Year: 1870

SENATOR SUMNER ON CASTE -Seuator Sumner


is delivering before the country lyceums lecture on


"Caste." Leaving ont the historical and ornamen.


tai portions, 1t is plea for justice on Chinese imm


grants. We welcome Mr.. Summers accession to


the ranks OF movement which is generally op-


posed by his party, and trust that il will have


powerful effect towards breaking up spirit of caste


more obstinate and cruel than ever exercised


towards the negro II the brief published reports OF


the lecture are correct this the rst of Mr. Summers


literary productions for many years in which he has


not heaped abuse upon the South. This he could
not do in treating of the American feeling towards
! the incoming Cinnamon with the least regard for


truth; for the southern people are, to-day, the


warmest friends that the Chinese have in this coun-


try. With the exception of two three newspapers


the entire press of the South earnestly encourages


Chinese immigration, and guarantees to all Asiatic


settlers the fullest protection Of the laws The hos


tty to that throughout the South is nearly all
| of radical origin. The Memphis immigration Con-
ventien called expressly to promote the influx OF
Chinese labor was composed exclusively of Demo-
Gratis 1t is proper to lay stress upon this fact at
this time for we are continually meeting in the
northern press with editorials asserting that the
judice against color is strong at the South now
it ever was. We do not believe that this preju-
dice was really intense at the South at the
North before the war; and since then the comparison
is much In favor of the South. 1t is doubtful wheth


the Northern whites would peacefully bear the
presence and competition of great masses of free
negroes the South now does; and, as for China
men, We greatly mistake if proposition to import
ten thousand Of them into Boston would not evoke
n spirit OF caste among Der cltlzenS Wnlcn would
lead to mobs and repetition of the worst San Fran
cisco outrages. Cinnamon, We hope, will soon be


introduced in various branches of mechanical labor


in the North; and Senator Summers lecture is time


y in helping TO prepare the way for their reception
The Senator in the sketches Of his lecture before
us, does not touch the question of suffrage for the
Chinese-but that was not necessary. No China
man can vote in any State until he has become nat
uralzed after five years residence and there is lit


tie probability that he will to exercise that pri
vilege. His race do now, and will for years. look
upon their s0journ here, as only means of making
money to return to China and live life of indepen-
dence and ease in that land of cheapDess In all the
qualifications for good citizenship the Chinese the
equals Of If not superior TO- the negroes and they
were willing to become citizens, there would be
where any serious objections TO their voting II is
judieiuus upon the part of Senator Sumner not TO
raise this question now, il is not practical one
Ibe only point that the Chinese immigrants de-
srious of settling at present is, whether that indus
trous and enterprisng class to be received with
Kindness or with contumely; and, so far as the
South is concerned there is no doubt about il.
There they will be among sympathisers and well
wishers- But in the North they may be subjected
to occasional outbreaks of unreasoning prejudice,
and If Senator Sumner prevent this, in the circle
of his neighbors and political friends. be will do
good service in the cause of humanity.


There is still another point upon which the reli-
gious press might very well do something to
tighten their professional readers. In recent
ecclesiastical convention several set speeches were
made against the introduction of the Chinese into
the United States; and ii was seriously urged that
there is great risk Of their bringing the heather ele
ment in such force 10 endanger lapse of peo
pie into idolatry. This sudden fear of paganism
would be ludicrous if it had not such serious
Citations. For years the problem with Christendom
was, how to break down Chinese excusiveness so as


to open the way for Christian missions that vast
people. Now that the great wall has toppled over,
instead of haiing the privilege of carving the gospel
TO these disciples of Conuscius and valuing still
more the opportunity OF bringing them to the whole
some influence of our own institutions, some of
fran ehr in farrn tba
contact, as if the work of propagation was to be
done by the other SIDE and the sign of the Cross
might be borne down in the struggle for supremacy
between idolatry and Christianity We have no
patience with such cowardlly suggestions. If the
disciples of Christ will live up to the spirit of the
gospel these heather immigrants will find in Chris
tian homes more excellent way than they learned
from their fathers, and will become in their turn
the heralds of truth and pioneers of Christian civil


zaton as after years of service aud thrift they revisit
the home they have left.-Jot,nal Of Commerce.