Mr. Ives says truly: "It has been forever established
that foreigners are as convertible as our own people, that in many
instances their faith is more pure and evangelical than the American
type, that their lives are transformed by its power to an extent that
sometimes puts the American Christian to shame, that their children are
easily gathered into Sunday-schools, their young people into Endeavor
Societies, and their men and women into prayer-meetings, where in many
different tongues they yet speak and pray in the language of Canaan. The
immigration problem is not the same menace that it was. A mighty solvent
has been found."
[Sidenote: Inspiring Difficulties]
There is no escaping the fact that a prodigious amount of difficult
lifting must be done in order to elevate the aliens to the American
social and religious level. But the very vastness of the home mission
task is inspiring rather than discouraging to heroic souls. As someone
says, "The American loves a tough job." Difficulties will not hinder him
a moment when once he is moved with the divine impulse, sees the thing
to be done, and sets himself with God's help to do it. Present
conditions call to mind that passage in "Alice in Wonderland," where by
the seashore
The walrus and the carpenter were walking hand in hand,
And wept like anything to see such quantities of sand.
Pages:
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302