Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-01-08

About the United States and the
New Asia.
DR.. II. G. Mabie, who spent yester-
day in this city on his way to conduct
a State conference upon the subject OF
Christian missions to be held in Park
ershurg on Tuesday and Wednesday OF
this week, spoke twice at the Baptist
church. In the morning he preached,
and in the evening he gave popular
lecture upon the topic, "The United
States and the New ASIA" of which
the following is part:
Whether we would or not, the Prov
idence which presides over the mission
and destiny of nations seems to have
ordained that the United States should
have relation to the countries OF the
Far East. And that relation seems
certain to be more and more 1nti-
mate. Resist as we may, we cannot
prevent it, and we ought not if we
could.
with the close of our American
revolution the CORVALLIS who surren-
dered his sword to our Washington,
was sent by Britain to become Cover
nor General of India. Thus the very
release of the grasp of Britain upon
our colonies was in the interest of the
development of new colonial empire,
to which, with it's adjacent lands, we
ourselves were destined to become
more intimately bound in the time to
come. Fifty years ago the trade of
our Atlantic cities, and especially OF
New England cities, with India was
large, and from it many of the for
tunes of distinguished families in that
region were made.
with the opening of the Suez canal
a severe blow was struck at the COM
imerce of America with India, be-
cause the route from England to Bonn
bay, Madras and Calcutta was shorten
ed in England's favor by the distance
of from 1000 to 1000 miles. AS if to
compensate in part for this and to hold
America to intimacy with the Orient,
the great American trans-continental
lines of railway from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, now six in number, were
laid, so that now from our Pacific sea-
board we are from 5000 to 5000 miles
nearer to the lands beyond the Pacific,
especially to Japan and China, than
England and Germany are.
"a still further move is on foot
whereby the commercial interests of
our Atlantic ports are to be yet more
favored over Europe. Sena-
tor Fry has recently stated that in the
opening of the new Nicaraguan canal,
the distance from New York to Shang-
hal would be reduced to the advantage
of Liverpool by one days sail. New
York would be brought nearer than
Liverpool to North China ports by
1 200 miles, to Corean ports by 1900
miles, to Yokohoma by 1900 miles, to
Melbourne by 1000 miles, to Sidney
by 200 miles and to New Zealand by
2 1000 miles. While New York would be
from 5000 to 5000 miles nearer than
London to the west coast of South
America This with the shortening of
distance and the lowering of freight
rates, the advantages of a commercial
sort to the United States would be in
creased to a degree which most people
in this country have never imagined.
Now, add to this the latest achieve
ment of our diplomacy, whereby an
open door is guaranteed by the world
powers to our trade interests with
China and the increased commercial
intimacy of America with the East sur
passes even the dreams of decade
ago.
"Now place with this the most provi-
Dental and unlocked for incident
whereby the Philippine Islands came
into our hands and remember that we
control port only two days sail from
Hong Kong, China, and we find our
selves stationed i'm the world of trade,
where London has long
been in the matter of finance at the
very front. The trade of one-third,
nearly one-half, of the human race cen
tiers in Hong Kong, and we are next
door neighbor to it.
"Now what has all this to do with
American Christianity? 1t bears
upon the question of our re-
ligiolls and Christian relations and OBJ
legations to these ancient lands, which
despite all their vast national resources
and quickened activities are yet for the
most part idolatrous, swallowed up in
moral corruption and So
cial wretchedness. / speak whereof I
know and from personal travel and OBJ
servations in those lands.
Goods purposes in Christ condition
ed all that is best in the East. These
nations, which like England, Germany,
Holland and the United States are most
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