[Sidenote: The Darkness of South America.] In spite of the fact that its ten political divisions are republics, and that it has produced men of distinguished rank as scientists and scholars, South America is on the whole a land of dense ignorance, not only among the Indian population but among the mixed or pure descendants of the European settlers. In spiritual things the ignorance is tenfold increased. Of the hundreds of tribes of Indians, many have never heard the Gospel, and to only ten millions of the population has it been presented in any intelligible form. Rome, which has claimed South America for its own has done little to raise the natives from their degraded condition or to enlighten their darkness, and has opposed most bitterly the spread of the pure Gospel among them. The priests declare that the Protestant Bible is an immoral book which will do great harm to him who reads, and make every effort to destroy all the copies which they can find. Nor do they offer their own version. Doctor Robert Speer is reported to have said that visiting seventy of the largest cathedrals in South America, he could find but one Bible, and that a Protestant version, about to be burned. Of the religious condition, Doctor Warneck says, “The Catholicism is of a kind that, according to even Catholic testimonies, is more heathen than Christian. There are many crosses but no word of the Cross; many saints, but no followers of Christ.” Against the domination of the Catholic Church the most intelligent of the population have rebelled and men especially have ceased to believe in the priests or their teaching. May they upon leaving the old find true guides into new and better things! [Sidenote: The Population.] The latest statistics give the following as population of South America: Whites 18,000,000 Indians 17,000,000 Negroes 6,000,000 Mixed White and Indian 30,000,000 Mixed White and Negro 8,000,000 Mixed Negro and Indian 700,000 East Indian, Japanese and 300,000 Chinese ---------- A total of 80,000,000 Since South America offers vast resources in a sparsely settled country, its population will unquestionably increase rapidly by immigration.