AMERICA, sometimes called "Christian America," spends over two billion, eleven million dollars for intoxicating liquors. America — this nation of the United States — spends over nine hundred twenty-six million dollars a year for tobacco; she spends three hundred sixty million dollars a year for tea and coffee and chocolate; she spends at least two hundred million dollars a year for confectionery, soft drinks, patent medicines, and body- and soul-destroying drugs; she spends for army and navy two hundred eighty million dollars per annum.
Here is an aggregate sum of more than three and three-quarters billion dollars expended for things worse than useless. This does not include what is lost in gambling, horse-racing, prize-fighting, wanton extravagances in a thousand ways, and in unnamable vices. It is not over-stating it to say that more than four billion dollars is thus expended for things not one of which is necessary to life, comfort, or happiness, and nearly all of which, if not all, are positive detriments to health, to mental vigor, to peace of home and community, to temporal prosperity, to life itself. It is not overstating it to say that an average of forty dollars per annum for each man, woman, and child in Christian America is expended in these ways.
America gives yearly, it is said, for foreign missions seven and a half millions, an average per man, woman, and child of seven and a half cents. To make the estimate liberal, there may be ten millions spent every year for foreign missions. That would be ten cents per capita. Think of it! Forty dollars for self-indulgence, for expenditures worse than useless; 10 cents for God!
But not more than seventy per cent indulge in these wasteful extravagances, and in these body- and soul-destroying habits and vices. This would be nearly sixty dollars per capita thus expended. There are in this country less than one hundred million souls, but there are in China four hundred fifty-three million. There are in East India, exclusive of Malaysia, forty-five million; in "dark Africa," all the way from one hundred forty to one hundred seventy million; in Japan, over fifty million; in Malay Islands, over sixty million; in the rest of Asia not named, nearly seventy million. The most of these do not know Christ, do not know the blessings of Christian civilization. Yet the people are all humans, the same as we17have; but these have not been touched by the life of Christianity.
UNITED STATES 100,000,000 REST OF ASIA 68,405,000 MALAY ISLANDS 62,688,362 JAPAN 51,458,037 ISLANDS OF THE SEA 1,000,000
Compare their conditions with conditions where Christianity prevails. How would you, reader, like to be in their place? And if you were in their place and they were in yours, what do you think their duty would be to you? In many of these nations woman is considered but little, if any, better than a beast, in some cases even lower; yet these women have the same impulses, desires, the same human affections, as do women in America. What is our duty toward them? Besides all these, there are millions upon millions in Europe, in South America, yea, in our own land, who, tho they have heard the name of Christ, do not know Him as a personal Saviour, as the One above all others who is the Friend and Saviour of sinners. What is the duty of those who do know Him? Look on these pictures, study them, take time to drink in their lessons. There are one thousand five hundred million souls for whom Christ died in this world! How very little are those giving to His cause who profess to know Him! How a contemplation of these things ought to lead Christians to a deeper consecration! Those who are Christ's give all to Him, hold themselves stewards of the manifold grace of God, count themselves, like Paul, "debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise." Rom. 1: 14.
Christian, do not the more than one billion souls out of Christ appeal to you? How small is enlightened America, with its one hundred million, compared with these! Are you Christ's? You are a debtor to the world, the need of which — your need, our need — moved the heart of God to give heaven's richest treasure — His only-begotten Son. That need demands that we, who have tasted of the sweets of Christianity, shall sacrifice to save the lost. But what shall be sacrificed? First of all, the very life, with all it implies, should be laid upon the altar of Christ, to die or to live for Him. Surely this includes those things which are only and always an unmitigated and direful curse. Great blessings would come to men who do not know Christ, who would do this for His sake and the sake of souls. It would be an opening to their heart which would bring greater blessings. Think of what America's alcohol bill would be if it were turned to the salvation of humanity! Christian America pouring down its throat two billion dollars' worth of cursing and crime and death! Think of what America's tobacco bill would be if turned toward Christian missions — Christian America burning, smoking, chewing, snuffing nearly a billion dollars' worth of tobacco a year — tobacco, a feeder of alcohol, a breeder of disease, a stunter of intellect, a wicked waste of time and means, a tyrant over soul and body! Think of it! What a help to missions would be the tea and coffee expenditure, nerve-destroying stimulants, useless and worse than useless! And these expenditures are increasing yearly in far greater proportion than are gifts, sacrifices, for God and for souls. What will be the end? Is it not time for a humbling of heart, and a seeking of God? The Master's question to us is:
"I gave, I gave My life for thee;
What hast thou given for Me?"
And our response ought to be, in truth, in the words sung by so many thoughtlessly:
"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a tribute far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all."
Then would soon be fulfilled this prophecy of the Master: "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
