2
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1S98.
' induetrious and jhrifiv and intelli- lyte tliem. The Chinese devotee, ally: “The annual cry of a defi-
eay the foreign devils build rail- cieucy in the funds of the various
^ T h e per capita debt of Spain ie i roads and telegraph lines, which ia missionary board, is heard but the
fcY J. W. THOMAS.
.94 and her per capita wealth ¡.¡offensive to their gods, and their cry is more sharp and b.tter tnan
.
Spain is not as large as Texas, $460 while our per capita debt is ' gods send famine and pestilence on usual. The Baptists are
$14 and our per capita wealth their fair land. This is thoroughly behind, and the Presbyterians
and of her 17,650,234 inhabitants, rnlv
mo e"‘ban $1100. What must be Christian. Isay the most promi- $300,1)00 behind, with other denone
12,000,000 cannot read or write. m„re than 11000. . What
must I be
* 'a'f lb
X biZe u Z i - ! i^ X n s a"nd"boaids in bad condi-
.. .
« « k n ,t,
Think of a community where only t h e o U x a U o n . ,,n
co t n a s ___ ♦ .o
teaching
of th « e j b ib le is con» ¡nations and boards in bad condi-
servatism.
“He that helieveth” , tion, hut not equally had. The
four
can
'
small
as
Spain,
with
a
population
one person ,n three or four c o
(Mark xv. 16, John iii. IS), etc. Outlook frankly admits that these
readl It is a rare t iing in i , .
standing army of more than The Christian scheme of redem p-'deficitsareduetoagrowingskepu-
country to find a person who can no
ThJg ¡B very lnuch the tion is built on faith, and faith nips cism of the needs of missionary
read and write, and it is becoming condition of
of bU
all European
European nations.
nations. investigation in the bud. But work and of the economy of mis-
withouti sionary administration.
If mis-
more rare year after year
This means a good deal. 1 he peo­ without investigation,
Yet Spain is a Christiau nation ple of the United States should cliange, without trying to make i sionary efforts were devoted to the
and this country is not. That is learn to look on the bright side as everything better, progress is im- transmission, to less favored na-
nossihle. Faith just simply slips tions, ofall the better elements of
the difference. I regret to know well as on the dark side.
that a great many otherwise intel­ Spain was once the greatest na­ every’ man’s h* ad into a halter and our civilization, instead of busying
ligent people do not know this fact. tion on earth, the most enterpris­ hands the reins to the priest or themselves with the inculcation of
We often hear our religious friends ing, the most progressive. It was preacher. There is nothin." tuore metaphysical dogmas, or the culti­
speak of the United States as a through the valor and enterprise of offensive to them than a lack of vation of a certain emotional excite­
Christian nation. Spain is a Chris­ the renowned Ferdinand and Isa­ faith; because even the humble ment, it might be easier to show
tian nation — one of the most in­ bella that Columbus, sailing Span­ Nazarenes have found out that the average man why he should
tensely Christian of all the nations ish ships, discovered the western there is nothing more dangerous to contribute of his substance to sup­
-of the globe. What Spain is, Chris­ continent. But the glory of Spain their superstition than an honest port them. But missionary efforts
of any sort will not succeed greatly
tianity has made her. And Chris­ has vanished. What is the cause doubter.
To comprehend the moral status when accompanied by whisky and
tianity would have made the saint of this immense change from the
of the United States if it had been as first place among nations to the of the Christian Spaniard, one has a disposition to rob the heathen of
Christiany Christian as Spain. She verge of dissolution? hor there are only to look at the conspiracy his land.”
A popular daily paper reflects
is not quite so Christian today as grave apprehensions in Spain to­ against the Maine. Even if we
formerly, especially in regard to day, among those in power, that knew nothing of the Spanish char­ the opinion of those who pay for it.
the things of this world. For the there is to he a change, if not in acter except that act of treachery The manager gives them what he
eburh once owned Spain, hut does the form of government, at least in and cowardice, it would be sufficient thinks they want,and if he publish­
not today. The pope, however, the rulers.
to locate them from the standpoint es the facts about missions, the
opinions and conclusions of the
holds a heavy mortgage against
of
moiality
and
civilization.
Historians tell us that Spain is
higher critics, and the historic facts
her, and that is thought to be the
There
is
an
old
saying
that
“it
is
400 years behind the progress of
revealed by cylinders and tablets
reason his holiness asked the Unit­
an
evil
wind
that
blows
nobody
nations. And the question might
which prove the hooks of Daniel,
ed States to allow him to act as ar­
good”.
And
although
war
is
a
most
he put in this form: What is the
Esther,Jonah and Ruth to he relig­
bitrator. He pretended that he was
dreadful
calamity,
this
war
between
cause of this national stagnation,or
ious or historical romances, or as
interested wholly in behalf of suf­
Spain
and
the
United
States
has
fering humanity, hut he has never lack of progress? As I said above, revealed to the world many import­ Prof. Briggs says in the North
Spain is a most intensely Christian
American Review, “inspired fic­
told why he was not interested in
ant
facts.
