THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CALIFORNIA CHINESE MISSION.
REV. W. C. POND, SAN FRANCISCO.
By virtue of a tacit understanding, a place is given, year by year, in the course of the meetings of our General Association, for the Anniversary of “The California Chinese Mission.” This meeting was accordingly held this year at Sacramento, October 12th. It shared with the American Home Missionary Society the evening service. A large congregation was present. Rev. J. K. McLean, D.D., president of the mission, occupied the chair, and conducted the devotional exercises. The reports of the Treasurer and of the Directors, (some of the main points of which may be found in the Annual Report of the A. M. A.), were read by the Secretary, and stirring addresses were made by our helper, Mr. Fung Affoo, and by Rev. Joseph Lanman, of Woodland, and Rev. Martin Post, of Stockton. A very satisfactory token of the interest of the meeting appeared in the goodly number and generous amount of the offerings received.
THE GENERAL ASSOCIATION ON THE CHINESE QUESTION.
The action of our General Association on the Chinese question has excited attention and surprise among our Eastern friends. I am not prepared to defend it, and do not believe that it is defensible. Yet it was not so bad as to the spirit that prompted it, nor so bad in itself as to our Eastern friends it will naturally seem to be. The mistake was in meddling with a question on which we could scarcely speak at all without being misunderstood. The resolutions adopted were three: the first, in emphatic terms, rebuked lawlessness and riot; the second, in terms equally emphatic, endorsed the missionary work among the Chinese; the third set forth the perils attending Chinese immigration, and urged some modification of the Burlingame treaty and the adoption of any other just measures which may restrict this immigration. The fault and the danger is, not so much in what was really said, as in what will naturally and easily be inferred. For the first two resolutions will be taken as practically meaningless;—designed simply to smooth the way for the last: while the last will be interpreted as a surrender on the part of Christian people to the hoodlum element; a cowardly backsliding of Congregationalists in California from the position as up-holders of the liberties and rights of men, which our churches here and elsewhere held so bravely in the years gone by. The following extracts from a paragraph in the Pacific, truthfully represents, as I believe, the real sentiments of the Association:
“Christians in all parts of our land have long felt that, if any ‘just’ method could be found of restricting immigration, whether European or Mongolian, our country’s future would be less full of peril. But they have not felt that, for this purpose, it could be safe to violate the inalienable rights of men, or contradict those truths which our forefathers declared to be self-evident, and which constitute the very vitals of our body politic. And in this view, as we humbly believe, our General Association would be found in unanimous accord with Christian people elsewhere in our land.”
THE WORK.
The story of hindrance from cruel race-antipathies has been so often told of late, that to continue it would be tedious. But the hindrance still exists, and what with the meetings of so-called “workingmen,” held every evening to nurse a mob-spirit, and the perpetual droppings of venom from our daily press, we cannot tell when it will be removed. “Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that are His.” And while the attendance on our schools is diminished, and one of them is for the time suspended, still the Spirit finds and saves His own. At our next communion in Bethany Church, we are expecting to baptize and welcome to membership five Chinese; and several others, as I understand, will soon present their names to the First Church in Oakland. We do not hasten this step. All who are thus received, have been on probation in the Association of Christian Chinese, for six months or more, and they come before the church only when recommended by vote of their brethren. Meanwhile, others are listening; and we hope to reap our harvests even in the midst of the storm. Mrs. Denton, writing from Sacramento, says: “Our school has been one of unusual interest this past month (October). ‘He leadeth me,’ seems to be the choice song of my pupils. After singing it last evening, I explained it to them:—how God leads us by his word and love, through care, sickness, sorrow, death, on towards heaven. All were so attentive, that I felt sorry to see the hour-hand pointing to nine. The harvest truly is ripe.” Another teacher writes: “To those engaged in the work, every week gives fresh proof of the power of the simple truths of the Bible to reach the heart, and elevate and purify the life. They say, ‘I hear about God’s love for us all—how Jesus came to die to save us—that is something new. Then when I hear He with us all the time, ready to hear and help us, I think it much better to pray to Him than to idols; and now I pray to Jesus; I know He helps me.’ It is the unanimous testimony, when asked what they pray for, ‘I pray Jesus help me do right—to know more about the right way.’ So we are not disheartened, for surely they that be with us are more than they that be against us.”
Words of cheer from other quarters might be cited, but I fear that I have trespassed already too much upon your space.