The Washington times., 1913-05-24

In the days when Robert Morrison
went out single-handed to fight the
battles OF the Cross in China, and dur
ing the years OF pioneering of Living
stone and Paten, and other fearless
bearers of the Great Message to dark
ened lands, the idea of teaching the
natives how TO work and how to live
had not yet been seized upon by the
missionary, but 1t was only in later
years. In fact after the idea of medical
missions. of which Livingstone himself
was the first practical exponent. had
been adopted as a reasonable means fer
winning the confidence of the heather
natives, that plans were promulgated
and carried forward by the mission
boards for introducing INTO foreign mis-
sion work the Industrial features which
now form so large a part of the mis-
slonary propaganda in foreign fields.
The natives are now taught how to
work. and how to live clean. healtatul,
self-supporting lives. and then. without
their knowing It. their confidence and
attention having been won b ythe mis-
s!onary, they are taught the first simple
lessons about Jesus which their awak-
ened confidence and eonsciences have
made It possible for them to understand.
Nor are the Industrial features discard
ed during the process of religious edu-
cation OF the natives. Indeed, !he
teaching Of religion and of intelligent
manual work go nicely hand in hand,
and the missionary finds ready and
willing learners because all the peoples
Of the earth have not only, a longing
to worship. but a desire to work This
longing and this desire need only TO be
IA NnN Oh 10 f.,. hG
natives to become self-supporting and
God-fearing people
When the men of some foreign mis-
sion lands give up fighting and drink
ing their native .'fire-water" TO follow
Jesus, they are desperately in need of
some useful occupation to take the
place of those things they must give
up. Thus the missionary finds the need
for industrial features in his work I'M
perative. Through work also the con-
vert is taught to make himself a use
ful member OF society. He soon com,s
to realize that labor is not degrading.
II Is rather ennobling. He Is instruct-
ed that Jesus himself was a carpenter
and was busy and earnest IN all that
He did. Then again. the natives must
have some means of support. Having
given up questionable means for obtain
ing living. something honest and up
right must be substituted. The mission
airy therefore puts the natives to work
and teaches them how to support them
selves. But the work does more than
merely TO provide a means for support:
II makes for thrift, for better sanitary
conditions. for clean moral lives The
native is taught. furthermore. that he
lives not only for himself. but that
there rs real pleasure and benefit to be
derived from working for others and
thus he learns the great lesson Of un-
selfishness through the means of work.
Then. too. the lot of the women is made
easier. for the converts among the men
soon learn from the missionaries that
IL Is not a part OF the Christian idea for
the women to do all the hard manual
labor, but that IL is for the men, who
are stronger and better fitted. to do
such tasks Indeed to Christianity the
women of the world owe their emarci-
patton. their happiness, and their hon
ored status in society. 1t Is ma ter
for wonder and marvel how some wom-
en- in our own fair land can rush hither
and thither in pursuit of some new fad
or ism, imported by some wild-syed
heather fanatic into this country. They
ought to consider what Christianity has
done for them and hide their faces in f,
shame at their Stiffness and perfdy.
At Duma guete, Philippine Islands. |
eighty-six students in the industrial de- |
partment of Silliman Institute paid |
either part or all of their tuition during !
one year by performing various kinds !
of work at the institute. averaging !
twenty hours a week. A new Chris
tan Endeavor Society has been organ |
lied in Silliman Institute with l03 active
members ard twelve associate members. ,
Instructions (all in Engfish) are given !
along academic, industrial, agricultural |
and religious lines. Sunday school. !
Christian Endeavor, and Sunday morn |