THE LIQUOR AND OPIUM TRAFFIC AND FOREIGN MISSIONS.
By L. A. P.
ONE tremendous obstacle in the way of the progress of Christianity in nearly all foreign mission fields is the traffic in liquor and tobacco—in India and China, opium. The sad feature of the condition is that these evils have been introduced to the natives by the white races, and are the accompaniments of the outreachings of our boasted civilization. In some instances, and notoriously so in the case of Great Britain and the opium trade in China, these soul-and-body-destroying drugs and poisons have been forced upon the weaker races against their desires, and all for the worldly lust for financial gain.
The situation is made tenfold worse by the fact that the nations manifesting such activities in colonizing and in revolutionizing centuries-old customs and methods, are so-called Christian nations. With the missionary has gone the trader, and afterward the government, and to the native the whole foreign element is representative of Christianity. As contact with the "Christian nations" grows, he sees manifested avarice, selfishness of many names, greed, treachery, dishonesty, hatred, wars, and vices, and when he is asked to consider the saving Gospel of Christ, he points to what are to him its fruits, and declares that if such are results of its saving powers, he is contented with what he has. Of course he ought not to judge as he does, but who would not judge thus whose only habit of thought and only knowledge of religion is one with his country and its government?
In an address upon the evil of the liquor traffic before the Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Missions, Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler spoke in plain terms of this great blot on the record of so-called "Christian nations." He said:—
"Altho it is not allowed to present resolutions to this conference, if I were to do so I would phrase one something like this: 'WHEREAS, One of the most serious obstacles to the spread of the Gospel among many native races is the importation of alcoholic liquors by Christian nations, Resolved, That our Christianity needs a little more Christianizing at the core.' . . For how many years have ships from Christian ports carried missionaries in the cabin, and rum and firearms and opium in the hold? Even Britain and America have held out to the heathen races the Bible in one hand and the bottle in the other; and the bottle has sent ten to perdition where the Bible has brought one to Jesus Christ.
"Four years ago the Christian chief of Bechuanaland went to London on an extraordinary mission. He went there to tell that he had made a prohibitive law for his tempted subjects, who are negroes, and he said that the principal difficulty he had concerning it was the smuggling in of liquor by British subjects. And he implored her majesty to second his efforts to make prohibition successful. Think of it! A converted African savage on his knees before a Christian queen imploring her people not to poison his own nation!"
A few years ago John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, visited this country to petition the government of the United States to forbid American traders importing whisky and firearms into those islands, but without effect. Eight years ago sixteen nations enacted a treaty forbidding the introduction of alcoholic drinks into the Kongo country of Africa. The United States was the last signer to this treaty. A remarkable and fearful example of governmental non-interference with the liquor traffic is before us in the Philippine Islands, where, in Manila, more than 400 saloons have sprung up since American occupation, where but few existed before, with no drunkenness to speak of.
But it is not that "Christianity needs more Christianizing at the core." Even among Christians themselves there is too much generalizing of the terms Christian and Christianity. Christianity is ever the same—the principles and life of the humble Nazarene. It needs no more "Christianizing." But sadly true it is that professed Christians need the transformation of the heart. Individuals need Christianizing, but let no body of Christians, nor nation of professed Christians, nor aggregation of nations of professed Christians, arrogate to themselves the appellation of Christianity, and let none make the mistake of referring to them as such, or to any nation as a Christian nation. The mistake is only repeated and accepted in earnest by those that know not Christ.
What is needed is Christianity in the heart. That is its home and its throne and its country. There may prohibition of sin and all of its concomitants be enacted. That will mean prohibition of greed, love of money, and love of power—selfishness all—and consequent prohibition of the liquor and tobacco and opium traffics in that soul kingdom, and in every nation of individuals wherever the man has a capacity to act. But that is ideal. It will never be in this present world; but to that end we may hope and work and pray that hearts of men and rulers may be touched with regenerating power, and the great evil of the drink traffic be ameliorated.
The power of Christ is greater than the power of nations in this matter. And so the missionary must work as Christ's representative only. He must be Christ in example to the heathen, and fearlessly denounce as not of Christ every individual or nation, whatever their profession, that represents or protects the traffic in the devil's agents of degradation and destruction.