The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-21


In recognition Of Washington's
birthday this topic is appropriately
both patriotic and missionary in char
acter. 1t is hard to draw a line be-
tween religion and patriotism. All the
problems Of patriotism will be solved
when America wholly becomes in fact
what she already is in name-a Chris
ton nation. When the gospel controls
mems actions there will be no trusts
that will injure the people; there will
be no corrupt politics.; there will be
no saloon question; there will be no
slums and no municipal corruption.
All that best America needs and de-
s1reS will become reality when her
people yield themselves in complete
obedience to the law of love, the law
Of brotherhood, the law of justice, the
law of truth, all Of which are compre-
hended In the law of God.
Only great men can make a great
nation, and the secret of truest per-
sonal greatness is Christianity.
There has never been a period in
American history wherein the church
has not been the peoples instructor in
true patriotism.
Few Americans understand the ex-
tent of their country. No figures can
make vivid its vaStness. This very
bigness spells possibility. In these
great stretches of country all things
would seem to be possible, and we can
understand something of the thought
Of the Mormon leaders when they at
tempted to plant in the heart of Amer
lea an independent nation. The task
of Christianizing all these thousands
upon thousands of inhabitants, or of
preserving in it's purity their Christian
ideals is a gigantic one, but it Is none
the less a plain duty. For the hope
of America is the gospel Of Jesus.
The East sometimes has way of
speaking Of the West as if 1t were
Americas only mission field. The
truth is that there are hundreds of
towns and communities in the far
West that appear to possess more vi
tai religion, and certainly observe the
Sabbath better, than some towns not
hundred miles from Plymouth Rock
1t is true that there is work for mis-
sionaries in the West, but there is
also work, harder work. for mission
aries in New York city There is need
for aggressive gospel effort in so many
parts Of the land that no one section
may wax pharaisaical at the expense
Oh a0Other.
L know a missionary in the South
west who loosely says that he often
sleeps In a bed thirty miles wide
meaning of course that he is often
obliged to sleep out on the prairie. In
the missionary work that is being car
ried on in the newer sections of Amer
lea there are many men like this one,
fndefatigable, plucky, alert, manly
and cultured who are commencing the
gospel of Jesus to the strong men
among whom they live.
The strategic points in the battle
that is being waged over all the land
to make America a Christian nation
are the great cities. In them evil and
righteousness are both stronger than
elsewhere. If the church can win the
cities, her victory everywhere is as
sured.
The best missionary work that is
being done today is the building up
of Christian characters in men and
the respect of all the world, while
moving in it's active life
Said a leading citizen of the far
West to me a few weeks ago: There
was a time when l refused to contrib
ute any money to the home mission
board of my denomination, because of
the caliber Of the men who were be
ing sent out here. But all that has
changed now, for better men are COM
ing out to take up missionary work in
the West. The West viii not listen
to the preaching of Weddings. This
is the place where, above all others,
premium is put upon strong man
hood" AS my friend spoke my mind
reverted to brilliant social and re-
ligious gathering in an Eastern city,
where many celebrated men made adj
dresses, but the best of them was made
by a missionary from the West, man
who showed himself, in wit, learning
and eloquence, the peer of any present.
That man represents the modern type
of home missionary.
We are a conglomerate nation. With
in our borders we have all the peoples
Of the earth represented, as we'll as
some peculiarly our own. We have
our foreign-born population, our freed
men, our Mormons, our Indians, and
our own wandering fellow countrymen,
who have pushed so far out into the
wilds that they need to be followed
hv tba church