The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-29
HEATHEN AND CHRISTIAN.


NEW YORK, April 2S.-Bishop Hendrix,
OF the Methodist Episcopal Church South.
opened the devotional exercises of the Ecu
menical Conference to-day at Carnegie
Hall. AT 10 O'Clock the principal meeting of
the day began. at which the general sub
Ject. students and Other Young People,
was considered.
Prof. J. Ross Stevenson and H. c. Dun
can both spoke on the topic, THE Achieve
ments. Present Position and Significance
Of Missionary Movements Among Students
Throughout the World"
The Rev. d. Charles Cuthbert Hall, pres
ident of the Union Theological Seminary.
read a lengthy paper on THE Young Men
OF the Future Ministry, How 10 Fire Them
with the Missionary Passion and Make
Them Leaders of Missionary Churches"
In the course of his remarks. DIR. Hall said:
THE problem of the divinity school is. not
how to train an occasional man for the for
eign. field, but how to kindle the missionary
passion in every man that passes through
the school. that he may thereby become an
able minister OF Christ. The conception of
the life OF the divinity school as a life
transfused and saturated with the spirit of
the missions. is founded on two practical
needs-the need OF the man who may pos
sibly have the gifts for service abroad; the
need OF the man who shall enter the pas
torate at home.f
The papers were followed by a general
discussion by the delegates. They were
limited TO five minutes each.
At the same time a sectional meeting was
being held at the Central Presbyterian
Church, the subject being General Chris
tan Religions" The meeting was led by ].
H. Laughlin, of China. THE Right Attitude
of Christianity Toward Nonchristian
Faiths was the subject spoken on by the
Rev John Henry Barrows. president OF
Oberiin College. He said, in part:
The chief business Of an aggressive
Church is TO set forth the redeeming and
risen Lord. This message should be car
ried 10 all men with glowing love and
radiant loveliness of spirit The missionary
effort is not. primarily, to measure this or
that ethical or theological conception Of the
Bible or the creeds with the ethical and
theological conceptions TO be found in the
other sacred books Of the East. The mis-.
sionary is. primarily. a messenger sent &c
tell a great story, and also a witness OF
what the Chris. Of that story has wrought
for himself anc the world. The great mass
of heathendom needs not argument sc
much as mercy, relief, sympathy, primary
instruction. the sight of pure homes and
Chrfstly lives. and. in the midst of all these
things, the lifting up or the one Lord anC
Redeemer.
"Al men need a diviner passion fol
truth, 10 be more inclusive in their hearts
anu their tdlln, 10 lnlnk OOO = tnOughts
after Him in a wide-reaching sympathy FOL
every manifestation OF himself which II
has made. Is Il not unwise TO refuse faitf
In the supernatural. evangelic history, be.
cause that history is so precious that II
has been ~foreshadowed by myth, because II
Is so desirable that men have invented le
gends that are remotely like IL? Why
should the gospel record be deemed less
true because OF the stories OF Krishna
Buddhe and Hercules? Why should am
reject an incarnation. established by sucl
evidences as are furnished for the coming
of Gods Son, because the Oriental. the uni
versal heart has longed for a celestial Ca
vatar?
There is a certain modesty. also. becom
Ing the ambassador OF Christ. The wise
hearted missionary is not proclaiming IN.
perfection OF ~Christendom. is not p~icturing
his own church as the stainless bride o
Christ. but il patiently striving to give mer
a full vision OF his Lord. Many things be
side the wickedness of the human soul pre-
vent the pagan nations from coming rapid
~ into the ranks OF ChristendOm. TIL,
nonchristian world sees principally the de
fects OF Christendom. The tide OF fnfde
literature pours In upon the Orient so tina
educated young men Of the East have com,
TO believe that Christendom Is ~abandonfn,
Christianity. The result is that they arr
not looking With clear. unprejudiced eve,
upon the gospel OF Christ. 1 do not wonde
that China has not fallen I'm love with al
the nations OF Western Christendom. Eve,
Japan thinks she has some old-time griev
ance to remember. Before there can be al
unprejudiced estimate OF ChristianIt,
Christendom must clear fits skirts OF man,
shames and iniquitieS. The earnest an,
self-denying missionaries OF Asia are sur
rounded by European population no
wholly i'm sympathy with Christianity. Di
rectiy or indirectly these do a great deal I.
hinder the progress Of the gospel. Chris
tendon IL not 6tfed at present 10 make IN.
very widest conquest In nonchristian lands