Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-04-11
|OUTSlDE POINT OF VIEW.

Written for tho Times Republican,

Written for tho Times Republican,
Because of the interest just row in
Chinese affairs. and also because of
Mark Twain few words on the Chinese
missionaries, this added TO by several
margarine articles of the same tenor. the
writer Is glad to use in this column
parts of an interview with Rev. Or.
Ament, of Pekin, the whole of which oc-
cupies nearly a page in the New York
Sun:
The correspondent was told that the
missionaries many of them, were in
competent and inferior men. He was
told that their work was not a success
from any point Of View, that they We're.
generally hated by the people among
whom they lived. that they ran roughly
agalns. the Inherited prejudices &C the
Chinese. In Shanghai their PERSONAL
character was assailed. and the CORE
spondent's interviews With one or two
led him to believe that they were vim
dictive and practically bloodthirsty in
their desire for vengeance.
To a large extent the criticism has
been accepted by the n.issionaries in
silence. While. whenever accused ndi-
vidually, they have resented the critl-
cisln and defended themselves and their
native Christians. they have had little
chance to place their case before that.
part of the public that supports them.
or that other and larger part whose att
|titude is merely one of liberation.
Are not many OF these Christians an
mated by sordid motives9 Are they not
what you would call rice Christians?'
II know this is a statement recently
made by Lo Fen Lu. Chinese minis Ter in
London. II is strange that a man of his
age should bring up fallaciss as Old as
mission work itself. Our Christians Will
average Very we'll with the average
community in which they live.
We Indignantly deny that tehy are.
the offscouring of society, or people of
inferior intellect or people animated
only by greed of gain. II there is any
person whom the missionaries would
head off from entering the church it
would be the men seeking place and.
profit. There is no person more ready
than the missionary 10 discover the mo-
stives of men and make the proper esti-
mate of their characters.
The absurdity of the statement
would be apparent when one considers
the small amount of money used by
those VINO are most successful In evan
.gelistic work. On the8contraiy. instead
of paying people for entering the church
we expect that the larger number of
converts the greater will be the contrib
Sutions. And this Is true in fact
BY going into the country districts
you will find In ell missions that every
group of Christians averaging from fifty
to seyenty-five in number will prove TO
be nearly se!f-supporting receiving lit
tie or no aid from the missionary scot
ETY.. 1t is expected of every convert and
probaticner as We'll that he Will begin
to contribute according to his means for
the support of the work from the day
when his name WAS entered Thi, is a
universal practice turnout all of China,
so far as l know.
There is no mission within my know
ledge where country chapels especially
are not more or less purchased or do
mated by the country members. 1t IL
hardly TO be expected that in a large
center like PekiH, Tien Tsin and provin-
scial capitals and in cities where mis-
sionaries usually reside, the first chap
els. which may be comparatively fine
buildings, should be built by the native
members. In the beginning of Things
the plant must be furnished by foreign
funds.
Then how is it that men of great In
telligence, like Henry Norman Mr.. Cur
zon. Alexander Niche and other recent
writer's. who have spent time in North
China. take such adverse views? Mr..
Norman even goes 40 far as to say that
the missionaries have done more hurt
than good. Mr.. Curzon writes Of the
vexed missionary problem
"As a missionary. one of the phenom-
ena OF the age has been to me tina. men
who wrote with such surprising ability
on the politics, commerce and customs
OF the people. of the far east, should be
80 weak and Illogical when they touch
missionary topics They seem to lose
their grip here, and must fail to carry
their intelligent readers with them.
Mr.. Norman spent winter In China.
making his Headquarters at the British
legation. but 80 far as know, and
have inquired of English missionaries,
he never entered missionary COM
pound. When he wrote ON commerce he
visited the leading commercial agents of