Praiseworthy Utterances

HAVING just occasion, as we believe,

severely to criticise the President for his action in connection with the Indian trust funds, we are the more rejoiced that we can approve so heartily his brave words, spoken in New York on Lincoln Day, in regard to the paramount duty of North and South alike to assist in uplifting the negro. The President was the guest of the Republican Club on Monday, the 13th, and made the chief address. In large part it was devoted to the race problem in the South, and we should like to give the address entire. His statement of the problem is suggestive-"the problem of so dealing with the man of one color as to secure him the rights that no one would grudge him if he were of another color." We quote these strong and just words:

"The attitude of the North toward the negro is far from what it should be, and there is need that the North also should act in good faith upon the principle of giving to each man what is justly due him, of treating him on his worth

as a man, granting him no special favors, but denying him no proper opportunity for labor and the reward of labor. But the peculiar circumstances of the South render the problem there far greater and far more acute.

"Our effort should be to secure to each man, whatever his color, equality of opportunity, equality of treatinent before the law. As a people striving to shape our actions in accordance with the great law of righteousness we cannot afford to take part in or be indifferent to the oppression or maltreatment of any man who, against crushing disadvantages, has by his own industry, self-respect and perseverance struggled upward to a position which would entitle him to the respect of his fellows, if only his skin were of a different hue.

"Every generous impulse in us revolts at the thought of thrusting down instead of helping up such a man. The only safe principle upon which Americans can act is that of all men up,' not that of 'some men down.' If in any community the level of intelligence, morality and thrift among the colored men can be raised, it is, humanly speaking, sure that the same level among the whites will be raised to an ever higher degree; and it is no less sure that the debasement of the blacks will in the end carry with it an attendant debasement of the whites. "The ideal of elemental justice meted out to every man is the ideal we should keep ever before us."

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NOTE AND

HE Home Mission Society has published a fine program for young people's societies or a church mission meeting, on the subject of "Home Mission Heroes." Any number of copies may be had for the postage, two cents a dozen. This is one of the best devotional programs we have issued. The five minute addresses called for are based upon material in our Home Mission text book, and deal with the life of Peck. Send for a program. We are about to issue a second edition of "Heroes of the Cross in America," the first having been nearly exhausted. It is a good book for any home table, as well as for mission study.

¶ We are indebted to Charities, the excellent organ of the New York Charities Society, for some of the half-tones used in the article on the Slav Immigration; indebted to this able magazine also for much information regarding the subject. The

COMMENT

writers it secured were largely of the nationality about which they wrote, so that the information was at first hand.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Porto Rico characteristically has been courting one of the political parties, hoping, of course, to secure favors in certain legislation. He has also endeavored to create a religious revival in favor of Romanism, in connection with the jubilee celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Suddenly, however, a conflict arose between the people and the Bishop over some religious processions, and then many Spaniards were offended because the Bishop removed some Spanish priests. The consequence is that their plans were thrown into general confusion. During the height of the excitment, the members of the Baptist churches were praying that God would overrule these things to the good of His cause. The Baptist paper, El Evangelista, edited by Rev. H. P. McCormick, had some cogent articles, which were helpful

in creating a right public sentiment; and conditions generally are as favorable as ever for our cause.

¶ Rev. Alejandro Trevino, of Monterey, Mexico, says, in sending a contribution of $50 from his church to the Home Mission Society, which organized and helps sustain the church: "There is a sister, member of the church, who, notwithstanding her limited means, SETS APART FIVE CENTS EVERY DAY FOR THE SOCIETY.

At the end of the year

she turns over about $18 to the church to be sent to the Society. Many times this faithful offering is the beginning of a good collection in our church." If every Baptist woman in our constituency did that much, to say nothing of the men, there would be no ghost of a deficit in sight and no legitimate missionary appeal would need to be refused.

