Washington sentinel., 1900-11-24

sionaries by the Boxers was inspired
by fanatical sentiment. II was an
execrable procee ding and deserves pun.
ishment. Bur it was the policy OF semi
barbarous Asiatics and was carried out
by low class ofvillage ruffians, whereas
the hardhearted butcherles committed
by the Western troops are ordered or
permitted by nations that boast of their
enlightenment, ethical culture. refine.
m ut and philanthropy and are carried
out by officers and soldiers who pride
themselves upon their superiority OF race
and religion, We read accounts Of
prisoners taken at Pekin being bay
oneted by the score in cold blood after
the relief OF the egaiions-bayoneted
ITO save ammunition" Prisoners taken
at other places are described as being
made to dig their own graves and then
to stand at the edge of the pit to be
decapitated and tumbled in. No form
Of horrible cruelty, no variety ofpitiless
murder is wanting.
The Chinese religion consists essen
italy in the worship Of ancestors, respect
for parents being taught as the first duty
OF man To wound this sentiment il is
now proposed to destroy the Ming Gem.
etery, near Pekin, where the Emperors
OF former Chinese dynasty are buried.
These "punishments" OF the Chinese
are defended IN some quarters on the
ground that they are required to impress
the Asiatic with respect for the Euro.
peanl
The Russians are easily first in these
horrors. From many different sources
the testimony Of travellers on the Amur
and OF civilians and soldiers in the
province Of Pechli-come accounts of
Russian atrocities that throw in the
SHADE the alleged Bulgarian atrocities"
on the strength OF which Russia made
war on Turkey in 1877 and the Armenian
atrocities OF recent memory. The
very consequences OF war that The
Hague Congress was convoked by the
Gar to mitigate and restrain are exem.
plifed by the Cars own troops IN
senseless, brutal and unnecessary butch
cries OF thousands OF innocent women
and -hildren. At Tien Tsin and Pekin
many witnesses testify to seeing the
COssacSs toss Chinese babies on their
bayOnets. Incredible as this may seem,
this is the kind of"hell" that the present
war spells Other European troops in
Pechili vie with the Boxers in brutality,
but the Russians outdo them all. In
Manchuri aud along the Amur river,
where the Russians have everything
their own way, depopulatious of the
country would seem TO be the Russian
aim. Cities and towns have been wiped
out, The Amur is described by travel.
ers as blocked and ietld with the corpses
OF many thousands of noncombatant
Chinese, Those not killed are left to
starve. It is no excuse for this to say,
1T is the Cossack's way" Eastern Asia
is scandalized with the doings ofWestern
soldiers.
All this in the name of civilization,
commerce, religion Il illustrates for
cbly the truth that war puts back the
clock of civilization, arrests commerce
and brings religion into contempt Not
an officer or man that has been partici-
pating in this Eastern orgy Of atrocities
but is brutalized by it. His civilization
has been lowered. The whole "civilzed''
world cannot but feel that il has fallen
below its ideal and that new precedents
Of a dcbasing character have been
created. Progress has been checked,
AS IN Italy and France after the inroads
ofthe Northern barbarians IN Asia Minor
AMI Egypt after the conquests OF the
Mohammedans, in Spain alter the
expulsion Of the Moors, in Mexico aud
Peru after the victories OF the Spanish,
so now the sequel of the war in China
is paralysis OF the arts Of civilization.
The pending industrial crisis In Ger
many, or example, described recently
in consular reports by Consul Mason, of
Berlin, is ascribed IN part to the decline
Of trade with China. Other nations
trading with that country suffer as much
or more. Missionary enterprise is.obvi-
ously impeded and will hereafter be at
great disadvantage. To the credit Of
Japan it should be said that her troops,
though most efficient in action, have
taken no part la the Chinese atrocities,
and almost as much may be said Of the
Americans and English. The latter
have engaged in loosing to shameful
extent, but have abStained, as a rule,
frcs-m the slaughter of noncombatants.