The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-06-10

sis than yon put into the interrogatorv
wv by. | answer. first: BecauS, our
Christ was an Asiatic. Egypt gave to
us its monuments. Rome gave to Il. its
law. Germany gave to us its philosophy,
but Asia gave to us its Christ. His
mother an Asiatic: the mountains shat
looked down upon him. Asiatic: the
lakes on whose pebbly banks He rested
! and on whose chopped waves He walked.
! Aslatlc; the apostles whom He first
| commissioned, Asiatic: the audiences
He whelmed with His illustrations
| drawn from blooming lilies and
| salt crystals. and great rainfalls,
and believing tempestS, and hvpo-
! critics. long faces and croaking ravens
all those audiences Asiatic Christ
| during His earthly stay was never out
side OF Asia. When He had Is or Is
years to spare from His active work.
instead of spending that time in En-
rope. | think He goes farther toward
| the heart of Asia-nameIv. India. The
! Bible says nothing of Christ from l.!
wears of age until 80. but there are
records in India and traditions in India
which represent strange, wonderful,
most excellent and supernatural being
as staying in India about that time.
| think Christ was there much of the
| time between His twelfth aud His thir.
| ticth year in India, but however that
may be, Christ was born in Asia, suf-
fcred in Asia, died in Asia and ascend
ed from Asia, and all that makes me
turn my ear more attentively toward
that continent as hear its CIV of dis
treSS.
Need | tell You of Alphonse Lacroix,
the Swiss missionary in India: or OF
William Butler. the glorious American
Methodist missionary in India; or of
the royal family OF the Scudders, of
the Reformed Church of America, my
dear mother church to whom | gave a
kiss of love in passing: or of DR.. Alex
andcr Duff. the Scotch missionary.
whose visit to this country some of us
will remember forever? When he
stood in the old broadway tabernacle,
New York. and pleaded for India until
there was no other depth OF religious
emotion for him to stir and no loftier
height of Christian eloquence for him
to scale, and closed in a whirlwind of
hallelujahs, could easily believe that
which was said of him, that
while pleading the cause of India in
one of the churches of Scotland he got
so overwrought that he fell in the pull
pit in a SWOon and was carried into the
vestry to be resuscitatcd, and when re-
stored to his senses and preparation
was being made to carry him 0ut to
some dwelling where he could he put
to bed. he compelled his friends to take
him back to the pulpit to complete his
| plea for the salvation of India, no soon
er getting on his feet than he be
gan where lie left off. but with
more gigantic power than before
he tainted. But just as noble as
any | have mentioned are the
| men and women who are there now for
| Christs sake and the redemption OF
| that people. Far away from their ma
| tive land. famine on one side and black
| plague on the other side, Swamps
| breathing on them malaria, and iungles
| hOwling on them with wild beasts or
| kissing with cobraS: the names of those
missionaries of all denominations to be
| written 50 high on the roll of martyrs
| that no names of the last 1,S00 years
shall be written above them. You
need to see them at their work in
schools and churches and iazarettOs tC
appreciate them. All honor upon
| them and their households. while
smite the lying lips of their slanderers
| Oh, it is hard to be hungry in a wOrlC
where there is enough grain, and fruit
and meat, to fill all the hungry mouth:
on the planet: but, alas, that the suf
ferer and the supply can not be brough
together. There stands India to-day
LOOl, at her. Her face duSky from tht
hot suns of many centuries: under heI
turban, such achings of brow as only
a dying nation feels: her eyes hOllo"
| with unutterable woe: the tears roll
ing down her sunken cheek: her bacl
bent with more agOnies than sh'
knows how to carry; her ovens con
tanning nothing but ashes. Gaunt
ghaStlv. wasted. the dew of death upOr
her forehead and a pallor such as the
last hour brings. she stretches forth he
trembling hand toward us. and will
hoarse whisper she says: II am dy
ing, Give me bread, That is what
want, Bread! Give it to me quick
give it to me now-bread, bread
bread" America has heard the cry
Many thousands of dollars have al
ready been contributed. One shi
laden with breadstuffs has sailed from
San Francisco for India. Our senat
and house of representatives in bill
signed by our sympathetic presiden,
have authorized the secretary of tn
navy to charter vessel to carry foo
to the famine sufferers, and you ma
) help fill that ship. We want to sen
at least 600.0 900 bushels of corn. Tha
) will save the lives of at least 900
| 900 people. Many will respond in con
tributions of money, and tn
. barns and corn cribs of the entir
: United States will pour forth the!
: treasures of food. When that ship
: laden till it can carry no more. we wi
ask Him who holds the wind in His fl
, and plants His triumphant foot G
= stormy waves tr let nothing but ror