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glishmen bu t up a very profitable opium trade throughout China, bribing the Chin gove ment that it wouldn't interfere. When a oup of Chine Protestant Christians known as the Taipings re lled against the gove ment and especially denounced the opium trade, the British authori­ ties called u n one of the st generals, Charles Gordon, to command the C ne army. Gordon, supposedly representing a Ch stian country, smashed the Taiping Re llion. e British opium trade was fe.
Im rialist nations were al very greedy for Africa, which gan to be explored in the cond half of the 18 ' By World War I l of Africa except Li ria and Ethiopia was controlled by European is control lasted until the 1950's, when African nations gan to get their indepen­ dence. e independence movements often led to bl shed cau the nations the Europeans had carved out of the continent had no relationship to the realities of the African tri s, and cau ralism and Commu­ nism came strong forces in Africa
But the opening up of Africa al brought Christianity, which made its appearance as Christian mi ionaries, especially the White Fathers of France, followed close hind the explorer Almost daily the priests risked their lives, braving the climate, the unfriendly natives, tropical dis­ eases, deadly snakes and isonous in cts to bring Christ to men and women who had never known him.
Ireland's Agony
With the rest of Europe cupied by the French Revolution, the Irish thought that perhaps they could gain their freedom at last Some of the worst of the Penal Laws had been relaxed-Catholics could now at least go to M -but they still had no litical or economic rights. Wolfe Tone-a Protestant but a liever in Irish independence-founded the United Irish Movement and communicated with the French, hoping for aid in overthrowing the British. The Irish gan holding cret meetings and training for war. They hid wea ns-mainly pikes, though they had a few gun A rising was t for May 23, 1798, at which time the French were supposed to arrive with aid
The Rising of '98, as it is known, is a story of great heroism on the part of the rly armed, rly led Irish. Though the French aid did not arrive on time, and though the British found out a ut the plot and ar­ rested many of the leaders, small groups of re ls did ri up. They won a few eat victorie In County Wexford, Father John Murphy, a tholic priest, organized a small army. Father Murphy had worked for a peaceful