To the Editor of the Srm,—Having considered dispassionately and honestly the letter of Ch'ih Tao Ten in your issue of May 30th, I beg to aay to him, through your columns, 1,—L am glad to see you, sir, advocating your opinions ina foreign paper. Come forth boldly and let the public hear your views, If you think the Missionaries ought to put their life and property under the protection of the Chinese Government, fear not to tell them #0, 2.—By way of showing what that protection is, please note two points with reference to the late case of Mr, Corbett, (1) Mr. Corbett called upon him " (the Red'to the city (Che-moh) in consequence per official) "and told him that he had
of reports of threatened violence."
"He then asked the officer if he could protect him." The officer said: "You shall have the same protection that I have myself." Mr, Corbett asked him why ho did not seize the culprits? The officer replied that ' the men were too numerous; if the people should rise he could not restrain them." The missionary asked for the protection of the Chinese Government, and the Government confessed that it was too weak to protect him. Now, my dear Mr. Ch'ih, how can you ask the Missionaries to call for protection which the Government confesses it is too, weak to afford 1 (2) When Mr. Sheppard, the United States Consul, called on the Taotai to punish the rioters, "the Taotai appointedadeputy to repair to Che-moh, and, in connection with the magistrate there, to investigate the matter. This deputy made report to the Taotai in due time, denying almost every statement in the Consul's despatch.
"The Taotai, following the lino of the deputy's report, declared, in his answer to the Consul, that Mr. Corbett had not been stoned: that his property had not been stolen: that the people wore peaceably and kindly disposed."
Yet after this sweeping statement and wholesale denial, the Taotai agreed that Mr. Corbett had been stoned, that his property had been stolen, and that, the rioters justly deserved to be punished by being beaten and fined.
What can a missionary expect from a Government whose officers affirm one day what they have only a few days before flatly denied Mr. Sheppard did not say to the Taotai, "it is my duty as Consul to-call on you to make your people believe "Mr. Corbett's doctrines." He said, in substance, "Tam in duty bound to call on you to punish your people because they beat Mf, Mr. Sheppard did not protect Mr. Corbett, corbett and robbed him of his property: because he was a missionary, but because he was an Americancitizen. Ifa merchant, or a traveller, had been beaten and robbed, Mr. Sheppard would not have taken his States, and present in China for a legitimate purpose.
Tt is unnecessary for you to call on the Missionaries to "protest against the use of worldly means and to fight solely with spiritual weapons." Did you ever hear of a missionary speaking thus to his Consul "Sir, youvare my Consul; these people will not believe what U preach to them; call upon you to come and make them believe." When a missionary makes such
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.