A CIVILISING POWER.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12769, 10 February 1910, Page 1

A CIVILISING POWER.

» President Tnft at a recent convention held at Washington said: "We could, those of us who wore in the Orient, stud ysoinewhat the Chinese question, study somewhat the movements that were going on in that great empire of 400,000,000 people; and the chief movement that was going on was a movement that found its inspiration in the foreign missions that have been there to introduce Christian civilisation among, th,Q people. I do nob hesitate \o say that because I am convinced of the fact. They are the outposts of the Christian civilisation. Each missionary with his house and his staff, forms a nucleus about with gathers an influence far in excess of the numerical list of converts. They have a political influence. The development of China to-day is largely the result of, first, the inissionai-y movement, and the education in America and elsewhere, under the influence of these missionaries, of young Chinamen, who are anxious that their country shall take the position that her wealth and numbers, and resources, and possibilities, and history justify. "The same thing is true, though I am not so familiar with it, in regard to Africa. The men who take their lives in their hands and go among th© natives are entitled to be called the outposts of civilisation. They have been criticised, and I presume that is ■ something that is common to human . kind; they have been held up to con- I tempt at times. The lives they lead, the good they do, and the fact that they represent the highest <jf otir 'civilisation make it so important that they should, bo sent into those fardistant places. Ido not want to Te- ' fleet upon anybody, but I am bound to say that in those distant lands a great many who visit there for gain, and for so-called business, for livelihood that they could not earn at home, are not representatives of our best element at home. They take in the native when they can, and they do not impress tho native, who has. only them to judge by, that the civilisation that they represent would be any great improvement on that which they have. When you contrast them with the missionaries who go there

only for disinterested purposes, risking their lives, it makes me indignant to hear contempt expressed ior tjiesw men, to those in positions where tiiey may be complete sacrifices to the cause."