Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-08-29
A TERRIBLE SOCIETY
THE CHINESE vEGETARlANs WHO
MURDERED THE MISSIONARIES.
Meat Mysterious Secret Order-Bent on
Pfliage and Murder-Disliked and Fear.
ed by Government and Peopie-soms
Account of Them.

The Vegetarian society Of the Chi
nese empire is at the present day the
most talked about but the least under
stood secret society in tina world. The
horrible massacre of Europeans by its
frenzied members the other day is now
U matter of history. But Of the society
itself, its aims and tenets, its history
and membership. little has been known.
The blow already struck, unreasona-
bic and unaccountable, may be repeat
ed. IL il be true that the enormous
membership Of this organized band of
assassins approves of the Ku-Chang hor-
ron then other terrible murders may be
looked for.
The Vegetarians are Buddhists of the
strictest sort. They carry out this doc
trine so far in their daily life that not
only no meat, but no milk or butter, ev-
or passes their lips. Taken altogether,
they form one great secret society, re-
garding the membership of which prac-
tically nothing is known.
Politics undoubtedly colors Vegetari-
anism TO its utmost core. Whether or
not the man who passes you on the
streets <f a Chinese city is a Vegetarian
is something that cannot be told. He
certainly does not say.
Also there is grade after grade of
Vegetarianism. Some of the devotees Of
this doctrine absolutely abstain from all
kinds of animal food permanently.
These really ARE the true Vegetarians,
but quite as well TO DO included with
them, should any sort Of political ont
break come, are the men who only alb
stain from meat a portion Of the time.
One sect, for example, refuses to touch
any sort of animal food for the first "a
days of each month, its members being
perfectly at liberty TO eat meat the re-
naming week. Another sect leaves meat
alone rigid:y ON certain days Of the
week and ON other days eats it. Ali
sorts of grades and shades make up this
great party. 1t is a party much TO be
feared.
One branch of this society says, "For
every four ounces of meat you use in
this life you will have to pay back eight
ounces in tho next. Another way that
they put it is that the chief doctrine of
simple Vegetarianism is "a means of
rectifying the heart, accommodating mer-
it, avoiding calamities in this life and
r~etributive pains in the next.
OF all these organizations the govern
menr heartily disapproves, for it sees a
constant danger and menace to it in
their enormous strength and power.
There are so many Of them, and they
differ so much in minor principles that
every grade of feeling and opinion is
provided for. Money these societies
seem to get in unlimited quantities
from somewhere-where it cannot be
said. At all events, they have ample
funds to push their propaganda and TO
gather In new members constantly. One
society may partially die ont or become
weaker, but another is always ON band
to take its place and grow stronger ont
of this very weakness.
That the secret societies in China are
exceedingly dangerous to the interests
OK peace III the Chinese empire it is easy
TO tell from the lawless deeds that are
done by the gangs Of men from the low
er classes who make them mp. In the
CbuAdS GinIIlCNs liibN CttITy OH pcTSO4is
for ransom; they plumber wherever any
plumber is 10 be had; they assume the
role of policemen and sail in pretended
revenue cutters, stealing and carrying
of women wherever it is possible.
They also have an arrangement with
the farmers Of their locality by which
they get regular ''indemnities'' from
them, the farmer understanding per-
fectly well that if he does not give these
'~'indemnities" the society viii carry
off his crop when it is ripe. before he
has a chance TO harvest il.
In the cities they fire houses at night
and carry off property ard people living
in the house under the pretext Of saving
them.
Besides this they have an
able dislike for foreigners of every kind.
The antiforeign and the Vegetarian ele-
ment are, in fact. one and the same.
They are q constant source of danger to
the stranger within China's gates
New York Word.