Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-10
CONVERTS IN CHINA.
The Commander of the Mon
ocacy Convinced That We
Should Not ScOf.
RESULTS ARE IN SIGHT.
The Layman and Atheist Forced to
Concede an Improvement
IMPORTANT MATERIAL BENEFITS.
Missionaries in Palace Cars Living in 0c-
cidental Luxury
RESULTS ARE In SIGHT.
IMPORTANT MATERIAL BENEFITS.
Missionaries in Palace Cars Living in 0c-
cidental Luxury
is TEE COMMON SENSE PROPAGANDA
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH

As the status OF affairs on the 1angtsl mas
attracted the attention of civilized nations
for some months past, and is likely to do SO
for some time TO come, it may be interest.
ing to American readers to learn the pres.
ent aspect of the situation from the point OF
view of q naval officer detailed for the
work.
It is probable that few people in the
United States, no matter how much they
may have read, can realize the enormous ex-
tent of the Chinese Empire, the density OF
its population along the coast and river
banks and the fact that the Yangtsi is a
huge artery running from west to east,
directly through the heart of the country,
and supporting millions upon millions of
human beings by its traffic and the agricul-
ture Of its rich valley. The width of the
valley is so great that, for hundreds of miles
from its mouth, the crcumscribing hills
and mountains can only be seen in dim out
line, the whole lowland being one vast,
rich, level plain, without a pebble as large
as an egg to hinder cultivation in all di-
rections, and with the most primitive of i'm
plements
The River Changes Its Course.
Through the broad valley the mighty
river plows its way, utterly lawless as to
direction, curving here and there for a num-
Der of years, and then, without warning or
apparent reason, gradually eating away its
own boundaries, and, in the course of few
wears, cutting another channel miles away
from its former track. The patient farmers
SOW and reap year after wear, now on the
left bank, now on an island, and again on
the left bank, utterly regardless apparently
of the stream in some parts, and yet ever
watchful of it in others. as is evidenced by
the huge dykes that are occasionally seen
on one side or the other for miles in extent
The yellow, turbid stream has a velocity of
from two to four miles an hour, according
TO the season Of the year, and difference,
at Hankow, 600 miles from the sea, of so to
60 feet between the summer and winter
height
1t is mp this great channel, through the
very vitals of the Flowery Kingdom, that
Western enterprise has pushed its way,
persuading the Celestials, much against
their will, to open port after port to for
eicn traffic and foreign residents until,
within the year, Chung-King has been
opened, nearly 800 miles from the sea-
American Progress in China.
Think of it-think of opening a port at
Omaha, supposing there were a river from
Omaha to New York, and the Chinese
wanted to go there and be granted a con-
cession on which to live and trade, and
form a nucleus for the propagation of
Buddhism or Confucianisml To be sure,
the cases are not parallel, but in point of
distance and some other things they are
similar. Between Shanghai, near the mouth
of the river, and Chung-King there are now
five treaty ports: Chin-kiang, 160 miles;
Wuhn, $50; Kinkiang, 450; Hankow, 600,
and Ichang, 1000 miles. Of these Hankow
is the most important, as it is the principal
tea shipping port to England and Russia.
American traders, however, are not nearly
so numerous as formerly, and the failure of
Russell s. Co. has put an end to the last
great American firm. The trade itself, ex-
cept in kerosene, cottons and ginseng, is not
important Our principal and increasing
interest is in missionaries, and this brings
us to the subject which has brought the
Monocacy to Rankow, viz, the attitude of
the Chinese toward foreigners on the
Yangtsi.
The Progress Is Unmistakab'e.
When was in China last (some IA years
ago) / was struck, in common with almost
everyone else who was not a missionary,
with the meagerness of the results attained
in proportion to the outlay, and the appa-
rent impossibility of their ever materially
influencing SO vast a body of people who al
ready had three systems of religion and
philosophy which ante-dated the Christian
faith by thousands of years. Now 1 find
manv of the Oldest lay foreigners, men
whom had known before, recognizing the
fact that an impression is being made,
which, independently of its benefit in point
Of spiritual influence, is undoubted as re-
CARDS the PRONUNCIATION of Western civiliza-
tion.
1t is this which is permeating the inert
mass of humanity, which has, in the main, so
long lain dormant under the paralyzing in
fuence of a superstitious belief in mundane
spirits, fairies, hobgoblins, evil eyes and
the like. Many missionaries, too, have
changed their method of teaching, accord |
ing TO their experience, so that at present it
NAV be said that there is no system which |
some one or other of the societies is not
trying. Some societies still believe in
itinerant preaching, and, while having sup
ply stations in the treaty ports, they send
foreign missionaries, both male and female,
dressed in Chinese clothes, into all the |
provinces for hundreds of miles from the
treaty ports.
Not Unlike Salvation Army Methods. |
These propagandis.s live in the native |
inns, and whenever an opportunity offers at |
gatherings and street corners they preach |
the gospel after the manner of the Disciples. |
An advantage of this method is that any |
caliber of intellect can be employed, COM |
bined with faith and enthusiasm, and the |
lowest classes of people are reached, thus |
the method by which Chris
tanity was originally developed in Europe,
viz. from the bottom inward
Other societies believe that though the |
itinerant method is useful in preparing the
way, the itinerants themselves do not reap
the fruits of their labors; accordingly these
societies establish themselves in the treaty
ports, buy land both in and out of the
foreign concessions, build churches, schools,
hospitals and comfortable dwellings for
their ministers and doctors, with their
wives and children; teach the Chinese chill
iren almost everything that is taught in the
public schools at home, as well as the trades,
instil the fact that their own ex-
ample as to home and family is the type to
be followed, and, having educated the chill
lren in Christian faith, send them out as
native preachers into the provinces.
The Charge of immortality.
An advantage of this system is that the
,xample of domestic life afforded by the
missionaries themselves refutes one of the
most frequent arguments to be found in
Chinese writings against the missionaries,
liz: immortality. Some of these societies
ave abandoned the teaching of English,
ipdinp that much valuable time was lost
which might have been devoted to the
ciences, and also that, English taught con-
,erts were liable TO leave the fold and 60
nto business before their education was
omplete-
Some societies have found the lowest class