successfully contend with atheism, strengthen the republic against the Jesuits, influence Brazilian society for purity, train teachers for a thousand parish schools, and educate pastors and evangelists for the whole vast country. THE RIO DE JANEIRO FIELD. REV. JOHN M. KYLE, RIO DE JANEIRO. When the Synod of Brazil apportioned the field over which its operations extended, a large and important part was allotted to the Presbytery of Rio de Janeiro. The San Francisco river separates it from the Presbytery of Pernambuco on the north, and its territory reaches southward along the coast and embraces Ubatuba in the state of S. Paulo, and there joins the Presbytery of S. Paulo. It extends along the coast for about one thousand miles, and reaches back into the interior about three hundred miles along this entire extent, and covers the most populous part of the republic, and contains about one third of the whole population of Brazil. It includes four entire states and a part of two others. Within its bounds are the two largest cities of Brazil, its political and ecclesiastical capitals, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, the former the residence of the papal archbishop, and the latter the seat of the national government. The size and importance of these two cities becomes apparent when we know that only six of the twenty states have a larger population than that of these two cities combined, and that eight out of the twenty have each a smaller population than that of the city of Rio alone. And these two cities are centres for a still larger population which is easily accessible from them. From Bahia there is a daily steamer to Cachoeira, a city of twenty-five thousand inhabitants. A line of railroad is being rapidly extended back to the San Francisco river, which will open up that great valley to evangelistic work. The work which Dr. Blackford carried on in the city and state of Bahia with so much patience and zeal for a whole decade should be followed up, and two or three new men should be sent out to take up the work which he laid down when summoned to his rest. [November, Mr. Kolb's field in the state of Sergipe is also an important one, and his labors have been signally blessed. He is alone, with no other minister in the entire state, with its two hundred and fifty thousand souls, and should have help at once. His church of seventy members, largely the fruit of his four years work, is abundant proof that the field is an encouraging one. In the field about Rio, which includes the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo and the eastern half of Minas, there is a field second to no other in Brazil in importance. It lies in the heart of the republic, and is the most thickly-populated part of it. Four lines of railroad and lines of coasting steamers render all this field accessible for evangelistic work. Campos, a place of twenty-five thousand inhabitants, the centre for a large and populous district, lies at the eastern end of the state of Rio. Our church there has been without a pastor for three years. It is a field open and waiting for the services of some young man. At Petropolis we have a church, which has no regular pastor. Ouro Preto and Victoria, both of them state capitals, are inviting fields, where no work has been done; and there are at least a score of other towns, containing each a population of from one to five thousand, easily accessible by rail, where the people are ready to hear the gospel. Where formerly long and tiresome journeys were required to reach these places, now they can be reached in a few hours, with little fatigue and small expense. But while this, the largest part of Brazil's population, was assigned to the Presbytery of Rio de Janeiro, the allotment of men was the smallest. Of the sixteen native ordained ministers in the synod, only one-Rev. A. B. Trajano, pastor of the church of Rio-is a member of the presbytery. Of the missionaries who are members of this presbytery, two are in the United States, two have been on the field but one year, leaving only two who are prepared as yet for full work. But even counting all the ordained ministers whose names are on the roll of the presbytery, there is only one for each half million of people within its bounds. The force is entirely inadequate. 1890.] Medellin, Republic of Colombia. 419 MEDELLIN, REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA. pleasant during the day in dry weather, but REV. J. G. TOUZEAU. Medellin (pronounced as if written Mědělleen) is a new name for our readers. It is the capital of the old Spanish province called Antioquia, now a department of the republic of Colombia. A governor, nominated by the president, resides here, and a legislative assembly meets occasionally. Antioquia is situated on the left bank of the Magdalena. The surface of the country is similar to that of the Rocky Mountain region. Travelling involves rather cool at night. Going out from Medellin you may, in from five to ten hours ride, reach a place where an overcoat is needed, or going the other way you may find the heat oppressive. The productions of Antioquia, and of all Colombia, are as varied as the climate. There are extensive mines of silver and gold, and Medellin holds in Antioquia a place similar to that of Denver in Colorado. Here assays are made, and from this city the metal is generally shipped. These mountains are also rich in BRIDGE OVER THE SANTA ELENA, IN MEDELLIN, BRAZIL. a great deal of climbing and descending. For instance, the road leading from Medellin to Rionegro, a city fifteen miles distant, rises three thousand feet in the first seven or eight miles, then descends until Rionegro is reached, which is only two thousand feet higher than Medellin. Medellin is over five thousand feet above sea level, but there are other places still more elevated, such as San Pedro, which is over seven thousand feet, and Santa Rosa, nearly eight thousand feet, while Bogota is over eight thousand feet. Colombia being in the vicinity of the equator, the climate is not cold, as temperature is reckoned in the United States. The mountain meadows and other high points are copper, iron, etc. The mining companies are nearly all English or American. The animal kingdom is well represented. There are the lion and tiger, small compared with those of Asia and Africa; monkeys in the forests, also deadly serpents, birds with brilliant plumage, cockatoos and parrots. Crocodiles abound in the large rivers. There are huge spiders and scorpions, a small kind being found in all the warm regions of Colombia. The bite of these is not dangerous, but produces in many persons entire