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the physical and mental suffering of its victims.
Fifty years have passed since China was compelled to admit opium and the Christian religion.
Fifty years age China took the great step, by removing all restrictions on opium growing.
With what terrible results, has been very briefly described.
The Dismemberment of China
Legs than twenty-five years after China had taken the unfortunate step, the degrading vice had so debauched, demoralized and weakened the people that they lost not only the power of resistance, but also their productive power.
She was not only sick and getting sicker every day, but poor and getting poorer.
The social status of the army sank to the very lowest strata of her social fabric. The army in the main was composed of outlaws and rascals of all shades, who joined the army as a last resort from starvation. They were ill drilled and poorly equipped. As a protective force, China's army and navy was not only a farce, but a burden as well.
Great in numbers, but small inefficiency, it was kept busy almost continually.
The Taeping rebellion, which developed a Chinese Gordon, the Mohamedan revolt, and various other civil disturbances were a constant strain upon her resources.
Poverty and chaos hand in hand stalking over the Empire.
In the midst of all this tumult, it seems as though even the elements of the universe were against her.
The year of 1876 witnessed the commencement of a drought in the two great provinces of Honan and Shansi which has probably never been surpassed as the cause of such a vast amount of human suffering. Although the provinces named suffered the most from the prevalent drought, the suffering was general over the whole of Northern China.
Poverty stricken, sick and helpless was the world's oldest nation, while in distress struggling for its very existence. The avaricious eyes of the commercial world were focussed upon her—not for the purpose of offering her succor and deliver her from distress, but for the purpose of attacking her and by force removing the barriers that for ages stood against foreign trade.
To plunder her rich mineral deposits, or cut up and divide the country among the Christian nations.
