Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-05

/ the workers are engaged In the ulrec1
work OF preaching. Schools are main
tanned ranging from the primary day
/ school, CARRIED on by native church
es in the villages and hamlets, UP tS
the higher seminaries and institutions
for advanced education. Hospitals
and dispensaries to the number oil
| twelve are maintained by the various
Christian bodies where 10000 patients
are treated every year
/ The Future for Religion.
/ The Presbyterian Banner has this u
say of the future.
The attitude of the Russian govern
ment naturally creates anxiety among
missionaries and converts in Korea
No protection can be expected II the
country falls under the sway of the
| power that has violated all faith IN
crushing Finland. The friends OF
| Christianity infinitely prefer that the
country should be dominated by Japan
| There are 312 churches, not all fully
organized in Korea; there are nearly
$500 COMMITMENTS, $40 having bee9
added during the year. and there are
nearly 5000 children in the sabbath
schools. The American missionaries
4
assistants
The Examiner is concerned with
the curious anomaly that the success
! of Christian Russia would be a
greater menace to Christianity in the
east than that of heather Japan.
| Regarding what may be called Russia IS
bid for moral support on account of
similarity OF religions the Hon. Hen
ry d. Green writes in the Christian
Work and Evangelist:
The Noyoe Vremya declares that ii
war comes, Europe and America should
understand that 1T will make the be-
ginning OF a great struggle between
Christianity and heathenisln, the re-
suits of which VIII be felt in all the
corners OF the earth. For all that, 1t is
a notable fact that the sympathy of
Christendom is with Japan, altho she is
a non-Christian power The Congre
gationalist asks what Japan has that
Russia has not, which Christeniom
seems to put above the fact of racial
and religious likeness? In reply it cites
Japans greater liberation of all relig-
ions her nodernfty in point of view,
her acceptance and practice of
"
the ground OF confidence we. have
that If she were TO have her
way in Korea, or so much of the Ash
attic continent as later might come to
her, the Roman and Protestant church
es nligtht count on carrying on the re-
ligious propaganda and the civ!Mzlng
work there that they never can II Rus
STA controls. Japan, with Buddhists
and Shintoists in control welcomes
foreign Christians to her schools. hon
ors native Christians with highest
governmental posts, and gives Chris
tan missionaries free play. Russia
nominally Christian, hounds Jews to
their doom, persecutes Protestants,
quarrels with Roman Catholics. AMI
knows nothing Of freedom of thought
or speech.
The Outlook remarks that Japan
frankly wants to be leader among
Asiatic nations-what nation, would
not?"
Russian talk of Christianity versus
heathendom" especially arouses Japan
csc ire. Japan may not be a Chris
,sian nation in the narrower sense in
which that expression is used, but ia
Il
sense. The japanese constitution guar
antees absolute freedom Of religious
belief. and the gospel of Christ is
preached from one end of the empire
to the either.
Japan Christian in Wide Sense.
In the same strain the Independent
points out that it is not so easy to de-
termine which is the Christian nation:
I'm Japan, there are members of
Christian churches who command her
battleships, who sit in her cabinets,
who preside over her parliament. There
is the full civilization that has grown
out of Christianity; public schools, the
best education, the institutions of
business and benevolence which are
the product Of Christianity. This has
been given to Japan under the tute-
lage of Christian nations, frankly
adopted from this and other countries.
There is constitutional government,
elected rulers. courts and freedom
Rut what do we see in Russia? An
absolutely autocratic government. with
no local self-government, no congress-
no constitution, no public school sys-
tenn no religious liberty, the Doukho-
bors the Jews and the Lutheran Films
equally forced into exile, and the Ar
menians in the Caucasus driven to
frenzy by the robbery of their church
es and schools. Which is the Chris
tian country?"
UnfriendIy to japan.
The only dissenting voice in the
widespread religious sympathy with
japan comes from the Catholic press,
the New World saying. for example:
IF this is Christian nation, it's
sympathies ought to go out to a
Christian rather than a pagan people.
Crush Russia, and paganism will be
unified and strengthened turnout In
dia, Korea. Japan, China and Turkey.
lies ii is true, but they are Christians.
1t they win in the approaching conflict,
Korea, Manchuria and China will be
made Christian before the century
closes. If they lose Christian civili-
cation in Europe may begin to take
flight
TO the same effect the Catholic News
asserts it's belief that
THE American people are too
shrewd to be deceived by the lying re-
ports cabled from London to our
1t is we'll known fact !
that England fears and hates Russia |
and the English newspapers are now
trying to influence the American pub
lie mind against Russia. Americans
Won tn