El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-16
WORK OF THE
MISSIONARIES
In China and Its Effect, As
Seen BY Trained
Diplomats.
STRIKING STATEMENTS
Unbiased and positive, From John
w. Foster, President ANGEL
Charles DENLY, George E. Sew
ard and John Barrett.

garded as expert opinion upon the
question of the status of Christian mis-
sions in China and the influence OF
the missionaries upon the disturbances
that have taken place in that country.
the officers of the American board con-
ceived the idea of getting the testi-
monies OF a number of competent pup
lie men upon the points at issue. 1hey
wrote accordingly to number OF such
men. asking them to state frankly ana
fully their opinions on the Following
questions:
Are the missionaries responsible
for the convulsion which has taken
place? Has their influence been OF such
a sort as would lead to this uprising?
Ought they to- be withdrawn and leave
the Chinese to themselves?
The following persons made reply:
The Hon. John w. Foster. formerly
United States secretary of state. min
lister TO Mexico. Russia and Spain and
counselor for China: the Hon Charles
DENLY. for thirteen years United
States minister 10 China: President
Angel OF Ann Arbor. former minis
ter to- China: the Hon John Barrett.
late minister to Siam. and the Hon.
George F. Seward minister to China
from 1876 to 1880. The answers re
turned to these solicitations are pub
lished in The Missionary Herald.
and DR. Parker read them to his peo-
pie. The opinions and testimonies of
the gentlemen mentioned are so posi-
tive and concordant. and have such
weight of authority, that the substance
of them is here presented.
From the Hon. John w. Foster.
There is. in my opinion no reason
why mission work in China should he
given up or relaxed on account of the
recent troubles in that empire. IL
would take more space than ] can de-
vote to this article to show that the
presence of missionaries in China had
little to do with these troubles. My
observation is that the mass OF the
people of China do not object To- their
presence and work. In almost all in
stances the opposition and riots against
them have been stirred up by the lit
teratf. the office holders and the Office
seekers. The Chinese as class are
not fanatics in religion. and if other
causes had not operated to awaken a
national hostility TO foreigners. the
missionaries would have been left free
10 combat Buddhism and Taoism. and
carry on their work OF establishing
schools and hospitals
From President Angel
Some very exaggerated statements
concerning the par which the presence
of Christian missionaries have played
in causing the recent disturbances in
could not have been familiar with the
facts or who are prejudiced against the
missionaries. The immediate provo
cations Of the hostility of the Chinese
officials seem to have been the reform
movement or the emperor in 1898, and
the aggressive policy of certain Euro
pean powers. The spirit which has an
mated the Chinese has been predomi
nantly anti-foreign rather than anti
Christian. A Boxer proclamation be-
fore NE assails the foreign merchants,
engineers. builders of telegraphs and
railways fiercely as il attacks mis-
sionaries. AS there are more mission
aries in the interior than foreigners of
any other class. more demonstrations
nave been made against them than
against other foreigners. BY their hos
pitfalls and schools the missionaries
have made many friends among Chin
csc who have not adopted Christianity.
IL is the established policy OF the mis-
sionaries to pursue a conciliatory
course. to Undue their disciples with |
loyalty to the government. with a love |
OF peace and order"
From the Hon. Charles DENLY.
Il made study of missionary work |
in China 1 took a man-of-war and |
visited almost every open port in the |
empire. | lived at Pekin. and knew
that city. At each one OF these places |
I visited and inspected every mission
airy station. At the schools the scholars
were arrayed before me and examined. |
I went through the missionary hos
pitaIs / attended synods and church |
services. | saw the missionaries. ladies |
and gentlemen, in their homes. I saw |
them all. Catholic and Protestant and |
have the same opinion of them all |
They are all doing good work; they |
merit all the support that philanthropy |
if I can. the simple truth about them
and when that is known. the caviling
the depreciation. the sneering which
too often accompany comments on mis-
work. will disappear: and they
will stand before the world. as they
ought to- stand, as benefactors OF the
people among whom their lives are
spent and forerunners OF the COM
merce of the world
From the Hon. George r. Seward
During my twenty. years stay in /,
China / always congratulated myself L
on the fact that the missionaries were
there. There were good men and able
men. among the mmerchants and Off
Gals. but il was the missionary who
exhibited the foreigners In benevolent
work. "a having other aims than those
which may justly be called selfish. The
good done by missionaries in the way
of education. of medical relief. and OF
other charities. cannot he overesti-
mated II in China there were none
other than missionary influences the
upbuiIdiHg OF that great people would
20 forward securely
From the Hon. John Barrett.
The King of Siam. who is admit
fedIy one of the ablest statesmen in
Asia. once said to me that the Ameri-
.an missionaries had done more TO ad-