To the Editor of the ote-Cuixa Daux News."
Sir,—Thoso who have read your paper intelligently and carefully, will find in the Empress Dowager, Yung Lu, and others, rather than in the missionaries, the true causes of the great rumpus of the year. But there is a danger in your commendable desire that the missionaries should be shielded from blame that does not belong to them—a danger lest all methods that have been adopttd by all missionaries should now be considered as practically sanctioned for the future. The particular "method" I have in mind is the reception, on the part of some few Protestant missionaries, of thosd known to be involved in clan disputes, or even actual lawsuits, with those who have sought shelter, nominally in the Roman Catholic Church, but really in the prestige of the French government. The reception of such, whether as candidates or members, is clearly an offence against their own Mission Boards, the laws of their own countries, and against the government of China. The sole Treaty Clause to warrant Consular intervention, reads, in rough translation: The sacred religion (or teaching) of Jesus Christ has for its essential object the exhorting of men to live virtuously, treating others as they would be treated by others. And those who do their duty while propagating or practising it should be cared for and protected, and may not be cheated and treated shamefully. All who follow the customs of this religion [which customs forbid participation in idolatry, etc-], doing their duty while propagating and practising this religion, are not to be disturbed by others." So that Consuls have no right to take up cases, and missions ties have no right to involve mandarins in cases, where there is no record of "cheating and shameful treatment" or "disturbance from others" of those who are "doing their duty "—as citizens while " propagating or practising" the religion whose Golden Rule is quoted above. To do so is unjust to Foreign Governments, end an act of meanness toward the Chinese Government. And I am persuaded that were 2 complete stop put to these disgraceful practices, none would be more glad than the great say nine hundred and ninety-nine in the thousand. And the sooner the rest are turned out of China to be disciplined by their Boards, the better for all honest men. Enclosing my card, Tam, etc.,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.