268
CHRISTIAN CONVERTS AND CHINESE MAGISTRATES.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[October 17, 1908.
international politics, but expediency does, and though we do not wish to cast stones at either of the two governments inentioned, we doubt whether the Concert of Europe in considering the question of the expediency of the course adopted by Austria and Bulgaria will approve their actiona.
As we remarked a few days ago, the aspirations of the Bulgarian people to enjoy existence may be a separate national regarded as quite legitimate and proper. oreover Austria's desire to annex the two provinces placed under her protection is Other nations have easily understood. acted in a like manner anl no Concert or attempted to of Europe interfered
Exp diency justified the | 817 them uny.
step taken then. Does it justify them now ? That is the question which the Powers Admittedly Austria can have to discuss.
to Bosnia and substantiate her claim
The Herzogvinia with good reasons. Signatories to the Berlin Treaty regarded her as the natural protector of these two provinces, and they assigned them to her And she has discharged her trust care. well. She has given thirty years of good work, and not unnaturally she does not wish to lose the fruits of her toil, more especially as the territory lies within her geographical influenca, Auneration was the only possible Whether she should course open to her. have sought the consent of the European Powers first, or annexel the territory first and asked permission later, is a point which comes within the realm of expediency.
spread of a genuine Christianity among the people of China." In his recently published book Mr. H. B, Moɛse introduces some very (Daily Press, 12th October.) interesting remarks on this question with the Our Canton correspondence recently has observation that “when the missionary far in contained several references to action taken the interior, many miles from the observing by the Chinese authorities bearing upon the eyes of the Consul, transfers a corner of bis status of missionaries and the attitude of the protecting cloak to his poor (persecuted) con- Chinese magistrates when dealing with cases vert he may be doing what is right, but it is in which Christian converts are concerned. no: lawful; and this is the naked fact underly- It was in April last that the Imperial ing many an episode leading to a riot." The rescript was published withdrawing the coinmunication from the Peking Govera- privilege of official status which the Catholic ment which we print to-day, among our missionaries in China had enjoyed since | Canton news, is an admission which is very 1899; but while the missionaries bave welcome, even though it is belated, that the doubtless recognised this recission they have primary cause of the riots in which mis- not apparently acquiesced in what, we may sionaries have been killed and their pro- term the degradation it involves. We perly destroyed bs, in fact, been due to the presume, at least, that this is the raison dilatoriness or incompetence of the Chinese d'etre of the order recently received ut courts of law. It is a gratifying sign that Canton from the Wai-Wu-Pu intimating the Government is alive to the need
as will of such judicial reform
secure that when missionaries may have business at the Viceregal Yamen they must not be treate] the prompt aud impartial ad.ninistra. with the pomp and circumstance of exalted | tion of justice, especially in cises Bavour- rank and that they must not enter bying of religious persecution. But the the front gates, 8.8 the officials do, exhortations of the Government. we fear, but seek admittance by the back will be of little avail until a properly That it trained judiciary is provided. should be necessary for the Government to remind the Judges of their obvious duty inerely serves to confirm the distrust in their impartiality which is admirably expressed by Mr. H. B. MORSE in the following extract :-" There is a m juifest tendency, clearly recognised by all, even the most impartial, but quite incapable
It is perhaps only human niture that of legal demonstration, for the judges of the land, in cases where the righ is not others should wish to take advantage of obviously on one side or the other, to decide this violation of the Treaty of Berlin. er motu suo against the convert; ostensibly Montenegro has declared its intention to such decisions are given ou as good legal | free itself from Austrian authority now that grounds as any case in China is ever decided, the Treaty is regarded as no longer bioding,
