The record-union., 1895-09-03
THE FOREIGNER IN CHINA.

THE FOREIGNER IN CHINA.
Chester Holcombe. for twenty-one
years attached to the American Legation
at Pekin, explains in a San Francisco
! paper why there are outrages in China
upon foreigners. He says that all who
are not Chinese are classed together as
foreign devils" whom to kill is virtue,
because the belief is in many of the prov
/ inces and Subdivisions of the empire
| that the foreigner exercises an evil infiu-
ence, upon children particularly.
Mr.. Holcombe says that the only rea-
son why all foreigners have not been as
sassinated in China is because of the
wholesome fear entertained for these
same foreign devils. Again, foreigners
] have gone into sections held sacred and
there erected dwellings, as upon the
! slopes of Kushan, for instance, and this
! is considered desecration of a holy spot.
/ By foreigners the Chinese mean some
/ times people of their own blood who
come out of some distant part OF the en-
pire, and this statement gives US a clear
view of Chinese radicalism.
Mr.. Holcombe says the Chinese are the
most superstitious people on earth, and
no story is too absurd to be received aimed
against foreigner. as gospel TRUTH"
These people belive the foreigner to be
! possessed of occult power, and hence no
single handed attacks are ever made,
/ but all assaults are projected by mobs,
greater or less, but generally large in
number
The Emperor is really only figure
head in China. and he is powerless to
prevent rioting against foreigners; but
not so his cabinet officers. The Viceroys
run things as they please in the provinces,
and to the Cabinet or Grand Council alone
do they give any heed. The Government
is really not bad because it is an auto
cracy, but because it is SO loose-jointed,
and the responsibilities are so divided.
Mr.. Holcombe does not suggest how
foreigners may secure better protection
in China, but leaves US to infer that there
is really nothing to be suggested on that
head. Probably the best of all ways
would be to get out of the country, but
this the English, French, Americans and
Germans there will not do. They look
to their Governments to secure them in
their lives and property, a task far more
difficult than most people suppose, since
it is against some hundreds of thousands
of frenzied fanatics that remedies would
have to be aimed.
What does seem strange at first glance
is this, that after so many Chinese have
emigrated to America and Europe, and
so many have returned, and those abroad
have for SO many years kept up COM
munication with their homes. there
should still prevail among the masses
such absurd ideas concerning foreigners
such as this. for instance. that they eat
babies, or steal Chinese children to boil
Perhaps, however. this may be ex-
planned by the statement of the fact that
the returning Chinaman, jealous of the
safety of his own hide, is not given to
disabusing the minds of his countrymen
concerning foreigners and just what they
are. Moreover, only the minimum come
! from the interior of the empire, where
superstition is most rank and fanaticism
is uncurbed.
OF one thing Mr.. Holcombe is con-
vinced, and that is that war between
Russia and Japan is inevitable, and that
the opening of the conflict is very near at
I hand. If Mr.. Holcombe's information is
accurate we are justified in drawing the
/ conclusion that China will be involved in
this new war, because it is asserted by
the ex-diplomat that China is secretly
consenting to the conflict, and will not
/ protest against Russia permanently occu-
/ pving so much of Corea as size chooses. 1t
was for this we are told that Russia guar
anteed payment of portion OF the in
demnity wrung from China by Japan as
one of the terms OF peace.
OF course, if this is true, Japan will sure
| ly attempt to revenge herself upon China.
! and while warding off Russian assault in
! front, will attempt to apply the screws to
/ her old enemy in the rear. This all
/ stands to reason; for the drift of events
! points to war between Russia and Japan,
/ and it will be fought out on water and on
Corean soil. So it may come about that
| China will have early opportunity for
revenge. In any aspect of the case the
! outlook for the safety of foreigners in
| China is bad. In peace they are muir
dered or beaten and their goods burned.
In time OF war they will be in still more
danger. Indeed, just now China is the
| best of countries to move out OF.
WHEN the cholera comes as near to US
/ as the Hawaiian group it is time to think