Testimonies to Foreign Missions By Public Men LAYMEN’S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT l Madison Avenue New York Testimonies to Foreign Missions American Statesmen and Business Men Hon. William Howard Taft, President of the United States, 1909— Address at Carnegie Hall, April 20, 1908. “Until I went to the Orient, until there was thrust upon me the responsibilities with reference to the extension of civilization in those far distant lands, I did not realize the immense importance of foreign missions. . . . Now, no man can study the movement of modern civilization from an impartial standpoint, and not realize that Christianity and the spread of Christianity are the only bases for hope of modern civilization in the growth of popular self- government. The spirit of Christianity is pure de¬ mocracy. It is the equality of man before God—the equality of man before the law, which is, as I under¬ stand it, the most God-like manifestation that man has been able to make. . . . “I am not here to-night to speak of foreign mis¬ sions from a purely religious standpoint. That has been done and will be done. I am here to speak of it from the standpoint of political governmental ad¬ vancement, the advancement of modern civilization, and I think I have had some opportunity to know how dependent we are on the spread of Christianity for any hope we may have of uplifting the peoples whom Providence has thrust upon us for our guidance. . . . I am talking practical facts about the effect of religion on political government. I know what I am talking about. Foreign missions accomplish—I did not know it until I went into the Orient—a variety of things. They have reached the conclusion that in order to make a man a good Christian you have got to make him useful in the community and teach 2 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. him something to do and give him some sense and intelligence. So, connected with every successful foreign mission is a school, ordinarily an industrial school. You have also got to teach them that clean¬ liness is next to Godliness, and that one business of his is to keep himself healthful; and so in connection with every good foreign mission they have hospitals and doctors, and the mission makes a nucleus of modern civilization, with schools and teachers, a phy¬ sician and a church, and in that way, having educated the native, having taught him how to live, then they are able to be sure that they have made him a con¬ sistent Christian. Of course, it is said there are a great many rice Christians in China. Doubtless there are. Chinese don’t differ from other people, and they are quite willing to admit a conversion they don’t feel, in order that they may fill their stomachs. But the real fact is that every mission in China is a nucleus for the advancement of modern civilization. China is in a state of transition. China is looking forward to progress. China is to be guided by whom ? It is to be guided by the young Christian students and scholars that either learn English or some other foreign language at home, or are sent abroad to be instructed, and who come back, and whose words are listened to by those who exercise influence at the head of the government. “It is through the foreign missions that we must expect to have the true picture of Christian brother¬ hood presented to those natives, the true spirit of Christian sympathy. In the progress of civilization you cannot over-estimate the immense importance of Christian missions. If in China to-day you try to find out what the conditions are in the interior, you consult in Pekin the gentlemen who are supposed to know, and where do you go? You go at once to American Statesmen and Business Men 3 the missionaries, the men who have spent their lives far advanced into the nation, far beyond the point of safety if an uprising takes place, and who have learned by association with the natives, by living with them, by bringing them into their houses, by helping them on their feet, who have learned what the secret of Chinese life is; and therefore it is that the only reliable books that you can read, telling you exactly the condition of Chinese civilization, are writ¬ ten by these foreign missionaries who have been so much blamed for involving us in foreign wars. . . . “Those men are doing a grand, good work. I don’t mean to say that there are not exceptions among them, that sometimes they don’t make mistakes and sometimes they don’t meddle in something which it would be better for them from a political stand¬ point to keep out of, but I mean as a whole, those 3,000 missionaries in China and those thousands in other countries worthily represent the best Christian spirit of the country, and worthily are doing the work that you have sent them out to do. . . . thank you for the opportunity of speaking on behalf of this body of Christian men and women who are doing a work which is indispensable to the spread of Christian civilization.” Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States 1901-1909. Address at African Diamond Jubilee, Washington. “The change of sentiment in favor of the foreign missionary in a single generation has been remark¬ able. The whole world, which is rapidly coming into neighborhood relations, is recognizing as never be¬ fore the real needs of mankind, and is ready to ap¬ prove and strengthen all the moral forces which stand for the uplift of humanity. There must be govern- 4 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. ment for the orderly and permanent development of society. There must be intercourse among peoples in the interest of commerce and growth. But, above all, there must be moral power, established and main¬ tained under the leadership of good men and women. The upright and far-seeing statesman, the honest and capable trader, the devoted Christian missionary rep¬ resent the combined forces which are to change the Africa of to-day into the greater and better Africa of the future.” Hon. William McKinley, President of the United States 1897-1901. “I am glad of the opportunity to offer without stint my tribute of praise and respect to the mis¬ sionary effort which has wrought such wonderful triumphs for civilization. The story of the Christian missions is one of thrilling interest and marvelous re¬ sults. The services and sacrifices of the mission¬ aries for their fellow-men constitute one of the most glorious pages of the world’s history. The mission¬ ary, of whatever church or ecclesiastical body, who devotes his life to the service of the Master and of men, carrying the torch of truth and enlighten¬ ment, deserves the gratitude, the support and the homage of mankind. The noble, self-effacing, will¬ ing ministers of peace and good-will should be classed with the world’s heroes. . . . “Who can estimate the missionaries’ value to the progress of nations? Their contribution to the onward and upward march of humanity is beyond all calculation. They have inculcated industry and taught the various trades. They have promoted con¬ cord and amity, and brought nations and races closer together. They have made men better. They have increased the regard for home; have strengthened American Statesmen and Business Men. 5 the sacred ties of family; have made the community well ordered, and their work has been a potent in¬ fluence in the development of law and the establish¬ ment of government.” Hon. Benjamin Harrison, President of the United States 1889-1893. Addresses at Ecumenical Missionary Conference, New York, 1900. “The gigantic engines that are driving forward a material development are being speeded as never before. It is to a generation thus intent—that has wrought wondrously in the realms of applied science that God in His word and by the preacher, says: All these are worthy only and in proportion as they contribute to the regeneration of mankind. Every invention, every work, every man, every nation, must one day come to this weighing platform and be ap¬ praised. . . . “The highest conception that has ever entered the mind of man is that of God as the Father of all men —the one blood—the universal brotherhood. It was not evolved, but revealed. The natural man lives to be ministered unto—he lays his imposts upon others. He buys slaves that they may fan him to sleep, bring him the jeweled cup, dance before him. and die in the arena for his sport. Into such a world there came a King, ‘not to be ministered unto, but to minister.’ The rough winds fanned His sleep; He drank of the mountain brook and made not the water wine for Himself; He would not use His power to stay His own hunger, but had compassion for the multitude. Them that He had bought with great price He called no more servants, but friends. He entered the bloody arena alone, and, dying, broke all chains and brought life and immortality to light. 6 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. o “Here is the perfect altruism; here the true ap¬ praisal of men. Ornaments of gold and gems, silken robes, houses, lands, stocks and bonds—these are rare when men are weighed. Where else is there a scale so true? Where a brotherhood so wide and perfect? . . . “The enemies of foreign missions have spoken tauntingly of the slowness of the work and of its great and disproportionate cost, and we have too ex¬ clusively consoled ourselves and answered the criti¬ cism by the suggestion that with God a thousand years is as one day. We should not lose sight of the other side of that truth—one day with Him is as a thousand years. God has not set a uniform pace for Himself in the work of bringing in the Kingdom of His Son. He will hasten it in His day. The stride of His Church shall be so quickened that commerce will be the laggard. Love shall outrun greed. . . . “I have seen the political spirit of this country kindled to a white heat. I have in this hall addressed great political assemblages, but I have never been associated with a political campaign where the interest was sufficient to fill this hall and three or four over¬ flow halls and churches three times a day for ten days.” Hon. John W. Foster, Ex-Secretary of State, U. S. Minister to Mexico, Spain, Russia, China, etc., Author of “Diplomacy in the Far East.” “My observation and experience have greatly im¬ pressed me with the salutary influence of Christian missions upon the nations of the Orient. The Pro¬ testant educational institutions at Constantinople, Beirut and other places have had a distinctly elevat¬ ing effect