Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-11
Generally Speaking the Undertaking Is Managed in a
Helterskelter, Disorganized Fashion and Claims Are
Not Substantiated- Still, Civilizing Force.

earnestness on the part of the handful OF
Christians
How may these missionary exaggcratlons
be accounted for? l have talked with many
missionaries upon this point The expecta-
ton of the boards that the workers shall
send IN favorable reports, the necessity for
showing successes to stimulate gifts the
natural human tendency to enlarge upon
the favorable side, all have been given as
reasons The fact is remarked one mis-.
stonary. when A man gets home and be-
gins to make speeches he finds himself saw
ing what the people want to hear and los
ing sight of the facts of the field | know
l have caught myself doing this | have
no hardships in my missionary work yet
the people at home were so determined TO
make me out martyr that almost came
to believe myself one before 1 left Amer
| lea
All the stronger men on the field regret
] the distorted and misleading statements
| that are so frequently made by Interested
enthusiasts concerning missions and mis-
| sionaries: they are far-sighted enough to
| know the consequences when these re-
| ports come back to the field. have known
| more than one missionary to be seriously
| embarrassed by being presented to the
| community in which he lives in the light In
| which he is seen by his admirers at home
| There Is another side to the question:
| dread Of this sort of thing has kept more
| than one worker from sending home re-
| ports of Observation-Disclosures successes and
| Endorsements. An American woman at
| the head of one of the Presbyterian mis-
sion schools for girls In China has been
| asked by the officials OF the important
province in which she works to take charge
| OF the female education in the province
but never a word of this has she written
home to her board 1T will be time enough
| when L have actually been given the
work, says this cautious woman who
Knows China; &" there's many a slip 'twixt
the cup and the lip"
The most serious OF all the unlntentional
misrepresentation made by missionaries IL
that the whole heather world is on the
verge OF becoming Christian Faith. not
facts, Is the basis of the common assevera-
ton. The world is being won for Christ"
Making due allowance for rhetorical feryor
1t stu remains true that a seriously errone-
Gus impression Is left upon the Christian
public's mind by the days missionary rep
reservations
!, For first-hand study Of the field reveals
that, with an occasional notable exception
: like Korea. heathendom has scarcely been
budged by the missionaries work The
. great mass OF the pagan world is as yet
, practically untouched by the gospel II
| Christians are determined to bear their re-
ligion to the whole earth. as is apparently
their purpose. they must do things on a
! vastly larger scale than heretofore. Thus
far only mere beginning has been made
} Instead OF war, 1t Is only reconnais-
sance in force-a brave, brilliant and sue
cessful reconnaissance. 1t is strue but
nevertheless. only a reconnaissance The
real fighting can hardly be said to have
begun.