The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-10-22

|NH'd't" y -" 49, H"tAs ''-tH| '|r'N N-r|NNlH
ily anil ths spirit Of Christianity IS
tie oAly baai fcr tAe hope 81 ncdefa
ciyiil zitlcp and tiie growth Il popliaf
seif.goyefnnent The spirit 81 Chris
tianity IS pure democracy It 81 The
equality Of man before God. the equal.
| lily d; man before the law. which IS.
las unders. nd IT. the most God-iike
manifestation that nun aas been able
TO make Now / am not here to speak
Of foreign missions from a purely re
Illgious standpoint. SIM here TO speak
ot il from the standpoint Of political,
governmental advancement, the adj
vaneeanent Of modern civilization. And
think have had some opportunity
to know h.w dependent we are on.
the spread, Of Christianity In any hope
that we may have Of uplifting the pec.
piles whom Providence has tarust upon
US for our guidance.
Religious and Political Government.
| am talking practical facts about
the effect OF religion on the political
government, and I know what 1 am
talking aboutsT did not realize until
1 went into the Orient the variety ST
things that foreign missions accom-.
plish. The missionaries have reached
the conclusion that, in order to make
a man good Christian, you have got
to make MIN useful in a community
and teach him something to do and
give him some sense and intelligence.
So. connected with every success,
full foreign mission is school ordi.
narily an Industrial school. Also they
teach the native that cleanliness is
next to Goodness and that one bust.
ness OF his is to keep himself healthy,
and so in connection with every good
foreign mission they have hospitals
and doctors. And, therefore, the mis-
sign makes nucleus Of modern civil
liution, with schools, teachers and
physicians and the church. In that
way, having educated the native, hav
Ing taught him how to live, then they
are able to be sure that they have
made him d consistent Christian.
China Headed Right.
Every foreign mission in China is a
nucleus of modern civilization. Now
China is in great state of transition.
China is looking forward to progress.
China IS to be guided by whom? 1t
is TO be guided by the young Chris,
ttan students and scholars that either
learn English or some foreign Ian
guage at home or are sent abroad to
be instructed, and who come back and
whose words are listened to by those.
who exercise influence at the head Of
the government. Therefore it is that
these frontier posts CT civilization are
so much more important than the
mere numerical count of converts
seems to make them.
speak from the standpoint Of po.
litical civilization in such a country
as China. They have, l think, 5000.
missionaries in China. The number
of students was $4,000 last year Fhey
go cut into the neighbofhods, and thsy
can not but have good effect through.
ont that great empire, large enough
as it is. to promote the ideas Of Chris.
tianity and the ideas Of civilization.
Two or three things make one impa.
ttent when he understands the facts.
One is this criticism Of the mission
aries as constantly involving the gov
IIernments in trouble, as constantly
bringing about war. The trutl is
that western civilization in trade is
pressing into the Orient, and the
agents that are sent forward. / UNI
sorry to say, are not the best repre-.
sentatives of western civilization. The
American and Engllshman and others
who live in the Orient are, many of
them, excellent, honest Godfearins
men; but there are in that set Of adj
vance agents of western civilization
gentlemen who left the West Tor the
good Of the West, and because their
history in the West might prove em.
barrassing at home. More than that.
even where they are honest, hard
working tradesmen and merchants at,
tempting to push business into the
Orient, their minds are constantly on
business. 1t is not human nature that
they should resist the temptations
that net infrequent1y present them
selves to get ahead of the sympathy
with a spirit Of brotherhood toward
the Oriental natives. Even in the
Philippines that spirit Is shown, 70.
while was there / can remember
hearing on the streets, sung by a gen
tleuan that did not agree with my