Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-25
TEA AND SILK TRADE SHOW DECLINE
AdulteratiOn Of Tea iS Having Its Logical
Result on Expectation.
MISSIONARY EFFORT is INCREASING
Remarkable Change Shown in Field Of
Effort Of Preachers
BEST MINDS NEEDED FOR THE WORK
EvanEeIists Como Into Contact with
BrishteSt ThiHkers of orient
ana Must be Able TO
Hold Ground.

hOld Ground.
PEKING, Nov. 24-Cspocial,)- )-The tea and /
silk trades Of China are in bad way |
and there is no use on the part OF tho |
government to longer attempt to disguise |
this fact. In 1854 the silk represented 50
per cent Of the imports Of the empire. Now
they account for only 45 per cent. The |
commissioner of customs at Canton II au- |
thority for the statement that the tea
Industry seems doomed
The London customs IN 1904 registered
5000 chests OF tea, adulterated with filings
and sand; hence II may be inferred that
the tea consumers alone are not to blame.
This shifting OF the tea trade can best be
shown by the fact that in 1904 the United
Kingdom consumed 16s8772O pounds Of
China tea, as against 24O. 2S6, 925 pounds from
India and Ceylon, and in 1906 only 6yOJ.OOO
pounds. Other countries viii show an even
greater percentage of loss though the sta
tistics are not as well kept as in the case
Of tho United Kingdom OF Great Britain
and ireland.
Yankee Devices Used.
British and American commercial agents
are at last moving in China. which swarms
with japanese agents. traders and peddlers.
rapidly. The railways are heavily patron
lied. Peklng is plastered with posters
showing great commercial activity along
the most approved Yankee lines. one
single thing will give the outsider an idea
OF how the modern Peking Ia improving
along modern lines. Though It will hardly
be believed, It Is nevertheless the truth
that the best equipped Of steam rollers are
used in fattening the streets.
The latest statistics would make It APP
| pear as though the boycott Of American
goods in China is proving futile. II is
/ stated that the latest statistics bearing
upon the subject show an increase from
S21-OOO,oOO in 1904 to SSSOOO,OOo in 1905.
work of Missionaries.
great deal OF discussion is going on in
! the Chinese newspapers just al present as
20 tho work of the missionaries In China
Perhaps nothing could show the difference
between the old China and the new like
simple statement OF the fact that Chinese
editors even -daae 10 print arguments In
| favor OF the missionaries without shiver-
ing and trembling tor fear that their offices
may be mobbed BY the indignant natives
Il appears to be the consensus OF the opin-
ions of the editors Of the various publca-
tions that In order to learn the truth about
the missionary movement inquiries must be
made not at the treaty ports, but in the in
teriUr of the country. As may be readily
understood, a missionary is no more of a
novelty at the trcaty ports than Is clergy
man novelty in the streets OF New York
and San Francisco. Then. too the treaty
port trader-his minds eye fixed on trade
rather than upon religious subjects-knows
little about the matter. He Is quite likely
10 argue against the missionarles-more so
than any OF the educated Cinnamon. If
arguments win not suffice the treaty port
trader can generally be relied upon to dig
up one or two stories of rice" Christians
t familiar TO the carly-comers.
/ One thing may be taken for granted II
is as absurd TO argue from old facts either
: in America or China generation ago
! there was no doubt some grounds for sus-
pectIng that MANY so-caIlcd converts
adopted Christianity for what they could
get The policy or making "rice" Chris.
dans, to use the expressive phrase In the
old days was even upheld by the wises
OF missionaries, 1t has long since beer
definitely abandoned. generation az,
men were often sent out as missionaries II
the Orient because they were not clever [,
. work AZ home. II Is claimed that this hai
Z an been changed and that the Orient nov
r secures for the missionary field the pick o
Z the Scottish and American colleges. Ger
+ tain It is that many of these men wer
tested by fre and blood during the reoen
Boxer uprising and that they stood the test
Ideas Are ChanEinE.
When ] first came to China" said on
Of the most famous OF the living mission
z aries Il saw the odd side OF missions
u wrote accordingly. But since have llvei
l. and Travelled in the land and have come L
> to consider the more serious phases of tn
e work. Then. too. ! suppose that somethin
a NAV be said for the fact that am olde
e now than then"
q There are today over 1900 Protestant mis-
r sionaries at work in China, nearly all o
% them English or American. Most OF thes
D are young people in the prime Of life. The
y have knowingly and willingly placed them
" selves in positions where any outburst q
"a national passion means death in the mos
terrible Of forms. And any child know
that the salaries are not 30 large that the
! can be accused OF going abroad for III
money.
IA Perhaps the most remarkable Of the mii
sionary movements going on In the orier
today can be found in northeastern Chin
and in Corea- There communities arc bein
turned almost wholesale TO Christianit,
=
- sunchOn Ave years ago. Today they ha,
~ - in their district eighty churches and 1870
adherents II is doubtful whether the HI
'N tory OF aEy land or any time will show
great a change IN 50 short a period Of tim
unless the conversions have been conve
% slons forced al the point Of ehe swor
nP That there is nothing forced about N
N' particular movement is demonstrated !
the fact that the converts build and pf
o' for their own churches and pay for the
" own ministers. Towns In the historic IN
Mans Land'--the bandit region bstwe'
lo' Corea and Manchuria-are being outward
'se transformed, schools are arising and ev'
the women are coming from life OF gu
Us servienee 10 a life OF eomradeahip vi
hu their husbands.
~ Clash OF Bright MiRds.
.us The wisdom Of sending 70 China the pi
lly OF the brains OF the Christian countries
IN demonstrated by the fact that IN China I
81 missionaries have 70 deal with the mC