Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28
Their Anti-Foreign Policy Known
Three Years Ago.
GOVERNMENT OF THE EMPIRE
The Apparent DupIicity Of the
Shrewd Empress Dowager.
PARTITION FFICU 1t

Llewelly James Davis in the National Geographic
Magazine.
The society or league which is now turn
ing China upside down and forcing the at
tention of the whole world is known by
various names. The one most commonly
seen in the American papers is the BOX
ers'' or Spirit Boxers" The origin of this
name is to be found in the gymnastic eX-
ercises which constitute the drill of the so
ciety and in the mysterious lamentations
used. In the Shan-tung province the soce-
ty is commonly called the TIA Tao HUI
or Great Sword Society,"" This Is one of
the names used by the society itself and is
a general name. On the cards and posters
issued by the society other occur.
which 1 understand to be Of local use.
The Boxer" society is one of the many
secret societies of China. and. as is usual
with such societies, has both political and
religious significance. 1t is said to be of
ancient origin. One Chinese tells me that it
had its origin in opposition to the MAN
chu dynasty which has ruled China for
the past 30 years.
Whatever may have been its past history.
the society has now collected it's forces
against the foreigners within the Chinese
empire. 1t has been preparing for this
present outbreak for several years. About
three and a half years ago l learned from
Chinese friends that such a society was
rapidly. IT'S anti-foreign purpose was
known distinctly at that time 1t was said
to be spreading from the south toward the
north. Those favorable to governmental
reform and to foreign influence in the dis
tricts now overrun by these marauders felt
and reported what may be called the
ground swell of the storm which has now
SO turiously burst upon them. Chinese
Christians were told, well, you will soon
have chance to enjoy the heaven Of which
you talk; and Soon. soon; your time is
coming flv hnfn
it was frequently and plainly said that at no
very Instant date all foreigners and foreign
sympathizers would be killed.
In organizing this movement the leaders
established at convenient centers what
We're called wing or ''encampments" The
members of the society living in the neigh
borhood met to drill and recite their mean
tations at these places, and here new mem
bers were initiated. Each encampment had.
OF course, a leader who was responsible to
the higher officers. card sent to each of
these encampments, naming the place of
the proposed attack and stating the num-
Der Of men required from each called out a
party of such size as the leaders desired
ne vast majority of the Chinese are en-
tirely ignorant of the simplest facts of
natural science. To them the earth is still
nat. and the sun Is said to pass around
pehlnd mountain in moving from west to
east. Inc more Superstitious worship the
spirits which are supposed to abide in or
nave charge OF their spinning wheels hand
mills, stables, wells, manure heaps street
gates and many other things. | Know one
man who is said to have worshiped thus
over thirty spirits, believed to reside in
various parts of his three roomed howell
occult1sm and spiritism are rife
The organizers of the Boxers have used
thls supersutious disposition for the fur
thefance of their ends. They have conf
IDENTITY asserted that those properly mi
tiated into the mysteries of this cult and
whose huhs Fu or exercise of it's rules
was perfect. would by virtue of this prac-
become Inv 1rar
tected against all bullets or knives This
was not left to future test entirely Sav
eral intelligent Chinese have told me that
.hey mad themselves seen advanced mem
perS OF the society strike different parts of
their bodies with sharp knives and swords
with no more effect upon the skin than ia
produced by the wind The members of
une society believe implicitly in this invu-
herapinty, and the people at large are con-
WINGED that the claim is well founded
NO d'nculty Is found In explaining the
oeath Of society members in battle In one
instance. occurring early last fall thirty
or forty miles from Tsi-nan-fu ton ~
twelve Boxers We're killed by Catholics
whom they had attacked. 1t was then dis
covered that on the evening before or on
the morning of the battle these men had
broken the rules of the society nv eating
certain prescribed articles of food In this
way their death but strengthened the faith
OF those remaining.
1t was proposed at first tn 1850 M 6ra,,r
IN the determination of foreigners but to
trust to the sword alone. Great reliance
was placed on certain calisthenic exercises
ana posturinss which were expected to
hypnotlze or terrify the enemy
The Boxers are patriotic Marty
whether this means loyalty to the present
dynasty or not is questioned The Chinese
nave nave never forgotten that their rulers are
foreigners Manchu and Chinese are still
distinct in dress and customs The feelin,
SEE ms to be quite general among the peo-
PIE that the Ia Ching" or Great Clear
q bo,r
u i ilaSss mas ABOUT run Its course, and there
Is sad to be in one of their sacred books
prophecy the fulf1lment of which In the
clsplacing of the reigning family is looked
LOT at any time. Outwardly at least the
boxers are loyal to the Manchu dynasty
Iheir motto. seen on cards left by them
with Christians whom they had robbed. is
fao On ing mich yang" Literally this
means, Protect tn. Clear (present dy-
nasty, exterminate the foreign" In idio-
matte English it Is. Death to foreigners,
China for the Chinese" From the hepi,,
nlng OF the outbreak the avowed object of
the society has been the expulsion from the
country of all foreigners. This Is no sud-
den turn in affairs. but rather a natural
outgroWth of the general anti-foreiRn feel
ing In a recent issue of the PhiladeI-
phia Press prominent Chinese is renorted
to have said, Foreigners of every nation
are Objectionable to a large majority OF
Cinnamon, and when they see Europeans
ana Americans coming there. getting val
liable concessions and preparing To c,1t I'm
the country with railroads. they fear the
invasion will eventuate in the extinction of
sacred customs, and that the white man
Will rule the country" This statement ex-
presses very fairly the mind of the Chinese
people.
They look down on every foreigner as a
barbarian and. since they have learned
something of the power Of European arms.
to the contempt is Joined fear. To this
may perhaps be added a sense of inius-
tice, resulting from the treatment received
recently from more than of the Euro
49,
and non-official people of Shan-tung com
planned bitterly of Germany's injustice in
Selling kiao-chau and. whether rightly or
wrongly, believed that the imperial Ger
man government had but used the murder
of the German missionary priests to fur
Their its prearransed political plans
From these three elements - contempt
fear and sense of injustice-has been de-
veloped in the anti-fereign Chinese party
spirit of bitter animosity. The Boxer
movement is but expression of this
hatred. 1t must be borne in mind. how
ever, that economic conditions greatly as
sist the organizers. In good seasons the
people of north China must secure two
crops each year from the same land In
order to maintain a condition Of average
welfare. If the spring yield fails there is