206
A FOOCHOW SUGGESTION.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[September 23, 1903.
ESOTERIC CONSTITUTIONALISM
IN CHINA.
A
of great moment, and becomes daily more | remains the best method of dividing the important, that such as become subjects of sheep from the goats. foreign states should show that they do so (Daily Press, 18th September.)
with an honest intention, and not merely Some interesting but knotty points are with a view to obtaining, in China, an unfair raised by the Foochow Echo in discussing advantage over their fellow Celestials." the refusal of the Hongkong Government to The desirability of having British subjects (Daily Press, 19th September.) permit boycott meetings to be held in the ear-marked in some such manner may be But a few years ago it was a universally Colony. In its issue of the 9th instant our admitted; but the practicable nature of the accepted axiom in politics that oriental contemporary says that the Government proposition is another story. In time, it is nations did not contain within themselves the very properly declined to grant the neces not improbable that the Chinese on the elements necessary for the successful adop- sary authority"; and, quoting the official coast, whether under British rule or not, tion of representative institutions. The correspondence with the Cainese Commner will follow the Japanese example, and adopt exan.ples brought forward in support of cial Union, continues: "The position taken European costume. Many of them have the thesis were unauswerable, an the West, up by the Hongkong Government is an already done so; and of these a large and more especially the Tentonic West, eminently reasonable one. The matter is majority are they who have become subjects including therein all peoples who could lay regard. d not as one to be controlled by the of foreign states "with an honest intention." any claim to Germanic relationship, laid sentimental considerations which weigh with We know of others who have honestly much flattering unction accordingly to its the Chinese-and these are the mainstay of forsworn their native nationality, but who soul. It was naturally temporarily forgot. the whole boyett propaganda-but in have an excusable, if not strictly honest, ten that one of the countries where repre connection with its effect on the practical motive for retaining the native dress. We sentative institutions hal longest flourished interests of the Colony," From which it conclude, therefore, that it is not was Hungary, where the Magyar influence appears that our Foochow contemporary merely n question of clothes, as our has ever been in the ascendant, an 1 that no shares our view that the feeling behind the contemporary appears to think;
that country has struggled longer and in the tagitation was a forced one; a cultivated circumstances would be against the suggested long run more successfully for the mainten
passion, fed on sensational statements, some automatic cessatio of abuses; and that the ance of i's civic liberties, though placed gross exaggerations, others downright lies; mere sartorial revolution would not of under conditions extremely adverse. and the approval of the Government's policy necessity inaugurate other reforms. It is further illustration of the insufficiency of in the matter indicates also the opinion that poor human nature again. The lacklands the foundation on which this argument has without that effectual check, danger was are the folk who are most in favour of land been based is furnished in the recent history ahead. "But" (and here the knotty points nationalisation; parents insist most upon of the Latin races, which seemed to have an make their appearance) "the most interest- the virtues of obedience; childless people especial cap city for undergoing ill govern - ing point is one which is barely hinted in write homilies upon the treatment of ment. Under Visigoths and Burgundians the COLONIAL SECRETARY'S despatch. children; labour enlarges upon the iniquities France had, on the decline of the Romau Hongkong," says our contemporary, "is a of capital; and capital (assisted by your Empire, succeeded in establishing free insti- British Colony, and the vast majority of Rev, R. J. CAMPBELLS) preaches of the joy tutions where the people were represented. Chinese resident there are British subjects. of work for work's sake. So, we suspect, As the vivifying power of the Germanic For British subjects the interest of the boy the Chinaman of a certain social status stock died out, a succession of rulers under cott is speculative merely; they have no hastens to show his preference for the fair different dynasties made gradual encroach- such concern in it as to give them a right to rule of the foreigner, who oppresses himments, till in the eighteenth century France take an active part in the agitation. It is never; but when that same Chinaman gets to all purposes had become a practical true that this is not recognized by the into a position where striat justice would be autocracy. In Spain much the same thing Hongkong Chinese, Race feeling is very against his interests, he finds it convenient happened; the Vandul and Visigoths intro- strong anong them, and they feel that the to bark to the place where the bribe „duced free institutions, but the Moors con- "black-haired people," even though they availeth, and “ squeeze" is regarded ns nquered the lan1, and after their expulsion may be subjects of the same king as the process of nature. In other words, British the king-lom be wine a military state and "red-haired barbarians," have nothing else freedom and liberty is analogous to the the last vestiges of liber y were lost. Under in common with them. This forms one of free will about which the theologians the Emperor CHARLES V. and his successors the main reasons why it is desirable that prate: it has its limitations: the goat with the Cortes were reduced to a machine for the Chinese who, by residence in Hongkong a long tether is free to the extent of the merely registering the Royal decrees, and or the Straits Settlements, become British rope it may decide absolutely to travel in were finally extinguishie l. In Italy the subjects, should be required in some way a circle or in a straight line, to the left or Goths and Longobards also established their . to differentiate themselves from Chinese who to the right. The British subject, as the free assemblies, and after the break up of remain subjects of the Son of Heaven. Chinese have discovered, is free and has these kingdoms the powers of the state That British nationality is regarded as an perfect liberty-to do right. His privileges were continue in the cities. Here, as advantage by the Chinese is sufficiently have their concomitant respon ibilities. formerly in Greece, liberty gave way to demonstrated by the notorious fact that The unworthy subject wants the first licentiousness an1 the cities grew into con many Chinese, having been naturalized in without the second. To enjoy the first he tempti le despotisms, in which state wo Hongkong, send their wives at critical lives in Hongkong: to escape the other h find them in the end of the eighteenth periods to the Colony for a time in order flees to Canton. Supposing it were con- century. Then came the French Revolution; that the children may be born British substitutional to insist upon British subjects it commenced with a period of unbridled jects, and (as in this case happens) remain wearing certain clothes and dressing their liberty; it ended in a military despɔtism: Oi so although they return to China. These hair in a certain way-for which the the final fall of the first Empire the Con- children, when they grow up, are indis-passing of a "sumptuary ordinance" would gress of Vienna undertook to re-establish tinguishable from other Chinese. They speak,
Europe and, indifferent to the needs aut as their native language, some dialect of
desires of the people, it was divided up Chinese; they live on Chinese food, wear
amongst the various rulers. Represen!a- Chinese costume, cultivate a queue, and, as
tive institutions were in the new arrange- often as not, reside and own land in the in-
ments studiously ignore... Russi, in fact, terior. In a word, they endeavour to enjoy
was the model, and th's Tear ALEXANDER all the advantages of British subjects in
was for a time practically the arbi er of the China, such as immunity from the control
Continent; never was popular government of Chinese officials, and at the same time to
at so low an ebb, and the various monarchs evade all the disabilities attaching to thechar
set themselves s'eadily to repress the few acter of foreigner. Entirely to prevent these
remains that survived.
The plot was, abuses is utterly impossible by any means
however, not successful, and in 1848 began but one. Were it rigidly enforced in colonies
the inevitable reaction. France, Germany, where persons of Chinese origin form a part
Austria, followed by several of the minor of the population, that any of them who
states, established constitutional govern- are, or who become, British subjects should | long as transit is easy and extra lition hard, | ments; and though some of these were and clothes would not make much difference afterwards dissolved or modified, on the either way. Besides, the difficulties would whole the various peoples contrived to increase enormously if (and so much seems secure wider privileges than before. to follow) every Chinaman inland who France, however, fell under a second cut off his queue and wore trousers could Empire, though this, nominally at least, go to the nearest consul and claim assis-was founded on popular institutious. tance as a British subject. Registration Impelled by the popular feeling Louis
adopt British costume (which involves the sacrifice of their queues,) the abuses must cease automatically. For Chinese who intend to remain subjects of the Emperor of China this outward change, though it has been seriously put forward as a desirable reform is not a matter of any moment. But it is
|
be necessary-there would result, no doubt, considerable reduction of immigration; and once in, there would be less incentive to sek Chinese jurisdiction again. In theory, therefore, the class of Chinese-British sub- jects would be winnowed and impr ved. But in practice, ways would be found of surmounting the difficulty. The shorn Chinaman, resuming the plumage of the son of HAN, would not be so ridiculously easy of detection as is the blonde missionary who struts in borrowed plumes, vainly imagining that gown and false pigtail bring him nearer to bis quarry. Our idea is that the abuses complained of are inevitable so
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