El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-31
CURIOUS CUSTOMS
AGENT TELLS
ABOUT THE HEATHEN CHINEE

For Many Years Before Coming to Ell
! Paso He Lived at Hong Kong and
Speaks the Language Like Native
The first Christian church in China
was established by a Chinaman under
the direction of the London Mission
Society,"" said Mr.. Becker of the United
States immigration department. Mr..
Becker lived in China for five years
and speaks the language fiuently and
is well acquainted with the Christian
history of the orient. THE church was
| established in Hong Kong by Rev. Kay,
father of the famous DR.. Kay, and was
the pastor for many years. He had
married an English lady and accepted
| the Christian religion while living in
England. He advanced the idea of eS-
| tablishing a church in China and the
London Mission society furnished him
the money to pay all expenses. 1t is
his son. DIR. Kay, however, that 1 want
to tell you about. 1t proves clearly that
missionaries have no business in China
and their work there is time thrown
| away. DR.. Kay was born in England
and reared a Christian. He never
knew anything else until he was sew
eral years of age and his father lived
and died to all pretenses a Christian.
| The doctor pretended to be Christian
until after his father died and then
like the rest of the natives. returned
to the religion that belonged to his
race. He qualified as a lawyer when
very young and was later elected a
member of the colonial legislature of
Hong Kong. His mother died III 1891
and requested a Christian burial. DIR.
Kay had deserted the Christian reli-
gion and believed his mother was
wrong. After her death he had her
buried according to the Chinese faith
over the protest of all her Christian
friends. The burial cost $4,000. Mex
lean money but that was his faith and
he followed it's distates. l am con-
WINGED by this and other cases that
a Chinaman will not earnestly accept
the Christian religion.
Superstition keeps the Chinese mix
ed on religion but when they come
to die they go back to their former
Singapore, where missionary had
been preaching on the street corners
for months and had not converted one
man. He kept it up according 70 his
contract and finally had results. He
was preaching at the usual place one
day when a Chinese woman came out
of a house and told him that her hus-
band was very ill, and asked him to
go in and see him. When he reached
the bed room he saw the man almost
dead with fever. He had few drugs
he had brought for his own use and
gave the patient a few simple doses
that accidentally cured him. The story
was told all over the city and many
people came to the missionary and ac-
cepted the Christian religion, thinking
that this was the cure he administered.
They stuck to his church for a while
and again drifted into heathenisn.
When you see the cooley population
of China. however, you will know why
they are superstitious. They are
taught many different ideas of life and
are too ignorant to learn for them
selves. For instance. a man can't mar
ry the woman he wishes to, even with
her consent, unless the parents of both
parties are willing, and they are never
willing If they can realize a greater
sum from some other source. Parents
often sell their daughters to foreigners .
for a certain sum, knowing that they !
will be returned in a short while. The
Standard Oil company's agent at Can
ton bought two sisters while ] was
there and lived with both of them. He
paid 800 each for them and made them
keep house for him. Wealth usually
marries wealth in China and the poor
marry the poor. The wealthy are the
most poisonous when ii comes to true
moral character. There is no such
hing as bribing an officer but if you
want anything done right it is neces-
iary to give an officer a costly present.
remember one case of this kind
where the officer got left. a wealthy
merchant and ship owner died at Hong
Kong He had probably several hun
ad fhnnSand Of
rty and left widow and one son. The !
on wanted the property divided so he
Guild get his share at once. The Off ]
er requested a gift of $4,000. The
Dung man was too smart for this and L
tole out ship and went over to Pc '
in to see the emperor. He called on I
he emperor and made him a present C
Torth $4,000 and in turn the emperor l
hriStened him a prince in rank and q
xempt from duty. He went home with Il
is title above that of the officer who G
-ould take that sum from him and de-
landed that the affairs of his father II
e settled up at once. In this way he t
breed the officer to act and got the
tie for the sum he would have had to t
ay the officer in the beginning. u
THE Chinese do a great deal of buy n
lg of titles, privileges. etc. When
ne of them wants to come to the Uni o
ID States he has to show that he is a f
erchant. To do this he has to have r.
certificate from his general govern
ent to that effect to make it good in
lis country. The Chinese govern nent p.
fcials get even in the matter by MAX I,
g the merchant present the emperor 6;
it'll a present valued at $4,000. Mex a
an money. 1t costs $4,000 American I;
oney for Chinaman to get into the IL
nited States and that accounts for Q =,