Evening star., 1921-12-10
INTEREST IN ASIA
admission FIELD
International. AItruism Re-
garded Next in Importance
to Armament Limitation.
By WILLIAM 4. ELLIS.

Next in Importance. as confer
ence factor, to the nationwide eX-
preston of desire for armament lin
itation and progress toward peace.
and in good part responsible for
these. is the broad American basis
of American interest in Asia as d
mission field For a hundred years
past this country has been building
foundations for it's political policy
of international altruism.
The explanation of the seemingly
ouixotic concern of the government
of the United States for the welfare
of the weak peoples. and for the
spead of idealism, is to be founo IN
the ENTHUSIASTICALLY mllllohs-oi
missionary sermons and addresses anu
prayer meetings. and in the tens oi
buttons of pages of missionary lit.
.rature, which have been directed
upon the present generation of Amer
leans. 1t is doubtless a safe general
ization to declare that the missionary
spirit and work is the most tEpicaily
American of all the general express
sions of our national life. Certainly
IN is what underlies the present con.
ference. Still the man on the street
does not know that far and away
the biggest single foreign business
done by the United States. speaking
in terms of agents employed ana ais
tribution of activities, Is Cnr's''ah
missions.
Esu.l to Commercial Interests.
Our commercial stakes abroad, such
as exnorted oil, coal. steel, cotton.
grain and manufactures. do not out
rank, on the whole. our exportation
and investment Of religion. NO other
one Of our foreign enterprises mas
anything like so immense a comes
tic interest and support behind ~.
covers Asia. In some Asfatic countries
such as Persia. America has no otner
vested interest than Christian mis-.
sions. In the far east. the neld on
this conference, there are at presen.
engaged no less than 400 American
missionaries. with native assistants
employed to a far greater number.
During the year. 1919, the latest
for which detailed figures are aVaii-
able, a total Of $11,2s4,064 was sent
from this country to Japan, horea
and China for missionary purposes.
This represents only the annual out
lay upon these three countries alone;
the permanent investment, In mission
stations, homes, hospitals, schoois.
churches and equipment, represents
so many millions Of dollars tnat no.
body seems quite willing to estimate
1t.
Donations in Small Sums.
This vast American investment IN
the far east is not provided by any
SINGLE corporation. 1t comes in drio-
let's from individuals. young and old,
in every section of the land, to q
total number of more than 26.O00,0oO
persons. If where ones treasure Is,
there also is ones heart, America
may be said to be heartily interested
in the territory covered by this con-
ference. -
The vital cord of sustaining life
blood, personal and financial interest,
connects this oriental mission work
with literally every neighborfood In
the United States. BY way OF every
church in the country. of all denom-
nations, with all of its agencies OF
propaganda and money-raising. which
include the little tots in the Sunday
school, and the women of the mission
AIRY societies, not to mention the reg
ular Sunday services. this enterprise
Of foreign missions permeates the
whole nation. Therein may be found
one explanation for the astonishing
support in America of the parley upon
arms and the east.
(Conyrirhf 1921