The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-26

ollSOhJ ~ why Wtoo WV SooN -
came along in the third century and
declared that there would be no such
grapes, but that Christ's coming would
be altogether spiritual. Still His COM
ing kept on beng predicted and when
the reformation of Luther and Calvin
came about they said that the pope
was the anti Christ and millennium
was near at hand. Next came Oliver
Cromwell, who excited his followers
with a prediction of the millennium
and so it goes on and on and now it is
about time for another just as soon as
we have done killing off the Philip
pines and England has killed out all
the Beers.
Well, now all these nominations
about the millennium we're provoked
by what L have been reading about
the recent discoveries Of oil all over
the country. One thought brings on
another and if the coming of Christ is
near at hand and His reign is to be a
spiritual one for o thousand years and
there is to be no winter or night or
sickness or pain or sorrow we won't
need all this oil, neither for fuel or
light. And 80 1 don't believe the mil
lennium is very near. If all the peo-
pie are to be converted and become
good it will be a long time off, for it
is q slow process and all the coal and
oil that is IN the bowels of the earth
will be needed. 1t wasent put there
for nothing.
Missionary work is going on more
rn,N,llu thop ounr hnfnro hut "a 70 lilo
a drop in a bucket of water. We have
got 10000 missionaries in heather
lands and they are aided by 80 900
native preachers and teachers, but
these 100 200 will have to convert an
average for each of ten a year to make
a million, and there are over a thous-
and millions Of leathens now and
more coming on. But they do not
convert half a million year, for the
last report gives only 1000 900 all
told. Last year we spent 800, 900 900
ON them and have % over 1000 GOO
children going to Christian schools
and have $4,000 churches and over
i 900 secondary schools besides medi-
cal colleges and training schools and
hospitals and asylums for orphans and
the blind and the insane and the lepers.
They have got almost everything that
we have got and now have protection
in Constantinople and Pekin and
Beirut and other great heather centers.
The work they have done in the last
ten years is amazing and the abduc-
ton of Miss Stone has increased their
zeal.
Thirty million dollars have been
promised for this year and they say
hat il we cannot convert them we can
at least ~civilize them and teach them
the doctrine of a clean shirt and a COM
Portable home, and these are the first
lessons IN religion. The last official
report tells us that more than half The
pupils are girls. For &C lturies women
were of no more consequence in the
household than dogs or beasts of bur-
den, but now they are being lifted up
and treated with humanity AMI respect.
If the work of III missionaries &C
complished no other good but the re-
scuing of woman from the degradation
of ages il is worth ten times its COST.
Costl what is the cost but the surplus
of our wealth, and that surplus is not
ours, but Gods. Libraries and col
leges are good things to build up and
give to the cause af missions 2 Most
of this charity, we are told, came from
those who are not worth one-tenth of
a million.
1t is a lamentable fact that the more
a man has the more he wants and the
less he gives away in proportion to his
wealth. The parable of Dives and
Lazarus was intended to alarm the
rich and selfish, but most Of them say
give me a little more money and 1 will
take the risk of losing heaven. Paul
said to Timothy: "Gain is not godli-
ness, but godliness with contentment
is great gain. We brought nothing
into this world, anu it is certain we
car carry nothing out and they who
would be rich fall into temptation and
into foolish and hutful lusts that cast
men into perdition. The love of
money is the root of all evil" There
is a sermon to live by, but it is hard
to do. Somehow I can't help wishing
L had a little more than I have got
not for myself, but my wife woald like
a carriage and horses and ride around
and take the grand children, and she
would like to have some money Of her
W to give away and buy little pre-
sents without asking me every now
and then for o dollar or two. She does
hate to do that, and I don't let her
when L have any to spare.
BILL Arp.