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Many good and strong things were said in be
half of
MISSIONS
During the Session of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
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The political sensation of the past
week has been the movement on the
part of Hon. Janies G. Blaine’s
friends to make him a candidate for
the presidency. Several times it has
been announced that he was not a
candidate and would’not allow the
use of his name. The opponents of
Mr. Harrison have combined and
now propose to nominate, if they
can Mr. Blaine, at the Minneapolis
Convention. It is stated that Mr.
Blaine will accept if he is nominated.
As several days have elapsed since
the move has been announced, and
no disclaimer has appeared, we may
believe that he will accept.
As we study the Sunday School
lesson this week, there are some of
the most valuable lessons to be learn
ed. Who can imagine the astonish
ment of the King as he looked into
the fiery furnace and exclaimed “Lo
I see four men loose.” If .their
bonds had been of inflammable mate
rial, it would have been natural for
them to have been loose. The Bab
ylonians bound their captives with
chains. Can any one doubt the
power of the God of these four men ?
Do we need anything further to
strengthen our faith ? Let us take
this as an all-sufficient testimony as
' to what lie can ..nd will do for us,
if we are “hid with Christ in God.”
In the,midst of a fine speech at
the Convention Dr. Frost was telling
about a letter received recently from
Bro. E. Z. Simmons, of China.
“Frost kills other things, but it ri
pens ‘gimmons,” put in Dr. Eaton.
“Simmons is good eatin’” (Eaton)
added Dr. Burrows. Dr.
Frost was so paralyzed that he could
hardly proceed with his speech. He
says that if brethren will make puns
they should do so at appropriate
times. lie objects to such punish
ment as that intflicted upon him by
Drs. Eaton and Burrows.—Baptist
and Reflector.
It is true that when a possum fin
ishes eatin simmons he burrows to
escape the frost.
In the discussion of missions and
evangelizing the world, with us in
the South, the cry is usually for more
money. At the 78th anniversary of
the American Baptist-Missionary
Union in Rev. George
Northrop,, of Morgan’s Park, 111.,
said that men, money and resources
were at hand to do the missionary
work, but what was wanting was
the will and disposition to do. In
this we have our greatest peril. The
Church needs a missionary revival;
we have had sonic, but too few. If
we had 10,000 men scattered over
this land filled with the spirit of mis
sionary revival, how the flame would
spread and the light pass through
the country. We need nothing
else so much as we need this revival.
He said that he believed that we
were doing a thousand times more
per man for the salvation of the
American people than we are doing
per man for the heathens.
We desire to stress the import
ance of Baptist influence, being
placed just now in the direction of
evangelizing Mexico. A now era is
dawning upon that priest-ridden
people, if wo are to look at them
from a business stand-point. The
Mexican International Steamship
Company have sailed one new and
improved steamer to engage in the
West Indian and Mexican trade.
The Second, the Kaffir Prince ( will
sail about June 15th. With increas
ed transportation comes increasing
civilization. With increasing civili
zation comes religion. The West
tfljristian ,Infor.
Indies, Central America and Mexico
through business channels are to be
brought nearer to us, and it be
hooves our Baptist hosts to renew
their energies with this trade im
pulse. Let the appeals of Powell be
heard all over the South and prompt
ly responded to. Let our young
men go to God and be directed to
this field of possibilities for Chrrist.
In the June North American Re
view, the Harrison administration is
reviewed by three Senators. Sena
tor Dawes of Massachusetts thinks it
is an open and frank administration.
There is no deceit in its make-up or
its practices. If there have been
disappointments, they have grown
out of differences of opiuion and not
from concealments. It has avowed
its opinions and policies in open day,
and with a clearness of statement
that admits of no doubt.
Senator Dolph of Oregon says: If
ever a President deserved the in
dorsement of his party by a renomi
nation, on account of fidelity to par
ty principles and an able administra
tion, it is President Harrison; but
principles are of more importance
than men, and success should not bo
jeopardized in order to promote the
political fortunes of any man, howev
er deserving. Mr. Harrison’s loyal
ty to the principles of his party is
such that he would not jeopardize
its success for a moment to promote
his personal ambition.
