Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-21
CHINA'S SECRET SOCIETIES.
The Boxers Described by Some OF the
Paris Journals.

Many contradictory explanations OF the
boxers uprising have already been gwen
The following extracts. translated at ran
dom from lie Journal. lie Mat!n and other
Paris newspapers which have interviewed
some celestial functonarieS. throw add
tinnaI light upon the Chinese insurgents,
l. Journal says:
Who knows those immense lands peopied
nv TOO ooo.Oo1 inhabitants? Those VINO
sneak about them with the greatest au-
thority have spent weeks. months, years
perhaps. in two OF three lniand cttlrS' Nv
ing like Europeans in European quarters,
sr.in:, about China only restricted condi-
lions and talking even through interpreters
with the perSonages compelled by their
functions to deal with foreigners. And the
Chinese themselves what do they know
about China" 1t is too large The people
in the southwest live in the most absolute
ignorance in regard to what is going on IN
the center Of the northeast 1t is so much
so that within niue-tenths of the empire
was heard only in vague manner news o.
the latest Chino-Japanese war. and not for
a single day was doubted the victory OF the
imperial arms, and finally the people highly
praised the son Of heaven for having at
last consented, in his magnanmity, to grant
peace to the ''iiftlt japanese ana to send
them back to their distant isles.
In fact. there are almost nom" bl!l iilt'
missionaries who know anything about
china, and even they study it from a very
Sprcial point of view. For Il long
while Euro"e has perceived that the nm
p,riai power is very impe-fectly exercised
over the provinces. and that every GOV
error or vicer"y, enjoys an almost ahso-
lutte authority. provided he fuitiilS certain
obligations toward the central government.
That viccroy himself has EeutenaniS, left
free 10 act as they please. provided they
pay the fixed amount of REVENUES TO the
vi-rrny, The authority being mus subdl.
Vided multipes tyranny ami the causes OF
discomfort and suffering for the people who
are taxed at Will
Those who suffer have conceived the idea
t. Unite themselves, and as every grouping
became suspected and was feroc.ously re-
pressed. secret associations, constituting
resl freemasonry. with passwords and
signs OF recognition, Were formed. The
most important Of those societies are known
under the names Of the Trinity the
'Ppignard." the Pure Tea. the 'knifes
Sect the ''Vemphar" and the most widely
spread among the cultured classes is called
Heaven. Earth, Man
To these names lie Matin adds that Of the
CLOSED Hand" and says:
The society Of the Boxers is a branch
from the Closed Hand and they must
have been called 50 by some English sport
ing man residing in China. The mother
society is. one OF those innumerahe asso-
cations which exist in the celestial empire.
as here existed IN Spain the Black Hand.
in Italy the "Carbpnari,' the Malta the
''CamOrra. etc. China, with its dense pop
ul.ttion and democratic regime. is be-
ni%httd land for such associations. They
Disguise themselves under all kinds of in
offensive Appearances. philanthr"pc. philo-
sophical or util.tarian. Thus the CLOSED
Hand claims 10 be mercy gymnastic
association. But it is Il thoroughly political
association. without any religious or philo-
suPh.Cal tendencies. 1t aims at race war,
d war Of revenge. against the Manchus, the
cuGqucrors of China. But its branch, the
Boxers, leaves To the future the settlement
81 that question. ana aims at tho destruc-
tiHa of the Europeans, whose intltratiOn
into China j. Of more recent date and is
sure If unrestricted. to absorb and conquer
p-t"efully tho Chinese race as thoroughly
aS i has been suhIugatcd by the Mdnchus
These associations include all the disap-
pointed men who have passed those exarni-
nations without which no office can be Oh
tanned In China. but which do NOT guar4n-
lee the holding Of such offices for there are
more applicants ;han places. These are at
III" head Of most Of the secret societies
They teach 1" the uncducated members
that The invasion Of foreigners has caused
Tie misery and want of YORK recently so
prevalent in China.
In the eyes of the mandarin interviewed
by another Paris newspaper. the revolt Of
the Boxers Is exclusively a revolt Of peas
ants. Ike those which occurred in Europe
during the middle ages And they are
called Boxers because. being deprived of
arms. they fight with their fists"