The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1908-01-31

Christian church? There is a sudden
Jolt to this expectancy when he finds
the blank wall of heathendom rising
up before the missionaries az cold "a
strong and, at first sight, as scathless
as ever. He learns later OF the sue
cesses In the line of mining and sap
ping this wall, which, up to date, have
been the principal missionary meth
DDS; but his general impression is one
OF disappointment. He caK1ot but feel
that the trtumphs of missions have
been overstated. At this point enters
the need for better supervision, as
have already intimated.
For example, the observer recalls
the statement, printed times without
number in American publications,
that China has made Sunday legal
holiday. This he finds to be utterly
untrue. Where China touches the
west the first day of the week has
gradually become, in some measure, a
holiday. But it is nowhere a Sabbath,
except among the few Christians. At
another time it was widely reported
that certain city had thrown away
It's idols, but investigation shows the
city as anti-Christian as ever, and the
only basis for the tale is the fact that
one temple discarded it's old idols for
new. Here a great revival is reported
to have swept over the community;
the westerner naturally thinks of this
In terms Of Moody and Sankey cam
paign. Specifically, however, there
are no signs of the revival, although
closer search reveals an unusual
earnestness on the part of the handful
of Christians.
How may these missionary exagger.
ations be accounted for? have talked
with many missionaries upon this
point The expectation Of the boards
that the workers shall send in favor.
able reports, the necessity for show.
ing successes to stimulate gifts, the
natural human tendency to enlarge
upon the favorable side, all have been
given as reasons. "The fact is" re-
marked one missionary. when a man
gets home and begins to make
speeches he finds himself saying what
the people want to hear, and losing
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 homo were so
determined to make me out 4 martyr
that almost came to believe myself
one before left Amrica."
All the stronger men on the field re-
greet the distorted and misleading
statements that are so frequently
made by interested enthusiasts cAn.
corning missions and missionaries:
they are 'far-sighted enough to know
the consequences when these reports
come back to the field. l have known
more than one missionary to be seri.
ously 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 ques-
ton; dread of this sort of thing has
kept more than one worker from send
ing home reports of well-authenticated
successes and endorsements. An
American woman at the head of one
OF the Presbyterian mission 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 word of this has she writ.
ten home to her board. 1T will be
time enough when I have actually
been given the work." says this eau
tious woman, who knows China:
there's many slip 'twixt the cup
and the lip"
A Reconnaissance, Not a War.
The most serious of all the unin.
territorial Misrepresentation made by
missionaries is that the whole heather
world is on the verge of becoming
Christian. Faith, not facts, is the
basis OF the common observation.
THE world is being won for Christ. !"
Making due allowance for rhetorical
fervor, 1t still remains true that 4
seriously erroneous impression is left
upon the Christian public's mind By
the days missionary representations.
For a first-hand study of the field
reveals that, with an occasional nota-
BILE exception like Korea, heathendon
has scarcely been budged by the mis-
sionaries' work. The great mass of
the pagan world is as yet practically
untouched by the gospel. If Chris
tians are determined tn hear thofr 70
ligion to the whole earth, as is appar-
emily their purpose, they must do
things on vastly larger scale than
heretofore. Thus far only a mere be-
ginning has been made. Instead of 4
war, it is only reconnaissance in
force-a brave, brilliant and success.
full reconnaissance, it is true. but.
nevertheless. only a Reconnaissance
The real fighting can hardly be said to
have begun.
Copyright. by Joseph b. Bowles1