The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-21

manity. are striving to teach. enlighten,
upllft and save their fellow-men?
Il nave seen enough of Christian evangel-
ism to NIL me with joyful hope. l never
met a missionary in India or Japan who
was doubtful about the final result. And l
have seen enough of the practical work
lngs of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam to
crystalline into adamantine hrmnesS my
previous conviction of their futility to give
the soul peace with Cod to remove the
weight of guilt or grief, TO lay the founda-
tons of vigorous individual and national
morality and to brighten earth with the
light OF a blessed Immortality. The notion
that Asia does not need the gospel of
Christ because of the refined and lofty
moral sentiments in the sacred books OF
the East, or because Oriental speakers
trained in Christian schools and shaped by
Christian environments are able TO make
an agreeable impression eXpOundlnS their
faith on Christian platforms, IS born of
ignorance The world needs Christ, and to
us more than to any other people belongs
the fulfillment of the commission to evan
gelize the nations. This sad and sin-smit
ten world needs the personal message and
the ministry of Christ. the whole Christ,
not partial Christ, not Savior who has
no almighty power to save, not a teacher
overcome by human feelings and himself
conquered by death, but the Christ of the
gospels, the unique feature and ele-
ment of Christianity, the Christ of the
thorne and the cradle, the Christ of the
cross and the broken sepulcher; the loving,
suffering, atoning. risen and everlasting
Son OF God, marching at the head of his
tOl y lIlS same yesterday, To-Day ana Tor
ever.
THE HOPE IN INDIA.
Il am grateful that in the work of a
score of societies I could see so much both
of the seed-planting and the in-gathering
already accomplished. Certainly the Bish-
op of Tinnevelly. who since last November
has been permitted TO confirm more than
two thousand native converts does not de-
spair of the evangelizaton of India. Hav-
ing conversed with Brahman Christian
preachers and professors in colleges, having
seen a Brahman in the bazaars of Benares
proclaiming Christ amidst the hideous idol
atries of that city, having seen whole rows
of Brahman converts in Christian churches
L not only repudiate the mendacious story
that no true Aryan is ever converted, but
| cherish a hope that in time to come null
tptudes OF the twice-born classes will be
porn again by the spirit of God.
-, nave seen i'll Egypt the schools and
churches which are supported by the
United Presbyterian Church of America,
and remember hearing the Egyptian min
lster OF public instruction say that the
carried on by these American Schools |
KNOW that you are doing similar work in
Indla and that you have a worthy and
noIor6d representative in DR.. w. w. White
IN Calcutta, the collegiate center of the In
dian empire, the spirit of energy and hope
characterizes every Presbyterian mission
airy whom | have ever seen.
Let one visit hundred Christian schools
IN which L have seen gathered the dark
eyed boys and girls of Arcot, Bengal and
the Punjab; let him see the native con.
gregations of Christians in Lucknow and
Paiamcotta, in Ahmednafar and Madras,
and contrast their homes with the condi-
tons out of which they came; let him visit
the hospital work in Amribsar and Indore;
let him study the various forms of organ
lzed Christian labor by which the Church
Missionary Society reaches the ignorant
the benlghted, the blind, the deaf, the dumb
and the poor in Palamcotta; let him see
what the Pundita Ramabai is doing in
Poona for the relief and instruction of
Hindu high-caste widows; let him mark the
biblical, literary and scientific instruction
given to the L. 500 boys and young men in
the Christian College, Madras, and to the
hundreds in Duff College. Calcutta; For
man College Lahore; Reid College, Luck
now; wilson College, Bombay; Wesley Col
lege. BangalOre; ST. Johns College, Agra
st. Stephens's College, Delhi Let him fol-
, low the Bible women in their dligent teach
ing OF the Scriptures; let him hear the re-
ports of the great army of Christian ladies
who are carrying light and cheer. comfort
and hope into darkened zenanas; let him
note how millions of printed Christian
pages are spreading all abroad the mighty
gospel of redemption; let him study such
huge turnings of Christ as have followed
the preaching of the Baptists among the
Telagus, and of the MethOdists in northern
India; let him renew his acquaintance with
the monstrOus usages which prevailed
eighty years ago. and which Christian civ
ll1zation in India has swept away; let him
ism is decadent and doomed; let him study
the reformatory move ments which the pr s.
ence and power of Christianity have
started into life: let him remember that
with all the forces which keep people back
from open confession the membership of
native churches in India has increased
more rapidly during the last twenty years
than has the population; and he will be
convinced that though only a good begin
ming has been made and many generations
of Christian effort are yet required to do
for the empire of India what the gospel
wrought for the regeneration of ancient
Rome, still, he has seen and learned enough
to diSpel the error contained in the remark
that Indian missions are a failure
THE MISSIONARY OFFERING.
At the close Of the address the entire con-
vention joined in one of their songs.
A few more messages of greeting from
foreign lands were read by DR.. w. T. Nc
Crory, of Allegheny, Pa. The letters were
signed by Mary Logan, Mary A Lawrence,
Emma d. Anderson, d. S. Lyttell, S. E.
johnson and a number of others whose
names were familiar to the members of the
convention. A brief prayer was then of
fered by Dr. Barrows for the cause of mis-
sions in both home and alien lands.
The returned and outgoing missionaries
who were on the stage were then asked to
stand up that the convention might have
the opportunity of looking on their faces;
while standing the audience was asked to
rise and give them the convention salute
Rev. Ralph Atkinson, of Chicago, then took
the floor and made most forcible mission
address, presenting the claims of the heath
en- and pleading for financial support in
order to put missionaries in the benighted
lands.
The night was the occasion of the great
missionary Offering of the convention and
the work was started by Kate Corbett
who is now in India A letter was read
from her in which she sent so for the mis-
sion offering. The envelopes were distrib-
uted and the contributions were many and
of generous proportions, ranging from IS to
$209. Among, them the Y. P. Church at
Allegheny Pa. gave $500; the church at
Washington, Pa, SIS; Miss Quay. of Dem
YER Col, 800. During the offering, which
was very fervid and exciting, Temago
Sehyoun, of Keno, Egypt, who is taking
a law course at Cincinnati, was introduced
to the convention He is a practicing law
yer in Egypt.
Dr. BarrOws and DR.. Clark both say that
the best equipped foreign mission work is
the Egyptian mission of the United Pres
byterian Church. In that mission there are
colleges, seminaries for girls and also
theological schools. In the PreSbytery of
Egypt there are twenty-one native or
dained ministers,
The convention will meet this morning at
$3.50 instead of O'Clock as heretofore.
SUNDAY ASSIGNMENTS.