Evening star., 1907-10-26

that ought to press upon US with the mos.
solemn sanctions and fire us all with tru'
missionary zeal. We are surrounded with
all comforts, richly lowered with al the
good things of n Christian civiliZ atom.
because of the salutary influence OF for
eign missions. A simple word or two will
make this plain. Our ancestors were
savages and lived amid the mountain
and forests OF Europe Ike wild beasts.
They went hah-naked in the summer
time, and in the winter their clotEin;
was the skins of animals Tribe fought
tribe, and oftentimes their drinking cups
were human skulls. Their religion was
Druidical their sacrifices human beings.
and this religion dragged them down into
the lowest depths of degradation. AMI
thus, doubtless, we would have been to-
day as their descendants, had not SOM
divine influence out of the skies touched
our ancestors. Acts xvi contains the Sc
cret of your redemption and mine. Paul
had it In his heart to preach the gospel
in Asia, but the Holy Spirit hin6ere1
him. Then he essayed to go into Bithyn-
the Black sea but the Spirit suffered
him not. Then, passing by Mysla. ne
came down to Troas, and there the apos-
tie had a vision in the night. There
stood a man of Macedonia. and prayed
him. saying Come over into Macedonia
and help US" And after h, had seen
the vision, Immediately we endeavored to
go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering
that the Lord had called US to preach
the gospel unto them Now, If the Holy
Spirit had led Paul into Asia. China ani
India and Burma and Japan would
have been Christianized and civilized.
while Europe would be now as Asia is, and
we, descendants of the Europeans, would
be heathen, too. But for some good rea-
son of His own God sent His foreign mis-
sionary, Paul west instead of east, into
Europe instead of into Asia, and we owe
what we are today primarily to this fact
And how can We, possessed of the his
toric sense, continue Indifferent to or say
thet we do not believe in foreign mis-
sions. Can it be possible that we are
willing to be the recipients of everything.
yet give nothing, or next 20 nothing, to
this cause which has so richly blessed
us? If we were as rational as we ought
to be in this matter. and If we fully ap-
preciated the debt we owe, mere graft
tude would fill US with zeal for this
worldwide work; we would vie with
each other to lay the largest gift on the
altar of God. We may restrict heathen-
ism to China and India and Africa,
and the far islands of the sea, and then
congratulate ourselves on our own safety
from the moral plague, but heathenism
has wings and can fly anywhere, and,
being constitutional disease, it can lay
its blightinS touch upon all peoples
Wheres0ever 1t may come Christendom
cannot as yet sheath the sword and
think the battle won, for many battle
has been lost where victory seem d as
sured Russia, that colossal power OF
the north, is half-barbaric still, and no
country needs the true religion more than
she.'-Campbell Coyle.
Conditions in Europe have wonderfully
improved in our generation. Napoleonism
has perished from the face of the earth.
Protestant Germany has gained power
and prestige never before known on the
continent, and. although the world has
Russia yet to reckon with in Europe and
the far east the progress of international
arbitration and other results of the recent
peace compact, proposed by the car him
self, give fair promise that wars of ma
tonal jealousy and ambition are to be
discredited from this time forth. On the
human side we cannot claim these the
railroads and the opening up of various
countries through modern invention and
the march of civiiization) as direct high
ways for the chariot of redemption. The
progress of Russia seems to be character
lied by quite another spirit and the greed
of commerce or political ACKNOWLEDGMENT
seems to outrun the progress of the Chris
tian motive, yet L believe that these
paths are to be the highways of gospel
progress, because 1t Is promised. and be-
cause we know that the King of Kings is
greater and of more prevailing power
than emperor or cZar sultan. The
providence of God has so often triumphed
over human diplomacy, good has SO uni
formly come forth from evil, the wrath
of man has in SO many signal ways pro-
mainder thereof has so many times been
restrained that We are confident in claim
| ing all national and commercial advance
| as elements in the complete conquest of
the world. Rev. F. F. Ellinwood. DID,
LID, The Progress of Generation. -
How to Help the Leader
Study up the Mccall Mission in Paris
and give a brief account of it. The fol-
lowing may be interesting: "A French
| sergent de police, while the work of the
Mccall Mission was little known would
sometimes arrest the agents after this
| fashion: Ma petite dame, you must come
| with me- to the guardhouse.' Wherever
you choose, sergeant; you know I am
| doing no harm. Just read this (giving
| him a gospel. Yes, 1t is a good work
and good book, but 1 must do my duty
He opens a door, and ushering her in,
| says: Here is dame whom 1 have
taken up for-doing good! She is dis
| tributing good books The subalterns
| receive each a book, look at it. question
the delinquent, and greatly approve her
work and commend her zeal: then turn
! ing to the agent: You know the law;
you can take her to the commissaire, but
you may do as You ike The hint is
enough. The good-natured man takes
along a populous street and says:
| Madame, you go down that street and
give away as many books as you can p"
Parallel Passages. Psalms, xxii:27;
Psalms, lxxii:6; Psalms. lxxxvi:9; Isaiah,
ii:2: Isaiah, xlv:22; Habakkuk. ii:14;
jeremiah, xXxi:33 Ezekiel xxxvi:36;
Psalms, cx:3; Matthew. ix:37. SO.
! Hints to the Leader.-The Endeavor
| Hymnal-132, IA, 145 1G6, 16S, 1877 236
Open with a series of prayers for the
| work in Europe. Remind the members
| before thdt these prayers should be min
gled with thanksgiving for the progress
Of the work. Assign each of the coun-
tries of Europe to a certain group of
members, presided over by a member of