The Irish standard., 1901-04-06
CHINESE MISSIONARIES.
Mark Twain will not Apologize
10 Them,

Mark Twain will not Apologize
In the February number Of the
North American Review, Mark Twain
attacked the Chinese missionaries.
They demanded an apology and re-
traction, but the humorist declines to
make either. He goes for them again
in the April number of the-s same maya
according to dispatch from Pekin,
was demanding indemnities for de-
stroyed missionary property to the cx-
tent Of thirteen times the original
amount, and also exacting executions
of the guilty Chinese.
This cable proved to be somewhat
incorrect, the number thirteen being a
cable. error for one and one-third. The
American Board of Foreign Missions
then declared that Mr. Clemens charg
es fell fiat and demanded an apology.
He says the fact that one and one
third is correct instead of thirteen
times the amount of property destroy
ed does not alter the principle Of the
thing. He also quotes Il letter from
the Rev. DR.. Ament to DR.. Smith in
which the Rev. Mr.. Ament says: '"This
time 1 proposed to settle affairs with
out the aid of soldiers or legations.
Mark Twain's comment is:
"This cannot mean two things, but
only one-that previously he had col
lected by armed force"
Twain refers to Dr.. Smiths open
letter to him asking an apology on
account Of Dr.. Ament's denials, and
says: 'Within the narrow space Of
two paragraphs totaling eleven lines
he has scored nine departures from
fact out of possible nine and half"
1t is pointed out by Mr.. Clemens
under specific headings that DR..
Ament does not deny the truth of his
charges, but merely changes the degree
of some and others does not notice.
The article goes on:
|
not bring suspected persons in to a
, duly organized court and try them
by just, Christian, and civilized meth
DDS, but proclaimed his conditions and
collected damages from the innocent
} and guilty alike without any court pro,
cecdings at all.
'That he himself and not the villag'
ers made the conditions we learn
from his letter Of Nov. 10, already
quoted from-the one in which he re-
marked that upon that occasion he
brought no soldiers with him. He
said:
"'After our conditions were known
many villagers came of their own &C,
! cord and brought their money with
Them
Not all, but many The board
really believes that those hunted and
t harried paupers out there We're not
only wiling to strip themselves to pay
, Boxer damages, whether they owed
them or not, but were sentimentally
eager to do it.
"NIr. Ament says in his letter: 'The
villagers were extremely grateful be-
cause I brought no foreign soldiers,
and were glad to settle on the terms
proposed
"Some Of these people know more
about theology than they do about hui.
man nature. do not remember en-
, countering even a Christian who was
glad to pay money he did not owe;
, and as for n Chinaman doing it-why,
dear n,e, the thing is unthinkable. We
have all seen Cinnamon, many China
men, but not that kind It is new
, kind-an invention of the board and
's0ldiers'
'W1lat was the 'one-tliird extra 7!
Money due? No. Was it theft, then /?
Putting aside the 'one1third extra,
. what was the remainder OF the exact.
ed indemnity, If collected from persons
not known to owe it, and without
Christian and civilized forms Of pro.
cedure? Was 1t theft? Was it rob.
berry? In America it would be that;
in Christian Europe it would be that
Twain then comments with bitter
sarcasm on an expression used by the
Rev. DR.. Ament regarding his DISPOSE.
, ton of the excess oneLthfrd. He said
1T was to be used "for the support Of
, widows and orphans and the propaga-
, ton Of the gospel"
Twain then continues:
81 am not meaning to object to the
substitution OF pagan customs for
{ Christian here and there and now and
[ then, when the Christian ones are in
: convenient. No; like and admire it.
do it myself, and admire the alert
. ness of the board in watching out for
: chances to trade board morals for
Chinese morals and get the best of
. the swap; for I cannot endure these
people-they are yellow, and I have
never considered yellow becoming. I
have always been Hike the board-per-
fectly well-meaning, but destitute OF
the moral sense. Now, one of the
main reasons why 1t is SO hard to
| make the board understand that there
T..