64 The Truth about Opium.

have had professional dealings with thousands ofthem—all were heathens. In very rare instancesChinese professing Christianity will be met holdingrespectable positions ; but I do not believe that anyof such people are sincere. I had myself a clerk forabout twelve years; he was a young man educatedat St. Paul’s College, in Hong Kong . The Collegeis now closed, but when in existence the pupils theregot an excellent education, and were also well clothedand fed. They were not only taught Chinese , as isthe case in Chinese schools, but also to read and speakEnglish well. When he went to the school he wasnot more than seven or eight years old, and left itprobably when he was fourteen or fifteen. He wasan excellent clerk, a highly intelligent young fellow,and wrote and spoke English well. Now, if everthere were a case where a lad might be expected tobe a sincere convert this was the one. He had beenstrictly brought up as a Christian , read the Bible regularly, and was more kindly treated than he wouldhave been in many schools in this country. Eventhat boy was not a sincere convert.

When about eighteen years of age he got married,as is the custom with the youth of China . Oninforming me of his intention, he asked me to pro-cure from the Superintendent of Police the privilegeof having “fire crackers ” at his wedding, a heathencustom, supposed to drive away evil spirits. Ireminded him that I had always believed him aChristian ; when he said, “ Oh! it’s a Chinese cus-tom.” However, I got him the privilege. But