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Show THE CHINESE CRISIS AND THE REAL ORIGIN OF THE BOXERS Catholic Bishop of Shan-Tung on the Situation Sect of the "Great Knife" Murdered Two Catholic Missionaries. Most P.ev. Mgr. Anzer, the Catholic Eishop of South Shan-Tung, where he holds the rank of Grand Mandarin, happens to be in Austria just now. He has made the following communication to the leading Catholic newspaper of Vienna, Das Vaterland, relative to the crisis which has arisen in China owing to the machinations of a powerful secret se-cret society called the Boxers, to put an end to whose operations the European Eu-ropean powers with the United States acting in concert have landed troops: The whole "Boxer" movement arose a short time after the seizure of Klao-Chau, Klao-Chau, Port Arthur and Wei-Hai-Wel. The ceL-sion of these three important centers produced perplexity among the Chinese people, and this impression was still more marked in government circles ,in Pekin. During the first six or seven months the efforts of the Chinese Chi-nese authorities were directed toward avoiding all difficulties, as they knew what might be expected from the European Eu-ropean governments. But in course of time a reaction set in, which was only natural and conceivable. That reaction did not, however, proceed from the people, but from the Chinese officials. It originated in Shan-Tung and Pein. A viceroy named Yuhein was sent to Shan-Tung to promote it. I know him well. He formerly tried to approach the Catholics, but I had to be cautiou3 in dealing with him. He now endeavored endeav-ored to promote an outbreak in Shan-Tung Shan-Tung against foreigners, and called upon up-on the local officials to take action against Europeans. They had no al- i ternative but to comply, and incited the people to follow their example. Yet the latter did not openly riot. The sect of the "Great Knife," as they style themselves, were then appealed to. Members of that sect murdered two German missionaries. They afterward after-ward promised my Apostolic Vicar, while on a mission tour, never to molest us again. Six months later the governor gover-nor arrived and urged them to proceed against foreigners, but they turned a deaf ear to him. The governor was then obliged to summon members of the sect from the neighboring provinces pro-vinces in order to organize disturbances. disturb-ances. At that time which was during dur-ing May, June and July, 1S99 I called the attention of the German legion in Pekin, as also the Chinese government themselves, to the existing danger. I told them that the sect in question would eventually turn against the Dynasty. Dy-nasty. Their leader already regards himself as the Emperor of China. No notice was taken of my warning, and what we Catholic missionaries foretold has now happened. So far away from China and the seat of the present events, their importance cannot be accurately ac-curately estimated. In a general way, however, it seems to me that the action ac-tion of the European powers has hitherto hith-erto been well-advised. The co-opera- i tion of the Austro-Hungarian minister j and of the marine force at his disposal will also be very useful. But the pow ers must persist and manifest their determination. de-termination. If they are satisfied with mere assurances they will once more be deceived, and worse may be expected in the future. Everything depends on the skill displayed by the European representatives. If they stand firm till all important measures which they demand de-mand have been carried out the danger will be at an end. If there had been energetic intervention last year when I called attention to the situation, what is happening now would never have taken place. According to my experience and profound pro-found conviction the position of affairs af-fairs for all Europe is this: China is a phase of transformation when great revolts and disturbance occur as a matter mat-ter of course. It is on the eve of political, po-litical, economic, social and religious changes. Up to the present I have found the Russian policy in east Asia to be the best calculated to promote her own interests. The policy of the other powers has yet to show what it is worth. For Europe Cnina is he only on-ly market of the future. It is not merely mere-ly the interest, but also the duty of every European power to secure a3 large a share as possible of that market, mar-ket, in view of the requirements of its own industry, commerce and trade. That costs absolutely nothing, and 1 cannot understand that there should be any hesitation to turn, the opportunity opportu-nity to account, as it is not necessary to have recourse to any great naval or military actionin order to obtain an adequate sphere of Influence or interest. The Hapsburg monarchy, whose emperor em-peror centuries ago paved the way to China for us missionaries, can easily and without running any risk. provide for its future requirements in those parts. Its ports of Trieste and Fiume have everything to expect from such action. On the other hand, if the opportunity op-portunity is allowed to escape there will be bitter and eternal regret. I am not called upon to point out to European Eu-ropean economists and statesmen what may be to their advantage. As a bishop of the excellent and capable Chinese people I must, before all, interest in-terest myself in what can make them really happy and prevent them from becoming a great peril to Europe. During Dur-ing the twenty years I have been in China I have never seen any drunkenness, drunk-enness, and if the Chinese were beaten in the war with Japan it must be attributed at-tributed to the opium smoking of their officers. At the present moment, which will be decisive in all respects, everything every-thing will depend on whether Catholic missionary work is assisted to success with increasing means and energy, or whether the Chinese millions will be abandoned to religious indirferentism and to those ruinous tendencies which now overrun and imperil Europe. Whoever Who-ever has a heart for the future of man- kind and for the Holy Church will lend an ear to my entreaty that he should pray and make sacrifices for China 1 that is, for a Catholic China. |