The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-03
mr.. THWING AND BISHOP BASHFORD
CRITICIZED FOR DOINGS IN CHINA
10y j. x. Oil in New York Herald.)

(By j. x. Oil in New York Herald,) /
PEKIN. February 10, l912.-lt is as
serted here that the responsible au-
thorities OF some American mission
AIRY and philanthropic societies inter
ested in the China field have sharply |
reprimanded certain of their repre-.
sentatives out here for having per-
mitted themselves to become actively |
involved in the Chinese political situa-
ton.
If such reprimands have not been
sent, they should be, for there is real
danger that the activities of these
men may work serious harm to the
missionary cause.
The great majority of missionary
workers in China have scrupulously
refrained from mixing in politics. The
offenders, for the most part, are Amer
leans and Englishmen.
Bishop Bashford, of the American
Methodist Church, is reported in the
newspapers to have delivered himself
of an impassioned speech to an audi
ence of young revolutionaries, to the
general effect that the hand of the
Almighty is in this revolution" But
understand a good many of the
workers under him, particularly those
in the north, have expressed deep
concern lest the mission cause in the
northern provinces be seriously dam
aged by what is, not unnaturally, con-
strued as open advocacy of rebellion.
Whether or not this fear of injury
to the work of the Church is warrant
ed the fact that it is held is at least
circumstantial evidence in support of
the contention that intermeddling by
missionaries in the politics of the
country of their residence is unwise.
Condemned by Press.
The activities of these missionaries
have been much criticised by leading
newspapers in China. One result of
this criticism has been to give wide
publicity to what these men have said
and done, with the result of promoting
discussion among the Chinese of their
acts. 1t is the sort of discussion that
BODIES no good for the cause. For Chi
ma is still China
The Rev. f. W. Thwing is the rep
resentative in China of the Interna-
tional Reform Bureau. He signalized
his debut in China by launching a
crusade against the deadly cigarette.
The British-American Tobacco Com
pany, with its output of millions upon
millions of deadlies, purchasable by
} devotees at ten for half a cent and a
picture of a pirate thrown in, was too
much for Mr. Thwing, so he next turn
problem of inducing the Manchu prin-
ces to donate large tracts of Pekin
property for public parks. The seri-
BUSINESS of this problem consisted in,
first, the fact that nobody in PeIin
wanted a public park, and, second, the
even more convincing fact that no
Manchu prince ever was known to
separate himself from his property if
he could help it-and he usually could.
His Opium War.
Then Mr.. Thwing turned his atten-
ton to opium. In this field he did
some good by connecting the various
provincial anti-opium societies into a
national organization.
The revolution put the anti-opium
crusade out of business Also, it may
be remarked in passing, it has practi-
cally undone all the good work that
had been accomplished, since there
has been widespread replanting of the
poppy from the time the imperial hold
over a large portion of the country
was loosened.
But this did not lessen the activities
of the Rev. Mr.. Thwing; it only divert
ed these activities into another chan
mel. He lost no time jumping into the
middle of the political fray. He went
about Shanghai unloosing the walls of
his eloquence upon revolutionary au-
diences, shaking the shining stars Of
the blue empyrean with his impassion-
ed tributes to our" rainbow flag-the
same being the flag of the republic.
The columns of Shanghai newspapers
during the days of excitement furnish
ample evidence that the reverend gen.
tleman was quite an orator.
The American Legation, and l un-
derstand the Department of State, re-
ceived considerable advice from the
Rev. Mr.. Thwing concerning the i'm
portance of the United States govern
ment according formal recognition to
the republic" at Marking. Yuan Shin
Kai was not permitted to escape bonn
bardment from the Thwing guns, and
the high water mark of his effort was
a telegram to the imperial princes
advising abdication!
All this would be ludicrous if it did
not have a decidedly serious side. The