Kitabı oku: «The American Missionary. Volume 42, No. 06, June, 1888», sayfa 4

II.—A RADICAL LOVE

But what may be called the special characteristic of this Society among missionary organizations doing work in our own land, that which establishes its special claim upon hearts of Christian people, is the radical spirit of love there is in it. It exemplifies in a most practical way, the brotherhood of man. It repudiates caste. It is absolutely color-blind. It works for the despised. It helps those who are themselves the most helpless. This is no newly-discovered fact. I remember the first sermon I ever heard in behalf of this work, more than twenty years ago; it was drawn from the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The text was, "Who is my neighbor?" The address of the honored late President of this Association at the close of the last Annual Meeting which he attended, was in the trend of this very same Scripture. "This organization," he said, "is the Good Samaritan, loving to bestow its aid upon the poorest and most despised, the most severely wounded races of our country." The sermon, a score of years ago, told us that our neighbor was the Negro, just then made free. So said President Washburn, "If you can point out to this organization any race that needs its assistance, whether colored or white, there is the legitimate field of this Association."

It would seem that a law so emphatically taught by Jesus Christ as the common brotherhood of man, and so familiar to the world, would long ago have been accepted and adopted in the practice of Christian nations, especially by a Christian Republic within its own borders. But, instead of that, it is the hardest of all laws for us to learn and the most difficult of all to put in operation. Our policy toward the general colored races in this land has been one of cold-hearted and cruel selfishness. As ex-Senator Brace has said, speaking in behalf of his own people, "From the red race was taken their lands, from the yellow their labor, from the black their persons. The red race was gradually driven toward a setting sun; the yellow race, the rabble demanded to be driven from the country; the black man was a slave in chains, with no rights which the Constitution recognized."

These unjust prejudices are by no means altogether a thing of the past. They are not as violent as they once were, thanks to the influence of this Association, but they still exist. "Niggers," are still ordered out of Southern churches. Many a professed Christian still wants his Indian "dead." This work has all along been compelled to fight its way against suspicion, bigotry and hatred; it must do so still, because it recognizes man as man, whether his skin be white or black, red or yellow; and, in taking this radical ground, it is interpreting to the world the benevolent spirit of the Saviour, and is preparing the way for that universal reign of love on earth which He came to establish. Such a work as this is the salvation of our Christianity. Without it, one of the chief evidences for Christianity would be taken away, and the spirit of it would die. Standing before a congregation of white men, Negroes and Indians, with a Chinamen or two to make the tale complete, President Mark Hopkins last May dedicated the new chapel at Hampton to the worship of Almighty God. He voiced the sentiment of this whole Association when he said, "Here will be taught and promoted a Christianity as narrow in its creed as revealed truth, and as broad in its love as humanity!" "A creed as narrow as revealed truth." Yes! we want no inspirations from outside the sacred book. "A love as broad as humanity." By all means, yes! for no smaller measure will satisfy the demands of that book or fulfil the will of the Master.

III.—A RADICAL CONSECRATION

Another principle required in this work and exemplified by it, is a thorough-going consecration. The men and women who have taken up this work, have followed Christ in his self-abnegation. There is no worldly honor in it. It is not an easy life. You know well enough how these devoted missionaries have braved social ostracism, and shut themselves in to their lowly ministry. With the Christly "sympathy of identification," they have made themselves one with their despised brethren, bearing their burdens, sharing their privations, stooping to meet their needs. What almost infinite patience it has sometimes required, what forbearance and charity, we cannot know, but they have served willingly and cheerfully, and found the sacrifice to be a joy. And there are many of them, in school and church and home, in our Southern land and in the Western wilds, who are serving there in a spirit of self-abnegation and patient sacrifice, and whom God will honor. These faithful workers are not martyrs; but there is something heroic in their lives. It is the heroism of those who lay upon themselves the lowliest duties, and perform them in the spirit of the loftiest devotion. The work that calls forth such consecration as this, so disinterested and sincere, bears its own letter of commendation. The spirit of Him, who "came to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many," is exemplified by it.

IV.—A RADICAL METHOD

There is one thing more that I would mention. It is the radical method which this Association has adopted in doing its work. It has never been satisfied with surface culture. It strikes down to the roots of character. Not "quantity," but "quality," is manifestly its motto. As an illustration of intelligent thoroughness in Christian service, therefore, this Association commends itself to our regard.

A decided advance was marked in missionary work when the church came to see that not only the conversion of the heathen, but their establishment in Christian character, was a legitimate object of missionary endeavor. Francis Xavier in ten years visited fifty kingdoms and baptized a million converts, but the ten years' labor of some of our modern missionaries, spent in laying solid foundations and thoroughly training a few chosen men, may, after all, come to more in its permanent results upon the world, than all that was done by Rome's great apostle. Jesus gave the best part of his three years of public ministry to the training of twelve men. He might have baptised a million. He preferred to do thorough work with a few. This Association has acted upon this principle. It has sought to develop manhood and womanhood after the pattern and by the power that is in Jesus Christ. It calls to its aid every possible force. It educates the mind, the heart, the conscience, the hand. It uses the church, the school, the workshop and the Christian home. Character-building is its vocation, the foundation Jesus Christ, the superstructure such as should stand the test of fire. These oppressed races need above all things else leaders from among themselves. It has been the endeavor of this Society to furnish them—men and women of such moral and mental quality as shall be fitted for the responsible position. They have been taught to think, to work and to live. Because labor is a moral force in establishing character, industrial education is introduced. Nothing is too great to be attempted, nothing too trivial to be omitted, the object always being the substantial development of moral and Christian character.

