Chinese Message to Missionary Workers: "Help Us Abolish the Unequal Treaties and Given Us Control of Church in China": Appreciation of Missionaries' Work We have received the following remarkable document from one of the secretaries of the National Christian Council with a request that we should find space for its publication. Described a8 message of the Shanghai Christians to their missionary ce-workers, it is apparently prepared as the Shanghai Christians' answer to the declar ration issued some little while ago by the Wuhan Christie It will be noted that the missionaries are asked again to dabble in politics and make representations' on the subjects of the "unequal treaties" to their home govern ments, while the Chinese demand for complete control of the church in China and its affiliated institutions is put forward.
There is, however, no suggestion that the foreign practice of subscribe these institutions should be ing money for the upkeep of discontinued. The message follows:
Sunday, February 6, about 1,000} Chinese Christians met at-the Allen Memorial Church, Quinsan Road, In facing the present situation they felt that Christians should do their} Jutmost to preserve religious liberty. "They all agreed that the present treaties between China and foreign' /Powers should be revised on a basis Jof mutual freedom and equality and that in the revision no special privileges for Churches and Missions should be included. They also felt} that extraterritoriality should be abolished.
The Situation China is at present going through! a upheaval, the—main characteristics of which can be gummarized as follows 1. A_ struggle for a stronger and! freer national life, 2 A ateaggle for a faller and richer content in the life of the masecs.
"A. straggle more worthy the or unjustly treated, over considerations of national prestige or personal.safety, over differences pinion end over pride end pre 2. Whatever happens to our insstitutions and programmes of worl, }we stand still in need of your best contribution which is the sharing with us of your deepest personal] experience of God through Christ.
3. We invite you to identify yourselves fully (1) with the Chinese people, in accepting the risk involyed in the voluntary surrendering of your extraterritorial status and (2) with the Chinese church, merging your present mission orgnizations with it, thus bringing directly to the church the gift of all your knowledge and experience, 4. As followers of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Goodwill, shall] not missionaries and Chinese Christians unite in undertaking the mini est Tite with the best in the modern scien This four-fold struggle has penetrated every phase of Chinese life to-day and in its onward sweep profoundly affects every form of organized effort in the country. We, 'Chinese Christians in Shanghai, feel acutely the challenge of this' present hour. Already among us two definite trends have been greatly accentuated, More chen ever before, there. atis inthe heart, of the Chinese. Chieti Charch desire to find its own 10Ul its own life than ever before, the Chi-ition. Charch is experiencing a compelling "sense of ebligaton the Chitin movement fa China "ven though its leaders are folly 0 of their unpreparedness for the task.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.