The American missionary — volume 42, no. 9, September, 1888

There is, however, an inter-blending in all parts of missionary work that should never be overlooked. The home field is the source of the means, and men, and prayers, that must energize the work in the foreign field. Dead churches at home cannot give life to mission work abroad.

There is another form in which the home and foreign fields are blended. The American Missionary Association is ranked, and properly, as a home missionary organization, but it has its relations to the foreign field.

1. It is called to train the Freedmen of America for mission work in Africa. White men meet a speedy death in malarial Africa, and they come to the natives as strangers. The Freedmen can better endure the climate of their fatherland and will be welcomed by the people as brothers. We believe that the great problem of African evangelization is destined, in the providence of God, to be largely solved by the ex-slaves of America.

2. The Indians of the United States have been ranked heretofore as coming under the work of foreign missions. At one time the American Board had the largest share of its work among these people. Other Christian denominations so classed their Indian missions, in part, at least—and all this properly, for the mass of the Indians are still heathen. The day will come when the Indian will be lost in the man, and then gospel work for him will be home or parish work. But at present the American Missionary Association is doing foreign mission work in the home field, among these Indians.

3. The Chinaman in America, like the Negro in America, is cultured and Christianized here very largely for the sake of China. He comes here not to stay, but to go back to the home of his fathers. Now, if we don’t stone him, or mob him, but imbue him with the gospel, he goes back home as a missionary. A specimen of the spirit in which he returns can be seen in the touching letter from a Chinese convert in another column of this magazine. The Hong Kong Mission, established under the auspices of the American Board, and to which our converted Chinamen on the Pacific Slope contributed both men and money, is an illustration of the way in which the American Missionary Association touches the foreign field in China.

4. Last, but not least. The battle against caste must be fought, and the victory won, in America. As the last battle against slavery was fought and won here for the world, so we must fight the battle of caste here for India as well as for America. Fifty years ago very wise and good brethren said: “You Abolitionists are right _theoretically_, slavery is wrong and ought to be abolished immediately; but _practically_ you are a set of visionaries. Slavery is a local institution, and if you wish to push your denominational interests in the South, you must establish your churches there and let the question of slavery alone.” We have lived long enough to hear these brethren confess their mistake. There are wise and good brethren now that say: “_Theoretically_, caste is all wrong, but it exists and can’t be overthrown, and if you wish to press your denominational work in the South, you must ignore that question and plant your churches on the color line.” Somebody will live to hear those who take this position confessing their mistake. The American Missionary Association stands now on the caste question just where it once stood in regard to slavery. It will neither dodge nor compromise, and will plant schools and churches in the South, if at all, openly and avowedly disregarding class distinctions. It makes no effort to bring the races together, yet any man, woman or child, otherwise qualified, will be welcomed to its schools and churches, even if God has made him black. In waging this warfare in America, it is doing a Christian missionary work against caste in heathen nations of the old world.

SCHOOL ECHOES.

Question.—“When and how long did Solomon reign?”

Answer.—“10,000 years before Christ. He rained forty days and forty nights.”

Question.—“Susy, can you tell me what I read to you about yesterday?”

Answer.—“Christ and the twelve opossums.”

In Mississippi, one of our teachers taught her class faithfully the golden text, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” The next Sunday, only one girl could remember it, and she recited it thus: “Moses, Moses, take off them shoes.”

The colored preachers of the old time, in selecting their illustrations from Bible characters, are wont to give them a strongly imaginative turn; as for instance when one, in a long story of Abraham’s trial in offering up Isaac, represented him as “going along, holding on and not making any fuss during the journey by day, but at night when Isaac was not by, as praying and crying all night.”

ENGLISH AS SHE IS WRITTEN BY INDIAN STUDENTS.

THE RACES.—They are five races, which are the white and yellow, and black and red and brown. The yellow race likes to eat rat, and the black race likes to eat man, and the white race likes to eat frog, and the red race likes to eat buffalo.

