470. An Arrow from the Quiver of Satire

And there, too, is the example of a Christian city. Why should we send

missionaries to China, if we cannot convert the heathen when they come

here? When missionaries go to a foreign land the poor benighted people

have to take their word for the blessings showered upon a Christian

people; but when the heathen come here, they can see for themselves.

What was simply a story becomes a demonstrated fact. They come in

contact with people who love their enemies. They see that in a Christian

land men tell the truth; that they will not take advantage of strangers;

that they are just and patient; kind and tender; and have no prejudice

on account of color, race or religion; that they look upon mankind as

brethren; that they speak of God as a Universal Father, and are

willing to work and even to suffer, for the good, not only of their own

countrymen, but of the heathen as well. All this the Chinese see and

know, and why they still cling to the religion of their country is, to

me, a matter of amazement.

Ingersollia Gems of Thought from the Lectures, Speeches, and Conversations of Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, Representative of His Opinions and Beliefs · 第 493 / 549 题