Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-09-26
WHAT ANSWER CAN OUR MISSIONARIES
MAKE-(by John L. Herring, in Triton Gazette)

lessons set aside the last Sunday III September tor
a review of the lessons OF the past three months,
but the Methodist literature makes it missionary
lesson. The text is admirably chosen from the
first nine OF the first chapter of Acts, where
Luke in his masterfu way, reviews the last days
OF Christ earth after He from the dead,
His message to His people, and His ascension.
Jesus preparing for His departure from
earth the few hours left to Him, he was devoted
to admontion and instruction to Disciples that
they might be prepared for the coming of the
Holy Ghost which he promised to send upon them
and then for their work in His cause. Yet in the
midst of this the disciples showed that still they
had learned nothing from Calvary, the Holy Sep
ulcher and the Resurrection for yet they believ-
ed He had come to set up kingdom on earth, and
again that question: always uppcrmost in
their minds and always on their tongues-a ques-
ton that had met Him at every turn of His later
life, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the King
dom of Israeli" Still their minds failed to grasp the
great Truth, although they had been daily associ-
ated with Him, that His Kingdom is not of this
earth but founded in the hearts of men, If they
who followed Him, could not understand, we NAV
comprehend how hard it has been to impress on
the minds OF the world which had heretofore
known the rule of force alone that a new doctrine
OF the rule of love had come to earth Twenty
centuries later find people, some of them APP
parently devout Christians, who cannot divorce
from their minds the subject of when He shall
come into His Kingdom. Probably the greatest
harm outside of agnosticism has been wrought
by thise who--perhaps in all the zeal of mistaken
dcvotion-try to Fix the date when he shall return
to earth, or, in other words, predict the end of
time
In the very act of ascension Jesus sounded this
greatest of all missionary calls: But We shall re-
ceive power, and 'ye shall be witnesses unto me
Be witness for Him; carry His word and the
great principles He taught to the benghted world
Therefore, today have the lesson. Making
Christ known to Brazil"
Great and Christlike the Mission cause: noble
the men and women have donncd the armor OF the
Lord and carried His word into Heather lands
Wisely and Justly spent every cent that goes into
mission cause; nobly lived and noblv died every
devoted heart that gave life and love to the work,
We cannot all go into the Mission field: but we
can all support 1t with our means our influence
and our example. And while we arc doing this
we should make the task OF our missionaries in
foreign lands easier by making conditions at home
such that the Missionary can point to our Nation.
our state and our community as examples to which
those who wish to live according to the New light
we send them may look for guidance
Suppose in Brazil of our Missionaries should
approach native OF education and intelligence
and seek to convert him to the religion we preach
And the Brazilian should say to him You ask
me to embrace the doctrine OF universal peace and
the brotherhood of man. Yet, Your Nation stands
today as the greatest obstacle in the way OF world
peace and the most glaring example of national
selfishness in the civilized world. You saw vour
felieion dominates your Nation Why, not do
some missionary work at home?' What answer
could our missionary make?
Suppose this Brazilian said to the Missionary
from Georgia? You preach about the evils OF
peonage is condition recognized and regulated
by law, yet | see in your state where peonage is
outlawed that you have system of law by which
men can, be sold into condition of peonaee or
semi-stavery, and this evil has grown so great in
some localities that it has led to wholesale murd
er, IN one case eleven victims of one man. and then
while there has been some prosecution. there has
been no punishment. How much better are vour
home conditions than ours, in this respect" What
could our missionary make?
Should the Brazilian continue you preach to
usoi law observance and tell we should love the
law Yet, note that in your State not long ago,
fVe victims one woman, were lynched for one
murder In another case, convicted criminal
was taken from the courthouse where he was tried
ana sentenced carried out and burned and for
Gays people came in crowds from all parts of the
country to get pieces of the charred flesh as souv
enlrs see again where fugitive from Justice
was killed by officers and his body was taken
from them and dragged behind car through the
streets and long roads. see where the BODY Of