The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-07
NV Reception in America
Rv Flu Chi Hao, M. A.

sweet and famlIlar name III my ca
because l have been told by my Amer
lean friends that it is the only free
country in the world, the refuge OF
the oppressed and the champion OF the
weak: so [ have had great affee
ton for this country since my child
hood DAYS. / had an idea for a great
many years that America was the best
nation on the earth, and good friend
to China.
There is one special feature that Is
peculiar to this country, of which every
American ought to be proud. From the
birth of this great Nation, America has
stood for liberty. It was in the cause
of liberty that the Revolutionary War
broke out in 1776, when many thousands
of heroes gave up their lives for the
freedom of the human race. From their
| love of freedom this free country had
its birth.
Tt was for the cause of liberty that
the Civil War broke out in 1860, and
continued for four long years. Three
hundred and sixty thousand men of the
Union army laid down their lives for
the cause of human liberty. The terri
BILE war ended, race of four million
people was freed, and thus the Amer.
lean people accomplished the greatest
thing that could possibly be accom-
plished by humanity, and earned most
conspicuous place in the worlds his
tory.
Again, it was in the cause of liberty
that the Spanish-American War broke
out eight years ago. America stood
for right. Her victorious career soon
brought the war to a close. The people
in Cuba obtained their freedom through
the aid of America. The Filipinos were
glad to get away from the cruelty of
Spain, and breathe the sweet air of
freedom under the American flag. In
deed, America is a wonderful Nation.
There is close connection between
America and China. The modern in
vention of steamboats, brought these
two nations nearer together. The great
Pacific ocean served as an indestruc-
tible tie. It is America that sent out
her missionaries and merchants to China
early in the nineteenth century, to in
struct her people and help her to open
the long-elosed doors, and thus to get |
into contact with the new civilization of
the twentieth century. We of China |
owe a great debt to America, especially
during the Boxer uprising in 1900. 1t /
IS largely due to America that China
stands intact as she is today. Without
America China might have been divid-
ID among the European nations seven
vears ago. Certainly America is China IS
pest friend.
Don't be shocked if tell you that,
lfter six years of careful study and
lose observation, and after the per-
onal treatment I have received from
our country, my attitude toward Amer
ca is totally changed. America is not
% good a friend to China as I had
thought, because in no part
f the earth are the Chinese so i'll
reated and Inundated as in America.
/ hope / shall not be misunderstood.
have no hard feelings whatever
gainst the American people. I can sim
erely say that some of my best friends
re Americans, and I have a great
many sympathetic friends all over the
ountry. But I 90 hate the misinter
of the Chinese exclusion law
~ your Government. The original
dea of the law is lost. The officials
n the Pacific coast have made it their
pecial business to find errors in the
'apers of every Chinese who came to
his country, so as to send them back,
whether they were laborers or not.
Pardon. me if 1 give you a brief
eview of the personal treatment |
eceived from America few years
go. In the fall of 1901 college
nate and myself were brought by an
american missionary to this country,
With the hope of getting an American
ollege education which would enable us
o take part in the uplifting of China
n the near future. Glad indeed were
We when the steamer Doric entered
he Golden Gate on September Is, 1901.
The peril of the water, the seasickness
N the boat, were both ended. Chris
ian America was reached at last. Our
learts were full of anticipation of the
pleasure and the warm welcome We
we're going to receive from our Chris
ian friends.
/ was very much surprised to learn,
after waiting several days on the
steamer, that the passports which we
aad with us were not accepted by the.
American Government. There were
several objections to the papers. In
the first place, we ought to have got
them, not from Li-Hung- Chang, the
highest and most powerful official in