The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-13
Why They Seek To
SIay Foreign
Devils"
MISSIONARY TALKS
AT CENTRAL UNION
DR.. II. G. Welpton, a Refugee,
Pictures Conditions in
China.

one OF the most forcible and interesting
pictures Of the conditions in China that
has been delivered In Honolulu was that
given at the Central Union Church last
evening by Dr. II. q. welpton. who re-
turned from China on the Hongkong Ma
ru en- Friday last after several years res
iCence among the Chinese. and Is now on
his way TO his home In the states.
Dr. welpton served at Nanking and
elsewhere In the Yang-Tse valley aa
medical missionary and knows the Chi
nese well and intimately. lie Believes In
them as a nation and thinks that they
will ultimately rise out OF their present
state and become one OF the important
nations Of the world. a Christian nation,
governed by Chinese Christian rulers.
lie drew a sad picture OF the conditions
In China at the present time. with thou
~ rds Of missionaries fleeing for their
lives all over the empire, travelling by
night 70 avoid the Chinese and endeavor-
ins to reach n place Of safety. lie told
of the gathering OF the missionaries In
Peklns and said that IL was difficult for
him 20 believe that tire foreigners there
we're any of them alive.
e'rhere is something that l wish 20 say
of the Boxers" he went on. "for they
have been spoken of as fierce fighting
men they are In reality fanatics. sim
pie. stupid. uneducated. believing that
they can draw from the air spirits that
win fight for them. that they are imper-
vicus TO bullets through the power of the
spirits. They arm themselves. perhaps,
with knives beaten out Of farm imple-
ments. and they carry into the fight a
little god. stopping in the midst of battle
lscmetimes 20 take out these Insignificant
little wooden images and kneeling down
to pray 10 them. The marines who fought
against them said that II was a pity TO
shoot down such men, that IL was the
hardest thing In the world TO keep on
fighting them. for they seemed such sim
lple. poor creatures. IL was not the Box
ers. not these men who proved effective
Iagainst our troops and those OF the al
liss. u was the Imperial troops. welt dis
l-ipiined. well equipped troops, with Max
inns and other field guns and large guam
Titles OF ammunition, schooled In the art
OF war by the best military men of this
European nations. These are the mer
who have held tho allied troops back from
Peking so far. not the Boxers.
1T has been stated by some Englishmer
high In authority that the present din
. culties In China were due to the mission
aries. but this want TO combat. Their
were many causes that led up 10 tn
: lpresent outbreak. but II cannot be sal
: fairly that the missionaries were q
. blame. First among these was the over
throw OF the Emperor. He was a younl
= man of great intelligence. He had be
come interested In Christianity and ha
read the Bible somewhat and been mucl
: impressed with II. lie had taken up ais
the history and literature OF the Englis
: and other foreign languages. He had In
l. arruratcd many unprecedented reforms
Where the missionaries had found insup
ofable difficulties 90 contend with he ha
,; lcrened ways for them and they foun
r their paths made easy. schools wer
J. Opened all over China and the Empero
had even attempted % make use OF som
= ot the old temples for schools But th
En- press DowagCr was a reactionary an
-, she did not approve OF these methods an
y she caused the overthrow of the EmpeI
y Tor. a woman who was stepped In bloo'
- tho vilest woman in all the world. wa
, thus placed In supreme control In Chini
!. Fer fifty years the nation had been SLOW
y ~ advancing. Christianity had bee
ItnTfuulUk EINuuNilN NuI tNtIo
- where; then came the reaction, with tn
woman at the head TO spread the ant
= fc reign sentiment everywhere throug
her domain.
Then there were the railroads. The
we're n fruitful cause OF disaffectio
among the people. Tho foreigners wi
p built them did not understand the peopl
nor did they syppathize with them. The
= bought the right of way from the officia
4; at ridicuiousiy small prices AMI ran the
q. through the country regardless OF u
- Immediate owner and without recompen
inc them In any way. Most OF these pc
pie believe that the spirits of their fathe
q cling TO the places where they hs'
n dweIt: the people thought that n IN
10 ircn devir were permitted to go shrie
lrg through their valleys and towns tn
- they would drive away these protectir
sririts. Then the laborers brought
the railroads into the peaceful countr
"a sides were OF the worst class, ard tn
p nistrcated the people frightfully, stea
>. ling their household goods and carryli
away their pigs and chickens. Then VIII
- tho people would rise 20 protest agair
IN these outragcs there would be riots a
the engineers would mount their hors'
of shoot into the mobs and ride away
L. safety. They treated the people outra
IA lect sly, and II II little wonder that tn
49, Learned 20 hate the foreign devils
~ "stlu another cause was the droug
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