The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-28
HE DEFENDS
FOREIGN MISSIONS
Converts to Christianity Cost More in Savannah Than
IN China.
Bv REV. BASCOM ANTHONY.

In last Sundays issue of the Morn
ing News was an editorial on the sec
ond outbreak of the Chinese Boxers
entitled "A Practical Question and
the practical question is put in the fol-
lowing language 1T is practical
question to ask if the few so-called
Christian converts are really worth
the blood and treasure they are cost
ing. and whether it would not be bet
ter for the Christian missionaries to
remain in their own respective balli-
wicks and preach to and pray for and
help their own people?"
If the above quotation was a solid
mass of truth instead of unintentional
error the course suggested could not
be followed by the Church of Christ
without falseness to its founder, for his
command, and not expediency, is the
rule of her life. To profess faith in
him as divine, to exact him as God
over all, and then to weigh his last
and most earnest command in the
scales of eXpediency, is an inconslst-
ency not commended of saints, nor re-
spected among sinners.
l am aware that this view OF the
case probabl has not suggested itself
to the critics of the church, nor to that
large. but ever diminishing class who
decry foreign missions and laud the
home work, but who unfortunately, for
the most part, exhaust themselves in
mere verbal commentator. The eX-
perience of the church, so far as | have
been able to learn, has been that 70
per cent of the money foTShome mis-
sions is given by those who are most
faithful to the foreign work.
As a matter of fact the converts IN
China are not few as compared with
the labor and money bestowed. l be-
lieve it capable of proof that the re-
suits in that field, man for man, and
dollar for dollar, are larger than they
are in Savannah. In other words that
it takes more to make a convert in Sa-
vannah than it does in China. l have
not the facts at hand to verify this
statement, but believe it capable of
proof.
This statement, of course, would not
good for the past few yeats only, for
the time prior to that was in the ma
ture of the case preparatory. 1t usu-
ally takes a generation to make an
appreciate beginning. The seed sown
in one generation are not reaped until
that generation ripens for the har-
vest.
Either the statement "the few So
called converts" is an error of fact,
or else it is an error to attribute the
great Boxer movement of two years
ago to the missionary movement. As
old and conservative a government as
that of China is not likely TO be moved
to it's foundation stones by a few So
called converts" who are converts for
revenue only. That the converts are
genuine and not 'so-called" is proved
by their record of suffering and death
for their Masters sake-a record Of
martyrdom as heroic as was given by
the early church in Rome under the
persecution of Nero. The story Of their
martyrdom puts the half heartedness
of the home church to shame.
The present Boxer movement is con-
nected with missions only incidentally.
1t is the outgrowth of the abolition
of the tariff or taxes upon goods that
pass from one province TO another.
Heretofore, as the goods progressed
from the coast to the inland provinces,
a fresh tax was levied at each pro-
vincial line. This amounted to a pro-
hibition to the far interior, but as
goods were constantly passing from
one province to another there was an
immense horde of these tithers. Now
that they and those dependent on them
are left without positions of power
and emolument by the destruction of
their offices and as the people are
taxed to meet the indemnity Of the
late Boxer movement. the anti-foreign
spirit is abroad again.
This last movement is due to the
commerce of our day demanding ad-
mission to the interior. Under the
circumstances it might be we'll to dis
cuss the practical question" of with
drawing our commerce from China, I'M
less indeed the DEGREES of mammon
forbid it. and I think they do.
1t is true that much of the great
Boxer movement was due to Chris
tianity for wherever the church car
ries Christ a new civilization follows.
Along with the missionary went new
ideas that We're at variance with the
old. A conflict was inevitable Our
schools and colleges are educating the
young men and women until China s
dotted with a class educated in West
ern thought and shot through and
through with Christian conceptions.
Young j. Allen. one of Georgia's no.
blest sons, and for many years a Chi