upon political and social affairs in Moham¬ medan lands. The early Christian missionaries in American Statesmen and Business Men. 7 China and Japan were of inestimable value as the medium of diplomatic intercourse between the native officials and the Western powers. And in all these lands they have been the forerunners of commerce and have created a desire for modern learning and the arts of Christian nations. Aside from their primary work as preachers of the Gospel of Christ, they have accomplished much for the elevation and enlighten¬ ment of the people of Asia.” Hon. Wm. Jennings Bryan, after a World Tour. “We had an opportunity to investigate the work done by American missionaries in Hawaii, Japan, China, the Philippines, Singapore, India, Egypt, Palestine and Turkey. We met representatives of nearly all the churches in the various departments of missionary work, and as a result of our observa¬ tions our interest in foreign missions has been quick¬ ened. . . . “That our missionaries often make mistakes need not be denied. They are human, and to err is the lot of all. A missionary among strangers must exer¬ cise more sagacity and discretion than one who works among people of his own race. The wonder is not that missionaries make mistakes, but that they do not make more than are now charged to them. It is even possible that a missionary occasionally proves untrue to his calling. Is it strange that this should happen to a missionary almost alone and with but little sympathetic support, when it sometimes happens to ministers who are surrounded by friends and hedged in so that a fall would seem almost impos¬ sible ? . . . “The daily life of a missionary is not only a con¬ stant sermon, but to a certain extent an exposition of Western ways. His manner of dress and his man- 8 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. ner of living are noted; and even if he did not say a word, he would make an impression on those about him. It would be worth while to send Christians to the Orient merely to show the fullness and richness of a Christian life; for, after all, the example of an upright person, living a life of service according to the Christian ideas, is more eloquent than any ser¬ mon—it is the unanswerable argument in favor of our religion. . . . “Why spend money on foreign missions? If the Oriental is happy in his idolatry or in his worship of God through other religious forms, why disturb him? These questions may be answered in various ways, but one answer will suffice for the purpose of this article. The Christian ideal of life is the highest ideal. If the Christian ideal is worthy to be followed in America, it is worthy to be presented in every land; and experience has shown that it is an ideal capable of being made universal, for it has commended itself to people of every clime and of every tongue. . . . “Making due allowance for the frailty of human nature and for the mistakes which all are liable to make, it may be said without fear of successful con¬ tradiction that the missionaries, physicians and teach¬ ers who consecrate themselves to the advancement of Asia’s millions along Christian lines are as high- minded, as heroic, as self-sacrificing, and, considering the great destiny of the race, as useful as any equal number of men and women to be found in any other part of the world.” Col. Chas. Denby, for Tzvelve Years United States Minister to China. “I made a study of mission work in China. On a man-of-war I visited almost every open port in China. At each place I inspected every mission sta- American Statesmen and Business Men. 9 tion. I saw the missionaries in their homes. I, un¬ qualifiedly and in the strongest language that tongue can utter, give to these men and women, who are living and dying in China and in the Far East, my full and unadulterated commendation. Believe no¬ body when he sneers at the missionaries. . . . "My acquaintance with missionaries of all de¬ nominations in China has taught me that they are doing good to humanity. They are the forerunners of commerce and diplomacy; they are pioneers of progress. They blaze the way for art and science and sound morality. The best men and the best in¬ tellects among foreigners in China respect and esteem them. I have done my best to protect them, to ex¬ tend their influence here and at home, because I know that they are honest, industrious, unselfish, and that, while their main object is to save human souls, col¬ laterally and necessarily they benefit civilization as much as they advance the cause of true religion.” Hon. Edwin H. Conger, U. S. Minister to China. Address at Kansas City, Mo., May 16, 1906. "When the first missionaries were sent out from the United States to foreign lands, had I been on the ground I should probably have advised against the taking of such a step. But time, history, and the progress of the good work have demonstrated that the promoters of the enterprise were right, and I am glad to acknowledge my change of heart, and my cordial and unreserved endorsement of such efforts. "It is no longer to be questioned that mission work was needed wherever on the globe the Gospel was unknown. That the results of this work have everywhere been successful and encouraging is a statement