2 
 ISS / ome 
 
 a 
 
 Institute of Pacific Relations 
 
 Preliminary Paper Prepared for 
 Second General Session 
 
 July 15-29, 1927 
 
 Memorandum on Missions 
 By 4, 
 HENRY T. HODGKIN /. 
 
 Secretary, National Chiristian 
 Council of China 
 
 HONOLULU 
 July, 1927 
 
Memorandum on Missions 
 
 Synopsis 
 Introduction. 
 
 I. The Purpose of the Missionary Movement: 
 
 Positively—to give the Christian message—individual and 
 social, the development towards the latter. 
 Negatively—political and commercial aims are excluded. 
 
 II. The Work of Missions: 
 Four stages indicated: 
 (a) Pioneer work 
 (b) Coming of infant churches 
 (c) Transition from mission to church control 
 (d) Full control by the church 
 The “revolutionary” effects of Christianity less than might be 
 expected. 
 
 III. The Missionary Movement and Inter-racial Relations: 
 
 Claim to toleration for Christian work and similarly for other 
 religious propaganda if not subversive of human welfare. 
 
 Danger of an attitude of superiority in the missionary. 
 
 Some common assumptions analyzed: 
 (1) That Western Civilization is superior to that of the Kast 
 
 because Christian. 
 
 (2) That religious toleration may be Reiatated by force. 
 (3) That people are glad to have good done to them. 
 
 IV. The Missionary and Commercial Enterprise: 
 _ Causes of confusion. 
 
 Common facilities enjoyed. 
 Scale of missionary living. 
 
 Danger of confusion and how to avoid it. 
 Where there is open exploitation. 
 Where the whole capitalistic system is attacked. 
 
 Subsidiary grounds of confusion. 
 (1) Mission industries. 
 (2) Support of missions by commercial houses. 
 
 VY. The Missionary and the Cultures of the East: 
 The challenge of missions to social customs. 
 3 
 
VI. 
 
 Vil. 
 
 The right of a country to resist social changes that are harmful. 
 Confusion as to what is implied in Christianity. 
 “Cultural exploitation” a charge which cannot be sustained. 
 Points at issue: 
 (1) Teaching of Chinese classics in Mission Schools. 
 (2) Registration of Mission Schools. 
 (3) Study of Chinese Culture, etc., by Missionaries. 
 (4) Clearer differentiation between essential and adventitious 
 in Christianity 
 The Missionary and Political Issues: 
 Grounds for criticism: 
 A. Position of Special Privilege Secured Through Treaties. 
 Missionaries’ rights of three kinds: 
 (a) Those of all foreigners in any country. 
 (b) Those of all foreigners in cases where treaties exist to 
 give special rights. 
 (c) Those granted to missionaries as such. 
 The third group examined: 
 Missionaries have secured and used special rights. 
 Many are now ready to surrender these rights. 
 Others regard the time as inopportune. 
 Actions by missionary societies, etc. 
 Resolution of National Christian Council of China. 
 Action by British Government. 
 B. Indemnities for Loss of Life or Property: 
 The claim for indemnities one-sided. 3 
 Murder of missionaries a ground for political aggression. 
 Missionary opinion divided but tending towards repudia- 
 tion of such claims. 
 C. Missions and the European War: 
 War propaganda. 
 Work in the war. 
 German missions. 
 
 D. Missionaries Evacuated by Governmental Advice: 
 Withdrawal not generally forced by local conditions. 
 Effect on Chinese mind. 
 
 E. Official Status of Missionaries and Legal Cases in China. 
 Difference between Roman Catholic and Protestant. 
 Relation of political claims to the different stages in mis- 
 
 sionary work—the missionary and nationality in the 
 country of his adoption. 
 
 Present Tendencies in the Missionary Movement: 
 
 (a) Recognition of faults in Western Civilization. 
 
 (b) Desire to relinquish control of Church. 
 
 (c) Desire to eliminate special privileges. 
 
 (d) Increasing emphasis on constructive side and on values 
 in non-christian systems. 
 
 (e) Greater stress on social and international aspects. 
 
 4 
 
VIII. The Value of Missions in Relation to Race Questions: 
 (a) Personality of missionaries. 
 (b) Work done in schools, hospitals, etc. 
 (c) Check to exploitation. 
 (d) Interpreting East to West. 
 (e) Essential message is one of Reconciliation. 
 
 MEMORANDUM ON MISSIONS FOR THE PACIFIC INSTITUTE, 
 JULY, 1927. 
 Introduction: 
 
 The following memorandum deals almost exclusively with the 
 ‘point of view of the Protestant missionary movement as the writer 
 is not sufficiently in touch with the Roman Catholic movement to 
 be able to speak on it with any authority. Further, the detailed 
 references and the general point of view are broadly those which 
 have been gained through experience of the missionary movement 
 in China, although the writer has had some opportunities of study- 
 ing it in Japan, Korea, India and elsewhere. This memorandum is 
 simply to be regarded as a personal expression and in no sense 
 representing the point of view of the National Christian Council 
 of which the writer happeng to be a secretary. 
 
 I. The Purpose of the Missionary Movement: 
 
 The conception which has given birth to the missionary move- 
 ment is the conviction that the Christian Gospel contains a revela- 
 tion of God through the person of Jesus Christ, that this revelation 
 is valuable for all times and for all people, and that it is of im- 
 portance for the lives of individuals and for human society that 
 this revelation be known and understood and that all that is involved 
 in it should be accepted and made the basis of individual and social 
 life. In the early days of the modern missionary movement stress 
 was placed to a very large extent upon the message of individual 
 salvation and there was a tendency in certain quarters to an over 
 emphasis upon this aspect of the Christian Gospel, leading to the 
 idea that the Christian religion was almost exclusively concerned 
 with the rescue of individuals from evil in this world and the next 
 whatever happened to human society. More recently, while this 
 aspect has not been forgotten, the tendency of the missionary move- 
 ment has been to emphasize the relation of the individual to the 
 community and the importance of applying the principles of Chris- 
 tianity in the common life so that society may be improved and, 
 to use the Christian terminology, the Kingdom of God may come 
 on earth. This changing emphasis has produced a new orientation 
 on the part of the missionary movement towards public questions. 
 It has been accompanied by an increasing emphasis upon the educa- 
 tional side of the missionary movement and it has led to a fairly 
 general recognition by missionaries that political, social, international 
 and other fields of human endeavor fall rightly within their con- 
 sideration and activities. 
 
This development in the missionary movement corresponds to 
 a similar change in the Christian Churches in the countries which | 
 have sent out missionaries. While it does not affect all sections 
 of the movement. in the same way, its influence is felt everywhere, 
 some responding to the change and others reacting against it. 
 
