Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-04-19
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES
DR.. AMENT's DEFENSE.

There are many people in this country
who believe that the Christian mission
aries are responsible for the conflicts be-
tween the natives and the foreigners,
which have drenched the soil of the
Chinese empire with blood and blackened
the pages of history with records of
outrage, murder and spoliation that
shock humanity and disgrace civilization.
There are more who believe that these
missionaries have, since the outbreak of
the Boxers war, failed to conduct them
selves as the teachers of the gospel of
peace on earth and good will to men
should have done There are very few
who do not believe, with President
Tucker, that whether guilty of the inds-
cretions and excuses with which they
are charged or not, the missionaries in
China have been actors In strife which
has discredited for long time TO come
the attempt to Chrstianize, through such
agencies, the Chinese.
But this is not the view of the Rev.
DIR. Ament, an agent of the American
Board of Foreign Missions, who has been
at the head of the missionary work in
China and appears to have been the
leader in whatever was done there by his
associates. In a five column letter pub
lished in the New York Sun he defends
without any qualification all the pro-
ceedings of the Christians during and
after the siege of Pekin. He admits
nearly all that has been charged by cor
respondents, including the seizure by the
missionaries of the Chinese houses, the
looting of furniture, clothing, jewelry
and other valuables, whose owners were
driven away after the allies got control,
and justifies it all: first, on the ground
that he and the other Christians needed
or expected to need what they took
secondly, because the heather deserved to
be punished, and thirdly, because selling
the valuables which they "induced" the
natives to part with and did not care to
keep was "legitimate speculation" OF
his own part in the matter he saws he
moved into the palace of a wicked Mingo
prince who had been allowed to escape
unframed to Jehol, grabbed what he
could lay his hands on and sold what he
and his family did not want, because lit
would seem but the mildest form of pun
ishment that the clothing and curios
found on his premises should be sold for
the benefit of those who had survived his
murderous attacks" to which he adds:
IL there is any thing wrong in this, I should
be pleased to have our critics point il out
furthermore, II a proper indemnity is paid
by the Chinese government for the support
during those few months of the people who
had been rendered homeless by the Boxers
the sum of money received for the sale OF his
goods could be restored to this NJ ongol prince
Then he complains that the allies, hav-
ing overcome the Boxers, did not deal
severely enough with them, and leaves it
to be inferred that because their home
governments and soldiers were too len.
lent the missionaries felt obliged to mete
out punishment themselves. SvIne of
his reasoning on these lines is interesting.
We quote few paragraphs:
Experience in China proves that seeming
weakness in dealing with Chinese only in.
creases their spirit of dstrust and their de
sire to continue in crime. Excessive kind
ness they will attribute to fear; the spirit of
altrulsm is entirely alien to their natures.
1t is quite natural that persons who
have lived in north China for quarter OF
century, knowing the situation and the
Chinese, should be more able to appreciate
the needs of the situation than these recently
arrived IN the Celestial empire. But the
opinions of such persons were not courted,
and when they ventured to e, press an
opinion, unprecedented far ; they were
able to make it, they were called vindictive
and bloodthirsty. One gun fired at a Il oop of
officers would easily result in the destruction
of a village or villages and the loss of many
lives. That was considered Justice or the
necessities of warfare. But in village where /
scores of native Christians have persisted by /
the hands of the RONprs mis- Gio nj.
have been driven out and vilified for the
latter to demand the punishment of few
notorious leaders is considered by some
contrary to the professions which they make |
In explanation of anything that mission /
aries may have done in the line of looting /
it is only right to say that a famine was pre-
dlcted for the coming winter, that they had |
hundreds of people in their charge who /
were in immediate need of food, clothing
and shelter and who looked to the mission |
aries for assistance. 1t is but Justice to them /
to say that II in he ardor of their desire To /
provide for their people they did some things |
that attracted criticism, they did it with the |
best of intentions and honest desire to pro
vide for whom they felt more or less .
reponsble.
There seems very little hope OF native
Christians receiving anything through the
1nstrumentaity of their officials, nor DID |
the foreign powers think they were
called upon to provide Indemnity for
them. II IA missionary, by means
of hi personal influence, and by the assist
ance of the local Official who might be
friendly TO him. could bring the neighbors of
his prosecuted people to see the error of
their ways and persuade them to. contribute
money for the rebuilding OF destroyed houses
and for the support of the survivors of tie
families, think he is justified in so doing =,
In no case have harsh measures
been resorted to to secure the fund, when is
not large, and the justice of the claims
would seem to be clear to all. Not 10 have
taken some such measures would have IN
dicated to the Boxer sympathizers an
abnormal weakness and indifference to the
suffe,ings of our native Christians that would
have tended to increase the latter's troubles
by raising the courage OF their enemies.
rIhis hn OH IL r,it NJ. ......