The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-10
Frances Charge at Washington
Says Construction Violated
Sacred Ground.
GRAVES HAD TO BE MOVED.
Chinese Regard II as Sacrilege and
Consider Missionaries Agents
OF the Railway.
Men.
REPrRLIC SPECIAL

washington. July e.-RaiiroadS and not
missionaries are responsible for the present
insurrection in China. This is the opinion
Of NJ Eugene Thiebaut, Charge dAfsires
Of France, who was the Consular Repre-
sentative Of his Government in Shanghai
some years ago.
The missionaries are being prosecuted by
the Boxers he said. this evening. be
cause they entered the interior Of China
over railroads constructed by foreigners.
and were regarded as the lattcr's represent
aIives.
Il recall that fifteen or twenty years ago
railroad was built. connecting Shanghai
and Woosung, at the mouth Of Yang-Tse-
kiang River. The read was an expert
mental affair and was for the purpose OF
demonstrating to the Chinese the value OF
Western methods of transportation. In or
der to construct the road II was necessary
10 remove a sepulchre In which Chinese
remains lay entpmbed. This action aroused
the rage Of the Chinese a riot followed. the
roadbed was destroyed and the ties split
into such small pieces that one could hardly
find splinter.
IN another Instance the European mu-
inequalities at Shanghai determined to con-
struct a highway. known as THE Bubblins
Wells" road, to connect Shanghai and I'll
kawei. where there Is a large establishment
occupied by Jesuits. When the route was
projected. 4, was found that to make the
road straight a Chinese tomb would have
TO be removed. The Chinese declined. how
ever. to permit the tomb to be moved
backward. even a few feet. and the road
forms an sngie at this point.
China All Sacred Ground.
''These two instances will show you how
the Chinese venerate their dead. The En-
pire Is vast cemetery. There Is no bury
ing ground. When Chinaman dies his
relatives. IL wealthy, place his body in
costly coffin made of thick wood and heav-
fly lacquered and carved. select site in a
nearby field and deposit the coffin there.
erecting structure of brick or wood over
II. The poorer classes have TO accept any
kind of a ccffin they can get ard some OF
these are covered with earth, while others
are not. The Chinese never bury their
dead. When riding across country from
Shanghai II was frequently necessary to
jump over these collins.
Several railroads are Of recent construc-
ton IN China. Naturally, a railroad must
have a straight roadbed. 1t cannot wander
IN and out among collins. and the latter
had to be removed either by purchase or ty
some means which the Chinese Govern
ment was willing to apply. The Chinese
people looked upon the removal Of the re-
mains of their ancestors as a sacrflege.
Their anger rose. and with their anger
developed hatred of foreigners The mis-
scenarios came TO them over the railroads
which had done them SO much injury, and
they We're looked upon as the representa-
tiyes of the persons who were responsible
for the construction Of the roads. So. In
fixing the responsibility for the present
trouble, We must place IL upon the rail-
roads and not upon the missionaries"
Faith I'm Pei<in's Wall.
Doctor Eduardo Wilde. the recently ac-
credited Minister from the Argentine Re-
public TO the United States, who. until
recently, was Minister to China. said to-
day:
During my stay at Pekin and Canton I
observed the feelings OF antipathy. dislike
and hate in which ali foreigners were re-
garded by certain and vast classes Of the
Chinese. The cession of territory to various
European Governments strengthened the
sus picions of these classes that the Chris
tian world aimed at the overthrow of the
Chinese Empire. and more particularly the
overthrow Of the ancient religions Of that
part OF the East.
Il believe the uprising. unless speedily
checked and with a violent hand. will con-
tinue TO grow until the control Of the Chi
nese fanaticism will be one OF the gravess
of Christendom.
The most heroic medicine the Powers
can administer to China would be to begin
to tear down the wall around Pekin. The
wall is more to the Chinese than simple
1t Is a symbol. The Chinese be-
lieve that within this wall they are invinci-
BILE. To shell IL and to blow sections OF it
into dust would be Il rude awakening to the
Chinese OF the power of the Christian world.
But you must not believe that all tho
Chinese are opposed to foreigners. The ed
ucated people in the Empire. who have
Travelled abroad or who have read the writ
ings OF those who have travelled abroad, are
not opposed to Christians. Opposed to this
class are the fanatics and ignorant people.
led in the main by the doctors and many
literary men or writer's on religious sub
lects. who would prevent progress and turn
the Empire back from the new, progressive
steps il has taken.
Minister WI. here. Is one OF those liberal
and highly educated Chinese whose broad
ness OF mind and spirit is equally as great
as any OF which We can boas; in our Chris
tan civilization. He and his class deplore
the anarchy In which China Is to-day in
volved quite as much as We do. The other
class is bent upon doing Just as much mis-
chief as 1t can The only thing for the
Powers to do Is to break down the wall The
situation of Minister WI in the United
States is unpleasant and peculiar. I know
that he depiores the situation