Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-19
P0SERS FROM CHINA
A Pekin Banker Interrogates Core
spondent. ="
ARE MISSIONARIES CONSISTENT?
Says They Should lntercede for
Mercy for Their AssaiIants.
LOGIC OF. AN ORIENTAL

september w. IIOo-
I have been interviewing Yang Szu again
or else he has been interviewing me. 1t
isn't easy to decide exactly which hap
pened He asked more questions than he
answered. yet he gave me many valuable
ideas. The value of the answers l gave to
his questions is a matter of opinion. This
letter will deal only with the information
that Yang gave to me.
! hope you remember Yang. To me he is
the most interesting Chinaman in Pekin.
He is the banker whom l interviewed re-
Gently in your behalf. On that other occa-
sion he gave his reasons why Uncle Sam
might, in one way, be looked upon as re-
sponslbe for the whole bloody muddle of
the Boxer uprising. Being a banker and a
actions, Yang has not particle of hatred
for foreigners, provided their presence and
operations result in putting money in his
Golfers. He is impartial in racial instincts,
and knows that from the outer world only
can come the Industrial helps that China
needs. Coming from the province Of Shan
81, where China's bankers and merchants
are generally born. Yang admires only the
thllSS that increase wealth, and, as | told
you in former letter, Yang is wonder
fully we'll informed on the general trend
Il am surprised over the conduct Of vour
missionaries, he remarked. as we sat Sip
ping tea in his little room back of n1s shon
NAT nave the missionaries been doing
now l wanted to know.
They are Christians, are they not?, he
demanded. ''' te
ITO be sure
Yet now they are crying for stern VEN
And why shouldn't they? Think of the
outrages they have suffered at the hands of
your mobs.' --, ... Va
rs that what the spirit of Christianity
means? inquired Yang, holding his teacup
half way to his lips as he opened the oval
Sits over his eyes and took a longer look
"a me than he usually does
THE spirit of Christianity" began slow
viii you explain to me just what that
spirit is?'' he requested.
That was poser. ], tried to think Did
he expect me to repeat the Decalogue, or
what? 1t was embarrassing for me to sit
there with the searching, cunning eyes of
that shrewd old yellow chap studying nv
face. 1t was annoying that couldn't think
just what to say. After an awkward pause
on my part Yang began to explain slowly
what he understood the Christian religion
to mean. He said only two or three hun
dred words. but he gave analysis of the
Christian creed better, i believe, than many
clergyman could do at home 1t was like
a slap in the face to have this yellow
heather define the religious belief of CviliZa-
ton better than l could have done 1t my
self.
You have read a good dea1?'' 1 asked
Yes; l always read, when l have moth
ing better to do and l have seen Bible
printed in Chinese that one Of your mis-
sicnaries gave to a neighbor Of mine. Then
l have Travelled. have been as far as
Hong Kong, you know.
But let us speak of the missionaries who
ccme from your land. They are asking now
fo' vengeance. Is that right? Your mis-
sionaries have preached to US the words
thar they read from their Bible. They have
laugh us that non-resstance Is Christian
virtue ' ~ | ''
Yes, until pillage. murder and worse
make non-resistance crime l interjected.
But Yang Szu ignored this interruption.
and went on.
Your missionaries teach US that all truly
good men will live in peace; that good men
love their enemies; that they.forgive those
who wrong them. We have heard that
your Christian Deity commands all who
love and follow Him to have nothing to dc
with vengeance. but to leave 1t to the Ruler
of Heaven, who is all-wise and knows what
is really in men 3 hearts: Is not that what
your missionaries teach?'
Yes / admitted: '"but when such out
RACES are committed as have happened here
in China it is more than flesh and blood
can stand"
Hi. Then you have religion that is
too good for y9u-one YOU cannot live W
to. Am l right?'
What was there to say2
Yet" insinuated Yang. you send your
missionaries over here to tell us that we
must obey teachings that are too hard fol-
the foreign devil to foliowHa.
You are taking altogether too strict q
view of tie matter. You don't understand
the fine dividing lines that sometimes croI
up between religion and the demands OF
nations"
| purpoSely expressed this in an involved
way / knew Yang couldn't quite understand
me, and as he prides himself on his knowl-
had told instead of asking to explain
Ii gave time to sip tea and look up al
the ceiling. But it didn't take him long t
get his wind, and the next round was on.
The Chinese love truth, he said smooth.
ly. The Chinese don't love anything of the
sort, except in the other man. AS a race
they are the most talented liars in all man.
kind. They have been developing the arr
for more than 1000 years. 1t is simply i'm
possible to beat the yellow liar. But Yang
had the floor. .'f' r..' f--~~s'
The Chinese love truth" he repeated
| when man tells us something that we
find is not the truth then We deSpise him
He can no longer hope for friendship from
us. He cannot expect to deal with us
Your missionaries have come over here and
have told what the religion was tina,
you foreign devils follow. We have asked
your merchants If the missionaries rightly
have answered yes.
Now. If We find that you have deceived
US about your religion, and that you do no,
practice 1t, what can the Chinese do but
keep away from Your religion? What do we
| want of it, since you do not want it your
selves?"
] But we do want 1t, and we follow It,"