Senator Colquitt, of Georgia, after
speaking of the defeat of the party,
at the ballot box ten months after
the administration begun, says: If I
were asked to give my opinion of
the causes of this decidedly adverse,
and, in my judgment, entirely justi
fiable popular verdict, I should say
that they are all comprehended in the
administrative policy of governing
the country for the particular bene
fit of certain classes and interests,
and using, directly and indirectly,
all legislative and executive powers
to that end; these classes and inter
ests forming a narrow oligarchy in
opposition to the needs of the multi
tude) One of tho most/signal and
unquestionable characteristics of the
present day is the struggle of labor
against capital, of the weak against
the strong, of the undisciplined many
against the organized few—a strug
gle of those who would enjoy the
fruits of the labor of others; be
tween money and the masses, be
tween those who create wealth and
those made wealthy by partial legis
lation, by the mystery of banking
and the regulation of coinage. In
this struggle Republican policy and
administration have yielded to the
demands of the strong and encroach
ed upon the rights of the feeble.
PROTESTANTISM ANT) ROMANISM
IN CENTRAL AMERICA,
BY AN EX-CONSUL GENERAL.
A proper place for Baptist Mission
aries—Physical and moral facts—
Men to go there and tasks before
them.
There was never a Protestant ser
mon preached in the Hispano-Aztec
republic of Salvador. There is a per
fect government-maintained system
of free schools. The “mother
church” supplies, teachers and every
child is a devout Romanist as almost
every teacher is a half educated “pa
dre;” The President of the Repub
lic, though a Spaniard, sprang from
the common people and is alleged
to have a strain of Aztec blood in
his veins and to sympathize with the
Aztecs who are only “peons,” vir
tually slaves ajad incidents of estates
or “fincas” on which they live and
toil. It may be well to say that
these Aztecs are yellow like Chinese,
and not red like Apaches or Creeks
and ninety per cent of the million
people of the heroic little Republic
of Salvador are Aztecs. Two or
or three per cent, arc red Indians,
like the masses of Guatemala, and
the rest of the population are Span-,
iards the governing race, 8 or 10 per
cent of the whole. These last own
all the land, wholly untaxed, like
bonds here, in town and country and
these hold all the oftices and do all
tho governing like the modern tariff
created aristocracy of this country.
Though offices have been enormous
ly multiplied and sub-divided and
carefully distributed among the rich
and powerful Spanish families of
Salvador there arc not enough to
supply the quadriennial demand and
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JUNE 2, 1892?
therefore, very commonly, the quad
riennial war and revolution. It is
proper to say that these Spaniards,
who hold the offices and do the gov
erning, own all the realty, distrib
uted among their fathers by Alvar
ado the brutal beastly priest-ridden
“conquisitador” of hapless Salvador.
What was left in the hands of the
Aztecs, the “natives,” by Alvarado,
the agent and representative of Cor
tez, was distributed or appropriated
by his successors. The worst of
them was a bloody-handed knave,
one Dr. Zaldivar, who became Pres
ident 15 years ago. He was driven
out of power by Don Jose Maria Ri
vas after he had sold his country for
three million dollars, with which he
fled, to one Barrios of Guatimala.
Barrios came to take possession, un
der his contract with Zaldivar, but
was met and slain and his army an
nihilated by the rude old chieftain
Rivas, of the State of Cuscatlan
whose capital, Couhoutepeque, con
tains 20,000 people.
Rivas, confessing his incapacity
for tasks of government, made Men
endez President, who, when his first
term expired, Was unanimously re
elected. Fie had almost served his
second term when, assaulted at mid
night by a band of armed assassins,
he fell dead, Ezta, his successor
says, of- heart disease.
It was the boast of this excellent
gentlemen that no fellow country
man of his, Aztec, a Spaniard or In
dian, ever lost life or property by
any act or decree of his. lie was
beloved of the many and the poor
and it’ was he who sought to perfect
the school system of Salvador and
establish institutions of learning oth
er than those that are part and par
cel of the ecclesiastical institutions
of the country, He employed sever
al American “school inarms,” and if
the priests had not violently objected,
would have placed American peda
gogues at the head of the school
systems of several cities of the Re
public. In fact* if Menendez had
ived a year longer and Harrison’s
Administration bad suffered me to
remain in Central America, the
schools of Salvador, very certainly,
would have been thoroughly Ameri
canized. I inducted several excel
lent teachers into the country
who still flourish there.
