Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1912-03-07

aries in active
service and are spending more than
t30.oOO.eoo annually on the work
Il would be unfair 70 say that eriti-
eism must be prohibited and that no
critical questions would De answered
The critic could Justly reply that
since be vas unable to learn hov his
money vas being spent. he would
cease &C contribute. On the other
hand the critic must be fair to the so
ciety and worker who naturally Ell.
pect him 70 know what be is talking
about before he speaks.
OF course there are different kinds
Of criticism just as there are different
kinds Of people. One speaks With a
view to belpfulness. another criticises
because he desires TO find reasons to
excuse himself from responsibility
while a third may talk against the
work because he Is no. content to
sanction the use OF any ecclesiastical
harness or work In harmony with hi=
fellows on any task. The latter must
Be allowed to talk on for he II so con.
stituted. and /, is his practice on al
subjects. Christ said. 1T must need
be that offences come: but woe to
that man by whom the offence
cometh."
However the person Who wishes TO
b. accorded a hearing on missionary
work Tor any other work. should com
ply with certain rules. which. II OBJ
served will make him an aid TO the
building up OF that work in some sub
stantial. beneficial way.
l. The critic must be a Christian.
A mar put Of Christ looks at the sub.
iect from the wrong viewpoint. He
naturally thinks it unnecessary to
send the gospel 10 the heather IL he
has refused IL himself. Neither can he
b. expected to support a teaching he
does not himself believe.
II. The critic must be a soul win
ner. That is. he must have some ade
quate realization OF the value Of a lost
soul and must have tried TO bring
soul. to Christ II this be wanting
in his experience there 10 nothing tha,
can be substituted to give him the
necessary correctness Of Judgment re
quisite TO being a critic Of missions.
III Tho critic must be an homes,
student OF missionary work. Th<
great task OF missions eannot b
learned by intuition. II involves
matters touching the personal life
and liberties OF thousands and the
purses OF millions. II deals with the
deepest principles Of organization and
requires a broad knowledge OF the
working value OF policies and meth.
DDS. Therefore the person who would
dictate standards for the adoption OF
missionaries must know whereof he
speaks.
". The critic should have visited
the mission fields or talked freely with
missionaries. Theory is one thing anc
practice is quite another. especially
when the theory is created in Amer
lea. but has TO be applied In Africa
Parents find that the course of train
ing applied TO one child is sometimes
worthless when applied TO another
even though the children be in the
same family. How much more 10 this
true when ome method used by tn
white man in q north temperate eli
mate. is applied to a black man iivinl
on an island in the tropics. Befor.
n can advocate the adoption of an,
plan he may deem valuable he mus
have sufficient knowledge Of oondi
tons TO feel reasonably certain thai
Il will work.
Then again. IL a person is capabh
OF offering criticism he must see tina
It is wisely given because:
l. II is unvise TO criticfse wha,
God has especially commanded. Tn.
person who criticises the work Of mis-
sions must remember that he is deal
ing with the triune God. Every per
sou Of the Godhead IL vitality inter
ested. and is also a personal partici
pant in the work OF saving the heath
en-. Therefore the critic stands or
perilous ground before his Creator.
II. There are 10000 missionsrte,
who have believed enough In mission,
10 be out on the field today. Th<
critic who remains at home in a vel
feathered nest must realize that IL 1,
no small thing I o put his t~nexperi
eneed judgment up against the aetna
labors Of e~onsecrated thousands whos<
testimony In atht missions pay"
III. The transformation of ths
heather, which has taken place dur
ing the past 100 years. overwhelming
ly all those who would saw
that the work is not worth while. Anv
n who has watched the evolution n,
tribes and nations by the process q,
divine regeneration; who has seer
annihilating customs become only
items for the historian. and the mum
Der OF printed languages leap from
nifty to more than FIVE hundred
through missionary toll. has surely
felt his th~oughtless criticisms xrox
cold on his lips.
These things make a wise man care
full in his judgment for he realizes
that his influence may mean the vesl
or woe OF some Of his fellowmen. both
at home and abroad. The man WIN
Is o both wise and careful in his
speech cannot Of course expect men
who are in the thick Of the fight "a
v their posts and come back IN
where he reclines comfortably in the
barracks In order to answer his idle
words.