BRAZIL

[s. 121] : The United States of Brazil lie achievement is the lasting impre ion made by his character upon the Church in America and Europe. It was Brainerd’s character which made Jonathan Edwards a mi ionary to the between the 4th degree of north and the 33d erf south latitude, and the 35th and 72d west longitude, including within their bounds about two fifths of the whole South American Continent. This youngest born of the American republics measures from north to south 2,000 miles, and from east to west 2,500 miles, thus covering an area of about 3,200,000 square miles, but little le than the whole continent of Europe. It borders upon all the South American countries except Chile and from the vast extent of its territory and the immense value of its undeveloped natural resources is bound to play an important part in the history of the New World. Indians of Stock bridge; it was to Brainerd’s mem which Henry Martyn traced his decision to become a mi ionary; to those simple records of a godly life, too, William Carey was indebted for much of that inspiration which shaped his decision to be a mi ionary tho he had to go alone. Brainerd was a true, noble man and a Christian hero of that small cla of heroes whose of the republic may be roughly divided into three great basins one at the north, formed by the Amazon and its tributaries; another at the south, formed by the streams which united produce the Parana, one of the principal branches of the Rio de la Plata, and, lying between the two, the section drained by the Sao Francisco, the third river in size in South lives seem to shape history. America. David Brainerd, Wesley (J.), Bristol, 1768; Edwards (J.), revised by Dwight (S.), New Haven, 1822, and New York, 1884; Sherwood (J. M.), New York, 1887. Climate: In so vast a territory, with such great differences of altitude, there are, of course, many varieties of climate. On the whole, however, with the exception of some of the towns along the seacoast and the valley of the Amazon, the follow his example. It is through this quality of his journals that Brainerd’s greatest to oirs to BRASS: A district in the Niger delta on the The region is flat and touring coast of W. Africa. The surface — Brazil country in general is salubrious; even in the seaboard towns the mortality is not above, rather below, that of the large cities of Europe. In the greater part of the country the hot season is also the rainy season, which lasts for three or four months, when, altho the days of continuous rain are few, the afternoon showers fall with great regularity, lasting from ten minutes to an hour or two, and thus, lowering the temperature and refreshing the air, insure cool nights. The most prevalent diseases are pulmonary consumption, intermittent fevers, and rheumatism. Leprosy and goiter are common. Epidemics of yellow fever occur only at intervals in some of the seacoast towns. The population, according to the last official census (1890), was 14,333,915, of whom 6,302,198 were whites, 4,638,495 of mixed blood, 2,097,426 negroes, and 1,295,796 Indians. The Indian element predominates in the northern states. A census was taken in 1900, but was rejected as tainted with error. History: Brazil was discovered about the year 1500, and was soon after taken po e ion of by the Portuguese and continued to be a colony of Portugal till 1822, when its independence was proclaimed by the son of the King of Portugal, who was acting as prince-regent. He a umed the title of Pedro I., Emperor of Brazil, and in 1824 gave the country a constitution which in its main features was considered liberal. In 1831 he abdicated in favor of his son, the late Dom Pedro II., who was at that time only five years old. The government was by regents from that date till 1840, when the emperor’s majority was proclaimed, altho he was but fourteen years of Dom Pedro II., after having occupied the age. throne for a half century, le one year, was deported in November of 1889, when the republic was proclaimed. As a natural result of its history the language of the country is Portuguese. It is a beautiful language, compact, expre ive, flexible, and well adapted for oratory and literature. The literature is principally rich in fiction and poetry, the few scientific works being mostly translations from the French. As French is considered a nece ary part of a liberal education, all the profe ional men read it, and generally more than half the books on their shelves are in that language, while French novels of all sorts form the staple literary diet of the ladies of the wealthier cla es. The established religion of the empire was Roman Catholic. Under the republic, equality between all forms of religion has been declared, but the government continues to provide for the maintenance of existing functionaries of the Roman Catholic Church. Qualities of the People: The Brazilian people are, in general, hospitable, generous, charitable, gay, courteous, communicative, quick at learning, rather fond of show, somewhat ceremonious and proud, rather inclined to look down upon labor and laborers, but with a remarkable suavity and a native politene which is as general in the lowest as the highest cla es. Tho not as excitable as the Spanish, there is still a strong element of