The record-union., 1899-03-13
when visiting the holy places of the
Christian faith at Jerusalem.
LORD LAWRENCES REPORT

when visiting the holy places OF the
Christian faith at Jerusalem.
LORD LAWRENCES REPORT.
Reading the other day a work on
missionary enterprise in India, found
the following phrase in a report upon
the question by Lord Lawrence, one OF
the most eminent and famous Governor
Generals who have ever been intrusted
with the administration of the Indian
Empire: THE number of actual con-
verts to Christianity in India, he de-
clares, docs not by any means give an
adequate result of missionary labors
There are thousands Of persons scat
tered over India who, through the dis
semination of Christian truth and prin-
ciples, have lost all faith in Hindoo-
ism and Mahopetanisln, and yet VINO
hesitate for one reason or another TO
adopt Christianity"
That is to say, they are led to aban-
don the faith which had until that
time served them as moral restraint
and as an incentive to good, which was
in fact the basis of their civilization,
and. being disinclined to adopt Chris
tianity with all it's obligations, are left
to all intents and purposes without any
moral restrictions whatsoever.
Among the greatest obstacles to the
propagation Of Christianity in Asiatlc
and African countries is the question
Of polygamy. The latter has from
time immemorial been custom of the
country throughout Asia and Africa, IT.
respective of creed. For the Shinto
Emperor of Japan, the Confucian ruler
of China the Buddhist King of Siam
and the Moslem rulers of Persia, Tur-
key. Afghanistan. Egypt and Morocco
maintain large harems and a plurality
of wives. in the same way that their
forefathers before them kept seraglios
for hundreds upon hundreds of years.
The missionaries may succeed in shak-
ing the faith of the people of these vari-
Gus Asiatic and African empires IN
their respective forms of faith. But
this question Of polygamy stands in the
way Of their acceptance of the obHga-
tions of Christianity.
GENERAL GORDONS QUESTION.
One of the last and most characters
tic interviews that General Gordon had
before leaving England to meet his
death at Khartoum was with the pres
ent Primate of the Church of England,
then Bishop of London. whose opinion
he was anxious to have as singularly
broad minded prelate on the question
as to whether polygamy could be toll
Grated by the Christian Church in
Africa and in Asia. Incidentally he
pointed out what the clever and saga
cious Zulu Chiefs had years before
pointed out in the same way to Bishop
Colenso, namely, that neither the Old
Testament nor yet the New contains
one word that condemns polygamy, the
only reference to the subject being the
commands conveyed by the Apostle
Paul in one of his epistles that Bishops
should be the husbands of one wife.
Dr. Temple, now Archbishop of Can
terbury, explained to Gordon that,
whatever the Interpretation which eith-
er he Bishop Colenso or the Zulu
Chiefs might give to the Scripture,
such a thing as a plurality of wives
was contrary to the laws of the Chris
tan Church. Gordon's face fell when
sadness: "Well, then, it is hopeless to
look for the conversion of the Soudan or
of any of the various races of Africa or
even Of Asia to Christianity, since it is
impossible to expect a man to mark
his entrance to the Christian Church by
discarding his superfiuous wives, the
mothers Of many Of his children" That
is why the missionary efforts Of the
Mahometan Church are so much more
successful in Africa than those Of any
Christian denomination Mahometan-
ism. like Buddhism, Confucianism and
Brahminism, is particularly suited to
the customs, the traditions and, above
all. the climatic conditions of Asiatic
and African countries. and. this being
the case. it is, from a purely admins
tra.ive point of view. better to take adj
vantage of'what is beneficent and edify-
ing in these non Christian faiths than
to promote in any way their destruc-
ton. since the latter seldom involves
any bona-fide acceptance of Christian
ity or, above all, of the obligations Of
the latter.
One word in conclusion on the sub
ject of missionaries. which I am all
the more anxious to add as should