The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-23
IL HUNG CHANG ABUSED.

l. i
every missionary who knows anything
about China VIII be sorry for the attacks
on Ii Hung Chang They grieve me
because that good old man has stood
for forty years for what he thought to
be right. L have another reason for
knowing that he is q sincere and honest
man. Lis confidential secretary is
Brooklyn boy, William n. Petite, an
exemplary Christian man. He would
not remain a single minute in Lis employ
after detecting him in a falsehood or an
act Of injustice or dishonesty.
Iii Hung Chang is a grand old man.
He was a sturdy friend of our missionary
work. General Grants estimate of him
was correct when he named him as one
of the three great men of his time, CLAD
stone and Bismarck being the other two.
We certainly should not denounce him,
or even suspect him of bad faith, without
evidence. a life record is worth some
thing. Talk about his greed and his
enormous wealth is false. He is not a
poor man, but he is not misery. and has
bestowed countless benefactions He
fought the Infamous opium traffic UNI
finchngly. He it was who said 10 the
English commissioners: You take the
financial side of the opium question, while
] take the moral side That a
fine thing for a heather to say to
Church of England man.
CHINA WILL REMAIN.
What will be the outcome of this
terrible situation in which China finds
herself to-day" was the final question.
There is no doubt as to the final out
come. i believe in a Divine Ruler. 1t
looks as though we were living in later
times. Never has the world been SO
open TO the Gospel | do not believe
that the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of that great
nation will DE permitted by the Divine
Ruler. II the Powers will agree to put
in Il reform government peace will he
restored. But the government must be
Chinese, not Manchu Let the Empress
go. Open schools everywhere-I mean
purely educational institutions. The
people of China win jump at that. They
have no aristocracy other than a liter
airy aristocracy. The Powers must stand
by until the indemnties can be paid.
The commercial doors of China must be
thrown open TO all the world. The Cos
pei doors must be opened just as widely
no shutting of temples or conversion of
sacred editces to other purposes II
the Powers will do these things China
will be on her feet again in a few years
and be to the manufacturing nations q
world market.
GREAT STRUGGLE.
But just as surely if Russia or any
of the great nations fail To act in con-
cert with the others and become despol-
ers OF this naturally peaceable race there
will follow the greatest struggle in the
history OF the world. Nobody can foresee
when or where it will end 1t is to
Japan's interest to have a solid empire
where China stands. Ii the war comes
England, Japan, and the United States
must stand for China for her independ-
ence. 1t is idle and worse than useless
for a great commercial nation. such as
we have become by hard work and dest ny.
to stand aoof if this great world-war
should burst upon us. | want to say
just as delicately as possible, that in the
pacicatiOn of China the nations Will have
10 deal with the temporal power. They
will have to listen with kindly Sympa-
thetical ears to the ptifUl cry OF the
common people just as we have heard the
same vail and protest against the friars
in the Philippines. When japan seized
Formosa l couldn't understand why the
everything God allowed a wicked nation
like that TO take the island from China:
but now l see it ali and realize that
Japan was to serve as a check upon the
military aristocracy of France which had
sslZed Ionquin. Every government is
selfish. There isn't q righteous govern
ment on earth and it is only my faith
IN the guidance of the Divine Mind that
gives; me confidence in the future of moor
wronsed, misunderstood, misreprcSented
China