West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-01-24

To You as the one man more than any other
who can rise to the emergency and bring
your own country aud the great powers of
the world out of the crisis, In a way tha,
will serve the best interests of all the world. "
" i am too old am more than TO-
was his answer.
But, you arc now here working ON the
matter
''To this he said something to the inter
prefer which the latter explained by saying
His EScellency meant to be modest when
he said he was too old That, added DR..
Mark, is the way in China
eli Hung Chang at once began firing
questions at me, machine gun fashion.
"'iiow long have you been in Pekin
he asked.
=" Six days. said J..
"'llave you any loot
Not bit
"'Where are you living ?
"'At the house of Dr., mis-.
sionary. There is no hotel in Pekin.
"'lIow much loot did Dr. secure
"'l don't know
"At this point Ii said something to the
Interpreter and laughed heartily. asked
what Ills Excellency was saying. aud Dr.
Mark said he was feeling in excelleu, spirits
and had cracked Joke about the mis-.
sionarcs looling.
"'Do you know Nil, one of the
secretaries of the----legation = asked Ii.
"'Yes.'
"'iiis wife Is very wealthy, is she not
"I have understood So
"'Do you know that Mr.. and Mrs.
have purchased at nominal prices tens OF
thousands Of dollars worth of loot from
American soldiers and others
"1 know nothing about that.
"Doyou know that Dr. Of the
Missionary Society, and Dc OF
another missionary society, have secured
vast quantities of loot in the shape of silver
valuable furs and jade, and have held frc
quent auction sales here Ia Pekm AMI re-
allied enormous sums of money from thcs,
sales p
"'Ves, have heard much about this and
have seen some articles sold, but ] do not
know how the missionaries secured them.
=" DO you not imrgine that China will
know when the day of reckoning comes and
the indemnities are demanded.?
"'IIave you maintained secret service,
your Excellency ? asked.
"'rhe aged diplomat made another iok
ing remark in answer.
"'Yours is a Christian nation, continued
IL The nation that entered Paoting the
other day, looted IL, aud murdered innoccnt
and inonensiye Chinese citizens. is also n
Christian nation, believe lmeaning FfanceI
Lately have been looking AZ what YOU call
your Ten Commandments. The eigh Il one
says, "Thou shalt not steal" Now I want
to improve tina, ono, IN view Of what have
seen praciised by Christian people, including
the missionaries who have come here IA
teach our people not to be heathens As
the easiest way out Of the position in which
the Christians, ty their acts, have placed
themselves, and to meet The immediate
pressing needs, suggest that the eighth
commandment read. "Thou shalt not steal.
but thou maYest loot
But your Exoelleney, said I, have
you heard the missionary side of The qucs.
tion The native converts arc destitute;
all mission property has been destroyed, aud
through no fault Of the Christians, but ON
account Of this Boxcr uprising that the
Chinese Imperial Government failed 10 ON,
down. Hundreds Of native and foreign
Christians have been murdered by these
outlaws.
'Li asked 'Can you 6ud any excuse
In your Bible for systematically and de-.
liberatcly stealing as the Christian people
Of the world have do0e and are doing in
China, both individually and as nations in
most cases The disciples ~ Christ did
not steal or loot when lie was cucihcd.
Missionaries are looked upon as willing 20
be martyrs; when one cheek is struck to
turn the other, and 60 meet death rather
thau turn DE least from where duty calls
They were che first To- seek cover Of the
guubo1ts last summer and leave the native
Christians. u was not imagined for a mo.
ment by the missionaries severcst critics
that some ~ them would become thieves
when The opportunity came for Sc. bat some
or The most prominent ones haze simply
been consumed hy the disease or epidemic
Of looiing That has taken possession OF ail
classes here. The native Christians have
been tatghi p new Scdpiufai lesson The
London MsNon1r So,ie'y. ike the Aaisri
can s1citics. has ns native Christians ouf
bringing in ardcies, as everyone in peMn
knows These articles ac sold al the
mission houses
Have you purchased any articles from
the missionaries " added ~
"'fes. / bought Chinese trunk from
Miss---, of the London Missionary
Society
"'What did you want with a tfank NOR.
than you brought with yoo 20 Pekin p"
"I have purchased a few little curios for
myself and friends. said ], and the Chi.
naman cracked aaoihcr Joke and laughed p