May 11, 1901.1
NORTHERN NOTES. -
The following items are from the Peking and Tientsin Times of the 27th April :
Mr. C. Poulsen has established telephonic communication between Peking and Tientsin.
The Japanese are active in their Concession, and are hard at work on their new Quay or Bund along the river.
We had it from unimpeachable native sources two days ago that between thirty and forty German soldiers reached Kalgan, on the edge of the Plateau, on the 19th instant, object un- known. This item of news has some extrinsic value as showing that the Chinese trades cannot in these times get speedy communication over long distances and dangerous country.
Now that the Manchurian Treaty has been shelved, Li Hung-chang is devoting his energy to re-open negotiations with Russia to secure the complete withdrawal of the Russian forces from Manchuria (sic!)
The Chinese in the German sections of Peking showed their regret at the death of General von Schwartzhoff by donning white clothes on the day of his obsequies. Since this melancholy event many of the Chinese have come under the suspicion of the Germans, and in some places in the German section they are not allowed to pass.
The British military authorities made a fine haul this week at Shanhaikwan when, acting on information supplied by an impecunious_na- tive, they dug up nineteen fine modern Krapp guns. There was a general belief in the camps that these guns were bidden in the neigh bourhood, and many a search had been made by
the various units of the allied forces.
We are informed that six of the new railway locomotives are now erected and running: they were put up under exceptional difficulties, in record time for China. The shops both at Tongku and Tongshan are full of work, chiefly that of overhauling the goods cars. The bridge at Hankow is well în band, and is expected to be ready for traffic in another three weeks, when through traffic with Shanhaikwan will be at once resumed.
We note the departure of Captain Holman of the Sixteenth Bengal Lancers. Captain Holman was in office at the Peking terminus until lately, and by his fine personality and won- derful linguistic ability was chiefly responsible for the remarkable entente maintained all the time the Railway was under Russian and Ger- man administration. The gallant Captain is not only a great linguist and a theoretic soldier, but a very practical man; his administration of an extremely difficult office and one in which he had no previous experience won the admiration of everybody,
the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the [opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
MISSIONARIES IN CHINA.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
46
SIR, Mr. C. V. L. has not admitted that when Messors Opert and Jenkins, the ori ginators of the expedition (to the graves of the Corean kings), came under the shadow of the law, a very discreet silence was maintained as to particulars of the expedition." He heard after wards that they intended to break the coffins with dynamite. I am not sure if that explosive was then known in this country. It was in- vented in 1867 at Hamburg by Nobel. If they had employed it, the loud detonation would be fatal to the secrecy of the expedition. I have named the authority for affirming that the plot was planned by a missionary, for pious purposes of course, to enlighten the benighted Coreans. It is evident that one missionary alone, or few of them, could not carry it out. It needed many associates. There are often different versions of a case which could only be ascertained by those who have various means of verifying it. I could name an eminent scholar formerly Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in China, who in one of his books published in 1858 denounced missionaries for their arrogance and interference in Chinese affairs. Sir Robert Hart has lately pointed that the Chinese were highly irritated by the behaviour of some missionariet. It was reported that Herr Von Brandt, the late German representative at Peking, expressed identical opinion. Several consuls told their friends that it is not merchants that take up most of their time, but missionaries, who on the slightest provocation or pretext lay complaints at consulates. They are what Horace would call irritabile genus. An astute Chinese statesman once declared that of the two evils, opium and missionaries, he could not say which was the worse. Mr. C. V. L. is angry because many people are always blaming missionaries. It appears that in his blind faith in them and in his endeavour to defend them, he draws from my remarks un- warrantable inferences and most absurd con- clusions. I never denied that missionaries are doing some useful work; but they are prone to pick up quarrels. They have established hos- pitals and for very small charges patients are treated there most skilfully and kindly. The poor are admitted gratis, but they do not work for pure philanthropy. They try to convert the patients to their own peculiar creeds. Chi- nese are so tolerant that they do not object to contribute towards those institutions. The
The impudence of the local blackguards antagonism amongst the natives of different seems unlimited; finding that river piracy is
Christian sects is growing bitter. I saw a few now too dangerous a game they have lately days ago in your paper a description of an- turned their attention to the Bar, and under other fight in a Southern province between very guns of the men-of-war they have Roman Catholics and Protestants. The Chi- been robbing sea-going junka. News of this nese authorities had to send troops to preserve new departure was given to the Provincial order. I do not ignore that missionaries con- Government, who, securing the loan of a steam-stitute a force and are very mighty, and for pinance, sent out a force under the Tongku magistrate and seized twenty-one of the rascals flagrante delictu. Vast quantities of plunder were found in their own junk, including a huge quantity of ammunition. One of the men turned king's evidence," and this led to the arrest of another large body of men on shore who were armed to the teeth and showed fight.
