The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-13
THE CREED OF THE NATIONS.
THE CHIEF BLAME FOR THE CHI
NESE UPRISING Is ASCRIBED.


The Opium Trade, Foreign AgGres-
sions and Demands, and the Young
EmperOrs Advanced views Named
as Causes of the Outbreak-The
Preacher Repudiated Statements
TO the Effect That Protestant Mis-
sionaries Are Responsible.
present Problems in the East and the
Real Meaning of the Uprising in China
was the subject of the sermon delivered
yesterday morning at Wesley Monument
tai Church by the pastor, Rev. Ed F.
| Cook. After summarizing the present
condition. the pastor said:
"Our commercial interest in China, our
diplomatic relation with this government
and our faith in the universal triumph Of
the Kingdom of Christ, make it necessary
for us 10 consider the conditions in Inc
East and understand, if possible, the
cause and meaning of this great and omi-
nous uprising in China.
There are many causes that have con-
tributed. directly and indirectly to the
uprising Of this nation against the for
eigner, and all that he represents. The
remote or earlier influences are the opium
trade of Great Britain and the method
she adopted to enlarge her commercial
advantages, and foist upon China free
trade in opium.
In 1860 England and France reduced
the Taku forts, entered Pekin and drove
out the Emperor, destroyed his summer
palace and committed other depredations
and for still further commercial advant-
ages forced China to various concessions
AT this treatment China rebelled. but a
strong hand, skilled in war and diplo-
| macy, put down the trouble and smooth
| ed over the difficulties.
1.-The more recent and direct causes are
the aggression of foreign nations on Chi
nese territory within the last five years
and progressive commercial explorations
| in the interior. In 1897 Germany lost two
missionaries, murdered by the Chinese.
She thereupon took the province of Chiao
| Chou indemnify for this loss. After
the defeat of China by Japan, Russia
having lost no missionaries, proceeded TO
appropriate Port Arthur as affording con-
venient waters whereupon she might
! float her much-needed navy, whereupon
| Great Britain rose up and demanded con-
| cessions from China because she had fav-
ored Germany and Russia. She, there
fore, laid claim 10 Wei Hal Wei. France
grew jealous, and rushed in and really
wanted the earth, but became in a meas
ure satisfied In the possession of five
| provinces Italy was next heard from,
and, as DR.. Arthur Fl. Smith has said
| ashamed not to be in it, asked for a bay
that nobody ever heard of, and which to
| this day we cannot find on the map. II
| is called simply Sanmen bay. At this
point the Chinese government, or she
| Dowager section of it, drew the line. For
| the first time in the series of aggressions
| the Chinese refused to grant anything.
| This made matters serious, and there is
| little doubt but that China means to re-
sist this modern aggressive impulse to the
| bitter end.
THE success of Japan in the recent war
| with China awoke China 10 the realization
of her great weakness. She was humili-
ated and disgraced by her defeat, and
| since that day has been making great
preparations for times of war and strife.
The third and perhaps greatest of these
influences has been the young Emperor s
aggressive ideas and reform movements.
He came i'm touch with foreign ideas,
commercial enthusiasm, the civilization of
the West and the new religion of the mis-
sionary and became an enthusiast for re-
form; but reformations are not accom-
| plished without difficulties and obstacles.
| Principal among the obstacles he encoun-
tered was the opposition and enmity of his
| aunt the Empress Dowager, and her sym
pathizers and influential political friends.
| They brought the forward movement to a
sudden and violent end by casting the
| young Emperor in prison, beheadng a
| number of his cordial supporters and
taking in hand the reins of the government
with the unmistakable purpose of check
ing progress. staying the aggression of the
| Powers, and driving out the foreign
| xpho ba bar
porters regard as the enemies of the Ce-
lestial Kingdom.
by some newspapers and politicians
who have discussed this question, the
trouble is attributed 10 the missionaries.
In one sense only are the missionaries re-
sponsible for the unrest and uprising in
| China to-day: that is the missionary
represents Western civilization, progress
sive ideas. and the light of the gospel of
Jesus, His truth is as light shed upon
darkness-reformatory in its influence. 1t
is natural that darkness should contend
against light and that reforma ton should
produce revolution. In a small way the
attitude of the Catholic Church to the
government OF China may have contribu-
ted to the recent troubles"
Mr.. Cook then said: Il have no pa
thence with the cheap talk and criticisms
of some newspapers and politicians that
talk much and know little about the real
situation in the East" He then read a
short clipping in a recent paper in which
Senator Tilman of South Carolina is re
ported to have said; "In regard to the
missionaries and the future effort to
force the Chinese to protect them, l am
utterly opposed. We do not admit the
| Chinese, even to work. and the idea OF
their sending missionaries here to preach
is as preposterous to us as our sending
missionaries to them. If the Christian re-
ligion cannot conquer an entrance to the
suasion, | see no warrant in Christianity
forcing 1t on them at the point Of the
bayonet; shat religion is the religion of
love and not of force"
such talk" said The preacher, lis idle
vaporlng and by such nonsense OUT peo-
pie are being mistaught and the faith of
the church put to a needless strain.
Scores of fasehoods are now being set
afioat about the missionaries and given
currency by wide circulation without
proper investigation and verihcation. Any
Christian who believes them ana is de-
ceived by them is not wise"
The preacher then quoted a number of
eminent authorities of all nations. in
GLIDING many of the most prominent rep
resentatives of the Chinese government,
to show that they who know most of the
situation do not attribute, as the papers
would have us believe the present upris-
ing TO the work or the errors of the
Protestant missionaries