Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-03-01

rather species u monkeys than men
THOR average height y said 10 De llttle
over four feet They are thought 70
have no language Of their own, but
speak the tongue of the tribe that they
happen 10 live IN closest proximity TO-
They object to clothing and show other
pecullarlties, II 10 no wonder that the
question should be- asked whether they
have souls to save
Ella Wheeler Wilcox however, adj
ylses to leave them alone, and She gives
her reasons for this. She thinks these
ill.shaped specimens Of Gods creatures
indicate as much intelligence as many
people who help TO make up the earths
population There are, she says, thou
sands Of people everywhere who ex.
haust all their mentality In building
or erecting habltations for themselves
and their offspring and In obtaining
food to sustain life Beyond this, they
never think They allow a teacher or
preacher to do their thinking for them.
She ventures to say. u do not believe
that such people are immeasurably re-
moved from the mental or spiritual
condition OF the pygmes"
Then there IL their moral status to
consider The pygmies, from all ac-
counts, live In a state OF innocence.
This causes Mrs. Wilcox to excalm.
why should we want to Introduce
whlskey opium and divorce. which IN.
Varlably follows In the wake Of the
Christian missionary Were they
cannibals, or monsters OF cruelty, we
might feel that our vices were more re.
flned at least than theirs, but since they
aeeu 20 be klnd-natured and decently
behaved little people why not leave
them to tie He which gives them
pleasure here on EARTH and trust their
souls TO tile God who made thom?'
That Is not bad reasoning When to
this is added the fact that In the very
centers OF christian civilization,
thousands live and die In ignorance,
who fear neither God nor man, and
whose acts are such that a decent Dye
my would be ashamed to associate with
them, the question Of the souls Of the
Africans must be given at best Sec
ondary Importance. The belief OF Mrs.
Wilcox In regard TO the matter may be
of some interest That lady says,
Great Surprises viii await our egotls-
tlcal orthodox mortals when they gei
out OF the body and encounter other
spirit ntelllgences regarded as mere
clay here Personally, ! expect 10 0nd
many loving and beloved horses, dogs
and cats when pass into spirit life.
Not In angel form, but IN rarined and
refined animal form. their dear eyes
fun OF the love and gratitude they used
to show me here on earth And I have
no doubt Mr., Parkhurst Will find the
pygmies there--without the least effort
on our part to save them"
It viii be readily understood that
the enthusiasts for missionary enter
prlses have difficult problem before
them. Are these beings that look like
humans, men and women2 Have they
souls? VIII they be eternally con-
signed to flames? Or are they apes
And to think that these questions upon
the correct reply to which II is sup
posed that salvation, or domnallon,
depends, must be submitted to the poor
judgment Of anthropologists Modern
theology has at last come to the end
Of It's lane. 1t has absolutely no means
Of finding out, for a soul cannot be
found by means OF the dissection knife,
or the X-ray. It Is time for theologians
to admit that important questions may
arise, about which the Bible is neces.
sarily silent, and that without contln-
ued guidance In the path Of truth.
there is no possibility OF avoiding error
at times. The first Apostles Of our
Lord would never have been in the pre-
dlcament Of not knowing where to 90 |
to preach. They went only when and |
where they were sent by the Spirit. |
Preachers who are led in the same way |
never hesitate as to what their mis-
sion is They would go to the pygmles
Of Africa, when sent there by God and |
not till then.