The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-07-19

Chmina Missionary Alliance at Shang-
hal the subjoined statement. said to have
been circulated throughout China and
approved by fully nine-tenths of the
whole body Of Protestant missionaries in
China. The request for it's publication
is signed by c. w. Natter, American
Presbyterian Missionary society, w. N.
Bitton, London Missionary society. F.
w. Baller. China Inland Mission, w. p
Bentley. Foreign Christian Missionary
society, G. r. Bondfield. British and
Foreign Bible society, G. F. Fitch,
American Board of Commissions of
Foreign missions, A. P. Parker. Meth
odist society. and Timothy Richard, En-
glish Baptist Missionary society:
In view of the Importance Of the
present crisis in the history Of Chris
tan missions in China. and of the fact
that our position has been seriously mis-
understood and our opinions and utter
ances subjected to adverse criticisms. it
has seemed to us advisable to make the
following statement:
The points in the recent criticisms
which most concern us are: D That
missionaries are chiefly responsible for
the recent uprising and CID That they
have manifested an unchristian spirit in
were guilty Of the massacre Of foreign
ers and native Christians.
IT, With reference to the first of these
charges we would remark:
Il. That when the facts concerning
this uprising are rightly understood. it
will be found that it's causes are deeply
rooted and manifold. The history of
foreign relations with China has all
along been that of hereditary prejudice
on the one hand and force on the other.
The government of China has never
given friendly reception to foreign
ers 1t has resented their presence and
yielded grudgingly the few rights OBJ
tanned from it Dy treaty. This long
standing i'll will was deeply intensified
by the political humiliation and loss of
territory which followed the war with
Japan.
The rise of the Boxer movement in
Shangtung and it's rapid growth there
and in the adjacent province of Chill.
will be found to have among it's immedi-
ate causes: (a) the shortness of food,
almost amounting to famine, which pre-
vailed in those regions; (b) the irrita-
ton caused by the Industrial and econ
omic changes created by railway con-
struction and other forced enterprises:
CD the seizures of kiao-chau, Port Ar
thur and Wei-hai-wei, which We're bit
terly resented as unwarrantable ag-
gressions; and (d) the projection and
forcible Sc yeying of a railway route
through the province of Shangtung.
which produced intense local exaspera-
ton.
SO. The recent uprising was anti
foreign rather than anti-Christian. Ma
tive Christians have suffered mainly be-
cause they have been reckoned as Sec
ondary DEVILS /. e., the allies of foreign
ers. Moreover, the destruction of rail-
ways and the attack on railway en-
gineers preceded the destruction of mis-
sion compounds and the slaughter of
missionaries. Nor should it be forgotten
that among the facts of the outbreak
are the siege of the legations, the de-
| structiOn of the property OF the imperial
customs and the indiscriminate massa-
ere of foreigners and of Chinese found in
possession of foreign made articles.
| That missionaries were residing in the
interior, and were without the means to
defend themselves. entirely accounts for
the large number who persisted. Had
aries the result would have been the
| same.
"3. The charge also includes the state
ment that missionaries have brought the
present disaster upon themselves; on the
one hand, by lack of appreciation of
what is good in Chinese life and thought;
and on the other. by disregard of Chinese
prejudice and etiquette. 1t Is cOnceiv-
| able that isolated statements and actions
may thus be construed, but for the
missionary body as whole we can as
sert that this statement is without
! foundation.
believing as we do that the gospel is
Gods message of salvation to mankind
and that, too, in sense in which the
wisdom of words of no sage can ever be,
we must, as faithful servants of our
Lord, reiterate both the great affirma-
t;ons and the gracious invitations of the
gospel, and wherever the claims of the
gospel are brought face to face with such
superstition and idolatry as prevail
among the classes in China, certain
measure of opposition and resentment is
sure to be excited. For this we do moi
feel called upon to apologize. But the
amount of opposition thus excited has
been greatly exaggerated. The conciliat-
| ing euect OF the WORK uoiie ny tHeAl nus
pitfalls. colleges, schools, and famine re-
lief has far more than counterbalanced
any prejudice raised by the preaching Of
the gospel In spite of all that has re-
| Gently taken place, it remains true tina
our position in China has not been Sc
cured so much by treaty right as by tn,
good will of the people themselves. Ant
it is worthy of s. remark that thos'
missionaries in the Interior who did reacl