The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-01-26

as in Europe, it is considered more distin.
guished not to be an agriculturist. The Mo-
hammedan coast population do grow some
vegetables and fruit, but as for the principal
food, which is rice, they depend on the people
of the interior On their excursions they have
always money with them and they never. for
get to make show Of it.
THE Mohammedans also dress in better
way than the heather, and they very cunningly
array themselves in clothes which excite the
covetousness and desire OF their heather
neighbors, who are very fond OF buying new
articles. They like to perfume themselves and
constantly speak with contempt about eating
pork and of other customs OF the people OF the
interior. In Short they know how to behave
as people of higher rank and quality than the
simple Dagans.
Through all these means the Mohammedan
traders arouse the people OF the interior to i'm
itate their customs, and all these things are
profitable to propagation Of Islam"
From Asiatic Russia come similar surpris-
ing tidings of Moslem entertainments in the
field of pagan conversion. A Christian work
er in that territory tells how, at the beginning
of the nineteenth century, the Apostle OF the
Altai," reverend Father Macary, crossed the
plains south Of Tobolsk in Siberia to reach
the Altai, and perceived the state OF the mil
lions of heather Kirgh1s living there. He asked
the Russian government to allow him to begin
missionary work among the Kirgh1s, but he
was told that these people were too savage
as yet to become converts to Christianity.
Not long after that Mohammedan mission
aries entered the field, worked with great zeal
and perseverance, and won over all the Kirghts
tribes to the faith of Islam
AS result Of this setback the writer states,
1.-The Christian missionary has now to fight not
the weak and beggarly elements of an animis-
tic religion, but the seemingly inaccessible
granite fortress Of Islam.
Regarding the general situation in Siberia
the same missionary says:
"Moslem propaganda is gaining in strength
and Mohammedan influence is growing, while
Christian influence as represented by the Rus
sian church, is weaker. The unlucky war with
Japan and the proclamation of liberty OF con-
science have done their work. Forty thou
sand baptized Christians, formerly Mohamme-
dams and heathens, have returned to pagan
ism and Islam. Islam especially comes out OF
this crisis strengthened and more aggressive
than ever before"
In China there are millions of Moham.
medans, but, according to Christian testimony.
they are not markedly aggressive in propagat.
ing the doctrines of the prophet. The same
seems true Of Turkey and Persia.
In conclusion attention should be called to
nhase OF the Mohammedan situation, which
is Especially startling from the fact that it liz
near to home, VIZ: the activity of Moslem
proselytizers In this western hemisphere
In ,everal of the West Indian Islands and
the Guiana territory of South America there
are Thousands Of East Indian Mohammedans
In British Guiana there are $4,000; in Dutch
Guiana, $500; in Central America and the
West Indies. 10000
Such small fraction of the population
might well be omitted in our survey state
the editors of islam and Missions" were it
not that undoubted testimony comes in regard
to the activity of Islam, especially In British
Guiana and the West Indies
IF the results of century's missionary ef
tort IN British Guiana are to be preserved the
Christian church must make more deter
mined effort to combat the influence of the
East Indian. The struggle OF the future in
British Guiana will be between Christ and Mo
BANNED"