The education of a native ministry for Porto Rico is one of the problems to which our American missionaries are devoting attention. In the absence of any proper educational facilities for the training of ministers, Rev. A. B. Rudd, of Ponce, has a correspondence school, which numbers 18 pupils, divided into two classes of 13 and 5 respectively; the first class is studying the life of Christ; the second is giving attention to homiletics and pastoral duties. The examination papers of some of these students show that they are doing excellent work. A Missionary Training School, however, is a necessity; and plans for its establishment are under consideration.

¶ A resolution was presented at the ConCouncil at Des gregational National Moines asking Congress, in its enactment of treaties and immigration laws, to place the Chinese on the same basis with other nationalities. The resolution was heartily and loudly applauded, and there was no dissenting word or vote. This is merely a demand for justice and the righting of a flagrant wrong.

We think the Pacific Baptist makes a good point when it says that the standards of judgment which pass unchallenged in Europe and America are the great condemnation of our civilization. A Japanese traveler recently said: "To-day we Japan

ese have battleships, torpedoes, cannon. The China Sea reddens with the blood of our killed and those we kill. Our torpedoes roar, our shrapnel shriek, our cannon breathe slaughter, and we die and are the cause of death. And you Occidentals say to us, 'You have won your rank; you have civilized yourselves.' Centuries upon centuries we have had artists, painters, sculptors, philosophers. In the sixteenth century we had published in Japanese the fables of Aesop. Were we then barbarians?" Would that some literary genius could make the Occident see itself through the eyes of the Orient. Perhaps we should be more willing to admit that much of our boasting is in our shame."

The good things left over from this number will ensure a fine April magazine. Look out for it, and tell your friends to do the same. Also read what our advertisers have to say.

¶ Business men recognize the value of religious influences. For example, the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Company has offered $5,000 toward a Y. M. C. A. building in the mining town of Douglas, Arizona, which doubled its population last year and has 6,000 inhabitants, mostly men. A $20,000 building is proposed, and one of the smelter companies has equaled the railroad gift, while the business men and miners propose to raise the balance. The Association Hall, as contrasted with the saloon, finds ready appreciation.

¶ The very latest data collected by the Berlin Society of Statistics show that there are now 10,597,000 Jews in the world, According to the various countries, the Jews are divided as follows: European Russia, 5,082,000; including Siberia and the Caucasian district, 5,174,000; AustriaHungary, 1,994,000; United States of America, 1,136,000; Germany, 590,000; Roumania, 296,000; Afghanistan, 184,000; England, 170,059; Morocco, 150,000; Holland, 104,000; France, 86,000; Turkey, 82,000; Palestine, 78,000; Algiers, 57,000; Abyssinia, 50,000; Italy, 47,000; Tunis, 45,000; Persia, 35,000; North Africa, 30,000; Bulgaria, 28,000; Egypt, 25,000; India, 22,000; Arabia, 20,000; Canada, 15,000; Switzerland, 13,000; Berlin, 12,000; Greece, 8,400.

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VERYBODY who keeps

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track of immigration statistics or reads the newspapers knows that during recent years the character of immigration has greatly changed. Where in former periods the great bulk of it came from western and northern Europe, latterly the great majority has come. from eastern and southern Europe. In 1882, for example, there came to America from Germany, England, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, France, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium a total of 563,170 people; while from Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Spain and Portugal there came only 83,320. But in 1903 there came from the northern and western countries first named 203,689 immigrants; while from the second list the number rose to 610,813, or three times as many. In

1903 Italy and Austria-Hungary each sent us more people than all of northern and western Europe. This fact has introduced new features into our country and new problems into our work of race assimilation. This new immigration has been regarded as distinctly less desirable than that from the north and west of Europe. Whether this be true time only will determine. Generalizations are not safe at present, and are apt to put whole classes under suspicion without good reason. do well to study these peoples and find out what they are like, what they do in America, and what the promise is, provided Christians do their duty in the line of Americanization and Christianization. The problem of immigration always resolves itself to this at last. GOD HAS SET FOR AMERICA THE TASK OF THE AGES-THE

GIGANTIC HOME-FOREIGN-MISSION TASK.

