THE MAO CASE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 365, 28 October 1932, Page 6

THE MAO CASE

ONE

WHO KNOWS

To the Editor. Sir, — I am sorry to see that a perverted version of the Mao case has filtered through to your news columns. I thinlc it very unfair that the whole blame of this unfortunate case should rest on the Chinese, and as a missionary to China, returning after a period of more than 15 years, working and living amongst the native people, I protest that such an article which makes out that a white girl going to a Chinese home would be ill-. treated and used with cruelties, is misrepresenting the case. This young white girl is the daughter of a Maori (if not, a Maori-Portuguese) mother and a German father who teaches in a school at Townsville, which allows Chinese children to share the classes and playgrounds with the white p'opulace. This girl was evidently brought up with Chinese children as playmates and later got intimate with a Chinese resident there. Unfortunately, nowadays parents allow girls to go about alone and find their own society and when it was found this girl had given herself to a Chinese man and was to bear a child to him, the parents arranged a marriage, presumably regardless of the fact that practically all Chinese men are bethrothed in tender years to maidens of their own people. Not only so, but they were warned of the consequences of the marriage oy competent people. The girl returned with her husband to China, and, of cours'e, did not like the life she was expscted to live there, :-t surely the reason of that was her previous upbringing and not the fault of the home. How could she expect a Chinese home to be like a western one V How could she expect to be jreceived with open arms by her mother- ( in-law when she could not spealc a 'word of Chinese and was ignorant of the first duties of a Chinese wife? As for ill-treatment, etc., the day she should have gone on to Tai Ping she refused to pack or gst ready, saying she wished to join her husband at Canton; and her Chinese friends rang up the Salvation Army and advised sending an officer to persuade the girl to return home as her mother had sent her passage nioney. The girl was in touch by letter with her mother in Townsville all the while she was in China (which was only four months) and on board expressed her determination to return to China the following spring. If we white people cannot keep our girls out of mischief why throw the blame on a race of p'eople who, in the main, are honest and industrious and good traders with us? — I am etc

THE CASE.