev. Mr..
W. II. Lester, a Presbyterian missionary
In that very ontcrpriaing South Ameri.
can republic, Chile, lccturod interest.
inSly to y fair sized audience. Tho
quality oil tho discourse was high, and
all who woro present were held in.or.
ested from beginning to end. When
Chile is called progressive, It should bo
taken in comparative way, for Mr..
Lester showed that tho people there are
far below our standard OF intelligence
and education, even though thoy do
compare favorably with some OF the
other nations OF South America. Mr..
Testers talk did not extend to tho po-
litical side OF the subject, ho dwelt on.
tirely on his work anu the work OF his
fellow missionaries in efforts TO take
into the peoples homes the sweet truth
OF Christianity.
As in nil the Spaniah-Amcsicau coun.
tries superstition reigns among the
masses. and tho work OF tho Prcsbyteri.
an missionaries is greatly hindercd by II.
As an instance no told OF IN English
physician who moro than half CEN
fury ago was in Chile. He cured sick
woman by his superior medical learn.
ing whore tho native physicians had
failed, aud refused to take remuneration.
u, ~
she had in some way balanced accounts,
and finally she took to the foreign
se:ior" baskets OF fruit. In return the
physician gave the woman n picture OF
himself. an old daguerreotype. Mr..
Lester says that to this day tho people
within radius OF forty miles worship
that picture US superior saint, show
ing that in Chile there still clings idol
airy as dense as is to be seen in Darkest
Africa
The speaker described the daily life
OF the American missionaries in Chile.
Though these self sacrificing men and
women arc not compelled 10 suffer the
hardships imposed upon and borne
cheeriully by the missionaries in other
lands less enlightened, their path in life
is by no means strewn with roses. The
Protestant missionary is regarded at
first by the people as being represen-
tatiye oil his Satanic majesty. Nurses
on the street with little children, he
said. would make the sign OF the cross
as n means OF protection to the little
ones when the missionary is seen ap-
proaching. Another interesting char
actcristic OF the masses in Chile, is that
waen one loses anything the missionary
will be consulted; being man OF "a.
t7nic connections he is supposed also to
possess the power OF magic.
The frat great obstacle to bs over
come is the language. Until the mis-
sionary can speak Spanish he is power
lass to exer. 4 good influence. Then
when he has mastered the language the
people will pot listen to the sermons
that would DO listened to with interest
in an enlightened country like our
own. To pu; it in a nutshell, the mis-.
sionary il finally compelled TO come
down 10 the simplest OF dIscourses. but
even then 1t is hard to interest the
common people. Even after the word
OF God il understood the missionary
comes in contact with a total absence of
religious feeling. That was the speak,
er's one point against the Catholic
church, that it "iltrudel itself between
the soul and Cod"
In an Interesting manner Mr.. Lester
gave realistic sketch OF the work tina.
had been accomplished in Chile under
/ these Encouraging conditions. Schools
and churches are established in all
parts OF the country, and progress slow
butsure is being made. In travelling in
the northern provinces he went through
valley where rain had not fallen for
thirteen years. A few weeks later he
passed. back over the same route: The
change was almost miraculous-rain
had fallen copiousIy and the erstwhile
: barren plain was converted into vast
area carpeted with verdure "Thus it
is with us. We have sown the seed,
and We hope that in years 10 como the
results will be gratifying