WHO ARE THE SLAVS?

We

To designate this new immigration inflow, apart from the Italians, the word Slav has been commonly used, very likely with anything but clear idea on the part of ordinary readers as to what it meant.

First, then, who are the Slavs? When the question is discussed as to the possible future Slav domination in world affairs, as opposed to the Mongol, or Yellow Peril, on the one hand, and Anglo-Saxon domination, on the other, Russia generally stands for the Slav power. Take from Russia

her Finnish and Scandinavian element, and add the peoples from Austria-Hungary, and we have the Slav immigration with which this article deals. Mr. McLanahan, in his excellent handbook on "Our People of Foreign Speech," says: "Strictly speaking, the Slavic constitutes one of the eight great branches into which the Indo-European or Indo-Germanic family of languages is divided. The Slavs number about 125,000,000, over onetwelfth of the total population of our globe. They have been concentrated until recently in the eastern and larger part of Europe. They make up the bulk of Russia (the one great Slav power), and of the Balkan States, and they form nearly half the population of Austria-Hungary. They are divided geographically into two great groups by the Magyars and Roumanians who lie between them. The northern group consists of the Russians, Czechs, Poles and Slovaks. The southern group of Slovenes, Croatians, Servians, Dalmatians, Herzegovinians, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Bulgarians. The Slavs were converted to Christianity chiefly by missionaries from Thessalonica, led by the brothers Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century. In physical strength and endurance the Slav is the equal of any. Thus far, at least, he seems slower intellectually. He has been described as a few centuries behind the rest of the civilized world. But he is brave, eager, daring, persistent, and knows how to make good use of his knowledge when he gets it."

A REMARKABLE INFLOW

Slavic immigration is practically a new phenomenon, to which the Americans are hardly yet adjusted. A few few Slavs, especially Bohemians and Poles, were here before 1880, but not enough to notice. Immigration from Austria-Hungary rose steadily from less than 6,000 to 1879 to nearly 77,000 in 1892, then dropped back

for five years; but since then has increased more rapidly than ever, until in 1900 the census gave about a million and a quarter of foreign born Slavs. The proportions to which this immigration has grown are shown by these detailed figures for 1903: Russians, 3,565; Poles, 89,548; Lithuanians, 14,420; making 57,533 altogether from Russia. From Austria-Hungary: Bohemian and Moravian, 9,577; Bulgarian, Servian and Montenegrin, 4,227; Croatian and Slovenian, 32,892; Dalmatian, Bosnian and Herzegovinian, 1,723; Magyar, 27,113; Polish, 37,499; Roumanian, 4,173; Ruthenian, 9,819; Slovak, 43,412.

It may be noted that there were from Russia, in addition to the above, 47,689 Hebrews, and from Austria-Hungary 18,759 Hebrews, who count indirectly among the Slavs. Not including the Hebrews, there came to America in 1903 more than 221,000 of these mixed peoples who speak languages of the general type known as Slavonic. The Slavs of Russia are estimated at about one-half the population of that empire, and number about 70,000,000. These include the Muscovites, or typical Russians, comparatively few of whom emigrate, our list above showing only 3,565 in 1903. The great majority of the immigrants from Russia are Poles.

The excellent maps which we give, by the courtesy of Charities, whose December issue was a special number of great interest on the Slavs, show the sections from which these people come, and how they disperse in this country. The best class of Russians are agricultural, and settle in the West, where their communities are prosperous, thrifty, and characteristic. From acquaintance with some of these colonies in the Dakotas, the writer knows that the men are not only good farmers but also progressive politicians, exceedingly jealous of their rights when they have acquired citizenship, and shrewd and determined in getting their due proportion of offices to which they believe themselves entitled.

Taking them in general, Miss Kate Holladay Claghorn, Acting Registrar of the New York Tenement House Department, shows by analysis of the 1903 sta