 While this change should be noted and recognized as a factor 
 involving the missions in peculiar difficulties at the present time, 
 it must not.be assumed that the charges made of missionary work 
 as a direct agent of governments are thereby established. It cannot 
 be too emphatically stated that the missionary movement as a whole 
 does not exist to further political or commercial aims of foreign 
 powers in China or elsewhere. Some of the reasons leading to this 
 view will be examined later, but it is not possible to absolve all 
 missionaries or missions from having been led into such association.* 
 The outstanding fact, however, is that the movement as a whole 
 represents a single-hearted desire to pass on to other peoples the 
 benefits of the Christian Gospel. Its educational work is not deliber- 
 ately designed to put over one cultural point of view upon peoples 
 brought up under another, but rather it desires to contribute to in- 
 tellectual development and emancipation as an integral part of the 
 Christian Gospel. Its medical work is not an attempt to wean peo- 
 ple away by kindness from allegiance to the traditions and ideals 
 of their own past, but rather the natural expression of the Christian 
 spirit of pity and love. Its organization of churches is not an 
 elaborate system for westernizing the East or for creating a num- 
 ber of persons who will be more western than eastern in outlook 
 and loyalty (running-dogs of foreigners), but rather an honest effort 
 to make permanent the fellowship of Christian persons so that it 
 may be more deeply rooted in the lands which have only recently 
 heard the Christian message. 
 
 That the missionary movement has come under suspcion re- 
 cently because of such a supposed connection between political, 
 commercial and missionary purposes is a fact which must be 
 examined into later in this memorandum. The writer is not pre- 
 pared to acquit the missionary body of all blame in the matter, 
 although much the larger causes may be found elsewhere. But 
 
 under this section the one point to make clear is that in purpose 
 and in essence there is no such connection; that the missionary 
 movenient takes its stand upon a purely altruistic platform; that 
 the funds for its work are contributed by persons whose aim in so 
 doing is to please God and to serve His great family on earth; and that 
 in so far as the missionary may become the instrument of unjustifiable 
 cultural, political, economic advance (or exploitation) this is adventi- 
 tious and in general a complication of or departure from his main 
 
 purpose. . 
 
 II. The Work of Missions: 
 
 It is manifestly impossible in such a memorandum as this to 
 give even any adequate summary of missionary operations. The 
 
 6 
 
facts are sufficiently well-known in broad outline and are available 
 in works of reference so far as details are concerned. The stages 
 of missionary work may be indicated as follows: 
 
 (a) Pioneer work, when the initiation, management and 
 actual work is entirely in the hands of foreigners who, as time goes 
 on, employ suitable agents from the country concerned to help them 
 . in their efforts. 
 
 (b) The Coming of the Infant Churches, when small groups 
 are gathered who have embraced the Christian faith, who need 
 much shepherding by the foreigner and are unwilling or unable to 
 stand alone. In this period there is little selfconsciousness in the 
 Christian group and they are not only content but eager for for- 
 eign guidance and help at every point. In this stage educational 
 work begins to assume a somewhat different aspect as being not 
 simply a means of expressing the spirit of the Christian Gospel, but 
 as also a necessary means towards building up the churches and 
 leading them towards self-control and fuller self-expression. 
 
 (c) The Transition from Mission to Church Control, when 
 the churches have found themselves in greater or less degree and 
 are able to assume increasingly heavy responsibilities in matters of 
 finance, organization and extension.. This period may be a very 
 long one, particularly where the second period has been unduly pro- 
 longed and where the missions have not prepared the churches for 
 their larger responsibilities. It may also be a very difficult stage 
 if the missions hold their control longer than seems meet to the 
 churches or if the external circumstances introduce an element of 
 strain. 
 
 (d) Full Control by the Church, when the missionary, so far 
 as he is still at work, is the servant of the Church and accepts his 
 appointment in the same way as pastors and teachers who are 
 native to the country. This is the recognized aim of mission work. 
 The problems of missionary development today are largely those 
 created by the different views as to the methods and the rate at 
 which progress should be made to this desired end. In different 
 sections of the Pacific area mission work will be found in all of 
 the stages referred to. The relation to political issues will vary 
 according to the stage reached, as will be shown later. 
 
 It is evident that a movement which aims to produce such 
 profound changes in human life and in society must, from the 
 nature of the case, have far-reaching consequences in every realm 
 of human interest. In the early days Christianity was a disturbing 
 element and it was said of the Christian missionaries that they 
 had “turned the world upside down.” It was the effect of Chris- 
 tianity upon social institutions that led to such bitter persecution. 
 Where slavery, polygamy, idol or state-worship, tyranny of every 
 kind, war, the traffic in human beings and other great evils come 
 up for criticism if not for unflinching opposition and where these 
 practices are deeply embedded in the social order, there cannot fail 
 
 7 
 
to be disturbances affecting the whole of society. That Christian 
 missions have produced such effects is obvious, and they may be 
 more open to criticism for having produced them too seldom and 
 too slightly than for having been excessive as “disturbers of the 
 peace.” Broadly speaking, Christianity has erred by being acquies- 
 cent in relation to existing evils and accepting compromises with 
 the status quo far more often than it has erred by excessive zeal 
 for reforms. In fact the usual criticism of the Christian Church 
 in the East today is that it is not Christian enough, far more 
 often than that its passion for the Christian way of life has been 
 too manifest. Thus the current attacks upon the missionary move- 
 ment are not mainly those which we might expect by a contempla- 
 tion of Christian ethics and Church history. This will be made clear 
 in what follows. 
 
 Ill. The Missionary Movement and Inter-Racial Relations: 
 
 As has been shown the missionary movement rests upon the 
 assumption that the Christian Gospel is of value—indeed of per- 
 manent value—to the whole world. It is not the purpose of this 
 memorandum to argue this point. It will be conceded by most 
 that true Christianity has a value not for one race alone, but for 
 all. As to how that value should be made available for races that 
 have hitherto not received it may be a matter for fair discussion. 
 It is, however, contended that those persons who hold the con- 
 viction that Christianity is unique and in some sense essential for 
 the well-being of humanity should not be debarred from expressing 
 that view so long as it be done in ways that do not offend the good 
 sense of the peoples to whom they go. It is generally recognized 
 that there should be freedom for the spreading of ideas which are 
 not actually subversive of human welfare and even in regard to the 
 latter there is a strong conviction that in the main they had better, 
 in a general way, be allowed to kill themselves against the com- 
 mon sense of humanity rather than be suppressed by an enlightened 
 minority. 
 
