The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-07-01
FAVORS EXPANSION.
Dr.. Talmage Discusses an Absorb
ing Theme.
Points Out the Way for the Amers-
can People 10 Perform Mighty
WOrk-A Splendid OPP
pOrtunity.
copyright. 1899. By Louis Klopsch.l
Washington,

Washington,
In this discourse DR.. Talmage steers
clear of the political entanglelnents OF
our time and recommends that which
will meet the approval of all who hope
for the perpetuity of our republic and
the welfare of other lands; text, Gene
sis 2S:l4 Thou shalt spread abroad
to the west and to the east
Since the American-Hispanic war is
concluded and the United States am
bassador is on the way to Madrid and
the Spanish ambassador is on the way
to Washington the people OF our coun-
try are divided into eXpansionists and
anti-expansionists From different
standpoint from that usually taken l
discuss this all-absorbing theme.
leave the political aspect of this subject
to statesmen and warriors and pray
Almighty God that they may be en-
abed to rightly settle the question
whether the islands in controversy shall
be finally annexed or held under pro-
tectorate, or resigned to themselves,
while call attention to the fact that
a campaign of moral and religious ex-
pansion oughtto be Immediately opened
on widest and grandest scale.
At the close of this war God has put
into the hands of this country the key
to the worlds redemption. Heretofore
the religious movement in pagan lands
had to precede the educational. After
in China and India and the islands OF
the sea the missionaries have labored
over so or rs years the printing press
and the secular school came in. Now
to better advantage than ever before
religious and secular enlightenment
may go side by side, and so the work be
accomplished in short time and more
thoroughly. Starting with the fact that
in Cuba and Porto Rico and the Philip
pine islands at least three-fourths of
the people can neither read nor write,
what an opportunity for school and
printing press! Within five years every
man in those islands may be taught to
read not only the Bible, but the Decla-
ration of independence and the consti-
tuition of the United States and the
biography of George Washington and
of Abraham Lincoln.
1t seems to me that the government
of the United States ought by vote of
congress afford common schools and
printing presses to those benighted
regions. Our national legislature by
one vote appropriated $5O,OOO,0 900 to give
bread and medicine to Cuba. Why not
by similar generosity give $50, 0o0,O 900
for feeding and healing the minds and
souls of those ignorant and besotted
archipelagoes.', In the name of God,
nominate school for every neighbor-
hood of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines. AS soon as the gavel falls at
IL o'clock Of next December on the
table of senate and house of representa-
tives and the roll has been called and
the prelmnares observed let some
member of our national legislature
with mind and soul and voice strong
enough to be heard not only through
those halls, but through Christendom
propose a measure for the mental and
moral disenthrallment of the islands
in controversy.
What has made American civiliza
ton the highest civilization the world
has ever seen? Next to the Bible and
the church, schools, common schools
schools reaching from the Atlantic tc
the Pacific, and from British America
to the gulf of Mexico. Five years un.
der such educational advantages and
the whole subject that keeps our public
men agitated, some of them to froth.
ing at the mouth, will settle itself. Give
those islands readers, spoilers, arith
metics, histories, blackboards, maps
biographies, globes. Let the state leg
lslatures at their next meeting, some Of
them assembling in early autumn, take
parts of those islands under their espe
cial educational patronage. What i:
needed is state and national action il
this matter of schools.
Still further, here is wide open doc,
for Christianity. First of all, we hav,
the attention of those people. TIL,
heathen nations are for the most par
soporitic. The American missionaries
heretofore had great difficulty in get
ting heathendom to listen. They ex
cited some comment by their attire
so different was the parting of the hair
and the shape of the hat, ard the GU
of the coat, and the formation of tn
shoe of the evangelizers, but the ques
tons constantly arose in regard to tn
missionary: WHO is he?" what il
he here for?" And then the interroga
tor would relax into the previous stu
pid Indifference. But that condition O
things has passed. The guns of ou
American navy have awakened thos
populations. They do not ask who w
are. They have found out. They ar
now listening to what American civil
cation and our Christian religion hav
to say on any subject. Now is the time
while their ears and eyes are wide open
to tell them of the rescuing and saliva
BILE and inspiriting power of the Cos
pei of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of tn
world. The steam printing press whicl
secular education plants there may b
used and will be used to print religion
newspapers and tracts and sermons an
mighty discussions of questions TEN
poral and eternal.
Now, church of God, now all Chris