prostration and paralysis of the limbs, sometimes of the tongue; its action seems to be on the nerves. After two or three days these symptoms pass away. 420 Medellin, Republic of Colombia. The timber useful for building and other purposes is almost all hard. A wood called comino is said to be almost indestructible. The houses of Medellin are nearly all comparatively new, because until lately other wood was used which the insects can in a few years entirely destroy; but now both the wood-work of the house and its furniture are made of cedar and comino. Fruits are abundant. Blackberries are large and are to be found in market nearly all the year. Many people in this city have oranges, lemons and bananas in their own gardens; guavas are to be had on the country roads for the trouble of picking. Pineapples grow abundantly near the city, but scarcely pay for sending to market. The principal crops raised near Medellin, and generally throughout Antioquia, are sugar-cane and corn, both largely supplying the food of man and beast. The bread commonly used is of corn and the meat pork. The people of Antioquia are more vigorous and enterprising than those of the other parts of Colombia, and are sometimes called the Yankees of this country. They live better, their houses are neater, few go in rags, and beggars are scarcer. Nearly every house is full of children. Ten is a small family; some have from twenty to thirty. Emigration to other parts is common, many of the leading merchants of Bogota being Antioquians. The character of this people influenced very much the choice of this new mission station. They are intent on getting on in the world, and are inclined to be content with the existing state of things as concerns religion, although ready to condemn much. There is more hope of them than of an indolent people lacking enterprise. May not this active, pushing race be the future evangelizers of their country? A LARGE PARISH. The population of the department is over 400,000; of these about 1000 are savages. Medellin has 50,000 inhabitants. This is our parish. Here there is but one Protestant minister. This city is the second in Colombia in wealth, but really the first in proportion to its size. It is considered by the people of Bogota as the centre of a very fanatical region, but [November, during nine months residence no more annoyance or interruption in services and other parts of the work has been experienced than is common in Bogota. Although Protestant workers are a novelty here, they are not entirely shunned, but have a few friends. It is certain that many are friendly, but fear to show much attention. The enemies of the gospel now rule the country, and here people dread going against the tide far more than they do in the United States. At first many dropped in to see what Protestant worship was like, but most of the people are afraid to enter our house. A woman passing the house saw our servant girl and earnestly plead with her to leave us, saying, "Do you not know that if you remain in that house you will surely go to hell?" For a little while we were annoyed by young fellows who came to try to break up our meetings, but that has passed; now few come, but they attend regularly. We are able to sell books and tracts, and give away some. Medellin has some good macadamized roads leading out from it. The country surrounding this city is very pretty. The hedges are made of the flat-leafed cactus, which seems uninterruptedly to bloom or bear fruit. The bushes are always crowded with blossoms, or green or ripe fruit. Orange, guava, aguacate or mango trees are frequent; blackberries are abundant, and wild flowers of brilliant colors. The grass is always green, and fields of corn or sugar-cane greet the eye. On Tuesday and Friday, the market days, all the roads leading into the city are filled with an odd-looking crowd, in the morning coming in, in the afternoon going out. Almost every man has a ruana, a square cloth with a hole in the centre, through which the head is thrust, something like the blanket of the North American Indian. The materials and colors vary. Most of them are of cloth, some of rubber for protection from the rain, many are of white or striped calico or linen. The horsemen use very broad leggings of rubber or leather. Many of the people are on foot, carrying loads or driving mules laden with all sorts of produce, some with fresh meat. Men and women are generally barefooted. Some have the shoes of the country, made of the fibres of a plant resembling the century plant. 1890.] Moral Causes Underlying the late Revolution in Brazil. Nearly all the women have loads on their heads. Often a woman sits at the roadside by a table on which is an image or picture of the Virgin Mary and a box into which the passersby cast money, the object usually being the building or repairing of a church. The missionary going by is often hailed and asked for something; then he has an opportunity to preach a wayside sermon on the sin of idolatry. SOWING THE SEED. One of the ways of doing our work is riding out on the roads and selling or giving books and tracts to the passers-by. In this way the inhabitants of the village get some knowledge of the gospel, for these books are often lent and read by many. One discouraging feature is the fact that perhaps the greater part are sooner or later destroyed by fanatical priests or people; but before that happens some one has read it, and they cannot destroy the impression made on the mind and heart. Most of the books are simply gospel tracts setting forth the way of salvation. The people do not generally show much readiness to come to us, and it is therefore necessary for us to go out after them. Some startling novelty will attract their attention for a time, but sensational methods are even less desirable on the foreign field than at home. Romanism is a religion which counterfeits Christianity and makes things easy alike for the pleasure-loving and for the self-righteous, but the Christianity of the Scriptures that demands sacrifice and mortification of the spirit finds little favor with the natural man. Those who have been brought up under the blighting influence of those false doctrines seem either blind to the errors of the system or utterly indifferent. It would perhaps be easier to convince pagans of the worthless character of their religion. On those who think that they are in the only true Christian church, and that there is no salvation out of it, it is hard to make an impression. Truly only the Spirit of God can direct us in presenting the truth and open their eyes to see the difference between the true and the counterfeit. This thought