The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 156

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156 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

them had to be satisfied with swords, spears, and
knives or even a long dry bamboo pole cut at the far
end to a long slant point. These soldiers marched
in single file and wore the peasant’s garb, blue coat
and trousers, turban, and straw sandals. A sash, or
belt, of red cloth hold the bamboo cup to be used
as a rice bowl and teacup, and chop-sticks, the only
luggage of the soldier belonging to this vast army.
The representatives of the general and his soldiers
in the outlying districts were first either secretly
murdered or driven away. And now, when these
peasant rebels were the sole lords of the country-
side, they were the ones who preyed on the property
of their fellow-peasants who had not joined their
ranks or who had aided the Southern soldiers in
recent times. If any resistance was offered them,
the property was simply burnt and destroyed. Soon
these “Sen Pin” drew near Shinan, the largest city
of Southwestern Hupeh, in which our missionaries
were living. They came to drive out the Southern
army stationed in this walled city of some 50,000
population. The Southern soldiers were filled with
fear, for they had neither ammunition nor food sup-
plies. One glooming morning the people of Shinan
became aware of the fact that their soldier parasites
had suddenly disappeared during the night. A wel-
come and yet an unwelcome absence, for now, they
realized that a miserable government is much better
than no government at all. The soldiers had moved
toward the east in order to attack the forces of the
Northern government, who were holding a strongly
fortified position about forty miles away. The South-
ern army was easily defeated, for the Northerners
carried a few effective machine guns. Being piti-
lessly dispersed, the Southerners rallied in various
‘groups, which began to retreat, leaving fire and
bloodshed in their wake as they led their way back
towards Shinan. However, the leading business men
of Shinan would not have these bands of soldiers
enter their city again. The president of the chamber
of commerce organized a people’s protective army,
the ruffians of the city, in order to oppose both the
Southern soldiers and the “Sen Pin.” The city
gates were closed, and every family was called upon
to furnish man or woman power to climb up on the
‘ wall, armed with any weapon available and carrying
__ lime in packages, to be thrown into the eyes of any
_ who would venture to scale the wall. The city was

7; surrounded by “Sen Pin” for many days; there

‘were rumors of their having gained entrance through
| the gates, yet they actually never entered the city.
5 ‘Finally Northern soldiers arrived and after some
: enedieayatl the people's protective army and took

up their activities against the notorious “Sen Pin.”
Many a squad of Northern soldiers was caught un-
awares by the peasant soldiers and massacred un-
mercifully in the mud of ‘the rice-fields which lay
in the low places of the mountainous country. The
Northerners finally gained the complete upper hand.
The leaders of the peasants, those “living idols,”
were captured, brought into the city, and executed.
One day a fine specimen of “living idol” was cap-
tured and brought to the general at headquarters.
He was dressed in tight-fitting clothes made of
costly red silk and wore his hair long. The general,
named Chau, being one of the old Manchu type of
military man, gave orders to his soldiers, while an
Episcopal superintendent of missions was dining
with him, to chop off the idol’s hands and to stab
out his eyes and send him back to his people. This
was done. There was a commotion in the street as
the man was released with the bleeding stubs of his
arms and with his eyes stabbed repeatedly, though
his eyeballs were not gouged out. One of our Lu-
theran missionaries followed the throng of people
who were watching the “idol” leave the city. He
soon understood who this man was and how he came
to be so unfortunate. The poor man was staggering
along the street like a drunkard, partly blind and
weakening with much pain. Without medical aid
the poor man would die long before reaching the
mountain country. The missionary did not know
of the general’s order that he return to his people.
The missionary only thought the “living god” might
fall over and die any moment. He also realized that
here was a soul saved by the holy, precious blood of
Christ, which might receive forgiveness of sins and
eternal salvation if it but repent and believe. The
missionary walked side by side with the one-time
“living idol” and began to preach the Law of God.
“You are sinning against the true God of heaven
and earth by posing as a god; you are sinning by
deceiving the people; you are sinning by rising up
against the powers that be. For you are not a god,
you are not the government. You have deserved
your punishment. But severer punishment may soon
be meted out to you by the true God of heaven.”
At first this “living idol,’ who was probably the
best-built Chinese the missionary had ever met, did
not acknowledge his sin; but after a little while he
admitted the sins pointed out to him. Then he was
told how the same God of heaven had sent His Son
as the Savior of all men from sin and eternal dam-
nation.- And what do you, dear reader, suppose
this man answered? In childlike words, which per-
haps showed some little faith, he asked, ‘Where