Evening star., 1901-04-10
Missionary in China Tells Of Causes
of Boxer Revolt.
AGAINST EVERYTHING FOREIGN
Native Christians Fared Worse
Than Anybody Else.
MANY BIBLES DESTROYED


from it's agent in China, the Rev. John
r. Hykes, D.:
There was a deep and cunnngly laid
plot, under imperial sanction, to extirpate
Christianity, expel all foreigners and de-
stroy all foreign interests. No one OWNED
the full extent of the iniquity which was
deliberately contemplated.
In all 1S3 Protestant missionaries in
cluding sixty men, severty-fve women and
forty-eight children, have been massacred
with the exception of the lnassacres at
Ku ChoO in Chekiang, in which eleven per-
sons were killed, and at Iengchoo in HUI
nan, all of the deaths occurred in the
northern provinces.
"The question has been raised at home
as to whether the Boxer uprising was
anti-foreign or anti-mssionary in its char
acter. No doubt exists in the mind of any
well-informed person in China. The move
ment was undoubtedly against foreigners
as such. and the crusade was directed
against everything foreign-Christianity of
course, included. Hsu Ching Cheng and
Yuen Chang, two ministers of the foreign
office, would not transmit the awful edict,
which reiterated the order to painfully ex-
tirpate all Foreigners but changed it
as to read protect all foreigners, and then
sent it flying over the wires to the
motest provinces. They We're sentenced to
be cut in two. Missionaries were the
class that benefited by this act of hero
ism. The fact that every missionary
capped from fourteen out of eighteen prov
inces would indicate that the crusade was
not specially anti-missionary.
Schools and Hospitals Burned.
"In the provinces of Chih Lii and Shan 81
every school, hospital. chapel and dwelling
was looted and burned by the Boxers or
imperial troops, the only exception being
the property in the foreign settlement at
Tien Tsin. So complete was the demolition
of property by these mad fanatics that not
vestige was left to mark the site; even
the foundations were dug up and carried
away. There was also destruction of mis-
sion property In the provinces of Shan ST,
Honan, Human, Hupeh, kiang ST, Che
klanS and kwan Tung. The native Chris
tians have been the worst sufferers. Those
who escaped the general slaughter in the
northern provinces lost absolutely every
thing, and many of them are pershing
from cold and starvation.
The Scriptures destroyed will aggregate
not less than 100 volumes: and the actual
loss to the society will not be less than
eight or ten thousand gold dollars, includ-
ing the necessary expense of getting work
ers to places of safety and back again to
their stations. All of our foreign superin-
the loss of many noble and devoted native
workers. They We're warned of the risk
they We're running, but not man of the
noble band of eighteen f1inched. Their re-
ply was: we go on a cOportage tour
COD 8 will be done Only four of the eigh-
teen returned from that journey.
he homes of these martyrs We're looted
ana burned and their families exterminated
those who survived escaped to the noun
ta1ns, where they suffered terrible priva-
tions and managed to get back to Pekin
after 1t was captured by the allied armies
Persecution of ColpOrteurs.
"Of the colporteurs under missionary
supervision 1 have not heard Of one who
escaped. In some other parts of China
colporteurs endured terrible persecution,
and some of them are only now venturing
out of hiding.
More than 10000 native converts in
Guiding Roman Catholics met death with
heroism worthy Of the best age of the
church.
While the total number of volumes of
the Scriptures published is 81, 100 less than
the previous year, the number of pages is
slightly in excess. The number Of pages
printed in 1899 was 76932 200; this year it
was 1885, 100, or about three-quarters Of a
million more. This Is the largest number
of pages ever printed in one year by the
China agency, and will give some idea Of
the proportions to which the work had
grown when, in common with all other
forms of Christian work, 1t was suddenly
interrupted by the events Of the past
year.
THE number of Mandarin Bibles manu-
factured is worthy Of special notice. There
were received from the printers no less
than $500 Bibles and $3.50 copies were in
press on December 81. Ten years ago an
edition Of 1900 copies was thought suff-
cient to meet the demand for several years.
This fairly indicates the growth of the ma
tive church during this period for it is
from native Christians that the demand
for Bibles comes"
Conditions in Porto Rico.
BOSTON, April 1O.-Following is an alb
stract Of the report Of Rev. E. 8. Tead of
Somerville, Mass, who, with Rev. A. F.
Beard of New York, went to Porto Rico
as representatives of the American Mis-
sionary Association about six weeks ago.
The report says: In some Of the towns
where the greatest poverty exists Span
iards live who are worth all the way from
100000 to $1.00O,00O. but they are not
touched by this condition of the poor, nor
are efforts made to alleviate distress. Beg
gary is common, and in some of the stores
little baskets of coppers on the shelf hold
the amount which the merchant intends to
dispense that day. All sorts of bodily de-
formities and disease are displayed by
these beggars, such as blindness, twisted
feet, dropsy, sores, bruised legs, paralysis,
women carried in carts or hobbling along
on their launches, or men seated by the
wayside holding up a manned limb and
begging for a pittance.
The need of the island Is general hos
pital equipped with modern appliances. A
hospital could be built and equipped at
comparatively small expense. Miss DR.. At
kins, connected with the Presbyterian mis-
sion of San Juan. has twenty-five to forty
calls a day from patients who need hos
pital treatment, many of whose lives are
lost because of the lack Of it.
The education Of the people is receiving
the careful consideration of the authorities.
DR.. Brumbaugh, the commissioner of cdu-
cation, is working night and day on this
pressing problem. At present 10000 chill
dren are in the public schools, but 300 600
remain as yet unprovided for. There are
| 500 teachers. about ninety Of whom are
from the United States.
Children Eager to Learn.
Both Spanish and English are taught,
| and the children are quick and eager to
learn. There is no high. normal, Industrial
school or college in the island. though Ma
jardo has raised $4,000 for normal
school Sixteen school inspectors are in
| the saddle visiting the different sections of
| the island. and their services are much
| needed to keep the native teachers to their
| tasks, which. sometimes. they are disposed
| to shirk.
| Religion Is not allowed place on the
curriculum. There is q widespread desire