Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-12-12
The Rev. Gilbert Reid ON LOOting as
a Moral Agency.


-
That remarkable person, the Rev.
Gilbert Reid, resumes in the Forum
for December his lectures on the ethics
Of civilization and Christianity in rela-
ton to the treatment of the Chinese.
The measure of the Rev. Mr.. Reid's
qualifications for the task he has un-
dertaken is now SO generally recog-
nized that most people will turn hur-
riedly over his remarks on other ques-
tions of right and wrong concerning
recent events in China and see what
he has to say further on his own par
ticular specially, the ethics of footing.
Here again is this professed disciple OF
Christ:
That which in common parlance
has been termed 'looting,' and which
in all the larger forms was officially
conducted or permitted, was a punish
ment more mild than was deserved"
And here he is again:
Exception may be taken to par
ticular incidents, but, viewing the mat
ter as a whole, l confess that I hold to
the belief that some such treatment
was needed as a preventive of similar
occurrences"
In his carefully considered opinion,
after months of reflection, there was
on the whole too little looting for the
moral good of the Chinese:
There may have been too much
p~illaging of real friendly non-combat-
ever approved-but there was also. if
anything. too little confiscation of the
property OF those not only active in
war, but responsible for outrages too
awful to imagine, but too serious to be
forgiven"
There is something here like a note
of personal regret for lost opportuni-
ties; but he proceeds to sweep aside
the Ineffective apologies which other
missionaries have offered for their loot
ing exploits, and to put the whole
question squarely on the ground of the
greatest good of the looted:
81 may be pardoned for believing
that the statement which l made in
the Forum for July is the only worthy
defence to be made OF the occurrences
which have been called looting-more
worthy than the attempt to class all
appropriation Of food and clothing
&c, for the foreign missionaries as
outside the sphere of loot and so in
nocent and c~ommendable, while all
that others took is wrong and repre-
hensible."
This supplies matters. The Rev.
Gilbert Reid is a school of ethics all
by himself. He despises the milk-and-
water euphemlsms of other apostles
caught with the property of the heath
en- in their war6robes or curio cabi-
nets. He looted for the good of the
Chinese, he regrets that he did not do
more looting when he had the chance,
and he regards as merely Incidental to
this moral duty the circumstances that
he profted personally by its perform
auce as an uncommissioued, unlicensed
volunteer coniscator or looter.
We go back now to the Rev. Gilbert
Reid's first defiant announcement of
his doctrine, as contained in his letter
of March 81 last TO the North China
Herald.
Now and then / branched out to loot
from those who we're our enemies, and
/ only regret / didn't have more time
to LOOT from such despicable wretches,
instead of leaving so much to others,
including not a Few loot critics. If,
however, those from whom / have
looted want their things back. let them
meet me face to face and l will take
the matter into consideration. 1t has
also grieved me that so many really
good people think that my loo. is good
enough for them to want. The friends
of hooters are beyond my calculation.
At this late date il should be known
that looting under all circumstances is
wrong, and therefore none need ap-
ply'-for loot. on sale or donated.
This exhibit seems to US TO r, quire no