Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-24
SAVING CHINESE SOULS.
snail American Maidens ne Sacrificed for
Pig-Tailed Salvation.

fig-Tailed Salvation?
rHH QUESTION pRorour TO . man ~ wv
roRx-cHrSAxES INSIST ON rouSe WOMEN
TEACHERS AT SUNDAY scHooL-aRowrH or
AN AMAZING srsrEM-wHAr cLrRarxrx
THINK ABorr yr-FIcSics AND fRxsxxrs-
cHINAAEx As HusBASps
Nrw York. September %. 1904
SHALL THE YOUTH AND BEAUTY OF
~ American maidenhood be used ss . bait 10
lure pis-tailed orientals into the fold Of Chris
tiapity?
The recent agitation Of this question in New
York has been brought 10 a head T. the closing
Of the Chinese Sunday school in connection
with the Church Of the Strangers. An order
that table should be interposed between each
pupil and his fair instructress gave rise 10 dis
content, the custom having previously been
that the two should indulge any desired degree
of proximity, even TO sharing the same book
But when the Rev. DIR. Deems declined TO
marry girl teacher to Chinaman open rebel
lion on the part Of the celestial gentlemen
broke up the enterprise for prom oting saliva
ton.
Marriages between American young women
and their Chinese pupils in Sunday schools have
become alarmingly frequent Of late. This does
not seem at all surprising TO anybody who has
observed the growth Of the extraordinary sys-
TEN adopted by the churches interested in this
sort OF missionary work. The most important
feature Of il is the requirement that one in
structress shall be provided FOR each individual
heather. In New York and Brooklyn there are
thirty-one such schools. having q regular at
tendance Of 9s9, Of which number 25s are rated
as Christians. The rest are not actual converts
Ia
interesting visitors from the fiowery kingdom
The services of about one thousand American
girls enlisted
Some OF the clergymen say that they can see
no BARN In marriages between the slant-eved
pupils and their instructresses, setting aside
race prejudice as unreasonable objection.
Others regard such unions as undesirable. but
contend that they cannot well be helped. Ger
talnly, they aver. there is no other effective
method for saving the Chinamen's souls mas
much as they will not attend SUNDAY school I'M
less they are provided with young women teach
ers.
The Rev. DR.. Jay Benson Of Brooklyn Is one
OF those who do not believe in the accepted
plan. His church organized a Chinese SUNDAY
school a while ago, furnishing a room hand
somely for the accommodation of twenty prom
ising pagans. Everything was done to mako
things attractive for them. but male instructors
were employed The pupils rebeIled at this and
said that they wanted girl teachers pretty
Kills request was refused tueN oe-
clared: mo girl teachers. no Gomez" They
did not come any more and the school was shut
up.
The Chinese beginner at SUNDAY school is
supplied with n primer having English and
Chinese words side by side. He is taught later
on 20 repeat verses from the Bible. parrot
fashion. and perhaps he may learn hymn or
two. which he sings in a discordant fashion,
painful to the ears of the civilized listener.
Whether he gets religion or not, he acquires q
knowledge of English in this way that is valu-
able to him. me no go Sunday school learn
joss, said one pig-tailed neophyte the other
day; ''me go learn Mclean" But with most
of the pupils the chief object seems to be firta-
ton, for which the best possible opportunities
are afforded. Teacher and learner conduct
heir discourse tete-a-tete, and the latter does
his best to improve upon the amiable inclina-
ton which his fair instructress naturally feels
toward the man she is irving to lead TO God.
1t is observable that the efforts of the churches
are mainly limited to the aforementioned
Cinnamon. As one OF their own race expressed
it, TO get Mclean girl teacher at Sunday
school Chinaman must have money and dress
we'll" The slums of Mott and Pell streets are
not drawn upon for converts. Obviously, an
almond. eyed heather who wears American
clothes and is personally presentable is more
agreeable to instruct than crude pagan in 4
blue frock and a greasy pig tail. Besides, it is
the custom for the young women TO accept
costly presents from their boys" as they call
them, and in some of the schools il is usual for
the pupils TO escort their instructresses home.
No self-respecting girl would desire TO be seen
on the street with an unpleasant looking
oriental of the common laundry type, though
he might be dozen times Christian.
CHINESE 400. -.
Most people imagine that all the Cinnamon
In New York belong to the same caste. So they
do in their own country, that caste being the
lowest possible. but the acquisition Of wealth
has created the same social differences among
them as have been brought about by like means
among the Americans of this metropolis 1t
seems surprising. but it is none the less a fact
that there is a set among the Chinese here as
exclusive a. the 400 of Mr.. Nc Auister.
To illustrate how this matter Of social dis
tiuctious among the Chinese NAV work in with
the business of saving their souls mention may
be made of one Sunday school and Chinese Y.
MICA. on West 14th street, which is the most
select and exclusive affair of its kind in the city,
Ihirty-one Cinnamon compose it's membership,
twenty-three Of whom are protested converts
to Christianity, while the remaining eight are
more or less likely to become such. The estab-
lishment is in effect club organized on ideal
principles. inasmuch as all the expenses Of run
ming it are paid by the good people who founded
it and provided for its accommodation q hand
bofllc lufte-stOrN DTOWu-slOne house, Once
week the members are visited by bevv of
young women, who instruct them in religion,
remaining to lunch and sometimes into the
evening. when the pupils join in a musical en-
tertainment that has caused many of the neigh
bors to lodge complaints against the establish
ment a nuisance. This has been found a very
successful method of Outstanding the
Chinese. No Chinaman refuses 10 be Christian
lied by such process, and there are many ap~
plica for admission TO the club. However,
it is very exclusive and difficult to get into.
cHINAMEN EAGER FOR WHITE WIVES.
Cinnamon of the celestial 400 are usually am
bilious to secure white wives. Being unable
to obtain an entrance into Caucasian society
through the ordinary channel they seek it
through the Sunday schools The frequency
of recent marriages between girl teachers and
their pig-tailed pupils shows that the plan works
well. What opportunities are afforded for the
achievement of intimacy between instructress
and hopeful convert was illustrated not long
ago by the announcement Of the secret wedding
of Miss Field Of New York to J. Lee Wing. esq.
A sensation OF scarcely less magnitude has since
been created by the matrimonial union Of Miss
Grace French Of Brooklyn TO Lee Tadd, ESQ.,,
and there ia rumor of two other similar events
about to occur. Not least loud In expressing
their disapproval Of this kind of thing are
American young men. some of whom have
gone so far to say that girls who indulge
social intimacy with Cinnamon should be
dropped and effectively ostracised by all other
IN nl la n D n IN mr.