A WORD TO OUR INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING.
By G. H. Baber
For some time I have been impressed with the thought of writing to the directors and teachers in our various institutions of learning. I have received calendars from some of these. I read with interest their articles in the REVIEW, whether they refer to the needs, the progress, or the decisions of councils; but in none of these do I find reference to the thing that burdens me. You are aware that to the south of, and adjoining, the United States lies a vast territory more than twice the size of the United States including Alaska. In round numbers, there are eight million square miles, with a population of fifty million. Politically it is divided into fifteen republics and four small dependencies, not including Cuba and Puerto Rico. Nearly all these republics have inefficient, unstable governments. Some of them are seldom free from revolution. These are signs of decay, and must class them with Lord Salisbury's “dying nations.” The political prophecy of Mr. Cecil Rhodes, that “the ultimate work of the United States will be to govern South America,” also Mexico and the Central American states, has nothing to do with my burden. Whether the United States, in pursuing her policy of “benevolent assimilation,” will think it her “duty to give them a white man's government” or not, does not affect in the least the great commission of our Saviour, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” A faithful church must respond to this commission without consulting the forms of government, without waiting for the “open doors.” The doors have ever been open since the divine commission was given. The trouble is not with the door, but with those who hesitate to enter. “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward,” and the door will open as did the waters of the Red Sea. It is a matter of rejoicing to read of the opening of so many schools for the purpose of training Christian workers. There should be one hundred times as many workers in the field as there are at present. This certainly calls for many well-filled training-schools. For what fields are these schools training their pupils?—Certainly some of them ought to be preparing laborers for this great Latin American field, where the Spanish language is spoken. Brazil, of course, is an exception, as the Portuguese is the language of that country. But these languages are so similar that one understanding the Spanish can readily learn the Portuguese. Probably you will have surmised that my burden is to have the Spanish language taught in not only one, but in many, of our schools. Certainly this great “neglected continent” deserves more attention from her more favored sister of the north. It is a great mistake to say that a missionary to a foreign field should wait to learn the language on the ground. He might as well wait to learn the Bible in the pulpit. The conjugations of the verbs, the definition of words, and many other things may be learned in English schools or in private homes. To give stability to our work in this field we must have foreign leaders; and they should be in training as regards the language as well as in other things. The great original Spanish field, with its 17,000,000 persons, is yet untouched by this message, which is to go to every tongue and to every nation of every tongue. Then give us plenty of Spanish tongues, American heads, and Christian hearts, and the work will move with rapidity, and God will be glorified. May the Lord bless you in introducing Spanish into your curriculum.