Evening star., 1909-06-27
'LAUD CHINESE PUPILS
Clergy and Teachers Defend
Oriental Sunday Shoots.
ROMANCE is ELIMINATED
Educators, When Women, Are
Usually Middle-Aged or Married.
LEGATION OFFICIALS RETICENT
Elsie sigel Generally Condemned
for Bringing Mission Work Un-
fairly Into Disrepute.
LEGATION OFFICIALS RET1CENT

4
reporter If the members Of the Legation
would make a statement regarding thu
activity of mission workers among ori
entails in the United States.
/, Regarding the problems Of mission wori
brought to light by the gruesome murde1
| of Elsie Sigel in a room over q Chinese
restaurant in New York city. reticenc'
was shown by other members Of the le
cation and by clergymen and SUNDAY
school teachers Of those churches which
have regular Chinese classes connected
with their religious instruction and by
Chinese residents of Washington.
Questions were put to such interested
persons by a reporter for The Star yes
terday evening. Although many had pos
tive opinions all refused to be quoted.
Diplomatic courtesy restrained the mem
bers of the legation from expressing any
positive views. They did not attempt tc
the Chinese in this country to- link theil
names so closely with the acts of indi
viduals of their race.
IF Miss Sigels murderer had not beer
Chinaman there would not have beer
much said Of it," remarked one of the
members of the legation.
Chinese Pupils Praised.
Many clergymen, especially those who
have Chinese Sunday schools connected
with their churches, are voluble in praise
Of the Chinese in Washington who at
tend these schools. In their criticisms OF
Miss Sigel. however. they Indicate that
they consider she has brought discredit
in some quarters upon the women mis-
sion workers among the Chinese.
The same opinions are held by teachers
in these schools. Most Of these teach
ers are women. But there is we'll de-
fined policy in each Of the four Chinese
Sunday schools in Washington not te
have young women teachers.
Only those who are middle-aged are per
n1itted to act as instructors. Preference
is given to married women.
Both clergy and teachers themselves
are strongly in favor of this policy.
Many Christianized Chinese in Wash
ington are denouncing Leon Ling as q
man who never really adopted the Chris
tian religion. They claim that Elsie
Sigel was not a mission worker and
never attempted to instruct Ling in the
Christian faith.
Among many people in Washington
there is we1l-defined opinion that
young women should never under any
circumstances be permitted to act as
Instructors to the Chinese. In speaking
to an organization Of young women Fri
day an Episcopal clergyman of the city
cited the case of Elsie Sigel as a. warn
ing against the misguided conception Of
some young women that they are called
upon to do individualistic missionary
work unguided by church organization.
Value of Work Secuted.
In many quarters there is skepticism
regarding the value of missionary work
among the Chinese Of this country. This
opinion is shared by both Americans
and Chinese.
Ore man questioned yesterday ex-
pressed himself as follows:
The Chinese, as a rule, only attend
these Sunday schools to get free in
struction in English. Few of them
really become converted to Christianity.
Their profesSed conversion is frequent
ly hypocrisy induced by the desire tC
please their teachers, to whom they feel
grateful for the instruction and general
attention they receive"
Another who doubted the efficacy OF
mission work among the Chinese Illus
trated his point by a facetious story
about Chinaman, who said. ME go tc
Sunday school to hear about Bible and
eat ice cream"
The sNperintendents and teachers OF
| the four Chinese Sunday schools ir
| Washington are all loud in their praise
of the sincerity and work of theil
pupils.
The largest school is that of the Cal
vary Baptist Church, which has abou
seventy-fve pupils. 1t was organized
about fifteen years ago and has prosperet
from the beginning.
DR.. Greene's Opinions.
| DR.. Samuel H Greene. pastor of th'
church, said yesterday:
| Many Chinese have shown marked i'm
provement and about twenty-five mem
bers Of the class have Joined the church
Several Of these men are Of marked abil
ity.
Three are now studying to take VI
mission work. Others have returnei
home and have identified themselves will
existing missions for their countrymen II
their native land.
From the beginning these pupils hav
| been interested In their work. In tn
| teaching we have not observed that tn
Cinnamon have given any preference t
women teachers, and from the beginnin
the school has been entirely free from
anything bordering on the line OF i'm
propriety..
AT first I hesitated about starting thi
| school. But l have found the men to b
| sincere, devout, honest and exceedingly
generous.
THE men improve in dress and manne
and are grateful for the teaching givel
them Each year they give a banquet 4
the church to the teachers of the class
Their addresses are excellent talks, bot
in thought and spirit
Rector Nelms Praises School.
Rev. ]. Henning Nelms. rector of tn
Episcopal Church of the Ascension, whicl
also has a Sunday school for Cinnamon
said yesterday:
I'VE have forty-ive young-men stu
dents. The school has been in opera tiol
for about fifteen years. From persona
observation since l have been rector, an
from diigent inquiry as to the perio'
| before that time, l can say that thss
Chinese pupils are as well behaved an,
as sincere as the pupils In any Sunda.
school l ever had.
They are taught by grown women
While grateful for every kindness shown
them. there has never been case in tn
fifteen years of any presumption on tn
part of any one of them"
| In this school there is, a teacher 70
about every pupil. A. NJ. Poynton il
superintendent of the work. About twelv
members Of the Sunday school belong Z
the church, have been baptized and con
day services.
| Teachers of the Chinese Sunday schoo
of the First Baptist Church are enthusi
astic in their praise of their charges
There are about twenty-four pupils an,
about twenty teachers. Unless tn
| Chinese are relatives or close friends eacl
one wants to have his own teacher.
| a large part of the Instruction consists
In teaching the English language. Ii
this and the other schools the teacher
admit that the desire to learn Englisl
is often the first cause that draws China
men TO the class.
AS the Bible. with one page in Englisl
and the other in Chinese, Is the text bool
the teaching is necessarily religious. Tn
teachers claim that In the end many o
| these who had no desire for religious in
struction finally become converted and