Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-09-11
Protection to Missionaries.

able to offer these intruding whites |
protection that is worth a straw? Is |
there any government that can thwart |
and override the almost unanimous
sentiment of it's people? In one sense
the government did try to protect the
wretched fugitives from the Upper
Yangtse. 1t could not, or did not, save
their property from robbers and the
torch. 1t could not, or did not, pre-
vent their cruel expulsion. But it did
give them few soldiers to ward off
the mobs that were bowling for victims.
The fugitives say that the soldiers
were worse than useless. However
that may be, the white teachers got
their lives and nothing else. Some of
them did not pause in their flight till
they arrived at Shanghai" IN. Y. Sun.
In commenting on the above, the
Norfolk Landmark says that 1.-THE
point made by the Sun, and well made,
is that made often in the United States
by the declaration that it is impossible
to indict and punish an entire COM
munity for an offense technically
against the law, but which is condoned.
if not justified, by the sentiment of the
whole people. The Chinese people do
not like the missionaries, and the gov.
eminent is neither anxious nor able to
protect them against such uprlslngs
and mobs as have been recently re-
ported. The missionaries represent
antagonistic ideas of religion and
everything else to the Chinese. They
enter that country as by authority,
without permission, except that formal
permission which obtains among ma
tions admitting one citizen to the ter
ritory of another. The missionaries
depend upon Western nations to pro-
tect them through the operation of in
ternational law. Instead of concilia-
ting the native population and trying
to make friends, they do not repress
their western prejudices, but in many
cases move with more or less arrogance
in thrusting their business upon the
natives. To get a good idea of the po-
sition they occupy there, we may i'm
agine Chinese and Indian missionary
societies sending their people into the
United States to push their religion
and their civilization and to press it
upon our people. How would they
fare, and with what success would our
Recommendations government
proceed to give them absolute protec-
ton from the prejudices and the fury
- ic
certain way, and but one, of prevent
ing the outrages which periodically
come in these foreign countries to the
missionaries, and that is to withdraw
them all and put them to work where
they will do the most good; namely,
right here in the unenlightened and
uncivilized communities of the United
States. Here they will not be muir
dered nor driven away. Here their
movements can be controlled and their
conduct closely supervised. Here they
may be transferred promptly as occa-
sion requires, and here they can be
protected. Here the rights of the
missionary and the rights of the
heather can both be observed, and the
great sum of money which is annually
expended for the purpose of carrying
out the modern Interpretation of the
Biblical injunction, GO we into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every
creature" may be spent to real ad-
vantage in the teaching of its princi-
Piles and the inculcation of it's spirit
among the natives of our own land
who, having ears, have heard not, and,
having eyes, have seen not, possibly
because the missionary work which
should be done among them and
which might be effective with them
has been transferred to field where it
is neither effective nor welcome. 1t is
not difficult, therefore, to conclude,
with the Sun, that there are two
sides to most questions. If we could
see things from the point of view of the
average educated Chinese, it would be
perfectly clear to us that his antipathy
to the whole race of missionaries is the
natural result of ais temperament,
culture, and environment. We should
not be surprised that, being what he
is, he should disdain the religion Of
fered to him and hold in contempt the
foreigners who persist in thrusting
themselves and their tenets upon his
notice."