Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-06-20
SALISBURY ON MISSIONARIES.

Lord Salisbury at a recent meeting In
London. OF the Society for the Propaga-
ton OF the Gospel referred TO the situ-
alton In China, and volunteered the
opinion that the missionaries In the
great empire were, perhaps. not entire
ly without blame. He said that though
the persons slaughtered were Christians
lt must not be imagined they were muir
dered simply because the Chinese dis
liked their religion. II was because the
idea prevailed there and elsewhere that
missionary work was merely an instru-
ment by which secular government de-
signs 20 prevail The missionaries. he
remarked, could not renounce their
work. but the utmost caution ought to
mark their actions. as ovet-zealousness
led 10 martyrdom ana caused the death
Of sailors and soldiers sent to ayenge
the outyages.
Lord Salisbury has on more than one
public occasion proved himself almost
cynically frank in his utterances. His
low estimation Of the tact OF the mis-
slonatles. who go abroad and create the
impression that they are merely tools
IN the employ Of the secular govern
ments, win strike one as perfectly Just;
yet, 10 say so at a gathering OF a
missionary society where the presence
OF the prime minister had been secured
IN order 10 give prestige to the cause
was an exhibition Of integrity and dis
daln Of hypocrisy, seldom witnessed In
public men Probably the leaders Of
the missionary gathering expected some
indication Of o promise that their cause
would be maintained by all the power Of
Great Britain. II so, they must have
been greatly disappointed at hearing
that their emissaries must be cautious
not 20 precipltate a quarrel in which
the lives Of sailors and soldiers win be
sacrificed
Those who have any knowledge at all
Of the methods Of some Christian
missionaries are satisfied that the dis
tlngushed speakers criticism was far
from undeserved. Preaching has become
a kind Of business In which young men
engage. az they do IN secular callings,
and for similar reasons. Very often they
20 out more scanuly equipped spirit
ually than financially thinking that In
the twinkllng Of an eye they can change
the current Of peoples thought GUS
toms, and standards Of morality from
the channels In which they have been
flowing majestcally for mlllennlums, to
new bitches Of their own digging And
falling to realize their hopes they are
apt TO ascrlbe this TO the perverseness Of
the people AT this point the common
missionary anxious about his Job,
becomes aggressive. He attacks Per-
haps he buys converts, perhaps he en-
deavors 10 obtain influence over chill
dren perhaps family ties are broken.
At all events there are conflicts. APP
peals are made TO foreign governments
for protection, and blood Is shed,
Something ike this has happened in
China But 1t would be unfair to as
sumo that this Is all there is to the orI-
gin Of the trouble. The Chinese are
quite tolerant. and would not massacre
the Christians merely because they
have embraced the new faith. The prob
ability Is that the European powers
have agreed on the dislntegratIon Of the
empire and that the time is considered
favorable for a decisive step In this d.
rctlon II this surmlse Is correct the
trouble must be traced, In the first in
stance, TO mighter sources than the
missionary societies
The avalanche has been started, how
ever Where II win stop, belongs 20
the future to tell The world Is passing
through a momentous time. What is
occurring ehould be a reminder to ell
the world Of the necessity Of being pre-
pared for the stnl greater events, fore
Swallowed In holy writ from the begin
ming,