THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 21, 1937.
RELIGION
MUI TSAL
Ex-Govt. Official Expresses Views
IN
RUSSIA
he
It is not easy to
come upon
a of women. Inside there was little now everything was all right, church service in Russia to-day, decoration as in the Greek Ortho said, and no one troubles them at There are not many churches open, dox Church, but the building was in all.
Many
to
and religious days may come on any a good state of repair. From behind While we were talking the priest's of the six which comprise the So- a screen the deep intonations of a little girl came in. She was about viet week, But I was fortunate in male voice echoed around the bare eight years old, ax
and was wearing a being in Leningrad when a regular walls, but there was no one else in pretty little print dress. She was service took place in one of the the church.
chewing some kind of green leaves, The following letter on the mui churches. The congregation nearly In the lower part of Tiflis there and as she sat down carelessly on tsai problem appears in the "Man- filled the church and people of all is a tiny shrine guarded by an old, the dais in the centre of the church chester Guardian:"
ages were represented, although white-haired woman who smiles at she spat out the stalke on to the Sir-In the "Manchester Guar- most of them were elderly. The one and all in a friendly fashion, carpet. The priest chided her, but dian" recently there appeared a singing was excellent and there was It is merely a little alcove with a she took not the slightest notice. leading article on the "Mui Tsais" not the slightest. doubt about the religious figure painted on the wall Then she watched one or two people or slave girls of Hong Kong and religious fervour of the people. One and a few brackets to hold candles, who were praying before the icons Malaya. Fundamentally the leader of the priests was quite young but but apparently there are enough and was just about to make s some is right in condemning a system in his enthusiasm was patent to all. people passing by who will pause a remark when her father stopped which children are bought and sold Passersby took little notice when moment to go inside and pray, light her. Soon after that she got up like so many chattels. And it was the crowd poured out into the street. a candle, and drop a coin in the and strolled out, with an expression in order further to suppress the It was the same in Moscow, money-box to support it.
on her childish face, which looked already illegal traffic that the 1936 In Tiflis I went on a round of We talked to the priest in another like the utmost contempt for her Mui Tsai Commission went to the churches with a
a young
Georgian church — a comparatively new one, father's profession and the Church Far East.
who has been in the U. S. A. for built in 1907, who said that în general. But the problem is still unsolved, some years. He was quite at
people came into services Wherever possible I got on to the and may remain so for many years in Tiflis, where he was born,
there from the country. It con- subject of religion with the guides yet. For it is more deep-seated spoke both Georgian and Russian. tained some fine icons and a few in different places. None of them than we at first imagine. It is a Our first call was at St. Simon's pictures. one of St. George and believed in it, and most of them problem of poverty, and until pov-Cathedral, now more than a thou- the Dragon, but most of the gave me the impression that they erty is eliminated Mui Tsais will sand years old. It was full of walls were bare and white. The thought there were many more in- continue to find a price and become priceless icons, pictures, and pre- priest explained that they were to teresting and useful things to talk the slaves of the buyer. Registracious metalwork, and had not been have been painted, but the Revolu- about. One man whom I met in tion of Mui Tsais and adopted damaged in any way. There was tion put a stop to it, and now "the Kharkoy was willing discuss al- daughters, which prevails in Hong an elderly priest and an active Government will not spend money most any subject. I asked him if Kong and Malaya, does not stamp young assistant, who were quite on churches, so they will probably he thought the Russian people out the evil; it only restrains the ready to talk to us:</ They showed never be done.”
