Christian Nation Vol. 18 1893 - Rparchives.org

j ) f D M l i m l Q f A l S M i[Communications pertaining to missions will beaddressed to P. M. Poster, 305 'West 29th St., NewYork.]Selling men into slavery for vagrancy hasbeen once before witnessed in Missouri, andwas again witnessed, if the press is correct, onMarch 21st. The despatch is from Fayette,Howard Co., Mo., and reads : " On Tuesdaynext, March 21, at the south front door of thecourt house, between the hours of 9 o'clock inthe forenoon and fiveo'clock in the afternoon,George Winn will be sold at public outcryfor cash in hand for a term of six months tothe highest bidder. Judge Boyd McCray willmost likely be the auctioneer on this occasion."The firstpublic sale of colored prisoners tookplace at that town on Monday, March 26, 1892.The presumption is that colored prisoners onlyare thus sold. It is a strange procedure inthis " free " land, and we wonder whereuntothis will grow. Are slavery days returning ;or is Howard Co., Mo., a barborous people?Evidently, there is room for good, earnestmission work in Missouri! The above readsmuch like advertisements in slavery times.Here are three taken from the " Georgia Journaland Messenger,' before the war :" Just arrived!—A likely lot of Maryland.and Virginia Negroes, plough-boys and giris.Also, a few washers and ironers and cooks.Their lives are insured one year, and for saleon reasonable terms, at Noel's Brick NegroMart, Poplar street:"" The subscribers have opened a house inMacon, on the corner next below the " Browne, House," and near the passenger depot, for thepurchase and sale of negroes. A good supplyof likely Young Negroes kept constantly onhand, and for sale. Purchasers and traders areinvited to call and examine for themselves.Stubbs and Haedy." Sixty Negroes for mie!—I bave just receiveda likely lot of Young Negroes fromMaryland, and offer them at reasonable prices.Purchasers will please favor me with a call.Also, wish to purchas© good men and womenfor the Western market, for which I will tradewomen and children, or pay cash."W. R. Phillips.Such advertisements, even to read them afterCHEISTIAN NATION. Volnme 18.thirty years, fill our hearls with grief. Toknow that scenes which such advertisementssuggest were continually witnessed, fills uswith dismay and dread lest the justice of Godbe not yet satisfied. The horrors of Civil Warprobably never equalled the horrors of theIn the burning of Tremont Temple, Boston,muck, valuable mission literature was destroyed,and which cannot be replaced. Also, curiosfrom lands where missionaries are at work slave-pen and auction-block. That God haswent up in the great conflagration. Tremontwiped the disgrace from our nation, howeverTemple was the home of Baptist Mission Societies.thanksgiving. Bat what about tbis sale of Ne­much His work was resisieJ, is a cause forgroes in Howard Co., Missouri? 8jail eventhe semblance of slavery be tolerated?It is well known that Bishop Taylor in Africanmiesiona is criticised for his method of -jettingchildren in his schools. A recent writerin the Christian says : " Such children as canbe obtained must be bought, and to favor this,is to encourage kidnapping ; for Africans willnot sell their own children, though they willsell readily enough the children they can manageto steal." It appears that Bishop Taylorhas purchased some children for his schools.The object is good ; but the method is to beunhesitatingly condemned. Hitt ^heory is," Get the children as the only hope of reachingAfrica." Butthe above writer says: 'Suchpreliminary and education work as BishopTaylor recommends is a mere waste of time atfirst, that the firstthing lo aim at is the conversionof the people ; and that such directministry is not " love's labor lost" for, as a devotedmissionary says, '' I have seen the truthof God illuminate the darkest minds." Inmany places, the school and the hospital arerelied upon as evangelizing agencies, thepreaching of the Gospel occupying only a subordinateplaco. But where these are reliedupon, a self-sustaining church is a matter of(•loubt, at least far in the future. Our faith isin the Gospel as a converting power ; not inQuinine or Arithmetic.The following, taken from the MissionaryBeview, fills us with joy and sorrow : " InPersia a bold stand for Christ has been takenby Mirza Abraham, a Mohammedan who wasbaptised about three years ago. He had beenat work preaching Ohrist, and when demandedby the Serperast, " Why should you, a Moslem,be teaching the Christian doctrines? MirzaAbraham taking out his Testament asked inreply, "Is not this Injil a holy book? TheSerperast acknowledged that it was. " Thenam I not right in reading and teaching it?"But how about Mohammed?" "That is foryou to say. My faith is in Christ and HisWord. He is my Saviour." Mirza was thenkicked and beaten, together with the Chrietianbrother at whose house he had been arrested,But he was undaunted. To the Serperast, whohad himself kicked him terribly, he said;' You may shoot me from the cannon's mouthbut you cannot take away my faith in Chiist,"Eventually, after being pnt in prison, and witnessingthere a good confession, he was senton to Tabriz to await the royal sentence. Thecase is crucial, as a direct issue is joined. Willthe Shah put a man to death for leaving theKoran and following the Gospel? One thingwe know : " His sheep shall never perish."The unshaken faith, the undaunted courageand Christian fortitude of Mliza Abrahammake him worthy of a place among the ilJustriousones in Hebrews f leventh. But few suchheroic examples of faith are witnessed in thehome land, though here we have had the benefitof God-fearing ancestors, the ordinancesof grace from generation to generation. Itwould appear, also, that Islamism must soondetermine its attitude toward the Christian religion.It is being pushed into a corner, andmust either permit its followers to peaceablyaccept Christianity, when converted, or declareopen and relentless war on them and the religionwhich they profess. The latter is such atremendous undertaking, so far-reaching in itsresults, so terrible in its consequences, that itis not believed it will be chosen. But if not, anew era will soon dawn on mission work inMoslem lands.A churcb which has for nearly a generation,been under the control of aud has been ownedby the Presbytery of New Tork, (Presbyterianiis to be sold by order of said Presbytery. Thiaextinguishes the last church below Canalstreet. New Tork, in the Presbyterian body.Probably the city runs a mile below that street,with several hundred thousand paople. Tlieytalk st.-ongly, also, of selling another just aboveCanal street. We are not||to suppose that thePresbyterians have no interest in downtownwork. That is not the case. The bigexpense is the moving cause. Those broughtin, down-town, are poor, for the rich all scamperoff up-town. This leaves such churcheswithout the Lelp they once had. And we arenot to forget, also, that foreigners and Catholicsfillsaid districts. In one district but sevenper cent are Protestant. Just the place formission work, you say! Tes, but mission workhas to be paid for. But that it should be,Iandthe work kept going is plain, instead of seflingout ar.d " giving place to the devil."Each Christian should regard himself as amissionary. Heis one and should make hislife a life-long missionary effort. On everyhand and inconn'less ways opportunities offer." The fieldsare white for the harvest" invitingthe sharp sickle. Thrust in thy blade and reap!Thus you will honor God, save and build upsouls.INDIAN CHAPEL FUND.Reported by Mrs. Rev. R J Oeorge.Eeceived tor chapel in Indian Mission from children'snickle fund : Elora Lawson, .80c , Annie Lawson,.55c., Blanche Means, .20o., Marv White 81.00, V»leDownie $1.00, Annie Downie. |l.'00 Bell Henderson..62o., Edna Pearce, .20c., Mary Buth George, $1.00Willie Fleming, $1.00, aud $5.00 from Mrs. J. S.Martin's Bible class of boys. Total, $12.37.