TO ALL FRIENDS OF CHINA IN 
 AMERICA 
 
 Letters Just Received from Dr. Arthur H. 
 Smith, Dr. W. A. P. Martin and Bishop 
 J. W. Bashford on Work of Rev. E. W. 
 Thwing, Oriental Secretary of the Inter¬ 
 national Reform Bureau. 
 
 The changes which are taking place 
 in China are so sweeping and so sud¬ 
 den, that it is difficult for those in 
 China to comprehend or even to keep 
 track of theMr—much more so for those 
 in America. New ideas are coming 
 into prominence, new practices new 
 methods of dealing with^^vils. 
 
 China is caught in t^Bbrtices of 
 many strong currents, ancWwv Chinese 
 understand whither they are swiftly 
 drifting. Moral reform is much talked 
 
about but little practiced. As in other 
 countries, but in a higher degree, 
 “graft” and greed have the middle of 
 the road, and there is not, as in Chris¬ 
 tian lands, any public sentiment in 
 China against them. Indeed the very 
 expression for such a sentiment is as 
 new as the thing itself, though that 
 sentiment is growing and is capable of 
 cultivation. The Chinese are in need 
 of moral support in their efforts and 
 ^ struggles for reform. 
 
 One of our American ministers said j 
 of Air. Thwing that as he understood it 
 this is just what Mr. Thwing is trying 
 to do, and is doing. That is what the 
 rest of us understand also. Mission¬ 
 aries are doing and have done a large 
 work in China, and it is growing, but 
 they are unable to act as free lances, 
 and it is undesirable that they should 
 do so. Politics and actual contact with 
 administrative functions in China must 
 be kept distinct from ordinary mission 
 work. 
 
 But in Mr. Thwing’s altogether ex¬ 
 ceptional case, owing to appreciation 
 of Chinese in high office of the value 
 of his gratuitous services, he is able to 
 do things that others have not done 
 and can not do. He is persona grata 
 to the Chinese, for the reason that he 
 is giving himself to the help of China 
 without asking or expecting anything 
 from them. Foreigners in China who 
 are in this position (and not connect¬ 
 ed with missions of any sort) are very 
 rare. Mr. Thwing lias had the priv- 
 
ilege of sending telegrams, free of 
 ^cost, to governors of provinces, and 
 others, securing reports on the actual 
 __ conditions in opium suppression. He 
 has had interviews with the leading of¬ 
 ficials of China, from the President, 
 "" the Vice-President, the Premier, and 
 many others down, and understands 
 their point of view, and, what is of 
 _ more importance is understood and ap¬ 
 preciated by them. The name of no 
 __ other foreigner is so familiar to all 
 " ranks of Chinese (in the northern prov- 
 _ inces at least) as that of Mr. Thwing. 
 This is because he has succeeded in 
 finding entrance, not only to the Chi¬ 
 nese mind, but also to the Chinese sym¬ 
 pathy as well. 
 
 ~ Tlie total amount required to carry 
 on the work of the Reform Bureau 
 (thoroughly hated by some of the for- 
 .. eign officials and by many of the for¬ 
 eign “interests” in China) is rela- 
 _tively trifling. We do not want an ad¬ 
 ditional society in China, but merely 
 ..adequate support for work already ex¬ 
 isting. There are many friends of 
 China, who for various reasons, prefer 
 '"to give their support to something out¬ 
 side of the beaten track and where the 
 ^results, because isolated, can be dis¬ 
 criminated from the rest. The sup¬ 
 port of Mr. Thwing’s work is precisely 
 ^ of this type. The writer of these lines 
 has had knowledge of it from its incep¬ 
 tion, and has no hesitation in com- 
 mending it as a most useful form of in¬ 
 ternational service, not to China only, 
 
but to the world as related to China, 
 because it intends to improve China it¬ 
 self, an aim in which w r e must all 
 agree, whatever differences there may 
 be in the methods of achieving it. 
 
 Will not some friends into whose 
 hands these words fall, look into this 
 matter and “lend a hand” at a time 
 and in a place where the results are 
 not likely to be disappointing either in 
 the present, or in the future ? 
 
 (Signed) Arthur Id. Smith. 
 American Board Mission, 
 
 Tungchow, Peking, China. 
 
 December IS, 1913. 
 
 The fact that the Chinese Republic 
 has taken a firm stand against opium 
 is due to the influence of your bureau. 
 But for your efforts the old interdicts 
 must have lapsed and the growth of 
 the poppy would have been freed from 
 all restraint. Not only have you (ad¬ 
 dressed to Air. Thwing) attained as¬ 
 surance that the Government will wage 
 war on this inveterate vice, but you 
 have assisted in the destruction of 
 large quantities of the noxious drug. 
 
 Friends of China can not do a bet¬ 
 ter service than to support your bu¬ 
 reau in its anti-opium crusade. 
 
 (Signed) W. A. P. Martin. 
 American Presbyterian Mission, 
 Peking, China, Dec. 18, 1913. 
 
EXTRACTS FROM RECENT LETTERS OF REV. 
 
 E. W. THWING. 
 
 The International Reform Bureau, 
 under the charge of its Oriental Secre¬ 
 tary, Rev. E. W. Thwing, is rendering 
 a notable service to China. Mr. Thwing 
 enjoys the confidence of the leaders of 
 new China to a very remarkable ex¬ 
 tent ; and his great service in the 
 opium reform is rendering the double 
 service of increasing China’s high re¬ 
 gard for America and at the same time 
 helping a fourth of the human race to 
 destroy one of the greatest vices that 
 afflict mankind. 
 
 (Signed) Bishop J. W. Bashford. 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 
 Peking, China, Jan. 13, 1914. 
 
 “We are constantly l'eceiving re¬ 
 quests for literature against many of 
 the existing evils in China, but have 
 had to put them off with the promise 
 that we hope to be able to secure the 
 means with which to supply this liter¬ 
 ature within a short time. If we can 
 not fulfill our promises, our influence is 
 going to be greatly damaged, as the 
 public will soon learn that our words 
 mean nothing. If ever China needed 
 help, it is now. We are unable to give 
 the help we might and should because 
 of the lack of funds for literature, and 
 trust that you can secure some from 
 some source.” 
 
‘ ‘ I am supporting the work entirely 
 out of my own pocket at present as 
 there is not a cent in treasury for 
 printing and current expenses. This 
 can not go on indefinitely so I feel 
 rather discouraged at not receiving any¬ 
 thing from Washington. Although the 
 Chinese have given something for the 
 definite purchase of this fine lot in 
 Peking, which is the property of the 
 International Reform Bureau, its diffi¬ 
 cult to get them to contribute towards 
 running expenses. The small amount 
 we require ought certainly to come 
 from the friends at home.” 
 
 American Christians have so far fail¬ 
 ed to respond adequately to the Reform 
 Bureau’s many appb&ls for the support v. 
 of Mr. Tliwing, though he is unqualiP * 
 fiedly endorsed by the highest Chinese 
 officials and by the leading mission^ 
 aries of many churches. His salary 
 and that of his assistant is provided 
 for by Mr. A. A. Hyde and Dr. J. L. 
 Thistle, but he needs a large fund for 
 the free distribution of literature, not 
 only on opium but also on liquOYs, 
 cigarettes, gambling and impurity. 
 
 Will YOU help NOW by a contribu¬ 
 tion or pledge? 
 
 Y 
 
 Addrkss: 
 
 INTERNATIONAL REFORM BUREAU, 
 206 Pa. Ave., S. E., Washington, D. C.