THE MISSIONARIES IN CHINA. -
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIII,•••-r have read with very great interest your article in the Spectator of September 22nd on the status of the European missionary in China: After the bewildering mass of details shot--upon us by the daily papers, it becomes increasingly difficult to decide broad issues, and such a clear statement of view is indeed welcome. But I venture to doubt whether the writer has laid his finger upon the essential difficulty. Would the treatment of the missionary in China ever have become a crying question if it had not been complicated by that of the native convert? The tales of pseudo-converts who Christ- ianise " in order to gain some civil advantage over oppenente seem to grow in number. What should be the attitude of the European Powers in this respect? Has it always been inter- nationally just? It is a hard matter to decide, and there is cause for suspecting something wrong when astute Chinamen can succeed in securing material advantage by temporarily changing their religion and invoking the aid of a European Consul. Perhaps the writer of last week's article may be induced to define the limits of foreign intervention in this respect. That the converts should, as far as possible, be protected from massacre and actual injury seems clear, but how far are we tO go in vindicating their civil rights in their
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