The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-09
A GOOD WORD FOR cHINAMEN.
Politics. Not Missions, Responsible
for the Outbreaks
ORION the Brooklyn Standard Jnlon-)


Robert Speer, NJ. a. of the Presbyterian
Board OF Foreign Missions, with knowl-
edge of what he WAS talking about threw
some new light, at the Central Congrega-
tionaI Church yesterday morning, on the
situation in China.
He said that China has one!ourth the
people OF the globe, but its population is
not dense. The population OF Germany Is
four times as dense as that of China, and
agriculturaIly. China is q more fertile and
productive country than Germany. You
could put the whole human race in China,
and the country would be able to support
it 1t was estimated that China could
maintain five times its present population.
II was better 10 consider the Chinese
from the point of view of Arson Burlin-
game than from that Of the newspapers.
Buriingame said in speech on June %,
1868, that many thought China was not lit
10 govern herself. He utterly denied il.
The Chinese were a great and noble peo-
pie. China had all the elements of SPLEEN
did nationality, the greatest and most no
mogeneous population in the woTld-a Peo-
pie distinguished by frugality, patience, III
dustry learning, and homely virtues.
The Chinese, in the past, said the
speaker. had furnished religion ana eth
les for all Asia. They had created beau
tiful industries, such as the manufacture
of silk fabrics and OF artistic pottery They
were quick to learn from the West Nine
tenths of the real estate and OF the faeto-
Fies of Hongkong, British territory, were
owned by Chinese,
Their theatricalism and curious ways
should not blind US to the fact that they
are great people We call them barba-
rians because we are not broad minded
enough to understand a civilization differ
ent from our own We call them stagnant
yet they have passed through many and
profound changes in their history
1t was land of scholars and students
land OF books land without caste. They
destroyed their feudaI system 100 years
ago. They were great. polite. industri-
GUS sober patient people, They had civil
ization when Europe was barbarous. They
were a quarter of the people of the world,
and they did not want 10 become the wards
of the people who were younger than theiI
youngest villages. They had faults. but
their faults were not to be removed With
eannoI.
Six hundred years before Christ Confu-
cius collected all that men before him had
thought on ethics and human duty For
$500 years the works of Confucius had
been the standard Of feeling and conduct
and sentiment in China. Scholars had
spent their life studying him. Chinese
scholarship was high. A few years ago
2 GOO, COO students presented themselves at
the Government examinations. One per
cent passed. The same year l, 400 students
tried the examinations of the University OF
London Fifteen per cent passed.
IF you or l, 3" said the speaker had our
whole capital invested in the Confucian
classics we would naturally object to hav-
ing our capital confiscated by the introduc-
ton of new civilization"
In the wars of the Western World with
China made from their point of view in
behalf OF trade, and especially of the
opium trade, our actions have alienated
and embittered the Chinese. Foreign Pow
ers had made the killing of a missionary a
pretext for an indemnity from the Chinese
which they would not eXtort from any civ
ilized country. Foreigners came in with
their improvements and destroyed the wa
ter rights of the people; their fields would
not produce, and they were left 10 starve
Thel, there was a cry among the Chinese
of "ExpeI the barharians!''
The TAPPING rebellion was a Christian
| movement The leader of the army was
Chinese school teacher in Baptist mis-
sion. 1t was like CTomweli's army Ii
kept Sunday and celebrated the Lords Sup
per It swept over China It was. the
chance of a thousand years to change the
religion aud civilization of the country
What was the Management Of the men in il
to see the bayo1fets ~of the Christians
against them.
The Emperor of China, in 1898, ISSUED
edict after edict which revolutionfzed the
| Empire He gave, concessions for rail
ways, changed CoEfucian temples into
| schools He wanted to proclaim Christi
anity Power. He was overthrown Poll
tics. not the missionary, had brought abou
! the present sad state or affairs in China