The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-27

Prayer Meeting Topic of the Young
Peoples Observation-Disclosures En-
deavor, Etc.-For April %: Mis-
sionary Opportunities in Latin
America" lisa. COILS.
Nobody can foreten all the by-pro-
ducts of the war. Certain it is that
new sense of the unity and solidity of
the two Americas will eventuate. While
war sewers, it also binds. This grave
ordeal is teaching the self governing
peoples of the New World that they
have a common mission and a COM
mon identity. For veal or for woe.
they are bound together. Therefore
the first and most obvious obligation
is for the United States and Canada
to seek to understand better the ma
tions to the south of US, and to become
better understood by them. There
must be sympathetic minds before
there can be any other form Of CO.
operation. To bring about this mood
of unity and friendliness is a first
task of religion, as well as of patriot
ism.
Whatever enables one nation to help
another is a missionary. opportunity
At the end of 1911 there were 6ss
foreign missionaries in South America,
and 41,000 communicate members of
their churches.
In missionary circles, South Amer
lea is called The Continent, of OPP
portunity-"
Brazil exceeds the whole United
States in size by an area of 100000
square miles, or four times the state
of New York.
If the complaint that comes thru
commercial channels from South
America were all merged into one
| phrase it would be. You do not try
to understand u.s." Anybody who reads
| the U. S. consular reports from Latin
/ America knows that we have made e
record of arrogance, dictatorial meth
! DDS and amazing provincialiSm. There
| has been almost no effort to enter into
! a systematic comprehension of the
needs and tastes of the. people. In like
/ fashion, we need to approach the more
! basic things of Latin-American life
| their spiritual lacks and longings. Fol
J the only way to win men to religion is
| to brother them into it.
Only a vital faith can make a vita
| folk. Nations become great according
/ to their beliefs. If the South Ameri-
| can countries are to win to their full
est possible destiny. it must be by the
people themselves achieving a person
al. vital. intelligent relationship will
| the living God.
| our ne1ghbOrS to the south nave
! lacked opportunity for popular educa
| ton. The wise missionary will go t.
| them with a schoolbook in his hand
There is such a thing as ''the spirit
of liberty and the spirit of democ-
racy." By it entire people are lifted
up into a largeneSS and 1OftineSS OF
! life This force is at work in all Latir
! America. It is raising up the heads OF
! the poems, and quickening the pulses
of the young men, and widening the
horizon of women's lives. Ours il is
| to see that this atmosphere, breatheG
from the North, shall be charged with
| Christian liberty, Christian democracy
/ For the only democracy that can sur
viye storm and stress is also theoc-
racy; it is Father-rule as well as
brother-rule.
The population of South America is
! less than one-half that of North Amer
| icaSea We have 100000 people OF
/ whom 80, 600, 900 are white, and South
America has between 100000 ano
( 50.000,00O of whom less than 5000
] 900 are pure white blood South Amer.
/ lea is more thinly settled, with its pop
ulation scattered over its Immense
area, than any other part of the world
/ Its population has probably grown less
rapidly IN the last century than thai
of any other portion of the world, un.
/ less it is Africa.-Robert E. Speer