The Topeka state journal., 1912-04-27
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| dOne, but there are new and graVel
| problems of religion and patriotism
/ than he ever had to face. Immigra-
ton has created new home missionary
conditions. The bringing of our alier
population under the ideals of Chris.
| tianity according to the western type
is a truly herculean task. The new
| civic conditions. SO far removed from
| the simplicity of life generation ago
and the widespread increase of {
wealthy leisure class, have given rise
to religious and social questions which
are fairly staggering. Within the new
horizon of home missions come the
problems of the relations between Ia
Dor and capital, the social evil, the
church and its adjustment, and a score
of allied questions. Home mission
work fifty years ago was far simpler
and easier than it is today.
In this new day the most important
factor in the home mission problem is
the effectiveness of the local church
whose help to make a local church
strong and influential in all ways upon
the community is doing direct and far
reaching home mission work. 1t is of
less Importance to give to a home mis-
sion board which is far from saying
that this is unimportant-than it is to
do mans work in connection with a
local church. Life is more than money.
Amos R. Wells says: eve can have
no better wish for the present genera
ton than that God shall mean as much
to them as he meant to our forefath-
ers, the founders of the nation.
God is the commanding Lord of all
nations; but no nation is blessed un-
less God is its Father Lord.
cit is always the temptation of a ma
ton to trust in the riches and power
that God gives rather than in the One
wit W
riches or power
The past year has witnessed notable
progress in the getting together of
The enlightened Christian conscience
of the land refuses longer to endorse
or to tolerate the indefensible denom-
national rivalries and multiplication
of agencies. Certain great tasks of
home missions must be done in CO.
operation. This for the sake of the
good name of Christianity, for the sake
of efficiency, and for the sake OF
christian competition, and devote our
selves to doing the work itself, rather
than trying to outrival one another,
we shall be able to meet with some de-
gree of adequacy the vital tasks to
which patriotism and religion sum
mon us.
North and south are both coming
home mission problem in the United
State. We cannot solve this prob
lem by lynching him or condemning
him or by giving him a college educa-
ton. Neither does that sort of mis-
sion work which tends to keep open
the wounds of the Civil war aid in
solving the problem. Injudicious ex-
penditure of northern money in the
south sometimes hurts more than it
helps the negro. The best thought
of the day inclines to drop the word
freedmen" from all agencies
meant to serve the negro, and to put
the religious and philanthropic agen-
cieS upon a cooperative basis. Thus,
all the various Presbyterian bodies
for the service of the negro should
be at once affiliated, if not amaIga-
mated, and the elements of inefficien-
men and women should be engaged
for the teaching and administrative
positions. This counsel of the wisest
church leaders in the south should
be sought; for, after all the negro
is particularly a southern problem.
The race question will be settled only
as Christian men and women who
understand the negro are led to give
themselves to personal effort for his
evangelization and education.
1--WE are coming to a harvest such
as earth has never known; out of
every tongue and natiSn God is
gathering His own."-H. L. More
hOuSe