The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-27

resulted in murder after murder. But in
reality the root of all the hatred with
which Christians are regarded Is that
they disapprove of what they regard as the
idolatrous worship of ancestors. The cere-
moby is part of Confucianism. The edu-
Gated Chinaman is willing TO laugh at
Buddhism or Taoism. but reverence for
his ancestors is one OF the passions or ms
life. One may call a native Chinaman all
the bad names in the vocabulary, and ne
may not resent il; but q WORD against MS
ancestors will arouse his most vindictive
fury. When a man dies in China ms son
prepares a wooden tablet resembling a
small maidstone. which is deliberately dec
grated and marked with the words. .Shen
Chu," meaning spirit Lord" and 'Shen
Wei meaning spirit Throne" This Is
set up beside the coffin, but there Is one
dot absent in the word "Chu.' and one In
the word 'Wei."
IMPOSING THE RED DOT"
AT the appointed time the mourners gath
er about and some high official approaches
the tablet.
Hand up the vermillion pencil" says the
master of ceremonies, and a red lead pencil
is given to the official.
May it please our distinguished guest to
turn to the east and receive the breath of
life" says the master.
The official turns and breathes upon the
pencil.
Impose the red dot" says the master,
and the official completes the two words,
chu and wei. Afterwards he covers them
with black, and this IL is sup
posed, invests the tablet with the fndividu-
atty Of the deceased. In the funeral pro-
cession the tablet occupies a place of honor
beside the coffin and afterward 1t Is in
stalled in the home of the eldest son, who,
for three years, morning and night, makes
an offering before it. Then 1T is placed in a
shrine with the tablets of his other ances-
tors, and, in common with them, is rever-
enced at various times during the year.
There has always been a question as TO
whether this practice is idolatrous or mere
ly reverential, whether it is religious or
merely social, and had the early mission
aries been willing to accept II all CHINA
might possibly have been Christian, or at
least si-Christ to-day; but the Pope,
after some hesitation, pronounced against
it and the Protestant churches have fol-
owed suit, n 1t has remained ever since
a practically insurmountabie barrier De-
tween the two peoples.
About ten years ago the missionaries had
enjoyed peace for some time. and regarded
the future as full of hope, but on May 10,
1891, two nuns. who were going nome from
a visit TO some sick people, were NAL
treated by a mob, who charged them with
bewitching children. The mission houses
were plundered, and this was the signal
for the renewal of the disturbances all
through China. These became worse n
worse, exciting more and more resentment
in Europe, until, at last, some German
priests were murdered and the mission
looted in Shan-Tung. This was followed by
the seizure by the Germans of the port OF
Esin-Tau.
The Shan-Tung Chinese connected these
two events and swore vengeance on the
Germans, and. incidentally. upon all for
eigners and Christians. 1t was at this time
that the Long Sword Society began to
make itself obnoxious.
BOXERS BOLDER THAN EVER.
They had previously been prescribed by
the government for local reasons and tenn
porarily suppressed. but now they became
holder than ever and i~naugurated a reign
of terror throughout Shan-Tung. Native
Christians were robbed, beaten and MUIR
dered and their houses destroyed. Many
OF them were forced TO recant, and some
of the chapels were looted, but no mission
aries were killed. So bold was the action
of the society and so fragrant their out
RACES that Yu Hsien, the Governor of
~Shan-Tung, was ordered to proceed against
them. This man had only held office since
last spring. He was inexperienced, and
was promoted through the favoritism or
the Emperor.
In October last, under compulsion, he sent
a force against the Great Swords, who had
taken the field with the avowed intention
of wiping out the Christians. On Oct. IS
the two armies came together. One hun
dred rebels were killed and many wounded,
and the rest. including the leader. fled.
The victors returned jubilant to the Gov
ernor, who. however, far from being
pleased at their report, was thrown into a
fury. He degraded three of them and sent
a report to Peking that the so-called rebels
were merely a congregation of honest coun-
try people whom the soldiery had attacked
and massacred without right or warrant.
Thus at a single stroke" writes Henry
D.. Porter. of P'ang-Chuang, In the Out
look, 1.-The Governor paralyzed the action
of every official, making 1t impossible for
them to act as they clearly saw was best.
The leaders who had skunk away after the
fight quickly discovered that the Governor
was on their side, and within two weeks
every man of them was in his place again"
Mr.. Porter, who is a mis-
sionary, goes on TO say that in the districts
of Kao-Tang and Ping-Yuan there began
a campaign of pillage, arson and murder
which is awful to recall. The whole coun-
try west Of Chinanfu, in this province, and
as far north as Shen-Chou. in the province
of Chilli, famed up into anarchy at once,
and the track of ruin was widespread. In
many counties of Shan-Tung every Roman
Catholic home was swept clean, and hun
dredS of Protestant Christians suffered. In
response to appeals from the missionaries
the miscreant Yu was suddenly removed.
and the famous Yuan Shin K'ai a friend of
Ii Hung Chang, was sent to be the Gov
ernor.
A CAMPAIGN OF PILLAGE.
But before the authorities in Chill could
be made to realize the real import of the
struggle one hundred Protestant families
had been looted on the borders of the yell
low river, west of the provincial capital.
An equal number of Christians of the Lon
don mission in Chilli had suffered, and
fifty or more Congregational families had
been attacked, despoiled or mulcted of
money under threats of loot and pillage.
The most serious of these were at Chang
Ssu-Ma, in Chilli, and Ho-Chia-T'un, I'm
Shan-Tung. In the former the native pas
tor was driven from his home, while the
chapel and chool were Quilted and de-
spoiled. Four families were driven from
cealed treasures of books and medicines
and scattered them to the winds.
AT the Congregational mission, in Ho-
Chia-Tun, a band of two hundred rushed
into the village, Quilted the station resi-
dence and looted the chapel and the homes
of the helper and his brothers, besides
robbing the adjoining home of a wealthy
neighbor. The terror was continuous for
months.
AS a climax TO these outrages came the
murder of a young Church OF England mis-
sionary named Brooks, a smooth-faced.
cheerful boy of twenty-one. In going TO
join a brother missionary in Shan-Tung he
passed through a village where a band of
He might have passed through in safety
had not a little girl raised the cry Yang
Kweitzei" or foreign devil.
Instantly the rebels were upon their feet
and had surrounded Brooks. They pushed
him about. called him vile names. and at
last. while some held him, others thrust a
hook through his nose. TO which a rope