THE CHURCHES AND RELIGION OF
CENTRAL AMERICA.
The forms and ceremonials of the
Romish Church of Salvador are adapt
ed to the tastesofa dreamful, fan
ciful and music-loving people. Re
ligious processions, constituted main
ly of Aztec women, bearing flowers
and burning tapers and crucifixes
move constantly through the streets.
They do sing most doleful ditties
out-vieing “Old Hundred” in pitiful
lugubriousness. But there is a
plaintive sweetness in soft tropical
voices of Aztec women that compels
one to listen to monotonous wailings
of half-clad tearful throngs.
THE MARVELOUS STATUE.
In the dilapidated earthquake
riven cathedra), on Calvary Street in
San Salvador near the entrance to
the beautiful cemetery, there is a
wonderfully wrought marble statue,
designed to boa perfect reproduc
tion in stone of Jesus Christ. The
church itself is an unattractive, great
oblong structure of sun dried bricks.
Its walls have been rent by count
less earthquakes and the crevices,
from top to bottom, filled with ce
ment give additional strength and
solidity to the ancient building.
Great heavy buttresses, at intervals
along the sides of tho venerable
structure, give it wonderful strength
and it has resisted these ever recur
ring earthquake shocks through ma
ny centuries. Os this I tell more
hereafter.
SAN SALVADOR.
Such is tho name of the capital of
Salvador. I need not tell how
wretchedly poor are the masses of
. the people, those helpless, hopeless
Aztec tillers of great estates of which
they were robbed by haughty, rapa
cious murderous Spaniards. The
process of confiscation and methods
of reduction of the masses to abso
lute beggary and destitution by the
rich is the same there as this prac
ticed more slowly and cautiously
here. There, as here, the rich gov
erning class are wholly exempt
from burdens of taxation, while a
tariff code, varying from 75 to 125
per cent on everything imported,
impoverishes the toiling masses to
the last degree. When one of the
nobility, the office-holding class,
would import any great quantity of
valuables he buys exemption from
tariff exactions from tho govern
ment. The poor, grow poorer and
the beggared are rapidly .multiplied
by “protection” until a few enor
mously rich men, wholly untaxed,
own three fourths of the whole coun
try. It is often suggested and with
good reason, that the masses of the
people of the United States may
read their own destiny in the pitia
ble fortunes of the degraded and
impoverished “inferior race,” as the
Spaniards term the Aztecs of Salva
dor.
A FIELD FOR PROTESTANTISM.
I advert to these facts that the
beneficent and powerful Baptist
Churches and Conventions of tho
South may know how to deal with
Central American governments and
people. On the face of of the Con
stitution and laws of Salvador there
is no recognized or established
church. Romanism, under the codes
of tho country, has no right of pre
cedence and yet all tho schools with
few exceptions, and colleges and
churches are -wholly dominated Jiy
Catholic priests. Most of the peda
gogues are priests and the free
school system of Salvador is quite
as good as that of a Southern State.
In any event it amazed me not a lit
tle -when I entered a school room in
the midst of the mountains and
6000 feet above the sea, to whose
thunders I listened, -w hile boys and
girls of 10 and 12 years, with rare
volubility were reading Cresar and
Virgil. Os course the mystery was
solved -when I reflected that the na
tive Spanish tongue qf these Aztec
juveniles, when spoken by a pretty
Aztec maiden, is only Virgil set to
music. Many years ago Spanish
governments and people, in Europe
and America, adopted the phonetic
system of orthography and the
Spanish language is As most per-,,
feet and simple and most easily mas
tered as well as m<*l un» cal spoken
race.’ Volapitk As hideous
in its sounds, as repulsive in its des
ignation and if we ever grow weary
of English and Chinese we should
adopt the language of the Senoritas of
Salvador, In giving the character of
the people and facts such as the Bap
tistjCon vention and its organ, the ven
erable Index, w ould have, it is prop
er to say that these Aztecs, consti
tuting the great mass or 90 per
cent of the people of Salvador, do
especially deserve the sympathy of
all good men and especially of that
most republican of all churches
which the Index represents.
