Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-11
THE KOLAo HUI.

The Society That Ii Making the Trouble /,
Chins-Ths Most Powerful in the Land.
The Kolao Hui, the secret society to whicl
the recentanti-foreign outrages in the Yang -ts
valley, says the London Times, are attributed
is at present tho most powerful of these trou
blesome organizations In China. II wa
founded in the turbulent andclannish PROVING,
OF Human, where considerable numbers Of mel
are drawn for the Chinese army. Unlike many
Chinese secret societies, it is on-religious ani
IL largely military. II has existed for about
fifty years, and attained great power among the
Human men on the imperial side in the TAPPING
| rebellion.
At first the object seems to have been mutual
protection against the plumber and extortion
practiced by the civil officials I'm dealing with
the pay and maintenance Of the troops, and
this object is still preserved. Officers rs well
as private members and the authorities who
are supposed to have i'll treated the troops are
punished by assassination, the destruction OF
their houses and property, and by sudden and
destructive riots in their districts. 1t is be-
lieved that the ceremony Of initiation consists
In killing cock and drinking tho blood, either
alone or mixed with wine. This has always
been a common practice with all Chinese Sc
cret societies.
The Kolao Hui IL also believed to import the
mysterious and supernatural into their pro-
ceedings by the use of the planchette, a pencil
being suspended over a board sprinkled with
sand in such o way that when moved the
point leaves marks in the sand. The movement
is attributed to occult influence and the leader
OF tho society present interprets the signs,
which then take the form in the minds Of the
members OF Divine commands. The planchette
is, therefore, kind of oracle, and has played
an important part in many Chinese associa-
TONS The kolao Hui in course of time adj
mitted to its membership persons who had no
j.. wit, ill.,. the army and it. also
thought they saw danger to their
country in the presence of Europeans,
or IN the propagation of Christianity in
China, or whether it was merely part Of
their policy for humbling and furnishing
local officials, it is certain that the society
has long been known as anti-foreign, and
especially anti-missionary. The persecu-
tions OF the French priests and their cOngre-
cations in Yunnan and Szechnan for years
past have been attributed to the Vaccinations
OF the kolao Hui. The members revenge each
others private wrongs. and many join it for
that purpose only. The ticket of membership
Is usually small oblong piece Of linen or cal
leo stamped with a few characters, two of them
being the name China. The possession of
these, ii discovered, especially in troubled
times. Is immediate execution at the hand
OF the authorities. Frequently members are
enlisted by fraud. They are induced on one
pretense or another to sign their names in an
innocent looking book, which turns out to be
a roll OF the members. and then they are afraid
TO draw back lest the society should take ven-
geance. The subscriptions vary and are not
generally heavy. When funds are needed more
members are enlisted, sometimes in the man
Ter just described. The subscriptions usually
go to the leaders, who provide arms and the
men for desperate enterprises.
The White Lily Society, which was the most
formidable Of all Chinese secret societies and
which had its origin religious and vege-
tartan association, is rarely heard of now; it
was broken up at the commencement of the
century. Triad is mainly Cantonese society,
and has its members wherever Chinese emigrate
III large numbers. Every province has its own
secret societies. which are the terror and de-
spair Of the local officials. The Kolao Hui has
been attacked by powerful vicerOys again and
again, but it has grown and fourished, owing
to the tinidity and corruption OF the magis-
trates and local officials.