The daily gazette., 1877-05-02
A Heather Among Us.
WONG CHING FOO, THE CHINESE
MISSIONARY

-, MISSIONARY.
The sheathen Chinese taking strong
Grqnnds for Buddhism in the United
5teSss Wong Ching Foo is to lecture
N! lSsW x ork. To some questions by
a Koyzd representative he replied:
81 yas almost psrsauded," he said,
,;,. Ren ! was xery yonng to embrace the
c0ptact with the Christian m,ssi onar-
pAt after i became older and BEGAN
Feed ana think and study and under
ftapa realized that the Christian re-
iigion was not the best in the world. I
stin hnye q great admiration for the
rell9tcn as well as for the Character of
Christ assI have also for the RELIGION
ana character OF Buddha and Contucius.
venerate them as sages and good men
but am Buddhist and Confucian. and
am 4nxlousi TO prove to the American
pe9Pie gnat tthe Chinese people are in
teugen6 eng refined and have happy
nores and high civilization, and, more
tnnn alt that they haye good religion.
and worship God and hope for happiness
hereafter" TFs-fs g-lf q
How is it that the American people
nave got an opposite impressionP
Because the missionaries who are sent
out there are interested in producing an
opposite impression. They 20 out there
and have happy times. a0n the money
they receive from America they can
I've like Princes in China, and they
would be working against themselves to
produce correct Impression. So they
come here and tell stories about the
degradation OF the Chinese, and about
their bowling down to stock and stone''
that have no more truth in them than
the same stories would have il they were
told about the American people. And
they bulldoze th1 people into giving
them money enough to 90 back"
Wong Ching Foo laughed at his own
slang word, and continued: st is true
that there are peoplev in China who
need missionaries, but SO there are in
America. I don't bow to stock and
stone, nor do any Of the intelligent Chi
nese. We, worship God intelligently.
Why, do the Christians rage, and your
people Imagine a vain tbing2 You talk
about the heathen being damned eter-
fants being damned. had supposed
that all such foolish ideas had been
given up, but see that within a month
the Baptist clergy indorse such a view,
and I want to show the New Yorkers
what the heather really are. The Amer
lean people have been very kind to the
Chinese. They have been to great ex-
pense to send missionaries over to our
country, and have taken all possible
pains to teach US what Christianity is.
and propose to return this kindness.
so far as | am able, by teaching your peo
what Buddhism is"
DO you expect to make converts to
Buddhism ?" was the next question.
may make some," he replied; "but
It Is not so much my object to make
Baddhists as it is to teach Christians
what the principles of Christ really are,
and to show Jnem taat the people they
call heathen are really Intelligent wor-
shippers of God. Why, look at the re-
suits OF missionary work in China, No
are made among the educated
people. 1t is only the ignorant and de-
graded people or the children whom
they succeed in making proselytes,"
"It is likely to be life long work with
me" he cantinued with rather a sad
smile, FOR l cannot return to my own
country and have declared my inten-
ton of becoming an American citizen.
And l must say that the people in the
most of the places which 1 have been
have been kind to me, and have listened
10 me with great deal of apparent in
5erest. l have been offered very liberal
pay to make lecturing tour, but have
put off everything to go to New York,
because feel that there is work for me
% do there. shall be in New York by
sunday next, and understand that Col
onel Olcott has made arrangements for
ne to speak on the following Sunday"