Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-07-25
AS TO MISSIONARIES.

appeal to the English and American
missionary societies in ''The Nine
teenth Century that will undoub-
tedly receive their careful consider
alton. In brief. he asks them if ii is
wise, for the present at least, to
resume missionary activities in those
provinces of China which have been
the scene of riot and massacre, and,
if so, should the work be continued
as though nothing bad happened,
and without regard to the provo
cations and i~rritations which the
Chinese people, whether with reason
or none, SO intensity feel? To this
question, of course, the first answer
of the Jealous missionary would be
that he has no right to consider any
question of political e~xpediency, his
duty being simply to preach the
Gospel to every creature. But, as
Mr.. Greenwood shows, the mission
rry societies hold themselves to be-
sort of imperium in imperio in China
and expect their governments to
maintain them in that attitude. The
fact that the missionaries are con-
stantly appealing to their respective
governments in disputes with the
Chinese is a matter of record. 1t is
perhaps their duty, as it certainly is
their right, to lean thus on the
secular arm. But while doing so
they cannot ignore the possibi lity of
their course making trouble. for
they are involving their governments
as well as themselves in the matter.
1t is one thing for a missionary to 60
to China carrying his own life only
in his hands; tits quite another thing
if the natives understand, or are
made to understand, that any inter
ference with the missionary, even if
he tramples ruthlessly on all their
beliefs and prejudices, will bring
upon them the army and the navy
of a foreign power.
While China was never receptive
to Christianity, the occupation Of
Pekin by the foreign powers, with
the looting, murders and outrages
Incidental to it, has made the nation
less so than ever. The Chinese to.
day hate the foreigner and his relig-
ion. In order to this feel.
ing j. is likely that England and the
United States will adopt a more con.
ciliatory attitude to the people and
their customs. Indeed, the United
States has constantly manifested lis
desire to adopt this attitude, and in
SO doing it is following no less the
precepts of high morality than the
dictates of expediency. But in
following this course the government
might find itself seriously handi.
capped and embarrassed by the
unwise zeal of some missionaries. A
Chinese criminal or petty offender
for instance, in order to escape
punishment, processes christianity
and seeks sanctuary in the home OF
the local missionary. The latter
refuses to give him up on IT, ground
that being a Christian, he is outside
the jurisdiction of the Chinese laws.
Finally the case gets to the Wash.
ington government as one in which
heather officials attempted to arrest
an innocent man because he became
a Christian. If the case is decided
against tbs convert on a review of all
the facts, the friends of missions are
offended. If it is decided in favor.
the Chinese are more than ever con.
vinced that Christianity is simply an
instrument for the overflow of every.
thing that China reveres. The
claiming OF extraterritoria privileges
by missionaries lends itself easily to
many abuses, even il the missionaries
were ~impeccable and infallible, and
whatever may be its necessity from
the point of view of the secular
powers, its employment by mission
aries has embittered the Chinese
against Christianity.
1t will be said, of course, by the
friends of the missionaries that this