The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-07-01

a great and immeasurabIe IDEA. But
when they come to add to the great
and immeasurable idea the idea OF def
niteness we will infinitely augment the
work More than 100000. 600 OF heather
in India, more than 300,000,000 OF peo-
Pile in China, and more than millions
of heather than can be guessed outside
of those countries, sometimes stagger
and coniound and defeat our faith.
But here in these islands OF present
controversy we can farm out the work
among the churches, and in five years.
under the blessing Of God, not only fit
the people for the right of suffrage,
but prepare them for usefulness and
Heaven. The difference between the
general idea of the worlds evangelical
ton and some particularized field of
CHARACTERIZATION is the difference be-
tween the improvement OF agriculture
among all nations and the improvement
OF rs acres put under ones especial care
and industry. by all means let the gen.
eral work 90 on. But here is the spe-
cfic, field for religious concentration
and development. This is not chimeri-
cal or impractical. | read this morning
that the American Missionary associa-
ton of the Congregational church has
already begun the work at San Juan,
Utuado and Albonito. and all denomi-
nations of Christians, in six months,
| will be in those islandy fields, and we
will need with our prayers and con-
for God and righteousness those re-
gions which our American navy has
captured from Spanish pertidy.
1t has been estimated that this Amer
| ico-Spanish war cost us $300,000,000. 1t
would not cost half of that to proclaim
and carry on and consummate a holy
war that will rescue those archipelagoes
from satanic domination. Who will vol
unteer? beat the drum of recruit
| ing Station. Who will enlist under the
one starred, blood striped banner of I'm
manuel? Cuba and Porto Rico and the
Philippines are stepping stones for our
American Christianity to cross over and
! take the round world for God. We need
new evangelical alliance organized for
this one purpose. In all denominations
there are those with large enough
| hearts and who have been thoroughly
enough converted to join in such an
advanced movement; men who, putting
aside all minor differences of opinion,
"believe in God the Father Almighty,
! Maker of Heaven and earth, and in
Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.
and who would march shoulder to
shoulder in such a Gospel campaign.
| The result would be that those islands,
after a scene of gospelization, would
assert themselves into denominations
sprinkled in holy baptism, and others
would be immersed in those warm riv-
ers, and some would worship in relig-
ious assemblage silent as the Quaker
meeting house, and others would have
as many jubilant CALCULATIONS as back
woods camp meeting, and some of those
who preached would be gowned and
supplied for the work, and others
would stand in citizens apparel or in
their shirt sleeves preaching that Cos
pei which is to save the world
Mark you well that craftsmanship
however grand it is, and wise men of the
world, however noble, cannot do this
work. Mere secular education does not
moralze. Some of the most thoroughly
educated men in all the world have been
the worst men. Quicken mans intel
lect, while at the same time you do not
make his morals good, and you only
augment his power for evil. Geography
and mathematics and metaphysics and
philosophy will never qualify u people
to govern themselves. A corrupt print
ing press is worse than no printing
press at all, but let loose an open Bible
upon those islands and let the apocalyp
tic angel once fly over them and you
will prepare them to become either col
onies of the United States government
or, as hope will be the case, indepcnd
ent republics.
God did not exhaust himself when he
built this nation. Those islands will yet
have their Thomas Jeffersons, qualified
to write for them declarations of indie
pendence; and George Washingtons
capable of achieving their liberties; ano
Abraham Lincolns, strong enough tt
emancipate their serfdoms; and Long
fellows and Bryants, capable of put
ting their hills and their rivers and theil
landscapes into poems; and their Ban
crofts and Prescotts to make their his
, tories; and their Irvings to write theil
, sketch books; and their Charles O'Con
ors and Rufus Choates to plead in thei
, courtrooms; and their Daniel Webster
and John G. Crittcndens to move thei
senatcs.
The day cometh-hear it all We VIII
have no hope for those islands of be
{ dwarfed and diseased illiterates-th
, day cometh when those regions will
have Christian civilization equal t,
} that which this country now enjoys
J while l hope by that time this countr,
: will be as superior to what it now i
: as to-day Washington and New Yorl
I are better than Manila and Santiago
, Christ has started for the conquest o
) the nations, and nothing on earth or il
> hell can stop it. The continents ar
; rapidly rolling into His dominion, ant
| Va u 10, ,,lc oh fnr u