Outrages at Pak-kong.
RESP
C.O.
935
∞
467
Reel 8 JAN OF
BY REV. IMANUEL GENÄHE, (RHENISE MISSION).
CIRCULAR from the Chinese government to the French Chargé d'Affaires in the year 1871 contains the following statement: "In the ninth year of the reign of Tung Chih, the government of Kwei-chow gave notice to the Yamên that at Kwei-ling-hsien some people, who were formerly nothing better than thieves, were forming part of a militia of which the Christians Ynau Yi-hsiang and Hsiu Chen-hsing were the leaders. Passing themselves off as Christians these men were highly thought of; however they committed all sorts of disturbances, killed Wang Chiang-pao and Tso Yin-shu, seriously wounded three other persons and carried off from the houses not only money, but also all the objects which they possessed, even down to the very cattle.
In the eighth year of the reign of Tung Chih the governor of Kwei-chow again warned our Yamen that at Tanu-vi-hsien a petition had been addressed, with the object of declaring that some rebels, of whom the leaders were Sun Yü-shan, Tang Shen-shien, Tang Yuan-shnai, Chien Yuen-shuai, had embraced the Catholic religion, and that they still continued within and without the town to stir up indescribable and countless disturbances and troubles.
In the same place, also, certain people, named respectively Yang Hsi-po, Lin Kwei-wen, Ching Hsiao-meng, Ho Wen-chiu, Chao Wen-an, had embraced the Catholic religion, and were even employed in the interior of the mission. However, outside they practised all sorts of exactions upon orphans and intimidated the weak-spirited. These men were perpetually at the Yamen, where they undertook to regulate the trials. In an affair between a Christian and a countryman, if the mandarin administered justice to the latter, they collected the Christians, invaded the Yamên and forced the authorities to reverse the sentence. If in spite of this the mandarin would not give the Christian up to them, they returned with the card of the missionary and claimed on his behalf the liberty of their friend.
"Besides, they committed all sorts of attempts upon persons and properties; if resistance was offered, they resorted to blows, and did not even fear to take life, and were guilty of many other crimes." *
*Comp, China and Christianity, by Al. Michie, Appendix II, p. 97. In his other book, Missionaries in China, the same author says, "One of the chief grounds of opposition to Christianity is that the Catholic church has, ever since the sixties of 1858-60 and ever since the French treaty of 1844, been associated with the aggressive policy of France, a power which has been suspected of cherishing designs against China, and which has employed the missionaries as political and even military spies." To us it has always been a curious spectacle to see how the French Republic, which at home hates the Jesuits and makes war upon them, abroad, like Pilate and Herod, who made friends together, goes hand in hand with them. But we must remind ourselves of the fact that "L'anticléricalisme n'est pas un article d'exportation," and that "La France au-dehors est le catholicisme." Atheistic France hates the Jesuits, but it makes use of them in order to enlarge her spheres of interest, and the Jesuits know how to turn it to their own advantage. Videant Consules!