The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-29
SPURRED THE BOXERS ON.
TIM DOWAGER EMPRESS CHIEFLY
BLAMED BY THOSE VINO KNOW.
Agents sent Out by Her TO spread the Anti
Foreign Propaganda in All Parts Of tho
Vast Empire-lmpendins Danger Realized
BY Those Who Read BetMeen the Lines.


SHANGHAI. June 2i.-Among foreigners in
this settlement there Is practically no difference
OF opinion in regard to responsibility for the
Boxer outrages, For more than a year the
Manchus have been making preparations for
the expulsion Of foreigners. The warning
has often been sounded in these months by
the North CHINA Ddilv Nsrs, the Shanghai
Mercury, the Hong Kong Press. the Japan
Goxehs OF Yokohama and other influential
newspapers Of the Orient whose editors have
tho best means Of getting inside facts. For
six months these papers havs been unanimous
In the opinion that the foreign legations in
Pekin should make vigorous protest to the
Isung-li-iamen against the fomenting OF
disturbances in the provinces and against the
recruiting. drilling and armins Of Boxers.
But the ministers, particularly Sir Claude Mac
donald, the British representative, treated all
these articles as sensational and persisted In
putting faith In Chinese official assurances
that the Imperial Government was doing
everything In Its power to check the Boxer
movement.
Meanwhile from all the outposts letters
came pouring in from missionaries giving
minute details Of the ritual Of the Boxers. Of
the methods they employed to make the ignor-
ant and superstitious country people believe
they were in~vulnerable. and Of the mystery
they threw about their p~lans-a mystery which
appealed with greater power because 1t yelled
all kind Of punishment and humiliation for the
hated foreigner. One correspondent gave
some very interesting details Of the ordeal
through which the Boxers went to show that
they possessed some ~superhuman power. The
native Christian servant Of the correspondent
went TO the Boxer camp TO see for himself what
the new movement really meant. The camp
was near Pao-TinR-fu. the Christian church and
mission which was recently burned and looted
by Boxers. He found q amp Of about five hun
dred men. mostly made UP OF Migrants who
infest all Chinese villages. A few were old
Black Flags and these men had infused much
Of the real military spirit into the rsbble
that made up their following. Many Of these
raw recruits were armed with repeating rifles
while others had old-fashioned muskets which
still seemed effective. About hall the force
had guns Of one kind or another; the remainder
had spears, uidents and long knives. They
looked hungry and eager for any kind Of looting
or devlltry.
The native Christian who had been to Shang-
HAD and who had seen foreign troops drill was
surprises at the proficiency OF these men in
the manual OF arms. and gould only attribute
their skill TO training by French and German
army officers These leaders appeared to be
lhdelatlsdble, and they drilled their men SOW
era times IA day. They also levied on the
surrounding country. and forced contributions
OF men aud supplies under threat Of turning
loose then rabble upon the neiGhborhood.
In one part OF the camp this native Christian
saw a number OF Boxers surrounded by a ring
or gaping countrymen. They were INDUCING
in a number OF gymnastic feats which excited
great admiration, Then they would go through
incantdtions and. rising. would ask any man in
the crowd 70 step forth and test their invulner-
ability to blows. one big Boxer. after many
contqrtlons. declared he was willing that any
one should strike him in the chest. for no human
being could hurt him. Tho native Christian,
who was a very powerful man aud had once
accepted the Boxers defiance, and ht him a
blow in the chest which knocked all Of the wind
out OF the braggart and put him out Of action.
Tn blow wac 50 powerful that the Boxer began
70 spit blood. though he assured the crowd
that his injury was due TO the fact that he had
omitted a certain part Of the Necessary ritual.
and made threats against the Christian who
expressed doubts OF the mans powers,
This IS a SPECIMEN OF the procedure by which
the Boxers have gained thousands Of recruits,
In a country where hundreds in every village
have hard work TO escape starvation il is not
stranse that a new movement which promises
Christians and foreig ners should appeal TO the
ma sses. The men who JOIN the Boxers have
nothing TO lose, because they. possess no prop
erty and they leave no assured positions, They
have everything to Sain in bravery in battle
or luck In looting may give them lower and
i%niilenoe. They seem actually 70 believe in
,IeiT l ,sqmS at omd,u as the bo@ fIa y g.. Of the
invinclble. They are devoured by an Insane
rage against the foreigners. who. they believe.
kidnap and murder Chinese children In order
% gain possession Of their eyes and hearts,
and whose religious prosecuting they look
upon a. a device by which the missionaries
secure possession OF valuable land. Not one
Chinese IN a thousand believes that the foreign
missionaries are acting 10 good faith. The
majority Of. Chinese cannot understand q mar
leaving his home and kindred and going into q
ligion unless there is big profit or honor in II
for him Their minds are unable to grasp the
foreign idea OF duty or self-sacrihoe for religion
or principle: They frankly admit that they
This prevailing idi;;a that religion is being
used by al TIE nations "a Sp for the purpose Of secur-
out OF the rapaoity OF several Of the powers
that have had missionaries killed In China
Take Germany, for example. For the lives Of
forced TO give up kiaou-Chou Bay and terri
tory adjoining i which i equal In area to aev-
eral European States. France has also secured
With these facts In view 1t was not difficult
for the Imperial Government to prevent the
S dsacs ptRRa at ! tse Pesns Z co ss,S to be s ssH, cyl y;
II -ien TO Shanri and IA Pina-Iens TO the Yangtse
Valley to spread the anu-ioreign sentiment
which Is AZ the foundation OF the Boxer moys-
ment, Yu was Governor of Shantung when
he first began preaching the antt-foreign prop
uganda and he was rewarded for his services
In stirring up hostile sentiment AGAINST Euro
penns and Christianity by the bsstovai Of the
Viceroyship Of Shansi, viceroys who have
protested against the Boxer movement or who
have used drastic measures 10 suppress II in
Empress Dowager, What has really happened
will not probably be known for months, but IL
l. reported here on pretty fair authority that
the Viceroys lIu kun-yi, Chang Chih-tuna.
III Hung Chang and Hsu Ying-knei have pro-
tested against the EMPRESS anti-foreign pol
recently. have not been needed. The yiceroy
OF Chill, Yu Lu. who has been friendly to foreign
ers during his residence In Tientsin, Is reporfed
TO have been degraded for not preventing the
Boxer outbreak IN his province and Gen. lung
Furnishing, one OF the best leaders in the Chinese
murder Of the Chancellors OF the Japanese
legation. The only thing which shows the
Empress DOwager realizes her critical posi-
ton Is her order TO old Ii Hung Chang to 20
10 Pekin.
Some idea Of the sentiment that prevails
difficulties may be gained from this oonclrId-
ing paragraph Of an able leader in the North
China Daily NeUs Of June 20:
1T will be a work OF infinite difficulty to chance
the Government at Pekin. settle the claims Of
all the different Powers that have been injured
ments that a repetition OF recent events is I'M
possible, 1t will be a work for statesmen. but
II must be done. and the difficulty will BE- lessened
II all the Powers agree 10 demand and take no
territorial compensation or guarantees, If
this is mutually agreed on. a large part OF the
away; but any attempt to arrange territorial
CONDENSATION so that everybody ahall he aatia