December
1908-
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE ĮREPORT:
REFORM JOURNAL.
THREATS OF BANISH MEN 7.
not need to be recapitulated, they are now in | ALLEGED INTIMIDATION OF A better, position, in the Manchurian Provinces at all events, to learn colloquial Russian than the Japanese. It must be added that they have profited by this circumstance, The Russian journal in Por: Arthur boasted the other day that whereas when the Russians came here first they experienced, great difficulties on account of the Chinese knowing no Russian, almost every Chinese one now meets with i Port Arthar | has a sufficient acquaintance with that language to understand and to make himself understood.
This statement has been confirmed by my own experience, which has made it clear to me that if we take the proportion of Chinese in Port Arthur who know Kossian and the proportion of Chinese in Hongkong or Singapore who know, English,,we find that, in spite of the comparatively recent arrival of the Russian, the proportion in the former case is larger than it is in the latter.
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paper had been established to advocate... which they rightly or wrongly declare perfectly. legitimate and (fair) and (no strenuous, in its tope than that of the En journals in Hongkong when discussing: Chinese internal affairs... The action of the hongkong Government has created much indignation among a large proportion of the : Chinese cess manity, in whose eyes it appears to
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unwarrantable, interference ... with: vaunted liberty of the Press, {amilan of intimidation that cannot be justified.
We give below a translation of one articles complained of :---
Some three months ago a new Chinese daily newspaper was established in Hongkong to ad- vooate the views of the Reform Party. Its name is the Shai Kai Kung Yik Po (The World's Netos), and it is printed and published in Gough Street. Since the inception of this newspaper it has made itself a force both in Hongkong and Chins, especially in Canton, to which some 1,500 copies were being despatched daily up till a week ago. From first to last the journal bas been bold and outspoken in its ad-
▲ SONG, vooncy of the principles of Reform; its articles (iving briefly a Bad Account of nevertheless have been marked by a breadth
Days in Yeung:Chow. of tone and a solidity of reasoning that have The fall of the leaves of the Ng-Tang palin: appealed, it is said, even to many Chinese trees tells that autumn has arrived. In-wander. who do not belong to the party of which ing into all sorts of reflections, one cannot help. it is the mouthpiece. This Was the from being-sorrowful. Though I have lived for: position of matters antil about ten days ago. the period of thirty years, I feel, myself greatly. It should be said that The World's News is ashamed that I have not accomplished „any rua by a company duly registered in Hongkong, subject successfully. It is pitiful, thái heaYOU: and that there is a directorate controlling the does not grant me my wish, though: I, have general business of the company. Among the high spirit. A'as! the hairs of the brave, directors are men of alshades of Reform belief, bave encountered every opposition, have, bes mild and violent. When the concern was set easily turned gray. As Tam not so powerful de ageing.the general principle was laid down that a drag u captor what can I do to remedy the paper was to be the apostle of Reform, present state of affairs? I therefore composed, nothing apparently having been stipulated as this song to give an account, of: Yeung- to the extent to which this apostleship should Chow in former times. I am afraid that my 99or: go In other words, the directors, as in other song cannot draw much attention and admira lleny: newspaper companies, were to be the business and that, moreover, such an account of things: managers, leaving the tone of the paper's polioy, will easily give birth to idla, falk and jealousy, which already had been generally resolved upon. I commence to say something about the wander- to the discretion of the editor. Nothing wasing rebels who made disturbance in orogy, part- more natural than that the man selected for thi responsible position should be one whose writ ings had already made him and his views known to the persons who chose him. Such was the case here.
The explanation of this lies, I suppose, in the colder nature of the Englishman. The Russian traats the Chinese more as a man and a brother. The other day
1 BBW a Chinese emerge from a sailors' reading-room in a dazed condition and with the appearance of haring quite recently parted company with his pig tail. I do not doubt that in exchange for that cherished appendage he had acquired, almost instantaneously some vigorous Russian idioms which it takes ordinary foreigners a long time to memorise. The common Russian soldier and sailor takes a rough bat kindly interest in the local personification of the Yellow Peril have seen a squad of soldiers passing a Chinese carter and every man on the side next to the cart gave poor John a shoe and a poke, John bore it all lauchingly and responded in Russian which was fluent if not o assical These soldiers meant no more harm by their shoving" than does the average British or American schoolboy, and the Chinaman got a good opportunity of practising bis Russiao.
A Chinese gentleman who had worked and Judging by its results, this system of learning writte for many years in the cause, and who langnages is, indeed, worth the attention of cur
was then in Japan, was invited to take the Gouins and Berlitzes. Such exchanges of situation of editor-in-chief. He did so. His courtesies frequently occur between the con-personal views were perfectly well known to querors and the conquered here, and if John Chinaman happens to get knocked down or to receive B resounding whack, the laughter on both sides is redoubled. Why should it be otherwise? This style of humour has been popular among the common people of all nations since the dawn of history, and perhaps to an even greater extent before the dayn, and the British Music Hall is a standing memorial to its popularity among moderns.
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The Russian soldier does not get much pay, but his heart is large and the crowds of beggars, counterfeit and genuine, that hang around the soldiers' barracks here testify to his generosity. In barracks, however, he is generous in his corporate capacity, on the march he is gauerous as an individual. You see soldiers on the Siberian railway give part of their loaf to a Chinese beggar and manifest. deligat if their gift is appreciated.
