Under the above heading the October number of the "Chinese Recorder" contains an editorial note to which, for the avoidance of possibly serious misapprehensions, we feel compelled to reply, as briefly as possible.
Ts is greatly to the credit of the Press in China (says the writer) that religious controversy has found no place in ite columns for many years and that missionary work has been treated honestly and fairly. There are plain signs that a different policy has been adopted in oortain quarters. Articles have appeared which could serve no good purpose but.
to encourage controversy and to we!
the feelings of many of the eubecribers.
77
He goes on to say that "we subscribe to a newspaper to get the news and not to see Christianity attacked or defended"—an attitude with which we entirely agree—and concludes with theconjectare that auch articles are probably nothing more than a piece of "silly season" copy designed to fill columns with an entertaining controversy. To what other articles be alludes we are not aware, but the reference to the letter signed A Close Observer" which we published last week seems too clear to be overlooked. That letter, it may be remembered, argued that, not more missionaries were Chins, bat missionaries better trained for their work. Now of this there are two things to be said. First, that there was never the leser intention on the part of our correspondent or of ourselves to promote a "silly season" corres~ pondence, to " bait' missionaries for the fan of the thing, or to attack Christianity. Secondly, that we do no wrong to our correspondent's anonymity in saying that his nom de guerre was traly appropriate to his qualificstions to speak and that his opinions matared result of the closest servation. We should be sorry indeed to thiok that soy remarks on missions appearing in these calamus could be acoused of malicious intent, and we feel cure we may trast to the missionary body at large to have construed " Close Observer's" letter in the spirit in which it was written.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.