Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-25

fore the drummer follows on behind Sew
erai times in China little towns have been
laid out and built up by missionaries. with
hotels, churches and stores. Municipal gov
ernments have sprungedlp which are adj
ministered under Foreign laws, and they
have been object lessons to the Chinese
1 freely admit that other causes besides
missionary work have operated since 1913
to produce progress in China. No one will
deny that the diplohatists, the consuls, the
merchants and the imperial maritime Gus
toms have done a great deal, no doubt the
greater part. of the work of opening up
China. The world scarcely realizes how vast
the work has been. The electric telegraph is
new in every province Steamboats, ply on
the coasts and up TIE rtyers; handsome cit
les have been built Foreign trade has vast
ly increased. mines have been opened and
railroads are soon to cover the land as
with network. The best inteilects in China
do not hesitate to 'as9mibsthat much of this
progress is due. to-. the, missionaries. who
constitute nearly ofle-third of the foreign
population. How could it be otherwise,
when We consider the hundreds of industrial
and other schools. colleges, hospitals that
have been established all over China? If
these agencies of Improvement are power
less of effect then let lis discontinue the
use of them In our own country. 1t is con-
tended that. the Chinese are violently OPP
posed to the adoption of the Christian re-
ligion, and that on this account mission
work should be abandoned.
must be remembered that the Chinese have
barely any religion. Their fundamental
cult is the worship Of ancestors. They are
the most tolerant. or the most indifferent
to religious views of any people in the
world. They care nothing about sects.
They rarely go to temple. They have
tolerated the Mohamnnedans for centuries.
They tolerated the HISTORIANS and the
Jews The only religious exercise of any
note in which the emperor takes part Is
when at the winter solstice he sacrifices a
I, ;Ioa1
divinity.
Because He is a Foreigner.
Of course, when the riot against the for
eigner is afoot the missionary suffers, but
1t Is because he is foreigner, not because
he is Christian He bears the burdens Of
his race. We have not far to go to find
the causes of popular discomfort. Western
inventions, it was thought, were depriving
the poor of bread and the foreigner was
by degrees, absorbing China. To take
away the missionary now is to surrender
| the fruition of the labors of many devoted
men and women during half century. 1t
is to leave China to relapse into barbarism.
1t will result in checking commercial ex-
pansion and impeding internal improve
|. ments --.
l have been asked to point out any ''fail-
tngs'' in missionary work that have come
to my attention. 1t can hardly be ex-
pected, however, that I can advance any
thing new. with all due Difference to the
great missionary societies who have these
matters in charge, my Judgment is that
missionary work in China has been over
done. For some years past 1t has assumed
the phase of a new crusade. Take Pekin
as an example. In September, 1900, there
We're located at Pekin the following Protes-
tant missions: American board, American
Bible Society. American Presbyterian
(North), American Methodist (North),
Christian and Missionary Alliance, Inter-
national Y NJ. G. A, London Missionary
/ fr,, tt,n D,r,No crot off, q
Gospel, Interna tional Institute, Mission for
Chinese Blind, Scotch Bible Society for
Diffusion of Christian knowledge. To these
must be added the Church of England Mis-
sion, the English Baptist Mission and the
Swedish Mission. 1t should be remembered
that almost all these missionary societies
arein Pekin chiefly because of Its political
and commercial Importance; that they may
use the city as the basis Of operations, and
not simply as a sphere DR. missionary work.
The Greek Church CRussian) had mis-
sion, which was established many years
ago. No mention has been made of it
during the last two months The Catholics
have immense holdings! in Pekin. They
own very valuable real estate. In the way
of mission work they are very largely rep
resented. They have a bishop and vicar
general, great number of priests, an
orphanage and college, and schools, Sisters
of Charity. four churclles and a hospital.
| Let it be said here, in parenthesis, that it
is certain that the Catholics will never
abandon China, and if they stay there, no
| human power can keep the PrOteStantS out.
Sample Conditions.
The above list shows THAT of American
! societies alone there we're seven in Pekin,
! not counting the -Pekin University, and
| that all the western powers, taken collec-
| lively were represented by about twenty
missions. The same condition practically
| exists in otheS important cities. Tfen Tsin,
| for instance, nssventy-three miles away,
! had eleven EAgEsh and American Protes-
| tsnt missions and a great number OF Catho-
| lie priests. In at least eight towns In the
| north where the scene of disorder lay,
| there were missions. / submit, with some
| diffidence, that it would be better to have
! a few4 strong missions than many weak
| ones. careful study of the situation
Not1ld seem TO suggest that no two Amer-
can societies should occupy the same DIS
| trict.
If the land were parceled out and only
one society were located in any place there
would be less risk of mutual antagonlsm
I and less confusion among the Chinese they
cannot understand why, with only one COD,
there should be many different churches
| The Catholics appreciate the force of this
1 suggestion, and never allow two societies
| to locate in the same province.
! One other criticism, and have done with
| this ungracious task. The zeal of mission
aries, which impels them to go into danger
/ Gus places, ought TO be controlled. When
the territory is in disorder, and UNSAFE the
| parent society should see to it that Its en-
| ployes do not go into such localities. Con-
suls have sometimes advised persons not to
go into dangerous parts of the country,
| and their advice has been ignored. When
trouble comes the representatives of the
government must intervene to afford relief.
| but they powerless to control mission
airy movements. Reason would dictate
| that prudence and common sense should be
| consulted in all such matters.
Work of Women.
| Much has been said about sending ladies
to China as missionaries. The China inland
mission has been greatly attacked on this
account Possibly if l had never seen the
ladies at work, I might have agreed with
these critics. But the truth is that they
do the hardest part and the most of the
work in China. The teaching of the chill
dren, and the nursing and treating of the
sick women and children, surgical and med
ical, fall to their lot. l have not space to
praise them here, and l could not say sufti-
| cient good of them If 1 had.
| l realize how difficult 1t is to discuss a
subject Of such far-reaching effect as the
missionary question In the far east without
allusion to its spiritual side. To the mis-
sionary, of course. the saving of souls is
the supreme purpose of his labors. The
| Oh, rit tLa i,,et fhn r