 On this ground the claim of the missionary movement to tolera- 
 tion would seem to be a fair one and it should be evident that a 
 similar claim can be sustained for say Buddhism or Islam. The 
 Christian missionary should not claim what he will not concede to 
 another and the missionary enterprise should be prepared to stand 
 or fall as it meets, on even terms at the bar of humanity, those 
 other systems of thought and modes of living which have claimed 
 or do claim the allegiance of men. 
 
 It cannot be denied that missionaries have at times departed 
 from this principle and have claimed or received special privileges. 
 In fact the association of the missionary with the idea of special 
 privileges is one of the chief points of attack at the present moment 
 in China. Before dealing with the question, however, it may be 
 well to raise certain deeper issues. | 
 
 8 
 
It is easy to see that persons who are possessed with a strong 
 conviction that the truth which they know and try to follow is 
 of value to others who do not know it may assume an attitude of 
 superiority in dealing with those others. In recent years the sen- 
 sitiveness of the non-Christian peoples in their contacts with 
 Western nations has undoubtedly increased, and this has led to a 
 feeling among the more educated and sensitive peoples of the East 
 that the missionary movement in essence was an expression of racial 
 superiority. That missionaries have in a number of cases fallen 
 into this false and unchristian attitude can hardly be denied. 
 Nevertheless the Christian message is so deeply rooted in the con- 
 ception of the personality of Jesus which is so truly that of a 
 humble man between whom and others we find no such barrier, 
 that the danger alluded to has perhaps not been as much felt as 
 might be expected from the nature of the case. In many mis- 
 sianaries the characteristics of their Master have been so shown 
 as to save them from this taint of racial superiority. It must, how- 
 ever, be admitted that the very idea of bringing to a people a 
 message which is felt to be superior to anything which they have 
 received from their own past creates a difficult situation. The 
 modern missionary movement is, generally speaking, alive to the 
 value of many of the traditions, philosophies, and religious con- 
 ceptions which have moulded the peoples of the East and the at- 
 tempt to establish the superiority of Christianity by setting a light 
 value upon these may be said to be discredited by all modern 
 missionary leaders. The deeper resentment against missions may 
 fairly be said to arise from an attitude of racial superiority assumed 
 (often quite unconsciously) by individual missionaries. This may 
 be a matter of heredity and upbringing which even the nature of 
 the Christian Gospel has failed to eradicate. But it may also 
 actually be fostered in persons who have imperfectly understood 
 and entered into the spirit of Christ by the very nature of the work 
 in which they are engaged. 
 
 Certain assumptions have not infrequently been made by mis- 
 sionaries and the supporters of missions which foster this same 
 attitude and which should be brought out clearly in any considera- 
 tion of the subject. The following may be specified: 
 
 1. That Western Civilization Is Superior to the Civilization of the 
 East Because It Is Christian: 
 
 It may be fairly said that this assumption until recently was 
 very prevalent in the missionary movement. The products of 
 modern science and of many other influences which have moulded 
 Western civilization were too readily assumed to be evidences of 
 the superiority of Christianity. Until recently it was assumed that 
 modern machinery and inventions were necessarily a boon to any 
 nation. The increase of wealth, the higher standard of living 
 among the people, the better sanitary conditions and the many 
 other aspects of Western civilization were freely quoted as evidences 
 of the value of Christianity. This assumption undoubtedly helped 
 
 9 
 
the Christian missionary at a certain period of his work and gave 
 him a certain prestige. This was true until the assumption began 
 to be challenged and educated men from the East began to doubt 
 the value of many aspects of Western civilization as it was revealed 
 through closer acquaintanceship, especially during the Great War. 
 It may be said that the missionary movement no longer seeks 
 to claim the whole of Western civilization as an evidence of the 
 value of the Christian faith and that what was an asset has in 
 certain respects become a liability. 
 
 2. That Religious Toleration Should Be Maintained by Superior 
 Force If Necessary. 
 
 This assumption led, among other things, to the so-called “tol- 
 eration clauses” for missionaries in China, and until the last ten 
 or fifteen years it was generally regarded as a helpful thing that 
 the Christian movement in China had grown up under the protection 
 of these clauses which rested ultimately upon the fact that Western 
 nations had at their disposal stronger military forces than China. 
 Again it may be said that religious toleration secured in this way 
 did give an opportunity for the Christian Church in China to grow 
 up when it might, in the early stages, have been crushed by local 
 opposition. These clauses further made it possible for missionaries 
 to travel and reside in centers not open for foreign residence 
 generally and thus to create centers of Christian activity in which 
 the foreign missionary resided and where foreign capital was 
 invested. 
 
 This assumption is challenged from the point of view of those 
 who believe that, while religious toleration is in itself good, it is 
 not good that it should be maintained by coercion, especially if 
 that is exercised by foreign Powers who, in many of their relation- 
 ships with the nation concerned, have shown themselves far less 
 than disinterested. In regard to this assumption there is a grow- 
 ing feeling among missionaries that the criticism on this second 
 ground is valid, and that the Christian movement loses rather 
 than gains through the kind of support indicated. That is to say, 
 in this particular again, that which was previously regarded by 
 almost all missionaries, and by most Chinese Christians, as an 
 asset is coming to appear to very many as a liability. 
 
 3. That People Ought to Be and Would Be Glad to Have Good 
 Done to Them. 
 
 It may fairly be said that in the Victorian Era there was 
 scarcely a question in the minds of people as to whether those 
 who seemed to be less fortunate would be or at least ought to be 
 glad to receive the help of those who regarded themselves as more 
 fortunate. A great deal of the philanthrophy of that era seems, 
 in the light of the present attitude, to have been tinged with the 
 spirit of patronage, which may be regarded as the doing of good 
 in a superior way. Very often those who patronize have no con- 
 ception that the person whom they desire to help may be rather 
 
 10 
 
hindered than helped by that type of assistance and that it may 
 legitimately be resented. It cannot be denied that missionary work 
 was largely carried on upon this assumption. It seemed perfectly 
 obvious to convinced Christians that they had something supremely 
 good to offer and that those to whom they went with their message, 
 with their education, with their medical help, etc., would be the. 
 better for receiving such help and would, therefore, at any rate in 
 the long run, be glad to have it. This underlying assumption is 
 today very widely questioned even by those who are confident that 
 the Christian Gospel and outlook on life contain positive goods 
 which peoples who have not received them would be the better for 
 receiving. The resentment on the part of peoples who regard the 
 whole missionary movement as an unjustified assumption of super- 
 iority has made itself felt refiexly in the movement as a whole and 
 in many of its leaders. The effort is being made increasingly to 
 come alongside the people to whom the Christian message is pre- 
 sented and rather to give them the opportunity of discovering its 
 value than so to insist upon its value as to awaken a resistance. 
 