alone can gird up the laborer to do his part and leave the consequence with the Lord. 421 The work is scarcely yet established on a permanent basis. In an entirely new field it takes some time to get acquainted and make plans. The work already undertaken goes on slowly, but we believe surely. We hope and believe that grace will be given and wisdom also to lay well the foundations of the Medellin station. MORAL CAUSES UNDERLYING THE LATE REVOLUTION IN BRAZIL. REV. J. BEATTY HOWELL. The bloodless revolution lately consummated in Brazil is unparalleled in history. So radical a change in the form of government, effected in a day, with no opposition, no interruption of the functions of government, no injury to commerce, no fluctuation in that most sensitive barometer, foreign exchange, indicates a state of affairs so unusual, a condition of society so peculiar, as to merit most earnest consideration. It is not enough to say, the political fruit was ripe and fell of its own weight; it behooves us to inquire into the reasons of so sudden and unexpected a ripening. There were, of course, some reasons purely political, such as the growing restlessness of different sections of the country under the unequal burdens imposed by the autocratic central government, the rebellion of the military against the galling yoke imposed upon them, which, pressing harder every day, seemed designed to crush out their manhood, and jealousy of the rapid growth of the neighboring nations to the south, in which great material prosperity seemed to be associated with the republican form of government. These account for the outbreak of the rebellion, but not for its reception by the people. It still remains for us to inquire what produced such a state of mind in the people as a whole, that immediately after what appeared to be an overwhelming monarchical victory at the polls, the whole country, without a day's warning, accepted with enthusiasm the republic. Back of and underlying all the others were certain moral causes, to whose influence was largely owing the change of government at the time and way in which it came. One of the first measures of the republican 422 Moral Causes Underlying the late Revolution in Brazil. [November, government was a general decree that all officeholders who gave in their adhesion to the new order of affairs within a certain time would be continued in office, while those who refused so to do would be immediately superseded. The result of this measure was a wholesale coatturning which would have been amusing had it not been so sad an indication of utter lack of principle on the part of so large a portion of the best citizens. Although many had been for years ardent monarchists, and nearly all had voted for the monarchical candidate in the recent elections, not one in a hundred declined to accept the conditions, and the state and municipal machinery moved on uninterruptedly without the slightest hitch. The police of Brazil are a military organization, wear soldiers' uniform, carry guns, and in their ordinary patrol work use sword-bayonets. As soon as these soldier-police, scattered all over the country, received telegraphic orders from their superior officers to accept the republic, they tore the crowns from their caps and proclaimed a change of government. Outside of the large cities the number of the police agents was utterly insignificant, and they could have easily been overpowered; but even the most sanguine monarchists, when they found themselves face to face with military and called upon to risk some personal injury for the sake of their convictions, backed down at once. It was not cowardice, for the Brazilians are not a cowardly people, but simply the feeling that it was not worth while to risk anything or sacrifice anything for the sake of a mere opinion. This universal and utter want of political conscience, this complete subordination of conviction to interest, was really the most important factor in the quiet, unresisted advent of the republic. The Church of Rome, the whole effect of whose teachings for centuries has been to obliterate the inherent distinction between right and wrong, and confuse the minds of the people on the fundamental principles of ethics, is undoubtedly chiefly responsible for this national demoralization. The late emperor, however, contributed not a little to augment and popularize it. It had for many years been his practice to attempt to silence all opponents of the monarchy, who seemed to be gaining the public ear, with offers of honors and lucrative positions, and usually with success. It was a common thing to say of any one who commenced to criticise the monarchy, "He is barking loudly only because he wants a bone," and usually the offer of the bone was all that was necessary to close his mouth. In the course of time so great had become the number of those who had sacrificed their convictions for a consideration that there came to be almost no odium connected with such a transaction. Any one taking such a step found himself in very good company; being able to to point to many men, highly respected and honored, who had done the same. It is no wonder, then, that in this condition of affairs the republican leaders, who were men with positive ideas and the courage of their convictions, and who, in the face of opposition and ridicule, had for years boldly proclaimed and defended their principles, should have carried all before them. Indeed, the great guarantee of the stability of the republic is to be found in just this fact, that its advocates are men of positive convictions, thoroughly in earnest, who are conscientiously seeking the good of their country. Another element of Brazilian character, which unquestionably had a great deal to do with the quiet advent of the republic, was the prevalent intellectual sluggishness, which indisposes the people, in general, to thinking out and deciding any matter for themselves. In the great majority of cases the apparent political faithlessness arose not so much from want of fidelity to convictions as to a total lack of convictions on the subject. It was not so much that they were not true to their convictions as that they had never taken the trouble to have any. The lower classes have been for so many centuries in the habit of leaving their consciences in the hands of their priests, and yielding them an unquestioning obedience, that the custom of blindly following their leaders has become a second nature to them, and when the republic came they simply did what was natural-accepted it because those whom they were accustomed to follow accepted it. Even among the better educated there is an |