The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-02
LETTERS TO EDITOR

TO the Editor of The Age-Herald: confess l have never been an enthu- slastlc believer in foreign missions. I nave been in the mission fields of China. Japan, Egypt. India. Burmah, Philip pines and Mexico several times. T have repeatedly tried to learn the good this work which takes so many millions from our country was doing. I must say in all candor and sincerity that the more saw and heard Of it the less it im- l pressed me.
 admit as a tourist my investigations resulted in what might be called surface opinions, still I would wager that if 10 intelligent. unbiased business men were sent to these countries to investigate for eign missions and the good accomplished, nine out of the 10 would come back with the same opinions that have formed. At the very outset. if you will look very closely at the teachings of all these heathen religions. if we may call them 1 such, you will discover that the moral effect of their beliefs coincide with ours. have often told this incident: n India one day I was talking to an intelligent Hindoo. l ask him if he be- lieved in God. He said: .Yes, there must De God; there must be one God. I ou call him Christ. call him Buddha but the same God, I asked another Hlndoo what his religions taught him. lie promptly replied: My religion teaches me happiness. but to get happi- ness l must make others happy, then get happy myself" I could but won-s der 1T we had better religion than that. went in Hindoo temple. I saw pie lures painted on the walls representing different kinds of punishments. One represented a man being crucified, head doWn. was told this was for murder. Others of varying degrees represented punlshments for other sins. There were ID Tn all and represented practically pun ishments for breaking the 10 commando ments.
 I realize our good people who are SO jealous in the cause of foreign missions contend they are directed by the teach Ing or the Bible in this great undertak- ing and many honestly believe that every heather who has not embraced the re- llglon or Jesus Christ as we see it, is eternally damned. Whether they have heard of it or not. For my part. would hate to have this idea of the Christ have been taught to believe in.
 That the uncounted millions in India and China need education is not de- batable. To embrace and understand our ideas of religion, education is in NASfShioeADiC, bdt II WC diS lO SQDDlX the means for that education. we may as we'll stop now. It is impossible.
 I am writing this to cali the attention of your readers to the vast sums sent each year to these countries in support of the mission work. While we are spending millions trying to save the souls of the 4'heathen Chinee,' our Chris. tian Syrians arc literally starving to death. We are now moving heaven and earth to get means to support our Red Cross and Y. M. c. A. work in France Yet missionary societies are calling for money to try and convert the hordes of heather who have a religion of their own. thousands of years older than ours, to all intents and purposes for them just as good, and certainly one that they can understand.
 Our own boys on the bloodiest of ali battlefields, giving their very life blood are crying for help. Starving thousands mutely appeal to us for bread Our allied forces are bleeding at every pore. Our own government is calling for every dollar it can get. Would 1t not be the wise thing to recall every missionary and use these funds for our own suffer- ing people?
 ". B. REYNOLDS
 Montevallo, November 9, 1917