60
Letter from B. J. Bettelheim.
FES,
In the beginning of my visits to the dwellings, I rather selected the respectable part of the population, and met with astonishing good reception. After the first surprise and confusion occasioned by my sudden appearance was over, one or other of the family, and sometimes even the master, kept me company, and was sure to hear the message of salvation, as I was watching my time, and gave my visits a pro- fessional turn as soon I could. But invariably the second or third visit to the same house found matters altered. In some instances, I was plain- ly forbidden the house. In some, all the inmates ran off. In others, the master told me if I had any compassion upon them, I would not expose them to the dangers they ran in letting me enter their doors. Not very long ago, in three instances, I had hairbreadth escapes from a good beating; on one occasion the stick being already lifted up for a blow, and arrested only by another person seizing the hand of the infuriated old Confucian fool, whose language was, "prophesy not in the name of the Lord, lest thou die by our hand." Nothing of the sort threatened me when I began these visits, and these methods of opposition have been gradually ripened under the fostering care of the enemy. The people, if left to themselves, are too indolent for any act of unkindness that requires exertion, and would never dare to withhold from another the common marks of respect, universal in this land even between peasants, unless they were commanded to do so.
Formerly, there was at least some appearance of regard paid me by the spies. They contented themselves to hint, to hiss, to beckon, or to vociferate unseen by me, placing themselves in a back or side ground. Now, all is done in my very face and eyes. Whole troops of these wretched hirelings, swelled by a levy, as I suppose, from the neighbor- hoods I successively cross, march in files before and behind me, like soldiers; every side lane being guarded on both openings, and their shouting and hooting almost deafening. Thus my heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest, it roareth out against me; but shall I therefore hate them? No. I only abominate the government, which brought about such a state of things all the while its officers made, and still make, professions of goodwill and friendly offices, whenever a ship calls in. I do not suppose that with all this drilling and manoeuvring around me, the rulers would dare to order an open assault, or hazard our lives. This display of physical force is no doubt partly intended to provoke me to some overt act of revenge, and warrant thereby what they might further have in view to do with us; partly it may be a measure of in- timidation to keep us locked up at home, seeing what reception we meet with out of doors, and partly that they might degrade us before