The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-07-26
Thorehts On the Topic.

The century that has just closed has
been called a century Of missions The
denomination that as a whole does not
believe in missions does not exist, and
more and more has she missionary cone
10 be considered as necessary TO
church as the pastor himself. But the
question is sometimes raised, Why med
icaI missionaries. why send physicians
to the heather?
Laying aside all purely selfish motives,
Ec can go back to the Great Physician
himself for our answer More than 1000
years ago, in answer to q qestion. he
drew the picture Of the man on the
Jericho road. wounded and ready to die
The priest, gathering his garments about
lin. passed by On the other side, the
Levite did likewise. and il remained for
the poor, despised Samaritan 10 give
healing and sympathy. Can you not
hear the Master saying, Go, thou, and
10 HkeUise2' TIE heather world today
is made up OF priests and Levites, and
the Christian medical missionary has
become the good Samaritan to heal the
wounds OF suffering humanity
No one who has not lived among the
heather can imagine how deep is their
superstition. how black their ignorance.
and nowhere IS this so constantly mani
tested than in their ideas as to the
cause of disease and the remedy Cor the
same.
Look at Africa for moment. Here it
is supposed that disease Is caused By
witchcraft, and every effort Is made 20
End the witch. The penalty for this decd
is death, and such a DEATH Not swift,
hut hours and sometimes days OF the
greatest torture
II we should visit Burma we would
find that the people believe that sickness
and suffering are caused by mats or de-
mons. and all their lives are spent in
fear OF them and in efforts 10 propitiate
them. IlI-iuck and sickness go hand in
hand in the East.
But the medical missionary is able to
show that sickness and suffering are
caused by the breaking Of Gods laws,
and that by obeyinS them it can. in z
large measure, be prevented. that it is
lot caused by witch. or demons, or
simply iH-iuck.
The medical missionary is able 10 win
the confidence and gratitude OF those
|nOm he seeks to help as no other The
Oriental is naturally suspicious, think
Ing that the foreigner has come TO spy
on him, or simply for his own gain
But when he heals their diseases. gives
them costly medicine without money
AID without price" they begin to real
ize that the missionary has come for
the sole purpose of doing them good.
Belief IN man must precede faith in
tEe God whom he breaches Medical
mission work does for the missionaries
what the performing Of miracles did for
the apostles-open5 the hearts and
minds 10 receive the truth
Medical missions are as old as the
church and have had q large share in
opening up the heather world
n 1855 one of the East India Compa-
ny'S ships went 20 Calcutta, having
among its officers the surgeCn-doctoT.
John Thomas, who. when he beheld the
awful need Of India. decided TO remain
there AMI. for the sake of the Master
u nom he loved and served, seek to help
those fer whom that Saviour died. but
" no. as yet. had no knowledge Of such
love. Seven years later after q rest at
home. he returned to India with VIII
Fam Carey, with whom he labored for
4 number Of years. but with no signs OF
results. AT last, however. native fell
and broke his arm DR.. Thomas set it.
telling. at the same time the story OF
the Great Physician. The man was con-
verted, and Krishna Pal, the first fruits
OF modern medical missions. was bap-
tized by Carey
The name Ct David Livingstone is. and