Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1908-02-06

mon. In the one particular instance
where my criticism had been definite
ly disputed / had said that a certain
northern Methodist missionary had
lent his ability and Influence to a cor.
pOration seeking concessions from the
Chinese government. The board sec
rotary and certain UNCONVENTIONAL pa.
pors attacked me virulently for this,
declaring that | did not know what |
was talking about Then to their ut
ter confusion, along came the presid-
ing Methodist Episcopal bishop of
China, fully substantiating the charge,
but generating the missionary from
wrong intention and assuming respon.
sibility himself
Similarly, more effective admins
tration of the missionary propaganda
will furnish the travelling public with
the easily ascertained facts of the mis-
sion fields, and will put forth effort to
introduce them to missions in actual
operation. 1t will also grapple with
the problem of the moral and spiritual
condition Of the port cities; for so
long as the European portion of these
ports remain as they are the work of
missions is bound to be seriously
hampered.
Missionary Mistakes.
Before leaving this subject I must
make a rather sweeping criticism
which the board should have dealt
with long ago. 1t is that an astonish-
ing proportion of missionaries display
bad manners and bad taste on ship
board. TO deny this charge which,
in one form or another, has been made
times without number, is to turn ones
back on the facts. The conduct of
some missionaries aboard ship is one
of the most prolific sources of the
antimissionary spirit which pervades
passenger ships the world over, and
practically all of the port cities of the
orient. Some OF the criticisms made
in this connection are simply unan.
swerable
What is to be said. for example, in
defense of the woman missionary
whose place at the table had to be
changed three times on the voyage
across the Pacific last month? In the
first place, her astounding meddle-
someness had brought upon her a re-
| buke at which she felt offended and
changed her seat; later, the passen-
| gers with whom she was seated found
| her so uncomfortable a companion
that they complained to the steward
| and insisted on having either her seat
or theirs changed. The answer com.
monty made to stories like this is that
tho missionary'g goodness no doubt
| rebuked the sinfulness of the other
| passengers, which Is neither a modest
nor charitable rejoinder. In this
case, the story was told me by prom
| inent American business man, a
church member, who himself had been
attending a series of missionary meet
ings in Omaha just before leaving
home, and so could hardly be called
a hostile critic.
/ could write literally columns OF
incidents concerning the conduct of
missionaries on shipboard, whereby
they have earned the disfavor of Off
GERS and fellow passengers. Summed
up, though, they amount to this Some
missionaries seem inclined to faunt
their moral and spiritual superiority
IN the face of others; they insist on
having an identity as missionaries
rather than as quiet, modest, we'll
bred ladies and gentlemen: they pro
test, often in unseemly fashion
against the indulgence in tobacco OF
liquor or cards on the part of other
passengers. All this may be compre
hended in the word "provincialism.
They forget that, rs Kipling says:
There's world outside the one yor
know"
and that the people of this world have
all the personal rights and libertie.
which are to be accorded to the mem
bers of the missionary circle Some
times this provincialism goes to tn,
length of stupidity as when a Pacin,
liner crossed the meridian on Sunday
and so dropped that day from the cal
endar, whoreupon the misslonarie
appealed in a body to the captain t
drop some other day, and save Sun
day, as if the matter were optiona
with him!
Not all missionaries are guilty O
: these things; far from it, The ables
l missionaries deprecate them seriou.
= ly, for they realize their far-reachin
r effects upon the cause they represen
In explanation, II not in cxtenuatiol
5 they point out that missionaries lea,
= ing the homeland are still in the spirI
t Of eNaltation created by their farewe
= meetings, by the gloridcation OF thei
1 friends and by the role of saint, her
5 and martyr with which they hay
+ been invested, For the time they an
e in crusader mood, and they have NJ
= yet learned to view all things in Or,
l. portion. Their feet have not Y,
|, found the hard ground Of actualit,
h one of these unwse missionaries ca
/ do more harm than a hundred sens
BILE ones can undo.
l. | must confess, moreover, that 4
4. rot see why a Pacific mail capital
e should forbid missionaries to sin