REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS 169 



of the early missionaries, not coming within the scope of the book, are 

 not touched upon. 



One puts down the book with a renewed perception that the brunt 

 of the battle for toleration of Christ's religion in China was borne 

 by the Roman Catholics into whose hardly-won gains the Protestants 

 entered after 1842. It is impossible to conceive more complete self- 

 sacrifice than was shown by these devoted men ; but it is to be feared 

 that their records, mainly written in Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, and 

 French, are not remembered as they deserve to be in these hustling 

 times, arid that those of other communions who come on the same 

 errand to-day, are too ignorant of the first pioneers to give them the 

 reverence and the gratitude which are their due. 



Lastly, the Kiao Ou Ki Lio sets one longing ardently for more 

 light on the whole past of Christianity in China, from the Chinese 

 side. The finding of the Nestorian monument, and the Tun-huang 

 discoveries have but whetted the appetite for more. Archeological 

 researches may be relied on to yield much important information. 

 May not valuable manuscripts also yet be unearthed, telling of those 

 early times? We have some of the writings of Dr. Paul Hsu and 

 other high officials and literati who embraced Christianity ; but did no 

 non-Christians give their view of the new teachers and their religion 

 during the time both were in favour at court? Did pride of race 

 forbid it? or did subsequent disfavour cancel it? Again, those 

 Christian communities which the good Fathers planted through the 

 provinces, and were often forced to leave, only to find they were 

 missing when a return was possible ; are there no records of what took 

 place? Were those little groups of Christians worn away by attrition, 

 like the Jewish Colony of Kaif eng foo in recent times ? Or were they 

 all forced to choose between recantation and instant death ? Are we 

 never to know these things, or are there records hidden away biding 

 their time? 



Some day, some Chinese Gibbon with plenty of material before 

 him and years of research behind him, may tell these things ; and 

 all about the connection (if any) between Nestorianism and certain 

 secret sects ; and the Christian members of the Imperial family of 

 Ming ; and the relations of the Chinese with the Christian Alani who 

 fought for the Great Khan. We envy the readers of that great book, 

 which we shall not live to see. C.E.C. 



