The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-24
Boxer Trouble
Christians Chief Object
of Their Hatred.


Although the present uprising of the
Boxers in China is directed against for
eigners in general, il is an admitted fact
fhatNhe hatred Of missions and Christian
missionaries has been one of the chlet
Eeasons leading to the outbreak. This op-
position to Western religious teaching Is
no new manifestation. 1t has been the
principal instigation of many previous in
Hurrections and massacres, says the New
York Herald
No other mission field has proved so
6ificult as China and nowhere else in
the world has such determined opposition
90 the Christian form Of worship been
met. The reason for this is easily found
sn the strong hold which custom and ira
clifton have in the Celestial empire and
in the contempt with which the Chinese
regard all foreigners.
rhus far in the present outbreak the
missionaries have not suffered severely.
s. far as reported two Caucasian evan
PeHsts nave been killed. The rage Of the
Boxers has vented itself chiefly upon the
native converts. Scores of these have
been driven from their homes and have
fl to the mission stations for protec-
Ii0n.
large amount of property belonging
70 native Christians has been destroyed
The missionary chapel at Yung-Ching has
been burned, and it is likely that other
mission buildings from which reports
have not yet come may have been de-
stroyed.
While the damage thus far wrought has
been no greater than that worked by pre-
Tious anti-foreign mobs, the situation re-
mains at high tension The fact that the
fist lawless horde was allowed to pursue
IS way unchecked has encouraged other
seactiOnaries to join the outbreak. The
smOuldering antipathy to the Christians
waich exists in every part Of China is
likely to find expression in fresh out
RACES in other parts Of the kingdom If
the Boxers are not put down promptly
and with firm hand.
It is no exaggeration TO say that all the
missionaries in North China have been in
peril Of their lives ever since the begin
ming Of the present uprising The fact
that under these circumstances practi-
cally all of them have remained at their
posts and have attempted to carry on
their work as usual is testimonial TO
their courage If not to their wisdom.
The history Of missionary endeavor in
China abounds in examples of zeal for
the cause leading to the disregard of per-
sonal 81 fety, and Of martyrdom in the
interests Of the spread of the gospel In
the half century over which the present
missionary movement has extended there
have been scores Of cases of men and
women who have sacrificed their lives in
This manner and Of hundreds who have
been subjected to outrages and injuries
IN the course Of their work
The first Christian missionaries In China
we're HISTORIANS but they exerted no last
ing influence upon the nation as a whole
Modern effort began in 1882, when num-
oer of Jesuits penetrated China and be-
gan their religious teaehtug. Later on
they were followed By other -denomina-
tons, but the prejudice against Europeans
was too strong for these early teachers
They were driven out, and the country
was closed TO all foreizners.
Notwithstanding the fact that any white |!