1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

miles inland in the great Empire of China, of 320,000,000people. But directly and indirectly we visited and inspectedthe conditions of life in about fifteen cities andvillages, whose combined population was about 4,000,000.We saw many sad sights and heard many sad stories,but also both saw and heard other thingswhich comforted and encouraged us.We were specially impressed with thebusiness faculties of the Chinese, withtheir energy and general contentment,and, alas, also impressed with the filthinessand unsanitary conditions in whichwe found them in their large cities. Bothyoung and old, male and female, work,and apparently willingly.China entire may be said to be revolutionized;few apparently have anysympathy with the Manchu Dynasty,which has just abdicated. The remarkablething is that the revolutionists,hampered for lack of money, have beenable to accomplish so much and to havepreserved order so well. True, lawlessnesshas in several instances gained theupper hand; and, of course, it is stillpossible that the entire social fabric maybe destroyed. There is a reason, however,why this seems improbable: Forlong centuries the various provinces of China have maintaineda kind of local autonomy, not unlike that of Canadaand Australia in respect to the British. These provincesor states have long had states rights, slightly after thefashion of the American Union.MISSIONARIES IN CHINAWithout doubt missionaries have accomplished considerablein China. It is difficult, however, for the Chineseto differentiate between Christian missionaries and Christiantourists, Christian soldiers and sailors, Christian merchantsand tradesmen and Christian clergymen who preachto such of these as attend Divine service. Gradually, however,we believe they are getting a proper focus upon thematter. We must sympathize with them in this; if wecould put ourselves in their places, how strange it wouldall appear to us! The aloofness of the foreigners and thedisdain with which they usually treat the natives is quiteunfavorable also to true Christian progress here. Moreover,although the Chinese are aware that some goodpeople are sending large sums of money in their interest,building colleges and hospitals and churches and schoolsand Y.M.C.A. buildings, with gymnasia, billiard rooms,bowling alleys, etc., they find it difficult to harmonize thisbenevolence with the fact that foreigners all conspire tokeep wages at the lowest point--hindering as much aspossible any advance in prices or such improvement in