jealousy in their disposition, and a tendency to vindictivene which gives rise to many homicides in the course of a year, tho crimes against property are much fewer than in most European countries. The race as it exists to-day is the result of a combination of widely diverse ethnical ele- 104 ments, molded in a great degree by ecclesiastical influences. The typical Brazilian is small of stature, with elegantly diminutive feet and hands, slightly built frame, nervous and bilious temperament, bloodle and sallow complexion, and a generally anemic and wornout look evidently wanting in the strength and energy to cope with the difficulties to be encountered in developing a new country. The bloodle revolution in Brazil, by which a country nearly as large as the whole of Europe pa ed from a monarchical to a republican form of government, with no interruption of the func- — tion of government, no injury to its commerce, no interference with the regular march of busine , no mobs or fighting, emphasized certain peculiarities of Brazilian character which merit attention on the part of those who expect to engage in mi ionary labor among them. One element of Brazilian character which unquestionably had a great deal to do with the quiet advent of the republic, was the prevalent intellectual sluggishne , which indisposes the people in general to take the trouble to think out and decide any matter for themselves. In the great majority of cases the readine with which they transferred their allegiance from one government to another was due not so much to want of fidelity to political convictions, as to the total absence of convictions on the subject. The, lower cla es have been accustomed for somany centuries to leaving their consciences in the hands of the priests, and yielding them an unreasoning obedience, that the habit of blindly following their leaders has become a second nature to them; so when the republic came they did what was most natural, accepted it, because those whom they had been accustomed to follow accepted it. Even among the educated cla es there is an intellectual departments apathy which shows itself — in all intellectual activity science, philosophy, politics’ and religion and this is nothing more than the natural result of the policy persistently pursued by the Church of Rome to repre speculation and original thought, and to allow its votaries free exercise of their intellectual powers only along two lines of activity money-making and amusement. In view of these intellectual conditions of the rising generation in Brazil, the great importance of educational work there becomes evident. While confe edly an indirect evangelizing agency, it is, perhaps, one of the most important in the present crisis. There is almost no positive of — — opposition to the Gospel it is simply ignored by many who admit that it is a very good thing, but who are unwilling to make the intellectual effort nece ary to investigate its claims, and to think the matter out for themselves.; The change of government, by throwing upon the people the management of their own affairs,, will gradually force the people to think for themselves. It is of the first importance, therefore,, that measures be taken at once to turn the newly awakened intellectual activity in the right direction, as well as to make acce ible to the people the materials for a right judgment in science and religion. The prominent moral characteristic of the Brazilian people is a very great lack of conscientiousne , an almost complete absence of the feeling that everything must give way to right and duty. The result of this has been referred 105 to in speaking of their physical cliaracteristicg. It has also been prominent in their political history. One of the first measures of republican government was a general decree that all officeholders who gave in their adhesion to the new government within a certain time would be continued in office, while those who refused to do so would be immediately replaced by others. The result of this measure was a wholesale coat turning, which would have been amusing had it not been so sad an indication of the utter lack of principle on the part of so large a portion of Altho many had just before the best citizens. been ardent monarchists, and nearly all had voted for the monarchical candidate in the recent elections, not one in a hundred declined to accept the offered conditions, and the State and municipal machinery moved on without the slightest hitch. The police of Brazil are a military organization, wear soldier’s uniform, carry guns, and in their ordinary patrol work use sword bayonets. As soon as these soldier-police, scattered all over the country, received orders from their superior officers to accept the republic, they tore the crowns from their caps and proclaimed a change of government. Outside of the large cities the number of these police agents was utterly insignificant, and they could have been easily overpowered, but even the most ardent monarchists when they found themselves face to face with the military, and called upon to risk some personal injury for the sake of their political opinions, yielded at once. It was not cowardice, for the Brazil i ans are not a cowardly people, but simply the feeling that it was not worth