Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-09
Challenged to Give Data.

studied a moment.
Challenged to Give Data.
1.-The archbishop says they are dishon-
orable." he continued, and claims per
sonal observation as basis of judgment.
My opportunities for personal observation
of Methodist methods in Rome are far
better than his. and / challenge him to
give specific data. We will agree to
match every specification with counter
evidence to show that Rome does not
know the meaning of the word the arch
bishop has so glibly used when pros
elyting methods are fairly compared.
The short of 1t all is that the Methodist
Episcopal Church has dared invade papal
countries with Protestant ideas We be-
lieve they are the best for all peoples.
: 1t may have been impairment to build
a great Protestant center in the heart OF
Rome, but it has been done. We have
not asked his permission, any more than
the pope asked our sanction to his propa-
concession to our growing influence that
a special society has been organized to
protect the faith, as the archbishop de-
clares. Some have doubted our success.
Missionary contributions may come more
freely after such witness
The Poor Welcome.
The archbishop says the missionaries
of your church are taking advantage Of
the poor in Rome in their efforts to make
proselytes. What of IT, bishop" was the
next Interrogation.
Il cannot understand the archbishop in
that charge, continued Bishop Grams
ton. Italy is full of poor people, for
some reason, but not all who come to us
are poor l have preached to congrega-
tons of very respectable appearance in
Italian cities In our own churches. We
help them to maintain their preaching
places If they need help. We do not use
the confessional nor charge for baptism
or the other sacrament recognized by us,
nor do we have any stated fees or costly
church buildings.
If the poor find our service helpful and
attractive they are free to come. We
are in Italy Mexico and South America,
as We are in France, Switzerland, Ger
many. Hungary, Denmark, Norway, Swe-
den. Finland, Russia and Bulgaria, to do
good, and we find enough to be done. We
have good school in Rome for boys, and
two for girls. They are patronized by
good people. Our bishop for Europe, DR..
Burt. is in favor with the king, who, 1
notice, paid special honors to Mr. and
Mrs. Fairbanks. Even Russia has sane
toned our preachers. We have 100000
members in foreign lands and are in
good standing with all the governments"
Aiming for the Truth.
1T is declared that the Methodist Ital-
ian literature is full of misrepresenta-
TONS was the concluding suggestion
made to the bishop.
4 would be sorry to believe that" he
said. Our board of foreign missions
would not knowingly put forth a false
representation of any system. But you
know there was trouble in Italy before we
went there. Garibaldi was not one of our
missionaries, though his granddaughter Is
a teacher in our school. Nor did we take
away the temporal power of the pope. 1t
may be that some of our writer's have
gathered from the wrong sources of in
formation, In the estimation of the pom
till. You know, it is not easy to choose
with absolute certainty where the his
tories of a people do not agree; and that
by the way. seems to be one of the OBJ
jections to our public schools In America
in the minds of our Roman Catholic
friends. l do not blame them for wishing
to write history as they would have it
taught. But some good authorities would
be sure to disagree with them, and so
incur the epithet 'dishonorable'
After visiting Italy and studying the
SO many people whom the dominant
faith cannot satisfy and who are drift
ing away from all spiritual influences
that other active missionary churches
little and numerical growth is slow. but
1t seems to be known that we are there
Our advice to our Italian ministers Is to
attack nobody, but to preach the plain
gospel of our Lord in simple. persua-
sive language. understood by all the peo-
pie.
I'VE do not pose as the one great
American church. We are simply a
militant body. trying to do our part in
the battle for right"