The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-27
ENEMIES OF CHRISTIANS
CHINA'S COOKERS" RELENTLESS
FOES OF MISSIONARIES.
Society That Was Originally n Law
and Order League Now an Orr
ganixatiOn of Murderers.
New York Herald.

dSdlUSI NnlCH OHClc SAIL, III COU0tClfDu
with the great European powers, may soon
direct armed force. This estimate was made
by a Chinaman a year ago in conversation
with a New Yorker who was then in China.
The society of Boxers, which now stands
for lawlessness, robbery and murder, was
once respectable. It Is a good influence
gone wrong. Originally it was organized
a protest and a means Of defense against
the bandits with which the province of
Shan-Tung was infested. 1t was, in fact,
a law and order league.
AT that time the life and property Of no
honest man was safe. The bandits were not
wild ruffians, such as tlose of Italy or the
American West, but, on the contrary.
seemed to be men of peace. BY day they
toiled as shoemakers, carpenters, farmers
and what not, but at night they repaired to
their stronghclds in the mountains and
from them made descents upon villages in
which any man was reported to possess a
store of money worth the having. A typical
attack by these bandits was that made
several years ago upon one of the Shan
Tung missions, of which the Rev. j. II.
Laughlin, now i'm New York, was a MEM
Der. Other members were the Rev. r. III.
Bent and DIR. ]. L. Van Schoick. They
lived in three houses all surrounded by a
high wall. The first evidence of trouble
was a gunshot outside the gate, where
upon the gatekeeper poked out his head
to see what was the matter. Instantly a
pistol was shot off In his face so that the
powder blinded him, although he received
no other wound.
The man fell shrieking to the ground, and
twenty-five bandits rushed over his body
and into the courtyard. Mr.. Bent saw them
coming and retreated into his cottage, but
the robbers smashed in the door and shot
him in the thigh. The missionary seized a
piece Of the splintered door and ran out.
striking right and left. One of the bandits
slashed at him with a sword and cut his
head, another wounded him on the arm
but he at last escaped with his life.
Mr.. Laughlin, who was romping with his
little girl in their dining room, ran out to
Investigate and found Mr.. Bent's quarters
by a mob of bandits, n heard
them shouting xiii! kill!'
He ran back to his quarters, got his wife
and children over the fence and helped
them to a place of safety. Mr.. Van Schoick
did likewise. When they returned the
bandits were gone, and the mission safe lay
literally smashed to bits on the ground.
The bandits had shattered it with immense
stones and then pried 1t apart with crow
bars. The amount of money secured was
small. Sometimes when the plumber does
not equal their expectations they seize
the person of one of their victims, blind
fold him, lead him about in a circle and at
last carry him off to the mountains, from
where thew send messages demanding a
ransom.
THE GREAT SWORD.
1t was such attacks as this. repeated over
and over again I'm villages throughout the
province, that resulted in the organization
of the Boxers. But they were not called
Boxers then. Their name was To Tao
Hwei, which means 'The Society of the
Great Sword" More recent is the name
Universal Society of Boxers. but the
change signifies little, in fact, change of
name among the secret societies is fire.
quent. One name is kept until an edict Of
suppression is issued against it, and then
a new name is adopted, and the society
goes on as if nothing had happened.
Christians do not know just when the
Society of the Great Sword had its origin.
The natives refer to ii as an ancient" So
ciety, but that may mean ten years or a
hundred. 1t is agreed. however, that at
first it's principles were audable and its
work good, but as it became more powerful
and increased in numbers many dishonest
and designing persons entered it for the
prestige and protection it afforded, just as
dishonest and designing persons ally them
selves with influential bodies In other lands
to-day. These men proved a disturbing
element. and in many cases directed the
efforts of the society against their personal
enemies, whom they represented as bandits
and lawless persons.
Some of these victims, 1t is said. terrified
by the persecution of the Great SWORD So
ciey, looked for some other force from
which they might hope for protection, and
found il in the Christian missionaries, and
especially the German Catholics. These men
professed conversion. and besought succor,
and the missionaries used every endeavor
to secure justice for them. Then, in turn,
some of the missionaries, 1t may be in
ferred, became the victims of designing
men who professed Christianity in order to
obtain aid in avoiding just punishment,
and in some cases it is probable they were
able to secure from these noble and self
sacrificing men and women a protection
which they did not altogether deserve. This
condition intensified the feeling which has
always existed against the missionaries.
This feeling grows to some extent out of
the general contempt with which the
Chinese regard foreigners. The Chinese
literary class are keen critics and give close
~scrunity to the teachings of the Christian
Bible. They confess to the beauty of its
moral teachings, but cannot see in what
they are superior to those of Confucius.
They also notice the accounts of the mir
acles in the Old Testament, and say tina
the Chinese legend of the moon being
eaten by a dragon is not much more un-
reasonable than the Bible story of how
Joshua compelled the sun to stand still.
They choose to regard Christianity as "a
wave of ~arkness and their feeling,
wrong though II undoubtedly Is, is much
the same as would exist in New York If a
dozen respectable merchants from Mott
street should set UP an o~rphanage and q
temple on the Western boulevard and en-
deavor to fill both by adopting American
children and proselytising along Columbus
avenue.
In order to overcome his feeling the mis-
sionaries have in most cases adopted Chi
nese dress. But Chinese ideas of propriety
are the most straitlaced in the world. and
the missionaries, despite their native at
tire, have not always been able to five UT
to them. This has been especially true OF
the women, whose Western freedom of ac-
ton has been shocking to the natives. al
though quite correct from our point Of
view. Every effort has been made by the
missionaries to adapt themselves to local
conditions, but in China first impressions
can rarely be eradicated. and complaints
made against the early Catholic mission
aries, two centuries ago, are quoted
against their successors of to-day.
SANDERS AGAINST CHRISTIANS.
This hatred Of Christianity among the 1T
erary class finds expression in the most
shocking ISLANDERS. which are constantly
circulated in order to keep alive the hatred
OF the masses. For the name of God the
Catholics have adopted the word Tien Chu,
which signifies Lord of heaven. and kau