The age-herald., 1900-07-14

moisture and alive with vermin Another
 a sinsse missionary, whose house. rented
 one, had open drains and sinks on three
 sides of it, which were pouring forth such
 a stench that ordered him to remove im-
 mediately. He and the family which had
 preceded him, pr. and Mrs. Fearn, of Mis-
 sissippi, had lived in these quarters for
 over two years, not being able to secure
 better In Korea conditions were no bet
 ter, save that the climate was more in-
 vigorating. Here found missionaries walk
 ing from 100 to 400 miles on a single preach
 ing tour and subssting upon rice, dried
 fish and beans. In a number of cases,
 whole families were living in native houses
 on dirt or rough board floors with ceilings
 SC low that they could be touched with the
 outstretched hand. Before editors begin
 to instruct the American public concern
 ing the conditions of missionary life it
 would be well for them to acquire the
 facts
 Perhaps the greatest trial which comes to the missionary is the separation from
 children at an age when they must return to the homeland for education. The an- nuity of $100 for each child would be gladly foregone if children could remain with their parents Not only is instruction by qualified teachers necessary, but removal from heather atmosphere and an en- Vironment which from childhood is full of unhealthful suggestions is absolutely es- sential to future moral welfare and per So-iii uSClullSSS 1I0 InlSSlOndIy Cilllu should be neither a beggar nor a benefi- ciary; the board makes this provision which at best is extremely meager, in order that the distant parents, by careful husbandng of this fund in the earlier years, may be able to meet later on the expense of board and education. A com parison of this amount and that required to meet the expenses of the education of children away from home in this country will make it clear that the sum falls far short of what is necessary
 f. Attention has been called to the re- port by Ned Brace of an interview with MT. Chow Tse Chi, the consul general at New York l know MT. Chow personally, ard heard him deliver earnest and sym pathetic address to the Chinese Christians in New York City in May. The interview as reported misrepresents both his spirit on that occasion and the facts with which | Consul Chow must be acquainted. Instead l of calling the Chinese Christians "a bad | lot" he urged them to greater diligence in l the study of Christian literature, regular 1 attendance upon Sunday school classes and | night schools and made plea in behalf | of the institutions of this enlightened | country"
 Instead of 60O0,OOo professing Christians | in China there are only 100000 Protestants | and about 250,000 Roman Catholics, which l latter include a large number of nominal | followers.
 In all the missionary body, during twenty l years residence in the Empire 1 have | never heard of single case in which Prot | estants or Roman Catholics pay people | regular salary per month for attending the | mission"
 That some low class Chinese have sought | benefit in a material way by becoming a | church-goer and a Christian is no doubt | true. That the missionaries in some cases | have given undue protection to their con- | verts, and have been unwise in advocating l their cause before the local magistrate, | may also be true. But when all acknowl- | edgement has been made of want of tact 1 and judgment, there remains the fact of | many converts subject to brutal treatment, | illegal eNactions, imprisonment and out | rage It has been an error of the head and 1 not Of the heart when missionaries have | interposed in behalf of those who have | been unjustly treated, nor in the case of | Protestant missionaries have they demand | ed more than has been granted by inter- l national treaties which long since secured | religious freedom and liberty of thought | and worship for the native Christians
 While the Roman Catholic Church, | backed by the French Government, has | steadily encouraged its ecclesiastical repre- I sentatives to enforce their demands upon | local officials, the Protestant Church. and | especially the body of missionaries on the | field, has distinctly dlsavowed a policy of | interference with affairs which come with | in the purview of Consuls and Chinese off | cials
 In closing, would state that the lowest | classes are characterized by ignorance, su- perstition, and hatred of foreigners, and | even missionaries where they do not un- | derstand their motives. It is among these l classes, however, that missionaries have l won some of their greatest triumphs. Not | only have their lives been transformed by the gospel, but not a few have given up their lives for their faith and in somt cases | to shield their missionary teachers from cruel death. The Boxers were oroginally banditu, later on they organized into a secret society for the overthrow of thJ | Manchu Dynasty; this movement was not | in the beginning anti-foregn, save as they | proposed as matter of policy to involve | the Manchu officials with foreign powers Complications have led to combination between the Boxers and the officials of the conservative party, including the Empress Dowager and Prince Tuan.
 As to the insincerity of the native Chin