to one man. What opportunity had I? When an occasional missionary came
to me with the gospel of Christ, I looked upon this man as one of my
enemies--a man from the nation that had robbed me of my opportunities;
and, my Father, why should I listen to him, especially when he spoke in
a strange language? Am I to blame that I come here empty? Am I to blame
that I must go away?" I believe the Lord would turn to us and say,
"Inasmuch as ye have not done it to one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have not done it unto Me." And, speaking for myself alone,
I would rather at that last day be in the place of that darkened
Indian---savage, barbarian, pagan, as he is--than in the place of the
Christian that knew of his need and would not help him.

* * * * *

THE CHINESE.

DOES RESTRICTION RESTRICT?

As a son of Maine, I am one of those who believe that prohibition _can_
prohibit, and will do so effectively, if you will give it a fair chance,
but I doubt whether restriction restricts, and have expressed that doubt
in these columns more than once already. But we have been favored with
fresh lessons on this subject, in its application to Chinese
immigration. Chinese women are held in our San Francisco market, at
prices ranging from nothing up to about $2,000. The soul, being that of
a woman, has no value at any time, but the body, till worn out, is held
at a fair percentage of its weight in gold.

Such being the demand, a supply became assured. No artificial barriers
could exclude them. There would soon come to be some "Open Sesame" which
no bolts could resist. As a matter of fact these women have been landed
in numbers so great, and with an effrontery so flagrant, that even the
Chinese Consulate now takes the matter up and puts to shame the
appointed executors of American law. As to persons of the male sex, they
come by various routes: some with certificates sent out to Hong Kong by
our own officials to be sold there and viseed by themselves on this side
the sea; some come with strange stories of previous residence--stories
confirmed by their vivid recollection of deep _snow_ on Clay Street, and
of _Chinese_ conductors on our street-cars: some come smuggled from
British Columbia, across Puget Sound, and others cross the invisible
line between Canadian soil and that of our own _free_ land with none to
say them nay. Meanwhile some of our recent officials who have grown rich
with strange rapidi