The Greenville times., 1895-11-23
GREEN VILE TINES
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER Is, 1885


AA-@ =
ne lives snd property Of The
American Missionaries IN Armenia
=. ii smineHf danger, snd 81 oniery
- Zen msds for The sending post
80 Of wzrships 10 the scene for
lzsiE protection. AZ long as Anglo
szxon sense. solid enough in most
nzliers. continues to be blind TO the
fnfilIty OF foreign missions this folly
I liable to keep our government IN
hof water in various remote corners
of The earth, entsiliBg . vast amount
AZ trouble and expense for the sake
Of 4 few fanaticsl men and women,
Who encountered their danger will
fally. and with q full knowledge Of
he consequence The missionary
svsfem has never accomplished any
result worth the life Of an earnest and
conscientious man or woman, however
mistaken. II l. simply an expensive
chimsricsl philanthropy, having for
Ils object = purpose noble enough, nc
doubt from q Christian standpoint but
which long endeayour has proved TO be
utterly lmpraciieable. Christianity is
emphatically the religion Of enlighien-
ment-the religion Of the Caucasian
race. Its precepts and practice can
not be appreciated by inferior races.
Such people as the Chinese, the Hin
dus and Arabians have their own
forms Of religious belief, to which
they are as firmly welded 40 we to
ours : and The efforts Of Christians to
indoetrinaie them are received much
as would be our reception Of teachers
Of their peculiar tenets. The writer
once asked an intelligent Chinaman
what was thought Of missionary
effort by his people. The answer
wss what would you think OF China
men who came here to teach you
ConfucIsnism? We think the same ;
but the Christian schools sre patron
ixed to some extent In order that the
children may learn the English Ian
euage. Some OF them, 1t is true, pre-
tend 10 be converts, because IL gives
them privileges, but that is all that Is
accomplished" Missionary effort has
been constant for centuries in India,
In Burmah, China and elsewhere; yet
little or no result Is apparent In the
Chrlstianizing Of these countries. The
worst feature OF the missionary folly
IL the dragging OF helpless aud con-
fidIBg women and children iato posi-
lions OF peril. II Is . strange religion
that leads man deliberately 10 sacri-
dec those who should be dearer than
life 10 him, and whose first duty
should be their happiness and safety.
The Christianiziug Of Asiatics Is an
idle dream, but that OF mere savages
like the native Africans Is q simpler
matter, and win be accomplished In
time by the only means which has yet
been found to effectually produce the
end desired, The only gospel that ap-
peals to savages is that preached from
the lips Of the Winchester rifle, aud
doubtless, when European rule ex-
tends over Africa the natives win
lsarn to ape their conquerors with a
sort OF grotcsque and blasphemous
jumble OF pinchbeck Christianity and
voodooism. There Is far too loud a
cry from the Macedonia of our city
slums and alleys to be disregarded by
earnest msn and women who desire
to consocrale their lives to the cause
Of humanity, aud those who turn a
deaf ear 10 II aud shed mandin tears
Of sympathy for the darkness Of
Feejeo cannibals can gain neither the
sympathy OF sensible people nor the
appreciation Of Him who healed tho
hurt and comforted the sorrowing
beside bis native Galilce.