THE T.EtCII OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY', DECEMBER 2, 1897.
C h ristia n s and
H eathens.
take the responsibility of his own then are treated as little better than in stitu te extensive com parisons be-
noxious an im als?
How different tween them.
w ords:
Of all national prejudices those
It is far more true to say th a t
“ A ttilia and Genghis K han could it m ight l>e if m issionaries were
ChrUtianity exterminate» the b ea- i >'ot ,h »ye d ? nl: wor“ tb a “ tbe8B sim ply bent on im proving the secu- of religion are probably the most
nom inal C hristian states. M urder; lar lives of the heathen, instead of powerful.
The follies which the
then than that it converts arid civ- eonfiBCation, rapine, have been
preparing them for kingdom come, child of three years is tau g h t to re-
ilizes them. They are com pelled the results. Deception and diplo-
f J. M. W heeler, in F reethinker, gard as holy, often still cling to the
to wear clothes; become no whit macy have been the m achinery.
----------- --------
m an of th irty . Even when reason
more modest, but do become more Dust
land and g‘Jd have been
...
r. the motive power. W hat a mock-
denounces them mem ory pleads
LITTLE TORCHES.
susceptibJe
to
cold a n d disease. J t
..
...
.
,, .
.
1
ery it
seems 1 with
one hand
to stop
th eir cause. They are associated,
introduces virtues and vices with th(J deportation of slaves and with
By W. E. Jo h n so n
perhaps, with our earliest, most
which they were before 3 unacq
unacquaint- the other to introduce m illions of
Serm ons to be good, like griddle joyous recollections.
They are
ed. The virtues are hard to ac casks of a coholic liquors! One
quire, but the vices are easily p ick ­ m issionary reports iiis landing i cakes, m ust be served while hot.— hallowed, it m av be, bv having
[The M ethodist Recorder.
dropped from th e ’ lips of a loved
ed up. M issionary reports are full from a ship with ten thousand g a l­
lons of alcohol. Lord S alisbury is
Yes, a n d like griddle cakes they parent or a lost friend. W orthless,
of assurances of the prevalence of credited with the assertion th a t the
so th at the nay, even perceived to be worthless,
piety and the signal trium phs of settlem ent of m issionaries in a j m ust be greased
divine grace am ong the converted region to which they had come to average m an can swallow them jn them selves, they are tolerated, if
cherished, for the sake of the
heathen. But secular travellers tell preach the gospel helped to make w ith o u t being ch o k ed .
incidental accom panim ents, am ong
an o th er tale. Their testim ony in up the proof of the occupation of
the region, which was required to
Those who love for what they which we first knew them.
India, Africa and A u stralasia is justify a claim to its sovereignity!
hope
get . are actuated
more bv - i Her.ce
tr . . the
,i. extrem
,
i re
r . to ®
. . .
e difficulty
of t
that a C hristianized native is a na­ Treaties were m ade by missionaries, passion
or the sp irit of gr»*ed than
tive spoiled—one wh<> is pretty sure scientific explorers,designing specu­ by love.—[Southw estern C hristian ju stly judging our own religion.
Reason has to com bat, not the
to have acquired C hristian vices, lators, and the chief who put his Advocate.
m ark to a treaty knew not what he
J u s t so! A soul th at loves a possessions of the m ind alone, but
while losing sim ple native virtues.
was doing; the brandy bottle was
In p arts where the Anglo-Saxon placed generally by his side, and m urderous god for the hope of get­ the predilections of the heart.
can colonize, the natives are being the pen put in his hand: he often ting a front seat, harp and halo in Even when the judgm ent is con-
exterm inated by d ise ase and drink. in ignorance assigning the sam e the happy land comes directly un- vinced, the feelings hold out; and
der th a t classification.
we retain a tenderness towards the
The process seems one which it lands to rival adventurers.
“ T hroughout there was an u tter
------
grossest fables, because the days
is difficult to avert, but it is
neglect of the interests of the u n ­
C hrist never argued much with when we learned them were the
nonetheless deplorable. Sir Rich­ happy population; they were to be
ard B urton, and m any other em i­ saved indeed from deportation skeptics, but he asked them <orne happy days of our youth, and those
nent African travellers, have given across the A tlantic to a country in pretty knotty questions. — [ I he who taught them were our best and
JIid lan d -
¡c a rie s , friends.
their testim ony that the evils of which men of th e sam e blood have
True, C hrist did not argue with
developed into nine m illions of
Connected
with
any
other
the slave trade are not greater than
freed men (citizens of the United the “ skeptics” , he was a sort of a religion hut our own, we have
those produced by drink introduced States) in a stage of E uropean cu l­
skeptic himself. All his troubles no such associations. Hence the
by C hristian traders; th a t Islam , ture; they were to rem ain at home
were with th e theologians.
He m illions who im bibe the religion of
with tem perance and the curse of and be slaves there, to see their
was m urdered by godly folks be­ their country, for one who is con­
slavery, is not so bad as C hristian lands and cattle confiscated, their
cause he was not “ orthodox” verted, in ad u lt age, to some for­
ity with the curse of drunkenness villages destroyed; their chieftains,
like poor B ushiri, hung by the G er­ C hrist was the original “ infidel”.
eign superstition. U naided by the
In China the inhabitants a t least mans; their women, as in the Cam-
easy credulity of infancy, an d the
ascribe the curse of opium to C hris­ aroons, flogged by the ‘most c u ltu r­
In
the
S
criptures
the
sin
of
u
n
­
magic power of early association,
tian influence.
