Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-09-04
HOW MISSIONARIES MAKE LOTS
OF MONEY.


A gentleman, Gays the Chattanooga
Times, who spent number OF years in
China, connected with railroad enter
prise, and who returned to Chatts-
nooga several months ago, furnished a
Times reporter with the following in
terview on the Chinese situation:
"Nearly all of the missionaries whom
| met" he said, "were attired in native
costume. Both sexes were so dressed,
aud 10 reply to my inquiry as to why
they did this was told that they con.
sidered it safer to go about dressed as
natives, and that it suited their pur-
pose in many other ways.
This started new train of thought
10 my mind and one day | asked one
of our cOnsuls what, in view OF the fact
that both missionaries and pupils wore
the native dress, became OF the cloth.
lue and other good things sent over
to our missionaries by various churches
and charities for distribution among
the hestbens.
"He explained that all goods sent to
the missionaries for the poor heathens'
are entered at the treaty ports duty free.
When church in America sends such
box to Rev. Fiddle, d. D., Pei Ho,
China, it is shipped in care OF some
large mercantile house in San Francis.
co, which firm, in a spirit of benevo-
lence and do-goodism, agree to attend
o the shipping OF thee boxes without
compensation.
This, of course, looks very well on
the face of he retuns, but the facts are
that Rev. Fiddle and others OF this kind
act as agents for these benevolent San
Francisco concerns, who ship back
their own goods in boxes marked and
labled so that you cannot tell it from
one containing seal skin Bibles and Arc
tic overshoes from the w. G. L. U
Wsyback, n. J. Thus the missionary
receives, for every box of gifts from bis
church 10 America, fr om ten to dozen
others containing goods from San Fran
cisco, al OF which is entered as stuff
for the poor heathen' free Of duty, at
the treaty port of entry. Some of the
missionaries buy direct, but have an
understanding with the American house
that the goods he orders are to be so
marked that they can be easily SNUG
gled in as missionary stuff for the
heather.
"But this is not ALL" the consul went
on to relate, "aEd subsequently l had
the matter verified before my senses on
twenty or more occasions, that the mis-
sionaries not only sold the goods which
they ordered from the American mer.
chants, but also disposed OF the box OF
clothing for the heather to Americans
and Europeans. l subsequently learn
ed this to my profit, and found that
when, in out-ot-the-way parts oil Cnins,
l needed any underwear, shoes, hat,
coat, pants, etc, would always buy
same from the missionary at a very low
price.
"By reason of the smuggling of wares,
missionaries were and are able to sell
goods very much cheaper than the reg
ular merchant, who pays import duty,
know of a number of poor missiona-
ries who went to China several years
ago with nothing but little black va
IlSo, h NOUNh oAN N'S
monthly pittance, who, when he re.
turns home, will be worth from 5O,OOO
to 100000
"Ihis of course, will be earned
preaching the gospel to the heather
and incidentally carrying on the SNUG
Cling business. There are many hon
est missionaries in China. but tney
are not 10 a very conspicuous majority,
"The consul also told me, and had
already learned the same thing, that q
vast number of Chinese merchants are
in the business of importing goods OF
the same character, as those smuggil leo
in by missionaries. The competition
between the two classes was causing
trouble while l was there, and the con-
| sui predicted just what has come TO
pass. The Chinese are not fools, ana
when they see a man preaching tne
doctrine of humility and abnegation, on
one occasion, ana selling ginseng and
cotton goods on another they begin TO
think that Mclean man talkee mucnee
0oodee and actee belly blsd."