Not only are these Aztecs, like
toiling populations of the United
States, reduced by law to beggary,
but they arc remorselessly taxed by
the church as by the State and mul
titudes of the common people do ab
hor the rapacious church. Very
few men, enter the doors of the
churches. Women constitute con
gregations addressed by multitudious
priests and bishops, and women alone
go to confessionals. Instead of the
church, men accept Masonry and a
majority of the men of Salvador,
choose to assert hostility to Rome
by entering Masonic lodges. 1 was
utterly amazed to find a Masonic
lodge in San Salvador constituted
exclusively of Aztecs. They accept
tho Deity but not the Christ of the
Baptists.
HOW THE POOH ARE PLUNDERED.
It is not only tho Reed-McKin
ley tariff of Salvador that besets
and aggravates woes of hopeless
poverty, but the exactions of priest
craft are intolerable. Fees for the
celebration of marriage ceremonials
are so great that the many and the
poor cannot pay them and marriages
among the poor and tho many’ are
rare. It results that the “Reports of
tho Medical Department” of tjic
Republic, last year, show that far
the greater number of children aro
“filii nullium” and as many children
arc cared for in Orphan Asylums as
in the homes of the laboring people
and as many taxes are levied to sup
port the “waifs” as the armies of the
Republic.
FIRST TASK OF THE MISSIONARY.
The first great service of Protest
antism in Salvador must consist
therefore in the reproduction of
homes and families and in the rein
stitution of marriage which taxation
inhibits, even hero in tho Uni-
ted States, to a much greater extent
than Christians or statesmen have
seen fit to confess.
From the monotheism of Mason
ry and Judaism these Aztecs, a sin
gularly honest, truthful and patriot
ic people, may bo readily induced
by earnest Protestant preachers, to
confess the divinity and accept tho
teachings of the Savior.
[to be continued.]
BIBLE STUDY—A PLEA.
BY REV. E. V. BALDY.
I propose to make a plea for a
more general and systematic study of
the Bible. I do not mean :f study’
of books about tho Bible, or study of
Bible-helps, but I mean a study of
the Bible itself—a study of the Bi
ble by books, or a systematic study
of each and all the books of the Bi
ble. We have a great many biblical
and theological and religious works
well worth reading and many wor
thy’ of close study, but here I make
a plea for tho study of tho Bible it
self. I plead riot for more Bible
reading, though that is desirable;
but I emphasize tho importance of
more Bible-study. By this I mean a
continuous, careful, diligent and sys
tematic examination of the contents
of the Bible, book by book, and of
each book in its relation to, and com
parison with other books of tho Bi
ble. Ido not claim to have any’ new
ideas to present in this plea. Ido
not claim that it is a more timely
topic now than it would have been
five hundred years ago. But I write
because I think it is ti topic of ever
increasing interest and therefore al
ways timely.
I confine my remarks to a few rea
sons why, and a few suggestions as
to means.
I. Why should there bo an extra
effort to bring about a more general
tand popular study of the Bible?
1. Our education must be woeful
ly incomplete without a study of the
Bible.
The Bible contains valu.ftlle histo
ry’ which ought to be studied. We
•consider a person’s education defi
cient when he has neglected to study
history. The Bible contains history
—true history of tho most remarka
ble people that ever lived, and dur
ing a remarkable period of the world’s
existence.
The Bible contains valuable biog
raphies of some of the world’s great
est men. We consider it a reflection
not to know something about such
men as Homer, Virgil and Shakes
peare, mighty men in literature,
Alexander, Ciesar, Napoleon, mighty
in battle. Demosthenes, Cicero, Ed
mund Burke, and Patrick Henry and
ail famous orators and statesmen.
We consider it essential to a good
education to know something of the
world’s great sovereigns, and great
philosophers, great poets, and great
reformers. So our education is sad
ly deficient without some know ledge
of such men as Moses, Joshua, Solo
mon, David, Daniel, the Apostle
Paul, and especially of the world’s
greatest reformer and the founders
of the greatest and best religion, Je
sus Christ.
The Bible should be studied as
important literature. It is the most
widely known book in the world. It
is the most famous of all books. No
educated person can afford to be ig
norant of its contents. Tho King
James version is a model of pure and
beautiful English. The Bible con
tains literary attractions equal to any
of the classics. The Bible is classic.
