Connecticut western news., 1899-06-08

educa tion plants there may be used and will be used to print religious news papers and tracts and sermons and mighty discussions of questions tenn poral and eternal.
 Influence of Homes.
 The comfortable homes of those pop ulations, when Christianized, standing side by side with the degraded huts of those who remain pagans will be revo- lutionary for good. The Porto Rican and the Filipino will come out from this uncleansed and low roofed and un- inviting kennel and say to his neighbor of beautiful household, "Why cannot have things as you have themH" And when he finds that it is the Bible, with it's teachings on family life and per sonal purity and exalted principle, and the church of God that proposes the rectification of all evil and the implan tation of all good, he will cry out, "Give me the Bible, and the church, and the earthly alleviations, and the eternal hope which have wrought for you such transfguration.
 Now, church of God, now, all Chris tian philanthropists, is your opportun. ityl Nothing like it has occurred since Christ came Perhaps there may be nothing like it till his second coming Here is defniteness of aim that is most helpful and inspiring. The mil lions of dollars given for the redemp- ton of the world and the thousands of glorious missionaries who have as volun- teers gone forth among barbaric nations were given and enlisted under great and immeasurable idea. But when they come to add to the great and immeas- urable idea the idea of defniteness we will infinitely augment the work. More than three hundred million of heather in India, more than three hundred mil lion of people in China and more mil lions of heather than can be guessed outside of those countries sometimes stagger and confound and defeat our faith. But here in these islands of pres ent 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 suf- frage, but prepare them for usefulness and heaven. The difference between the general idea of the worlds evangel- ization and some particularized field of evangelization is the difference between the improvement of agriculture among all nations and the improvement of To acres put under one's especial care and industry. By all means let the general work go on. But here is the specific field for religious concentration and de- velopment This is not chimerical or impractical read this morning that the American Missionary association of the Congregational church has already begun the work at San Juan, Utuado and Albonito, and all denominations of Christians in six months will be in those islandy fields, and we all need with our prayers and contributions to cheer them on to take for God and those regions which our American navy has captured from Spanish perfidy.
 It has been estimated that this Americo-Spanish war cost us $500, 000,- 900. It would not cost half of that to proclaim and carry on and consummate a holy war that will rescue those archi. pelagoes from satanic domination. Who will volunteer2 I beat the drum of a station. Who will enlist un- der the one starred, blood striped ban ner of Immanuel7 Cuba and Porto Rico and the Philippines are stepping stones for our American Christianity to cross over and take the round world for Gcd. We need new evangelical alliance or ganized for this one purpose. In all de- there are those with large enough hearts and who have been thor oughly enough converted to join in such an advanced movement-men who putting aside all minor differences of opinion, "believe in God, the Father 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 such a scene of gospelization. would assort themselves into denomina- tions to suit themselves, and some would be sprinkled in holy baptism and others would be immersed in those warm rivers and some would worship in religious assemblage silent as the Quaker meeting house, and others would have as many jubilant ejacula- tions as a backwoods camp meeting, and some of those who preached would be gowned and surpliced for the work, and others would stand in citizens ap- parel or in their shirtsleeves preaching that gospel which Is to save the world.
 Religious reaching Needed.
 Mark you we'll that statesmanship however grand it is, and wise men of this work. Mere secular education does not moralize. Some of the most thor oughly educated men in all the world have been the worst men. Quicken mans intellect, while at the same time you do not make his morals good, and you only augment his power for evil Geography and mathematics and meta phsyics and philosophy will never quail fy people to govern themselves. A corrupt printing press is worse than no printing press at all, but let loose an open Bible upon those islands and let the apocalyptic angel once fly over them, and you will prepare them to become either colonies of the United States government, or, as hope will be the case, independent republics.
 God did not exhaust himself when he
 built this nation. Those islands will yet have their Thomas Jeffersons, qualified
 to write for thep declarations of inde-
 pendence; and George Washingtons, capable of achieving their liberties; and Abraham Lincolns, strong enough to emancipate their serfdoms, and Long fellows and Bryants, capable of putting their hills and their rivers and their land
 scapes into poems; and their Bancrofts and Prescotts. to make their histories; and their Irvings, to write their Sketch Books; and their Charles O'Conors and Rufus Choates, to plead in their courtrooms; and their Daniel Websters and John J. Crittendens, to move their senates-
 The day cometh-hear it all ye who
 have no hope for those islands of be-
 dwarfed and diseased illiterates-the