is that of an inferior servant or subject, merely tolerated so long as he may be useful, but otherwise put out of the way with as little consideration as any other animal which has become useless or hurtful. In the exigencies of political relations with foreign nations a Christian power may be recognized as superior in strength and tolerated of necessity, but never truly loved. But the relation of equality and brotherhood is inherently opposed to the spirit of Islam, and hence it is hard to believe that this can be really effective in the creed and practice of any Moslem power.

Before the revolution, the young men of Turkey were going abroad by the thousand every year. There is not a land on the face of the globe where Armenians and Syrians are not to be found. They are itinerant merchants on every road and byway. They work in the mines and factories; some run banks and sweat-shops in lower New York. They enter the homes of America's rich to sell rugs or to work on the sympathies of their comfortable listeners. They gather money by every means and on every pretense. When liberty was proclaimed many thought that this tide of emigration would be reversed, and that those who had left would come back to happy homes.

One of the items of the reform and equality party was the enlistment of Christians in the army on equal terms with their Mohammedan neighbours. This was acclaimed with loud voices in many sections by the Christians, and is still accepted in such regions as Armenia, where the normal Christian population far outnumbers the Moslems. But elsewhere, where the majority is strongly the other way, the Christian young men have resorted to every possible subterfuge to prove their exemption from military service, and where this is impossible they have escaped from the country. In short, they will

do anything rather than run the risk of putting themselves under the direction of military superiors of the faith of Mohammed. This may have no direct bearing on mission work, but it has a very important indirect relation to it, for whatever adds to the restlessness of the people increases the difficulty of gaining an influence over them, or of securing their attention to spiritual matters.

These things all emphasize in another way the effect of this idea upon the Mohammedans themselves. Inherent in the idea of pan-Islamism is the sense of superiority and satisfaction. While there may be an outward respect for the foreigner as a citizen of a powerful state there is no respect for his religion or desire to exchange a spiritual monotheism for what has been understood to be a crude idolatrous worship that multiplies deities and accepts pictures and images in the place of God.

In conclusion let me say that pan-Islamism in the fullest sense of the term appears to me as a chimera that will never do more than create restless dreams for timid or nervous ministers of state. And yet the idea of solidarity and inherent superiority in Islam will produce in many localities conditions that should not be ignored but which can be treated only in accordance with local conditions. This idea of solidarity will maintain the supercilious attitude of Islam wherever it can exercise any authority. It will call for the greatest caution in intercourse with leaders of Moslem thought. It will make it harder rather than easier to induce Moslem leaders to trust their children to Christian schools. It will make the ear more deaf to Christian appeal and argument. On the other hand and as an offset to this statement, it should be noted that Moslem children are coming to our mission schools in larger numbers than before the revolution.

In Turkey I cannot advocate any radically changed methods of work. While the government is still weak but making an effort at reform, it is certainly the duty of all to support it. We should push every advantage of the new nominal liberty to induce the youth to enter our schools, and should, in every way, seek to lead them to an honest study and investigation of our faith. For this purpose controversial books as are kind in spirit while clearly contrasting the lack of Moslem teaching with the fullness and perfection of Christ should be carefully used. And always must the Moslems be made to realize the falseness of their idea of Christianity. When they realize that true Christianity is as monotheistic as their own religion, that it hates and forbids everything like idol worship; or the association of man with the functions of deity; that its ideal of spiritual living and righteousness is far in advance of Islam; then will they be willing to compare the Gospel with the Koran and may be led to choose between Mohammed and Jesus Christ.

As a

The solidarity of Islam must be broken: but that must be done in the spirit of the words: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." Not the crushing external force of warlike weapons such as appeared in the crusades but the winning attractive power of Christ's love. magnet draws the particles of steel unto itself, let the love of Christ in the person of His servants be brought so near to the hearts of the hosts of Islam that one by one, now here, now there, individuals shall be won out of that great dark mass until the whole disintegrates and the entire body shall be drawn into the heart of the loving Father. May God hasten the day and increase our faith in Him and deepen our love for His wandering children.

I

III

PAN-ISLAMISM IN AFRICA

REV. FREIDRICH WÜRZ, BASEL

N speaking of the spread of Islam in Africa we nat

urally think at first of the tropical part of the con

tinent, for there Islam is now making its great conquests and there also we can best observe the laws of its progress.1

In two huge fronts, one from the north and one from the east, Islam is advancing to embrace the southern and western parts of Africa. Both are backed by countries where Islam has been at home for more than a thousand years. Behind the eastern front stands Arabia, the very cradle of Islam. There always has been much intercourse between the coasts of Arabia and those of Africa, and today it stretches from the Mediterranean down to Mombasa and Zanzibar, the two widely open doors of East Africa. Both of these places are on the southern side of the Equator, and so almost two-thirds of the whole African east coast are under the influence of Arabia, not to mention the countries farther east. The northern front extends from the shores of the Nile to those of the Atlantic Ocean. It covers almost the whole of the Sudan and is backed by the large countries of Mohammedan North Africa which are among the oldest and most impregnable strongholds of Islam. If we draw on the map a dividing line between Mohammedan and heathen Africa, we find

'Compare the author's article, "Die Ausbreitung des Islam in Afrika," Allgemeine Missions Zeitschrift, 1910, pp. 16-30 and 74-82.

that it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean at Sierra Leone to the Indian Ocean at the mouth of the Zambezi River. Corresponding with the two fronts Islam is advancing in, the line runs in its first part from the west to the east, but in its second part it turns to the south. Of course we must not think that on one side of the line the population is entirely Moslem and on the other side heathen. Instead of speaking of a dividing line we might as well speak of a dividing zone of considerable breadth. And within this zone, roughly speaking, the conquest of Islam is taking place to-day. Behind it in Mohammedan territory, there still remain some heathen peoples which are practically of no importance, while in front of it we find amidst the heathen tribes many colonies of Moslem traders, some of them making scarcely any propaganda, but all of them marking the route for time to come. proceedings going on within the zone itself are of a very different nature. For instance, in Adamaua, in the north of Kamerun, there are districts where heathen and Mohammedan peoples are living like enemies, the heathen keeping aloof from the Moslems. It is only natural that in cases like this Islam is not making many converts. On the other hand, in Sierra Leone, in Southern Nigeria, in German East Africa and other parts Mohammedans and heathen are living in friendly intercourse and here Islam makes most rapid progress.

The

The general impression is that Islam is advancing on the whole line. In some parts Islam seems to have reached the limits of its extension, the heathen population knowing of it but declining to adopt it; but this does not prove much. As in Christian missions there are times of preparatory work, showing no palpable success and yet being of the utmost importance, so it is in the spread of Islam. It has not only its time of rapid conquest, but also its time of quiet infiltration. Other