Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-12

mean peace was pleased that I was to
live within its city wall. In other cities our
houses had stood a little apart from the
crowded Chinese city. Marking was different.
There was no white mans settlement, no con-
cession here. The foreign houses were scat
tered about over the city There was plenty
of room for everybody within this huge
sprawling city which We knew lay hidden be-
hind the circumference of the WALL
RUT this unhappy land offered peace to no
Soon after our arrival in Marking
Chinese acquaintance of ours said in the course
of his conversation: "At present no Chinese
feels safe. We never go to sleep at night
without feeling that we may perish before
morning. There is treachery On every hand"
His remark suddenly gave me the vision
which 1 have never quite oblterate ted frcm my
mind, of nation of 400, 000, 900 people and not
one of them who was old enough to think who
knew what safety meant The rich were
afraid of losing their money their lives the
poor feared both the advancing and retreating
armies, feared for their lives, fer the honor of
their women feared that the very rice bowls
they ate from would be taken: the war lords
feared the treachery which would cost them
defeat and the loss of their heads Even if 1
had had no personal anxieties believe could
net but have been depressed living I did in
the midst of 400O00000 people held in the
clutches of fear The idea was appalling
But and every man, whether business man
or missionary, had reason for personal fear.
The radical left wing of the Nationalist party
was gaining in power. With the Nationalist
race hatred was growing in violence up river
and moving slowly but surely toward US
Letters came from cur friends in Human
Much property of the British business COM
panies had been destroyed. Here and there
they were beginning to take bcth English and
American schools and churches for their
troops Steamers coming in at the docks down
at the edge Of the suburbs outside the city
wall Of Marking brought their tales Of woe All
apriver boats, they said. were being fired on
every trip they made.
Then the besieged city of Wuchang which
had held out so bravely was betrayed into the
hands of the Nationalist. After weeks of SUI
fering on the part of the common people shut
in without enough food. the city and its COM
mander were sold to the Nationalist by the
soldiers. II they were going to sell out why
did they not do it before so many of the
starving had dropped dead in the streets There
they lay; the starving-living had not strength
enough either 70 make collins or dig graves
These reports, too, came to my house No
wonder 1t was hard TO find peace within the
Tour walls OF our home. China and we with
her, were going to Gethsemane
sixty thousand strong, the green-clad troops,
VICTORIOUS but not disciplined by heavy fighting
or losses, now marched upon Gen. Suns west
ern border, Gen. Sun sent word to them that
he would not invade the Nationalist territory;
that he would wage no offensive warfare; that
he would not fight unless he was forced to de-
fend his borders. But the Nationalist paid
no heed. So there was war between the two.
AS we went about the city of Marking we saw
more and more troops in their gray uniforms
marching to the front The sympathizers Of
the Na'ionalists IN Marking grew a little holder