Evening star., 1928-05-04
CHANG FORESEEN
ASFUTURE VICTOR
Methodist Churchmen Ex-
pect Chang Tso-Iin to Re-
tire to Mukden.
BY OWEN l.. SCOTT.

KANSAS CITY, Mo, May A criti-
cal situation. but one from which the
Southern NationalStS are pretty sure to
emerge on top of the pile, is seen by
Methodist Church leaders in China,
who have Just returned from that coun-
try to attend the denominations gen.
eral conference.
Such developments as the Nanking
incident year ago and the Tsinan-Fu
incident at present. may cause disturb
anceS. but the tide OF nationaliSm is re-
ported TO be running as high as ever III
that country, The MethodistS them
selves are feeling it-with the Chinese
asking for control Cf their own religious
affairs with their own bishops and min
listers. Missionaries then would serve
receive sympathetic consideration from
the present conference.
Three Bishops in United States.
The three bishops of the Methodist
Church in China--Wallace E. Brown OF
Foochow. LaureSS J. Birney of Shanghai
and George r. Crosse of Peking-are
here, together with Ralph A. Ward. de-
Scribed as the beSt-informed Churchman
in China. He has had l9 years of eX-
perience in that country as a mission
ary and as head of schools, has worked
IN various sections Of the land and tor
four years was secretary of the church
Board of Foreign Missions. Along with
other leading Methodists from the Chi
nese field he Sympathi2eS with the Ma
tlonaliSt cause. although explaining that
the church itself has no established
policy.
Business interests are reported to
have come TO terms with the organiZa-
ton under Gen. Chang Kai-Shek, the
generalissimo of the Southern forces.
who is expected on the present offensive
To take Peking. But he is due for
rivalry from the So-called Christian
general. Feng Yu-Hsiang after the
Northern war lord. Chang Tso-Lin. is
driven back to the former capital. Muk-
den, in Manchuria.
These leaders are very real men. Mr.
Ward explains. Chang Kai-Shek, the
Southern leader. he describes as some
thing OF an Occidental In tempera-
ment. able 10 see Western viewpoints.
He appreciates luxury and enjoys the
company of cultured and wealthy per-
sons As a leader he is not per-
sonal idol of his troops, but, rather. is
an accomplished strategist, able to
handle large bodies of troops to best
advantage. He controls the lower
Yangtze Valley and has much of the
wealth of the country behind him.
Feng Backing Chang.
Feng,. the Christian general. is at
present an ally of Chang. but is pic
tured as a potential rival. He Is de-
scribed as an iconoclast. a man of
strict habits and strict disciplinarian.
Recently he recalled his son from
school when he learned that the young
man had occupied a sleeping compart-
ment on the train going there. Fene
mad never used a sleeping car as
general ana wanted no son of his TO
become accustomed to luxury. Fenq
has about $4,000 highly trained troops
personally very loyal, but not par-
ucularly well equipped and not backed
with much money. He has three rather
poor provinces, Shansi, Kansu and
Honan
Chang Tso-Lin is a typical pictur-
esque war lord who has won his way
up from banditry-an iron handed
ruler, put one whose power Is waning.
he controls Manchuria, a country which
Mr.. Ward describes as similar to Min
nesota. It's land is rich and sparSely
settled and in the north is heavily
timbered. Chang now Is endeavoring
70 colonize this territory and about l.
OO0.0OO Chinese are moving in each
year from the congested districts. If
driven from Peking. Mr.. Ward thinks
tnat Chang viii retire TO Mukden, where
ne probably viii be unmolested. That
Is his former capital Chang's former
power. outside his domain of Man
chIEta. Is about broken now, however.
Church missionaries are said to be
virtually unmoleSted now. since Com
munism was uprooted from the Nation
alist cause. There are individual in
stances where attacks occur upon mis-
sions but the policy Of the Nationalists
Is pictured as more friendly.
tCopyrRht. 1887