Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-18

my words should save 90 terrible = :,'l.
fment. How WILDLY nov can l cecai
the shudder that passed through Nrs.
|, Stewar; when shc said; 'Tcu know that
they say they WIN burn us out: ~E1;
shall We 60 II they set fire 20 CT. hsuscr
"Whcr ought n missionary 70 stay q.
his post, and whcr. ought lie leavc IT,
must always be di1.cg.t question %
decide. Sometimes tire :s.h % duty 81
clear. bat often Il IS not 40. No one can
have lived in China without Knowing toat
rumors are numerous ana mostly false.
and tho difficulty Stewart must have l,ei
was TO know what was true and what
WAS unfouided. / rec0lsct bis saying To
, me: IL only we were sure that they real
~ would attack US, but there have been
So many rtIrnors that one does not know
what 10 believe. IL We DO leave the CHI
ncss Christians, Of course IL viii be taken
for weakness. How can We tell them 20
remain FIRM " we run OF oursolvosP WI
not or running Of IN all probability be
ta<ea as I signal for general prose
cutlon Of the Christlans?'
NO one thought IL likely that the CHI
neas would thus brutaily murder those
poor women and children NJ Kucheng In
fact. speaking from my own experience.
should have considered that women and
children might DE a cause Of safety. May
! give one personal "Reminiscences 20 Illus
trate this: !; was my privilege TO take
up my wife and child as the first Euro
peln female missionaries to reside inland
from fcochow l remember well. "a day
after day passed. snd as We got further
from the treaty port. | felt 50 absolutely
alore there came fear that perhaps
after all my nlfe and child might not
be well received a, our destination. A
we landed. after . nights journey In a
boat, We we're met by crowd. From
that crowd an oil woman came forward,
took my lit.!e one IN her arms and smoth-
cred her face with kisses. II was a
token Of peace, OF welcome. OF safety.
SECRET SOCIETY.
80 far, In the past. IN Fuh-Kien,
though foreigners have been attacked. no
ore has been killed. All through our
mission has been most careful no give
no cause FOR offence. Any one who knew
Stewart knows that all his life he was
most cool, collected. aud thoughtful. This
T.; no case of a young missionary goini.
against Chinese prejudice-quite tho re-
verse. He was an old. experienced MIS-
slonary-one Of those whom the Church
Missionary Society sent with MIR. Eugene
Stock on n special mission 10 the colonies:
one OF the meekest and mos, lovable OF
men. loved ana respected by the Chinese.
why, then, was h, thus cruelty MUIR
deredP Some years ago there was trouhs
on the Yang-Tza IL was discovered that
there was secret society IN China
whose object was to overturn the EN-.
Iire. It's leaders were arrested, tried. and
executed: and the Chinese authorltle,
gave out that n was at an end, But it
was not. The causes which had brought
IL into existence stlll continued. thssa
being all that lies IN the two words chi
nesc oi'icialiom.' and what that IA no
one who has never lived I'm China can
understand. Quietly this society has been
growing and extending, and in the rough.
wiia parts or kuchens IL found warns
welcome. The officials knew or H. but
took no action. At last the officials ar.
rested one member OF II. He was tr,ai
and ordered 10 b. beaten. but the other
members Of the secret society surrounded
the official residence and threatened IN
XIII the officer. and wtre only appeased
when the mandarin publicly thrashed hi,
own secretary 10 please them.
"Henceiorth all order was at an end.
ana the leading members Of the secret
society really became rulers OF thu, mar,
Of the country. They gave out thar soon
all China would be- theirs. that the poople
had only 90 Join them and all would be
well; that when once thoy were In power
they would reward their followers. peopld
Hooked 10 them in numbers, though thew
were careful 10 enrol only strong men
who would bee able to fleht one mcrnber
knew another by certain words that wera
- be introduced into conversation ona
with the other The officials stlll dii no.
thing either at Kucheng or Foochow.
AT last they planned % XIII the OF.
hclal at kucheng. The fact that 4, was
reported AT Foochow eight days tourney
away on the day that he was 10 bq
/ Killed. proves that Il was n private plot
! but It was found ont just IN time Ths
foreigners were called into the city and
were asked to aid In its defence and
were prepared 10 do So believe from
the city walls n village burned by tia
rebels could be seen.
IN vain the Consuis. both British and
United States. insisted on some action bee.
ing taken-that troops should be sent.
The Nlceroy / believe. was lavish In
promises. but did nothing beyond with.
drawing the official and sending another
in his place. lie sent no soldiers Mat,
ters quleted down. The ladies' and chill
drcn. who. after being shut up in IN,
city for three days. had been sent IA
Foochow, returned to kuchenS.