286 THE CHINESE ''BOXERS" 



iirally ignorant, and that its officials are sent to all parts of the empire 

 to instruct them in the duties of life. In a recent proclamation, when 

 referring to trouljles with foreigners, the Empress Dowager said: 

 " The stupid and ignorant peo))le who circulate rumors and stir up 

 strife, proceeding from light to grave differences, are most truh' to he 

 detested. On the other hand, the officials, who have not heen ahle 

 at convenient seasons to properly instruct the i>eople and prevent 

 disturbances, cannot be excused from censure." The character of 

 the instruction given the people may be seen in the following quota- 

 tions from a pamphlet, issued a short time ))efore the beginning of 

 the present outbreak, by a county magistrate named Chao, at that 

 time holding office in Hsia Chin Count}', Shan-tung Province : " Their 

 religion is such as China never had, and is antagonistic to the doc- 

 trines of the sages, such as family relations, the laws of benevolence, 

 and righteousness. In this regard these religions are inferior to 

 Buddhism and Taoism. . . . Western sciences have their ancient 

 root in Chinese principles, which have been stolen and shrewdly 

 expanded. ... As to occidentals, their chaos has just begun to 

 dissolve and their savagery has not yet changed. They have no 

 loyalt}', no famil}' rules, no true principles of sexual relations, no 

 literature, and no truly civilized society. . . . Because their land 

 is narrow they have come to us searching the limits of the land for 

 their own gain. ... In the matter of skillful search into the 

 secrets of the earth they are far shrewder than we, but they do this 

 simply for gain, and are barbarians still, with all their industrial 

 skill. . . . They seek only gain from our country; they aim to 

 deceive our people, to surround our land, to disturb our national 

 laws and customs." 



It maybe that tlie Em])ress Dowager is merely an ojiportunist ; 

 but it seems much more likely that she thinks to realize fully the 

 dreams of these past three years and to close the " coup " of 1898 by 

 which the reformer. Emperor Kwang Hsu, was set aside and six of 

 his advisers beheaded by a general onslaught on all the " foreign 

 devils " who are infesting her domain. The moderate members of 

 the Tsung-li-Yamen, or Foreign Office, have been displaced by ene- 

 mies of the foreigners. In one breath she condemns General Nieh 

 for punishing the " Boxers" and calls them " good citizens," and in 

 the next, to hoodwink foreign governments, she orders them to desist. 

 The a{)pointment of Yuan Shi Kai as governor of Shan-tung, though 

 nominally in the interest of order, can now be looked upon as noth- 



