They undertook to make use of the native races in working the mines and cultivating the soil, instead of driving them before them, as the English did. They adopted in many ways the native styles of building, native foods, etc., and they chose concubines from the native women. The whites of these countries are generally the off-spring and descendants of these alliances.

In the hands of the white race is the political power and most of the property of the country, while the colored races are in various states of comparative independence, or semi-slavery, through a system of peonage existing in several of the various

states.

The whites are in general quick-witted, active, brave, hospitable, lovers of freedom, and patriotic. Their faults, many or all of them, seem to arise from their lack of a controlling religious faith, and are, perhaps, no greater than ours would be under the same conditions, nor than those of our people in the same state of faith.

In several years of travel in South American countries I remember of meeting with but one white person, other than the priests, who ackowledged having any religious faith at all, and this was a poor mule driver in the Andes. Having lost faith in the priests, and at the same time in all that they teach, they have adopted in its place the atheism of France and Germany. Though utterly faithless, they still adhere to some of the forms of the Catholic church, and may be seen carrying a candle, or helping to carry a saint in a procession, but it is all for the looks of it, and for its effect on the people. Privately, they make sport of it all, as the Romans did of the state religion in the time of the Empire.

In curious contrast to these stand the Negroes and Indians

of pure blood. With little or no education, they remain devout Catholics, but without true teachers of Christ; they have given up pagan idolatry, only to adopt worship of images, and to fall into superstitions but little better than those from which they have been reclaimed.

On great feast days in the larger towns numbers of life-sized images of the saints, mounted on platforms, and carried on the shoulders of men, are borne in processions, with lighted tapers, through the streets, while rockets and cannons, and the ringing of bells tell to all the world that a great event is occurring. As images of special sanctity approach and pass, the on-lookers uncover their heads and kneel, so that great waves of bowing people are seen along the streets. Even the soldiers lower their muskets, take off their caps, and kneel in long lines.

The more pretentious houses have little chapels attached, in which are kept the patron saints of the family. The poorer people have a closet or cabinet containing two or three little wooden saints, dressed out in paint and tinsel, reminding one forcibly of the family saints of the Chinese.

Saint making is a regular trade in the larger towns. Whenever one of the frequent fast days occurs, those who are too far away to reach the city gather together at some convenient house and begin the holy day with prayer. The chest of saints is opened, guns are fired, candles are lighted and placed before the images, and all kneel and chant an Ora pro nobis in mixed Spanish and Latin, calling on all the saints of the calendar to pray for them, but doing no real praying for themselves. After this exercise, the real festivities begin with dancing, eating, and drinking, which is kept up continuously for two or three days, until all are drunk or tired out.

The result of unbelief among the higher classes, and ignorance and superstition among the lower, arrives eventually at the same end: A general state of lax morals among all.

Granting that these South Americans have need of a purer faith, what is our duty toward them?

If they ever adopt a spiritual faith which shall overcome their unbelief and ignorance, their help must come from us, or from a new revolution breaking out within the Catholic church in their midst.

The mother nations of Spain and Portugal are themselves too dark to furnish them light. Much of the Spanish hatred for the English has been inherited by these peoples of the new world. They are jealous and fearful of the great commercial nations of Europe, believing that they would willingly take advantage of their weakness. From the first we have stood in a more favorable light toward them. Our success in gaining independence no doubt stimulated them to attempt the same. With the change of the form of government in Brazil, all of the South American States adopted a form of government patterned after our own more or less closely. Our success in continued self-government has no doubt encouraged them to persevere through anarchy and revolution to the same end.

The firmness of our government in upholding the so-called "Monroe Doctrine" has been a tower of defence for all the weaker American States against European aggression. Our general policy of forming no colonies has rendered them reasonably sure that we are not proposing to absorb them by force.

The visit of the Mexican newspaper editors to the United States, and to a much greater extent the visit of the Pan-American Congress, has done much to increase the fraternal feeling and confidence in us.

The title-Americano-which they agree in giving us par excellence, is a passport in all parts of the country.

But not all of our relations with Spanish Americans have been as productive of confidence and good feeling as those I have mentioned. The acts of our government in the Mexican war are bitterly criticised by our southern neighbors, and patriotic Americans, unable to justify their native country, can only explain and excuse. The recent Chili affair will also add nothing to our good name. Over one hundred sailors from one of our war vessels were turned loose in the streets of Valparaiso. They sought, as is the custom of some men, and as the records of that Chilian affair show, the worst quarter of the city, among saloons and houses of ill-repute. A drunken riot arose. The Chilian courts investigated the matter, and reported that there was nothing premeditated, and that the police of the city had done what they could to quell the riot. But our government, relying on the testimony of the sailors engaged in the quarrel, threatened the little state with war, and bullied her into sending an apology and a large sum of money as recompense to the injured. This act, to them, at least, of injustice, will rankle for long years in the hearts of all South Americans and, will confront us when we are most anxious for the good will of these people.

Probably few of them are as yet discriminating enough to estimate at its true neighborly value the investigations made and the pamphlet published by our government during the last administration to aid our liquor makers and sellers to better markets in Spanish-American countries.

Our government, placing too little value upon our relations with these states, has given our embassies to them in payment for political work, and in some cases second-rate politicians of little character have represented us. While on the

west coast of South America in 1872, it was common report that our minister to Chili at that time, a former general in the civil war, was often seen drunk on the streets of Valparaiso, and was a genuine all-round bummer.

Most of us are convinced that the unexampled prosperity of the United States depends upon its Christian virtues. We believe that the temperance, industry, economy and honesty, which are the basis of all our suceess, are the direct outcome of Christian faith. If we could make our South American neighbors see this, they would be as anxious to adopt our form of religion as they have been to adopt our form of government. Unfortunately this vast multitude of men and women who are trying to follow Chrtst, make but little show upon the surface. They do not carry their hearts upon their sleeves, and we pass them upon the streets and do not know them. In the hotels, and on the ocean steamers, and abroad, they are silent; while another class of our citizens, of easy address and manners, well dressed, with plenty of money, drink and gamble, and with mouths full of oaths and vile stories, claim to be model Americans, and to represent us; and it is this class of our people with which foreigners usually come in contact, and from which they judge us.

And yet we seem marked out by Providence to carry a renewed gospel to the despiring people.

Something has already been done in sending missionaries to South America. As long ago as 1817, Mr. Taylor, now the Methodist Episcopal Bishop for Africa, traveled along the west coast of South America, studying the opportunities for mission work, and established several self-supporting mission schools. Since then several of our various denominations have founded missions in various parts of the country.