has not despised natural agencies, but uses them continually in their proper place as instruments, while at the same time He has brought to bear upon humanity forces which are above nature, and which in the end have dominated and guided the whole process, and will continue so to do.

The reconstructive function of Christianity

in mission fields.

This is true of sociology, even though it is viewed so narrowly as to limit its range to the domain of the physical sciences, and is regarded as concerned with the growth of society simply from the viewpoint of naturalism. God has never left even nature to superintend itself, however we may be constrained by appearances to think so. If we include, however, the psychological, ethical, and religious forces, which have had such an influential mission in social development, we find all the more reason to predicate a divine guidance and direction to the agencies that have moulded the progress of mankind. In fact, these moral and religious influences touching the higher life of man have proved the determining factors in designating the goal of improvement, and guiding man toward it, while at the same time God has utilized a large and varied volume of natural forces as chosen instrumentalities in consummating His purpose. He has thus, in our day, subsidized the whole realm of modern civilization to coöperate with the higher spiritual agencies of missions as secondary instrumentalities for the accomplishment of His larger plans. The facilities of education, literature, medical science, diplomacy, colonization, commerce, modern inventions, and even the dread realities of war, are all made subservient in the providence of God to the advancement of His kingdom.2 Let us, then, seek to grasp this larger sociological scope, this

1 "The kingdom is not something which humanity produces by its own efforts, but something which comes to it from above. It is the entrance into humanity of a new life from heaven. In its origin, its powers, its blessings, its aims, its end, it is supernatural and heavenly. Hence it is the kingdom of heaven, and two stadia are distinguished in its existence-an earthly and an eternal; the latter being the aspect that chiefly prevails in the epistles."-Orr, "The Christian View of God and the World," p. 405.

2 "Christ, accordingly, gives us many indications of His true view of the relation of His kingdom to society. The world is His Father's, and human paternity is but a lower reflection of the divine Fatherhood. Marriage is a divine institution, to be jealously guarded, and Christ consecrated it by His special presence and blessing. The State also is a divine ordinance, and tribute is due to its authorities. The principles He lays down in regard to the use and perils of wealth, love to our neighbor in his helplessness and misery, the care of the poor, the infinite value of the soul, etc., introduce new ideals, and involve principles fitted to transform the whole social system. His miracles of healing show His care for the body. With

broadly reconstructive function of Christian missions, and recognize in this great task which has been assigned to the Christian Church a sacred and high call of service in the interest of social renovation as well as individual redemption.1

at the present stage of mission progress.

A fourth remark is in place as to the timeliness of this theme in the present horoscope of missions. A striking characteristic of our age is the existence of an almost universal effort to reThis inquiry pertinent adjust Christianity to social life. A widespread feeling prevails that Christianity is not quite in its proper attitude to society; nor does it occupy its legitimate sphere of influence in the realm of every-day human life. Even among professing Christians its sway is too feeble and inoperative as a rule and guide of life, while in the sphere of public morals, social obligation, civil responsibility, commercial dealings, and all the delicate and burning questions of modern life, it is often strangely in the background. The situation produces unrest and confusion of mind on the part of many. It gives occasion for intemperate condemnation of Christianity on the one hand, and for the advocacy of foolish and drastic remedies of the doctrinaire order on the other hand. It sorely tries the spirits of sincere Christians of the loyal and conservative type, and gives an undesirable stimulus to the too inventive imaginations of radicals of the inflammable and infallible species. It is not only a time of testing and thoughtful scrutiny of the formulæ of truth, but of the practical adaptation of truth and its responsible adjustment to the problems and mysteries of our modern life. It is, moreover, a time of searching inquiry into the adequacy of Christianity as a remedy for the ills and disappointments of social progress.2 Men are asking, as never before,

this correspond His injunctions to His disciples. He does not pray that they may be taken out of the world, but only that they may be kept from its evil. They are rather to live in the world, showing by their good works that they are the sons of their Father in heaven, are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Out of this life in the world will spring a new type of marriage relation, of family life, of relation between masters and servants, of social existence generally. It cannot be otherwise, if Christ's kingdom is to be the leaven He says it shall be. The apostles, in their views on all these subjects, are in entire accord with Christ." -Ibid., p. 408.

1 "The Christian view affirms that the historical aim of Christ's work was the founding of a kingdom of God on earth, which includes not only the spiritual salvation of individuals, but a new order of society, the result of the action of the spiritual forces set in motion through Christ."-Ibid., p. 39.

2 "And what is the remedy for this reproach, but to show that Christianity is a power also for temporal and social salvation, a leaven which is to permeate the whole lump of humanity? It is on this side that a great and fruitful field opens itself up

for clearer evidence of its power to lead the world into ways of righteousness and paths of peace. There is a wistful yearning on the part of some, an impatient scorn on the part of others, as to the real character of its results in the history of the world after all these centuries. Nothing, then, could be more pertinent than an inquiry as to the outcome of Christian missions in the natural, and as yet untouched, environments of heathen society. What is its record in the world's open, away from the vantage-ground of Christendom, and separated from the éclat of its social prestige?