 IV. The Missionary and Commercial Enterprise: 
 
 The missionary movement is frequently regarded as a part of 
 the commercial approach of foreign peoples to China (or other 
 nations). This view is supported by the fact that the trader and 
 the missionary have frequently entered a country at about the 
 same time, the missionary sometimes availing himself of facliities — 
 offered to traders (as in the case of Robert Morrison and many 
 others), and the business man in other cases, using an opening 
 made through the action of missionaries. When a foreign nation 
 is little known this confusion between various aspects of its ap- 
 proach is easily accounted for. 
 
 A further cause of confusion is the fact that the scale of 
 missionary living is on a much higher level, in the great majority 
 of cases, than that of the mass of the people among whom he works. 
 Large sums of money are expended in medical and educational 
 work. Chinese servants, teachers, catechists, etc., are employed 
 on a large scale. Western capitalism seems to be behind the whole 
 movement. It is felt to be but another expression of “this great 
 rich country”’ which comes with her resources and her skill to trade 
 with a poorer people. 
 
 The identification of missionary and trader matters but little 
 where trade is carried on in a sound way and where there is no 
 element of exploitation or no sense of there being such on the part 
 of the people of the country concerned. Recently, however, great 
 emphasis has been placed upon the idea of exploitation. What 
 precisely this means and how far the charge can be made good 
 against Western peoples trading in the Pacific area it is not for 
 this paper to discuss. But it may be pointed out that traffic in 
 alcohol and opium can scarcely be regarded in any other light, that 
 forced labor and slavery are certainly examples of exploitation on 
 
 11 
 
any showing, and that the employment of persons of a supposed 
 lower civilization or state of culture on terms that could not be 
 offered to others is open to severe criticism. All these aspects of 
 the commercial contact of the white races with others have been 
 or are known. To identify the missionary movement with them 
 is completely to misunderstand it. Missionaries have repeatedly 
 protested against these and similar evils. The anti-opium and anti- 
 alcoholic movements have been largely inspired and promoted by 
 missionaries and their supporters. The same is true of movements 
 against forced labor and slavery. Recently investigation of child 
 labor, efforts to improve labor conditions and other similar services 
 have been inaugurated by missionaries. Not all missionaries have 
 supported such efforts, but it would be fair to say that they would 
 never have commenced, or if started, would soon have languished 
 had it not been for missionary activity. In fact the missionary has 
 time and again been the subject of bitter criticism by the trader 
 because of his supposed or actual influence in limiting profits 
 through attacking what he believes to be illegitimate practices in 
 trade. 
 
 The more drastic criticism of the capitalistic system today by 
 various socialistic or communistic movements has carried the dis- 
 cussion of these questions to a further point. Missions, in a certain 
 sense, do rest upon the capitalistic system. Among missionary 
 givers are large capitalists and certain enterprises are well known 
 to owe their existence to gifts from persons of great wealth who 
 have come under criticism for the way in which that wealth was 
 obtained. It is believed by many that the missionary movement 
 is hampered in taking a bold Christian line in regard to the capital- 
 istic system or certain evils connected with it because of the de- 
 pendence of the enterprise on such givers. It can scarcely be ques- 
 tioned that there is an element of truth in this suggestion, though 
 it would be difficult to maintain it in any large way. Many mis- 
 sionaries are still to be found who will not allow any such con- 
 nection to hamper their freedom of expression. Some are earnestly 
 seeking for ways whereby they may be more free to deliver their 
 social message, for example, by living more simply or by earing 
 their own living while carrying on missionary work. Such are, 
 however, a small minority. The fundamental critics of the capital- 
 istic system cannot fail to regard the missionary movement as a 
 whole as a dangerous factor or at least as giving them no assist- 
 ance in their effort to alter the existing social order. 
 
 Two smaller items should be referred to here: (1) There are 
 certain missionaries who have started industrial enterprises in con- 
 nection with the missions (or in rare cases as personal concerns). 
 This is much less frequent round the Pacific Basis than in Africa 
 and India. Such efforts are often felt to be a very valuable part 
 of missionary effort, training hand and eye, fitting people to earn 
 an honest living, developing character through industry, and so 
 forth. In Africa these efforts are a very important factor in the 
 
 12 
 
development of the country and an integral part of mission educa- 
 tion. It is almost impossible to make clear to the average person 
 wherein lies the difference between such efforts and ordinary trad- 
 ing and there are some cases where there has been virtually no 
 difference and where the missionary has used these methods for 
 supporting a school, giving scholarships to deserving children (not 
 even in some cases, excluding his own!). It must be frankly ad- 
 mitted that these pieces of work give some real ground for the 
 identification of missions with the commercial enterprise; and it 
 may, in passing, be remarked that the greatest possible care should 
 be exercised to give no just cause for criticism. 
 
 (2) There are certain cases where chambers of commerce have 
 supported missionary work and grants have been made by business 
 concerns out of their trading profits rather than by individuals. 
 This plan which has not been at all widely followed is open to the 
 objection that the missionary enterprise is regarded by big business 
 as a means whereby its aims can be furthered and that argument 
 has been used both by missionaries and by business men. At the 
 same time the movement (if it can be so called) is a welcome 
 sign that the altruistic ends of missions are more generally recog- 
 nized and respected by business men, and it is true that, in the 
 main, the subventions made have been used as the fulfillment of a 
 moral obligation towards the people of the country where the trader 
 works. Many high-minded men have supported this movement 
 without any thought to increasing profits and have been glad to 
 pay, as it were, a tax from the profits of the firm, much as similar 
 gifts are often made to hospitals in the West. Nevertheless the 
 practice needs to be watched. 
 
 V. The Missionary and the Cultures of the East: 
 
 From the nature of the case the missionary movement raises 
 far-reaching questions affecting the culture and social life of the 
 peoples to whom it comes. Take an institution like polygamy which 
 is closely connected with the family system and the urgent need 
 for the raising up of male descendants in countries where ancestor- 
 worship is practiced. The Christian missionary, generally speaking, 
 has not found it possible to acquiese in this custom and he thus 
 appears as one who is interested in destroying the social system and 
 bringing in something which is distinctive of western culture. It 
 is intensely difficult to divide the religious interest from social and 
 cultural questions; in fact it is not possible in many cases to do so. 
 Nevertheless the missionary has not always been as careful to avoid 
 this confusion as, in the light of events, he may well wish he had 
 been. To him the whole social system he represents and the cul- 
 tural ideas he has imbibed from childhood are part of one whole. 
 They are the warp, as it were, of which his religion is the woof. 
 It is no wonder that he has carried his culture with him in ways 
 not always essential to the carrying of his religious message. 
 
