The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-09-05
lord Il TO THE RESCUE.
The Chinese Vioeroy Defends the
Work of Missionaries.
HIS WARNING TO EVIL DoERs.

They Must Not "FIsh for Wealth." and
Amy Who Molost Missionaries VIII be
"Punished TO the Fullest Measure, Cor
tainiy Not LenIontly.-
NEW YORK, Sept. 5.-Robcrt f. Speer,
secretary Of the board of foreign missions
OF the Presbyterian church in the United
States, has just received u letter from Rev.
w. !. Hoouston, Of Nanking, China, dated
July 12. The letter contains copy of the
proclamation issued by Lii Hung Chang,
the viceroy, which not only requires the
Chinese to refrain from molcsting mis-
sionaries, but speaks in terms of praise Of
the work done by them. Mr., Speer says
that the proclamation illustrates the folly
or forming judgment of the whole of China
from conditions existing in one section,
and 1t is more significant because Marking
has always been a more or less turbulent
center The following is the letter:
In So Chuan, 1000 miles to the west,
wholesale destruction of mission property
has taken place. Here we are sought after
by the officials. Three weeks ago our dis
trict magistrate invited all tho men of our
mission community to dinner, treating
them with all honor, and now comes, un-
solicited, one of the best proclamations
which has been issued in China since the
eve of modern missions. The translation
is as follows:
"'Givon by Ii, by grace of the emperor,
commissioner of salt revenue, expectant
intendant of circuit, and prefect of the
Jaing Ming (Nanking) circuit being ad-
vanced three steps in office and having one
brovet rank, having thirteen times honor
able mention in official rocords:
For tho purpose of publicly and
gtrnirhtly phnrRiprr ba nay.lsa N
foreigners who haS, in whatsoever points
OF the-interior established ehapcls, schools
or like places. For long time these have
been permitted by the emperor's COM
mands. Now, having examined the doc
trino halls in every place pertaining to this
prefecture, we find that there have been
established free schools where the poor
children of China may receive instructions;
hospitals where Cinnamon may freely re-
ceive healing; that the missionaries arc
really good; not only do they not take the
peoples possessions, but they do not seem
to desire mems praise.
Already the project, with the magis-
trates of tho provincial capital, has per.
sonally visited each hall and has com
manded the magistrates of outside dis
tricts to personally visit each out station
of the churches and talk with the mission.
aries. They have personally observed the
hospitals, schoolhouses, etc They are for
good, and established with the sincere do
sire to save men. Although Chinamen
are pleased to do good, there are none who
excel these missionaries
"'Wo think it right, therefore, to put
forth this proclamation, plainly charging
soldiers and all people, Be it known that
Foreigners here renting or otherwise set
ting up halls do SO to save and to help the
4 a -.
handedness. Let it not be that you, on
the contrary wrongly invent false reports
and even commit crimes and misdemean-
ors. II there should be shameless villains
who, thinking to fish for wealth ii. g.,
take by violence), invent reports and create
disturbances, falsely accusing the mission
aries of offcnses, they will first be thor
oughly examined, then strictly dealt with.
They will be punished to tho fullest meas
ure certainly not lcniently, You have been
informed and warned. Do not disregard
this proclamation
81 had very pleasant interview last
week with the Hon, Yung Wing He will
be remembered as the man in whose charge
100 Chinese boys were taken to New Eng
land in 1872 to attend school. In the late
war they were found to be the only officers
of the navy who could be depended on to
fight This has advanced them in favor
with those officials who are inclined to bo
progressive, and our viccroy, Jang Chih
Tung, cabled to Yung Wing, who Is an
American citizen, and has been living at
Hartford, Conn, for thirteen years, to
come out. His object was to consult in
regard TO an &C Icational system for China.
'Yung Wings plans are very wide,em-
bracing the requiring of knowledge of
sciences and English in the competitive
civil examinations, which arc the founda-
tions of Chlna's civil service; compulsory
education of both sexes; the establish.
ment Of high schools and universities, and
the education of large numbers of Chinese
boys in the United States, England and
Germany. He does not include Franco in
the last list, because he fears the effect OF
French thought upon the moral character
| of his former countrymen.n