The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-04-22
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CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA.

OhhIoA IAN1lI IN wilma
Are the Christian missionaries max
ing any genuine and important progres S
in China? What facilities will the
United States be able to employ to pro-
tect them in the impending outbreak?
These two questions are both answered
in letter from Commander f. NJ. Bar
Der of the United States steamer Mon
ocacy, the gunboat which our Govern
ment maintains on the Yangtsi river.
Fourteen years ago Commander Bar
Der, then junior officer, was for time
on the Asiatic station. He was i'm
pressed then, as he says was almost
everybody else who was not mission
airy, with the apparently inadequate re-
turns for the lavish expenditures of
money and labor in missionary work. 1t
seemed absolutely hopeless to expect
that any impression could be made upon
great and ancient nation of 400, 200, 00C
people which already had three systems
of religion antedating the Christian faith
ago. But now Commander Barber is
again in China, in a position where he is
brought into intimate relations with the
missionaries of all sects and enjoy rare
opportunities for observation along a
UuOuoduu VI SlCNO llNSls IN
now finds that an impression is being
made-thaU the seed which has been
sown so carefully and patiently is begin.
ming to produce its harvest Fourteen
years ago." he says, 81 thought that
China was country where even the con,
tinued dripping of the water of Chris
tianity would never wear away the stone
of heathenism, but now it is apparent to
my unprecedented mind that the stone
will ultimately be forced bodily from its
bed" England" he adds, 'has the
greatest interest in missions, and the
United States comes next. There are
now over Thousand foreign Protestant
missionaries scattered through China
Probably the number of converts of all
kinds is in the neighborhood of one
million.
This is progress, real and unmistaka-
BILE. Sometimes the missionaries have
felt that their fellow countrymen of the
naval service were inclined to disparage
the results of their labors. and to send
home statements which had discour'
aging influence upon the Christian cause
in the Great Empire; but it is doubtful
if the officers were ever Intentionally un-
friendly. They simply lacked the mis-.
Our trade with China is larger than
ever. but our resident commercial repre-
sentatives are few in number. With the
failure of Russell & Co., the last great
American house in China has vanished.
1t is the missionaries chiefly who need
the care and protection OF our Govern
ment, and this is a duty which Com
mander Barber thinks will be essential
F., b. =.
have the unarmed and helpless men,
women and children of the mission sta.
tons at tho river ports gladly welcomed
the appearance Of the Stars and Stripes
flying above the black guns of the Mono
cacy and Palos. 1t has pleased the
newspapers to refer to the Monocacy as
a worthless old wooden hulk, and it is
agreeable to have Commander Barber
vessel. "She is" he says, "a powerful
slde-wheel, iron river steamer, intended
for this kind of work and nothing else
She is % years old and not fit to go tC
sea, but she is fit for river work for GER
tainly six years longer, and probably ten.
She is recognized by all naval officers OF
all nations who have seen her as being
the best vessel on the river. Her battery
ID YUM nOoCi vi lONll O-lllSI bOlCs
and two 60-pounder rifles, with si1
Hotchkiss revolving cannon. 1t is ;
heavier battery than is carried by an!
other vessel in the world on the same
draught, viz: feet aft and feet for
ward. II is also more efficient batter,
than any other on the river. Smootl
bores do much greater execution agains
mud and soft brick walls than rifles
With this draught of water the Monocacy
can 90 to Hankow at all seasons of tn
year and to Ichang during five months
of the year. No other vessel in the U. $
navy can do either of these things, ant
we are not building any that can"
Commander Barber strongly urge
that one vessel as large as the Monocacy
or two or three smaller ones, be imme
diately added to the river fleet, in view
of the almost inevitable outbreak agains
Christianity. Secretary Tracy had al
ready anticipated his request and recC
mended an appropriation for this yer
service in this years naval estimates
But Democratic House of Represents
tives vetoes the proposition. What ar
the lives of few hundred America
missionaries, that they should interior
with the purpose of our Democratic poll
ticians to gain bogus record 70
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