51 



20th December^ igoo. 



Mr. J. BROWN, President, in the Chair 



SOME SIDE LIGHTS ON THE CHINA QUESTION, 



By Rev. A. K. Crawford, M.A, 



{Abstract.) 



The first portions of Mr. Crawford's paper were devoted to 

 the Chinese view of human Hfe. The general incapacity of 

 Chinese government, especially in regard to its foreign relations, 

 and the civilisation and religion of the country having been 

 very ably discussed, Mr. Crawford dealt with the recent Boxer 

 movement, which created such anxiety amongst the civilised 

 governments of the world. He said it was undoubtedly 

 patriotic, but in a limited sense of the word. Its aim was 

 negative — the ridding of the country of foreign influence. It 

 had nothing positive to suggest wiih a view to remedying the 

 acknowledged unsatisfactory condition of the country. 

 Amongst the causes which produced the revolt were to be 

 found the superstitious element and a long-continued drought 

 in the spring of the present year, which brought large numbers 

 of the population in the Northern Provinces to the brink of 

 starvation, and produced a widespread feeling of dissatisfaction. 

 A very important reason for the outbreak had been the aggres- 

 sive attitude of the various European nations. Unfortunately 

 we had got into the way of speaking of the " partition of 

 China,'' and of claiming " spheres of influence " in a way which 

 must have been very galling to any Chinese who were possessed 

 of the slightest spark of patriotism. Proceeding, Mr. Crawford 

 said they could not omit from the list of aggravating causes the 

 missionary problem. Although his testimony might be ruled 

 out of court as being ex parte ^ he thought it might be fairly 

 claimed for Protestant missionaries at least that they had not 

 sought to intermeddle with Chinese pohtics. In spite of the 



