The Virginia enterprise., 1907-09-06

Troubles in the mission have been
almost constant. and now former
members OF the mission are out in a
public circular, which they are send.
ing widely to America making vari-
Gus charges against the mission and
it's head. 1t is reported that the
American consul general is taking
steps to require Mr.. Houlding to. pro-
vide return passage to America for his
missionaries, since number of them
have become charge on the consul.
ate. For it appears, according to this
circular, that of the 50 missionaries
brought out, three have died and 80
have left the mission in dissatisfac-
tion. Most of these have remained in
China, in connection with other mis-
sions; some have gone into business
here, and some have returned to Amer
lea.
The circular charges Mr.. Houlding
with lack of proper qualifications for
leadership, with denying the mission.
aries a voice in the management of
the mission; with running a sort of
absolute monarchy, all the property
being in his own name; and with max.
ing representations concerning the
work which are not borne out by the
facts. The signers of the circular say
that they have made the mildest possi-
BILE presentation of the real situation,
and they hint at more serious evils.
Some of the many stories current here
are ludicrous. One member of the
mission was British, and liked his cup
of afternoon tea. The mission thought
this wicked and sinful indulgence.
When he persisted in the practice,
they held a mission prayer meeting
over him, to show him the evil of his
course! Another member was SINH
larly disciplined for being too fond OF
peanuts! All this while grave evils
/ were existing in the conduct of the
mission.
Stranded Missionaries.
One hears many stories in the east
concerning Independent missions.
without substantial and responsible
bodies back of them at home Espe-
cially are tales told of the faith"
missions. Jealous and unqualified en-
thusiasts come out on "faith," and the
other missionaries and foreigners
have to support them to keep them
from starving, until they can secure
work or provision is made for their
return to America. I have repeatedly
been told. instances of this sort con.
corning Scandinavian mission whose
people come chiefly from Minnesota.
Some of the independent missionaries
who do manage to get along, are
obliged to give large part of their
time to cultivating their American
constituency.
These missionaries who come out
with no other equipment than enthusi-
asm make strange blunders. One
party of Swedes, whose advent is a
pronounced memory in missionary cir
cles, bore each musical instrument.
They would play and sing hymns
along the street, to the entertainment
of the Chinese. The young women
wrote home glowing accounts of the
crowds they gathered by their street
meetings, not realizing at all that in
China such performances as theirs are
always attributed only to evil charac.
ters and the basest of motives. In
stead of doing good, they actually did
only harm.
Akin to these, are the religious fad.
dists who enter the foreign fields,
representing some special tenet or
doctrine. These make no special ef-
fort to reach the genuine heather, but
confine themselves to proselyting
among the native Christians. Still
easier mission work is that done by a
holiness sect in America which pub
fishes a paper called THE Gospel
Trumpet" 1t appeals for funds to
evangelize the heather, and then
spends the money for sending copies
of the paper to missionaries of the
various denominations, already on the
field! Thus, every missionary in Ja-
pan receives "The Gospel Trumpet"
and none, so far as could learn, ever
reads it.
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)