Evening star., 1905-11-06
THE BOXER OUTBREAK
REV. CHARLES A. KLLIE AT
LOCAL CHURCH.

Rev. Charles A. Killie, for sixteen year,
a missionary In China, now at home for q
brief rest, spoke at the Fourth Presby-
| terian Church, 18th and Yale streets. yes
| terday morning upon the events leading
up to the Boxer outbreak.
Mr. Killie said in part: ''In 1889, with my
wife. embarked in the work at Shantung,
the holy land Of China, redolent with the
traditions and precepts Of Confucius. Our
work was cast in a province about the area
Of Pennsylvania, with population of 05,
600 600 souls. Our station was a new one,
$50 miles inland, reached by journey OF
two weeks duration.
1.-THE difficulty confronting the novice In
acquiring the Chinese language can only
be conjectured by the statement that one
word frequently conveys four distinct
meanings, differentiated only by change OF
tone or modulation of the voice, and that
a complete Chinese dictionary contains ten
fold the number of words embraced In Brit
tanica Encyclopedia.
Eight years Of toll. difficulty, danger,
encouragement mingled with hope and
blessed experience. were passed In this
field, and then duty called us elsewhere.
We were escorted with honor toward our
point of departure by body of business
men. corresponding to a board of trade.
with urgent requests to return and resume
our work
I'VE went into the country adjacent to
Peking. establishing mission stations to the
north and northeast of that great city. Our
work was prospering, schools and hospitals
were fulfilling their beneficent functions,
churches were crowded to overfiowing. our
relations with the local authorities were
amicable, when suddenly without warning,
came the thunderbolt, and we had barely
entered the city walls when the memorable
siege began.
Story Of the Siege.
The story of that siege. with its attend
and horrors and thrilling experiences has
been often detailed, but language can hard
ly do Justice to the hardships and bloody
persecution of the native Christians, many
of whom Laid down their lives rather than
surrender the new-found faith. Human In
genuity outdtd itself in devising new meth
DDS Of torture. Church, chapel, hospital
and homes alike were burned and the saw
1ngs OF lifetimes wrecked. The native be-
levers. though poor. are splendid Christians.
Dwellers in caves and mountain holes,
Injured to hardship and poverty, they yet
put to blush by their liberal giving and
services the men and women of other lands
Of light and privilege. Men and women Of
faith and prayer. they travel in pairs dds
triouting the gospels and tracts and preach
Ing the Word OF God. These have come out
Of death into life and show forth the power
OF gospel transformation. Such people are
worth working for, because they possess the
foundation OF reliability and faithfulness,
Just as the Chinese bankers are the trusted
financiers Of the orient.
The Boxer outbreak was distinctly an
movement. If any proof Of this as
sertion were needed it can be found
In the fact that the first attacks were di-
rected against the French and English rail-
way lines, telegraph and electric systems
installed by the Belgians and the incendiary
fires In southern Peking consuming for
eign-made goods, and the further fact that
was an official act.
Exclusion Policy.
TT is a fact that the injustice and tne-
qualities of our exclusion policy, foreign
aggression. economic conditions and the
opium traffic were largely and primarily
responsible for the tragic outbreak The
British government forced and still forces
Its Indian opium upon these natives against
the protest of the Chinese government.
When Capt. Elliott, one Of the British Off
GERS, In 1889 voluntarily surrendered 20, ,2s3
chests of opium to be thrown into the
river, his government sent a fleet to Can
ton which destroyed life and property and
compelled an unjust treaty with control
or Hongkong and an indemnity OF six
million dollars. A petition drawn up by
one hundred reliable native and resident
foreign physicians denouncng the sale of
opium as soul and body destroying was
pigeonholed by the home government
Another event leading up to the Boxer
outbreak was the aggressive attitude of
French Catholicism. which claimed tenn
poral power. interfering with laws and
overruling local management. An assault
upon two German priests was the pretext
of the German government for demanding
a seaport upon the east coast and rail-
way passing through a strip Of country
twenty by two hundred miles through
Shantung province. Russia took posses
sion of custom house and converted to
her own use six million dollars revenue.
"Out of all these scenes OF blood and
carnage, however, there emerges a new
China. Larger churches with greater audi
ences, new school and hospital buildings
arise from the ruins of the old. The blood
OF the martyrs becomes the seed of the
church. Before our very eyes China has
awakened and is coming into light. The
demand for religious books and general
literature Is unparalleled. One-ffth the
population of the globe, for 1900 years in
slumber. now appeals to Gods people for
the message Of salvation"
Mr.. Killie lectured this morning to the
Women's Missionary Society of the Fourth
Presbyterian Church. Mrs J. T. Kelly, the
president, presiding. The room was taste
fully decorated for the occasion, and the
large number OF ladies present were after
ward entertained at lunch, and an hour
or so of social intercourse was passed.