Washington sentinel., 1901-02-09
ENGLAND.
"Reminiscences of Pekin.
JE AloHkhon, in Paris lie Alatin."

JE AtoHklOH, in Paris lie Alatin."
Monseigneur F vier, the eminent
| Bishop of Pekn, whose personality has
| been for forty years bound up in the
| development of French influence in
| China, and whose name was to be found
| In all accounts of the incidents OF he
last insurrecton, is now in Paris He
left his diocese two months ago. sum
moned by the Sovereign Pnntih, who
wished to hear from his own mouth
| details Of the rising and Of the state Of
the surviving Christians 10 China, and
after fifteen days in Rome is spending a
week in Paris. He proposes to see MN.
Loubet and Delcasse, and also to go to
Dion to embrace his aged mother,
ninety wears old, who for long weeks Of
anguish thought she should never see
her son again.
In spite Of his sixty four years, his
long white beard and his hard mission
ary life, Monseigneur Favier has all the
charm OF manner and happy careIessness
OF Young man OF twenty, Hardly more
fatgued than after a walk in the BOis de
Boulogne, or more moved than after
some ceremony in his cathedral church,
he scarcely SET med to remember that
he only escaped death by an unforesee en-
miracle. and is certainly not aware Of
the fact that hs did anything worthy of
admiration, and that, apart from all
feeling Tor his Office, his compatriots
owe him great debt Of gratitude for the
splendid example of heroIsm he gave.
With a cigarette in his mouth and
laughter in his voice, he recalls Incl
dents OF this siege Of nine weeks, 10
which he, with thirty Tartar rifles, kept
at bay the assault OF 8 ooo men armed
with Mauser rifles and supported by the
Krupp guns of the regular army. The
cathedral, Pei Tang-alone lett standing
out OF the four churches in PekIn, and
twenty six he has had tuIlt IN the whole
extent OF his mIssIon-is now only
shell; 800 Christian settlements out of
500 have been razed TO the ground, aud
5000 converts have been massacTed.
But what OF that2 He will begin airesh,
as France has begun afresh alter her
disasters. The effort is nothing to this
youthful old man, who only demands
from life the joy of struggling, and he
starts on this intrepid undertaking, not
after some months in the peace OF bis
cioiJter, butat the end OF January
On being asked if the rumor was true
that Leo XIII. had entrusted him with a
special mission to the French Govern
ment, be replied: "As to a mission, that
Of Pekin Is enough for me. The Pope,
in our long interview, only made one
allusion to his letter to the Archbishop
read it and found it very wise and very
beautiful, but am too much accustomed
to living for forty years in fraternal
intercourse with the Frenchmeu ofevery
shade Of political and religious opinions
who succeed each other 10 China to
mix myself up for any reason in your
internal quaIrels From my long ex.
perience, and my confidence in the men
who control our policy abroad, cherish
the hope that no hing will be done
missionaries. A missionary, particularly
in a country like China, where our
commerce and our national industries
are almost nil, is the commercial travel
Ter Of his country, on him exclusively
rests the maintenance of our traditional
prestige, and the Chlnaman who brings
his child to US for baptism we'll knows
we make it both Christian aud French.
I am not speaking of the material
services our missionaries render from
the point ofyiew Of civilization so much
as from the point of view Of nationality
When the French army entered PekIE
it was the only one that had hospita s
established at once; nurses, guides, and
interpreters ready. because we were Il e
only missionaries in the capital who bad
formed a nucleus Of the native popula-
ton, which almost goes so far as to
worship France. Not one OF our Al, 900
Christians would not give his life impar
italy for the Cross or the Tricolour, and
here. the Bishop said, rising, with much
feeling, "sre the tattered fragments
preserved to us by their wonderful
selisacrIhce."
These iragnents are a trophy They
are the national flag which floated over
the Pei Tang, The flag has now
neither form nor color; it IS not flag but
wound, splendid, notw outstanding,
because even at the worst moments Of
hunger and the Cannouade our Christians
never despaired because il still waved
| above them"
DO not know If the habit makes the
monk, but know the feelings Of this
bishop make him a strong man aud a
| good Frenchman.