The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1909-09-02
PAGE TWELVE
Soft AmszVer TO the Preachers
Concluded from Page o.

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from one congregation, $4,000 in 48 minutes
He says he wants $277 900 this year, and we
guess that he will get it. There are SO many
missionaries holding fat jobs In the service,
and SO few of our home folks know what goes
with the money, that big collections are easy.
The interested parties clamor for the money,
and nobody considers 1t his business to organ
lze an opposition.
It's all voluntary, you know. Bro Clark
of Alabama told us SO. A helpless congrega-
ton is penned up somewhere, preached at,
sung at, prayed at stuffed on misleading
statements, excited by glowing descriptions of
the wonderful things that the missionaries are
doing abroad, liberal glvers are praised in adj
vance, and the other sort are shamed and
abused in advance and then they tell us that
the contributions are "voluntary''. So was the
'I1l come down" of Davy Crocketts coon,
and the foot race the man had when the yard
dog got after him.
Rev. Corey stated that they have converted
100000 Chinese. Mrs. @. F. Smith, originally
of Lafayette, Ind has lived long in Hong
kong, China, and she has publicly declared,
within the last few weeks, that not single
Chinaman has ever been genuinel converted
to Christ. An English official, Sir Robert
Hart, of long service in China, told the news
paper reporters recently that the pretended
"converts' were nothing but hypocrites. They
pretend to be Christians to get the money,
food, clothing medicine, books, board and
lodging and secular education. They take
all that we can give them, but undergo no
change of heart Said he: "NO matter aohat
the missionaries sag or believe, not one CHINA
man has eUer really been concerted to Christ
ia71ity"
A Methodist missionary, guest at my
house during a series of religious meetings,
expressed his grave doubts about the sincerity
of these Chinese converts. He stated that they
we're great users of quinine and that when
the dispensary had no more to give, the soon
verts" quit coming to church. This minister
declared that when, in such cases he went to
make inquiry as to the cause Of the non
attendance of the "converts", they patty told
him that they would resume their religious
observances when the missionaries renewed
their stock of quinine!
A few weeks ago, one of the most capable
and reliable of the officers of the United States
Army was at Mr.. Watson's home, on friend
ly visit. This officer has served in the Ha-
waiian Islands and in the Philippines. He
was asked, 'What about the converts among
the natives of the Hawaiian Islands and the
Philippines"
The officer laughed, spontaneously and up
roariously, and the conversation passed on to
another subject.
If the missionaries have made 100000 gen
uine converts in China, why is it that none of
them will labor for the redemption of their
own fellow countrymen without being hired
by the missionaries to do it?
What test of the sincerity of the convert
can there be, when the selfshness and the GU
pidity of the Chinaman are being so power
fully enlisted all the time?
Outside Of the Immediate sphere Of im771-
ence Of the money of the missionaries, they
have made no progress whatever in China, or