The farmer and mechanic., 1909-03-30
THE RACE QUESTION AND RE
LfGION.
The International Sunday-SchOOl les
son for April is peter and Cor
nelius.'' Acts lO:1-48.
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.

by WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.
The race question in it's acutest and
gravest form is not to be found in
the Southern States; Or in San Fran
cisco or Vancouver; but on the other
side Of the world, where the Oriental
and the African come into contact
with the white man. Especially Sc
riols and Ominous is it in China, be-
cause the European and American
there have, on the whole, insisted
upon acting toward the natives Of
the country as If the latter were in
ferior beings. The entire anti-foreign
sentiment in China may be traced to
the simple lack of brotherliness in the
conduct Of the white men in China.
The case in trrdia is similar. The
justice of Britain's rule can scarcely
be questioned. but the Indian has
been irritated and made rebellious
by the refusal of many white men
to treat him as a brother man. The
attitude of the average fSahib' to-
ward the native has exasperated the
proud Indian to the point Of open re-
bellion
Nor is the race question Of modern
issue. 1t existed in the first Chris
tian century with an intensity equal
to anything known at the present
time. The Greeks AID Romans looked
upon the whole outer world as bar
baria MS The Jew regarded all
beyond the pale. The caste system,
at which we shudder in India, was
just as strong and bitter and un-
brotherly on the part of the Jews OF
old.
a Levelling Gospel
Christianity undertook to draw just
one line of division between men,
and that not a horizontal line. but
a vertical All other social and re-
, ligious systems had apportioned men
into upper classes. middle classes.
and lower classes. Christ drew YER
teal line, on one side or winch Were
the good. and on the other side the
bad. Into the intense class conscious
ness of the day. and in spite Of nat
ural disposition Of Jewish Christians.
the religion Of Jesus projected a con-
ception of brotherhood. IT judged
men only on the basis of their atti-
tude toward Christ AS the appeal
to the Genti!es later expressed X
There cannot be Greek and Jew, cir
cun,cision and uncircumcision, bar
barian. Scythian. bondman. and free
man: but Christ is all and in all
Serious controversies agitated the
early Church over this question. Paui
had to Withstand Peter to his face
The Jewish Church had its faith ana
vision sorely tested in the effort TO
q admit Gentle Christians on an equai
footing. Yet this was the triumph
Of the early Church. 1t abolished all
social lines. Rich and poor, slave and
freeman, Jew and Gentle. became
brothers in the one common Lord.
The Heathen's Vision.
On the outskirts Of the Jewish
faith there dwelt a. large company Of
men and women who were not strictly
proselytes, yet who believed in the
one God Among these was q certain
Roman military man. Captain Cor
neiius. He was not cnurchman IN
full standing. But the record runs
that he was "a devOut man. and one
that feared Gcd with all his house
who gave much aims to the people,
and prayed to God always Corne-
1il1s was an advanced type of the men
who are to be found in every nation
who reach out blind hands to the
Father Of US all. He is an early
monition to Christians everywhere
that they should interpret most lib
orally all the gro,,ingS and strivings
of the ancient faiths after a spirit
ual life as an aspiration towards the
true and living God
To Cornelius came a vision, bid
ding him summon Simon Peter, who
would instruct him more fully in the
things of the spirit The picture is
worth meditating upon. 1t was not
a mystic nor a seer ror a "holy
man" to whom the vision came, but
to practical man of affairs, SOL
dier. The power Of vision is not de-
MED to any man An any sphere. The
sad truth is that men shut their eyes
to-visiOns which are all around them
How few of the hurrying merchan-
dizers who throng New. York's pub
lie ways take time for a moments
thought Of the vast social. political
and spiritual problems that are in
carnated on every Side Of them! II
is by the man Of vision that these
perplexities are 70 be solved. And
only as a powerful proportion of the
people are Possessed Of the. gift ot
- - ,.atSi -