Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-14
ON THE TRAIL OF THE
AMERICAN MISSIONARY

firrned this, at least with respect to the
situation prior 10 1900. Their work had
until then been accomplished almost wholly
among the poorer people since 1900, how
ever, many of a better class have been
reached
On the subject of rice Christians" !. e..
persons processing conversion for personal
gain, several of the best informed Chinese
agreed that not more than 60 per cent OF
the converts are honest. One of the most
successful of independent native pastors
disagreed with this. saying that the per-
centage is now fully 50 per cent: probably
20 per cent are deceiving the missionary.
This statement was made in the presence
of veteran missionary, VINO assented IN
the Independent churches. he added, the
proportion of these pretenders is practically
negligible, for there is nothing 10 be gained
by trying to deceive strictly Chinese
church, even if it could be accomplished.
Love and squeeze not" was Chinese
students summary of the preaching of
John the Baptist, when he was called upon
to translate it into English Squeeze not
meant to him, of course. exact no more
than Is your DUE, China is the land of
the squeeze" Everybody through whose
hands the golden orange passes feels en-
titled to some Of the juice No tradesmali'
for example, can hope to do business with
you unless he pays a squeeze to your
cook This sort of thing is universal in all
walks of Chinese life.
Naturally, l wanted to know if Chris
tians are exempt from prevailing Chlnese
practices which, expressed in blunt Anglo
Saxon, are plain lying and stealing. At
once l began to hear the difficulties under
which person just out of heathendom, ana
a person still surrounded by heathen1sm
continually labors. One man cook became
a Christian and stopped squeezing" Soon
1t became noised abroad among the mousse
holders that Mrs. RS supplies were costing
her less than her neighbors. The latter
called their cooks to account who thus
lost face" and they straightway put to
work a more effective and far-reachlng
boycott than any labor unions know. Inc
cook and his mistress could not Withstand
It, Some missionaries cherish the belief
that their Christian servants do not
squeeze" but the more general opinion
is that they differ from others in that they
exercise moderation.
A missionary offered to introduce me to a
Christian dealer in jade, thus securing for
me an honest price. He frankly said that
If I went to the store as stranger, mere
traveller, l would be charged two or three
prices isn't that un-Christian eXtortion!'
.Oh. no: that is good Christian ethics"
Sometimes an American Christian falls
from grace-when putting up stoVeplpes, 1of
instance-by indulging in profanity. lhere
are no swear words in Chinese or Japanese
or Korean; in fact as venerable mission
ary impressively said, when remarked
upon this: mo people who kno" not the
true God ever swear In the east; now
ever there is revilng, which must be I'M
derstood before the meaning of the New
Testament injunction concerning revillne
can be appreciated The foulness' me ue-
tailed filthiness, and the wealth OF I'M
speakable invective which an oriental can
command in revilng are beyond the occl-
dental imagination Sometimes native CHRIS
tians fall by reverting to this. chahceu 10
learn Of the dismission of an efficient Bible
woman Of unusually high class. The incl
dent had occurred the day before. A purse
had been lost on Sunday morning IN church'
Greatly distressed about it, this Bible wom-
an had on Sunday afternoon gone to for
tune-teller. Then, when demonstrated WITH
she had reviled another Bible woman
THESE three heathenish offenses-Sabbath
hreaking. consulting a soothsayer, and re-
Wiling, had cost her the favor of the church,
So it would seem that being Christian IN
China is not so simple matter as II Is IN
America.