June 27.
Father Delmasso is on his way back to the northern Kuangtungy city of Shiukuan, and the full- act count of his recent experience: in the camp of the Reds will soon be procurable, So far, all that has been told has bee picked up second-Tiand, but even these vague reports hhave'been of unusual interest, Would not the Father change his faith and accept the creed professed by the Bolshevists? A General's commission, and the command of 4 thousand soldiers were promised if the answer were "yes." It is a noteworthy fact that the Red Generalis-0, Chu Tak, invariably works Foreign property, and more particularly mission property, must be utterly destroyed; foreignors, and more particularly missionatries, must be seized and maltreated. Having done as much, the next step trust be to offer an: inducement the foreign prisoners;. a, reward they consent to change their colours, and the threat of death if they refuse. Father Delmasso was badly treated, yet a letter from Shfukuan states. that he is, in fair physical The Father must be heard from direct Before it will be known in what circumstances Evidently, though, voluntary act on' the part of Chu Tak, and he was given $2 for his transportation back to Namyung, from whence he had been led into captivity. It was on June 16 that the: Ttalian priest became a free man after being held about three weeks. On the day when Sun Yat-sen memorial service was Peasants in Wuhan and through+ cout Hupeh province breathed a deopr sigh of relief as the six months: drought, which threatened to bring.
catastrophe to the various. districts, finally broke and. the crops: were saved from total destruction 'Triumphantly the native farmers: are addressing their district magistrates:—"Did we not tell you thi Nationalism must not interfere: with' the worship of gods and that if we want rain and a splendid harvest we must offer prayers to the Godt of Rain and refrain from eating: meat for seven days. New China" Jean plunge into any adventure, ut te force the people to discontinue: the practice of praying for raise /would result in a national calamity:"
The drought in Hupeh began early: this year and affected many dis" large towns the rained owing and famine has set in, drought began to take of the crops in and around Wuhan and a rice crisis threatened, that the: farmers, with the backing of tHe merchants, arranged to hold a mons ster meeting et which united prayer would be offered to the God of" Rain and the God of Harvest, Dr. the past, such meetings were belt" whenever there was Inck of rainy. Dut; under the Kuomintang: rule the' authorities. withald: permis contending that it was purely a! superstitious practice and not at all" in line with the enlightened' ideas of New China, The controversy: went on for over a month, but,, as: the drought continued and "tHe: situation grew serious, the local' officials finally gave in and the united worship of the Rain God waa. held, Curiously enough, rain fell and' the drought broke just a day affec the mass meeting, so the farmers.|and the promoters, of the mass, meeting hi claimed that the down pour' was the direct result of theip-7 Prayers. Unprecedented joy prevails now among the entire peasant population and big. celebrations are: being held in the various districta. with the God of Rain paraded it: the streets—United Press, Leing held at Namyung, concurrent ly with the interment ceremony in Nanking, Father Delmasso was leading the little Chinese children of his mission to the exercises, when the Reds swooped down upon the city, and the priest was seized,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.