The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-09-01

generally expected.
Greeley for China-The Right Man at Last.
1t Is reported that twenty -one missionaries
have been killed in China, and the advocates
of the old-fashioned style of intercou 'rse with
the Chinese will find great comfort in the
deaths of these devotees. Already they are
limiting that this new evidence of the barbaA ism
of the Celestials ought to be taken as can
elusive against any liberal or fair treatment OF
such people. But this cannot be accepted as
very strong argument If twenty-one mis-
sionares have been killed there are only 30
many more instances that indiscreet zeal must
pay the penalty due to those who heedIessIy
excite the religious prejudices and inHame
with stupid hostility the passions Of a more or
less ignorant populace. Mobs once excited are
apt to kill men, even in this fair aud rational
city and we know of nothing more likely
to gather such mob than the proposition to
burn all the churches Of given sect. Sup
pose twenty missionaries" of the Presby-
terrain bicker went up Mulberry street to burn
St. Patrick's Cathedral, what sort Of figures
would they cut before the coroner's jury ?
Yet this is just the proposition of the Christian
missionary to ''the heather" everywhere. He
goes armed with his dogmata, and with his
eyes resolutely shut to the fact that people
as capable of reasoning as himself will not &C
cept his theories at the first glance to the ex-
clusion of the tenets held among them for thou
sands of years. He rushes forward to over
throw temples, to burn idols, and to degrade
priests who have as strong hold upon the
people subject to their influences as he
has upon his home circle-perhaps just little
stronger, since this hold depends mainly upon
the ignorance of those who are held. He
consequently gets himself chopped up. But he
also does something that the world has greater
reason to regret. He retards the progress of
true enlightenment, delays and prevents the
opening of free intercourse between nations of
different civilization, and furnishes the ready
pretext for the indiscriminate use Of power
against people of different faith.
A point in our civilization at which God and
Mammon stand side by side and face the same
way is in the hitherto accepted mode Of view
ing nom Christian nations. The platform of
the missionary is exactly the platform of those
British traders who recently addressed Mr..
Browne and complimented him upon the fact
that the views he had endeavored to further in
China were not the views of his government,
but were q great deal better, of course. 1t
might be worth while to regret that we had
been represented in a foreign country by
minister who could be praised by such words
if it were not the unfortunate result of our
system of appointment that we are as likely to
have incompetent and unfit persons as any
other in such places. But, altogether, we
think there is plentiful reason to rejoice over
the enforced recall of Mr.. Ross Browne, as it
has fixed public attention on the principal
point in our relations with China, and as it
has directly led to the nomination of man for
| the place who is more fit for it than any
other man under the sun. We refer, of
course, to Horace Greeley. In another column
will be found an article extracted from the
Tribune of yesterday, which is principally
important in its closing passage. Everybody
| will perceive at once that Greeley is there
presented as the fit man to represent the
American people in the presence or the neigh
borhood of Chinese majesty. His name, it is
true, is not mentioned; but fortunately he is
| man of that class--Of those broad and salient
| features of character that are recognizable
without the addition of that arbitrary sign-a
name. Let our new minister, says the article,
''be a man Of principle one, moreover, who
/ - II I.
the only possible basis of profitable relation
ship with China is foundation of integrity
| good faith and Justice" Now this is Greeley,
| for the Tribune does not believe that there
are two men on the face of the earth endowed
with the amount Of brains and soul set down
in the memorandum, and who are at the same
time ''men Of principle"
We cordially second the motion of our con-
temporary. We conjure, pray, implore
beseech, and urge the President and all the
members of the Cabinet, and all parties and
persons having power in the premises, to
send Greeley to the Chinese capital forthwith
He is filter for the place than any other man,
and filter for that than for any other place. It
is an appointment that would touch the
Chinese to the very heart, for they would
suppose it had been made in our American
admiration for their great philosopher, Con-
fucius. Greeley is great deal like Con-
fucius, and the Chinese would perceive this
at once His philosophic Indifference to the
conventionalities Of life, his sincere and undis-
guised love of virtue, cowhide boots, old
clothes and agricultural pursuits his dilapi-
dated coat and that white hat on the back of
the head disclosing half acre of forehead
all these bespeak him true disciple of the
Confucian school. He would stand higher in
China than in any other country. and any
economical use of our material would therefore
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