The Bible contains some of the rich
est and most elevating specimens of
eloquence and oratory. It contains
poetry, whose beauty ami originality
1 and importance made it more wor
thy of study than Chaucer or Shakes
peare.
The Bible contains beautiful and
impressive stories. In short the Bi
ble is a compilation of very choice
literal ure, history, biography, travel,
romance, poetry and oratory. It is
worthy of close ami diligent study.
An educated person should know
something of the great religions and
philosophies of the,world. He should
know something of Muhammed and
the Koran, of Buddhism and the sa
cred books of Hindus, of Confucius
and Mencius and Chinese sacred lit
erature, of Spinoza and his panthe
ism. Ought not an educated man to
know something of the book whose
teachings have exerted such a power
ful influence in the world, and study
those writings regarded as sacred and
inspired—a part, by that wonderful
race of people, the Jews, and all of
them by that great body of people
who call themselves Christians ? Tho
Bible has been an epoch making book
in many ages. It has been a history
making book in all ages. It has influ
enced law and government, society
and morals, literature and science.
The history of civilization must in
clude the history of the Bible. Edu
cation is incomplete without a study
of the Bible.
2. The Bible is the only sure basis
for tho cultivation of pure morality.
There is no real purity of character
that does not proceed from the prin
ciples laid down in tho Bible.
3. The Bible is God’s Word. It
will bo observed that in this article
I have not used that phrase before.
I claim that those who do not recog
nize the Bible as the Word of God
should study it from thy considera
tions mentioned above. I am per
suaded however that very many of
those who study it purely for the
sake of its history and literary im
portance will come to the conviction
that it is an inspired revelation. Gods
book written by holy men as- they
were moved by the Holy (Miost. But
for all who already pretend
to believe the Bible to be the Word
of God, there is for them an especial
obligation to study it.
4. The Bible reveals Christ the
Son of God and tho only way of sal
vation for sin stricken souls. Here
the suggestion made in the last
point, (8) might be made again. Peo
ple who deny the divinity of our
Lord and feel no personal concern
in the doctrines of the New Testa
ment should yet study the Bible from
tho considerations in 1 and 2. But
for those who claim to be followers
of Christ how exceedingly inconsis
tent not to study God’s Word. It
contains the blessed precepts for our
guidance and the precious promises
for our comfort and strength. There
must be something insincere about
the person who claims to love God,
and yet decs not love His Word, who
claims to be a follower of Jesus and
yet does not study the New Testa
ment.
11. How may a more general
study of the Bible be brought about?
1. It should form a part of the
curriculum in all our schools and
colleges. It is just as much entitled
to a place in every day study and in
course which is designed for a liber
al education, as Chaucer, Shakes
pcar and ancient history. At this
time when so much is being said
about the Bible in schools, and when
popular sentiment (very unjustly I
think) is against the use of the Bible
in public schools and in State Uni
versities, it seems to me not onfy em
inently appropriate, but imperative
that our denominational school and
colleges should provide for a syste
matic study of the Bible. Very
many of our colleges are already do
ing this. That any should fail to do
so appears to me illogical and un
wise.
2. In every church there might be
formed by the pastor or some wise
organizer a club of Bible Students
for the diligent and systematic study
of God’s Word. Courses could bo
arranged, and regular meetings held
when mutual consultation ami the
reading of essays, and short address
es interspersed with praise ami pray
er would make an attractive and
stimulating programme. Or the
Club might work under tho direc
tion of a wise ami efficient leader
who would outline the courses of
study and the work to be done, and
meet the members as often as possi
ble in regular meetings and give a
lecture on the particular book that is
being read, and conduct, perhaps
some sort of recitation on the portion
read since lust meeting.
8. In every community there
might be organized a Bible Reading
Club. We have all kinds of literary
societies and clubs. Shakespeare
Clubs, Milton Clubs, Tennyson
Clubs, Athenaeums, Reading Clubs,
Lyceums, etc. Why not have a Bi
ble Rending Club?
4. Pastors might induce individu
als to study the Bible, by arranging
courses of stmly and offer some ap
propriate and attractive certificate to
every one who completes the course’.