I bring all this in to show that the Chinese has unique opportunities for learning Russian, In other words, his conqueror fraternises with him freely. You sometimes see Rus-iau soldiers shaking hands with Chinese "boys" in the street. If a cholerio old Indian colonel saw one of his men behave like this he would probably have an attack of apoplexy on the spot, But the Russian language seems to have attacked, fot only the "boya" and the coolies Lut also the country people.
Five miles from Port Arthur I have met peasants ploughing the soil and fishermen carry- ing nets, able (the men, not the nets) to converse in Russian, and beggar lads able to make clear to the pussing stranger the alleged fact that they had had nothing to eat for an indefinite period of time. Uf course the language they speak is pidjin Russian. For instance a boy 81ys Nyet, Kooshkoosh instead of Ya Ne Kushil (I have not eaten anything); and on the whol, they have made of Russian the same amusing systematic hotob-potch which they have made of English and French.
-On the other hand there are not, I think, as many Chinese capable of expressing themselves in choice, scholarly Russian as there are Chinese capable of speaking, reading, and writing fine English; and I think that it will be some time before we shall have Chinese savants deeply versed in Russian literature -
of the Chinees Empire. Li-Chong Chi-Bing.. who was to be greatly condemned, wanted to- take possession of the throne. Emperor Taunge Ching consequently committed suicida by hangs ing himself at the back of Mui-shan. The Ming dynasty was thereby completely overthrows As the calamity of ruining the then dynasty, was brought about by the people of the blood, to whom shall we lay the blame them? In fact, the people of alien blood, who have the directorate, for they had been frequently come over to be sovereigns øver, UK, ANS: QUE enough expressed, and it was not surprising enemies. D-Sam Kwai, the beast, who osred that the journal soon began to be a reflex of the nothing of what would happen in „futuros man. He was a vigorous writer. His articles why did he introduce snakes into the house were looked forward to with pleasure by his readers.
anticipatory to steal the chickens? If it was not he who They constituted, invited them to some over, how-daxed, they indeed, the feature of the paper, which as time
to interfere with our own olan fights then l want on became more and more popular and s
He was -ignorant of the importance of inte- greater force than ever among the Chinese grity, so that he wrongfully surrendered community here and in Canton.
bimself unto them. The Manchurians conse-> But, as is only too well k own, Chinesequently took the opportunity to „rush... in Reformers who openly profess their principles even under the protection of a foreign flag never feel safe from the revengeful arm of their own Government. Recent events have shown alearly, too, that that Government's wrath is directed especially against those who interest themselves in Reform propaganda through the medium of the far-reaching daily journal. In the case of The World's News it would appear that the same subtle underminingds that metho have been employed by the Chinese authorities in other similar instances were brought into play. Wherever the bomb came from, it at any rate fell into the camp. One of the directors of the paper who, we are informed, had not been originally remarkable for the mildness of his views, suddenly evinced antagonism to the spirit. which pervaded the leasing articles appearing from day to day and protested against their continuance. The other directors deslined to give way on the point, and at that time, or subse quently, endeavoured to buy out this man's rights in the concern. He refused to be bought out, however, and in the end he went to the company's solicitors and laid information to the effect that the paper was publishing seditions articles. At his request, we believe, the matter was reported to the Colonial Secretary, who sent it on to the Governor, who referred it back to the Registrar General's office for report. In the resnit, after investiga tion, the manager and... publisher of the paper were summoned to the Registrar. General's office and severely reprimanded,, for having | allowed the articles complained of toappear, and threatened with banishment from the Colony in the event of similar articles, being published, again.
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Needless to say, the directorate had no alternative but to abandon the policy their
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large numbers to invade our country. They marched all over Shun-chow, which waE OQIL- pletely ruined by them. All the wise Chinese people were forced to enter their servios like. horses. When they had won the battle, they crossed the river and marched southward.. Heaven did not bless the then dynasty, tká royal power of which had already faded. The then dynasty was unable to retain not one half of the whole Empire. In an incredibly short time the Pa-Young River fell into Lasir, hands and Kw-Chow was also captured by them, so that... · it was difficult to maintain the Empire's integri- ty. Sz-ho-fat, who led an army, to oppose them, was unsuccessful, so that be was forced to retire to Yeung chow. Being the only one royal and anxious for the integrity of the Empire, he placed his soul at the mergy of Heaven. As the event proved, it could not avail.. Every place was overrun with Manchurian, soldiers. who at last approached to the gate of Yeung chow city and insisted upon capturing the city. As shell after shell was thundering into. the pity, it was impossible to stand, their force though, the city wall was thick, Buddenly they broke into the city and the people were massacred, with blood, streaming, lika river. Do you understand that they continually butchered the people for ten daya?, They committed illegal marriages, gruel seis, which causad ghosts to ery; and, go la tò, mumble. The aged and the work of pity were unable to make their ecosp painful to bring it into remembranc the ten days,over eight hundred, persons were decapitated. With the shore statement, I «beg circumstances.; The cruel butchering) people was never no seVAN DE ARA Who knows the real circumstances
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