In a previous article, reference was made to the reaction in China from Christianity to heathen worship on the part of the government officials. Recently this reaction has caused a conflict between the police and the missionaries at Swatow, and it has resulted in persecution in other places, as reported in the China Press of April 8, 1914. The headlines are: "Chinese Christians Are Roughly Handled." "Bound with Ropes and Dragged Through Streets of Village near Chinkiang." "Pastor Hit by Brick." "Six Preachers Who Go to the Rescue Are Mauled." "Idol-Worship Enforced."
ORDERED TO WORSHIP THE IDOLS
A few paragraphs from the report of the Press will show how the missionaries and the Christians were treated:
"At Le Li Tien, a town not far from here, a local official thought that the troubles the people had suffered from various causes, were all due to their forsaking their idols, and failing to worship their ancestors. He ordered all the idols to be properly worshiped, and that the ancestors should not be neglected.
"There are about twenty members of the Baptist Church at that place, and they ignored the request. As a result of their failure, idols were placed in their yards, and tablets were hung on their walls.
"When the Christians persisted in refusing to worship according to the ancient custom, they were roughly handled. All the men who were Christians were taken out Tuesday night, bound with ropes, and led through the streets. Some of them fell down, and were dragged for a considerable distance, and suffered painful hurts."
TORTURE AND IMPRISONMENT COMBINED IN CHINA
The Chinese pastor about six miles away heard of the trouble, and went over to help. He arrived about one A. M., and the people were ready for him. They threw at him almost everything they could get their hands on. His head was severely cut with a brick. Six preachers at the Bible school at Sha Su Gai went over to see what they could do, and were handled likewise.
ANY MORE BAPTISMS ARE FORBIDDEN
The official at Djui Yung was notified, and he arrested the local official, and sent him up to Nanking for trial. Fortunately, during the trouble a severe thunder-storm came up and quieted things down. The official has forbidden any more people to be baptized.
China's constitutional government is little more than a name. The president rules with about as much freedom as if there were no constitution. It is not necessary, however, to conclude that heathenism will immediately assert itself and undertake to enforce its worship upon Christians in a general way, but the swing backward toward heathenism will gradually tend in that direction. An observing traveler through the interior of China can easily detect the ebb of the tide which for a time flowed strongly in favor of Christianity.
