Reference
OpenAI's Answer
Mark Twain criticized Reverend William Scott Ament due to Ament's actions following the Boxer Rebellion in China. Ament, who was a director of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, joined other Western powers in seeking indemnities from the Chinese. This involved demanding compensation that greatly exceeded the actual losses suffered by Western missionaries during the uprising.
Twain wrote an essay titled "To the Person Sitting in Darkness," published in 1901, where he expressed his disapproval of these actions. He saw Ament's approach as exploitative and a symbol of Western imperialism and moral hypocrisy. This critique was part of what became known as the Twain-Ament indemnities controversy, which gained significant attention at the time source.
Follow Up
Related
What controversy did Twain's piece on William Ament and the indemnities spark?
Why did Albert Bigelow Paine remove the section on William Ament?
What role did the Boxer Uprising play in Twain's anti-imperialist views?
What was the reaction to the publication of 'To the Person Sitting in Darkness'?