Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-17
OUTBREAKS IN CHINA.
Professor Headland's Experience
With a Mob In Picking.
HOW HE TREATED A sooUEDREL.

Continual lnBurrecttonB That some
times start From Trivial Causes.
Methods Used In Creating q Dis
Z turbance-IneHacIen OF the Army.
\ Remarkably Able Diplomacy of the
Chinese.
There is probably no country in
the world that has, and has always
had, so many and large uprisings as
the empire of China" said Isaac Tay-
Tor Headland. professor of mental and
moral philosophy in Picking university,
to a representative Of the New York
Sun. Naturally a people Of peace,
they are yet a people of war-no, not
OF war, but of family squabbles, for
their uprisings, except in extreme
cases, do not rise to the dignity Of
war.
when there is strong emperor at
the head OF the government, they are
peaceful. but when, as in the present
instance, there is a woman on the
throne, the whole empire is turned into
a quarrelsome harem, with the en-
press dowager in the character Of the
trouble for the whole world. AT such
a time rioting even on a large scale
may be precipitated by the most trivial
causes.
LET me describe an experience
through which my wife and 1 passed.
My wife, who is a physician, was going
In a sedan chair to see a sick woman.
7 81 hav.
Just as we were passing through the
east gate. of Picking company of sol
diers came out OF side street and
started the same way we had to go.
My wife was compelled to get out of
the chair on account of the muddy
streets. The crowd that had gathered
to see the soldiers called us foreign
devils. 1 suggested that we cross over
and go down n side street. AS we did
this n hoodIum came out of a corner
shop, with nothing on save a pair Of
trousers and a pair of shoes, deter
mined to raise a row. He followed us
and gathered a crowd, who began to
throw bricks, stones, dirt and mud,
while the original disturber Of the
peace got close enough to kick my wife
several times without my knowledge.
Then he kicked me, and knocked him
down and was about to step on him
when several friendly Chinese stepped
between us and him, themselves re-
ceiving many of the blows which were
aimed at us. For nearly n half hour
we were in the mob, and, while
not seriously injured physically, both
our nerves and feelings were badly
hurt.
II call attention to the fact that the
mob was started by one scoundrel, or,
as the Chinese would call him, a fer
tn tzu "a man who incumbers the
ground-in effect, u loafer), and some
of the better class risked their own
comfort and safety to protect us. The
city authorities issued an edict at once,
the scoundrel was arrested, and a
wooden collar about two feet square,
which he had to wear for a month, was
put about his neck.
when it is designed by any of the
hoodlums or the members of a secret
society to create a disturbance, about
the first thing they do Is to placard the
city. The announcement is first cut on
O board, the operation costing 80 cents
perhaps. From this rude engraving
thousand copies These are given to
the members of the society and are
sent to different portions of the city TO
be posted on the walls of the houses or
courts. but more especially near the
city gates and at the cross streets, for
In these localities they will be seen by
the largest possible number. The word
Is then passed from lip TO lip, and this
81, l
report gossip. No people In the world
perhaps are greater gossipers than the
Chinese. They tell everything they
know and everything they can think
about
This is especially the case at Tien- |
tsln. The Tien-tsinese, or. as they ara
sometimes called. 'Tient sinners
which they most emphatically are, are |
constantly placarding the city, stating |
the day they expect TO attack the for |
eigners and massacre them or drive !
them out. Even the Tient sinners, |
however. are not so bad as the Mo- |
hammedans. as is indicated by the |
prOverb which says, Ten oily mouthed |
Pekingese can't outtalk one lippy
Tien- tsinese. nor can ten lippy Tien-
tsinese outtalk one thieving aIoham-
medan.'. Tien-tsin. like all the other |
ports, has suffered from its intercourse
with foreigners With the en-tsinese /
II is much as some hold il to be with |
the new woman-'she has ceased to be |
a woman and has not yet become a
man'-they have ceased to be purely I
Chinese and have only become for
eignized to the extent OF drinking inn
ported wine. beer and whisky. smoking !
cigars and cigarettes and swearing. A
Tien-tsinese who knows not n word of /
respectable English Is often able TO
swear very fuently.
1T is sometimes said that tae upris-
.ngs and outbreaks, riots and mobs in
China are caused by and are mainly
against the missionaries. Such reports