The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-10-25
hat they cannot trace any CONVEX


sions to the shining heroism of the
men and women, native converts and
foreigners, who laid down their lives
for the gospel.
Instead, there are villages where all
the Christians were murdered in 1900
into which the missionaries are now
unable to penetrate. The people say
that Christianity has caused them
enough suffering; they want no more
to do with it. In numerous commune
ties where mission work was conduct
ed before the massacres, there is no
sionary force has been increased.
Similarly, for years after the troubles
it was found that inquirers concerning
''the Jesus way who had been reached
through the street chapels, medical
work and otherwise, were forcibiy pre-.
vented by their families and friends
from having anything to do with the
church. All this is contrary to the ex.
pectation and preconceptions OF
Christendom; but the truth is more
sacred than any theory.
Wherein the Boxers Failed.
Certain manifest results from the
Boxer days are apparent. AS already
stated, that uprising, which was pri
marily directed against Christians and
secondarily against all foreigners, was
futile attempt to stamp out the west
ern religion. China now knows thai
Christianity is here to stay, force tc
be permanently reckoned with. This
is an immeasurable gain for missions
By the wiping out of mission work
in North China, all the tactical mis-.
takes of missions were obliterated
The missionaries were enabled tC
map out an entirely new plan OF cam
paign. With the wisdom of expert
ence, the most strategical places alone
were reoccupied. A readjustment OF
forces and methods followed, which
has borne fruit in a markedly in
creased success.
The Empress and the American.
For the reasons enumerated, and be
cause of the spirit of progress which
was impaired to China at the bay
onet's point, the converts of the mis-
sionaries have not only been
more numerous, since 1900, but
also of a higher class as well.
Before that time, while much
too much-was said about the
favor of Lii Hung Chang, of the pre-
of Bibles to the empress, ct
,etera, the fact remains that the mis-
sions were reaching practically only
the lowest class of Chinese. The
rice Christian" was far more in evil
1ence than to-day. Now the sons and
daughters of the highest officials at
end mission schools. The social
standing of the missinary has vastly
In Tung Chow, for in
stance, the proportion of gentry be-
onging to the church far exceeds the
in the community at large.
This state of affairs runs right up
o the top. Probably no foreigners,
no foreign woman, has met
he empress dowager so often as Mrs.
. T. Headland, one of the Methodist
in Picking. On one occa-
sion Miss Sheffield, of Tung Chow,
net the empress, and that shrewd old
who seems never to forget a
riend or forgive an enemy, asked,
Are you the daughter of DR.. d. q.
Sheffield, of the American board, who
vas so kind to Prince So-and-So, and
reated him and his house so honor
IDLY during the foreign occupations"
Upon learning that her surmise was
correct, the empress sent grateful
messages to DR.. and Mrs. Sheffield,
md the other American board mis-
ionaries, whose conduct had been so
greatly the reverse of looting that
hey had saved the lives and prop
,rty of one of the imperial princes.
When, shortly afterward, Miss Shelf
ield was married to DR.. Steele, of the
anne mission, the empress sent her
umptuous presents. 1t is said, by the
way, that the empress has richly re-
varded all who assisted her in that
hurried flight from the palace at the
Lpproach of the allies.
Rubbing Clothes with Murderers.
The world has never learned either
he full extent of the horrors of the
Ltrocities perpetrated by the Boxers
md the allied soldiers (these last hav
ng violated every law of God and
nam, or of the part played by the
in the siege of Picking.
IN the former point consideration for
he feelings of the families and
riends of the martyred missionaries
las prevented a full recital of the in
lignities to which their bodies were
:,
The magnanimity and the courage
If the missionaries now working at
he scene of the Boxer troubles are
beyond praise. They show no resent
nent, but only forgiveness. For the
sake of these murderers of their
friends the missionaries are giving
heir lives. And they are unafraid.
although they are not blind to their
LANCER. They know full we'll that it
s only the dread of the merciless and
foreign troops which
keeps the Chinese from falling upon
hem again. At PaOting-fu we were