In the city of Kinyuan demonstrators paraded the afreets, two weeks! before Christmas, and various: student bodies sent their representa tives t6 the church workers to try and persuade them to leave their "foreign masters," and when their demands were mot acceded: to. they threatened the workers with violence, The rabble demanded that the chapel sign be taken down, and when the magistrate was appealed to for protection he said he was! powerless unless the crowd's wishes were respected and the chapel sign taken down. Finally in order to) prevent a riot the Chinese preacher yielded and the magistrate sent soldiers and had the sign removed.
The city of Kueiping also did not! pass by without its signs of na-Uionalism, Weeks before agitators had been busy holding street meet~ ings and trying to get the crowds worked up to such a pitch that the rabble would resort to violence, The street speakers told their audiences that chapels had been brokn into and buildings destroyed in several citi Kuangsi without the goyernment taking action against it, and this secre to indicate that the Southern Government were well pleased to hava the missionaries driven out of the land and Chri tianity exterminated, Thus the! crowds were urged to take action and prove their loyalty to the Southern cause, The Christians and workers were warned by friends that the situation was serious, and many advoented requesting ' that! soldiers he sent, but experience has taught the workers that under present conditions soldiers simply stir the crowds to greater deeds violence, and occasionally join the rabble in running away with the loot. Soldiers therefore were not requested, but the Secretary of For-ign affairs was notified and he took action and requested the local offtials to control the situation, Che'stmas-day Riot On Christmas day crowds of the coolie class both from the city and surrounding country gathered at an early hour, and brought with them crude implements such as crowbars, wood choppers, carrying, poles, ete, and seemed well prepared to break into the chapel if the eppattunity occurred, When the pronexion reached the chapel the crowds were dense, and bent on trouble. They cursed the missionaries and vilided the Chinese workers and threatened all and sundry} with. violence. Some pounded on the doors in an effort to gain entrance, but the foreign residents, and Chineze on the compound had taken the precaution to have all the! doors fastened securely early in the morning, and so the rabble could not break in. Moreover the officials sent soldiers to follow in the wake of the crowd, and these had a deterring effect on some at least, and 50 the day passed off without' serious: mishap. Whea some of the rabble were returning home that afternoon, they were heard to complain that they had been hanging around all day, but had not been able to get a single thing and had now to, return home empty handed, What disappointment!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.