The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-03
LOOTING QUESTION AGAIN
DIR. REID OFFERS DEFENSE AGAINST
NEWSPAPER CRITICISM.
say- His Famous Confession Was In
tended a "a BurIesque and
WAS Nfsconstrued

attracted such wide attention. through the
American press. as loot. AS your paper
along with many others. has passed criti-
cssm on my views concerning loot. as well
as on my own conduct IN the matter. l
write. not for the purpose of explaining
away actual facts, but 10 help in the UNDER
standing Of real circumstances. Now, L do
not claim perfection even as a missionary,
nor do | believe that missionaries ought
necessarily 10 be more perfect than others;
but / trust 1 am not as black as 1 am
painted.
Owing TO much unctuOus cant and mis-
representation in the criticisms on loot L
wrote last March 10 the North China Her
aid an ironical confession intended as a
burIesque. II was understood in China.
but. from what l have seen in American
papers. my attempts at humor fell as flat
as Mark Twain's latest missionary joke
Without going into any lengthy defense,
I will say this much. The three houses
from which I secured my "spoils of war"
were those Of high officials implicated in
the Boxer uprising and imperial attack
Everything in these houses was officially
conhscated: and what 1 secured was with
consent OF such authorities as a French
general. the British minister, and our
American officers. Under these circum-
stances / have no qualms of conscience In
what / did. I firmly believed that all such
men C'despicable wretches') who nearly
encOmpassed our massacre, should be pun
ished, and i did what / could TO point out
TO the authorities where these guilty men
had lived. This was "the now and then
of my looting. All my denunciations nave
been hurled only at the guilty ringleaders,
and. so far as / know. justice allows no
leniency in dealing with such.
At the same time, / never lost my SYM
patty for those who were really innocent.
Hence. in the section under American ad-
ministration, where I have lived for six
years, / favored the footing OF only two or
three houses. while hundreds of my neigh
bors kept me busy in securing for them
i have banners and tablets presented by
Chinese as tokens OF their appreciation of
what 1 did for them, but have not yet
I: heard any complaint Of the kind of looting
which / commended live in a house
which the owner urged me TO occupy for
protection against lOoting. He has pro-
vtded the furniture and has wanted no rent,
though L intend TO compensate him Tor MS
kindness
A FORM OF PUNISHMENT.
Taking cases of footing in themselves,
my conscience would heartily condemn
many OF them; but when 1 consider the
circumstances and view the matter as a
whole, 1 am forced to reiterate the state
ment made in the Forum for July, on "The
Ethics of Loot" that. If there was wrong.
II was III the WAL HOl III III hhCAuSIANoA
result of the collection of spoils." 1 con-
tend that footing was a form of punish
ment. without which the officials and peo-
pie OF Picking would again be likely TO I'M
dertake the task of exterminating all for
eigners in China. AS IL is, they will not at
tempt it again very soon, certainly not IN
Picking.
progress, and we were still In the enemys
country. Picking never surrendered, as 1t
did in the war of 1860. but had TO be cap
e tured by the loss of many lives. 1t was
not a case Of peaceably entering a friend
~ city on a mission OF preaching the gos-
pei War. with its sad and horrible Incl
dents. had begun, and ha1 TO be carried
{ on. L regret that such things must hap
pen. / very much regretted that L was
among the wounded lying in the hospital
while IL was being shelled from the pal
ace grounds. The imperial government
brought on the trouble, and we, caught in
trary to our usage and professions if we
saved.
The war was a most anomalous one. Not
merely were imperial troops engaged III the
attack, but thousands of the people Were
among the combatants; The government
the Boxers. whose one aim was our death.
In this sense there were few I'm the city
who were properly nOncombatants. Picking,
as a whole, suffered for completely in
crime.
Circumstances certainly modify the right
or wrong OF an action. Legitimate loot
ing I'm Picking In time OF war may be law
less thieving in New York in time of peace.
Missionaries in Picking, during the siege
and after. had 10 do many things contrary
TO the usual custom and spirit of mis-
sions. They became volunteer soldiers car
rying the rife. pointed at their fellow-men.
They built barbados and dug mines. They
worked on Sunday as on week days. They
devised plans for sending messengers
through the lines. weaving for them strange
things TO say-falsehoods, in fact5should
they fall into the hands OF the imperial
troops or the Boxers. They Joined in help
the Psalmist for the destruction OF their
enemies. In many ways, according to the
letter of the law. the Deealogue was brok-
proprieties of an ordinary and placid life.
MISSIONARIES AND WAR.
One missionary. in fact during the siege,
was appointed chairman of "the loot COM
mittee." Instead of saying that the mis-
siOnary was not part Of the war, and was
criminal if he did what the military could
do. l would say that he was very much in
the war-rather more than he wished to be
again.
While I acknowledge that international
law has regulations against looting i'm war.
j yet know Of no war down to the present
time. where in case of capturing a city
which refused 20 surrender. the enemy
suffered no loss of property. either through
official orders or ones nOnOfficial good
pleasure. In the civil war. even where
towns and people surrendered, there was
sacking and burning, by permission of dis
tinguiShed commanders. One general in
the allied forces in Picking. applauded for
his condemnation of looting. yet furnished
his headquarters from a wealthy family
friendly to foreigners. and at the present
writing the family has received no com
pensation. IL Is really most difficult to APP
ply International law to a great many fea-
lures OF the anomalous war and peace of
the last year or more.
How forgiveness. meekness. non-resist-
ance-great principles of the Christian
teachings-are TO be applied to times of
war, blOodshed and widespread collision |
do not attempt To eXpOund in a single par
agraph. IL Is clear. II the Interpretation OF
some home critics had been followed. that
all of Us foreigners in Picking should have
handed ourselves over TO the DOWager
Empress and her hOrdes Of Boxers. and.
I'm loving charity. quietly allowed ourselves
10 be cut 10 pieces. The blowing up of the
Maine flung Christian America into a war
of 'humanity'-and reVenge-but the bar
barrie butchery OF over DO OF our own flesh
and blood in North China-far away from
the scenes of warts met BY the nambv-
pamby sentimentaiity. How good a thing
J. persecution" ! may be wrong in my
Theology and ethics both. but | am thor
Oughly convinced that Christianity. that
tho holy law OF nigh Heaven, does not
mean leniency 10 such lawless officials OF
tde Chinese government as hurried on the
fury. Let the multitudes of china be
helped In love, but let justice. stern and
relentless, be melted ont 10 those who spurn
fhe right and trample on law. 1T must
heeds be that offences come. but woe
TO that man by whom the Ofense COM