The Caucasian is the strongest in the world. The semi-civilized have their own civilization, but not like the white race. The savage race kept their own ways, and they have had three occupations: they were hunted, fished and foughted to the other people. They beat, too. The white race have three occupations: agriculture, manufacturing and commerce.

The white people they are civilized; they have everything, and go to school, too. They learn how to read and write so they can read newspaper. The yellow people they half civilized, some of them know how to read and write, and some know how to take care of themself. The red people they big savages; they don’t know anything.

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EXTRACT.

We do not print the extract given below because it has our approval, but because it is taken from a newspaper published by colored men, and is significant.

We have yet to learn that unless we organize for self-protection and make use of our organization, we shall continue to be used as foot-balls, and a target for infuriated white mobs. Unless we take active and aggressive measures for our safety, we shall continue to receive treatment which should not be administered to the beasts of the field. We do not believe there should exist one law for the white man and one law for the black man, as there exists in the South to-day. We are all sovereign citizens, and should be protected by the laws alike. The present dispensation of the law in the South is an infamous outrage, and is unworthy of a great country like ours.

What is the remedy for this state of affairs? History shows that sooner or later oppressed people arise from their lethargy, and take by force that which is denied them by the laws of their country. What we need to do, is to organize such societies as the one so earnestly advocated by the editor of the late _Freeman_, and use such societies for the enforcement of the law and the obtaining of our rights when they are denied us.

The colored people of this country need not expect that their white fellow-citizens are going to aid them in this struggle, so we might as well put our shoulder to the wheel, buckle on our armor and go forth to the conflict with stern faces and undaunted courage. Blessings never come to those who recline upon the indolent couch of ease and wait for them; the honors of this life do not come unsought; a tree planted does not grow to maturity and produce abundant fruit unless nurtured and cared for until it is able to withstand the changes of the seasons. So with our condition in this country. As long as we remain silent while our rights are being filched from us, we may expect a continuance of this kind of thing.

Let us organize ourselves into a powerful and extensive organization and then we shall be in a position to make a systematic and aggressive, as well as harmonious, struggle for our rights. If we do this, we shall command the respect of all men, even if we fail in obtaining what we struggled for. But we shall not fail. Truth and justice sooner or later triumph, if those who champion them are only true to themselves.

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DEATH OF MRS. L. A. ORR.

In the rest and quiet of vacation, death has come to the little band left at Talladega.

On July 15th, Mrs. Orr passed suddenly away from earth. The day before, while riding with a friend, the horse stumbled, and falling forward pulled her out of the buggy to the ground. It was not supposed she was seriously hurt, but later it was found that the fall had produced concussion of the brain. In about two hours she became unconscious, and lay in that condition through all the hours of the night. At 9:30 on Sabbath morning, without a word or look of recognition, she passed away. Thus has ended a most useful and consecrated life. She was president of our W. C. T. U., and none will be more missed. Tired teachers ever found a warm welcome, rest and quiet in her pleasant rooms, and guests of the college will remember with gratitude Mrs. Orr’s careful thoughtfulness for their comfort.

Leaving a pleasant home at the North and remunerative occupation, Mr. and Mrs. Orr came into this missionary work with but a single aim, that of doing good, and nobly has it been accomplished. By their efforts, mission schools in two out-stations have been established and funds obtained for a school and church in one, to be called Clinton Chapel in honor of the donors, most of whom lived in Clinton, Mass. Mrs. Orr visited these schools. Her personal presence cheered and encouraged them, and she gave from her own means with no unsparing hand to further the work. The death of their friend brings great sorrow to the people of these neighborhoods, and they are greatly cast down. “Shall we have to give up our new chapel?” and “What can we do without Mrs. Orr?” are questions asked on all sides.

Dear friend! God help us to more faithfully and prayerfully carry on the work you have laid down.

