34 JESUIT AND PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES. Chap. IT. 



the traders, whom we introduced and rendered secure in the 

 country, waxed rich, the missionaries have invariably remained 

 poor, and have died so. The Jesuits, in Africa at least, were 

 wiser in their generation than we ; theirs were large influential 

 communities, proceeding on the system of turning the abilities of 

 every brother into that channel in which he was most likely to excel ; 

 one, fond of natural history, was allowed to follow his bent; another, 

 fond of literature, found leisure to pursue Ins studies ; and he who 

 was great in barter was sent in search of ivory and gold-dust ; 

 so that while in the course of performing the religious acts of his 

 mission to distant tribes he found the means of aiding effectually 

 the brethren whom he had left at the central settlement.* We 

 Protestants, with the comfortable conviction of superiority, have 

 sent out missionaries with a bare subsistence only, and are unsparing 

 in our laudations of some for not being worldly-minded whom our 

 niggardliness made to live as did the prodigal son. I do not speak 

 for myself, nor need I to do so, but for that very reason I feel at 

 liberty to interpose a word in behalf of others. I have before 

 my mind at this moment facts and instances which warrant my 

 putting the case in this way : — The command to " go into all 

 the world and preach the gospel to every creature " must be 

 obeyed by Christians either personally or by substitute. Now 

 it is quite possible to find men whose love for the heathen and 

 devotion to the work will make them ready to go forth on the 

 terms " bare subsistence," but what can be thought of the justice, 

 to say nothing of the generosity, of Christians and churches 

 who not only work then substitutes at the lowest terms, but 

 regard what they give as charity! The matter is the more 

 grave in respect to the Protestant missionary, who may have a 

 wife and family. The fact is, there are many cases in which it 

 is right, virtuous, and praiseworthy for a man to sacrifice every- 

 thing for a great object, but in which it would be very wrong for 



* The Dutch clergy, too, are not wanting in worldly wisdom. A fountain 

 is bought, and the lands which it can irrigate parcelled out and let to villagers. 

 As they increase in numbers the rents rise and the church becomes rich. With 

 2001. per annum in addition from government, the salary amounts to 4:001. or 

 5001. a-year. The clergymen then preach abstinence from politics as a Chris- 

 tian duty. It is quite clear that, with 400Z. a-year, but little else except pure 

 spirituality is required. 