This lust plan has been adopted by
tho writer. On the first Sunday in
this year fifteen persons, some quite
young, and some grown, and one or >
two well-advanced in years received
publicly in the Sunday-school of tho
Brother Minister,
Working Layman,
Zealous Sister,
Wo arc striving to maka
CDlie Index
tlio brat of its kind. Help us by securing a
new subscriber.
VOL. G9.-NO. 22.
Cuthbert Baptist church certificates
for a four months course of Bible
study. The certificates consisted of
beautiful book-marks with the pas
tors certificate and name stamped in
gold letters thereon. These were
not very expensive and have proved
quite a stimulus.
5. Other methods will readily oc
cur to any thoughtful and earnest
advocate of Bible study. Let us
hope that it may become more fash
ionable to study the Bible—the book
of all books, —the choicest of all lit
erature.
Cuthbert Ga., May 25th 1892.
1
KENTUCKY INCIDENTS.
In the year 1867 I spent five
months in the state of Kentucky as
agent of the Home Mission Board of
the Southern Baptist Convention.
Dr. Rambant, at this time pastor of
one of the churches in Louisville,
had preceded me in this work.
Before engaging in this -work I
called upon Dr. Rambant for the
purpose of obtaining information in
regard to tho field of operations, the
condition of the Baptists of the
state, where I ought to commence,
and how I could most certainly suc
ceed in collecting money for mis
sions. He assured mo that in order
to succeed I must speak much of the
late war, its desolating effects, the
poverty and actual sufferings and
absolute needs of the people of the
Southern states. I adopted his sug
gestions and succeeded in collecting
about live thousand dollars in cash
during my stay in tho state.
During my sojourn in Kentucky
many . incidents occurred. One or
two nf these incidents I now pro
pose to relate.
A peculiar exposition of a text—l
came in contact w ith a very inteli
gent and interesting brother who
was teaching a large country school.
In this school was a young man per
suing a course of study preparatory
to entering tho ministry. Ono day,
• luring tho hour of recess in the
school, he was seen sitting vii to
himself reading. His teacher wish
ing to ascertain what book was so
deeply engaging his attention, un
observed, approached and standing
near behind him saw that be was
reading the 23d chapter of Matt.
His eyes running down the page,
rested upon the 24th verse. It reads
thus : “Y r e blind guides, which strain
at a gnat, swallow a camel.”
(’ailing the attention of his stu
dent to the text, he ask him what it
ment.
“Well,” said the candidate for tho
ministry, “I have been thinking about
that and intend to preach from it.”
And, continuing he remarked, “I do
not know precisely what kind of
animal this gant is (be called gnat
gant) but, said he, “one thing is
certain viz. the gant is a much larger
aniimal than the camel. Because,”
said he “the Savior here represets the
Jew’s as swallowing the camel with
ease, but as having great difficulty
in swallowing the gant.”
Some of your readers, Bro. Editor,
may find a gant in the New Testa
ment and this incident may aid them
in discovering their error.
A PISTOL DRAWN.
Near the end of my stay in Ken
tucky I attended the meeting of an
association in the upper or mountain
ous part of the state. Here the peo
ple were much divided in their opin
ions in regard to the late war. Some
sided and sympathized with the
South but probably a larger number
were on the side of the North, and
many sad and bloody conflicts were
the result. Even in 1867 this feeling
was manifest in all the intercourse of
the people.
'The congregation was large, and
tho preaching was under a brush
arbor in the grove. After preach
ing at 11 o’clock on the Lord’s day I
made an appeal for missions. In
this appeal I made some remark in
regard to the war which offended a
union man. He was sitting in part
of the pulpit and not more than 10
feet from were I was standing. He
said “I cannot stand that,” and,
drawing a pistol, be said, “I will
shoot that man in the pulpit.”
Another man of the same senti
ments in regard to the war and sit
ting right bi side the offended mao,
said, “If you shoot the preacher I
will kill you.” This remark stopped
all violent proceedings, the great
confusion in the audience quieted
down and the excitement passing
away, I proceeded with my appeal
and obtained a largo collection for
the Home Mission Board.
Perhaps 1 should state before clos
ing that, while 1 saw the excitement
anil confusion among the people, I
did not see the pistol or understand
the words spoken. A brother minis
ter, sitting <lown near the two men
above referred to and whom 1 knew
intimately, told me all that was said
and done. A. Vanlloose.