We now come, skipping over small demonstrations, to the serious riots the Yangtsze Valley, in reference to which there was published fo Hankow by the missionary body (1891) a large album of coloured Chinese cartoons, expressing with the most hideous details the ant Christian feeling of the peopl punishments and humiliations inflicted not only on the missionaries, but even on Christ Himself. This} was a far more dangerous weapon than "Dei De absolutely involve such a knowledge of the written language as would be. necessary to.read a Chinese text. The riots which followed on the issue of these cartoons were wholly and solely anti-Christian; there was no gestion then of pol tyranny the part of foreign Governments. large grip or exerted 20th part of the influence upon the Chinese people its great rival imported. from India, which was actually known a century oF two before the Chri ian era, though not in vogue until several centuries later, As to Buddhism, we learn here land) there in. the Record that money ficjvs into (s_treasury," that the life of the priest is one of "self-sacrifice." in the sense of celibacy and the prohibition of wine and meat. I can add to those {tials the Buddhist function of ing holy orders" from which many aman' might well recoil. Before the altar, which, with its candles, flowers, holy water, et cent of a Roman Catholic church, the candidate stands, supported on both sides by priests, " while three pastilles are placed above Jos forehead, and "allowed burn down into the flesh, leaving three indelible sears which proclaim his acceptance of the Buddhist Trinity.
Whatever may be the truth or value, or their opposites, of Confoeianism, of Buddhism, of Taoism, which last te "sacred to a the Rev. C. Douglas said that "as systems of thought both Buddhi and. Taoism are dead"" audacity to denounce and vilify these creeds in a land where they are held in high esteem, In March, 1890, there had been a ood deal of trouble in Wu-ch'ang, owing to the reform movements for a railway to Peking and abridge over the Yangtsze, set on foot by the famous Viceroy, Chang Chih-tung. Against these enterprises, which were regarded ax fo innovations, it was urged that "all the carters and the boatmen would be thrown out of employment;" but nothing very serious happened until trouble broke out in the shape of, "anti-missionary riots at the river ports and elsewhere" ("North-China Daily News" of June 8), the British Consulate at Chinkiang being burnt down, and the Consul's wife escaping barefooted. Meanwhile, there had been circulated a new edition of "Death-blow to the Devils' Doe-trines," which, of course, helped to! fan the flames; and on' June 9 a letter appeared in the "North China Daily News" pointing out that "foreigners az a body were themceives largely responsible for the disorderly conduct of the usually peaceable Chinaman. By their per sistent and only too successful Jefforts to undermine the faith of the people in the scared maxims of antiquity with which every Chinese child is inoculated in his first lessons, the missionaries have done their best to upset the firm basis upon which the respset for authority in this populous and lightly governed country reets."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.