El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-08
SHOT. He KEEPS
BULLET SOUVENIR
Missionary Wounded in
Chinese Revolution Tells
of China's Politics.

Shot through the head during the
beginning of the first Chinese revOlu-
tion which resulted in making a re-
public cut Of China, and carrying the
ballet on his watch chain as a souvenir,
\ i. Kepler. missionary worker for
the American Presbyterian church
tNOrth) i'm China, is one of the most
aoventuresome Of the lecturers appear
ing before the Laymen's Missionary
convention.
Mr.. kepler expresses a high opinion
of Yuan Shi Kai, president of China
and the emperor to be. and says that
t-king him all in al, he is a marvel o.
GUS man. who might well be compared
70 Theodore Roosevelt and emperor
William of Germany with the suaVity
of Machiavelli and the adroit leader
ship of Napoleon.
We do not think much of sun Vat
Sen said NIt. Kepler. ale is not a
man to be taken seriously and his fol-
lowing in Canton, China, and in the
foreign lands where the Chinese have
emigrated is due to the fact that the
Cantonese believe Yuan Shi Kai be
trayed the young emperor when that
young man, surrounded by idealists and
r2Iormers. had inaugurated a program
TO occidentalize China by series Of
DEGREES.
The situation was quite as absurd
as the hope Of changing Mexico by a
series Of DEGREES" said the missionary
The Rise of Yuan.
y uan Shi Kai was associated with
the school Of idealists that surrounded
the young emperor and was familiar
with their plans to promote the en-
peror and denote the dowager empress
He went to the empress and told her
of the plot. A short time later the
young emperor was imprisoned ana
alter year or more died. His nephew
became then the heir apparent.
Yuan Shi Kai was then elevated in
1900 to he viceroy Of Shantung. where
the Boxer uprising originated. He was
clever enough diplomat and soldier
TO keep the movement checked in Shan
tung, though it originated there and
not missionary was killed IN that
province.
became Counselor to Empress
Next he became the viceroy of Chln-
Ii the pivotal province of the empire
where he created the first army based
upon the European idea and inaugur-
ated a system Of public education.
Later he was called to Pekin where he
became the chief counselor to the en-
press.
when the empress died in 1907, the
young emperor, or nephew Of kWang
Shu, was assassinated. The regent
made a promise at that time to be re
venged upon Yuan Shi Kai for be-
t-aying the Manchu dynasty and Yuan
fled to Tien Tsin. where he lived in
retirement at MS lAOudH dltF5AA al
home. Then occurred the revolution
and later the elevation of sun Vat
Sen to the provisional presidency and
the counter revolution which placed
Yuan Shi Kai in power.
Is benevolent DespOt.
"A paradox occurred At this time.
The emperor issued decree stating
that as the Chinese people wanted a
republic they should have II and that
he would retire. Since then Yuan has
been the leader Of China and certainly
a benevolent despot.
BInmes Japanese for Intrigues.
Japan is responsible for most Of the
intrigues and the starting Of the new
flames OF a revolution in China" said
the missionary. u recall that when
the first revolution came to an end
7 was in the province Of kwang-Si and
the rebels were in the mountains to
the west Friends Of mine saw the
leaders Of the rebel party go down
to a japanese torpedo boat and take
passage. They sailed down that great
river a distance of 1000 miles and
thence 10 Japan"
He said that il Japan were not in
the present troubles in China there
would be no new revolution in the
southwest. and that Japan has been
jealous Of the power Of Yuan Shi kai
since he was the military advisor TO
the kingdom Of Korea, and counter
acted in those days Japan's intrigues.
says China Can't BE Dominated.
What Japan desires to do is TO get
a foothold in China--but il is absurd
as no foreign land can dominate China
for more than 40 or 90 years. Her
identity is too great TO be lost. She
would absorb any outside influence
Japan neither wants Yuan as president
or emperor and while opposing the re-
public is now for the republic; in fact
she would stop at nothing to curb the
80 At vt
man and a man devoted to the interest
Of his neon1pn