The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-01
DR. SMITH THRILLS B|G AUDIENCE WITH ELOQUENT APPEAL Session of Laymen's Mis- si0nary Movement Well
 Attended MUST GIVE
 CHRIST TO WORLD Dr. Mills, Noted Traveller, Gives a Tourist Views on Foreign Mis-
 sions-Ladies' Meeting
 This Afternoon

question hurled at 1000 men at the sec ond evening session of the Laymens Movement convention by Dr. missions of the Southern Baptist asso- citation. pr. Smith followed his query and showed his hearers that America. can keep Christ; that America must keep Christ.
 The speaker referred to the reliance of Germany upon "kultur,'' and showed that such an attitude was one of supreme selfishness. He told how France tried to get along without Christ 100 years ago. He cited instances of the failure of sub- stitutes for Christ, and among other things said
 This question which the committee has assigned to me for discussion is profoundly important. America must keep Christ and his religion in pure and vital form. Righteousness exa1teth a na- tion.' True righteousness is the only thing that has ever exalted any nation and true righteousness has always been impossible without vital Christianity Is it not true that all that is worth while in our land has come from the preva- lence of vital Christianity?
 Where else shall we turn for hope for the future? Will non-Christian intel lectualism save our land? Can selfish ma give us any hope? Do we not all know that civilization built upon selfish greed inevitably falls of it's own weight? When has long continued self ishness of any kind brought anything but ruin? If we lose Christ, where can we turn for hope?
 GERMAN KULTUR
 ''As we understand 1t, Germany has placed reliance upon kultur and if I right ly understand the meaning of that word it has in it nothing of the spirit of Christ. If the allies have correctly in- terpreted the attitude of Germany, it is one of supreme selfishness which is alien to the teachings of the gospel and 1t is responsible for the vast cataclysm which has covered Europe with utter ruin and wretchedness. At any rate, if the vital gospel had prevailed in the lands that are now at war this vast conflagra- ton would have been utterly impos- sible. The world stands aghast at the spectacle and hearts of all true men are longing for peace But true peace can never come to the world except through the worlds faithfulness to the Prince of Peace.
 "A hundred years ago France tried to get along without Christ. The French people as a nation sought to banish God and to substitute humanitarianism un- der the form of fraternity, equality and liberty. They wrote over the gates of their cemeteries, Death is an eternal sleep" What was the result? The French revolution, during w.:sh the streets Of Paris literally ran red with the blood of her best citizens.
 "All other non-C Christian experiments have had similar results. Confusian eth- ics has been an utter failure in China. Buddhistic mysticism has left India sunk in wretchedness and misery. Mohamme- dan fatalism has wrought anything but desirable conditions in many lands. Amer ica must keep Christ. What else can we substitute for His gospel? We must recognize the fact, however, that Amer ica can keep Christ only upon one con- dition, and that is that we strive to the uttermost to give Him to all the rest of the world. We cannot keep Christ if we seek to hold Him and His gospel in a selfish way for our own land. Such conduct on our part would give an in- depreciation of the gospel as an exceed ingly selfish thing.
 MISSIONARY SPIRIT
 Selfish Christianity is a distinct con- tradictiton of terms It would be just as true to speak of dry water, cold fire or hot ice. Christianity is missionary or it is nothing at all. To take the mis- sionary spirit out of Christianity is to cut out it's very heart and destroy it's power.
 ''The absence of a missionary spirit will destroy the life of all our churches. leave them utterly helpless and doomed to pass away forever. The one supreme reason for the existence of Christian churches is the missionary work. Pas tor George w. Truett. the peerless preacher and interpreter of New Testa- ment ideas, says: Not only the we'll being. but the very being of church depends upon it's fidelity to the one de- sign for which Christ brought it into the world. Self-preservation demands that it shall be missionary The anti-mission spirit is the death of spiritual develop ment'
 '~rhus it becomes clear that America can keep Christ only as America strives to make Christ known to all the world. This is our task It is worthy of all the noblest efforts of all men from the low est to the highest. If we would have ourselves and our home land we must seek to save the world.
 FOREIGN MISSIONS
 pr. John N. Mills of Washington, D. C., was the second speaker on the programme and gave "A Tourists View of Foreign Missions" He spoke, not as missionary or a missionary secretary, but as a pri- vate citizen who had spent the largest part of the past 20 years in travel. For the past three years he has given time to speaking to conventions and colleges on foreign missions, doing it entirely at his own expense.
 Travellers see just what they go to see in foreign countries.'' he declared. If they go to see tigers. they see them, for they are very plentiful in India and Co., rea If they go to see Christians they see them, for Christians are to be found by the hundreds of thousands in every country.
 Missionaries are now picked men and women It is more difficult to enter the missionary service of the church than it is to enter the army, the navy or the civil service of the government. Mis- sionaries often become advisors to Kings and governments on affairs of state and