Early in June my college friend K'ung Hsiang Hsi came back from T'ungchou for his vacation, reporting that the state of affairs
there and at Peking was growing worse, that the local officials were powerless against the Boxers, and that the Boxers, armed with swords, were constantly threatening Christians scattered in the country. . . . The wicked Governor, Yü Hsien, scattered proclamations broadcast. These stated that the foreign religions overthrew morality and inflamed men to do evil, so now gods and men were stirred up against them, and Heaven's legions had been sent to exterminate the foreign devils. Moreover there were the Boxers, faithful to their sovereign, loyal to their country, determined to unite in wiping out the foreign religion. He also offered a reward to all who killed foreigners, either titles or office or money. When the highest official in the province took such a stand in favor of the Boxers, what could inferior officials do? People and officials bowed to his will, and all who enlisted as Boxers were in high favor. It was a time of license and anarchy, when not only Christians were killed, but hundreds of others against whom individual Boxers had a grudge.1 Who was the intended audience
First of all, the audience obviously does not know (or least well), who the boxers are. Moreover we can suspect that it is a Christian community because the writing style sets out to prove how
corrupt Yu Hsien is
how the propaganda machine painted Christians (as anachists who wanted to overthrow the current government).
So now the gods and men were stirred up against them to exterminate the foreign devils.
The Boxers were united and angry -- probably something the intended audience didn't know