while to risk anything for a mere opinion. The priesthood, the whole effect of whose teachings for centuries has been to obliterate the inherent distinction between right and wrong, and to confuse the minds of the people on the fundamental principles of ethics, is without doubt chiefly responsible for this demoralization. Conditions of Life: The superior wisdom of “The Fathers,” and the nece ity of accepting as final their ideas and judgments in all matters of faith and doctrine have been drilled into the people from their earliest infancy for many succe ive generations, until the habit of looking backward seems to have become ingrained into the Brazilian nature, leading tliem to hold on with an almost religious pertinacity to old-fashioned busine methods, antiquated modes of transportation and farming (solid-wheeled oxcarts and packmules compete with railroads in some parts of the country, and not one farmer in a you sand has ever seen a plow), and the most unhygienic ways of living and eating. The unparalleled progre of the United States is, doubtle , largely owing to the fact that every man seeks to improve upon the methods of his father, and eagerly experiments with any proposed change which promises to be an improvement. The average Brazilian, however, regards any innovation with suspicion, simply because it is an innovation, and is very apt to receive suggested improvements with a smile of half-scornful superiority, and to say: “Your implements and methods are very good for you and your country, but the ways of our fathers, who have been working here for centuries, are doubtle best for us in this country.” This difference of mental attitude is of itself enough largely to account for the difference between the two countries, and for it the Brazil Church of Rome is largely, if not wholly, responsible. It is suggestive that even the roads through the country are only cared for as they have to do with tlie parish churches. Once a year, upon an appointed day, all landholders are required to present themselves at their respective parisli churches carrying hoes, brush hooks, or axe s.. Then all start together for their homes, cleaning and repairing the roads as they go; dividing as. they succe ively reach the turning leading to their houses, thus leaving a wide cleared road from each house to the parish church. These roads were formerly called sacramental roads, as,, in order to incite to the prompt and faithful performance of this task, the priests used to refuse to carry the sacrament to the dying except over a well-prepared road of the regulation width. There are no road inspectors and no provision made for the care of cro roads, even tho leading to a railroad station. So all over the country there has been a constant effort to make everything center in the Church. The doing things for show and effect prominent Brazilian characteristic. is a “Para Inglez an expre ion ver,” for the English to see, is applied originally to parliamentary measures which it was known at the time would have a good effect upon outsiders, especially upon investors in that land whose ready money has done so much to develop the resources of this country; but it has pa ed into proverbial phrase to indicate whatever is done for show or effect. The tendency which this phrase characterizes, and of which the late emperor was thought to have been an illustrious example, is evident in all departments of the social, political, and bus i Their style of ne life of the Brazilian people. dre ing and building, their busine and profe ional methods, their school system and newspaper articles, public speeches and private entertainments, all reflect the soulle externality which is characteristic of their religious life. Education: So-called religious instruction occupies tlie principal place in the public schools, hours being spent in learning by heart the prayers liturgies of the Church in an unknown tongue, and another considerable part of the time in memorizing the Catechism, which, being learned parrot-like without explanation, is almost As a result equally unintelligible to the pupils. it is not at all unusual to find Brazilian children who have been at the public schools for two or three years, but can barely spell through a sentence, and are ignorant of the simplest rules of In the rural districts one often arithmetic. comes acro children who, having learned out of books copied b}’ the teachers, are quite familiar with handwriting, but cannot read print at all. Following the system of rote teaching, which is tlie only one admi ible in their religious instruction, the sole aim of the teacher, even in the higher schools, seems to be to store the memory; no attempt is made to develop the reasoning powers or to encourage original thought and or investigation. The child’s head is stuffed with li.sts of names, numbers and rules, without any attempt to explain principles or verify or apply them in practice. Mathematics are taught most superficially, while the generally received test of an educated person is the ability to speak a number of languages, like the last emperor. As a consequence, tho linguists are common, About the only scientists are very few, indeed. Brazil British and Foreign thing that is tolerably well taught is Latin, and that