Page 28 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 28
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
THE GRAND CANAL
God was blessing the work along the Grand Canal, not so much perhaps in the cities as in the country
villages where people seemed to have a real hunger for the Word of God.
As George and Jessie Andrew travelled up and down they found everywhere a warm response to the
message they brought. The Spirit of God seemed to be working in many hearts, and it was only in
the always anti-foreign city of Yangzhou itself that they felt the opposition of the Enemy of souls.
There was nothing to warn them of the storm which was so soon to burst upon them.
THE BOXER REBELLION
In the early half of this century whenever China was mentioned, minds immediately turned to the
terrible Boxer riots in 1900 which shocked the world, as missionaries and Chinese Christians alike
were slaughtered without mercy and with full approval of the Dowager Empress herself.
George and Jessie Andrew with their five children were in China through that terrible time, and, though
four of the children were in the comparatively safer city of Chefoo, the youngest, little Alf, with his
parents, was in what was recognised as a very anti-foreign city where discretion had always been
necessary.
The Boxers originated as one of the many secret societies with which China has always abounded.
They started under another name as a kind of "law and order society". Then under a new name and
a new leader, they began to show strong anti-foreign tendencies, sometimes persecuting Chinese
converts both in the Catholic and Protestant churches, and threatening the lives of missionaries.
By invoking certain spirits, the members of the society were able to pound their bodies with bricks and
later with knives without injury, so they were at first called the "Big Knife Society" and later the
"Boxers". Their motto was "Protect the Dynasty - Exterminate the Aliens", and with this aim and
believing themselves invulnerable, they were a very dangerous group.
At first the authorities kept them in check, but when it became known that the Dowager Empress
herself secretly encouraged them in their efforts to "drive out the foreigners", the flame quickly spread,
not only in Peking but in other provinces too. While in some provinces the authorities tried to protect
foreigners, in others they made no attempt to do so and perhaps worst hit of all was Shaanxi.
Mr. Stevenson's statement to the home countries when it was all over was that "the total number killed
is 134 adults and 52 children. Of these no fewer that 112 adults and 45 children were killed in Shanxi
and over the border in Mongolia. These are the figures for all Protestant Missions. Altogether 58
adults and 20 children connected with the CIM were put to death."
The widespread drought which was causing so much distress only added fuel to the flame as the
blame for it was laid on the shoulders of the foreigners.
SAFETY CONCERNS
In Chefoo where four of the Andrew children were at school, British authorities were very concerned
for the safety of the women and children who were resident there as well as for the many hundreds of
Chinese Christians and missionaries from other provinces who had fled there for refuge. On 14
28
Amy Moore
THE GRAND CANAL
God was blessing the work along the Grand Canal, not so much perhaps in the cities as in the country
villages where people seemed to have a real hunger for the Word of God.
As George and Jessie Andrew travelled up and down they found everywhere a warm response to the
message they brought. The Spirit of God seemed to be working in many hearts, and it was only in
the always anti-foreign city of Yangzhou itself that they felt the opposition of the Enemy of souls.
There was nothing to warn them of the storm which was so soon to burst upon them.
THE BOXER REBELLION
In the early half of this century whenever China was mentioned, minds immediately turned to the
terrible Boxer riots in 1900 which shocked the world, as missionaries and Chinese Christians alike
were slaughtered without mercy and with full approval of the Dowager Empress herself.
George and Jessie Andrew with their five children were in China through that terrible time, and, though
four of the children were in the comparatively safer city of Chefoo, the youngest, little Alf, with his
parents, was in what was recognised as a very anti-foreign city where discretion had always been
necessary.
The Boxers originated as one of the many secret societies with which China has always abounded.
They started under another name as a kind of "law and order society". Then under a new name and
a new leader, they began to show strong anti-foreign tendencies, sometimes persecuting Chinese
converts both in the Catholic and Protestant churches, and threatening the lives of missionaries.
By invoking certain spirits, the members of the society were able to pound their bodies with bricks and
later with knives without injury, so they were at first called the "Big Knife Society" and later the
"Boxers". Their motto was "Protect the Dynasty - Exterminate the Aliens", and with this aim and
believing themselves invulnerable, they were a very dangerous group.
At first the authorities kept them in check, but when it became known that the Dowager Empress
herself secretly encouraged them in their efforts to "drive out the foreigners", the flame quickly spread,
not only in Peking but in other provinces too. While in some provinces the authorities tried to protect
foreigners, in others they made no attempt to do so and perhaps worst hit of all was Shaanxi.
Mr. Stevenson's statement to the home countries when it was all over was that "the total number killed
is 134 adults and 52 children. Of these no fewer that 112 adults and 45 children were killed in Shanxi
and over the border in Mongolia. These are the figures for all Protestant Missions. Altogether 58
adults and 20 children connected with the CIM were put to death."
The widespread drought which was causing so much distress only added fuel to the flame as the
blame for it was laid on the shoulders of the foreigners.
SAFETY CONCERNS
In Chefoo where four of the Andrew children were at school, British authorities were very concerned
for the safety of the women and children who were resident there as well as for the many hundreds of
Chinese Christians and missionaries from other provinces who had fled there for refuge. On 14
28
