The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-16
SUNDAY-SCHOOL
HOW RELIGION o

The International Sunday School Les
son For March Fl is a Quarterly Re-
view.
BY William r. Ellis.
Truth is of interest to most persons
only in its present relations. None but
a few rare souls care for truth IN the
abstract, and ASSOCIATED from time
and place. Even historical truth has
its chief value as it is linked to the
present. The reason for the weekly
study Of the Sunday school lesson by
twenty-five millions of persons IS not
the desire to acquire a certain amOuns
of historical data so much as il IS To
obtain motive power for current con-
duct and light upon contenlpOraneOuS
problems. The life depicted in the old
Book is needed as a help for the Ire
that is lived in this year 1908. For
three months the Sunday schools nave
been working in the Book Of Acts.
considering the BEGINNING Of Chris
tianity. Now. at the end # the quar-
ter. they pause. for a backward look.
The story unfOlded in these nine
chapters is the story of an expanding
church. At once the observing reader
is struck by the parallel w this
ancient and present cH:1dl-
tons n some mission lands. A perfect
ly proper as we'll as an emineutlN in
teresting method of presenting theun-
derlying truths Of the quarters lessons
is by a frank contemplation Of modern
missionary growth, ever keeping in
mind, of course. this first missionary
story.
The Omanc Of Korea.
A mere handful Of inconslde,aole
persons held the foreground III til
opening of his story. The faith filled
company Of disciples was very small.
They We're like the apparently neElt-
gible missionary force that has dared
to go UP against e~ntrenched error =:
many lands. Yet as a esult Of their
character and teaching and witness,
a multitude OF others were Influenced
in the succeeding ten years. and the
little church grew like a SNOWFALL.
even as it has grown in the past dozen
years in Korea.
The romance Of Korea should be an
e~ver-recurring theme in Christian
churches. There the reality Of Christ,
and the power Of his Gospel, have
taken hold of the lives OF the natives
in transforming fashion. The very
faces of the Christians show that they
possess a treasure which OLD Korea
never knew. In it Is
their meat and drink to tell TIL story
of the Gospel Now there IS in Korea
a church Of more than one hundrcd
Thousand members, that may b. said
to constitute the dominating factor il
the nations life. Ever Prince tic
recognizes this 50 clearly that 2 few
days ago he dismissed a member al
the Korean cabinet for criticisinT tbs
I11SSlOIlaT1 GS. aging tnaC the Cr1tlc Nl0
not know what he was talking about
Many persons are prOphesying that
Korea will be the first Of the Oriental
nations to be wholly Christian ize1
and that it will. in turn. be the evan
gelist of the Orient.
Some Wonders Of Missions.
The conspicuous event IN the early
church was PentecOst. This is a STUN
bling block to the materially minded
Simply because spiritual things ART
spiritually discerned.' they can fine
no parallel or rational exclamation fol
this supernatural enduement of the III.
FAINT church. JUS 50 recent events il
India, China. and Korea rave etag-
gered observers. The first equipmrn'
Of a strong, growing church must h
a profound and memorable SpiTitua
experience. .
Christian community of Northern In.
dia such manifestations Of the pres
ence Of the Divine Spirit as are al
most too strange to be old to ncci
dental ears. I heard Bishop Warne
Methodist Episcopal Bishop of India
narrating some experiences in the IN
dian revival to great congregations a
Ocean Grove last summer. In CONVEX
sation with him afterward ] aske
why he had not described ccrtai!
phases Of the revival abOnt which W.
had talked together in India. If
frankly admitted that the Americas
cnurcheS were scarcely able to bCa
such testimony: their incredulit,
would hinder the effect of his mes
sage, 50 he had to feed them. witt
milk, rather than With meat.
Up in sordid, material. gina
tive Manchuria there is at present il
progress a revival like unto notlii1,:
which the Western world knows
whole villages are gripped By q spirit
uai power; strong men fall prostrat,
anu Wrlthtng, eonfessing their sins an
crying aloud for mercy. Christian
are being baptized with a. conscious
ehem gladly out to VII
mses as eVaneels Of their faith q
nae fashion. and even more EXTENSIVE
over Ne Pre- revival that began to, sweel
the NoFea Two years ago. p,,rifvinl
me native-church causing mon !