only because it is an e ential part of the priestly education. Under such circumstances it is not surprising that fully 84 per cent, of the population is returned as illiterate. Yet the land has been under the care of the Church for 250 years, and when William Penn made his treaty with the Indians the Archbishop of Brazil already had a splendid cathedral and all its appurtenances at Rio de Janeiro. Early Attempts at Evangelization: It is a very deeply interesting fact that the very first effort of the Christian Church after the Reformation to engage in foreign mi ions was that of the church at Geneva to send the Gospel to the inhabitants Coligny, the great French Huguenot, of Brazil. and other friends of the truth conceived the idea of establishing a Protestant colony in South America as a place of refuge for their persecuted brethren. In 15S5 an expedition, consisting of three small ve els, under the command of one Villegagnon, a distinguished French naval officer, sailed from Havre de Grace to what is now the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, where they established themselves on an island, called to this day Villegagnon, in honor of the leader, and, as he afterward proved to be, treacherous destroyer of this expedition. Their joyous reception by the natives, who were at war with the Portuguese, and other circumstances seemed to warrant high hopes of succe . On the return of the ve els to Europe great interest was awakened for the establishment of the reformed religion in those remote parts; and the church at Geneva, under Calvin and his colleagues, sent two ministers and fourteen students Howto accompany the second expedition. ever, soon after these new colonists reached their destination, the real and villainous character of Villegagnon revealed itself in a series of annoyances and persecutions against the faithful Huguenots, who, having gone thither with the hope of enjoying full liberty of conscience, found their condition worse than before. The ruin of the colony was soon consummated. Many of the colonists returned to Europe. Of those who remained, three were put to death by their infamous persecutor, and others fled to the Indians and Portuguese. Among the latter was one named John Boles, who is noted, even in the annals of the Jesuits, as a man of considerable learning, being well versed in both Greek and Hebrew. Escaping from Villegagnon, John Boles went to St. Vincente, near the present site of Santos, the earliest Portuguese settlement in that part of the country, where the Jesuits had a colony of Indians catechized according to their mode. According to the Jesuit chroniclers themselves, the Huguenot minister preached with such boldne , eloquence and erudition that he was likely to pervert great numbers of their adepts. Unable to withstand him by arguments, they caused him to be arrested, with several of his companions. John Boles was taken to Bahia, about a you sand miles distant, where he lay in prison eight years. When, in 1.567, the Portuguese finally succeeded in expelling the French from that part of their dominions, the governor sent for the Huguenot prisoner and had him put to death on the present site of the city of Rio de was said, to terrify his countrymen, if any of them should be lurking in Janeiro, in those parts. order, it 106 The Dutch attempted to establish themselves at different points in the northern part of the country, from Bahia to Maranhao, during more or le of the second quarter of the 17th century. Godly pastors accompanied their expeditions and preached a pure Gospel in their settlements. But this can hardly be cla ed as mi ionary effort for the permanent dwellers of the land; and all trace of their labors seems to have pa ed away with the language and authority of the bold invaders, except the mention by Southey, in his History of Brazil, that they had prepared a catechism in the language of the Indians and other books of an evangelical character in Portuguese. The ABS and the BFBS were the first societies attempt in recent times the evangelization of Several individuals went to Brazil i ans. Brazil as mi ionaries about the same time, but their aim was to benefit seamen and others of their own countrymen. Of such were Me rs. Spalding and Kidder, of the ME Church, who labored in Rio de Janeiro between 1836 and 1842. A mi ionary of the American and Foreign Christian Union followed these pioneers with The first evangelistic the same purpose in view. mi ion in Brazil conducted in the Portuguese seems have language to been that carried on from 1855 to 1876 at his own expense by Dr. to the Kalley, formerly of Madeira. In 1859 the PN commenced its mi ion in Rio de Janeiro. There are now in Brazil 28 mi ion stations maintained by 13 different societies in America and Great Britain, and manned by about 60 mi ionaries of both sexes. The extent of this mi ionary effort is le striking when it is realized to be the only evangelistic effort made for fourteen million of people. For the spiritual wants of 140,000 Protestant foreign residents, twice this number of chaplains and pastors have been provided. South America^ Protestant Mi ions in, Eeach (H. P.), and others, New York, 1900; Brazil and the Brazil i ans, Kidder (.J. C. and D. P.), New York, 1896. 124