The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-01-09
Office Assistant Quartermaster,
u. =. y. II. Sumner,
Maracabun, Southern Islands.

U. $. y. Il. Sumner,
Maracabun, Southern Islands.
November 30tb, 1900.
Dear Mr.. Wilson-Encosed herewith please
find q hurrid!y prepared article on the sltu,
atiou in China AZ IL appeared TO me when
was there about month ago. think 1T Will
be OF interest to at least some of your readers.
did not get this in the mail as soon as
expected but trust IT. will reach you In time
TO be of interest to the public. we nave naa
some hard work to accomplish in the orient
in the matter OF transportation OF supplies
and troops. but now that the China question
is left to diplomacy and The warfare IN tne
Philippines is reduced 10 brigandage, mink
the worst Is over.
The next great move for the transports will
be the moving OF the volunteers TO the States,
and this 1t IL intlmatedlwill commence aoout
ty thousand OF them In the Philippines az
present, and with the facilities at hand II VIII
take at least three months TO get them safely
In, In the o Se Golden
prior to this movement, and can assure you
that there will be a joyous lot on board when
the happy hour comes round.
For The st time since my connection Win
the service\ -as ordered to use the three six
Founders VIII which the ship Is provided In
bonn harding We towns situated along the
coast of the s!and OF Maracaoan. A number e
ofshots were fired with great effect, and was
very much pleased to learn from Inc COM
manding officer afterwards that we had sue
cessfully kept the enemy In reach OF tnelr
guns and prevented me em9aiAaISm hs ncbor "
just been raised and we are under steam lor
Manila where, the 2Sth, will embark lor Mlnd-
auao on Sunday next. Upon complexion OF
this work the Chief Quartermaster has prom
ised 10 allow me to place the ship In dry dock
at Hong Kong for the purpose OF repairs.
The result or the election has had no appre.
ciable effect upon the insurgents, tney seem 10
be as numerous and as uncertain as ever. IL
can not be called warfare In these ISLANDS, ior
in q zone Of territory the area OF AbbeVllle
County you will seldom find al much disturb
ance as will happen almost every week at a
characteristic negro cake walk. Inc rn;ins na,,He
Of business as though there was profound
peace in the island, and at night when the boy
In blue is ambling along humming an Amerl-
they And their hidden rife and send
a shot from ambush that ends his earthly
career and leaves vacency Wheh ron
is called at reveille. AS far as IS Known
surgent population have the most perfect I'M
derstanding among themselves and cooper
ate in the shortest time and In the most mar
monious spirit.
east has already had It's effect on the trade OF
the Pacific slope. The man must be bold
fellow who undertakes 10 preoict tne great
future of that section OF our country with the
extensive fields OF the Orient TO iced upon.
The enterprisiDg young man will not miss
his opportunity II he Identifies himself with
the trade of the Pacific at earliest time possi'
BILE, there is no richer field In our country.
The election OF Mr.. Mckinley would seem 10
Insure the prospective man In the Philippines,
certainly the question is settled one ior the
next four years.
In the story OF the Chinese situation have
not given you great deal thaG , mignd ~ Lon ON
and abiding love and respect for the sweetest
being to me on earth will not incorporate In
an article Tor publication apersonal opinion,
VnNtF G.nf q
approval OF the church, and would as surely
wound her. Suffice the passing statement
that 1t will be many years when the oad lm-
preston the missionaries OF China have made
country has died, II indeed. 1t ever dies. The
outrageous looting Of which they were un-
Questiopably guilty has condemned them
with many devoted to the holy cause IN the
years gone by, and has succeeded beautifully
in estranging the cause from the support OF
the army as we'll as its In t1uence.
The missionaries that l had occasion 10
discuss these matters With seemed worn and
baggard, and they never tire OF relating the
hardships they had been called TO suffer:
There is no class who are more fully aware OF
the criticism of the missions THAI the mis-
sionaries themselves, and they are preparing
am of opinion that the missions will Increase
and grow, and this simply that they nave
such deep-rooted place In the work OF the
Church. It Ia just as true, however, tnat they
that they have much hard work before them.
In connection with this subject, wish TO
state that there must be distinction MADE
between the Protestant and the French Ro-
man Catholic missionary work. am reliably
informed that by q certain treaty with the
Chinese Government the French have sue
ceeded In having delegated to their mission
aries the powers of a viceroy, whereby they
their own con verts. This status has naturally
led many of the worst element 10 adopt
Christianity as means by which they could
escape punishment for open violations Of
condition augmented the Jealousy between
pagan and Christian, and added much To the
hatred OF the "foreign devil"
Life In the Orient is much more expensive
Nagasaki and Manila arc eighteen Mexican
dollars day, or seventy-tve gold month.
This has brought hardship on the officers OF
the Army who made the mistake or having
their wives accompany them out mere unoer
not much Of q Bible student, and may be
wrong, but II my memory serves me right II
was Paul who said 1t was good TO marry, and
better not TO. You are doubtless more famll.
lar with the philosophy Of this question than
most men, even though you have seen the
error of that philosophy since last saw you.
don't know that Paul thought OF the Phil
thel Is no question as TO It's being most appli-
cable to the Army situation out here. 1wrote
the girl used to call my sweetheart when /
was in the States all about this high living
proposition and added that was glad we had
postpone ed the nuptials TO more propltlous
lime. Her reply was that 1.-THE condition was
not confined 10 the Philippines, nor the
Army, but as a matter of fact there were two
Of us glad" am not just sure how much
was meant by that sen tence, for have not
heard from her since. and that looks bit
strange.
This letter will be mailed to you at Manila
upon arrival there Saturday. / would enjoy
seeing few of the last copies of your paper,
but the mails are so poor out here that II is
pleasure will doubtless miss for some time.
With best wishes, and kind regards to my
friends In the Office, am.
Yours, very truly,
Chas. T. Baker.
Captain and Asst. Quartermaster, U. s. V.
An AbbeyilIe's BOYS Wonderful Rise