Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-07
A FORBIDDEN CITY.
Or. Wolfe. German Traveller, Spends Two
Hours in Chang. Sha.

Some curious details are given in let
tiers from missionaries in regard to the
visit of a German traveller. DR.. Wolfe.
to Chang Sha, the capital of Human.
which never before had been entered
by a foreigner. 1t seems that the doc
tor gained his point and entered the
forbidden city, but his visit was mere
farce, as he was not permitted to go
about in the city or to see any OF its
features. He simply was carried in
closed chair to the Perfect's room in
one of the government halls. where he
was entertained with REFRESHMENTS and
an hour later was taken back swiftly
in the same way.
Human is the province of China which
has gained notoriety as the most bitter
ly santi-foreign and anti-CAristian of
any in the empire. For years the Man.
DARN, in charge of the telegraph ser
vice attempted to connect Chang Sha
with the other large cities of China,
but he was forced to give up, as the
people burned his poles and threw his
workmen into the nearest river or
pond. Only three years ago an effort
was made to run the telegraph line to
Siberia through one corner of Human,
but native prejudice was still so strong
that the wire and poles were destroyed
and the workmen were driven beyond
the boundary of the province, and
warned under pain of death not to re-
turn. 1t is only within the last year
that an imperial decree was issued or
dering the Hunanese not to modest the
builders Of the telegraph. 1t is ex-
%I,ot ho ir,~ fov mr. b.:
will be connected with the rest of the
world by telegraph.
1t was at Chang Sha that the afro
eious books attacking the Christian re-
hgion were published about eight years
ago. Chou Han, literary graduate
and a man of means, was the author OF
these libels on Christianity, which were
illustrated with pictures too vile to de-
scribe. DR.. Griffith John, a we'll known
missionary. exposed the authorship o!
the books and described the publisher
who was sending them out. Through
Ii Hung Chang an imperial decree was
secured prohibiting any further publ
cation Of the books, and an order was
issued for the destruction of the wooden
type from which they were printed
This order was evaded by Chou Har
removing the type to his country place
45 miles away, but a curious feature Of
the matter was the change Of heart or
the part of Chou Han. DR.. John SEM
him letters calling his attention to the
injustices Of attacking q religion o.
which he knew nothing personally. HI
also sent Chou Han the Bible in Chi
nese. with considerable literature tina
explained the chief tenets of Christian
hy. Chou Han made no reply, but hi
publisher, who is now one of DIR. John!
friends. assured the missionary tina
Chou Han had ceased to rail agains
the Christian religion. though the stor,
OF his conversion was without foun
cation. Chou Han appears to be a mar
OF much nobility Of character. for h
mas given away in charity the create
part OF large fortune, retaining only
small farm sufficient for the support o
himself and his son. Formerly whei
ne visited Chang-Sha he put up at on,
OF the temples; now he stays at :
cheap hotel.