Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-13
THE BAPTIST CONVENTION.
THE CHINESE QUESTION RAISES A
BREEZE.
How Mayor Kalloch Played the sand-lot
Mob-The sand-lotters Denounced
as 1.-The Brutal Elements
of Society"

was chosen Moderator of the Association,
and Rev. E. B. Hatch Secretary. After re-
lgious services a sketch of the life and death
of the late Rev. S. B. Gregory, of Cavalry
Baptist Church, was read by Rev. A. J.
Frost and remarks in reference to the same
were also made by Rev. Mr.. Frost, Rev. NJ.
d. Gage and others.
At 10 o'clock the regular business of the
Conference was proceeded with, and remarks
were made upon the paper presented the
former evening by Mr.. Gage upon Land
markistn." Reys. Hatch, We'll, Frost, Rob-
erts and Bateman took part in the discussion.
Rev. DR.. Taft commenced reading an essay
upon 1.-The Kingdom of God, but without
completing it the Conference adjourned at Il
o'clock.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Conference reassembled at 2 o'clock
P. H., and DR.. Taft resumed reading his
essay At its conclusion criticisms were
offered by Revs. Roberts, Guirey, Prior and
Frost.
Rev. G. S. Abbott, of Oakland, next read
paper upon The Attitude of Christianity
to the Chinese in Our Country" He said
that he had carefully avoided having any
thing to say upon the political side of the
subject, and should only consider it relig-
iously, or in the attitude of Christianity to
the Chinese upon the Pacific coast. He said,
first, that this attitude should not be one of
Indifference second, that it should not be
summarized in negative neglect and uncon-
Germ but in positive interest and activity In
the work and third, that it should not be
one of disrespect. The Chinaman is entitled
to his patriotism, to his dress and to his clan
nish spirit, so long as he is not nuisance
but it should be one of great Christian activ-
ity to convert them, since they are on our
shore and so long as they remain with US.
Rev. Mr. Hartwell, Chinese Missionary in
San Francisco, followed in the interests of
Chinese mission work, stating that he knew
of but one Church in the State that was really
engaged in it at the present time and urged
immediate and renewed activity in this di-
rection.
Rev. l. S. Kalloch stated that the reason
why so little was being done was fully stated
in the report of the Missionary Committee
of the denomination in this State to the Home
Missionary Society in New York some three
years ago, which showed that it was from a
lack of cooperation from that society, a copy
of which paper he now held in his hand.
Five years ago, he said, we had prosperous
mission here our hearts were all drawn out
towards it. but the American Home Mission
airy Society said it could not help us because
the other churches were not united. That
was the commencement and the reason for
the inertia upon this subject will relieve
you from any lengthy remarks upon this sub
ject. 1t svery difficult toseparate the religious
and political aspects of this subject and
when Bro. Abbott says he will have nothing
to do with the political side of it, and Bro.
Hartwell the same, they have a difficult task
to perform, for these two things, the political
and the religious sides of it, run together.
But | claim | can discuss the religious side of
the subject entirely separate from the other,
and L have delivered an essay within three
months before my people upon Christianity
among the Chinese, which does not deal with
the political side of it at ALL SO far as the
Christian side to our duty to these people is
concerned, l stand here to declare that if any
man charges me with any race class pre-
JUDGE against this people he does me great
injustice. | never spoke an upkind word
against them in my life, and [ will go as far
as any other member upon this floor
to Christianize the Chinaman. [ be-
lieve the Lord Jesus Christ came from
his throne in glory to save the Chinaman.
[ believe it is our duty to save them.
1t is not because [ do not wish to save
them that | oppose their coming, but because
if 100, 900 people from the interior were
coming to the city | would oppose such i'm
|
sons. One hundred thousand more would
starve them. That is the point from which
would judge the subject. | believe in every
word Brother Hartwell has said, and | be-
lieve we have been neglectful upon this sub
iect and we should go to work and help this
brother right out in this work by raising
some money to help the object which he is so
gloriously at work upon. Let us take this
matter up and redeem ourselves in this
respect.
Rev DIR. Taft said that be was in entire
sympathy with the points made in the essay
barring the implied reflection upon the Bap-
fist Church as denomination. He had been
on the coast five years, and had attended con-
ventions and associations, and in no case had
he heard any reflections at them upon the
Chinese. 1t is our duty TO do all in
our power to Christianize them, and teach
them our language, so as TO communicate to
them the Gospel; but l do not think we axe
under obligation to take up the work Of
primary education among this class any more
than among any other portion of our popula-
ton, such as Germans or others who could
not read our language. 1t is impossible that
any one should be saved without the Gospel
is communicated to them. We shall have to
wait In the providence Of God until genera
ton is developed that can understand our
language If God had proposed that we
/ SnOulQ preach JDe NJOsp pei 10 IueIH dG once lie
should have given us the power of tongues.
We are not to be disrespectful, and 1 am not
conscious that as people or denomination
we have any antipathy or are callous with
reference to them, as has been minated
Rev. Mr.. Abbott said In view of what Mr..
Kalloch has said it is due to the American
Baptist Home Missionary Society to say that
possibly they would have aided the Chinese
work in San Francisco at the time referred
to disparagingly by the committees paper, of
which he speaks had the Home Missionary
Society been thoroughly satisfied with the
methods and plans of service as communicated
by the paper. | am authorized by the Secre-
tary of that Society to present the full COM
munication to you, as expressive of its judg-
ment at the present time respecting the an
tagonism to the evangeliZation of the Chinese,
which is as follows:
''In your address on Chinese Evangelical
tion,' in May, before the State Convention,
you can say that the Home Mission Society
has no sympathy whatever with the un-
christian attitude which has been taken by
many, and that we deplore the antagonism to
the Chinese which has been exhibited by
some of our own brethren, believing that
the Chinese here and thousands of their tel
low-countrymen at home will, on this ac-
count. become so prejudiced against Christi
anity as to become practically inaccessible to
Christian influence. They will consider their
inhospitable and outrageous treatment by a
people nominally Christian as concomitant
of Christianity, and it will take generation
of missionary labor to correct their error and
overcome their prejudices. Thus in few
years here the hand on the dial of missionary
work in China may be turned back gen.
Grafton"
Rev. George Guirey, of San Francisco
said Mr.. Chairman | want to say a word
on this question. l have been on this coast
but short time. DR.. Kalloch has been
here but two or three years longer, but he
knows, and we must admit, that our denomi-
nation has been discouraged in its work
among the Chinese because of his opposition.
/ have two objections to what he has said.
First-The fact that the Home Mission
Society withdrew its support was no
reason why we should become Indifferent
to the evangelization of the Chinese
in our midst. Why could not the Temple
Church and other churches support their own
missions among the Chinese in the same
way that they support other local missions !
We hare been Indifferent. We hare en-
couraged hostility toward the Chinese. l
read in a paper yesterday that the foreign
residents of Pekin are thoroughly alarmed for
their safety owing to the threatening attitude
of the populace, and if our people should be
massacred in China we would not be wholly
irresponsible. And l want to ask DR.. Kali
loch right here, if he did not, on that Friday
afternoon, in his incendiary speech on the
sand lot, say Wait one week, and If moth