 This cultural and social effect of missions has been studied 
 13 
 
in a very thorough way in recent years, especially in Dennis’ 
 monumental work* and in many special studies. Missions have ex- 
 pressed this aspect of their work largely through their schools and 
 colleges, and hospitals, and also in specific attack upon social cus- 
 toms which are felt to be degrading or immoral. How far a country 
 is justified in excluding a religious faith which is felt to be sub- 
 versive of existing social customs is a subject for discussion which 
 arises at this point, and which cannot be dealt with in this memo- 
 randum. But granting the right of a country to exclude certain 
 specific teachings (as witness the laws of the United States and 
 other countries in regard to polygamists) it may be urged that, on 
 the whole, the deepest convictions of mankind have agreed, in all 
 countries, that the Christian way of life is, per se, of value to society. 
 
 The missionary, however, needs to study the culture and social 
 customs of the country to which he goes in order that he may 
 not challenge or destroy what is not essentially hurtful or con- 
 trary to the principles of Christianity. By failing to make such 
 a study the missionary in the past has not infrequently identified 
 his prejudice with his real task, he has waged war against a custom 
 which seems to an unsympathetic mind to be idolatrous or immoral, 
 but which on closer examination may appear to be harmless. Some 
 missionaries feel, for example, that the reverence to Confucius by 
 making three bows is not in any true sense an act of worship, and 
 that the opposition to this practice has been an instance of prejudice 
 and lack of sympathy rather than a genuine expression of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 Recently in China the whole missionary movement has been at- 
 tacked as a piece of “cultural exploitation.” This phrase seems to 
 mean that westerners have deliberately tried to de-nationalize 
 Chinese, to substitute western for Chinese culture, to bring China 
 in a very subtle way under the spell of Western ideas and thus 
 under Western political influence, and, in short, that China’s most 
 precious possessions in her own great past were being insidiously 
 attacked under the name of bringing her good news. This claim 
 cannot, in the writer’s opinion, be made good but there is just 
 enough ground for it to cause the missionary to examine his work 
 very carefully to recognize that he has given some ground for the 
 charge, and to see that in his work in the future, he discriminates 
 more carefully between the essence of his faith and its accessories. 
 
 The following specific questions should be referred to under 
 this head: 
 
 (1) The Teaching of Chinese Classics in Mission Schools: 
 
 There has not been, generally speaking, as much attention to 
 this subject in mission schools, as on general grounds, would be 
 desirable. This is due in part to the lack of intimate knowledge of 
 the subject by missionaries administering such schools, to the dif- 
 ficulty of securing first-rate teachers within the available subven- 
 
 * Christian Missions and Social Progress. 
 
 14 
 
tions, to the methods of teaching which have often been used in 
 classical teaching and to the fact that students in mission schools 
 come largely for English language and modern subjects and do not 
 take the classifical education so seriously. At the same time, a 
 more persistent recognition of the fact that the new China must 
 draw her life-ideals in large part from her own past and that 
 Christianity is a fulfillment rather than a destruction of that past 
 would mean a far deeper determination than has generally been 
 present to overcome the difficulties. Where there is such a de- 
 termination ways can usually be found. 
 
 (2) Registration of Mission Schools: 
 
 On general principles most missionaries now agree that mission 
 schools should be registered with the government. Missions have, 
 however, in most cases been slow, and probably too slow, in reaching 
 this conclusion and acting upon it. At the present time the demand 
 for registration is very urgent. It is due to a resentment against 
 the idea of a system of education within China controlled and 
 financed by foreigners (a thought stimulated by the recent Educa- 
 tional Commission, 1922, which, though of great value in many 
 ways, left a fear in the minds of many Chinese), to the rising 
 nationalist movement and the recognition of education as a prime 
 factor in producing national unity and to the prevalent anti-foreign 
 bias which calls for what is termed the “restoration of educational 
 rights.” 
 
 The difficulties in the way of registration are considerable, in- 
 cluding the problem of securing suitable Christian Chinese to man- 
 age the schools, the doubt as to whether the requirements will tend 
 to eliminate effective Christian teaching and the fear of party (Kuo 
 Ming Tang) interference and management. By patient effort on 
 both sides it seems likely that these and other difficulties will be 
 met. Some demands made very insistely now may be modified 
 and some missioinary attitudes may be changed. It seems clear 
 that only as the schools register will they be able to make the 
 _ kind of contribution to China that will be free from the suspicion 
 at any rate of “cultural exploitation.” It may well be, however, 
 that some will be justified in going rather slowly in this direction 
 until the mind of China is expressed in a clearer and more nearly 
 final way on some of the issues raised. 
 
 (3) The Study of Chinese Culture and Present Day Thinking by 
 Missionaries: 
 
 A great advance in this matter has been made in recent years 
 through the establishment of schools of study in China and in 
 _ England and America, as well as on the continent of Europe. But, 
 in the writer’s view, not nearly enough has been done. Far more 
 thorough work along both the lines indicated is needed, not simply 
 for the few missionaries who do special types of work, but for all. 
 The unconscious attitudes must be corrected, a real appreciation of 
 the deeper sides of Chinese life must be seen in the missionary if 
 
 15 
 
he is to avoid the errors referred to above. China is sentitive— 
 perhaps hypersensitive—on this point today. It is for the mis- 
 sionary organizations to see that they send out men and women 
 who are sensitized so that they will take impressions quickly, who 
 are eager to learn as well as to teach and who are on the look-out 
 to avoid giving needless offence. 
 
 (4) The Clearer Differentiation Between the Essential and the 
 Adventitious in the Christian Message: 
 
 It will be obvious that the dangers referred to. above will be 
 observed if the missionary sees clearly exactly what it is that he 
 has to give to the East. Study of this point is needed not only in 
 preparation for coming out, but during the whole period of mis- 
 sionary work. Help should be given to younger missionaries and 
 candidates. There may be some who would be better eliminated 
 because they are unable to shake off certain assumptions and at- 
 titudes that are not essential to Christian effort. 
 
 VI. The Missionary and Political Issues: 
 
 The missionary has been regarded not only as partner in the 
 commercial advance of the West and as an insidious enemy of east- 
 ern culture and social habits, but also as a part of the political 
 aggression of Europe and America. This view also draws support 
 from certain facts which have, in the writer’s view, been given an 
 undue prominence and have indeed helped to create a false impres- 
 sion. Nevertheless, there are grounds for fair criticism and it will 
 be our purpose here to consider these as well as the questions on 
 which misunderstandings exist. 
 
 A. The position of the missionary has been secured in certain 
 countries through treaties which have given to the missionary a 
 place of special privilege. As such treaties are under discussion in 
 China in a marked way at the present time, it may be well to con- 
 centrate attention on this case. Here again it is impossible in the 
 compass of this memorandum to give a full statement of the case 
 which is admirably dealt with in various public documents and 
 books. The salient point must be enough. 
 
