The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-11-08


logically, thief. That steamship
clerk thought no more of stealing two
dollars from a stranger than the vice
roy thinks of squeezing the public
revenues. He would also doubtless
have worked off his counterfeit money
in change, had change been required.
On that very occasion / discovered,
by the refusal of Chinese to accept
it, that l had one of the innumerable
counterfeit coins with which the land
is flooded. When l threw it into the
river the surrounding Chinese plainly
looked as if they thought that should
be thrown after it, as a fool and q
mailman. Simple honestly in most
matters seems beyond the Chinese
ken, although they have scrupulous-
ness about keeping contracts once
made, and about fulfilling trusts,
which has been frequently and justly
praised.
No Work for Cupid.
One day certain native pastor was
pointed out to me as man who really
loved his wife. This was considered
so rare as to be noteworthy. Mar
riage here is matter of barter and
convenience. Yesterday l dined with
a progressive official whose head wife
sat at table with us, in concession
to western ways, while his three sub
ordinate wives stood around the
room, or peeped in at the doorway,
and two of his pretty little slave girls
waited on the table. The family feel
ing, or rather clan feeling, is not
based primarily on affection, but
mutual self-interest. The quarrel
someness of the Chinese family is
patent to the ears of every resident.
If any one thinks that the ordinary
Chinese woman, especially after she
becomes a mother-in-law, is crushed
and down-trodden sister, he should
hear her in action for five minutes.
No man is better able to look out for
himself than this same small-footed
creature.
The absence of anything approach
ing the home life known to America
or Great Britain is a conspicuous fact
about China. The cities are noisy,
not with traffic, for they have none, of
our ear-splitting western sort, but
with the perpetual and everywhere
present sounds of squabbling and
strife. Here it is Every man for him.
self, and the devil take the hinder
most Only yesterday as 1 rode
al Of in n rin lzch ~ Wy II COZ
grown man trying to steal bundle
of old straw fuel from group of tots
whose ages must have ranged from
four to eight. And the furious fashion
in which they were assailing him
showed how early young China learns
to look out for itself. China is
synonym for selfishness.
In all these observations / have not
had out of mind the virtues of the
Chinese-their patience, their indus
try, their frugality, the obedience to
authority and their respect for the
established order. All these have
been magnified in their place. The
present design is simply to point out
certain deficiencies which Christian
ity, ideally, at least, would remedy.
Missionaries would not be wanted in
China, but they are needed.
Are the Christians Better?
A study of the facts compels the
statement that in the case of many ma
tive converts these Objectionable Chi
nese characteristics have been elm
mated, showing that Christianity
really has the power to make over the
people. From one viewpoint this is
the crux of the missionary question.
Are these converts genuine' Do they
display the virtues which are COM
monty supposed to accompany the
Christian religion?
While it is true, as the oldest liv-
ing missionary to the Chinese said to
me recently, that There are more
heather in China to-day than there
were when Robert Morrison began
work 100 years ago." owing to the in
crease in population, yet there is also
body of native Christians whose
faith is ineradicable. The Boxer
movement convinced China that
Christianity among her people is here
to stay, and cannot be stamped out.
These native Christians are for the
most part sincere and steadfast. Sub
tracing all those who may in any way
be called "rice Christians" and who,
so far as I can ascertain, are a de-
cided minority, there remains body
of men and women who have been
made over by Christianity. The light
in their faces alone is enough to mark
them. Repeatedly, in various parts
of the empire, l have seen hundreds
such; some / have come to know per-
sonally. The unpleasant traits of
their fellow countrymen which have
just been enumerated have been cast
off by them; they bear the marks by
which sincere disciples of the Naza-
rene have been distinguished in all
ages.
Slow, hard and discouraging are
the labors of the missionary, but a
handful of such converts are his re-
ward. Despite the dead weight of
inertia which continually confronts
him, and the more or less active op-
noSition and hostility of the neonla &c