The question might be interposed just here whether we have not taken too much for granted in the preceding statements. Are we justified in thus associating Christian missions and

ciology any common

ground?

sociology? If we should approach the subject from Have missions and sothe standpoint of sociology as a science, would we find that this association is sanctioned by the scientific spirit or justified by historic facts? Has sociology anything in common with Christian missions? This is a fair question, and deserves a candid and careful answer. We feel bound to advance the claim that Christian missions have already produced social results which are manifest, and that society in the non-Christian world at the present time is conscious of a new and powerful factor which is working positive and revolutionary changes in the direction of a higher civilization.1 for Christian effort in the present day, on this side that Christianity finds itself in touch with some of the most characteristic movements of the time. The ideals of the day are preeminently social; the key-word of positivism is 'altruism'—the organization of humanity for social efforts; the call is to a' service of humanity'; the air is full of ideas, schemes, Utopias, theories of social reform; and we, who believe that Christianity is the motive power which alone can effectually attain what these systems of men are striving after, are surely bound to put our faith to the proof, and show to men that in deed and in truth, and not in word only, the kingdom of God has come nigh to them. We know something of what Christianity did in the Roman Empire as a power of social purification and reform; of what it did in the middle ages in the Christianizing and disciplining of barbarous nations; of the power it has been in modern times as the inspiration of the great moral and philanthropic movements of the century; and this power of Christianity is likely to be yet greater in the future than in the past. There is yet vast work to be accomplished ere the kingdom of God is fully come."-Ibid., p. 378.

1 "In the history of this country there is nothing more clearly seen than the distributive force of Christian missions in their uplifting and sanctifying power. The Gospel found the people enslaved. Like the proverbial stone which, when thrown into the water, makes concentric circles on the surface, so the Gospel has created and developed everything that is healthy and hopeful in the life of the people. Slavery has disappeared before the teaching of Gospel truth, but no small disturbance was made before the victory was won. In a small country we can more easily estimate

While this may be conceded, it may yet be asked whether this fact comes within the scope of sociology as a science, since it clearly predicates a moral and religious agency which approaches non-Christian society from without, and works by means of spiritual forces with a predominantly religious aim.

of sociology.

Sociology is still searching for its final definitions, and feeling after its own distinctive province and scope; but enough has been settled in regard to its place in the classification of modern The true scope and aim learning to indicate that it is, in a broad sense, the science of human society. Perhaps a more adequate designation would be the science of the origin, growth, and welfare of the collective life of mankind. It proposes a scientific search for the genesis of associate life; it seeks to elaborate the laws and processes of its growth; it aims at a classification of its elementary constituents and its active forces; it would know the secrets of the normal development of society, and the remedies for its abnormal phases. Its great and ultimate aim is the scientific development and conservation of human society, and the successful ministry to its defects and miseries. In this sense, it is not simply descriptive, resulting in a mere historic chart of social development, or in simply “an interpretation of human society in terms of natural causation," as Herbert Spencer would teach us; it is dynamic as well, taking cognizance of the psychological forces which, in connection especially with the voluntary endowment of man, have entered so vigorously into the evolutionary progress of human society. Its function, viewed in this

the results of social movements, and trace them to their source; and with regard to this island I have no hesitation in declaring that the influences which nourish society come from church and school, and they are slowly, silently, and irresistibly at work."- Rev. George McNeill (U. P. C. S.), Mount Olivet, Jamaica.

"It is in a measure difficult to trace every advance in civilization to its real cause, and likewise to trace every advance in moral enlightenment to what we believe to be its true origin. So in Japan it is almost impossible to show that every step upward is directly the outcome of mission work, although in some form or other mission work, operating either through the agencies of missionaries upon the field, or through the agencies of Christian literature, or a literature imbued with Christian teaching which has found its way to Japan, has, I believe, been the real medium through which the wonderful force has acted which has upturned the deep-rooted customs of ages, and worked over the soil until it has become capable of producing the marvelous growth of the last thirty or thirty-five years."-W. N. Whitney, M.D., United States Legation, Japan.

"I believe in the Gospel, heart and soul, as the only remedy for the ills of humanity. Nothing else gets to the root of things. All that differentiates the Madagascar of the present day from that of half a century ago-I might say from the native

aspect of it, may be designated as the practical building up of society, not simply its rescue from its calamities and miseries, although this is an important department. It proposes a scientific study of the normal, wholesome activities of society in all their manifold forms and tendencies, with a view to discovering the dominating forces which control the collective life of man, and the laws of its progress and healthful development.1 As there is a large part of social experience which is, unhappily, of an abnormal character, revealing itself in the dependent, defective, and delinquent classes, sociology must include these phases of society, and, under the familiar formula of "Charities and Correction," elaborate remedial measures to meet their requirements.2

As man has not merely a physical or animal, but also a psychic endowment peculiar to himself, as he is gifted with moral faculties and spiritual life capable of responding to religious mo

of the religious environment.

tives, we must include religious forces among the The sociological power working factors of sociology. In fact, the spiritual or religious environment of man is perhaps as aggressive and controlling in its power, where it has any vital connection with the character, as any other influence which moves his inner life. Mr. Benjamin Kidd is correct in his contention that the religious forces of history, emphasizing as he does those distinctively Christian, are necessary factors in a full and rounded social evolution.3 Neither cosmic forces nor psychological activities can show results which, in their vigor and effectiveness, can be compared with those produced by the influence of religion in shaping the higher life of society. By society we mean a mass of individuals standing in certain complex relations to one another, and moving on towards a more developed organization in domestic, civil, economic, and ethical aspects. Its practical outcome is the coöperative or associate life of man, inspired by a spirit of mutual consideration and helpfulness-this social instinct being constitutional in man, the result of natural tendency rather than the mandate of necessity or the product of environment. Society cannot be called an organism in the biological or physiological sense of the word, but only in the larger spiritual suggestiveness of the term, implying indwelling to the queen's palace-is, either directly or indirectly, mostly directly, due to the work of Christian missionaries and Christian missionary artisans.”. Rev. R. Baron (L. M. S.), Antananarivo, Madagascar.

1 Rev. C. D. Hartranft, D.D., President of Hartford School of Sociology.

2 Henderson, An Introduction to the Study of the Dependent, Defective, and Delinquent Classes " (see preface). Cf. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, September, 1894, p. 120.

3 "Social Evolution," pp. 123-126.