Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-22

Ambassador Bryce.
response by Gen. Julian 8. Carr of North
Carolina. Ambassador James Bryce OF
Great Britain reached the Auditorium q
few minutes past o'clock.
After the address Of Gen. Carr, the au-
dience sang america" which was the
signal for the entrance Of MIR. Bryce.
WIN he entered the Auditorium the vast
FROM the time he entered the door. con-
tinuihg long after he took his seat on the
rostrum. Ambassador, Bryce repeatedly
bowed his acknowledgements. Mr.. Bryce
said:
Ambassador Bryce's Remarks.
The impulse. the purpose, the. senti-
ment of duty that brings you all here is
one that requires no explanation. Little
need to urge upon you. who have come
so far, though there IS much need that
you should impress upon others the obli-
cation that lies on Christian men to give
freely to others that knowledge of the
truth which they have freely received.
Even If we had not the divince command
to go into the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature. should we not
feel, as members OF favored race, which
has by the help Of the ideals and the emo
tons we owe to the Gospel been able to
rise so far above other races not equally
privileged. should we not feel bound to
try to do for them what has been done for
us. to stretch out to them q helping
hand and try to lift them up? Missions
are. In fact, one way In which the ad-
vanced peoples may try to discharge their
duty to the backward peoples. The COM
mon father Of us all requires it from US.
How much splendid work missions have
accomplished / need not tell you. As a
traveller I have had frequent opportuni-
ties of. seeing the results In Africa and
in India and in the Turkish east. No
missionaries have done more good than
those who come from your own country.
especially in Asia Minor. Syria and
deep debt Of gratitude. But the
traveller, while he admires the work
that Is being done. Is often forced
to ask himself why In spite OF
these noble efforts. and Of the excel
has the spread Of the Gospel not been
swifter? Why have the results not been
greater? II christianity, In the face OF
persecution and SO many other obstacles.
centuries, why, with so much more In
its favor, has it not now conquered the
whole world? This is question which
We all ought to ponder. for it is more
profitable to us to ask why we have not
done more than to dwell cOmplacently Oh
what we have done. And it is about this
that l wish to say few words to you
tonight. Missions are not the only form
which the contact of advanced Christian
race with backward races has so taken.
Spaniards and. the Indians.
When the Spaniards began to conquer
the new world they made it one of their
objects to convert the Indians. Crowds Of
friars accompanied them. There was
much preaching. and the desire to save
the souls Of the heather and make the cross
reign over all American lands was genu-
Inc desire. But unhappily the conquerers
did many other things besides preach. They
were greedy of wealth. They forced the
natives to till the soil and labor in the
mines. They did this SO harshly that in
some thirty or forty years all the ma
tive Indians in Hispanola (now HATH are
said to have persisted; and this happened
Everywhere the same thing. has gone
on, happening more or less wherever the
strong races. civilized men with fire.
arms and horses. have come in contact
with the races weaker in intelligence and
organization.
Everywhere the native suffers. To
some extent it is inevitable that the ma
tive should suffer by contract. for our
civilization doesn't suit him. But there
has been also much wrongdoing on the
part of the civilized races. Traders have
often robbed the savage of his land
They have often cheated him. They'd sell
him liquor-the vilest sort of liquor
which ruins him body and soul. we don't
any longer exterminate the natives. We
don't reduce them to slavery. though there
are parts of Africa in which something
of that kind is said to still go on. The
governments of these nations which have
of late years annexed native territories
now usually. though I fear not always,
try to protect the Inhabitants. The
United States government and British
government certainly do this. I'm India,
for instance, vast native populations are
ruled with perfect justice. But the ac-
ton of private citizens who have deal
ings with natives often disgraces the
Christian name. Such mems conduct
constantly hinders or retards the good
work which enlightened governments wish
to do.
The White Mans Burden.
The work Of bearing the white man .
burden has too often taken the form Of
filling the white mans pocket. Is 1t any
wonder that the behavior OF men who are
nominally Christians, Christians in pro-
fession If not practice. has checked the
spread of Christianity? The missionary
comes preaching a gospel of Justice and
love anu peace. But when the natives see
how men behave who profess the religion
which the missionary breaches the
preachings lose their value. An African
chief is said to have described the proc
ess OF the contact of civilized men with
his people in these words: First mission
airy: then trader: then army" 1t is not
too much to say that the lives OF men
nominally Christians have been the great
est of all hindrances to the spread OF the
gospel.
What then. is our duty as citizens Of
Christian nations who desire to see the
light of the gospel illumine the world
Governments no longer send out missions.
~ Co. t. l~. ,v,I 49, vuyttt y,