isand, s if there were but practically the underlying reason the convert's religion-not the Judge's enough, the antipathy to the religion itself, but the desire ingrained feeling that the convert has become less Chinese than the non convert, that he has received that foreign taiut which, in 1900, sent the missionary and convert alike to one common sacrifice on the came to share the wide-altar of nationalism." spread belief that the privilege had not served to promote peace and concord, but had tended rather to accentuate and increase the difficulties of the missionary problem. Undoubtedly, in giving to missionaries the status of officials there was the danger of creating a vague sort of impression among converts that they were in removed from the jurisdiction of their own laws and the tyranny of certain Chinese customs which have the force and effect of law, And while it must be said to the credit of the great majority of missionaries, both Protestant and Catholic, that they have scrupulously abstained from interfering with the duties of the constituted legal authorities, cases have been far too common in which individual missionaries have unwisely de- parted from this wholesome rule. Five years ago the British Minister at Peking felt it necessary to issue a warning on the subject in which it was forcibly pointed out that missionaries are not accredited agents of the British Government for the enforcement of the Austrian determination to aunex
door. We may suppose that the main ob- ject in view in granting to missionaries official status was to secure for them respect- ful treatment from the people among whom they carried on their work, and the Tsung- liYamen, when they memorialised the Throne to grant these dignities, anticipated, no doubt, that it would make for the personal security of the missionaries as well as the maintenance of public order. It will be within the recollection of most of our readers that the Tsung-li-Yamen desired that Protestant as well as Catholic mission- aries should be given official rank, but at a conference of all the Protestant Bishops of China, English and American, the offer was unanimously rejected, and the Catholic missionaries only therefore have bad this privilege, and consequently they alone were affected by the order withdrawing it. Of the reasons which influenced the Chinese Government to rescind the Rescript of 1899 we have no knowledge, but presume the Government
measure
of Treaty obligations and that Article VIII of the Treaty was not intended to confer upon missionaries any right of intervention on behalf of native Christians. "I am persuaded," Sir ERNEST SATOW wrote, that if missionaries uniformly refrain from direct intervention on behalf of native Christians and confine their action to representing to H. M. Consuls cases of actual persecution, such E course will redound to the preservation of peace between converts and non-converts, and to the
|
THE CRISIS IN EUROPE.
The
of
to
tion
80
can
era
not complications Cretans announce their to come under the Government the King of the Hellenes, much the embarassment of Greece who wishes to preserve amicable relations with her neighbour Turkey. All this is regret- tible happening as it does at the time when Turkey was giving promise of better things. It suggests that the of reform in the Ottoman Empire, instead of being welcomed by those around her, has filled them with alarm at the prospect of being de (Daily Press, 13th October.} Present events in the Balkan Peninsula prived of the excuse which Turkish misrule suggest changes in the map of Europa. gave them of participating in the dismember- ment of the Empire. What other explana- Whether these can be accomplished without
be advanced ? For years resort to "the dread arbitrament of war" is the question which is being discusse- Turkey in Europe has only existed, not with somewhat bated breath, and not und on the sufferance of the other Powers, but They could not naturally cables from home are received because of their jealousies. with more than ordinary interest these days, agree as to the division of the spoil, and
"Sick the
Man of Europe" Was The issues are indeed momentous. peace of the world may be disturbed and alloyed to remain in Constantinople to the the unwelcome spectacle of Europe divided disgust of not a few. Then Turkey had a into an armel camp is a possibility which revolution, a peaceful revolution too. presents itself to many minds-and all surprised all Europe, and, happily for the apparently traceable to the simple act of a
reformers, the Powers agreed to give them Yet the comparatively insignificant principality & chauce to prove themselves. wishing to improve its status and work of reform has barely been outlined, assume the greater diguity of a kingdom. | when Turkey is assailed "on all sides. It game. When When the Bulgarian declaration of inde. is hardly playing the pendence was followed by the announcement Europe had decided to look on with friendly eye and see her put her house in order, it is unfortunate, to say the least, that attempts should now be made to disintegrate the Empire. The Powers have a duty to Turkey, Great Britain, France and Russia have already declared that they are fully conscious of their obligations. Italy apparently anxious to prevent any outbreak, as is stated she prompted the despatch of a British Squadron to the Agean Sea. Germany has not declared herself, and it will not occasion surprise to learn she is in sympathy with Austria. Other interests may
Bosnia and Herzegovinia the conclusion was irresistible that the two actions were not unrelated. Bulgaria would have been bold indeed to have stepped into the rank of nations without a sponsor, but with the support, secretly understood or privately expressed, of a powerful neighbour, the defiance of Europe did not seem quite so impertinent. Bulgaria's violation of the Treaty of Berlia seemed less heinous when Austria became a party to a similar course of action. Ethics do not necessarily enter into
It