Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1895.

Te Aroha News, Volume XII, Issue 1760, 17 August 1895, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1895.

• This above all—to tblna own self be true, And it must follow aa the night the day ( Thou oauot hob fehon be false bo any man.SUAKJCSPKABE.

Ajn extract appoared in this j ouTnal on Wednesdayr last, from an article by u Zamiel ” in the Auckland Star, ini reference, to mission work in China, j It may have been supposed by some, I from the position which it occiipied in this paper*, and the typo in which it ' was set, that we approved of the • sentiments contained in it. Such, however, was not the case; as in our opin- 1 ion a more offensive and uncalled for , attack on a noble missionary enterprise has rarely appeared. The sneeririg|tone of the article in question is also most strongly to ho condemned at the present time, when several of the most devoted young Christian workers of the present day, have been killed in China under .circumstances of the greatest atrocity, arid the lives of othersare. also fearedto .be in great j peril. Even/by • the few, ■ who may differ from, the policy of Missionary enterprise, all possible respect. should be paid to the devotion and solfdenying heroism of the noble, hearted men and women, who go to labour as Missionaries in the great Chinese Empire. Not only do they of ten endure very great hardships ; but their lives are often in danger from tho unhealthiness of the climate, and the violence of fanatical mobs. “ Zamiel ” snoers at the result of Mission woi’k in China; but has he ever considered the stupendous difficulties of the task, and is it possible that he is ignorant of the succes s which, in- spite of thpse difficulties, has-been achieved. “ Zamiel” sneers at those whom he calls “ young Mission Zealots,” and the “ self-glori-fication of a Mission to China.” It is difficult to conceive of anyone, with a spark of right feeling at the present •'moment, when any day tidings may come of further murders and acts of cruelty, using language like this. The good sense of all right, thinking men, must revolt aksuch sneering and offen-sive-expressions. The main point, however, of “ Zamiel’s” article is to show that there is so much vice and wickedness in New. Zealand, that we ought to leave China alone, aud concentrate all our efforts in these Islands. “ Zamiel ” speaks of „ “ the hundreds of young girls living a degraded life in the.streets of New Zealand,' whom no hand is raised jio save.” It is sad, very sad, that thero ave so many poor yo.uagcreatur.es. leading lives of shame in the towns of New Zealand, and every effort should be made to rescue them from their present condition, and give thoip fresh .chances of leading happy and virtuous lives. It is, thowever,.an absolute falsehood, as well as a gross libel on the. people of ’New Zealand j to say that “.no hand is raised to save them ” ; as if “ Zamiel ” x’oads the papers of the day, he must be well aware, that continued efforts are put forth in Auckland, and other large towns, with that .object in 'view. “ Zamiel ” speaks also of Rotorua, and the degradation of tho natives there. It must be acknowledged that the state of some of thorn is deplorably sad, and the most painful part. of it- is, that their degradation has been mainly paused -so competent' authorities fell us —by unscrupulous residents and Jb'u’t surely* “ Zamiel ” does uoriinoan to say that nothing has been dohe to raise them from thestate of degradation,to which someof them have sunk. It may be true, that “ Charity should begin at home ” ; but it isequally true that it should uot end there. It would bo an evil thing for tho world if it did. It is a gross libel on-.the people "of® New Zealand to affirm that in these Mauds “ no hand is raised to save ” the fallen and the lost; and it is a ’cruel and unmanly thing to sneer at those who, at the peril of their lives, may think it their duty to go and labour as Missionaries in the Chiuese Empire. W. S. Alle.v.