1900 BARBER 50C PR68

Traditional Eastern cultures did not accept the impeding Western influence that had so suddenly spread across the globe. In China a group against foreign influence had formed a secret society they called Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists. The Righteous and Harmonious Fists were outwardly against the western and Japanese control of their economy and wished to stay traditional. This society had been known to practice strange "shadow-boxing" rituals they believed would make them bullet-proof which earned them the "Boxer" name. In addition to their rituals they also killed Christian Chinese and destroyed foreign property as small warnings before their turn of the century rebellion. By 1900 the Boxers had moved into Beijing and gained the support of Empress Cixi who declared war against all foreign nations with diplomatic ties to China. Coincidentally, future president Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou had taken their honeymoon cruise over to China earlier that year. Once their honeymoon was over Herbert was set to start a new job as a mining consultant to the Chinese emperor, instead he was caught in the crossfire of the Boxer Rebellion. On June 1, 1900, the rebels had taken over the city of Tientsin, just outside of Beijing, with eight hundred westerners. Hoover jumped to action and helped these and other westerners build barricades around residential sections of various cities while Lou volunteered in nearby hospitals. Before international forces subdued the rebel front, and they were rescued, the couple was able to aid several thousand foreign and domestic peoples throughout the rebellion. After their rescue both Hoovers remained active in the international community and Herbert became partner to Bewick, Morewing, and Co. Mining. We all know he also became president of the United States.