The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-06-12
A CALL To LABOR
Continued from Page -

r W Logan" ready to fulfil her mis-
sion in the Central and Western Caro-
line Islands, waiting on oar brethren
in their evangelistic work. These
brethren we'll know OF some small low
coral islands 30 the west of Ruk in
habited by a few hundred pagans,
among whom they hope soon to place
Ruk teachers. And so We may regard
nearly all Micronesia as having been
virtually taken for Christ.
But are there not other lands that
have special claim upon us? Let us
go forth exploring. Shall we turn south
and sail four days, 800 miles, to one OF
the largest islands in the world, to
New Guinea, Inhabited by thousands
of wild savages? But the London Mis-
sionary Society, as we have seen, have
preempted this interesting field. and
Samoan teachers are already success
fully at work there, aided by English
missionaries. Shall we go north to
Guam? But our brethren, the Casti
nos, are there. Whittier then shall we
go? We must keep on to the west. In
only four days we sight zap, high
island with some 5000 inhabitants;
but Spain is in control here, as at Po-
nape, and the Spanish Roman Catho-
lie priests would not desire our aid.
either on zap, or the adjoining small
cluster of the Pelew Islands; and so
onward still to the west we go. Two
days more of sailing, and our progress
is stayed by the looming up of very
great high island, stretching across our
bows one hundred and fifty miles on
either side, distance greater than
from Kauai to Hawaii. 1t is the south
easternmost of the Philippines, the
second in size, MindanaO, with its lofty
peaks, it's Verdant valleys, it's pic
tureSQue rivers, two of which are more
than one hundred miles long. On it's
fertile plains and hills and in it's many
valleys dwell one million human
beings shut out from a Christian civil
liZatiOn by Spain for more than three
hundred years, without a single Pro-
testant missionary among them. We
find that multitudes of the Interior
tribes have never yielded to Spanish
rule, and have come but little into con-
tact with Roman Catholic miSSiOna-
ries. You see no Spanish flag, no
Spaniards to prevent your landing, but
you find that in the Providence Of God
the closed door is now wide open; and
so long as the Stars and Stripes float
over the harbors and towns of Minda-
mao, the door will never again be
closed. Some one surely should enter
it to proclaim the pure gospel of sal
walton through faith in Christ alone.
Is there any special call for us to
enter, or will you bid me pass these
benighted ones by, and go on 10 the
regions beyond, to LuZon or Borneo,
or Siam or China or Japan? But the
Morning Star" must be back in Homo
lulu in time for the next annual vOy-
age. We can go no further. Have We
not seen enough? Shall we not pity
, these needy ones, and, feeling our res
possibility, land and set up the banner
of the cross, and preempt this island,
in the name of the Lord for Hawaii
to evangeliZe?
Will you not now hasten to tell the
churches of Hawaii what you have
seen and done; that you find no avail
able land having greater claims upon
them than their unevangeliZed neigh
bors. the people of Mindanao, and that
you have not shadow of doubt but
that they should have the gospel now;
that Hawaii, which has had so much
done for :; by American missionaries
during the last eighty years, should
now arise and put on her strength, and
heed this new Macedonian cry, Come
over and help us who need the gospel
as much as you did
Christian friends of the city of my
birth, look at this map. Fix its salient
features in your memory; see how it,
above all other lands of equal size,
has geographical claims upon you
which you ought not to ignore.
The Hawaiian Board has earnestly
and carefully considered this question
Would you know what they think?
Listen to their resolution.
Resolved, That whereas. in the
wonderful providence of God, there has
been opened just now a door for cen
turtles shut, a door to Il very large
island of thirty-siX thousand square
miles, MindanaO. of the Philippines.
bounding Micronesia on the west, and
SO comparatively our near neighbor.
and now under the American flag, in
habited by one million people, among
whom there cannot be found single
Protestant Missionary, or a Bible
translated into any of the various Ian
guages of the island, save one. and that
| spoken but by a small Malay tribe,
| this Board would make known to its
constituency its great desire to enter
| this door at the earliest possible date
and to cooperate, if feasible, with the
American Board in the immediate
evangeliZation of Mindanao."
0, Churches of Hawaii. will you not
rise up and say to the Hawaiian Board,
Go forward and we Will gladly try to
support you" viii you not hasten to
say to the American Board, We earn
estly ask you TO cooperate with us,
through the Hawaiian Board, in evan
geliZing not only Micronesia, but also
Mindanao, as you have cooperated with
us in evangeliZing the Gilbert Islands?
| Would not a strong faith in Him who
| promises to be with His messengers
! even to the end of the world. and to