approved and attested by every one who io Testimonies to Foreign Missions. has thoroughly and without prejudice investigated the work of any mission field in any part of the world. . . . “For several years I was most intimately asso¬ ciated with the American missionaries in China, and I take genuine pleasure and pride in certifying to all the world, and particularly to you who support and stand behind them, that they are a body of men and women, who, measured by the good they do, by the sacrifices they make, the trials they endure, and the risks they take, are veritable heroes; whose absolutely unselfish devotion to humanity is surpassed nowhere upon the face of the earth. They are the pioneers in all that land. They are invariably the forerunners and forebearers of all that is best in Western civili¬ zation. . . . “According to my judgment, there never has been in the history of foreign missionary work a more opportune time for earnest effort than the present, nor a moment which gave such promise of an early day of glorious fruition; and it is the high duty of every believer of Christ’s teaching, and of every lover of his fellow-men, to help it along.” Admiral Belknap, of the United States Navy. “I assert it to be a fact beyond contradiction that there is not a ruler, official, merchant, or any other person from emperors, viceroys, judges, governors, counsellors, generals, ministers, admirals, merchants, and others, down to the lowest coolies in China and Japan, Siam and Korea, who, in their associations or dealings with their fellow-men in that quarter of the globe, are not indebted every day of their lives to the work and achievements of the American mission¬ aries.” American Statesmen and Business Men. ii Hon. John Wanamaker, Ex-Postmaster-General U. S. A., Merchant Prince and Philanthropist. “By personal contact with the work and work¬ ers, I convinced myself that the work of missionaries, clergymen, teachers, doctors and Christian helpers was healthy, eminently practicable and well admin¬ istered.” Jesse Seligman, Jewish Banker and Trader, New York. “I am glad to inform you that the American mis¬ sionaries all along the Nile are doing splendid work. You can scarcely enter a town or village without find¬ ing one of these nicely constructed school-houses, where the Arabs are taught, and it would astonish you to hear with what pride they say they were taught at the American mission school.” Amos P. Wilder, American Consul General, Shanghai. “I am convinced that the missionary compounds dotting the Empire of China are the most potent force for ‘the awakening of China,’ of which so much is said and written. It is from them that knowledge of foreign ways and thought is disseminated among the common people—certainly the knowledge we would have the Chinese attain. In the coast parts there is much reckless living by foreigners; much dis¬ regard of the native and irresponsibility as to what impressions they derive as to customs and standards among the Christian nations. But in the missionary compounds, and in the church, school and hospital attached thereto, the Chinese see us at our best. Kind¬ ness, sympathy, unselfishness are exemplified; the home life of the missionaries, the deference to women, the intelligent care of children ? the neatness, serenity 12 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. and devoutness in the family group make their im¬ pression on all the native community. Each com¬ pound is an object-lesson in right living, in well-or¬ dered, dignified and ambitious homes. These things are imitated in the homes of the native convert. Cleanliness, sanitation, neatness, quiet consideration for others, their ideals are communicated to great numbers. And how great is the need of these things is not realized by our Americans at home; only a visit to a howling pagan interior city can make it clear. The fact is, so much has been said, even by mission¬ aries, of the good qualities of the Chinese, that there is a misapprehension in America as to the sorry, sor¬ did, uncleanly and unprogressive character of Chinese community life, in city and village alike. They need ideals of improved living. Where else can these be obtained save from the missionary group? Com¬ merce, railroads, diplomacy fail at this point; the bet¬ terment can be only by personal association in the day’s routine, and only missionaries are willing to do this in the interior of China, where the mass of the people are. “Chinese education traces to missionary influence exclusively; and in higher education in China the United States has, and is, leading. The great men of the Empire to-day in the main—one could name them —the twenty who speak English and are prominent in government at home and abroad and in the rail¬ road, telegraph and allied activities, trace back to missionary influence. It was in a Church of Eng¬ land school in Hongkong that Wu Ting Fang got his impulse to a large career. The Christian homes of Massachusetts and Connecticut—in alliance with mis¬ sionaries in China—took interest in the North who came to America in the seventies and eighties; and the family prayers of those homes left their mark American Statesmen and Business Men. 13 on these men of present power in the Chinese