Voice of missions., 1900-02-01
PROGRESS OF MISSIONS
DURING PAST CENTURY

Extract from missionary Annals
of the Nineteenth Century," by d. l..
Leonard, D. d., copyrighted 1899 in
England and United States by F. NJ.
Barton, publisher, Cleveland, 0.
Price, ST. so postpaid
A hundred years ago nearly third
of the globe was absolutely unknown,
while much of the remainder was so
remote, with commerce so slight, and
means of communication, whether on
land or sea, so meager and clumsy, as
to be practically inaccessible. When
Carey sailed travel and trade we're COM
PEELED to resort to facilities scarcely bet
ter than those in vogue in the days of
Paul or the patriarchs. From five
months to seven were required, when
vessel happened to be going in that
direction, to make the passage from
London to the Orient, or from Boston
to Honolulu, and an entire season was
expended in crossing to the mouth of
the Columbia or to the Golden Gate.
All undreamed of was the magic po-
tency of steam and electricity, Of the
locomotive and the ocean greyhound.
By comparison with what we easily en-
Joy, only the slightest communication
was had between remote regions, or
even between peoples dwelling side by
side. With the multitude at least,
whatever was more than fifty or a
hundred miles away was also out of
sight and ont of mind. AS for Africa,
it was as little known as the surface of
the moon, except narrow strip along
the Mediterranean border, tiny space
just at the southern tip, or upon the
West Coast where the slave-stealers
had established themselves. More
than nine-tenths of North America
was still an uninhabited wilderness,
upon whose trackless spaces the eyes
of civilized men had never gazed. The
nineteenth century has been pre-emi-
nently one of discovery and explora-
ton, that the truth might enter and
righteousness might prevail. The in
ventor also has paved the way for the
Missionary.
In other ways also was the world
closed against the entrance of the
Gospel a hundred years ago. Igno-
rance, conceit, suspicion. prejudice,
fanaticism, irresponsible tyranny, had
reared their solid bulwarks to exclude
the very best that Christian nations
had to bestow. China, Japan, Korea,
whose inhabitants constitute a fourth
of the population of the globe, had
most resolutely fenced themselves In,
and fenced all foreigners out. Whoever
ventured to cross the border was sub
iect to instant deportation, if not death,
for his presumption. The entire Mos
lem world was shut and barred against
the entrance of all who would proclaim
Christ. Even yet in some respects the
case is about as bad, but in other par
ticulars marvellous change for the
better has been wrought in the provi-
dence of God. For, two or three
generations since throughout all that
vast realm the political power was
wholly in Mohammedan hands, whereas
this has since been almost wholly
transferred to rulers who are Christian,
like Britain, Holland, France, and
Russia, while Islam as a political force
has dwindled far towards insignih-
canoe. But still further, for shame! A
century since the bulk of Christendom
was intolerant, religious thought and
worship were restrained by statute oi
church and state, the popular use oi
the Bible was forbidden, to teach 6
faith and practice purely spiritual was
to commit heinous crime. Only II
Protestant countries were reason and
conscience free. Everywhere else, il
Russia, Catholic Europe, Americt
from Mexico southwark to Cape Horr
intolerance was enthroned in realms
both ecclesiastical and religious. How
changed from that condition as thii
first Missionary century nears its end
Most incredible of all, even in India
then a possession of Protestant Eng
land, though nominally ruled by th'
John Company, Christianity was con
traband, illegal, its proclamation for
bidden under severe penalties. Thi
was, to be sure, in part because Of al
most hysteric fear of uprisings on tn
part of fanatical Hindus and Moham
medans, but also in part because of
disrelish for an evangelical type @
piety which had resulted from tn
Wesleyan revivals, the teaching an
example of fervid Missionaries woul
be too severe arebuke to the exceeding
ly loose morals of the cold Indians.
Sydney Smiths famous essays in tn
early numbers of the Edinburgh RI
view, which overflow with biliousnes'
which appear to exhaust the languae
of contempt, enable US to appreciat
in what slight esteem Missionary a,
tivity when bestowed upon the un'
vangelized world, was held, even b
many who were by no means III
Christian in heart and life. Not 81
tirely until the century was well az
/ vanced did these barriers disappei
! through the potency of the Hand d
, vine. Surely, no other century, n
: all the Christian centuries combines
ever witnessed the opening of so mai
doors that the work of the Lord mig
be undertaken, that the word of Il
t Lord might far and wide be proclair
) in the ears of the perishing.
/ Though the number of foreign mi
sionaries is wofully inadequate, az
utterly insignificant, for the task
: eyangelizing the 800, 900. 600 VINO, a.
: ignorant of the way of life, nevefth'
/. bant;zed at least 10. 900 ordained mi
- rs have gone forth from Pfotestal
tisteDdom; most Of them also WI
fin9{ges, who ia many cases are Tgor'
il fMery whitas muoA as tHeig hu6ban
~ for tie far,hslanee az tie kirgdoaai
q ann tss3saex e s<e sIShzkx g