Yes, the problem with leaving all reform to the rich people is that rich people prefer the status quo. They will do everything to preserve their own advantage even when they do condescend to dispense aid to the poor and needy. And don't we all like the status quo which means to keep the things that we like and all things working to our favor? It's just the system, the establishment as it were. Not necessarily anything wrong with that as long as it works for you, if that's what you want. My character in the high school musical "The Stranger" was the "captain" who favored the status quo and failed to see the light dispensed by the mysterious "stranger." We all, or at least I took the play as an allegorical reference
to the Christian message of Jesus as the Light. John 1:1-5: "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him;
and without him was not any thing made that
was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light
shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." We as Christian witness that
Jesus was Himself the Light of the world. Nevertheless, the fallacy of "The Stranger," if any, may be in assuming that all rulers live in darkness and have
rejected Christ or that to be rich means to live in darkness and to be
poor means to be a victim. It ain't necessarily so. There may be rulers
and rich people who also are Christians and poor people who live in
darkness. And anyway, just because I was assigned to sing, "He's A
Fake," does not mean that I myself was not a Christian. It was just an
acting role. No, I seriously doubt that this play was referencing Mark Twain's unfinished novel, "The Mysterious Stranger," in which Satan plays a startlingly major role. I have never read Twain's novel, only know of the title through playing "Authors" card game, no evil hearts and spades and clubs and diamons, only a benign learning experience of famous authors, and am not familiar with Twain's "Dream" vs. "Waking" self theory, and anyway not much credence can be given to Twain's anti-Christian rantings of later life. There is no end of books but not all books should be given much thought at least in my opinion. Not all books are created equal. The Bible is the infallible Word of God. The China Mission Year Book of 1910, on the other hand, is an historical artifact full of 19th century figures of speech that sound peculiar to our modern ears. It is not P.C.
Page 77: "The purpose of the school is to reach the sons of non-Christians of the higher class and to influence them in every possible way, but principally by voluntary religious observances and personal effort." No mention is made of daughters. Presumably not many women were at all educated in the early 20th century, especially not in Third World countries, marriage being the higher calling anyway. Orphans and girls rescued from the streets might be more likely to get some type of education in institutional care. But such were the social conditions of China in its pre-Communist state.
Page 99: "This union institution is under the management of the three Missions — A.B.M., E.P.M., and L.M.S. The union was consummated in 1907, and has been most successful." Obviously consummation is not meant in a sexual sense but nevertheless one rarely hears this word used nowadays in this type of abstract sense. No one really talks this way anymore but really all they are saying is that the various Christian denominations were working together in the management of a school system for a particular city in China, combining resources so that the children of Christian families and also a few outsider non-Christians might get the level of education needed to qualify for university admittance. If Christians are content to shovel dirt for a living then there is no need for Christian schools but if Christians were going to play a role in determining the country's future, as was the presumption of school organizers, then they would need to get a college education and attain the appropriate qualifications necessary for serving in a position of high responsibility within the government. It is not enough to be a Christian. One must be an educated Christian. One must pay one's dues.
We can deplore the wretched state of higher education or we can take the good with the bad because, basically, the alternative is not acceptable.
