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Many good and strong things were said in be half of MISSIONS During the Session of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subscribe to and read the Christian Index, if you would keep informed. ESTABLISHED 1821. ®he Cirri 0 tian littlrx j. c, McMichael, proprietor. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. . Published Every Thursday at Atlanta, Ga. Subscription Price : One copy, one year >2.00 One copy, six months 1.00 One copy, tliree mouths 50 Obituaries.—One hundred words free of charge. For eacli extra word, one cent per word, cash with copy. To Correspondents.—Do not use abrevra tions; be extra careful in writingproper names; write with ink, on one side of paper; Do not write copy intended for the editor and busi ness items on same sheet. Leave off personal ities; condense. Business.—Write all names, and post offices distinctly. In ordering a change give the old as well as the new address. The date of label indicates the time your subscription expires. If you do not wish it continued, order it stop ped a week before. We consider each sub- Scriber permanent, until lie orders his paper isconttnued. When you order it stopped pay up to date. Remittances by check preferred; orregis tered letter, money order, postal note. 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.