A. R. D.

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ON TO JESUS; ON TO GOD.

BY REV. G. D. PIKE, D.D.

Holy Spirit, comfort me: I am sadly stained by sin; Help thou mine infirmity, Lead me where the Lamb hath been. Thou canst guide me o’er the road, On to Jesus; on to God.

I have grieved thee oft and sore, Quenched thy gentle, kindly voice; Take, O take me evermore, Let my soul again rejoice. Set my feet upon the road; On to Jesus; on to God.

Finish thou the work in me, Now so graciously begun; Thanks and praise my song shall be To the blessed three in one, As I hie me o’er the road, On to Jesus; on to God.

When my mortal days are done; When I meet the Lamb that died; Grant, O grant thy erring son Rest among the glorified, Ransomed, saved, along the road. On to Jesus; on to God.

MATLOCK BANK, ENG., July 1, 1882.

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THE SOUTH.

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NOTES IN THE SADDLE.

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

The Sunday-school work of the A. M. A. has always been an important element of that work. The rapid development of this department within the past few years has been somewhat remarkable. Our friends expressed grateful surprise at the Portland meeting that the statistics were so exceedingly encouraging along this line. “The total Sunday-school enrollment, as it appears in the Annual Report of 1882, was 7,835, but we are able to report this year an enrollment of 15,109, an increase in five years of 7,274, or nearly 100 per cent.,” was the very satisfactory showing as given in the last Annual Report.

Two interesting bits of history have recently come to me, which indicate that the Sunday-school work of the Association is developing with still greater rapidity and success. Reports were gathered from twenty-two of the students of Straight University, New Orleans, who taught school during the summer vacation. These students were not so busy with their work in the day-school as to neglect their duty as Christians in the organization of Sunday-schools. They were scattered throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and reached many needy fields. They reported the following facts:

Number of pupils in the day-schools which were taught by them 1,398 Number of Sunday-schools organized 13 These students were superintendents or teachers in 22 Number of scholars in these Sunday-schools 1,574 Number of hopeful conversions to Christ 168 Five Bands of Mercy were organized with a membership of 181 Four Temperance Societies were formed with a membership of 241

These facts furnish us excellent evidence of the judicious and enthusiastic efforts of these colored students to save and elevate their own people. _Fifteen hundred and seventy-four_ children gathered into Sunday-schools, most of whom were absolutely unreached before, by these twenty-two under-graduates of a single A. M. A. school!

It is not strange that the President of Straight University, in giving these facts, adds, with evident satisfaction:

“If a complete record could be made of all the work done in one year even, by past and present members of our school, or any of the A. M. A. schools, it would make an aggregate most wonderful.”

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Turning now to the progress of Sunday-school work in our great Mountain field, we find the same remarkable development. Calvary Congregational Church was organized at Pine Mountain, Tenn., Nov. 26, 1887, with thirteen members. The following striking facts are just reported as the results secured in the past few months by the energetic Christian workers in this church. Sunday-schools have been established in the following places, with the enrollment given below:

Calvary Church Sunday-school enrolled 142 Shiloh “ “ 127 New Prospect “ “ 68 Lick Creek “ “ 78

making a grand total of 415 children and young people gathered into these Sunday-schools on the mountain, and only _ten pupils_ of this whole enrollment _had ever been in Sunday-School before_!! Another school is soon to be formed in this neighborhood. This “Pine Mountain” field is about 20 × 60 miles, and the little church which the A. M. A. built during the past few months is the only framed “church house” in the whole region. Think of it, O Christian friends, you who hold the Lord’s money in trust, 1,200 square miles, with cabin homes scattered along every “cove” and fertile valley, left, to this year of our Lord 1888, with only one suitable place of worship!

