Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-20
BANDITRY IS BIG BUSINESS
IN CHINA. SAYS MISSIONARY
Rev. ]. R. Edwards and Wife
Return From Work in
Orient.
Villages Filled With Unburied
Dead Add to Horrors of
Trip, He Asserts.

Lifelong memories Of o 100-mile ride
in the bottom Of an armored Chinese
junk, with portfolios closed as Q protec-
ton against bandit fire from the river
bank; sleepless nights in tiny inland
tavernS hardly worthy of the name, but
shelter from the rain and ravenous
dogs; five weeks In hospital from ur-
palatable food and the ineradicable
sense Of horror at passing through viz
lagos literally filled with unburied dead
these are some OF the penalties Of
Christian missionary service in China
r. Edwards, the latter former super
intendent of the Washington district OF
the Methodist Church, who have Just
returned from five and half months
spent In that country.
Sees Brighter Side.
But there is a brighter side to the
picture, upon which Rev. Edwards pre-
fers to look. In fact, so great Is his
today that it was almost impossible To
obtain from him more than the most
reluctant admissions Of hardship In
their country. It Is to these young men
and women, many Of them educated In
American colleges and universities, that
he turns for an Affirmative answer to
the great questions concerning China
today:
i. Can the Chinese government gov
ern?
2. Can customs whose roots are
buried beyond the memory Of man In
the past and which have bound their
millions Of victims In poverty and deg
radiation be uprooted?
Rev. and Mrs. Edwards are widely
known in Washington and Baltimore,
In whose churches they have served for
many years. The former came to
Washington In 1917 to be district SUI
perintendent Of the Methodist Church.
In 1924 he became corresponding secre-
Of the Methodist Church, with Offices in
New York, whence he sailed IN 1926
on q tour of the mission fields Of
Europe and Northern Africa.
Last November he and Mrs. Edwards
went to China to make an inspection Of
the mission work in the Shanghai and
Fukien Provinces.
Banditry Is Big Business.
In spite Of the fact that he found
banditry to be the biggest business in
China" Rev Edwards believes that
China will come to successful self-gov-
eminent, which, in turn, will mean SCI
entific combating of the real causes Of
the famine and unrest which are tear
ing at the country. He does not blame
the famine upon plundering Of warning
armies, which ranges In most Of the
country outside the immediate Marking
area, but rather upon the lack Of agri-
cultural and engineering knowledge and
facilities.
One Of the chief drawbacks is lack of
transportation. Good roads are scarce
throughout much Of the country, and
railroad travel Is rendered almost i'm
possible, since the unguarded trackage
leaves trains at the mercy OF bandits.
China will overcome this latter OBJ
stacle, according to Rev. Edwards, who
believes that automobile and airplane
travel will prove the solution. Marking,
for example, has daily airmail con-
nection with Shanghai, and there are
coming to be large number of Ameri-
can-made motor vehicles in the larger
centers.
Bandits and SOLDIERS"
China's biggest business" is very
much misunderstood in this country, ac-
cording to Rev. Edwards. Americans
conceive Of bandits as being outlaws
against the government. In China the
soldiers" are the armed forces Of the
group in temporary power, the bandits
are the forces Of the group not in power.
A single victory may change soldiers
into bandits" and the latter into "sol-
diers."
As an illustration, he told Of one Of
his Journeys which had to be made
through an infested area. In the morn
ing q company OF soldiers presented