The Foreign Mission Journal.
309
During the rainy season, when the mud
lay fifteen inches deep in the streets of San
Francisco, a Chinaman, dressed in violet
satin, was picking his steps over a plank
at a crossing, when a citizen advanced
from the opposite direction and jostled
him in the mud. The sight of the China¬
man floundeting in the mud greatly de¬
lighted the crowd. Having recovered his
footing, and shaken the dirt from hissatin
robe, looking mildly around and bowing
politely, he said: “You Christian, me
heathen ; good-bye.”*
Some writer has well remarked that
when our own heathen ancestors were
skulking in the forests of Northern Europe,
the Chinese already had a respectable civ¬
ilization. A thousand years ago, China
was the most civilized country on the
globe. The reports brought back by Mar¬
co Polo, the famous Venetian traveller,
of the magnificence of the Chineseemperor
and of the splendors of his court, were re¬
ceived with wondering astonishment in
semi-barbarous Europe.
Chinese civilization seemed to come to
a stand still, while that of Europe con¬
tinues to advance. Nevertheless, much
remains in the “Great Middle Kingdom”
that deserves our profound respect.
I had intended to write on other points,
but lack of space forbids.
L. Moox.
The Geary Exclusion Act.
This act purposes, not to restrict, or re¬
gulate, but absolutely to prohibit Chinese
immigrants, of all classes, from landing on
our soil, exceptingonly Chinese diplomatic
representativesor otheroificers, with their
households and servants. All other Chi¬
nese persons entering this country in any
manner whatever, even for transit across
the country, are made subject to arrest
and to imprisonment for a period not ex¬
ceeding five years. after which they are to
be returned to the country whence they
came. If this be a contiguous country
they are to be sent to China. Not only do
these provisions apply to subjects of
China, but to all Chinese, whatever
country they may be citizens of. All Chi¬
nese now resident inthiscountry must ap¬
ply to Internal Revenue collectors for cer¬
tificates showing name, occupation and
residence. All who do not, within a year,
secure such certificates, are to be treated
as criminals. Severe penalties are pro¬
vided for those who aid Chinese to get
into this country contrary to law.
Our missionaries, as foreign teachers and
representatives of a foreign religion, have
* This story is borrowed, partly in its very
words, from Ilepworth Dixon.
been quite as objectionable to many in
China as are the Chinese on social and in¬
dustrial grounds to many here. That China
has deeply felt the brand which our Exclu¬
sion act has placed upon her citizens alone
of all the nations of the earth, we have
known perfectly well ; hut she has patient¬
ly borne the affront and received kindly
and given prompt attention to all our
complaints of ill-treatment of American
missionaries on her soil,
The passage of this hill is a shame and
a disgrace to us. It discredits our consis¬
tency, our foresight, our diplomacy, our
national breadth and courtesy. It pro¬
poses to shut tight to citizens of the great¬
est nation on earth the doors that swing
wide open to the Hottentot and the Hun¬
garian, to the scum of other nations,
European and Asiatic. We cannot but
believe that it misrepresents the spirit of
the people of this country. — N. Y. Indepen¬
dent.
As the time approaches for carryinginto
effect the Geary Law, there appears con¬
siderable difference among the Chinese'
with regard to it. The Six Companies in
San Francisco have issued a new circular,
officially and openly advising the refusal
of compliance with the law, and have
raised a fund, which already amounts to
about 360,000, to fight the law. The
iegal representatives in New York City
will be the firm ol Evarts, Choate & Bea¬
man. The plan is that on May 6th a
Chinaman is to be arrested; the lawj-ers
will immediately demand his deportation ;
a writ of habeas corpus will be issued, the
prisoner remanded, and the matter re¬
ferred for final decision to the United
States Supreme Court. Meanwhile a large
number of Chinamen are registering in
different parts of the country.
The Chinese government will probably
protest, and failing, retaliation will follow.
There will be no recourse to arms, but
there will be an abrogation of treaty
rights, all commercial communication will
be shut off, and the government will cease
protection to the 1,500 American mer¬
chants and the several hundred mission¬
aries in China.
A Successsul Plan.
The article, “Something Better than
Fairs and'Oyster Suppers,” in the Foreign
Mission Journal of last September, sug¬
gested a plan to us. Now we have been
for years martyrs to those tiresome fes¬
tivities, (?) and we eagerly welcome any
suggestion to do awa\’ with them. After
we got our frontier missionary box off
last December, valued at $105, we nearly
