Arizona republican., 1910-07-29

modestly; they cannot be expected | to do more nor less than this.
 While we cannot be expected to 1 put the missionary movement upon commercial footing, and while no | one interested in the subject in its larger and better aspect takes thought of this feature, nevertheless 1 it tends to open up avenues for the extension of American commerce. | Millions of dollars worth of trade have been secured to the United States through the direct or indi- rect influence of our missionaries; as they awaken the people with whom they labor to a better civi- | liZation, as they increase their wants | and necessities (which come quite naturally from the improvement of | their moral, intellectual and social condtion), the opportunity for Amer ican commerce abroad is enlarged. The missionary field is attracting a 1 high grade of young men and young women; many of them, college grad uates of the first rank are going into the different countries of Asia I have met them and witnessed the zeal with which they have gone | among those distant peoples, not for their own benefit, but for the up | lifting of those who are walking in darkness They are doing a great work; a work for humanity in its mroadest and best sense; work for America and for those whose | benevolence supports them; and they are doing good work for the various Christian denominations whose com
 missions they bear. They are @en- titled to praise and not criticism; to commendation and not rebuke. They are comparatively few: the masses with whom they labor reach into the hundreds of millions There is room for many more besides them. We do not wonder that they have not ac- complished more; our surprise is that they have accomplished so much The obstacles which they are obliged to overcome seem often almost in- surmountable: only the strong
 hearted, impelled by a high sense of Christian duty, enter upon the great task Tn order to fit themselves for their service they must learn strange and difficult language; they must acquaint themselves with the lives, the habits, the traditions and the prejudices of people whose in
 herited superstitions are deeply root ed; they must spend years in the work of preliminary preparation and get the confidence of those whom they attempt to serve before much headway can be made towards their conversion. It is, in short, a work requiring time and great perseverance and the nOblest effort. The rewards do not always seem commensurate with the labor and sacrifice except to those who realize that the con sciousness of Christian duty well done is reward enough
 Now and then it is suggested that conversions in Asia are not gen uine. No doubt all who profess Christianity do not adhere to their profession Exceptions are, of course, to be found everywhere, in all coun- tries, Christian and non Christian alike. There is no doubt that the percentage of those who profess Christianity in Asia and adhere to their faith is very large, This vast country affords some of the finest examples of firm Christian believers to be found anywhere. I have seen many converts, especially in China, who are splendid types of devout Christians, steadfast in their faith. I have seen some who were hunted like wild beasts during the Boxer rebellion, and only escaped by long bidipp. tbav understood tboroupbIv well that discovery by their pur- suers meant sure death by inde- scribably fiendish torture. They were in many cases offered immunity if they would recant. but death to them was preferable. Some who were ap- preherded. and who refused to deny their faith in the presence of the sword and the fagot, wgre mas sacred without mercy.