this reason they must be controlled. They strive to create an imperium in imperio. As for changes wrought by missionaries from Moses to Joseph Smith, this is the characteristic of all great religions. It is also obvious that all great religions aim at improving mankind. I am for liberty of conscience and the freedom of the press, and could not therefore have pro- posed suppression of missionaries. What I suggested was that they should not enjoy of ficial protection. I have stated that a venerable bishop holds the same view. Modern mission- aries constitute the chief stumbling-blook to the propagation of Christianity. They do not follow faithfully the doctrine of Jesus. In studying the contemporary history of China, in order to find out the cause of serious politi- cal complications, the student probably will not err if he apply this rule: cherches les mis sionaires.-Yours, etc.,
393
I did not my that they intended to use dynamite. I said that I had heard that dy- namite would have been necessary to break into the tombs, thinking it would save span and would be understood by any one as des- criptive of the massive nature of their masonry, so his kind instruction as to the history and nature of dynamite is not much to the point.
His list of authorities, the opinion of some and the reported opinion of others, and what "several Consuls told their friends," are all tempting subjects for expatiation, but to what end? His olimax however of the “Astute Chi- nese statesman" (Li Hung-chang for choice), synonym for veracity and open-mindedness, is almost convincing, and would have been quite so with appended certificates of character from
Truthful James " and Munchausen.
fu
wish to impress on people that before they I am not "angry" that I know of, I only listen to the seductive whisperings of the cacœthes scribendi and plunge into print with various accusations and charges against missionaries they should at least first try to acquire an elementary general knowledge of the subject which might at times prevent them saying O. C. would read the letter from 8. G. Tope "the thing which is not." If your in the China Mail of last week (that is if he can do so without the Corean Coffins getting into it, like as the head of King Charles troubled Mr. Dick) he will find a temperat setting out of the matter and no undue claim for his bogey, "official protection.” blind faith which he attributes to me--I fear I must disclaim such things are the blessed privileges of youthful simplicity, which the passing years grind out of one all too soon.
24
The
No, I have rather a feeling of admiration at your correspondent coming forward with his project for a "durable peace"; it is somewhat as if he bravely advanced with a teaspoonful of medicated water to put on a burning house and obtain a durable" extinction, or putting a square inch of sticking-plaster on a broken leg, The intention is good, there is a certain relation between cause and effect, but the result is disappointing, like that of the late Mrs Partington's celebrated demonstration of the impossible.
I hope he will go on “occasionally correspond- ing" with portions of good advice in times of orisis. The flow of such from his facile pen will never be knowingly interfered with again by yours, &c.,
C. V. L.
Apart from Bizerts and other Mediterranean stations, which are intended to get the mastery over the Gibraltar and Malta route, says the Engineer, the French are creating three for midable bases on the Cape route to India and the extreme East. The first of these is Dakar, in Senegal, for which a fresh grant of f.10,550,600 has been made. The second basis isat Diego-Baurèx, in Madagascar, which com- mands the routes between the Cape and India Diégo-Saures is becoming the most formidable naval station in the Indian Ocean, and is likely to be a perpetual menace to South Africa. TỤ THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS.' The works at Saigon, for which a further sum
Hongkong, 8th May. of 1:8,000,000 has been voted, are caried out for 8IR, Your "Occasional Correspondent" the protection of the Indo-Chinese possessions, adheres to the Corean Coffins. Still harping and affording a basis for the ships of war which | on my daughter," he has found a promising will operate in the Chinese seRI.
mare's nest, but he should really stick to fact."
OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.
K
BENEVOLENCE AND THE
DESTITUTE.
+
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.' "Hongkong, 9th May. SIB, Hongkong, like many other cities, always has its share of unfortunates, men who drift into it from all over the world, who meet you at the hotel and street corners with their pitiful heart-rending stories of shipwreck and hardship. And while there are those who may have lost their ship and may be worthy of aid, yet there are others who never will be anything else than "shipwrecked sailors, as long as they can touch the hearts and pocket-books of an unsuspecting public, and make an easy living by it.
The writer, who has had years of experience as a mission-worker, would through this letter ask to give a little kindly advice to one and all.
A case came up the other day which leads him to do so. A man came to the Mission, "The Seamen's Star Coffee House," and begged to be given food, as he was starving. The meal was gladly furnished, and a little advice given to the unfortunate." The man went from the "Star" to a certain business man of our city, and that gentleman gave him about $1.50 or two dollars in cash. That money the " fortunate” squandered in drink, and when he returned to the "Star." drunk and abusive, asking for his supper, he boast ed of his good luck. Now if the good people knew the error of giving away money, and where that money is spent, they would hesitate before giving more. When man out of luck✨is given money, in nine cases out of ten that money is spent for whisky. But on the other hand if the man were given a ** chit” for meals or lodging, they would be furnished him,
-༠༠༠༠;ཛོ་༠!ཚོ 1ec 1 Tམྦཱ 1 བྷྲ ང
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