Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-06-27
WHY CHINESE
HATE CHRISTIANS
New York Tribune. j.

There could scarcely be a more inter-.
esiing coincidence than that of the
Chinese revolt against Christians With
Inc bicentenary Of the Society for the,
lPrppasat Of the Gospel. Atts 200th
isanniversaly the Oldest Protestant for
elsn missionary society in the world
hnds lis Work so FAR from completion
Ithat the most pupulous empire in the
world Is only just touched by it, and
hnds, too. that empire, by farthe most
Important field remaining for mission.
airy effort, in general revolt against
missionaries and against Christians
We say general revolt, because it is idle
\ to try TO maintain the fiction that the
Boxer outbreak is either local or unex-
! pected. The days news indicates that
4 similar outbreaks are in progress in
\ other parts of the empire, all evidently
connected in&ones concerted plan; while
las for the unexpectedness5 of 1t he must
! nave been superficial observer Is af-.
4 fairs in that quarter Of the globe who
! did hotsperceires months ago that some
4 thing of the sort was brewing. Ii is
4 gratifying to note that Lord Salisbury
ln5 speaking at the bicen.ennia celebra-
! ton of the Society for the Propagation
\ of the Gospel in London on Tuesday
I addressed himself to this subject with
This accustomed directness and authors
1 itH, and in a few pointed sentences
imade clear the whole situation.
II 1t is not to Christianity a religion.
\ but to Christians as suspected political
agents of foreign powers. that the
4 Chinese object. That is Lord Sails
] 3bury's explanation of the ase, and 1t is
IeXactly confirmed by other authorita-
tive testimony To say that is not to
i cast any reflection upon missonarie as
a whole or upon missionary work as
SUCH 1t is simply to set forth what Is
lin the Chinese mind and to emphasize
4 the need of tact as We'll as4of piety and
i fervor ~ ths. need that missionaries
should be as wise as serpents as well
as harmless as doves. It's also to adj
4 init the regrettable fact that guile and
I hypocrisy, to some degree, are no more
unknown to the Chinese than to other
races. even to the extent of protesting
Ipiety for the sake Of profit. These is a
4 treaty stipulation with China to the
4 effect not only that missionaries shall
be protected, but also that native CON
Iverts TO Christianity shall not be per-
secuted on account of their faith. There
A is only too good reas son TO fear that
5l.some Chinese have taken advantage Of
this provision. They have professed to
accept Christianity, but have done so
merely for the sake of what amounts
to exemption from Chinese Law. They
A have then gone on to deal unjustly
4 with their neighbors, and when the lat
ter have resented it and visited right
eous retribution upon them they have
|fied TO the missionaries with the cry
4 that they We're being prosecuted for
their faiths sake; and the missionaries
have in the best Of faith made appeal
to the consul or minister, and 80 the
whole pressure Of a foreign power has
been brought to bear upon the Chinese
government for the protection OF some
hypocritical rascal from the penalty Of
his misdeeds. There is no cause for
wonder at Chinese resentment at such
Il doings.
Nor is that all. In some places where
converts are numerous the latter have
i grouped themselves tosetilei5siIl VII
lage Of their own, so as to form a dis
tinct community. They have there
adopted their own manners and GUS
toms. their local regulations and ordi-
q finances, and have mads themselyea