p. 19 | South America's Need Urgent by J. W. Westphal

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 13, 1907

South America's Need Urgent

By J. W. Westphal

There are forty-five million souls in the territory of the South American Union Conference. This embraces all of South America excepting Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas, and is twice the size of the United States. Two main languages are spoken—Portuguese in Brazil, and Spanish in the other republic. Besides these there are representatives from almost every nation under heaven here—English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Chinese, etc. Hosts of Indians are here, a small remnant, however, of the original number. Some are wild and savage, others are domesticated, speaking different languages. A few can speak the national tongues. Many have accepted the paganized Christianity of the Catholic Church. Many more have never heard the name of Christ, while a few have heard of and accepted the Prince of Peace. A hundred thousand Indians are said to live in the little republic of Paraguay, with one Protestant mission among them. In the same country there are more than as many more half castes who know only the Indian language, and are as ignorant and superstitious as the aborigines. This condition exists in more than one South American country.

This people, once bound by the shackles of Rome, have longed to be free. One by one they have burst the bands that held them. The hand of Rome is compelled, but not without a desperate struggle, to loosen its grip. Liberty of heart and mind is asserting itself. After centuries of darkness and oppression the gospel may be freely preached nearly everywhere.

With the risen light there comes a cloud. The struggle for liberty in its fullest, truest sense is not over, but just begun. Rome has yielded, but has not given up. What she has lost in the open conflict she is determined to restore by subtlety. She will use to the re-establishment of her power and principles the hands that have broken them.

What has broken her power?—Protestantism, as developed in the Reformation, as preached by Christians, as revealed in the one and only true Protestant nation, the United States. The tide of liberty has swept back and forth until it has washed nearly every shore with its healing flood, and men have settled down to think that it is a lasting thing.

The torch of liberty brilliantly lighted on America's shores, has slowly and gradually penetrated the darkest corners of the earth; but when oppression threatens in America, her example in oppression is more quickly followed than was her example in liberty.

The Sunday law crusade long ago reached South America. In Argentina every place of business that cared to be open was open all day Sunday five years and ago. To-day nearly every business is closed by law. Following the famous Sunday law of Constantine, work is permitted in seed- and harvest-time in the country, but many things are absolutely forbidden. Catholic priest and Protestant minister stand side by side in their appeals for civil power in behalf of religious institutions; and this in the pretense of a reformation.

Everything shows that our time to work is short. Already we have delayed too long. We pray that scores of our young men, the students from our schools, will turn their minds and hearts to the needs of neglected South America in this our opportune hour; and that its principal languages may be made living languages in our missionary training-schools. J. W. WESTPHAL.