Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-23
haps of one INTENSELY biased newspaner

! haps Of one intensely biased newspaper
correspondent, who reads into the most
commonplace saying some deep con-
cealed meaning and unkind intention
toward the British interests. A Rus
sian gentleman Is perfect gentleman
and uniformly marvellous linguist.
1 have several times been present In
room with a Frenchman, q German
and an Italian with whom several Rus
slams carried on animated conversation
with each in his own language, and APP
/ parently with equal nuency. From,
NJ. de Giers down through his whole le-
cation, the professors of Russian In the
imperial university and Tung Wen
Kuan, the officers and clerks OF the
Russo Chinese bank, one can find none
who are not perfect gentlemen and
most agreeable companions
Baron Won Radew, the captain In
charge of the Russian marines, has
been a most devoted officer, and every
point of his defenses has had his con-
slant personal supervision. He has
never undressed to sleep in the last two
months. but has taken the broken rest
he has obtained lying on a steamer
chair in one of his barbados. He has
lost greatly in flesh and is but skel-
eton of his former self. but remains the
same courteous officer and gentleman
under circumstances that have altered
the disposition of not few.
IL the diplomatic corps in Picking
could only have heard the many and
varied contemptuous remarks made
about them by their own nations both
before and during the siege they would
perhaps have new idea of what their
titles of ENJOYS extraordinary meant.
AS l heard one gentleman remark:
After this lot are disposed OF hope
they will send us a set of ENJOYS ordi-
nary. common sense kind Of men who
have eyes and ears" 1t is certainly
marvellous that with the information so
readily obtainable as to the Boxer
movement. Its aims and Intentions and
after having 1t forced almost upon
them as certainly the British, Ameri-
can and French ministers have had by
their missionaries and others the Dip
lomatic corps shtN'ld have blindly al
lowed themselves to be penned up In
Picking with only a handful of guards.
to endure treatment as disgraceful as
1T has been unpleasant True NJ. Pich-
on urged his colleagues early to send
for legation guards and wanted them
i'm larger numbers. But even he after
constant assurances from Bishop Fa-
ner (who was perfectly Informed as to
tho gravity of the movement and the
imperial sanctiom declined to act in
dependently and allowed the situation
to proceed to the utmost extremity be-
fore he believed the priest true and the
tsung-li- yamen false.
A very blue lot they have been dur
ing the Siege. Although better fed than
the unfortunates compelled to suffer
With them, the results of their credull-
ty, they have not been pleasant COM
pany and have been allowed to flock
together as birds of a feather and dis
oUsS together the utter neglect of their
home governments in not speedily res
cuing them. The rest of us poor NOR
tails have long since come to the con-
clllSion that our governments have
found out their true value and have
decided they are not worth rescue.
The Belgian minister having arrived
only few weeks before the siege be-
gan, is not to blame for the position,
and he wonders as much as the ordi-
nary mortal how his colleagues could
have allowed 1T to come to pass. Is II
possible that England and America IL
they had been Informed OF the true
state of affairs by their representatives
would not have requested their minis
tiers to notify all the foreign ladies and
children to leave the country? When
foreign war Is inevitable even in a
civilized country 1t is necessity for
cn-combatants to leave. In n bar
barous county it means murder, oft
en- with torture. to remain, and yet our
missionaries in Paotingfu and 9th
er inland places were never warned
that their district troubles We're not To-
cal, but general and that they should
at least hasten to the coast to be near
err protection.
(Continued Next week.)