Page:Distinguished Churchmen.djvu/304

 262 DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN

power to strengthen and build up these native churches, as it is only through them that the Mohammedans will ultimately be brought to a knowledge of the Gospel. My reason for this belief, based on careful study of the question both at home and in the East, is that it is only the Oriental character which can successfully deal with the Oriental modes of thought of the Mohammedan.&quot;

&quot;But there are hindrances?&quot;

&quot;Yes, unfortunately. Within the last few years the work of the mission has been some what checked by the action of the Russian Church, in sending out a number of clergy who have detached a considerable portion of the Nestorian Christians from their own body to join the Russian Church. But there still remains a sufficient amount of work to do to render the position of the Archbishop s mission a very useful one. Not only has the presence of our missionaries been valuable from the spiritual side, but also from the temporal side. Some years ago an organised plan was made, with the con nivance of the Mohammedan Governor of the district, to have one of their periodical massacres of the Christians in one of the villages. These were generally carried out by the Kurds, who used to swoop down upon the village selected, murdering all the men, attacking the women and carrying off all their flocks. It is on account of

�� �