Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-15
THE MOST MIGRATORY
OF MODERN NATIONS
BY Bishop Warren A. Gambler

world is going to see far more than ever
of the Chinese within the next fifty years.
The population of China being above
400, 000. 600, their migration can go on for
years in a vast volume without sensibly
diminishing the bulk of the people who
remain at home. No such mass of people
filled Europe when the first colonists came
to North and South America. China can
send 100, Oo0 900 OF her people into all lands.
and still have left a population greater
than all the Inhabitants Of Russia, Ger
many, France. and Great Britain.
The migration of the Chinese Is one of
the assured facts of the future, as well
as one of the important factors in the
conditions of the present. This move
ment will be vastly larger before mankind
fairly awakes TO the meaning of what is
going on.
VIII it be a benign movement, or will
it be injurious to the world? That de-
ponds upon what the christian churches
do for the evangelization of China within
the next twenty-five years. If China were
converted to christianity the whole world
would be christianized in a decade. Even
a nominal christianity prevalent in China
Ono better than that of our own country
would raise the moral temperature of
mankind.
On the waves of this migration christian
truth would be speedily borne round the
world, If the religion of Christ were gen.
orally accepted in that populous empire.
And never was a great nation better
placed to be evangelical. A common
written language prevails among the
Chinese people, which is more widely read
than was Greek when ST. Paul went on
his missionary Journeys through Asia
Minor and Southern Europe. Swift flying
ships, from all the ports of christendom'
crowd the harbors of China, ready to car
ry modern missionaries more speedily to
their fields of labour than the corn-ships
of the Mediterranean bore Paul on his
preaching tours. The Chinese have been
made teachable by the international
events of recent history. They are ready
to learn from the nations of the West
all their arts and sciences. and in TAX
ing secular learning they are ready to
receive spiritual truth. At this moment
a great body of students, sent abroad foT
study by the Chinese government is
found in our American colleges and uni
versities. If we were as serious in our
piety as they are in their politics we might
send most of these students back to China
earnest christians and energetic evange-
lists. Their old faith can not stand in the
presence of Western learning, and one
of the first effects of their study in our
educational institutions will be the loss of
confidence in all idol worship and heather
cults. Shall we take away their faith
/ without giving them a better religion in
it's place? That would be both cruel
and a dangerous thing to do. The Chinese
abroad in the earth without God and
without hope will mean a fearful peril to
mankind. Herein is the only real yellow
peril
China at home, peacefully following the
teachings of Confucius and discrediting all
war-like arts, is one thing, and China,
awakened and enlightened, stimulated by
the modern spirit and irritated by the
memory of long years of international
mistreatment, and unrestrained by any
system of faith or morals. will be another
and very different thing. To teach China
the arts of christendom without imparting
to her the motives of the Christian reli-
gion is dangerous in the extreme.
These things being true the missionary
efforts of the christian churches on be-
half of the evangelization of China are
matters of far greater Importance than
Mr.. Secretary Knox's diplomatic endeav-
ours for 1.-THE open door in Manchuria" or
the naturalization of Manchurian rail-
ways. These religious efforts are not So
snowy as commercial enterprises and po-
litical programmes, but they mean more
/
century were not appreciated by mis- con-
temporaries; but now it is clear that they
outrank in importance all the doings Of
the court of Nero and all the marchings
and countermarchings of the Roman le-
gions. When Paul and Luke and Tim
othy and Silas brought the gospel to Eu-
rope at Philippi there was more doing
than when the Imperialists and Republi-
cans of Rome were fighting the battle of
Philippi
Spiritual battles are the only decisive
battles in history. Movements of com
merce and government are in the last
account determined by the forces of the
kingdom of heaven. This being true the
modern missionary movement is the SUI
preme movement in our time, and the
work in China, the most populous and
migratory of modern nations, is the most
far-reaching in Importance A converted
China would save the world.