September 16, 1907.)
157
needs and claims. The very cant of his cult encourages this attitude; every "soul
is
for his or
wou
them
over
"
}
2. star crown. It
11
"
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. our budding Samurai that honesty is the Empire, he would give the missionaries a best policy. Not the highest ideal, but the free passage home, at least all missionaries most expedient method. Even our contem- except the medical and secularly educational porary, in its remark that the one propeu. missionaries. That is not an opinion he has her sity [ honesty or dignity] is held to be picked up on bis travels; he no doubt ROBERT MORRISON's character be nearly our impression of inseparable from the other, appears content brought it with him, and derived it from a with the thought that honesty is more lively sense of the impertinence (in the view had nothing to do with his good works. He correct, the accident of his Christianity had dignified than dishonesty. At bottom, of an intellectually tree man) of thrusting would have done as he did for whatever both honour and morals are everywhere dogma upon an already religious and creed he happened to have, or for none at matters of utility; utilitarianism is their philosophic people. universal essence.
His Excellency the all. His altruism Honour, now all too Governor, judging by the fact that he ulterior purpose, at least, so we have been was pure and had no rare, even in Europe, or too often falsely sacrificed a dinner for them, has a greater led to suppose. He was re-incarnated, so tɔ based, is the arbitrary code of a small com- respect for the missionaries. It so happens speak, in the loveable man who was so munity, of a group, of a family, or of a that his first public oration in Hongkong mistakenly murdered class. Morality is the arbitrary code of a
on the steamer was given at the Morrison Centenary 'Sainam", Dr. MACDONALD. bigger community, derived from communal Meeting on Tuesday night.
We think of Delivered ex necessity, and imperfectly expressed in its tempore, with fluent ease, it was
as men of one type, unfortunately laws. What is perfectly oral in the start for an important celebration. With aware, counsel of perfection. It is easier a capital rare. We have been offering, we are well Arctic circle may be iminoral in the tropics. regard to its matter, we can find no fault. The moral Inuit gives euthanasia to his It is
to preach Christianity than to do it. Still, a diplomatic speech, the careful that does not affect the argument that the feeble and useless grandparents: the moral utterance of one squaring his sympathy and attempt at doing should precede the saying. European protects and nurtures all his responsibility. His Excellency's eulogy of Nor does it affect our well known view that diseased and crippled neighbours: the missionary work was confined to thoge
China has no need of new theories, of new moral and dignified Chinaman squeezes you features of it which have our approval, and precepts, of new ideals. a few dollars: the moral European trades. the approval of those who, like KEIR a big stock, a good working plant, and She already has man would blush to charge you more than HARDIE, most strongly object to other where her people fail is in living up to them. an article is worth. But if our contemporary features. When he remarked that there is The same has to be said of Europeans, of can point to any place in the wide world oo higher or finer form of missionary course; and that makes it all the more clear where expediency, "the lodestar of a enterprise than the medical, His Excellency that it is impertinent to badger other Chinese," does not generally over-ride said something to which only a bigot people to change their precepts for ours, ethical "absolute conceptions," we hope it could take exception. His experience of until we have shown that ours are more will do so. We shall hasten to look see. In missionaries in other parts of the world easily practised. We have not discussed Europe, where it seems to think expediency had apparently convinced him that the point that might te now raised against does not count, we have heard of Morganatic the medical kind achieved most good. marriages (in other circles called bigamy The medical mission is the highest and indicated in the phrase, The Paramount in reply, a point that is sufficiently and most immoral), of dignified magistrates finest, however, for another reason-because Importance of the Hereafter. It would be just back from the Derby fining working its method is the correct method. The no use to do so, and needlessly offensive. To inen and bookmakers for transferring correct method of conducting Christian justify what has gone before, however, we shillings in the way they transferred missionary work, as we understand it, is to may say that our study of Christianity sovereigns, of Christian employers getting live Caristianity rather than to talk it, to impresses us with rid of servants too old to work, of guinea- demonstrate rather than to preach. That Founder placed upon the Here and Now, on the importance its pig directors of public companies, and of was ROBERT MORRISON's favoured way, to the amelioration of existing conditions, and numerous other things where, if it be a go about doing good," after the manner