Mr Quong Tart's Opinions.

Hastings Standard, Volume V, Issue 1298, 16 August 1900, Page 3

Mr Quong Tart's Opinions.

" This news will cause the Chinese residents of Sydney," said Mr Quong Tart, whtn speaking to a Herald reporter in regard to the murders in the Legations at Pekin, "a very painful shock. It will cause sadness amongst them. However, much intelligent men may be able to trace the causes which led up to these murders, a large number of people may be apt to place all Chinese in the same category. I have hopes the news is not true. What makes this more keenly felt by the Chinese is that, after all these signs of good feeling and a better outlook in every way, a dreadful event has occurred which will put everything back. I know that the hearts of many people in Pekin feel for the British. They would like to help them, but they are powerless to do anything. They have no organisation. If the Reform Party had control of the Tsung-li-Yamen this terrible thing would never have happened, and there would be peace and prosperity in China. The Boxers are not all men whose hearts are wholly black," continued Mr Tart. " They are superstitious, fanatical, and when certain men poison their minds against the foreigners by saying they intend to take their children away, that they poison wells, that they desecrat9 tbeir graves, then all their fanaticism is worked up ai;d rebellion i 3 spread. It seems to have burst like an overcharged dam. In Shanghai, Canton, or any other treaty ports, where the people are more enlightened the leaders could not play on the suporotitions of the people in this way. Once the number of Christian converts in China was very small. Now there are thousands ; and where yon have such a large Christian fold there must be some black sheep. Now, the Chinese know that some of these bluck sheep have, under the guise of Christianity, committed robberies and all sorts of crimes, and they misled the missionaries by representing that they were being persecuted because they had embraced Christianity, They also inflamed the passions of a large number of Chinese who felt that the missionaries had been made the dupes of bad men, All these are well known causes of the rebellion. I still think that one of the Powers is pulling the string, so as to establish its paramountoy in China. The Tsung-li-Yamen is composed of men who know what the strength of Europe is. They are not fools, and they would nevor allow anything to ta4e place which would bring them into conflict with the combined nations of Europe unless a Power had misled them in some way or other. I can only repeat the great regret which all Chinese residents will feel on account of this terrible news, and I can only express the hope that tha Reform Party will be strengthened and that it will be placed in a position to establish permanent peace in China."