would ever go back to religion. cruelty of wicked masters; it limits us their special treasures, including He had a kind, sad face, like that “No," he replied, "the break was but does not put a stop to the sys-a cross trimmed with silver which of a saint. He told us that the Religion in Russia tem. The Chinese Government it-Saint Nina is supposed to have priests had been persecuted there uttera and complete." I insisted that self has made the traffic illegal, but brought to Georgia from Jerusalem considerably, but he did not blame religion of some sort was to be it is easy to circumvent the law. It 1,700 years ago. They claimed that the Government. It was due to found in every race on earth and is done in this way. Instead of many people attended this church, over-zealous local officials, and as that I thought it would return directly buying the child, the in-and certainly it looked prosperous soon as the Government learnt Russia. "Never,' " he said. "You tending owner will adopt it or ac-enough. While we talked several what was going on it promptly put do not understand how great the cept it as a gift. Later on he will people came in and knelt in prayer a stop to it. The Church, he ad- break was.” Then he told me some make another "gift" to the previous before various icons; more than one mitted quite frankly, had taken a an of the fakes which had been dis- owner. Thus there has been no lit candles.
active part in anti-revolutionary closed at the famous monastery in sale only two "gifts have been
Our next visit was to a synago work and had suffered the conse- Kiev, the Kieva Pechevska Lavra, made. And so the practice icon- gue. A number of roughly clad quences. One of his own bishops and many similar thinge He was Jews were sitting on forms in a had been caught using the Church not bitter, but it was impossible to Why are these
children bought sort of courtyard near the door, as a mask for anti-revolutionary ac- shake him from his bellef in the and sold as slaves? It is that, the and they eagerly offered to show tivities, and this had brought much Communist attitude forwards reli- Chinese are more cruel and “cal-
us through their church. They spoke trouble down on them all. But gion J. A. C. lous than we are? Can it be said Georgian and even used this lan- that Chinese parents love their
guage in their services, so they children less than we do and that said, but they could use whatever they are so unloving that they will language they wished. This free- even sell their children for monetary dom in the matter of language is gain? These suggestions are ob-
one of the strong points in viously untenable. The answer is Soviet's attitude towards the found in the extreme poverty of tional minorities, and nowhere millions of the Chinese, Recurrent the Russian language forced floods and drought, with consequent them; it is often taught in the famine, leave thousands of familles schools as a foreign language. so reduced that they literally are These Jews were most enthusias- unable to feed their children Rather tie about Soviet rule. There is no than let them, starve to death the doubt that the Jews in the Cau- parents will sell their children into
eЯBus suffered much in Tsarists some richer household where at
daye Everyone hated them and least they will have adequate foodf
they were unmercifully persecuted. and shelter
My Georgian friend told these men It is wrong to infer that all Mui how he himself had been taught by Tsais on attaining maturity are his parents that the Jews killed sold Into prostitution: A few are, babies, drained their blood, but the majority are married, and used it at religious feasts, and it is the responsibility of their many other tales to the same effect. masters to find a husband for them. There were tears of emotion in Most of the children are well cared one old man's eyes, and his only for, and many are unwilling to re- complaint to-day was that their turn to their own families when the opportunity has been offered them. For they know that whilst they are slaves they have enough food, and On the steps of an to return to their parents might church we found a jolly, old, grey- mean to suffer again the starvation frocked priest chatting to a group which they had known before.
tinues within the law
J
the
na-
is
on
and
synagogue was not large hold all the people who,
me to to services.
to the
Armenian
Whilst I was in Canton there was China, it is perhaps unwise eagerly beautiful child, a Mui Tsai, who to denounce a system to which we lived in the house next door to me, conveniently attach the repugnant I spoke to her frequently. She was name of "slavery" without under- the happiest creature, well fed and standing the root causes of that well dressed, and would have done system. That cause is poverty, and anything for her mistress, who was whilst it is good to ameliorate the
kindly woman..
conditions → of the Mul Taxis – it Yet it must be admitted that should always be remembered that there are numerous cases of cruelty the system will not disappear until and bad treatment. In such the widespread poverty itself has been Governments of Malaya and Hong eradicated —Yours, &c., Kong have taken strong measures. But for us in the West, ignorant of the-customs and conditions of
ROBERT BRUCE, late Malayan
Civil Service Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire,
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