(8) A fifth source of these anti-forei; disturbances is the secrecy practised by the Roman Catholic Church. A Bible agent who visited the city of Hengchow Fu in Hunan has said that in spite of the fact that foreign priests had been resident there for over two centuries, he "never visited a city where a foreigner was a greater curiosity." He then adds the statement They live in a state of mysterious seclusion which the native vainly attempts to penetrate, and about which he invents most wonderful stories." In a previous section we referred to the suspicions of the people as a source of disturbance, but these suspicions are largely enhanced by the secret movements, aims, and work of the Roman missionaries. In a certain city a piece of property was purchased _stealthily, and natives were placed in charge who were absent in the day time, while in the night they were heard singing and chanting behind locked doors. This stealth and seclusion soon resulted in rumours, and finally, along with other causes, in a riot. Massive doors are found at the entrance of the churches, and a stranger who presents himself " just to take a look" may possibly meet a rough rebuff, and the consequence is one more enemy with plenty of fearful stories.
How in fact is a suspicious man to have his suspicions removed except by enlightenment, and how can enlightenment shine forth, if the things which enlighten are all done in the dark? Friendship, moreover, implies mutual association and acquaintance, but how can these be exerted, if there is no contact, the one with the other? For the Church of Rome to defend its official dignity by a dignified seclusion is sensible enough as a general policy,
secrecy. Again and again has the writer but this me jpnowrise necessitates total been asked of the Roman Catholics such questions as these: "What do they do inside?" " Why don't they come out?" "Can why don't they preach to us?" And then after all my answers, meant to be favourable to my foreign friends of the other Church, Tam generally replied to, not by another question, but by an explanation of the mau himself, which is by no means complimentary to that Church and far from correct. The impression is that if such ideas as the mass of the Chinese hold concerning the Roman Catholics are true, then an attack upon them and extermination from the land would be reasonable and patriotic. The only one left to explain the good intentions of the Roman Catholic priest is the Protestant missionary, who, whatever his faults, is at least seen and known by the people of the neighbourhood.
That a certain amount of seclusion is necessary, no one would deny; but an excess of even a yood quality may only do harm. Still more will be the danger, when the conditions around can only be purified of their foul rumours, false suspicions, and senseless misconceptions by publicity of touching, openness of conduct, and ease of approach and contact.
{6) A sixth source of trouble is found in the orphanages of the Church. That such a work of charity is in harmony with Christian principles and worthy of the highest. commendation, every Christian must acknowledge; but the effects in China, owing to the suspicions of the people, and the secrecy of the whole ecclesiastical control, have been so disastrous, that the total restriction of those orphanages might well seem advisable. Such an extreme action has not, however, been officially demanded, but merely an effort to secure x measure of limitation and greater publicity.
TheTientsin Massacre was almost entirely due to the rumours about the children in the orphanages, and the riots in Wuhu, Wusueh and Wusich had largely the same origin. Among the mass of people the suspicion prevails that the bodies of children are desired so xs to prepare from them some medicine of unusual value and price, The heavy mortality among the orphans, their burial in the secluded grounds of the church, and the efforts to secure such ildren even by paying a small amount, have all tended to make the people suspicious. One of the leading officials in the Empire remarked to the writer that he knew very well that the Church had the best intentions in carrying on such work, Dut still it was a chil enuwo in the riots of 1891. ° So the Tsungli Yamen after the Tientsin Massacre stated the case thus "Although we have denied in a report all those rumours of the tearing out of eyes and hearts, the people, however, still preserve doubts on the subject, and even if we sue-coed in closing their life we cannot, drive away these doubts from their minds."
The Imperial authorities in 1871 declared that it would be a good thing to abolish the foreign orphanages," but this suggestion has not been again urged. In fact it is very doubtful whether peace would be assured thereby, for if one kind of work would cease to give rise to suspicions, a cause of complaint and ground for suspicions would soon be found elsewhere. At the same time it is wise to remove every possible source of trouble, and devote the energies to work or methods which can be understood and appreciated.
The Imperial authorities in 1871 pointed out the chief fault in the management of this charitable undertaking by the foreign priests: "They take no note," the memo-random reads, "of the family to which the child belongs, and they do not give notice to the authorities. Once the child. has entered the house, other persons are not allowed to adopt it, nor are the parents permitted to take it back again, nor even visit it." This feature of the work will also never be fully changed, and neither should it be expected, The main object of the Church in prosecuting such a charity able work is to secure the children by
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.