Em¬ pire. The men and women who speak flippantly of missions do not know Chinese modern history. “Looking at it profoundly, to those who believe that out of the heart are the issues of life, the supreme service to China is to set up Christian ideals—those ideals, principles, institutions and customs that have made great England, Germany and the United States. Thus are shaped the lines of the North of China; and they in turn will exploit the mines and build the railroads and improve agriculture and uplift the judi¬ ciary, revise the currency and make government effi¬ cient and honest.” Hon. D. F. Wilber, American Consul General, Kobe, Japan. “While representing my Government as a con¬ sular officer in the West Indies, I received a cable¬ gram notifying me of my appointment as Consul- General at Singapore. One of the first duties was to inquire into and ascertain the personnel and num¬ ber of the American colony. I found it was two- thirds missionaries. I had no sooner found this than I ran up against the missionary critic. I heard from this person this charge and that charge against the missionary. I made up my mind I would personally investigate and ascertain as to the truth of the charges made. I took my time about it. I watched the mis¬ sionaries in their outward life; I watched them in their home life; I watched their work; and after months of thorough investigation I learned to my great satisfaction that each and every charge made against the missionary was false and malicious in every particular. I did not go to the Far East as a bird of passage, a travelling tourist, or a sea captain; I went there as a permanent resident, and I was 14 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. one of the kind that did not accept everything I heard without first proving it by investigation. “About a year and a half after we were there, Dr. West came and urged us to attend the little Malay Church, built more especially for the Straits Chinese. We selected the evening service, and as we started out from the Rafiles Hotel, where we resided, we rode in and out along the streets through a mass of dirty, ignorant natives, representatives of almost every non-Christian country in the world—the raw material with which the missionary has to deal—and as we came to that little church on Victoria Road, I will never forget the scene that greeted our eyes. What a transformation! As we entered the little church we saw before us the finished product of the mis¬ sionary. On the right and in the center aisle were the Chinese men and boys dressed in spotless white, the dress of the tropics, a clean, bright, intelligent lot; on the left were the Chinese women and girls; and, to our astonishment, at the organ there presided a young Chinese lad; and, to our utter amazement (knowing it to be an English service), in the pulpit stood the pastor, Mr. Ah Loh. That young man that night preached one of the most powerful sermons in the English language that I ever heard delivered from any pulpit in my life. Such is the finished product of the missionary. “About two years after we had arrived there, and after studying the missionary in his life and work further, and noting the true, sincere, Christian char¬ acter displayed by them at all times and under all circumstances, and the sincerity of the Christian na¬ tives—who will often put you and me to shame—I made up my mind, after being under deep conviction for a long time, that if God could make such a finished product out of the raw material I saw there Statesmen and Publicists of Other Countries. 15 in Singapore, He could make something out of me, and I then and there cast my burden at the foot of the Cross, humbly repentant, surrendering my all, and gave my heart to Christ.” Statesmen and Publicists of Other Countries. Sir Andrew Fraser, late Lieut. Governor of Bengal, India. Address New York City, March 28, 1909. “1 have been thirty-seven years in India. I have served very many years in two provinces. I have been on two commissions each of which took me for a year over the whole of India, so that I visited every province, visited nearly every native state, and wher¬ ever I have served and wherever I have visited, I have taken care to know tthe missionaries so far as was possible in the time. I have taken care to inquire about their work, to see what they were doing. I have gone to their schools. That was part of my official duty. I was bound to see the education of the prov¬ inces in which I served. It was also my pleasure and I did it in places where I visited. I have gone to their congregations. I have seen the missionaries preach¬ ing in the villages, teaching in their schools, treating patients in their hospitals, and I have for years been an Elder in the Presbyterian Church and have belonged not to a European congregation but to an Indian i6 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. congregation. I have belonged to a kirk session, you who are Presbyterians know what I mean, every mem¬ ber of which except myself and one missionary were Indians. And I have sat under—you who are Pres¬ byterians know what I mean—I have sat under a Presbyterian pastor who was an Indian. So that I know something about the Indian congrega¬ tions. . . . “I