The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-06-25

Mauouu SeuKimcntNttNy AUN -
Jacksonville Courier: The case OF
Elsie Sigel, the girl missionary among
the Chinese OF New York and who lost
her life as d result OF pursuing the
work. is almost too horrible to discuss.
But it should serve as a warning to
others. There can be no denying that,
in the language OF Bret Harte. for
ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain" the celestial has no equal.
Miss Sigel, whatever she may have
been and however earnest she may
have striven to bring about the con-
version OF Cinnamon, Is victim OF
system the disgusting system OF
teaching Chinese Sunday schools
through the assignment OF young
woman to each individual heather. IT
all too frequently turns out that fas-
cination for the teacher and not regard
for her teachings captivates the heath
len and quite often leads to the
downfall and worse than death Of the
hitherto sweet and pure women.
The average young woman is too
emotional to be permitted to engage
In such individual work. The crafty
oriental is a smooth article and, while
pretending to be wrapped up in the
instruction he is receiving, he merely
is busily weaving the web which is
to prove the undoing Of womanhood.
Sentimentality has much to do with
the young mission workers, as has
been demonstrated by numbers Of
them who have fallen under the spell
OF the oriental and have gone down
to fate even worse than that melted
out to poor Elsie Sigel
Elsie, OF course, was good and
pure girl She was carried away by
enthusiasm, which later became en-
tangled with a subtle sentimentality
and those peculiar wiles which are q
part Of the makeup OF many men of all
races This sentimentality put blind
ers- on her and in the process of its
maudlin development led her on and
on to her destruction, beyond doubt
the celestial who smothered out her
young life gradually gaining mastery
over her scruples.
Then she reached that point where
she was completely within his power
where she had sacrificed her God,
her home, her family, her good name.
and all for the pretended love OF a
slant-eyed heather without a fiber Of
manhood or regard for womanhood In
his makeup. Once caught within the
Shiny tentacles Of the monster, the
poor girl was powerless, was slave
and a tool, chattel in the possession
Of the horrible person who had woven
the web which had entangled her
beyond redemption Nho had burned
all her bridges.
It Is sad story q story Of endeav-
or to do right things through the pur-
suit OF wrong methods. But there will
be other Ethel Sigels SO long as SEN
timental enthusiasm shall be the guide
for those engaged in such missionary
efforts. II a Chinaman is convertible
and IS really worth striving to convert
he will as readily respond to the hon
est efforts OF true man as to those
OF pure woman. There can be no
doubling OF this.
OF course 1t is too late to do any
thing to right the wrong which has
been done this misguided girl, but II
is plenty early to begin the waging Of
q campaign calculated to stamp out
4 the misconstruction which has beer
4 placed upon successful missionary
work by those whose enthusiasm has
carried them beyond the bounds Of
common sense methods.
The we'll directed life of Elsie Sige
would have been worth more to the
world than the pretended salvation O.
7 all the residents Of New York's China
town.
WAGON LOADS OF LETTERS.