 The rights of missionaries are of three kinds: 
 
 (a) Those shared by all foreigners in any country, such as the 
 right of appeal to his own consul, and such guarantees as 
 are normally given by any civilized country to the citizens 
 of other countries resident in their territory ; 
 
 (b) The special rights granted by treaty to citizens of the “Treaty 
 Powers,” including the right to have any case against him 
 tried by his own country’s representative according to its 
 procedure, exemption from taxation, and so forth. 
 
 (c) The special rights granted by treaty to the missionary as such, 
 which include the right to reside and hold property in cities 
 not open to other foreigners, and the right to sia 
 his religion. 
 
 16 
 
In regard only to the second and third group is there any dis- 
 pute and since the second will be dealt with in other ways, the 
 third only need be mentioned here in any detail. 
 
 It should be remembered always that these privileges were 
 sought and obtained largely by missionaries, that they are solely 
 for the benefit of missionaries and Chinese Christians, and that the. 
 rights have been enjoyed to the full during a considerable period of 
 time. This consideration should at the same time make clear 
 why the missionary movement is involved today in the criticism 
 of the whole structure of the treaties and also absolve the mission- 
 ary of today from the charge of unjustifiable ‘interference’ in 
 politics.” The treaties, being under criticism, the missionary who 
 has a special place in them cannot simply stand aside as if the 
 whole matter were no concern of his. If these clauses are not his 
 concern, whose are they! It may further be urged that since mis- 
 sionaries form no small part of the foreign community in China 
 they have as much right as any other foreigners to express their 
 view in regard to the second class of rights, it always being clear 
 that an equal right is granted to other foreign residents. This 
 much needs to be said because the missionary has been severely 
 challenged in regard to this matter in recent discussions. A fur- 
 ther point, which may not be as readily conceded, but which seems 
 to the writer equally cogent, is that any true view of religion im- 
 plies the attempt to moralize all human relationships and where 
 grave moral issues are raised by political arrangements, the forces 
 of religion are culpable if they remain silent. 
 
 It scarcely seems necessary to discuss how far it was wise or 
 right in the early days of China’s relation to foreign powers for 
 missionaries to claim and receive special privileges either for them- 
 selves or for their converts. The Christian conscience has a way 
 of discovering with ever increasing clearness what is involved in 
 the Christian ethic. Today there is a very large body of mission- 
 aries and mission supporters who are not only prepared to give up 
 these special privileges, but who are eager to see the whole treaty 
 system altered so that any privileges they may have in the future 
 be only such as are accorded freely by the Chinese people and gov- 
 ernment. Chinese Christians, broadly speaking, share the general 
 view in the country that the time has come for treaty revision or 
 abrogation. Since the missionary movement in China has largely 
 passed from the first and second into the third stage it becomes 
 the missionary to be very sensitive to this opinion. It means that 
 Chinese Christians generally would rather take certain risks of 
 persecution in the unsettled times and throw themselves on the 
 reasonableness of their fellow countrymen than shelter behind the 
 foreign Powers whose treaties have hitherto been the guarantee of 
 their protection. 
 
 It is true that a good many missionaries still believe that the 
 clauses are wise and right and that to disturb the status quo while 
 China is in so unsettled a state is neither safe nor is it the best thing 
 
 at 
 
for China herself. While differing from this opinion the writer wishes 
 to express respect for those who hold it, because he believes it to be 
 based upon a deep love of China and a profound conviction in regard to 
 what is in the interest of the Kingdom of God. 
 
 At the same time it is necessary to point out that a very large 
 body of missionary opinion has been voiced in a contrary direction. 
 A full statement of the opinion expressed during the last two years 
 is appended to this memorandum. This will show that an over- 
 whelming majority of expressed opinion from missionary and Chris- 
 tian circles tends in the same direction with certain variations in 
 detail. The National Christian Council of China in October, 1926, 
 after a very careful scrutiny of this material passed the following 
 resolution which may be said fairly to represent the bulk of this 
 opinion: . 
 
 “RESOLVED: That, while the National Christian Council is not in 
 a position to speak officially for the organizations which have 
 combined to bring it into existence, yet, after studying closely all . 
 the recorded actions of these organizations, we, collectively and as 
 individuals, place on record our conviction: 
 
 1. That the Christian Church and Christian Missions should 
 preach the Gospel and perform Christian service in China upon 
 the basis of religious liberty freely accorded by the Republic of 
 China, and that all provisions in the treaties with foreign coun- 
 tries for special privileges for the churches or missions should be 
 removed. — 
 
 2. That the present treaties between China and foreign Pow- 
 ers should be revised on a basis of freedom and equality. 
 
 3. That we are glad of the steps already taken towards this. 
 end by the Governments concerned and trust that they may 
 persist in their efforts till satisfactory results have been achieved. 
 
 4. That whatever were the historical circumstances which led 
 to the present state of affairs, its speedy remedy is now the joint 
 responsibility of Chinese and foreigners and that in this task we 
 need the spirit of persistent forbearance, understanding, and love 
 on both sides. 
 
 The Council therefore calls Christians in China of whatever 
 nationality or occupation to a more fearless following of Christ, 
 whatever the cost, and to cooperation in bringing His Spirit into 
 our international relationships.” 
 
 From the above it will be seen that there has been a decided 
 change in missionary opinion in recent years and that there is now 
 a strong conviction in many quarters that the political status of 
 the missionary should not be one of special privilege in China and 
 that he should be ready to accept such provisions as China may 
 freely accord to him in the prosecution of his peaceful avocation. 
 
 More recently the British Government has taken the initiative 
 In regard to this question in the Memorandum handed to the 
 
 18 
 
Chinese Government (North and South) at the end of January, 
 1927, as follows: 
 
 “His Majesty’s Government are prepared to accept the prin- 
 ciple that British missionaries should no longer claim the right to 
 purchase land in the interior, that Chinese converts should look 
 to Chinese law and not to the Treaties for protection; and that 
 missionaries’ educational and medical institutions will conform to 
 Chinese laws and regulations applying to similar Chinese insti- 
 tution.” 
 
 B. The relation to treaties is not the only question which 
 arises in this connection. Another ground for identifying the mis- 
 sionary with the political activities of his country has been found 
 in the indemnities which have been sought and secured in respect 
 of missionaries who have lost their lives and mission property that 
 has been destroyed. The assumption of foreign Powers in dealing 
 with China has been that such losses must be made good in kind. 
 It is doubtful whether the Western Powers would be prepared to 
 accept any such claim made upon them by China and indeed the 
 United States in 1881 definitely repudiated any obligation although 
 on one occasion at any rate a grant was made as an act of grace. 
 That foreign Powers make such a claim in China is felt to be a 
 sign of that assumption of superiority now so deeply resented by 
 Chinese. The claim is not made by all missionary societies and 
 some even refuse any indemnity offered either for loss of life or 
 property. There have, however, been enough cases where the 
 claims have been made and the indemnities accepted to cause a 
 conviction that missions generally share the attitude and are virtu- 
 ally a part of the governmental organization of the States from 
 which the missionaries come. 
 
