Those Missionary Claims.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 49, 5 December 1901, Page 18

Those Missionary Claims.

Two weeks ago we dealt with a cable message regarding the relative ' reasonableness ' of the claims for compensation advanced by the Catholic and the Protestant missionaries in connection with the late Boxer risings in China. In the course of an interview accorded to a representative of the Sydney Ffcrman's Journal,

Cardinal Moran supplied the following further facts aa to the rela tive destruction of life and property suffered by the Catholic and the Protestant missionaries. In the matter of missionaries maasa cred and property destroyed, 'France was,' said his Eminence, ' a greater sufferer ; accordingly her demands would be large. In German territory Catholic missionaries and native Christian" Buffered, perhaps, most severely, whilst it is not on record that one Proestant missionary lost hia life there. Another feature of contrait is that in the interior where the Boxers prevailed all the American and other Protestant missionaries at once took refuge at Shanghai, and other safe resorts on the coast, while the Catholic raiemonariea remained at their post and suffered with their flocks. The Protestant missionaries in the interior hare adopted the rule of not building churches. They are satisfied to rent some Chinese room in which to conduct their Bible service. The Catholics, on the other hand, everywhere have their churches, chapels, and oratories, and for the destruction of these buildings compensation will of course have to be given. In the city of Peking great rioting took place. There weie 25,000 native Catholics put to death under the vtry eyes of the Government. As there were very few Protestants in this city, it is hardly likely that any compensation is to be demanded. As regards Mukden, it was also a theatre of outrage but no Protestants were massacred, their missionary centre for all that territory being on the sea-coast. In the courso of the outbreak there were fire Catholic missionaries put to death there, with their Bishop, and between 9000 and 10,000 native Catholics. The total, number of mtivc Protestants in all China,' added the Cardinal, ' is reckoned by themselves at 75,000, while the number of Catholics i* about 1,200,000. As I have shown, there were very few Protestants — cleric and lay— put to death, and therefore little compensation could be demanded for them.'