Sketches from Formosa.

XXVII
GRAVITATION PILFERING OUR CANDLES
THE missionaries in China do not seem to have much
of a Servant-question to trouble them. This may be
because (i) they require to learn the language of the
people around them ; and (2) because a higher level of
morality may reasonably be looked for from youngsters
who make a profession of Christianity when coming into
service. I am quite aware of the opinion sometimes
expressed by mercantile and other foreign residents that
so-called Christian servants are morally much worse than
those who make no profession of religion ; and, when
one considers the weakness of poor human nature in all
of us, there can be no doubt that cases of the kind must
occasionally be met with. An instance recently occurred
at Hong-kong, where Mr. Tan refused to leave his post
without obtaining a certificate of character, and was
supplied with one to the "
following effect : I certify
that the professing Christian, Tan Ching, has been em-
ployed in my kitchen for eighteen months ; and that,
with honesty, cleanliness, and some knowledge of his art,
he might ultimately become a good cook."
Although of a somewhat different type, I may here refer
to another case, in which the chief actor comes before us
neither as a professing Christian nor an illiterate coolie.
Mr. Loa was a native scholar, who was engaged to do
copying work, and to drill us into the mysteries of the
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