The proclamation of the Empress Dowaisposed, under guise of drilling as village er, stating that it is possible for the evi
Herearhing the Christians, etc., has at last nuirds, to clique together for selfish ends,
made its oficial appearance on the city gates. It is to be hoped that the proclmation, though rather an insipid one and only vaguely threatening punishment to these mischief makers, will be enforced where it is needed and not simply posted m cities like this, where peace and quietness prevail. The fact is that these latter benefits result, not from any number of proclamations, but from the character of the man, that is the district magistrate, who exercises the immediate authority over the people. This has been seen so often, that itis almost an axiom that for-the higher officials to issue proclamations enjoining peace in a certain district, while at the same time they retain there a well-known bitter opponent of Christianity and foreigners, is pure farce work.
We learn from high authority in Peking that the present. regime has evidently concluded that secing the native Christians are after all Chinese subjects, no foreign power will intervene in their behalf, and that provided no foreign lives are lost it. is perfectly safe to allow all so i clined to carry on their persecutions. Accordingly those in a position to know, predict troublous times "head for the native Christians, both Protestants and Roman Catholics. That such a scheme of persecution could be practically worked out, to a successful issue, seems too much for even such men as Yii Asien and Li Ping-hong to expect, for the simple rawson that when persecution grows too severe, here and there a foreign pastor or priest will not hold aloof, but taking the risk, will expose himself in the attempt to rescue his people. The mob will do the rest, and there will be a Foreign Power to settle with. The pity of it is that to allow matters to reach such a culmination, seems to be in general the present policy of foreign governments; whether it is a good policy, or whether it would not be better to insist that these per-sections under official connivance, Boxer Societies, etc., shall be shelved once for all, hardly seems an open question.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.