St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-28
THE CHINESE QUESTION.
An Interesting Discourse by Rev.
William Wilkinson.

Rev. William Wilkinson at st. An
drew's Episcopal in his sermon yes
terday, speaking on the Chinese ques-
ton, said the policy we have followed
is alike contrary to our duty and COM
mercial interest. We opened our doors
as a nation early in our history to Who
ever would come. and from every civil
lied land came men who had no capital
other than rugged health and cunning
hands which could transform wilder
ness into garden Of plenty. The re-
suit was the population grew by leaps
and bounds. Wealth increased in
ratio which made America an as
constituent to the shrewdest men
in Europe. This policy made this
nation both rich and great;
it gave promise OF making the Omit ed
States richer and greater than any ma
ton known to history. Then we pause
and begin to discriminate against
people who have it in their power to be
of larger serv :e to America than any
people on the gi3ys, for steam and mod
ern appliances are every day bringing
distant places nearer. China has not
fewer than 400,OO0,000 people, and Eu-
ropean ways, as never before, are being
copied there; sure as advantage minis
tiers to self interest, this must be so.
We need new markets for American
foods, and such markets can be had ID
China if the right plans are laid for that
end. What can the Chinaman think Of
Christian nations when he sees English
merchants sell his fellow country
men $50,O00,000 worth of opium every
year, and ali which can be shown for it
is degradation, disgrace, poverty, death.
hot ln ink 49, hn tno
that we treat his nOblest views with
contempt: tell him he is of a race in
ferior, and in religion abOminable?
Whenever honest effort has been made
to do good to these people, the result
has been as satisfactory as could be ex-
pected. There are known to be over
1000 Chinese in the Christian Sunday
schools in America, and of this number
270 are members of the church. In
New York last year Rev. DR.. Greer,
of st. Bartholomew church, began
club for the Chinese. 1t has now over
200 members who take deep interest i'll
all it's concerns. They have athletic
games, music, and instruction, and the
results are such as justify the steps
taken in their behalf.
The teacher is native Chinese who
is thoroughly Americanized-he has no
queue (pig taiD-dresses like a gentle
man; is one of the brightest men l
know. No man can read tho Chinese
Evangelist, paper devoted to the in
terest of Cinnamon in America, and not
be struck with what is being done, and
with the fact that eXclusiveneSS is CIV
ing way, that wider views are gaining
every day.. We send missionaries to
China to try to convert them to our re-
llgion. When they would come here,
and give us the opportunity to influence
them in way we cannot III Chlna by
mission work, we prevent them. We
ought to remember these Chinese are
not like savages, without language or
literature. Before England was known,
or the great nations of to-day had be-
gun to be, they had teachers of
great fame and influence, whose works
have come down to our own times
and command the respect of the most
cultivated minds to-day. We should
never forget that God hath made of one
blood all the nations on earth: that the
oceans are not intended to divide men,
but to bring them near for the good OF
each, mental, moral, commercial, spirit
ual; that if we. have noble and true
views of duty and of God it is ours to
make them known III every practical
way, and so extend the kingdom of
righteousness, which is the kingdom of
truth, and in all cases for the good of
men. We need to retrace our steps on
the Chinese question, and treat the
Chinaman as our friend and brother.