 This conviction is all the deeper because of cases eters the 
 death of the missionary has been made the pretext for a definite 
 aggressive move as in the seizure of Kiaochow by Germany after 
 the murder of two German missionaries. The exaction of the 
 Boxer Indemnity, and the large amounts accepted by missions in 
 North China on account of their losses at that time is another 
 case in point. Many missionaries today feel that harm was done 
 to the whole movement by the acceptance of such money and the 
 investment of it in splendid buildings which are a constant witness 
 to China of the close relationship between the missionary enterprise 
 and the political activities of governments. 
 
 A considerable and probably an increasing, body of mission- 
 aries now feel that all indemnities whether for life or property 
 should be refused, more are opposed to making any claim, while not 
 unwilling to accept anything that is offered by Chinese authori- 
 ties. Others regard the making of a claim as the simple assertion 
 of a human right and the failure to do so as tantamount to acqui- 
 escence in evil. The number who would accept any money payment 
 in respect of the death of missionary is probably not large though 
 it is impossible to make any estimate. This question is likely to 
 
 19 
 
arise again in an acute form in view of the considerable property 
 losses incurred during the recent unsettlement. It would be highly 
 desirable if a common policy based on a clear sense of what is right 
 should be accepted by the missions. In seeking to reach any such 
 an agreement Chinese Christian opinion would, of course, be given 
 very great weight. 
 
 C. The period of the European War was unfortunate from the 
 point of view of the position of missionaries in China. At that 
 time not a few missionaries went home or stayed at home to enter 
 the fighting forces, to engage as chaplains, Y.M.C.A. workers and 
 officers to the Chinese Labour corps. Many missionaries took a 
 strongly nationalist viewpoint and did not hesitate to express them- 
 selves. Some undertook some definite propaganda for their own coun- 
 tries. When the question of China coming into the war was being dis- 
 cussed a good deal of pressure was brought upon her to come in 
 and missionaries were not slow to express an opinion. The treat- 
 ment accorded to German missions in Hong Kong and other incidents 
 which may have been quite inevitable, all served to deepen the sense 
 of a close relationship between the missionary movement.and the 
 political activities of governments. It is not intended to pick out 
 any for criticism—it is simply necessary to record the fact. 
 
 D. A similar situation has developed in recent months. Fear- 
 ing some danger to missionaries in the interior in the event of dis- 
 turbance at Shanghai or elsewhere, governmental authorities have 
 used the strongest possible pressure short of actual injunctions to 
 get missionaries to withdraw from their stations. It has been al- 
 most impossible to resist this pressure and very few have done so. 
 The writer is not prepared to criticise the governments for giving 
 this advice. The fact, however, remains that the general withdrawal 
 of missionaries at a time when the situation did not seem, in many 
 local centers, to call for any such action has again suggested to the 
 Chinese mind that the missionary is simply a part of the state machine 
 and is ready, when the choice has to be made, to accept its advice in- 
 stead of remaining at the post of duty. The writer believes that 
 most missionaries could not do other than follow this advice, while 
 expressing his keen appreciation of the fact that a few were pre- 
 pared to face all that was involved in rejecting the advice given— 
 yet it is these latter who have demonstrated to China that there 
 is a spirit in the missionary movement independent of the gov- 
 ernments and that missionaries recognize a higher duty than 
 obedience to a secular authority. With the many who felt com- 
 pelled to leave we can only express sympathy in what was often a 
 position of the most acute pain and distress. 
 
 E. The position accorded to Roman Catholic missionaries as 
 being of official status, but refused by Protestants, must also be 
 referred to. This led in times past to a very grave confusion in 
 regard to the issue we are considering. Further, the fact that 
 many Chinese turned to missionaries in law cases for their support 
 
 20 
 
aa 
 
 and advice must be remembered as a serious item in the charge 
 against missions. Recently a large number of such cases have 
 been examined and it was found that the vast majority were 
 those of Roman Catholic missionaries. No doubt in many cases 
 such interference was prompted ‘by a real desire to right a wrong, 
 and doubtless many wrongs were righted. But, in the light of 
 events, it is likely that far the largest proportion of missionaries 
 would agree that such action, however high the motive, has done 
 harm rather than good, and that any such interference in the local 
 administration of justice is unwarrantable even when a palpable 
 injustice is being committed. 
 
 The missionary movement in its developing life has thus 
 touched upon the political field at many points of which some only 
 are mentioned here. Other aspects have been more prominent in 
 other fields. Recalling the four stages mentioned earlier it may be 
 urged that in the first and second stages there is justification for 
 some kind of political protection if sought and given in the right 
 way. The movement meets with unreasoning prejudice and may at 
 least claim to be given a fair hearing much as Paul claimed his 
 rights as a Roman citizen. The early converts are often few and 
 weak and if they meet with persecution based on mere prejudice 
 and superstition they may, not unnaturally, be ready to avail them- 
 selves of special privileges where they can be gained in a legitimate 
 way. Whether the treaties between China and Western Powers can 
 be so regarded is, no doubt, open to question. But, at the time 
 when these rights were claimed and accepted, little if any objection 
 was felt on such grounds and the Chinese Christians have until re- 
 cently been only too glad to avail themselves of the protection 
 secured through the treaties. 
 
 In the third stage the time comes when the rights. of the 
 Churches established through missionary effort must be increas- 
 ingly recognized and the initiative begins to pass from the mis- 
 sionary to the Chinese and other nationals. At this point the 
 missionary should recognize the natural desire of the churches to 
 make their own position clear and hence the withdrawal of the 
 missionary’s claim to special privilege has become an obvious corol- 
 lary of his whole aim and method in carrying on the work. This 
 stage in China is being reached or has been reached at the time 
 when national consciousness is deeply stirred in regard to the 
 whole question of the treaties. It is clear that this environment 
 indicates a more definite and rapid break with the past than might 
 have otherwise seemed necessary. 
 
 In the fourth stage which is already reached in certain ad- 
 vanced groups, the question of any relation between the missionary 
 and politics could scarcely arise. The Christian Church will act 
 according to the convictions which it holds, and the place of the 
 missionary is simply as a member of that church and not as a 
 separate individual or as belonging to a separate group. He will 
 certainly not wish to claim special privileges and he should be 
 
 21 
 
more than ever careful not to complicate the issue by any action 
 that tends to make of the missionaries a specialized and distinct 
 group of persons. He will still, of course, have to consider his 
 position and his duty as a citizen of the country from which he 
 comes. Some missionaries, realizing this problem as a peculiarly 
 difficult one in the later stages of missionary work, have considered 
 the advisability of changing their nationality. This question is too 
 intricate to be more than alluded to in this memorandum. 
 