In building this new church, the people themselves have strained every nerve and made large personal sacrifices. They have had the occasional services of the General Missionary of the A. M. A. for that locality, and I visited them once when Field Superintendent. They have also been assisted from the A. M. A. treasury, but they have labored in season and out of season themselves in order to establish this splendid work. The rapid development of the Sunday-schools is not the only feature of this work that merits our attention. One member of this church has distributed during the year 424 new Bibles and 145 second-hand Bibles. He has visited 500 families personally. He found that 60 per cent. of these people were without the Word of God in complete form. A few had mutilated copies of the Bible.

* * * * *

There are hundreds of fields in the Mountain Work of the A. M. A. just as needy and just as hopeful as Pine Mountain. All the facts indicate that God has now opened this field to us. An intelligent mountaineer said to me, some months ago: “Our great and only hope lies in the A. M. A. and the Congregational churches of the North.” Surely these churches will not disappoint this hope, nor refuse to heed the voice of God speaking to them in all the stirring events of this Mountain Work.

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THE BUSY WORKERS.

The hive of the American Missionary Association in the South has no use for drones. The bees are at work summer and winter, and they improve not only the “shining hour,” but have to be busy in rainy days as well. One of our workers who has long been in the field, and who deserves to be kept there still longer, writes as follows in accepting re-appointment:

I most cheerfully accept the work for another year, and to show you that it means work for me I will just give you my programme for the past two weeks: A rough ride two weeks ago this P.M. to the top of the mountain, and then on foot down the mountain to Spring City, to take the night train for Lexington. Got into Lexington Wednesday morning in a rain. Looked at this and that piece of property during Wednesday and Thursday, it raining most of the time. Came back Friday to Helenwood. Made some calls on Saturday and preached at night. Preached at 11 A.M. next day, and walked eight miles to Robbins and preached at night. Got up at 3 o’clock and walked four miles to catch a train that would stop at Glen Mary. Reached Spring City for breakfast at 6:30. Came up home and answered what letters I needed to, and went back to Spring City to stay all night. Took train at six o’clock Tuesday morning for Sunbright. Rode out to Deer Lodge. Made four pastoral calls, walking four miles to do it, and was ready for an eight-mile ride in lumber wagon, Wednesday morning, in the rain to Mt. Vernon to deliver the oration of the day. Went back to Sunbright next morning and found your letters of the 3rd. Went to Emory Gap that evening. Walked out two miles in mud to see Bro. Clark. Came back to Sunbright Friday, so as to reach Deer Lodge for a church meeting that night. Made some calls Saturday morning, and then walked three miles to call on a Congregational family that ought to unite with our church here, and came back to preach at night. Taught a lesson in Sunday-school next morning, and preached. Walked to Sunbright, seven miles, and preached at night. Got up at 2 o’clock to walk seven miles to Glen Mary to take the early train to reach home and attend to correspondence so I can get off to Crossville to-morrow.

I do not always have it put on quite so thickly as this, but it is a pretty fair average.

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TALLADEGA COLLEGE.

MRS. L. A. ORR.

Talladega College has just passed its eighteenth annual Commencement which, in many respects, was the most successful ever held.

The exercises began on Thursday night, June 7th, with an exhibition in the chapel by the second and third grades of Cassedy School, followed on Friday by exercises in the Primary Department, and at night by an exhibition by the fourth and fifth grades of Cassedy School, all of which reflected credit upon the teachers in charge. To many of our Northern friends, these may seem a very insignificant part of Commencement exercises, but to these parents, who consider all school work a failure which does not close with an exhibition, and who will travel miles to hear their children “say their pieces,” they are a very important part. At these exercises the chapel was crowded almost to suffocation, the hall and windows were full, and many went away, as they could not find even standing room.

On Sunday, in the absence of Pres. DeForest, the baccalaureate sermon was preached by Rev. J. M. Sturtevant, D.D., of Cleveland, Ohio, and was full of rich thought and practical suggestions. At night, Rev. G. M. Elliott, of Selma, preached an excellent missionary sermon, very helpful to the students who go out into the dark places to labor among their people.