nd forth their sons and
daughters to tell the glad story of freedom, truth and love.

It has been a favorite idea of many that the Negroes of America should
evangelize Africa. Perhaps some have been disappointed that so few of
them have gone to Africa as missionaries; but such, I am sure, have
failed fully to consider the facts. A people who had received only the
degrading tuition of slavery could not produce at once many who should
have the reliable qualities and the intellectual and moral training
needed for the responsible and, to a large extent, the unsuperintended
work of a foreign missionary. Then, every capable preacher, teacher and
leader has been needed in a hundred places at home. They could scarcely
be justified in leaving their own brothers and sisters in heathenism and
without the truth within their reach, to go to the heathen abroad.

Yet a few have gone forth and proved themselves capable, faithful and
successful. A former slave of Jefferson Davis is not only a successful
missionary in Africa, but has proved himself such a level-headed man
that he has been chosen treasurer of one of the missions of the American
Board. Such as he are an earnest of what shall be, when the colored
people shall be more fully evangelized and the appeal for Africa can be
made strong to their hearts and consciences. Then there will be such a
going forth as will astonish the Christian Church.

The bearing of the work for the one hundred thousand Chinese in this
country on foreign missions can be clearly seen. Christian work for them
is missionary work for China--it sends them back to become missionaries
to their native land. The fruitfulness of this work for foreign missions
has been fully demonstrated.

The possibilities of the influence of the evangelization of the Indians
on foreign missions is a topic which I do not remember having seen or
heard mentioned. Yet it seems to me worth thinking about.

Mexico has four million Indians; Central America, one million five
hundred thousand, and South America seven million. Here is a foreign
mission field of twelve and a half million souls. How can it be
otherwise than that, when once the Indians of our land shall come to
have and appreciate the blessings of a Christian civilization, their
hearts shall be stirred by the needs of their brethren according to the
flesh, and that they will go to them with the gospel story?

There remains one other field--the whites of the South and esp