The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-21
PASSING OF OLD CHINA
Missionary Writes That the An
cient Empire Must Fall.
Uprising Marks the Beginning of
Need Schooling in Civilization.
some of the sIOre Advanced Ma
tiycs Have Cat of Their Queues.

tfycs Have Cat of Their Queues.
BOSTON, Aug. 21.-Rev- Henry Poor |
Perkins. a missionary at Llu Ching. IN |
Tfentsin Province, the centre of the pres
ent trouble, has written most interest
ing letter to relatives in Worcester, this |
State IN which he predicts new China |
rising from the present revolution. He |
also tells of the escape of himself and wife !
to Kobe College, in Japan, where he is at
present stopping with many other mis- |
sIonaries.
He refers to a letter sent from Gilman |
flu. but which has not been received, and |
then describes the scenes in that city, the |
capital of Shantung, early in July, when |
the refugees embarked. His letter follows:
Kobe College, July 1S.-My last was
written in the capital of Shantung, Chi
na-,-fu The letter may have reached you
or it may not have, but I viii suppose that
it did, and begin al that place, The third
party of refugees got off on the small boats
leaving Mr. Hamilton. of the Presbyterian
mission, and myself to wait for the party
expected from Honan in about week.
''One of the days spent there was the day
fixed for the destruction of the place. Also
the Chinese were busy putting up posters
\ calling for the destruction of foreigners
and all things foreign. An imperial edict
from Pekin Of somewhat the same puTport
was also posted, but Yuan, the Governor,
put out a respectable one foF the purpose
OF neutraliZiHg il.
1T seems TO Us Shantung missionaries
that Yuan has done for foreigners about
ALI anyone working under the Chinese Gov
eminent could do 10 hold down the forces
of anarchy. He kept a good guard at the
Mission place in Chinan-fu and no attack
was made.
After some six days We got a telegram
sent overland from Liu Ching, saying that
the Honan people must go south. Both
guard ard carts had been refused them,
and one of their stations had been destroy
ed. So we made ready to g0-nGt alone
eXactiy-fOr We had q guard Of ten SOL
diers, and the Franciscans, with d guard.
were also going at the same time.
I'VE got down to near the sea in two
and 4 half days. but had to lie at the last
town Two nights, partly to wait for our
steamer and partly to wait for the Fran
ciscaHs, who had come slower and had sent
back for larger guard. However, we
put out to sea to find our steamer, which
could not anchor near land, and were glad
TO see her smoke about ten miles from our
town.
The last night at this place had been
rather unpleasant as the Boxers had a
gathering and exercises there in sight OF
our boat, and our Chinese were badly scar
ed. We had some twenty refugees most
Of them from Chill who had gathered in
ChinaH-fu, and had sad tales Of having seen
their families killed and their homes
burnt. When we left Chinan-fu things had
not got so bad in Shantung but threats
were freely made and Eo one can now say
how much or how little has been done
II very much fear that most OF the lit
tie Christian communities formed in north
China Will be badly scattered and torn all
through these months In the larger
places such as Liu Ching, where the Gov
eminent can, if 1t wishes, use soldiers to
guard Christians, life and property may
perhaps be generally preserved
We reached Chefo0 on July 8, and then
went to Moji, which l reached last Monday
night.
Thursday a great crowd of refugees
came from TientEin. For some two weeks
the $50 women and children in Tientsin
had to live together il the town hall. the
safest place, but some of the shells even
got in there and burst However, none
were killed Living without change of
clothing was, of course, pretty hard. They
did net take OF their clothing most of the
time
We cannot yet know about Pekin and
all the friends there. We know that they
must nave suffered all sorts OF S3FFoWS-
Whether any are alive we cannot say.
There have been terrible massacres out
side the legations. and probably no tele-
graph operator is to be found today in
Pekin.
Il think that all who have lived in
China feel that at last we have come TO
the place where old China ends and new
China begins. This tremendous revolu-
ton cannot leave things as they were.
II China can be held together while a
reasonable protection is received for for
eign life and property and liberation of
the interests of civilization and Chris
tianity I shall rejoice.
How this can be done I am sure I fail
to see, and hundred times better a di-
yided China with law and order than a
united China with the kind OF Govern
ments we have thus far seen My per-
sonal idea is that China VIII have to be
divided and at least sent to school for a
generation or two.
THE Japs are a lively and go-ahead
people. They are. I should say fifty years
ahead of China in outside things, although
in character perhaps not so far ahead.
They are lovers of change, while the Chi
nese love the old paths Now. however.
few Of the Chinese have begun TO cut off
their queues to show their disgust at the
ruling Government, and everything in this
line viii now go on at a faster rate.
''The present rule of anarchy cannot
last long, I believe. and soon, perhaps,
will come the call for US to reorganize
our work. which at present has been so
battered into the dust"