Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-23

Donald W. Carruthers, son of Mr..
and Mrs. James Bruce Carruthers,
1850 State street, who is connected
with the Army Y. NJ. C. A work for
Legation Guards in Peking, China,
has written the following interesting
account of conditions in that coun-
try:
Dear Folks: This is the 14th of
July and I imagine the French are
celebrating the day of their found
Ing of the republic-regardless
whether 1t is Sunday or not. Two
days ago there was an official Chi
pese holiday on the first anniver-
sary of the restoration of the Repub-
lie instead of the restoration of the
Monarchy as our friend Chang Hsun
would have preferred last year. He
is still in a foreign legation as a
refugee and the chances for his con-
tinuence seem to be quite good. In
looking back over the past year it
seems that the country is much more
in need of help than at the same
time last year even though there
were attempts to restore the mon
archy. To-day there are fightings
within and without the country and
worse than these-Chinese are be-
traying and selling their country
each day. The forests and mines and
natural resources and railroads that
are available are being pledged in
security for foreign loans to the
neighboring country of Japan for
better or for worse. 1t will mean
| that the country will be so involved
at the time of the payment of the
loans that the securities will have
to be turned over to the creditors.
Foreigners are not selling the coun-
try but the Chinese themselves and
these are irresponsible leaders in
power. l am quite sure it is not the
will of the people and the Parlia-
ment Gf there were any constituted
popular opinion on the subject that
! these indignities should take place.
but it seems that there is little to
prevent such rank corruption. The
Opium combine Shanghai has but
lately received new concessions to
traffic in opium and the ban on
opium has been severely disrupted.
In the neiShDoring provinces there
are many fields right at this minute
in full bloom with the poppies.
There has been a real sentiment
| against this use of opium for the
past ten years and all thought that
they were getting rid of it when 10
| and behold the bars are let down
allowed to spread.
Much Government Graft
The longer ] stay here the more
| and more the truth dawns upon me
that Christianity alone will save the
| nation from the evils that infest
it now. L honestly do not see any
| other means of saving China
mean not in a narrow way but in
all that pertains to the best inter
est of the people, their physical,
social and spiritual development.
/ Mr.. Eddy showed very clearly how
! that it was impossible to develop
the national resources until men
! were really changed spiritually-so
! that the only way to develop the
natural resources which nature has
scattered with bounteous hand is to
begin with the training of the moral
! life of the individual, then the family
and finally when the Individuals have
| been really reached then and not
| till then will the resources be de-
| veloped for the benefit of the mass
| of people. Profits at the mines now
never reach the main office because
| there is so much graft, railroads are