Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-24
Severe Structures on the Chris
tan Propaganda by White
Men Resident in the
Far East.
nv WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

TIENTSIN China.-Here is the place to
come to learn 1.-The other side of foreign
missions This city and Shanghai are
doubtless the two greatest centers or anu
missionary sentiment in the world Inc
criticisms of missions and missionaries most
commonly heard have to do with emma ana
Chinas capital. Three out of four stories
rAAecting upon missions are located In
China. and two out of three are likely to
concern Picking and it's neighborhood
Now, that means Tientsin. The foreign
population of Picking is very small, includ-
ing few persons besides legationers and
missionaries. But Tientsin. the port OF
Picking and of north China. has the second
largest foreign population in the empire. 1t
is a city of imposing European buildings,
of foreign stores. of modern streets and
homes, of clubs and churches-in short, 1t IS
a bit of the west which greets traveer
like an oasis in the desert of the east
X
On the ship between Chefoo and Tientsin
I was talking over a variety of far eastern
topics with British merchant who had
lived for more than twenty years in Tien-
tsin He was plainly gentleman, a man of
family of breeding and social standing, and
in all respects his views had been temper
ate Without his knowing my interest In
the subject the conversation drifted to mis-
sionaries Really, some should look
into this missionary business. 1t Is not
what people at home think it is. You go up
to Picking. and you will find the mission
aries living in compounds as big as lega-
tons. And during the Boxer trouble they
| looted frightfully.
There was one missionary Mr.. Blank.
| who made Interpreter to a British pu-
nitive expedition, with the honorary rank OF
second lieutenant. At every village he would
| demand large sum of money, in the name
| of the commanding officer, which he would
| quietly pocket himself. At length word of
| this reached the British authorities, and the
| missionary asked for an explanation.
| He fatty denied everything. Then he was
| given his choice of standing fair court
| martial. with the assurance that he would
be shot If found guilty, or of being de-
| prived of his rank and of being dismissed
i from the service in ignominy. He chose the
| latter, thus practically confessing his guHt
| Missionaries all say: Poor Mr.. Blank! and
| look upon him a martyr; although the
| board that employed him took a different
view of the matter and discharged him.
| He lives in Tentsin today and Is rich
man.
~
Now this attitude of many English
speaking residents of the east toward mis-
sions means something. 1t is not a suff1
| Client answer to fling charges, as missionary
supporters commonly do, at the moral
| character of the white communities in port
| cities The man above quoted is, as has
| been said, an honorable man of position,
and his statements were specific.
| In the particular case he cited, an inves-
| tipation showed that his statements were
| warranted, except as to the attitude of the
| missionaries toward the alleged culprit in
question. What the merchant said was
| mildness as COMPARED with what the mis-
| sionaries said to me. They seem to have a
more intimate knowledge of the crooked
! ness of the ex-missionary than others, ana
| they have the additional grievance that he
has brought disgrace upon their calling.
Similarly the missionaries went farther
than others in condemnation of another no
torious character in this CITY, an ex-mis-
sionary now in corporation service, who Is
/ commonly alluded to as 1.-THE prize coward
| of the Picking SIEGE" and whose business
| methods are reputed to be devious.
OF this attitude of the missionaries, ap-
| parently, the community is unaware. In its
| sensitiveness to criticism the missionary
| body presents a solid front, making no ex-
| plantations, and the world does not know
| that the black sheep have been cast out OF
| the flock 1t appears that this place. like
| other port cities. contains number of ex-
| missionaries who have been dismissed from
| board service, who have of their own
| will retired to enter business. There Is
| nothing dishonorable in the latter practice,
| although it is clear violation of accepted
| missionary ethics. The onus of the short
comings of all these, who are naturally still
called missionaries" attaches to the mis-
sionary body, the members of which, have
been repeatedly assured, look with utmost
disfavor upon the entrance of any one Of
their number into moneymaking pursuits.
The wiser way would be for the mission
aries openly to dsavow responsibility for
the course of all except bona fide members
of established missions; and Hospitality to
meet honest criticism with frank explana-
| tons and with respect for the motives Of
the critics, instead of maintaining an atti-
| tude of silence, seclusion and self-suffl-
| cheney. In the matter of the gulf that ex-
| lists between the foreign community and
| the missionaries, the latter appear to be
more blameworthy than the former, for II
| is their business to be friendly with all
| men and to guard the good reputation Of
their work. Yet In truth they sometimes
seem the more censorious of the two. Some
! Of the sweeping assertions of the mission-