CHAPTER XVIII. THE STORM BREAKS-THE BOXER RIOTS. "The many that uncheer'd by praise, And silently, in fearless faith, Have bowed their noble souls to death." The "Boxer riots" that raged during the summer of 1900, were the legitimate result of this anti-foreign feeling which had been accumulating force and intensity for years; but the special occurrences which caused this outbreak should have a little at tention. Some people have insisted that these riots were merely the uprising of a hungry and lawless mob; but those who know the condition of affairs in China since the riots, can but see that this is not true. These riots were more or less aided and abetted by many officials reaching even to the palace at Pekin. Perhaps it would be nearer the truth to say, reaching from the palace at Pekin down to the petty officials of the provinces; for these officials sneeze when Pekin takes snuff. The "Boxers" were one of the later forms of the many secret societies which have flourished for centuries in China. These have always existed there and have seemed indigenous to the soil; and the great ones have been very powerful. One of the earlier of these was the Wau-Kiang (Incense Burners), then came the Pih-Lien-Kiao (Water Lily Society), then came the San-Hoh-Hwui (Triad) and then the I-ho-Ch'uan, or the "Boxers" as they are always called by the foreigners. In fact, that organization has caused a new word to be inserted in every language used among civilized nations. Webster's Dictionary in its supplement says the origin of the term "Boxer" as applied to this secret xociety is unknown, and says, "Why the members are called 'Boxers' is uncertain;" but it seems to be well established that it comes from the word Ch'uan (or Ch'uun) which means "clenched hand" or "fists." I-ho-Ch'uan is variously translated or interpreted. Dr. Francis E. Clark gives it: "The Righteous Harmonious Fisters." Mr. Denby, for. merly United States Minister to China, makes it to be: "Fists of Public Harmony," while Margherita Arlina Hamm, author of "Chinese Legends," interprets it as "Righteous Peace with the Clenched Hand." In any case, it is evident, as boxers use the clenched hand, or fists, in their contests, the name "Boxers" comes from the word "Ch'uan."* Mrs. Hamm above mentioned, further says of *All who have investigated this question and who are familiar with Chinese methods of expression, will agree that none of these translations convey to us a proper idea of the true nature of this powerful organization. In the opinion of the author, however, that of Mrs. Hamm more clearly expresses the idea; which would seem to be that they could only obtain "a righteous peace" with the "clenched hand;" or by "killing all foreigners." the "Boxers:" "This organization is conducted in about the same style as Masonry is in this country. In towns and cities halls are used for their meetings. (In the country they meet in private houses or out of doors.) The ritual is couched in highsounding words, made interesting by odd monies, and effective by penalties. They have of ficers corresponding to master, junior warden and tyler. They have a committee on punishment, known in the West as 'high binders.' Their signals and passwords are ingenious and complicated." The rumblings of this great upheaval of 1900, which was soon to shake the Chinese Empire almost to the breaking up point, and the effects of which were to reach every nation on the globe, were distinctly heard by the missionaries all through the previous year; yet many of the foreign ministers and most of the consuls seemed to have ignored the warnings. It would seem that the burning of foreign houses at Meng-tse and at other places and the murder of a few persons here and there would have aroused these officials to the situation. On the contrary, however, they do not seem to have comprehended the state of affairs as thoroughly as did the missionaries. The Hon. Charles B. Denby, who is mentioned above, in an article published in the Independent for June 1900, which must have been written some months previous, made the following statement: "There need be little apprehension of foreigners suffering bodily harm in China except in isolated cases and in very sudden uprising;" and one of the highest official representatives of the United States in China declared only a few weeks before the storm burst, that there was no danger; but it came never. theless, and it left a path of death and destruction through many of the provinces in China. In writing about the disturbances in Yun-nan, where Miss Leffingwell was located, the author is greatly handicapped. Miss Leffingwell's diary was either lost or destroyed, and all her reports to the headquarters of the China Inland Mission have been burned. The author personally called at their headquarters in Shanghai and there learned from Mr. Stevenson, the deputy director in charge of all the field work, that it was their custom to destroy all journals, letters and reports of their missionaries, after a certain length of time (two years as he remembers it). Only a few letters from Miss Leffingwell to her friends written during or about the time covered by the riots are available now, and some of these are fragmentary. She writes, however, about this time as follows: "I am well, and am still visiting among the women every day. The French say they are determined to run a railroad to this city, and they are all well armed. They say if the Chinese molest them, they will fire on them. We are praying that there may be no bloodshed." Then again about the same time, she writes: "The whole country is in a state of agitation. It is quite difficult to do work in the out-stations and almost impossible to open up new stations. A young man (a missionary) was killed in an adjoining province just recently, together with his native assistant. The Chinese say that the missionaries come first, then the busi ness men, then the foreign official, and then the railroad; and so the young men who try to open new work have a very hard time. Their lives are threatened, and some are even killed." Again she writes: "There was a threatened riot in this city a few weeks ago, and the missionaries were gotten together in the home of the telegraph superintendent as a safer place than our home. All is quiet now, however, but the women do not come around to see us as much as they used to do, and it is increasingly difficult to get opportunities to talk with them as formerly. whom I tried to talk said to me: good; you want to be mean to us. our land from us. Why do you here and go home?' One woman with 'You talk of being You want to take not go away from "In my heart I cannot blame them for the way they feel, for it is only what we would call 'loyalty,' or 'patriotism,' even though it is somewhat blinded by ignorance. They see how the French are encroaching on them continually, and are demanding the right(?) to put through railroads, and are asking for other concessions connected with them. How would we feel if foreigners should attempt such things in our country? "France, Russia and England think this vast Empire, with its undeveloped mines and its other natural resources, to be very valuable, and they act as if they wanted to take possession of parts of it. They send out agents ('spies' I call them), who are looking over the whole country. If missionaries ever lose their lives, I do think it will not be the Chinese who are to blame; but the greedy schemes |