PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 81

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

TfflE SUDAN AND MOHAMMEDANISM. ~ . What is it thai waJks . •''" "In the morii at four, . . '.'At noon on two," ' At night on. three? This is_ "the riddle of the Sphinx, which was propounded, so mythology tells us, at the dawn of ages by the man-beast to the children of men." What is the answer, to the riddle? Man! .. "Crawling in his childhood days closest to the ground with its face to the dust, the weakest, most ignorant, and ail-but instinctless of animals. "Look at it again in 30 years at the noonday of life, erect, with its face to the sun, -ruling ereition, in its eyes the firelight of the spirit of God." "Look at it again! But a few years have gone, and the strong,' straight backbone is ' bent, the .steel-hard, bloodswelled muscles have become flabby; with a crutch Or a crooked stick slowly it toils algon> sinking gradually back to the earth whence it came! "The life of a man, the life of a nation, is a progress from childhood to old age; and similar marks characterise both."

In this week's Witness you will see a cable from Sydney stating that Dr Kumm, who is lecturing in tihat city, says that Italy, if she tries to annex Tripoli, will raise a hornet's nest about her ears. Not much connection between the riddle of. the Sphinx, the growth of a man, the growth of a nation, the annexation of Tripoli, and Dr Kumm, is there? Well, Dr Ktumm, I imagine, ,'s in Australia. I hope he will come to New Zealand, too,: for I should like to hear him—with a purpose. He wants to evangelise the Sudan before the Mohammedans get ful play there ; and the hornet's nest he refers to is not. I think, the European Powers, but Mohammedanism, which is so militant, and the headquarters of on© sect of which are in Tripoli. THE SUDAN.

'. Have you any conception of where it is, wh vt are its boundaries, what is its area, and what its population is? We are often very vague on geographical positions. Last week, when in town, a business friend of mine said to me, "Where is Tripoli?" I told him, and he laughingly said, "A friend rang roe up on the.telephone asking where it was, and I replied I thought it was on the west coast of Africa somewhere." And how indefinite ' 'somewhere" is. • I mentioned Dr Kumm for another reason. I have just been reading his "The Lands of Ethiopia," and this, with three booklets kindly lent to me a fortnight ago, forms the basis of my Chat. The booklets are "The Lightbearer," "Ethiopia," and " Look on the Fields." The two last are published at sixpence, but will have to be" ordered. They deal with the Sudan United Mission, and aire extremely interesting in parte. On the outside page of the end cover there is a large interrogation mark. In the circle oif the book there is cut out a cross with thr; word " Christ " above it, at the junction of the curve with the straight line the word "or," and in the pericid at' the foot there is blocked out the crescent and the word "Mohammed." This large interrogation mark so dealt with is very expressive. The Sudan plus Abyssinia and Erythrea —you will find the Inst, an Italian possession, between Abyssinia and the Red Sea—are the Ethiopio of Bible story. It extends from the highlands of Abyssinia in the east to Senegal and Senegambia in the west, a distance of over 3000 miles, and Timbuotoo, its western capital, is further from Khartum, its eastern capital, than it is from Edinburgh; and it is about 600 miles wide. Its area is about two millions of square miles; so it is as large as Europe if .we exclude Russia, or nearly

20 of our Dominions, and its population is estimated at anything between 50 and 80 millions. *' They live in tribes, ruled over by native kings and chieftains. They speak a myriad of languages, most of •which are unwritten. In their religion they are pagans and Mohammedans. They are a people not only dark in colour, but darker still in intellect." I should add here, perhaps, that Dr Kumm thinks that 40,000,000 would be a fairer estimate of the Sudan population. THE EVOLUTION OF A EACE.

Now let me return to the answer of the riddle of the Sphinx. Dr Kumm wants a Legion of Erointiersmen —he uses a phrase we already have to designate a body of men leagued together to defend the Empire.—to form a line right across the Sudan to stem the onward march of Mohammedanism. And his arguments in favour of Christianising the Sudan_ are eminently sane. Mohammedanism is a militant religion, and appeals to the ignorant. Wherever it gets firm hold it kills advance morally, degrades womanhood, and is in intense antagonism to Christianity. But a stronger reason for Christianising the Sudan is this: It is only through European occupation producing enforced peace in European-controlled areas that the Mohammedan merchant and muezzin have been able to penetrate the Sudan. In " Look on the Fields " we read the following, Avhich may be taken as a statement to be repeated whenever a European advance is made. The extract is taken from a chapter headed '' The Crisis Hour " :

" The crisis is, if anything, more acute ; and it is rapidly passing. Tribes which were only conquered last year have been taken possession of already by Moslem missionaries.

" I stayed for three days in the capital of the Burrum tribe, north of Wase, in a place called Kanna. This tribe was only conquered last year, and this year is witnessing. the building of a large mosque, at Kanna, and sees the King and hie courtiers bow their knees to Allah Mfohammed. The giant King of the Ankive at Shendam was, with his people, a pagan only a short time ago. "He is to-day followed everywhere by his Mohammedan MaJlam (teacher). The Yergum, Montoil, and Girkwana tribes had been conquered just before we arrived at Wase. Next year, humanly speaking, -will see Mohammedanism in-, stalled in their capitals. In the capital of the Jukun tribe there is already quite a Mohammedan colony. The Munchis will prabably be subjected by British troops next year, when one of the finest and most warike tribes of Northern Nigeria will be forced to open its doors to the influences of Mohammedanism. Not one of these tribes : would have let a Mohammedan trader or missionary into their countries before british arms conquered them."

Bear in mind, then, the simple facts that it is only through European occupancy that Mohammedanism has been able to get a hold in. most of the Sudan, and that it is a militant religion of low ideal, Dr Kumm asks that our occupancy politically should be our occupancy spiritually. Further, "as 5000 teachers are being educated in Cairo as missionaries, it would not be too .much to expect the Christian nations to make the question of Christianising the Sudan an international one.

Perhaps I had better write another Chat upon this question, for I haven't yet given Dr Kumni's connection between the riddle of the Sphinx and the Sudan.