Wong Chin Foo, ed’ Europeans, or worse. The mis­
belief is invested wdth peculiar
the Chinese w riter of “ W hy I Am sionaries of different denom inations condem ning
power. — [C hristian religion is com paratively im potent.
and
churches
Hock
in,
and
become
Its absurdities are too clearly seen
a H ea th en ” , in the North Am eri­
W ork, N ov. 4.
a portion of the conquering race;
can Review, said:
You still have the nerve to in­ to obtain credence.
one m issionary near lake N yanza is
We cannot convince ourselves
“ W heu the English wanted the said to have actually hanged a sist th a t “ unbelief” in some abstract
C hinam an’s gold and trade, they m a n — another m issionary near disputed theological proposition, is more practically of this th an by
said they wanted to open China for V ictoria N yanza to have burned a a greater offense th an tra in rob­ selecting some foreign religion as a
missionaries. And opium was the village—some sections of C hristians bery, horse stealing, wife beating specimen. The blindest am ong us
ch ief— in fact, only — m issionary actually wage war with o ther sec­
Things are done which or m urder. How can you expect can see l h at it is but a convenient
they looked after when they forced tions.
the ports open. And this infam ous would seem to be im possible out of a sane m an to take stock in any bondage to enable the one, or the
few, to hold the m illions in slavery.
C hristian introduction am ong Chi­ Pandem onium , and yet this is com ­ such idiocy?
placently
described
as
the
advance
------
The dullest am ong us can perceive
namen has done more in ju ry , social
of
civilization
and
C
h
ristia
n
ity
.”
and m oral, in C hina th an all the
B rethren, it is alarm ing.
In th a t it has not even com m on sense
h u m an itarian agencies of C hristi­
The pretext can no more apply to some congregations I find the elders or probability, much less infallible
an ity could remedy in two h u n ­ C entral and N orthern Africa th a n whose d u ty it is to feed she flock wisdom, to recom m end it.
The ex-
dred years. And on you C hristians,
and
who
should
he
an
exam
ple
to
to
India.
W
e
can
neither
kill
out
,
...
.
, , •
, am ination of a foreign religion,
and on your greed of gold, we lay
th
e
sam
e,
living
in
adultery,
and
. . . .
„ ,
» b
the burden of the crim e resulting; nor replace the dark races in torrid yet th e m a tte r passes unnoticed by
,ete ore’ 1H very useful. It is one
of tens of millions of honest, useful regions. But we cau m ake their the church.— [G. W. W illiam s, in
the most im portant lessons
men and women sent thereby to a lives m iserable or help to m ake the Gospel Echo.
which history can teach us.—[In -
prem ature death after a short, m is­ them brighter.
I t is in vain to
There now, Mr. W illiams, don’t vestigator.
erable life, besides the physical and
------- — ---------
m oral prostration it entails, even speak of the benefits of colonization get excited. D on’t you see th a t
But th a t is these “elders” are simply following
where it does not prem aturely kill! in equatorial regions.
More Science and Less Bible.
And this great national curse was no reason they should not have the in the footsteps of old dady
_______
th ru st on us at the points of Chris benefits of civilization. The nation-
A braham , Uncle Lot, David the
Mrs. R. A. Bell, of W askom,
tian bayonets
And y..n wonder aI «„„science needs quickening in
K ing, Solomon and other sacred Texas, sends us her evidence of the
why we are heathen.”
...
1
K
this m atter.
There used to be a
I)r. Robert Needham Cust testifies B ritish and Foreign A borigines
in the cu rren t Asiatic Q uarterly Protection Society; but I have seen
Review th a t the condition of the no evidence of its existence for a
people of Africa under the discred- long time. Races th a t have for ages
itable game of grab, carried on at elaborated a social polity of their
their expense by France, G erm any own are being stam ped out before
and E ngland, has been such th a t even an attem p t is m ade to under-
‘ the Bufferings of A rm enia under stand them . O ur m issionaries go
t h e 'l u r k a re a s nothing in com par- to them with an intolerant faith,
ison.” 1 lie entire population of claim ing exclusive possession of
one hundred and th irty m illions tru th , and with a fetich book which
has been injuriously affected. But w arran ts the exterm ination of idol-
I m ust cite Dr. Cust, and let him , aters. W hat wonder th a t the hea-
w riters and
G od-
P rophets,
favored of civilizing effect of science.
The
negroes before the Civil W ar and
Our Neighbor’s Religion.
for some time after it, were very
pious, believed in prayers, dreams.
No man can distinguish his own
faults and follies half so clearly as
he can those of his neighbors,
And w hat is true of men is true of
natio n s also. N ational prejudices
are no less strong than are personal
ones. It is not easy to appreciate
th eir strength and their num ber
un til we visit other countries and
and visions, and were the most
superstitious people on the face of
the earth. But after they had been
free a long tim e, and had acquired
some education, she sees th a t their
superstition is wearing
awav.
School books are all scientific, for
they teach facts, not religion: th u s
we see the civilizing of the negroes
is the result of science, for they had