The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-09-21
Strange Performances ON Dress Pa
Z rade of the Secret society Now In
Revolt In China Their Strong
Faith In Trances-some of Their
Curious superstitions.

the Rev. DR.. Francis e. Clark, presi-
dent Of the Christian Endeavor society,
In The Independent. BY these frances
they are supposed to render themselves
tnvulnerable to foreign bullets and
western arms of every description.
The new recruit is thus drilled and
prepared for battle: First, he bows to
the ground three times, knocking his
head on the earth, until after many
drillings the hair is worn off and
scar appears which in many places is
the honorable insignia of the Boxer
the only sign by which he can be dis
tinguished from his more peaceable
neighbors. After these three profound
bows he must repeat nine times the
name Of certain god. Then the head
Boxer strokes the face Of the recruit
with mesmeric passes or sometimes,
standing behind him, waves his hand
In true hypnotic fashion until the raw
recruit suddenly stiffens out, his eyes
set and bullying, his muscles rigid and
tense.
After going through with these ma
neuvers certain number Of times he
becomes immortal so far as foreign
weapons have the power of inflicting
death, and we are soberly told that you
can stick knife into him and he will
not bleed; that you may hack him with
swords or spears, and he will show no
sign Of feeling.
One of the parts for this curious
dress parade is for one Boxer to fall
upon another with his heavy knife,
slashing him apparently with the ut
most vigor, but making no impression
upon him, as many veracious eyewit-
nesses soberly affirm. 1t is a fact
worthy Of note, however, that wher-
ever the foreign bullets have actually
had a chance to do their work the
Boxer, though thoroughly mesmerized,
has bitten the dust like any common
mortal. But his friends keep their
courage up by saying that his death is
only a temporary affair and that he
will surely come to life again if given
time enough.
Fortunately for the missionaries and
the native Christians, the Boxers are
!, arrant towards. Most of them come
from the dregs of the populace, and
their superstitions are worked upon
by a few skillful leaders, who are often
more than suspected of being Buddhist
priests in disguise. A harmless tele-
scope in the compound of the Tungcho
college, which is mounted in the open
air and swathed for protection from
the elements in oilskins. is supposed
by the Boxers to be piece of modern
artillery and is an undoubted protec-
tion to the missionaries.
1t is equally fortunate that these
Boxers are as poor as they are igno-
rant and deluded. They apparently
have no guns or ammunition. unless
fintlock. Their weapons are spears
and huge swords or knives, which are
almost too unwieldy for any mortal
to use with effect. Because Of this
favorite weapon they are sometimes
called the Broad Knife society,"" In
a recent battle between the Catholic
Christians and the Boxers in the neigh
borhood Of Paotingfu the Christians
moved their adversaries down by the
score, and one missionary has told me
that with repeating rifle or revolver
he thinks he could keep something like
100000 Boxers at bay. eff you have
not a pistol" he says. "take out your
spectacle case or jackknife and point
1t at them and they will give you a
wide BERTH
+ The occasion for this outbreak of
a. Sc, a,,I% rs
The empress dowager Jezebel now
upon the throne plays into the hands
Of these reactionaries and, while pre-
tending occasionally to issue an edict
against them. really encourages them
with secret messages Of her esteem.
Foreign inventions, too, have begun to
come in like q flood, and each one Of
them is regarded with suspicion and
distrnst. The new railway from Tien-
tsin to Picking, which is now stretching
on it's ever lengthening way to Han
kow, is believed by many to be under
laid with the bodies Of children; alter
nately every sleeper is boy and a
4 virgin, and a virgin and boy. The
wells are thought to be poisoned and
every Chinese thinks himself in danger
Of the dread supernatural influence Of
the hated ''redheaded foreigner"
In the midst of this excitement, anx-
Lefty and turmoil too much cannot be
said for the courage and quiet heroism
< Of the missionary forces. have seen
no one who flinched or showed the
white feather. They come and go
about their daily ministrations as
though no mob threatened them upon
the streets and no Harmonious Fist
ers" were drilling in the next COM
pound They keep open their schools
and chapels and hospitals and boldly
travel on foot or on their wheels from
B place to place as though no thunder
cloud that might at any moment shoot
out destructive lightning lowered
above them.