went out in the work of the Crown, to serve the Crown, and I have served the Crown of England for these thirty-seven years. But all the same, though you did not send me out I come back to you now as a man might come back from a place to which he had been sent to prospect and tell of the possibilities of the work. I come back to tell you what I have seen and whether this work is worth your while or not. You say, Is it worth my while to give my prayers to this work? You say, Is it worth my while to give my sympathy to this work? You say, Is it worth my while to give my money to this work? You say, perhaps, Is it worth my while to give those that are dear to me to this work? You say, Is it worth my while to give myself to this work? And my answer is emphatically worth while. The work is a great work. It is the work which God has blessed in the past and I come back to speak of it with faithfulness and pride. It is the work which God will bless in the future. . . . “It has been said by the Chairman that I might be a prejudiced witness because I am a believer and because I have given a son to the missionary work. I am not a prejudiced witness, because I was once not a believer and because I am neither a missionary nor the son of a missionary; but I am a strong, emphatic witness because I am a believer and because I believe in it so strongly that I have given my son to the work.” Statesmen and Publicists of Other Countries. 17 From Address in Washington, D. C., March 24, 1909. “Having given you some opportunity of judging whether I am a competent witness or not, I proceed to tell you this, that I throw myself with all earnestness into the class which believes in missions. I can tell you that I have the strongest feeling of thankfulness to God for what I have seen of Christian work in the past and the strongest feeling of thankful hope in re¬ gard to the future, not only because I believe in the promises of God, but because of what I have seen, and of the tendencies amongst the people. . . . “There is one thing that I know from experience well, and that is the tremendous development in India of Christian ways of looking at things among the peo¬ ple generally. Now surely that is a very important matter. I have been thirty-seven years in India and I can tell you of the way India and her people speak of the providence of God, of the intervention of God, of God as a personal friend. The way in which you hear people speak of them now is something altogether different from the way in which you used to hear these things talked of when I first went to India among the people themselves. The growth of Christian ways of looking at things is a very strong and glorious result of the work of the missionaires in India. . . . “At the present moment I am Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in In¬ dia. I was elected to that office over a year ago, and the office has two years tenure, because the next As¬ sembly does not meet until a year from now. I can tell you it was with the deepest emotion that I saw the pastors and laymen gathered together from all parts of India, who had at one time belonged to seven different Presbyterian churches, but now belong to one Presbyterian church in India, who came together drawn by the love of the Lord and by the desire to advance the interests of his kingdom.” i8 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. Lord Lawrence, Viceroy of India During the Sepoy Mutiny. “If England had not been afraid of confessing her Christian principles in India, the Mutiny, which cost her £200,000,000 sterling and rivers of blood, would never have occurred; notwithstanding all that English people have done to benefit India, the mis¬ sionaries have done more than all other agencies com¬ bined. They have had arduous and uphill work, often receiving no encouragement, and sometimes a good deal of discouragement from their own countrymen, and have had to bear the taunts and obloquy of those who despised and disliked their preaching; but such has been the effect of their earnest zeal, untiring de¬ votion, and of the excellent example which they have, I may say, universally shown to the people, that I have no doubt whatever that, in spite of the great masses of the people being intensely opposed to their doctrine, they are, as a body, remarkably popular in the country. ... I have a great reverence and regard for them, both personally and for the sake of the great cause in which they are engaged.” Lord Frederick Roberts, Field Marshal of English Army. “During a long career in India I have seen and heard a good deal about medical missions, and I can testify to their excellent and useful work, and that they are valuable and humanizing factors and moral aids well worthy of all encouragement and support. . . . The man who is a physician and able to heal the body, in addition to being a preacher who can ‘minister to a mind diseased’ as well as to spiritual needs, wields a special influence. My earnest hope is that medical missions will continue to flourish.” Statesmen and Publicists of Other Countries. 