Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-01
UPRISING IN CHINA
Narrative Of Events by President Of
Imperial University.
RESIDENT OF EMPIREFORFIFTY YEARS
Boxer Movement Not Against the
Missionaries Alone.
ANTI-FOREIGN ENT

The Rev. DR.. W. A P. Martin, president
| Of the Imperial University of Pekin, China,
| is in the city stopping with the Rev. DR..
Wallace Radcliffe, at 1890 K street. Mr.
| Martin is said to be one of the best-in-
| formed men on Chinese affairs living today
having been for fifty years resident of
| that country. Last evening he spoke to n
| reporter Of The Star of the recent uprising
| in China against foreigners, prefacing his
remarks with the explanation that the up
| rising was not, as some believed, a move
ment against the missionaries alone, but
entirely an anti-foreign movement.
DIR. Martin first went to China fifty years
ago, going there as a Presbyterian mis-
| sonary He went to Ming Pc, there studied
| the northern language, and in 1859, during
| the negotiation Of the treaties, was APP
| pointed interpreter to the American lega-
| ton. In 1867 he was appointed professor of
| international law in the Tung Wen College,
serving such for twenty-seven years,
and as its president for twenty-five years.
About three years ago the young Emperor
of China began reform movement. IN
which he ordained system of schools and
colleges for his people, with central uni
versity at Pekin, of which latter institution
DR.. Martin was made president One or the
works of education In which DR.. Martin
was early engaged was the translation into
the Chinese language of leading authorities
on international law, and in speaking of
this work he declared that In the war with
France of 1885 the Chinese faithfully and
honestly observed the laws of nations, and
particularly in their treatment of non-com
batantS.
Against All Foreigners.
The recent upheaval. as DR.. Martin
termed it, was due entirely, in his opinion,
to an anti-foreign feeling in the Chinese
empire, and not merely to the opposition to
or hatred Of the missionaries. The young
| emperor he explained, had, by his liberal,
progressive ideas, alienated the old
servatives, and the latter prevailed upon
the dowager empress to save, as they be-
| leved, the empire from young man who,
If permitted to carry out his ideas, would,
they declared, set the world on fire. The
| dowager empress, said DR.. Martin, had
been supposed to be in retirement, but In
reality had been amusing herself by plan
ming schemes antagoniStic to the emperor.
When called upon, she compelled the young
emperor to sign paper in which he pur-
ported to beg her to instruct him how to
run the empire and govern his people. She
therefore became regent for the third time'
and from the day the emperor put his name
to this paper he was virtual prisoner and
| wholly in the power of the old woman and
her associates.
correct the impression which largely pre-
| walls that the Dowager Empress Of Cn1na
was born a slave. This impression, he de-
clared, is without foundation in fact, for
| the old woman came Of a well-known fam1-
| ly, her brother being Duke Chou Her
mother was living ABOUT ten years ago, said
DR. Martin, and he has been told by a mis-
sionary physician of how the empress
| mother poured tea for visitors to her home
about that time. The story that the dow
| ager empress was slave girl and present
ed to the reigning emperor, asserted the
doctor. is an absurd fiction.
Dr. Martin was in Pekin during the siege
| last summer, and was made inspector Of
passes at the British legation gate. There
were two stages Of the siege he said, that
conducted by the Boxers which lasted for
ter days. and during which the foreigners
were compelled Tor their safety to gather
within the British legation. the second
stage being that following the declaration
of by the Chinese government. The
British legation, he explained, was former
ly the home of Chinese prince. and be-
ing well fortified, admirably served the
purpose to which it was put by the for
| eigners during the siege, which continued
| for just eight weeks before relief came.
! 1he congregating within the British lega-
| ton of all the foreigners in Pekn, together
with the assistance rendered them and
| their military force. which consisted Of
| about $50 men, ny the missionaries and the
| native Christians, alone saved all from
death.
| Bravery of Marines.
The bravery of the American marines,
said Dr.. Turner, will ever be remembered,
and it cannot be too highly spoken Of in
his opinion. But all were brave, he said,
and he paid a high tribute to the native
Christians for t--eir work Of Defense
The Boxers, stated DR.. Martin, do not
| compose new society as many imagine
| Tor they nave been in existence for GEN.
| tLry. The society was originally a secret
| one, and as the Chinese government is op-
posed to all secret societies the society of
| Boxers was put upon the index of forbid
| den
| early as 1903 Originally the Boxers had
| nothing 10 do with Christians or missiona-
ries, but f1ourished through the hold they
| secured upon the people by so-caled mystic
| ries. About three years ago German Cath
| Ole missionaries penetrated to their strong
| Ac!d, and some Of these missionaries We're
killed. Their murder, said Dr. Martin, gave
| Germany the opportunity to seize seaport
| thai of Kiao Ckaou.
| Subsequently. said DR.. Martin, the Chinese
| government took advantage of the existence
| of the Boxers a means of resisting for
| elgn enterprises and from then the Boxer
| movement became and grew into one hav-
| ms for its main object opposition to for
| eigners and their enterprises in the Chinese
empire, such as the building of railroads
| telegraphs, ETC., works which the Boxers
| have destroyed whenever the opportunity
| presented itself, one Of their placards stat
| ing that next they will destroy all steam
| beats. There is no denying. said DR.. Mar
| tin, that the number of the Boxers has
| vastly increased. Sir Robert Hart. he
stated is reported to have said that they
will number in three years 2O,OOOOO0 DIR.
Martin does not, however, agree with Sir
Robert, believing that since the Chinese
government received its recent lesson from
the powers it and it's people now hold The
Boxers responsible for all their trouble, and
that their number will decrease rather than
increase.
Future of the Empire.
Dr. Martin believes that there is much
better future in store for China and its peo-
pie than now seems possible. He believes
that the recent upheaval there was the be-
ginning of new and better order of things,
in which existing prejudices Of the Chinese
people and its government will gradually
pass away. and when the doors of China
will be thrown open to every religious,
mercantile and scientific enterprise. By
scientific enterprise, he explained, he means
mining There will then be greater religious
liberty, he thinks. real prosperity and free
dom for its people, and advancement for
them in the best paths.
DIR. Martin does not believe that Russia
Is in any way manner chargeable with
| the recent outbreak in China against the
missionaries and the foreigners. Undoubt-
eddy, he said Russia will expand at the eY-