The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-23

for human hurt is growing by leaps
and bounds The great conflicts OF
| our time are between science ana ais
| ease. between a new spirit OF aftru-
ism and u~nforward social conditions
between truth and error in all depart
ments of human life. So the new war
corresponaent Of the better day that
is dawning is he who chronicles the
victories of light over darkness, GOOD
over evil, progress over feact1on'
brOtherliness over selffshness. II Is
not a too violent stretching of the fig
ure to say that the wealth or mission
ary literature which our q Is pro
ducing is the modern war correspond
ence. It records the victories OF the
forces of the kingdom Of heaven over
the opposite legions Of evil.
A good book must mirror real life;
a .goody-SoOdy book Is sueh becau
it treats Of unreahtieS.
1t is perhaps not q matter OF COM
mon knowledge that the first ode
looks given to any OF the war-Chfis-
tan nations are limos invariably
written by missionaries. These are
in a sense, the greatest missionary
sooks. even though the missionary s
supporters mo read them ana 90
not usually know abou hem. Ihe
erammars and dictionaries in China,
japan, and India were first produced
by missionaries. The earliest, unless
lpon modern science, were from the
same pens. It is no exaggeration to
say that it was the missionary who
first unlocked the treasures of mod
ern knowledge in the n~on-Christian
world.
1t should be remembered, in con
nection with the cOnSidcration Of mis-
sionary literature. that the languages
of most savage people nave been re-
duced to writing by the pioneer Cos
pei messengers one day / met at the
train "a friend from Africa. As | took
his travelling bag, lie remarked, 4
have in tina bag all that exists IN
writing of the language Of two mil
lion people, Yet that nan WAS only
thirty years old. What q mans Work
he had WTolGnt-to libeT3tC Il ( NJ
ton al the treasures Of Written
speech.
Missionary books are c~onloltE, con-
tainin" as they do Biography, history.
exploration. adventure ana religion.
The best missionary books are bio
graphical. They are tn record Of
great lives. The world Is ricGer IN
inspiration ana ide:liStn, IS well as
n knowledge. because 81 the men like
Livingstone ana &fackay. Carey and
Dufi, Ch"lners ana Patterson. Elliot,
ana Whitman. Morrison and Hudson
EaAlor. Not al the great missionaries
are deal either There are & host 81
men and m many ri Nhom |
have INST personally on their fields.
who's lives are rs beautiful AND no
bic and romantic as many that have
been chrcnicled in books. C01tempo-
missionary literature should deal
fullA with the personality of these
Representatives of Christianity in the
mission field. Why should we wai
until they are dead before letting the
world share the power OF their per
sonality?-
Stanley's Through Darkest Africa"
written many years ago, still ranks as
q great book, Of permanent value. It
is not designed primarily rs q mission
AIRY work Vet its picture CT Living
stones character is profoundly i'm
pressive. For there in the heart OF
Africa, the life OF the missionary
made a Christian Of the traveller and
Journalist.
Whenever 4 fair-minded rersn1
>'Ai'S - h1ioH iLtESSicl1S tIfoE OESillN
either by personal observation or
through books. ne is certain TO be-
come Il believer therein.
While an immense arnount % mis-
slonarN literature has been poured
forth by the publishing houses of late
years. there are several departments
OIL TINS field as yet Comparatively un-
occupied One IS good missionary
flctlon. Few first-ciaSS writer's have
used this wealth of material. no
nance of missions is Yet to be nre-
sented IN the guise Of fiction.
The inspired lover is the book that
inspires. That literature vii, tfve
which Desets life in its readers. Mis-
slohaty books have had rare power