The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-05
MISSIONS AND EXPANSION.
NEED OF DON FLAG IN THE MISSION
FIELD OF MICRONESIA.

~ Ep"uNhN ANtNtNNANVh btbNEONNu Nhs
Work of the American Missionaries in
the Cnrolinss-A Returned M~issionary's
IN of the Eiliplnos.
III IL wore left to the decision Of our mis-
sionarles abroad there would be little delay
In ratifying the treaty Of peace with Spain and
in taking all the necessary steps 30 keep our
flag flying wherever It has been planted in .
distant land" said n missionary recently re-
turned to New York after niue years teach
ing among tho Marshall and Caroline ISL
ands. 1T is.those whose pulses have stirred
at the sight OF our flag afoat in a foreign land.
and have felt the need Of the protection which
its presence should imply. who most deeply
realize that the time has come for America
take its proper part in the shaping CT the
worlds great affairs, and to make It's power
and majesty manifest wherever commerce
sends a keel. For nearly nifty years in MI
cronesia, In which the nearest station is 5000
miles from San Francisco, the missionaries
sent by the American Board Of Commission
ers for Foreign Missions have toiled TO Chris
tianize and to civilize the heather natives Of
the Caroline. the Marshall and the Gilbert 1sl-
ands. In that time. supported wholly by pri-
vate subscriptions obtained through the or
Sanizatlon, they have extended their work
Sroups named more than thirty islands are ocs
cunied by Christian teachers. AT kusaic, In
NE Eastern C9r PHI ths hsadaTartSrS Of the
there are seven AMERICAN missionaries: In
Ruk. OF the Western Carolines. there are eight
In all the. Micronesia group there, are -
native pastors and a total Of lO2 native
aud Hawaiian, mtssion workers. 40 organized
been ACCOMPLISHED without help from the
American National Government, and with bnt
little visible protection from It's power,
For years the early missionaries In Micro
nesia were wholly ,dependent upon chance
mail mali aid supplies. =" Gradually the mission SER
vice became stronger and, better organized.
And the missionary nay T. WITH siutIhhIi ts faEship; the
base Of supplies at Honolulu. and the means, Of
years the missionaries laborcd on Without
hindrance.. establishing their work and gain
d tht ss.D Where Spanish relisiogss inrMtoierannsSe
barred them out. Kusaic and Ponapi. In the
mission work in Micronesia. At Ponapi the
Christian natives had organized as workers
and. headed by the beautiful Princess Opa-
tinia and her husband. Opatais. a part OF them
had gone as missionaries to the MsortloSk Isl
work had begun of Christianizing the l5.uuu
people Of the Rus region. beyond the Mort;
upon the Marshall and Caroline Islands, lay
ing claim to both groups, At this Spain
andS were hers by right Of discovery and as
serted her claim. The DISPUTE being leit e
islands we're awarded to Germany and the
Carolines to Spain.
1T was then tnat tine missionaries IOunQ
out what it meant to be subjected to the con-
troll and exactions of a European power. In
1887. Just before the Spanlards coming. Mr..
wrote OF Pc Ponapi: The Sutloo3 over a all the isl.
and is cheering. or the five native KINGDOMS
in the island four have pecome ChristianiZed.
their Queens, and many leading. men, have
been baptized But in March of that same
year the Spanish Goyerpment assumed con-
troll over the island; In less than Ave months
after the arrival OF the first Governor but two
schools remained of the nine on the island.
Schools closed. church services discontinued.
h nat Srin eaco thjss Is the he % eonditien re i tbioss DE-.
scribed by a missionary, at this. time. Mr..
Doane was arrested by the Spanish authori-
to. Manila. whence later he Was " returned
il the island was continued for three years.
The end came in the summer OF 1880, when
Standards. the Church burned to the GROUND
and the missionaries expelled. Since then
Ponapi nor have they been allowed 10. send
Bibles or other books to the natives. For sew
e faS.d {fbs y tb the sp %Ils.9ns so t sai9s at E s5s i nGs a:
mitted to anchor under the gums Of the fort.
devoted T missionary Work by Amerieans i,
Ponapi. That the same course was not fol-
that the Spaniards have not yet occupied those
islands. In the Marshall. group the German
to the missionaries and their work, and until
the appointment OF his successor. three years
ef2; his f ri Tlil s sam9ef 6y G insat Bfi5sin i nbo shs
the time the Germans occupied, the Marshalls.
the thsoI miss 1Ss a T2rf british Eaf i%PSdda fSr yefi E.
ngrance of the native customs and character.
Thus in islands which for thirty-two years had
pend on the tolerance Of three alien powers
for permission to carry forward our work.
efams for 20 S P6s ppf SfS% s = the G GHS5di tef fsisnd :
or. at least. the island OF Kusaic. l need scarce
ly say. Into the Ladrones. barred to rs from
the first by Spanish intolerance we may now
ebheepcsn9ui tion oh Sv t oSr Eo W InumIleeeetf, If 'n HE III.
Let no one be deceived by the notion that
the Filipinos are a united people. VINO. II left
alone. might array themselves under a single
and stable government. In such a case tbs,
matter Of government would resolve itself
with the greatest rapidity into different dee
potisms. each controlling some island or
Out the separate dominions. Here and there
some chief. enlisting the services OF desperate
some interested power. might gain a spprem-
acy over his neighbors. There could be but
one ending to this state Of thlnGsnthe selling
their division among several powers. put un-
til this was carried into effect the Philippines
sayagery in all their history.
You have never perhaps, had to deal with
Christianity and tho civ i~!ization that It i'm
plies and, gone back to the old ways Of his
1htnerS. lie Is lar WOThe llun- lUe DTilHitlNo
heather who worships in good faith at the an
cient shrines and has preserved his con
ing the Christian, faith. which he has abap;
doned. returns with q fercer zest to the old
life and seeks to Guido his fellow heather In
every act:of savagery. with powers OF mischief
augmented by what he has learned Of ;%eiyilisnn-
lion. A considerable proportion q those FL
control are nominally Christians. but 1t has
been the Of the Spanish soldieEy that
With the Filipinos LETT to Themselves. their
Christianity. II 1t survived IN any form. would
is different rather than better than the Mo-
hammedanism opposed TO II. and 1t Is by no
means improbable that the latter would pre-
vail in the long run. But it would scarcely
come to that, The powers OF Europe would
hands were OH. There will be no let alone
policy with them. or throwing away OF oppor-
t~unities. while valuable unappropriated 10
gions remain"
EVEN At LAST.
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