12-70 
 
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 No. 575. S. Anf^ ' 
 
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 I. The Canal Zone 
 
 The first Church work on the Isthmus 
 was begun by Americans in 1855 ; Christ 
 Church, Colon, a large stone structure built 
 in that year, cost $65,000, but when the 
 plans for the building of the canal col- 
 lapsed, Americans left the Isthmus, a 
 Colombian revolution broke out, and the 
 church building, which still stands, was 
 used as an arsenal, a fort, a powder mag- 
 azine and for various other purposes. 
 
 In 1883 the English Church established 
 the episcopate of British Honduras, which 
 included a general responsibility for Cen- 
 tral America. The American workers on 
 the canal were mostly West Indian Negroes 
 and of the Anglican Communion, and the 
 English Church went to take care of her 
 own. Christ Church, Colon, was gladly 
 turned over, other missions were opened 
 and sustained through spasmodic attempts 
 at building the canal, up to 1907, when, on 
 the purchase of the Canal Zone by the 
 United States, the English Church trans- 
 ferred the work to us. This transfer in- 
 cluded much more territory than the actual 
 strip — ten miles wide and forty-five long — 
 which our Government purchased. In all, 
 it is an area of 500,000 square miles, with 
 200,000 population. English influence in 
 
Central America has been waning for some 
 time, while American interests have ad- 
 vanced, and the English Church is now 
 debating the wisdom of surrendering to us 
 practically all of Central America as soon 
 as we can take it over. > This is the logical 
 and proper thing to do, because we can 
 more easily carry on the work. 
 
 The work in the Canal Zone has certain 
 unique features : 
 
 1. It is a co-operative work. It has mani- 
 fested the highest genius of domestic mis- 
 sions. Domestic missions should not be 
 regarded merely as an attempt to propagate 
 the Episcopal Church. Co-operation of the 
 Church with the State in creating a Chris- 
 tian civilization should be their object. The 
 State goes to undertake a tremendous task 
 for the whole world — a great canal to 
 shorten the lines of traffic and draw the 
 ends of the earth together — and the Church 
 goes also. Throughout the whole building 
 of the canal, the State and the Church have 
 worked together to build up morals and 
 religion, as well as to make locks and 
 waterways. The Government has treated 
 the building of the canal as a great and 
 noble enterprise, and has realized that the 
 worker has his rights and interests; that 
 he must have a chance for health and com- 
 fort, for education and religion. This is 
 one of the best examples of what an army 
 is good for. As American citizens, we re- 
 joice in it, and are glad that the Church 
 also has had its part in the work. 
 
 2. There has been another distinctive fea- 
 ture about this work. It was temporary , 
 and was understood to be so. But it was 
 worth while. We are apt to think that we 
 
should not spend time and money, where 
 there is no chance of permanency ; yet here 
 was a work which was temporary in its 
 very nature. At one time (some four 
 years ago) we had twenty -five stations in 
 the Canal Zone; probably seventeen of 
 these are now under water. There are 
 now only eight stations and four clergy. 
 The 34,000 people who lived there during 
 the construction of the canal have gone 
 home. But both they and we are stronger 
 and better because the beneficent task of 
 a Christian nation was Christianly accom- 
 plished. 
 
 3. The Canal Zone speaks not only of a 
 good work done, but of a larger work that 
 may be done. With the exception of Costar 
 Rica, the political and religious conditions 
 of the Central American Republics are de- 
 plorable. In going to the Canal Zone we 
 have become neighbors to many thousands 
 of heathen people. I think the Church was 
 taken down there that she might see the 
 crying need of the peoples of Central 
 America. Even that which passes for 
 Christianity is probably the lowest type 
 which has ever been produced by the Roman 
 Church. The president of one of the Cen- 
 tral American republics actually built a 
 temple to a heathen god and caused the 
 rites of that god to be performed, in the 
 midst of what was supposed to be a Chris- 
 tian community. Frederick Palmer has 
 written a very interesting book about these 
 conditions — “Central America and Its 
 Problems” (See also article by Mr. Palmer 
 in The Spirit of Missions for May, 1911, 
 page 389). He was very urgent upon his 
 return from that region that something be 
 
done, and the matter has been discussed, 
 but nothing has resulted. 
 
 The work in the Canal Zone in the past 
 is small compared to what it will become 
 in the future. Panama will some day be 
 one of the world’s great shipping centers. 
 It is already one of the greatest of our mili- 
 tary garrisons. Eventually it will also be 
 a great ecclesiastical center from which the 
 Church will carry on a continent-wide work. 
 
 Copies of this leaflet may he obtained from 
 The Literature Department, 281 Fourth Ave- 
 nue, New York, by asking for 575. 
 
 3 Ed. 2 - 19 . 5 M. N.