The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-10

diplomatic ReUisU, which had attemptetko
show that they laboIed under popuhr
o oei UNI; because they were in the epjoy@snt
VI ungust privileges, and exercised these
privileges In unjust manner. The only
PROOF alleged Of tho injustice of the privil.
eyes; was that they; were said to be " the
results OF iAwiess violence ;" but We point
not ous III scP,y that The inin.tice Of war
visions WIS., OF which are not themselves unjust
With regard to the conduct of the Mission.
aries themselves We cautioned our readers
against attributing much weight to the
C stans e., account Of yhat they do. The
are only part Of the popular accusations
which charge them with kidnapping chill
dren in order TO dig ont their eyes for ex-
port to Europe. And a. to the demands of
the Pagan Chinese Government they will
have to be resisted just .. were the edicts
Of Nero and Diooletian, if, like those an
Gent prosecutors, they prohibit what reli-
Bids. -. = '','' "'''e' -N
We are now In possession of the entire
eT Parfe statement OF the Chinese Govern
me1t, a. it appears in the shape Of q for
NAL memorandum Published in the Chinese
journals. Interpreted by its own admis-
sions, and by the light Of facts already
known, it may fairly be said to bear out
the view which we had already taken Of
both.
The Chinese authorities scout the charges
OF tearing ont tho hearts and eyes Of hap
less pagan babes, and take credit to them
selves for being sincere though candid
friends to the Missionaries and their work.
Their real hostility, however, peeps ont 80
palpably when they bring charges against
the missionaries Of being murderers and
oppressors themselves, and the fautors and
harborers Of tho most atrocious criminals,
that we may well believe the Memorandum
to De founded on the reports OF those Man
darins who are known to have instigated
the :Tien-Tsin massacre, aud whose very
words and assertions it not improbably re-
produces. The atrocieus accusations in
question will of course find no credence,
unless amongst the Chinese mob for whom
they are intended they have q certain
value in this document, as giving weight
to the absence of certain charges which we
not little remarkable that the Mission
aries are not stated to have availed them
selves Of their Treaty rights to override
the law. The crimes imputed to them are
such as their exceptional privileges would
not protect them in committing, even il
mites. Severe legal penalties are threat
ened by the Memorandum in certain cases
and, from the tenor of what is said, we
gather that there is no difficulty in putting
the law in motion against law-breakers,
even Though they may be Chriftisns,
the Missionaries themselves are not
afraid of the Chinese accusations, 1s
proved by the reproduction of the
Memorandum in the Missions Catho-
Iqaes, where it is left to speak for itself,
tinued residence in China seems of itself
conclusive proof that they have not afford
ed any opening for legal attack. It does
not appear either that the observation Of
Treaty rights themselves is complained
of; it is evidently the success of the mis-
sionaries in making conyerts, and their
that has given mortal offence to the literati
and Mandarins. The demands Of the lat
ter betray their Gninaus, in spite of their
disclaimers OF hostility to q religion, from
which-if their accusations were credible
nothing Is to be expected save generation
of thieves and murderers, and widespread
social dissrganization.
They demand, for instance, that the Mis-
| sionaries shall cease to collect children into
their Orphanages, or that they shall hence
forward receive only the children of Chris
| tians; and that the children already in those
institutions shall, on reaching mature age,
be handed over to their pagan relatives to
be forced back again into that heathenism
from which they have been rescued. They
demand that Christian women shall no
ship that the Sisters of Charity shall leave
the country, or, if they stay, cease to oc-
cnpy. themselves with teaching religion.
The Missionaries are to be debarred from
attacking the religion of Confucius, Buddha
and Tao, or any other of the recognized
paganisms of China-in other words, they
are to cease doing that which they came to
China to do, preach Christianity and make
converts. Their houses are to be register
ed and periodically visited by the officials,
who are to be furnished with returns, at
stated times, of converts received into the
h hos n,1ir pnntc oh I'd
and inadmissible as they are, and clearly
at variance with Treaty rights, betray an
evident hostility to Christianity, and a de-
termination to strike at the root of Mission
airy work and success.
Further proof, if any were needed, comes
to us this week in the shape of strange
story from Shanghai. Some months ago
rumors of a like nature were reported to
exist; and now the facts come out in shape.
They are oddly characteristic of Chinese
ideas. In Canton, city and province, GER
tain misunderstanding advantage of an
existing popular superstition that some