The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-09-13
TELLS..0F YEN.
PENG REVOLUTION
Miss Mamie GIassburner, Missionary 10
China, Has Experience WITH Rev.
.f olutionists-Safe, However. '
AMERICANS HELP MAKE PEACE

AMERICANS HELP MAKE PEACE
Prisoners Executed and Al lis Quie
Again, and the Students Return
to the Various Homes.
Yen-ping. China
i June %, 1916
My own dear ones at home:
| If my letter is late this week, it is
not because of nothing of Importance
has taken place, but because there
has been so much happening that il
seemed as IL l could not settle down
to write it. When | wrote my last
letter, we were in the midst Of oul
examinations. They went off splendid
ly. We finished Saturday morning and
Saturday evening we had planned tC
have a picnic supper for the boys
school and girls school together.
| We had our missionary meeting
about o'clock in the afternoon. After
it was out l came home and got the
girls. The lawn was pretty sight
with the tables spread, each with its
stack of bowls and chop-sticks. The
menu was very simple, and likewise
ZIG lllduucI VI ScINluS. IuclC NCIC
enough Chinese vermicelli for every,
one to eat to repletion. A huge pailful
of this was placed by each table, and
everyone waited on himself. OF course
the girls sat by themselves at one
end of the lawn and the boys at the
other. The boys have been doing in
dustrial work in one of the govern.
ment manual training schools, and
Mn nd hoI II, air
work-wicker baskets, chairs, and
stools, on exhibition. We had also
prepared few slides, with maps
etc, to be exhibited on the stereop-
tican. After supper we had spelling
match, but instead of spelling, they
wrote Chinese characters. I didn't es-
pecially enjoy that performance, for
the girls were so shy and diffident be-
fore the boys that it made me as I'M
comfortable as they were, if not more
SO.
We came home about half-past nine
and just after l had seen the girls
safely into the school building, met
our Neaudaun teacher, who stopped
me and rather eXcitedly asked if his
sister might spend the night in the
school building. He explained that
there were going to be important
"goings on" before morning and that
he would feel safer If she were with
US. For some time we had been hear
ing rumors that Yen-ping was to have
"a revolution. but it he'd never seemed.
to me that such a thing could really
happen. But it did happen. Along to-
ward daylight, there was about half
an hour of sharp firing in which one
soldier on each side was killed, and
then the town apparently went over
to the revolutionists. Mr.. Bankhardt
and Mr.. Caldwell went downtown at
ter breakfast, and found everything
quiet. The soldiers, who had been in
the military camp fere, were all wear
ing the white badge Of submission,
except few, who were stationed i'll
the projects Yamen. The project has
been here ever since the revolution
in 1912 and is greatly beloved by the
people, so that while the revolution
lists had run up white flag in front
of his yamen, his staff Of men not
being large enough to prevent 1t.
neither the yamen or the small staff
Of men there had been attacked. We
did not take the students out to church
but had little service in the school.
When our gates were left open for
large number of people slip
ped in, wishing to take refuge with
us, but we felt that to take people inI
indiscriminately would be to lessen
the chance of safety for our girls, for
whom we feel responsible, so finally,
by dint of much persuasion, we got
them all out, and closed and locked
the gate About the middle Of the af-
ternoon, there was some more firing. |
1t seemed the provocation was a boat
load of northern soldiers going past
from some point farther up river.
guess no one was injured, but it was
enough to brighten the people, and
requests for shelter began to come in
until the trouble should be over. These
we began to consider. Men we could
not take in at all, but some of the |
students of the Woman's School, which |
is now closed, and the families Of
some Of our church people, We con-
sented to let come in. While these |
people were waiting for their answer, |
4 considerable number Of other people |
had gathered outside the gate, and
the minute the gate was opened to ad'
nit the favored few, in came the en-
ire crowd. Just as l was doing my |
best to slit out and decide who should |
md who should not stay, in came Mr.. |
He had been watching our
gate from their verandah, and noted |
the sudden influx of the waiting
crowd. He Immediately came over to
see what the trouble was and help
out. Nothing happened Sunday night.
morning the students had
planned to go home, but every gate
in the city was shut and sealed. Some
Of the boys had tried to climb down
over the city thinking to strike Off
across country. but were promptly
ordered back. About 10 o'clock, came
the sharpcst firing we had hcd,3 and
we noticed that the soldiers III the |
camp just on the hill across
from us were doing the firing. We did |
not know then what it meant. but
ater we found out that these soldiers
had thought it best to surrender tenn
porarily until they measured the
strength of the revolutionary forces,
and then to bide their time until an
opportunity presented itself tor them
10 strike blow. The blow they
struck was telling one. A number of
he rebel forces were killed and about
forty taken prisoners. The so-called