hate the light. The Moslem's idea of right and wrong is so crooked that he
does not like to have it exposed.

[Illustration: THE SULTAN'S SOLDIERS.]

Supposing there was a country where all the people wore their garments
wrong side out because they knew no better, and then some one came wearing
his clothes properly and trying to teach these ignorant people, would they
not think _him_ mad and say why do _you_ not turn your coat inside out?

That is the very way Moslems regard the missionary. They often tell us,
"You are so good and kind why don't you accept the true religion and
become a believer?" You must not think that the heathen or the Mohammedans
are anxious to hear the gospel. They do not know of its value and so do
not know what they miss. When they hear that the gospel demands a holy
life and forbids all swearing and lying and uncleanness, they think such a
religion too difficult and prefer their own. All their topsy-turvy ways
and thoughts seem perfectly correct to themselves until God's Spirit
enlightens them.

It is no wonder therefore that there is always opposition and trouble when
missionaries (even such quiet _little_ missionaries as we read about),
come to a village. When you want to put a thing straight that is upside
down there is sure to be an overturning. The farmer is not sorry because
his rude plow breaks the hard soil and bruises the weeds and turns all the
greensward under. Oh no; he does that to make some better green grow. Wait
three months and you will see the whole field covered with a waving
harvest of wheat. Ploughing is pretty rough work on weeds. Opening a new
mission station is pretty rough, I admit, on a false religion. And the
wise men cannot help knowing this and so they repeat the words of the old