Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-08-04
SATURDAY, AUG A, 1000
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MISSIONS AND LIQUOR TRAFFIC
How the work OF the One Has been
Retarded by the Fiendish
Work of thc other,

line drink evil which has in Christian
lands grown up in spite ana defiance
of the ministrations OF the Gospel, and
beneath the full light of Scripture
truth, and has become the greatest
curse of these lands, and the greatest
lhtndrance to the work of the church.
80 found to be as great a curse in
heathen lands and the greatest barrier
10 the success of the Gospel among
the heather, and for this, strange as it
may appear, those nations that seek to
Shristianize the heather are largely
responsible for the introduction and
Sperpetuation of the drink evil. What
ere the facts?
Strange as it may seem. the Brah-
rniuieal, Buddhist and Mohammedan
religions, considered as pagan and false
Eeligions, absolutely prohibit the man
sufacture. sale and use of Intoxicating
drinks, the curse Of nations and re-
Ngions; while by nations claiming to
possess the pure and true religion, this
curse is localized and perpetuated, and
IN some instances forced upon the mn
tive races in heather lands. Strange
ms 1t may seem, while the people OF
pagan nations are renowned for their
.sobriety, the people of Christian ma
lions are notorious for their drunken
ness, and wherever Christian nations
have sought by commerce and missions
TO civilize and Christianize peoples the
drink evil has been introduced and
proved a curse. In the Judgment of
those conversant with African affairs,
the drink traffic has proved a deadlier
lnD cfa a. r. L.
of that country. Rev. james johnson,
the native pastor of the island of Lagos,
who was sent by the Christians of that
place TO plead their cause before the
English parliament In 1857, closed his
testimony before n commission of the
house of commons with these words:
The slave trade has been to Africa
- great evil, but the evils of the rum
trade were far worse. lie would ather
his countrymen were in slavery and be-
fng worked hard, and kept away from
the drink, than that the drink should
be let loose upon them"
Even the New York Tribune was
moved few years ago to say edit
lorially: Think of the monstrous
Hypocrisy of so-called Christian ma
1ions. Wanting themselves on their en-
'Hghtened civilization. pretending de-
sire that the Gospel should be carried
70 all peoples and then invading the
dark continent armed with the rum
bottle, and in cold blood debauching
and running its people. On the one
hand are the missionaries, on the other
hand is the rum of Christendom. Free
rum against free people"
The superintendent of Lutheran mis-
sions in West Africa wrote few years
ago; ''The vilest liquors ina ginable
are being poured into Africa in ship
loads from every quarter of the civ
ilized world. On one small vessel, In
which myself and wife were the only
passengers, there were in the hold over
100000 gallons of New England rum,
which sold on the coast for one dollar
a gallon in exchange for palm oil, rub
Der, camwood and other products COM
mon to the country. have seen land
ed from one steamer at a single port,
10000 cases of gin, each containing 12
three-pint bottles"
Recently an African missionary
wrote:
Dear friends, we have very mixed
dred weight of gunpowder, and barrels
and casks of gin without number. Our
chips surgeon, very wicked man, said
TO me, pointing derisively to the gin
and rum that were being unloaded at
every point along the African coasts:
There arc the Bibles and hymp books
Christ, America is sending over to
eivilize ren africa"
At n g in London a few years
ago Bel hunder Sin said: what
was In' or 30 years ago, and'what
is she p? The whole atmosphere
of Ind - be rending with the
cries of Ia widows and orphans,
who often e.: =" length of cursing
the british COVE. aent for having in
srodl I intoXica. "g drink
D: Parliament Of Religions at
Chica: rasima Charya, a Brah-
min OF IS, said with an outburst
of feel "0Ur friends of the
Brahmc- j have been picturing to
you Chri.t ity standing with Bible
3n one and the wizards wand
of civiliH in the other; but there
IS anotht g, and that is the god
dess of rtion with bottle OF
rum in he. [ know of a hundred
people in na. we land who are adj
dicteG 20 tie dsiak habit. OF course
we ha oursel,, to blame; but re.
membr 1t roe pc the conqueTor, is
one of ices of the conquered, and
that thc shior able 'h&ait Of drink
ing is borrowed BIZ ;he HipCs's from
the Englis O., $3.50 10 Err - had
never set fo.I III ~, o. W.
Rad never seen q sing. l.uro l'ean Il. .e
Oh, that we had never tasted the bit
ter sweets of your civilizaiien. rather
than it should make us nation o
-drunkards and brutesi"
AS a result Of the introduction o
Sntoxicating drinks into these coun
tries by Christian nations Che heathea
are prejudiced against the Gospel AM
3ts missionaries. TheyAxce the sam
nations that send the - of peac
81 u. w.talk 3. life ss.ldrs'