Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-09-05
Chinese Officials Who Came to the
Defense Ofjhe Missionaries are
Justly Praised.
Williams Who Fabrieate Stories to
Create Trouble are Found Nearly
Everywhere.
Women and Children Transferred TO
Shanghai During Riots Formented
by Malcontents.

The history of Christian missionary
work in China is full Of prosecutions and
barbarities, which can only be compared
to the sufferings of the early martyrs of the
church. The reports of riots and threat
ened revolutions, together with the accom-
panying horrors, all involving the mis-
sionaries and converts in the empire at
the present time, are therefore no novelty
to those familiar with the past.
That they have called forth imperial de-
cree ordering the governor generals and
other functionaries to suppress the demon
strations drainst the Christians serves to
allay the fears of the friends of the mis-
sionaries, but it really affords but little
protection for the individuals themselves
so long as Chinese conspirators are en-
Couraging revolutionary ideas IN the cen
trail provinces.
Many theories are advanced to account
for the present demonstration against the
missionaries IN the "Flowery Kingdom.
Several different things have a bearing
upon the matter, but unqu5stlonably back
of the entire trouble Is the socialistic so
ciety OF the Koaghwei or Elder
Brothers, ~ which was formed shortly af-
the Tai ping rebelliod in 1861
This society is composed Of soldiers who
have been retired. Until within a year or
so ago these individuals were pensioners
of the government. At that time, in the
interest Of economy, the government abol-
ished the pension list and at once disc0n
tent followed The Brothers" incensed
at the government for its action and also
at the Tartar dynasty which at present oc-
cupies the throne, have set about to retail
ate. They are against economy, and hope
to accomplish their designs by involving
their country in war with some foreign
power, or obliging it to pay heavy indem-
mites to the countries the property Of
whose citizens or subjects they damage or
destroy.
The famine in the Yangtse Kiang coun-
try, the schemes to place a Chinese en-
peror on the throne, and several other OBJ
jects and conditions of the people aggra-
yate the difficulty and render the present
demonstration particularly serious To the
Christian missionaries and native Christian
clergy and converts.
The true reasons for the agitation are,
Of course, withheld from the mass of the
people who assist in tearing down the mis-
sionary stations and in killing the inmates
craduious, and it Is an easy matter for a
few daring reyolutionists to play upon
their creduhty As Is we'll known the
missionary work at present is confined al
most solely to children They are educated
in schools first, and are taught Christian
morality and religion as they increase in
knowledge
In China the opinion prevails that the
ID d
Christians as a powerful remedial agent,
In fact the most potent and valued med
iciue known In some instances, as at
Woo-llOo i'm May last, the report was cir
cuated that the Catholic missionaries
solictude for the welfare of children was
but a subferfuge to gain their confidence
ana then TO kill them for their eyes and
brains. 1t is even said that the fomentors
of the trouble spirited away and even kill
ed native children in order to give cred
euce to the hide0us lies. The io0ting of
the mission followed as a natural conse-
quence.
Again, when the mission was demolish-
ed in Tang Yam Hueu, in the province of
kiang Su, the reason assigned was that
the mission building pressed too heavily
upon the veins of the great dragon, whom
an Chinese venerate. The weight of the
masonry it was said, was retarding the
flow of blood in the dragon yeins--it
was stIungling This idea was carefully
spread among the populace, and when
they became thoroughly aroused they
raised the building to the ground and re-
heyeo the earth dragon of the pressure
Ii has been noted that, while both
Catholic and Protestant missions have
suffered alike, an the majority of cases
the former have more frequently been the
object OF attack than the latter This is
accounted for partly because the
Catholics have many more missions and
converts than the Protestant, and also
that they as general rule, own their
property wuiIe the latter occupy their
premises by lease. The earth is a thing
divided TO the Chinese, and the possession
of ans portion of ID by foreign devils. y
as al Europeans are termed, is regarded
hv the ignorant class rs proclamation
This also has been used as q means of
starting uprisiugs
UP To tie present time there has been
los, of life so bar as can be learned, in
but one instance. That was at Wusuch,
IN tine province 0f Hupek, where an
American missionary, Mr.. Argent, and an
English customs official Mr. Green. were
crushed 20 death by having stones Of en-.
ormous weight heapea upon them
I'm addition 20 the riots at Woo-Ho0 and
Wusuch, there have been others at Tan
Yang Huea lianE-ehow, NanA1E, SON
wang. Sa..aow and numerous other
stations, mostly confined to the central
provinces of The empire.
The Rev. Or. H. y Lyon. vino Is in
charge If the Presbyterian mission ~ 500
chow. which is about thirty miles south Of
the Wusucb has written 10 the officials Of
the board Of foreign missions Of that
church describing briefly the outrage at
his station He says
when the wave Of excitement reached
Wusuch we began Il feel somewhat appre-
bensiye; though On Monday. June S the
day the Roman Catholic mission ut Nv 10.
Hoo was burned, I preached to q quiet.
well behaved audience at my Chang-msu
chapel
.oa Tuesday 5gue 8, by 10 o'clock in
the morning, the news Of riot al Wus1cb
reached Soochow, and the excitement was