Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

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andelderlywidowsknowingabout,letaloneprotesting,thismeasure?
Theanswertothatquestionwasthemissionaries.
Sinceearlyinthenineteenthcenturytherehadbeena substantial
worldwidepresenceofAmericanmissionaries.Beginningin 1806 witha
handfulofMassachusettsseminarystudentswhoasked Godto guide
theirlivesas theytookshelterbya haystackfroma suddenthunder-
storm,tensofthousandsofmissionaries proceededoutoftheUnited
Statestothefourcornersoftheearth,determinedtorelievetheworld's
peoplesoftheburdensofsuperstition,paganism,feudalism,andigno-
rance;tocombatexploitationofthepoor;topromotedemocracy,public
health,andliteracy;toreformtheworld'ssexualmores;andtoendthe
oppressionofwomenoverseas.
Thisvast popularmovement, stronger thanever today, knewno
boundariesofrace,sex,ordenomination.AfricanAmericanmissionaries
wereamongtheearlycolonistsinLiberia;withina generationoftheabo-
litionofslavery,AfricanAmericanchurchesinthesouthaswellasthe
northwere supportinga network ofmissionaries bringing the light
ofChristtothehomeoftheirancestors. Ata timewhenwomenwere
deniedthevote,relegatedtosecondaryrolesinreligiouslife,andbarred
fromaccesstomostprofessionalschools,onegenerationafteranotherof
pioneering Americanwomengained medical, theological, and other
trainingtoserveallovertheworld.Womenestablishedandledforty-one
missionboards,activelysendingmissionariesabroad.By 1890 women
constituted 60 percentofAmericanmissionariesservingabroad,andby
1900 thereweremorethanthreemillionwomenactivelyparticipating
indenominationalsocieties.I
ThepoliticiansdelugedwithmailabouttheChineserailwayproposal
quicklylearnedwhatwashappening.SunYat-sen,a ChineseChristian
educatedinmissionaryschools,hadjustestablisheda republicangovern-
ment inChinawithstrong supportfromthemissionarycommunity.
Sun'smovementseemedtofulfillthefondesthopesofthreegenerations
ofAmericanmissionariesinChinaandtheirmillionsofAmericansup-
porters:A ChristianChinese,educatedandtrainedinAmericanspiritual
anddemocraticvalues, hadoverthrownChina'srottenfeudalgovern-
mentandwasproceedingtoregeneratethatvastandancientland.That
isexactlywhatthemissionarieshadplanned-thatiswhytheylabored
toconverttheChinesetoChristianity;thatiswhytheyestablishedand
supportedthirteencollegesanda medicalschoolinChina;thatiswhy
forgenerations they hadbeenhelping the bestandmostpromising