The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-07

taking Of the savage and solitary char
| acter OF Africa Though n great part
| OF Spain Is deficient In groves and for
csis and the softer charms OF ornamen-
| tai cultivation. yet it's scenery Is noble
| In It's severity and In unison with the
attributes OF It's people. II Is easier To
! understand the proud. hardy. frugal
and abstemious Spaniard after visiting
the country he inhabits.
In order TO appreciate fully the need
OF the evangeiization OF Spain and the
difficulties attending that work. we
should glance for moment at the re-
liRious history of the land
Spain ~ distinctly Catholic She has
always been controlled by Catholic rul-
ers. Isabella carried on wars and con-
quests In the name OF the Catholic
church. Philip II was such a jealous
Catholic that he spent his last days
In n little cell adjoining the high altar
OF the church. where he could hear high
mass every day. With the exception
OF Nero. probably no one was ever
more cruel To those who professed to be
Christians. and yet Philip III called
himself by the name OF Christ.
This same spirit OF intolerance has
been characteristic OF the Roman Cath
Ollie church In Spain up to the present
time. one instance OF the effect Of
such a spirit viii suffice; II shows the
human affG IA that We see the Scrip
sure prOpf fulfilled: "a mans foes
shall be OF his own household"
The fan. sm Of the Catholics went
To- such au extreme in prosecuting the
Christian. hat one man OF high rank
not only denounced his two daughters.
who professed the Reformed religion.
but went out and gathered the wood
TO construct the burning pile Chcered
on by his friends. he even begged per
mission tc kindle with his own hands
the pile that was TO consume his two
delicate daughters. History shows that
the last person burned at the stake
was IN 17si. but not until 1884 was the l
'nqtiisiiiOn IN Spain abolished.
The way was being prepared for
Christianity. \ little tract. Andrew
Dunn" fell into the hands Of Manuel
Matamoros- He was converted and inn
rnediately sought TO bring others TO
Christ. He went from town 10 town
preaching for one year when he was
captured IN Barcelona and imprisoned. Z
Suspicion fell on a halter I'm Granada
and his house being searched by the
letters were found In his
possession from Matamoros disclosing
the fact that some eighteen or twenty .
persons had banded themselves togeth-
er for the secret study OF the Scrip
lures They were banished from the
but later many OF them re-
turned as the first preachers OF the
Gospel in Spain,
In September. 1865. n revolution took
from the throne and the Constituent
cortes voted n new constitution. which
In one Of its articles. guarantees full
religious liberty to native and foreign
er alike. Thus after a night OF spirit
ual darkness which had lasted 900
years. the Word OF God is unbound
and the second Reformation dawns
upon Spain.
The first public evangelical service. In
Spanish, was held in October OF the
same year In Seville. and was conduct
"a by one Of the eXiles. At this time
Swiss. German. English and Scotch
entered the country and
began work In Madrid. Barcelona. and
ne southern half OF the peninsula
The American Baptist Missionary
Union commenced its work by assisting
Prof W. 7. Knapp. who had establish
"A himself in Madrid as an independ-
mt missionary. Later they sent Rev.
Ioh- w. Terry TO assist In carrying
he work farther on into the c0untry.
Several churches were started and left
n charge OF native Spaniards- One
nan. who had taken prominent part
n the political revolution OF Spain was
.orvertcd. and proved a valuable as
.fstant In the work In 1875 this same
--a-r. Rev. g. =. Brnoliel. who was able
% sneak the Portuguese language. left
10. Spaclzh work temporarily and
.tart-d n mission station In Lisbon.
'-F.usaL