To the Editor of the "Nonta-CutNa Datuy News."
Sit.—As a faithful reader of. the! "Herald" for many years, 1 have fuct failed to notice the references: in your -editorial and correspondjencé columns during the month of December to the subject of missionaries and politics. I should not venture to trespass upon your space excepting for the reason that many. inaccurate statements have been made as to shake the confidence of your readers in the re-ability of what appears in your paper. Of course we do not expect the editor to be omniscient, but there are scores of people in Shanghai from whom a telephone would have obtained the inform: tion that would have given the Jeditor the facts on the basis of which he could have easily discovered the real character of the communications that have misled him.
The statements to which I refer were based, in the first place, upon despatch' apparently cabled from Washington, Tt was sent by a political organization and this foch might have led the paper to surmise character. I cannot help won-lering whether that agency sent editor and expose the editor's at titude towards some of the current questions in Chinese polities. larly rate, he has succeeded that, Jcheap notoriety through public. expression of their opinions. An examination of your own columns for the last three or four years will very readily show who are the people who are most given to the seeking' of such notoriety. You have given many inches of space to. those who have criticized the /National Christian Council, a subject on which correspondence seems to be warmly welcomed. Apparently the "Herald" is not such an Jopen forum for anybody who would venture to suggest that treaty relations with China right well be revised.
T shall not ask for more of your space to discuss the question of the tions expressing themselves upon questions as extraterritorial which you have challenged. Very briefly my response would be to Jargue that if your contention is fright, then from the missionary point' of view, business men and newspaper editors also ought to exercise self-restraint and. refrain from expressing in public any opin ion about extraterritoriality ether similar questions because their published statements affect Jdireetly and in important ways the interests of missionaries, and the newspaper editor should' not presume to teach the missionaries how to manage their
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.