Such is this mission. It has gone forth in the spirit of Christ, with faith and love and consecration, seeking to do an honest work with thoroughness. God's blessing has been upon it. It has results to show in the renovated and ennobled lives of thousands who have been the subjects of its ministry; and its broader influence in the elevation of the oppressed and despised races, begins even now to be clearly apparent. It has been a faithful monitor to the churches which have sustained it, an inspirer of their benevolence, an almoner of their gifts, and an honor to their name. And beyond all this, standing for those principles which are most essential and fundamental in Christianity, it has glorified God by exhibiting to the world the power of Christian faith and sacrifice. Those who have been bound of Satan, lo, these many years, are loosed from their bonds and made free in Christ. War has struck off the chains of human bondage. Love shall now complete the emancipation.

THE SOUTH

"NOTES IN THE SADDLE."

BY REV. C.J. RYDER, DISTRICT SECRETARY.

The following, which was taken from the public records of a white school in Tennessee, illustrates the intellectual condition of a portion of the white citizens of that and the other Southern States. It also shows what kind of men have charge of public instruction in some districts throughout the South.

"TENN July —, 188-.

"Rulus for scoul No 4.

Teacher will not low the scoulars to scouful or clime or swhisparn in time of Books; the Teacher can ad eney rulus to this he thinks needud and eney Larg secular can not comer ounder rulus will have to quit the scoul."

These "rulus," as the word is spelled, were signed by two members of the School Board by whom they were written. How strange, that in localities in which there is such frightful illiteracy the school authorities should fail to welcome, with large-hearted cordiality, teachers who come among them. The white people, as well as the colored, need missionary schools, as the illiteracy among them is appalling.

Think of it! Seven-tenths of one per cent. of the native white population of Massachusetts are illiterate, while twenty-three per cent. of the native white population of Georgia, and thirty-one per cent. of the same population of North Carolina are illiterate!! Why should not Georgia be proud of her educated (?) citizens, and do all she dare to drive some of the best teachers there are in the State outside her borders?

Right in this connection it would be interesting to read the following letter. A brief word of history, however, is necessary that it may be understood. In 1878, a young man, a graduate of one of the leading New England colleges, enlisted in the great army of A.M.A. teachers. He was a quiet, unassuming, Christian student. The amazing ignorance of the Southern people, both white and black, awoke his pity; and his love, for his Saviour, and for his country, led him to give himself to this most needy field. He was embarrassed and badgered by those who ought to have welcomed him, and helped him in his work. This mean and unworthy opposition with which our A.M.A. teachers are so familiar, culminated in his case, in a series of letters in which his life was threatened. It was just before the election of President Cleveland. There was evidently, a well-matured plan to drive him out of the community, and to intimidate the Negroes so that they would not dare to vote. The following was one of these letters:

"Mr – deer Sir It is for your own good That I write This letter to you you are an advocate for Social Equality with the white and the Black race and the People are not going to Put up with any Such doings and I write you this letter to warn you of The danger and the great danger That you are in You must leve The country right away for The People have Pledged Them Seves to get you out of the contry or Kill you and That in a mity Short time Now as a frend I do beg you to give this matter your emmediate attention I am very truly your well wisher meaning Exactly wat I Say"

I saw all these letters, and received this one from the hand of this Christian hero. He said to me:—"I went to bed a good many nights thinking that quite possibly I should be dragged out of my bed, and beaten or hanged before morning." Notwithstanding this, he wrote on the outside of the envelope the following words, and passed them around among those whom he knew to be conspirators against him:

"In answer to the enclosed, I will say to my 'Democratic and inquiring friends,' that I expect to leave on or before Jan. 1st, 1940, and that though I hoped to vote for 'St. John and Prohibition,' I have now decided to vote for 'Blaine and the Protection of all citizens in their political and civil rights.'"

When he gave me this letter, he took a promise that it should not be published until after his death. He passed away in the triumph of his sweet, but heroic faith a few months ago. He died where he had suffered and dared for Christ's sake, in the midst of this ignorance and sin.

Such stories as his ought to be told. It is cowardly timidity for those of us who know them, to keep them from the Christian public. Heroes and heroines answer to the roll-call of A.M.A. workers. I have met them and mingled with them, the past three years, and I know the sinew and fibre of their courageous faith. You, who send them out, and who support them in the field, ought to know what they endure, and hear, now and then, an incident of their heroism.