The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-03-07
RUSSIA AND JAPAN VIEWED
FROM RELIGIOUS ASPECT.
Reverend Brandt Says War VIII Not
Better Moral and Spiritual Con-
ditions in Far East.

The Reverend John l.. Brandt preached
at the First Christian Church Yesterday
morning on the far Eastern question. talk
ing Tor his text. Behold these shall come
from afar. and 10. these from the North
and West. and these from the Land of
Sinln. He said. in part:
All eyes are now viewing the sit,a tion
In the far East. On account of missions
IN CHINA and japan. and the recent war
between these nations. our people know
more about them than about the Russians.
nut now as the volcano of war that has
long been smoldering has burst forth with
Its destructive force. We turn our eyes to
Russia. and begin to study her history. her
people, and her civilization.
Russia was unknown as a European
Power until the dawn of the Eighteenth
Century. Peter the Great did more IN
make Russia and shape her destiny than
any other man. A little intercourse with
me western civilization impressed him
win the inferlority of Russia. He re-
solVeu TO give his subjects the civilization
Oh the West: He wrought wonders with
In The domains of his country: he raised
an army equal TO other European states.
He mad no Meet. but in a. few years he
placed a formidable Russian fleet in COM
mand of the Baltic. The seat of his Gov
ernment at Moscow was too far from
NSNSA 81 lie cSldDllS0eu UDOn
the shores of the Baltic, with tremendous
energy. the new capital of his Empire.
from whose towers he could look out upon
Western seas and nations. He introduced
cotton. silk and wooden manufactures and
the art of printing amongst his people; he
built roads and canals; he perfected a po-
lice and postal service; he made laws and
executed them: he founded schools and
hospitals, and introduced reforms in the
church. He fostered industries. and pre-
pared Russia to a rank as a great Eu-
Tnnl2n pnNrn In cnnrIn tAo
throne, Russia's dominion covered sos. 900
square miles of the earth's surface. but to-
day the Cars Empire extends over
nearly 10,0 900 square miles.
During the intervening period 1t has
been one tremendous expansion on every
size. Nothing has dared to stand in the
way of -RuSsia,S unparalleled growth To
accomplish her expansion ideas, she has
crumbled thrones, routed armies, crushed
people. and hlotted nations from the map
of the world. Since her career of expan-
sion began. Russia has pushed her frontier
boundary 500 miles westward into Europe;
she advanced and pushed that boundary
500 miles nearer the Mediterranean; she
pushed eastward until her outposts are
contiguous to the territory under protec-
ton of the British flag.
THE history of Japan is no less inter
esting than that OF Russia. Prior to 1850
this sunrise Kingdom was a hermit ma
ton. Their laws declared that Christians
should be prohibited from their country.
the earth. let no Christian be so bold as to
enter Japan" Rewards were offered for
suspected converts. Shipwrecked seamen
were put In cages and carried through the
streets for exhibition. Students of the
Bible We're imprisoned. But in 1853 Com
modore Perry, our own American sailor,
steamed into the Say of Yeddo. unfurled
the American flag, opened the Bible, sang
the one hundredth psalm. and Japan
opened her doors to the civilized world.
From that day till this she has gradually
been changing her old and established
customs for the more enlightened ones of
the New World. The triumph of Christian
civilization is felt on all sides, and the
rapid advancement of the Japanese is the
wonder of the world. As If by magic she
has walked forth from arkness into
light; from bondage into liberty: from
heathenism into civilization. Within one
half century she has established schools
Ior the educaton OF her people. framed
her people. opened her ports for COM