The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-08
Nor Are They Spontaneous Up
risings, but Fomented BY
Conspirators.
Aveneipx the Overthrow of tho TAPPING
Rsbellion ny the Ta.tar Forces
under Gordon.

are Christians. Il 10. indeed, 10y
any outrage ever committed against Chm
tians ii the empire was inspired BY fam
aticism or religious intoloranoe. Inc
Chinese are not and never have been re-
licious fanatics. They are ominently toler-
ant. Among themselves they have various
scots. but d member Of one does not hesl-
tate to Worship at the altar OF another.
Nor indeed, does any Chinaman show any
hostility toward the 1eligionS Of foreignors
"A religions. He is perfectly ready TO, offer
prayer to the deity of the Christian, the
Jaw or the Mohammedan. Ask him why,
and he will ask you in return, why not!
Perhaps it may do good; certainly it can do
no harm.
But If the Chinaman be not a religious
fanatic, be is intensely superstitious. No
one is more credulous of myths. His own
religion peoples tho world with a multitude
Of potent spirits, and what he has learned
Of other religions adds in his mind other
multitudes, some good and some evil. Air.
earth and water swarm with genii. Every
tree, every wave. every shadow, every
breeze, is occupied ~ = being of super
human power. These Arits are. usually
uuiet and pood-natn But it is easy to
offend them, and Wi5vt. offended they be-
come raging demons Ml.Ss wrath can only
be appeased with great sacrifices. 1t there,
fore behooves every one 10 be on MS guard
constantly lest he vex some spirit ana rouse
its displeasute against him.
And this oredulity is not. as some might
suppose, confined to the more ignorant
classes of the population. 1T IS universal.
The mandarins OF highest degree a'e sub
iect to it just no much as the humblest
coolies. Nor does there seem to be any
1fr,it t, tina ~ af.kicag of this bnliHf. Incl
hari-kari of the Japanese is an extraordl-
nary performance, but it is nothing COM
pared with suioids in China. for here sui
eide is piacticed as q means Of vengeance.
II q man have q mortal gruoge against a
neighbor he will not kill him, as q western
barbarian might do. Not at ali. He will
kill himself instead. He will 10 this on
the obnoxious neighbours property; perhaps
drown himself in the we'll or hang himself
TO the rafters Of q building. Then, he be-
lioves, his spirit will forever haunt that
spot and be able to mako his enemy's life
miserable. Such suicides are much com
moner i'll many parts of China than mur-
ders and deadly assaults are in America, al
most sscommon asssimple assault and bat
terry. -,
it be set down that these disturbances are
di; ected against foreigners rs foreigners.
not against Christians rs Christians, and
that theY are not a spontaneous uprising
Of tho PEG lie, but are cunningly fomented
by shroWd political conspi ators. 1t Will
then be easy to understand their real
animus. In view of the O edulity and
superstition Of the entire nation one can
see how easy it is for an incsndiary propa-
nandlst to rouse the public mind to utter
and unreasonlne fury. 1t 10 only necessary
to tellthem that their evils, illness, bad
harvests. heavy taxes, floods. hres, any
thing and everything, proceed from the
wrath of some offended spirits. They
believe it quickly enough. In,
deed, that is their first thought
out to them some plausible object of ths
spirits wrath and the work is Done. The
train is laid and explosion is inevitable,
Moreover, the Chinese are. above all other
people, subject to leadership. or them
selves thag are nothing. But give them a
capnble leader aud they are transformed.
An impressive instance of this was seen in
the TAPPING rebellion. It was nothing in
the world but the lsaaag ship of Gordon that
transformed the W etched mob of the i'm
:. portal hosts into the ever victorious ARMY.
In like manner the able lenders of the
present conspiracy are directing the oper-
atoms Of millions with absolute mastery.
The heart OF tho whole matter. however.
10 suggested by the mention of Gordon and
the TAPPING rebellion. The fact is that the
massacred Christians of to-day are simply
paying the penalty of Gordon's successes.
For many a generation Ia rtars have occu-
pied the dragon throne and the empire has
been governed by them. Rude barbarians
from Manchuria have lorded it ovee the
native population. Ever since 1913 the
they form but Il handful compared with
She true Chinese. their own capacity for
r. leadership has enabled them to maintain
themselves IN power over the leaderless
Chinese. 70 this Tartar rule the Chinese
have for centuries ascribed the wrath
of the spirits who have sent all the evils
that have afflicted China. The only
wav in which those spirits can be pro-
pitiated lies in exciting the Manchus and
replacing the true Ming dynasty pom the
dragon throne. Then there will be no more
plaques, no more fires. no more floods, nc
more bad h~arvests, but the kingdom will
indeed be fowsry and the empire truly
celestial in its peace, prosperity and happi-
ness.
AS the world knows, this political revolu-
tion was on tho very point of being accom-
plished by the TAPPING wal. For once the
Chinese found themselves possessed o
leaders competent to lead: at any rate. ia
superior to the leaders of the Tartar faction
So they arose AGAINST the Nanchu usurpers
and seemed likely seon to drive them from
the land. The imperial government wa!
beaten at every point, and was at its las
hopeless extremity when Gordon came to it
relief. That marvellous man, alone and singl
handed turned the day. The rattan walk
Ing BUCK, WHICH Wdb HIS Only WSl pOn
served as an enchanter's wand to effect tn
most marvellous Transformation scene eve
Witnessed upon an earthly stage. Tn CHI
nese rebel armies we're still the drawer an,
more numerous. But the government
forces now had the better leader, and il
China leade ship ia everything. Under til
dominant sway of this Christian foreigne
the native Chinese millions saw their ur
mies routed. their leaders slain, their rebel
lion crushed, the hopes and aspirations {
centuries blightea IN the very -FOUR of fri
ition, and the chains of the hated Yarts
riveted upon them again more secured
than ever.
1t is not surprising, then. that the CHI
nese should regard foreigners as respons
bio for the perpetuatlon of their nation,
slavery; nor that, cherishing us ardently
ever their ambition of expelling the MAJ
chus, they should first turn their WRATH,
attention to those who prevented such e1
pulsion years before. The anti-Christin
riots, then, must be regarded entirely
that light. They are China's vengeance fl
the crushing of the TAPPING rebellion, ri
u manifestation of China's unqusnchab
desire for self-rule. The blow ia struc
primarily, at the present Tartar dynast
II falls. however, first upon the foreig
population, because foreigners are su
pissed to be the protectors and presesvers
that dynasty, as, indeed, they have bee
Every foreign missionary, or tIadsSma
or traveller, il looked upon as an emissa,
or a patron of thu Tartars. Under the
circumstances it is not strange that Il
Chinese leaders have been able to stir