19 Lord Curzon, Late Viceroy of India. “As I look back on the experience of the famine time, I do not know whether more to admire the patient and uncomplaining resignation of the native peoples—the sufferers themselves—or the heroism of the officers, both English and native, civil and mili¬ tary, to whom the charge of all those suffering thou¬ sands was committed, or the devotion of the mission¬ aries—English, American, Canadian, European, of every nationality, women as well as men. They liter¬ ally stood for months between the living and the dead and they set a noble example of the creed of their Master.” Lord Cromer, the Restorer of Egypt under the British Government. From His Volume, “Modern Egypt.” “The missionary, the philanthropist, the social re¬ former and others of the same sort should have a fair field. Their intentions are excellent, although at times their judgment may be defective. They will, if under some control, probably do much good on a small scale. They may even, being carried away by the enthusiasm which pays no heed to worldly pru¬ dence, effect reforms more important than those of the administrator and politician, zvho zvill follow cau¬ tiously in their track, and perhaps reap the result of their labors.” Sir A. Rivers Thompson, Predecessor of Sir An- drezv Fraser in Bengal. “In my judgment Christian missionaries have done more real and lasting good to the people of India than all other agencies combined.” 20 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. Sir Bartle Frere, Formerly Governor of Bombay. “I speak simply as to matters of experience and observation, and not of opinion—just as a Roman prefect might have reported to Trajan or the Anto- nines—and I assure you that, whatever you may be told to the contrary, the teaching of Christianity among 160 millions of civilized, industrious Hindus and Mo¬ hammedans in India is effecting changes, moral, social and political, which for extent and rapidity of effect are far more extraordinary than anything you or your fathers have witnessed in modern Europe.” Sir Robert Hart, for Thirty Years British Commis¬ sioner of Customs in China. “The Missionaries I have known were all de¬ voted, hard-working men, and the good they have done in influencing individual life and scattering the seeds of the Gospel message has been real and last¬ ing. Many have braved danger; some have died in the field; all have done their duty. “Their converts, the Chinese Christians, behaved admirably during the Boxer troubles. Inside the Legation walls they displayed their discipline and their brotherhood; outside, they suffered torture and death rather than recant. “Results may be thought small compared with effort and outlay, but the seed has been sown and the harvest-time will come. The yeast is working, and in due time the leaven will be felt from the in¬ nermost center to the outermost edge.” The King of Korea. “There are many American missionaries in Korea. We are glad they are here. Thank the American people, and we shall be glad to receive more teachers.” Statesmen and Publicists of Other Countries. 21 Marquis Ito, Late Premier of Japan, and Controller of Korea. “Japan’s progress and development are largely due to the influence of missionaries exerted in the right direction when Japan was first studying the outer world.” Admiral Sotikichi Uriu, of the Imperial Japanese Navy. From Report of Address in New York City, June 10, 1909. Speaking generally of the progress and influence of Christianity, Admiral Uriu said that the mission¬ aries had done great good not only by direct religious teaching, but by laying the foundation for a stable civilization. “All that is best in Western civilization,” he declared, “is made possible by Christianity.” He coveted for his own people the regenerating and stim¬ ulating power of Christian faith. At present the Jap¬ anese were especially in need of religious guidance and there was a widespread recognition of the neces¬ sity for spiritual help. Referring to the relations be¬ tween the United States and Japan the Admiral ex¬ pressed gratitude for the cordial good-will existing between the Japanese and the missionary body, and for the service rendered by the missionaries in in¬ terpreting the people of the two nations to one an¬ other. 22 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. Scholars and Travelers. Sir Henry M. Stanley, M. P., Discoverer of Livingston. When asked, “Do you consider the efforts of foreign missions really a success?” Sir Henry re¬ plied: “Yes, most emphatically. It can be shown to¬ day as something marvelous. The story of the Uganda missionary enterprise is an epic poem. I know of few secular enterprises, military or otherwise, deserv- ing of greater praise. . . . These native Afri¬ cans (Uganda converts) have endured the most deadly persecutions; the stake and fire, the cord and club, the sharp knife and the rifle bullet, have all been tried to cause them to reject the teachings they have absorbed. Staunch in their beliefs, firm in their convictions, they have held together stoutly and reso¬ lutely.” Charles Darwin, Author of the “Origin of Species ” “Descent of Man,” etc. “It appears to me that the morality and religion of the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands are highly creditable. There are many who attack both the mis¬ sionaries, their system, and the effects produced by it. Such reasoners never compare the present state with that of the island only twenty years ago, nor even with that of Europe at the present day; but they com¬ pare it with the high standard of Gospel perfection. Inasmuch as the condition of the people falls short of this high standard, blame is attached to the mis¬ sionary, instead of credit for that which he has effected. They forget, or will not remember, that Scholars and Travelers. 