 VII. Present Tendencies in the Missionary Movement: 
 
 A few words may perhaps be added to draw attention to cer- 
 tain tendencies in modern missions which have a distinct bearing on 
 international and inter-racial contacts. It cannot be maintained 
 that these are universal and universally accepted as satisfactory, 
 but it cannot be denied that they are marked tendencies and that 
 a comparison of the movement now with its aspect 50 years ago 
 would fully demonstrate this general line of development. 
 
 (a) There is a growing readiness to confess the faults of Wes- 
 tern civilization, to admit frankly that it is not fully Christian and 
 to approach the Far East, not simply critical of its civilization, but 
 in the belief that West and East together can discover and work 
 out the Christian ethic for our common life more adequately than 
 either country could do alone. 
 
 _(b) There is a very strong desire to withdraw as soon as 
 possible from the predominant place in the Christian movement. 
 This is shown by the many schemes which have been adopted or 
 are now under discussion for giving the contral of the Christian 
 movement to Chinese, the missionary accepting his place under 
 direction from the proper Chinese authorities and making his con- 
 tribution rather as a servant of the Chinese Church than as pioneer, 
 director or administrator. Almost every department of missionary 
 work in China shows marked advances in this matter during the 
 last ten years. 
 
 (c) There is a strong movement towards the elimination of 
 special privileges which have been granted to missionaries and to 
 Chinese Christians under the treaties. This does not mean that 
 missionaries and missionary societies would not be glad to continue 
 the work which they are doing in different parts of China, but 
 many believe that it would be better that some of this work should 
 in the meantime be closed rather than that it should rest upon 
 privileges which have been secured through the treaties now 
 criticized. } 
 
 (d) There is increasing emphasis upon the constructive rather 
 than the destructive elements in the Christian message. Undoubtedly 
 the Christian message does involve the destruction of evils and 
 superstitions. The whole trend of the missionary movement, how- 
 ever, now is to leave the destructive forces to work themselves out, 
 and to emphasize the personality of Jesus Christ and the simple, 
 
 22 
 
= 
 
 essential features of His life and teaching as set forth in the New 
 Testament. This tendency is coupled with a greater readiness to 
 learn from those to whom the Christian message is brought and 
 a much more general recognition of the value of other religious 
 systems. A higher standard of missionary training is being de- 
 manded from year to year, although not all missionary societies are 
 moving in this direction. 
 
 (e) Greater stress is being laid upon the social and inter- 
 national implications of the Christian Gospel. The missionary 
 movement still bases its work on the conception of an individual 
 change of heart, the introduction of new motives and a fresh 
 dynamic into the spirit of the individual who comes under the 
 Christian influence; but it is much more freely recognized than for- 
 merly that it is incumbent upon the Christian Church to study 
 the social problems of the day, to realize the fact that the in- 
 dividual is to a large extent the creature of his environment, and 
 that it is the bounden duty of Christians to study that environment 
 with thoroughness and sympathy and to do their utmost to remold 
 it in accordance with Christian principles. So far as China is 
 concerned, this latter movement seems to correspond to the tendency 
 of Chinese Christians who are not in the main of the introspective 
 or mystical type, but rather tend to judge the Christian faith by 
 its practical results in the common life. 
 
 VIII. The Value of Missions in Relation in the Solution of 
 Race Questions: 
 
 In the foregoing sections an effort has been made to deal 
 candidly and as fully as space permitted with various aspects of 
 the missionary movement which have come up for criticism as 
 proving a hindrance rather than a help towards improving race 
 contacts in the world of today. While laying emphasis on the cen- 
 tral purpose of missions, the writer has not hesitated to face the 
 inherent difficulty of the missionary in fulfilling that purpose nor 
 has he desired to hide or minimize his failure to do so in many 
 cases. Nevertheless he would not be true to his own convictions if 
 the memorandum were to close on the note of defense or merely 
 of explanation. To the writer’s mind the missionary movement has, 
 in the main, been a factor making for better understanding and 
 good will and he believes this is more true today than ever in spite 
 of certain matters to which much attention has been turned. This 
 contention is based upon the following grounds. 
 
 (a) The missionary movement has put into many lands a 
 multitude of men and women of good will who, whatever their 
 faults, have rendered and are rendering unselfish service of a very 
 high grade and are showing by life even more than by word that 
 racial barriers can be overcome and that there is a basis on which 
 the deepest fellowship can be achieved between persons of varying 
 points of view. These lives are the biggest asset of the missionary 
 movement. When many foreigners are frankly concerned chiefly 
 
 23 
 
with profit making or with securing a political and économic ad- 
 vantage for their country here is this large body of foreigners who 
 in the main put these things on one side and work for pure love 
 to interpret the highest things which the West has to offer to the 
 East. | 3 
 
 (b) The actual work done in schools, colleges, hospitals, asylums, 
 churches, etc., has created numberless points of mutual understand- 
 ing, has broken down prejudices, has produced men and women in 
 the countries concerned who have the international spirit and groups 
 wherein race and nation come to take a relatively smaller place as 
 men work together for a still higher unity—the one family under 
 heaven. 
 
 (c) The missionary has, on the whole, acted as a wholesome 
 check upon other aspects of racial contacts inspired by less worthy 
 ideals. Traders who have been guilty of exploitation have been chal- 
 lenged as in the opium traffic and other similar evils. A watchful 
 eye has been kept upon those aspects of the situation which tend to 
 produce friction and not infrequently there have been missionaries 
 who have fearlessly exposed the same. 
 
 (d) On the whole the missionary has sought to interpret the East 
 to the West. Unfortunately there have been some who have put the 
 worse elements of eastern life under the limelight and have thus 
 tended to create a false sense of superiority and so vitiate race con- 
 tacts. But by translation of classical writings and a sympathetic 
 study of the life of other peoples missionaries have also done much 
 to lay a foundation for a better mutual understanding. 
 
 (e) The essential message of the Christian missionary is one 
 of reconciliation. Where that message has gripped men it has done 
 its own work. The incomparable figure of Jesus Christ has won the 
 allegiance of many millions in the East and West alike. He is uni-. 
 versal however national many of His followers may be. There is 
 something in Christianity which breaks through the failure of in- 
 dividual Christians be they diplomats, traders or missionaries. This 
 something is in essence a healing power to our many discords. It is 
 this which ultimately justifies the missionary movement. | 
 
 24