CHINA THE STORM CENTER

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 7, 1900

CHINA THE STORM CENTER.

WAR is raging in South Africa, and there is war in the Philippines. Every morning the people are anxious to catch the latest advices from these battlefields. But the interest taken in those matters does not change the fact that China is in reality the storm center of war.

England, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan have each gained their foothold upon Chinese territory; and the United States demands that she be respected in certain commercial rights in the “Celestial Empire.” The impression is strong, and is rapidly growing, that China must soon be dismembered. Each of the powers of the world is jealously watching the developments, and each is determined to seize a share of the spoils as the old empire goes to pieces.

But China is not wholly asleep. She has many men, not only in China, but in this country, and other parts of the world as well, who are deeply alive to what is going on. The San Francisco Examiner of January 21 contains more than a page of reading matter and illustrations narrating a well-organized movement for dethroning the empress dowager and re-instating the emperor. Those who are behind this organization say that something must be done or China will soon go down.

Kong Yo Wai, who is at the head of this movement, “is a man of talent, highly educated, and for many years has studied and knows the histories of all other nations; how they have turned from strong to weak, nation after nation, and he sees what will be the future in regard to our own [the Chinese] nation.”

Large sums of money are being subscribed by the Chinese all over the world to help the work along. One man in China subscribed over a million dollars. Their idea is, What's the use of money if you have no country?

The emperor of China is said to be very bright, and a man of modern ideas. He is also awake to the encroachments that the other nations are making upon China, and he wishes to make reforms and institute measures that will maintain the power of China and thwart the designs to dismember her.

But, “according to Chinese law, a son always pays respect to the parent; no matter how old he is—he never becomes of age. And, altho the empress dowager is sixty-four years of age and the emperor is thirty, the empress still holds the reins of government, as she has done, except during a brief interval, since the emperor was five years of age.”

After the cession of the northern part of Russia to China, the emperor was in power for a short time. During this period, and largely through the advice of Kong Yo Wai, the emperor began to open schools in all the provinces for the study of English and mathematics. Military schools were also opened, and newspapers were established with the understanding that the press was to have freedom, even to the extent of criticizing the government, if it so chose. Freedom of speech was also granted, and the emperor said, “Anybody can see me, no matter whether he is a scholar or a farmer, or any other class of people; no use to kneel to me; it is not necessary.”

These progressive ideas were repugnant to the empress dowager, and she exercised her parental authority by taking the power away from the emperor and confining him in a palace on the island, Yin Tou. No one is allowed to see him, not even the queen, his wife. Attempts were made to assassinate Kong Yo Wai, the acknowledged chief adviser of the emperor, but he escaped. And, as already stated, he is now at the head of a movement, that is becoming strong and popular, to have the emperor re-instated.

Efforts will be made at first to persuade the empress dowager to restore the emperor. But, this failing, plans are being laid to assassinate her leading advisers, and restore him by force.

Squatter's Home near Naval College, Nanking, China.

So it seems possible that the powers may not have smooth sailing altogether in their work of dividing China among themselves. And should this revolutionary movement become operative, any one can see what terrible conditions might result in China.

“Now, just now, is the time for us to work in foreign fields.” We should correctly understand the meaning of passing events, and seize upon the present opportunities to work for God. Some may be holding back from work in China, thinking that it will be more favorable there when the “Christian powers” have divided up the country. But the Christianity of such acts is not apparent to one who really knows Christ, and it must be evident that the Lord's work should not be asked to wait upon the movements of the war god and the mammon of greed, that leads men to break up a nation so as to despoil it.

Millions of money and thousands of men and women who really are tasting of the powers of the world to come, are needed just now to truly represent Christ in China. Where are the volunteers? Soon, very soon, it will be too late.