2 3 human sacrifices, and the power of an idolatrous priesthood—a system of profligacy unparalleled in any other part of the world—infanticide, a consequence of that system—bloody wars, where the conquerors spared neither women nor children—that all these have been abolished; and that dishonesty, intemper¬ ance, and licentiousness have been greatly reduced by the introduction of Christianity ” Robert Louis Stevenson. “I had conceived a great prejudice against mis¬ sions in the South Seas; and I had no sooner come here than that prejudice was at first reduced, and at last annihilated. Those who deblatterate against mis¬ sions have only one thing to do—to come and see them on the spot. Missions in the South Seas generally are by far the most pleasing result of the presence of white men, and those in Samoa are the best I have ever seen.” Sir Edwin Arnold, Author of “The Light of Asia.” “I admire and reverence those devout men and women (the missionaries), and I regard them as tak¬ ing to China precisely the commodities of which she stands most in need, namely, a spiritual religion and a morality based upon the fear of God and the love of man.” Isabella Bird Bishop, Well-known Traveller and Author. “I am a convert to missions through seeing mis¬ sions and the need for them. The missionaries, by their lives and characters, and by the work they are doing, wherever I have seen them, have produced, to my mind, such a change and such an enthusiasm in 24 Testimonies to Foreign Missions. favor of Christian missions that I cannot go any¬ where without speaking about them and trying to influence others in their favor who may be as indif¬ ferent as I was.” Sir Harry Johnston, Noted English Geographer. “Wherever the missionaries went they collected notes on languages, on ethnography and specimens to illustrate the natural history of the countries they visited. If there was a mountain anywhere within reach, they ascended it, boiled thermometers on top and took the temperature of the air. They fixed the latitude and longitude of their stations, and collected a large amount of geographical information, which very often found its way into circulation through other channels. “The scientific understanding of Africa was as¬ sisted by their compilation of treatises on dying lan¬ guages; while the friendly relations of Europeans and negroes were forwarded by the mission gram¬ mars and vocabularies of living languages destined to be means of intercourse betv/een black and white or between black and yellow. ... I soon came to to regard them as men deeply versed in the lore of Africa, and above all as the tribunes of the people ” (A) (C) (C) (B) (C) (C) (C) 3. 4. 5. 6 . 7. 8 . 9. Missionary Literature for Men (B) 1. (A) 2. Samuel B. Capen (C) 10. (B) 11. (B) 12. (B) 13. (B) 14. (C) 15. (A) 16. (A) 17. (C) 18. (C) 19. (C) 20. (0 21 . (C) 22. (C> 23. (C) 24. (C) 25. (B) 26. The Uprising of Men for World Conquest, The Genesis and Significance of the Laymen’s Missionary Movement, Missions and Civilization, Our Share of the World, The World’s Debt to the Missionary, The Awakening Orient, “On the Square”, Methods of Enlisting Men in Missions, Personal Impressions Regarding Missions. Dr. L. Duncan Bulkley Around the World, Condensed Report of Laymen’s Commission J. Campbell White Hon. Wm. H. Taft J. Campbell White Robert E. Speer Robert E. Speer John Timothy Stone J. Campbell White Robert E. Speer Silas McBee By Public Men S. M. Zwemer, F.R.G.S. Foreign Missions and Christian Unity, The Layman in Missionary Work, Testimonies on Foreign Missions, The Moslem Problem and Peril, Modern Hinduism; Does It Meet the Need of India? The Stewardship of Life, Joseph N. Shenstone and J. Campbell White What Business Has a Business Man with Foreign Missions ? S. M. Zwemer, F.R.G.S. Rev. John P. Jones, D. D. John R. Mott Robert E. Speer The Urgency and Crisis in the Far East, The Non-Christian Religions Inadequate, Modern World Movements; God’s Challenge to the Church, John R. Mott The Place of Missions in the Thought of God, Robert E. Speer The Opportunity of the Hour, George Sherwood Eddy The Supreme Business of the Church, Rev. George Robson, D.D. Prayer for Missions, Professor Wameck The Great Commission, Robert E. Speer The Haystack Prayer Meeting, Edward Warren Capen 25 and 50 Cent Packets of Pamphlets Packet of first ten pamphlets 25c Packet of first twenty pamphlets 50c Any single pamphlet. 5c Pamphlets marked (A) 25c per doz. “ “ (B) 30c “ “ “ (C) 40c “ 1.50 per hundred, postpaid 2.00 “ 2.50 “ Special discounts when pamphlets are shipped in thousand lots to one address. Price per 100 only allowed when 100 or more of one price are ordered. "The Uprising of Men, ” “ Our Share of the World " and “Methods of Enlisting Men in Missions” may be had in German. 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