The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-07-19
The EpWOrtl1 League,
TOPICS AND SUGGESTIONS OF INTEREST TO ITS MEMBERS

OF the beginning OF organized home mis-
siCnary work By the Presbyterian
Church. In one sense, Of course, all
feTvent and earnest church work is
part OF home missionary work. Every
earnest and Jealous believer. every man
OF woman who is a deer Of the word and
rot q heaTer only. is lifelong mis-
siOrary IN his or her field Of la5or-a
missionary By pTecepL and, by what IS
4 ,aoUsandfold more than precept, by
practice. Every such believer exerts il
duence upon those within reach, some
what by word and infinitely more
through the ceaseiess yet welI-nigh IN
seen pressure, ali the stronger when its
exercise IS unconscious, of example, Of
broad loving, charitable neighborIi-
ness
Put tonight we celebrate a hundred
years Of missionary work done not in
CidGntally. but with set purpose; a hun
dTed years OF earnest effort TO spread
abroad the Gospel. to lay deep the
moral foundation upon which true ma
tional greatness must rest. The cen
tUTy that has closed has seen the con
quest Of this continent by our people.
To conquer a continent is rough work
All really great work is rough in the
doing. though it may seem smooth
N@ADNE,AA ~ AAOSS " III AODA betAA A2lSAA
it. or gaze upon 1t from afar. The
roughness is an unavoidable part OF the
doing OF the deed.
We need display but scant patience
with those who, sitting at ease in their
own homes, delight to exercise a queTul-
GUS and censoriOus spirit Of judgment
upon their brethren, who, whatever their
shortcomings. are doing strong mems
work as they bring the light Of civiIiza-
ton into the worlds dark places The
criticism of those who live softly, remote
from the strife, is Of little value; but il
would be difficult TO oveTestimate the
value of the missionary work OF those
who go out to share the hardship, and
the myriad forms Of brutality
1T is such missionary work which
prevents the pioneers from sinking peril
oUsly near the level Of the sayagery
against which they contend Without
IT the conquest Of this continent would
have had little but an animal side
Without it the pioneers fierce and rude
virtues and somber faults would have
been left unlit by the flame OF pure and
loving aspiration. without il the life
Of this country would have been a life
of inconceivably hard and barren ma
terialism- Because Of 1t. deep beneath
and through the national character,
there runs that power OF firm adherence
10 a lofty ideal upon which the safety
OF the nation viii ultimately depend
Honor, thrice honor, to those who
for thres generations, during the period
of this peoples great expansion. have
seen that the force Of the living truth
expanded as the nation expanded. They
bore the burden and heat OF the day.
they toiled obScuTeiy and died unknown
that we might come into 9 glorious
heritage Let Us prove the sincerity OF
our homage to their faith and their
works by the way IN which we man
fully carry toward completion vat
under them was so well begun
The late President Mckinley said:
Who can estimate the value OF foreign
missions TO the progress OF nations .
Their contribution TO the onward and
upward march Of humanity is beyond
calculation