THE RELATION OF SCIENCE TO CHRISTIAN MISSIONS. 123 



very admirably put, but do not appear to support the contention 

 that Christianity alone is inspired and that other religious systems 

 are the reverse. I fully admit that the teachings of Christ are 

 indeed the supreme revelation of God, as suitable for the low-type 

 savage's guidance, as they are for our late noble Queen Victoria ; 

 but the pseudo-Christianity of pre-Christian Paganism and post- 

 Christian metaphysics now offered to the heathen has not in my 

 opinion obtained even the moderate amount of success claimed by 

 our fair-minded lecturer. The contention that "Christianity is the 

 only religion that could become quite supreme without limiting the 

 field of science," and description of Heathenism as a " debased form 

 of life " is perhaps hardly fair ; it is true of original Christianity, but 

 must we refuse it to original Buddhism ? As Sir Edwin Arnold 

 forcibly expresses it in the introduction to The Light of Asia. The 

 extravagances that disfigure the record and practice of Buddhism 

 are to be referred to that inevitable degradation which priesthoods 

 always reflect upon great ideas committed to their charge. The 

 power and authority of Gautama's original doctrines should be 

 estimated by their influence not by their interpreters. This is also 

 largely true of Christianity likewise, the Christian middle ages, nay, 

 parts of Spain and Southern Italy to-day, are little above the 

 " debased Heathenism," and are certainly as superstitious and anti- 

 scientific. "That science helps the missionary by the prestige it 

 inevitably gives him " that he is described as the " angelic healer 

 from over the sea " is true, but is it quite honest to take advantage 

 of the superstitious linking of the magic-medicine man with religion, 

 to inspire, awe, and deceive 1 If done frankly in Christian brotherly- 

 love and following the example of Christ it is wholly admirable, but 

 let there be no trading in superstition. The author's statement 

 that "missions are likely to be the hottest field of battle between 

 the forces for and against the religion of Jesus Christ" is un- 

 doubtedly true, but I think that he will frankly admit that there 

 are many orthodox people at home who, like Canon Taylor, do not 

 support missions as at present carried on, and many ecclesiastics 

 and laymen abroad who hold aloof from them. 



I read last Saturday in the Edinburgh Review that in Uganda 

 " Missionaries taught that polygamy was wicked and tried to 

 introduce monogamy which, unsuited to the past habits and present 

 civilisation of the people, has led to a great deterioration of 



