The Washington herald., 1909-02-20
Monev and Relieion.

Outside the quaint old walled city OF
Taiku Korea, and the French Catholic
church and the Presbyterian mission COM
pound. When the Protestant missionaries
arrived the Catholic priest, whose diver
sion was his garden, generously shared
his strawberry plants with his neighbors-
These had been imported and reared at
great labor, and the gift was an appreci-
ated one The very next season the
priests own crop Of strawberries entirely
failed. Then his neighbors were able 10
restore 70 him what otherwise he would
have utterly lost Thus il is with all
things. The principle Of preservation by
propagation runs throughout life What
we give We have. The ideas that are
shared are most truly possessed Religion
that Is carried abroad is saved az home
This present Sunday school lesson con
cerning the bearing Of the Gospel TO Sa-
msria-the first step over the borders Of
Judaism by the infant church-was the
salvation Of the church itself. For to-day
Judea is q mission land Christian mis-
sionaries from America and Europe are
now al work in Jerusalem. bearing back
the Gospel which they possess because Of
the missionary activity Of the early
church.
Il was a great dream which that little
band Of humble folk in old jerusalem
cherished; the dream Of a world-conqUer-
ing faith Other religions have held It.
100, but now the vision is fading from
every other faith, and meanwhile is grip
ping Christianity with new power. Ma
tons whose very existence was unguessed
By the early church are to-day turning to
ward the light Of the cross. while others,
Ike North America. then undiscovered.
confess supreme allegiance TO the CTuCi-
fed and give richly OF their treasures Of
life and wealth for the wider dissemina-
ton Of the message which Philip carried
10 Samaria-
The SCATTERED EAIBERS
The rod Of persecution sent the first en-
bers Of Christianity flying in many diree-
tons After the martyrdom Of stephen
the fury Of Jewish bigotry broke. and be-
fore II Christians were scattered every
where But every fleeing Christian meant
a progressing evangel- Truth thrives IN
der persecution. By last evenings mail I
had a letter from a friend IN Japan point
ing out that IN the early days. when pass
port res rs made il impossible for
missiona 60 far into that country,
the latte afame with impatienCs TO
carry the GOSPEL 10 the remOtest interior.
Now. however. that all obstacles have
been removed. a strange lassitude seems
20 have beset the church and there are
Yet millions Of japanese who have never
heard q single presentation Of the Gospel
in their own villages and towns II does
seem as Il external difficulties promote the
Gospel. while ease without creates diff
culties within.
In Korea the native Christians have
practice that is COmmendable. Whenever
one is obliged to remove his home from
one Town 10 another he counts il is a
providentiaI sending upon a mission. that
he may be an evangelist 10 the new
neighborhood. Even further than that
many Christians go. since Il IS not IN
common for Korean convert 10 remove
his home voluntarily 10 a village where
there are no Christians simply for the
purpose OF affOrding a center for the eX-
tension Of the Gospel More Of that spirit
in church work az home would wOndr0us-
y sWeeten the church as well as TIE
world II there were more swsrping
among churches there would be fAver
church qUarreIs-
An EARTHQUAKE INCIDENT
At this distance Il is hard TO catch the
significance Of the advance OF the Jewish
Christians into Samaria. II IS 70 be re-
membered that the Jews have no deal
ings with the Samaritans." Yet such Is
the Hberalizing power Of the Gospel Of
Jesus that IL made these Jewish Chris
tians willing and eager 10 share their
best with The Samaritans and 10 take the
latter into their great family. ANY vital
experience has this tendency 10 broaden
ID until the time Of the Italian earth
quake there was open antagOnism be
tween the Vatican and the Italian Jew
who Is mayor Of Rome The laJtsT IS not
only a nOn-Cath0lic. but he is a prominent
Mason as we'll Yet when the victims OF
the earthquake were carried TO Rome and
placed in the Vatican hospital the mayor
o. the city. on his round OF ministry and
sympathy. was welcomed 10 the very
Vatican precincts by the papal secretary
Of state. The great common sorrow had
banished the old antsgOnism and made
the two parties simply men and brethren.
WHEN DOWIE INVADED NEW YORK.
A careful reading OF this narrative
shows that the missionary movement OF
the Christians made a general impression
upon both Jerusalem and Ssmaria. Pos
sibiy il may be likened 10 John Alexan-
der Dowie's invasion Of New York a few
years ago by his Restoration Host"
Then Dowieism was the most talked-of
topic OF the day. It created q sensation.
So did the Christian movement into Sa-
maria There is justification in this New
Testament history for the modern method
Of city religious campaigns. The present
tendency 20 do things in the large and TO
create q general cOmmotiOn in a com
mUnity IS good Charistian strategy
Cp in Samaria people straightway be-
neved. An immediate impression was
made, with direct results. II is an Unac-
countable fact concerning Christianity
that wherever the Gospel story Is told
there things happen Even one telling TO
q pagan has been known 10 win him 10
allegiance 70 Christ Uusually, OF course,
successful evangelism IS also educational
and cumulative Always. though. il must
be fundamentally what went to Samsria-
the repetition Of the story Of the Life.
A STAR" ECLIPSED.
Deacon Philip found up in Samaria one
Simon, q sOTCeTer. who was quite the
vogue. OF, as our present colloquialism
has il. he was AL the rage" There was
abroad ar the time a general expectation
Of a coming Messiah. These people salts
fed themselves with a lesser one. in the
person Of Simon They were not discern
ing enough to perceive that Simon invali-
dated his high claims by the very fact
that he lauded himself. He was a fore
runner Of the modern evangelist who en-
ploys press agents TO I'll the newspapers
with tales Of his own greatness Discreet
men and women wisely enough look ask
ance at the preacher with a personal
press agent A worthy bearer Of the
message aliases himself but exalts his
news and his Saviour. He cries with Paul,
Not Z but Christ
When Philip came. working wonders.
Simon gave Up. He knew he was ecupsed.
So he inined the nnnniar raOvemenf No