Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-29

narrow escapes. Much mission property
has been destroyed. and the native Chris
tians have suffered much persecution, be-
ing driven from their homes and in many
instances losing all they had in the world.
THE prospect for a return into the in
terror and the resumption of mission work
is very uncertain. In all probability many
months must elapse bfore that can be safe
ly done.
Stories Chinese Believe.
1.-The following are some of the stories
current about Weo Hen and commonly be-
leved by the people: When the foreigners
attacked Pekin the and the land united
to defend 1t and destroy the foreigners.
This was accomplished by the sea receding
forty Ii ard chain of mountains rising up
out of the land. The foreign war ships
were all destroyed and 10000 foreign SOL
ders were killed. Hundreds of gallons Of
foreign kerosene oil has been poured out,
because the report was circulated that on
a certain date it would all spontaneously
combust. This story they have thoroughly
believed or they would never have wasted
all that OIL A great many foreign buttons
are used in China One man started
story to the effect that the foreign buttons
on his garments suddenly burst into flames
and consumed all the clothes in the box
where the garment was packed. me story
spread and thousands of buttons were cut
off and packed in tin boxes to be safe from
conflagration. The story was circulated
that certain form of bread. like large
steamed biscuit, supposed to be made from
foreign flour looted from the mission
houses contained embryonic devils, and that
all eating these would become bewltched.
The fact that Pekin has been entered by
foreign troops is explained In this way:
After the imperial forces had thoroughly
beaten the foreigners they allowed them to
send 1000 unarmed soldiers into Pekin to
satisfy them that the ministers were alive
and that everything was all right there.
with this fierce anti-foreign feeling all
over the country and such stories as these
currently reported and implicitly believed
it will need some very effective object les
sons before the interior will be a safe
dwelling place for missionary, merchant
or miner. How and by whom these les
sons will be given the future holds as
secret to be disclosed doubtless In due time
recent editorial in Harper's Weekly deals
very sentimentally with this question Ii
says China has developed for herself a
splendid literature, elaborate system OF
social customs and noble system OF ethics.
1t says western nations are breaking all
these down and destroying them and giving
her nothing better in their place: that they
are trying to force upon China. a civiliza-
ton which, to say the least, is doubtfuily
better.
IAN I have to say is that 1 doubt very
much whether any one could live one year
in the interior actually among the Chinese
people and then say that the above is true
An elaborate system Of social customs per-
haps yes; but a system that Is admirable
for anything else except its elaborateness,
no. / tell you the day Is past when any
one nation can shut itself up and abso-
lutely exclude the trade, civilization and
religion of the world This is a struggle
between the conservatism of eastern civil
iZaton and the progress OF western CIVIL
ization. They must both have an open
field and a fair fight, End lose or win on
their merits. To o-e who has lived under
both systems there is no question as to
which should win for the good OF the peo-
pie and of the nation"