on the practice of altruism for its present 'reaching out towards the ideal," we can of his Exemplar, healing the sick, and coin-advantage rather than for some future only conclude there has been over-reaching.forting the afflicted. It has had, and would acknowledgment and reward. With the This loose way of lumping whole peoples, have, a more convincing effect upon the greatest respect and reverence, we profess of prating of "Japanese commercial impro- Chinese and others, than any amount of that that to us is also the real, esoteric bity," of European impeccability, of Scottish pulpit theology. If missionaries only meaning of taking no thought for the 'nearness," of French hysteria, of Asiatic adopted that method of working, at home inorrow. If this be too shockingly heterodox barbarity, of John Bull's courage, and so and abroad, they would have our heartiest for modern missionaries, we may remind forth, is the cause of these tiresome argu-sympathy. Too often, however, they bring, them that the first missionaries ments. One would think there never was
reproved for showing a too curious concern an honourable Japanese, a European rogue,
for that Future. On the whole, we do not an open-handed Caledonian, a suber French-
think that KEIR HARDIE's summing up of man, a gentle, peaceful Asiatic scholar, or
the situation was so far amias, except that a British coward. The phrases are handy
he might have gone on to add that if the and useful sometimes, we may as well
missionaries' best excuse and justification admit, but as reasonable beings we must
be their healing and teaching, they could guard against letting such a phrase as
go in ostensibly as healers and teachers just "American hustle" persuade us there are no
as well, and do the same good. That they lazy, shiftless Americans. Professor GILES,
do not, in many cases, indicates that the when or if he said that the Chinese are a
good work so done is incidental-not their nation of liars, but not thieves, is not to
immediate aim-and so not entitled to be be credited with a "penetrating assertion." It was merely a humorous impertinence.
cited as the warrant for all that they do.
"
**
MISSIONARIES.
(Daily Press, September 13th). A little bit of gossip-a chance remark- one phrase, will set us imagining some scene, until sometimes it becomes as real to us as if we had actually beheld it with “
eyes of flesh." Think of His Excellency the Governor of Hongkong, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Forces and Vice-Admiral of the same, a man exalted, bending over and getting a light for his cigar from the "stump" of KEIR HARDIE, ex-miner and present demagogue. That is a little
intimate incident that gossip hands over to the historians. It was, however, a
case of host and guest. The two men can hardly be considered to come so close mentally. In one matter, at least, they part and go off tangently. KEIR HARDIE is reported to have said that if he were Dictator of the
uot the bread of Christian conduct, of charitable deed and living example, but the stone of creed. The heathen in his blindness sces no necessity for changing his religious formula. Why should he? Imagine the positions reversed! What success, say, would a host of Buddhist missionaries gaiu in England, if they merely preached aud argued, with spiritual pro- Mises and threats. They would, if they ever gained a hearing, be flouted as impertinent meddlers with private and personal matters. But suppose they showed by their daily life and labour that they were better, happier men, nobler, kinder, more helpful and useful to their fellows, would not the attitude of their observers 8000 show a marked alteration? Those who had enjoyel contact with them, who had benefited by that contact, would call attention, we fancy, to their merits, and lead others to enquire as to the mainspring and basis of this extraordinary goodness. Alas The missionaries who manage that are few and far between, and they are confined to religion of humanity. Then they do it no particular religion, unless it be the because it is their nature to; they cannot help it; and no particular belief inspires them. The propagandist philanthropist is a different person altogether. His love of mankind (if it be not obscurantive to loosely subjective, not objective, conscious, not use terms to which specific uses attach) is unconscious. He thinks more
of his work, his duty, his ideals, than of their
us
were
CALIFORNIANS AND JAPANESE.
(Daily Prese, September 14th.) In the adage, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, but in politics it is not. International relations are not arranged on any such principle. It is very touching to find an American paper crying mea culpa, especially a Californian paper. The San Francisco Chronicle of August 7th, one of the yellowest of the yellow press, one that has howled most strenuously on the side of
parroting popular clamour, right or wrong. race prejudice, and striven for popularity by has been driven into a corner indeed, when it cau bring itself to make the following confession :-
"We claim
no right to enter Japan against the wish of its people, and now recognise that our armed introsion under Commodore PEERY was an act of barbarism committed in the hope of exploitation. We
A
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