Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
American Seamen Find Seamy
Side of the Orient Upper
most-Some Veteran
American Evan
ge1ists.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
Copyright, 1907, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

Readers of war dispatches know this
city mainly as the habitat Of the
Chefoo liar" which Is not without
significance, since many Of the most dis
reputable elements Of American life are
to be found here. A visitor pining Tor
sight Of his native colors will find them
displayed by low dives whose very appear
ance indicates their character. These bear
such names as 1.-THE Dewey" THE Stars
and Stripes Forever Saloon THE Old Ken
lucky Home" etc. Over one Of these re-
sorts there flies larger American flag than
that which floats above the consulate on the
hill.
The explanation for all this is simple.
During the summer this beautiful harbor is
the resort of the Asiatic squadron and from
three to five thousand American young
men, sailors and marines aboard the fleet,
are here every year. The east does its
| worst by them; for the orient, especially
when in league with the most vicious ele-
| ment in American life, Is especially skill
| full in enmeshing western youth. The plight
of these young men with shore leave, and
| no decent door open to them, was pitiable.
**
Some of the resident Americans, includ-
ing Consul General Fowler undertook to
open a clean, harmless resort for the men.
! One of the Presbyterian missionaries, Rev.
G.. Cornwell, devoted himself tirelessly to
the project, spending the greater part OF
every night down town in the rooms and
scarcely seeing his family for week at
time. The result was that for several years
a Christian club room and lodging house
were maintained successfully and made self
supporting
During the past summer this enterprise
was greatly enlarged and a much more
spacious club house opened. The work had
been given the name of a Young Mems
| snft old rCYh
receiving no recognition or support from
the general organization bearing that name.
Last summer, though, three months OF the
time of an association secretary and the
promise Of 81 600 was secured from the In
ternational Y. M c. A. committee. This
year. for various reasons, the work was
not the success Of past seasons.
Right here l encountered bitter criticism
from resident American business men OF
the Y. M. c. A. They say that until dragged
] into partial support Of the work the as
ISOLATION had paid no attention whatever
to the American sailors at Cheefoo These
boys, most Of them from Christian homes,
| some of them the sons of clergymen, were
| permitted to go to the dogs by hundreds
| without the slightest interest or solicitude
being manifested by the association. Yet
| the latter has an imposing department. to
which the public contributes literally, called
! the naval branch. What is it doing, these
! men scornfully ask when 1t can neglect
/ entirely the men of the second largest
| American fleet?
! AS consequence, they say, of the asso-
ciations attitude, the Americans in Chez
FOO some of whom are not members of any
church and had supported the work from
patriotic and humanitarian motives, declare
| that they will no longer give their time
| and money to it, since the Christian or
ganization which avowedly exists for this
| purpose refuses to take on the work. Mis-
| sionary Cornwell, however. is the sort Of
man who will hold to the task even though
| others give 1t up. 1 have heard other mis-
| sionaries criticise him for giving more time,
| during a portion of the year. to the sailors
| than he does to the heather For my part.
| / am inclined to consider the moral and
| spiritual welfare of an American young
! man quite as important as that Of a Chi
I nese AS to the reported shortcomings Of
] the Y NJ c. A. which l have quoted. con-
| fess to have considerable sympathy with
the resident Americans; I cannot let the
| splendid efficiency Of the Young Mems
| Christion Association elsewhere blind me
| to the fact that 1t seems to have lament
| ably fallen down here; especially since
| the problem of the moral welfare Of white
men in oriental port cities, both sailors and
| civilians, is, to my way Of thinking, one of
! the most important phases Of the entire
| missionary situation.
|
I, Another indirect but grave and ever-pres-
ent missionary problem to which even mis-
| sionary workers give little thought is that
| of the children of the men and women on
| the field. The famous China Inland Mission
| school at Chefoo makes the topic pertinent
here. 1t never occurs to an Anglo-SaXon as
| home that white child cannot we'll be
| reared with yellow children. His first
| thought would doubtless be, like my own,
| that 1T is rather funny to see. as have seen.
| a missionary's son with a yellow playmate
perched on temple drum, beating 1t in