Evening star., 1900-07-23
Two Missionaries Write of the Boxer
Movement.
DIRECT RESULT OF REFORM S
This Country Has Great Opportu-
nifty to Do Good.
AVS OF XCITEM T

A letter was received In this city yeSter
| day from Rev D. L. Anderson, a mission
ary of the Methodist Episcopal Church
South, who has spent eighteen years in
China and is now on his way to Shanghai
where his wife and daughter are. Dr.
Anderson came to this county during last
May, intending to remain here until fall,
| but the status of matters in that empire
has caused him to bring his vacation to
an end.
In his communication DR.. Anderson ex-
| presses the opinion that there is no doubt
that the present trouble in China is large
| ly the result of mission work. There have
| he says, been other influences injected
| such as were brought to bear by mer-
| chants and by the great companies seeking
| to open up and build railroads through the
empire, but the chief influence IS mission
work.
.For several decades, the writer states,
| the missionaries have scattered through
the Chinese empire, not only preaching the
Gospel, but coming in direct intercourse
with the people. and have also distributed
iaVishly millions of copies of different kinds
| OF bookS-rellgious, scientific and moral
and works on political economy. all over
the empire The result of all this Is that
large party in favor of reform chiefly
made up of educated and cultured men
| has been reared.
Just after the Japanese war" continues
Dr. Anderson, "the emperor, Kwang Hau
placed himself at the head of this reform
party, and. by company of young, intel
| fgent officials, endeavored to reform every
department of China's government. The
reform edicts were heartily received by
the intelligent mass throughout the en-
plre. Then happened in China what has
happened in every other country where
real moral reform has been undertaken.
Ihose opposed to reform, headed by the
empress dowager and certain Of the older
tor to !,
whole spirit of reform
me emperor was practically imprisoned
and such of his advisers as could be caught
We're promptly beheaded and a system Of
bitter persecution was inaugurated through
out the empire against the reform move
ment.
The present troubles in China are simply
fulfilment of Christs words Think not
that am come to send peace on earth, but
sword The sword has always followed
the introduction of light and knowledge
among any people. The history of the
world will sustain this statement The best
possible proof that mission work has been
successful In China IS found in the present
enorts of the anti-reform party, headed by
the dowager empress. to crush out reform
work
1T is my opinion that the war can have
put one ending; the anti-reform party at
Pekin will be crushed out and a stronger
government will be set up by the allied
powers. Another result will probably be
that all China, the whloe empire. will he
opened up to trade and general foreign In
tercourSe
"As to the nations themselves T have
seen nothing that would indicate mutual
Jealousies and disagreements that some Of
, 1ne newspaper correspondents speak Of
lLey seem TO be acting In perfect harmony
at T1en Tsin, and are hampered in their en-
deavor simply by the smallness of the
ioIce If there is finally any disagreement
between the nations as to the China ones
ton, 1t will hardly be in evidence unrii tba
war is ended.
Great Opportunities.
I'm the final settlement of the ouestion
the United States holds strong or rather
unique position, in that she has the conf
dence both of the European nations and
emma itself. Notwithstanding the cry of
imperialism and expansionism that we hear
all through this country China and the
great powers of Europe have confidence in
America, because it is certain she is not in
the land-grabbing business
IL our government will measure up its
present opportunity, 1t can do much in es
tahiishing peace in China, and. what is far
more important, peace among the Euro
pean nations. So far the trouble in China
seems to be confined largely to the section
where it first broke out. l have seen moth
ing 10 indicate that 1t has or will spread
INTO the central or southern provinces of
China The great viceroys who govern
these provinces have the power and the
Will TO preserve order throughout their ter
ritory.
81 think the appointment of Ii Hung
Chang to be the viceroy of the Chilli prov
ince will aid greatly in the settlement Of
the difficulty. Ii Hung Chang is u very
able man, and probably understands the
situation as well as any man in China and
knows the utter impossibility for China to
fight successfully the whole world He has
advised against the whole Boxer movement
frcm the beginning, and especially has he
sought to preserve the lives of foreigners
La Is, above all things politician and is
always on the strong side. The strong side
now, as he well knows, will be the side
of the allied powers, and we can confidently
expect that he will place himself on that
side"
Another Missionary.
In a letter received from another mis-
sionary, who is supposed to have been able
to make her escape from Pekin and to be
now in Chefoo, there is the following in
formation in relation to the Boxers: THE
Boxers. as you perhaps know, are secret
organization, whose expressed object is
protection-presumably against foreign ag-
gression. Whether the empress really be-
lieves this is their object or not is hard to
say; but certain 1t is they have all along
had her secret Endorsement, and SO they
have thriven until now the foreign Office
declares they are too numerous to put
down, in reply to the demand of the Brit
ish. American and French ministers for the
cessation of their outrages.
when the Boxers started a year ago
in Shantung and the foreigners demanded
redress soldiers were sent with a great
show to subdue them, but the generals
were given secretly to understand that
they were not to harm the Boxers. AS
a matter of fact, the Boxers claimed to
be invulnerable and SO in most cases the
soldiers were afraid to attack them. When
this invulnerability was tested and the
Boxer wounded or killed like ordinary
mortal he was safd not to be sufficiently
imbued with the spirit. A recruit is sup
posed to drill for 10S days and then to have
reached this happy stage.
whether hypnotic or not. they seem to
exert a powerful influence over the people.
Doubtless the leaders are scoundrels and
an ignorant crowd is easily gathered and
excited. Had the generals been allowed to
do what they were ostensibly sent to do
the whole thing could have been put down
long ago; but under the secret, fostering
care of the empress. who doubtless thought
she was protecting a huge volunteer army
upon which she could call in case of need.
they have spread and grown until it is
very likely true that they are beyond her
control and may go on to such an extent
that foreign armies will be needed to crush