And
the
laet
that
the
nation. Nearly everybody belongs
tion”, it is because the people want
the starving, dying, filth- and dis­
most
Christian
nation
in
the
world
to the Roman Catholic church,and
just such reading. And such arti­
ease-stricken people until he saw
is
the
most
degraded,
morally
and
the very few Protestants are not al­
cles are continually appearing in
the United States actually going to
intellectually,
is.
to
my
mind,
the
lowed to hold public services. The
he great New York dailies and are
war in their behtlf, although his
most
prominent
fact
revealed.
republished hv the secular press
church had carried on a pitiless, same would he true in this country
Concordia,
Mo.
if everybody belonged to the same
generally because they strike the
inhuman butchery for three long
church, whether Catholic or I ro-
keynote of popular thought.
years!
testant. For it is the nature of
That such is the attitude of the
The Zeitgeist.
A careful study of the history
churches to he conservative. 1 bey
secular press is proved by such
and present condition of Spain bj
BY CHARLES CLARK MILLARD.
would not he true to their bible if
items as the following, taken from
those of our countrymen who are
thev were not most conservative, or
the Literary Digest of June 4: “At
disposed to complain at and htIitti*
To
Secularists,
Freethinkers
and
non-progressive. The most promi­
a recent meeting of the Lutheran
our own country, Mould be a splen­
liberal
people
generally,
the
out­
nent feature of biblical teaching is
Synod of New York, a resolution
did object lesson. A workman here
look
is
encouraging.
This
is
a
fa­
conservilism; to think lightly of
was adopted deprecating the unfa­
who receives from SI.50 to $4 per
the things of this world, and think vorable time for summing up tin vorable attitude of a large portion
day, such as carpenters, masons,
more of the life to come. In fact, existing points in our favor, and to of the secular press toward an ex­
smiths, etc., receives only 45 cents
this idea is so prominent that it is encourage ourselves and our fellow treme theological liberalism, as
to 60 cents per day in Spain. 1 his
even sinful to be full of plucky bus­ workers by making a rational fore­ though it represented progressive
means that the poor people,
iness. The parable about the man cast of the future. And therefore I scholarship and the true spirit of
and they are nearly all pool in
who was about to build a new ham propose to notice some of the facts Christianity; while the evangelical
Spain, live just that much below
is to the point. This conservative which surely indicate the spirit, or orthodoxy, which reflects prevalent
the standard of living in this coun­
spirit, or the lack of proper busi­ thought of the present time.
Christian faith and theology, is
try. Things that are of common,
First, the great Methodist Epis­ continually misrepresented and op­
ness enterprise, has led the church
daily use here, are luxuries “out of
to make one irreparable blunder. copal church, second only to the posed, and commending only such
sight” in Spain. For instance, it is
It has succeeded in putting itselt Roman Catholic in the number of secular journals as treated re­
said that every person in Spain
on record as opposed to progress, to its members, has almost ceased to spectfully and reverently the com­
eats, on an average, 49 pounds
science, or any change of any kind increase its membership. I he gain mon orthodox faith of the C hris-
meat
a
year;
while
here
of
which will not bring about a uni­ during the past year, accoiding t«» tian world.”
in America each person eats 120
versal stagnation of business and their own report, was only one-six­
The Christian Advocate, in no­
pounds. Each American eats 16
teenth
of
one
per
cent.
The
Amer
ticing this resolution, expresses the
pounds of butter a year, while it is society.
ican
Bible
Society
has
reached
its
The people in China are also
opinion that it is time other denom­
said that in Spain they do not eat
culmination,
and
has
moved
into
They call our
inations were taking similar ac­
any. Each Spaniard uses 5 pounds very religious.
much
smaller
and
cheaper
quarters
of sugar and 4 pounds of coffee in a Christian fiiends who go there to with a debt of 8100,000 hanging tion.
Another sign of the Zeitgeist of
year.
Each American uses 43 preach the “true gospel" to those
benighted heathen,“foreign
heathen,"toreign ueviis
. over it; and the Foreign Mi^iona-
devils”.
the present is the decline of reviv­
pounds of sugar and 115 pounds of
And I think it is a very good name, ry Society has reduced the numhei
What was k»own as the
coffee. This means that the Amer­
_ . .
•
. V _ — ™ a on”, and
a n il is
1C h hopeless­
n n e le s s - alism.
of t its “hangers
Those
Chinese
are
even
more
Chris-
ican people are better fed and
ly in debt. On this subject the baptism
------- of the Holy - Ghost has he-
tianlike
than
some
of
the
lowly
clothed
than me
the Spaniards, —
and ---------
'lothed tnan
Kansas City Journal says, editori-1 come a matter of memory, except
hat they are correspondingly more, Nazarenes who go there to prose
Spanish vs, American.
-------------- I